Happy Monday Readers, hope you are all well and warm.
Reviewers, you make my day, I cannot thank you enough.
(I know it's late, promise I didn't forget. Just had a busy day of traveling. Apologies Xx)
Previously; Oliver dressed as Green Arrow saved Chloe from bandits, they shared a 'moment'. With a little help from resident magician Zantana, Chloe saw the future if she was to tell Lex the truth. 12 hours later and she was fixed in the knowledge she could never tell him. Meanwhile, Lex is stepping up his plans against Arrow, trying to manage Chloe and juggling a relationship with Lana; no rest for the wicked.
Chapter Thirty-Six; The Devil You Know
'I try to deny it but I'm still my father's son'- Lex Luthor (Season One, Episode Reaper)
"Oliver!" Chloe cried, clutching his broken form. He was barely alive, holding onto the last thread of life to say his goodbye's, but no, she wouldn't let him. Her tears streamed, they splashed against his cheek and with each, she wiped it away with a caress. "You're a sick bastard." she hissed up to Lex as he stood over them, not an ounce of guilt in his features. If she looked up, if she could bare to take her eyes from Oliver, she'd see Lex huff at the effort it took to take the handkerchief from the pocket of his suit to wipe Oliver's blood from his face. "Hold on. Okay. Hold on." she pleaded back to Oliver. "I promise. You'll be okay. I'll find RL, and you'll be okay."
"Ch-" he tried to speak her name, but the blood in his throat choked the words, spilling precious rubies from his lips. The noise was no comfort, breaking her apart all over again, fresh tears sliding familiar tracks down her pale cheeks.
"No. It will all be alright. I promise." But she choked around her tears, tears for the doubt in the back of her mind for the truth of her promise.
"Chloe. Leave him. Now." Lex's voice was bored. Like a child that had grown tired of the repeated words.
"No!" she hissed, her eyes slashing at Lex's form. But they dropped back to Oliver, softened. "You can't leave me." Again, she pleaded, knowing the outcome. She knew he wouldn't live, she knew it was Lex's fault. And as tears kept falling, she watched a sight she had seen only once or twice before; death. It came swift, Oliver there one minute, then there was the sound of his last breath, to the last word he tried to speak, the last warmth and it all passed. Chloe felt herself crack with the sobs as the life energy slipped from his eyes. She cradled him, feeling like her own insides were being torn apart, like Oliver's wounds were her own.
"Chloe. Leave." Lex's voice cut through the sorrow, it sliced clean her grief and she took her hands from Oliver's form, she stood and she turned to Lex, murder in her eyes.
"No." she spoke, it was harsh and unforgiving. "You did this." Meticulous, calculating. "You killed him." And she stepped forward. Whatever Lex saw in her, it put him on edge, it pushed his feet back a step.
He'd lost Chloe in his anger towards Queen. He never intended to go so far… but he'd been so smug. His father was right, he couldn't control his anger. But… part of him, it liked the way he'd finally won; he'd finally seen Oliver lose that spark. It felt… good. A relief, a calm. And yet, invigorating. It felt like the time Lex had finally beaten his father at chess, the high of the win.
But now, as he saw the darkness in her eyes, he knew he couldn't control Chloe anymore.
Chloe watched Lex back up, watched his hands raise before her, watched the realisation of what he had broken in her.
But there was no remorse in his features.
Her insides ached for no reason she could peace, her chest pained her as she took another step.
"Chloe." Lex tried again. Chloe came closer, but her energy was running from her, a heavy weight was crushing on her lungs, every step was agony, her limbs were burning. What was happening?
She attempted another step, but her knees gave and she dropped to the floor, coughing blood into her hands. What was this?
Oliver had these wounds, not her.
She spun back, her eyes on Oliver.
Was that… did his finger twitch?
With that, she felt a cold grip around her heart and it squeezed.
Chloe was in Lex's parlour by 10am after a night of nightmares. What had happened in those 12 hours had faded to the back of her mind like it was a memory from years ago, not days. But she could remember Oliver's body under her hands, her tears crying down onto him as his blood spilled. Remember Lex's lies, the way he smiled as he watched Oliver writhe in pain. The way he'd hit harder and harder everytime Oliver spoke. He lost control.
Perhaps he didn't intend to go that far, but he didn't regret it.
He'd had her restrained at first, but she'd freed herself easily and she'd held Oliver's body in the last moments of his life.
"Then take another approach." Lex addressed her, bringing her back to the present. He was slouching in his chair, careless. She looked up to him, trying to not see the way he'd killed Oliver as she did. Trying to shake it off with the knowledge none of it had actually happened. But it could…
She was sat cross legged on the floor, papers spread around her as she passed them one by one to Lex. He'd read them, shrug and hand them back.
"Like what?" she asked, genuine in her question. What possible approach could she use?
"Draw him to a trap again."
"He won't fall for it." She was confident. "Besides, even with Nexus he evaded it."
"Then we won't use a trap like that." he smugly replied. Did Lex know he was capable of beating a man to death? Of beating Oliver to death? He knew Oliver, he wasn't exactly friends with him, but he didn't hate him half as much as other names she knew of.
"Then what do we use?"
"You." he answered. "It's clear he finds you appealing. Get him alone and drug him." Chloe sped through her brain, trying to find a reason it wouldn't work, while ignoring the whoring Lex had asked from her. "It doesn't take a genius to think Chloe." But there was something else in his voice, some dark judgement she didn't like. The bad memory flooded yet again.
"I doubt I-" but her words were interrupted by a gunshot. Both heads turned to the sound. Hearts sped to a gallop in milliseconds. Chloe rose to her feet, Lex hit the phone for his security and withdrew the gun from under the desk, taking off the safety. "Lex." Chloe turned to him for leadership. He was a monster, but whoever fired that gun could be ten times worse. At least this monster wouldn't hurt her.
He darted his eyes to the door, the back towards the direction of the sounds that followed.
Shouts.
Calls.
Gunshots.
More gunshots.
Someone was in the Luthor mansion, and they were dragging hell along with them. "Lex!" Chloe hissed again. Where was his cool head? Where were his orders?
Lex set his jaw, aimed the gun to the door closest to the noise, and waited. It wasn't long.
"Luthor!" a voice called. Lex clearly recognised it, and from the way his eyes widened, it clearly had him panicked.
"Behind the bookcase. Input the security code and get into the panic room."
"Lex." Chloe whispered back, but his hand was on her, walking with her as he faced the doors.
Where were the guards? Were they all dead?
Before Chloe could reach the bookcase the doors were kicked open and both turned to the noise. There he was, this man with blood splatter from his face to his scruffy work boots, a gun in his hand and pointed at Lex's chest.
"Your latest?" the man sneered, motioning with the gun to Chloe as she hid behind Lex's body.
"You're off your medication again." Lex simply spoke. His voice spoke with no fear, but it was a lie, Chloe could tell that much.
"No. Stop… Stop lying like that!"
"You need help."
"I need my daughter back!" he shouted, the gun waving towards Lex again. "Where is she?"
"Your daughter was killed in a car crash."
"No. Don't start that again. I know what I saw! I saw her taken!" he exclaimed and Chloe felt that part of her mind grow a shadow. She'd been lied to by a Luthor. She'd been told the one she loved was killed in a 'car crash'. She stepped back from Lex's body. Had he killed this man's daughter? Did he have no limits?
"Mr Luthor." Darren's voice parted the tension as he entered the room, his gun pointed on the man, blood coming from his jacket, the stiff rigid motions as he moved evidencing he had taken a bullet. "Put the gun down, or I will shoot." Chloe watched as Darren turned to the intruder. She felt a breath escape her body at the sight of Darren, she hadn't realised just how much she'd wanted him to live. He'd saved her from everything Luthor time and time again. He was a white knight employed by the dark lord. He would go home to his pregnant wife at the end of the day. But that same thought put her on edge. If this went wrong… that child could grow up without a father.
Everything was hanging in the balance. Her eyes set on Darren, praying he'd made it through. Lex… well, the concern was less so.
"Not until he tells me where my daughter is!"
"He needs mental help." Lex spoke to Darren. "I can provide that for you." he offered turning back to the man.
Lex kept prattling on, but Chloe's eyes were on Darren, watching with fear as he moved behind the target, ready to jump him while Lex kept his attention. He was just doing his job, but Chloe felt the fear ride up over her back, she could feel something wrong. It was almost in the air, ripping apart her hope. Why? Why had Darren chosen this job?! He had a child now!
"STOP SAYING THAT!" the man screamed to Lex.
Then everything seemed to happen at once. Something, God knows what, alerted the man to Darren's presence behind him and he turned, pulling the trigger yet another time.
Chloe heard a scream; it was her own.
Darren's body was pushed backwards, dropping to the floor.
All the energy in her body pushed to her feet. Darren had to be saved. He was a good man, good men didn't deserve this. His baby didn't deserve this. His wife didn't deserve this. She pushed herself across the room, another gunshot sounding , this time it slammed into the intruder and put him to the floor.
Chloe had some sense in her mind, some sense to crash her hands over the bullet wound in Darren's chest, kicking the weapon from the intruder with her foot also.
He was dying, the amount of blood spilling around her hands was proof of that. Her eyes watered, crying for another dying man in her arms. But her mind had snapped, it wasn't Darren beneath her, it was Oliver all over again. Tears fled her eyes, they streamed down her cheeks and they dropped red hot onto any surface beneath them.
"Tell… Viv... l-love her." Darren choked out and Chloe was gone, tears streaming in cascades down her face. She cried for his wife, for his baby, for the goodbye Oliver had never spoken to her as he lied in the same position.
She lifted her head, Lex calmly setting the phone down, she prayed it was the ambulance and not some boring work call like his emotions seemed to say. She pushed her hands harder over the wound again, feeling lightheaded as she watched Lex cross and pick up the weapon from the floor, looking at the intruder that was definitely dead.
Her tears rained down, her sobs raked her lungs and yet there was the same pull as she'd felt in her twelve hours of hell. Everything ached, everything pained. Her mind was breaking with reality, because as she looked down again, there was Oliver. But instead of coughing blood, this time she felt an almighty sting in her chest, she felt a rush of breath and then… darkness.
Lex shook hands with the event organiser mechanically, remembering to introduce Lana with a forced effort. Everything was easier with Chloe.
He was still awaiting a call from his research team working her over. He'd watched Chloe take bullet wounds she'd never sustained. He watched Darren sit up and walk away, not a scratch on him. Clearly it was a meteor infection. He had always wondered if Chloe had been blessed with one during her time in Smallville, thought she never let him test. Now though, her blood was spinning in his lab, tested for everything under the sun, compared against every known 'ability'. He'd find out everything. Until then, she was lying dead in his lab, scientist's told him it wasn't permanent, at some point she'd wake.
So, he'd told Darren he'd been given RL to patch up his wounds, gave him paid leave up until after the baby was born and taken all the security tapes for himself. The mansion had been cleaned and redecorated, the security had been replaced, both those dead, and those on duty but alive who had let this happen. As for Chloe, the story was that she'd caught a ricochet and was in his private hospital recovering.
It was four days now, and she was still technically dead, but his scientists kept bringing back reports of her blood cultures, marvelling at the increasing production of white blood cells that kept on going despite her 'death'. He took their word for it and left them to work.
But now, he was showing the world his perfect life, with a perfect woman on his arm. Well, as perfect as a woman without a contract of obedience could be. She was beautiful though, and the cameras had loved her as she curled into him.
"Lex." There she was purring into his ear again. "Please tell me this livens up a bit." She laughed to follow and it was a musical sound he found he enjoyed a lot.
"I wish I could. But I'm sworn not to lie." And he flashed her a rare smile that had her own lips curl upwards.
"At least you were right about the dress." she continued, turning further into his half hearted embrace. "I think my little black dress would have been sourly out of place here." she admitted with a laugh.
"You look beautiful."
"Thank you." And she had the innocence to blush. "But you owe me."
"Do I now?"
"I know why I'm really here Lex." He doubted it, but smirked.
"You do?" And he took a sip of the champagne.
"You just want to show me off." she laughed.
"Can you blame me?" he played along. Like he said, he truly doubted she'd know the real reason. Unlike Chloe. At least Chloe knew she was here for the eyes of investors and business men. Chloe knew her role was to facilitate his business and stop him from being bored; she didn't expect more. Lana was wonderful, but she didn't have any challenge to her. Was his father right? Was there something in him that admired Chloe for more than just her usefulness? No. Of course not.
"Like I said, you owe me." Lana laughed again, bringing him to the present with her smile. "But, I have a few ideas of how you came make it up to me."
"You do?" he repeated with a smirk. It was rare Lana played blue, but when she did, there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye like right now. One that made his groin tighten. Of course he felt nothing for Chloe, she never stirred him like this minx did.
"Oh yes." she repeated and snaked her hands up his shirt. "In fact, I think you should pay up tonight." she continued. Lex smirked again, she was definitely something he could learn to love. She played on his senses well. He could admire a woman who knew ways to play her man.
"Should I?" he questioned again, roughly tugging her to him with his arm. "Only if you're a good girl." And with a swift kiss he sealed an unspoken deal with the woman in his arms.
"Four days." Oliver complained, his eyes on Lex as he stood aside the room, his hands on a woman that wasn't his usual date; definitely not Chloe.
"She'll be on an assignment for him." Dinah offered, trying not to fidget with her dress. She hated it; it covered far too much skin to be something she would usually wear. But, Oliver needed an escort and she had the burden of being the prettiest in a dress.
"Something's wrong." Oliver insisted instead, his eyes still on the other couple.
Dinah rolled her eyes, the only reason he'd wanted to go was to find Chloe on Lex's arm. The only reason Dinah was here was because the press would go nuts about Oliver being back on the market if he turned up solo.
"Her name's Lana Lang, if that helps." Dinah offered, having read an article in the gossip column about the target of his gaze. To this, Oliver turned back to his 'date'.
"What do you know of her?"
Dinah shrugged lightly.
"All gossip. But she's Lex's new squeeze. Has been for the past few weeks apparently."
"And?"
"And what? What more do you want?"
"Is she there by choice?" Oliver prompted, but he knew the answer the second he saw the couple. This 'Lana' had the love bug, not the 'here because of a contract' infection.
"You have a one track mind. And she's not here tonight anyway. So relax, and stop looking for devil horns." Dinah chastised.
"She's not at the apartment, she's not at the mansion." he hissed quietly. "Where is she?"
"Overseas?" Dinah suggested on a guess, ignoring the inner stalker in Oliver. "Lex is doing work with some robotics company, original owners were Japanese. He might have sent her for research."
"I checked his flight logs." Oliver admitted, shuffling his feet nervously as he scanned the room again.
"There are limits to legality you know." she joked. "Besides, you said she has a criminal record… maybe she can't fly legally. Lex would have put her on a boat or something."
"Or… something's wrong." He'd been at this conclusion for a while and nothing was budging him.
"Okay, hypothetically, if something was wrong, what would be the next steps?" Dinah asked, temporarily buying into his theory. He wouldn't shut up unless she did.
"Scout the mansion again. Locked rooms. Unearthed soil."
"You think he's buried her in the backyard?!" she whispered heavily, whacking a hand to his arm for the thought.
"Other facilities." he continued, meeting her eyes with a serious need for answers burning in them.
"She's not meteor infected."
"It's not stopped him before." he highlighted. It was rare, but true, most people they freed were meteor inclined, but there were one or two scientists that learned the truth behind his research and didn't have the dark soul required to work for Lex.
"Alright. What else?" she prompted.
"His office, his other properties."
"Okay. Well, we're on top of facilities at the moment, the only one we have left is still his primary base," she smoothed a hand across her hair, checking it hadn't fallen from the artful twist that had taken her far too long to get right. But she met Oliver's eyes and saw determination that wasn't healthy. "Which we have no idea where it is." she added, though it calmed him none. "Impulse will run every property we find… he's probably as nuts as you are about this." she muttered under her breath. "And boyscout will x-ray the world if you ask nicely." she finished. But the attempt to soothe the worry seemed to backfire.
"We need to go through records again. We need to find that primary base."
"We've been looking since we first started this mission Oliver." she hissed through clenched teeth. "She won't be there anyway, she's Lex's pet, not his lab rat."
"It's a thin line for him." he seethed angrily, but she couldn't say to the contrary.
"Alright, fine. Make your greetings, drop a donation and we'll go." she agreed, already bored with the event. There was nothing here for her. She turned from Oliver, only to bump into another patron. "Sorry." she answered on reflex then her gaze rolled up to his face. Boy, can you say handsome?
"That's alright." And wow… what a voice. Dinah felt his hands rest on her shoulder, steadying her though it was hardly necessary. "My fault entirely."
"Relax Bruce, she's clumsy at best." Dinah turned back to Oliver's voice filled with the business tone. "Dinah, Bruce Wayne. Corporate head of Wayne Enterprises" he introduced, giving the man a firm shake, a shake that said old friends, not just business rivals.
"Don't get me wrong, it's nice to see you outside business hours Oliver. But I'd rather spend time stealing your date." Bruce turned to Dinah with a grin that made her feel naked all of a sudden, well maybe it was a gaze that made her wish she was naked… and straddling him.
"Friend. Not date." Dinah corrected, blinking away the fantasy and answering before Oliver could divert the situation. "And you're more than welcome to steal me." Dinah met Oliver's challenging eyes, but he dropped them in no less than a second for an eye roll.
"It would be my pleasure." Bruce spoke after watching the exchange and lifted her extended hand to his lips instead of the shake she'd clearly been expecting. That blush… it was something beautiful.
Lex lay across the sheets, naked and comfortable as Lana rested across his chest.
"That was…" she began, taking a breath. "Worth it." she finished with a laugh.
"I'm glad you thought so." he chuckled.
"You are aware, this will be the price for every night like tonight you insist upon taking me out to." She rolled and propped herself up on her elbows to look at him. He rose an eyebrow with humour.
"Is that so?" and with a smirk, he ran a hand down the curve of her spine. She was so delicate, so beautiful. "I think that's an acceptable agreement."
"I'm not finished yet." she laughed. "I only said this was payment for the night. If you want me to wear a dress like that again, it'll be extra." Lex chuckled.
"I'm willing to pay. Name your price."
"There's heels too." she warned. "They'll cost extra."
"Worth every penny." he voiced, recalling the way she'd dropped the dress, only clad in the thong and heels as she crossed to him on the bed. Beautiful.
"As I recall." she laughed. That twinkling sound again.
"Name your price." he repeated, pushing her long black hair back from her eyes again.
"I'm thinking. I'm thinking." she insisted. "What about if…" she started, thinking as she spoke. Lex's mobile started a vibration from its place on the nightstand. Lana's eyes flashed to it with Lex's. He reached across, viewing the caller before sitting up and answering it.
"Mr Luthor, she's awake."
"I'll be there in 10 minutes." And he ended the call.
"You have to go?" Lana voice, sitting up on the bed, her eyes curious.
"Work." And he stood.
"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" he resisted the urge to roll his eyes and turned back to her, lifting her chin with one hand and laying a quick kiss to her lips before stepping back again.
"You can stay here if you like. I'll be back soon."
The clinical corridors were much like a hospital, except these rooms held captives rather than patients. But Chloe, she was a floor below. And she was not a happy bunny. He could tell by the noises through the soundproof doors as he neared. The woman had a set of pipes, he gave her that.
He stopped by the morgue, three petrified crooked scientists stood outside, peering through the window. Robert, the lead scientist was stood behind them, leaning on the wall, only standing straight as Lex neared and he knew he'd have to inform him of her progress.
"Meteor infected." he began as Lex was in earshot. The other junior scientists saw Lex then scattered back to stations. "Best we can compare to is the swap healer. B block, 188." he identified. Lex remembered, the freak could touch one person with an injury, touch another and pass on the injury, healing the first and mutilating the second. The power of life and death actually in his hands. "She takes it on herself though, but otherwise, little variation on the genetic patterns."
"How long has she been up?" Lex asked.
"Long enough to terrify whoever's in there with her. Shouting started 10-20 minutes ago, she won't let him leave until she gets answers."
"What has he told her?"
"Nothing. He wasn't even told of her case, he's working A block."
"Good. Make sure this doesn't become gossip." Lex instructed and neared the door. "Clear the halls for exit as well." Lex added as an afterthought and opened the door with his palm scanned on the lock.
Chloe put herself to the best offensive position as she heard the door open, the scalpel in her hand pointed to the useless worker that she'd taken hostage for answers, but instead of back-up, it was Lex stepping into the room. She was torn between anger and relief at the sight of him.
"What the hell happened?!" she hissed to him instantly as he entered. She was wrapped in nothing more than the white sheet that had been covering her 'dead' body.
"Let him go. He knows nothing." Lex ordered.
"You'll answer my questions." she insisted and with his nod she lowered her weapon back to the medical table next to her and watched the scientist scarper quickly. Her eyes flickered back to Lex quickly as the door shut behind the escapee. "What the hell happened to me?" she questioned quickly. "I wake up with a fucking toe-tag and these white coats-" her arm flew out towards the door, indicating her description. "Tell me I died!" She wheeled back to Lex, hungry for answers he promised. But she met his stoic gaze, his expressionless attitude and another conclusion drew before he could answer. "What did you do to me?!" she regretted dropping the weapon, but charged a finger up to poke at his chest, the sheet tucked back on itself under her arms and barely holding itself up with her rapid movements. But Lex looked at her like she was a miracle. Was it fascination at her feat? Or fascination at his success?
She chose to accuse first, and give him a chance to explain later. "You did this!" she jabbed the fingers again, pissed by the way he stood with his hands in his pockets still. "You gave me something, or you used me as an experiment!" But her temper needed to flow, it needed action and reaction. Clearly Lex knew this as his stable stance did nothing for her needs and she started to pace instead, running her fingers through her hair.
"You're meteor infected Chloe." he announced, his voice calm.
"No!" she disagreed. She paced more steps in his silence. "I'm not." she added another dismissal. "You did this! I know you did!" she turned again to accuse. Lex lifted his hands from his pockets.
"I've seen your blood work. It's tested against other meteor infected to share the same strands of infected DNA."
"No, you did that!" she hissed, her pacing stopped, the possibility of his words being truth echoed in her. In all her time in Smallville, it had always been a thought. A fear really. What if she was also infected on the day of the meteor shower? What if her exposure to meteor rocks over the years (and she had a lot of exposure) had changed her? She was always terrified if Lex ran her blood he would find something… and now… what if he had? What if he was telling the truth?
"As powerful as you imagine me to be. I cannot put meteor powers into those without."
"But… I'm not." But her voice wavered, the truth of the situation was hitting her, reshaping her anger to devastation. She was ruined… she was a freak…
"You are Chloe." he confirmed.
"…I can't be… I just can't." and she dropped to the floor, no belief in the words that left her. Her arms came around her knees, hugging them.
Lex crouched to her level, prepared for tears, but pleasantly surprised to see none.
"We'll run some tests Chloe. Figure out what's going on." he spoke and she nodded. She didn't want to be a freak. She wanted to be normal. She'd spent all of high school being a freak because of her interest in these people… and then she'd been a stupid freak that belonged to the Luthors since then. When did she get her chance to be normal? Was she doomed to be a freak for the rest of her life?
But… Oliver… Dinah, Victor… Bart… did that make her one of them? What was so bad about that? "We'll handle this together." And she nodded to Lex's words, her mind on other things. "I think it might be best if you come back to the mansion tonight." he continued and again, the numb nod came. Perhaps it didn't make her a freak… maybe it just made her different… special…
Her mind went to the charity event Oliver had taken her to. He supported the meteor infected, he'd said so. And the speaker… she was all for the movement to prevent the label of a freak. Chloe had been all for her words as well… but now she was one herself, she didn't feel quite so warmly towards the world.
She came back as Lex stood, holding out a hand to her. "I'll send someone to get your stuff."
And she snapped back to her old self. Move into the mansion again. No, she needed to end this. To get away. Now more than ever! Lex running tests meant only one thing. A lab in the middle of no-where, no escape. She accepted his hand up, but her eyes narrowed. Would Lex put her into 33.1? Her? She was his pet… right? He wouldn't do that. But the darkness that crossed his eyes made her doubt.
"No… I'll go. I've got some stuff hidden places." she spoke smoothly.
"I'll have someone drop you off tonight." And she nodded again, an action that seemed oddly comforting.
Lex opened the door for her, her hands wrapped around the sheet that threatened to loosen at any point.
"Wait. Darren?" she implored an answer and he gave, with a smile.
"At home with his wife. Perfectly fine." This news gave her a comfort she never would have imagined to find. She stepped out of the door, Lex quickly behind.
Her eyes met the curiosity of the white coats they passed, but they scattered as they saw Lex.
Lex walked behind, watching the sheet slip lower on her back, but it rested to show something he hadn't expected. The mark of his father was gone from her. The long interlocking scars covering her back were no longer pink lines of memory. No, she had nothing there but creamy skin. Had she healed wounds that old? Just what cocktail was in Chloe's DNA? And how did he use it?
The car ride was a mystery to her, the windows were blacked out on both sides, so she had no idea of location or route. Only that 15 minutes of bumpy road later they pulled onto the gravel of Luthor territory and the car slowed. Lex escorted her to her room, told her to take her time and leave whenever she liked; her car was still in the drive way.
But as Chloe scoured herself raw in the shower she started to think of her next steps. She had to escape Lex entirely now. No point in making a deal, no point in lying. She needed to flee. Oliver would be safe, and she'd be long gone so he couldn't trap her in one of his labs. She'd seen those, she knew of the torment that went on there. No, she wouldn't do that.
But, she couldn't just flee, she needed to ensure no-one would follow. Lex… well, with Lex, she'd have to delete all records all over again. She'd done it before to escape Lionel. If it wasn't for money, she was sure she'd still be missing from him. But… the problem with hiding out was that you needed money. Maybe she could take from Lex… No, he'd hire someone to track her. But… she knew another billionaire.
And she knew a way to 'pay' him back.
As she redressed, she found the true extent of her healing. There, before the mirror she turned backwards and forwards in nothing more than underwear and jeans. Her back, it was healed. It was clear. It was a miracle. Lex had tried everything in his arsenal to heal those scars, but now, she stood without a mark on her. The little white scabs of where she'd scratched her childhood chicken spots were gone. Not a single scar remained. Not even the bite on her leg after tormenting the neighbour's dog at 6 years old was still there. She was a blank canvas. She smiled to herself and hunted through the wardrobe in the room, there was very little she needed to take with her. Just some money she had stuffed in some socks.
She finished dressing, and took herself as silently as possible down the north corridor of the top floor. Lex had a computer up here, he never used it, but Chloe had it synced with all the others anyway. She input his password, then input her master password for the sync and took a 128GB flashdrive from her bra. She usually kept it in the back of the closet for when she had to move masses of files or images, but it would hold all of Lex's computer, virus free. She started swiftly, downloading all the content, bypassing the security measures with the master password. The more that transferred, the more nervous she got. If Lex knew what she was doing, he'd shoot her on the spot. Actually, if she recalled properly, she'd told him this computer had been destroyed… well, he should know his own home better.
She bit at her nails, making a mental plan for her immediate future. She'd drop the flash drive to Arrow, well, to Oliver dressed as Arrow. She'd make him believe she was free, she'd tell him what he wanted about the contract and then she'd pack a bag and start her run. Well, she'd have to chip a little corner from the Queen bank accounts first. Nothing he'd notice… for a few hours. And by then, it would be untraceable. She'd have to wipe everything clear, and that would take a few days to complete, so she'd have to be far away before that happened. Maybe Mexico… or was that too predictable.
Spain was a definite no. Lex knew she had contacts, knew she felt comfortable there. No, she'd have to avoid Spain. Germany he'd guess at too, since she knew enough of the language to get by. She'd have to go entirely out of her comfort range. A country she didn't speak the language of, a country she would hate and loathe. Somewhere Lex would never think to look for her.
Poland came to mind. It was cold, and she had no skills in the language. Lex would never think she was there.
So, yes, Poland it was. She'd find herself a small town, someone where neighbours say hello and don't ask about your past. Somewhere remote.
Maybe change her hair. Cut it… yes. Dye it if she had to. Or, a wig always worked.
Her eyes went back to the screen and she returned her fingernails to her mouth, a few more seconds. Thank god for high speed downloads.
She transferred the network entirely, copying everything from online and offline folders and secured it all on the flashdrive. She settled the warm object back in her bra as it finished. The computer went off and she descended the stairs quickly, throwing herself into her car and lifting the mobile as she started out of the drive.
Green Arrow answered on the second ring.
"Five days of nothing and now you call me?" It sounded like a reprimand. "Where've you been?" Concern.
"You still want to know about the contract?" she began instead.
"Of course."
"Queen's park, half an hour, near the statue." And she cut the line. She sped back to Gold Tower, only to collect a coat, then she was gone, the flashdrive now in her pocket, wrapped in her hand as she paced the statue of a mounted rifleman.
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