The Fall 4/?
Title: The Fall 4/?
Fandom: Smallville
Rating: NC17
Summary: Sometimes even a hero needs to be saved.
Notes: This chapter is pretty short, but I found a good ending point. There will be a lot more going on in the next chapter though.
“They were masked señor. We traced them down to a hotel that Queen was staying at, but it’s all dead ends. They were using fake aliases and fake credit card numbers. They were untraceable.” The middle aged man swallowed at the grave look that came over the man in front of him. “The cameras were also cut.”
“I’m made a fool of, embarrassed, and there is nothing you can find? This Queen and his friends, they will pay.”
“The camera outside the perimeter, they weren’t taken down. We did get an image of a female, the one the men claim knocked them out. They continue to talk about some blue light that stopped bullets.” He stepped forward and placed a picture in front of him.
“I don’t care about magic lights. Who is she?”
“We’re working on that now señor.”
“Do not disappoint me.” After the other man made his exit Ernesto Vasquez looked down at the picture. The images were slightly blurry, but it wasn’t hard to make out the tall blond man that he knew as Oliver Queen. The woman that he stood behind, with his arm around was of more interest to him. If she was of some importance to Queen then she was of importance to Ernesto.
“This help?” Chloe pulled the printout off her printer and handed it to Clark.
He surveyed it, eyeing the mug shot thoughtfully. “Yea, I think that’s him.”
She watched Clark tuck the piece of paper in his briefcase. “I just realized you are wearing glasses.” He stopped and turned to her, eyes looking out to her from behind thin lenses. “I know you don’t need them.”
“No. But with Lois…”
“Yea.” Chloe said with understanding. Both Clark Kent and Superman were spending a lot of time with her cousin. If he didn’t act it was only a matter of time before she put it together.
“I hear Oliver is back to his old antics.” She sighed, a clue that she didn’t want to have that conversation with him, she never wanted to discuss Oliver with him. “I don’t know why you bothered.”
“Look Clark…” She shut off the monitors and led him away, the wall sliding shut behind them. “I get it, I do. But just because you feel that he is a lost cause doesn’t mean I have to.”
“Chloe, he’s not a child. You can’t treat him like one. You are the one that’s going to get hurt. You’re taking too much upon yourself, you always do.”
“Anymore then you Clark?”
“That’s not the point. I-.”
“That is the point. Just because you’re an alien doesn’t mean you get to bear all of the responsibility. We all do, even Oliver. When you have an ability whether it’s meteor, computers, being an alien with super powers, money, whatever, you have an obligation to use it for the right reasons. You’ve washed your hands of him, I understand that. He betrayed you. But I can’t just accept that he’s lost, if he just-.”
“Chloe, Oliver was gone long before that. Need I remind you of Lex? It’s always been a downward slope for him. Taking on too much and only seeing things his way.”
“He’s flawed. And to tell you the truth, I didn’t care that much when he killed Lex.”
Clark felt his body tense. He had become fully aware over time that Chloe had more knowledge of Lex’s death than Clark had. In fact, she had kept from him Oliver’s part in it. “But would you have killed him?” She didn’t say anything, and he didn’t need an answer.
“Clark, if I knew then what I knew now I wouldn’t have stopped him from putting that arrow strait through Davis. In fact I would have asked him to.”
Clark sighed, feeling the fight drain from him. “I know. I can’t change your mind. Just be careful, I just don’t want you to be disappointed.”
“I’m a big girl Clark, and being disappointed by people isn’t new to me.” She hadn’t meant for it to be a dig at him, but it sounded that way. He took his leave a few moments later.
The rest of her day appeared pretty dull after finishing Clark’s research. The guys were off doing their own thing, she had no appointments with Isis, and Clark and Lois were busy.
Her stomach groaned, almost as if it knew her time was free. The problem was that there was nothing in the refrigerator, at least nothing to satisfy her growing hunger. Her only option was to venture out and get something to eat.
“Mr. Queen.”
Oliver looked up from his desktop to his phone. “Yea?”
“I have a Mr. Vasquez on the phone, from Havana, he says its personnel.”
A sense of foreboding came over him. Somewhere in the back of Oliver’s mind he knew it would be only a matter of time before the mob boss decided to strike out. It had been two weeks; Oliver was surprised it had taken him that long. “Put him through.” Oliver grabbed the phone. “Hello.”
“Mr. Queen.”
“What do you want?”
“You’ve cost me a lot of trouble. I was hoping to come into at least a couple of million.”
“Well obviously you don’t realize how invaluable I am.” Oliver wished he was joking, but he wasn’t a fool. Anyone connected with Queen Industries probably wished him dead.
“Perhaps, but the way I view it you still owe me. You’ll be receiving a package in two minutes. Open it.”
The phone clicked and then silence. If Ernesto Vasquez only sought only Oliver that was one thing, but something about his last words worried him. With a frown he hit the speaker phone. “Ms. Besson, if I get a package let me know.” A few moments later a knock sounded at the door. “Come in.”
“Mr. Queen.” His elderly assistant walked in holding a small Fed Ex package. “This may be what you were waiting for.”
Oliver took it from her and waved his hand in an off handed dismissal. After she closed the door he tore into the package, not at all worried about what it might contain. Reaching in to the cardboard envelope he wrapped his hand around something hard and slim. Upon pulling his hand out he found himself holding a cell phone with a note attached.
Press talk.
He was being set up, he knew that now, but the only thing Oliver could do was play along. The phone rang twice before being picked up.
“It’s nice to see you are very prompt Mr. Queen.”
“I’m going to ask again, what do you want?”
“When your little gang rescued you I lost out on a lot of money. I think it’s time you pay up.”
“Let me think about that. No.”
“I assumed you would feel that way. Which is why I figured you might need a little convincing. You should be receiving a message any moment, open it.”
There was an audible click as the phone disconnected. Oliver pulled the phone away from his ear and set it down on his desk, face up, waiting. It didn’t take long before the phone released a series of beeps. After activating the screen a box popped up reading ‘One new message’. There was a sense of foreboding as he opened it and clicked on the attachment. It took only seconds for the attachment to load. “Jesus.” Oliver lowered his head and released a defeated sigh, before hitting talk.
“It appears I have your attention. You’re other friend’s masks hid their faces, but hers… She put up quite a fight with that strange ability she has. We had to sedate her. But she is safe…for now.”
“What do you want?”
“Ten million dollars. You’ll be hearing from me.”
Oliver didn’t wait. He was up and moving out of his chair, taking only his cell phone and the one that came in the Fed Ex envelope. Dialing a number he waited nervously for someone to pick up. “I’m leaving. Cancel my appointments.” He called out behind him as he continued on to the elevator. Finally, the line picked up.
“Victor, we’ve got a problem; get AC, Bart, and Dinah together.”
“What about Chloe?”
“She is the problem.”
“Señor Vasquez. It’s him.”
Ernesto frowned and nodded. “Leave me.” He waved to the other men surrounding him. Once they had all vacated he picked up the phone.”We no longer have business with one another.”
“We had a deal. You were suppoded kill Oliver Queen, you didn’t.”
“I returned your money when he escaped. You never told me who it was I would be killing. It would have been more beneficial to me financially to ransom his life. You also didn’t mention there was a chance of him being rescued.”
“He wouldn’t have escaped if you’d done your job in the first place.”
“Our business is done.”
“I don’t believe so. You have Chloe Sullivan. I’m aware that she has some power. I want her and I want Oliver Queen dead. I can offer you a lot more then Oliver Queen will.”
“I would imagine this girl’s life is much more valuable to him then turning her over to you and killing him. But I will think on it. I’ll be in touch.”