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Coffee and Gossip
Chloe Sullivan sat at her favourite table in the Talon coffee shop, hidden away from the world as she tried to finish off the latest edition of The Torch on her laptop. The table was cluttered with empty coffee cups as she entered her forth-straight hour of editing the school newspaper.
“I’m telling you Angie, you wouldn’t believe how much I needed this holiday.” A voice came from behind the young reporter, “Time away from work, away from the guys, time to feel myself.”
“I know the feeling Shen.” A second voice agreed, “All work and no play make me a little cranky.”
“True, but I figured you and Jack would want some time alone together.”
“Please: we live and work together. Sometimes we need a little time apart. Anyway, can you imagine Jack in a town like this?”
“Maybe not. I wonder how the others are doing?”
“Jeroen said he was going to Amsterdam, so he’s most likely stoned out of his mind. Jack’s in New York, as usual. And I think the boys have taken Jenny-Q to Disneyland.”
“We never got this sort of freedom when I was with the U.N.”
“Welcome to the wonderful advantages of corporate sponsorship: saving the world 9-to-5 with three weeks holiday a year.”
“Can you imagine Jenny’s face if she’d lived to see this?”
“Wouldn’t fit with her anarchist lifestyle or high ideals, would it? I think she’d like Elijah and the work we do.”
“Yeah, well…”
“You still miss her, don’t you Shen?”
“Yes. I mean: I know the rest of you do, but you weren’t as close to her as I was…”
“It’s never easy to lose someone you love, someone you’ve been with for as long as the two of you were.”
“Hey, I’m the Buddhist, remember? I know I should let her go, but it just…”
“Jenny Sparks was a truly remarkable woman, and she did more to help people than we could ever hope to accomplish.” A mobile phone rang, “Dr Spica. Some small town a few hours drive outside Metropolis. Ok, we’re be there as soon as we can.”
“Trouble?”
“We got a job in Gotham: Something big enough to cut into our holiday time.”
“The fun never stops, dose it?”
“Nope.” There was the sound of coins being dropped on the table, and Chloe watched as two women in their late twenties walked across the coffee shop and out the front door.
Taking her notebook, she turned to a clean page and carefully wrote ‘Jenny Sparks’ before sipping her coffee. Something about the overheard conversation had tweaked her reporter’s senses, and she the strangest feeling that the wall of wired was just not going to be big enough…
TBC...
Before anyone asks: there is evidence that Jenny Sparks and Shen Li-men had an affair. Go read ‘Jenny Sparks: secret history of the Authority’ for more.
Page 1 of 1
21st Century Girl (PG-13) Smallville/WildStorm crossover
#1
- You win this time, Clerks...
- Group: Islander
- Posts: 1,846
- Joined: 26-July 03
Posted 10 January 2005 - 09:44 AM
Rommie: I just want a day where I can build missiles and tweak fire control in peace
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
Top
MultiQuote
#2
- You win this time, Clerks...
- Group: Islander
- Posts: 1,846
- Joined: 26-July 03
Posted 10 January 2005 - 09:46 AM
Opportunity Knocks
Chloe could hear the faint but constant drumming sound coming from the Touch’s office before she reached the door. She groaned in dread, fearing that it was another band hoping she’d give them a rave review that would put them on the road to fame and fortune.
She opened the door and was surprised by what she saw.
A short, scruffy looking man with a beard was sitting at her computer, tapping at its top with a pair of drumsticks, smiling to himself with his eyes closed. A tall, olive skinned woman in a black leather cat suit was leaning against the window, arms crossed, eyes looking strait at Chloe. A tall, older looking man was standing with his back to her, apparently examining the Wall or Wired with keen interest.
“I am impressed, Miss Sullivan.” He said without looking round, “You have the makings of a fine reporter.”
“Who are you people?” Chloe blinked, “What are you doing here?”
“My name is Elijah Snow.” The man looked over his shoulder; “The woman doing her best to intimidate you is Miss Jakita Wagner, while the piece of human filth at your computer is The Drummer.” He smiled, “And before you asked, that appears to be his real name.”
“That answers the who.” Chloe crossed her arms, “But not the why?”
“Quite true.” Snow turned to face the young reporter, “I have been an admirer of your work for some time now: the, shall we say ‘unusual’ individuals and events that seems to centre around this town and its inhabitants interest us.”
“Why?”
“We walk the world in search of strangeness and wonder, uncovering things others wish were left covered. You could call us mystery archaeologists: explorers of the planet's secret history. We want to know the things everyone else is willing to ignore so we can understand them, and if needs be, fight them.”
“You see them as a threat?”
“No, not necessarily, but it is better to be safe than sorry.”
“So why the face to face?”
“One moment.” Snow turned to The Drummer, “Are we clear?”
“Sure: there were a few bugs in the walls and some data taps in the computer, but nothing within five meters is still working.” The scruffy looking man smiled, “But she’s got some seriously strange stuff on her computer…”
“Another time, Drums.” Snow turned back to Chloe, “I want to make you an offer…”
“One I can’t refuse?” The young reporter raised an eyebrow.
“You can refuse it if you wish, and you’ll never hear from us again.” Snow crossed his arms, “But accept it, and you’ll have the full support of our agency at your disposal 24/7.”
“Keep talking.”
“Miss Sullivan, it is no secret that your farther recently lost his job with LutherCorp. How would you like 1-million dollars a year, for life, no mater how long you work for us?”
“That’s a lot of money…” Chloe’s eyes went wide.
“We can afford it.” Snow smiled, “You don’t have to do anything illegal: just keep us up to date on all the unusual happenings in this town. I don’t want the stuff you’re willing to risk printing: I want everything.”
“There are some things that are a little, personal.”
“I can understand that.” Snow nodded, “As long as we get anything important or noteworthy, I’m willing to trust your judgement.”
“Just who do you work for?”
“We represent an organisation called Planetary. We have offices and agents all over the world. We record the history no one else knows, and try and make sure tomorrow follows today.”
“Sounds very cloak and dagger.”
“One day, when you’re old enough, I’ll show you what the world is really like.” Snow grinned, a slightly dangerous look in his eye, “Do you accept?”
“I don’t have much to lose, if the pay’s as good as you claim.” Chloe nodded, “Where do a sign?”
“On the back of this.” Snow handed over an American Express gold card with Chloe’s name on the front, “There’s the agreed million dollars in the account, and any expenses resulting from your work for us will be refunded in full, provided you fill out the paperwork.” He also handed over a business card with the word ‘Planetary’ embossed on the front, and a phone number printed below, “We’ll send you an encrypted cellular phone that you can use to contact us as needs be.”
“Thanks…” Chloe nodded, stunned by how quickly her world had changed.
“There is one other thing.” Snow stopped on his way to the door, “We know you’ve been investigating Jenny Sparks. I ask you to stop.”
“Why?” Chloe asked, her reporter’s senses flaring, “Who was she?”
“She was someone who did more to keep the world safe than anyone else. In the end, she gave her life so that we’d be here to talk about her today. You can keep looking if you like, but I doubt you’ll find much, and may not like what you do.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.” Chloe nodded.
“I think we need to talk, Miss Sullivan…” Lionel Luther appeared at the other door and stopped dead in his tracks, “Elijah.”
“Lionel.” Snows eyes narrowed, and Chloe felt the temperature in the room drop as the two men glared at each other. Jakita Wagner tensed viably, ready to fight.
“What are you doing here?” Lionel’s voice was a whisper.
“None of your business.” Snow’s fists where clenched tightly, “I know all about your past dealing with Miss Sullivan, but as of now she works or me: I catch you bugging her home, office or computer again, and I’ll tell Anna Hark where to find you. I believe the two of you have a little unfinished business…”
“Stay out of my affaires Elijah…”
“Don’t even try and threaten me, Luther: you’re out classed.” Snow turned to Chloe, “Good day.” He walked out the door, Jakita snarling at Lionel before following him.
“Something wrong, Mr Luther?” Chloe couldn’t help but smile at the look on her tormentors face.
“You have no idea what’s going on Miss Sullivan.” Lionel straitened his jacket, regaining some of his composure, “But you seem to pick your allies wisely.”
“Scared?”
“Believe me my dear, if you knew the truth, you’d be scared too: you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“Maybe, but it wouldn’t be the first time.” Chloe pointed to the door, “Goodbye, Mr Luther.”
TBC...
Chloe could hear the faint but constant drumming sound coming from the Touch’s office before she reached the door. She groaned in dread, fearing that it was another band hoping she’d give them a rave review that would put them on the road to fame and fortune.
She opened the door and was surprised by what she saw.
A short, scruffy looking man with a beard was sitting at her computer, tapping at its top with a pair of drumsticks, smiling to himself with his eyes closed. A tall, olive skinned woman in a black leather cat suit was leaning against the window, arms crossed, eyes looking strait at Chloe. A tall, older looking man was standing with his back to her, apparently examining the Wall or Wired with keen interest.
“I am impressed, Miss Sullivan.” He said without looking round, “You have the makings of a fine reporter.”
“Who are you people?” Chloe blinked, “What are you doing here?”
“My name is Elijah Snow.” The man looked over his shoulder; “The woman doing her best to intimidate you is Miss Jakita Wagner, while the piece of human filth at your computer is The Drummer.” He smiled, “And before you asked, that appears to be his real name.”
“That answers the who.” Chloe crossed her arms, “But not the why?”
“Quite true.” Snow turned to face the young reporter, “I have been an admirer of your work for some time now: the, shall we say ‘unusual’ individuals and events that seems to centre around this town and its inhabitants interest us.”
“Why?”
“We walk the world in search of strangeness and wonder, uncovering things others wish were left covered. You could call us mystery archaeologists: explorers of the planet's secret history. We want to know the things everyone else is willing to ignore so we can understand them, and if needs be, fight them.”
“You see them as a threat?”
“No, not necessarily, but it is better to be safe than sorry.”
“So why the face to face?”
“One moment.” Snow turned to The Drummer, “Are we clear?”
“Sure: there were a few bugs in the walls and some data taps in the computer, but nothing within five meters is still working.” The scruffy looking man smiled, “But she’s got some seriously strange stuff on her computer…”
“Another time, Drums.” Snow turned back to Chloe, “I want to make you an offer…”
“One I can’t refuse?” The young reporter raised an eyebrow.
“You can refuse it if you wish, and you’ll never hear from us again.” Snow crossed his arms, “But accept it, and you’ll have the full support of our agency at your disposal 24/7.”
“Keep talking.”
“Miss Sullivan, it is no secret that your farther recently lost his job with LutherCorp. How would you like 1-million dollars a year, for life, no mater how long you work for us?”
“That’s a lot of money…” Chloe’s eyes went wide.
“We can afford it.” Snow smiled, “You don’t have to do anything illegal: just keep us up to date on all the unusual happenings in this town. I don’t want the stuff you’re willing to risk printing: I want everything.”
“There are some things that are a little, personal.”
“I can understand that.” Snow nodded, “As long as we get anything important or noteworthy, I’m willing to trust your judgement.”
“Just who do you work for?”
“We represent an organisation called Planetary. We have offices and agents all over the world. We record the history no one else knows, and try and make sure tomorrow follows today.”
“Sounds very cloak and dagger.”
“One day, when you’re old enough, I’ll show you what the world is really like.” Snow grinned, a slightly dangerous look in his eye, “Do you accept?”
“I don’t have much to lose, if the pay’s as good as you claim.” Chloe nodded, “Where do a sign?”
“On the back of this.” Snow handed over an American Express gold card with Chloe’s name on the front, “There’s the agreed million dollars in the account, and any expenses resulting from your work for us will be refunded in full, provided you fill out the paperwork.” He also handed over a business card with the word ‘Planetary’ embossed on the front, and a phone number printed below, “We’ll send you an encrypted cellular phone that you can use to contact us as needs be.”
“Thanks…” Chloe nodded, stunned by how quickly her world had changed.
“There is one other thing.” Snow stopped on his way to the door, “We know you’ve been investigating Jenny Sparks. I ask you to stop.”
“Why?” Chloe asked, her reporter’s senses flaring, “Who was she?”
“She was someone who did more to keep the world safe than anyone else. In the end, she gave her life so that we’d be here to talk about her today. You can keep looking if you like, but I doubt you’ll find much, and may not like what you do.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.” Chloe nodded.
“I think we need to talk, Miss Sullivan…” Lionel Luther appeared at the other door and stopped dead in his tracks, “Elijah.”
“Lionel.” Snows eyes narrowed, and Chloe felt the temperature in the room drop as the two men glared at each other. Jakita Wagner tensed viably, ready to fight.
“What are you doing here?” Lionel’s voice was a whisper.
“None of your business.” Snow’s fists where clenched tightly, “I know all about your past dealing with Miss Sullivan, but as of now she works or me: I catch you bugging her home, office or computer again, and I’ll tell Anna Hark where to find you. I believe the two of you have a little unfinished business…”
“Stay out of my affaires Elijah…”
“Don’t even try and threaten me, Luther: you’re out classed.” Snow turned to Chloe, “Good day.” He walked out the door, Jakita snarling at Lionel before following him.
“Something wrong, Mr Luther?” Chloe couldn’t help but smile at the look on her tormentors face.
“You have no idea what’s going on Miss Sullivan.” Lionel straitened his jacket, regaining some of his composure, “But you seem to pick your allies wisely.”
“Scared?”
“Believe me my dear, if you knew the truth, you’d be scared too: you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“Maybe, but it wouldn’t be the first time.” Chloe pointed to the door, “Goodbye, Mr Luther.”
TBC...
Rommie: I just want a day where I can build missiles and tweak fire control in peace
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
#3
- You win this time, Clerks...
- Group: Islander
- Posts: 1,846
- Joined: 26-July 03
Posted 10 January 2005 - 09:47 AM
Calling of the blood
Part 1: Lightning Strikes
The rain pelted Smallville as only a Midwest thunderstorm could, turning the main road through town into a river of water as the residents who needed to go out ran from cover to cover.
Chloe Sullivan looked at the storm from a window seat in the Talon as she did her best to finish of her latest report to send to Planetary. She wasn’t sure how to word what had happened with Adam Knight: the guy went Phyco and tried to kill Lana for no apparent reason.
Still, Mr Snow had said anything unusual, and a phone call from the future counted as unusual.
She closed her laptop and rubbed her eyes: the last few mouths had been rough on everyone, especially her father. Gabe Sullivan was a good man, but it hurt his pride to be first laid off by LutherCorp, and then second to have his teenage daughter come through with the money to pay off the morgue on their house and keep them solvent. He’d been uncomfortable about her newfound wealth until she mention Snow’s name, then he’d gone very quiet.
Something else she needed to look into.
“Hey Chloe!” Clark Kent, her best friend and object of her desirers for longer than she cared to remember, appeared behind her, “What you up to?”
“Hey Clark.” Chloe did her best to hide her surprise, “Just catching up on a little work. You know how it is: deadlines and all…”
“Yeah. Hey, aren’t you supposed to be covering that big trial today for The Torch?”
“Oh no!” Chloe looked at her watch and frowned, “I’m going to be late. Catch you later…” She grabbed her stuff and ran out the door. Her car was parked on the other side of the street, and clutching her bag tightly, she ran out into the rain.
The world went bright white, then dark.
*********************************************************************
Chloe’s mind drifted on the edge of consciousness, and her ears started to pick up bits of conversation.
“Mr Sullivan? Hello, I’m Dr Spica: I was called in from Metropolis to consult on your daughter’s case.”
“How is she?”
“Surprisingly well for someone who got hit buy a bolt of lightning that should have killed her: there is almost no physical damage, just a bad case of shock.”
“Oh god no…”
“Is something wrong Mr Sullivan?”
“It’s not something I feel comfortable talking about, not even with a doctor.”
“I don’t know if it would make any difference, but I was brought in by Chloe’s employer…”
“You work for Elijah Snow?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell that old bastard to get here, right now!”
Time drifted, voices changed.
“It’s good to see you again Gabe.”
“Don’t give me that: we told you to keep away from Chloe!”
“I swear to you, I never intended for anything like this to happen.”
“You haven’t changed one bit, not since you took Jenny away!”
“Jennifer left of her own free will: you know how hard she was finding it to fit in here, how people were starting to talk.”
“We could have worked through it!”
“We don’t always have the luxury of doing what we want…”
*********************************************************************
“Clark!” Pete Ross can running through the doors at the end of the corridor leading to the Intensive Care unit of the Smallville Medical Centre, “How’s Chloe?”
“They won’t let anyone other than her Dad into see her.” Clark looked through the frosted glass window at the two men standing silent guard outside his friend’s room. One of them, a muscular man with close-cropped blond hair, kept looking at him like he was a threat. The other, taller man with pure white hair just stood there with a slight grin on his face. Clark shook his head, “Something’s not right.”
“You want me to run interference?” Pete asked, ready to do anything to help.
“No, it’s ok.” Clark frowned, “We need information.”
“Clark, Pete, I just heard what happened.” Lex Luther appeared, dressed in his regular black shirt/trousers combo, looking more like a catwalk modal than a billionaire business tycoon in the making, “How is she?”
“They’re not saying.” Clark looked at his friend; “They brought in some privet doctor from Metropolis to take over.”
“Who?” Lex looked through the door and his eyes went wide, “Dr Spica?”
“You know her?” Pete asked.
“I know of her: Doctor Angela Spica, head of cybernetics at Princeton. She has some very outlandish ideas about human/machine integration, but she’s said to be one of the ten smartest people on the planet.” Lex rubbed his chin, “Why would she get called in to deal with something like a lightning strike?”
“That’s what we want to know.” Clark looked determined to find answers.
*********************************************************************
“Well?” Mr Sullivan stood with arms crossed, a determined look in his eye.
“I didn’t think a normal person could withstand a lightning strike like Chloe took, but we both know she’s not normal.” Dr Spica looked at the chart she held in her hand, “I must say I was shocked to learn…”
“That’s not the point.”
“Yes, of course. Chloe is going to be fine, but there are probably going to be, side affects.”
“Like?”
“Knowing who her mother was, I think we can safely say…”
*********************************************************************
“Smoothing I can help you guys with?” The blond guard appeared behind Clark, Lex and Pete without making a sound.
“What?” Clark span round, taken by surprise.
“Is. There. Something. I. Can. Help. You. With?” The man repeated slower, as if he was talking to a young child.
“Miss Sullivan is a friend of ours.” Lex stepped forward, “We’re worried about her.”
“Miss Sullivan is receiving the best medical care possible.” The guard starred down the young tycoon, “But she needs rest, doctors orders.”
“Would that be Dr Spica, the cybernetics expert?” Clark asked, “What is someone with her expertise doing looking after someone who got struck by lightning?”
“She’s branching out.” The man smiled, “See you around.” He turned and disappeared down the corridor.
*********************************************************************
“Dad?” Chloe’s eyes felt heavy as she tried to open them.
“I’m here Chloe.” Her father pulled his chair closer to the bed, “Everything’s going to be ok.”
“What happened to me?”
“You were struck by lightning, but the doctor says you’re going to be ok.”
“I could hear you talking. You said something about mom…”
“It’s not something you have to worry about honey, nothing at all.”
“Dad, I need to know what’s going on, how you know Elijah Snow and what he has to do with mom leaving.”
“You heard that then?”
“Dad.”
“Ok, I guess you deserve to know the truth: Jenny, your mother, was a Colonel in British Military Intelligence when I first met her in Metropolis…”
To Be Continued…
(At some point)
Part 1: Lightning Strikes
The rain pelted Smallville as only a Midwest thunderstorm could, turning the main road through town into a river of water as the residents who needed to go out ran from cover to cover.
Chloe Sullivan looked at the storm from a window seat in the Talon as she did her best to finish of her latest report to send to Planetary. She wasn’t sure how to word what had happened with Adam Knight: the guy went Phyco and tried to kill Lana for no apparent reason.
Still, Mr Snow had said anything unusual, and a phone call from the future counted as unusual.
She closed her laptop and rubbed her eyes: the last few mouths had been rough on everyone, especially her father. Gabe Sullivan was a good man, but it hurt his pride to be first laid off by LutherCorp, and then second to have his teenage daughter come through with the money to pay off the morgue on their house and keep them solvent. He’d been uncomfortable about her newfound wealth until she mention Snow’s name, then he’d gone very quiet.
Something else she needed to look into.
“Hey Chloe!” Clark Kent, her best friend and object of her desirers for longer than she cared to remember, appeared behind her, “What you up to?”
“Hey Clark.” Chloe did her best to hide her surprise, “Just catching up on a little work. You know how it is: deadlines and all…”
“Yeah. Hey, aren’t you supposed to be covering that big trial today for The Torch?”
“Oh no!” Chloe looked at her watch and frowned, “I’m going to be late. Catch you later…” She grabbed her stuff and ran out the door. Her car was parked on the other side of the street, and clutching her bag tightly, she ran out into the rain.
The world went bright white, then dark.
*********************************************************************
Chloe’s mind drifted on the edge of consciousness, and her ears started to pick up bits of conversation.
“Mr Sullivan? Hello, I’m Dr Spica: I was called in from Metropolis to consult on your daughter’s case.”
“How is she?”
“Surprisingly well for someone who got hit buy a bolt of lightning that should have killed her: there is almost no physical damage, just a bad case of shock.”
“Oh god no…”
“Is something wrong Mr Sullivan?”
“It’s not something I feel comfortable talking about, not even with a doctor.”
“I don’t know if it would make any difference, but I was brought in by Chloe’s employer…”
“You work for Elijah Snow?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell that old bastard to get here, right now!”
Time drifted, voices changed.
“It’s good to see you again Gabe.”
“Don’t give me that: we told you to keep away from Chloe!”
“I swear to you, I never intended for anything like this to happen.”
“You haven’t changed one bit, not since you took Jenny away!”
“Jennifer left of her own free will: you know how hard she was finding it to fit in here, how people were starting to talk.”
“We could have worked through it!”
“We don’t always have the luxury of doing what we want…”
*********************************************************************
“Clark!” Pete Ross can running through the doors at the end of the corridor leading to the Intensive Care unit of the Smallville Medical Centre, “How’s Chloe?”
“They won’t let anyone other than her Dad into see her.” Clark looked through the frosted glass window at the two men standing silent guard outside his friend’s room. One of them, a muscular man with close-cropped blond hair, kept looking at him like he was a threat. The other, taller man with pure white hair just stood there with a slight grin on his face. Clark shook his head, “Something’s not right.”
“You want me to run interference?” Pete asked, ready to do anything to help.
“No, it’s ok.” Clark frowned, “We need information.”
“Clark, Pete, I just heard what happened.” Lex Luther appeared, dressed in his regular black shirt/trousers combo, looking more like a catwalk modal than a billionaire business tycoon in the making, “How is she?”
“They’re not saying.” Clark looked at his friend; “They brought in some privet doctor from Metropolis to take over.”
“Who?” Lex looked through the door and his eyes went wide, “Dr Spica?”
“You know her?” Pete asked.
“I know of her: Doctor Angela Spica, head of cybernetics at Princeton. She has some very outlandish ideas about human/machine integration, but she’s said to be one of the ten smartest people on the planet.” Lex rubbed his chin, “Why would she get called in to deal with something like a lightning strike?”
“That’s what we want to know.” Clark looked determined to find answers.
*********************************************************************
“Well?” Mr Sullivan stood with arms crossed, a determined look in his eye.
“I didn’t think a normal person could withstand a lightning strike like Chloe took, but we both know she’s not normal.” Dr Spica looked at the chart she held in her hand, “I must say I was shocked to learn…”
“That’s not the point.”
“Yes, of course. Chloe is going to be fine, but there are probably going to be, side affects.”
“Like?”
“Knowing who her mother was, I think we can safely say…”
*********************************************************************
“Smoothing I can help you guys with?” The blond guard appeared behind Clark, Lex and Pete without making a sound.
“What?” Clark span round, taken by surprise.
“Is. There. Something. I. Can. Help. You. With?” The man repeated slower, as if he was talking to a young child.
“Miss Sullivan is a friend of ours.” Lex stepped forward, “We’re worried about her.”
“Miss Sullivan is receiving the best medical care possible.” The guard starred down the young tycoon, “But she needs rest, doctors orders.”
“Would that be Dr Spica, the cybernetics expert?” Clark asked, “What is someone with her expertise doing looking after someone who got struck by lightning?”
“She’s branching out.” The man smiled, “See you around.” He turned and disappeared down the corridor.
*********************************************************************
“Dad?” Chloe’s eyes felt heavy as she tried to open them.
“I’m here Chloe.” Her father pulled his chair closer to the bed, “Everything’s going to be ok.”
“What happened to me?”
“You were struck by lightning, but the doctor says you’re going to be ok.”
“I could hear you talking. You said something about mom…”
“It’s not something you have to worry about honey, nothing at all.”
“Dad, I need to know what’s going on, how you know Elijah Snow and what he has to do with mom leaving.”
“You heard that then?”
“Dad.”
“Ok, I guess you deserve to know the truth: Jenny, your mother, was a Colonel in British Military Intelligence when I first met her in Metropolis…”
To Be Continued…
(At some point)
Rommie: I just want a day where I can build missiles and tweak fire control in peace
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
#4
- You win this time, Clerks...
- Group: Islander
- Posts: 1,846
- Joined: 26-July 03
Posted 12 January 2005 - 12:56 PM
Calling of the blood
Part 2: The Truth Hurts
“Ok, I guess you deserve to know the truth: Jenny, your mother, was a Colonel in British Military Intelligence when I first met her in Metropolis. She’d come over from London to try and get over something that had happened, something she never talked about, but it troubled her” Gabe Sullivan looked into space as he explained what he could, “Neither of us really expected things to go as far as they did: your mother was too much of a free spirit to contemplate something like marriage, but love changes things.” He laughed, “In the end, she was the one who proposed to me: I guess she wanted something approaching a normal life.”
“You never told me that.” Chloe blinked.
“Yeah, I know. When Jenny had to leave we decided it was best if you didn’t know the truth: your mother was a unique woman, in more ways than one, and there were people who would have use you against her. I don’t know the real words to describe what she was like; you’ll probably have to ask Elijah about it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your mother could do things that defied explanation, even by the standards of this town. Yeah, I know about the wired stuff that happens: I learnt a lot from your mother, but I hoped that I could keep you from being effected by it.”
“Excuse me.” Dr Spica appeared at the door, “I need to run a few more tests now Chloe’s awake.”
“Ok.” Mr Sullivan stood, “I’ll go find Elijah: he can explain things better.”
*********************************************************************
“Clark, Pete, Lex.” Gabe Sullivan’s eyes narrowed slightly at the last name, “Chloe’s going to be ok, and the doctor says you can go and see her soon, but only one at a time.”
“I think she’d prefer to see you two.” Lex nodded to Clark and Pete, “Give her my best, and tell her I’ll pop by later.” He turned and walked away, defusing the situation.
“What did the doctor say?” Clark asked, impatient to hear about his friend.
“Chloe was lucky: the lightning did very little damage.” Mr Sullivan smiled slightly, “She’s a tough kid, a lot like her mother.”
*********************************************************************
“You have the information I asked for?” Lionel Luther asked the man standing before him.
“It’s all here.” A heavy folder was dropped on the businessman’s desk, “Everything we could find in Henry Bendix’s office after the fire, and some more you uncovered ourselves.”
“Yes, it was a shame about that: Henry was a good friend.” Luther picked up the folder and looked at the cover, “United Nations Crisis Intervention Team? What has this to do with Chloe Sullivan?”
“Not Miss Sullivan: her mother.”
“Her mother?” Luther opened the folder and looked at the first page, “Colonel Jennifer Sparks, British Space Group?”
“Not some you would have wanted to mess with: she could be most, unpleasant, at times. Although I don’t think Bendix knew about their relationship: he would have used her to control Colonel Sparks if he had.”
“Thank you Mr Santini: your help will not be forgotten, and additional funds your people need will be made available to you.”
*********************************************************************
“How do you feel Miss Sullivan?” Dr Spica asked as she checked the young woman’s chart.
“Surprisingly good, considering what happened.” Chloe sounded surprised, “In fact, I’ve never felt so good.”
“Your father told you about your mother?”
“He said something, but he couldn’t explain it. Did you know her?”
“I worked with Jenny for about a year before she died.”
“She died?”
“I’m afraid so: almost for years ago. If it’s any consolation, she died saving a lot of people. Then again, there was never any doubt that Jenny Sparks would go out with a bang.”
“Jenny Sparks? My mother was Jenny Sparks?”
“Yes. I thought your father explained…”
“No, he never said her name was Sparks, but I’ve heard it before.” Chloe looked at the doctor, “Have we met before?”
“I don’t think so: I’ve only ever been to Smallville once before, and then I was only passing through with a friend.”
“I think I saw you: you mention my mothers name and what you said intrigued me, so I tried to find out what I could about her.”
“I doubt you found much: Jenny was very good at covering her tracks.” Dr Spica glanced out the window to make sure no one was about, “I inherited a few things from her will; mainly her diary’s. But there was one thing that came with a note saying I’d know who to give it to when I met them: I think she meant you.” She pulled a small box form her pocket; “I had it curried here from New York when I found out who you were.”
“What is it?” Chloe opened the box to find a cross shaped medal on a red ribbon.
“It’s your mothers Victoria Cross: she was awarded it a long time ago…”
“A story for another time.” Elijah Snow appeared in the doorway, “If you could go over those test results from early for me please Angie.”
“Of course.” Dr Spica nodded, “I’ll see you later, Chloe.”
“An intelligent and pleasant woman, but as times as subtle as a brick through the window.” Snow sat down, “Your father tells me you want to know about your mother.”
“Yeah: there seems to be a lot about her I don’t know.” Chloe held up the Victoria Cross, “Like how she got this.”
“Jenny was awarded that in 1945 for her work with the Special Operations Exertive, the forerunner of the modern MI6.”
“1945? How is that even possible?”
“Jenny Sparks was born in London on January 1st, 1900, just like several other unusual individuals, myself included. She stopped aging sometime around 1920. She died at the stroke of midnight, December 31st, 1999: exactly 100-years later.”
“But that would mean you’re…”
“103-years old. Yes, I know: there is a very complicated theory to explain it, but I won’t confuse you with it now. Jenny Sparks spent her entire life running hell-for-leather from one end of the last century to the other. She had more of an effect on the world than anyone can truly understand. She was, as one man so eloquently put it, the Spirit of the 20th Century, a hundred years made flesh.”
“You make it sound like she was some kind of super hero!”
“Jenny would say that she saved the world, too bloody often: she did what she did because on one else could or would. She was, without a doubt, the best human being I have ever met.”
“How did you meet her?”
“Now there IS a story: I was at a party in London, back in 1939…
*********************************************************************
“Fascinating.” Lionel Luther put the file Santini had given him down after reading it for the second time. He sat in contemplation for a moment, then picked up his office phone and dialled a number from memory.
“Leather.” A voice at the over end answered after a few rings.
“Hello William, it’s Lionel: I have some information that Randall may find interesting…”
To Be Continued…
Part 2: The Truth Hurts
“Ok, I guess you deserve to know the truth: Jenny, your mother, was a Colonel in British Military Intelligence when I first met her in Metropolis. She’d come over from London to try and get over something that had happened, something she never talked about, but it troubled her” Gabe Sullivan looked into space as he explained what he could, “Neither of us really expected things to go as far as they did: your mother was too much of a free spirit to contemplate something like marriage, but love changes things.” He laughed, “In the end, she was the one who proposed to me: I guess she wanted something approaching a normal life.”
“You never told me that.” Chloe blinked.
“Yeah, I know. When Jenny had to leave we decided it was best if you didn’t know the truth: your mother was a unique woman, in more ways than one, and there were people who would have use you against her. I don’t know the real words to describe what she was like; you’ll probably have to ask Elijah about it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your mother could do things that defied explanation, even by the standards of this town. Yeah, I know about the wired stuff that happens: I learnt a lot from your mother, but I hoped that I could keep you from being effected by it.”
“Excuse me.” Dr Spica appeared at the door, “I need to run a few more tests now Chloe’s awake.”
“Ok.” Mr Sullivan stood, “I’ll go find Elijah: he can explain things better.”
*********************************************************************
“Clark, Pete, Lex.” Gabe Sullivan’s eyes narrowed slightly at the last name, “Chloe’s going to be ok, and the doctor says you can go and see her soon, but only one at a time.”
“I think she’d prefer to see you two.” Lex nodded to Clark and Pete, “Give her my best, and tell her I’ll pop by later.” He turned and walked away, defusing the situation.
“What did the doctor say?” Clark asked, impatient to hear about his friend.
“Chloe was lucky: the lightning did very little damage.” Mr Sullivan smiled slightly, “She’s a tough kid, a lot like her mother.”
*********************************************************************
“You have the information I asked for?” Lionel Luther asked the man standing before him.
“It’s all here.” A heavy folder was dropped on the businessman’s desk, “Everything we could find in Henry Bendix’s office after the fire, and some more you uncovered ourselves.”
“Yes, it was a shame about that: Henry was a good friend.” Luther picked up the folder and looked at the cover, “United Nations Crisis Intervention Team? What has this to do with Chloe Sullivan?”
“Not Miss Sullivan: her mother.”
“Her mother?” Luther opened the folder and looked at the first page, “Colonel Jennifer Sparks, British Space Group?”
“Not some you would have wanted to mess with: she could be most, unpleasant, at times. Although I don’t think Bendix knew about their relationship: he would have used her to control Colonel Sparks if he had.”
“Thank you Mr Santini: your help will not be forgotten, and additional funds your people need will be made available to you.”
*********************************************************************
“How do you feel Miss Sullivan?” Dr Spica asked as she checked the young woman’s chart.
“Surprisingly good, considering what happened.” Chloe sounded surprised, “In fact, I’ve never felt so good.”
“Your father told you about your mother?”
“He said something, but he couldn’t explain it. Did you know her?”
“I worked with Jenny for about a year before she died.”
“She died?”
“I’m afraid so: almost for years ago. If it’s any consolation, she died saving a lot of people. Then again, there was never any doubt that Jenny Sparks would go out with a bang.”
“Jenny Sparks? My mother was Jenny Sparks?”
“Yes. I thought your father explained…”
“No, he never said her name was Sparks, but I’ve heard it before.” Chloe looked at the doctor, “Have we met before?”
“I don’t think so: I’ve only ever been to Smallville once before, and then I was only passing through with a friend.”
“I think I saw you: you mention my mothers name and what you said intrigued me, so I tried to find out what I could about her.”
“I doubt you found much: Jenny was very good at covering her tracks.” Dr Spica glanced out the window to make sure no one was about, “I inherited a few things from her will; mainly her diary’s. But there was one thing that came with a note saying I’d know who to give it to when I met them: I think she meant you.” She pulled a small box form her pocket; “I had it curried here from New York when I found out who you were.”
“What is it?” Chloe opened the box to find a cross shaped medal on a red ribbon.
“It’s your mothers Victoria Cross: she was awarded it a long time ago…”
“A story for another time.” Elijah Snow appeared in the doorway, “If you could go over those test results from early for me please Angie.”
“Of course.” Dr Spica nodded, “I’ll see you later, Chloe.”
“An intelligent and pleasant woman, but as times as subtle as a brick through the window.” Snow sat down, “Your father tells me you want to know about your mother.”
“Yeah: there seems to be a lot about her I don’t know.” Chloe held up the Victoria Cross, “Like how she got this.”
“Jenny was awarded that in 1945 for her work with the Special Operations Exertive, the forerunner of the modern MI6.”
“1945? How is that even possible?”
“Jenny Sparks was born in London on January 1st, 1900, just like several other unusual individuals, myself included. She stopped aging sometime around 1920. She died at the stroke of midnight, December 31st, 1999: exactly 100-years later.”
“But that would mean you’re…”
“103-years old. Yes, I know: there is a very complicated theory to explain it, but I won’t confuse you with it now. Jenny Sparks spent her entire life running hell-for-leather from one end of the last century to the other. She had more of an effect on the world than anyone can truly understand. She was, as one man so eloquently put it, the Spirit of the 20th Century, a hundred years made flesh.”
“You make it sound like she was some kind of super hero!”
“Jenny would say that she saved the world, too bloody often: she did what she did because on one else could or would. She was, without a doubt, the best human being I have ever met.”
“How did you meet her?”
“Now there IS a story: I was at a party in London, back in 1939…
*********************************************************************
“Fascinating.” Lionel Luther put the file Santini had given him down after reading it for the second time. He sat in contemplation for a moment, then picked up his office phone and dialled a number from memory.
“Leather.” A voice at the over end answered after a few rings.
“Hello William, it’s Lionel: I have some information that Randall may find interesting…”
To Be Continued…
Rommie: I just want a day where I can build missiles and tweak fire control in peace
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
#5
- You win this time, Clerks...
- Group: Islander
- Posts: 1,846
- Joined: 26-July 03
Posted 31 January 2005 - 11:28 AM
Calling of the blood
Part 3: Hereditary Traits
“So what do we know about her friend.” Snow sat behind a desk at the hastily put together Smallville office of Planetary, looking at his two main teams.
“He isn’t human, regardless of how he looks.” Dr Spica looked up from a pile of paper work, “He’s not anything we’ve encountered before. I’d like to bring Dr Brass in to consult on this: he’s got a lot more experience with this sort of thing then I do.”
“Ok, call him, but keep working on it yourself.” Snow nodded, “Do you think we could take him down if we had to?”
“Possibly.” The blond guard from the hospital nodded slowly, “He’s powerfully, I can tell that by just looking at him. It would probably take someone like Jeroen or Apollo.”
“Well, Jeroen is on guard at the hospital, so maybe he’ll be able to find something out.” Snow turned to look out the window, “Why did Jenny keep quiet about all this?”
*********************************************************************
“Hi Chloe!” Clark slipped into his friends hospital room, “How you feeling?”
“Ready to start climbing the walls if I don’t get out of here soon!” Chloe smiled, “No, seriously, I’m good. Dr Spica says I should be out of here by tomorrow.”
“Any idea how you survived that lightning strike without a scratch? Is there any chance you’re a…
“A meteor-freak? No, it’s nothing like that…”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“Things are, complicated. I’m not sure I can talk about it right now, not with someone guarding my room 24/7.”
“You mean that guy?” Clark looked over his shoulder at the man who was sitting in a chair in the hallway, snoring loudly, “What’s with all this?”
“You remember I told you The Torch had a new sponsor?” Chloe looked a little guilty, “Well it doesn’t: I’ve been paying for it all myself, after I paid of all my dads debts.”
“How can you afford that?”
“A man named Elijah Snow offered me a million dollars a year, for life, if I kept him up to date on the weirdness that happens around here. I’m allowed to use my own discretion when it comes to what I send him, so he doesn’t know about you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on Clark; I’m not blind. You’re always there to save the day in a way that no one can explain, you’re the centre of most of the wired stuff that happens around here, and I kind of remember some of what happened when Pete and I got infected by those plant spore that removed our inhibitions…”
“How much do you remember?”
“Not everything, its still a bit hazy: I do remember Pete and I trying to jump the gorge in his car and you catching us, and I remember what happened in the Talon…”
*********************************************************************
“Now this is interesting.” Randle Dowling looked at the files Lionel Luther had faxed him; “You’re a clever boy Elijah, keeping her a secret from me all these years.”
“Anything we can use against him?” Leather asked, “He’s been getting more determined in his little quest.”
“Possibly, possibly: it appears that Jenny Sparks has a daughter in small town America who recently survived a lightning strike that should have killed her.” Dowling handed the fax to the other man; “It is almost unheard of for any of the ‘Century Babies’ to reproduces, Miss Wagner being the most prominent of the handful of decedents thy have left behind. If Sparks’ child has indeed inherited some of her power, she could be a most dangerous opponent…”
“…Or a useful ally. I like the way you think.” Leather smiled, “You want me to go get her?”
“Yes, but be careful: Snow has both his field teams in the area.” Dowling rubbed his chin, “Take Greene with you: he’d enjoy the outing…”
*********************************************************************
“Clark!” Pete called out after his friend as he made his way across the hospital car park, “You ok man? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”
“Chloe remembers some of what happened that time you got dosed with those plant spores: not everything, but enough to know there’s more to me than I let on.”
“That’s not too bad: if she’s kept it secret all this time it means she’s not told Lionel…”
“She remembers what we did in the Talon.”
“Oh. How do you feel about that?”
“I don’t know: I mean, she’s Chloe, I’ve know her almost as long as I’ve known you…”
“And the other part?”
“The other part knows that I’d wanted to kiss her like that for a long time, but never wanted to risk the friendship.”
“Sounds like you love her.”
“I do, as a friend, but I’m not sure if there’s anything more to it than that.”
“And you don’t want to hurt her, right?”
“Right.”
“Sorry man, but the workings of the human heart are way out of my territory!”
*********************************************************************
“Something wrong, Shen?” Snow leaned against the low wall sounding the roof of the Planetary field office, “Storm coming?”
“In a way.” Shen Li-men looked up at the darkening sky, “I think we’re going to have company real soon.”
“Artemis?”
“I’d put good money on it.”
“One of these days, you’re going to read the currents in the air and give me some good news for a change.” Snow shook his head, “Guess we’d better get everyone together: we’re going to need all the muscle we can get if it is The Four…”
*********************************************************************
The tall, heavily built man watched from the shadows as the guard outside Chloe’s room left when his pager sounded. He smiled to himself: he’d been waiting for days to get an opportunity like this, and his employer was getting impatient for results.
Dressed as an orderly, he pushed the empty wheelchair into Chloe’s room, careful not to wake the sleeping girl. He looked down at her as she slept, pulling a hypodermic needle full of a powerful sedative from his pocket and tapping it to get the air out. Carefully as he could, he pressed it against Chloe’s arm.
Chloe woke with a start when she felt the needle pick her in the arm. She sat bolt upright, sending the hypodermic flying across the room as she reached for the light switch.
“Big mistake you little bitch!” The man snarled, drawing a dart-gun from its hiding place under his coat and bring it round to bear on the startled woman.
“NO!” Chloe shot her arm out to try and spoil his aim.
*********************************************************************
All the lights in Smallville dimmed as the electricity was sucked from the power grid and was redirected to one room in the hospital.
*********************************************************************
The glass wall shattered as the man slammed into it before landing in a heap in the corridor, smoke rising from his charred body.
“Oh god…” Chloe mumbled; eyes fixed in terror on the small sparks of electricity that still jumped between her outstretched fingers.
Deep inside her mind, something stirred.
To Be Continued…
Part 3: Hereditary Traits
“So what do we know about her friend.” Snow sat behind a desk at the hastily put together Smallville office of Planetary, looking at his two main teams.
“He isn’t human, regardless of how he looks.” Dr Spica looked up from a pile of paper work, “He’s not anything we’ve encountered before. I’d like to bring Dr Brass in to consult on this: he’s got a lot more experience with this sort of thing then I do.”
“Ok, call him, but keep working on it yourself.” Snow nodded, “Do you think we could take him down if we had to?”
“Possibly.” The blond guard from the hospital nodded slowly, “He’s powerfully, I can tell that by just looking at him. It would probably take someone like Jeroen or Apollo.”
“Well, Jeroen is on guard at the hospital, so maybe he’ll be able to find something out.” Snow turned to look out the window, “Why did Jenny keep quiet about all this?”
*********************************************************************
“Hi Chloe!” Clark slipped into his friends hospital room, “How you feeling?”
“Ready to start climbing the walls if I don’t get out of here soon!” Chloe smiled, “No, seriously, I’m good. Dr Spica says I should be out of here by tomorrow.”
“Any idea how you survived that lightning strike without a scratch? Is there any chance you’re a…
“A meteor-freak? No, it’s nothing like that…”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“Things are, complicated. I’m not sure I can talk about it right now, not with someone guarding my room 24/7.”
“You mean that guy?” Clark looked over his shoulder at the man who was sitting in a chair in the hallway, snoring loudly, “What’s with all this?”
“You remember I told you The Torch had a new sponsor?” Chloe looked a little guilty, “Well it doesn’t: I’ve been paying for it all myself, after I paid of all my dads debts.”
“How can you afford that?”
“A man named Elijah Snow offered me a million dollars a year, for life, if I kept him up to date on the weirdness that happens around here. I’m allowed to use my own discretion when it comes to what I send him, so he doesn’t know about you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on Clark; I’m not blind. You’re always there to save the day in a way that no one can explain, you’re the centre of most of the wired stuff that happens around here, and I kind of remember some of what happened when Pete and I got infected by those plant spore that removed our inhibitions…”
“How much do you remember?”
“Not everything, its still a bit hazy: I do remember Pete and I trying to jump the gorge in his car and you catching us, and I remember what happened in the Talon…”
*********************************************************************
“Now this is interesting.” Randle Dowling looked at the files Lionel Luther had faxed him; “You’re a clever boy Elijah, keeping her a secret from me all these years.”
“Anything we can use against him?” Leather asked, “He’s been getting more determined in his little quest.”
“Possibly, possibly: it appears that Jenny Sparks has a daughter in small town America who recently survived a lightning strike that should have killed her.” Dowling handed the fax to the other man; “It is almost unheard of for any of the ‘Century Babies’ to reproduces, Miss Wagner being the most prominent of the handful of decedents thy have left behind. If Sparks’ child has indeed inherited some of her power, she could be a most dangerous opponent…”
“…Or a useful ally. I like the way you think.” Leather smiled, “You want me to go get her?”
“Yes, but be careful: Snow has both his field teams in the area.” Dowling rubbed his chin, “Take Greene with you: he’d enjoy the outing…”
*********************************************************************
“Clark!” Pete called out after his friend as he made his way across the hospital car park, “You ok man? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”
“Chloe remembers some of what happened that time you got dosed with those plant spores: not everything, but enough to know there’s more to me than I let on.”
“That’s not too bad: if she’s kept it secret all this time it means she’s not told Lionel…”
“She remembers what we did in the Talon.”
“Oh. How do you feel about that?”
“I don’t know: I mean, she’s Chloe, I’ve know her almost as long as I’ve known you…”
“And the other part?”
“The other part knows that I’d wanted to kiss her like that for a long time, but never wanted to risk the friendship.”
“Sounds like you love her.”
“I do, as a friend, but I’m not sure if there’s anything more to it than that.”
“And you don’t want to hurt her, right?”
“Right.”
“Sorry man, but the workings of the human heart are way out of my territory!”
*********************************************************************
“Something wrong, Shen?” Snow leaned against the low wall sounding the roof of the Planetary field office, “Storm coming?”
“In a way.” Shen Li-men looked up at the darkening sky, “I think we’re going to have company real soon.”
“Artemis?”
“I’d put good money on it.”
“One of these days, you’re going to read the currents in the air and give me some good news for a change.” Snow shook his head, “Guess we’d better get everyone together: we’re going to need all the muscle we can get if it is The Four…”
*********************************************************************
The tall, heavily built man watched from the shadows as the guard outside Chloe’s room left when his pager sounded. He smiled to himself: he’d been waiting for days to get an opportunity like this, and his employer was getting impatient for results.
Dressed as an orderly, he pushed the empty wheelchair into Chloe’s room, careful not to wake the sleeping girl. He looked down at her as she slept, pulling a hypodermic needle full of a powerful sedative from his pocket and tapping it to get the air out. Carefully as he could, he pressed it against Chloe’s arm.
Chloe woke with a start when she felt the needle pick her in the arm. She sat bolt upright, sending the hypodermic flying across the room as she reached for the light switch.
“Big mistake you little bitch!” The man snarled, drawing a dart-gun from its hiding place under his coat and bring it round to bear on the startled woman.
“NO!” Chloe shot her arm out to try and spoil his aim.
*********************************************************************
All the lights in Smallville dimmed as the electricity was sucked from the power grid and was redirected to one room in the hospital.
*********************************************************************
The glass wall shattered as the man slammed into it before landing in a heap in the corridor, smoke rising from his charred body.
“Oh god…” Chloe mumbled; eyes fixed in terror on the small sparks of electricity that still jumped between her outstretched fingers.
Deep inside her mind, something stirred.
To Be Continued…
Rommie: I just want a day where I can build missiles and tweak fire control in peace
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
#6
- You win this time, Clerks...
- Group: Islander
- Posts: 1,846
- Joined: 26-July 03
Posted 05 February 2005 - 10:46 AM
Calling of the blood
Part 4: Runaway
The Sheriffs office had already cordoned off the hospital word by the time Pete arrived the next mourning. He hung back in the shadows, keeping out of everyone’s way in the hope of hearing what had happened.
“This isn’t good: Chloe’s totally unprepared for what happened.” Snow’s voice came from just around the corner from where Pete was hiding, “I can keep the local authorities from asking too many questions, but if she has another outburst in public…”
“It’ll be too much to hide.” Another man with a New York accent agreed, “The others are out looking for her now and Drums is keeping an eye out for anything that comes across the radio or net.”
“I should never have called Jeroen back from guard duty.”
“You had no way of knowing this was going to happen: I worked with Jenny for four years and she never once said anything about having a family.”
“Yes, but I knew, you see? I knew she had a daughter here, but I did nothing. I should have done something when she died…”
“You still hadn’t gotten all your memory’s back: you didn’t know Chloe existed and Jenny chose not to tell you for her own reasons, what ever they may have been.”
“That may be, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Yeah, well, you’ve got to go tell Gabe Sullivan that his daughter has manifested meta-human powers and was so freaked out by it that she’s run away.”
“You can be a right bastard at time, Hawksmoor.”
“I try my best…”
The two men walked off, leaving Pete with his thoughts.
*********************************************************************
Chloe ran through the woods, trying to put as much distance between herself and Smallville Medical Centre as she could. Her clothes were soaked with the rain that was falling constantly and it mixed with the tears that were falling from her eyes, making almost impossible for her to see properly.
She tripped on a tree rout and fell, banging her head as she landed.
*********************************************************************
“Clark!” Pete ran into the Kent’s barn, looking for his friend, “Where are you man?”
“I’m up here.” Clark called down from his ‘fortress of solitude’ up by the window, “What’s going on?”
“Something’s wrong with Chloe man, something big.” Pete took the stairs two at a time, “Something happened at the hospital and she took off: no one knows where she is.”
“Wow, hold on a second! Who told you this?”
“No one: I heard that old guy with the white hair talking to someone named Hawksmoor: he said something about ‘meta-human powers’, what ever the hell that means.”
“Chloe sounded upset about something when I talked to her yesterday: she said it wasn’t something she could talk about openly. There’s something no one is telling us…”
“Yeah, there is.” Gabe Sullivan appeared in the middle of the barn, “I guess its time you two knew the truth about Chloe…”
*********************************************************************
“She’s not at the High School.” Jakita reported in over the radio, “I’m moving towards the Talon.”
“Ok.” The Drummer looked up at the electronic map of Smallville on his computer screen, “Jack is checking out the industrial estate, while the others are moving out to check the farmland.”
“Who do we have on standby in case the Four show up before we’re ready?”
“Apollo and Jeroen. Midnighter went to find that Kent kid who was hanging around outside Chloe’s room yesterday: Elijah thinks he may know where she would hide.”
“Is that such a good idea?”
“Probably not.”
*********************************************************************
“You going to sleep all day?”
Chloe opened her eyes to find herself laying on a grassy meadow under a clear blue sky. It was unlike anywhere she had ever seen, but she felt somehow at home.
“Good: I was beginning to get a little worried.”
“What?” Chloe looked round, then saw the woman sitting on a nearby boulder, “Momma?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Jenny Sparks smiled, “It’s good to see you again Chloe.”
“Momma!” Chloe ran over to the other woman and wrapped her arms around her, “I missed you.”
“I missed you to.” Jenny hugged her daughter, “I’m sorry I had to go away.”
********************************************************************
Clark stood outside the barn, trying to stop his head from spinning: if even half of what Gabe Sullivan was true, then Chloe could be in a lot of danger. He could hardly recall Jennifer Sullivan, his friend’s mother having left when he was still young. The revelation that she was some secret-agent turned superhero was enough to turn his world upside down, but he was comforted by the idea that he wasn’t the only person with powers.
“Hey, kid.” The blond security guard from the hospital pulled up on a motorcycle, “You know where Chloe is?”
“Sorry, I don’t.” Clark shook his head, “I was just about to go looking for her.”
“Mind if I tag along?”
“Thanks, but no thanks: I know the area and I’d cover more ground alone.
“Look, kid.” The man grabbed Clarks arm as he went to pass, his grip surprisingly strong, “This is way out of your league.”
“Let go of me.” Clark’s eyes narrowed.
“What you going to do?” The man asked, “Run to your mommy?”
“No, this!” Clark flipped the man over, but to his surprise the guard landed on his feet, un-phased.
“So you want to play it like that, huh?” The guard flexed his muscles, “Been a while since I got a decent workout…”
********************************************************************
“Hope you don’t mind if I smoke?” Jenny lit cigarette as she sat next to her daughter, “Being dead doesn’t seem to affect the nicotine craving at all.”
“Dead?” Chloe looked round, “Is this…”
“Heaven?” Jenny laughed as she blow a smoke ring, “No; this is what a friend of mine calls the Garden of Ancestral Memory: the accumulated knowledge of the entire human race can be found her.”
“Then what are you?”
“I’m the part of me that lives on in you: when I died, doing something I still believe was immensely stupid, most of me was passed on to the Spirit of the 21st Century, but one small part was passed on to you. You probably remember feeling a little funny New Years Eve 1999.”
“Yeah: I thought that was just the Champaign dad gave me!”
“That sounds like the Gabriel Sullivan I fell in love with.”
********************************************************************
Clark felt his jaw snap back as the stranger landed another blow: whoever the guy was, he wasn’t a regular human. His strength and speed were staggering and he was able to shrug off some of Clarks blows with no apparent effect.
“I haven’t got time for this!” Clark hit the man as hard as he dared in the middle of his chest, sending his opponent flying across the farmyard and into a tree. The man landed with a thud and lay on the ground, dazed but still awake; “We’ll finish this later…” Clark promised as he took off at hyper speed.
“Now that is something you don’t see everyday.” Shen landed softly, folding her wings up behind her back, “I think Apollo’s going to want a crack at him for that.”
“No need.” Midnighter stood, stretching his arms and legs, “Nothing that a good nights sleep won’t cure.”
“Yes, but did you plant the homing beacon Angie gave you?”
“They day I can’t slip a pin-head sized transmitter into the pocket of some flannel-loving Kansas farm-boy without him noticing is the day I hang up my knuckledusters for good.”
To Be Continued…
Part 4: Runaway
The Sheriffs office had already cordoned off the hospital word by the time Pete arrived the next mourning. He hung back in the shadows, keeping out of everyone’s way in the hope of hearing what had happened.
“This isn’t good: Chloe’s totally unprepared for what happened.” Snow’s voice came from just around the corner from where Pete was hiding, “I can keep the local authorities from asking too many questions, but if she has another outburst in public…”
“It’ll be too much to hide.” Another man with a New York accent agreed, “The others are out looking for her now and Drums is keeping an eye out for anything that comes across the radio or net.”
“I should never have called Jeroen back from guard duty.”
“You had no way of knowing this was going to happen: I worked with Jenny for four years and she never once said anything about having a family.”
“Yes, but I knew, you see? I knew she had a daughter here, but I did nothing. I should have done something when she died…”
“You still hadn’t gotten all your memory’s back: you didn’t know Chloe existed and Jenny chose not to tell you for her own reasons, what ever they may have been.”
“That may be, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Yeah, well, you’ve got to go tell Gabe Sullivan that his daughter has manifested meta-human powers and was so freaked out by it that she’s run away.”
“You can be a right bastard at time, Hawksmoor.”
“I try my best…”
The two men walked off, leaving Pete with his thoughts.
*********************************************************************
Chloe ran through the woods, trying to put as much distance between herself and Smallville Medical Centre as she could. Her clothes were soaked with the rain that was falling constantly and it mixed with the tears that were falling from her eyes, making almost impossible for her to see properly.
She tripped on a tree rout and fell, banging her head as she landed.
*********************************************************************
“Clark!” Pete ran into the Kent’s barn, looking for his friend, “Where are you man?”
“I’m up here.” Clark called down from his ‘fortress of solitude’ up by the window, “What’s going on?”
“Something’s wrong with Chloe man, something big.” Pete took the stairs two at a time, “Something happened at the hospital and she took off: no one knows where she is.”
“Wow, hold on a second! Who told you this?”
“No one: I heard that old guy with the white hair talking to someone named Hawksmoor: he said something about ‘meta-human powers’, what ever the hell that means.”
“Chloe sounded upset about something when I talked to her yesterday: she said it wasn’t something she could talk about openly. There’s something no one is telling us…”
“Yeah, there is.” Gabe Sullivan appeared in the middle of the barn, “I guess its time you two knew the truth about Chloe…”
*********************************************************************
“She’s not at the High School.” Jakita reported in over the radio, “I’m moving towards the Talon.”
“Ok.” The Drummer looked up at the electronic map of Smallville on his computer screen, “Jack is checking out the industrial estate, while the others are moving out to check the farmland.”
“Who do we have on standby in case the Four show up before we’re ready?”
“Apollo and Jeroen. Midnighter went to find that Kent kid who was hanging around outside Chloe’s room yesterday: Elijah thinks he may know where she would hide.”
“Is that such a good idea?”
“Probably not.”
*********************************************************************
“You going to sleep all day?”
Chloe opened her eyes to find herself laying on a grassy meadow under a clear blue sky. It was unlike anywhere she had ever seen, but she felt somehow at home.
“Good: I was beginning to get a little worried.”
“What?” Chloe looked round, then saw the woman sitting on a nearby boulder, “Momma?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Jenny Sparks smiled, “It’s good to see you again Chloe.”
“Momma!” Chloe ran over to the other woman and wrapped her arms around her, “I missed you.”
“I missed you to.” Jenny hugged her daughter, “I’m sorry I had to go away.”
********************************************************************
Clark stood outside the barn, trying to stop his head from spinning: if even half of what Gabe Sullivan was true, then Chloe could be in a lot of danger. He could hardly recall Jennifer Sullivan, his friend’s mother having left when he was still young. The revelation that she was some secret-agent turned superhero was enough to turn his world upside down, but he was comforted by the idea that he wasn’t the only person with powers.
“Hey, kid.” The blond security guard from the hospital pulled up on a motorcycle, “You know where Chloe is?”
“Sorry, I don’t.” Clark shook his head, “I was just about to go looking for her.”
“Mind if I tag along?”
“Thanks, but no thanks: I know the area and I’d cover more ground alone.
“Look, kid.” The man grabbed Clarks arm as he went to pass, his grip surprisingly strong, “This is way out of your league.”
“Let go of me.” Clark’s eyes narrowed.
“What you going to do?” The man asked, “Run to your mommy?”
“No, this!” Clark flipped the man over, but to his surprise the guard landed on his feet, un-phased.
“So you want to play it like that, huh?” The guard flexed his muscles, “Been a while since I got a decent workout…”
********************************************************************
“Hope you don’t mind if I smoke?” Jenny lit cigarette as she sat next to her daughter, “Being dead doesn’t seem to affect the nicotine craving at all.”
“Dead?” Chloe looked round, “Is this…”
“Heaven?” Jenny laughed as she blow a smoke ring, “No; this is what a friend of mine calls the Garden of Ancestral Memory: the accumulated knowledge of the entire human race can be found her.”
“Then what are you?”
“I’m the part of me that lives on in you: when I died, doing something I still believe was immensely stupid, most of me was passed on to the Spirit of the 21st Century, but one small part was passed on to you. You probably remember feeling a little funny New Years Eve 1999.”
“Yeah: I thought that was just the Champaign dad gave me!”
“That sounds like the Gabriel Sullivan I fell in love with.”
********************************************************************
Clark felt his jaw snap back as the stranger landed another blow: whoever the guy was, he wasn’t a regular human. His strength and speed were staggering and he was able to shrug off some of Clarks blows with no apparent effect.
“I haven’t got time for this!” Clark hit the man as hard as he dared in the middle of his chest, sending his opponent flying across the farmyard and into a tree. The man landed with a thud and lay on the ground, dazed but still awake; “We’ll finish this later…” Clark promised as he took off at hyper speed.
“Now that is something you don’t see everyday.” Shen landed softly, folding her wings up behind her back, “I think Apollo’s going to want a crack at him for that.”
“No need.” Midnighter stood, stretching his arms and legs, “Nothing that a good nights sleep won’t cure.”
“Yes, but did you plant the homing beacon Angie gave you?”
“They day I can’t slip a pin-head sized transmitter into the pocket of some flannel-loving Kansas farm-boy without him noticing is the day I hang up my knuckledusters for good.”
To Be Continued…
Rommie: I just want a day where I can build missiles and tweak fire control in peace
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
#7
- You win this time, Clerks...
- Group: Islander
- Posts: 1,846
- Joined: 26-July 03
Posted 20 February 2005 - 07:35 AM
Calling of the blood
Part 5: Best laid plans
The large black van pulled into the warehouse just before dusk, the old metal door clanging down behind it. Leather stepped out the driver’s door, his dusty brown overcoat swaying as he walked round the back and opened the door.
“It’s about time too!” a deep, rumbling voice came from inside. “Why couldn’t we have flown? It would have been quicker.”
“Dowling insisted that we do everything we can to keep this low-key. Snow has both of his field teams here, and I for one do not want to have to deal with that right now.”
“Wimp.” The dark shape hidden in the shadows stepped forward. “I’ve not had a chance to kill anyone for ages…”
*********************************************************************
Clark made his way through the forest, looking for Chloe in the growing gloom of twilight. He tried to use his x-ray vision, but it proved useless in the dense undergrowth.
“CHLOE!” He yelled out at the top of his lungs, “WHERE ARE YOU?”
*********************************************************************
“Oh this is so not good…” The Drummer looked at his computer screens. Reaching for his phone with one hand, he hit the speed dial.
“Snow.” The voice on the other end answered.
“I just intercepted a highly encrypted burst communication from somewhere in Smallville.”
“Anyone we know?”
“It was on an old Artemus frequency.”
“The Four. What are they here for?”
“I can’t confirm anything until I’ve decrypted it fully, but I can tell you that the word ‘Sullivan’ was used at least twice.”
“Oh my god; Chloe!”
“Yeah, best guess is that it’s a snatch squad sent to grab her. If she’s as powerful as Jenny was…”
“Dowling would have a powerful ally to call on. We cannot let that happen!”
“I’ll tell the others to be on the look out.”
*********************************************************************
“Excuse me, Mr Sullivan?” A soft voice disturbed Gabe Sullivan, as he was about to open his front door. “I was wondering if I may have a word with you.”
“This isn’t a good time.” Gabe Sullivan looked round.
“It is about your daughter,” the young man standing at the end of his garden path said, “and the company she keeps.”
“Who are you?” Gabe asked, walking down his porch steps.
“My name is William Leather. I work for the government. We’re investigating Elijah Snow and his ‘Planetary’ organization.”
“Who are you? IRS?”
“National Intelligence Agency.” Leather pulled out an ID card and flashed it. “We think he may be responsible for several terrorist acts around the globe… the most public being the destruction of the Hark Corporation building in Seattle four years ago.”
“You think that Elijah may have been involved in that?”
“His ‘team’ was seen at the bombsite just hours after it happened. He had his people secure the area under the guise of local government officials. Is this the sort of man you want your daughter spending time with?”
“I’ve known Elijah for almost 20 years. He gave my wife away at our wedding!”
“How well do you truly know him?”
*********************************************************************
“You need to go now.” Jenny looked down at Chloe, who was sitting curled up at her mother’s side. “Your father is in grave danger, and the others will need your help.”
“Dad!” Chloe’s eyes opened wide, then she looked up at her mother. “But I don’t want to go! It’s safe here! Can’t Daddy come here?”
“I wish he could sweetie… I wish he could. But this is something only you and I can share.”
“Will I ever see you again?”
“I’ll be here when you need me.” Jenny kissed Chloe on the forehead as a bright light enveloped them. “I am so proud of you…”
*********************************************************************
Clark looked around the clearing. He’d looked everywhere he could think of, but Chloe was nowhere to be seen, and it was starting to get dark, the storm reaching new heights as it threatened to unleash a new deluge on Smallville.
*********************************************************************
“GABE!” Snow called out as he got out of his car near the Sullivan home. “GET IN THE HOUSE, NOW!”
“Elijah?” Gabe Sullivan looked round. “Just what the hell is going on around here?”
“Now this is interesting.” Leather smiled as a bright white flame enveloped his body. “Jacob, care to come out and play?”
“About time!” A deep, rumbling voice came from the back of the same truck that Leather had arrived in. The rollup door on its back was ripped away be some unimaginable force from inside.
*********************************************************************
“Oh hell…” The Drummer looked at the feed coming from the camera attached to Snow’s car and dropped his drumsticks. He grabbed his radio and hit the emergency frequency. “CODE RED! EVERYONE TO THE SULLIVAN RESIDENCE, NOW! CODE RED!”
“Are you high again?” The Midnighter asked over the open link.
“I wish I was. Leather and Greene have Elijah cornered.”
“I’m two blocks away!” Jakita reported. “I’ll be there in under a minute. Where is everyone else?”
“Apollo and Jack are about the same distance, but in the other direction.” The Drummer looked at the electronic map of Smallville on the wall. “Angie is at the hospital, Shen is keeping watch on that Kent kid, and god only knows where Jeroen is!”
“God dammed brain-fired slacker!” The Midnighter spat. “I’ll wring his neck for this!”
*********************************************************************
“I take it your little reunion was constructive?” Jeroen asked as he walked up to Jenny.
“Constructive was not what I was going for.” Jenny smiled. “It was good to see her again. Leaving her was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Thank you for helping arrange this.”
“It was the least I could do after all you did for me. I must admit though, I was a little surprised to find that part of you was missing when I read Jenny Quantum’s aura…”
“We all have our little secrets.” Jenny smiled, sitting back on her rock and lighting a fresh cigarette. “Consider this one of mine…”
*********************************************************************
Clark heard the sound of something swooping down through the air and was grabbed by the shoulders and lifted into the air before he could look round.
“Relax and stop struggling!” Shen yelled out, trying to be heard above the storm as she carried the startled youngster towards Smallville. “We have a little problem and could use your help.”
“Um, ok…” Clark nodded, too shocked at the appearance of a winged woman who seemed able to carry him through the air at high speed with little or no effort.
*********************************************************************
Chloe woke to find herself laying on the forest floor. The clothes she had worn when she ran from the hospital were gone, replaced by a white linen suit and Union Jack T-sh*t. She blinked as she recognised it from an old family photograph as one of her mother favourite outfits.
Lightning struck the ground all around her, and Chloe felt invigorated like never before. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, immersing herself in the raw energy of the storm, letting it wash over her.
Chloe opened her eyes, sparks of electricity playing across her irises. A single giant lightning bolt seemed to erupt out of the ground, and Chloe was gone.
To Be Continued…
Part 5: Best laid plans
The large black van pulled into the warehouse just before dusk, the old metal door clanging down behind it. Leather stepped out the driver’s door, his dusty brown overcoat swaying as he walked round the back and opened the door.
“It’s about time too!” a deep, rumbling voice came from inside. “Why couldn’t we have flown? It would have been quicker.”
“Dowling insisted that we do everything we can to keep this low-key. Snow has both of his field teams here, and I for one do not want to have to deal with that right now.”
“Wimp.” The dark shape hidden in the shadows stepped forward. “I’ve not had a chance to kill anyone for ages…”
*********************************************************************
Clark made his way through the forest, looking for Chloe in the growing gloom of twilight. He tried to use his x-ray vision, but it proved useless in the dense undergrowth.
“CHLOE!” He yelled out at the top of his lungs, “WHERE ARE YOU?”
*********************************************************************
“Oh this is so not good…” The Drummer looked at his computer screens. Reaching for his phone with one hand, he hit the speed dial.
“Snow.” The voice on the other end answered.
“I just intercepted a highly encrypted burst communication from somewhere in Smallville.”
“Anyone we know?”
“It was on an old Artemus frequency.”
“The Four. What are they here for?”
“I can’t confirm anything until I’ve decrypted it fully, but I can tell you that the word ‘Sullivan’ was used at least twice.”
“Oh my god; Chloe!”
“Yeah, best guess is that it’s a snatch squad sent to grab her. If she’s as powerful as Jenny was…”
“Dowling would have a powerful ally to call on. We cannot let that happen!”
“I’ll tell the others to be on the look out.”
*********************************************************************
“Excuse me, Mr Sullivan?” A soft voice disturbed Gabe Sullivan, as he was about to open his front door. “I was wondering if I may have a word with you.”
“This isn’t a good time.” Gabe Sullivan looked round.
“It is about your daughter,” the young man standing at the end of his garden path said, “and the company she keeps.”
“Who are you?” Gabe asked, walking down his porch steps.
“My name is William Leather. I work for the government. We’re investigating Elijah Snow and his ‘Planetary’ organization.”
“Who are you? IRS?”
“National Intelligence Agency.” Leather pulled out an ID card and flashed it. “We think he may be responsible for several terrorist acts around the globe… the most public being the destruction of the Hark Corporation building in Seattle four years ago.”
“You think that Elijah may have been involved in that?”
“His ‘team’ was seen at the bombsite just hours after it happened. He had his people secure the area under the guise of local government officials. Is this the sort of man you want your daughter spending time with?”
“I’ve known Elijah for almost 20 years. He gave my wife away at our wedding!”
“How well do you truly know him?”
*********************************************************************
“You need to go now.” Jenny looked down at Chloe, who was sitting curled up at her mother’s side. “Your father is in grave danger, and the others will need your help.”
“Dad!” Chloe’s eyes opened wide, then she looked up at her mother. “But I don’t want to go! It’s safe here! Can’t Daddy come here?”
“I wish he could sweetie… I wish he could. But this is something only you and I can share.”
“Will I ever see you again?”
“I’ll be here when you need me.” Jenny kissed Chloe on the forehead as a bright light enveloped them. “I am so proud of you…”
*********************************************************************
Clark looked around the clearing. He’d looked everywhere he could think of, but Chloe was nowhere to be seen, and it was starting to get dark, the storm reaching new heights as it threatened to unleash a new deluge on Smallville.
*********************************************************************
“GABE!” Snow called out as he got out of his car near the Sullivan home. “GET IN THE HOUSE, NOW!”
“Elijah?” Gabe Sullivan looked round. “Just what the hell is going on around here?”
“Now this is interesting.” Leather smiled as a bright white flame enveloped his body. “Jacob, care to come out and play?”
“About time!” A deep, rumbling voice came from the back of the same truck that Leather had arrived in. The rollup door on its back was ripped away be some unimaginable force from inside.
*********************************************************************
“Oh hell…” The Drummer looked at the feed coming from the camera attached to Snow’s car and dropped his drumsticks. He grabbed his radio and hit the emergency frequency. “CODE RED! EVERYONE TO THE SULLIVAN RESIDENCE, NOW! CODE RED!”
“Are you high again?” The Midnighter asked over the open link.
“I wish I was. Leather and Greene have Elijah cornered.”
“I’m two blocks away!” Jakita reported. “I’ll be there in under a minute. Where is everyone else?”
“Apollo and Jack are about the same distance, but in the other direction.” The Drummer looked at the electronic map of Smallville on the wall. “Angie is at the hospital, Shen is keeping watch on that Kent kid, and god only knows where Jeroen is!”
“God dammed brain-fired slacker!” The Midnighter spat. “I’ll wring his neck for this!”
*********************************************************************
“I take it your little reunion was constructive?” Jeroen asked as he walked up to Jenny.
“Constructive was not what I was going for.” Jenny smiled. “It was good to see her again. Leaving her was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Thank you for helping arrange this.”
“It was the least I could do after all you did for me. I must admit though, I was a little surprised to find that part of you was missing when I read Jenny Quantum’s aura…”
“We all have our little secrets.” Jenny smiled, sitting back on her rock and lighting a fresh cigarette. “Consider this one of mine…”
*********************************************************************
Clark heard the sound of something swooping down through the air and was grabbed by the shoulders and lifted into the air before he could look round.
“Relax and stop struggling!” Shen yelled out, trying to be heard above the storm as she carried the startled youngster towards Smallville. “We have a little problem and could use your help.”
“Um, ok…” Clark nodded, too shocked at the appearance of a winged woman who seemed able to carry him through the air at high speed with little or no effort.
*********************************************************************
Chloe woke to find herself laying on the forest floor. The clothes she had worn when she ran from the hospital were gone, replaced by a white linen suit and Union Jack T-sh*t. She blinked as she recognised it from an old family photograph as one of her mother favourite outfits.
Lightning struck the ground all around her, and Chloe felt invigorated like never before. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, immersing herself in the raw energy of the storm, letting it wash over her.
Chloe opened her eyes, sparks of electricity playing across her irises. A single giant lightning bolt seemed to erupt out of the ground, and Chloe was gone.
To Be Continued…
Rommie: I just want a day where I can build missiles and tweak fire control in peace
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
Beka: We need to find you a hobby
Rommie: That IS my hobby
Daniel: She's Hathor, the goddess of fertility, inebriety, and music
Jack: Sex, drugs and rock & roll?
Moist Von Lipvig: Oh, all right. Of course I accept as a natural born criminal, habitual liar, fraudster and totally untrustworthy perverted genius
Lord Vetinari: Capital! Welcome to government service!
Mary Raven: ....your house smells weird
Dr Vukovic: It smells of SCIENCE!
Wooster: Why is it, do you think, Jeeves, that the thought of the "little thing" my Aunt Dahlia wants me to do for her fills me with a nameless foreboding?
Jeeves: Experience, sir?
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