Chapter 20
Lex kept his hands at Chloe's back, keeping her in front of him as a human barrier between him and the squatting man on the floor. The man lifted his dark head and peered at the two of them with dead eyes.
"You said you wouldn't bring her here," he rasped.
"Well, I say a lot of things," Lex spat back at him. With a shove, he trapped Chloe inside with Davis and clanged the metal cage door shut. Chloe hit the bars with closed fists.
"You're a monster! You're a monster!" She screamed, over and over as Lex backed away, observing. If Tess Mercer's journals were to be believed about the calming ability Chloe possessed over Davis, then even if she could not control other meta-humans as her mother did, she could at least provide Lex with the time he needed to find something to exert some kind of control over Davis.
Lex watched closely. Seeing as her screaming was doing no good, Chloe turned hesitantly toward the man in the corner. With halting steps, she approached him and knelt beside him, laying her hand upon his knee. She whispered something to him and Davis' head sank lower. His interest piqued when Chloe grasped Davis' hand between her own and Davis lifted his eyes to hers, tears glistening.
She knows where that bracelet is, Lex kept telling himself. She has too. Maybe setting Davis loose on her boys would loosen her mouth. Fleetingly, Lex wondered what was taking Dr. Ball so long with the DNA results. If the twins' strains matched Davis', then Lex would have three living samples to work with.
Ten years ago, when Lex found the bizarre version of Clark sitting in his study, he thought the world lay at his feet. In exchange for all the green meteor rock he could get his hands on, the Phantom or "Clark", as he preferred to be called, would give Lex a sample of his DNA to continue his research.
Lex called one of the many scientists he had on hand. They came in and tried to take a DNA sample. Needles kept breaking off until finally the Phantom produced a small, bumpy looking blue rock from his pocket. Throwing it a few feet from him with great effort, he told one of the men to hold it a few inches from him and try again. Doing as he was told, one man held the rock while the other inserted a needle into one of the many pulsing veins in the Phantom's forearm. Withdrawing a small vial of blood, Lex instructed one of the men to pocket the stone. The stone later disappeared until it resurfaced again on the arm of Chloe Sullivan, years later in a gossip column photo.
All the research and time Lex thought he'd wasted on a foolish project became validated as he gazed hungrily at the rock on Chloe's arm. How had it disappeared from him in the first place? How had Chloe come to possession of it? Did she even know what it meant? Lex knew she did now, otherwise she wouldn't be risking the lives of her and her children by hiding it from him.
Once the blood was safely stored and on it's way back to a hidden Level 33.1 site, Lex produced the small stash of refined green meteor rock he'd kept in his safe. The Phantom downed the liquid like it was happy hour at the Wild Coyote. With a gruesome smile, he waved good-bye to Lex and swaggered out the double doors. Lex never saw him again. He would still be wondering why if he hadn't overheard his own father tutoring the real Clark Kent on how to take the Phantom down in his LuthorCorp office that same night. The blue meteor rock, something called Kryptonite, would weaken him.
All would have been fine, even with the Phantom destroyed. Lex had his sample. He could dissect it, manipulate it, replicate it. When he escaped to Russia, the vial of blood tightly bound to his chest, he had high hopes for the future. The Traveler, who ever he may be, in case he prevailed over TLEX6N, Lex had a back-up plan to defeat him and save the world. When his minions found Tess' journals in the mansion not a few years ago, Lex knew his mission had not been accomplished. The Traveler seemed to still be active and there was yet another new threat in the world. Something Tess called 'Doomsday', The Traveler's greatest enemy. A man who went by the human name Davis Bloome.
Tess' journals were very detailed. It seemed she knew both 'Doomsday' and The Traveler by name, although Lex never gleaned The Traveler's true identity even after many meticulous readings of the pages. She only referred to Davis Bloome once and after, only as 'Doomsday', tracking both of the men and their activities and the company they kept. One entry in particular, was very enlightening. Lex recalled it from memory.
"April 12th, 2009.
Doomsday and The Traveler circle around and around the same woman, their attraction and affection for her blinding them both to their true purpose. She seems to have a strange calming effect for the beast within Doomsday. The Traveler is becoming more agitated by her growing connection to this man. Be it concern or jealousy or maybe both that drives The Traveler to distraction, I don't know. She will be the key to both their undoings. I must be patient. Chloe Sullivan will bring both men to their knees. It's only a matter of time."
The many journals went on to relate how a team of vigilantes, no doubt the same team who had so fun much blowing up his labs and threw him in jail, somehow overcame Doomsday, separating the monster from his human shell. Davis was then shipped off, under the protection of Queen Industries and an assumed name Lex had easily found. It was like the final puzzle pieces were coming together. All his original prototypes had been destroyed by the flood through Reeve's Dam but he was being given a second chance. A chance to do it right and make no mistakes. But one had been made. A dangerous one. Davis had been tracked down and captured. Lex had meant to have the bracelet before Davis was injected with the one and final DNA sample Lex still had from the Phantom. Only communication had broken down. Davis' DNA had been spliced and the consequences were starting to add up.
While Davis did not reject the DNA sample, he had side-effects. He could shoot fire from his eyes, lift tons and tons, run like the wind and soar like an eagle. His skin was unbreakable. All these were what Lex had wanted. But when he got near sunlight, he was weakened somehow. To even be near sunlight, he needed a piece of green meteor rock to hold or attached to him somehow. His violent tendencies, which were coming around more often, were either a reaction to the DNA splicing or a left-over trait from Doomsday. After Davis gained his abilities, the only way Lex was able to control him was the mention of Chloe and something terrible happening to her and her sweet little family, but even those weren't working as they used to. Davis would still murder when the urge overcame him and there was nothing to stop him. Chloe and the bracelet were Lex's last hope at controlling the beast he'd created.
Behind him doors swung open and closed, Dr. Ball sprinting toward him. Davis and Chloe watched him as well and Lex hurried to intercept him.
"What? What do you know?" Lex questioned aggressively.
"They are a match," Dr. Ball wheezed. "The boys' DNA strains are almost exactly the same. Half human and half non-human."
Lex's smile was short lived as he heard a roar behind him and the grind of metal being twisted.
"You're a monster! You're a monster!"
All Lex did was stare at her. It was clear nothing would break through to him. And her children. What would he do to her sons? She had to get to them, order them away, to run and never look back at this forsaken place. She dropped her shoulders in defeat and turned. Davis peered at her. Chloe gulped a few breaths of air. She hadn't seen Davis since Oliver and Clark had packed him off to Canada.
Clark nor Oliver had understood her empathy for Davis. To them, he was the moster who killed her busband. To her, he was the man trapped within and trying to be free. Chloe knew about that. She knew what it was like to be afraid of something that lurked within you. Jimmy would have wanted Chloe to help Davis, to help him live a normal life. And Chloe refused to let any other wife, girlfriend or lover witness the man she loved die while she couldn't do anything to stop it. She would not allow herself to lose Clark along with Jimmy. She would never recover from a blow of that kind. So her and Davis went on the run, Chloe able to keep the darkness inside him at bay.
"Come with me," Davis implored, finally separated from Doomsday who was buried deep under the crust of the Earth. Chloe looked into his warm, brown eyes. She could. She could drop everything and begin a new life. One where no one looked at her with pity and she wasn't hounded day in and day out by the memories of the man she'd lost and the one she was continually losing.
The two of them stood outside the private jet Oliver hired to fly Davis to his new life. The Justice League stood a few feet away, each discreetly watching her. All but one. Chloe turned her head again, meeting Clark's eyes. His features, bloody from the fight but healed, were stony and impassive. He had not been happy when Chloe insisted on seeing Davis to the tarmac or saying good-bye. For a moment, Chloe wanted to say yes. She turned back to Davis, who was holding her hands tightly in his.
"Davis-" Chloe heard a shuffle behind her. Looking quickly, she saw Oliver holding one of Clark's arms, as if restraining him. The impassive expression had dropped and Clark gazed at her with beseeching eyes. He needed her. And she needed him. It was that simple. Chloe turned back to Davis. "I wish I could, but I'm needed here. I belong here. You need to find where you belong."
Davis ducked his head. "I'm sorry, Chloe. For everything."
"It wasn't you," Chloe laid a hand on his cheek and pulled his face up. "And I forgive you."
Chloe watched Davis warily. What had Lex done to him? She didn't understand. How had Lex found him? Oliver had went over Davis' new identity with a fine tooth comb, making sure nothing could tie him back to the paramedic who used to live in Metropolis.
"I'm sorry, Chloe. For everything," Davis apologized. His voice was raspier, deeper than she remembered.
Slowly, Chloe approached him.
"Don't," Davis ordered. He shrank more against the wall.
Chloe didn't listen. She hit her knees on the cement floor beside him, laying a hand on his knee cap. "Davis, what has he done to you?"
Davis' chin met his chest. "I don't know," he sobbed. "It's worse than Doomsday, Chloe. I can-can remember what I've-what I've done to people."
He broke down and began to cry softly. Chloe needed to know what was happening. She gripped his knee harder. "Davis, how did Lex find you?"
"I don't know," he answered after a big breath. "I went to bed one night in my apartment and then woke up the next morning in a cage."
"Do you know what they did to you?"
"I think I was drugged somehow."
"When did they take you? When did you get here?"
"I can't tell you. After the first few days and then the procedure they did on me, time began to run together. As far as I know, I could have been here a week or a year."
Chloe's heart jumped up into her throat. "What procedure, Davis? What did they do to you?"
Davis looked at Chloe in the weak light, his eyes shining like black diamonds. "You don't want to know, Chloe."
"Yes I do. I need to know. What has Lex done to you?"
"It wasn't Lex. He didn't show up until a short time ago. A man by the name of Dr. Mickler did this to me," Davis turned his head away from her. "And he paid for it with his life."
Chloe blinked away the tears. She knew what they'd done to Davis. Lex succeeded. He found the one person who could sustain the DNA Lex had stolen from the Phantom that day at Reeve's Dam. "Oh god, Davis." Chloe put a hand to her mouth. She looked out at all the other still bodies in the room. Her stomach rolled. Lex was planning to harvest DNA from Davis to give to those people. "Is it like when you were tied to Doomsday? What exactly-"
"I have these urges. Urges to-" Davis broke off again.
"To kill?" Chloe supplied gently for him.
He nodded. "I control it as long as possible but then I lose the battle. And I remember everything. As Doomsday I had black-outs, but now. . . I'm aware of it the whole time. And I can't stop myself," Davis whispered fiercely.
"If you have all your powers back, why haven't you broken out?"
"You," Davis muttered.
"Me?"
"Lex threatened to hurt you if I didn't stay put. So I have."
Chloe furrowed her brow. How could Lex know about Davis' feelings for her? Chloe still didn't understand how Lex knew about Davis. And all this time, Davis had let his feelings for Chloe keep him here, enduring only God knew what. "We have to get you out of here."
"Chloe, I can't leave," Davis responded almost frantically. "I said earlier that Lex made me stay but that was before. I am too dangerous. I have to stay here. My love for you is sometimes the only thing that. . ."
Chloe reached out and clutched one of his hands between her own.
"It's the only thing that reminds me I'm not a total monster. Beasts don't know how to love," he finished quietly.
Chloe squeezed his hand tighter. "Davis, he has my children. If you can get us out of here, I promise I can give you the thing Lex is searching for to control you," she finished very quietly.
A glimmer of hope sparked in Davis' eyes. "You can?"
Chloe nodded. "But we have to get out of here."
"Chloe, I don't know if it'll come back again. If it does, I can't promise I can control it. If I can't, I want you to leave me here. Run and don't look back. Do you understand me?"
"Davis, I-"
"Do you understand me? Do you promise you'll run?"
Chloe bit her lip. "I promise."
The heavy wooden doors opened and closed. Both Davis and Chloe craned their necks to see through the bars. A short, wiry man hurried toward Lex as Lex did the same.
"What are they saying?" Chloe asked.
"I don't know," Davis replied.
Chloe looked at him. "Listen."
Davis frowned and then his eyebrows shot upward. "I can hear them!"
"And?"
Davis looked at Chloe, screwing his face in confusion. "He said they match. The boys' DNA are half human and half non-human."
They had run the DNA strains against Davis'. Lex knew now. Lex knew the boys' were similar to the strain they spliced with Davis. Lex knew Clark was similar. "I have to get to my sons!" Chloe whispered franctically.
A roar sounded to her left and Chloe jumped as Davis surged to his feet and bent the bars of his cage effortlessly. He was through them in a heartbeat. Chloe scampered to her feet and followed. Davis was at the end. The short man was on the floor a few feet away, unmoving, and Lex was dangling a few feet off the ground, his feet kicking wildly as his hands grappled with the one strangling his neck. His face was slowly turning purple and his movements were becoming more erractic.
"Davis!" Chloe cried. Davis looked to her. Chloe gasped when she saw his eyes. The black of the pupil seeped, coloring the entire eye socket a inky black and Chloe knew she was gazing into the eyes of the demon that possessed his DNA.
"It can all be over," a voice, a growling, evil voice slithered along her spine. Davis turned his head back to Lex who was looking at Chloe, pleading silently with her. "With one little move, it can all be over. You'll be safe from him."
Chloe hated that she was tempted. The world would be safe. Connor and Kaid would be safe. Clark would be safe. Lex's eyes were glazing over. In just a couple of minutes, seconds maybe, the world would finally be free of Alexander Luthor.
It was an easy decision.
Chloe reached out, laying a small, trembling hand on Davis' shoulder. "Put him down, Davis. You don't want to kill him."
Davis squeezed tighter.
"Davis," Chloe said more firmly. "Do not let him turn you into a monster. If you kill Lex, you'll be no better than he is. You can control this. Put him down."
Chloe watched Davis' arm twitch. She held her breath. Lex's head lolled to the side. Davis lowered him. Lex crumpled to the floor, unmoving like the scientist. Chloe knelt quickly, checking his pulse. It was thready, but there. Titlting her face upward, Chloe looked at Davis. His eyes had returned to their haunted normalcy as Davis gazed down at Lex, trembling. Standing to her feet, she grabbed Davis' arm.
"Come on. We need to get back to the main lab. Once I get my sons out of here, I'll call backup and have them clean this place up and take out the garbage," Chloe told him with a look to Lex. She pulled Davis behind her, walking quickly by the bodies, not sparing them a glance. "Then we'll get out of here and I'll get you taken care of. Okay?"
Davis stopped, pulling Chloe to face him. "I ruined your wedding, killed your husband, basically kidnapped you and you still help me. I'm the reason Lex has brought you and your sons here. You don't know when I could turn on you. Why do continue to help me?"
"Because I prefer to believe in people," Chloe answered with a watery smile. "Now, let's go."
"Let's head on over to Watchtower and we'll get a plan together there," Oliver suggested. Everyone in the room began to move, gathering papers and shrugging into jackets. "Krenshaw, you stay here with Martha and Lois."
"I think I'm little too old for baby-siiters, but thanks for the thought, Ollie," Lois admonished as she pulled her long hair out from under the collar of her coat. "Besides, I'm going with you."
The entire room stilled at Lois' statement. All eyes flicked between Oliver and Lois.
"What?" Lois asked the room at large. She glared at Oliver. "I'm going. Chloe is my family and so are her sons. I'm going."
"Guys, why don't you go on? I'll meet you there," Oliver said. Everyone shuffled out and into the elevator. Martha and Krenshaw stepped out onto the balcony. Oliver stepped over to Lois, gripping her hands in his.
"Lois-"
"No, Oliver. I am going," Lois repeated forcefully. "I can not sit here, twiddling my thumbs on this couch when I know that Chloe and you are in danger! And I can help! I know almost all there is to know about Project Ares! Please, Oliver, let me help."
Oliver smiled at Lois and pulled her close, tucking her head against his shoulder. He held her for a moment before murmuring softly, "I love you, Lois. I love you so much. Did you know that?"
Lois lifted her head, gazing back at Oliver. "I do now."
"Do you love me?" He asked.
Lois nodded. "I love you, Oliver."
"Then I need you to stay here," Oliver said.
Lois opened her mouth.
"I love you and I want to know you're safe. You love me and you want me to do my job safely, right?" Oliver asked her.
Lois nodded again.
"Knowing that you're here, safe and waiting for me, I'll be able to focus on what I need to do. I won't be distracted by worrying over where you are or what you've gotten yourself into. For Chloe's safety and mine, please stay and wait for me. Plus, we need you to keep Martha's mind off the thought of her entire family being in the Lion's Den. Will you do that for me?"
Lois bit her lip in debate. Oliver held her waist tighter. She looked up at him from underneath her lashes. "You love me?" She asked with a sly smile.
"I love you."
"Then I'll stay." Lois leaned in and nuzzled Oliver's neck.
"Hey, one more question," Oliver rumbled. Lois pulled back and looked at him. Oliver pointed at his cheek. "Did you hit me?"
Chloe and Davis made their way along the maze of hallways Lex had dragged her down earlier. The stark hallways all looked the same. Chloe shivered, from the temperature or fear or both, she couldn't tell. She walked briskly along, looking all around, deliberating each turn. Davis followed a few feet behind, his ears cocked and ready.
"Listen for heartbeats, breathing, anything. You'll be able to hear them," Chloe had told him.
"We're getting closer," Davis said, causing Chloe to start slightly.
"What do you hear?"
Davis stopped for a moment. "Whirring. Pulses. Voices, but I can't make out what they're saying. All the heart beats are steady, too."
That didn't help Chloe. Clark's heart beat was always steady except under the influence of Kryptonite. She didn't know if Connor and Kaid's would be the same or if her two little troopers were keeping calm. She glanced at her watch. Ten minutes had passed. It had only taken Lex maybe five minutes to lead her from the office to the room with the bodies. They were lost. How long Lex would be out for? Chloe turned to Davis.
"What abilities do you have?" Chloe asked him.
"Strength, speed, hearing obviously, heat vision and I can fly," Davis rattled off.
"Can you see through things?" By the look on Davis' face, Chloe knew that ability was either untapped right now or Davis didn't possess it. She grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. "I want you to concentrate on that wall. Tell me what you see."
Davis squinted.
"Anything?"
Davis shook his head. "Just the wall."
Chloe took a deep breath. "I want you to look at that wall and imagine what's behind it. Relax your eyes, let them un-focus but concentrate. I don't know exactly how it works. . ." she trailed off.
A few minutes passed.
"I see something," Davis murmured.
"What?" Chloe asked excitedly.
"An empty room."
"Okay," Chloe said, rubbing her hands together. "Remember what you're doing right now. Scan the rest of the hallway. Try to go further beyond just these walls."
Davis circled slowly, looking up and down and side to side. Chloe knew when he found something. He was facing from the way they'd come, his eyes lifted. There was a stairwell that led up that Chloe went right past. Davis pointed. "Big white room, right over there."
"That's probably it," Chloe turned on her heel and took off for the stairs. Bounding up them, her tiny footfalls were drowned out by Davis' own heavy thuds bouncing off the walls and echoing around them. A restricted sign was mounted on the door. Chloe ignored it and hit the bar. She bounced off it, hitting Davis. Davis steadied her. Stepping in front of her, Davis pushed lightly. The door shot open. The white room lay before them. There was only one scientist now, a younger man with baby features. Terror registered on his face when he saw Davis.
"Please," he pleaded, scrambling away from him. "Please, don't hurt me!"
Chloe stepped in front of Davis. She looked frantically around. The tables were empty. Connor and Kaid were gone. She looked back at the scared man in front of her. "Where are my children?"
"Dr. Wilberg took them."
"Where?" Chloe asked again.
Doug watched Chloe and the specimen, a man named Davis Bloome, from the office window that over-looked the factory floor, their voices sounding tinny as they filtered in through the speakers. This is where hundreds of employees would slap labels on bottles of his family's whiskey. He remembered playing with his brothers here after hours, their father yelling down at them over the PA system. He wished his life had turned out differently. For the first time, he regretted the decisions he'd made. For a few years, his parents had been proud of him. They must have turned over at least three times now in their graves at what he'd done to his family's home. Doug still felt pain over their violent death, but he wondered how taking more innocent lives could avenge them? Would they be proud to know their son helped kill, torture and abduct? Chloe clenched her fists. She asked the scientist one more time. Doug grabbed the hand-set on the wall next to him.
"To the holding facility." Doug heard his voice carry through the spacious room.
Chloe looked up sharply while Davis kept his eyes on the young man in the white coat.
"Where he was." Doug clarified, pointing down at Davis.
Chloe massaged her temples, probably kicking herself for not staying there. Chloe looked back at Davis.
"We have to go back," Chloe said with defeat. Doug knew it would take her precious time to navigate those hallways again.
"We'll get back to it. I can find it now," Davis reassured her. Doug stood indecisive for a moment. He watched Davis closely. This was the most coherent he'd seen Davis since he'd been brought here. Would he recognize him? Would he know him from the many months Doug disguised himself as Davis' friend only to betray him in the end? Through Mickler, Doug was instructed to take a leave of absence from work and head up to Canada. He was to become close to a man by the name of Jake Young who worked at a hospital in Breton, Alberta. Doug had done as he was told, not knowing in the end he would be the one who injected him with a high dose of morphine to knock him out. For close to a year, Davis had been kept under sedation until the procedure two weeks before Lex broke out of prison. After that, he operated in a haze of lethargy or the high of violence. Doug, fearing what Davis would do if caught sight of him, tried to keep to the shadows. He'd been terrified the night Davis murdered Mickler. That was closest he'd come to Davis since he'd known him in Canada as Jake Young. Now, however, he stood beside Chloe, tame as a house cat. Doug strode to the door and threw it open. Going down two flights of stairs, he arrived at the second entrance a few feet from where Chloe and Davis entered.
The young scientist was creeping along the wall to the opposite exit. He yelped when Doug entered through his door. Chloe and Davis wheeled toward it.
"Doug? What are you doing?" Chloe asked.
"I know a shortcut."
Chloe smiled at him gratefully, motioning Davis to follow. Davis stood rooted in his spot.
"Peter?"
Doug stiffened. Chloe looked fearfully between the two men.
"Peter Williams?" Davis growled.
"Doug, you need to leave," Chloe said calmly. Her eyes never left Davis while Davis' eyes never left Doug.
"Davis, look, man. I didn't know-"
"You helped them put me in this place. You were my friend!" Davis shouted.
"Davis-"
"Doug, go now!" Chloe ordered, taking hold of Davis' arm. "Davis, look at me. Look at me!"
Davis growled again, Doug watching as his eyes bled into black. Davis shook his arm, shucking Chloe to the ground. She scrambled up and after him as he threw heavy lab tables out his way to get to Doug.
"Doug, run!" Chloe screamed. "Run!"
"Dude, you're making me dizzy. Give the merry-go-round a break, will ya?"
Clark stopped and glared at Bart. They were all milling around Watchtower, waiting on Oliver. Clark had grabbed Victor and AC while Lana grabbed Dinah. By air and by foot, they all arrived within seconds while Oliver stayed behind to dissuade Lois from joining the hunt.
"He won't piddle-fart around, Clark," Lana assured him. "Not with Chloe and the boys with Lex."
"He better not," Clark growled. He resumed his pacing, making a wide circle around the chair Bart was in.
"Here we go with the pacing again," Bart muttered. Clark reached out and very lightly whacked Bart in the back of the skull. "Hey!" Bart whined, rubbing his head.
Clark knew he and Oliver were in the same boat. So why did he feel that Oliver wasn't as anxious to get his sons back as Clark was to get Chloe back? Rubbing the back of his neck, Clark examined the expensive Persian rug that spanned the hard, cement floor. Valuable seconds ticked by as everyone seemed to breathe as loud as they could. Lana tapped her foot, Bart squeaked the chair, Victor whirred softly, Dinah filed her nails and AC clicked a pen. Clark's last nerve threatened to snap under the pressure. In the past, Clark wouldn't be pacing this room like a caged animal. He would flashing along fields and tearing off doors to swoop Chloe into his arms and save her from danger. But that was then. He was smarter now. He had back-up and a support system, no need to hide what he could do. He'd noticed when he worked by himself or went off all half-cocked, there were usually consequences. He didn't miss the consequences but this waiting around was for the birds.
"I'm going to get him," Clark announced, not able to take any more of the groups' nervous waiting habits.
"Clark, he'll get here-"
"He is here," Oliver said as he strode through the door, interrupting Dinah in the midst of her statement.
Clark faced Oliver. "Lois?"
"She's with your mother and Krenshaw."
"Good. You want to get this started?" Clark asked impatiently.
"Why you take point on this one, Clark?"
The group collectively watched the two men.
"Oliver, I didn't mean-"
Oliver shook his head. "I know. I just think you should be the one calling the shots on this one. You think you can handle it? Superman?" A tiny smirk played on Oliver's lips.
"I can handle it." Clark watched Oliver take a seat amongst the others and felt a momentary stage-fright when all seven pair of eyes focused on him. He cleared his throat. "What do we know? We know Lex is involved in something dealing with Project Ares again. Victor, you wanna give the group some details?"
Mechanically, Victor rattled off the stats concerning Lex's past projects and all it entailed.
"Since it is Lex we're dealing with," Clark resumed once Victor finished. "We know nothing will be as it seems. We know there will be meteor rock involved. Lana, I'll be counting on you to neutralize any if you see it."
"Got it," she concurred with a swish of her silver and black pony-tail.
"Now, Victor, can you display the schematics of the distillery?"
Victor looked straight ahead and his right eye glowed red. A shimmery red floor-plan reflected against the wall opposite of Victor.
"The only thing we know for sure is that there a two very large warehouse floors. One on ground level," Clark gestured with his big hand to one area. "And the second is below ground. I'm going to guess this is where Lex is keeping most of the prisoners," Clark gestured with his hand to underground chamber. "It's cool, well-ventilated and from the descriptions we could dig up, this is where the company would store the barrels of liquor while it fermented."
"What about the above ground large area?" AC asked.
"Bottling and labeling." Victor supplied.
"Bart, I want you to do a perimeter check. See what the outside looks like. Cameras, guards, entrances, all that stuff. There is a field, Lander's Field, to the west. That is where we will be," Clark told them. "You'll radio back what you see. The rest, we'll have to play by ear."
"I hate not having a plan," Victor grumbled.
"All right, guys," Oliver said, standing. "Let's get changed and then head out."
"Doug, run!" Chloe screamed. "Run!"
Doug continued to stand there and stare at her. Chloe scampered along behind Davis, finally catching onto the tail of his scratchy shirt and pulling. Nothing stopped him and with panic, she knew nothing would, not even her presence. Doug finally heeded her warning and started to run, but Davis was faster. He blocked the door with his body, grabbing Doug by the shoulders and lifting him up. He tossed him easily. Doug landed on one of the overturned lab tables. Chloe switched directions, sprinting over to stand protectively over Doug's motionless form. Davis, snarling and spitting, his eyes demonic and black, strode toward her.
"Davis, no!" she yelled. The beast stopped an inch from her, staring down at her. Chloe squared her shoulders, careful not to let it see the fear that was crouching in her belly. It breathed heavily, the hot, moist air washing her face. Chloe put a beseeching hand out, wondering if she touched it again, would Davis re-emerge. It grabbed her wrist and turned slowly. Chloe bit her lip, refusing to show weakness. "Davis, I know you're in there," she continued, searching the midnight depths of it's eyes, ignoring the pain as her bones threatened to give way. "I know you can hear me. You do not want to hurt Doug. And you do not want to hurt me."
The face sneered, bringing his face even closer to hers. "Yes, I do."
Twenty long minutes later, the group was assembled in the middle of Lander's field, squinting around the darkness surrounding them. Each wore their own League uniform again. Oliver in his green leather, Bart is his red and Dinah in her shiny black. AC stood in his damp green and orange wet suit while Clark and Lana matched in black sweats, Victor in a light looking blue ensemble. Clark's hand was thrust deep in his pocket, fingering the bumpy blue rock. They stood in a tight circle, each activating their ear pieces.
"Impulse, you're on," Clark said.
"Get ready to eat dust," Bart quipped before he was only a fading red flash across the open field. "I'm here. The building is low, no windows. There are a few cameras mounted on the outside but they don't seem to be recording. I can't tell if they're on, either. They're old, not wireless."
"Any roaming guards?" Dinah asked.
"No, place is dead."
"What about entrances?" Oliver wondered. They all heard a whoosh!
"Four," Bart answered. "Two on the north and south faces of the building."
"Come on back," Clark said.
Bart appeared within the circle again.
"We go in as a group," Clark began, Oliver nodding along with him. "Then we separate. Victor, I want you and AC to find all the computers. Victor, you download and wipe it. AC, smash and grab. I don't want any research left in this place whatsoever. Paper, notes, discs, you name it, it needs to be destroyed. Bart, I want you to run continual perimeter checks. Any guards or anyone looking as if they are trying to contact someone, knock 'em out. From what I can tell," Clark had x-rayed it before he sent Bart off. "There are also no guards inside, but you never know. Dinah, Lana, I want you to find the prisoners and see what you can do with them. Lana, any Kryptonite you see, get rid of it. Oliver and I will find Chloe and the boys. You see Lex or Doug Weimar or Vincent Mickler, let Oliver know. He'll take them out. Do not, under any circumstances, try and take on something who comes from one of the labs. If any of those experiments are up and running, once we get Chloe and the boys out, Lana and I will go back in an handle those. The only good kind of hero is a breathing hero. Got it?"
The group nodded solemnly, each remembering when Chloe stood among them, speaking those same words.
Silently, Clark, Bart and Lana speeded over, setting the others on their feet. They were all gathered around the entrance on the south side. Clark halted them and scanned the building one more time. His blood ran cold when he saw a larger figure looming over a smaller one. The smaller one was protecting a form huddled on the floor. Clark reached out and yanked the door, it coming off it's hinges. The group ducked as he tossed it. Clark raced in, stopping with shock when saw Davis Bloome, one hand holding Chloe's delicate wrist pinned to her back and the other grasping her throat and lifting her into the air. Chloe caught sight of Clark before Davis did. Hearing the racket he made, Davis turned and faced Clark. He smiled devilishly.
"Why, hello again, Kal-El," Davis greeted, his voice slipping into the dark voice of the phantom.
"Chloe!" Lana gasped when she saw. Chloe's face was turning purple but she wasn't fighting, knowing she'd preserve more oxygen by keeping her limbs stationary.
"You know what you need to do," Clark said from the side of his mouth, trying to keep calm as he watched Davis clutch Chloe's throat in one hand. "I'll take care of him." He could see them from the corner of his eye slowly dispersing hesitantly. Clark watched Davis closely, but Davis never moved. He paid the others no mind, just stood there, dangling Chloe like a doll and smirking at Clark. Clark could hear Chloe taking small breaths through her nose, buying herself time.
"So you're still around, are you?" Davis asked.
"Put her down, Davis," Clark ordered, taking a tentative step in Davis' direction. He wanted to fly at him, burn him with his heat vision but he couldn't chance of hurting Chloe. It was clear to him Davis had somehow regained his powers. "You don't want to hurt her."
"Actually, I do." Davis cocked his head. "She keeps choosing others besides me." Davis shook Chloe. Her eyes were losing some of their brilliance.
"Does that bother you, Davis?"
"Wouldn't it bother you if the woman you loved kept choosing other people? They did this to me and she protects him!" Davis pointed with his now free hand to the body on the floor. Clark quickly x-rayed him. He was dead. A broken neck.
Step by step, Clark got closer. He watched Chloe. She was blinking rapidly, fixing to lose consciousness.
"Davis, I know how you feel," Clark told him gently. "And if you were really yourself, you would put Chloe down. You wouldn't want to hurt her and you wouldn't want to hurt anyone else."
"You think you know everything, don't you, Clark? They all betray you. Family, friends, lovers." Tightening on Chloe's throat. She opened her mouth, gasping, no air left in her lungs. "No one can be trusted." Davis jerked his head up, meeting Clark's eyes once more. "You want her? Here, take her!" Davis pulled back his arm, pitching Chloe like a baseball before he disappeared in his own blur of speed.
"No!" Clark roared. Breaking into super-speed himself, Clark followed the arc of Chloe's body. For one breathless second, Clark waited for her to come down in his arms. She landed with a thud. Clark hauled her closer to him, quickly checking to see the pulse pumping strongly under the skin of her throat.
Lana left Dinah's side and rushed to Clark. "Give her to me."
Clark handed Chloe to Lana who cradled her best friend. "Get her out of here."
"What are you going to do?" Lana asked frantically. She'd recognized the timber of Davis' voice as matching the one of the bizarre phantom. Clark would need her help
"Don't worry about me. Just get Chloe out of here," Clark said shortly before giving chase to Davis.
Clark followed Davis out into the hallway. Davis was waiting for him. The moment Clark stepped of the door, he was hit, Davis tackling him like a linebacker in football. The two grappled with one another, crashing through a wall into a vacant office. Davis was on his feet first, grabbing Clark by his sweatshirt and swinging him through another wall. Shaking his head, Clark clambered to his feet and caught Davis off guard with a sharp right hook to his chin, sending the man flying through the air. He landed with a crunch, making a shallow crater with his body. Clark waited for Davis to climb to his feet. The two faced one another for a few moments, both heaving from their tussle, blood seeping from the cuts and bruises they inflicted on each other. Davis moved first, Clark following. They ran at each other, meeting halfway with a shock of momentum, causing the building to shake with the violence of their collision.
"Let me know if you need me," Lana said to Dinah.
"I'll let you know what I find," the other woman replied before she sprinted off to search the rest of the building. The entire structure shook and each member could hear the super-fight taking place between Clark and Davis. Lana itched the join the fray, but she was reminded she was charged with keeping Chloe safe for Clark. Meeting AC and Victor's eyes, she took off, disappearing with Chloe in her arms.
Oliver could feel the reverberations from Clark and Davis above him as he walked along the clammy basement. With his hood pulled up and bow drawn, he swept the hallway with his eyes, alert for an ambush. He'd met a scared young man on his way here who was only too happy to tell him where the lab was and where Lex and the boys were. So far, no guards had been seen, but that didn't necessarily mean there weren't any. From the directions Oliver was given, the entrance to the main lab should be just around the corner. Oliver prepared himself for what he might see. Images from the lab in Russia flashed before his eyes and he fought hard to calm his stomach.
He rounded the corner. The doors the scientist described were right in front of him. Oliver jogged the last couple of feet and laid his hand on the knob. With a yank, he opened the door and entered, his bow and arrow held high.
Davis laid on the floor as his head rang. Growling, he crawled a few feet away only to be pinned again by Clark. His was weakening. He needed to find Kryptonite and soon. Summoning his will, Davis rolled over and got his feet under Clark's stomach. With force, Davis kicked out, sending Clark flying. The other man hit the cement wall, a few blocks crumbling around him. Davis stood, licking the blood from his busted lip, enjoying the tangy taste of iron. Waiting for Clark to come to his feet, Davis smirked.
"Is that all you got, mighty son of Krypton?" He asked when Clark regained his footing.
Clark's face boiled into a snarl.
Davis took off, leading Clark down the maze of hallways.
"I'm not seeing any other information in here," Bart radioed back, taking breaks from his perimeter checks to help Dinah search for the prisoners and other things.
"Cyborg is still sifting through all the information on one computer right now," AC responded. "There's a room above here that looks down on the factory floor. I'm thinking it's an office. Go up and check that out."
"I'm on it," Bart said.
"I'm going to go downstairs," Dinah said. "I'm not finding anything up here."
"Watch out for Clark and that other thing. You see anything else, run. Do you copy?" AC asked sternly.
"I copy, Aquaman," Dinah sighed with exasperation although there was an underlining of affection.
"Guys," Bart radioed, calling everyone's attention, even Lana out in the middle of Lander's Field with Chloe. "Clark is in trouble, big time. Loxley, you need to get back in here now."
All Oliver could see was the sickly glow of green from the chests of the forms on the table. He walked down one aisle, listening intently. Someone else was in this room with him. He could feel it. He heard Bart say something about Clark and trouble. Oliver knew he'd found it. A room full of glowing Kryptonite. He heard the clip of a shoe and halted.
"What do you think is faster?" Lex asked, uttering the infamous phrase he always used when he met the Green Arrow. "An arrow or a bullet?"
Oliver gripped his weapon. "There's only one way to find out." Oliver turned, ready to release his arrow.
"Let me rephrase that," Lex began with an evil grin. "An arrow or bullets."
Connor and Kaid, each with a silver gun barrel pressed to their temples, stood before Lex and another man.
"This is low, even for you, Luthor. Hiding behind mere children," Oliver spoke calmly as his hand shook.
"Coming from the man who hides behind a hood and a cheap pair of sunglasses, Oliver," Lex replied snidely.
Oliver locked his jaw. He saw Connor and Kaids' eyes widen.
"I see there is no need for pretense," Oliver said before pushing back his hood, revealing his golden head. Connor and Kaid gasped. He took off his glasses so he could look Lex in the eye. "Let the kids go, Lex. You've got what you want. You don't need them."
"We both know the only way I'm going to walk out of here is with these kids. I know you don't work alone. I know right now that my databases are being wiped, my labs being destroyed and Clark is handling my experiment. These two boys are my security ticket out of here."
"If you think that I'm going to let you walk out of here with Chloe's children, you're even more deranged than I thought." Oliver raised his bow, aiming at Lex.
"You think because they're children I won't shoot them?" Lex threatened.
"I'm guessing you know you won't be able to hurt them." Oliver saw Lex's eyes widen as well. "NOW!" Oliver released his arrow as Connor and Kaid disappeared in two separate blurs. Oliver pulled another arrow from his quiver and shot the other man. He slipped to the floor beside Lex who was cringing at the arrow buried deep in his shoulder.
"And the sunglasses weren't cheap," Oliver quipped as he strolled away, knowing the toxin was working it's paralyzing way through Lex's blood stream.
An angry roar was heard from behind the double doors.
"Boys," Oliver barely got out before the doors splintered before them, the dangerous wrestling forms of Clark and Davis falling into the room.
"Loxley, you need to get back in here now."
Lana pressed her hand to ear, listening closely to all the sounds that were coming through the ear piece. She looked down at Chloe. She couldn't just leave Chloe out here in the middle of nowhere at night. She looked back to the facility, torn.
"Lana?"
Lana looked sharply back at Chloe.
"Chloe?" She knelt on the grass next to Chloe.
Chloe coughed and rubbed her throat. "Where's Clark?" She asked.
"He's inside. He's fighting one of the experiments."
"Lana," Chloe rasped frantically, grabbing at Lana's hands. "You have to go. That thing is part phantom. It's strengthened by Kryptonite. You have to go. Now!"
"Chloe, I can't leave you here-"
"Where is Connor and Kaid?"
"I think Oliver has them," Lana answered.
"Send Bart out here. He can take me back to Watchtower. Just get in there and help Clark!"
Clark caught up with Davis outside the doors that led into the underground storage.
"Give up, Clark! You'll never be able to defeat me by yourself!" Davis wheezed.
With renewed force, Clark head-butted him. They tumbled into the doors and the wood gave underneath them. They rolled into the room. Clark momentarily caught a glimpse of Oliver, Connor and Kaid behind him. Oliver pushed the boys behind one of the large, round, wooden canisters as he and Davis toppled into the room. Clark's relief at seeing the boys safe was short-lived. Davis stood, towering over him.
"How do you feel, Clark?"
Clark cringed at the effects of Kryptonite caused him to writhe on the floor in pain. He watched Davis walk over to a table. He ripped off a chunk of rock and clutched it in his palm. With rapid panic, Clark watched Davis absorb the Kryptonite radiation with a shout of ecstasy. Davis tossed the now harmless rock from him. His wounds were healed and if possible, his eyes were darker. Clark rolled on the floor, trying to push through the pain. He got to his knees, wishing he could vomit. He felt Davis grab his collar and swing him, throwing him at the nearest crate. Clark hit the crate with a crack! It rolled and began a domino effect. In a haze of pain, Clark laid in the broken remnants. It was getting hard to breathe. A moan of pain reached his ears. Struggling to turn his head, he saw Oliver, his bottom half trapped under one of the intact crates. Frantically, Clark searched for Connor and Kaid. He found them, picking their way slowly back over to Oliver from half way across the room.
Davis came at him again. He yanked him up and tossed him again. Clark left his own crater in the cement floor. Again and again, Davis threw him, kicked him, hit him until Clark lay at his feet in a crumpled heap. He opened his eyes from his face down position. Oliver was only a foot from him.
"Connor, Kaid, help me," Oliver groaned. Clark watched as Connor and Kaid tried to lift the large crate. Clark's heart beat fast as the crate lifted mere inches. It wasn't enough.
"It's too heavy, Ollie," Connor said, fighting tears.
Oliver met Clark's eyes. Sorrow swam in their depths. "I'm sorry, Clark," he whispered. Looking back at the twins, he began to speak in a confident, reassuring tone. "The green rocks? They make Clark sick. You have to get them out of here. Then he can help us. Can you do that for me?"
Both boys nodded. Then they were gone.
Clark felt himself being lifted again. He tried to take a swing at Davis, hoping to distract him from the boys. Davis had him by the throat, his fondness for strangling apparent. Clark's toes brushed the ground and he could see two blurs as Connor and Kaid ripped Kryptonite from the people on the tables.
"Bring it here, guys!" Lana yelled from behind Clark. Davis' attention was caught.
"Davis!" Clark croaked. The beast looked back at him. The hand on his throat tightened.
"She chose you last time. I won't let her make the same mistake twice," it growled.
"You're the mistake."
Clark brought the Blue Kryptonite bracelet up and wrapped it clumsily around Davis' wrist, clasping it tightly. Clark watched as Davis' eyes returned to normal and he dropped Clark to his feet. Rallying all his strength, Clark caught Davis' jaw in a vicious slam, knocking the other man to the ground where he slipped into unconsciousness. He, too, fell to the floor, giving in to the agony that ravaged him physically. Around him, he heard the whooshing! of Connor and Kaid as they emptied the room of Kryptonite, ripping off pieces that were bolted by thick sheets of metal to the tables. Clark felt his pulse throb painfully throughout his body.
"Clark, I have to tell you something. . . Ollie! Sounds like his father. . . More like him than you know. . . They weren't even publicly a couple until about two years ago. . . Clark, there is something I. . . Hey, did you want to tell me something. . . Oliver, if you want to leave then leave, but don't use Connor and Kaid as an excuse. . . I need to tell you something, Clark. I've needed to tell you since you came back, but I. . . didn't know how. . .".
Voices filled his head as Connor and Kaid zipped around him, the pain lessening by the second.
"Yeah, the last time I did that, I nearly got my leg broken when Connor kicked me! Boy should play soccer, but then his team would have an unfair advantage, I guess. . . He's just protective of his mother. Don't worry, he was like that with Oliver when Chloe and him started dating, too. . . You're right, your not our dad and now, because of you, we may never have one. . . But, Mom, we don't have to hide what we can do from Ollie. What if Clark finds out what we can do? He'll think we're freaks. . . Clark may understand more than you think. . . I had this heinous craving for Funyuns and strawberry ice cream. . . You're going to be such a wonderful father, Clark. . . Clark, there is something you need to know about what happened after you left. . . "
The pain was almost gone or maybe Clark just felt numb. He sat up and then stood, shakily, on his feet. All the Kryptonite was gone, a pile by Lana of harmless rocks. She staring at him warily. So did Connor and Kaid as they waited over by Oliver. Clark walked over, gazing at Connor and Kaid. They had his cheekbones, his nose, his mouth with Chloe's eyes. Now that he knew, he couldn't see how he'd missed it.
"Stand back, guys," Clark ordered gently. Connor and Kaid backed up, their eyes glued to his movements. Clark curled his fingers under the rim of the crate and lifted. With wide eyes once again, the twins watched Clark lift the heavy crate off Oliver and set it down next to him.
"Is anything broken?" Oliver asked.
Clark x-rayed him. "No. The tank was empty. Looks like you bruised a few muscles but that's it."
"Ollie, are you okay?" Kaid asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine guys. Just fine." Oliver winced as he moved up on his elbows. Clark reached down, offering him a hand. Oliver looked up at Clark. He clasped hands with Clark, allowing Clark to pull him to his feet.
"Can you walk?" Clark asked, steadying Oliver under his elbow.
Oliver took a tentative step. "Yeah, I can. It's just gonna hurt like hell for a while."
The two men looked around them. "Do you think they're alive?"
Clark and Oliver turned and saw the boys peeking around them at the people laying lifeless on the tables. Clark looked over at Davis who was still out cold from the jab Clark had given him. So was another man a few inches from Lex. Lex, however, was staring raptly at Clark with hate filled eyes. Before he knew what he was doing, Clark had arrived in front of Lex, grabbed him by the collar of his blue silk shirt and with an angry yell, slammed him against the cold, cement wall. Balling his fists, Clark was nose to nose with Lex. He smiled with satisfaction when he saw fear hiding in the gray depths.
"Clark!" Oliver called out behind him.
"I always knew there was something different about you. I know now," Lex whispered, forcing a fake bravado into his voice.
Clark tightened his grip, enjoying the rapidly increasing heart rate and the speeding of the Lex's pulse.
"You come near my family again," Clark said with eerie calmness. "I'll make Davis look like a saint."
Lex swallowed. Clark drug Lex over to the cage and threw him inside. Lex scrambled into a sitting position, the toxin having worn off quickly. Lex faced Clark as he bent the bars back in place.
"Remember Lex," Clark continued with a charming smile. "You tell anyone about me or my sons or any of us, there are no walls, no locks, no guns that can stand between me and you. And I'd get used to bars again. I have a feeling you'll be staring at them for years to come."
Clark turned back to Oliver, Connor and Kaid. His eyes fell on the boys. His sons. They weren't vulnerable to Kryptonite, but Clark knew they were his. Something he and Chloe had created.
I can always depend on you to tell me the truth, Chloe.
Clark pressed his lips together. So many emotions swirled inside him, he was unable to pin-point just one. Anger, relief, pride and most of all, betrayal. He crossed the few feet to Connor and Kaid. Both boys looked up at him with shining eyes.
"You can do what we can," Kaid said in awe.
Clark swallowed and blinked away tears. "Yes, I can."
Clark reached out and ran his fingers through the twins wheat colored hair, cupping the back of their heads as they looked up at him with matching lop-sided grins that belonged to their mother. Clark took a knee and pulled his sons to him in a tight hug. They hugged him back. "Thanks for saving me tonight, guys." He didn't want to let go.
"Let's get out of here," Clark said huskily.
"What are we gonna do with him?"
Oliver gestured to Davis. Davis was sitting up, shaking his head and looking around. His eyes landed on Clark.
"Clark?" He asked haltingly. "Where's Chloe? Is she safe?"
"Yeah, she is," Clark answered in a hard voice. Davis fiddled with the bracelet. "Don't take that off."
He jumped at the acid in Clark's voice. "What is it?"
Clark could see Lex still watching them with interest.
"I'll explain out in the hall. Come on," Clark motioned for Davis to follow them. He took Connor and Kaids' hands and led them out of the room.
"Clark, I'm sorry," Oliver said. Clark ignored him. "It wasn't my secret to tell," he tried again.
"Let's just get out of here." Clark replied shortly. He was a father. Chloe was the mother of his two sons. He couldn't process this here. He met Lana at the door. She followed at a good distance behind, monitoring Davis.
They met Dinah in the hallway, along with Victor and AC.
"Where's Impulse?" Clark asked.
"He took Watchtower back to Headquarters," Victor supplied.
"He's fine," Clark assured them as the group eyed Davis.
"John Jones is standing by with his detectives about a mile out to give us time to get away," Dinah told them.
"I took the liberty of calling him before we left," Oliver explained. "He'll know how to deal with this. Batman has Gordon, I think it's only fair we have Jones."
"Cyborg, is everything clean?"
"Yes. Impulse found a box full of Tess' journals up in the office. We think that's how Lex knew about Davis and Chloe and everything else."
"Where are they?" Clark asked.
"Impulse and Watchtower took them back to Headquarters," AC answered.
"Lex is back in a cage. Anyone catch any sight of Mickler or Weimar?"
"Weimar's dead. He's the body in the ground-lab. We haven't seen Mickler anywhere," Dinah answered.
"Mickler's dead."
Everyone turned and looked at Davis who was standing on the outskirts of the circle.
"And you're to blame?" Oliver questioned.
Davis nodded.
"Boy Scout, are you sure he's safe?" Lana asked with caution.
"The bracelet he's wearing. It's what Lex was looking for. Just a small bit will keep him calm, a hunk that size will strip him of his powers completely," Clark explained.
"What do we do with the bodies?" Cyborg asked.
Clark and Oliver looked down between them at the two boys standing there, gaping at their extended family of heroes.
"John has special instructions," Oliver answered. "The lab in Russia had been clones, beings that had yet been given life. We could just bury them. These were actual people who had once lived. They seemed to be in some kind of restive state. Those inside there will need medical attention, families will need to be contacted and the Russian government as well. We'll let John clean up the political mess Lex has made."
"Can we go back to Watchtower now? This place is giving me the creeps," Dinah suggested.
"Yeah, I think these guys have seen enough. You want to go see your Mom?" Clark asked the boys.
"Is she okay?" Connor asked fearfully.
"She's very okay," Clark told them. "Lana, why don't you take Canary and the twins. I can take Cyborg and Arrow."
Clark felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down at Kaid.
"We can run, if that will help," the little boy offered.
"All the way to Metropolis?" Clark asked.
Connor and Kaid nodded proudly.
"They'll be here any minute," Bart told a pacing Chloe.
Chloe wringed her hands together. It had been the longest ten minutes of her life while she waited to know everyone was safe. And now, they'd be walking through those doors in a few seconds. All she wanted to do was hold her sons again. Kiss them and hug them and smell their hair. Chloe faced the huge stained glass window. It was only two in the morning, but it felt as if she'd lived a lifetime since she was in the Clocktower Loft hours ago. She didn't care who was around. When Clark came through that door, she would tell him. Tell him she loved him and couldn't live without him and that they were parents. Her carefully guarded life and secret had come crashing down around her tonight and she didn't want to rebuild it. She didn't want to have any more secrets.
The double doors opened.
"Mom!"
Chloe turned to find Connor and Kaid riding piggy back style on Clark's shoulders, their legs wrapped around his waist and their skinny arms holding onto his neck. Clark squatted. Connor and Kaid scrambled down. Chloe met them halfway, falling to her knees as she clutched each boy to her, crying softly into their hair. The group around them was silent as Chloe told her sons how much she loved them and missed them.
"Mom, we're fine!" Connor said, finally pushing away from his mother's tight embrace.
"Clark and Ollie saved us," Kaid started. "And Mom, guess what? Clark can do what we can do! He can run really fast and he lifted this big wooden thing off of Ollie's legs. It weighed like a ton!"
"He's Superman, Mom! We saw him fly!" Connor, refusing to be outdone by his brother exclaimed, too. "He said we could tell you because you already knew. . ."
Connor continued, but Chloe had stopped listening. She lifted her eyes. She saw everyone else walking away, giving them space. She even saw Davis keeping to the shadows. Clark stood by the door, watching the boys tenderly. He knew. Clark lifted his own eyes, meeting hers. Something inside Chloe went cold.
"Clark-" Chloe started, standing. The twins fell away from her, being led away by Dinah and Bart.
Clark looked at her as if he didn't know her. He shook his head. "Don't, Chloe," Clark told her softly. "There's nothing left for you to say."
"Clark, let me explain," Chloe pleaded, closing the distance between them.
Clark backed away, stepping out of the door. "I gotta go."
"Clark, please don't leave! You said-"
"Forget!" Clark's voice came out in a harsh shout. He took a deep breath. Standing at the top of the stairs, Clark examined his feet. He turned his head, looking over her head. Chloe reached out to him, holding back her sobs. She clutched Clark's sleeve. Clark shook his head and met her eyes again. Chloe opened her mouth but the pain she read in the moss colored orbs caused her words to die in her throat.
"Forget what I said." Clark shook Chloe's hand from his arm and headed down the stairs, not looking back. Chloe watched him go. For the second time, Clark walked away from her. And this time, Chloe knew he would never come back.
*A/N: The exchange between Lex and Bizarro takes place in season 7, within the episode of 'Persona'. I did some research and in the comics, Blue Kryptonite only weakened Bizarro, so that is how I presented it here. I also had him knowing that it was his weakness so let us pretend that Brainiac told him when he went to ask how to live under the yellow sun. He went to Lex to power-up since he knew he might be facing Clark to fight for Lana. As to how he got some Blue K, that I'm just ignoring. Also, how it disappeared from Lex and ended up being sent to Clark, you can come up with your own explanation. All I know is, it was not sent to Clark by Dax-Ur. Maybe Brainiac sent it to him for an evil plan he'd been thinking up. It really bothers me to leave that end frayed, but seeing as it really has nothing to do with story I'm working on here, I'm going to just leave it loose. Lex also got all his information on Davis, as you can tell, from the journals Lionel kept as seen in 'Eternal' in season 8 and that I interpreted Tess later added to on her own.