STOLEN FUTURE: CHAPTER 9/20
Title: Stolen Future
Author: Märk Owen
Pairing: Chloe/Oliver
Rating: R for violence and language
Warnings: Intense fights resulting in graphic violence.
Timeline: AU Season 6 (Zod and beyond)
Disclaimer: Any Smallville or DC Comics related things in this story are the property of their own owners. The only thing that belongs to me here is the storyline, nothing else is mine.
Summary: In this universe, Darkseid made a pact with Zod who adopted Kal-El. He will kidnap the JLA before its creation, leaving Earth powerless. Will Chloe and Oliver ever meet? Will the JLA even form? What will happen to Earth?
Previous chapters: Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
Chapter 9: Shattered Hopes
His feet were moving as fast as he could, he was sure that he had never run as quickly before that moment in his entire life because in seconds he was out of the dark corridors and was met by the red sun light and surprised noises of the arena then, silence.
Hal stopped dead in track right after entering the arena. Every eyes turned to him, no sound could be heard apart from the birds in sky who were chanting happily, oblivious to the world around them.
Sweat was making its way down his back as he noticed Tess, still on the ground and not moving. She probably had passed out, or worse...
He shook his head, trying to get the ugly thought out of his head. Focusing once more before him, he saw that Zaror was staring at him dead in the eyes. A closed expression on his face yet, he noticed some slight lines at the corners of his mouth -he was having a hard time not to grin- that gave Hal some shivers.
Sounds of hurried footsteps behind him made Hal turn round to see Chloe, Bruce, Dinah, AC and Victor rushing at his side.
"What do you think you're doing, man?" barked AC though the silence of the crowded enclosure.
"We're in this together, remember!" Victor joined in, agreeing with his friend.
For the first time since their entrance, they glanced around them, taking notice of the crowd, the guards who looked like they'd been called off and finally, the champion, Zaror.
Instantly, they formed a line, knowing from the moment they put foot on the sand that they'd crossed the point of no return. Chloe's mind was busy elaborating a plan to get them out of this predicament but the moment her eyes fell on Tess's unconscious form, her mind was made.
"You guys, take down Zaror, I will get to Tess." she ordered them quietly, seeing them nod out of the corner of the eye, she knew they were ready.
"On three." her voice was almost inaudible yet, she managed to be heard even by Victor who was on the other side of the line.
"One." The humans took a proper posture, ready to bolt on the signal. The crowd seemed to sense their plan because numerous whispers were floating over the arena.
"Two." She saw Zaror look up from them and nod at someone behind them. Probably Zod, she thought as she remembered that the royal stage was right behind them. His gaze settled on them again and Chloe saw it as their clue.
"NOW !" she yelled, making the crowd shout and cheer loudly.
As soon as the word left her lips the line of humans rushed forward, approaching their target feeling confident by the fact that they outnumbered the enemy.
They circled Zaror, who didn't seem phased at all by the situation he was in. When they were close enough, he quickly ducked Dinah's kick before jumping up and kicking his legs out, crashing them into Bruce's and Victor's jaws who fell on the ground, stunned by the force of the blow.
His two feet back on the soil, he pushed Dinah away who stumbled a bit before punching and head-butting AC who hit the dust with a groan of pain. The next second, Zaror found himself engaging a fight with Hal, one on one.
The man's angry mood was giving more strength but he was much faster. Zaror easily dodged his jabs before letting him take advantage of the fight. Letting his arms down, he felt Hal's left hook connect with his jaw followed by a kick in the gut and he was down.
Hal pummelled his face, his anger fuelled even more by the arrogant smile playing on the alien's lips.
"Is that all you've got?" He laughed while Hal was still striving on him. "Let me show you what real skill is about!"
Suddenly, Hal was sent forward, crashing head first on the sand. He hadn't had time to process what was happening that Zaror was already up and kicking his side before rolling him onto his back and landing a strong punch on his face, rendering him unconscious.
Satisfied, Zaror turned around but was stopped by Dinah's right fist, he stumbled backward and she took advantage of the moment by giving him some of her best tricks. She jumped forward, her knee first, hoping to finally take him out. Surprise crossed her face as Zaror moved out of the way and was already behind her, grabbing her hips and sending her crashing into a pillar nearby.
She fell to the ground, out.
Zaror grinned in contentment, again making the crowd cheer and chant his name. He was savouring his victory when he turned around but was knocked out by a roundhouse kick.
His head was spinning and he cursed himself for forgetting the other blonde. He propped himself on his elbows, trying to stand up but he felt her legs wrap around his neck and squeeze him. He couldn't breathe anymore and realized that she attempted to make him pass out.
Chloe had been able to catch him on surprise, that was a good thing that she and Tess had decided to take some karate lessons a few years back. In just a few months they had become really good at that.
Feeling the alien struggle to get free, she squeezed his neck tighter, not able to react when his two legs shot out and knocked her off him. Chloe rolled on her back with a groan of pain, she saw the world turn around her when Zaror came into her vision. He was holding his jaw and looked angry.
"Bitch!" he yelled at her and slapped her several times but was stopped by the guards who were running into the arena.
Chloe's world was still blurry and dizzy when she came to. The first thing she heard was the crowd cheering. She was confused until her eyes fell on Zod who was standing before them, an unreadable expression on his face.
Glancing sideways, she noticed her friends appeared battered and bruising but still alive. And they were conscious again. It had surprised her, the strength and the rapidity of Zaror. Despite the number of opponents against him, he still had found a way to win, this man seemed unbeatable.
"Humans!"
All heads turned towards Zod, silence fell upon the room.
"You have chosen to disobey me." said the ruler of the planet, his voice as calm and cool as the breeze of the northern winds. "You will learn that disobeying Zod..." Anger consumed him in the insides, he was no longer able to hid it. "ALWAYS. COMES. AT A PRICE!"
The crowd cheered him and the humans trembled as Zod unsheathed his sword and reached forward, coming head to head with Chloe. He raised his sword and she closed her eyes to brace herself for the blow, expecting her death to be quick and painless. Surprise filled her when the crowd booed and the blow didn't come.
"Live! Live! Live!"
She opened her eyes, unsure of what she would see. Zod was still there, the sword still in his hand but he looked as surprised as she was. The crowd continued to chant its disagreement and he was forced to lower his arm and take a step back.
One of his personal guards whispered something to him and he seemingly looked calmer yet, the fire of ire still danced in his eyes. He stared at the young offenders before him, wondering if they weren't the bravest people he'd ever seen.. or the most stupid.
Tess was still unconscious, it wasn't surprising considering what she had been through; Victor, Bruce and AC sported superficial wound on their bodies, results of the fight they had been in. Chloe seemed the less affected physically by the fight because she was the only one who managed to have the advantage against Zaror for a moment. Finally, his eyes set on Hal. The young man had bleeding wounds on his forehead and looked ready to jump at his throat. Zod smirked.
"Lead them back to their cell." He ordered his men but his eyes never left Hal's. The cheers of the crowd hid his next words but the humans heard it.
"Take him to the mansion." he pointed to Hal.
Immediately, his friends struggled from the guards grip and shouted but the crowd was oblivious to it all and eventually, the aliens succeeded at forcing them out of the arena leaving a satisfied Zod and a calm Hal behind them.
"Get off me!" snapped Dinah as she vainly struggled against the grip of the one of the guards who were leading them back to their cell. They couldn't help but remark that it had become a sinister routine for them: leaving for the arena, watching the fight before going back to the cell. Over the days it had become boring, stressful and horribly scary for them. The worst was that it was always leaving them to speculate for the most horrible things to happen before leaving the detention district only to see their fears come true or turn even worse before coming back to their 'home' as everyone was dreadfully calling the cell.
"Shut up!" hissed the guard, only encouraging the humans to protest even more loudly. The alien sighed. Sometimes he wished he could disobey a bit and shut them up himself but Zod was against hurting prisoners when they were outside of the arena. He knew better than to disobey him, these humans were the perfect example of what could happen if you ever got on Zod's bad side. He didn't know what his master had prepared for them but it wasn't going to be pretty.
"Private!" The chief's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Open the gate!".
The prison guard behind the high fence approached as close as he could to the leader of the patrol.
"Checking in or dropping in?" asked the soldier.
The chief took a step aside to show the handcuffed line of prisoners behind him. "Dropping in." he gestured with his hand to the humans. The guard mumbled a okay and indicated his subordinates to open the fence gates.
Once done, they entered the detention district of the city named after the capital city of the ex-Krypton: Kandor.
Chloe and her friends were forced to follow their captors inside the 'city in the city' as she liked to think of it considering that from what she'd seen the cells took the most part of the city space. She looked at the different sections passing by at her sides. Each section contained a hundred of cells and from the length of the main corridor, Chloe could only imagine that there could be something like hundreds, if not thousands, of sections.
The group stopped in the middle of the corridor, on their left was another door with a sign above it showing of the identification of their section: D51. The chief rattled at the fence door before another guard appeared and opened it, murmuring a dark 'Welcome back homies' as the humans passed by him.
Again, a long walk was offered to them, This time the wooden and fenced constructs of the cells invaded their sights. Turning their heads from side to side, the humans could catch some movements from the inmates inside their uncomfortable houses. It never ceased to give them anxious shivers and uneasy goosebumps, seeing so many people reduced to being prisoners, slaves; destined to fight and die every day. They could only ask themselves how it could have turned so bad. Was there still a way to make the balance shift in their favour? They doubted it but they had to try.
Eventually, they stopped in front of their own cell. The guards opened the last doors and shoved them inside with their usual sneers and mocking comment before securing the door and leaving.
Victor stumbled a bit from the force of the guard before a catching a wall to steady himself and rub his non-robotic wrists, trying to ease the stinging sensation left by the handcuffs.
He was still recovering from the fight. The substance the Kryptonians had injected him when he had first arrived on Sedna wasn't helping either. Ever since, he had felt physically weak and his robotic parts weren't working as great as before.
He raised his head and immediately sensed that something was off. It was silent, too silent. In normal time there was always the noises coming from the neighbour cells and some other people talking in their own prison but now, there was nothing that could be heard, nothing at all. It was dead silent.
Victor turned his head towards his friends who looked as confused as him. Raising an eyebrow in their direction, Bruce shrugged, answering his silent question.
"I'm going to find a place to put her down." said AC quietly, moving with an unconscious Tess in his arms further forward into the cell only to be met by Condo who appeared at the entrance of the room, a grim expression marring his face.
"How did it go?" asked the alien carefully.
"Uh... Good, well at least... I mean.." stammered the water prince as he met the death glare of Chloe.
"Tess is in a bad shape, that's what you call good?" she began angrily, putting an emphasis on the last word. She opened her mouth to react further but AC cut her off.
"I mean she's still alive, that's something good, isn't?" he tried to redeem himself.
"At least that's something." Condo declared a bit louder to stop the argument before either of them could say something they would regret later. "On another matter, I've got news." he announced gravely and saw a hint of hope in their eyes. He shook his head and went on. "Bad news." instantly, hope was gone, replaced by fear.
Condo hesitated for a second before opening his mouth. "It's Bart... he's dead."
Shock crossed their faces amongst a bunch of other emotions, hurt, sadness, rage, fear, but also, denial. Victor was the first one to rush past Condo to reach the room where Bart had last been in. He found the young speedster there still lying on the table with his arms folded over his chest, a peaceful expression on his face. He could have sworn that the young man was sleeping but the pallor of his skin said something else. Bart really passed away.
He felt a wetness well up into his eyes before dropping to his knees and hide his face in his hands, crying quietly.
"Oh no." exclaimed Dinah as she arrived with the others in the room. Her sight as well first encountered the still body of Bart lying on that same table he'd been put on days earlier but what she noticed most where the alien friends of Condo standing respectfully at Bart's side depicting a sad yet stern emotion, obviously silently supporting them in this rude moment. The ambiance of the room made it clear that Bart was gone and something tugged at her heart as she recalled the terror in his eyes when Alia had pushed that heated bar into him, his scream before he passed out. Raising a hand to cover her mouth, she silently left the room before letting her emotions overcome her. She had never been one to be emotional but the injustice of it revolted and saddened her at a point she couldn't imagine.
Chloe felt her tears running down her cheeks, steadying herself thanks to a wall, she tried to stay strong but seeing Bart, so young, so full of life, now dead, she couldn't stop her emotions from taking the better of her. She wiped her eyes before she saw Bruce moving into the room and sit besides Oliver whom she hadn't noticed before, was standing apart from the group gathered around Bart's corpse, his elbows on his knees and his face hidden behind his large hands.
The sight of him, sad and broken, sent another wave of moisture in her eyes. She felt bad for him and she barely resisted the urge to reach to him and take him into her arms when she reminded herself that she couldn't do that. That would only be more awkward between the two of them after what happened the last time they were alone together.
She wanted to be angry at him but given the current circumstances she couldn't bring herself to do that so she decided to do something useful. Waving a hand at Anzus, she gestured him to follow her before turning towards AC who was still holding Tess in his arms. Tugging at his shirt, she tried to offer him a smile but failed as she saw the sadness on his face.
"Come on." she urged him quietly. "We've got to take care of Tess."
AC followed her without a word out of the room as the old alien fell into his steps.
"I failed him."
His voice was not even above a whisper and his hands that covered his face rendered it a mumble but Bruce clearly heard it.
"Why do you say that?"
The gentle tone of his friend made Oliver look up at him and that was then that Bruce really noticed how much Bart's death affected him, his red rimmed eyes and the tear strains on his face were screaming pure sorrow. He looked lost and almost in physical pain but what kept his attention was the flash of guilt in his eyes.
"He died because of me, it's my fault I should have protected him, I.." his voice trailed off as he felt his voice wavering.
Bruce swallowed the lump in his throat before answering. "Don't... don't blame yourself you couldn't have done anything." Oliver snorted.
"I should have found a way!" he retorted a little louder than intended.
"You were tied up and hanging from the cellar, you couldn't have done anything Ollie!" Bruce repeated . "I know how much he meant to you but don't swallow yourself in guilt that would not do you any good."
"He was my partner, my disciple, my friend even a little brother to me how could I not feel guilty over his death, Bruce?" he replied in a tight voice still shadowed by his pain.
"He wouldn't want you to cry over him." the older man told him with certainty. "He would want you to stand against Zod, prove him that you can live up for him, prove him that you can defeat Zod, for him!"
Oliver nodded as he closed his eyes, trying to suppress his urging emotions.
"He was a fighter, he would want you to fight. I'm sure he got that from you." Bruce teased him and nudged him lightly trying to brighten his mood.
Oliver smiled sadly before sighing. "How can I defeat him? You've seen him, Bruce." he said with an edge of uncertainty that he hated in his voice. "Zod has powers and an entire at his command, he's unbeatable."
"We'll find a way." Bruce patted him on the back. "We're a team, we'll come up with something." he promised him before hugging him like two brothers would at the funeral of their cadet one.
"How are you two holding up?"
Anzus asked Chloe and AC while he towered over Tess's unconscious form. The woman had taken quite a beating he noticed.
"As much as we can I guess." AC answered smartly. "One of our friends is dead another one is in coma and the last one well... he could be in the worse pain possible right now, so..."
"I'm sorry for your loss." the alien told them honestly. Both humans nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing.
After a few moments of silence Anzus decided to say something.
"You know," he began. "Tess is going to make it, you shouldn't worry about her."
Chloe nodded and chuckled lightly, the tears still in her eyes. "I know, she's tough!"
"Indeed she is." Anzus agreed. "From what I've seen, she's got a dislocated shoulder, two broken ribs, a broken nose and a few cracked teeth."
Chloe winced at the list of injuries. That didn't sound so good.
"I'm going to take care of her shoulder right now, then I'll see what I can do about her nose but for the rest, I'm sorry I can't do anything else." The doctor sent them an apologetic look.
"Thank you for everything, Anzus. I don't know what we'd do without you." Chloe told him honestly.
The alien nodded before sighing. "Ah, I wish I could have done more for the kid but..." He swallowed hard as he remembered that mentioning Bart would only hurt them more than necessary.
Ignoring the look of pain in their eyes, Anzus turned his attention back towards Tess's shoulder.
Moving her arm slowly and carefully into a precise pattern he waited till he felt the bone sharply move back into her shoulder socket with a loud popping noise that made both humans wince.
Chloe sighed in relief. Tess was going to be okay, for now. That made at least one good news she figured. But now that Tess was out of danger, she couldn't help but think about what Hal could be going through at that moment. He was alone and probably scared and she was sure it was safe to say that he was in pain considering the sadistic nature of Zod. Shivers went down her spine as fear but also rage danced together in her green eyes.
What kind of horrible thing could Hal be undergoing in that very moment?
A few hours later...
"The session is over, Harold!"
Hal turned his head with difficulty at Zod's voice. His entire body was hurting, he felt exhausted and on the brink of tears. Hal had tried to be strong but there were moment he had thought he was going to break but no, he had not and he was relieved to hear that it was over. It seemed like Zod and Alia were not going to have the satisfaction to hear him begging them to stop.
Those hours of ordeal had felt like the longest of his life. The two aliens had showed him no mercy, sending him through the worst kind of pain imaginable. From Alia's usual fire torture to skin ripping and passing through hundreds of whiplashes -courtesy of Zod-, Hal had managed to hold on but he was sure his body was going to take a long time to recover from that.
"Oh no!" Alia pouted. "We were just going to hit the interesting part!"
Zod laughed but didn't come back on his order. "There will always be more time for another session."
He approached Hal's battered body, a smug look on his face.
"Hey!" he said, slapping Hal for his own pleasure. "Now you know how it feels like to defy Zod." he hissed before leaning forward to whisper in his ear even through it was nothing Alia couldn't hear.
"Next time you try to be smarter than me, I can assure you that I will make you kneel and cry like a bitch before me.." He pressed his hand painfully on one of Hal's open wounds making him cry in pain. "I am the king here, and every riot will be suppressed in blood!" Zod hissed in a quiet but authoritative voice all the while pressing his hand harder onto Hal's wounded flesh.
Finally, he removed his hand with a smirk, letting Hal recover, and left the room ordering his men to bring him back to his cell with the other humans.
The soldiers came and unlocked his handcuffs, Hal fell unceremoniously on a console next to him before hitting the ground, neither him nor the guards heard the faint click of a button in that moment.
There it is, as promised! Bart's dead! oh well not cool, I know but you should have known that there were going to be casualties! Now things will go very fast for our heroes, the next chapters are going to be full of action and drama as we're reaching the end of the first part of the story.
Tell me what you think of it, reviews are more than welcome!
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