The Loyal Opposition, Part 20
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.
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Author's note for Part 20: More violence ahead.
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 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19
The light of transport receded from the Fortress, leaving behind the only the weak illumination of the crystals that composed it. Looking over her shoulder, Chloe could see the rusty light of the sun reflecting off the snow like an endless wound. That would change. She would make it change. However unbelievably, she had managed to get herself hauled up to the Fortress; she might never have this chance again. She threw back her shoulders and turned back around to see the barrel of Tess' gun once again pointed at her.
“Where's Lana?”
Chloe glanced around. The answer was: obviously not with them. “I don't know.”
“She was in the transport chamber with us.”
Chloe nodded. “She was. Maybe she wasn't close enough to the altar.”
“She was just to the left of me.”
“Maybe Jor-El didn't want her back.”
“Don't get cute. Lana still her her powers, doesn't she?”
Chloe thought about it. It was possible, however unlikely, that Lex had found a way to remove the Kryptonite from Lana's system. However, if he had, and Lana had been brought to the Fortress, it seemed even more unlikely that both the Fortress and Lana would still be standing. And really, Chloe thought, of all people, Tess should have been able to figure that out on her own; that she was wasting time not figuring it out made Chloe want to grab the gun and pistol-whip her with it. “Is this really what you want to be worrying about right now? Daddy Es Machina could decide to turn down the heat and freeze us both solid any second now.”
Tess gave her a look that was this close to sticking out her tongue, but she lowered the gun. “Not you,” she said. “He likes you. So go use your mojo to convince him his son's life needs to be saved.”
Chloe glanced down at the pale Kal-El and quickly glanced up again. So Tess thought Jor-El liked her. Was that why she had pulled her along for the ride? Because she wanted someone to run interference with Jor-El? If so, why not Kal … Oh. She was, Chloe realized, a Plan B. Plan A lay bleeding out on the snow for the sin of potentially getting it on with Lana.
“Did a miracle suddenly deprive you of the power of speech?” asked Tess, interrupting her train of thought.
“Uh, no. Jor-El?” she called, staring over at the console. Maybe she could convince Tess she needed to use them to communicate. Of course, she had no idea what any of those things did. The only one that had been used in her presence was the one that activated the portal to the Phantom Zone. The one that Tess had destroyed. Still, one of them had to control the signal.
“Jor-El?” she repeated, walking over and tugging at one of the crystals. It didn't budge. “Jor-El! This is Chloe Sullivan. I am here with Tess Mercer and we need your help! Kal-El has been shot, he needs you to heal him!” She tried another. It slid out, but nothing happened. Or maybe something had. In Malaysia. She put it back. “Please! Answer me!”
The hall remained quiet.
“Jor-El,” Tess called. “I've checked, and at least two of the bullets are still lodged in your son's body. If they aren't removed he will develop sepsis and die.”
At this, the sonorous voice of the AI rang out. “Tess Mercer. Why do you bring a weapon to this place?”
“I brought it because I am sworn to protect the House of El.”
“From whom does my son need protection here?”
Tess rolled her eyes. “It was on me when I got here. I need it with me always because his enemies are ruthless, and under the red sun Kal-El is weak and vulnerable. Believe me, if I had my way it wouldn't be necessary. You have the power not only to heal him but to prevent this from ever happening again? Why don't you use it?”
Chloe's hand tightened around the crystal she was tugging. Every hair on the back of her neck was standing at attention. What was Tess saying? Heart pounding in her throat, she yelled: “PLEASE!” in support, hoping to God that Tess meant what she thought Tess meant.
For a moment there was only silence. Then came a hum, and a cone of light descended on Tess. She stared up into it, defiantly calm. A different tone sounded and another cone descended on Kal-El. Chloe looked up, expecting another to descend on her, but the AI was apparently too focused on the others to bother with her. Fortune favors the foolish, she thought, and began grabbing crystals, pulling and replacing them randomly without any noticeable effect. Behind her she could hear Clark wheezing and gasping. Why doesn't it do something about that? Grab, replace. Grab, replace. Did it think we were joking? Grab, replace. Nothing, nothing, nothing, and it wouldn't keep ignoring her forever.
“My son was wounded by the weapon in your hand, Tess Mercer.”
“The woman he was with, Lana Lang - “
“Did not harm him. I have scanned and recorded your memories. You are as traitorous as you were foolish to attempt to deceive me.”
As the voice spoke Tess' hand opened and the gun fell from it. As it dropped she rose, her head thrown back, her eyes narrowed. Once, twice, she was pivoted within the circle of light that surrounded her.
Then she began to scream.