Author's Note: Apologies. Yes, it's been a while. A lot has changed. For as much as the DC universe has changed in the last ten years, nothing has changed here. It's still Smallville/The Dark Knight. I'm not going to lie. Of all the times I came back to this fic, I'd leave just as quickly. After the horrendous news surrounding Allison Mack, I simply couldn't shake off the disgust. Because, for as much as I wanted to separate the art from the artist, it was nigh on impossible. She had made Chloe. Chloe, a brand new DC character, now canon. Chloe, my favorite of the series and now my favorite was forever tainted by the actress. It took a long time to make that separation from artist and the art. So, here I am. Trying.
oOo
What happened?
The low garbled sound of voices echoed from far away into the darkness. She couldn't recognize them or what it was they were saying. She tried to get up, but her body felt so heavy. The desire to fall back into the darkness of oblivious sleep was so very tempting.
But something was nagging at the back of her mind. Like the nasty little alarm that squealed through her apartment every morning without fail. Only this time, she couldn't hit the snooze button on this.
The voices were becoming louder, clearer.
"Get her up! We don't have time to waste!"
That didn't sound good. Who were they talking about?
Her head lolled to the side, causing her to jerk to attention. She managed to crack her lids to find blurred white light in her face.
"Sir, she's beginning to wake up."
"She'll be difficult to contain if she's not restrained."
The voices sounded so far away; a cavernous echo and they were growing closer. Her head was so heavy.
"Get the jacket!"
Lex? Was that Lex's voice?
The last several hours rushed through her mind. The mansion. The power outage. Bruce. Lex.
Lex!
She came awake in an instant.
She was being carried. She frantically searched around. Before her was a long bright, colorless hallway filled with double doors, windows with barred screens on them. She knew a mental hospital when she saw one.
"NO!" she screamed and shoved at the man that was holding her.
Unprepared, the man dropped her and Chloe hit the floor running.
Bruce.
Clark.
Did they know she was here? She screamed out as loud as possible. The hospital might be sound- proofed to the hilt, but they had nothing on Clark's super hearing.
"Help! Clark!"
Bruce.
Bruce would find her. He could always find her. Even when she didn't want to be found.
Her bare feet kept slipping and squeaking on the tile floor. Just a few feet away was a small door tucked in the corner of the hallway. A stairwell. An escape.
Just a few more steps. She was almost there. Her hand reached out for the door handle.
She was slammed from behind into a wall and tackled to the floor. One of Lex's goons quickly shot to his feet, dragging her with him. Another grabbed her arm and together they pulled a kicking, screaming Chloe towards their original destination.
"No! Let me go!" she screamed. "Help! Clark! Clark!"
She felt a pinch in her neck. Her vision soon became hazy and blurred, but there ahead that what lay open and waiting before her.
"Get her in the jacket! Now!"
She kicked, tried to dig her heels into the smooth floor. She pulled and tugged at the hands bound around her wrists and arms, but the effects of whatever drug they'd given weakened her efforts.
At the end of the hallway, was a set of ominous double doors and Lex.
It was as if she were waking to her worst nightmare come true. Trapped. Trapped in a place where she would be forgotten; a place where she would forget herself.
Lex's face.
White straight jacket.
And the long white hallway that loomed before her.
"Please," she pleaded. "Don't do this."
"I'm sorry, Chloe." His voice held the sincerity that his eyes lacked.
oOo
Clark had shown up just in time to find a large number of confused guests, no host and no Chloe, his nightmare finally come true.
The moment that Chloe had given him the slip, he knew that finding her would be easier than finding corn in Kansas. But he also knew Chloe well enough to know that he had better cover all his bases. If he could intercept her at her apartment…
As usual, what he had not counted on—what he never countered on, was returning to Chloe's apartment to find a frustrated Lois, re-ransacking it and bombarding Clark with a plethora of demands and questions.
"Clark look at this!"
"Clark, why would she do that?"
"Clark, did you know about this?"
"Clark, is she involved with this guy?"
"Clark, Clark, Clark".
He very calmly and methodically directed Lois to Chloe's computer. "You know that everything you want to know about Chloe is in there. Now, why don't you get started and I'll get coffee."
The moment that Lois's back was turned, he'd sped away towards the mansion.
A quick scan of the grounds revealed a man stumbling through the downpour towards a rear entrance. In a split second, Clark was confronted with one of the members of the acting company.
"I tried—I tried to stop them," he gasped, tearing his mask away and collapsing to his knees, his blood mingling with the rain water. A sweeping glance and Clark found the man had sustained two wounds: one to the thigh, the other in the lower left quadrant of his abdomen. No main arteries hit; his heartbeat strong.
Clark turned at the sound of rushing footsteps to find the older gentleman he'd met upon his impromptu visit from the last time. "This man needs a hospital."
"Right away," Alfred said, asking no questions and retrieving his phone.
"Clark?"
He turned to find Oliver coming up the pathway.
"Where's Chloe?" he demanded.
All Oliver had to offer Clark was a look of anguish. No words were necessary.
And now here he stood within the dankest, darkest cave staring so hard at the multiple holographic screens in front of him that he was looking straight through them. He had to shake his head to regain his focus.
He had expected an argument from this man, Bruce Wayne. So, Clark stood his ground and refused to leave. To his chagrin, Bruce simply ignored him and began investigating straightaway. Pure spite nearly compelled Clark to search for Chloe on his own. However, the fact was that Lex could've absconded with Chloe to anywhere in the world. So, whether he liked it or not, they were going to need all the help that they could get, which meant he couldn't afford to be petty. Or quiet.
All that they had feared had now been realized. Now he wanted someone or something to blame.
Chloe for not wanting to do it the way he wanted.
Oliver, for slipping up on the job.
Himself, for not keeping a closer watch.
He had wanted to blame this man that stood in front of him, but try as he might, there was simply no blaming him for anything. This was all on them.
The man named Vincent, a newly acquired acquaintance of Chloe's, explained that he had been watching her closely after she had all but begged him to help her sneak into the mansion. He admitted her story could have used some work, but the need in her eyes and desperation in her voice convinced him to help her. He added that once he realized that she had slipped away, he had gone in search of her to make certain she was alright.
The night vision cameras had shown his confrontation with Lex outside the rear service entrance of the mansion. When Vincent had made a grab for Chloe, Lex didn't hesitate in putting two bullets in the man.
The party continued in the mansion. Always on damage control, Alfred had seen to that. No one had any idea that a woman had been kidnapped, that a man had been shot on the grounds or that their host was several feet below them furiously attempting to figure out what the hell had just happened.
Now Clark stood just behind where Bruce studied the surveillance cameras with such intensity that he was surprised the man's eyes hadn't crossed. The focus being a long, dark hallway in Wayne Manor with night vision green haze to illuminate the two figures at opposite ends of the corridor. Lex was sauntering toward Chloe in a way that infuriated Clark.
Clark realized that he knew next to nothing about this man other than his alter ego, as it were. He couldn't quite reconcile the thoughtless playboy of the tabloids with the determined concentration and laser focus that stood before him now.
And Chloe cared about him.
On the face of it, Bruce seemed like the last man on earth that Clark would've ever guessed Chloe would be interested. But his gut told him that maybe he should trust Chloe's instincts. After all, he'd shown up the night Chloe had healed him. If he'd ever doubted that Bruce cared just as much, then the man's current determination would erase any of that doubt.
"What do we have so far?" a voice called from the shadows. Clark turned to see the man known as Lucius stepped up to the com along with Bruce.
"Currently cross-referencing Chloe's files with Luthorcorp's intranet. See what comes up," Bruce replied while he stared at the video surveillance.
"Maybe this can help," Lucius said, holding up a flash drive before plugging it into the drive.
Bruce cut a side glance. "Where'd you get that?"
"Courtesy of our Mr. Queen," Lucius replied.
"Where is Queen?"
Lucius cast a furtive glance towards Clark and leaned casually against the desk, his arms crossed at the wrists. "Mr. Queen seemed a bit hesitant to pass along this particular piece of information. You'd almost think he was worried that you might kill the messenger," Lucius added with a bit of a nervous chuckle. "So, I suggested he be on hand to scout for us. He was more than eager to oblige. Is this the footage from the hallway?" he gestured to the screen.
"Yeah," Bruce said, rubbing his eyes. "I can't make heads or tails of it. I've looked at it til my eyes crossed."
Clark tilted his head with a peculiar look.
"Look at her," Bruce said. "Look at her body language. Shoulders hunched, arms at her sides…
There was no volume that could be heard over the footage, but for both men, it was unnecessary. It was easy enough to see that Lex was circling Chloe, baiting her, trying to intimidate her.
"She's clearly not happy to see him," Lucius offered.
Bruce kept playing out their conversation in his mind backwards and forwards. Everything she said, her volatile reactions. "She's afraid of him," he stated. "Deathly afraid of him. I know Lex can be a bastard, but Lex's MO is blackmail."
"Blackmail has never really worked on Chloe," Clark blurted.
"Then, explain this," Bruce directed. It was when Chloe tried to make a run for it did Lex grab her. Chloe struggled only for a moment and when Lex let go of her, absolutely nothing seemed out of sorts. She had relaxed. She was pliant, no longer struggling as though all was right with the world and followed Lex out obediently.
What Bruce didn't know was that Clark had seen Chloe like this only once before; how the look in her eyes changed just before she would do something so out of character. There was only one person that held that kind of complete control over Chloe.
"If you're just going to stand there, then I don't need you," Bruce's voice broke through his thoughts.
The righteous dismissive tone practically sealed Clark to the cave floor out of pure spite. "Did it ever occur to you that you could use my help?"
Bruce pinned Clark with a hardened glare. "Then help."
Unblinking, Clark tilted his head to the side in a challenge.
Quickly realizing he was in the unenviable position of referee between these two, Lucius carefully stepped in between the both of them, hands raised in compromise. "I think what Mr. Wayne is trying to say is that if you have any helpful information, that now would be a good time," Lucius said quickly.
While he kept telling himself that he didn't answer to them, Clark couldn't shove away the gnawing guilt at having so epically failed at protecting one of his best friends. He took a deep breath. "Chloe's mother," he exhaled. "She's also meteor infected, and she has the ability to control only the meteor infected. They're powerless to stop themselves from whatever she tells them to do. If someone gets in their way, they will do anything-even kill; kill anyone—friends, family- if it means they can accomplish whatever she sets out for them to do. I've…seen it before," he added the last a bit hesitantly.
Lucius, a bit overwhelmed, pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is way above my paygrade," he muttered. "So, what exactly do we know or need to know about this 'meteor infection'?"
"The meteor infection alone is irrelevant," Bruce said, turning his attention back to the com. "What we need to know is why Lex has only pursued the infected. What is he after?"
Of the many screens displayed, one quickly flashed, centered itself and enlarged.
"Project Olympus," Bruce read aloud. "Isn't that…?
"The project he offered Wayne Enterprises," Lucius supplied, deadpan. Lucius' manner went from curious to serious in a nanosecond. He stepped up to the com and began throwing up holographic screens with each file contained on the flash drive. "I have to give you an immense amount of credit. Cracking Luthor's information was easy compared to all the information you've gathered on him, his projects, and how it all pertains to Miss Sullivan."
"Chloe deserves the credit," Clark blurted a bit nervously. He could virtually feel the oppressive energy coming from Bruce and he had to admit, he found it a bit-unnerving.
Lucius cast a sidelong glance at Bruce. "As you know, I began looking into Luthorcorp's recent activity since Lex came to see me. It's much worse than I originally thought."
Bruce stood silent; arms crossed. His heavy gaze settled on the numerous screens in front of him. Each screen displayed the numerous files regarding medical procedures. Files that held coordinates with a GPS overlay of major cities. There were files containing spreadsheets of lab results on numerous individuals over the last three years. For such a wide range of information the files all had three things in common: Chloe Sullivan, Curtis Knox, meteor-infection and the title "Project Olympus".
"Let's start with Project Olympus," Bruce said. "Get the fundamentals."
Lucius pulled up the file titled 'Olympus' and both men behind him involuntarily lurched as a screen came up with a video of Chloe.
Before them, a video of Chloe. She lay strapped to a table with great metal bands holding down her arms and legs, and one across her chest. It was terribly obvious that they had stripped her of her clothing, as well as her dignity. She lay there helpless, vulnerable - terrified.
"Subject: female, Caucasian," -an invisible voice declared in a flat, clinical manner-"appears to have tested positive for meteor infection. Trace amounts in the blood. Full concentration inconclusive at this time. More invasive procedures may be needed."
Bruce continued to stand silent; jaw clenched; arms crossed—one hand squeezed into a fist. Her bright, shining eyes were now filled with terror as a half a dozen men ran tubes down her mouth, each circling the table making notes, shining lights in her eyes, taking blood, cutting her open only to watch as she healed just as quickly, poking and prodding her as if she were anything less than human.
Lucius quietly looked on in pity.
"Oh my god," Clark gasped in shock, his eyes riveted in disbelief on the image before him. "I know that Lex knew about Chloe's meteor infection, but I didn't know it was like this."
Lucius tossed the screen away and brought up another file of Chloe's medical records. "Here we go," he directed towards the results.
"Doctor Curtis Knox," Bruce read aloud as he looked over the screens. "According to this doctor's files, this meteor concentration of Chloe's is in her heart," Bruce continued as he moved the holographic screens around. "Her heart," he whispered. "Chloe said Luthor wanted her heart."
"Shows here that Knox had a wife. Induced coma. Transplants?"
Clark remembered. Knox wanted to make sure his wife could live forever alongside him by taking the organs of the meteor-infected. Before he could say anything, Lucius's voice cut him off.
"Mortality," he muttered in recollection.
"Excuse me?" Bruce and Clark said in unison.
Lucius shook his head out of that day in the office. "Lex said he was looking into what made us human. Mortality," Lucius replied, his eyes moving as he began searching his memory once more. "'A veritable ambrosia of the gods'.
"Project Ares. Project Olympus. Ambrosia of the gods? Ambrosia is what gave the Greek gods their immortality," Lucius said.
"Yeah, Chloe would say that's more than just a Freudian slip," Clark added.
Without another word, Bruce sent his fist into the station beneath him. "He's going to take her heart! That's what she meant," he finally said, his shoulders hunching under the weight of such a gruesome possibility.
"Shows here that this Dr. Knox had tried to do exactly that," Lucius confirmed. "But why?"
"Long story," Clark said reluctantly.
Bruce shoved away from the com. "He wants longevity or invulnerability. Either way, there isn't time to sort the particulars," he said, and began towards where he kept his suit and all of his equipment. "Queen?" he called out.
"Yeah?" came Oliver's voice echoing through the PA.
"What do you see?"
"I'm in Gotham-in the Narrows. What do you think I see?"
"The Narrows? Why would he take her there?" Clark asked.
"Well, it is a port of entry, Clark," Oliver stated.
"That means he could've taken her anywhere," Clark said with near defeat.
"He hasn't," Bruce said as he went through a check of his equipment.
Clark gave an accusing tilt of his head. "You sound confident."
Lucius's voice cut in quickly. "Mr. Queen, if I could direct you about thirty feet to your left."
A few moments that seemed to stretch to an eternity. "Okay. I'm looking at—and smelling- a bunch of ripe dumpsters," he informed. "Oh god."
"Relax Queen, you aren't going to find her body," Bruce stated flatly. "Chances are that's where they disposed of her dress."
"How could you possibly know that?"
"I managed to slip a tiny tracking device onto the lower back of Chloe's dress just before sending her to the library," Bruce said as he began a weapons check.
"Has there ever been a time when you haven't kept constant tabs on Chloe?" Clark blurted.
"Yes. When you absconded with her," Bruce replied matter-of-factly. Never mind the fact that it was because his last GPS device was still in the bag that he'd thrown to Alfred.
Clark opened his mouth to fling a snarky defense back at him, but quickly closed it. He had no right to lecture anyone at this point. He had foolishly let Chloe get away from him. "So, Lex could be anywhere right now."
"Did you find the dress, Queen?" Bruce asked, ignoring Clark.
"You didn't actually expect me to dive into that dumpster, did you?"
"Yes."
"Oh-oh hell no," Oliver protested. "I'd rather wear the dress than jump into that level 4 biohazard."
Bruce checked and re-checked a grappling gun. "This isn't the time to relive your frat days, Oliver."
"Funny," Oliver grumbled. The sounds of rattling and shuffling could be heard over the intercom. "Aw man, this is disgusting," Oliver groaned. "Hey, you were right. Here it – holy…!"
Bruce only rolled his eyes at what Clark thought sounded like Oliver screaming like a little girl along with a lot of shuffling and banging around as he pictured Oliver scrambling his way out of the dumpster.
"Did you find the dress or not, Queen?"
"Yeah! Yeah, I found it!" he shouted, clearly annoyed. "Along with the biggest – I don't know what the hell it was - but I bet it's the biggest I've ever seen!"
"That doesn't mean that she's still in the city," Clark pointed out.
Bruce sighed, trying to concentrate on the equipment he knew he needed. "If they were going to take her out of the city, they wouldn't have bothered disposing her dress. No, they're trying to sneak her into a place where being dressed in a fairytale ballgown would otherwise look rather conspicuous."
"So where would that be?"
"For what they're planning, somewhere a surgery can be performed."
"The only thing near here is Arkham Asylum," Oliver informed. "Of course," he added with sarcasm. "What better place for no one to give a damn what goes on there."
"Indeed," Lucius agreed.
Clark could see the logic, but he was still baffled. "Why Arkham? Why not an actual medical facility? He could've gone anywhere in the world to do this."
"Why the urgency? Maybe her meteor infection won't allow her to stay under for long. Maybe Lex knows that he's cornered. Maybe his own facilities aren't safe. Or maybe Lex is just a spoiled brat that wants what he wants. I don't know," Bruce replied. "I imagine Lex knows that no one cares what goes on inside a mental institution, so it would be easy to slip enough money into the right hands to suit his own purposes."
"Right," Oliver agreed. "Bizarre experiments on the mentally ill. It's been done before."
Clark felt as sick with anger as Bruce looked.
"You know he'll be expecting us, right," Oliver suggested, his tone grim.
"He won't be expecting me."