Chapter 19

Chloe, Oliver and Zatanna sat in Oliver's apartment the day after Lois visited Chloe. Bad news continued to rain down on Chloe as Oliver described Clark closing in on identifying her as the source of information and kryptonite that General Lane received.

"Bart was carrying on the way he always does with Lucy last night. Lois overheard him mention being in Washington, DC right after Christmas. Now Lucy doesn't know about Bart's abilities but Lois does. She pulled him aside at some point and grilled him about it. You know Lois," Oliver said, "if she catches a whiff of something, she's investigating it." Chloe shifted nervously in the easy chair that faced the couch on which Oliver and Zatanna sat.

"Bart didn't give her anything concrete but Lois knew that he had been in Washington just after Christmas and she told Clark about it. Clark called me this morning and said he suspected Bart may be the source of the leak. He said he wanted to come by the Watchtower later today and check Bart's schedule right after Christmas." Oliver paused and looked at Chloe with serious concern. "He's closing in faster than I expected, Chloe. If we're going to protect the JL, now is the time to do it. Once he learns it's too late. He may not disappear this time because of Lois," he added, looking at Zatanna, "but he'll never be a part of this team again." Zatanna nodded slowly.

"So your plan to keep that from happening is by putting that spell on me?" Chloe asked. "What's it called again?"

"It's called 'The Face of Innocence', Chloe," Zatanna replied.

Chloe looked at Oliver, not quite convinced that his plan to keep her actions hidden from Clark would work. "Are you sure this is going to work, Oliver? How is a spell going to stop Clark from finding out?"

"I am sure; Zee has told me that it will work. I trust her and you just have to trust her, too. At this point, we don't have many other options." He paused. "But this is it, Chloe. It ends right now. No more spying; no more playing with the lives of the team and those around them. You got it?"

Chloe nodded.

"I'm trusting that you've learned your lesson from this and there will never be any more unilateral decisions from you about dealing with matters affecting the team ever again," he said sternly.

"I promise, Oliver. Never again," she concluded.

"This is a very ancient spell, Chloe," Zatanna interjected. "It's not something that I cooked up. It's been used for centuries by skilled sorcerers to deflect guilt and suspicion from noblemen, leaders and crime lords."

"Can you explain again how it works," Chloe asked. "I don't quite understand how I am protected."

Zatanna smiled. "Okay. I know you'd think that for a spell to be effective it has to be directed outwards toward those who are investigating or suspicious. That's usually the case but not with this spell. Let me explain why it is not." She opened an archaic-looking book with ancient writing on old, yellowed and worn pages that rested on the coffee table between them. She pointed to the spell but Chloe could not read it. The spell had been originally been recorded in Latin and later, written in reverse by her father's great-great-grandfather to facilitate learning and casting it properly.

"The spell is a very powerful one, Chloe; very powerful," she emphasized. But to make it effective," she explained, "it had to be powerful for everyone. 'Face of Innocence' was originally a spell designed to be cast on members of the Spanish Inquisition; that's how old it is. The concept of the spell was to erase suspicions of guilt against sorcerers in the minds of the Inquisition. They would look at a sorcerer or sorceress and see only innocence when they saw them. The spell made it impossible for members of the Inquisition to even suspect those that dealt in the mystical arts because when they looked at them, they saw innocence. Do you follow me so far?"

Chloe nodded. "Yes, but you haven't explained why it's effective when I'm the recipient of the spell."

"The Inquisition and then later other similar investigative bodies were too great in number and their members changed too often to make the spell effective. For example, if a single detective is suspicious, it's easy to throw him or her off track with a spell targeting him or her. But if it's a grand jury or an entire bureau of detectives or police department; maybe an entire city, state or country that suspects a person is guilty of a crime, then it is impractical or impossible to put all of those people under spells.

"Generalized spells," she explained; "spells cast that are intended to affect the inhabitants of a state, region, country or even the world are not effective. If they were, we'd live in a more peaceful world. They may have some effect but they rarely have any real impact and what little impact they have is never a lasting one. Do you follow me so far?" Zatanna asked.

"Yes," she replied. "Go on."

"What the ancient sorcerers found out was that rather than casting the spell on the Inquisition to avoid suspicion; they could cast the spell on each other to present an 'innocent face' to those searching for them. It worked and the more it was used and refined, the more powerful the spell became." Zatanna smirked. "My father used to say that the mafia don, John Gotti, had the spell cast on him; that's why federal prosecutors could never make a serious charge stick against him."

"Maybe I should use it," Oliver quipped.

Zatanna continued. "You see, the spell doesn't change what people think; it just makes others who look at you incapable of believing the truth about you. They can connect the dots until they get to you."

Chloe nodded. "I see. So in a way, I'm constantly projecting the spell, right?"

"Sort of," Zatanna replied, wincing. "Let me put it in simpler terms though. If you wanted to never be recognized, there are two ways to do it: you could wear a disguise or you could blind everyone in the world. The only practical way is to wear a disguise. This spell disguises you as an innocent person."

"I see. So whoever is looking can't imagine me as a person who would commit a crime; so I would never be suspected, right? The spell prevents them from connecting me to the rest of the dots."

"Exactly! But," she added, "let me warn you: it only protects you from the suspicion at hand. Neither Clark nor anyone else will ever suspect you for what you have done regarding the information and kryptonite passed on to Lois' father, but it won't protect you from other things you may have done or will do. Do you understand that?"

She rolled her eyes and smirked. "Yes. What you're saying is that if I rob a bank, I can still be caught and prosecuted even under this spell."

"Exactly."

"Fine," Chloe replied, "I have no intention of doing anything like that. What if they already know?" she asked, thinking about Lois.

"The moment they see you, they'll believe that they made a mistake about you and were wrong," Zatanna quipped and winked. "So, before I cast this spell, is there anything else you want it to encompass. Once it's cast, Chloe, it is finished. As I said, this is a very powerful and very ancient spell. It can't be reversed and it cannot be re-cast to add other indiscretions later on; one shot is all you get. It must deal with specific matters only; it's not a generalized spell that can cover all indiscretions or crimes you've committed in the past or might commit in the future."

Chloe sat motionlessly, staring at the strange writing in the book while debating whether or not to admit all of her spying activities and the phone calls she made to Lois impersonating The Blur. By including them, she would never be suspected of doing it. She knew it would allow her free reign to keep tabs on the JL members without fear of ever being caught or challenged and would allow her to regain Lois' trust. But she would have to admit to doing those things in front of Oliver and Zatanna first and she wasn't sure that she wanted to do that.

"Chloe," Oliver began, "we don't have much time. Zatanna won't sit here all day and Clark is getting closer by the minute to finding out that you put him in the General's crosshairs. I don't want to be around when he gets to the Watchtower and finds the logs, and neither does Zatanna. You have to make a decision." He leaned forward. "If there is something else you want to add that's personal, I'll leave if that will make you feel better. But you have to decide quickly if this is the way you're willing to end this."

She nodded furiously. "There are some personal things, Oliver," Chloe replied, "that I'd prefer to share only with Zatanna. Girl-things, you know?"

Oliver smirked. "Sure," he said, "I get it. I'll go into my equipment room and work on some new stuff while you do this." He stood and left the room.

"What about you, Zatanna? Will you not suspect me either?"

"Correct. That's the beauty of it. Even though I administer the spell, I won't suspect you. It was created that way so that the known sorcerers who might be caught and tortured before being protected by the spell could not provide names of other sorcerers. I will know about the leaked information and kryptonite but every time I look at you, I will be dissuaded by the spell from even considering it was you."

"Okay," Chloe said cautiously. "Then there's something else I need the spell to cover." She took a deep breath and revealed it. "I have spied on members of the team to keep them under surveillance and located when we all split up last year. I kept electronic records of that surveillance as part of keeping tabs on them. In a couple of instances, I've used those records to manipulate events that members of the team have been caught up in. I don't want to ever be suspected of it or found out."

Zatanna's eyes narrowed. "What are your intentions with all this personal information, Chloe? I won't cast this spell if it facilitates some sort of blackmail or illegal activity on your part."

"It's nothing like that, Zatanna. I kept and compiled the information so that I could track their movements and activities in the event I had to call them back together to deal with Doomsday or some other threat. I'm not blackmailing anyone. I just don't want them to ever suspect I've done this because they would not trust me. I assure you, my intentions were always good. Oliver knows and so does Clark so I'm not hiding really; I just need them to trust me again and gaining their trust gives me the credibility that will make them listen to me more seriously."

Zatanna regarded Chloe with suspicion. "You know, once I cast this spell, I won't know or suspect you either. You're asking me to take a leap of faith here too. How do I know you don't have any files of me?"

"I don't. Like I said, I collected those when the earlier members had disbanded and scattered. You're a new member and Oliver said you weren't going anywhere. I had no reason to look into your activities," Chloe added and said nothing more.

"There's no back door to this spell. I told you that it can't be undone or overridden. But that doesn't mean I would not discover surveillance files like anyone else; I just wouldn't suspect you. But there are things I can do if I find files that suggest anyone has kept me under surveillance; very unpleasant things to whoever uses those files. Do you understand what I'm saying, Chloe?"

Chloe made a face and sounded annoyed. "I get it, Zee and I'm telling you the truth. No files." Chloe filled Zatanna in on a few other things she never wanted to be suspected of and concluded. "Okay, let's get on with it."

"Very well," Zatanna replied. "But this is an old spell and takes some time."

"How will I know it works?" she asked.

"You'll feel different for a few moments; a minute at most. After that passes, you'll wear the 'face of innocence'."

Later that day, Clark arrived at the Watchtower. "Hello Chloe," he said ominously as he arrived at the Watchtower. "I need to talk to you for a minute in private."

Chloe's stomach fluttered and she rose from behind her terminal and walked into a secluded area. She tried to keep her nervousness from showing. "What is it, Clark?"

"Chloe, Bart told Lucy that he was in Washington, DC just after Christmas. I don't know if you're aware or not but the General got some information about alien weaknesses and kryptonite delivered to him the same time that Bart was there." He lowered his voice. "I hate to accuse him but the coincidence is just too strong to ignore."

"What are you asking me to do?" she asked anxiously.

"I want you to look in the logs and see if Bart delivered any packages or boxes during that week to Washington or the surrounding area."

Chloe took a deep breath. "He did, Clark. He delivered packages and a box there on my behalf."

Clark's eyes narrowed and he looked confused. "What?"

Swallowing hard, Chloe continued. "I had some Christmas packages I needed delivered to the General and other people. When the General showed up at your house on Christmas, I was embarrassed that I didn't have anything for him so I told him that I had mailed it already."

Clark nodded and then smiled, "Okay," he said, looking relieved. "And that's why Bart was in DC; to deliver packages for you." Clark made a face. "I'm glad it was no one from here but now I don't know where to look. Do you think some of Lex's old proposals may have filtered up to the General?"

"That would be my first guess, Clark. Most of his defense proposals included kryptonite-based enhancements; whether they were enhanced weapons or enhanced people."

"Well, that makes this a dead end," Clark replied. "There is no snake in the grass then, I guess." He stared at Chloe for an instant.

She raised her eyebrows and nodded her agreement, flashing a brief smile. "Maybe now you can focus on doing something about Zod for a change," she quipped. "I hear you told Lois about your secret. I must have slept through the nuclear explosion."

"Yes, I did tell her," he said, making a face. "It was a little rough for a while. She was under the impression that I had been manipulating her with calls from The Blur and that was a little bit of a rough patch to get through." He looked at Chloe and shrugged. "I don't know how she got that impression."

"But you've patched things up I take it?"

"Pretty much so. She still throws it in my face when she's losing an argument but I think she knows that it's not working any more," he said with a slight grin.

"And you have no idea why she thought you were manipulating her?"

He shook his head. "No; but you know Lois. She's like a pit bull on a pant leg when she's convinced herself of something."

Chloe chuckled. "Yeah, I know what she's like when she gets that way."

"Look Chloe, sorry to interrupt you but I had to check that out. It's been bothering me thinking someone from the team would pass that type of information to the General without talking to me first." He hung his head a bit. "I guess after what happened last year, I still have some trust issues to get over." He looked up. "I have to get back to the Planet. I'll check in with you later."

"Okay Clark," she replied and felt a gust of wind pull at her as he vanished. Chloe took a deep breath, let it out and smiled.