Fragments Chapter (4/12)

Chapter 4

Chapter 3
The Guise of A Hero
(Clark POV)




I could hear voices around me and I frowned. Who’s here? I opened my eyes in one fluid motion, took a step down and the ice and lights encircling me faded. I turned and three heads drew to attention. One face looked skeptical, another looked angry, and one looked relieved. A grin overtook my face as I moved forward.

“Oliver, Bart, A.C., what brings you three here?”

They looked at me and when they didn’t answer I frowned. Was something wrong…

“Is everything okay? Did something happen?”

I watched confusion filter over Oliver’s face. The three of them looked between each other and then back at me. Bart was the first to speak.

“Uh…you tell us stretch. We’ve been searching for you since the Davis incident…”

My eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. Okay…how long could that have been? A day or two…I didn’t really think they’d miss me in that short amount of time. I straightened up and I hid my emotions behind a mask as I spoke.

“I needed to take care of a few things here. I was trying to…figure out my purpose. Come to terms with who I am and why I’m here. I didn’t realize I needed to check in with you in order to do that.”

I watched as Oliver tensed and his features grew angry. When he spoke his voice was cold as ice and it surprised me slightly.

“You do when you plan on taking a three-month vacation and we’re wasting legitimate man power on finding you.”

My facial expression didn’t change, but I tilted my head to the side and spoke.

“I’ve been gone three months? I apologize Oliver, I didn’t realize how long I’d been here. How is Metropolis?”

I could tell my question threw his and he opened and closed him mouth twice before giving Bart and A.C. a look of disbelief. He turned back toward me and spoke in an even voice.

“Metropolis is fine Clark. What…what happened when you left? Why did you come here?”

I sighed, turned away from Oliver and moved a foot or so away from them. I closed my eyes briefly and calmed my body before speaking. I don’t exactly like recounting how I left things when I came here…

“After everything that happened with Davis…and Jimmy…I took the time to evaluate what we do and how I’ve been acting this past year. I have lost so many people in my life all because I was pretending to be something I’m not.”

I paused and turned to face the three of them. I stood tall and spoke with determination.

“From this point on I will be embracing my destiny instead of pushing it away. You were right Oliver, human emotions hold no place in what we do. In order to think clearly and do what is best for the world it’s important to have a clear head and a clear conscious. I understand that now.”

I watched as Oliver’s head drooped slightly and he shook it. His voice was soft when he spoke, yet it echoed around the icy cave.

“No Clark, I was wrong. Don’t you see that? What I did…taking a life, even though it was Lex’s was not the right way to handle the situation. It just makes me as bad as him. It took me a while to realize it, but the emotions…the pain, love, anger, morality…it’s what separates us from them…”

I frowned at his words.

“Oliver…the people connected to us…all they do is get hurt, you can attest to that. It’s better this way. When I believed that and I tried to explain it to you, you showed me the other side of the coin. I won’t take lives, but I will protect the world at all costs.”

He took a hesitant step toward me before meeting my eye.

“You’re right Clark. I didn’t understand it when you told me. I was being ignorant. Things have changed now…I’ve realized my mistakes and like you, I have evaluated where my life has gone since I first moved to Metropolis, and I don’t like it. I used to stand for something better.”

I stood my ground and I watched him as he studied my face.

“What brought on this sudden reevaluation of your attitude Oliver? You seemed pretty set in your ways when I left.”

He nodded and put his hands in his pocket. His stance was now relaxed and his voice calm when he spoke.

“Chloe.”

My head shot up and he gave me a knowing look. It wasn’t until he uttered her name that my stomach tied in knots and the last time I saw her face flashed through my head. I clenched my jaw and I watched as all three of them noted my reaction. Oliver had a satisfied look in his eyes and I worked on controlling the emotions her name evoked in me.

“Oliver…”

I was about to try and explain my actions, but he waved his hand and cut me off as he shook his head.

“Save it Clark, because I don’t want to hear it.”

I nodded. I wasn’t going to beg him to hear my side. It’s apparent that he has already picked a side, and it wasn’t mine. I was quiet and when I didn’t say anything he spoke again.

“What, you aren’t going to ask how she’s doing?”

I glared up at him before speaking.

“I imagine she’s getting along okay.”

I heard him snort and let out a sardonic chuckle. I glanced at Bart and A.C. and they were watching Oliver with worried eyes.

“That’s rich Clark. You take off, break the girl’s heart after everything she’s been through, and you don’t even seem to care. Same old Clark Kent…leaving everyone else to pick up the pieces of his mistakes.”

I took a step forward, my eyes burning with fury. How dare he…he has no clue what this has been like for me…My jaw tensed and I spoke in a harsh voice.

“Well that’s just how you like them, isn’t it Oliver? Emotionally weak and willing, so you can comfort them and make the pain go away…hmm sounds like the same old Oliver Queen to me.”

He chuckled and a grin settled on his face, but I could see the anger in his eyes.

“Is the attitude part of the new makeover too? I can’t say I’m loving it.”

It was at that moment that Bart and A.C. came between us. I hadn’t realized we had unconsciously gotten closer to each other, until that point. Bart’s voice broke through the tension.

“Guys…come on…”

He turned to me.

“We just came to make sure you were okay stretch. Just because the giant sized Doomsday monster is gone doesn’t mean Metropolis still doesn’t have its fair share of problems.”

He looked at Oliver.

“Dude, relax. I get it, trust me…but obviously there are things we don’t know yet. Maybe he could tell us if the two of you weren’t involved in the world’s largest pissing contest…”

A.C. chuckled and that brought a smile to my face and a slight grin to Oliver’s though his eyes were still guarded. Bart nodded.

“That’s more like it. What do you say stretch?”

I sighed.

“What do you want to know?”

Before he could speak, Oliver chimed in. This time his voice didn’t hold anger, it was calm.

“Why…why’d you just leave her like that? No, I’m not done. I don’t get it. It’s not just that…you left without telling us too. What did you think leaving would accomplish that you couldn’t accomplish back home?”

“Is that why you’re here Oliver…because of Chloe?”

He shook his head.

“No, she doesn’t even know I’m here. Answer the question Clark.”

I moved over to the fortress’ main control console to the left and started picking up a few crystals as I spoke.

“I told you. I left because I needed to work a few things out. It took me some time to accept that I needed to let the people I care about go. There isn’t any room in my life for them right now…they will only wind up getting hurt and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anyone else died because of me.”

I sighed again and my body deflated slightly before I continued to speak. I was tired of fighting with Oliver. I had planned on making my way back to Metropolis in a day or so to talk to him about finally joining his group of heroes and helping them on missions now that I didn’t have anything tying me down.

“There are things you don’t understand Oliver. You weren’t there when I left. It needed to be done. I don’t want to fight with you. I’m almost finished here…I had planned to return to Metropolis in a few days.”

I glanced up and met his eyes.

“You’ve made mistakes, so have I, more than I can count. Can we put this past year aside and work together? You’ve been asking me for years to join your merry band of men…”

I grinned slightly.

“I’m finally ready to be the hero the world needs… What do you say?”

I held out my hand and he stood there trying to read me. I could see Bart and A.C. watching Oliver closely. This is it…if he says no, I can always do it on my own. I don’t need to be on Oliver’s team…but it would be nice to be with people like me…people with a common goal…heroes…

(Chloe POV)

I plopped down on a chair in the control room. I glanced down at my blood stained hands and shook my head. I heard the door open and glanced up. Victor gave me half a smile and bent down in front of me.

“You okay Chlo?”

I nodded and gave him a tight smile.

“Fine.”

He sighed and nudged my leg until I met his eyes.

“You want to talk about it?”

I shook my head.

“Not really, I’m just glad you and Dinah are okay.”

He spoke in a soft voice.

“Thanks to you. If you hadn’t…”

His voice trailed off and I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This can’t be happening again…I opened my eyes and Victor was watching me.

“Where’s Dinah?”

“Resting.”

He lifted my hands slightly.

“We should probably get this cleaned off.”

I nodded and pulled my hands from him as I stood up slowly.

“I got it.”

He nodded and the room filled with silence. I went to say something, but Victor cut me off.

“Do you want me to call Oliver?”

I shook my head quickly.

“No. I’ll call him as soon as I’m done cleaning up. Why don’t you go and rest Victor. It’s been a long day…and with everything that happened…this probably won’t be the last one. I’ll be fine.”

He looked me over for a minute before inclining his head, giving me a tight hug and then making his way to his room. I took Oliver’s key out and made my way down the hall that lead to the elevator. I took it two floors up, got out and used the key to open Oliver’s door.

It was dark and I didn’t bother to turn on the lights as I made my way to the bathroom to wash off the blood. I glanced in the mirror when I was finished and I sighed. Time to call Oliver…he wasn’t going to like this…I made my way inside his bedroom, took off my heels and climbed onto the plush comforter. I closed my eyes briefly before taking out my cell phone.

I dialed the number and waited as it rang on the other end. After four rings I got his voicemail. I left him a message asking him to call me back as soon as possible, it was an emergency. I hung up the phone and tossed it on the pillow beside me.

As I looked at the empty pillow beside me, my thoughts drifted back to earlier today.

*Flashback*

I’m almost there…As I drove the twenty-five minute commute from the Star City command center to the outskirts of town, where the facility was, it felt like it took only seconds. I could see the facility burning in front of me and I frantically slammed on the breaks. The car skidded to a stop right in front of the broken gates.

I threw open the door, ran over the debris of the broken gate and called out to Victor and Dinah. When they didn’t answer I moved further in and yelled louder.

“VICTOR! DINAH!!!”

Oh god…how can this be happening. Oliver left and trusted me with his team…and in less than a day I manage to get two members blown up…the sound of coughing brought me out of my thoughts. I glanced around the open space and about thirty feet in front of me I saw Victor limping with an unconscious Dinah in his arms.

My eyes widened and I ran in their direction. When I was about three feet in front of them Victor finally snapped out of it and saw me. My voice was hurried as I spoke.

“Is she okay? What happened?”

He shook his head and kneeled down placing her gently on the floor so he could rest for a minute. I watched as he moved one hand over her stomach and the other by her shoulder. I could hear the worry in his voice as he spoke.

“We just made it out when the building exploded. There were security guards outside; they got off a few rounds. They got Dinah…we need a doctor…now Chloe…where’s your car?”

I heard her hiss as Victor lifted her back up and I guided him to my car. He placed Dinah in the back seat.

“Sit in back with her, I can get us there quicker.”

I didn’t bother arguing. I got in the back and a few seconds later the car took off. I frowned as I saw the blood on Dinah. I placed my hands on her wounds and tried to get her attention.

“Dinah…hey…open your eyes Dinah.”

I watched her wince when Victor hit a bump and her eyes slowly opened. I gave her a teary-eyed smile and spoke again.

“You’re going to be fine. We’re almost there. Just hang on.”

She nodded and then I felt her hand grasp my wrist in a deceptively tight hold. Her eyes opened wide and she opened and closed her mouth a few times before anything came out.

“Chloe…”

I nodded.

“I saw…there…inside…”

My eyebrows scrunched together. She must mean Tess…that’s who I saw outside…they weren’t unloading things like I thought…they were loading the truck…I gave her a small smile.

“Don’t worry I saw her…I saw Tess…I’ll let him know.”

She started shaking her head and I frowned. Her voice was weak and her grip on my wrist was loosening, but I heard the word she spoke clear as night.

“Lex…”

My eyes widened…No…I felt her hand slip and I brought my focus back to her. She lay there still and I shook her gently.

“Dinah….DINAH…”

I closed my eyes and I could feel a sob make it’s way to the surface as I leaned over her body and cried. I won’t accept this…I will not let someone else I know die…I won’t let him take someone I care about away from me…too many people have been lost…I still had my hands over her wounds and my voice echoed in the car as I let out a loud scream.

“NOOO…”

Victor looked back momentarily and then before I knew what was happening the car filled with a bright white light. I closed my eyes and I could feel the car swerving all over the road. I heard Victor yell and then the car stopped and everything was silent…

Present Time

The vibration against my hand knocked me out of my thoughts. I picked up the phone and looked at the called ID…Oliver…here goes nothing…

(Oliver POV)

I glanced over at Bart, A.C. and Clark talking. I could hear their laughter from where I stood a few feet away. Clark wants to come back…to be honest I wasn’t sure what to say to that. So, I told him that for the past three months Chloe has been working with us, and I needed to consult her before I made a decision.

He didn’t seem thrilled, but he understood. He said he’d be back in Metropolis by the end of the week either way, but he hoped we could work together. I sighed. I glanced down at the missed phone call and held down the keypad to dial my voicemail.

As I listened to the message I frowned. Something was wrong…I hung up quickly and called Chloe. She picked up after three rings.

“Hey…”

“What’s wrong?”

I heard her voice pause over the phone and I could hear her trying to control her breathing. I calmed myself down and spoke to her softly.

“Chloe…I need to tell you something, but before I tell you I need to know if you are okay.”

She cleared her throat and when she spoke her voice sounded tired.

“I’m okay for right now. Oliver...”

She paused and then the tone of her voice changed.

“What is it you need to tell me? Is everything okay where you are?”

I sighed and rubbed a hand down my face. Just bite the bullet already Oliver…

“I lied to you.”

She didn’t speak for a minute or so. When I didn’t get a response I spoke.

“Chloe…”

When she finally did speak her voice was calm.

“Okay…about what?”

“I didn’t have a business function to attend…I was meeting up with Bart and A.C.”

I could hear the confusion in her voice.

“What for? And why would you lie about that? It makes no sense. All you had to say was you were meeting up with Bart and A.C.”

I sighed.

“Because Chloe…”

I took a deep breath and spoke.

“We found Clark.”

The line was dead silence. Two minutes later, I heard a low chuckle from the other end and my forehead creased with concern. There was no humor in her laugh though and that worried me. Her voice was harsh when she spoke.

“Clark wasn’t lost Oliver…he left. There’s a difference.”

“I know that. He wants to come back. Be apart of the team. He said he’s ready to fulfill his destiny…whatever that means.”

Her voice was dry when she spoke again, but the malice was gone.

“I bet he is.”

“He said if the team no longer wants him he understands…he’ll still come back, but he’ll work alone.”

I heard her scoff.

“Of course he will.”

“Chloe…”

She wasn’t really giving me anything to work with. I heard her sigh and when she spoke I could tell all her energy had been exhausted from her previous fight. Then I heard a slight undertone of amusement in her voice as she continued.

“What do you want me to say? Obviously it would be better for Metropolis if you had him on your team. I’m going to deny the world its team of superheroes because I’m angry at one of them?”

She paused before continuing.

“At this point Clark coming back to the fold is not my biggest worry. We have things more important to deal with then him.”

The edge was back in her voice and my grip tightened on the phone.

“What happened today Chloe?”

I heard her take a deep breath before speaking.

“The recon mission was a bust…literally. They must have known you were watching that facility…I saw Tess there Ollie…and not ten minutes later the building blew. Victor and Dinah barely made it out alive. I had to go down there to find them…”

I cut her off.

“You went out there, to a compromised facility by yourself? Are you kidding me?”

I could hear the spark of anger return to her voice when she spoke.

“Yeah well sorry, I was the only one here. Apparently the rest of you are too busy alien hunting…”

I winced and pinched the bridge of my nose. My voice was calm when I spoke.

“I guess I deserved that.”

I heard her exhale deeply before speaking.

“No you didn’t…I’m sorry Oliver…it’s just…it’s been a really long day.”

“I know…so is everyone okay?”

I heard hesitation on the other line and my body tensed.

“Dinah was shot…twice…”

“Oh god…is she…”

“No, no…she’s going to be fine. Full recovery.”

I frowned. If she was going to be fine then why did Chloe sound so upset…

“Why do I feel like there’s more to this story.”

“On the car ride back to the command center…Dinah…she died…or I thought she had…”

I was now holding the phone in a death grip.

“Chloe…”

She cut me off.

“I think I healed her Oliver.”

It took me a few minutes to respond to that.

“But I thought…”

She cut me off.

“So did I.”

She sighed again before speaking.

“You need to come home Oliver….so…maybe it’s time gets back here too…”

“Are you going to be okay with him being around?”

There was silence for a second before she took another deep breath and spoke.

“Does it matter? There are more important things going on right now then my feelings…”

She paused and I could feel the tension building. Something else was wrong…

“Oliver…”

Her voice was hushed when she spoke again. Her next sentence made my face pale and my palms sweat. At first I thought I might have heard her wrong…but there was no mistaking what she said.

“Lex is alive…”