Title: Penance 20/?
Author:Smileeface
Fandom: Smallville AU
Pairings: Chloe/Oliver, Clark/Lois
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville/DC or the characters. I am just playing with them.
Summary: Penance: an act of self-abasement, mortification, or devotion performed to show sorrow or repentance for sin. I am really not like Chloe's story arc so I've decided to change it a little to suit my own needs. That's what fan fiction is right? LOL
A/N: Hey Guys, I hope this tides you over for a few days, I have family coming out to visit me for about 10 days and I know there won't be a lot of time to write. I'm sorry that I have to leave you guys hanging like this. But on a positive note, it seems like we are coming to the end of this journey. :) Only a few more chapters before this fic is going to be complete. I really hope you like this chapter. I am trying to weave in the Smallville episodes story line a little.
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The sun rose and with it so did Oliver. Oliver quietly got up out of bed; slowly he extracted himself from Chloe. He decided that he was going to let her sleep in; she needed to get some rest. It was going to be another long day today. They were going to go over the fine details of the plan and hopefully start working on the plan. But he wanted Chloe to have one lazy morning especially after what had happened last night.
He walked out of his room, closing the door quietly so that he wouldn't wake Chloe. The smell of bacon and coffee drew him to the kitchen. Standing showered and dressed for the day was Bruce. He had breakfast and coffee already made. It looked like he had been up for hours, and it was only 7 in the morning.
"Morning." Oliver grumbled as he headed for the coffee pot. Bruce chuckled at his sleepy friend.
"Morning, Brother, did you sleep well?"
"Like a log and Chloe is still sleeping thankfully. I don't think I managed to thank you last night for everything. I really appreciate that you came to Metropolis to help me out. Thank you, Brother, really, thanks." Oliver looked into his coffee cup and watched the steam rise from the mug.
"You're welcome. Really, you know that I would do anything for you. You are my brother. And Chloe, she holds a special place in my heart too. I really hate what happened to her."
"Yeah me too. I want to kill that son of a bitch. But that wouldn't help her. It would help me, make me feel better, but it wouldn't do anything for her. And she is my priority right now. Bringing Davis Bloome to justice is the only way that she will get closure for what he did to her. I am going to do just that; I'm going to bring that sorry piece of shit in and I am glad that you will be by my side for this. Not that I don't think my team and I could handle it, but I am grateful for the back up."
Bruce walked over to Oliver and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You know, if you ever need me for anything, you can call me. I will drop everything I am doing if you need me. I want you to know that."
"I do, Brother, I really do." Oliver put his hand on Bruce's hand gave it a squeeze and got up to get more coffee. "Hey is that bacon I smell?" Oliver stomach rumbled letting them know that it was now awake too and looking to be feed. The guys' laughter rang through the apartment pulling Chloe from her slumber. She slowly got herself up and made her way to Oliver's bathroom, surprised for a moment by the missing mirror but as she went to go turn on the water she saw her hands still bandaged and the memory of what happened the night before came flooding back to her.
"I'm still here, Chloe." Davis's voice seemed to whisper to her. She shut her eyes trying to block out his voice. "You can't escape me, Chloe. I'm going to come for you. I'm going to take what is mine. You are mine, Chloe…mine."
She pressed her bandaged covered hands to her ears to block out his voice and squeezed her eyes as tightly as she could. She was not going to let what happened last night happen again. She was stronger than that monster. She was going to beat this. She fought the tears welling in her eyes, only one tear managed to escape. She was not going to cry about this anymore. Tears did not wash away the pain or cleanse her of the wrong that was done to her. No, she was going to get justice for what he had done. She opened her eyes, and removed her hands from her ears. She looked into the empty frame that once held the mirror that she saw him in. In a clear, controlled voice she softly said, "I am NOT yours. I belong to NO one. I will beat you, Davis. I vow to myself. I will no longer cower to you. I am stronger than you are. I am going to win this fight! I am not escaping. I am not running. I am going to fight and I am going to win. This is a promise…to me." She unwrapped her hands slowly so that she didn't reopen her cuts and she tossed the bandages into the trash can. She plastered a smile onto her lips and with one last look at the empty mirror frame; she turned and walked out of the bathroom with her head held high.
Chloe walked out to the kitchen and she was greeted by two smiling faces. One face belonged to the man who held her heart and the other belonged to his adopted older brother. The smile that she had plastered on her face as she left the bathroom swiftly changed from a fake to a real one. The bond between Oliver and Bruce was very visible to anyone who takes the time to look. She took a seat next to Oliver at the breakfast counter and stole a piece of bacon from his plate.
"Hey, Sidekick, that's mine." He tried to pout at her but he couldn't keep the smile from working its way onto his face.
"Oh, you weren't going to eat this, were you?" She smiled at him as she munched on his bacon.
"Guess not, now." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. It was a very intimate gesture, but one that she did not object to. She loved being around Oliver, there was just something about him that made her feel safe, protected, and loved. Her smile grew in size as she watched him get up and get her a cup of coffee. He headed back to his seat with it and a new plate full of eggs and more bacon. He gave her the new plate and placed the coffee down for her. He then stole a piece of bacon from her plate and quickly put it into his mouth before she could object. She didn't; and she wouldn't have objected. She leaned over and just placed a loving kiss onto his cheek and then smiled at Bruce who had quietly watched the whole exchange.
"So, when are the rest of the guys going to get here?" She asked as she put a fork full of scrambled eggs into her mouth. "MMMmmmm. Oh my God, these are delicious." She said.
"Thank you. I pride myself on my cooking ability. Actually, it's Alfred who prides himself on my cooking ability. Without him, I wouldn't have ever touched a pan in my life, let a lone crack an egg."
"Well then, you should both be commended on your scrambled eggs, Bruce, they are delicious!" Bruce smiled at her compliment. He was telling her the truth, that had it not been for Alfred's persistence, he would never have learned how to cook. If it weren't for Alfred, he wouldn't have learned a lot of things or even turned out the way he had. Spending this time with Oliver and his team made him realize just how much he truly owed to Alfred and how blessed he really was to have Alfred in his life. He owed Alfred a lot and when he got back to Gotham he was going to show Alfred just how much he really means to him.
Everyone began to arrive at Oliver's apartment around 8 am which gave Chloe, Oliver, and Bruce plenty of time to enjoy their breakfast before the human garbage disposal, also know as Bart Allen AKA Impulse arrived. Luckily for Victor and AC they also got there before Bart and were able to get some of Bruce's cooking, but poor Clark missed out; which was fine for him, since he had already eaten at the farm. Once they were all fed and everyone was full, except for Bart who never got his full of food, they all got down to business. It was time to put their plan into motion.
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Plan step one: Acquire Tess Mercer's Finger Prints for sealed vault where the Kryptonite is stored.
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Victor was at the Metropolis Queen Industries Offices plugged into Oliver's mainframe. AC, Bruce, and Oliver pulled up to the curb of The Daily Planet. AC was taking a sip of water as he drove them up to the front of the building. Bart and Clark were staying at Oliver's apartment. Chloe was not going to be left alone until Davis Bloome was apprehended and put away for good. From here on out she was going to have a body guard at all times, everyone was in complete agreement on it except for Chloe. She was adamant that she didn't need babysitters, but Oliver and the guys out numbered her. For once the guys had all agreed on something. Chloe needed to be protected. She was priority number one.
"Ok Brother, here we go." Bruce said to Oliver who was staying in the limo behind the tinted windows.
"Good Luck, remember she's a tough egg to crack. Play it cool and you should be fine…don't over do it. She'll be able to see right through you. And for god sakes don't DRINK my wine! I was saving this for a special occasion."
"You know, I think I may have done this once or twice before. Why don't you relax and let a pro handle this." Bruce smiled at Oliver as he reached in and took the bottle of wine from him. "Oh and thanks for the loaner, a 64…that was a great year."
"Yeah, I know. I spent a fortune to get that bottle so that I could enjoy it with someone special."
"Oh, you didn't have to do that; a nice cold beer would have been just fine for me. I'll be sure to tell you how it tastes." Bruce grinned at Oliver as he shut the door just before he could get out of the limo.
"Batman to Watchtower," Bruce said into the mike hidden in the collar of his dress shirt, "mission is a go. Entering The Daily Planet. Over."
"Watchtower to Batman, watch your back. She's a snake in tiger skin. Over."
"Roger that, Tower. Going silent. I'll contact you once the mission is complete or if I run into trouble. Over."
"Roger, Batman."
"Watchtower to Arrow. Over." She called to Oliver who was going to be Bruce's back up should he need it.
"Arrow here, Tower. Over."
"Arrow, you are on standby. Batman is heading into the tiger's cage. Over."
Oliver chuckled at the image that Chloe had presented to his imagination.
"Arrow on standby and not really liking the waiting, Tower. Over."
"Sorry Arrow, but such is life. Over."
"I'll remember that comment and address it later, Tower. Over"
"Oooohhh, I'm quaking in my boots. Over."
"You aren't wearing boots. Over."
"Point to you then. Over." He chuckled as he heard her switch over to another frequency.
"Watchtower to Cyborg. Over"
"Cyborg here, Tower. Over"
"Batman is initiating contact with the tigress. Standby to receive transmission. Over."
"Cyborg on standby, Tower. I hope he gets a thumb print. Over."
"Yeah, that would be nice. That would make your job of reconstructing her print all that much easier. Over."
"Yeah, if he gets a thumb print then I won't have to do a thing. Over."
"Ok Cyborg, standby. I will contact you once I've heard something."
"Aquaman to Watchtower. Over"
"Yes Aquaman. Over."
"Arrow is being a big baby in the backseat, can you tell him to knock it off please. Over"
"Aquaman, you are in the driver's seat. Put up the partition and ignore Arrow. I will talk to him. Over" Chloe shook her head and chuckled, sometimes she really did feel like a den mother to a bunch of little boys.
"Watchtower to Arrow. Over." She sighed.
"Arrow here. Over."
"Stop being a baby, Arrow and behave yourself. This mission is running smoothly, but I really should be monitoring Batman, not playing referee between you and Aquaman. Now behave. Over."
"Yes, Tower. Over." He said like a little boy who was scolded by his mother.
"Thanks man! Can't believe you ratted me out like that!" He yelled at AC, but AC never got to reply because Chloe did for him.
"I heard that Arrow. Over."
"Shit! Ahhh, yeah. Sorry Tower, behaving now. Over."
Bruce was listening to the chatter over the com with a smile on his face in the elevator on his way up to Tess's office. Once he stepped out of the elevator and entered the office he wiped the jovial smile from his face and replaced it with a very professional business smile. He greeted Tess's assistant pleasantly. He was going to save his charm for the one behind the door.
"I'm here to see Ms. Mercer." He said politely.
"I'm sorry, but do you have an appointment, Mr…"
"Wayne. Bruce Wayne of Gotham. You may have heard of me, I own a little business over there and I would like to speak with Ms. Mercer about a business proposition."
"Well, I am sorry Mr. Wayne, but Ms. Mercer is not in at the moment."
"Well then, I will just have a seat in her office and wait for her." He said as he walked past the stunned young woman.
"Wait! You can't go in there. You are not authorized." She called after Bruce as he walked right through the door into Tess's office. "Oh Ms. Mercer, I am sorry he just barged right in. I couldn't stop him."
"It's alright, Abby. Sometimes men such as Mr. Wayne here can be a force of nature. He won't be long. Thank you, Abby close the door please."
"Yes, ma'am." She watched Bruce, never taking her eyes from him as he walked across the room towards her.
"Your assistant said that you were out. If your assignment was to insult a potential business partner you get an A plus." Bruce said as he entered Tess's office and handed her a bottle of wine.
Tess blinked, the only outward sign that she acknowledge his presence in her office besides her holding the bottle of wine, "And you flunked getting the hint." She snarked at Bruce as he walked over to the cabinet in the corner of the room and got two wine glasses. "I don't have time for a wine tasting, Mr. Wayne. If you hadn't noticed I am trying to run a world wide newspaper."
Bruce looked over at her and smiled his most charming smile. "It's Bruce please, as former acquaintances we can definitely do without all the formalities. Corporate Titans such as we, need to learn how to multitask. It's all business, Tess, I can call you Tess, can't I, Ms. Mercer?"
Instead of simply replying to his question about her name, she coyly looked over to the bottle of wine that he handed to her. "This is not a quarterly report," she said as her eyes glance over the label of the wine.
"The wine is a '64 Char do Soleil from my personal stock. I only bring it out for occasions such as these." He said as he sat down across from her.
"Such as these?" She asked as she raised her eyebrow at him.
"Yes, occasions when I must woo a potential partner." He smiled again charmingly at her. "You seem like very perceptive women. I like that in a woman, it's a turn on." He eyed her appraisingly, a look that did not go unnoticed by Tess.
"Well, if I remember correctly from all the articles that I've read, when it comes to the opposite sex, there's little that doesn't turn you on, Bruce." She forced herself to use his name and it came out bitingly.
Bruce chuckled a little, "Actually I'm partial to strong-willed red heads that can give as good as she gets. Much like yourself. Interested?" He leaned in a little.
Tess couldn't stop the smile that his charm coaxed from her, "Nice try, but I'm still busy and I am still not interested." She said as she handed him back his unopened bottle of wine.
He feigned disappointment but in reality he was quite excited, he knew that he had at least two viable finger prints on the bottle from her, but he needed to continue his charade until he had at least gotten to the elevator. "But this is to celebrate the potential merger of the two most powerful news conglomerates, The Daily Planet and The Gotham Gazette. At least have one glass with me."
"Sorry Bruce," she signed in annoyance, "but at the moment I really am busy and I really do need to get back to what I was doing before you barged in here. So," she tilted her head towards the door, trying very politely not to tell him to get the hell out of her office. It wouldn't be good for future business if she pissed off the head of one of the most important and influential people in the business world. Bruce Wayne may be a noted playboy but he was also a very shrewd business man.
"Yeah, I get it." He stood from his seat, "You're busy." He retrieved the wine bottle from the side table where she had put it and looked sadly at the bottle, "Boy, I've got to tell you that it's a shame 'ya know?" She titled her head waiting for him to continue. He looked down at the bottle, held carefully in his hands so he would smudge her finger prints then over at her. His dark eyes captured hers in his penetrating gaze, "It's a Soleil from my private collection, and I was very much looking forward to opening it, especially with a woman as captivating as you. I was just thinking that we could take the afternoon off and oh pop the cork?" He smiled seductively at her, his hidden innuendo not nearly as hidden as he thought.
She smiled tightly, when will these mogul types ever learn that she did not have to sleep her way to the top she thought. She just clawed her way and used men like Bruce Wayne as her scratching post. "Keep your cork. I'm all set with the Soleil and the cork. Now, I really am busy and you so obviously know where the door is, I would really appreciate you finding your way out."
Bruce smiled brightly, it wasn't every day that he got turned down, but he did find this witchy woman intriguing, but not nearly enough to really pour on his charm. He got what he wanted from the feisty red head. "Your loss." He said as he headed for the door. He left her office and swiftly made his way to the elevator. Once the elevator door closed he pulled out the green scanner that Oliver lent him. As he scanned the bottle for finger prints, Bruce shook his head and smiled, of course it had to be green he thought. He would bet his last dollar that Oliver had purposely given him the green scanner just to bust him for leaving his behind. His smile got wider when the scanner beeped at him alerting him to the fact that one finger print had been found and that it was none other than the right thumb print of one Tess Mercer. "Gotcha, Kitten."
"Batman to Watchtower. Mission Complete. Over."
"Watchtower to League, Mission Complete, everyone return to HQ. Over."
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"SMALLVILLE!" She yelled out of breath as soon as she stepped off the porch looking for Clark. She had already searched his whole house and found no one inside. She saw his truck still parked in the same place. Her car deliberately parked behind his truck so that he couldn't escape her wrath by that means.
"SMALLVILLE!! I know you're here! Come out; come out where ever you are. Olly…Olly Oxen free! Come on, Smallville, come out here and face me like a man!" She called him out.
"Lois?" Clark called back to her questioning his eye sight as he walked out of the barn. "Lois, what are you doing here?"
"Well, that's a fine 'how do ya do, Clark" She said as she began to walk over to meet him.
"You know what I mean. I thought that you were supposed to be in Ecuador covering that election. You were supposed to be there for another week. So, forgive me, if I seem a bit surprised to see you." He said to her sullenly.
"I was in Ecuador, Clark; as a matter of fact Jimmy's still there covering it for me. We'll write it up together once he gets back. You know it's funny that you mention my unexpected return, Clark. Because you know why I returned?" She asked him sweetly and unconsciously Clark took a step backward. Lois Lane was never sweet with him. It was his signal that there was a storm brewing just below the surface, and unfortunately for him it seemed that hurricane Lane was heading in his direction. Lois smiled as she watched Clark retreat a step. "So, Clark, do you know why I returned from an assignment that could have made me a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter?"
"Ahh no, Lois, I have no idea." He gulped again, knowing that there was no stopping this; he was just going to have to ride out this storm and hope for the best. "Why have you come home early?"
"Well, let me tell you why." She advanced on him, backing him up to the wall of the house. Still she spoke to him as sweetly as Lois could. "I rushed back from the assignment of a life time because I heard over the wire that Chloe's missing. Oh but that's not all," she held up her hand to forestall his retort, "get this, she's wanted for questioning as a person of interest by the police because they believe that she is the accomplice of the serial killer Davis Bloome." She laughed humorously, "So, I rushed back to talk to my cousin, to be reassured that she's ok and that all of what I heard over the wire was just Inquisitor garbage. But do you know what I found, Clark?" She looked at him for an answer. His Adam's apple bobbed a few times before he could speak. He was the strongest man on Earth, yet here he stood afraid of this one tiny woman. Not even Chloe could make him feel like this.
"No Lois, what did you find?" He asked.
Her eyes narrowed into angry slits and if it were possible she got even closer to him. And softly she answered him, "Not my cousin, Clark. She's no where to be found. I landed at Metropolis International and immediately flagged a cab and headed to Isis. What I found there frightened me more than anything I have ever seen in my life. Her office was completely destroyed, Clark…destroyed not trashed, not messed up, no…destroyed. Her desk was a pile of toothpicks, there were holes in the walls, filing cabinets over turned, and her door was torn from its hinges. So, I rushed to my apartment and grabbed my car and broke every speed limit from Metropolis to Smallville to get to her apartment, and you know what I found." She didn't wait for his answer. "Not my cousin, Clark." He voice rose an octave, "She's no where. Her car's at the Talon but not Chloe. So, I figure, there's got to be only one other place she could be, right? The Kent Farm." She threw her hands up in the air. "So, I drive out here, run into your house, expecting to find my little cousin sitting on your couch, but guess what, Clark?" This time she waited for his answer.
"Ahh, she's not here?" Hoping that he said the right thing, but taking one look at her he knew that he hadn't.
"You're right. She's not here. She's no where to be found!" Her voice started to rise in volume and Clark's face began to cringe. "Yet, here you are doing you chores around the farm as if NOTHING has happened to MY COUSIN!" She poked him in the chest.
"Ahh, now Lois," he started.
"Yeah, 'ahhh' nothing, Clark. Either you know something that no one else knows…like WHERE my cousin is, or you just don't care anymore about what happens to her. I am leaning towards the former rather than the latter because I am fully aware of how close you two are. My questions for you are when something happened to Chloe, why didn't you call me? Why didn't you let me know she was missing? How could you let me find out that she was in trouble by hearing it over the wire? I thought that we were friends, Clark. You know how important she is to me. A heads up would have been nice, but I guess I don't even register a blip on the Clark Kent radar of consideration. Thanks for that, glad to know where I stand with you." She was more than hurt and Clark felt like a heel for not warning her about Chloe.
"Lois, please I thought that I would have found her, had her back, and everything straightened out before you got home. There really was no reason to call you and get you upset. I'm sorry. It's not that I wasn't thinking about you, because I was, it was just I thought that it would have all been handled by the time you returned. I'm sorry, really I am."
"Sorry, Clark? She's already been missing for seven days! A WHOLE week!!! Do you know what he could have already done to her?!"
"Yes Lois, I know what could have happened to her, actually if you stop yelling at me for one minute…" she looked at him like he had lost his mind, but motioned with her hand for him to carry on with what he was saying and that she was listening. "I was going to tell you that you were right. I know where she is. I found her Friday night and she's in a safe place hidden away from Davis Bloome." The way Clark practically spit Davis's name from his mouth, Lois knew that something terrible must have happened to Chloe.
"So, why is it, Clark, that if she's safe, she's still listed as missing and wanted by the police for questioning? Clark, take me to her." She ordered him.
"I'm sorry, Lois, I can't" He cringed. He knew by telling her no that she was just going to start yelling again or worse, she was going to go off and do something stupid.
"You can't or you won't, Clark?" She said evenly, alerting Clark that he was balancing precariously close to the edge with her.
"I can't Lois. She's in protective custody. We're hiding her until Davis Bloome's been captured and turned over to the authorities. There is more to Davis Bloome's story than you realize. It seems that he's obsessed with her. Something happened to him and when he's not around Chloe, he turns into some kind of beast like thing. She's not safe until he's been captured. So, she's in hiding."
"Wait a second, if she's not in police custody then who's hiding her? Who's the other half of this 'we' that you are talking about? Who's keeping her safe, Clark? Who's out looking for this guy?"
"Friends are keeping her safe, Lois. But until Davis has been caught I can't take you to her. I can't jeopardize her safety to take you to her. I am sorry, Lois, please understand." He looked at her pleadingly, his baby blue eyes beseeching her to understand.
"Oh, I understand, Smallville, I understand a lot more than you give me credit for. I'll find my cousin, Clark, you just wait." She was so angry with Clark for keeping her in the dark where her cousin was concerned. Chloe was in trouble and Clark was standing in the way of her helping Chloe. All her pent up rage and helplessness was aimed at one target, and that target was a 6 foot something man standing in front of her.
"Lois! Please, you'd put Chloe's life in danger to satisfy your own selfish curiosity?" Once the words left his mouth he knew that they were the wrong words to say to her when she was this upset.
"Selfish? I want to make sure that MY cousin is safe; is ok. I want to help her. I know she needs me right now, Clark. I know it, I feel it. Is it selfishness to want to help keep your family safe? Well, if I am guilty of that then so is everyone else in the world. She is MY cousin, MY family, MY best friend and you have NO right to withhold her from me! You have no right Clark, to keep me in the dark when her life is on the line! If you won't help me find a way to her then I'll do it myself." She said to him as she got into her car and sped away, most likely heading back to Metropolis and to the Daily Planet.
"Great." Clark said as he pulled out his cell to call Chloe. He wanted to let them know that Mad Dog Lane was on the case and that they may have a problem. Chloe picked up on the second ring.
"Hey Chlo." Clark said.
"Umm Clark, this really isn't a good time to chat. Oliver and the boys just left to help Bruce." She said into her cell but never took her eyes from the computer screen.
"Well, I think we may have a problem, Chloe. Lois is back."
"What? I thought that she wasn't due back in the country for another week or so."
"Yeah well, Lois heard over the wire that you were missing and in trouble with the law so she headed back here as soon as she could. She's determined to help out her cousin."
"Oh no. How do you know this, Clark?" She said worriedly, poor Lois must be out of her mind with worry over her.
"Well, I just got a visit from Mad Dog Lane herself. And she's not too happy with me at the moment."
"Well, Clark we can't have her looking into this right now, you will have to go stall her."
"Me? Why me? She's mad at me right now." He whined causing Chloe to giggle.
"Because Clark, one you can go to her under the pretenses of apologizing. Two, you work with her at the Daily Planet, so you can make sure that she's not getting herself into trouble. And three, we need time to get everything in motion, the end game is coming. And with Lois on the case, Lord knows how much time we'll have before she figures it out and trips up our plan. You have to stall her; you are the only one who can. Look Clark, I have to get back to Oliver and the guys. Do what you have to throw her off the scent, ok."
"Fine. But I want you to know that I wouldn't willing walk into the lion's den for just anyone, Chloe. You owe me." Clark could feel her smile through the phone.
"Aww, Clark, I love you too. I've got to go. I'll see you back at Oliver's later." And she hung up, leaving Clark to figure out a way to distract Lois on his own.
"Great." He murmured to himself as he walked into his house. He showered quickly and changed clothes and got the keys to his truck.
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Plan step two: Acquire Black Kryptonite from Tess Mercer's sealed vault in her personal suite at the Luthor mansion in Smallville
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It was completely dark out when Bruce left Oliver's apartment insisting that he could handle getting the black Kryptonite from Tess's vault on his own. He did posses a skill or two of his own, he explained to them. Dressed completely in his Black leather bat suit, he quickly but silently made his way to the Luthor mansion in Smallville.
"East Corridor secure." The security guard reported as he passed under Batman. Bruce stealthily dropped from his place on the ceiling from behind the guard, ran up to him and grabbed the unsuspecting man from behind in a sleeper hold. He dragged the unconscious man off to a room on the darkened end of the corridor and locked him inside. He then proceeded swiftly and quietly into what was once Lex's private suite but now was Tess's personal bedroom. This was the room in which the vault holding the Black Kryptonite was in. Slowly he scanned the room looking for the place where Lex would have hidden the vault. He walked over to the full length mirror and ran his fingers from the bottom edge up to about midway. It was there that he found the button. He pressed the button and the mirror slid aside to reveal the vault that he was looking for. He pulled out his scanner that held Tess's finger prints and pulled up her thumb print. He held the borrowed green scanner in front of the vault finger scanner. It scanned the copy and with a low beep and a click the vault opened to reveal a virtual plethora of Kryptonian artifacts. Green Meteor rocks, Kryptonite of various sizes and shapes were placed though out the vault. Bruce quickly scanned the vault for the black Kryptonite; he found it partially hidden on the middle shelf between a leather bound journal and one of the various meteor rocks.
As he was examining the Black Kryptonite that he heard the outer door to the sitting room open and close.
"Shit!" he said, as he looked around the vault for a place to hide. But there was no place to hide. Quickly he shut the vault as quietly as he could. Tess was still out in the sitting room, he had maybe 30 seconds to come up with a plan of escape before she reached the inner bedroom. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" He said as he scanned the room. He was immensely happy and surprised to see Oliver suspended at the window grinning like a mad man and waving at him. "Need a lift there, Batman?"
"Funny. Will that thing hold us both?" He said as he eyed Oliver's grappling hook.
"Guess, we'll see, soon enough. Tess's ETA 10 seconds. Get on."
Bruce got out the window just as Tess walked through the door. The only sign that he had been in her room was the billowing drapes by the window. She didn't suspect a thing as she sauntered to the window and shut it. If she had just looked up she would have seen Batman and the Green Arrow suspended precariously on a wire. Luckily for them, she didn't. Once the window was shut, Oliver hoisted the two of them up to the roof where he shot a repel line down to the ground and he and Bruce repelled down the opposite side of the mansion to where Victor was waiting with the van.
"Dude, how do you do this kind of thing a lone all the time?" AC asked from the passenger seat of the van. Oliver chuckled.
"You know, a lot of my work in Gotham isn't breaking and entering to steal rocks. Normally, I'm out battling evil on the streets." Bruce said darkly as he removed his cowl from his head.
"Yeah, well, Ollie does the same thing but he has a team to back him up with the really tough jobs." Oliver smirked, and this was why his team was his family, they never let him down.
"Yeah well that's all well and good but there are some of us who just like to work alone. Enough about this," he said as he changed the subject of his near escape to the black rock he held in his hand, "so this little black pebble is going to separate the man from the beast? Now, why am I finding this difficult to believe?" His voice held the skepticism that he felt.
"Because you haven't spent enough time in Smallville, that's why, Bruce. Trust me, the longer you hang around with Clark and Chloe the more you realize that it's just pointless to argue with them. They do know what they are talking about. When they say it will work; 9 out of 10 times it will and that one time it doesn't; yeah well, that's because you didn't do it exactly the way they told you to." Oliver said as the other guys snickered in the front seat.
"Cyborg to Watchtower. Arriving at the garage, Tower. See you in a few minutes. Over." Victor said to Chloe over the comm.
"Ok, boys, glad to hear that you have arrived safely. Boy Scout is still at the farm but will be heading to the Daily Planet. Seems that he's run into an intrepid reporter…think you may have heard of her…she goes by the call sign, Mad Dog Lane. Yeah, I guess she just found out that her beloved cousin has gone missing and she's taking her frustration out on Boy Scout. All I have to say is that I am glad it's him and not me. He may be a little late to our party. He's got to do damage control, Tower out." She giggled at Clark's predicament. The boys all felt Clark's pain, having been on the receiving end of a Lois Lane rant before.
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Plan step three: Distract Mad Dog Lane from Finding Chloe before the completion of the original mission.
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Once Lois left Clark at his farm she drove straight back to Metropolis. She decided before heading to the Daily Planet like she had planned on doing, she needed to stop at a couple of places first. She had stopped off at the police station to speak to a couple of her cop friends. They were just as tight lipped about this case as Clark was. She just couldn't believe that they suspected her cousin as Bloome's accomplice. After speaking to her cop friends she drove to her apartment and connected into one of the military satellites that her father had unknowingly given her access to one time when she went to visit him. If he ever found out about her using this satellite then he was going to kill her. She smiled when she thought about the look that Clark would have on his face if he ever realized that Chloe wasn't the only one in the family with mad computer skills. She frowned at the thought of her cousin. She wondered just what kind of mess she had gotten into this time, and who were the friends that where hiding her…keeping her safe. She knew that Chloe was doing some side work for Oliver and his group of costumed superheroes, so she surmised that they were the 'friends' helping her. What really started to bother her was how and why did Clark know anything about Oliver and his friends?
It was much later in the evening when Lois stormed into the bull pen in a whirl wind of anger and frustration. She couldn't find Chloe anywhere, it was almost like she had fallen off the face of the planet and she was more than a little concerned for her cousin. She was down right scared. She needed to clear her mind so she went to the bull pen of the Daily Planet, where the skeleton night crew would keep their distance from the aggravated reporter letting her do what she had to do with out any interruptions. She was wholly surprised to see Clark sitting at his desk, typing away at something on his computer. Her surprise turned to anger as she realized that he was sitting there while her cousin was probably roomed up in a sleazy motel room somewhere in Timbuktu. She found her emotional punching bag for the day, and his name was Clark Kent.
She stormed over to Clark and slammed her palms down on his desk trying to garner his attention, but Clark just kept typing up what ever he was typing which caused Lois to get angrier. "Chloe's missing with some Beasty boy out there stalking her, and you're sitting here doing nothing."
Clark sighed. "No one wants to find Davis Bloome more than I do." He says to her as he continues to type his good bye to Metropolis letter on his computer. He knew that there was a definite possibility that he wouldn't make it back from his battle with Doomsday and he wanted the people of Metropolis to understand that he had not just given up on them that he had fought to the end for them. He didn't want the hope that he had seen bubbling on the surface of the city pop if he were gone.
"Nobody except maybe me. Clark, I haven't slept in days and I am dangerously close to a caffeine O.D." She huffed as she walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself yet another cup of coffee. She sighed as the hot liquid burned its way down her throat and into her stomach. She knew that in a few minutes she would get her second…no her third wind and Chloe was out there somewhere and she needed her.
"I hadn't noticed." Clark said as he watched her stalk over to the coffee.
"Huh. Ok, want to as least let me in about this little novella that you're working on that's so important." She walked over to Clark leaving her coffee by the coffee pot and peered over his shoulder at the screen trying to see what he was writing.
"No." He says and Xes out of the screen so she can't see what he wrote.
"Great, another ricochet off the impenetrable force field. Forget it." She turned and walked back over to the coffee pot to get her cup of coffee when she turned back around Clark was gone. She was distracted from her dark thoughts of murdering Clark Kent by her phone ringing at her desk. She walked quickly over to answer it, hoping that it was Chloe.
"Hello….Chloe! Is this you? Chlo! Hello!"
A deep male distorted voice; one that she recognized from a previous call was on the other end of the line. Lois got goose bumps and griped the phone receiver tighter. "Miss Lane." Clark said through the voice distorter that he got from Oliver calling from the phone booth in the hallway. He never once took his eyes off of her.
"It's you." She breathed a sigh of relief at hearing the Red Blue Blur's voice. She knew that if anyone could help her find Chloe and save her from the beast then the Red Blue Blur was the one to do it.
"I know where your cousin, Chloe, is. She's safe, Miss Lane. I won't let anything happen to her."
"How'd you even know she was missing? How did you even know that I was looking for her?"
"I've been keeping an eye on you."
"To be honest, I was kind of hoping for that. But I didn't know how to call you and now all of a sudden here you are out of no where to save the day and I just…I'm rambling again. You just make me so, ahhh; I don't know how I'll be able to repay you for this."
"You can do me a favor. I need you to publish a letter for me."
"What letter?" There was a whoosh of wind, her papers went flying everywhere and her hair was blown completely in her face. Once she got her hair under control and out of her eyes, she saw on the monitor of her computer screen an envelope.
"You're here aren't you?" She asked him as she scanned the room for any sign of him.
Clark watched her grab the letter and immediately tear it open. "You're not supposed to open it yet." He said to her as she began to read the letter. He realized that nothing was going to stop her from reading the letter so he just sighed. "Can I count on you to publish that letter if anything happens to me?"
"Goodbye?" She can feel the panic begin to rise in her chest. "What do you mean goodbye?"
"Sometimes we can't out run our destiny." He said to her cryptically.
"But I thought you were invincible?"
"So did I?" He said softly. He watched as she continued to read his letter to the people of Metropolis and then saw her whole posture change as she finished the letter. Her back stiffened. She looked back at the letter then at the computer screen that he was just at. She looked around the room as though she were looking for someone.
"I want to meet you." She demanded. "I have to see your face. I have to see you. I want you to show me what you can't show anyone else. You can trust me, please." She pleaded; almost slipping and calling him Clark. She knew it was him. The letter confirmed it; she'd know his writing anywhere. She knew that he was hiding a secret…that all the Kents were keeping something hidden from her, but she had NEVER suspected it was something this big. She had always suspected that he was infected with the meteor rocks. Growing up in Smallville it would have been really hard not to be. Everything was beginning to make sense.
"I'm sorry, that's not a good idea." Clark said sadly. He really did want to tell her about who he really was. He knew that she could be trusted. It just wasn't safe for her to know who he really is. By knowing his secret she would be in more danger than she ever had put herself into.
"You can come through this, you have to. And when you do…how do you feel about phone booths?"
"They're fine." He says as he looks around the phone booth, nervous that she's spotted him.
"Umm, there's one on 4th and Main, let's say midnight. I'll be there. I hope you'll be there too. And thank you. If anyone can save Chloe, I know it's you." She silently added the name Clark to the end of that sentence. She didn't hang up the phone until she heard the tell tale click of him hanging up on his end. She smiled, knowing in her heart that the red blue blur was none other than Clark Kent himself. And she secretly hoped that if he did show up and did reveal himself to her, then maybe, just maybe they could finally take what's between them and start something incredible.
TBC…
A/N: Constructive feedback is always appreciated. :)