Chapter Seven
When Oliver awoke, he found himself in a small room. Noting the open and sterile floorplan of it, he assumed that it was the room off the lab that had the wall of windows. However, on this side, the windows turned out to look like one giant mirror – one way glass. Everyone could see in but no one within the room could see out.
Since he was alone, it appeared that he and Chloe were to have separate cells or Lex's scientists were still treating her as a guinea pig. Knowing Lex, it wouldn't surprise him if they did indeed keep her in the lab all the time.
Shaking his head slightly, he sat up on the bed, fighting the nausea and dizziness that assailed him from the sedative they'd given him as well as the stench of the blood that was all over his shirt and chest. Once certain that he wasn't going to vomit or fall over, he stripped the garment off and threw it into the bathroom area before standing up and taking a more detailed look of the room he was in. A short few minutes later, he was standing at the mirror, hands shading his eyes, trying to see through into the other room.
After he'd used the open bathroom to wash the remaining blood from his chest, Oliver paced and wandered the room for an unknown amount of time, using the toilet a couple of times before a large square opened in the mirrored wall, close to the left corner of the room, near the floor. A tray with food and a bottle of water was pushed through and then the square disappeared, almost seamlessly back into the glass.
Taking the tray over to the table, he peered at the contents before taking a cautious smell of everything. His growing hunger the only thing telling him how long he'd been there, having no idea how much longer he would be a prisoner, Oliver decided to sit down and eat what had been provided. He knew he needed to keep up his strength if he were to affect any type of escape for Chloe and himself and it would be best to find out now rather than later if anything had been drugged. Although, just because it wasn't drugged now, didn't mean it wouldn't be later, of course.
Giving a sigh, Oliver consumed the contents of the tray.
Again, Oliver had no idea how long he paced the cell. His mind was constantly going over everything that had happened since his abduction; thoughts of Chloe and what he'd heard and seen and worrying over what was being done to her now as he languished in the room.
Feeling tired, Oliver lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Soon, his eye lids fell closed and he drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
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He was awakened some time later by another square opening, this time high in the right hand wall. As he watched, he saw a bulky man with a rifle target him at the same time a door opened in the same area the food tray had been pushed through, revealing a gurney with a naked Chloe being wheeled into the room. Understanding that he'd be shot if he made a move towards the door, Oliver held himself still until the gurney came to a stop and the door was closed once again. The sniper pulled back and the opening he'd been using was then shut.
Chloe was conscious but looked utterly exhausted. Oliver quickly moved to the gurney and freed her from the restraints; pulling her into his arms, he felt the trembling in her body as she tried to wrap her own around his neck. Unable to complete the action, she ended up laying one arm over his near shoulder and the other on his far one near his neck. Oliver carried her to the bed, settling them down, helping to pull her as close to him as possible as Chloe pushed herself into him.
Oliver had placed himself on the side of the bed nearest the door, pulling Chloe into his right side, allowing her to snuggle in and make herself as comfortable as possible before arranging his own limbs to hold her, to entangle with hers. Half of her body was trapped between them as well as the bed; her breasts appeared to be tender as well as her now non-distended abdomen. One of his arms was under her neck and then wrapped around her back, allowing him to caress her softly, comfortingly, while his other hand entwined with hers along his chest and stomach.
Oliver had been whispering to her the entire time, telling her how much he missed her and that everything was going to be fine and caressing her softly while making 'shushing' noises to calm her when she tensed up or began trembling even more when they finally settled on the bed. When Chloe started crying, he let her, continuing to caress her, placing soft kisses in her hair and on her forehead, whispering to her, until she cried herself out, falling asleep.
Oliver settled in to watch over her.
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Lex had still been in the building when one of his scientists had informed him that Chloe had awakened. After making his way back to the lab and getting a detailed analysis of the fetus, which they had had to harvest for DNA, and Chloe's condition, Lex ordered the hormone therapy and then told them to place her in her room for the remainder of the evening.
He smiled to himself with dark humor; he would get to mount the troublesome reporter once more before heading back to Metropolis. And he couldn't help but think, after watching Queen's reaction, that the entire situation could provide him with some sort of revenge for everything the upperclassman had put him through at Excelsior.
Obviously Miss Sullivan had grown somewhat attached to the blonde billionaire and, based on Oliver's reaction after she'd 'died,' he had some sort of attachment to the petite blonde as well. What better way to get some of his own back against both while creating his super race than to use each of them against each other?
Lex laughed, 'Oh yes, this is going to be very pleasurable indeed.'
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Chloe slept long enough that Oliver's own fatigue pulled him into slumber some time later. After another unknown period of time, the square at the base of the door opened and two trays of food and drink were pushed through. Oliver had awakened the moment the mechanism that controlled the square activated and had watched the trays slide in. Chloe was still sleeping and he hesitated to disturb her, for a variety of reasons.
Oliver reveled in Chloe's warm body against his. It was obvious that she'd lost weight and muscle tone, her low grade trembling that she hadn't lost even during sleep, screamed to him of the suffering and horror his Watchtower had been put through. The dark circles under Chloe's eyes appeared to have lightened but the stress of her ordeal was more than apparent in the lines of her face and the tension of her body. Lines and tension that he hadn't ever noticed before; Oliver thought she'd aged at least five years in the few months she'd been missing.
They had changed position during sleep and while Chloe was still holding onto him, he could now look down her body. The obvious abuse that he'd noted in the lab, appeared to be completely healed now; although her stomach was now a bunch of folded skin, no longer distended for the pregnancy and Oliver could only guess that Lex's scientists had 'harvested' the unborn child.
Looking back to her face, he couldn't resist raising a hand and caressing one of her cheeks, letting the gesture continue into her hair. The long golden blonde hair he'd loved was cut short and colored now and he could tell that she hadn't washed it for a few days, but just the ability to do that brought a burning sensation to the back of his eyes.
Chloe.
Before he had time to move his hand, Watchtower had woken, her eyes showing him that she hadn't expected it to be Oliver near her. The additional tension left her body as she recognized him. Before either of them could open their mouths, Chloe's stomach rumbled and Oliver moved from the bed towards the two trays that were on the floor.
Bringing both of them to the table, he barely looked at Chloe as she took a moment in the open bathroom. While Oliver felt uncomfortable being in the open room with her running around naked, he couldn't help but sympathize with her if this is what her existence for the last four months had been like.
As she sat down at the table, he realized that neither of them had spoken to each other outside of the comforting words he'd whispered to her before she'd cried herself to sleep. As Chloe started to pick at the food on her tray after taking a long drink from her water bottle, she glanced over to him. Before he could open his mouth, she looked down to her plate.
"I'm… I, uh…" Chloe seemed completely lost in what she wanted to say.
Surprisingly, Oliver found himself in the same situation. Given their surroundings and the secrets each of them carried, he was hesitant to talk freely with her, knowing that Lex must have some type of audio surveillance in the room. Also, what do you tell the woman who you'd fallen for, who'd been missing or hiding for the last five months, obviously tortured, being left in a sensory deprivation situation, suffering from acute Post Traumatic Stress and was being held by the only person in her life who she'd been fearing for her life from?
He stood from his chair and moved to her side. Getting down on his knees, he bent forward and enveloped her in a hug. Chloe dropped her fork onto her plate and threw herself into the embrace, holding onto Oliver as if her very life depended on his actually being there. Her tears wetting his hair, dribbling down his neck as he held her, once again whispering comfort into her hair, caressing her back with one hand.
The couple was unaware of Lex's smirking scrutiny of them through the lab windows.
Thoughts from earlier came back to him, 'Oh yes, this is going to be very pleasurable.'
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About an hour later, the 'sniper square,' as Oliver now thought of it, opened. This must have been something that had been a part of some routine for Chloe at one time because she wasn't surprised by the appearance of the rifle; however, she looked at him as if it took her a moment to figure out why he was there.
Only the obvious tensing that came with the instinctive fight or flight response that was ingrained in all creatures, especially those used to dealing with confrontations like Watchtower and Green Arrow, could be felt between Chloe and Oliver as security guards made their appearance. There was more of a reaction from Chloe when the scientists entered the room, as should probably be expected given what they had put her through.
It was only when Lex Luthor entered the cell that Chloe's reaction became that of someone who had experienced some type of blinding terror. She tightened her hold on Oliver, trembling hard, breathing and heart rate speeding up significantly. Oliver could literally feel the waves of tension and fear that she was radiating at the bald billionaire's presence.
And so could Lex, who smiled sadistically, eyes taking in the couple on the bed; one struggling to remain calm and give the other comfort while the second could do nothing but shudder. Lex imagined he could even hear the petite blonde whimper and he reveled in the power her held over such a strong individual.
Lex knew that if he wanted to get Chloe out of the room, there would be an altercation, despite the security guard with the rifle. He didn't want Oliver unconscious because he wanted him to be completely lucid for what was going to take place a few minutes from now. That also meant that Chloe needed to be conscious as well.
"I am going to make this incredibly simple." Lex took a few steps towards the bed, "Chloe will do everything we want her to do because if she doesn't, Oliver will come to harm, and Chloe will not be allowed to heal him. Oliver will also suffer the consequences, again, with no healing from Chloe, if he tries to protect or escape with Chloe."
Lex smirked and thought of laughing but didn't. "And, if Chloe tries to commit suicide again, Oliver will be put into a different cell and severely beaten. And Chloe will watch it, but she won't be able to touch.
"The same thing will happen if Oliver tries to do the 'noble' thing and kill Chloe to 'save' her from this wonderful life we've brought her into." And Lex did laugh this time.
As Lex stated his … 'terms' for Chloe's expected behavior, it became harder and harder to do anything but offer whatever comfort he could to Watchtower. He struggled to bury his fury, his frustration and his incredible need to kill Lex and get Chloe and himself out of the facility. He watched Chloe as each term from Lex seemed to take more and more of her spirit away. While she continued to tremble, she also seemed to wilt against him; however, she refused to cry, her eyes remaining incredibly dry.
And then he realized that Chloe had retreated into her mind, an obvious and common defense mechanism for those having dealt with torture and other traumatic situations.
Lex must have recognized this as well because he motioned for his security to take her to the gurney and strap her in. When they approached them, Oliver couldn't help but tense and place himself in a defensive stance with Chloe behind him. Lex cleared his throat and raised his left eyebrow.
Oliver bowed his head momentarily, taking a large breath, and then moved away from the woman who completely possessed his soul. He watched them take the unresisting woman to the gurney and put the restraints on her, wheeling the table out into the lab, the two scientists following.
When all but Lex, one of his men in black and the sniper were left, the bald billionaire looked to Oliver.
"I know that you're used to the finest in entertainment that money can buy. But we can't accommodate that here, for obvious reasons. So, you'll have to make due with what there is." Lex made a gesture and a picture of the lab appeared in the center of the mirror, where all of them could see the scientists attaching wires and other paraphernalia to Chloe.
Moving closer, leaning down to whisper close to Oliver's ear, he continued, "To keep you company, you'll get to see almost everything that happens to her, especially when she's mounted, over and over again." Lex smirked, chuckling, backhanding Oliver into the wall when the man on the bed made to lunge at him.
As Lex was just about to leave the cell, he looked back over his shoulder and gave Oliver another taunting smile.
Despite Lex's sadistic reasons for making Oliver watch what he did to Chloe, Oliver couldn't help but think that at least he would know what was happening with Chloe and, when they got out of here, he would do everything possible to help her put all of this behind her, behind them.
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Once the door to Chloe and Oliver's cell was sealed behind him, Lex strode over to the gurney that held the petite blonde. His scientists were finished with her for the moment so Lex gave her a quick leering glance before walking to them and getting an update.
With the restraints the way they were, Chloe didn't have much room to move, but she tried to avert her eyes from the bald man as he'd approached her, without much success. When he leered at her, she had just closed her eyes and wished everything was over.
She had been readied to be 'mounted' by the scientists; they'd given her the hormone therapy and had her legs spread, and bent up and out, her pelvis inclined to accept the mounter, and she couldn't help but feel humiliated at the position she was in, right in the middle of the lab, where anyone who wanted could just look at her.
To try and give her mind something else to focus on instead of the upcoming rape, Chloe pulled out her memories of Oliver and their time together. She couldn't help but think of seeing him, those hours ago in the lab, when they'd brought him in and before they plunged a knife in his chest.
God, he'd looked good. Lex must have grabbed him either before or after some sort of black tie affair. The tux only made the blonde billionaire so much more delicious looking. However, she had to admit that she preferred him in his Green Arrow gear… or, better yet, naked.
She recalled him pulling her from the gurney in the cell and bringing her over to the bed. Chloe had pushed herself to get as close to him as possible, feeling his warmth, the hard and strong body, the smell of him. She'd delved into all that comfort and had just let herself go, knowing that he would keep her safe for just a few precious minutes. She hadn't cared if he'd been half naked, all she'd wanted was safety and comfort from everything that had happened to her since Lex had tried to abduct her all that time ago. Even if Oliver had been kidnapped to use against her, she couldn't feel guilty about it, at least not right then. She needed him. She had needed someone so much stronger than herself to lean on, to just hang onto her while she'd fallen apart.
Now, hours later, she still couldn't feel guilty, but she felt fury and dismay. Fury that Lex could… that Lex existed. And dismay that, now Oliver was stuck in this situation with her. Their only hope was that, somehow, the rest of the League had tracked Oliver to where ever this place was and rescue wasn't too far away.
A hand placed on one of her breasts brought her out of her thoughts and Chloe looked up to find a robed Lex smirking down at her.
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Oliver knew there was nothing he could do. The tables, chairs and bed were all bolted quite firmly to the floor, there was nothing to throw against the windowed mirror except his own body, which he'd done for a few minutes during the start of Chloe's rape, but he soon gave it up when the sniper appeared.
Sitting on the end of the bed, he continued to watch the monitor with disgusted horror.
Hearing about someone getting raped, reading about it in the newspaper or watching a movie that dealt with it was … it was nothing compared to actually seeing it happen… than watching it without being able to do anything to help the victim.
As Green Arrow, he'd seen a lot of things; he'd stopped a lot of crime before it had happened, he'd been there to comfort victims and call the police after others had happened. But neither Green Arrow nor Oliver Queen had ever come across a sexual assault in progress, much less against someone as precious to him as Chloe Sullivan.
There was no audio but Oliver didn't know if that was a blessing or not. He could see Chloe squirm on the gurney as Lex pleasured himself with his sadomasochistic desires; he watched as Lex bit and scratched and bruised and dug into Chloe's flesh; he saw her mouth open, her body clench, arch, and jolt with every thing the bald billionaire did.
And he hadn't even entered her yet.
When Lex finally did, Oliver swallowed hard, closing his eyes momentarily, not knowing whether he should turn away or continue watching. When he opened his eyes, he could see liquid glistening from Chloe's eyes and, despite himself, he saw blood on Lex's shaft as it moved in and out of his Watchtower's body.
Barely able to get himself to the open bathroom in time, Oliver was violently sick into the toilet, struggling to breathe not only through the vomiting but also through the tears that were running down his face.
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After Lex was finished with Chloe, he left her to the scientists, who cleaned her up and then ran a few tests. In a matter of a few hours, they were able to tell if she had successfully become pregnant. Once they found out she had, Lex ordered them to proceed with the medical procedure to introduce some accelerated growth chemicals into the embryo, still inside Chloe.
If this procedure worked, their next step was to induce some modified DNA into the embryo. If both of these steps took, the next fetus would be thusly manipulated as well.
The scientists decided to leave the monitoring equipment and peripherals connected to Chloe but wheel her into her cell so they could continue with their experiments and testing without having her in the room to obstruct the walkways.
When security left, Oliver moved the gurney over to the side of the bed so he could give her as much comfort as possible. Fighting his tears, fury and frustration, Oliver caressed her, whispering softly to her, much as he'd done several hours earlier.
Some time later, Oliver watched as Chloe began to regain consciousness. Oliver didn't want her to come to in a panic at being touched, so he continued whispering to her, caressing the closest arm, up to her shoulder and then her cheek into her hair. After she was completely conscious, Oliver gave her sips from the water bottle when she requested.
Not too long after, Chloe began wincing as if in pain.
Knowing the scientists were monitoring her, Oliver could do nothing except offer comfort and whispered encouragement and comments. However, as the pain grew exponentially, he began seeing her pelvic muscles trembling and then clenching. Chloe had begun moaning with the pain, squeezing the hand Oliver had given her to hold. A few moments later, Chloe gave a shuddering gasp, trying to move her legs. Just as Oliver noticed blood beginning to seep onto the table from her groin, security and scientists arrived to wheel Chloe back out to the lab.
The monitor wasn't activated for a long while and Oliver paced the cell with growing worry and frustration.
A tray arrived for Oliver, apparently Chloe wasn't going to be able to return for her meal, and Oliver ignored it.
Another try arrived and pushed the ignored tray forward, much later, telling Oliver that several hours must have passed and there was no word or anything regarding Chloe.
Just when he thought about throwing himself into the windowed mirror again to get someone's attention, the monitor showing the lab was powered on.
It was obvious that whatever happened had been cleaned up and taken care of because Lex was once again in a robe, standing near the gurney with a prepped Chloe, ready to be mounted again.
Oliver shook his head violently, "Oh God, no… no, no, no, not again. Not now." His hands went to his hair, grabbing handfuls, he closed his eyes as Lex began to straddle Chloe. Oliver didn't even bother to back up to the bed, he just let his knees give out and sank to the floor. He had no idea how he could watch as Chloe was raped again without going insane or getting himself killed trying to get out to the lab and murder Lex Luthor.
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By the time the impregnation was confirmed, the scientists had come to the conclusion that Chloe's body would not accept any external tampering of the natural reproductive process – such as the manipulated-DNA sperm they had tried at the beginning of her captivity. This meant that all of the genetic enhancement or manipulation had to have already been completed within the male that would mount the petite blonde.
While Chloe lay in the lab, Lex and his scientists conversed around and over her. The next step was to start making the genetically chosen males 'perfect' for them to breed with the woman. If Chloe's body accepted the sperm from the enhanced/manipulated male, then they could proceed with Lex's army without further pre-birth intervention. If her body rejected the genetically enhanced/manipulated male, then there would obviously need to be further pre-birth intervention as soon as the embryo was moved to the uterine replicator.
Lex bent down to Chloe, slapping her face roughly to get her attention. As her eyes focused on him once again, he told her that no matter what the outcome, every other week, for the rest of her natural reproductive lifespan, she'd be supplying them with an embryo after being mounted by whichever male was in line for her. Once her ovaries were exhausted, they would have no further use for her, as a breeder, at least.
"However, I'm sure we'll still be in need of your other abilities, Miss Sullivan." Lex started to turn away from her and then stopped. Turning back around, he caressed one hand down her body, making her shudder. "And I'll be more than happy to continue our sexual liaisons, of course." With that, Lex patted the cheek he'd slapped and walked out of the lab.
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Lex hadn't planned on spending so much time at the laboratory where Chloe and Oliver were being held, but the time was obviously very productive, in so many ways. He'd gotten to mount the bothersome reporter, not once, but twice. And he'd gotten to inflict some pain and humiliation to his former Excelsior schoolmate.
Sitting at his desk back in Metropolis after almost five days of being absent, he allowed himself one more time of watching the video of Oliver's reaction of both mountings, thoroughly enjoying the anguish Oliver showed in regards to Miss Sullivan's current situation.
Lex's only true regret was that he wouldn't be mounting Chloe again, at least in the foreseeable future; he needed to concern himself with LuthorCorp business. However, his scientists had been given specific instructions on what to do in regards to several scenarios and he was content at the moment to let them do what was needed.
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At the comm back at Oliver's penthouse, Bart watched Lex watching the DVD of both his mountings of Chloe and of Oliver's reactions.
"You're ours you fucking son of a bitch."
Impulse quickly communicated with the other League members before activating the video feed to those capable of watching it where they were at the moment. After, all of them hardened their resolve to let nothing deter them from their surveillance of the target and getting their teammates back home.
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A lone Queen Industries satellite continued circling the planet, sending out a signal that would locate a very specific tracker.
Located on the body of Oliver Queen, the passive protein-based tracker waited to relay its coordinates back to the Justice League's computers.
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While Oliver hadn't been able to hear anything from the other room, he knew that whatever Lex's parting comments had been to Chloe, he knew it had been something that rattled her because when security finally wheeled the gurney back into their cell about an hour later, Chloe still had tears in her eyes.
Quickly unfastening the restraints, Oliver gathered her into his arms and then settled them both back onto the bed, much like he'd done that first time after she'd been wheeled back into the room. Holding her close, Oliver caressed her as comfortingly as possible, letting her cry and shudder against him. He struggled to contain his emotions as well as his own tears. Chloe needed him to be strong, she needed to see and feel his strength and not his fear or despair regarding their situation and he wasn't going to let her down.
Oliver knew that as soon as the League got the signal from the tracker that was adhered to his body, which had been placed as close to his testicles as possible, hoping that if he'd been abducted that he wouldn't be strip searched, the guys would be there to get them out of this hell hole.
He didn't want to think of all the scenarios that could keep the League away, like Lex having sufficiently shielded the lab so that the satellite's signal wouldn't be able to get through, and mentally fought to keep himself centered and focused on giving Chloe whatever comfort and support he could.
All they had to do was wait, to be patient.
And survive.
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By Oliver's counting of trays, it was three days later when he and Chloe began to make out sounds coming from the other side of the one way mirrored wall. Before they could make it from the bed to the wall however, a loud alarm began to ring in the laboratory and gunshots were beginning to be heard.
As the sounds grew more chaotic, the two prisoners looked at each other and, reaching the wall, they began pounding on it. Within moments though, a hissing sound began around them and their cell started filling with some type of gas.
"This can't be good." Oliver found himself saying as he and Chloe began throwing themselves against the glass wall. However, before they could do that more than a few times, the gas coming into the room seemed to be coming to a halt; before they could think, the 'sniper square' opened and the gunman began firing at them.
With nowhere to hide, Oliver basically threw Chloe under the bolted table and chairs and then lunged for the farthest side of the bed, already knowing that Watchtower had the best cover available and he wasn't going to survive the situation.
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After months of captivity, Chloe could only huddle under the table where Oliver threw her, her hands over her ears to block out the sounds of the assault, which echoed terribly in the small space, shivering. When the gunfire stopped, it took her several moments to come to herself as the silence descended around her. Opening eyes that she hadn't realized she'd closed, Chloe looked around her.
After a few seconds of staring at the far side of the bed, she came to herself with the knowledge that she'd been completely mesmerized with the sight of Oliver's body, riddled with bullets and laying in a huge puddle of blood. Moving herself from under the table and chairs, going to Oliver's side, seemed uncomprehendingly slow to her.
Chloe knew she was in shock; the sniper's first bullets having torn through one shoulder and another through her upper chest, Chloe was suffering from blood loss herself. But her brain was also trying to keep her going through one more torture, one more trauma, by wrapping her mental processes in figurative blankets of cotton. Blinking when she reached Oliver's side, she was aware that he was barely alive, which was a miracle in itself considering she could see six distinct bullet wounds, in his body.
His eyes, wide open, tracking towards her as his mouth moved to voice something his body had no air or energy to process, she could only stare at him, watching blood drip from his mouth, gurgle from a torn lung, stream from the other wounds.
Trapped in her own mind, Chloe didn't really see what lay in front of her or hear the door mechanism cycling behind her. By chance, one of her fingers connected with warm, sticky liquid and she reflexively flattened her hand over what was left of Oliver's chest.
Oliver's brain was more cognitive than Chloe's was and he understood the petite blonde was in shock – compound shock if that made sense. He also knew that part of Watchtower understood he was dying and was instinctively putting her in position to heal him.
He couldn't allow her to do that! She was mortally wounded herself; she was in shock, suffering through a cascade of traumas. She'd kill herself healing him and he couldn't, he wouldn't, allow her to do that.
But he couldn't move or communicate in any coherent way, and she was so out of it that Oliver didn't think anything he did could reach her at this moment in time. Noticing movement behind her, his eyes tracked to Bart and AC as they moved towards them just as Chloe's healing glow began.
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Author's Notes regarding below (actual URL info at bottom of this chapter):
I'm taking considerable liberty with the design of the Batplane. According to Wikipedia, it has a maximum speed of 4,400mph; however, from everything I've looked at, the Batplane only carries two people. In this story, it obviously carries more.
Also, I realize that my time period of five days for Lex being missing is incorrect when combined with where the lab that Chloe and Oliver are being held in is – it was too short. Just know that 1) I didn't know where the lab was until this section and 2) I don't know how long it would take a 'spy satellite' to cover an orbit, let alone how long it would take to find something in another country – but I'm pretty sure it would not have taken the length of time I've put in the story.
Finally, the satellite found the tracker that had been adhered to Oliver Queen's body and the Justice League now had a location on the lab that Lex had taken them to. While Batman and Cyborg had begun to come to the conclusion that the lab wasn't anywhere on the North American continent, it was still relatively disconcerting to find out that Lex had taken them to French Polynesia.
Since they were going after Oliver Queen, not Green Arrow, they didn't necessarily have to hide the Queen Industries' jet. The plane would be transporting a small, commandeered by Bruce Wayne, medical team that would be meeting with the unidentified group who rescued them.
Batman and the rest of the Justice League, traveling in the Batplane, would be in the area much more quickly than any other civilian aircraft could ever manage. And, given the normal speed of the jet, it should arrive at about the same time that the League actually hoped to be finished with rescuing Oliver and Chloe from Lex's lab.
While Aquaman, Impulse and Boy Scout could get there even ahead of the Batplane, they all opted to fly with the Dark Knight. Streaking towards the island that held the lab, the League went over their plans once more.
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The op was controlled chaos. Lex's security was better but not up to taking on the likes of five individuals completely dedicated to getting their two missing team members back. However, before Cyborg was able to shut down everything, some type of gas was beginning to be released into the room that the team had identified as where Chloe and Oliver were being held. As Impulse raced towards the room, Cyborg was able to bypass the last few security measures to shut the system down; hearing gunshots coming over the speedster's comm link, Aquaman hurried his own approach to the cell.
As Batman, Cyborg and Boy Scout took out the remainder of the security force, evacuated the facility, gathered intel and readied the buildings for demolition, AC and Bart were finally able to get into the room that held their friends.
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Aquaman and Impulse came to a halt just a foot or so away from the naked and bleeding form of Watchtower as she struggled to heal the half naked and deathly pale leader of the Justice League. They could tell that Chloe was having significant problems with her ability as the glow that surrounded Oliver kept stuttering, like a candle struggling not to gut out in a strong breeze. Then, well before Oliver was healed, Chloe simply collapsed, the golden glow winking out of existence as if it had never been.
AC keyed his communicator, "Aquaman to Batman, we have an ETA on the jet?"
However, before Batman could answer, they all heard Bart in the background, "Watchtower… she's… she's dead…. She's got two gun shot wounds and Arrow… man… he's hurt bad, even with Chloe's partial healing. He's still bleeding, AC, really bad."
"Report." Was Batman's reply instead of the estimated time of arrival for the Queen Industries jet.
Aquaman filled him in on the partial healing they had witnessed and Chloe and Oliver's conditions.
"We can't wait, we've got to get them to a medical facility, now." Clark's voice came over the link, thick with worry and concern.
"Can you two get them to the Batplane or do you need Boy Scout to help?"
"We got it." Came their simultaneous replies to Batman as Bart picked up the petite blonde, struggling to keep the blood that flowed from her body down to a minimum while AC lifted Oliver into his own arms.
"Just hang on, guys; hang on!"
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Awareness seemed to come slowly but he couldn't really say that until he was actually conscious – it was like he had been floating around for a long time before he actually came to. However, with consciousness came the realization that he had something shoved down his throat and right on top of that was pain. All over. And the absolute worst headache he'd ever had, bar none.
As he struggled to move, to look around, an alarm started sounding from above him. He didn't have any strength at all and just before he began to panic about everything, Bart was next to him, one hand on his shoulder, the other resting on a leg.
"Hey Boss, relax, you're ok."
When he tried to raise a hand up towards his face, Bart placed his own over it, halting the barely there flutter of movement. "Wait, the doc needs to take that out. They had to put you in a coma to let your lung heal a bit. I'll let 'em know that the alarm was real this time; you've been trying to wake up for awhile now and it kept going off." Bart gave him a small smile before going over to the door and motioning for someone.
A moment later a doctor and nurse came into the room followed by Clark, Victor, AC and Bart.
Moments later, after the tube was removed from his throat and they'd given him a vitals check and such, they left and Oliver looked to his team.
Seeing the questions in Oliver's eyes, Bart was the one to start answering them. "You've been out for almost a week, boss." Bart dropped his gaze, not knowing what to say next.
Oliver got a terrible feeling, one that translated to the monitors; struggling in vain against his unresponsive body, Clark and AC were there to try and quiet him this time.
"Oliver, you need to calm down. You're still weak and if you keep doing this, you're going to open up everything that the doctors spent hours trying to fix." Clark's face was several inches away from the other man's.
The billionaire tried to say something, his voice almost non-existent, cutting in and out, Clark the only one able to understand exactly what he'd really said.
"AC and I've been playing Green Arrow since you disappeared." He whispered close to Oliver's ear before continuing in a normal tone, "Everything's taken care of, Oliver, just rest. Once you're better, we'll fill you in on everything."
Oliver knew from the way Clark wouldn't quite meet his eyes, that the dark haired reporter knew he hadn't answered what he'd been asked. As the blonde struggled once more, setting alarms off, Clark and Victor tried to calm their friend down but it became apparent that he wasn't going to settle until he got an answer.
But it wasn't an answer that he'd want to hear, nor would it make anything any better.
In fact, it would probably make things much worse.
Bart and AC joined in the efforts to quiet their friend, the youngest member being the one that Oliver's gaze found and clung to. The tears in Bart's eyes made Oliver pause momentarily, choked emotions halting his movements.
"Bruce has got her. She's at his mansion with a private medical team. Chloe… … she tried healing you but…" Bart broke eye contact and Clark took up the explanation as a doctor and nurse hurriedly entered the room.
"She's been … Oliver, she … She hasn't … Chloe's been dead since we rescued you."
Oliver lost it then. His body wouldn't obey him, but his mind was all his and the wail of anguish that he let loose inside translated to a moan of incredible agony to the outside. A moan that went on for several moments before the sedative the doctor plunged into one of Oliver's IV lines finally pushed him into the darkness of deep sleep.
*^*^*
Batplane information:
.org / wiki / Batplane
[Researched flight… Kansas to New York is about 5 hours, 40 minutes.
New York to Tahiti is about 12 to 12.5 hours
.com / Q / How_long_is_a_flight_from_New_York_to_Kansas
.com / Q / How_long_is_the_flight_from_new_york_to_tahiti ]
According to a question on WikiAnswers, Boeing says the cruising speeds of their jets (depending on the type) are between (MD 90) approximately Mach 0.76 or 500 mph – to (737) Mach 0.82 or 550 mph.
.com / Q / What_is_the_cruising_speed_of_a_jet ]