Eternal Wrath: Betrayal (7/15)
Title: Eternal Wrath: Betrayal
Author: Märk Owen
Pairing: Chloe/Oliver (endgame), Chloe/Davis, Oliver/Tess, Clark/Lois
Rating: R for violence and language (Chapter rating: PG-13)
Warnings: None
Timeline: Season 7 (Arctic and beyond)
Disclaimer: Any Smallville or DC Comics related things in this story are the property of their own owners. The only thing that belongs to me here is the storyline, nothing else is mine.
Series summary: A Green Arrow/Watchtower spin-off. Chloe and Oliver have to face several serious threats, Will this trials strengthen their bond or tear them apart?
Story summary: When Oliver Queen is betrayed in the worst way, Lex Luthor's threat rises, an alien beast lashes out in a killing spree that may result in horrific consequences and, in the middle of it all, stands love in the form of a petite blonde.Previous chapters: Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
Chapter 7: The Darkness Hides In The Light...
'It's a shame that Lex couldn't be here to see this. The elusive band of terrorists finally in captivity.' - Regan Matthews, Season 8, Episode 1: "Odyssey"
Recap: After Lex finds out about Clark in the Fortress of Solitude, the first is seriously injured while the latter is powerless. The JLA arrives from a mission in Iran to save Clark from Russia and get Chloe out of Black Creek (in which she was imprisoned by Lex's people). In the meantime Davis Bloome arrives in Metropolis, Tess becomes the head of Luthorcorp and Lex hides in the shadows, plotting his revenge when he discovers the Green Arrow's real identity. Despite Chloe hiding her Brainiac infection from everyone and Oliver dealing with the consequences of a dark secret coming back at him, the two grow closer until Chloe demands for the JLA to go back to Iran to finish their mission.
Back in Iran, AC gets hurt and the JLA learns of the existence of Martin Keamy, a mercenary hired by Lex Luthor to create chaos in Middle East in order to draw the League out of his own affairs.
Three months later, Regan Matthews makes it clear Lex knows all about the JLA and invites them to a fundraiser. Chloe learns from Lois the existence of a murderous beast. While Lex undergoes major surgery, Regan takes charge and puts a bounty on Tess's head.
November 3rd 2008. 08:56 PM UTC-6. Main Street, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.
A shiver went down Tess's spineand she didn't know if it was a consequence of the Midwest chill or the odd sensation that she was being watched. She tightened the coat around herself anyway and walked faster to get to her car, the sound of her heels hitting the pavement being the only thing disturbing the otherwise largely empty street.
She'd just left the Daily Planet after a very long day spent between managing the newspaper, keeping in touch with her substitutes at Luthorcorp Plazza and, more importantly, trying to get in contact Lex. The man was alive, she was certain of that and if her suspicion wasn't enough, tailing Regan Matthews' car had given her confirmation of that.
Even if Matthews managed to escape her agents every time, there could only be one reason for him to rely half of his work on his assistants and keep disappearing at the oddest hours of the night. That reason was Lex.
Tess was only a few steps away from her car when the tallest man she'd ever seen blocked her path, a friendly smile on his face that caught her off-guard as she looked up at him warily.
"Excuse me, you're Miss Mercer, right?" the man asked politely, keeping a reasonable distance between them.
"Y... That would be me, yes." she replied calmly even though her eyes kept discreetly analyzing the place for anybody else. It was already darkand no one else crossed her sight, she figured people would rather stay at home than go out when it was this cold outside. Unfortunatelyit turned things to her disadvantage.
Despite her suspicions and outwardly controlled attitude, the man's act had made her fail to hear the generic looking van driving rapidly in their direction.
"Well, I'm happy to finally meet you," he extended his hand, his smile only growing but she noticed the smirk he couldn't quite manage to hide. "I think we have a lot of talking to do, Tess. You don't mind if I call you Tess, do you?"
The sound of the van's lateral door sliding openand tires screeching reached her ears. She jumped and turned around quickly. There were at least five other men in that van, holy shit she'd been played!
She began to runbut her assailant was too quick, he'd already grabbed her, a cloth smelling like chloroform finding its way to her face, muffling her screams.
As her mind began to fall asleep under the drug's influence she heard the man behind her whispering to her.
"Shhh." he murmured calmly. "You're in good hands Tess."
Even in her situation she didn't miss the hint of sarcasm in his tone and her last thought was that she was in anything but good hands. She was dead.
Tess groaned, feeling lightheaded for a moment before a wave of nausea hit her and she wanted nothing more than to puke for a short instant until it eventually passed. Several harsh breaths later Tess opened her eyes slowly. The blur clouding her vision until she blinked it away and realized she was tied up to a chair.
"She coming to, boss!" A male voice called from her right, startling her. "Oh sorry sweetheart I didn't mean to scare you." she spotted the man leaning on the wall, he was mocking her.
"What do you want?" she croaked, her heart pounding so fast she felt it beat in her ears.
"Oh, that's a loaded question!"
"Omar!" a familiar voice chastised. Tess looked up to see the face of her kidnapper. "Please excuse my colleague, he's just in need of a woman's touch!"
"Shut up!" Omar growled.
The other man chuckled. "Come on the least you could do for her is to make her enjoy her last moments."
"Give us a room then." Omar smirked, making his peers snicker.
"I was talking about her enjoying it so that leaves you out of question." His chief joked, renewing the laughter of the other men in the room.
Irritation swept over her fear, her jaw clenched. "I'm still in the same room so unless you have a counter-order you should shoot me now and get it over with already." she spoke all the while maintaining strong-eye contact with the man before her. "That is the least you could do!"
There was a whistle in the room. "A woman who's not afraid to speak her mind, I'm impressed." The leader applauded. "Usually the people sat in this chair are already crying for pity, bawling their eyes out in hope to give us a little tear when we finally pull the trigger. It never worked."
Tess just shook her head in disgust and swallowed her fear back.
"But please," he continued. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Martin Keamy, I'm a mercenary, nothing of this is personal, it's just business, yadda yadda..." he used his hands for emphasis before taking a chair and setting it down close to her, sitting on it. "You know the music."
"What do you want?" she repeated.
"Hm let's see," Keamy began. "I'm working for a man who apparently doesn't like you very much given the price he's willing to pay for your death." he confirmed her worst fears before standing up and walking away, looking for something. "And you know, as much as it pains me to have to kill a sweet thing like you, it's just the job and I always finish my job."
He stopped in front of a table, his hand finding a gun, the other grabbing a silencer. He walked back towards her while screwing the silencer at the end of the gun's barrel and sighed. "As much as I'm going to sound cliché once again, it's just business." With that, he pressed the gun to her temple.
Tess let out a shaky breath and turned her head so she could look at Keamy in the eye. A dreadful questions on her lips that made her heart almost leap out of her chest, she could barely bring herself to ask it. "Please tell me you're not working for Lex Luthor, please!" she pleaded, tears swarming in her eyes. She couldn't take it if she was right.
Keamy smirked. "Now she's crying." His five men cackled at her predicament but their leader took his time to examine her face. "But you're not crying because you're afraid, which you are by the way," he spoke quietly. "No, you just can't accept that the man you'd give your life for would a hire a guy like me to kill you, am I right?"
It felt like a cold iron hand was squeezing her heart. "I gave him everything..." she rasped, unable to stop the tears flowing from her eyes. "I did everything I could to find him but he didn't want to be found, he never trusted me!"
This time, the redhead's breakdown brought silence upon the group. Keamy didn't react, he just cocked the gun and said rather disinterestedly: "Whenever you're ready!"
"Go ahead, shoot me!" she yelled, wishing he'd put her out of her misery already without trying to get a good laugh out of it. "Please..."
November 3rd 2008. 09:00 PM UTC-6. Queen Tower, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.
Oliver walked back into the conference room in his penthouse where Chloe had just finished setting up her equipment and was already busy connecting Dinah, AC and Victor into their secure server.
She looked up at him from her screen, a smile on her face. "Hey, where's Bart?" she asked. Oliver had been helping her with the stuff when Bart had buzzed at the door and he leftto let him in.
Oliver smiled back. "You know where his priorities lies... he stopped by the fridge first."
The petite blonde snorted. "Why am I even surprised?"
"What's not surprising?" a third voice asked. Chloe and Oliver looked back towards the large TV screen on the other side of the room. "Hi guys." Victor greeted.
Before they could answers, two other heads popped onto the screen. "Hello everyone." Dinah spoke.
"Well I guess everyone's here now." Chloe smiled again. "And for the record we were talking about Bart."
"Yeah or Bart's stomach to be precise." Oliver joked.
"Let me guess, he's diving into your refrigerator right as we speak, right?" AC chimed in.
"Good guess," Oliver confirmed.
The other man smirked. "I know, I'm always right."
Chloe rolled her eyes as she heard Victor snort. "Dude, that's hardly a guess! The kid's always eating something."
Before AC could shoot back anything else, Chloe cut them off. "Can we talk about what matters here? Like why we called you in?" she almost pleaded.
"And when we're done you'll have all the time you need for your first grade level chitchat, boys." Dinah backed her up.
Chloe sent her a grateful smile and was about to talk again when, as if on cue, Bart sped through the door, stopping at Chloe's side with an arm draped around her shoulders. "Hey gorgeous, s'been a while!" he talked, his mouth full of food before looking around and spotting everyone else. "Hey guys, talking about me again I take it? I know I'm that good but still..."
"We were discussing your mad love for food, you're damn worse than a hormonal tween." Victor teased.
The younger man put on his best innocent look. "Wut? Haven't been eatin' I swear!" He rose his right hand in the same gesture.
"How can you even lie with so much food half way down your throat right now?" AC asked incredulously.
"Better question, how can you even talk with so much food in your mouth, right now?" Victor rectified.
Oliver could see from the corner of the eye that Chloe had crossed her arms over her chest and was glaring at the three men. He did his best to kill his grin and stepped in. "Alright people," he called loudly over the sound of the guys' bickering. "Save it for later, now's the time to get down to business, less talking more working." The three 'kids' were finally silent and listening to him, Oliver turned to Chloe. "Sidekick, you're on."
She shook her head for a moment before switching to what Oliver liked to call her 'Watchtower mode', explaining the situation. They spent the next three hours discussing the various subjects at hand. The decreasing crime rates all over the countries and a nation-wide weapon traffic sloppily dismantled by the FBI in Washington DC causing at least five thousand firearms illegally flowing into the streets which could bring up that same crime rate again.
These subjects, however were briefly skimmed over when the word firearm turned into hired guns and hit-men which led to questions about the Keamy situation. Chloe explained her difficulties in finding him but proved his link to Lex and that brought Regan Matthews into the conversation. Oliver's invitation to the latter's gala being a not-so-subtle hint that Lex knew all their identities.
Of course, Bart, Victor and AC's alter-ego were always known to the Luthor heir, it was Dinah and Oliver it concerned the most there. Though everyone was taking it seriously since Lex also knew about Clark and Chloe, which, by extension compromised the entire Justice League.
An hour later, the problem of the frequent gruesome killings all over Metropolis was broached. The team talked at length about it and came to the conclusion that the case was serious enough it needed the entire JLA in the area.
No man or animal is able to do that. It has to be alien. Chloe had announced, soon, Victor agreed and the rest of them knewthat if the smartest member of the team agreed with the most rational one then there could be no discussion, they were right.
"So it's settled then? Everyone to Kansas, ASAP?" Bart asked somewhat warily, he sensed the seriousness in the room and immediately realized that case was going to be unlike everything they'd encountered yet.
"I wouldn't say that, you have time to get a plane ticket rather than take the Bart Express." Oliver reasoned. "Right now our priority is Lex and that begins Friday with Matthews' charity event which Chloe and I are attending."
"Remind me again why I'm not the one who's got to have Mamacita on his arm all night?" Bart grumbled, making the blond man roll his eyes.
"Because you ruined the last tuxedo I gave you with some kind of sauce and I don't even want to know what it was." Oliver retorted, making their friends snicker at their cadet.
"Dude, it was Bourguignonne sauce, awesome shit you should try it! And it wasn't my fault, it was that guy who bumped into me, not the other way!"
Chloe raised an eyebrow at that. "Don't you mean he bumped into you because you were about to use your super-speed and remembered at the last moment that you were in a public place?"
"Duh, no comment." the speedster flushed guiltily before zooming away, probably back in Oliver's kitchen once again.
"Ah that kid..." AC chuckled. "I'll see you guys next week then?"
"Sure." Chloe confirmed.
"Alright, see you then."
AC logged out before Dinah and Victor bid their goodbyes. Dinah had just disconnected and Victor was about to when Chloe heard the sound of plates breaking in the kitchen, rolled her eyes and left to see what damage Bart had done. Oliver took it as his cue and stopped Victor from leaving at the last moment.
"Looks like someone needs my help with something, right Ollie?" the cyborg teased his friend.
"Yeah, well..." Oliver looked back to make sure Chloe was gone before turning towards his friends. "Can you make a background check for me?" he asked, his voice lower so no one else could hear.
Victor's surprise was quickly replaced when his business attitude took over once more. "Sure boss, who do you want me to scan? Is it tied with the murders?"
Oliver pursed his lips and looked sheepish for a moment. "Uh... not so much actually..." he looked back in the door's direction.
Realization dawned on Victor's face. "I get it." he chuckled. "Is Chloe dating a new guy?"
The other man's eyes widened. "What? No! Not that I know of at least..." There was a slight pang in his chest at the thought of Chloe dating anyone but he quickly brushed itaside. "It's that guy actually, he looked odd and he was too close to Chloe."
Humor died in Victor's eyes. "I see, a new stalker, right?"
Oliver's hand flew to the back his neck. "I don't know, maybe. His name is Davis Bloome..."
Writing the name down, Victor asked. "What did he do?"
"He was making her laugh." the billionaire mumbled, feeling stupid all of a sudden.
The other man's head jerked up at that. "I'm sorry, did you just say you want me to scan a guy who made Chloe laugh?" This time he didn't try to hide his amusement, the situation was too entertaining for that. "You know you sound like a jealous boyfriend when you say that, right?"
Oliver narrowed his eyes at him, wondering if maybe, just maybe, he hadn't been too hard on this Davis guy. "Don't read anything that isn't there, Vic. Nothing's going on, I'm just looking out for a friend."
"Right!" He sounded anything but convinced. "You're the boss after all. Oh by the way, last time Dinah was in town I saw her flirting with a guy, should I check him too? You know maybe slip into his place and scare him a little..."
Victor laughed freely at the look on his friend's face. "I'm teasing, Ollie!" Though it confirmed, his suspicions. "You know what? When you finally see the light I reserve the right to tell you 'I told you so'!"
"Are you going to do that background check, or not?" Oliver grumbled. Nothing's going on, Chloe's a friend. A smart, witty, beautiful friend... No, just a friend!
"You're never too careful." Vic agreed, an amused grin on his face. "Matthews is hosting the event in a hotel right? I'm sure you and Chloe will have fun once you reach the bedroom floors."
Oliver huffed, causing his teammate to laugh harder. "Goodbye Ollie!" with that he signed out.
The other man just sighed deeply before leaving the room, his irritation soon forgotten when another plate breaking could be heard, he winced.
"BART!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't see it, I swear!"
Oliver jogged to see Chloe chasing after a frightened looking Bart around the kitchen's island. A genuine laugh left his throat at the spectacle and the thought that he could get used to this. His eyes falling on Chloe, he realized he might actually already be used to it.
November 3rd 2008. 09:21 PM UTC-6. Undisclosed location, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.
"Go ahead, shoot me! Please..."
She heard the gun being cocked, felt the metal pressing into her temple and waited for the shot. Her heart was out of control, pounding away through her fear. This was it, this was the end for her. Betrayed by the man she had been the most faithful to, how cruel had life been to her?
Lex Luthor was just like Oliver Queen. They made her believe in them before they'd dropped her out at the last moment without even one backward glance, one afterthought.
Her breathing was uneven as her body writhed. Despite the terror plaguing her mind, there was a small voice that told her the situation had been dragging for too long. Keamy should have shot her already.
The room was silent and tense, no one moved, no one said anything but they all knew that Keamy had all the cards in hands, he had power.
A cellphone ringing made Tess jump in surprise.
At first, Keamy didn't move, he remained standing there as if he hadn't heard the tune. On the second ring, Tess felt the gun being pulled away from her head.
"Yes?" he grunted into the phone.
She didn't dare looking up or even opening her eyes but she heard him listento a voice before he replied. His next words, however surprised her the most.
"The job is done, she's dead." Tess heard Keamy shift sideways and she knew he was looking at her. Glancing up, she got confirmation. They locked eyes as he spoke his next words to who she assumed was Lex. "Tess Mercer is dead."
Her jaw dropped a little and she stared at him, stunned. Keamysaid nothing more but there was a smirk on his face as he hung up. With that, he walked through the door, followed by his lieutenants. Tess could only look after them as the click of the door echoed through her room, leaving her alone with her own conclusions to make.
Martin Keamy had just saved her from Lex Luthor.
November 5th 2008. 08:34 PM UTC-6. Minst Hotel, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.
"Cyborg here, Regan's here alone apparently, he's greeting the guests you should see him in twenty seconds."
"Here goes nothing." Chloe said as she smiled up at Oliver, their arms intertwined as they walked up the Minst Hotel's stairs, slowly approaching the giant entrance in which their host was saluting every guest one by one.
"Right as always Sidekick," Oliver winked at her before his attention was caught by their target.
"Oliver Queen, what a surprise!" The man's friendly tone fooled no one as he walked up to the blond couple, one of the worst fake smiles Oliver had seen on the man's face. "I actually didn't expect you to show up tonight, since when is the Queen heir interested in helping Metropolis' Fire Department?"
The jab was clear and easy but Chloe couldn't help the anger swelling in her best to keep it hidden behind a polite smile, she looked up at her companion, he looked completely unaffected. The product of years of experienced, she deduced.
"I'll admit it wasn't on the top of my list," Oliver answered smoothly. "I figured they didn't need me as long as Luthorcorp kept donating so much to them over the years, I believe this is pretty handy when one of your facilities get occasionally burned down and no one has to know, right?"
Regan's grin slipped for a second and Chloe had to bite her lip while Oliver held that proud and satisfied smirk shining. "Where are your friends Oliver?" Regan quickly changed the subject of conversation. "I see you brought Miss Sullivan with you, always a pleasure and you look quite lovely tonight. I'm sad only the two of you could come."
"Thank you," Chloe's voice was soft but her eyes told another story. The man's boldness was beginning to irritate her, especially since he didn't care about locking her up in an isolated cell forever the last time they met. "And we decided not to disturb our friend's vacation, after all the human work they've been doing, they deserve to rest."
"I understand." he didn't. He bent forward slightly as if to tell them a secret. "We'll have to do with the two of you then." This time he didn't even try to hide the true meaning of his words.
"You heard that?" It was Bart's voice.
"Yeah, I got it on record." Victor replied. "At least we know what he's up to tonight, we'll keep a close eye on you Tower and Arrow."
Oliver nodded discreetly, acknowledging his teammates' words. "Sorry to wreck your plans." he whispered back, the conversation taking a decisively cynical tone.
Regan grinned wickedly. "I'll see you both later."
"Of course," Oliver said to his retreating form. "Asshole." he murmured.
"Well that was actually very pleasant." Chloe drew his attention back on her with her teasing. "What shall we do now, Mr Queen?"
He grinned and bent down, his mouth dangerously close to her ear. "Let's meet with a few spoiled, shallow and hypocritical business men, you think you can handle that?"
His warm breath on her cheek made hers hitch, she felt her face blush despite herself. "As long as you're by my side." she breathed.
Their gazes met for a moment during which Chloe completely forgot the other people around them. She saw Oliver's look fall on her mouth and then back up to her eyes, he smiled. "You're beautiful, Chloe."
The words made her eyes widen and her mouth part in surprise. "Thank you," this time her answer was sincere, touched even. "You don't have to do that, you know." she looked down to avoid his intense gaze.
Why was her heart ready to burst? And why did he make her feel so light and nervous at the same time?
She didn't bet he would gently force her to look up, his hand under her chin. "I mean it." his tone was firm yet soft, he sounded so right. "And I'm not just talking about tonight."
Chloe would deny it, of course because she didn't see the way she'd caught the eye of every man passing them, she was blind to it. And they were just at the entrance. The dress she was wearing was of course, enhanced her looks but Oliver knew better. The turquoise material fitting her body to perfection, her curves put in elegant display and the faintest touchof make-up on her face. It was her, she hadn't improved her beauty for the night, she'd just decided to stop hiding it.
"You don't look so bad yourself," she breathed softly.
Given, Chloe refused to admit it, even to herself but the way she felt around him was different tonight. As if they'd stopped pretending and let themselves meet into uncertain territory. On the surface nothing had changed of course, Oliver looked every bit as handsome as she was used to everyday. Though, she would at least say that his black and white tuxedo fit him like a glove. His broad shoulders were sharpened, his neck elongated by the jacket while the deep green handkerchief in his breast pocket made her smile. No he didn't look bad at all in her eyes.
"Dude, what the hell is going on?" A voice whined in their ears, making them snap back into the real world. "Since when are they sexing each other up?!"
"Impulse!... Wrong channel..." Victor sounded defeated.
"Nothing's going on!" Chloe jumped back a little from Oliver, her eyes wide. She hadn't realized she'd spoken out loud.
Her partner was quick to react to cover it up. "Of course nothing's going on, Chloe we aren't even inside yet." he reached for her waist again while he tried to control his own heartbeat. "Come on, let's meet some of my business associates."
Hotel Minst was part of the upped neighborhood of Metropolis, it was just as splendid inside as outside. The white hand crafted walls, the endless-looking ball room and the high-ceiling made Chloe's head spin. No surprise over two hundred people could be all in there.
In the general noise her ears would often recognize the sound of a forced laugh, her eyes catch the sight of insincere smiles and even condescending faces. Despite herself, she tensed. She was used to dealing with dangerous criminals, find her way out of a life and death situation and hold together a team of heroes and yet, she'd rather go face to face against death than one of these hypocritical so-called tycoons.
The brush of fingers against her arms reminded her to relax, that it was just for one night and then she could go back to her usual occupations. She smiled at Oliver, thankful for his support. "Don't worry, I'll point you to the right direction." he slipped in her ear.
Turning her head towards his face, she raised her eyebrows. "The right direction?"
"Yes," he said simply, as if the answer was obvious. "There are four types of people in this room: the rich snob who's there just to enjoy having a group of people following him around, the young up and coming businessman who only wants to expand his social network and doesn't give a shit about the reason of the event he's at, then there's the old washed up type here to enjoy the food and the company because it takes them out of their boring little life and finally the best and rarest type, the genuine sometimes idealist philanthropist who truly wants to help. See? these things aren't so hard when you look at them that way!"
Chloe laughed both at the way he mocked these people and the truth of his statement. "You do really have it all figured it out, do you?" she shook her head.
He gave her a goofy grin. "I've been doing this for the past twenty years or so, haven't I?" Out of the corner of the eye, he noticed an old couple surrounded by groupies waving arms at him. He put his hands on her shoulder and turned her around so she faced the crowd and he was behind her. "And now the lesson begins. Look straight ahead, you see the old grumpy couple having more gold teeth than a drug dealer?"
"Yes."
"That's the McCormicks, they fall into the first category and we're going to say hi to them, ready?" When she hummed her acquiescent, he kissed her cheek and put his hand on the small of her back, leading her with him forward.
An hour or so later, Oliver would have led Chloe to meet the entire room. They'd spoken with every type of people the tall billionaire liked to make fun of and yet, no philanthropist in sight. Chloe had then understood that she'd been with one the entire night. Oliver wouldn't dare thinking that way about himself but she knew the truth: he was the best man she knew in this room. Both hero and generous benefactor, how many men like him did the world have? Not nearly enough, she'd say.
Of course, like all great men, Oliver Queen was prey to heavy criticism, sometimes it was downright insulting. Being a reformed playboy turned half tight-wearing vigilante, half leftist magnate, it was due to happen every now and then and she knew he was usedto that. Chloe could only imagine how hard it had been on him in the beginning when his parent's sudden death left him alone to fend for himself.
"I have you in my arms, we're dancing and yet you look like you're miles away, should I be worried?"
His mock-wounded voice made her roll her eyes. "Your ego will be your downfall someday, you know that?" she teased him.
"Not if you're here with me to keep it down."
This time her smile died and she swallowed hard, the pace of her heart picking up. His words could have easily been assimilated to their usual banter but the way he said it, the way he was looking at her right now told her an entirely different story. This was it, she realized, the moment they both knew would happen when he had picked her up to attend this gala.
She gasped softly, unable to look away from his drawing gaze. "Do you mean-"
"Sorry to burst your bubble lovebirds but we have more pressing issues." Victor's business tone cut in. The two blondes blinked back to reality. "I've monitored Regan's movement since the start of the event and he seems to be hiding something in this hotel."
Oliver cleared his throat. "Where exactly?" he mumbled.
"Thirtieth floor, the only un-numbered door at the end of the aisle, I believe this is a boardroom." their friend announced. "But there's a problem. There are no cameras at all in this room and the windows are tinted."
"Meaningyou're blind but it can also be worse if you're rendered deaf." Chloe theorized, looking up at Oliver. "Remember the scramblers at Black Creek."
"If we go in there, that'll be asking for trouble." The other blond understood. "Regan wants us, he said it. I think this is a trap."
"I think so too but we might get valuable information in that room, we don't know if Regan's as stupid as Lex." The cyborg argued. "Oh wait there's more! I just found a footage showing Regan carrying a blue triangular piece inside, is that what I think it is?"
Chloe's eyes widened. "The crystal of knowledge?"
"Seems so."
"We have to get it." She stated firmly.
"Boy Scout should know."
"Oliver you know we can't disturb him right now, he may be on some lead on the Beast case." Chloe denied.
"I can have Impulse on stand-by close to the windows, he can eavesdrop if you manage to open one of them up discreetly."
"Yeah, you do that." Chloe said.
"Okay and remember we've got your backs guys. Cyborg out."
Oliver looked into the eyes of the woman in his arms. "Let's go ask for trouble."
"Lead the way."
The ascension to the 30th floor of the prestigious Minst Hotel was spent productively by the two heroes. Chloe and Oliver mapped their next moves in their minds, checked the equipment they hid under their fancy clothes and reminded themselves - uselessly, they would later say - of basic safety rules.
"Once we're inside you take out any welcome committee in there," Chloe countered, hoping they wouldn't fall head to head against fifty henchmen or worse. "I take care of the windows then we look for intel. You packed the tranqs?"
Oliver had a small tranquilizer gun on himself. He didn't like it but they all agreed thathe couldn't bring his usual weapons tonight, there was no need to give Lex or Regan anymore proof of Oliver's alter ego.
He reached for the weapon and Chloe nodded. "Victor watched the footage of the last 48 hours, there's been no movement other than Regan himself entering and leaving the room but we'll have to make it quick." Oliver exposed.
"No reason to stall there." Chloe agreed.
"You're a fast learner Sidekick!" he teased her.
She shook her head and decided to play along with him. "You're a good mentor, Arrow." she grinned.
His smirk slipped and he avoided her eyes for a 's eyebrows furrowed at his behavior but shrugged after a second, they were both under heavy stress at the moment.
The elevator pinged, the doors slid open and they rushed out. Thecorridor was empty, quiet. They moved stealthily towards their goal. "Let's not forget the crystal." Chloe reminded her partner as she put a hand on the door's knob.
"Chloe." Oliver whispered, putting his hand on hers to stop her. She looked surprised, they locked gazes.
This would later be the first moment they realized they could share silent conversations. Oliver's eyes were intense on hers and she didn't have to hear his voiceto know what he was telling her. They shared the same thought.
Be careful... I don't want anything happening to you.
After a moment, reality set back in and they weren't Oliver and Chloe anymore. They were Arrow and Watchtower undercover, retrieving an alien crystal belonging to a friend and as much information as possible on Regan's doings.
The large conference room was dark, only lit by the faint moonlight. They both could see there was no one waiting inside though, their guts immediately told them it was a trap but they moved along withit. The risks were necessary because the outcome could be worth it and their enemy didn't know anything yet.
Oliver made a quick tour of the room while Chloe rushed to the windows and cursed. "It's sealed!" she whispered to him. Her attention was however, quickly drawn to the humming sound of computer's fans.
Finding the source of the noise, she woke up the monitor by a movement of the mouse. A second later, she gasped at the pictures shining in the darkness. "Oliver!"
He clearly heard the urgency in her tone and jogged back to her before stopping dead in his tracks besides her, his eyes widened. "What the hell is that?"
"It's Lex!"
Indeed, on the computer's monitor was playing a video feed of a bald man's surgery in what seemed like a confined space underground. A surgeon or aid's arm came into view, removing gently the bandages covering the left side of the man's face, letting a fresh yet still scarred skin come into light. It was definitely Lex Luthor's face. He opened his eyes and stared straight into the camera as his body was moved towards a tank filled with liquid.
The surgeons, now clothed of hazmat suits, deposed him inside it. Lex, being now completely drowned into the tank still watched the same spot, the roof where the camera was attached. He smirked, as if knowing they were watching.
A moment later, Chloe and Oliver could only watch as the tank was set aflame, the liquid spreading the fire. Lex screamed, trashed around and passed out. Then, the feed was cut.
"You finally decided to get in there!" A voice sounded behind them. "I was getting impatient."
They turned around, meeting with Regan and six other men Chloe and Oliver recognized as Martin Keamy and his crew. That, wasn't part of the plan.
"What do you want Regan?" Oliver demanded, suspiciously eyeing Keamy who didn't seem too pleased to be here.
Regan raised his eyebrows innocently. "What do I want?" he asked. "What about you? What are you doing here?"
"We're getting something back that doesn't belong to you!" Chloe intervened.
Keamy raised an eyebrow, his interest picked as Regan spoke up again. "Oh, you mean this? Miss Sullivan?" He grabbed a shining deep blue triangular piece: The crystal of knowledge. "You know I wasn't really expecting any of you to come tonight, I thought I was being too obvious but you two still came. I'm amazed!" he bragged. "How did you think this night was going to end?"
Oliver grunted and took a daring step forward. "Give the crystal back and get the hell out, Regan. You don't know what you're doing!" he said, his voice hard.
"Excuse me? I don't know what I'm doing?"
"No you don't." the billionaire continued as Chloe kept looking at the mercenaries. Keamy seemed more and more interested in the conversation and she feared he might attempt something. "You have no fuckingidea what's going on around you but you still try to playalong." Oliver pushed on with his harsh words. "Do you really think you can kidnap us so easily? Even if you manage to do that, how will Lex react? I know him he wants to do everything by himself. He would never let one of his monkeys capture us, he wants that glory for him and him alone."
Regan's eyes filled with fury. He pulled a gun from his belt. "If I hear one more word coming out of your mouth, you're dead Queen!"
Chloe gasped quietly, her eyes immediately falling on the hidden tranquilizing gun under Oliver's jacket. However, the latter was quicker than her. "You want to shoot me? Do it!" he challenged, raising his hands up. "Shoot and tell Lex how you killed me, another reason you'll give him to break your neck!"
Time was suspended, no one moved as Regan seemed to ponder his next move and think over Oliver's words. It gave the latter more time than he needed to draw his own pistol, instantly aiming it at his head. Chloe's eyes widened, this wasn't the tranquilizer gun.
"Oliver!" she whispered. Don't do anything stupid!
The only indication that he heard her was the faintest nod of his head, reassuring her on his plans. Nevertheless, she didn't count on Regan overhearing her, he smirked.
"I might not be able to kill you right now but I think I just found an alternative."
As soon as Regan's eyes set on Chloe again, Oliver understood. "Chloe!"
Things happened fast but she knew exactly whatwas about to play out. In a lightning move, Oliver's arms twirled her around the same instant she heard the first shot behind fired. A second later, she was back in her position and Oliver was behind herwhen a second detonation filled her ears.
Chloe was dizzy, adrenaline kicking in too late but she watched as everyone stood frozen for an eternity. Her heart was beating fast when her eyes saw Regan fall first, blood on his leg. He moaned in pain as if only realizing it now. His gun was quickly discarded, laying on the ground.
A second moan, this time from behind her set off a unique feeling of terror inside her. Oliver slipped to the ground as she turned around. Her eyes widened, he'd been shot in the abdomen.
"Shoot her!" Regan ordered from his spot, unable to move.
Her ears picked up the sound of guns being drawn but she didn't think about it, her entire self focused on the other injured man, until...
"Stand down." It was Keamy's voice.
Somehow, it set her in action. Reacting on instincts and thanking her training with the guys, her hand found Oliver's gun, she turned, cocked the weapon and aimed it at the mercenary's grinning face.
They stared at each other for a moment. One's eyes filled with fear and determination, the other exposing the barest hint of morbid satisfaction and evil. It shook her even more, Keamy looked like a lion ready to jump on its prey at any moment.
"Hands behind your head," she ordered. "All of you!" the men executed grudgingly except their leader who looked like he was only holding himself back to humor her. She took a few short breaths. "On your knees now!"
Once again, they did as ordered. Keamy didn't even try to hide what was going on in his head, she supposed he knew what was coming. "We'll meet again, Chloe Sullivan." he swore.
She tried to ignore the lump in her throat as she yelled for Bart to get them, hoping he could hear her. She was trembling she couldn't help it. She was surrounded by Lex's henchmen whose leader might even be more evil than the bald billionaire. Worse, Oliver was hurt... and it looked bad.
This was definitely not the night they'd envisioned.
Her thoughts were cut short when in front of her Martin Keamy jumped to his feet with a speed almost inhuman, he threw himself forward. Towards her and Oliver but it was clear in his eyes he was going after the whole Justice League and all of their friends at this very moment.
A gun wouldn't stop him.
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