Three Minutes Chapter (7/18)

http://haveatit-reportergirl.blogspot.com/2008/12/three-minutes-chapter-8.html

Chapter 7 Part A
(Chloe POV)



I was walking down the stairs into the basement of The Planet when my phone rang.

“Hello.”

“Hey you.”

I smiled.

“Hey. What’s up? I thought you were hunting down zoners tonight.”

I heard him sigh.

“I am. I was just checking in on you. I called the house but mom said you weren’t home yet.”

“I have that meeting tonight remember?”

“Right…”

I sighed. I know that he was trying to get the zoners back into the phantom zone but I could really use him here.

“Clark, I know hunting down Zoners is your top priority, but if you haven't found anything in South America, we still have a situation back here in Kansas we need to deal with.”

“Dr. Casselli right? I really didn’t want you meeting him alone. How long until he’s supposed to be there?”

“He'll be here in 15 minutes.”

“Ok. I’ll make sure I’m there.”

I smiled into the phone.

“Okay. Great. I’ll see you in a few.”

I walked over to my desk and went through some papers. I couldn’t find what I was looking for and I wasn’t sure why. I saw a shadow on the wall and looked up. Oh crap. He’s early. Hurry up Clark.

“Dr. Casselli. You're early.”
I walked a little bit closer to him and then stopped about three feet away.

“You are annoyingly persistent, Miss Sullivan. I've already told you - I don't know anything.”

I took a deep breath. Relax Chloe you never have a problem doing things like this…just breath.

“Don't sell yourself short, doctor. I think you're a very knowledgeable man. In the last few months, over a dozen patients have been transferred out of the high-security wing at Belle Reve. And I believe that's your signature on all the paperwork.”

He was looking a little unstable and his eyes shifted all over looking around the room.

“Patients are transferred in and out of mental facilities all the time.”

He looked to the side then back at me. He was starting to make me nervous. But I needed to find out more about 33.1 so we can figure out what Lex is doing with all these Meteor infected people.

“Even ones that exhibit unusual abilities? Where are they transferred to? Is Luthorcorp involved? Does this have anything to do with 33.1?”

Dr. Casselli pulled out a gun from under his jacket and pointed it at me. I put my hands up. Oh god…why didn’t I listen to Clark when he told me stay away from the dangerous stories…right because I’m me.

“Okay. I'll take that as a "no comment."”

Come on Clark….where are you?

“I didn't want any of this. But it was so much money.”

I heard him take the safety off and my body tensed. All of a sudden a red flash of light flew across the office and Dr. Casselli fell to the floor unconscious and the gun wound up in my hand. I turned when I heard a whoosh of air behind me. Clark’s face was pale. He ran over and pulled me to him so he could check my body for injuries.

“Chloe? You okay?”

He put his hand on my stomach and shook his head.

“Chloe…you really need to start begin more careful.”

I rolled my eyes trying not to show how freaked out I was.

“Yeah yeah. Just in the nick of time, as always.”

He looked confused.

“It wasn't me. He was already down when I got here.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“What? Well, if it wasn't you, then who..”

I didn’t even finish before Clark saw something and zoomed out leaving me alone. I snorted Men.

(Clark POV)

I followed the red blur all the way to a basketball court in the center of Metropolis. I stopped to look around the players but I didn’t see anyone. Then I heard a whistle and turned my head and there he was. I super sped across the court and reached out to grab him but he disappeared. What the hell? I turned around and came face to face with Bart Allen.

“Still too slow, stretch.”

I smiled.

“Bart.”

He grinned saluted me and then disappeared. Ok I was definitely confused. Why didn’t he stick around? I super sped back to The Planet but Chloe wasn’t there. I went home and walked in to find Lois in the kitchen. I looked up and groaned.

“Don’t you ever go home Lois? I mean what’s the point of having your own place if you’re never there?”

She took her head out of the refrigerator and turned to face me. She gave me a sarcastic smile.

“Awww Clarkie…are you implying I should move in?

I gave her a horrified look.

“Absolutely not. There’s no room for you here.”

I went over to the refrigerator and grabbed the milk. I went to drink it when Lois bumped into me.

“Use a glass Smallville…that’s gross other people drink that.”

I glared at her.

“Where’s my girlfriend?”

She faced me and smirked.

“You mean my cousin? She has a name you know….she’s in the shower.”

I concentrated and sure enough I could hear the water pelting down on something. I grabbed a glass and poured some milk into it. I sat at the counter and looked at the clock. Twelve thirty. I glanced back at Lois and took a sip of my drink.

“You never did answer me. What are you doing here this late? Is everything ok?”

She faced me and shrugged.

“Everything’s ok. I needed to talk to Chloe about something…that’s why I’m here.”

I looked closer at Lois and she seemed upset. I decided against busting her chops it wasn’t as much fun when something else was already wrong. We were sitting there quietly when I heard the steps creaking. Chloe bounced down a second later. She looked up startled when she saw me then smiled.

“Hey you’re back.”

I nodded and held out an arm for her to come over to me. She did and then sat on one of my legs and faced Lois.

“So what’s up Lo? Everything ok?”

Lois looked at me and then back at Chloe. I got the hint. I rolled my eyes lifted Chloe up and deposited her back on the chair when I was standing.

“You guys have you little female talk. I’m exhausted I’m going to bed.”

I leaned down kissed Chloe’s forehead and patted her stomach before going up stairs and crashing on my bed. Chloe could have been seriously hurt tonight. That’s the second time I wasn’t there to protect them. Thank god for Bart if he hadn’t have been there Chloe and the baby might be….The next time I see him I’m gonna have to thank him. The last thought I had before drifting off was Hopefully he’d make another appearance soon…

(Chloe POV)

It was early in the morning and Clark had already gone downstairs to start his chores. I was going through the closet looking for something to wear. Dammit! None of my nice jeans fit anymore. Even my skirts are to tight unless they’re elastic. I stomped my foot and took a deep breath. I grabbed a dark green cotton shirt off the hanger and put it on. I slipped on black yoga pants and threw on green flip-flops. I went downstairs to find Clark. I yawned. I was still so tired. Lois was here until around two last night. She was upset about Oliver bailing on her again. If he only told her why he kept bailing I’m almost positive she wouldn’t harp on it. Oh well it’s really not my decision though. When I couldn’t find Clark in the house I walked out to the barn.

“Clark?”

“Up here Chlo.”

I walked up the loft stairs and paused at the top. Clark looked over and frowned.

“You ok? You’re breathing’s kinda quick.”

I laughed.

“There are a lot of stairs.”

I finished the trek up there and gave him a kiss.

“So I never got to ask you what happened last night because Lois was around…did you find out who it was?”

He shook his head no and I did a double take.

“Wait, wait…you’re saying he got away from you? I thought you were the fastest man alive.”

He started walking back down the stairs and I followed hot on his heels.

“Whoever he was, he saved your life, which is more than I can say.”

I rolled my eyes. Him and his guilt trips.

“Oh, come on, Clark. It wasn't your fault. Even with all your powers, you can't be everywhere at once.”

He turned and looked at me with a haunted look in his eyes.

“I have to be. I'm the only one who can round up the prisoners from the Phantom Zone and stop Lex from experimenting on people with abilities. Did you get a chance to find anything out about 33.1 from Casselli before he pulled the gun on you?”

I shook my head.

“Nothing, and I'm not going to. Apparently Casselli was in and out of prison before the ink could dry on his fingerprints.”

That’s what money does…Clark looked confused

“How'd he get out so fast?”

I shrugged.

“I don't know, but a Luthorcorp lawyer paid Casselli a visit right before his release.”

His eyes became dark with anger and his body tensed.

“Lex.”

I nodded.

“Casselli could be stashed halfway around the world by now.”

He sat on a pile of hay bales and shook his head.

“I'll get in touch with Lionel. Maybe he can tell us something.”

I walked over into Clark’s arms and kissed his neck. When I looked at him I saw a small grin on his face but it disappeared at my next words.

“I'll keep sifting through my Luthorcorp intel. Maybe we'll get lucky, and I'll come up with a few bread crumbs.”

He moved me away from him a little and rubbed his neck.

“Chloe I really wish you’d…”

He stopped and his attention was directed behind me. I turned and there was a kid standing behind us not too much younger then we are. I gave him a weird look. He looked familiar.

He grinned and sidled up closer to me

“Hey, gorgeous. What's up? You miss me?”

I raised a brow but had to smile a bit at his blatant flirting. But I guess he could see the confusion on my face because he clarified. His grin widened.

“I'm Bart Allen. We had a moment on the town last time I was here.”

Clark cleared his throat. And looked back and forth between us. He was still looking at Bart but his words addressed me.

“Two years ago, before you had a boyfriend.”

I beamed. Clark was jealous! That has got to be the cutest thing I’ve seen in forever…It’s most definitely an ego booster. I thought about it and then it struck me. I met him at the Talon. I turned around to face him fully.

“Oh! Right! Wow. It's good to see you again, Bart.”

He smiled, took my hand and kissed it.

“The pleasure's all mine, senorita.”

I chuckled and looked at Clark who didn’t look happy. I rolled my eyes. I glanced at my watch it was getting late and I had stuff to go do.

“Well boys it’s been fun but I gotta go.”

Clark moved to me and caught my arm.

“When you coming back?”

I shrugged.

“I’ll be home later and before you say it I know…relax I’ll steer clear of the devil for the time being.”

I grinned and faced Bart.

“I'll see you around.”

And I walked out of the barn leaving them to their devices while I went to The Planet for a few hours before my lunch with Lana.

(Clark POV)

Bart watched Chloe walking away and it made me want to slap him in the head.

“Muy caliente.”

Ok that’s enough…

“Knock it off.”

He looked over at me and smiled.

“Why man? She’s even hotter than the last time I saw her.”

I glared.

“Because she has a boyfriend.”

He shrugged.

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

My arms were crossed across my chest.

“He already knows…and he doesn’t appreciate you checking her out like she’s a piece of meat.”
Bart looked over at me confused…then realization dawned on him.

“Oh man…”

he clutched at his heart and faked stumbling.

“How could you do that to me?”

I shook my head and smiled at his antics.

“ Enough about Chloe…What's with the Spanish?”

He smirked.

“Well, I just grabbed lunch down in Mexico, man. They got this burrito down there -- el intestine-o buster. You got to take a run down there with me to try one.”

I sighed. I really didn’t need any more trouble blowing through town especially something I couldn’t quite catch. I had enough going on.

“What are you doing here, Bart?”

He smiled deviously at me.

“I'm hanging out with my amigo, man. What's it look like?”

My hands were still across my chest when I spoke.

“That's what I'm trying to find out. Last time you blew through town, you stole my dad's wallet then swiped a priceless artifact from Lex. You nearly got yourself killed.”

He chuckled and he moved from foot to foot.

“Yeah. Yeah, those were the days, huh? Yeah, all right. Look, man, I already told you, things are different now, okay? I mean, back then, I needed a super-kick in the butt, and you laid it on me, and ever since then, there's been no more stealing for this gringo, I swear.”

I raised an eyebrow and gave him a disbelieving look.

“Am I really supposed to just buy that?”

His smile lessened but he laughed it off.

“Well, I could squirt out some tears if that'll help.”

I shook my head. Everything is always a joke to him.

“No, but the truth might. What were you doing at the Daily Planet?”

Not that I wasn’t thankful because believe me I was. But if there was going to be more trouble in town I preferred to know sooner then later.

This time he smirked at me.

“I saw Chloe-licious had a byline a while back. And I was in town on business, figured I ought to check it out.”

Chloe-licious? Bart is one of the only other people in the world who can super speed like me…I’d hate to have to kill him…but if he didn’t knock it off…I got back to the topic at hand.

“What kind of business?”

He rolled his eyes.

“I'm a courier. I pick things up. I drop them off. Lickety-split. Don't have a fit.”

I gave him a skeptical look and he looked hurt. He pulled his bag higher up on his shoulder and got a bit defensive but with less heart then I remember.

“All right look, man, whatever. You don't trust me, that's fine. Okay, I'll be gone before you can even blink.”

I remembered him saying that to me last time and I smiled. I appeared in front of him as he started to walk away.

“I don't know. I can still blink pretty fast…”

He grinned and my smile got bigger.

“Mexico, huh? Want to go get that burrito?”

“Excelente.”

And we took off.

(Lois POV)

Oliver and I stumble into his apartment making out and laughing. We had just gone out to lunch and had a little bit too much to drink. I tripped and Oliver grabbed me and started kissing me again.

“Whoa!..”

I grinned lazily at him.

“Now, that is what I call a three-martini lunch.”

Oliver chuckled and moved slightly to point at his wet shirt.

“It was a four-martini lunch if you include the one that you spilled on my shirt.”

I looked him in the eye and gave him a sexy smile. I eyed him innocently.

“Right. Well, how am I ever going to make it up to you?”

He played along and pretended to think about it.

“I don't know. Because, uh... it's my favorite shirt.”

I leaned in and lightly brushed my lips against his. My voice came out low and husky.

“Well, then, I think we should get it into the laundry so that it doesn't stain”

He nodded and lowered his voice also.

“Yeah. That's a good idea.”

He grabbed me and I practically ripped the shirt off as he was kissing me. He moved to my neck and started sucking on it. Oh my god…I closed my eyes and his lips found mine again.

Right when his hands moved to the waist of my pants his cell phone started to go off and he abruptly halted. I felt him sigh against my lips and move back.

“I gotta take this.”

I calmed myself and nodded him off. I listened to his conversation and wondered who he was talking to. This is really starting to piss me off. I love Oliver…but he is constantly running off on me and I have no clue what to think about that. What kind of guy is always running off on his girl when things are just getting good? I’ll tell you what kind…the kind who isn’t as invested in the relationship as his…partner. I heard his voice and listened more closely.

“Go ahead.”

He paused before speaking again.

“Give me five minutes.”

He hung up and turned to face me. I looked apologetic but I wasn’t letting this one go without saying something.

“I, uh...”

I walked to him with purpose.

“You know, what I had in mind is gonna take a little longer than five minutes.”

His eyes sparked but then died down a second later.

“Rain check?”

I nodded. But my voice held the impatiens I felt.

“Sure. I'll just put it next to the rest of the umbrellas you keep handing me.”

He sighed.

“Lois –“

I interrupted him.

“I mean, is it just me or is this relationship all interruptus and no coitus? You're always running off just when things start getting interesting,”

I walked over to him and lowered my voice as I brushed a hand up his arm.

“and I like being interested -- a lot.”

He looked like I was physically hurting him and I smiled to myself.

“Yeah. I know. You're right. It's, uh... it's not fair to you. I think we should take a break.”

I moved away from him like he slapped me but held my voice strong.

“You mean like, what... see other people?”

He looked at me startled and raised a brow.

“Uh, well, okay. Yeah, I mean, if that's what you want. I was actually thinking more along the lines of taking a vacation... together.”

My heart went back to normal and I smiled.

“Really?”

He grinned and I walked back over to him.

“Yeah, really.”

He put his arms around me.
“No rushing out in the middle of the good stuff?”

He shook his head and held on tighter. God he was wonderful. Hot to just the way I like ‘em.

“No. None. It'll be you, me, and... Monte Carlo?”

Wow…Monte Carlo…nice. Perfect place for Ollie and I to…

“Hmm.”

He lifted up his phone and motioned to it.

“There's just a few things that I do need to take care of before we go, and I think once we get –“

I cut him off by grabbing him and pressing my lips to his in a passionate kiss. When I backed off his eyes were still closed and he groaned.

“God, you're good at that.”

I laughed.

“I’m gonna get going….start packing.”

“Okay.”

I kissed him once more before I floated out of the apartment yelling over my shoulder.

“Bye.”

(Lex POV)

I was going through some papers on my desk when my father waltzed into my study. wonderful

He rushed over to me and looked around. What is that fool looking for?

“I need to talk to you. You alone?”

I stopped rummaging and leaned back in my chair with my hands clasped together.

“Just me and my shadow, dad. Lana left to meet Chloe for lunch and discuss wedding plans.”

He gave me a dirty look and his voice was reprimanding. I despised when he took that tone of voice with me. Like I was still a child who was under his thumb and didn’t know any better.

“That's good too bad she's not out of the country considering what's happening.”

I tempered my voice but couldn’t help feeling agitated with him.

“Look, if this is about Dr. Casselli –“

He cut me off and his voice held irritation when he spoke to me.

“Casselli? Please Lex…He's the least of our worries. Another Luthorcorp Facility has been hit. That's six. Each one of them has some connection with 33.1.”

Ahh that’s what he was going on about. 33.1. See what he doesn’t realize is that 33.1 is only a distraction for what I’m really working on. Or what one would call a building block to the final stage of my “project.” The information that was being stolen was only data of the beings in the facility not on the reason they are. I leaned forward and then got up. I grabbed a glass and poured myself some scotch.

“The only thing housed in those facilities was peripheral research.”

He waved me away and looked at me with disbelieving eyes.

“Oh, please Lex.”

It was the truth…to an extent. I would never go 50/50 on a project with my father and disclose all my secrets…He of all people should know that. The lessons came from him.

“All the vital data is still secure in the mainframe.”

He chuckled condescendingly at me.

“And how long do you think before that location is compromised? If it ever became public that Luthorcorp is experimenting on people with abilities –“

I cut him off and grabbed a paper from my desk.

“It won't.”

I handed him the paper.

“What's this?”

I smiled at him. That’s right dad. I knew who was breaking in and out of these facilities and I was going to catch him. Always one step ahead.

“A single frame pulled off a security camera from one of the break-ins. Whoever is responsible has the ability to move faster than a speeding bullet. Such a unique individual would make an interesting test subject to add to 33.1, don't you think?”

I knew the exact minute my father faltered because I could read his expression clearly. He knew who it was…and he was nervous..for a brief second I saw his indifferent mask shatter and I knew my assumptions had been correct on who was in that picture.

By the time he spoke his voice was even and his face showed nothing of the slip he made a few seconds before.

“What do you plan to do?”

My lips curved back and I tilted my head to the side.

“Protect our investment. Come on. I'll walk you out.”

And walk him out I did all the way to the front door and watched him leave in his limo. I grinned
You can only cover for him for so long dad…when I’m done with them though…the only thing that will be left to protect is yourself.

(Chloe POV)

I sat at an outdoor table at the restaurant waiting for Lana. I sipped my water and heard her voice.
She plopped down across from me.

“I’m sorry Chloe. Today’s been crazy. Anyway tell me all about how your doctor’s appointment went. I called last week but you guys must have been busy.”

I laughed. Lana was my gossip buddy. I love Lois to pieces but you’d never find her doing any kinda of girly gossiping unless it involved a story. Lana was the opposite. We’ve had many girly conversations over the years. And this was no different to her. It made me smile to know that some things would never change.

“Yea I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to call you back it was crazy last week.”

She nodded and waved me off.

“Don’t even worry about it.”

The waiter came over and Lana ordered herself something to drink. While she was talking to the waiter her hand lifted and I saw something glint on her finger. Holy crap! She said yes. Ok if I was honest with myself I knew she would but thinking it and seeing it…two very different things. I took a sip of water and spoke.

“Umm it looks like we both have a bit of news to share.”

I pointedly glanced down at her hand and she actually blushed.

“Yea…about that…I’m sorry I didn’t call you right away when it happened. I mean we were together that night but with Linda Lake and everything...plus I know how you feel about Lex and I was looking a for a good way to tell you.”

I nodded and sipped more water. So they’ve been engaged for a little over two weeks now…I’m surprised it hasn’t hit the front page yet. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and I was kinda hoping it was indigestion from the bagel with cream cheese and olives I had earlier. I gave Lana a weak smile. I was going to try and be supportive because again I still didn’t have any hard evidence against Lex and now that Lana is pregnant with his child and engaged to him she would probably write me off in a minute if I tried to destroy the family that’s she’s always wanted.

“If you’re happy Lana…then I’m happy for you. I hope Lex is good to you.”

Her smile lessened at the comment but she obviously didn’t want to fight because she changed the subject and gave me a warm smile.

“So Chloe…Will there be a little girl Kent running around the farm chasing butterflies or a boy Kent doing bucking hale bays with his dad?”

I stopped what I was doing. That was the first time I had ever heard any call the baby a Kent before. I mean obviously they still think the baby’s Clarks but I just didn’t realize what that meant. I shook the thoughts away and grinned at Lana.

“We’re having a…”

I paused for dramatic effect and she leaned closer to me with anticipation. My grin grew wider.

“…baby boy.”

Lana’s eyes went wide and she moved a seat over and hugged me.

“Oh my god Chloe that’s amazing! Congratulations! I can’t wait to find out what I’m having.”

She smiled and put her hand on my stomach.

“Hey there baby boy Kent…I’m your aunt Lana.”

I spoke softly but firm.

“Jonathan.”

She looked up confused.

“What?”

“Jonathan…the baby’s name is going to be Jonathan Michael.”

Lana gave me a sad smile.

“Have you told Clark?”

I shook my head.

“No. I want it to be a surprise. We haven’t talked about names yet.”

She nodded and continued rubbing my stomach.

She was so engrossed in talking to the small bulge of my stomach that she didn’t notice the bitter smile I gave her.

Lana is a great person. She has a heart of gold…really. But everyone has a dark side…a side that they’re not so proud of…a side that hurts the people they care about for selfish or dangerous reasons. This side was different with each person. In Clark it was Kal…in me it might end up being the Meteor infected side of my DNA…in Lex it was the part of him that hungered for power, and in Lana it was a rage that sat dormant…a side of her that I saw coming out more and more now that she was with Lex. I never thought of Lana as naïve…but I never saw her as devious either.

But lately things have been slipping from her and ever since the Linda Lake incident she seems to be more determined then ever to find out Clarks secret. She’s been helping Lex more and more with his “projects”…defending his actions with a vengeance, and I was truly afraid that one day in the near future Lana was going to embrace Lex’s nature and my son and I would become her next experiment.

I still have hope that maybe Clark and I can talk some sense into her…because now I see what he was talking about. If we let her marry Lex it really will be the end and I loved Lana too much to lose her. I looked at Lana and really prayed that Jonathan got to see this side of her…because my son deserved his aunt Lana.

















Chapter 7 Part B

(Clark POV)

I walked into Lionel’s office and he was putting his jacket on. He looked up and gave me a small smile. His voice was hesitant.

“Clark. I was, uh, just thinking about you. I’m heading out to lunch would you like to come?”

I shook my head no and walked closer to him.

“You've got a funny way of showing it. I've left you half a dozen messages.”

He sighed and his forehead creased as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Something was wrong…I wasn’t sure if I should ask if he was ok or not…I mean it’s Lionel… but he did make sure Chloe was well taken care of and he has been helping my mom out…and even though I didn’t want to admit it he’s been helping me to. He looked back at me and his voice was stressed.

“I'm sorry. I've been preoccupied.”

I spoke in a tone that I meant to come out accusingly and yet it didn’t. It came out more inquisitive then offensive.

“Helping that doctor from Belle Reve get out of jail?”

He chuckled and then shook his head.

“Clark, my involvement with Belle Reve is past history. But it appears that you still have a very active interest in breaking into Luthorcorp.”

I raised my eyebrow in confusion as he walked over to his desk grabbed a piece of paper and handed it to me. I looked closely at it and my eyes expanded a bit.

“Where was this taken?”

His voice was reprimanding and I almost rolled my eyes.

“Mexico -- the Luthorcorp processing plant. If you're going to continue playing games like this, you should be more careful.”

I looked startled. I looked at the time stamped on the surveillance photo and it was from this morning.

“This isn't me. It says here this was taken this morning. I was with Chloe this morning.”

He looked thoughtful.

“No? Hmm…I wonder who it could be then? Hopefully there aren’t anymore Kryptonian visitors in town…that would be unpleasant. Listen Clark…”

I looked up at him and he continued.

“In the next few weeks I’m going to be passing along some information that you and Miss Sullivan have been after for quite some time…Until then if you could possibly lay low on illegally obtaining such information it would make my job a lot easier. ”

I gave him a curious look and then it dawned on me…He new about 33.1. My eyes grew wider.

“You know about 33.1 don’t you…and you didn’t say anything to me about it?”

I was angry and Lionel tried to calm me down.

“Clark…what would you have done? Lex believes I am working on this project with him. Once I have the documents in my hands I will find a way to get them to you. If I was really trying to betray you what would I gain from telling you this?”

He was right and this might make things easier for me and it also meant Chloe would no longer have to look into this, which was a huge weight off my shoulders. I hated putting her in unnecessary danger.

In regards to the photo I knew exactly who it was. It was Bart. It made perfect sense. When he came to the Barn this morning he had said he’d been in Mexico. Hell he took me back there to get a Burrito. I knew he was up to no good…but Lex again…I didn’t think so. This was a little up scale for Bart…not just petty thievery. I was gonna have to look into this. Lionel’s voice broke my thought processes.

“I’m sorry…what’d you say?”

He laughed and walked over to me. He patted my shoulder.

“I asked you how Miss Sullivan was doing? She’s feeling better then the last time I saw her I hope?”

I smiled and followed him out of his office. We got into the elevator and headed down.

“Yea she’s doing good. She’s been getting the strangest cravings though. The other night she had me run to Italy for authentic Italian food.”

I shook my head and Lionel’s chuckle was good-natured. The elevator dinged and we got out.

“It will get worse mark my words. Women who are carrying the next generation inside of them have a free pass to procure anything and everything they want from you...”

He shook his head and his smile seemed like he was remembering a memory from his past.

“And you’ll give into them every time willingly because of what they represent to you.”

I looked at Lionel and for the first time I saw what my mother must have been seeing all along. I might not like him all that much and I hated him hanging all over my mother. I most certainly did not in any way consider him a father figure or replacement for my father because Jonathan Kent was out of this man’s league…my father was…an extraordinary man. But Lionel’s friendship, and I use the term loosely, has been a great help to me and my family. For once I think I can actually say I’m glad he knows my secret. I cleared my throat and glanced at Lionel.

“If the offer still stands I’d like to umm…come grab…lunch with you.”

He looked surprised but nodded his head.

“Absolutely Clark…no man likes to dine alone.”

We left the building and I awkwardly got into the car with Lionel. A few seconds later we took off for lunch and the last thought on my mind was wait till I tell Chloe about this…she’s gonna flip.

(Chloe POV)

I opened the door and walked into the kitchen. When I looked up the kitchen was full of empty dishes and Mrs. Kent was standing in the middle of the kitchen staring at Bart. I heard him speak his voice muffled with food.

“God, Mrs. K, thank you so much. This was so good.”

She just shook her head.

“Where do you put it all? You eat more than Clark, and he's twice your size.”

I saw him shrug.

“Yeah, well, you know, I burn a lot of calories.”

“What in the world happened here?”

Mrs. Kent looked over at me startled. Bart turned around and grinned.

“Chloe-licious…what are you doing here gorgeous? Looking for that beefcake of a boyfriend?”

He waggled his eyebrows at me and I laughed. Mrs. Kent shook her head.

“Behave yourself Bart.”

He grinned and then looked me over and I saw his facial expression change. He was looking at my stomach, apparently he didn’t get a god view of it this morning. I wasn’t anywhere near huge but my stomach was no longer flat either. It looked like a little potbelly but a tad larger and a smidge rounder. He glanced back up at me.

“Are you…”

I looked at him and waited for him to finish his sentence. When he didn’t I did it for him.

“Pregnant?”

He nodded.

“Yes. Does that mean your going to stop hitting on me?”

I said it playfully and he grinned slyly.

“Not a chance. While I’m in town stretch is gonna have some competition.”

I laughed. Wait till Clark hears that…he’s just gonna love it.

Mrs. Kent sighed and then smiled.

“Are you hungry Chloe?”

“Nope. I just got back from lunch with Lana. We ate half the menu it was literally disgusting.”

She laughed but I was serious. I had to pee…again. This was like the fifth time in the last two hours. I groaned and walked out of the kitchen.

(Clark POV)

I walked into the house from the front where Lionel dropped me off and I could here my mom talking to someone.

“Well, there's plenty more in the fridge. I have to run to a meeting. Would you mind cleaning up?”

It was Bart. I glanced over and saw him super speed around the kitchen and clean everything up.

My mom turned around and was astonished. Bart grinned at her while he was still cleaning out a glass.

“Yeah, anything for you, Mrs. K.”

I saw her smile warmly at him.

“It's nice to have you here, Bart. I hope you stay longer this time.”

He smiled and she left. I walked into the kitchen and Bart looked up.
“Hey, what's up, man? You just missed a killer spread.”

He was acting like he hadn’t lied to my face this morning. I shook me head.

“You can cut the act. I know about Luthorcorp and the break-ins by somebody who's as fast as me.”

He looked away from me and his smile was gone.

“Yeah. Faster, actually.”

I frowned at him.

“You know what's funny? I actually believed your story about how I changed your life.”

He looked back at me and the look on his face was almost pleading.

“Look, it's not a story, Clark, okay? Really, I'm not the same guy.”

I was having a hard time believing him. I had proof that showed me otherwise.

“You stole from Lex before. You're stealing from him again. What's the difference?”

He was starting to get frustrated and he picked up his hands and shook them.

“It's just -- ugh! -- It's complicated.”

I glared at him.

“I'm a smart guy. Explain it to me.”

He shook his head and looked down. His voice was soft.

“I can't.”

I spoke louder because he was making me mad. Why wouldn’t he just tell me what was going on?

“Why not? I thought we were amigos.”

He looked up hurt that I was insinuating we weren’t friends.

“We are.”

I stood my ground. I needed to know what was going on.

“Then tell me why you're stealing from Luthorcorp.”

He hesitated and then shut his mouth for a couple more minutes before he broke the silence.

“I just... I can't.”

I glanced over at his backpack and then back at him. My arms were crossed over my chest and I uncrossed them. I spoke with a stern look on my face.

“I'll find out for myself, then.”

I walked over to his backpack and right before I grabbed it Bart speed around me and appeared in front of me wearing it. He looked upset and irritated at the same time.

“Look, I'm sorry I can't tell you all my secrets, Clark. Okay? I thought a guy like you would understand.”

He took off out the front door leaving me feeling like a jerk. He was right…I was being a hypocrite. I kept secrets from almost everyone I know and yet I expected everyone I came in contact with to be honest to me…


(Chloe POV)

I came out of the bathroom at the end of an argument. I heard yelling so I rushed and when I finally made it out Clark was standing by the kitchen table alone looking out the front door.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

He turned to me and gave a small smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Your home…how’s your day goin so far?”

I nodded and walked over to him. He leaned down and kissed me.

“Looks like it’s goin better then yours.”

I motioned to the open front door.

“What happened?”

He shrugged and sat on one of the chairs.

“Bart and I got into a fight.”

I walked over to him and leaned my head on his shoulder.

“I kinda got that.”
He pulled me to him so I was standing between his legs. I could feel his grin against my hair.

“By the way. Lionel say’s hello and he hopes your feeling better.”

I moved back so I was facing him but not out of his arms.

“When did you talk to Lionel?”

“He Dropped me off here. I went to his office earlier to ask why he hasn’t been returning my phones calls and he invited me to lunch. Oh and apparently he has been working with Lex on 33.1 but he said as soon as he gets copies of the documents he’ll send them over to us. Which means no more snooping around sources to find out what’s going on with 33.1”

I was staring at him utterly speechless. Did he just say he had lunch with Lionel?

“I’m sorry back up there for a minute. You had lunch with Lionel?”

He chuckled. He playfully pinched me.

“Is that all you heard?”

“No…but that’s the strangest part…and I seem to be attracted to strange.”

He nodded and smiled.

“Mmmm”

He started kissing me and I smiled. He stopped after a couple of minutes and got serious.

“I need a favor.”

I smiled.

“Name it.”

He sighed.

“The guy who saved you at the planet -- he didn't exactly get away. It's Bart.”

Oh my god what? I can’t believe he didn’t tell me…oh yes I can and I know why he didn’t to. He was protecting Bart.

“What? Wait a minute. Bart can super speed, too?”

He nodded.

“He's actually a lot faster than I am. That's the truth. I'm sorry I didn't tell you.”
I shook my head and waved him off.

“It's fine. You were protecting him. It's okay. I mean, if anyone gets it, it's me. But why are you outing him now?”

Clark got up and started pacing.

“I think he's headed for trouble, and I need to find him. When I went to Lionel’s office earlier he had a photograph of someone breaking into a Luthorcorp plant. Someone with super speed and it wasn’t me. You think you Can GPS his cell phone for me?”

I grinned. That’s my man coming to me for some quality hacking.

“Yeah, I can try. Do you have his number? Oh can you grab my laptop from upstairs?”

He was gone and back in seconds and my laptop was open on the counter. I grinned and walked over to it.

“Best boyfriend ever…”

He smiled and leaned over my shoulder.

“I think Lex is on to him. If he tries to break into another facility...”

I shook my head.

“No good. His phone must be off.”

He sighed.

“What about call history? Can you pull up a record?”

I grinned. Finally something fun to do.

“Legally? Absolutely not.”

I typed the number in and pulled up the record. There was a Metropolis number that kept repeating. Hmm whose Bart been talking to?

“There's over a dozen calls to that number in the last 24 hours.”

“Let's see who's on the other end.”

I looked up the number we found and it belonged to a business. Clark sounded confused when he spoke.

“Artemis Global Consortium? Never heard of them.”
“It's as subsidiary of J.L. International, which is a satellite company currently orbiting... Queen Industries?”

I looked up at Clark. He shook his head and his face-hardened.

“It's Oliver. He's using Bart to attack Luthorcorp.”

He moved around me and I stood up.

“Where are we going?”

He stopped and turned to me with a look of disbelief on his face.

“Are you kidding me Chloe? You’re not going anywhere. You were almost shot the other day! If anything happened to you or the baby I don’t know what I’d do. Please stop trying to put yourself in the middle of danger…I’ll be back soon.”

I glared at Clark.

“I’m not useless.”

He sighed.

“I never said you were…but your not invincible. Chloe you need to think of the baby…I know you don’t want anything to happen to him.”

I nodded.

“I know I know…go and when you find something call me and let me know ok?”

He smiled, leaned down and kissed me.

“I promise.”

And he was gone.

(Lex POV)

I was sitting in the control room and I saw him speed in. I sat up in my chair. It wasn’t Clark…remarkable. I looked closer at the monitors. I knew this boy though. I’ve seen him before.
I sent out the order for the guards to stand down. Let this clown try to infiltrate my system. He’ll see what happens when he crosses me. He put the device in the computer and an electric shock knocked him unconscious. I grinned as I got up and walked out there. A group of armed guards were already they’re waiting when I got there. I smirked down on his unconscious body.

“Not so fast now, are you?”
I looked up at the guards.

“Take him away.”

As soon as they were gone I took out my cell phone and placed a call to Dr. Rhinehouse. It rang three times before he picked up. His voice was distracted and it came low over the receiver.

“Dr. Rhinehouse speaking.”

“Hello doctor, I trust your doing well today.”

His voice changed and I could here shuffling on the other end of the line. The next time he spoke it sounded nervous. Good to know I can still instill fear into people…I was begining to question my ability to do so.

“Mr. Luthor…hello…is there...is there something I can help you with today?”

Why else would I be calling him? I’m going to have to get some more intelligent people working for me because this is ridiculous.

“Yes. I’d like you to fax over all the paperwork on patient X to my private number.”

I paused when I heard him take a deep breath.

“I’d like to know how the fetus is progressing and what the status of its unnatural abilities are.”

“Very well Mr. Luthor…Sir I’ve been placing the supplement into her prenatal vitamins.”

I nodded to myself and smirked. Everything is going according to plan then and we should be ready for the first trial run soon.

“When will the subject be ready for the first test trial?”

“In about two weeks sir.”

“Good. If there are any problems get in touch with me immediately.”

And I ended the call. It was getting exceedingly to easy to manipulate people. This doctor thinks he’s in line for some kind of Nobel Prize for helping discover what we are working on. What he doesn’t know is that 24 hours after it’s all finished…he’ll be dead. I glanced down at my watch. Lana should be home by now. She’s been inquiring about my experiments on Meteor Freaks quite a bit lately and I’m assuming it has something to do with Chloe and Clark. That’s all right though. I’ve decided to come clean with Lana about it tonight. Once she knows what going on or rather what she thinks is going on I’m almost positive she’ll want to help me. I was walking out of the facility and to my car when my cell phone rang.

“Hello.”
Her voice was soft and firm like a symphony. I smiled. Lana always did that to me. I truly do consider her my equal and with my help she can blossom into the beautifully powerful woman I know she can be. I honestly did love Lana as much as you can love another person.

“Hey you. Where did you run off to? I thought you said you’d be working from home today.”

I opened the car door and got in.

“I had to step out for a meeting really quick but I’m on my way back now.”

She must have heard the car starting because I could hear the grin in her voice when she spoke.

“Lex…are you just getting in the car now?”

I shook my head as I took off and smiled.

“I am.”

“Can you stop on your way home and pick a few thing’s up for me?”

“We don’t have what you need in the mansion?”

I really did not want to stop off. I just wanted to go home, but…if Lana needed something I’d go. After all she was carrying the next generation of Luthor’s. It’s good to know all the fertility supplement’s I have been slipping her went to good use.

“No...”

“Well…what do you need?”

I could her smile was back as she spoke.

“Raspberry Ice cream…and sour pickles.”

What? Does she want the pickles on something?

“Do you want the pickles on something? Like a sandwich? I can pick one up from the Talon I know you love the sandwiches there.”

“No I want a plain jar of pickles and a small tub of ice cream.”

I drove off the side road and onto the main road to head to the supermarket.

“I don’t get it…what’s the ice cream for then?”

She laughed and I looked out the window searching for he store confused.

“The ice cream is to dunk the pickles in Lex…that’s what it’s for.”

I made a face. That is absolutely disgusting. I have never heard anything as gross as that in my life. She’s going to feed that to my child? Oh dear…I really should have had my assistant read up on pregnancy…this is going to be a long few months. I took a deep breath and swallowed.

“Well…ok then…I’ll be home soon.”

She laughed and said bye then hung up. I shivered. Ice cream and pickles….ugh

(Lana POV)

I was in the study when Lex walked in with a plastic bag holding it as far away from him as possible. I grinned. He was so funny. When I was talking to him on the phone before I could almost here the disgust in his voice and it made me laugh. I walked over and kissed him. I grabbed the bag gently.

“Thank you.”

He nodded.

“Of course…umm your not going to eat that now are you?”

I chuckled.

“I fully intended to yes.”

I saw him wince and he loosed his tie and sat down. I got a spoon and followed him over.

“Long day?”

“Yes. I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

He sounded serious so I put the ice cream down and gave him my undivided attention.

“What is it?”

He moved to the edge of his seat and took my hands.

“The only thing that you have ever asked from me in regards to our relationship Lana has been to be truthful. Now 95% of the time I am an open book with you, you know that.”

I nodded.

“But lately you have been asking me a question and I have been avoiding the answer and diverting your attention with other things because I didn’t feel you were ready for the truth.”

I frowned at him. What has Lex been lying to me about?

“Lex you know you can tell me anything.”

He nodded again.

“I know. That’s why I decided that you’re ready to hear everything. Lana we are getting married and you are the only other person I trust aside form myself. I don’t want any secrets between us.”

He took a deep breath and I squeezed his hand.

“Lana 33.1 does exist…I have been moving patients from Belle Reve to a safe location. I have been having them partake in different tests to see how they received their abilities from the Meteor rocks and if there is a way to harness there power and control it. I have also been extracting there DNA to use in creating a serum that would rid them of the abilities the Meteor rocks have given them. Some patients don’t want to be there…but these are dangerous people and I am keeping them their for the safety of everyone involved until I have figured out how to cure them.”

I was sitting there shocked. He looked into my eyes and let out a breath.

“That’s everything…the whole truth. You now know all my secrets Lana…what you do with this information is up to you?”

I was confused. My head was spinning. 33.1 did exist…Chloe was right but if what Lex was saying is true he’s trying to help these people. So maybe he’s holding them against there will. But it’s for there own good and the good of all of us who have been attacked by many of them over the years.

“What do you mean?”

I looked at me intensely.

“This…project. If people found out about it…it cause cause Luthorcorp a lot of trouble. Experimenting on people isn’t exactly looked highly upon Lana. People want results but they don’t want anyone thinking there inhuman enough to subject people to testing without the persons consent. I assure you we don’t treat these people bad. Anytime you want to see what’s going on I’ll show you live video feeds. I refuse to take you there in person while you’re pregnant though…it’s too much of a risk to you and the baby. But after the baby is born if you’d like to come and see the project I’ll bring you myself. As I said before I’m an open book and I could use your help in the aspects that aren’t hands on with the Meteor infected people.”

I nodded. This is it…Lex is finally letting me se the last part of him that he’s been hiding away. I truly believe part of the reason he was hiding it was because he felt I would look at him differently. But as I look at him now all I see is a man who is trying to protect his family and friends from people who have the ability to harm other without even blinking an eye. I don’t know how anyone could call Lex a bad man…his methods weren’t always on the up and up but sometimes you needed to play hard ball to get necessary things done and if that’s what he was doing…then I wanted to be a part of it. I tightened my grip around his hand and moved next to him on the couch. He looked at me and I leaned over and kissed him deeply. When I pulled away his eyes looked vulnerable and I smiled.

“I’m not mad Lex. I understand why your doing this…over the years these people have hurt my friends and I countless times…I don’t want our child or Chloe’s to ever have to go through that. So I get it…and I want to help you.”

I put my hands on either side of his face.

“You’re a good man Lex Luthor…and I’ll always be on your side.”

His eyes seemed to get misty and he grabbed my face and kissed me. There were more and more of the infected people every time I turned around and if they wanted a fight…Lex and I were going o give it to them.

Chapter 7 Part C

(Clark POV)

I stormed into Oliver’s apartment and found him walking over to his desk with a bunch of papers in his hand. I still can’t believe he was using Bart to get to Lex. What was he thinking? My voice was hard.

“Oliver.”

He looked up at me shaking his head.

“Look, Clark, whatever's got your tighty whities in a bunch, now is not the time.”

I moved over to him. I was going to get to the bottom of this.

“Where's Bart? I saw his phone records. I know he's working for you.”

Oliver looked at me and raised a brow then continued looking through the papers he held.

“Not for me. Working with me. There's a difference.”

His voice was tempered as if he were speaking to a child.

I came closer and shook my head.

“It's not gonna matter when he ends up in jail or worse.”

Oliver sneered at me and was throwing things around his desk.

“Yeah, you don't know what you're talking about.”

I stood my ground. I knew he hated Lex but I thought I knew Oliver and he didn’t seem like the type to put someone else in danger just to bring Lex down.

“I know how much you hate Lex. Is that why you recruited Bart -- to help with your little vendetta?”

He finally stopped shuffling through papers and slammed his hands on his desk. He looked me dead in my eyes and spoke with frustration.

“No. To stop 33.1.”

My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at him. I was so confused. How did he know about 33.1? And why didn’t he say anything to me? My voice came out lower and a bit hurt.

“You know about 33.1? Why didn't you tell me what you were up to?”

Oliver sighed and sat down. He was still irritated but it was less now.

“Clark, do you check in with me every time you run off to save the world? Oh, that's right. For a second there, I forgot. You like to wait for trouble to show up on your doorstep.”

Now I got mad. He didn’t know anything. I try to do the best I can for this world and I’m sick of everyone criticizing what I do do.

“That's not true.”

He got up and walked toward me his voice raising with each step.

“Then why haven't you done anything to stop 33.1?”

He turned to face the window as he spoke. Because I’ve been wondering around the world trying to get the phantoms I let out back into the phantom zone.

“I was busy with another problem.”

He whipped back around so I could see his face.

“What could be more urgent than Lex Luthor developing an army of super freaks, Clark? That's what he's doing. He's starting a war.”

I was aware of that and Chloe and I have been doing our best digging into every aspect of 33.1 that we could find. Chloe has mountains of research about 33.1. Maybe we could all pull together for Bart’s sake and get him out of this mess.

“What have you found out?”

He shook his head and sauntered back over to his desk. He was tense and his voice was clipped.

“Not enough. Last night Bart infiltrated a place that was supposed to house the mainframe for 33.1. That's the last time I heard from him. So I reconned the target this morning. The place had been stripped clean. Everything's gone. The whole thing was a setup.”
This is exactly what I was afraid of. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to Bart…we didn’t part on good terms and I wanted a chance to apologize to him.

“Lex has Bart. We have to find him.”

Oliver nodded and let a small smile slip.

“My team's already on it.”

Huh? I raised a brow and looked at him skeptically.

“Your team?”

Oliver motioned behind him and I turned around and was stunned at what I saw. Victor Stone and Arthur Curry were walking in from another room.

“Not everybody flies solo, Kent.”

They grinned at me and Oliver smiled. I gave a slight smile. I guess the boys are back in town…

(Lex POV)

I was on my way to the Ridge Facilities on the outskirts of Metropolis. They called and the subject would be waking up shortly. When I got there they directed me to where he was being held. I walked into a huge room with a large glass chamber that was just built in the middle of the room. The boy was inside of it moving on the floor. Perfect timing. I had all the lights turned on as and he stood up glaring in my direction. I gave him a sardonic smile.

“Morning, sunshine. I know you. You've stolen from me before.”

His glare got harder and he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I want a lawyer.”

I spoke sarcastically to him.

“And I want a ponytail. Disappointment abounds. Who do you work for?”

This time he smiled at me and shrugged.

“What you see is what you get, there, goldilocks.”

I sneered at him. There was no way he was behind this. He’s going after information not possessions and regular thieves don’t do that.

“You're a low-level thief. Swiping corporate data isn't your style. Now, tell me who you're working for, and this won't have to get unpleasant.”
He rolled is eyes but then came closer and touched the glass of the chamber.

“All right. All right, I work for a guy called Mr. Kiss-my-butt. Would you like me to introduce you?”

He smirked and the little bit of humor I had left was gone. I was considering forgetting trying to get information from him and just working on the torturing part. Fine kid you want to do it the hard way…be my guest. I pulled out the remote that controlled the floor to his cell.

“The floor of your cell has been outfitted with pressure plates designed to track movement. Stop in one place for even a millisecond after I activate them, and you fry. Last chance…”

But he said nothing. Well let’s see if his loyalty stays firmly in place after a few hours of none stop running.

“Well, maybe you'll feel more talkative when you get tired of running.”

I shrugged and walked away while pushing the button on the remote that activated the chamber. I could tell when he felt the first shock because I heard him scream out…

“Aah!”

And I smiled….

(Clark POV)

I was standing around Oliver’s apartment and I still couldn’t believe they were all here and that Oliver was giving them orders…well not order’s but he kind of seemed to be the leader or there little group. I watched them interact. Oliver spoke to A.C. with a stern tone.

“A.C., check the Luthorcorp manifests.”

He nodded and moved toward them.

“Gotcha.”

I decided it was time to interrupt their well-oiled machine and try to figure some things out.

“How long have you guys been working together?”

Victor looked up at me from his seat.

“I joined up about six months ago. Ollie and Bart had already been doing their thing.”

I was confused. I thought that Victor had left with Katherine and they were going to work on things.

“What about your girlfriend -- Katherine?”

A.C. took his hand a waved it in front of his neck in the universal symbol for cut it out or don’t say that. Then he shook his head and said with a smirk on his face.

“Dude, don't even go there.”

Victor’s face was clouded by hurt for a second before he pushed it away.

“She gave it her best shot. But with all this hardware in me...”

I understood. I mean with all the time’s Lana and I had tried to work thing’s out we just never could. And I’m kinda glad about that because now I have Chloe and I couldn’t be happier. I stilled loved Lana…but I could feel the intensity fading. Maybe it wasn’t about all the hardware in Victor; maybe he just needed to find his Chloe. I gave him an understanding smile.

“I'm sorry, Victor.”

He nodded and brushed it off. He gave me a small grin when he told me how he became part of the team.

“Ollie found me, I was living on the streets. He gave me a warm meal, roof over my head... and a reason to go on living.”

Oliver took that moment to walk into the room and he fanned ignorance at what Victor had just said. His expression was mock confusion.

“Did he just say something nice about me?”

Then A.C. joined in teasing Victor.

“Maybe he's starting to rust.”

They laughed and Victor shook his head. They all had such easygoing friendships. I was envious of that. I glanced over at A.C. and broke the laughter up by speaking.

“A.C., how'd you fall into all this?”

He grinned and leaned against Oliver’s desk.

“I got into a little trouble sinking a whaler off the coast of Japan.”

Victor chuckled and teased him.

“A little trouble? That's what you're gonna go with? Ollie had to save your scaly butt from getting filleted.”

He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. When he spoke it came out grumbled.

“I would have gotten out of it.”

Oliver joined in the conversation now walking over to us.

“Oh really? Before or after they packed you into a thousand little tin cans?”

Victor’s smirk became larger and he tried to keep the serious edge to his voice but it wasn’t working so well.

“Well, at least he would have been dolphin-safe.”

A.C. walked by me and shook his head good-naturedly.

“Fish jokes. That's all I ever get are fish jokes.”

He perked up and faced me.

“So how's Lois doing, man? Is she all right?”

I looked up at Oliver and laughed to myself. Ahhh so he hasn’t told A.C. that he’s dating Lois…nice that should be funny when it finally comes out.

“Um, I think you'd have to ask your boss.”

A.C. looked confused and Oliver came down the steps quickly. He avoided the question artfully and dove right back into why everyone was gathered here.

“Now is not the time. We need to focus on locating Bart.”

Speaking of Bart I wonder how Oliver got him to go along with all this. From what I remember he never liked the follow rules.

“And how exactly did you get him involved in this? He's never been much of a team player.”

Oliver raised and eyebrow at me and gave me a small condescending smile.

“Looks like you two have something in common, huh? Actually, um, I was out on patrol in Star City one night, and I came across Bart. He was helping himself to a free meal. I could tell he was a good kid, you know? He just needed a little direction, so I offered him a job.”

He shrugged and I thought there might be more to the story that he wasn’t sharing but I didn’t want to push. I frowned at what he said though and spoke low.

“Look where that got him.”

Oliver’s body tensed and his eyes got cold. His voice was hard and determined when he spoke.
“I underestimated Lex. It won't happen again. I've compiled a list of all Luthorcorp holdings within a 100-mile radius. Bart could be held in any one of those facilities.”

Victor shook his head and sighed in frustration.

“That's a lot of real estate to cover.”

I smiled. Chloe…she’s great at stuff like this. She’d be able to help us figure out where Bart was. Plus she could help without putting her self at risk…wow two birds one stone…I’m getting good at this multitasking stuff.

“I think I know someone who can help us narrow it down.”

(Chloe POV)

The looked up from my laptop when I heard Clarks voice calling me. I smiled.

“Hey.”

He walked over to me leaned down and kissed me then pt the palm of his hands on my desk.

“I need you to do something for me…”

I raised an inquisitive brow.

“Two favors in one day Clark? What’s the occasion?”

He paced back and forth in front of my desk.

“I just left Oliver’s…he knows about 33.1 and he’s been recruiting people to stop Lex.”

He stopped moving and faced me.

“Victor, A.C, and Bart have been working recon for Oliver to get information about 33.1 and stop it.”

He let out a deep breath and my eyes opened wide. This is huge!

“Victor Stone and Arthur Curry are working for him, too?”

He nodded and rushed his next sentence along.

“Yeah, Oliver's been busy. When they said we needed to narrow down the list of 33.1 facilities I immediately thought of you. No one knows there way around a computer better then you. Plus this is a way for you to help without putting you or the baby in danger. Is there anything in your Luthorcorp intel that can help us find out where Bart's being held?”

I sighed. I wasn’t really sure if I had anything for him…oh wait the info I got from Dr. Casselli’s internal documents!

“I don't know. Uh... wait. When I had my feelers out for Dr. Casselli, I managed to shake loose some internal documents. In the last few days, there's been a flurry of equipment transfers to a place called the Ridge Facilities on the outskirts of Metropolis.”

He looked confused.

“Doesn't Luthorcorp move equipment all the time?”

That’s just it…this wasn’t normal material that you’d transfer back and forth. It was…different.

“This isn't just a couple of forklifts, Clark. Half a ton of lead shielding, electrical pressure plates, more than $20 million worth of equipment to measure high-velocity particles.”

Clark looked kind of excited and nodded frantically.

“It's Bart. Take everything and bring it to Oliver.”

I looked at him startled. He couldn’t be serious. Oliver and Lois were dating and he was a very sweet guy but we’re just acquaintances. He doesn’t even know that I know he’s the green arrow. Why does Clark always do these things?

“Me? Clark –“

He cut me off and spoke quickly.

“I can get to the Ridge Facility faster myself. I can't let anything happen to Bart. Be careful.”

He leaned over kissed me and I felt the whoosh of air as he left to go find Bart.


About fifteen minutes later I loaded all my stuff in my car and headed to Oliver’s. I was in the elevator riding up when it stopped. I saw the red light on the camera go on and I figured Oliver was using it to see who it was. I looked at the camera and spoke to it.

“Mr. Queen, it's Chloe Sullivan. Clark sent me.”

The elevator started again and when the door opened I walked into the apartment. Oliver gave me a hesitant smile.

“Chloe I told you it’s Oliver not Mr. Queen”

He glanced behind me and looked confused.

“Where's Clark?”
I looked at him carefully and spoke slow.

“He went to rescue Bart.”

He looked startled. Oh that’s right I forgot Oliver doesn’t know I know about Clark. See all this secrecy is confusing and doesn’t do any of us any good.

“He told you about Bart?”

I shrugged. And put my bag down on his desk.

“We trust each other. Clark tells me everything -- well, almost everything.”

I paused and smirked at Oliver.

“I did have to figure out about your green-leather fetish on my lonesome.”

His mouth hung open as he pointed at me. He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t get it out. I smiled

“Don't worry. I didn't say anything to Lois. Although, you might want to consider –“

He cut me off when he finally got his voice back.

“Hey, let's just stick to the main plot, there, sidekick. So, what do you got?”

I raised an eyebrow and glared in his direction.

“First off I’m no sidekick secondly hopefully a solid lead on Bart. Where are Victor and A.C.?”

Oliver looked at me then hung his head with a look of disbelief on his face. Victor and A.C. walked into the room.

“Guess we're not that good at the whole "secret" part of this yet.”

They smirked at each other and I smiled.

“Yeah, but you're great at getting caught by the villain.”

I shook my head and they looked hurt at my comment. I shook my head walked over to the screen Oliver had up of all the possible 33.1 sites and saw the Ridge Facility. I glanced at Oliver.

“Anyway, I think Bart's being held at a place called the Ridge Facility”

A.C. walked over by me and smiled at me before he spoke.

“That's down by the docks.”

I nodded. And Oliver went through the places on the screen and when he came to it he clicked on it for a blueprint of the building.

“It's on our list of possible 33.1 targets.”

We all looked over the plans and I heard Oliver speaking as I gazed closer at the screen.

“All right, boys. You know the drill. Let's gear up and get out.”

My heart dropped to my stomach when I saw the room with lead shielding. Kryptonite…Clark was there alone and they were experimenting with Meteor rocks there. Oh god…I god Oliver’s attention when my voice broke as I spoke.

“Oh, no.”

Oliver looked at me and I could see the question in his eyes.

What now?…Chloe?”

My voice was a whisper when I spoke and Oliver put a hand on the small of my back

“Lead shielding. This isn't just for Bart. I think the Ridge Facility's being used to refine meteor rock. Clark's in trouble…”

Oliver looked worriedly at Victor and A.C.

“It will be fine Chloe. We’re gonna suit up and get Clark and Bart back…don’t worry.”

They all left the room and a few minutes later they came out dressed in costumes. I was almost tempted to laugh but I didn’t want to insult them. They started to walk out and I stopped them.

“Be careful…and Oliver.”

He looked at me and I gave him a half smile.

“Bring Clark back to us.”

He nodded and they left.

(Clark POV)

Oliver got to me just in time. The kryptonite was starting to get to me. When we walked out he gave me a mic that connected me to Chloe and took off in a different direction. I went to go find Bart and when I finally got there I saw what Lex had done to him. I ran as fast as I could through the glass shattering it, grabbed Bart and ran through the other end. Once he could stand up we moved through the hallways and ran into Oliver. I looked over at Bart and spoke to him.
“Can you super speed?”

He nodded lightly and his voice was horse.

“Yeah, I just -- I need a minute to catch my breath”

Oliver shook his head and his voice was light and slightly amused when he spoke.

“You know what? You're gonna have to catch it later. Aquaman, Cyborg, rendezvous alpha confirmed.”

Heard Victor’s voice come crackling over the small speaker.

“We're on the move.”

Oliver then address Chloe.

“Watchtower, have all Luthor's people cleared the building?”

Her voice was soft and I could hear the awe in it. She was enjoying being our eyes and ears.

“The last heat signatures are moving away from the North.”
Just then I actually heard what she said. I scrunched up my eyebrows. I was confused but then again how that new?

“Wait a second. What are you doing?”

He looked at me like I was crazy. Bart stood next to him.

“What do you think I'm doing? You want more of your friends to end up in here?”

Bart shook his head. He still had a small amount of blood by his nose.

“Yeah, I'm voting no on that one.”

They had a point. I didn’t want anyone I cared about back here ever…Lex’s work needed to be destroyed at all costs. He held the earpiece to me and spoke to Chloe.

“Watchtower, are you sure everyone's out of the building?”

I could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke to me.

“100% positive.”

I looked at Oliver carefully just to make sure he was doing this for the right reasons. I smiled at them and spoke my voice firm.

“All right. Let's do it.”

As the five of us walked out of the building the structure exploded from several different places and went up in flames. We kept walked and I couldn’t help feeling like I was a part of something bigger, like this was the beginning of a larger purpose for me in the world…

(Chloe POV)

Last night had to be the most excitement I had in a long time…well except for almost getting shot the other day. It was early and I was in the barn with and the boys. I was on the phone with one of my co-workers getting the scoop on what they were printing about what happened at the Ridge Facility last night. I closed the phone shut and although I addressed everyone I looked at Clark.

“So the Daily Planet is running with the story that a gas explosion destroyed the "vacant" Luthorcorp building down by the docks.”

Clark shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Vacant? Looks like the Luthor cover-up machine is in full swing.”

I shrugged. We had to look at the bright side of things. I smiled at them.

“Well, at least we got Bart out before Lex ran him into an early grave.”

I sat down on a bale of hay a few feet from Clark.

“Come on. No worries. I had plenty of juice left.”

I heard Victor snort.

“Could have fooled me, the way you cleaned out Mama Kent's fridge.”

Bart chuckled.

He appeared next to me on the hale bale and playfully leered at me.

“That's 'cause I like to stay fueled up. Just in case I need to, uh, spring into action.”

I grinned and shook my head.

“I still have a boyfriend.”

He tilted his head to the side and smiled. His voice was dreamy.

“Yeah. Well, a man can dream, can't he?”

Clark chose to cut in then.
He glared at Bart.

“No he can’t…not when the girlfriend is mine.”

Bart rolled his eyes and A.C. laughed and then spoke.

“Now you know why we call him Impulse.”

Victor looked back and forth between Clark and I.

“I didn’t know the two of your were together…You got a great girl there Kent…don’t let her get away.”

He winked at me and I laughed. Bart was still sitting next to me and he picked up my head and kissed it. He was playfully flirting and Clark was glaring. I would be worried if I thought Clark was really mad but I know he’s not.

“Bart seriously…That is my pregnant girlfriend you are all over. Cut it out…or I’m going to hang you from the basketball hoop.”

I chuckled and Bart looked smugly at Clark.

“You’d have to catch me first stretch.”

The guys laughed including Clark and then he looked at them.

“Sooo…Impulse, Cyborg, Aquaman, Green Arrow. What do you guys call your team?”

Bart moved away from me and started walked to A.C and Victor. His voice was excited when he spoke.

“I don't know. I've been thinking that we need something cool. We need something like, uh -- like, uh –“

I heard Oliver’s voice cut him off and I turned to face him. He gave me a small smile but I knew better then that. I saw the red around his eyes and his posture. Lois called me early this morning incredibly inconsolable about Oliver. They had broken up. Normally I’d be mad at the guy who managed to break Lois’s heart but for some reason I just couldn’t stay mad at Oliver. Maybe it was because he looked as bad as she sounded…or maybe it was because he was leaving her to save the world…be a hero and I couldn’t fault him for that.

“I was thinking about something with the word "Justice" in it. After all, that's what Lex is gonna get a big dose of. Victor and A.C. were able to hack into the 33.1 mainframe before we blew the building.”

I finally got it. That’s why they all split up when they were inside. He was getting information on 33.1.
“That was your other mission.”

Victor nodded and looked proud of himself.

“Haven't met the computer yet I couldn't crack wide open.”

I grinned and Clark’s voice was interested. He spoke softly.

“What did you guys find out?”

A.C. moved by Clark and his voice was hard.

“That Lex isn't satisfied playing in his own backyard anymore.”


Oliver nodded and spoke.

“Luthorcorp is starting up divisions of 33.1 all across the globe. Wherever there's evidence of people with abilities, there'll be laboratories to do experiments on them.”

Clark stood up and squeezed my hand gently.

“We can't let that happen.”

Oliver smiled at Clark’s conviction.

“Don’t worry...We won't. Gentlemen, our first target is a large facility on the island of Corto Maltese. You guys know the drill. Wheels up in 30 minutes. Get your gear.”

Bart turned around to face Clark.

“You coming, amigo?”

A.C. smiled and nodded his head

“Yeah, you got to come with us, man.”

Victor grinned and spoke more softly.

“We could use the big guns.”

Oliver glanced at me and then back at Clark.

“They're right, you know -- you'd be a major asset to the team.”

I watched Clark closely and he hesitated. He looked at all of them and suddenly I felt bad. Clark has never had many people he could relate to and even less that actually knew who actually knew him and accepted him for him. I could tell that he wanted so bad to be a part of this. He wants to help the world and he also wants people he can call friends…people he can joke around with and not have to hide who he really is. And for the first time in a long time I felt like I was holding him back from achieving that. He started to say something to Oliver so I listened intently.

“I want to be a part of this, guys. I really do.”

Oliver nodded but rolled his eyes.

“But...”

He sighed.

“That problem I told you about -- the one that I caused -- I have to take care of that first…and it’s not just me anymore…I have Chloe and the baby.”

Oliver smiled and nodded. He held out his hand to Clark and they shook hands.

“This isn't the end of the story, Clark. This is just the beginning.”

Oliver looked at me as he was passing by and gave me a warm smile. He grasped my hand as he walked by and squeezed it before letting go and continuing on. He nodded at me.

“Chloe. Come on, boys. Let's go save the world.”

They walked out and left Clark and I standing there watching them from afar. I titled my head towards Clark.

“You have some pretty amazing friends, Clark Kent.”

He smiled down on me and spoke blatantly.

“Yeah. I do.”

He closed the distance between us and kissed me. I made a vow as I stood there kissing Clark. That no matter what I would make sure he got the chance to work with Oliver. I would make sure he became the man I knew he could be because I knew that’s what he wanted, what would make him happy, and I wanted to make Clark as happy as he made me.