(Four Seasons Hotel Metropolis)
Lex studied Chloe carefully. What is she doing in Bruce Wayne's hotel, he wondered.
"This story you're working on wouldn't have anything to do with tomorrow's NAFTA board of review -- would it?" he inquired. If she was snooping around Bruce Wayne, he wanted to put an end to it. As stubborn as Bruce was, Lex thought, the guy deserved his personal space. Privacy -- and Chloe Sullivan had walked right into that refuge.
"Well, yes and no, actually," Chloe replied as cheerily as she could. There was no need to raise Lex's suspicions about her real purpose here.
"You have my attention, Chloe," Lex smirked. "I'm interested in hearing about the Smallville High angle to what would seem to be an obscure NAFTA hearing concerning mundane transcontinental treaty regulations." Chloe had a sharp mind, he observed, but she had a tendency to be reckless: a truth-driven zealot who occasionally stuck her nose into business that wasn't hers.
"That's why I need to see Alfred," Chloe replied. She evaded a direct answer -- for now. She was going to be at the hearing, she decided. She remembered that a past Smallville High grad had gone to Georgetown U. and was a Senate page for Congressman Walters. The congressman was also sitting on the NAFTA board of review! I have my story, she grinned quietly.
"Alfred?" Lex exclaimed. "And how does Mr. Pennyworth fit into your story?" At that moment, Alfred crossed into the foyer. He was carrying a plain manila folder and what appeared to be a laminated badge.
"Ah yes, there you are," Alfred stated. "Miss Sullivan, I took the liberty of obtaining a press pass for you. You'll need it for tomorrow's NAFTA hearing. Congressman Walters will be busy at the hearing, but I'm sure that hometown chap who's on his staff wouldn't mind talking to the Torch editor, a future Smallville High alumnus."
"Yes! That's right," a relieved Chloe beamed, as she gratefully accepted the press pass. She didn't remember suggesting to Alfred that she had a story angle for the NAFTA hearing, but Alfred had long since proven that he was resourceful at finding things out.
He was also good at covering his tracks.
Lex noted Alfred's disinterested manner and the ironclad reason he gave for Chloe's presence here. Lex wasn't sure if Chloe was up to more than prep-work for her interview tomorrow, but Alfred had even less patience for nosiness than he did. Bruce's loyal butler would have slammed the door on any Bruce-related inquiries from Chloe. Maybe she only wanted that press pass?
Lex shrugged. "Well, I'm sure Chloe will learn a lot about how government works tomorrow." He turned his attention to Alfred, who was still wearing an overcoat. "You're back from city hall? How did Bruce's meeting with our civic leaders go?"
Alfred groaned. "Once the Wayne lawyers and those dreary city lawyers began 'negotiating' the terms of that real estate development, Master Bruce gave me a subtle cue to get out of there while I could. It appears he will be taking a working lunch. I took the opportunity to make myself scarce and grab something to eat. He should be back later this afternoon."
Lex checked his watch. "Clark should be here shortly. He was trying to convince Queen not to go along with the LuthorCorp. alliance. With any luck, it's not too late."
"Actually," Alfred took Lex aside. "I have something that Bruce and Oliver should see as soon as possible. I'd prefer to discuss this with you, privately."
Chloe guessed that Alfred was up to something, and saw her opportunity to escape. "Thanks for the pass, Mr. Pennyworth. I'll see you at the Congress Centre tomorrow!" She hurried out of the hotel's revolving doors.
"Impetuous young lady," Alfred sniffed, giving the impression that he was weary of kids in general.
Lex chuckled. "You're telling me." Alfred opened the folder and showed Lex the sanitized FBI threat assessment. Lex rapidly digested what information he could from those paragraphs that hadn't been blacked-out.
"Master Bruce had good reason to be fearful for Queen's safety, if this assessment was any indication," Alfred added. "Langley probably had operatives deep within that terror group, Kriegsvolk."
Lex studied the explosive assessment. "The CIA didn't want to tip their hand, even at the expense of the Wayne-Queen partnership. I wouldn't even be surprised if they instructed Lucius Fox to kill the deal: hundreds could have died at that Star City news conference. Both Bruce and Oliver were prime targets. A disaster of that magnitude would surely have rocked stock markets around the world, and sent the federal government reeling. Langley wanted to avoid a domestic political crisis ..."
"And they didn't give a damn if Bruce had to damage his friendship with Oliver to do it," Alfred grimaced. "Thank the heavens I've left the intelligence business for good."
Lex smiled at Alfred slightly. He was aware of Alfred's past life in espionage. "For good? I guess it would be fair to assume you've had to re-enter the cold – briefly – to obtain such classified documents."
"The less you know, the better," Alfred stated firmly. Lex, to Alfred's relief, didn't prod him further about how he obtained the classified documents.
Outside the hotel, Chloe walked a few blocks to catch the noon-hour express bus to Smallville. She was surprised as she ran into Clark, who had just parked and plugged a parking meter along the street.
"Chloe?" Clark blurted. "What are you doing here?" She was close to the Four Seasons Hotel, and he feared the worst: that Chloe was digging into Bruce Wayne's past.
Chloe pulled out her press pass. "Alfred was kind enough to get me some credentials for tomorrow's hearing. Remember that guy, Tom Kells, who went to Georgetown a few years ago? He's now a Senate page, and I was going to do a profile of him. Pete will be covering the Crows' next training camp, so I'm short a photographer. Care to lend your eye to the cause?"
Clark breathed a sigh of relief. Everything she said seemed to add up. If she had gone to the journalism school's archives the other day, she was probably doing research for this profile. That didn't explain her sudden interest in Cold War spy novels, but -- like Pete said -- she always loved a good mystery. It was probably just a passing fancy, he hoped.
"You know," Clark continued, "you blew off homeroom." That, he knew, was out of character for her.
"Well, yeah," Chloe replied. "One detention – in exchange for an in-depth profile of a Smallville grad who's a heartbeat away from Capitol Hill! You've got to roll with the punches, Clark, and take a few risks to get that great story. So can I count on you to be my shutterbug?"
"I guess that's a yes, Chloe," Clark nodded, satisfied that Chloe wasn't investigating Bruce.
"Is something wrong?" Chloe asked. Her friend appeared to be distracted again.
Clark went over the events of the past hour. Oliver Queen was a changed man, whose year in Survivor-like isolation affected him profoundly. He had argued that Oliver needed to prove that he changed, and to prove his school chums wrong. Lex and Bruce did take Oliver's friendship for granted, and Clark could understand why Oliver would be reluctant to become an idle, junior partner in any future Luthor-Wayne arrangement. He wanted to appeal to the adventurer's desire to take risks, to take charge of his own life. The last thing he wanted was for Oliver to become Lionel's willing pawn in some future conquest of Wayne Enterprises. Queen Enterprises was his by birthright; the Emerald Archer should fight to call the shots.
"Oliver Queen's thinking about a strategic alliance with LuthorCorp.," Clark lamented. "I tried to convince him how dangerous Lionel is, but Oliver thinks Lex and Bruce are just using him."
"Talk about Machiavellian boardroom tactics!" Chloe grumbled. She was truly outraged, because she was disgusted with Lionel's cavalier treatment of Oliver's friendships. "Lionel is playing their own insecurities against them. He knows he can't challenge them altogether, so he has to drive them apart. This alliance must be another ploy of his!"
Chloe frowned. She wanted to tell Clark all she knew about Lionel's plans, but that would expose her agreement with the senior Luthor. Then, an ill-prepared Bruce Wayne would be thrust into the awkward position of defending himself against scores of hostile takeovers across the hemisphere. Lionel could pluck away Wayne's assets at his leisure. Wayne Enterprises would be at Lionel's mercy.
"It would be best if you didn't get caught in the crossfire," Clark advised. "I don't know exactly what's going to happen tomorrow, but I don't want you getting caught up in this mess. I'm knee-deep in it as it is, partly because I didn't listen to your advice to butt out. Lionel's a dangerous man: I'm just concerned that you might get stuck in this mess, too."
"Trust me," Chloe replied as casually as she could. "I'm there for my interview with the Senate page. I'll step aside when the billionaires' battle royal starts. You should duck too, once their ego-driven fireworks start!"
When Chloe hopped onto the bus, Clark rushed into the hotel. He spotted Alfred and Lex sitting on a leather couch in the hotel's lobby.
"Hi Alfred, Lex," Clark said, "Have you been able to talk to Bruce?"
"He's stuck in city hall," Lex replied. "I'm afraid we'll have to wait until later this afternoon or evening to give our plan one final chance." He calmly tucked the manila folder into his briefcase. He didn't think it was necessary to let Clark know how they had obtained classified documents – and he preferred that Clark and his Torch friends knew as little as possible about Alfred's intelligence work behind the old Iron Curtain.
"We've learned that the feds likely leaned hard on Lucius Fox to kill the Wayne-Queen partnership," Lex announced.
Clark was stunned. "Really? When did you ... how did you find that out?"
"We have our sources," Alfred admitted. "Rest assured, the information is accurate. There was a credible threat against Master Bruce and Oliver at the proposed Star City news conference."
"The CIA probably had field agents deep within the terror cell," Lex continued. "In this day and age, preserving friendships have become secondary to national security."
"Well then, all we have to do is explain this to Bruce and Oliver," Clark added, "and we can make them understand."
Alfred shook his head. "I fear it might not be quite as simple as that. Master Bruce is extraordinarily stubborn. In his mind – rightly or wrongly – Oliver slighted the memory of Thomas and Martha Wayne. You must understand that he cherishes what few memories he has left of them. Oliver's tirade disturbed him. Bruce's bitterness has lingered so long, I don't even know if an apology will be enough now."
"I don't know how much help I was this morning," Clark continued. "I found Oliver at Metropolis U. He thinks Lex and Bruce are just going to use him. And he's afraid he'd be shoved to the sidelines in any future partnerships."
"I guess we assumed that Ollie was the same guy we knew 18 months ago," Lex answered. "We wanted things to be the way they were." He didn't want to admit it, but both he and Bruce still assumed that Ollie was the same reckless, live-for-the-moment adrenaline junkie they had always known. One who acted without thinking first. In any business deal, Lex realized that Oliver would have been a secondary partner – despite his newfound maturity.
We were arrogant, Lex concluded. Self-important. As if Bruce and I had all the answers. Ollie Queen stared Death in the eye; Death blinked first. We should be learning from him, instead of second-guessing him.
"It could be hours, Clark," Lex offered. "Why don't you return to your classes, and I'll call you if we get a hold of Bruce."
Clark was determined to see this crisis to whatever end. "No, Lex. I don't understand all the family honour codes you, Bruce and Oliver have to abide by ... but I'm not going to sit around class when my friends are in trouble! Lionel's not going to get away with this! We've got to make Bruce understand. Somehow."
"Skipping fourth period? I see a detention in your future, Master Clark," Alfred remarked, which prompted a snicker from both Lex and Clark.
Neither Lex nor Alfred was about to challenge Clark's decision, so Clark took a seat across from the polished mahogany coffee table and waited in the lobby with them.
Bruce may yet save this deal, Clark thought.
Or scuttle it for good.
(Metropolis Express Bus to Smallville)
Aboard the express bus to Smallville, Chloe finally took a deep breath. Her pulse was racing, as she recalled the near miss with Lex at the hotel lobby -- and Clark's surprise appearance. She had to prolong a white lie to protect friends. But the deception and cover-ups were taking a toll on her. She didn't want to think about all the times she had to mislead Pete, Clark or even Lana.
She dialed her cell phone. "Hi, Lana! It's me."
Lana was about to enter the study hall of Smallville High. "Hey, Chloe. Pete said you missed homeroom. Are you alright?"
Clark and Lana might have been less-than-sensitive with her at times, but they (and especially Pete) hadn't done anything recently to make Chloe doubt their friendships.
Which is more than I could say for myself right now, she mumbled to herself.
"I'm -- I'm okay," Chloe replied. "I just had to get my press pass for tomorrow's hearing. I'll be there for the afternoon classes."
Lana sensed that Chloe didn't sound her usual, chipper self. In fact, Chloe seemed to be acting erratically these past few days. "Okay. Is something on your mind? If you need to talk, you know you can talk to me about anything. I'm living at your house, after all."
Chloe laughed. "And I'm surprised my dad hasn't pulled his hair out because of us. He only had one teenage girl to keep tabs on -- and now he has two! Well, at least he's now well-versed in the core themes of CosmoGirl and The O.C."
When Chloe hung up later, Lana recalled her brief meeting with "the woman from Oliver Queen's past": Dinah Lance, the woman torn between Gotham City's famous son, and Oliver Queen -- heir to the Queen fortune.
Lana gathered from Lex that Bruce didn't want to get close to Dinah; a shadow seemed to follow Bruce in any relationship. A merciless shadow, which Lex had implied was Gotham City's notorious Crime Alley: the site of the Wayne murders. Dinah's breakup with Oliver was bitter, and news of his initial disappearance was devastating. His surprise rescue one year later would have awoken buried emotions. This Dinah woman had strained Bruce and Oliver's shaky friendship, perhaps beyond repair.
Clark was rushing across Metropolis, trying to save a friendship that might already be unsalvageable.
Lana also wondered if Chloe still wanted to be "just friends" with Clark ... or was she harbouring stronger feelings for him? Feelings that might one day strain their own friendship ...
Lana shook those thoughts from her head. "Focus, Lana Lang," she told herself. "US History ... FDR's 'New Deal' ..."
Clark, she sighed, you worry so much about the problems of others. When are you going to consider your own needs?