Hey. Time for some big events to happen here! Enjoy!!

The Future of Justice

Chapter 52: Delivery

Metropolis General Hospital:

Clark and Lois had found and walked into Chloe's hospital room, which was located on the 4th floor. They found her, her father and Jimmy keeping her company. They all smiled as they saw both Lois and Clark, especially Chloe.

"Hey Clark. Feeling…better?" Chloe asked awkwardly. Clark smiled back as he sat in a chair next to her. "A lot better, thanks. You?" he asked, concerned for Chloe's health. Chloe laid her hands on her stomach.

"Get back to me on that after I have this baby." she replied jokingly. Clark knew that inside, Chloe was scared to death about finally having the baby and refused to show it. After all, it was Brainiac that did this to her.

Clark then turned to see Gabe. "Good to see you, Clark. It's been years, hasn't it?" Gabe asked as he shook Clark's hand. "Yeah, Mr. Sullivan. It has been a while. Glad you're okay." he said. Clark then moved on to Jimmy.

"How are you?" he asked. Jimmy did his usual "Olsen" smile. "You know me; always on top of things!" he said in a optimistic way. Clark chuckled as he looked back at Chloe.

"Lois filled me in on the way here. Jarvis' robots must've done a number on the Talon trying to get you." he said. Chloe nodded. "No kidding! Thank God Blue Beetle came when he did. He saved all of us!"

"Have you seen him since he left?" Clark asked. Everyone shook their heads. "Nope; probably busy back in whatever town he flew from." Lois answered. "But I'm sure we'll see him again soon…at least, maybe." Jimmy said, hopeful.

Just then, Gabe got up. "I'm going out for some coffee; I need the energy! Anyone else want anything?" he asked, with his eyes darting from Lois and Jimmy to the door. Getting the message, they both got up.

"Now that you mention it Uncle Gabe, I could use a picker upper myself. You Jimmy?" she asked. "Oh, oh yeah! Right behind you guys!" "Sweetie, do you want anything while we're out?" Gabe asked her daughter.

"Just some water, please. I don't exactly have an appetite tonight." she replied. They then hurried out of the room, leaving just Clark to be with Chloe. Clark and Chloe both knew that they left so that they could catch up, thinking the two haven't seen each other since Clark's trip.

"Chloe, are you sure you're okay?" Clark asked, truly concerned. Chloe sighed. "I'm close to giving birth to something Brainiac literally stuck inside me…does that sound like anything in the realm of "okay"?"

Chloe then felt sharp pain as she had a contraction. "Ow! Ohh!" she yelped. "Take it easy Chloe, just breath in…and breath out." he instructed calmly. He repeated for another moment or two before Chloe relaxed.

"Thanks, Clark. That one came out of nowhere." Chloe said, breathing hard. "Just hang on Chloe, it will be over soon." he replied calmly. "Easier said than done. But right now, tell me what happened after you left. Were you able to find Bart and AC?"

As quickly as he could, Clark filled Chloe in on all the adventures he had after he left Smallville again. Chloe became surprised and amazed with every detail as she learned about Clark's chat with Talia and his phone call warning Bruce Wayne about her and her father.

Clark went on to tell her about meeting Diana and having her join his team. He told her about finding Bart and meeting Barry, who's family ties he kept a secret due to the promise Bart had him make. Chloe was still surprised that Bart and Barry had so much in common though, but did not elaborate.

But when Clark got to the part with Bart dying at the hands of Cobalt Blue and telling her of Bart's last words, Chloe looked choked up. "Oh my god. Bart…I had no idea he…cared about me that much. I always thought he liked to flirt when he had an opportunity."

Clark nodded as he looked sad too. "He really did care, and regretted you two never had a date before you met Jimmy." he said softly. Chloe sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye. "We could've had a nice night about before Jimmy came, but…" she couldn't bring herself to finish.

Clark continued with saying that after beating Cobalt Blue, Barry took Bart's place on Clark's team when the time came. "I'm glad Barry decided to help out." Chloe said. "Me too. He's a good guy." Clark commented.

"You found AC?" Chloe asked. "In Florida." Clark said simply. "Anything exciting happened when you and your fishy pal got back together?" she asked curiously, hoping to hear some more excitement.

Clark hated to disappoint her, but he and AC swore to keep Atlantis a secret after their adventure there. "Nope, afraid not. We just had a quick swim, and then headed back to Smallville. Lois picked me up a while afterward." Clark finished.

Though down, Chloe was still relieved to be up to date. "I'm so sorry about Bart. But at least you got AC back in the game." she said. Clark nodded. "Yeah, and pretty soon he won't be alone."

"Meaning what?" Chloe asked. "I've arranged for AC and the rest of the team to meet at Oliver's, where they will wait for me to discuss how to save Oliver and the others." Chloe nodded, wishing she could meet up with them too.

"What about that dream you had when you slept at Barry's?" she inquired. Clark shrugged. "I don't know about that. It only happened once, but I think whoever tried to contact me before will try again. I was starting to think though, maybe it's…"

Whoever Clark was speculating that could've tried to reach him, he did not get a chance to say. Lois and the others came in at that moment. "Hey guys. Talked about anything interesting?" Lois asked.

Chloe shrugged. "Nothing out of the ordinary." "Which means squat in this town." Jimmy added, causing the whole room to laugh. Suddenly, Chloe's laugh became a scream. It caused everyone to jump at once.

"Chloe! A contraction?!" Gabe asked. Nodding, Chloe started her breathing exercises again. He and Jimmy sat next to her, coaching through it while Clark and Lois back up a little. Chloe relaxed again shortly afterward.

"I'm alright." she said, exhausted. Just then, a male doctor walked in. "Hi, I'm Dr. Parker. I heard the patient as I was walking here. Another contraction, Miss Sullivan?" he smiled. Chloe nodded. "I think…they're starting to get closer." she barely said above a whisper.

He nodded. "I'll be monitoring you for a little bit. If these contractions are coming closer, you just might see your baby shortly." Everyone smiled in comfort, including Chloe.

Clark then looked out the room's window, which was dark now, and wondered if the team had gotten together yet.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Oliver's Apartment:

While everyone was at the hospital, AC and Diana had just flown in at Oliver's apartment. AC told her where to find it. "Thanks for the lift." he replied gratefully. Diana smiled. "It was my pleasure." she said.

She looked around, curious. "This "Oliver Queen" has an…interesting taste of living." AC smirked. "He's a rich guy; they usually have good taste." "I see. The other members Clark called should be here shortly." AC nodded.

"By the way, my name maybe AC but when I'm out on the field…I'm Aquaman." AC said proudly. Diana nodded. "You got your own codename?" he asked. The Amazon shrugged.

"Well, I have been thinking about "Wonder Woman". It was Clark who first called me that." "From what I've heard, it suits you." AC replied, studying her. "You think so?" Diana asked. Her new companion nodded. "Definitely."

"Thank you." she said, smiling. As Diana studied an interesting flower vase, AC cleared his throat. "Um, Clark said you're a princess." "I am." Diana confirmed. "Why?"

"It's just that…I may not look or act like it, but I'm a prince." he said hesitantly. Diana turned from the vase to AC, surprised. "You are? Of what land AC?" she asked, excited. AC felt a little hot under the collar.

"Well, it's a far away place…you may not have heard of it. I only found out earlier today." he said. "What is it? Please tell me." she asked. AC shrugged. "Sorry beautiful; I kinda promised to keep that to myself." Diana nodded.

"I understand perfectly. I do not wish to tell of my homeland either to just anyone. I did tell Clark, but I still kept it's location a secret." "At least you got to grow up where you were born." AC replied, a little down about not knowing life in Atlantis.

Diana looked sympathetic. "You grew up away from your home?" "It's complicated." he said. Before another word was spoken, something bright and green just flew in from the window outside.

Green Lantern noticed AC and Diana as he walked in. "You two must be part of Steel's team, huh?" he asked. Surprised by him, they nodded. "I am Diana, and this is my comrade, Arthur Curry…or rather, Aquaman. And yourself?" He removed his mask.

"Name's Hal Jordan, aka Green Lantern. Helped your pal out of a tight jam a while back. Should be interesting to hear what he needs help with this time." he said confidently. AC heard from Clark how powerful Green Lantern was, but thought he seemed to sure of himself.

"You don't look nervous." he noted. Hal grunted. "What do I have to be nervous about? I'm not afraid of anything." he said with a smile. Just then, a blur of red came in and they felt a gust of wind.

"Hi everyone, I hope I'm not too late." Flash said as he looked at everyone. "You must be the "Flash", right?" AC asked. Barry nodded as he took his mask off. "Yes. And my real name is Barry Allen."

Once the others introduced themselves, Hal walked over to him. "So speedy, got any ideas what's going down?" he asked. Barry seemed annoyed by that name. "I have an idea, but we should wait until Clark gets here for confirmation."

Hal snorted. "Don't like sharing with the crowd?" he challenged. Barry remained calm despite Hal's attitude. "All I'm saying is we just wait for everyone to be here." Hal walked towards the couch and sat down. "And I think you need to be less arrogant and more cautious." Barry replied.

"Hate to disappoint you, but I'm not the cautious type." Hal remarked. Barry sighed, giving up. After a moment of silence, Diana spoke up. "Excuse me, but I think there is at least one more team member to wait for before Clark returns."

That instant, the loud roar of an engine can be heard from outside. The others looked out the window to see the source. "What the hell is that?!" AC asked as he pointed up.

What the others saw was a odd, black plane hovering above the building. As they kept watching, the cockpit opened and a black suited man jumped out. His cape acted like a parachute and slowed his decent towards the balcony.

Batman landed in front of the team and stood tall. His plane then began to land on the roof of the building. "Show off." Hal spat out at Batman's graceful landing. Batman's stone like expression intimidated the rest of team, except for Hal.

The young dark knight observed the others as he walked into the apartment. "You must be this "team" that Clark Kent told me about." he said after a moment. He didn't seem to have heard Hal's comment at all.

"Let me guess, Batman?" AC asked. Batman nodded. "And you all would be?" After introductions, Hal came forward, frowning. "You know, we've all shared our real names and faces. Why not show us yours Bats?" he inquired.

"I'm not as "open" as most people are, Jordan." he replied coldly. Hal smirked. "Too bad. What kind of special powers do you have, besides jumping off of planes?" His cocky attitude started to get on Batman's nerves.

"You'll see soon enough." Hal chuckled. "Oh I get it, you're challenging me! You think what you can do is better than what I can do?! Well Batman, bring it on!" he dared as he poked Batman's chest. Batman did nothing but stare.

"When you got that glowing ring, did it fry some of your brain cells? Because fighting me would not be a good idea from that thick head of yours." The others gasped as the two argued. Hal laughed.

"Oh ho! That sounds like a challenge to me! Let's have at it!" But before any of them could throw a punch, Barry zoomed between them. "Stop it, both of you! We are here as a team! Clark would not approve of us fighting each other instead of our enemies!"

"Yeah, cool off you two!" AC agreed. "Both of you should be ashamed of yourselves." Diana scolded. A few tense moments later, Batman and Hal turned and walked away from one another.

"If Clark expects me to work with him, he doesn't know me that well." Hal said to himself, sitting at the table. "My thoughts exactly." Batman replied as he walked back out onto the balcony, looking into the night.

Barry sighed. "Guess not everyone's going to be getting along, huh?" "They will, with enough time." Diana reassured. AC then took out his cell phone from his bag to call Clark that the team was together.

But before he could dial, Batman said something ominous. "Arthur, are you sure everyone in Clark's team is here now?" he asked from the balcony. "Positive; besides him, it's just the five of us. Why?" Batman then pointed into the sky.

"We are about to have more company." The others gathered beside him to look where he pointed, Hal and Barry having their masks back on. Sure enough, something was flying there way pretty fast. "What is it?" Diana asked. "Maybe it's Clark." Barry asked.

"No way bro; he would let us know when he'd be coming in." AC pointed out. The team backed away, but stood ready as a person in blue and black armor landed on the balcony.

Hal recognized the armor as the same one that took over that young girl, Lucy, when he met Clark and his friends. Their other friend, Brian, reprogrammed the scarab and it separated from her. 'Looks like that bug found another host. But is he here for trouble?' Hal thought as he pointed his ring at him.

Blue Beetle stood surprised as more costumed people stood before him, expecting to fight him. "Hey, who are all you guys?" he asked. "We should be asking you the same question." Batman stated.

The young hero looked a little scared. "Look, I'm not looking for a fight! I'm the Blue Beetle, a hero from El Paso!" he answered. AC was surprised to meet the hero he heard from Clark. "A little far from Texas, aren't you?" Green Lantern pointed out. Blue Beetle nodded.

"I came to check on people that lived here. I saved their lives recently and I wanted to see if they were still safe." "There was nobody here when we arrived." Diana confirmed. Blue Beetle was surprised further.

"What people are you talking about?" Flash asked. AC stepped toward the young man. "I know what he's talking about." Everyone else was stunned as AC told them from what he heard from Clark.

When he was finished, they all lowered their guard. "So, where are Chloe and her family now?" Blue Beetle asked. "They are at the hospital. Chloe's going to have her baby." Flash was surprised.

Besides AC, Barry was the only person in the group who knew the true nature of Chloe's baby. He hoped Chloe would be alright, in spite of what she might bring into the world.

"Well, not everyone actually. Her mother, Moira, is still here…safe." Blue Beetle thanked him as AC led him to the guest bedroom, where he figure Moira would be staying. Curious, the others followed.

Sure enough, they found Moira resting comfortably on the bed. "I do not understand. Why is Chloe's mother here instead of with her family? Her daughter surely needs her support to get through this." Diana stated, confused.

"Yeah, why is she just sleeping?" Hal asked. AC walked forward. "She's catatonic." he simply said, which shocked everyone. "How did this happen to her?" Barry asked.

"Long story short, she became this way after the first Smallville meteor shower. It sorta damaged her mind and landed her in a mental hospital." AC explained. He then went on about what Oliver told him about her being manipulated by Lex and how Clark and Chloe freed her and had her moved to a safe location.

"And she was doing okay there, until Jarvis' robots came along." "Until I saved her." Blue Beetle finished. "Oh my god. Poor Chloe; not having her mother for years must've been rough. I know what that's like." he said sadly, thinking of his own mother.

Batman came approached Moira. "You said she's infected with meteor rock radiation?" he asked. AC nodded. "No one found a cure for her?" he inquired further.

"Nope. Well, I heard there was one guy, Dr. Knox, who could fix up meteor freaks and make them into normal people again. But his surgery caused people to lose a good deal of memories. Also, he's kind of "out of reach" due to him killing some of his patients."

The group stood in surprise. Just then, Batman took out a small container of pale liquid. "What is that?" Diana asked. "Something I've been working on recently." "What are you going to do with it?" Blue Beetle asked.

Batman stared at the container, and then Moira. Before he could answer, Hal grabbed Batman's wrist. "Hold it! You're planning to use that stuff on her, aren't you?!" he accused. Batman looked over at Hal, and he looked menacing.

"I'm going to say this once. Take your hand…off me." "Batman, what are you…?" Barry tried to ask, but Batman had cut him off. "I'm going to see if this works on Moira. It might…help her." "In what way, melt her from the inside out?!"

Batman ignored Hal. Barry then intervened. "Look, I know Clark wouldn't ask Batman to be here if he didn't trust him. If he trusts him, shouldn't the rest of us do the same?" he reasoned.

Diana, AC, and Blue Beetle agreed. Hal was much more reluctant. "I don't care what Clark thinks. I don't like Batman…and I don't trust people I don't like!" he shouted.

"Green Lantern, please. For us to be a team, we need to trust in each other. If Batman has some kind of cure for Moira, we should let him use it. For her daughter's sake." Diana pleaded.

Hal gradually calmed down and seemed to listen to her. Finally, Hal released Batman's arm. "You better god damn know what you're doing." Hal muttered softly. Batman still did not look at the cocky hero. "I always know what I'm doing."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Metropolis General Hospital, an hour later:

"Okay, these contractions are much closer now. Time for a trip to the operating room." Dr. Parker said as he and Gabe helped Chloe get onto a stretcher. "Let me go with her. That's my baby she's carrying." Jimmy insisted.

The doctor nodded. "Very well, then follow me." One by one, the group followed the stretcher that had their loved one on it. Clark was up at front.

"Chloe, you'll do fine." "It will be over before you know it!" Chloe smiled from Clark and Lois' words of comfort. "Thanks for being here, all of you." she said before she, Dr. Parker, and Jimmy went in the operating room.

Now everyone waited out in the hall outside. Out of all them, Clark was the most worried. He knew Chloe for years and wished nothing will go wrong. Lois had similar thoughts and feelings for her cousin. Gabe looked just plain worried.

"Don't worry. Chloe is a strong young lady; she'll pull through this." Lois said to her uncle. Gabe smiled as he hugged her. Clark began to walk over to the vending machines to grab snacks for everyone.

But as before he got around the corner, he saw someone walking in he never expected to see. "Have I missed anything?" Moira Sullivan asked as she smiled at her family and Clark.

Clark, Lois, and Gabe stared at her with pure shock. "M…Moira?!" Gabe asked. His ex-wife nodded. "Hello Gabe. It's good to see you." She walked over and hugged him and Lois. "You've grown into quite a beautiful woman, Lois." she remarked at her niece.

Lois chuckled embarrassingly. "Uh, you know…it's just me." Moira then turned over to Clark. "I'm glad to see you here too, Clark." Clark nodded. "Same here. But how…?"

His phone rang before he could ask. He saw that it was from AC. "Excuse me. You guys catch up, I need to take this." He walked into the restroom to be more private.

"What's up AC? Has everyone arrived?" "Everyone, plus an extra." Clark narrowed his eyes. "Extra?" "That Blue Beetle guy Lois told you about? Well, he's here too."

Clark looked surprised. "What's he doing over there?" "Came to check on Chloe and her family. I filled him in on all the details, including why we've all gotten together."

"I see. I've got a surprise of my own at the hospital. It's…" "Chloe's mom just shown up, right?" Clark widened his eyes. "How did you know?" "You're not going to believe this, but Batman gave Moira some kind of liquid and it seemed to make her all normal again. When I told her about Chloe, she left without another word."

Clark was astounded that Batman did that. "He really cured her? What exactly did he use?" "He refused to give the details until you get over here. Do you know how Chloe's doing?"

"She's in the operating room right now, having the baby." "Man, hope she pulls through!" "You and me both. Hold on." Clark said as Gabe walked into the restroom. "Are you almost finished with your phone call?" he asked.

"Just about. Any word about Chloe?" Gabe smiled. "It's a girl; she's perfect! I'm a grandfather!" he said as he walked back out, excited and relieved. Clark was numb for a moment before he got his voice back. "Who was that?" AC asked.

Clark smiled. "Chloe's dad. She's now the mother of a baby girl." AC didn't reply for a few seconds. "A girl? So, there's nothing, you know…"freaky" about her?" Clark shrugged.

"Gabe didn't seem frightened at all. Just happy and excited. Tell the others I'll be there soon." "And Blue Beetle?" "Him too. Tell Batman thanks for me." "No problem, bro. Catch you on the flip side." AC said before hanging up.

Clark walked out of the restroom and headed back to the operating room. When Clark came in, he found Jimmy, Lois and both Sullivans standing over Chloe and her new daughter.

Gabe was right; the baby did look perfect. Nothing unusual about her at all, at least in appearance. Chloe looked tired but happy. Clark smiled at her best friend. "She looks beautiful…just like her mother." Jimmy commented.

"She certainly does." Chloe said, holding her little girl. "How are you feeling?" Lois asked. "Like I just ran a marathon." she answered bluntly. Moira stared affectionately at her new granddaughter.

"Look at her. My little Cub Reporter…a mother." Chloe smiled big time, finally having her own mother back. "I'm glad you're in my life again mom." Moira kissed Chloe's forehead. "I'm glad to be in your life again, honey."

"Have you thought of a name, Chloe?" Clark asked. Chloe smiled down at her new bundle. "I've been thinking about…Chelsea." Everyone seemed to like it.

"That's a nice name." Gabe said. The others agreed. "Then Chelsea it is." Jimmy said. As they all stared at little Chelsea, Clark couldn't help but still be worried.

Even though the baby appeared normal, Clark had to remember that it was still Brainiac's offspring. And it comes to Brainiac, nothing is ever what it seems. He needed to speak to Jor-El now before meeting the team.

And Clark dreaded what his father would have to say about the baby.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Antarctica:

Penguins called out for their mates on to join them in the water. It's mate was just about to meet over to him when a loud boom erupted. Something large had just broken free and walked out from the pit that held it prisoner.

The android Amazo appeared and stared off into space. But his eyes were blackened and a symbol appeared on his forehead. It consisted of three circles forming a upside down triangle, connected by lines.

Amazo smiled deviously. "At last…it is born." Without another word, he flew into the sky and disappeared.

To be continued.