Stolen Future: Chapter 5/20
Note: Thank you for your continuous support, it is greatly appreciated. Like I stated in some review replies, real life is keeping me extremely busy and finding time to write is hard! I promise I'll never drop intentionally any of my stories! I have a lot of project for this one and its sequels and I already have another project about another chlollie story too which will not be published until this one and its sequels are all online and complete. One story at a time is the best way to write good fictions!
So, a short chapter focused more on relationships than anything else. It is just the calm before the storm for our heroes! Hope you'll enjoy it!
Title: Stolen Future
Author: Märk Owen
Pairing: Chloe/Oliver
Rating: R for violence and language (this chapter, PG-13)
Warnings: None for this chapter
Timeline: AU Season 6 (Zod 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.
Summary: In this universe, Darkseid made a pact with Zod who adopted Kal-El. He will kidnap the JLA before its creation, leaving Earth powerless. Will Chloe and Oliver ever meet? Will the JLA even form? What will happen to Earth?
Previous chapters: Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Chapter 5: Preparation
"Ollie!"
What's going on?
"Ollie, help me!"
The voice came from all the sides; he didn't know where to run to. A strange constant humming was heard. Oliver found himself, standing in the middle of a no man's land on what he thought was Sedna. After all, where else could he be? The soil had still the reddish color of Zod's planet so he could only be on the Big Red… or Mars. After all, it wouldn't surprise him anymore if someone appeared right before him and declared he was on Saturn.
"Help!"
The voice filled his ears once again, causing him to look around in alarm, trying to see if there was anybody. From what he was seeing, he could tell he was alone. It was like a giant desert with no one else than himself and emptiness in sight.
"Ollie!"
The voice was definitely feminine and he knew it, he was sure he had already heard it before. A new sound was heard, changing the routine of the cries of help that had broken the silence several times already. It was a laugh, but not a normal one, no. It sounded more like a cruel one, the kind of laugh a psychopath produces when he plays with his victims. A twisted sound which turned your blood cold and made your insides tighten. At this moment, Oliver knew that the woman who was calling for him was in real danger.
"Help me! Please Ollie!"
A blonde woman appeared several meters ahead of him, running in his direction. She looked stressed and exhausted, but still beautiful. Why couldn't he remember her name? He knew her, he was sure of that!
Without another thought, he rushed towards her. In a few seconds she was in his arms.
"She's coming! Please help me!"
"Shh, I'm here, don't worry I'll protect you."
His words seemed to sooth her as she tried to chill out and rest a little in the safety of his embrace. Tears were still dropping down from her eyes as she locked sight with him.
"She killed them all, she-" Her sentence ended abruptly as she tried to control another wave of emotions.. "They're all dead, Ollie. Tess, Hal, Dinah, Bart, even Bruce, all of them!"
His eyes widened as his brains realized what was happening. He was feeling a headache coming as he focused so hard on her, trying to remember her name. Damn it! Why was it so hard to remember? And what was going on out there? Where were all the cells, the prisoners, and the kryptonians?
He was holding her while she cried. Letting her wash her fears as tears were escaping her hazel green eyes. Seconds passed by as the woman in his arms began to calm down, her sobs turned to quiet snifflings and he felt her body began to relax under the securing words he had been whispering to her all along.
"It's all right, you're safe now."
Oddly, his words seemed to have the opposite effect as he heard a gasp escaping her lips and felt her wiggle against him, trying to get free from his arms.
"Let me go, let me go, she's coming!"
Her yells sounded more and more alarmed by each second. He didn't have another thought about it and set her free. She was looking right behind him, fear evident in her eyes.
He turned round and sighted a brunette woman far from them but still, walking to their direction with determination.
"Ollie! We gotta go, now!"
She took his hand and led him to the opposite way, to flee from the imminent threat. Unfortunately, it was already too late. All of a sudden, the woman appeared right before them, blocking their path. They didn't have time to react that she already had her sword in her hands.
The next thing he knew, Oliver saw the weapon plunging deep into the blonde woman's flesh. She fell to the ground, her hands on her stomach, trying to stop the wound from bleeding, her lips open to release a silent cry of pain.
Knees hitting soil first, Oliver had just had time to catch her before the rest of her body hit the dusty ground. She was staring at him, her eyes wide with panic. He could already see that she was leaving. Her lips which looked so pink, so drawing seconds before were now becoming blue as blood began to leave them, her milky skin was becoming even paler, her hair full of the reddish dust that was scattering the ground. And life was slowly leaving her eyes. Those beautiful deep green eyes looked less and less animated. He knew those eyes, it was the set of eyes that seemed to be able to make his heart skip a beat whenever they were staring at him with this special gleam inside of them.
He gritted his teeth in pain and closed his eyes as another headache came to him, he tried to recompose her face in his brain, trying desperately to find her name. He was feeling her shudder in his arms as he tried so hard to find her name back.
Those eyes, this blonde hair which seemed to catch the light so easily and make her look like an angel. This beautiful face reflecting innocence, he knew all of that. He knew her. She was.. She was….
Chloe!
His eyes snapped open as he finally found her name. It was Chloe right there, right between his arms, bleeding to death.
"Chloe! Stay with me Chloe, please!"
It was already too late, the inevitable was only seconds away now and there was nothing he could do to save her. He could see she was fighting for life but it was a lost cause. The pool of blood beneath them was proof of that. She had already lost too much blood. Her eyelids were heavy as she tried to keep her eyes open. Her hands had now left her wound and were gripping his forearms. He could see her using her last strengths to lift herself a little, leaning into him and try to murmur something to him. She was trying to talk to him but it was useless, she couldn't find her voice again. Life leaving her, she closed her eyes and let her last breath come out. Her body fell back lifeless in his arms.
"Chloe! No!"
He could feel his hot tears escaping his eyes as he hugged her body and let his emotions speak for himself. As his sobs were rocking her now dead form, he could feel anger and hate bubbling inside of him. He clenched his jaw and stood up quickly to see Chloe's killer before him, a smirk on her face.
"Look at that! The mighty Green Arrow getting all emotional about his bitch's death! I was sure it would be fun."
Her words triggered something inside of him, she had killed his friends, his brother, and Chloe. All she had to say was that it was fun? He remembered now, it was Alia the heartless murderer from the cafeteria.
"Die!" he yelled at her as he rushed towards her, launching all his body's strength in her direction. Hoping to crush her to the ground and beat her to the death. After all, that was what she deserved.
Instead of that, he felt the metal of her sword cutting deep in his own flesh, making him fall half dead on his knees.
"You first." Were the last words she said before her sword hit him again, killing him.
"Chloe!" He shouted as he opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings rapidly.
He was back in the cells.
It was a nightmare. He had been dreaming, nothing more. Yet it couldn't stop his heart from pounding so hard it could jump out of his chest at any second. He needed to make sure it was just a dream. Where were his friends? He had to see if they were okay. His fears were pushed back as a small hand was placed slightly on his neck, making him jump with surprise.
"Oliver?" Her soft voice was just a whisper.
He turned his head slightly and saw her. He released a breath he didn't know he had been holding. She was here, she was all right, and she was now staring at him once again with those big green eyes filled with concern, shinning with life. Chloe was alive.
Without thinking about it, he hugged her. As tightly as he could, hoping she would never leave him. He sensed her surprise as he wrapped his arms around her small frame, but she didn't fight. In fact, she seemed to relax slightly in their embrace.
"I'm so glad you're okay." He whispered in her ear.
"It was a nightmare, Ollie, nothing more, don't worry." She reassured him.
Several deep breaths were necessary for him to come back to a normal heart-beat state. He couldn't help but realize how well it felt to hold her, and how she had the ability to make him feel better just by being here. Seeing her die had hurt him more than he would admit to himself, thank god it was just a dream but what if it happened for real? What if his dream had been somewhat a premonition of what was to come? He couldn't let that happen. He would protect her, her and their friends. All of them, no matter what.
"Thank you." Oliver said as he broke the hug.
Knowing how the situation could turn because of his closeness to her, Chloe walked a few steps back and smiled brightly at him. "You want to talk about it?" she inquired softly.
"No, I'm all right now." He immediately shook his head. "It was just a dream." He offered her a weak smile.
She nodded, showing him that she accepted his choice but still feeling a little hurt that he didn't want to confess in her.
"I'll be here if you want to talk about it" She told him before gently kissing his cheek and leaving him alone. He needed some time to himself to think.
Oliver watched her leave, his fingers on the place where her lips kissed his skin. It only had strengthened his resolve. Nothing was going to happen to her, he promised to himself. Then again, his thoughts turned to his dream. He had been dreaming that Chloe was in danger, the woman… Well who was she to him? An acquaintance? A friend? Was it really friendship between them? Oliver was sure there was something more between him and the blonde reporter but what was it? Was it physical attraction? Lust? Love? Well he would surprise himself if he was falling in love so quickly with a woman he barely knew. He had never really been in love before, he had had lots of women he shared his bed with but it wasn't love, it was purely physical.
Love wasn't something he was used to. The death of his parents didn't help him onto that, it only caused him to protect his heart from being hurt so badly again. He never let any strangers come too close to him because becoming attached to someone would only end up hurting him further than he already was. His usual confident personality was just an image he put on to prevent people from truly seeing him, him and his shattered heart.
Yet, he felt like he should be with Chloe. It was an odd feeling and it was the first time he was experiencing that. Something inside of him told him he could trust Chloe with his life, that she would do anything for him like he would for her. It was like he was told that she was who he was destined to be with, that she was the only one worth to share his life. And it was what he was feeling at the moment.
That wasn't a usual feeling, it was much stronger. When they first arrived here, he told his friends that if Zod hadn't kidnapped them, they would probably have met sometime later. What if Zod came back in time? A time where he and Chloe were together and where he knew all of the people that where in this cell with him. Would it be possible?
He chuckled as he realized how twisted his thoughts were. That sounded so unrealistic and crazy. This little blonde was driving him crazy. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was lust, or even love, maybe all of that! Why not? He didn't know, he wasn't sure of anything about his feelings towards Chloe right now. But at least he knew that there was something between them that he was willing to discover.
His musings were broken as he heard a far laugh from outside the cell. That laugh… His blood turned cold as he recognized that laugh. It was the same that he heard in his dream, the psychopathic one. The laugh Alia was producing when she was chasing Chloe in his dream and the same one that he heard when she killed Chloe and himself. Suddenly, he didn't know if he was awake or not anymore. Was it possible that he was still dreaming? Or was the dream happening now? Right now?
That laugh, again. It filled his ears with a dreading overwhelming feeling of powerlessness. Was he hallucinating? He was sure he had just seen her figure, right before him. And then in the blink of an eye, she was gone. What the hell was going on?
Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him, and a whisper being said in his ear.
I will break you!
He quickly turned round and found nothing. No one was behind him. He was definitely hallucinating, wasn't he?
I will break you!
Again, again that cold voice whispered him the same words.
"No, you won't, you won't!" He shouted to the probably imaginative presence. Was he actually turning insane?
"Don't be so sure of yourself, pretty boy." Alia appeared right before him. "I've had tougher guys crying like newborns. Do you think you're stronger than them?"
He was not hallucinating after all. Alia was actually standing in front of him, she had been playing with him, and he was thinking he was crazy.
"You don't have the right to do that! What if Zod learned about it?" He exclaimed.
"You're threatening me?" She narrowed her eyes at him and stepped closer. "I hope you're not. I'd rather not want to hurt that blonde bitch who seems so important to you." She smirked in satisfaction as his eyes widened. She was threatening to hurt Chloe, and he had just promised himself it would never happen!
Seeing that she had hit her goal, Alia supersped away, leaving a dumbstruck Oliver who was now feeling even more anxious about the next day.
"You feeling good?" Victor came in right after Alia's departure. He apparently didn't have a clue of what had just happened.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Oliver lied easily. "I was just thinking about what Alia has in store for us."
"Well don't." Victor cut him as he approached him. "Trust me I've been living several months when I always had to look behind my shoulder to check if I wasn't being followed, remember?" Oliver nodded slightly, not sure what he was trying to tell him.
"What I say is that letting fear lead your actions will only cause you to be even more scared. And you can't live your life when you're being paranoid." The Afro-American argued.
"Well that counts when you're free and when no one promised he would cut you in pieces the next day." Oliver exclaimed a little too loud as his emotions took over. "So you tell me you're ready to live your life without a care in the world even if you know a psychopath is going to play with you tomorrow?"
"Well yeah!" Victor's stubbornness forced Oliver to control himself as he was feeling anger building inside. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in order to calm himself.
"Look, I know you've suffered a lot on Earth, dude." He sighed. "And that for you being here or back there doesn't change anything." He could see Victor's attempt to hide his emotions as Oliver was recalling him his hurtful past life. "Listen, if I had found you back then, on Earth, I would have helped you, I would have taken you with me-"
"I don't need your pity!" Victor shouted.
"That's not what I mean!" Oliver corrected quickly. "You have abilities. Maybe you don't see it but you have a lot of potential, Victor." He tried to calm his friend. "Whether you like it or not, you're my friend now. Everyone in this cell are my friends, you are all people I care about. If I want to be honest with myself, I would say the people in this cell are my only friends. I know it sounds lame but, despite my power and my fortune on Earth, I was alone." He shared a part of his life with the cyborg, knowing he would understand him. "You see, we're not that different. We both had no one back then, and we both have found friends here. Friends we would protect at all cost."
Victor just realized how close his and Oliver's life were, even if the former playboy had been partying in high-end receptions with lots of people and mostly, women, he still had been alone, like him.
"Tell me Victor," Oliver enchained, seeing he was getting him on the right track. "Wouldn't you do anything to protect them?" He glanced towards the group of human on the other room. "Wouldn't you want to use your abilities to help people who need and deserve your help?"
As Oliver saw Victor struggle with himself and hesitate, he launched his last card on the table. "Wouldn't you want to use your abilities to bring to justice the people who experimented on you? To bring down those who break the law like Zod here?" He kept trying to get to him. "I want to do it with you, with all of my friends, do you hear me? You are my friend."
A flash of hope appeared in Victor's eyes at his words which caused him to smile.
"I would give anything to do that."
His answer elevated Oliver's hopes. They grinned deeply as they shook hands firmly to lock their deal. "Thank you, buddy." Oliver expressed.
"I should be the one thanking you here. You have just opened my eyes."
"Didn't know playboys were that good talkers." A light tone stated from behind them. They both turned round to see Hal stepping towards them with a light smirk playing on his lips.
He raised his eyebrows as Oliver glared at him. "Just kidding!" Hal chuckled as he patted the blond's back in a friendly gesture. Hal and Oliver had only spoken directly to each other twice since their arrival but it didn't stop the ex-soldier to feel very comfortable with the billionaire. He was the kind of guy who would never refuse to crack a joke when he see an opportunity and Oliver could only welcome him as it lightened the very dark moon.
"I hope you were." Oliver challenged with a smirk of his own.
"Oh you wanna play that way? Okay so, what do you say, one on one?" Hal replied playfully.
"Come on you wouldn't stand a chance."
"I was a soldier don't forget that!" Hal laughed
"And I was the Green Arrow, remember?" Oliver smirked more deeply.
"Low blow man! I can't even compete!" Hal feigned being hurt.
Victor who had been looking very closely the exchange could only smile again as the two men before him were bantering like two children who were challenging each other. It felt good to smile, to have friends. But to him, they were now more than friends, they were… family.
"I'm betting on the green pants, on that one." Victor entered the discussion.
"Hey no fair!" Hal whined.
The three of them actually laughed for the first time since they put a foot on Sedna's soil. Oliver was definitely right, they were friends. As they fell from their laugh, they turned toward the others in the other room and fell silent. Chloe, Dinah and Tess were speaking together and smiling lightly, probably having a girl talk and, AC, Bruce and Bart were talking together, probably getting to know each other. Oliver remarked that Bart was often sending a look towards Chloe and he realized that Bruce was right, the speedster probably had a thing for her. Oliver his chest tighten at the realization and promised to himself he would show Bart that Chloe was off-limits to him.
"You were talking about protecting them before I came in, right?" Hal demanded.
"Yeah" Victor nodded.
"I know we don't know each other very well, Hal, but would you help us do that?" Oliver inquired.
"Of course buddy, they're my friends too. And like we say in army, 'Family takes care of itself'." Hal added causing Victor and Oliver to smile as another man decided to help them.
"I don't know how we will do it, but we'll have to fight for them, we'll go against Zod and his guys, you're ready to follow me on that?" Oliver decided to test their faith.
"I definitely am!" Hal exclaimed as Victor nodded in acceptance. "I would give my life for this fight if I had to." Hal declared seriously as he turned round and glanced at the redhead who was speaking with the other women of the room. "They are worth it."
This is actually the shortest chapter I have ever written!
This one is actionless because I had to explore more of some characters and relationships.
So, I explain the Chlollie attraction by the fact that Darkseid came back in time and twisted their fate so it caused the immediate attraction between our two favourite blondes. I hope I explained it right in this chapter and, the way Darkseid came back from the future will be explained too later. Apart from that, Victor is back on the road since Oliver saved him from his depressive state. And so, they are forming a group of resistance against Zod which will turn into something important in later chapters.
Next chapter, Alia will be getting her fun with our humans and more twists are coming!
< Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six >