People Make Mistakes Chapter (12/13)

Banner By: Andrea

Previous Chapter

Chapter 12
August 19th 2010



The elevator doors slid open and they ran into the apartment and stopped at the sight of broken glass and furniture in front of them. Clark and Bart turned when they heard the heels on the floor. Chloe glanced around the apartment and when she took a step forward her foot slipped in something wet. Oliver’s arm gripped her waist to keep her from falling.

She looked down and there was a pool of blood at her feet. A sob left her throat as her breathing came in quick gasps, her hand going to her stomach as a million and one thoughts swam through her head.

“Oh god…oh god. What happened?”

Bart glanced at Oliver before looking toward Chloe as Clark spoke

“Chloe…why don’t you let Bart take you to the farm and we’ll take care of this.”

Bart swallowed hard and nodded.

“Maybe Clark’s right Chloelicious…”

Anger flashed in her eyes as she jerked her body away from Oliver. She glared at all three of them as she moved away from the blood that was staining the floor.

“You think I’m going to the farm while you guys what…try and figure out what happened?”

“Chloe--”

“Don’t Chloe me! How can you think I’m just going to sit here and do nothing while my family is out there? Do you not know me at all?”

She didn’t bother waiting for an answer.

“Bart I want you to grab the security footage from downstairs. Call Victor and tell him to power up Watchtower and start a state-wide search of all abandoned facilities that have been put back on the map in the last six months.”

She felt a whoosh of air and took a deep breath the coppery tang of the blood making her nauseas. She shifted, hand gripping the counter as she closed her eyes and steadied herself.

“Clark call Lois let her know what happened and have her call the general. He should know what’s going on and he might be able to help…do we…do we know whose blood that is?”

Clark swallowed hard as he spoke softly.

“Mia…it’s Mia’s blood.”

Oliver closed his eyes and a tear slid down Chloe’s cheek as she nodded. She knew they shouldn’t have gone to that stupid benefit this was all her fault. She should have followed her instincts. She felt Oliver’s hand on her back as he spoke softly.

“Go get changed and I’ll drop you off at Watchtower so you can help Vic from there.”

She brushed her tears away and nodded. She moved past Clark and down the hall towards their bedroom. Bart appeared next to Clark, tape in hand. Oliver ran a hand over his face, jaw tense, murderous gleam in his eyes. He walked past the kitchen and towards the closet behind his desk.
Bart and Clark watched as he pushed in a code and the doors slid open revealing his Green Arrow gear. He hesitated a minute before walking in and reaching out for his gear. He hadn’t been in this room for over a month.

The last time he donned his suit Nathan’s Mother lost her life, but they knew now even if he had saved her that night Lex’s people would have found a way to kill her anyway. But this…this was about more than him. It was about Mia and Nathan.

It was about his family. Lex had messed with the wrong person. If he thought he was going to send people into his home and hurt his family he had another thing coming. It was time for the Green Arrow to get back out there.

It took Chloe less than ten minutes to change out of her dress and into jeans and one of Oliver’s thermal sweatshirts. She pulled on sneakers and her eyes caught her blood stained heels. She held her head between her legs and took a few deep breaths.

Chloe had been through a lot in her life and she’d been in several life and death situations, but none of them had ever terrified her as much as this one. Mia and Nathan were out there somewhere and knowing Lex he wouldn’t give them a surplus amount of time to find them.

She let out a heavy breath, lifted her head and stood. Lex had been making her life a living hell ever since he figured out she knew Clark’s secret, but this time he’d gone too far. She walked out of the bedroom and down the hall.

She looked around blood no longer littering the floor and then caught sight of Bart and Clark, but didn’t see Oliver. She raised an eyebrow voice hoarse as she spoke.

“Where’s Ollie?”

Before either of them could say anything Oliver walked out from the hallway that lead to his office, fully suited up, hood down and spoke.

“Right here.”

The sight of him in gear brought tears to her eyes. She closed the distance between them and threw her arms around him. He held her, arms tight around her waist as she buried her head against his shoulder.

“Thank you.”

He swallowed hard.

“You were right…wanting to be someone else…it’s just a waste of the person I am. Mia and Nathan need me and I’m not gonna let them down.”

“Go…I’ll have Clark or Bart run me over to Watchtower.”

“You sure?”

She nodded. He pulled up his hood, smirked at her, and turned on his com.

“Green Arrow online.”

“Welcome back Arrow. I’ve got the first set a facilities. I’ll send you the GPS coordinates.”

“I’m on it.”

He turned and headed for the balcony when Chloe called out to him.

“Arrow!”

He turned and she swallowed hard.

“Bring them home.”

“I will.”

She watched him leap off the building before straitening her shoulders and turning towards Clark and Bart.

“Well…what are the two of you doing just standing there? I need to get to Watchtower and you need to get out there and help Oliver.”

A ghost of a smile crossed her face as they ran around getting everything together not giving her a chance to repeat herself. It was good to know that some things never changed.




_____

Nathan sat on the floor huddled up next to Mia, her hand held tightly in his own. He glanced around the white room and sniffled. It looked like a doctor’s office except different. Same stainless steel table, but a lot less warmth. He was scared and he wasn’t sure what to do.

There was a loud click and then the door was pulled open by a young woman with red hair. He moved away from her and Tess’s heart broke at the fear she saw on the boys face. She cleared her throat and called out to the men behind her.

“Take her in the other room.”

Two men in suites walked towards Mia and Nathan shifted so he was lying on top of her tears streaming down his face.

“No, no…you can’t have her.”

Tess swallowed hard and spoke, voice soft.

“Nathan…she’s bleeding. We need to take her in the other room and get her patched up or she isn’t going to make it. Do you understand?”

He looked up and met the woman’s eyes trying to gage whether or not she was telling the truth. She nodded and he licked his lips as he moved off her slightly.

“You’ll…help her get better?”

“We’ll do the best we can.”

The men lifted Mia and carried her out of the room as Nathan pushed himself into a corner and pulled his knees up to his chest. Tess watched him closely and as she turned to go he spoke.

“Oliver will find us.”

She paused and turned back to look at him surprise on her face. Did Nathan know who Oliver really was?

“What?”

“I said Oliver will find me and Mia. He said...we’re family. That he’ll protect us. He’ll come…I know he will.”

She nodded and she took a step closer to him, her voice barely above a whisper as she faced away from the camera in the room.

“Trust me kid…I hope he does.”

She gave him one last look before turning and walking out into the hallway. She locked the door behind her and took a few deep breaths. She pushed away from the door and almost slammed into Lex. His hands gripped her arms steadying her as he raised an eyebrow.

“Everything alright?”

She nodded.

“Yeah. I sent the girl to get patched up.”

“Why?”

“I think she might have powers and I can’t very well study them if she’s dead can I?”

Lex smirked.

“Very true. Good thinking. Will she make it?”

Tess shrugged.

“She lost a lot of blood. I’m not sure.”

He nodded as he moved to the small glass window on the door, peering at the boy huddled in the corner. Tess watched the fascination on Lex’s face grow and she had to hide a grimace. She took a deep breath and spoke.

“So you never did tell me why we need the kid. Keeping the plans to yourself?”

“Have you been observing him?”

“I have.”

“Have you noticed anything strange?”

She frowned.

“No.”

He glanced around the hall eyebrow raised.

“You don’t think it’s strange that there are no guards guarding the door?”

Tess blinked looking around realizing Lex was right.

“But--”

He pointed and spoke.

“He made them leave. He might not be able to get of there but he’s clearing the way for someone. His powers…they’re unique. I found a woman once, Moira Sullivan, Chloe’s Mother, who could control all meta-humans by simply touching something that belonged to them. She could bend them to her will. Make them do anything she wanted.”

Tess remembered reading the file on his research. She could hear the wonder in Lex’s voice as he continued speaking.

“It was amazing. This young man here is the exact opposite of his Aunt. He has the power to control all humans the only difference is he needs to be looking at the person. But Dr. Alcott thinks he might be able to create a serum to boost Nathan’s powers so he can manipulate human emotions and control them with just a thought.”

Tess sucked in a large breath. That’s how he was going to do it. That’s how he was going to take over the most powerful position in the world. Lex was going to use Nathan to become president of the United States.

“It’s a solid plan, but aren’t you worried?”

He turned to face her, hands in his pockets.

“About?”

“Well that he could use his power on you?”

Lex chuckled.

“I would be worried if it worked on me, but it doesn’t. Since the accident I’m not as…human as I was before. Besides he’ll be on a short leash. Can’t have him revolting can we.”

He grinned and made his way back down the hall. She needed to check on the girl. Hopefully they were close to finding them, because Tess had a feeling they didn’t have much more time.




_____

Chloe’s finger’s glided over the keyboard as she glanced at the vitals of her team. J’onn, A.C. and Canary had joined the search less than twenty minutes ago and they’d already crossed six facilities off the list, but it wasn’t good enough.

“Canary what’s the word?”

“Nothing here, but a bunch of cargo.”

She swore and switched the screen over to Oliver.

“Arrow what’s your status?”

“It’s empty. Something's not right…there are too many facilities up and running and yet nothing’s in any of them. He’s trying to throw us off track. We need more to go on. If we keep wasting our time going through these places one by one, by the time we find them…it’ll be too late.”

“I’m doing the best I can. The general called a couple of minutes ago and said the was some strange activity reported last night a little past the base near Reeves Dam. I’m sending impulse to check it out.”

“Roger that.”

She had just sent the coordinates to Bart when her phone pinged. She sighed, reached over, and grabbed it scrolling through the messages. She stopped what she was doing as she reread the message. She did a search and when it returned with one result she flipped a switch pulling up and connecting all coms.

“Stop. Everyone wherever you are turn around. I just rerouted your coordinates. You need to go to the old Alcott Manner three hours south of Metropolis.”

They all started to speak at one and she yelled.

“Quiet. Just go there now! That’s where they are. I want everyone there. Impulse lead the way and case the facility I want to know how many people are in that facility down to the mice. Boyscout you’ll follow Impulse and take out as many guards as you can while you wait for back up. Got it?”

There was a murmur of agreement as Chloe’s eyes fell back to her phone.

Alcott Manner
2435 Fairview Hill Rd

Get there soon…

Tess. It had to be her. When the she had cornered her in the bathroom at the charity event, Chloe had been seconds away from bashing the other woman’s head into the wall. After everything they went through with the Kandorians how could she be stupid enough to align herself with Lex?

But then the strangest thing had happened. She’d given Chloe a small vile filled with purple liquid and told her to take it to Oliver’s people and have it analyzed. She said it would help, but never said what it was. Chloe glanced to her purse that was sitting a few feet away, the vile still sitting inside of it.

Tess warned her, said they needed to leave the event and go home, but by the time they had gotten there it was already too late. Victor’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.

“Cyborg to Watchtower.”

“I’m here. What’s up?”

“The Martian was nice enough to give us a lift to the facility. It’s definitely up and running. I’m about to hack into their system and take out their security.”

She pressed a couple more buttons and brought up the schematics on the computer picking up several heat signatures.

“Hold on one second Cyborg. Boyscout, Impulse what’s your twenty?”

“Coming in the back way senorita. Two guys down, no alarms blaring yet.”

“I took three guys out in the front, two more in the center hallway.

“Good. I’m picking up a few more heat signatures. There are at least seven other guards and if I had to take a guess I’d say two doctors, Lex, Tess, Mia and Nathan.”

Oliver’s voice crackled to life over the com.

“Where are they?”

Chloe bit her lip and she took glanced over the floor plans.

“You’re going to need to go straight down the main hallway and when you get to the end make a quick right. Go down past three doorways and then take a left, and they should be inside the last door on the right.”

She listened as Oliver spoke to the team.

“On the count of three Cyborg cut the power. Boyscout, Impulse watch my back. Take out the guards I’m going for Mia and Nathan. On my count…one…two…three.”




_____

Lex was back by the door watching the boy once again leaning on the young teenage girl that had been tossed back inside the room with him when the lights went out. His head jerked up and he frowned. No, it wasn’t possible.

He made sure. There was no way they should have been able to find him…not unless they had inside help. He pulled out his gun, cocked it and moved down the hallway.




_____

Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he ran down the hall attaching a round explosive to every other doorway. He could hear loud yells as three men turned the corner and headed towards him. One raised a gun but before he could shoot Oliver’s arrow sailed through the sky jutting right into the man’s check, electric current knocking him to the ground.

The man to his left held his hand up a blue ball of fire appearing in the middle, but Oliver didn’t stop. He lifted his bow, but before he could take the shot the guy was being slammed into the wall and slumping to the ground unconscious.

He met Clark’s eyes and they nodded at each other as Oliver rounded the corner and followed Chloe’s instructions to a ‘T’ He could see the last corridor in front him and he sped up. Right as he passed over through the doorway Lex moved out from the shadows, gun aimed at his chest.

He smirked.

“Game over.”




_____

His voice sent shivers up her spine the video feed from Oliver’s glasses showing the maniacal look in his eyes.

“You thought you ‘d get away with it again didn’t you? Thought you’d ruin my plans? Well not this time…it’s time for you and your merry band of men to join the ranks of the fallen.” There was a crash and static and Chloe’s nails gripped the counter as the video feed was lost.

“Arrow come in…Arrow what’s your status?”

She could hear a struggle and then two shots were fired. Panic was settling in and she did some fast typing and switched over to Bart’s com link.

“Impulse come in.”

“I’m here.”

“There were gunshots fired. Arrow needs back-up.”

“On my way.”

“Boyscout to Watchtower, the explosives are still counting down. We have less than three minutes to exit the facility with the packages.”

She swallowed hard.

“Find him Clark…please.”




_____

She didn’t have to tell him twice. He sped in the direction he saw Oliver go. After all the crap he’d put her through this past year…all the times she stood by him…he owed her. Explosives or not he wasn’t leaving this facility without her family.




_____

Oliver’s eyes were wide as he watched Tess walk around Lex’s fallen body. She kicked him lightly, but he didn’t move. She glanced up at him, eyes drawn to his arm.

“He got you?”

“Flesh wound…is he dead?”

She shook her head.

“No, sedated.”

Their eyes met and he swallowed hard.

“He’ll come after you…”

“No…he won’t. Get them out of here Oliver…there isn’t much more time.”

He opened his mouth, but shut it quickly. He nodded and headed towards the last door on the right hand side. His hand gripped the knob and he glanced over his shoulder briefly.

“Thank you…”

She nodded before taking off down the hallway. Oliver slammed his good shoulder into the door and it burst open. Nathan jumped and his eyes widened when he saw the Green Arrow. He wiped his tears and stood.

“It’s you.”

“Heya kid…need a hand getting out of here?”

He nodded and pointed to Mia.

“Take her first. She’s hurt…and I think she’s cold.”

Oliver stumbled slightly at the sight of Mia’s pale body. His heart clenched as he moved over towards her. He lifted her and his hands came back slick with her as her blood slowly leaked through the bandage that was wrapped around her.

He lifted her carefully and when he turned Clark was standing there. He spoke to the other man in a pleading voice.

“She needs a hospital…now.”

Clark swallowed hard and nodded. he took Mia from Oliver’s arms gave him one last look and sped off. Oliver turned to Nathan and tried to smile.

“You ready to go home kid?”

“Yeah.”

He nodded, picked him up and made a run for it. It was as if time slowed around him as he ran back through the facility Nathan in his arms. Heart pounding, fear the only thing keeping him going. He’d made Nathan a promise…and he intended to keep it. No one was dying on his watch.




_____

Chloe watched as each heat signature moved away from the facility, three of them still very much inside.

“Impulse we have 53 seconds I need you to run inside go through the back and pull out Tess…can you do that?”

“Affirmative.”

“Is Arrow with you?”

“Negative. He was with boyscout.”

She pulled up Oliver’s screen and clicked a few buttons. He was still in the building and the other heat signature was Nathan. She glanced at the floor plans and her heart sank. There were 35 seconds left…they were too deep into the facility. They’d never make it out before it blew.

Chloe felt dizzy, almost lightheaded as her heart rate picked up speed. She felt like she couldn’t breathe as the counter on the computer hit fifteen. A sob bubbled over as she screamed for Clark to help him.

Time slowed as she watched the thermal reading on the screen explode with heat as the facility and the two heat signatures were engulfed in flames. Chloe’s body dropped, but before she could hit the ground a pair of arms caught her.

Through her tears she could hear the soothing sound of Bart’s voice before all the emotions of the day caught up with her, overwhelming her. The last thought she had as darkness enveloped her was of Oliver and Nathan.

Epilogue