Someone to Save You, ch. 1
Chapter One
“Green Arrow, Watchtower.”
“Watchtower, go ahead.”
“Explosives are in place. Civilians clear?”
“Affirmative, Green Arrow. You’re a go for detonation.”
Oliver grinned. “Alright, boys. Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”
Back in Oliver’s penthouse apartment, Chloe rolled her eyes. Oliver could be so blasé about the whole superhero thing sometimes. Not often though. While he didn’t have the innate kindness and hope of Clark, Oliver had grown into quite the leader of his merry band. He was the glue that held them together and Chloe was thankful the blonde billionaire was on their side.
“Boy Scout, Watchtower.”
“Go ahead, Boy Scout.”
“Mission accomplished. We’re headed back.”
“Copy, Boy -“ Chloe looked up as Clark whooshed into the room. She jumped. “Jesus, Clark! Don’t do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
Clark laughed. “Honestly, Chloe, you’d think after all this time you’d be used to it.”
Chloe faced him, hands on her hips. “Clark, just because you have the ability to go racing around everywhere doesn’t mean that you should. What if the others needed you?”
Clark had the decency to look sheepish. “Sorry, Chloe. But blame Bart. He’s the one who wanted to race.”
Chloe gave him a look that clearly said, Boys. “Funny, I don’t see Bart here. Isn’t he faster than you?”
“On land maybe, senorita. But Boy Scout here cheated,” Bart explained, as he blew in as well.
Clark looked indignant. “I did not. You weren’t specific!”
Realization dawned on Chloe. “You flew?! Clark, you didn’t tell me you could fly!”
Clark lowered his eyes, slightly embarrassed. “I only really mastered it last week. You were right. It was tied into my fear of heights.”
Chloe wanted to interrogate Clark further, but got distracted when Oliver, Victor and AC emerged from the elevator. Chloe quickly scanned each of them for injuries. Unlike Clark, the rest of the league was not indestructible. Victor and AC appeared to be fine. Oliver, however, had a nasty gash on his right bicep.
“Oliver, what happened?” Chloe asked, voice laced with concern.
Oliver looked at her through his dark glasses, thankful for the protection they offered. He was touched by her concern but he didn’t need or want her pity. He was all too aware of his not-so-super status.
“It’s nothing, Watchtower. One of Lex’s thugs got a little enthusiastic, that’s all.”
He only called her Watchtower when they were on missions. Chloe suspected it was Oliver’s way of keeping his distance. But the mission was over and he was her friend, damn it. Anger bubbled up in her chest. “Don’t you ‘Watchtower’ me, Oliver Queen! That is not nothing. Now let me see it.”
Oliver purposely moved away from her. He knew she was going to heal him. He refused to let her. Not after what happened last time. Instead, he stalked off to his bedroom to clean himself up. Chloe stamped her foot in frustration and headed back to her computer muttering “stubborn ass” under her breath.
The rest of the league exchanged looks. Chloe and Oliver had been involved in this dance for months. Ever since they worked together to rescue Clark from the ruined Fortress, they’d been at odds. No one knew why, not even Clark. Clark knew that Chloe felt indebted to Oliver for freeing her from the government and saving him from his icy prison, but something told him there was more to it than that.
Oliver emerged from his room dressed in slacks and his favorite green sweater. He was running a towel through his blonde hair. He turned his tired eyes on the unusually quiet group. “Good work tonight, everyone. I think we could all use some sleep.” He faced Victor, AC and Bart. “I’ll see you three tomorrow.” As they left, Oliver held out his hand to Clark. “Thanks for your help, Clark.”
“No problem. Just make sure you call me before going off half cocked next time.”
Oliver gave him a half smile. “Hey, I wasn’t going to call you. Watchtower insisted.” Oliver paused. “Congrats in the flying, by the way.” He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. Just one more ability that I don’t have.
Clark clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s alright, Oliver. I couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with that bow and arrow of yours.”
Oliver laughed hollowly. “Yeah, I’m a real Legolas.”
Chloe, laptop case over her shoulder, joined them. “Legolas was my favorite character Lord of the Rings character.”
Oliver didn’t miss a beat. “You just liked pretty boy Bloom.”
Chloe shrugged. “Think what you want, Oliver. You ready, Clark?”
“Yeah. I’ll walk you to your car.”
Oliver watched the two friends leave in silence. Sometimes he wished he had someone that he could trust like Clark trusted Chloe. He thought he’d had a shot at that with Lois, but it just wasn’t meant to be. If Oliver was truly honest with himself, he knew that the failure with Lois had nothing to do with him or his secret. Always the keen observer, he’d seen the sparks between Clark and Lois. It was simply a matter of time before they got over themselves long enough to realize it. Oliver sighed. Stop dwelling on the past, Oliver. You’ve got enough problems right here.
Oliver went back to his bedroom to fetch his Green Arrow gear. Carefully, he replaced each item where it belonged, making a mental note to replenish his supply of arrows. Satisfied that everything was as it should be, Oliver grabbed his dark glasses and took them to his computer. Plugging in the video stream, he fast forwarded to place he wanted. Lex Luthor’s face filled the screen. So he hadn’t been seeing things then. After what Clark had told him about what happened at the Fortress, Oliver was certain Lex was dead. Officially the billionaire was missing. However, according to the video in front of him, it was clear to Oliver that Lex was neither missing nor dead. And while Lex was a threat at the best of times, the crazy bastard knew about Clark. And all who knew him, a truly terrifying thought. That made him a threat of staggering proportions.
Oliver switched off the monitor. “I’ll get him for you, Clark. I promise.”
The war had begun.
To be continued…