Chapter 16
Chloe walked into the top part of the Watchtower. The beautiful stained glass windows contrasted nicely with the huge complex of computers sitting under them. In the center of the room was a long conference table with monitors suspended above it. Oliver had insisted on have the initials "JLA" done in holographic media so that no matter where you sat, the letters faced you. Jack had dropped her off and gone to Met U to have breakfast with John Hart.
A hidden door opened on the far side of the room and Oliver Queen dressed in green leather as the Green Arrow and Bart Allen in his red hoodie as Impulse stepped out. The two buddies saw Chloe and Bart super-sped over to her. He held her hand to his lips, "Ah, Chloe, my day is complete, my beautiful chica. I could die a happy man with just one sweet word from you. Say you will be mine forever," Bart said smiling at Chloe. They had flirted like this since they first met.
Chloe withdrew her hand and ruffled Bart's hair. "Good morning to you too, Bart," Chloe giggled. Oliver shook his head in amusement as he put his bow down in its stand. He took a dart out of his hip holster, spun it around his fingers a couple of times, and threw it across the room. The dart flew right between Chloe and Bart's heads. They were so used to Oliver that they didn't even blink. The dart quivered in the center bulls-eye of a dartboard with Lex Luthor's picture on it.
"How did the mission go?" Chloe asked.
"Pretty good. We found another 33.1 lab on the south side. They were working on cadavers so we didn't have to worry about a victim extraction. Lex will have to add more red ink to his research budget," Oliver said. "All though I think he is learning from our raids. Bart barely got out of the computer room before it flooded with radioactive gas. He wasn't able to download anything from the server."
"Yeah, sorry about that man," Bart said glumly.
Oliver looked at him with concern, "Don't apologize, Bart. Anyone else would have been dead. Well, maybe not Clark, but we don't want to risk any cameras getting a look at him. Lex and Lana would have him for dinner." Oliver slapped his friend on the back. "Trust me, as long as Lex is around, there will be more facilities." Oliver sat down at a terminal and began logging the night's mission. Bart sat down at a special terminal built to withstand the speed of him and Clark typing on it at full bore. Chloe always thought it sounded like a flock of woodpeckers after a weeklong espresso binge.
Within 5 seconds Bart stood back up. "You done yet? Geeez, Ollie, what's taking you so long? I'm going for some burritos. Anyone else?" Without looking up Oliver held up one hand with one finger extended. It wasn't the usual finger that one would use to indicate you wanted a single burrito. Bart laughed, "Ok amigo, I can take the hint. No burrito for you. How about you my blonde goddess?"
"Are you getting them from that place in Mexico City?" Chloe asked hopefully.
"Of course, I have my standards," Bart said pretending to be snooty.
"I'll take two," Chloe said placing her order. She pulled out her wallet and Bart shot her a hurt look. "Hey, I have to try." Bart blew her a kiss. He stuck out his tongue at Oliver, earning him another one-fingered salute from Oliver; who never looked up from his terminal. Bart laughed, causing a chuckle from Oliver. A gust of air filled in the space where Bart had just occupied as he sped off to Mexico for his third breakfast.
10 minutes later, Bart returned with the food. Oliver finished his report and looked at his watch. "Are you feeling ok? That took a lot longer than normal. Did some of that gas get to you after all?" Oliver asked, real fear showing in voice.
"No, nothing like that," Bart said. He was touched that his idol looked concerned. "I'm kinda embarrassed. I told some people, who must have told some other people, about how good the place was. I had to wait in line to order the food." He handed the still warm burritos to Chloe.
Chloe dove in. In between mouthfuls she spoke to the guys. "I wanted to talk with you guys about something. I think I found another member for the JLA," Chloe said.
Bart stopped chewing and looked at her. "Cool," he said with his mouthful.
"What makes him JLA material?" Oliver asked, slipping into his CEO persona.
"Well, let's see, how does Clark put it? He's an 'inter-stellar' traveler. You know, like Clark and John Jones," Chloe said. Oliver and Bart looked at each other in surprise. "That got their attention," Chloe thought. "He's not super-powerful like them, but he has access to some pretty high tech alien gadgets, and oh yeah…he's immortal."
"I'm sorry, Chloe. I thought I heard you say he was immortal. As in he can't be killed?" Oliver said in disbelief. He was leaning forward in his seat.
"Well, I've learned there is more than one way to define immortality. He isn't invulnerable. He can die just as easily as anyone else. The kicker is he just doesn't stay dead," Chloe said. Her face darkened. "I saw it happen. He was killed in front of me; shot in the chest, point blank with a shotgun. He was dead for over 5 minutes. He got up and was completely healed." She forced the image out of her head. "I told him about you and the team and he agreed to try out. He will be by this afternoon. Bring some of the others to put him through his paces."
Oliver looked like a kid at Christmas. "I'm really impressed, Chloe. Where did you find this guy?"
Chloe sat back into her chair, crossed her arms, and said happily, "He's my boyfriend, I'm sleeping with him."
Bart started choking and both Chloe and Oliver started pounding his back.
Jack and John Hart walked into the lobby of the Watchtower, John looking around cautiously. "Tell me again why you wanted to come along," Jack asked his nervous friend.
"When you told me you were going to join these bloody ponces, I wanted to be there to have your back. You know these guys were the forerunners of the Legion, right?" John asked.
Jack stopped in the middle of the floor. "The who?" Jack asked.
"What?" John asked, utter disbelief in his voice. "The Legion; the time traveling twits that beat the holy hell out of us and dismantled the Agency. OK, I guess the whole dismantling thing happened after you were fired, but you have to remember them kicking our ass. That Lighting Lad prick must have zapped me half a dozen times. Of course I wouldn't mind being captured by Saturn Girl. She was hot." John's eyes took on a faraway look, a grin on his face.
Jack snapped his fingers in front of John's face. John blinked and came back to the present. "I don't remember anything of the last 2 years of my Agency time. They mind raped me when the tossed me out. They weren't gentle. I lost most of my childhood memories. I can only remember my dad's death, losing Gray, and watching the city burn. The only good memory I was able to hold onto was the lullaby my mother used to sing to me and Gray."
The mention of Gray caused John to drop his head in shame. "John, he forced you to do those things. He had a bomb fused to your wrist. I don't blame you. I have forgiven you. I even forgave Gray," Jack said.
John decided to change the subject. "After you left, the Legion stepped up their operations. Our bosses were very upset and they assigned me to research them, come up with their MO and a way to get back at them. I checked them out more thoroughly than a Telgian checks out a farmer's anus. I went all the way back and found out they modeled themselves after the JLA. I love the costumes by the way. Men of this time don't wear enough tights. That's how I knew about…" John drew an "S" on his chest. "Turned out I did all the research for nothing. They had some new recruits that gave them some different ideas. These new guys were running the anti-Agency campaign. They put on the defensive and kept us running. Within 3 years the Agency was completely dismantled and those of us not in jail were scattered to the temporal winds."
"I appreciate your concern, but remember, we're on their side now," Jack said. He pushed his friend into the elevator. He pressed the top floor button. The elevator shot upwards. "Thanks for the equipment, by the way. I wanted to make a good first impression today."
John's smile was wicked. He said with a half smile, "You can come to me for anything, you know that Jack. Besides, I'm looking forward to watching you kick some ass. It always turns me on. You know if things between you and Chloe don't…" the elevator door opened and John found himself looking at the business end of a crossbow just out of arm's reach pointed at his face. A young black man hand his arm raised and his palm facing John's chest. A high pitched hum was coming from inside the arm. A blonde woman wearing a black cat-suit was standing off to their right, her hands on her hips.
Oliver looked at the two men. He had learned as a CEO that his first impressions were usually right about people. The one dressed as a school professor, who looked just like Brainiac, looked nervous. He was trying to give off a brave face but looked like he was facing down a past trauma. His stance showed that he was a practiced fighter and was totally unconcerned about any threat coming from the room on the other man's side. A sign of complete trust and a long history of fighting side by side. The other man stood slightly over 6 feet tall. His black hair cut short. He was wearing a WWII era Air Force overcoat over a dark suit. The suit coat was unbuttoned and he saw he was wearing suspenders rather than a belt. The man's eyes swept over the room quickly taking in everything. His smile never faltered. The man in the coat's stance impressed Oliver the most. Most people shift their balance constantly and are always in some form of motion. This man was still. Oliver knew without having to take him to the range they had just installed four floors below, that he would be an extremely lethal marksman.
"It's OK, Green Arrow, it's not Brainiac. It's Brainiac's sperm donor," Chloe said.
"Eeeww!" Victor said.
"Which one must I fight for your love, she of the radiant beauty?" Bart asked Chloe.
Jack and John walked out of the elevator as Oliver took a step backwards, lowering the crossbow. Chloe walked towards Jack and threw her arms around him and gave him a short kiss. She let go and walked over to John. "John Hart I presume?" She held out her hand. John took her hand. Chloe kneed him in the crotch with all of her pent up frustration over Brainiac. John doubled over in agony. Chloe put her weight on her front leg and spun on the ball of foot. When she completed the revolution she had extended the other leg and connected with John's head. John was thrown into the wall by the force of the blow. The JLA members looked on in shocked silence. They all decided to give Watchtower a little more room if she looked pissed.
Bart and Victor said in unison while wincing, "Daaaamn."
John looked up at Jack from the floor. A weak smile on his face, "If you ever break up with her, I get first dibs. She's awesome."
Jack took Chloe by the shoulders and led her away from the crumpled mass on the floor. "Your spinning heel kick is coming along great, however as much as I think John deserves this for his contribution to Brainiac. We have other things to do." Jack walked over to Oliver and extended his hand. "Captain Jack Harkness, love the outfit by the way. Chloe, can I get some sexy leather too? At least for the bedroom?" Chloe blushed while the other JLA members, who were new to Jack's behavior to understand him, were looking at him in shock.
"I haven't seen Chloe blush like that before. I can see why she likes him," Oliver thought. Oliver took his hand and shook it firmly, smiling. "Green Arrow, and this is…"
Oliver was interrupted by John, "Victor Stone, AKA Cyborg, Bart Allen AKA Impulse, the blonde hottie chuckling at my misfortune is Dinah Lance otherwise known as the Black Canary. You are Oliver Queen," John said as he pointed at each one in turn. He was leaning against the wall for support, his other hand on his groin. "Don't mean to be a whiner, but that woman of yours Jack has quite a knee strike. Can I get an ice pack or something?"
Oliver raised his crossbow at aimed it at John's head. "How do you know who we are?" Chloe looked concerned as well.
Jack put his hand on the crossbow and slowly forced it down while talking to Oliver, "He read up on you guys from a history book. John and I used to be time travelers."
Oliver slowly turned his head to look at Jack and then Chloe. "She forgot to mention that part."
Jack was on the training floor. He had just finished placing several gadgets out on a table. The JLA members were huddled around. Jack held out a small orb. "Victor, under no circumstances should you ever be near this when it's armed. It's a portable EMP generator that will knock out anything electrical in a 30 meter radius," Jack said. He put the orb down and picked up a head-set. "Torchwood uses these things. They are communicators based upon a design that I can't share with you. What I can tell you is nothing from this time period can jam them and they work across the globe. John has a case of them that he is willing to sell us." John was sitting in a chair nearby with a icepack held on the Hart family jewels. He smiled and waved with his free hand. Jack waved back and went back to explain the various devices on the table. He went on for some time explaining gadget after gadget.
"Neat stuff, Jack. I'm sure they will really help us out and Chloe will be able to integrate a lot of the stuff right away into our current operations," Oliver said. "Next I want to see how good you are in a fight." The group walked over to the sparring room. Jack took off his overcoat and suit jacket. After that he took of his dress shirt. He was standing in an under shirt and dark slacks, his suspenders hanging down at his sides.
"OK, who's up first on my dance card?" Jack asked smiling.
"I am," Dinah said as she walked onto the mat.
"Remember, no powers, Dinah. I'm only looking to see his fighting ability," Oliver said.
Jack walked over to Chloe and kissed her cheek. He walked back onto the mat and did a bow with a flourishing hand wave, "Shall we dance my Lady?" Jack was still bent forward in his bow when Dinah lashed out at his head with a roundhouse kick. Jack tilted his head up, blocked her kick with his forearm and slid his hand down to her ankle, grabbing it. "I'll take that as a yes," Jack said, flashing his perfect white teeth. Jack launched himself forwards into a roll, pushing Dinah's ankle with him. Dinah was thrown across the mat to land squarely on her butt.
Jack stood, turning his body sideways to his opponent. His hands were halfway between his face and waist, ready to grab or strike. Dinah got back up, rubbing her backside. She cautiously approached Jack. Dinah feinted a leg sweep and Jack jumped up to avoid it. The leg sweep never came, but the punch to the face did. Jack staggered back and Dinah followed up with a spinning roundhouse kick to the ribs. Instead of attempting to dodge the kick like Dinah expected, Jack stepped into it, taking the blow across his back instead of his ribs. He spun and backhanded Dinah in her jaw.
Dinah was beginning to like this guy. His method of fighting was unlike any other discipline she had trained in. Her jaw smarted. They sparred like this for a while, trading blows, getting a measure of the others skill. Jack punched at Dinah's face. She was finally able to block his punch. Her forearm connected with his and she slid her hand down his arm to his wrist. Dinah grabbed his wrist and forced him into a flip. Jack rolled out of it just in time to see Dinah's boot speed towards his head. He was a fraction of a second too slow and the next thing he was sprawled out on the mat stunned. Dinah stood over him and offered her hand. She helped him to his feet.
"Wow, 2 minutes, that is way longer that most guys ever last with Dinah," Bart said impressed.
John leered. "I can tell you from experience that staying power was never a problem for Jack," he said.
Victor scrunched up his face, "Can I be the first one to say, eeeww, again?"
While everyone's attention was still on Jack and Dinah, Oliver looked at Chloe who took a deep breath and nodded. Oliver raised his crossbow and fired a bolt that pierced Jack's heart and stuck out his back. John saw his friend with a bolt sticking out of his torso, closed his eyes and turned his face away, quietly muttering, 'shit."
"What the hell, Oliver?" Dinah yelled. She spun around ready to blast any other bolts into dust. Victor ran over and checked for a pulse and shook his head. Bart just looked at Chloe who was taking the fact that her boyfriend had just been killed by Oliver really well. Oliver walked purposefully to Jack's body, the other JLA members except for Chloe parting in front of him. He bent down and grasped the end of the bolt and yanked; it slid out of Jack's corpse with a sickening squelch. He leaned down and checked for himself that there was no was pulse.
Oliver stood up and Chloe addressed the group. "It was Jack's idea," she explained. "He wanted to demonstrate to you all in one sitting his resurrection abilities." She looked at their horrified expressions. "Let's clean up the mess and before we know it, Jack will be back and I will be taking him up to my new apartment to try out our new bed."
Victor held up hand and pointed at Chloe and was about to speak, but he paused before he could start, "I don't even know where to go with what you just said. There are just too many levels of weird." Bart sped over to the cleaning closest and started cleaning up the blood.
Chloe looked over and saw John refusing to look at Jack's body. She walked over to him. He looked up and her and said softly, "God, I hate seeing that. Each time I wonder if maybe the Universe will figure out the glitch in the program and he won't come back." Chloe put her hand on his shoulder.
"You missed a spot," Jack said to Bart as he rolled over onto his side. He pointed to a spot under where he was laying.
Bart dropped his mop and jumped back, swearing. He struggled to get his breathing back under control. "Dude, I'm going to have to super-speed back to Central City to change my shorts. Holy crap…" he said.
Jack took off his bloody under shirt. Dinah looked him over and smiled. She gave Chloe a smile and a thumbs up sign. Dinah glanced again at Jack's naked chest and mouthed silently to Chloe, "Tasty." Dinah all of sudden realized what was missing on Jack's chest. She bent down and put her hand on his chest and leaned over to look at his back. The wounds were gone. She stepped back, suddenly afraid.
Oliver helped Jack to his feet and handed him his dress shirt. "Welcome to the team, Jack," he said. "We need to come up with a call sign for you, and possibly a costume."
"He's the Captain, and the Coat stays," Chloe said broking no discussion. Jack was glad she knew him so well. "Now that you've had your fun with him, Ollie, it's my turn. I'm off duty for the rest of the day. The afternoon belongs to Jack and tonight it's ladies night with Lois and two of the most powerful women in the world."