Bruce and Dinah left Dr. Hamilton to examine Chloe in private. Chloe, who had just come out of a catatonic state with powers.
They already had Davis Bloom on their side. If Chloe could be persuaded to join them, then the Kryptonians were as good as finished. And small.
"We could possibly have a brother/sister team join us. But this could be temporary." Dinah warned. Bruce nodded.
"I know. I'm worried that the underground scientists we recruited, won't find a way to block the effects of those clear rings the Kryptonians wear. Their scientists are twice as good as ours. They could be thinking of ways to nullify what we could POSSIBLY come up with." Bruce said worriedly. But Dinah shook her head.
"They think they have it made here now. And they are too busy stealing everything in sight to take any precautions." she said, knowing that her words had to sting a bit. What Kal-El pulled on Bruce was awful and clearly personal. And she knew that he was worried for Alfred, who insisted on conning Kal-El to keep him on so he could run things. But from the little Alfred had been able to report to them, it was not Kal-El that decided to keep Alfred.
It was Lois. And Dinah suspected that Bruce was taking some kind of hope in the fact, that Lois and Alfred had a bond, despite her amnesia. Hope that her memory would come back soon and she would remember him.
Dr. Hamilton stepped out of the room and asked both Bruce and Dinah to join himself and Chloe. Bruce and Dinah exchanged glances. If they were both being allowed to see Chloe, this could be a good sign, right?
Meanwhile, Chloe was now wearing a robe when they returned and closed the door behind them. Bruce spoke first.
"Dr. Hamilton, have you ascertained if Chloe's powers are permanent?"
Dr. Hamilton cleared his throat.
"They are...but...from what Chloe had told me, I believe they are connected to that being that was here from Apokolips. He gave her these powers. Lois's unborn child helped her KEEP them."
Dinah nodded.
"Your mother had powers briefly, according to your brother, before she lost them. She lost them when Darkseid was destroyed. But you've kept yours. Touching Lois has to be the reason." she said.
"We don't really know that Darkseid has been destroyed, do we?" Bruce asked of no one in particular. What was really not being said here, was that they did not know if Darkseid could still remove Chloe's abilities. Bruce now looked directly at her.
"Chloe, I am not going to lie to you. We could use your help against the Kryptonians. Your brother has been of enormous help and is seen as a hero from humans against these invaders. With what you can do..."
"I'll do it." Chloe said firmly. Dinah eyed Bruce and Dr. Hamilton before speaking.
"You don't want to think about it? I mean this would be about taking on the House of El and..."
"My cousin. Yes, I know. I will do what it takes to make sure that we are not over run by aliens. Yes, my reasoning is semi vindictive. If Kal-El and I were still together, I don't know that I would agree to this. But this is about more than Kal-El. They have taken things that are not theirs and forcing us to bend to their will. I'll do whatever I have to do stop the Kryptonians." she said.
Dinah didn't quite believe Chloe. She suspected she couldn't wait to shrink Kal-El and Lois! Bruce suspected the same thing, but, there was no time to quibble over details. It was better to have Chloe Sullivan on their side than the Kryptonians.
The door opened and Oliver stuck his head in.
"Hey, Chloe, good to see you up and around. Your brother is here and he'd like to see you. He's been worried." he said.
"Does he know?" Chloe asked, looking around. Bruce nodded.
"He knows you have abilities but not specifically what they are. I figured I'd leave that to you."
"Okay. Send him." was all Chloe said, as she suddenly felt nervous. She barely knew Davis and she knew she had not been the most welcoming of sisters. But if he was using his powers against his own kind, how could she not join him?
Oliver looked behind him and Davis Bloom walked in, wearing all black. There was a red insignia on his chest. Chloe suspected it was the Zod family crest or something. Davis hurried over to this sister and hugged her as tightly as his strength would allow, before letting her go and looking at the four of them.
"I need to speak to my sister alone." he said firmly. Bruce's cellphone rang in that moment and he nodded to them before leaving to take it. Dinah's rang as well and when she looked at the caller I.D., her eyes widened in surprise. Alfred was calling. Oliver followed her out as well. Dr. Hamilton lingered before leaving.
"Chloe, we will need to work on controlling your abilitites. I don't want you tired out. Nothing against you, Mr. Bloom, but what your sister can now do...well...I will let her explain it." Dr. Hamilton said before leaving and closing the door.
Once they were alone, Chloe spoke first.
"How is mom? What happened to her? Why is she a prisoner? It was like Dr. Hamilton and the others knew something but really wouldn't tell me. What's going on?"
Davis was hesitant to say anything. He didn't want to upset Chloe and at the moment, there was nothing to be done for Moira. Yes, he could rescue her himself. But he also needed to understand just what had happened. And it sounded like Moira was perfectly willing to sacrifice the life of Lois and her unborn child, to help Darkseid rule this planet.
"Davis? Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on? Mom is in a detention camp? Why?"
"You really don't know? She called you right before you became catatonic, didn't she?"
"We were prisoners. The Kryptonians knew about this Darkseid god. He was the same man that came out of the mirror at the Luthor mansion and took Zod. Mom agreed to tell Kal-El's cousin all she knew if I was let go."
"Okay...you were let go and you went to the Kent Farm? Why?"
"Because I just knew Lois was there. Don't tell me how or why but I knew. I even suspected Kal-El would be there as well. I was not prepared for how... intimate the setting would look. It was clear Kal-El had made dinner for her. It was clear he had lied to me all of this time about hating Lois. There is no telling what they were doing together under the same roof, while I was involved with him. I was angry and upset and then...then...Mom called me."
"She was at the White House, right?" Davis asked.
"I don't know where she was, Davis. I just know she ordered me to touch Lois. She was yelling like my life depended on it. I grabbed on to Lois and then nothing. The next thing I knew, I woke up here. I pointed my hands toward some nurse or something and she shrank. Bruce and Dinah eventually came here and Bruce suggested that I point at the woman again to make her normal size. It worked."
Davis said nothing for the longest moment. Then he spoke.
"So you can shrink people? The league seems very excited by your newfound powers. I can see why now." he noted. Chloe could see that he did not seem all that thrilled by what she could do.
"Look, Davis, I know we don't know one another that well. But we can't let the Kryptonians come here and just rule us. They're taking things that don't belong to them and no paying for them! That could do serious harm to the economy!"
"I understand that. I also understand that together, we could be the most powerful members of the league Bruce and Oliver are trying to build. But there is also a chance for you to abuse your powers, Chloe. I'm not accusing you of anything, I just think that until you've mastered them, you should stay here. Quietly."
"You mean hide out? I want to see Mom."
"That isn't possible."
"It IS possible if you break her out of that detention center! Jeez, Davis, why should she stay there? She was desperate! Your father is a piece of dirt and I saw him try and rape her! There is no telling what he's doing to her now! You're just going to sit back and let our mother suffer?"
"Don't accuse me of not caring about our mother. Jor-El is watching to make sure that nothing untoward happens to her while she is in Kryptonian custody. But Lois and her unborn child have to be protected. We can find no sign of Darkseid and for all we know, he still has some way of contacting our mother."
Chloe folded her arms and squinted at him!
"What the hell are you saying?! Huh? That Mom wants to kill Lois and Kal-El's baby? That's frickin' low!"
"I think Darkseid wanted Lois and Kal-El's baby. And I think our mother was going to give the child to him."
Chloe's mouth dropped open! Then it closed as she remembered something else...
"How do you know this? Did Mom tell you this? Or Darkseid?"
"I never spoke to Darkseid in a human form..."
"That's not was Kara said! She seems to think that Darkseid is really your father! How the hell would you know that he wanted Lois and Kal-El's baby unless he told you that?" Chloe countered.
"I have been to Apokolips, yes. And that was during a time when I was looking for a father figure. But I quickly saw that...that...beast...was not it! You should see how people live there that are not of his inner circle! Look, we need to trust one another. And when we take on the Kryptonians, we need to know what we're doing. I don't like the way you've been treated either. You're my sister. You deserve better. Lucy and Lois do as well. And you just have to realize that Lois is even worse shape than you are. Kal-El will never leave her alone to be with Bruce if she has his child."
Chloe tilted her head.
"How do you know that Lois even wants Bruce now? I know Lois suffered some memory loss, but from just the little I saw at the Kent Farm between the two of them, Bruce stands less of a chance of being with Lois, now that she thinks she's sixteen, than he ever did before."
Lois was ticked off at Kal-El! She didn't find his demands that Alfred could take Bruce's things to him in a 'shoebox', funny, cute or amusing!
And now Kal-El had canceled this lunch he wanted to have with his mother, claiming he had an errand he needed to attend to that came up suddenly. Lois didn't believe that either, nor did she really care. She hadn't looked forward to going to Smallville to betray her mother OR ask her mother if she wanted to join them.
That was another odd thing. Her mother had not given her the chance to even ask! She just sort of zipped out of here quickly, after Lois and Alfred left them alone in the baby's playroom/cave. What had happened in there anyway?
Lois decided to confront Kal-El about this crappy shoe box demand and the change in plans. She wanted to know what was going on. But as she entered their room and watched him prepare to leave, an idea formed...
While Kal-El was gone, Lois and Alfred would take Bruce Wayne's things to him! Or however much they could actually get to him. She had noticed one van in the massive garage down below, that seemed to go on forever. They could put a few things in there. More things than what they could fit in a shoebox.
Kal-El was changing clothes. She silently watched him, making her displeasure about how he had acted before, known, by dropping an expensive statue on the ground, thus shattering it!
Kal-El, who's back was to her, did not bother to turn around.
"That is one of Mr. Wayne's precious possessions. Now that you've broken it, I'm sure that THAT will fit in a shoebox."
Lois coolly walked over to him, prepared to slap his face and anything else on his body she could think of hitting, when she caught a strange expression on Kal-El's face.
It was worry.
"What's going on?" Lois asked, her planned thievery momentarily forgotten.
"Nothing is wrong." he said simply.
"Kal-El, we just spent a very intense moment in the study, talking about our mothers and this family bond you wanted. This lunch was very important and it just HAD to happen now. Suddenly something has come up after you've talked with my mother. Again, what's going on?"
Kal-El looked at her. Instinct had told him to do this without Lois knowing. But he remembered her reaction when Lex had mentioned this whole filthy business to her. She had been surprisingly casual about it. And before, when Lois actually could remember, there was a moment when she decided to just take his word on the matter. Maybe this was not something that should be kept from her.
"Your mother is claiming that there is video of the two of us together. She also admits that she was not 'with' me, but a soldier that she had been carrying on with while she was with your father. Apparently he resembles me-from the back. The point is, your mother has decided to hold this bit of information over my head. And she will continue to do so until she has come between us. I cannot allow that."
"Whoa! Wait a minute! That doesn't make any sense! I mean I could sort of see my mother cheating with a soldier. But didn't Lex say something about this before? Are you going to confront Lex?"
"His father is the one that's responsible for this whole lurid situation. And somewhere along the way, your mother and Lionel Luthor decided to become partners in blackmail. It is only a matter of time before he wants something for himself or that son of his. I cannot allow this to come between us..."
"This isn't going to come between us, Kal-El, okay? Why don't you just leave it alone? I'll talk to my mother, alright?"
Kal-El encased her face in his hands and smiled wanly.
"There are certain earthlings that cannot be allowed to assume they can negotiate with me. Not when it comes to our relationship. Lionel Luthor must be dealt with."
Lois pulled his hands off of her face.
"And my mother? I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it."
"We'll see." he said, suddenly kissing her quickly, before his lips left hers and he walked over to the terrace doors. He opened them, stepped out, then flew into the air! Lois hurried onto the terrace and shielded her eyes from the sun, as she watched his form soon disappear.
Lois sighed, walked back into the bedroom and closed the door. She had to think what to do here...
Alfred and her would gather up some things and take them to Bruce Wayne. Then she would call her mother and ask her what this blackmail business was all about and then...
Well then she would continue with her pricing for the upcoming yard sale. Maybe she'd give Lucy a call later on tonight.
Unbeknownst to Lois, only one of those events would take place.
Lois and Alfred loaded up quite a few things, or whatever could fit in the van, and drove to Metropolis. Lois didn't realize that Bruce Wayne was staying there. But as they got into the city and Alfred pulled into an undercar garage, Lois got the distinct impression that there was more to this than met the eye.
Alfred pulled into a rather isolated parking spot, just as a man and a woman, headed towards the van. Alfred got out to speak to them, and Lois reluctantly got out as well. She wasn't stupid. The guy was Oliver Queen. He was a cute billionaire from Star City. The woman, Lois assumed, was Oliver's girlfriend.
Alfred turned to Lois.
"These are some friends of Mr. Wayne's that are going to help remove the items. This is Mr. Oliver Queen and Miss Dinah Lance."
"Hi." Lois said, seeing that the woman was giving her the stink eye for some reason.
"Hi yourself, Lois. It was really nice of you to agree to do this." Oliver asked. Dinah couldn't be as generous.
"What grade are you in, Lois? You look SO young."
"Younger than you, apparently." Lois said blithely. "Oliver, it's nice to meet YOU."
Dinah smirked and walked off. Once she was in the elevator, she texted Bruce.
YOUR GIRLFRIEND'S DOWN IN THE GARAGE WITH ALFRED
Meanwhile, Bruce saw Dinah's message as he spoke to Orin.
"Did you find it?" he asked.
"Yes, though I had to create a distraction of a pool of sharks. There are Kryptonians still coming in and out of that underwater base."
"Do they look as if they are still possibly living or working there?" Bruce asked.
"No. It looks like they are packing or moving out. I managed to get in while they were fending off the sharks. I have the blue rock your people will need." Orin confirmed.
"Good. Mixed with the green rock, it will render those clear rings they wear powerless against the green stone. Bring it as fast as you can. Also, we have a new ally that may help us in the war against the Kryptonians." Bruce confided. He decided to refrain from saying anything about Lois. He didn't quite know where Orin's head was these days when it came to her, but as far as Bruce was concerned, he needed to return to Atlantis and his own wife!
Bruce hung up and headed out towards the elevators. But when they opened, Dinah, Oliver, Alfred and Lois were inside. Lois recognized Bruce from the photos Alfred had in his private quarters and from looking him up on the internet. He was cute. Very cute.
But he was also insane. Or so Kal-El said.
Dinah quietly fumed as Bruce stared at Lois. God, why did this woman have to be a distraction with everything they tried to do? Why? They were close to reversing those clear rings the Kryptonians wore. They were close to putting the Kryptonians in the dirt with Davis and Chloe on their side. But what was happening now?
Bruce was making goo-goo eyes at Lois Lane.
"Lois, thank you for bringing some of my family heirlooms. I hope you will not be in any trouble with Kal-El."
"I'll be fine." Lois replied, suddenly thinking that maybe being here wasn't such a good idea after all. She wasn't sorry about helping Alfred bring the things, but the way Bruce Wayne was looking at her made her feel a bit uncomfortable.
She was the only one that did not get out of the elevator.
"Alfred, maybe one of your friends here could drive you back to Gotham? I'm going to just go now..."
But Bruce reached in and pulled Lois out of the elevator. The doors closed behind her.
"Don't be silly, Miss Lane. Your our guest. Stay and tell us how things are at Wayne Manor. Is Alfred taking good care of my home?"
Lois cleared her throat.
"Mr. Wayne, I don't think Kal-El is giving your home back. Sorry."
"I'm not expecting him to. I plan to take it. Just like he did." Bruce said in a matter-of-fact tone. Lois was about to tell him about the yard sale, when Davis and Chloe suddenly came out of a room! Bruce turned and could have kicked himself! Why didn't he make sure Chloe stayed hidden?
"Chloe? What are you doing here?" Lois asked. She then looked at Alfred.
"Alfred? You knew she was here?"
Alfred cleared his throat before speaking.
"Miss Lois, you look tired. Maybe we should leave."
"I'm not tired!" Lois snapped suddenly and turned to face Davis and Chloe.
"Have you been staying here with these people? Why? Mom is worried sick about you!"
Chloe didn't answer. Davis stepped forward.
"Lois, it would be good of you to leave and not say anything to Kal-El about seeing Chloe here."
"Why? What is it you think he'd do to her? Kal-El is worried about her too!"
"Oh the hell he is!" Chloe snapped. "I know you don't remember this, Lois, but Kal-El and I were in love before this...whatever it is that you have with him, started up. You hated him!"
Bruce moved to Lois's side.
"Chloe, now is not the time for this. You know how this happened and it was all Kal-El, okay?"
Lois looked at Bruce.
"I don't understand why Chloe is HERE with you? Did you take her from the Kent farm? She wasn't there when Kal-El and I went back for her."
"You came back for me, Lois? That was mighty kind of you! You and Kal-El!"
Lois finally faced her cousin.
"Chloe, I'm sorry. I don't remember hurting you. I don't and I don't think I would've done this on purpose. But if you're still sick or something, then you need to be with us! You can even come and stay at Wayne Manor with Kal-El and I..."
Those words just caused Chloe to see red! She suddenly pointed her hands at Lois, and to everyone's horror, she shrunk!
"NO!" Bruce yelled and knelt down carefully to pick up Lois! Everyone could hear squeaking! Outraged squeaking. Dinah would have laughed but she didn't find Chloe's power that amusing, now that she witnessed it. She could shrink all of the Kryptonians AND them, if she wanted to!
Oliver had another concern.
"What have you done? Have you harmed Lois's baby by doing that? Have you?"
Davis hurried to find Dr. Hamilton, who was still around someplace while Chloe began to shake! She turned and ran towards the examination room. Alfred followed her in there!
"Miss Sullivan, you had better PRAY Miss Lois and her unborn child are alright or else...well...I live with Kal-El. There will be no place on this planet you will be able to hide from him!"
Meanwhile, Dr. Hamilton examined the shrunken Lois, who was the size of a raisin! He nodded after taking off his stethoscope.
"The baby's heartbeat is still strong. It was very hard to find and she's so small it took some maneuvering, but it is still there."
Bruce left them and found Chloe and Alfred. He pointed at Chloe.
"Change her back. NOW!" he demanded. But Chloe suddenly looked very calm.
"Do you want your home back, Mr. Wayne? Better yet, do you want Lois?"
"I want you to return Lois to her normal size."
"And I want Kal-El to give our relationship another chance. So here's what's going to happen: Lois gets turned back to her proper size AFTER Kal-El has married me. You can get in on this deal and get your home back too."
Bruce said nothing. Alfred looked at Chloe with pity. Davis entered the room and heard the end part of the deal.
"Chloe? What are you doing?"
"Making some deals. I can see that Bruce here thinks he's too good a person to get down in the dirt with me. Fine. I think I'm going to pay a visit to Wayne Manor and wait for Kal-El. I'll inform him of my terms in person."
"Don't make me stop you, Chloe." Davis warned. "Now turn Lois back!"
Chloe's response was to wave her hand at Bruce and he shrunk too! Alfred cried out and gently knelt to the ground. He picked up Bruce in his hands and hurried off to Dr. Hamilton!
"Keep threatening me, brother, and you shrink next. Got it? Now get out of my way." Chloe ordered him.
Davis reluctantly moved out of Chloe's way, so that she could leave the building and do God knows what.
