The Loyal Opposition, Part 17
Title: The Loyal Opposition
Author: latetothpartyhp
Rating: PG-13
Genre: drama
Spoilers: through Pandora
Pairings: ETA: I envisioned this as mainly a Chlark confrontation, but what emerged in addition to that were some hints of Chlex friendship, mutual Chless manipulation, and some (mostly) off-screen Clana. There's also a Lexana fight for anyone who's interested. And Cless! We have added Cless!
Warnings: some violence & language - ETA: Character deaths in store.
Summary / Author's Note: Chloe's on a mission for the resistance. Could be a Supernatural crossover if you squint real hard.
Check out this amazingly cool new banner by go_clo!
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16
"He didn't mention specifics," she said with a smile. It would still be helpful to appear helpful. "It was all very general. He talked a lot about Lana." Heh. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
"Did he?" Tess asked, looking as unhappy as she sounded.
"At some length," Chloe said. Her smile broadened. It was cruel, really, considering Tess' earlier reaction, but for some reason she couldn't help herself. "You know how desperately he was in love with her."
“Indeed I do.” Tess stood and glanced at the vase again. “It's a difficult fact to ignore.” She walked to where Chloe stood next to the Ark's display table. “And all the more interesting considering that Lana is missing as well.” A hand far stronger than it deserved to be grabbed Chloe's opposite wrist and yanked. The yank pulled her into Tess, who pushed at her out-stretched shoulder, pivoting her in place and then doubling her over the table, tumbling the few figurines that weren't pressing painfully into her belly. Tess' weight seemed to be entirely on her shoulders, although there was an odd, heavy pressure on her tail-bone as well. She gasped against the suddenness of it all, her lungs preparing for the worst.
“Of course, it could all be just a coincidence,“ Tess said. “Naturally I was hoping you might provide some clarification.” The pressure left her tail bone and moved upward to the curve of her lower back. Chloe screamed as Tess' knee ground itself into the raw skin of her tattoo and gasped again as it was lifted. “I'm sorry,” Tess said. “I couldn't quite make that out.” Outrage exploded in her. This bitch, who had no powers of her own, no magic, no authority but what she derived from letting that oaf -
Her next cry was more of a grunt of frustration than of pain. She'd gotten sloppy, lippy. She knew better than that. She'd wonder what had gotten into her, but she already knew. She apparently sucked at calmness and awareness - but who could have guessed a 16th-century psychotic would enjoy the same things she enjoyed, want the same things she wanted? Or maybe they didn't enjoy the same things. Maybe Chloe was enjoying the things Madelyn enjoyed. Maybe it was becoming all Madelyn.
Then she grunted out a laugh. No. Not yet. Not while having her hip bone knock against the corner of the table and her hamstrings screech like an out-of-tune violin while Tess went Gitmo on her back. This particular experience was all her. She dug her nails into the beds of her palms and her teeth into the swell of her lower lip and tried to welcome the pain.
“You're going to have to speak up,” Tess said, and Chloe could feel the shift in her weight that signaled her knee was about to drill in again.
“I don't know,” Chloe gritted through her teeth. “I told you, he didn't mention specif - “ Tess' knee pressed into her spine and she yelled again.
“You were the last person he talked to before he left. Tell me what he said.”
It was becoming a fight to breathe; there was no space to inhale against the table. No extra oxygen with which to be mouthy. “He was worried,” she began, then paused to suck in more air, “she'd been infected by Brainiac. That's the Brain Inter - ”
“I'm familiar with the concept. What else did he say?” Behind her, she could feel remaining tension. Tess was still poised for action.
“He wanted to be sure. He talked about taking her to Jor-El. For testing.”
“You're lying,” Tess said. “The Fortress is the last place he would take Lana.”
“Jor-El's the only one,” she panted. “Who'd know. For sure. Doesn't want. To kill her.”
To her surprise, she felt the weight on her shoulders lifted as Tess stepped back. She scrambled off the table, scattering wooden animals as she heaved her stretched and throbbing back upright. “Alera,” Tess said. The door opened and Alera stepped in. “Go,” Tess told her. “Maintain your distance. Remember what happened to Av-Lor.”
“I do,” Alera said, and was gone. Chloe shivered in the gust her leaving created and wondered what had happened to Av-Lor.
“Is there anything else you'd like to share with the class?”
Chloe turned her whole stiff body around to face Tess. “Not really. He was worried about Lana. Other people have hobbies, he has that.” It was not, perhaps, what Tess wanted to hear, but it was what Chloe wanted to say. Tess was supposed to want to believe her.
“I'll buy that,” Tess said. “I'll be keeping my receipt, though. If Alera comes back and says they're not there I'm afraid I'll have to return that item.”
Oh, Kal-El, you stupid son of an ice palace. Would it have killed you to leave a damn note? “I told you, he didn't come out and say when he planned to take her there, just that he was considering it.”
Tess quirked a brow and walked to the far wall, where her desk and her driftwood and all her other little maritime knick-knacks sat. “Well, if you do happen to remember anything else about that conversation, now would be the time to mention it.”
Fortunately, no further “reminisces” were required, as Alera, with another gust, re-entered the room.
“He is there,” she said. “The captive is with him. They both look well, although the captive did appear to be under examination.”
“I don't suppose you heard anything they said?” Tess asked.
If Alera's face didn't seem entirely incapable of expression Chloe would have sworn she looked offended. “No words were spoken in the time that I was there.”
“No, our luck couldn't possibly be that good,” said Tess. “Return and monitor. Take a headset but run silent unless there's an emergency.”
Alera nodded and disappeared again, leaving Chloe to shiver and Tess to frown. After a few seconds Tess opened a drawer and took out a small metal case. “So it appears that you were right after all,” she said, opening the case. From it she pulled a small, dull gray box. A lead box, Chloe thought, and felt suddenly aware of the hairs on the back of her neck.
It was the Glock Tess pulled out next that caught her breath and tensed all her muscles for action.
“That is … quite illuminating,” Tess continued, releasing the cartridge. “I'll admit, I was skeptical.” She checked the sight, then the cartridge. “But I think now this just illustrates the importance of keeping an open mind.” Reloading, she clicked the safety off, and aimed the gun straight at Chloe. “Wouldn't you agree?”