Dreaming the Wolf, R, 10-23-09, Chapter 23 and Epilogue

[Kit Merlot]

This was an intense chapter!

I can't believe that Lex was shot three times--Mercy has better make Samuel Kale pay for what he has done.

And Ava, you are going to have Lex live right?

[somethingeasy]

“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it’s wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always gotten there first, and is waiting for it.”
Terry Pratchett

heeee! Good ol’Terry Pratchett! The man can ALWAYS be depended on for a quote that’s funny, disturbing and insightful all at once.

Mercy gripped the steering wheel tightly. Her eyes narrowed, her heart raced, and the crushing weight of her complete failure was the only thing she knew. The men in the car had long since stopped trying to speak with her. Her urgency was their own. She had been foolish. Weak. “I couldn’t have known.” But that thought didn’t give her solace.

Fantastic! I was hoping that you would get quickly to what happened between the time when Mercy was being threatened at the park and Chloe ending up in that cell. It seems like we’re going to finally get what happened to Mercy now. Great!!!

I loved how you set the tone showing that Mercy had ‘given in’ to Kale’s demands, and that she loathes herself for her ‘weakness’… even though she honestly had no other choice in the matter… and she knows it too.

Mercy favoured him with a look of rage. He knew that feeling. He knew what it was to be so thoroughly manipulated and defeated. Failure was no stranger to him so he could give her this. Samuel had spent a lifetime learning from those lessons so that he didn’t have to feel that way again. And for this reason he could accept her rage. It was the least that he could do.

Kale always amazes me. Even at a moment where one would think he’s at the height of revelling in his sweet, smug victory… you find out that he’s actually empathizing with the person that he’s tormenting… even as he’s tormenting them. Kale is one twisted fuck, isn’t he? He’s all the more twisted BECAUSE he’s capable of feeling such empathy… which doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference in his actions.

Wesson locked eyes with her, “I know you know that I fulfill the terms of service of any given contract I take on and that I honor my promises. I’ll give you one now. No harm will come to her if it is in my power to prevent it,” he continued, “But if you refuse me, I will still take her and these people will die here today.”

hmmm, actually, this sounds pretty promising. Kale is basically giving his blanket promise that he will personally protect Chloe, as long as Mercy hands her over right now. Which means (possibly) that even if Mercy, Lex and Clark mount a rescue operation later; and if it fails, then Kale would STILL be bound by his promise to not allow harm to Chloe. This is quite a huge point in Mercy’s favour… even if she doesn’t quite appreciate it right now.

Lex was more than her employer. Though Lionel had hired her so many years before to keep his son safe, Lex was a friend. He counted her a friend, which was rare in his life and her own. And Chloe could be a friend.

They weren’t worth it.

That is good to know. Mercy is just not the kind of person to sacrifice the lives of innocents for anyone… not even people that she cares about. I imagine there are a LOT of people who would have dared Kale to blow up the kiddies anyway, out of sheer pride or hubris, rather than give into Kale’s outrageous manoeuvrings.

Lionel would most definitely have told Kale to blow up the park full of children… without feeling a moment’s worth of guilt afterwards.

He didn’t bother to acknowledge her. Lex may have felt some sense of responsibility toward her, but she was in the past. A mistake that he wanted to remove from his life. He didn’t like her, didn’t love her, and now had nothing more in common with her; and because of this, he didn’t want to think of her any more than he had to. There was only go forward with Chloe and she had no place in their future.

This was fantastic characterization of Lex, Ava. I really liked how you conveyed how he was being borderline cruel to Lana, but his cruelty stemmed from a sense of pure embarrassment. At least, that’s what I’m getting… Lex wants to place the whole humiliating Lana-debacle as far behind him as possible… just forget that it ever happened. heh, so I liked that he’s being forced to face his ‘Big Mistake’ in the face day after day… so his only defence is to try and remain as detached from that mistake (from poor Lana) as possible… without appearing outright rude.

heh, it really doesn’t help that Lex is not acknowledging how his embarrassment is pushing him to behave in a borderline cruel manner. He’s just trying to convince himself that the reason why he’s ignoring Lana so rudely is because she’s simply not worth his time and attention. That might or might not be true, but that doesn’t give you an excuse for rudeness, Lex.

Despite how I’m slightly angry at him for his rudeness, I have to admit that it was pretty sweet seeing Lex revelling in all the ways that Chloe is SO much more superior to Lana… the latest point of comparison being how Chloe can work his social circles like she’s been trained all her life to do so… while Lana just couldn’t manage without feeling (and seeming) like a lost, clingy child.

Chloe’s rolled her eyes, but her voice was no longer joking, “Because Lana is still here and I’m not gonna rub her face in this.”

Lex became impatient. She was always considering someone else. If she was going to refuse his advances, then why couldn’t it be because she didn’t it? Why did it always have to be cast in the context of someone else’s feelings? He pulled her into his arms again. This time his kiss was not so soft and she responded for a moment, but then she stopped responding. Chloe bit his lip and grabbed the wrist that cradled her face and held it tightly. Her other hand grabbed his neck and she pushed him away.

heee! Awesome! I mentioned how I was irritated at Lex’s semi-cruelty, so I was SO pleased to see that Chloe had noted Lex’s cruelty, and was letting him know that it was unacceptable behaviour. It’s so wonderful to see Chloe being so gentle and generous with her former rival. She’s the very picture of the graceful victor, isn’t she?

LOL! I loved seeing Lex practically attacking Chloe in a lustful haze, and then it was so damned cool seeing Chloe giving Lex a good hard nip for not listening to her common sense. That’s it, Chloe! Show the guy who’s the boss here! LOL!

“I’m sorry. Forgive me?”

Chloe smiled, “You never need to ask, Lex. It’s always yours.”

awwww! That is so awesome! I loved Lex for finally seeing sense and reason after Chloe explained the situation in slow, careful words. He not only acknowledged her ‘rightness’, but he ALSO apologised for his boorish behaviour. That’s a gooood, obedient wolfy mate, Lex! LOL!

Lex could hear the worry and fear in her voice. It should not have been possible. His perimeter was manned and he multiple redundant systems. His security here was even better than at his mansion. Both of them heard Lana’s piercing scream. Before Lex could prevent her, Chloe was running to Lana.

He saw her go down with multiple red points in her back. His panic made him see blood, but they were feathered. “Tranquilizers.” Miraculously, Lex saw her stand and pull some of the darts out. He heard her voice. It was frantic, “Lex, where can we go?”

Holy HELL! That was scary, Ava. The events turned so nasty so quickly that it was quite frightening, but it was damned exciting too!! I especially loved the ‘chill factor’ added on through the sound of Lana’s scream just a short distance away from our Chlex couple. You don’t quite know what happened to her, but you can imagine the worst.

Come to think of it, Kale didn’t offer his ‘protection’ to Lana as he did to Chloe. Is this because he knows that Lana doesn’t stand a chance of surviving whatever Serena has in mind for her…? Chilling!

oooh, and I really liked that moment of horrified panic that Lex felt when he saw the red colour on Chloe’s back, and assumed (for one terrifying moment) that it was blood!

Lex was really cold in his statement about Lana being nothing. It was an awful, horrible, cruel and cold thing to say… but he was sadly in the right that they DID have to prioritize themselves over Lana (for the time being at least) and get themselves to safety… even if it meant leaving Lana behind.

I liked how Chloe’s first instinct was to rush to Lana and ‘save her’, but it was good to see her common sense, survivor’s instincts over-powered her protective instincts. Those are GREAT priorities, Chloe… on all levels!

Mercy dropped her gun and strode to his side and reciprocated his yell, “He had bombs, Lex! At the damned meeting place! Tell me you or Chloe would’ve had me make the choice to see a lot of kids dead!” she took a deep breath. The fight drained out of her but she continued, “If I had thought, for one minute, that you would’ve actually wanted me to make that choice, I would never have agreed to work with you. If you want to indulge in hate for me, go ahead. It’s a consequence of the choice I made and I can live with that. But, Lex, we still have a chance. This doesn’t have to be the end.”

I loved, Loved, LOVED Lex’s absolute fury in this sequence. He was enraged to homicidal levels… with good reason. I get the feeling that Lex trusts Mercy like he’s trusted VERY precious few people in his lifetime, and to have her betray him as well as jeopardize the life of the woman he loves…? It must have been devastating for Lex… and we all know that Lex reacts with insane, homicidal levels of vengeful rage against anything that hurts him to this level.

Mercy is damned lucky that she got a chance to explain her position to Lex before he could get his hands on her throat. I was VERY pleased to see Lex calm down and agree that Mercy (perhaps) had a good reason to do what she did. But it’s quite a shame to see that a significant portion of Lex’s trust in Mercy has been irretrievably lost today.

Lex thought it over. It could work. He loved Chloe. If they made it clear she could die if he didn’t work with them, then he was certain that Clark would capitulate.

It didn’t take as long as he thought it would to get Clark on board with the plan. He even had valuable insight. The planning process was arduous and intense, but the stakes were high. He wouldn’t fail Chloe. Mercy and her team were going to wait outside the facility, while Lex and a few select men went inside.

Mercy had to coordinate everything and Lex refused to not be a part of getting Chloe back. Clark was going to distract everyone. No one knew the full extent of his abilities, but they knew he was exceptional. All of them were forced to accept it.

heh… Lex was pretty cold about the way he went assessing Clark’s worth, usefulness and trustworthiness before deciding to bring him on board. That was such a perfect, characteristically ‘Lex-like’ way to make him coolly acknowledge that it might be a good idea bringing Clark onto the team… as cannon fodder

Kale wasn’t surprised when he came upon Clark Kent. If he had to, he would guess that Kent was to be the distraction. That’s the way he would’ve used the boy. A meat shield to absorb bullets and traps.

yikes! That is quite a god-awful way to describe Clark, Ava! But sadly, not altogether inaccurate. In fact, Clark treats himself like cannon-fodder ‘meat’… throwing himself into the most dangerous situations without taking a moment to properly assess the potential traps and pitfalls. Clark doesn’t think before rushing in for the rescue, and I LOVED how you drove that point home in this sequence, Ava!

Who better to drive into Clark the finer points of ‘brains before brawns’ in a fighting life-or-death struggle than Kale? It’s a horrible way to learn a lesson, but I think Clark will actually come out a whole lot smarter and wiser after his painful, humiliating interaction with Kale.

While the boy was still blind and deaf, Kale threw his modified smoke grenade. Instead of the usual mixture of potassium chlorate and friends, he had added finely ground green meteor rock. After the grenade impacted the ground and its contents filled the air, the boy’s response was immediate. He screamed and began clawing at his eyes. Then he dropped to his knees and began convulsing.

oh dear friggen GOD, poor Clark! This was amazingly written, Ava! I loved how you captured how meticulously Kale planned out how to completely incapacitate Clark. In fact, he not only felled Clark down, but he ALSO made the experience as painful for the poor boy as possible. I was cringing on Clark’s behalf, reading about the intense suffering he was going through.

And then it made me jump seeing that Kale’s torment wasn’t yet finished. He actually had a kryptonite knuckle created for himself?!? I knew that Kale was a nasty piece of work, but this scene really drove that point home. Especially after seeing him revelling in the power of being able to beat up what was formerly a super-powered kid into a bloody pulp *shudder*

“Your first mistake, Mr. Kent, was not planning. If you continue to use your strength to the detriment of your mind, you will never win. The educational system of this town insists that you have one. Your second mistake was to lead with your face. And your third, which is undoubtedly your most grievous, was to assume that you were invincible. Every man has a weakness. Every man can be hurt. Never forget that.”

heh… like I mentioned before, Kale is actually imparting some very valuable life lessons to Clark. I think this experience might teach Clark to start thinking before leaping from now on…? IF Clark happens to remember anything that Kale just said through the haze of pain he’s feeling, of course.

He softly crooned and she let him near. His hand touched bare skin and he felt her trembling. Lex put his gun down and touched her face. She leaned into it and he felt her exhale strongly. Her nose flared. She was trying to capture his scent. Chloe groaned softly.

Lex ran his hand through her hair, “That’s it. You know me. You know me.”

She looked at him and a flicker of awareness passed through her eyes. She spoke softly, weakly, “Lex.” “Mate. Safe.”

That was a wonderful, beautiful reunion, Ava! I loved it! I loved seeing BOTH Lex and Chloe breathing each other in for a few moments (erm… literally in Chloe’s case, LOL!), reassuring themselves of the other’s presence. I also loved how Lex responded to his wolfy-beloved breathing in his scent… and rather than being freaked out about it, he now finds it reassuring. heh, yep! He’s most definitely acclimated himself to the idea of having a werewolf as a beloved partner. Awesome! LOL!

Samuel tilted his head to the left and regarded the younger Luthor. It hadn’t escaped his notice the way that the man held Chloe Sullivan. He could recognize love. It was in the way that she was so comfortable and pliant against him. It was the way that Luthor’s knuckles tightened on her form where he gripped her. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to show possession.

I loved, LOVED your Kale, Ava! Even as he’s threatening them, and planning to rip them apart from each other, Kale takes a moment to appreciate the beauty of the love between the two lovers here. I LOVE the complex, twisted, fucked up character you’ve created for us, Ave

Lex could’ve killed this man with his bare hands. This bastard had hurt Chloe and was offering him some sort of deal. He could fake it. Lex gently lowered Chloe to the ground. He felt the moment that lucidity returned to her. It wasn’t much, but there was an imperceptible muscle twitch. He hated to ask her to summon the strength to get them out of this situation, but it was the only way.

This was awesome! I loved the way that Chloe and Lex were able to communicate their plan to each other without saying a word, or even sharing a glance. They both just KNEW what the other expected, and collaborated a plan accordingly. I just LOVED what this said about the level of trust they both have in each other. They both trust each other to be strong and fight in a back to back situation, when the circumstance calls for it.

It was such a beautifully put together and executed plan, that it made me CRY to see to see it didn’t work!!! Despite the element of surprise working against him, Kale still managed to get the upper hand.

yack!!! and he shot Lex?!? He shot Lex?!????

Blood dribbled down his chin to splash onto the hard concrete. Lex let no moan escape him. No begging words for mercy left his lips. Lex let his eyes fall onto the still form of Chloe. “At least she won’t see.” But even then whatever higher being existed mocked him because her eyes opened and met his own. He wished that she would look away or that he could but neither would turn from this reality. It was an impossibility. He was going to die and she was going to watch.

Kale watched the byplay between Lex Luthor and Chloe Sullivan. For one moment he faltered. In their eyes he saw himself and Marissa, but then the place inside that made him such a good hit-man surfaced. This was a job and he was going to complete it. Kale raised his gun and fired twice into Lex’s chest. Lex landed on his back in a sprawl...a graceless heap. Unseeing eyes staring at the ceiling. Blood pooled from beneath him. His heart relentlessly working. It hadn’t yet got the message that the body was dead.

yeeek! You’re just… horrible, Ava! Horrible, awful, terrible!!! LOL! I love it! ROTFL! Oh dear, just when I think that I can’t get any sicker, I come across a brutally descriptively detailed scene of Lex getting shot… and I thrill in reading it?! I’m a sick, SICK person! LOL!

The brutality as just terrible(wonderful), and I loved how you conveyed Kale actually feeling a moment of such bitter, intense regret over what had to be done. Of course he doesn’t really regret what he did… he only regrets that he was ‘forced’ to take these particular measures.

I’m not sure whether it’s because he genuinely admired Lex Luthor specifically, OR because he felt a felt a special resonance with the bond that he saw between Chloe and Lex, OR whether he just admired Chloe and hated hurting her in this manner. Perhaps it was a combination of all three things?

Whatever the reason, I loved how Kale felt a genuine ache at shooting Lex. AND I highly approve of the fact that he was ‘soft enough’ to give Lex that ‘final mercy’ and not shoot him in the face as a final measure. He didn’t consider the idea of a bullet proof vest? heh… you’re slipping, Kale LOL!

The unsettling feeling of remorse may have invaded him, but it would never stop him from doing what needed to be done. Serena trusted and valued him. Everyone who had ever hired him trusted him and valued him in some way, but Serena truly felt those things. Samuel understood that his fundamental need in life was to be trusted and valued. It was what made this world real to him; and from there he could feel the emotions that made everyone human. To lose that would make him nothing.

Samuel’s voice was a mere whisper that lanced through the empty hallways, “It’s not so bad.”

And it wasn’t. The same man that walked into that place walked out. Nothing had changed.

wow! That was fantastic, Ava! It’s truly amazing seeing how you can show us all these fascinating facets of Kale’s personality and nature… and yet you never really change his basic character on us. We might start seeing the softer, deeper and needy side of his personality, but we still know that he’s still going to be the scary, ruthless, merciless bastard killer that we met in his first appearance in his first chapter.

I LOVED the new chapter, Ava! It was brutally and beautifully written. But this was one heck of a TERRIBLE cliffhanger to leave us at! Please update soon!!!!

[Avalanche]

Disclaimer: not mine

A/N: Woot! An update! Updates are good! They draw us ever nearer to the end. Also, everyone thank skauble. She once again acted as my beta and awesome things happen when she does that.

ENJOY!



Chapter 22- New Configurations


“We tend to become like the worst in those we oppose.”
Frank0Herbert, Chapterhouse: Dune



Mercy sat in Lex’s office. The office of his mansion. At the desk that that brimmed with his personality and his energy. Staring at the bullet proof vest that he should’ve worn, but hadn’t. It was inconceivable that she had failed so badly. Actually, she wished that she could blame herself. She wished that it had been her fault but it wasn’t. He was so damned arrogant. Of course he should be the one to go charging after his beloved. Of course he would remain unharmed. He was Lex fucking Luthor. He had his super-powered farm friend to protect him. Never mind that these people who opposed them weren’t Lionel. They weren’t going to pull any punches.

She snorted. Mercy couldn’t make him wear something if she wasn’t with him. She had been busy organizing and otherwise doing things to ensure the success of their mission. All he had to do was go with the men she assigned and wear a damned vest.

“Here’s to you, Lex. Death by stupidity,” her voice echoed in the empty room. She had no idea who inherited this place or what would happen to his business, and she didn’t really care. It didn’t matter now because he was dead. Of course, she was keeping his death under wraps for a bit. She needed time.

Everything was going smoothly. For the most part, their teams maintained radio silence; but Mercy had insisted upon updates. Lex should’ve given his, but he hadn’t. In its place was an explosion that rocked the building, which more or less destroyed the building. She saw her few remaining men staggering out, carrying the dead weight that was Clark Kent and Lana Lang.

Kent was in bad shape, but he didn’t matter. Only Lex did and he wasn’t there. Her man could barely meet her eyes when he reported seeing Lex’s body in a pool of his own blood. And that was it. That was the death of Alexander Joseph Luthor. It ended in a bang. Mercy never had any illusions that he would go gently into that good night. That was never in the cards for him; and deep down he must have known it.

Now she had business to attend. She would make them pay. And it all began with Clark Kent. It was at that time that she heard a knock at Lex’s office doors. Mercy glanced at the clock and steepled her fingers.

“Come in.”

Clark walked into the room. He was greatly improved. The night before he had looked like death warmed over. Of course, she couldn’t prove anything. Mercy didn’t bother standing. He didn’t have her respect.

“Chloe is still out there, which means the people who took her are still out there. You’re going to help me find them.”

Clark knew and understood her frustration, but there was no way that he would work with her. She was an outsider and someone Lex trusted. Clark had only agreed to work with them because of Chloe. No way was he going to continue the trend. He had already spoken with Oliver Queen about the situation. It was not difficult convincing him or the others of the necessity of working together to save Chloe. They all ruspected and liked her. And he couldn’t work with them and Mercy.

“You can’t do anymore. And I have other things to do,” was his response.

In reply, Mercy finally stood and threw pictures onto the desk. They were of Oliver, Victor, A.C, and Bart.

Her voice was cold, “You think that I don’t know about you? Or them? The Green Arrow, Aquaman, Cyborg, and Impulse. You think this is the first I’ve seen of you? Idiot children. All of you playing games best reserved for adults. You think you do the good work, but none of you have the strength of character to really make a difference. You play dress-up in hopes of actually mattering and I have no time for your deficiencies.”

Mercy had anticipated his refusal. She fired her previously hidden gun at him. Even as she pulled the trigger, Mercy knew that he wouldn’t even try to move. “Fool.” He remained unharmed, but the anger was visible on his face.

Her voice was patronizing, “Show us your pearly whites, Kent. You’re on candid camera,” she rounded the desk, “Everything that concerns Lex, concerns me. And you, Clark Kent, concerned him. Those tapes are on a live feed and are not in this mansion. No one has to see them, but you will help me and get your little friends too. There is similar evidence against each of them.”

The boy had no choice and it was written all over his face.

“Get them here by tomorrow. We have to move quickly,” she left the room.

“May you rest in peace, Lex, you son of a bitch.”

********

Samuel could honestly say that he was amazed by Serena Edgler. She didn’t yell or show any visible signs of anger or irritation as he gave his report. Throughout the time he had worked for her, the running theme was to make sure Luthor was in the dark, but still a piece on the board. As long as he lived, then the people responsible for Serena and her charges would remain confident. He had no doubt that killing Lex Luthor would put some kind of complication in her plans, but no evidence of that fact was on her face.

Serena turned from him to look out the massive window of her office. They were currently in a renovated building in Washington near the Canadian border. She knew it would end here. She needed it to end here.

“It doesn’t matter, Samuel. Go and make sure everything is in place. We should be done here soon enough.”

There was nothing more to be said, so he left. Serena let out a sigh of resignation when he left. At least this part would be done soon. Only two people knew the full extent of her plans. Serena wished that she could be enough, but it wasn’t. It never would be. Fate exacted a heavy toll from hero and villain alike.

********

As Serena walked to the lower levels to have a meeting with Dr. Benson, she heard him thundering down the hall in her direction.

He was out of breath and clearly excited when he finally got within his perceived earshot, “Serena, we have some news that you’ll find very intriguing. We know that everyone in Smallville is meteor infected; and we know that as a result, they are uniformly above average healthy.”

Serena nodded for him to continue.

“You and everyone like you are more than above average healthy. You actively heal more severe injuries and those energies conferred to you by the meteor rock mutation are powering your changes. You then replenish your energy by eating more than usual. Ricky is on the cusp of being above average and exceptional. The combination of that and his gorilla changes are making it slow for him; but he will be okay with time. Better than okay because his changes are far more entrenched than any of yours.”

Serena felt hope course through her. Ricky would be fine. He wouldn’t forever be stuck. There was a chance for him and everyone else here. She had to clear0her throat twice before she could speak, “So Chloe Sullivan was the key? She can fix this?”

Benson smiled and nodded, “Yes, she was simply more stable before the change than any of you were; but that’s not all. Chloe Sullivan is more than exceptional. Preliminary studies show extreme levels of healing. I could almost believe that she could rise from the dead. We might be able to isolate some way to reverse the damage. We don’t know yet. It’s pushing the bounds of science so that it becomes more like magic than anything we can understand. Meteor rocks are just too alien for us, with our current technology, to understand,” he took a deep breath, “Serena, there’s more. I was designated to deliver this particular news.”

Just when everything seemed like it was falling into place; the other shoe had to drop.

Benson recovered, “It’s not anything bad. Your techs have reason to believe that Luthor would have eventually become a subject of his own project. Specific scientists not loyal to him were being added. Enough that would be willing to kidnap the man himself.”

Serena didn’t bother hiding her confusion over that new piece of news, “Why?”

“Luthor was in Smallville at the time of the first meteor shower. He was basically at ground zero. I’ve pulled his medical history and it is ridiculous. There are records indicating that he has severely over-dosed on various recreational drugs, but he’s fine. He’s been beaten and suffered numerous concussions. His medical records from Belle Reve were also examined. He suffered electro-shock therapy. Not to mention that there were numerous people who suspected that his father poisoned him while in prison. I’ve seen his current records. The man is healthier than you or I. It might be worthwhile to do a little testing on him. If Sullivan is capable of her level of healing then his should dwarf hers; but I don’t think he would respond the same way. Luthor doesn’t get sick because his immune system blitzes and solves the problem. You actually get sick and then solve the problem.”

The temptation was strong to order it, but she’d had enough. Lex Luthor was dead and his body was gone. To violate him in that way was something that Serena was not prepared to do. Besides, Benson just said that Chloe might’ve had the ability to come back from the dead had this not happened. As far as she knew, Lex’s body was still waiting to be buried. Chloe Sullivan was already in her grasp; and with time, what they learned from her would save the ones that most needed it. She held no illusions. Some of those tested on wanted only to be stabilized. They enjoyed their abilities too much. Others wanted it gone. Had the experience not been so traumatic for her, Serena might very well be in the camp of the former.

She met Benson’s eyes, “Will it help her?”

Benson knew that “her” Serena was referring to was Chloe Sullivan. He shook his head, “Her mutation is stable and fully integrated. There’s no reversing it for her,” Benson didn’t meet her eyes, “Neither is it reversible for you. You were also on that cusp, Serena. It took time, but you landed on the side of stability. I’m sorry.”

It didn’t really come as a surprise. Murphy had it in for her. She would’ve cried, but she forced herself to be strong, “I know…I know you did everything you could,” she gave a small smile.

Benson knew that she needed time to process everything. As he passed her, he squeezed her shoulder. Serena Edgler was ruthless and brutal. She pulled no punches and gave no mercy, but neither did she expect it in return. In any other life, she would’ve been someone to admire and respect for their character. In this one, she would be judged for the sheer brutality of the choices she made. Great people suffered a price no one could ever imagine. He would remember her until the day he died.

There was something else that had been bothering her, “Why do what they did to Lang and those other women?”

Benson stopped and faced her again. He was silent for a beat, “I can only guess,” at her nod, he continued, “Serena, the highest of circles acknowledge that Clark Kent is probably an alien, just like the meteor rocks; but none of them will make that acknowledgement in public that until he becomes a problem. It’s a “wait and see” game. No point in creating an enemy. At any rate, he’s an alien and despite what the movies say, studying him probably won’t give us a greater insight into our own biology. He’s far too different and our technology needs to catch up with whatever he his.”

Serena was following him. Everything made sense so he continued, “What we do know is that meteor rocks change us. It impacts life on earth in ways that don’t follow what science would have us believe. What I’m trying to say is that what has been done to Lana Lang and those other women should be impossible. What’s been done to you should be impossible, but it isn’t. The meteor rocks make it possible, but we don’t have any clue how and can’t make any guesses. They co-opted her reproductive system and made it into a factory for the mutagenic properties of the rock. She’s like a refinery; where the crude oil equals the meteor rocks and the product is the concentrated effects of the meteor rocks. That by-product was bonded to animal DNA, somehow, and then people with extraordinary healing were on the receiving end.”

Serena interjected, “It would then be possible to study the direct effects of the green rock; and then maybe use it to create genetically enhanced people. Maybe to cure disease, make crops better, or even for military application.”

Benson nodded, “It would be worth anything, Serena.”

There was simple brilliance in the goals of whatever entity was pushing this through. It would solidify American dominance. A better food source and the possibility of no longer being dependent on any foreign aid. Healthier and smarter people, who would live longer and would be far more capable. What was the terrorist threat in the face of someone who could survive a bombing? Or be smart enough and brutal enough to effect whatever result was desired in a military setting? A thousand Serenas or Chloes or Samuel Kales. Thousands of super men and women all geared towards one goal: American dominance. And what person wouldn’t want to be meteor infected if it meant that they would be better?

Serena grunted, “And they say I’m fucked up. This is depressing,” she continued, “I have probably never said this to you, but I appreciate everything you’ve done…for me and everyone. I do understand that some of that interest is purely selfish, but I thank you. No matter what happens here, you and the others will never have to worry. I’ve ensured it.”

She walked passed him and continued her trek to the lower levels. It was time to enjoy the company of Ricky. He was more special than anyone here knew.

As she continued her walk to Ricky’s room, a piercing howl thundered through the halls. It was enough to stop Serena in her tracks. It was anguish and pain and fear and anger given voice. It was a call that coursed through her bones and sinews. It called to the wolf. A moment of complete silence reigned and then the calls of her charges rent the air in a cacophony. She heard the drum beat of Ricky’s massive paws hitting his chest and his roar reverberate through the air. The ground beneath her feet trembled with the hoof beats of whatever the hell Lucinda was.

Serena closed her eyes and flung her head back. She felt them all. But even through that she felt the one she had helped the most and the one she had hurt the most. “Ricky and Chloe.” Ricky’s need and love for her. And beyond that there she was. Chloe’s needs and fears and grief. Battering at her. Demanding solace. Demanding more from her. “Protect. Guard. Comfort.”

The mental image was so clear. Chloe standing in the middle of her cell. Afraid. Defiant. Lonely. Angry. And then the moment passed and Serena was herself again. That was the bottom line. She would be alone and she only had herself to blame. But at this moment she could be with Ricky and she could take comfort from him because there was always more.

********

Samuel thoroughly checked and re-checked his security measures. On his last pass, Samuel’s phone rang. Not his work phone. His private phone. The number he only gave to Marissa.

His voice was cheerful when he answered the phone, “Hey, how is my favorite girl today?”

She should’ve said that she was his only girl and her voice should’ve held laughter, but she didn’t and it didn’t.

“I’m fine, Sammy. I was just wondering if maybe you could come back home? For a short time?”

She was uncertain. That never happened. Even on her worst days. He was alarmed and it was apparent in his voice when he answered her, “Of course. Anything. What’s wrong?”

Marissa sighed into the phone, “Sammy, I swear, nothing’s wrong. I…I just need you right now. I promise you nothing is wrong.”

The part of him that recognized lies heard it in her voice. Maybe it wasn’t serious and maybe she was trying to spare him, but there was something wrong. They said their goodbyes and he went straight to Serena’s office. If she wasn’t there, then he’d wait. As much as his work ethic screamed at him to finish this job, the gentle whisper of his feelings for Marissa could not be denied. He would do anything for Marissa. Even if it meant forsaking a lifetime of work. She would always and forever be the most important part of him.

********

In the end he only had to wait ten minutes for Serena to return to her office. Her body language screamed exhaustion. Samuel regretted what would come next. He saw her tense and train her eyes on him. They were intent and assessing.

“What’s wrong?”

His voice was full of frustration when he answered her, “I don’t know. Marissa called me. I need to go home. I’ll reimburse you the money you’ve paid me already.”

Serena smirked. Of course he would.

“No need, Samuel. Go and tend the home fires. Everything is in place. It’s idiot proof,” she smiled at him.

Samuel chuckled a bit. Of course she didn’t need his money. There really wasn’t anything more to say, so he turned to leave.

“Samuel.”

When Kale heard Serena call his name, he stopped. There was defeat and resignation in her voice. It was so utterly…tired. He had heard that tone before. Had heard it from good friends, from enemies, and even from himself. Serena was done and this would be the last time he saw her.

But he turned to face her. He needed to hear what she would say to him. What she would choose as her last words. Serena held up an envelope. “If you find yourself in a position that you can’t remove yourself from, open this envelope. It’s important that you don’t jump the gun, Samuel.”

Kale knew the defeat in her voice and eyes, but he still had to try, “Are you looking for death?”

Serena looked him in the eye and smiled. Samuel was the brother she never had and she wished that he was someone different. She saw so clearly all the potential that was stolen from him. “Yes. There are things that happen to you that you can’t change. Some people are strong and able to live through it and come out on the other side invincible. Others are weak and let themselves be destroyed. I’m…I’ve done things. I don’t want to survive this. This pain…it’s unbearable.”

She would do this for him. She would give him the words he needed to let this go. Serena needed him to act the way she wanted one more time. One more time she would reduce him to a tool to be used and discarded. It needed to happen this way.

For the first time since they had known each other Serena looked away and didn’t meet his eyes. There was a brief moment of silence and then she looked at him again, “It’s all that I deserve. Go home, Sammy. There’s nothing for you here.”

Samuel swallowed once and took the envelope from her hands. He shook her hand and turned from her. There was nothing more to say and he’d rather have the image of her standing strong in the face of her death. Only Marissa had ever looked as beautiful in his eyes as Serena did in that moment. He could only hope that he faced his own death with such an unflinching eye.

Samuel stopped at the door. His hand on the knob.

“Serena, you have been my greatest friend,” after a short pause, Samuel continued, “I wish you never needed to know me.”

Serena recognized it for the gesture it was. This was the closest he could ever get to admitting how much he cared for her. And in his unique and round about way, he was telling her that she deserved a better life. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that no one deserved anything. You got what you got and made it work for you to the best of your ability. She watched as he hurriedly left the room. Now the real work could begin.

[Kit Merlot]

One hell of an update, but is Lex really dead? And how is Chloe handling all of this? And will Clark and the JLA be able to help Mercy rescue Chloe?

As you can see, I have a lot of questions for this fic--please let us know the answers as soon as you can

[somethingeasy]

“We tend to become like the worst in those we oppose.”
Frank Herbert, Chapterhouse: Dune

As always, I love the aptness of your quote and how well it fits with your fic, and how it beautifully sets the tone for the chapter.

“Here’s to you, Lex. Death by stupidity,” her voice echoed in the empty room. She had no idea who inherited this place or what would happen to his business, and she didn’t really care. It didn’t matter now because he was dead. Of course, she was keeping his death under wraps for a bit. She needed time.

*giggle* Death by stupidity? What a truly horrible and yet also perfectly apt epitaph for Lex Luther. I really don’t know whether Lex would have been outraged at the disrespect or bemused and resigned at the truth in Mercy’s words.

I was pleased as well as impressed to see Mercy is not the type of person who takes on undeserved guilt onto herself. She accepts that she failed in her job to protect Lex, but she also accepts that Lex himself brought this on himself because of his own stupid, unthinking arrogance.

It’s interesting that she managed to ‘save’ Clark and Lana, the two people that she quite honestly could not have given the rat’s ass about, whereas Chloe and Lex were taken beyond her control. It must have been horribly frustrating for Mercy.

Clark walked into the room. He was greatly improved. The night before he had looked like death warmed over. Of course, she couldn’t prove anything. Mercy didn’t bother standing. He didn’t have her respect.

Mercy has absolutely no fondness for Clark whatsoever. Without Chloe’s protection Clark is completely open to whatever machinations Mercy has in mind for him. I actually feel rather sorry for the poor farm boy.

Clark knew and understood her frustration, but there was no way that he would work with her. She was an outsider and someone Lex trusted. Clark had only agreed to work with them because of Chloe. No way was he going to continue the trend. He had already spoken with Oliver Queen about the situation. It was not difficult convincing him or the others of the necessity of working together to save Chloe. They all respected and liked her. And he couldn’t work with them and Mercy.

“You can’t do anymore. And I have other things to do,” was his response.

I can understand Clark’s thinking process over here, but his words to Mercy contain such insufferable arrogance in them. Clark really needs to learn how to be a little more tactful in his choice of words. No wonder Mercy lashed out at him after he said something like this to her ‘request’ for help in searching for Chloe.

Her voice was cold, “You think that I don’t know about you? Or them? The Green Arrow, Aquaman, Cyborg, and Impulse. You think this is the first I’ve seen of you? Idiot children. All of you playing games best reserved for adults. You think you do the good work, but none of you have the strength of character to really make a difference. You play dress-up in hopes of actually mattering and I have no time for your deficiencies.”

I was stunned and awed by this evidence of Mercy’s research skills, manipulation abilities as well as her sheer ruthlessness. Not to mention her nerve! She’s basically trying to intimidate not only the most super powered person she could imagine, but the whole group of super powered beings. Any one of them could destroy her, if they ever found the fortitude to do so. Mercy is relying considerably on their ethical boundaries against committing murder.

Mercy had anticipated his refusal. She fired her previously hidden gun at him. Even as she pulled the trigger, Mercy knew that he wouldn’t even try to move. “Fool.” He remained unharmed, but the anger was visible on his face.

Oh dear heavens, NO, Clark! Didn’t he learn his lesson when he fought against Kale? He should have learned that merely being ‘almost’ completely invulnerable is not enough to ensure that you’ll always win. Kale was able to defeat him humiliatingly easily, and now you actually presenting himself as a still, unmoving, arrogant, unafraid target for Mercy. That gun might have been filled with kryptonite bullets, and he would have just stood still and allowed himself to be killed.

It’s darned lucky for Clark that Mercy didn’t actually want to hurt him over here. Since he would have made it ridiculously easy for her to do so. As it is Clark must have felt like the world’s biggest idiot to have allowed himself to be trapped on camera the way that he was.

“May you rest in peace, Lex, you son of a bitch.”

LOL! Lex is in for a very jagged edged reaming session when he comes back home. Mercy is probably going to sentence him to an intensive five hour lecture about ‘how not to let one’s self-destructive tendencies lead one to disaster’.

Samuel could honestly say that he was amazed by Serena Edgler. She didn’t yell or show any visible signs of anger or irritation as he gave his report. Throughout the time he had worked for her, the running theme was to make sure Luthor was in the dark, but still a piece on the board. As long as he lived, then the people responsible for Serena and her charges would remain confident. He had no doubt that killing Lex Luthor would put some kind of complication in her plans, but no evidence of that fact was on her face.

That is quite fascinating! So Serena actually ‘needed’ Lex to be alive in order to fulfill the function of being the diversion to her plans. Lex has been a lot of things during the course of his life, but I don’t think he’s ever been used as a diversionary tool.

“You and everyone like you are more than above average healthy. You actively heal more severe injuries and those energies conferred to you by the meteor rock mutation are powering your changes. You then replenish your energy by eating more than usual. Ricky is on the cusp of being above average and exceptional. The combination of that and his gorilla changes are making it slow for him; but he will be okay with time. Better than okay because his changes are far more entrenched than any of yours.”

Serena felt hope course through her. Ricky would be fine. He wouldn’t forever be stuck. There was a chance for him and everyone else here. She had to clear her throat twice before she could speak, “So Chloe Sullivan was the key? She can fix this?”

This is fascinating stuff, it’s very interesting hearing about meteor mutants through this objective, research-based, scientific point of view. I thought it was especially interesting that all meteor mutants have a baseline healing ability on top of whatever special power has been gained.

I also thought it was amazing, Ava, how you managed to make me feel awe and admiration as well as revulsion and loathing for Serena. On one hand she IS helping Ricky to come back to being normal again, but we cannot forget how Serena kidnapped an innocent woman, tormented her and violated her body in order to obtain this medical cure.

It is especially horrifying because we ‘know’ that Chloe would have been willing and cooperative in this experiment and research if only Serena had just asked her for her permission. All the ugliness of this situation could have been easily avoided if only Serena had been willing to give trust to Chloe.

“Luthor was in Smallville at the time of the first meteor shower. He was basically at ground zero. I’ve pulled his medical history and it is ridiculous. There are records indicating that he has severely over-dosed on various recreational drugs, but he’s fine. He’s been beaten and suffered numerous concussions. His medical records from Belle Reve were also examined. He suffered electro-shock therapy. Not to mention that there were numerous people who suspected that his father poisoned him while in prison. I’ve seen his current records. The man is healthier than you or I. It might be worthwhile to do a little testing on him. If Sullivan is capable of her level of healing then his should dwarf hers; but I don’t think he would respond the same way. Luthor doesn’t get sick because his immune system blitzes and solves the problem. You actually get sick and then solve the problem.”

I was quite surprised that Serena didn’t know about Lex’s healing abilities before today. I was under the impression that her research is quite thorough and detailed in nature. But I guess even Serena doesn’t always get absolute perfect information and intelligence every time.

It is quite interesting that Serena is willing to experiment on a kidnapped woman, but not on a dead body. Those are some mighty strange boundaries. But, strangely enough, it’s rather reassuring to know that there are at least some boundaries that Serena won’t cross.

Benson knew that she needed time to process everything. As he passed her, he squeezed her shoulder. Serena Edgler was ruthless and brutal. She pulled no punches and gave no mercy, but neither did she expect it in return. In any other life, she would’ve been someone to admire and respect for their character. In this one, she would be judged for the sheer brutality of the choices she made. Great people suffered a price no one could ever imagine. He would remember her until the day he died.

I really liked getting this view of Serena from the perception of one of her employees. One of the employees who ADMIRED her no less. It was an intriguing thought, that Serena might have been someone who might have been greatly respected and admired during a time when people used much more brutal and ruthless means to protect home, family and country.

Serena was following him. Everything made sense so he continued, “What we do know is that meteor rocks change us. It impacts life on earth in ways that don’t follow what science would have us believe. What I’m trying to say is that what has been done to Lana Lang and those other women should be impossible. What’s been done to you should be impossible, but it isn’t. The meteor rocks make it possible, but we don’t have any clue how and can’t make any guesses. They co-opted her reproductive system and made it into a factory for the mutagenic properties of the rock. She’s like a refinery; where the crude oil equals the meteor rocks and the product is the concentrated effects of the meteor rocks. That by-product was bonded to animal DNA, somehow, and then people with extraordinary healing were on the receiving end.”

What a horrifying procedure! I don’t know what kind of monsters would have sanctioned such an experiment on a young girl. It is especially horrifying when you consider that the scientists at essentially destroyed Lana’s womb. And this was done for the sole purpose of making her into a tool or a machine that was to be utilized for some final purpose.

I’m sure that Lana is going to be sickened as well as terror-struck when she finds out that she basically oozes pure, refined meteor liquid from her very pores. I wonder whether the procedure can be reversed, and perhaps she can go back to being normal again. Perhaps she can even gain back her womb again.

There was simple brilliance in the goals of whatever entity was pushing this through. It would solidify American dominance. A better food source and the possibility of no longer being dependent on any foreign aid. Healthier and smarter people, who would live longer and would be far more capable. What was the terrorist threat in the face of someone who could survive a bombing? Or be smart enough and brutal enough to effect whatever result was desired in a military setting? A thousand Serenas or Chloes or Samuel Kales. Thousands of super men and women all geared towards one goal: American dominance. And what person wouldn’t want to be meteor infected if it meant that they would be better?

You’d really have to wonder about the kind of mind that can conceive of a super soldier built up like this, but doesn’t have the imagination to think about the same supermen and superwomen turning against the very government that created them? Do these ‘agents in power’ truly believe that super beings would be perfectly fine merely ‘accepting’ orders for the rest of their lives, without trying for positions further up the command hierarchy.

Serena closed her eyes and flung her head back. She felt them all. But even through that she felt the one she had helped the most and the one she had hurt the most. “Ricky and Chloe.” Ricky’s need and love for her. And beyond that there she was. Chloe’s needs and fears and grief. Battering at her. Demanding solace. Demanding more from her. “Protect. Guard. Comfort.”

The mental image was so clear. Chloe standing in the middle of her cell. Afraid. Defiant. Lonely. Angry. And then the moment passed and Serena was herself again. That was the bottom line. She would be alone and she only had herself to blame. But at this moment she could be with Ricky and she could take comfort from him because there was always more.

Once again, I loved the manner, Ava, with which you manage to cover both Serena’s crime and atonement both at the same time. The best part was seeing Serena well aware how Chloe represents her greatest sin, while Ricky represents her salvation. It was very interesting to see Serena presented with a choice to either confront her self-loathing, or will seek comfort in her representation of atonement and salvation (Ricky).

Marissa sighed into the phone, “Sammy, I swear, nothing’s wrong. I…I just need you right now. I promise you nothing is wrong.”

Now THIS is very interesting and intriguing. In fact, I am practically on the edge of my seat wondering what’s going on over here. Marissa doesn’t seem hurt, but she does seem worried somehow. And obviously Samuel is just too observant (not to mention paranoid) a person to not pick up on that.

I wonder what happened?! The only thing that comes to mind is some kind of sickness in the family, or perhaps Marissa is going through a pregnancy scare? Now THAT would be something might be interesting to read about (hint, hint).

I was very pleased to see Samuel dropping everything to rush to Marissa’s side without any hesitation whatsoever. I know that is a big deal because Samuel takes his job, duties and responsibilities very seriously. It’s no small thing for him to just drop everything without much prior notice. The fact that he IS willing to drop everything and anything for Marissa’s sake, merely at the slightest hint of her needing him shows the depths of his devotion for her.

And Serena is well aware that Samuel is never going to just up and quit his duties on a mere whim. He MUST have some compelling reason driving him. So it was good to see Serena was smart enough to release him from his duties without making any fuss.

But he turned to face her. He needed to hear what she would say to him. What she would choose as her last words. Serena held up an envelope. “If you find yourself in a position that you can’t remove yourself from, open this envelope. It’s important that you don’t jump the gun, Samuel.”

Kale knew the defeat in her voice and eyes, but he still had to try, “Are you looking for death?”

Ooooh boy, it seems like we have yet more mysterious packages appearing in this story. LOL! I’m not exactly sure what might be in that envelope, but perhaps it’s a final job for Samuel? Considering the context, it appears to be a job to kill Serena herself, and Samuel had guessed that?

It’s killing me wondering exactly what Serena means when she says that the envelope should only be opened at a time when Samuel “find himself in a position he can’t remove himself from”. What the heck did that mean??

Samuel swallowed once and took the envelope from her hands. He shook her hand and turned from her. There was nothing more to say and he’d rather have the image of her standing strong in the face of her death. Only Marissa had ever looked as beautiful in his eyes as Serena did in that moment. He could only hope that he faced his own death with such an unflinching eye.

I really liked this description of Serena from Samuel’s point of view. He saw great beauty in her utter ruthlessness, especially since he saw that ruthlessness and mercilessness turned inward. Serena is not the type of person to grant mercy or leeway to anyone who she believes deserves justice, which includes herself.

She believes she deserves death for her actions, and death is precisely what she’s going to give to herself.

“Serena, you have been my greatest friend,” after a short pause, Samuel continued, “I wish you never needed to know me.”

Serena recognized it for the gesture it was. This was the closest he could ever get to admitting how much he cared for her. And in his unique and round about way, he was telling her that she deserved a better life. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that no one deserved anything. You got what you got and made it work for you to the best of your ability. She watched as he hurriedly left the room. Now the real work could begin.

That was a beautiful, and even a touching parting between a pair of monsters. It was a wonderful close to this particular relationship, IF this IS the end, and the last time they’re ever going to see each other. I love the way that you did not make the villains of your story mere cardboard cutouts, Ava. Instead you made a point to make every single character fully fleshed out, three-dimensional and possessing a very complex emotional core to them. It made all your readers fall madly in love with every single character, even the ones who deserved to die.

I look forward to the next chapter. Please post soon!

[purplemoon123]

Holy frak!!! That was astounding!!

You play dress-up in hopes of actually mattering and I have no time for your deficiencies.

Love Mercy. And Clark really is beyond stupid if he thinks that he can take on Kale and Serena.

As she continued her walk to Ricky’s room, a piercing howl thundered through the halls. It was enough to stop Serena in her tracks. It was anguish and pain and fear and anger given voice. It was a call that coursed through her bones and sinews. It called to the wolf.

Just love this part!!! The imagery and the emotions just amazing!!!

[Avalanche]

Disclaimer: Don’t own.

AN: Well, kind readers, this is the end. The last chapter with epilogue. I want to thank readers and those that reviewed. You’ve been awesome and pretty kind to me. It was fun and I’m glad you liked the story.

I think everyone should thank skauble a million and one times because she beta’d this part despite the trapeze performances, the fact that her state is constantly on fire, and that random illnesses befell her. More importantly, she did this despite the fact that this story has broken her a time or two. Give her hugs, people, I think she needs them. She’s been a fantastic beta and person who has generally not led me astray in this particular area…in other areas? Yes, totally, utterly and completely led me astray.



Chapter 23 – It Ends as It Began



“Life moves on, whether we act as cowards or heroes. Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, and evil can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.”
Henry Miller




To say that Oliver was pissed that he had been left in the dark was to make a gross understatement. He was pissed that he didn’t know that Chloe was in trouble. He was pissed that Clark was so dense that he got caught by Lex Luthor’s number one goon and that, by extension, he got the rest of them caught. The thing that pissed him off the most, however, and made him see a red haze and black spots that danced in his vision was the fact Clark didn’t see why Chloe being lost to them was not just a problem, but a catastrophe. It was unforgivable that Chloe, a major asset and the authority on the inner workings of two different billionaires, an alien, and their colleagues, had gone missing.

Bart, A.C. and Victor were also in Oliver’s lavish office, but chose to remain silent. There was a coming war and it had nothing to do with the Mercy situation or the Chloe situation. Even Bart recognized the problem that Clark posed. Despite his general irreverent nature, he understood the need for discretion. He understood that he had to protect himself. Clark had been raised on a farm and refused to think and had created a problem that was too big for any of them to get out of. They would have to play ball.

Oliver’s hands clenched into fists at his side and he glared at Clark. His voice, however, maintained a calm that he didn’t feel, “Mercy Graves knows about us? She knows about us because of you and she has proof?”

He needed to hear Clark say it once more. It was too unbelievable. Clark’s silence was enough. Now was the time for yelling, “I cannot believe that you could be so careless, Clark! What is wrong with you that you can be so lackadaisical about who and what you are? My money can’t fix this problem! And the Watchtower isn’t here to fix this!”

Clark attempted to defend himself, “This isn’t my fault! Chloe wanted to do this on her own! Lex has been watching me for years and—”

Oliver interrupted him, “All the more reason for you to take precautions. Dammit, Clark! Even Bart understands this!”

The situation was rapidly escalating and there was only so much that mild-mannered Clark would tolerate before he lashed out at them. Victor had had enough. This wasn’t going to solve the problem or make what they had to do any more palatable.

He interposed himself between Oliver and Clark, his voice calm, “Enough. Nothing has changed. We will work with whoever this Mercy Graves is and we will find Chloe. Lectures can wait another day. We have a deadline.”

Victor glanced at them both and then walked away. His message was clear. They were both being idiots about a problem that none of them had a hope of solving with accusations and recriminations. They were wasting time they didn’t have. He knew they would follow him. There really wasn’t another viable choice.

********

Once again Mercy found herself sitting in Lex’s office and in his chair. Despite the airs she put on, Mercy never sat in his chair. It was his. Some people played games and would’ve sat in his chair as a way to get a rise out of him, or as a way to show him that they were above him. Lionel had done it all the time. Lana had taken his chair on occasion as well. Even Chloe had taken his chair. But Mercy never had until he had the poor grace to die.

It was a show of her respect for him. She knew her place and that was in service to him. In another time and place, she would’ve been a man, Lionel would’ve commissioned her into his son’s service and she would’ve knelt at his feet as Lex knighted her and declared her his champion. She knew Lex did shady things, but he was still hers and she would miss him. There was love and respect between them. More than that, there was genuine like between them.

Lex was an employer, a brother, and at one time he had been a lover; but he was more than that. She would miss him more than she had missed anyone in her life. His flaws were a part of his mosaic just like it was for everyone. She saw those flaws and still thought he was beautiful. So few people could ever do that for someone else. When this was done, Mercy would ache and hurt for him. She would deal with it, in time, and move on with her life, but it would hurt. Mercy held no illusions about what would happen next. There was no way she would get everyone involved in his death, but she would get the ones who mattered and she would get Chloe back. Anything less was something she was fully incapable of considering.

The only true regret she would ever have in regards to Lex was that she was never able to teach him that there always time to fix whatever was wrong. If you believed it, there was always a future. The only time that it was the end was in death. She had meant what she told Chloe all those days ago: death offered little to no improvement. Chloe, Mercy knew, would’ve been able to teach him where she failed because Chloe knew. Chloe had a rudimentary and tentative grasp on the concept, but in time, Mercy knew that Chloe was able to fully know the most basic truth of life. She only hoped that Lex’s death wouldn’t make her run from it.

Mercy was startled to find tears burning the back of her eyes. She quickly regained her composure when her walkie-talkie crackled to life with the information that her guests had arrived. It was time to deal with the costume freaks masquerading as people of worth.

They walked into Lex’s office, it was always going to be his office no matter who took it next, and Oliver Queen was in the lead. Her eyes narrowed. Mercy could see the lines of defiance in his and Clark’s form. The others were negligible. She knew that it would be Oliver or Clark that forced her to show them why they were no match for the forces arrayed against them. It was only a matter of time.

Mercy wasn’t surprised when Oliver broke the silence, “We’re here. I suppose you have some sort of plan.”

She tilted her head. Mercy had studied Oliver Queen much more than he realized. There were plans drawn up to remove him if he ever became too much trouble to Lex and his business ventures. She did it because they were often in bitter competition in a way that Bruce Wayne wasn’t and because she knew what Queen had done to Lex in his youth.

Lex never knew, but there were a number of men and women who had been visited by her. It served as a warning and a promise. She’d never had the opportunity to do so with Oliver Queen because he was more of a threat, but Mercy knew that it would be no big problem for her to remove him. No one was above reproach. If Queen had ever cared he’d see that a number of his contemporaries had suffered calamitous fates; either failed businesses or something more permanent.

It was not hard to affect the mannerisms that would annoy Queen and drive him to distraction. It was part of her study into his psyche. Mercy steepled her fingers like Lex used to, tilted her head slightly down, relaxed her shoulders, and spoke in a dry voice. Her sentences were short, “Yes. You know her. How she thinks. How she keeps her files organized. I want you to go through a few hard drives and discern the pattern. We’ll discuss more after you find something.”

Mercy looked at him. She knew what billionaire Oliver Queen was thinking. He was thinking that she made them little more than technicians…lackeys and he was right, but they would be performing an important function. Mercy didn’t have the time or the inclination to crack Chloe’s code even if she possessed the skills necessary to do so. The other techs were busy with the same problem, but they didn’t know Chloe. Despite what the movies showed, each person’s shorthand was different and computer file organization was no different. They could hack it in time, but it was time they didn’t have.

********

Serena stood in her office. She was alone and expected it to stay that way. The order had already been given to evacuate everyone to their facility in Africa. It was more communal and less scientific. The test subjects and their families could carve out some kind of life there. It would be difficult for them, but she had no doubt that the scientists under her employ would use the technology that she and they had acquired to keep their haven safe.

She chose to be cautiously optimistic about their chances. With Ricky to eventually lead them; advanced technology, and assorted mutants running around that place, Serena was willing to bet that their own worst enemy would never be outsiders. Before she was conscious of her desires, Serena had already left her office and headed for Ricky. She needed to tell him goodbye and finish evacuating everyone that was going to go.

Various bodyguards and scientists who had outlived their usefulness would remain. Serena had no doubt that in the coming hours when Lex Luthor’s bodyguard Mercy Graves and her merry band of righteous avengers arrived, Chloe’s deliberate freeing, and other mutants who never had a chance were also freed there would be bloodshed. Most of her problems would solve themselves in the chaos.

“The next part is always the hardest.”

Ricky was awake and alert when she got to his room. It was a pleasant surprise because he had been groggy and tired from the drug treatments. He was no longer the half-gorilla and half-man that he had been. Instead, Ricky was fully a little boy again. It was clear from his dark skin to his face that was losing some its childish form that one day, Ricky would be a heart breaker. The gorilla enhanced many of his strong features and the bulk and definition of the gorilla form would only make him more impressive.

Her heart seized. Serena had never felt this kind of love for someone. She could only imagine that it was the love a parent felt for its child. There were so many hopes and dreams she had for him. The knowledge that she was placing a heavy burden on his shoulders instilled within her no guilt. He would rise to meet the challenge and so would those closest to him. Ricky was hers and her pride in him was second only to her love.

Serena saw the exact moment that his customary exuberant greeting changed into something calmer. It was clear from his body language that he knew something was wrong. A smile lit her face. “That’s my observant boy.”

Moving to the couch in his room, Serena beckoned him into her arms. The speed that he exhibited as the gorilla remained and before she knew it, her arms were full of twelve year old boy. He squirmed until he got comfortable and then there was silence.

His voice was soft when he broke the silence, “I don’t want to leave.”

Serena squeezed him tighter. It might be the last time she held him and they both needed these memories. She had to stay calm for him, “I know you don’t, but you still are.”

Ricky knew the exact tone of voice to use to make her want to change her mind. His plaintive voice nearly broke her resolve to finish this, “Why can’t I stay? I don’t want to leave you.”

She swallowed thickly, as near to tears as he so obviously was, “I know that too.”

Before he had a chance to say anything else, she continued, “I want you and the others safe. So I get to stay here and finish what I started and you get to leave and be the man I know you’ll become. I love you, sweetheart, and nothing changes that. Time and distance doesn’t matter. We’re always together if we believe it.”

And right now she believed it. She would always believe it. His sweetness would stay with her for as long as she lived.

“Protect them for me, Ricky. One day they’ll want someone to lead them who is just like them. I want that for them. I want [i]you[i/] for them.”

He was crying and she felt him shake in her arms because he knew that he would probably never see her again. Serena also realized that she was crying too. Her resolve may have been strong and her words brave, but she didn’t want to die. She didn’t want her end even as she knew it was the one she had earned.

“Can I change my name?”

Serena was startled from her thoughts with his question.

“Why?”

His reply was quick and vaguely indignant, “Because you let Tommy.”

She was amused, “Yes and you and he both know that I hate addressing him by that ridiculous name,” Serena paused and looked to the ceiling, “Lord, save me from hilariously named gorillas.”

He was definitely indignant now, “What’s wrong with the name Grodd? It’s fun.”

Serena rolled her eyes at him, “Ricky, you can’t see me, but I am rolling my eyes at you. His name is ridiculous. So what do you want to be called?”

Ricky turned around in her arms and looked her in the eye. He was proud and really wanted this. “Call me Solovar.”

She smiled at him and kissed his forehead, “Whatever you say, Solovar.”

It didn’t matter where he got his name or why he chose it, this was the future leader of a band of mutants. She couldn’t help but wonder if he understood that within his name was the word “solo”. There would be times when he would be very much alone.

Serena only hoped that he only ever fondly remembered this moment because she would until the day she died. She held him until they both drifted off to sleep.

********

Despite the situation, Oliver didn’t think things were going too badly. He was still angry about the situation, but at least he could try to solve this problem to channel his fury. Victor was busy collating Chloe’s raw data into something everyone else could follow. She was good at what she did; and what she did was collect knowledge to her advantage. Chloe guarded her secrets as well as a dragon guarded his trove.

Mercy Graves was something he didn’t truly expect. He knew Lex would find someone to carry out his wishes efficiently, but Mercy was something else entirely. Brutally effective would be how he described her with an intelligence that was often lacking even within his own ranks.

Even as he, Victor and Mercy worked diligently to get something worthwhile done; Bart, A.C. and Clark were more or less dead weight. To their credit, A.C. and Bart knew their talents lay elsewhere so they stayed out of the way. Clark, however, insisted on being the wrench in the monkey-works. Oliver was on board with teaching him and ushering into being a Clark that utilized his skills efficiently and with compassion, but Clark proved to be a difficult and petulant student.

On the second day of their being in Smallville, Victor hit upon a facility that had always been on Chloe’s radar. They hadn’t known that previously because Chloe did a good job burying it. Victor finally cracked this particular cipher and the importance of the facility quickly became apparent. Their target was in Washington State, near the Canadian border. It made sense.

Mercy sighed and surveyed the team she would work with to rescue Chloe. They were a sorry lot. If she had to choose, she would forego Oliver, A.C., Bart, Victor and Clark altogether. They were all capable in their own way, but they had such glaring weaknesses. She met Oliver’s eyes when Victor announced his findings, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the situation would devolve quickly.

Her instincts were proven true as soon as Oliver decided to say something. His voice was haughty. Mercy had heard that particular tone of voice when Lex was at his most difficult, “As much as this has been something of a pleasure, we’ll take it from here. My jet can get us where we need to go. Frankly, you’ll be nothing but a hindrance.”

Mercy chuckled to herself. She had planned for this eventuality. It was why she had her men with her whenever she met with this band of freaks. Before they could react and in the span of seconds, Mercy’s right hand man detonated a bomb. During their disorientation, Mercy shot Bart. When the dust cleared, everyone was disabled except herself and her two men.

She walked the room and made sure the door was locked. Mercy endeavored to present a calm and even aura and it showed in her voice, “Let me explain to you what just happened and why you actually aren’t the best people to do this at all, never mind attempting it alone and without my help.”

Without preamble, Mercy continued, “First, they are expecting us. They know what you can do. It is inconceivable that people with plots within plots and motivations that hold long reaching consequences wouldn’t know. I know and I’ve really just been a spectator in this particular sport,” she walked passed Oliver, who looked at her with hatred, “Second, Oliver, what is it you think you can do with a bow and arrow? You aren’t fast enough to beat a gun as you can most certainly see.”

Her man with his gun in Oliver’s face offered a bland smile, and she continued, “That bomb? It generated a concentrated electromagnetic pulse that decimates all electronic things in its radius. Victor can’t talk or move or function right now because that pulse took out some of his systems. He had no protection,” Mercy walked passed Oliver and kicked Victor lightly, “FYI, I’d invest in that. Luckily none of our equipment was damaged.”

Bart lunged at her, but she easily deflected him and he crashed to the floor. Mercy placed her booted foot on his chest and applied a little pressure, “You’ll notice, Bart, that you are no longer fast. I shot you with a dart full of a paralytic agent, courtesy of LuthorCorp pharmaceuticals. It’s a proprietary cocktail, but suffice it to say that we’re hoping it goes on the market soon. It’s a more humane way to sedate animals. Don’t worry, it will wear off.”

Mercy looked down at A.C. where he was on the floor, weakened, and flipped him over onto his back, “After I shot Bart, I shot you with the same paralytic agent. You can’t move because you don’t have Bart’s abilities. You actually require nothing special to debilitate you, although I’m told that extreme heat gives you problems and the lack of water. You can see how that can be used against you, right?”

Finally she stood before Clark, who was on his hands and knees. She went to her knees until she was eye to eye with him and pulled out the dart that was embedded in his bicep, “Herman not only detonated that EMP bomb, but he also shot you. This dart contains a dose of ground up meteor rock... and some other things. Also a proprietary cocktail, but it will only see the light of day the moment you become a threat. Here’s hoping it doesn’t hit the market soon,” she offered him a slight smile that held no malice, “Lionel somehow got a blood sample from you and hid it. From that blood sample, the lethal amount of meteor rock was determined. This dart won’t kill you, but maybe the next one will. If I know this, then maybe someone else does. Someone who won’t be as kind to you as I’m being now. Never take that for granted, Clark. Your life will be agonizingly short if you do.”

Mercy stood and walked out of the room, but not without parting words, “I trust you have learned the lesson.”

Olive sighed and looked around the room. He would need to revise a number of behaviors because the lesson had most definitely been learned. Looking into the eyes of Victor, he knew it was learned by at least one other person.

********

Mercy waited until she saw Oliver and company execute their plan. Like the last time, she would wait outside and coordinate. If she was honest with herself, she would acknowledge the fact that she didn’t think she’d succeed. Even if she did, it didn’t matter. There was no bringing Lex back. There was no redeeming herself for that failure or giving Lana back her future. This was life now and it hurt.

********

The system alerted her to their presence. It was time to begin the end. Serena depressed the button that would tell the computer system to unlock its doors to Chloe and the other unfortunates. Serena turned on her monitors and saw the carnage as it began. Her heart raced and the bloodlust coursed through her veins, but those feelings were soon joined by regret and guilt. She forced herself to watch. The screams could also be heard. The smell of blood and fear and excitement were as ghost sensations. It was so close, but she would wait until Chloe found her. Serena shook her head. She didn’t think she had long to wait.

Chloe burst through her doors. She was more human than beast. It was always amazing when her instincts were proven true. Serena saw the moment that Chloe lost control and finished her shift. Chloe was beautiful and it always awed her every time she saw Chloe in full form. Serena had completed her shift as soon Chloe began hers.

Serena charged Chloe and knocked her into the wall next to the door. She had the advantage of size and leverage. Chloe shuddered at the impact and scrabbled at the ground to find purchase. She twisted her body so that they both landed heavily on their side. There was a moment of disorientation from them both, but Chloe recovered faster.

The side of her that could assess the situation recognized something wrong in the situation. Her opponent wasn’t fighting hard. She was simply fighting. The fleeting indecision made Chloe throw herself away from the other wolf. Serena knew the moment that reason tried to assert itself in Chloe. She knew the minute that Chloe wanted no part of the fight. Despite everything she was still the core of who she was.

Serena tackled Chloe again and this time she used her fangs to rip into her. It spurred Chloe into action. Serena felt Chloe twist her body again and latch onto her neck. Chloe instinctively bit down hard and felt blood gush into her mouth. She released the hard grip she had on her opponent and was bucked off. Serena felt her muscles slide and the burn of becoming human again.

Chloe scrambled back and away from what she had done. She didn’t consciously choose to shift, but it happened. Chloe didn’t want this. She didn’t want this. She couldn’t deal with this. It hurt.

Serena was on her back. She felt herself fading, but it didn’t feel right. Serena didn’t think death felt like this, it wasn’t like she’d felt death before. Maybe this was it. Still, there was no shaking the feeling that death wasn’t supposed to be like this. Her body was being cradled. Serena turned her head a little and buried her nose into Chloe. Under the blood, the terror, and the pain, she smelled like home. This is what she’d been missing.

She gripped Chloe’s neck and forced her ear to her mouth. Blood gurgled from the back of her throat, “Don’t…trust…” Serena stopped talking.

Chloe leaned forward to hear more, but it was too late. There was more to the story and she didn’t know it. Chloe would never know why she was chosen or why Lex had to die or a million other things. It was lost to her.

The enormity of the situation overwhelmed her and Chloe eased Serena off her lap. There was nothing left for her to do. Chloe let the wolf push through and take over. She couldn’t take the burden. The wolf would strip all of it until it was nothing. It was what she needed.

********

Clark led the others out of the compound. They hadn’t found Chloe. Instead, they found death and destruction. All of his time was dedicated to helping survivors and getting them to safety. He knew it was true of the others as well.

In the distance, he saw Mercy’s van. She, too, was busy with survivors, both the violent ones and the passive ones. With his enhanced sight, he saw that there were bodies around her. There was no escaping the fact that they were dead. Clark saw her gun hanging limply at her side. Her head was down in defeat. She looked up and met his stare.

His gaze returned to the ruins of the facility. Like the last time, bombs had detonated and the place was little more than charred remains. Most of the people assembled around, of which there were few, would have ear problems.

It was Oliver that spotted the streaking form first and Oliver who pointed it out to the others. Bart was prepared to run after her, but was stopped by the strong grip of Clark.

Bart looked indignant, “What are you doing, man? I can catch it!”

Clark became irrationally angry when he registered the fact that Bart had referred to Chloe as “it” and it showed in his voice; even Oliver took a step back, “Not in this weather and not through the forest. It’s dark and there are fallen logs everywhere. You’ll hurt yourself. And even if you do catch her, what exactly do you think you can do? She’d eat you alive.”

Oliver realized that the situation was rapidly spinning out of control. Chloe wasn’t out of reach yet, but there was no doubt that she would be soon. If they didn’t catch her now, there was no catching her. A.C. was too impulsive, Victor didn’t have a personal stake in the matter and would go with the flow, and Bart was just an immature wreck. It fell on his shoulders to be the voice of reason. To say what everyone was thinking.

“Clark,” Oliver waited until he had Clark’s attention before he continued, “She can’t stay loose. You know what she’s done. She’s a danger. At this point she’s little more than a wild animal.”

Clark pushed Bart away with a little more force than was required and spoke to Oliver, “You’re right. And as a wild animal, she won’t hurt anyone who isn’t threatening her. I’m not going after her. You do it on your own.”

With that Clark super sped away from them. Washington was a long way from Kansas. He had no doubt that they would give up. Victor and A.C. were in no position to catch her. Oliver’s arrows were ineffectual in the driving rain, and Bart was nowhere near skilled enough to use speed and agility to over take her. Chloe would be fine. She always was.

Clark met Mercy’s eyes once again. Her body language told him that she had seen Chloe as well. He shook his head. She nodded to him in return and got into the van. It was over for her just like it was for him.

********

Chloe ran outside and looked around for the one thing…the one person that could make it better. But he wasn’t there. He would never be there. Off in the distance and through the bruising rain, Chloe could make out figures. The rain made scenting them hard and visibility was poor, but she could tell that Clark was there. It looked like A.C. and Oliver were there as well and a few others, but it didn’t matter. They were no more than mirages to her. Unreal.

As the rain pelted her, Chloe felt the blood run down her body in viscous rivulets. She felt the chunks of skin and organs and the hard pieces of bone. Her back was still slightly bowed, her knees turned inward, and her fangs large enough to deform her face. Chloe didn’t know where the rain ended and her tears began; or when her tears mixed with the blood that wasn’t her own.

She looked down at her still clawed hands and screamed. It was swallowed up and muted. Her humanity lost. She couldn’t live this way. She didn’t want to even try. It wasn’t a matter of being too hard; or that she lost everything. Chloe still had her father. Her cousin. There was still a life waiting for her. There just wasn’t any point. Not anymore.

Chloe stretched her arms out wide and embraced the rain. She felt the alien mind of the wolf overcome her and she welcomed it. Already the loss of Lex was fading. Wolves may mate for life; but death and weakness were not tolerated and mates moved on to promote survival. She heard the distant sound of Clark’s voice calling her name, Chloe turned from him. He didn’t matter. Not anymore and probably never again.

The change rippled through her and it felt different. She may have voluntarily changed before and she may have enjoyed it; but she had never let the wolf fully in the driver’s seat. There had always been a barrier that prevented a full and complete takeover. There had even been a brief period where the wolf and the human were perfectly blended; but not this time. This time the animalistic drives were allowed free reign. As a consequence, the change felt as though she were high. The rush was total and complete and she wanted more.

She ran as the human. Faster and more agile than she recalled. Chloe didn’t know the exact moment that she gave up her two legs for four, but it didn’t matter. There was only the wolf and she enjoyed the punishing pace. The sheer exhilaration of running as she had never been allowed to do before was a revelation that was spiritual in nature. Nothing would ever be this good. This easy and uncomplicated. The wolf only felt the cleansing rain and the pure smell of the earth. It surrounded her and welcomed her like a long lost child.

Chloe took one final opportunity to glance back to Clark. This was where she had to make the choice. The choice was easy and she let go just as she saw Clark speed away from her.

There was only survival and nothing else mattered.



Epilogue




The past is our definition. We may strive, with good reason, to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it; but we will escape it only by adding something better to it.
Wendell Berry



Samuel watched her as she puttered around their home. He’d bought a house for them. Marissa was busy nesting and otherwise making it theirs. He found it amazing that she had such a territorial streak every time she displayed it. She was cleaning and organizing and otherwise keeping herself busy. Marissa liked to stay busy and he respected that. He couldn’t help the soft smile that stole across his features. There was nothing else in this world that could move him like she did.

When he had returned to her, he feared the worst. She wouldn’t tell him what was wrong and she had been antsy on the phone. It had unnerved him like few things ever had. He couldn’t think or eat or do anything other than worry for her on the entire airplane trip.

She hadn’t met him at the airport and she didn’t answer her phone. He could think about the scenarios that awaited him on the drive to the apartment. If she was sick or it was some kind of trick or so many other things. When he had finally gotten home and the reason for her anxiety, and thus his anxiety, was revealed to be something that he would not have been able to imagine.

He felt a deep sense of joy and satisfaction and contentment that had nothing to do with his job or anything else. This was all he ever wanted out of his life. Only she could make him feel this way. She had his heart and everything he ever was. Samuel had the sinking feeling that she was getting the raw end of the deal.

Walking to her, he stopped her mad fluttering around their home.

His voice was gentle and held amusement, “Your parents will love me,” his hand traveled to her belly, “And they’ll love our family. Besides, it’s not like the kid won’t have my name. So relax, my favorite wife. ”

Marissa turned in his arms and looped her arms around his neck. Her smile never failed to make him smile in return, “I’m your only wife.”

This moment was perfect and he could never regret retiring. Anything for her.



********

She pounded her anger and hatred and despair into the ground. It was all she could do. The wolf left the place of blood and death. There was nothing left for her. And as she ran the essence of Chloe pounded itself into the ground as well. It was a grand suicide and the wolf encouraged it. She let the human become ephemeral. An evanescence that left no mark of its presence.

The wolf didn’t contemplate the significance of the nature of her other self’s sacrifice. She didn’t understand the inevitable consequences, but neither did Chloe. The wolf consumed all that was offered and then forgot there was ever anything else. It was the nature of wild things. And she was a wild thing.

There were no memories here. Nothing to hold her back and make her feel the things that scared her and threatened to undo her completely. She would lose herself and the wolf would find something new. Or nothing at all. It didn’t matter because her civilized self didn’t have to deal with it and wild things never dealt with anything.

Some part of the wolf remembered what it was to be strong and to face the bad things, those thoughts skittered away under the onslaught of sensation. This is what she was meant to do. To run. To play. To feel the pulse of life itself with no care. The wolf would find new things. She would never remember Lex, or that she had a father who loved her, or that there were people who would mourn her. It wasn’t needful for her to remember those things. It had no bearing on her survival.

Some would say that such things were heresy, but the wolf didn’t understand or have knowledge of such a concept. The wild had its own rules with its own exclusive membership. She was a member and knew its rules. The wolf leaped over a log and landed. She ran towards something unfathomable and timeless, but its song was woven indelibly in her heart.

That place meant that the part of her that was Chloe could forever sleep so she ran herself to exhaustion. There was nothing to call her back and everything calling her forward. This was a true thing and the only one that had ever existed for one such as her; but even through this, she felt a tug that said there was a part of this that was a lie. But the wolf shook it off. The sum of her knowledge was the wind running as a lover’s caress through her fur, the sounds of the woods, the pounding of her heart, and the shifting of her muscles. It was wild and it was all that she was.

[Kit Merlot]

Ava, this was a beautifully written story, but I am stunned at the ending.

She would never remember Lex, or that she had a father who loved her, or that there were people who would mourn her. It wasn’t needful for her to remember those things. It had no bearing on her survival.

Lex is truly dead, Chloe's become a wolf, and Samuel Kale gets to live this wonderful life as a husband and father--I was really hoping that Chloe was going to go after him.

But again, there was so much to love in this fic, but I just wanted Samuel to pay for what he's done to Chloe and Lex.

Okay, it's time for me to let my need for revenge go

Thanks for writing this!

[somethingeasy]

First things first, a very special thanks to Skauble for all the work she’s out into assisting Ava with the closing of her fic. I imagine it must have been difficult and mind-breaking for everyone involved, but oh LOOK at the great result that came out of it

Oliver’s hands clenched into fists at his side and he glared at Clark. His voice, however, maintained a calm that he didn’t feel, “Mercy Graves knows about us? She knows about us because of you and she has proof?”

He needed to hear Clark say it once more. It was too unbelievable. Clark’s silence was enough. Now was the time for yelling, “I cannot believe that you could be so careless, Clark! What is wrong with you that you can be so lackadaisical about who and what you are? My money can’t fix this problem! And the Watchtower isn’t here to fix this!”

Clark attempted to defend himself, “This isn’t my fault! Chloe wanted to do this on her own! Lex has been watching me for years and—”

Well done, Ava! I really liked how you captured the true essence of natural, plausible human behaviour with your characters. When things go wrong, the first thing that most humans do is find some place to point a finger and scream ‘your fault!’.

And of course, it’s not exactly gentlemanly to point a finger at Chloe for the choices that SHE’S made, because she’s the ‘damsel’ in need of rescue, and it wouldn’t be in good taste to blame the damsel. It’s much easier to blame poor Clark for just following Chloe and Lex’s instructions.

Heh… you can bet that it’s going to be a long time before Clark allows someone else to take charge of any situation ever again.

Anyhow, good thing Victor was there to remind them that playing the blame-game was getting everyone nowhere fast. Time to get productive, people! … in other words, time to approach Mercy and ask for instructions

The only true regret she would ever have in regards to Lex was that she was never able to teach him that there always time to fix whatever was wrong. If you believed it, there was always a future. The only time that it was the end was in death. She had meant what she told Chloe all those days ago: death offered little to no improvement. Chloe, Mercy knew, would’ve been able to teach him where she failed because Chloe knew. Chloe had a rudimentary and tentative grasp on the concept, but in time, Mercy knew that Chloe was able to fully know the most basic truth of life. She only hoped that Lex’s death wouldn’t make her run from it.

It was pretty depressing that out of everyone involved in this fic, this was the only true moment of grieving for Lex that I actually witnessed. Chloe was devastated of course, but she went into a state of hysterics, and seemed to lose herself in it. She never seemed to really acknowledge and then work through her grief as much as lose herself in the shock that comes before grief.

As a result, I felt myself mourning Lex more through Mercy than through anyone else. The loss of such a beautiful, brilliant, amazing young man who hadn’t experienced of life to enjoy a few basic lessons. It was tragic seeing Mercy listing off all the things that Lex missed out on, simply because his life had been cut down so damned short.

Lex never knew, but there were a number of men and women who had been visited by her. It served as a warning and a promise. She’d never had the opportunity to do so with Oliver Queen because he was more of a threat, but Mercy knew that it would be no big problem for her to remove him. No one was above reproach. If Queen had ever cared he’d see that a number of his contemporaries had suffered calamitous fates; either failed businesses or something more permanent.

It was not hard to affect the mannerisms that would annoy Queen and drive him to distraction. It was part of her study into his psyche. Mercy steepled her fingers like Lex used to, tilted her head slightly down, relaxed her shoulders, and spoke in a dry voice. Her sentences were short, “Yes. You know her. How she thinks. How she keeps her files organized. I want you to go through a few hard drives and discern the pattern. We’ll discuss more after you find something.”

heh… I miss seeing Mercy handling Lex, but at least I get to see her handling this new group of powerful, arrogant people who need to be controlled and led so they won’t hurt themselves. Oliver is a poor substitute for Lex, but I’ll take whatever I can get. LOL! It was really so much fun seeing Mercy getting pleasure from purposely irritating Oliver with some simple mannerisms, and treating the vigilante billionaire with such a dismissive air. I can imagine him grinding his teeth over here, LOL!

I really liked Mercy’s assessment of Oliver… mostly in terms of ‘how is he a threat to my Lex’. Poor Lex never got to find out the full extent of the protective plans and measures that Mercy set in place for him, did he? *sob*

Serena stood in her office. She was alone and expected it to stay that way. The order had already been given to evacuate everyone to their facility in Africa. It was more communal and less scientific. The test subjects and their families could carve out some kind of life there. It would be difficult for them, but she had no doubt that the scientists under her employ would use the technology that she and they had acquired to keep their haven safe.

heh… it look like Serena’s work is all complete now… at least for this institute. It was rather disheartening to see that, while Mercy was planning out a storm and rescue operation, Serena was steadily making plans to escape and evacuate. It look like everything is running exactly to whatever schedule Serena had set up from the very beginning. Dammit!

Ricky was awake and alert when she got to his room. It was a pleasant surprise because he had been groggy and tired from the drug treatments. He was no longer the half-gorilla and half-man that he had been. Instead, Ricky was fully a little boy again. It was clear from his dark skin to his face that was losing some its childish form that one day, Ricky would be a heart breaker. The gorilla enhanced many of his strong features and the bulk and definition of the gorilla form would only make him more impressive.

Her heart seized. Serena had never felt this kind of love for someone. She could only imagine that it was the love a parent felt for its child. There were so many hopes and dreams she had for him. The knowledge that she was placing a heavy burden on his shoulders instilled within her no guilt. He would rise to meet the challenge and so would those closest to him. Ricky was hers and her pride in him was second only to her love.

Dammit again! Just when I’ve worked myself into a good rage about Serena being in charge, in control and winning her situation, you HAVE to force me to see her softer, tender and more endearing side. It’s truly heartwarming seeing her joy about Ricky turning normal… In fact, he’s not only ‘normal’, he’s actually beautiful, powerful and anyone can see that this boy is going to grow up to achieve magnificent things.

It was amazing seeing Serena celebrating in those facts. It’s hard to hate her when you can see her love for this boy shining out from her. Reciprocated love, no less.

Before he had a chance to say anything else, she continued, “I want you and the others safe. So I get to stay here and finish what I started and you get to leave and be the man I know you’ll become. I love you, sweetheart, and nothing changes that. Time and distance doesn’t matter. We’re always together if we believe it.”

And right now she believed it. She would always believe it. His sweetness would stay with her for as long as she lived.

“Protect them for me, Ricky. One day they’ll want someone to lead them who is just like them. I want that for them. I want you for them.”

This is fascinating. Serena has essentially achieved all of her objectives. She could have a happy, fulfilling, wonderful life if she left with Ricky… and yet she’s chosen to stay behind to be punished. I know that Serena deserves punishment, considering the utter ruination and destruction she’s brought on innocent people’s lives in order to achieve her objectives. And this was all ruination and destruction that wasn’t necessary… since all she had to do was ask for help from Chloe, Lex and Lana, and they would have granted it. Instead she decided to just TAKE whatever she wanted without asking. It was a good cause, but evil, stupid methods.

Even so, I find it amazing and shocking that Serena feels guilty enough to be suicidal. She always struck me as a survivor, and getting herself killed in a half-assed attempt to redeem herself is just cowardly and stupid.

He was definitely indignant now, “What’s wrong with the name Grodd? It’s fun.”

Serena rolled her eyes at him, “Ricky, you can’t see me, but I am rolling my eyes at you. His name is ridiculous. So what do you want to be called?”

Ricky turned around in her arms and looked her in the eye. He was proud and really wanted this. “Call me Solovar.”

awww, what sweet, fun ending between Solovar and Serena. I don’t remember that reference to Solovar in DC-verse, but I DO remember the name ‘Grod’. He eventually becomes a super-intelligent gorilla hell-bent on domination and destruction. One of the arch-villains of the DC-verse.

Mercy Graves was something he didn’t truly expect. He knew Lex would find someone to carry out his wishes efficiently, but Mercy was something else entirely. Brutally effective would be how he described her with an intelligence that was often lacking even within his own ranks.

heh… you think you’re impressed with Mercy now, Oliver? Just wait a few hours until you attempt to ditch her in order to take charge of the group. LOL!

Even as he, Victor and Mercy worked diligently to get something worthwhile done; Bart, A.C. and Clark were more or less dead weight. To their credit, A.C. and Bart knew their talents lay elsewhere so they stayed out of the way. Clark, however, insisted on being the wrench in the monkey-works. Oliver was on board with teaching him and ushering into being a Clark that utilized his skills efficiently and with compassion, but Clark proved to be a difficult and petulant student.

This was a fairly depressing assessment of Clark. Sadly, I CAN imagine him as an annoying, hovering, interfering presence during a time when everyone is busy with research. He’s just not the type of person who likes sitting still and waiting and feeling generally useless, so he WOULD try to ‘help out’ wherever possible. That is actually an endearing quality… but it disappointed me to know that he’s being petty, petulant and irritating about taking instructions in ‘how’ to help. It’s truly disappointing to imagine Superman acting like a soppy, spoiled brat. Oh, grow up, Clark!

Heh… this team seriously needs a Batman to whip ‘certain’ members into shape.

Her instincts were proven true as soon as Oliver decided to say something. His voice was haughty. Mercy had heard that particular tone of voice when Lex was at his most difficult, “As much as this has been something of a pleasure, we’ll take it from here. My jet can get us where we need to go. Frankly, you’ll be nothing but a hindrance.”

Mercy chuckled to herself. She had planned for this eventuality. It was why she had her men with her whenever she met with this band of freaks. Before they could react and in the span of seconds, Mercy’s right hand man detonated a bomb. During their disorientation, Mercy shot Bart. When the dust cleared, everyone was disabled except herself and her two men.

ROTFLMAO! I started laughing from the first paragraph with Oliver pompously announcing that Mercy’s services were not needed any longer. Oh the poor dunce… WHAT was he thinking?! LOL!

So it was very satisfying seeing neutralizing ALL member of the JL superteam in a matter of bare seconds. And then, adding insult to injury, deliver a scathing review of all the lacking factors and weaknesses in their abilities and strategizing skills. LOL! Seriously, they NEED Batman to fulfill this particular role. HE was the paranoid, scathing critic of the group, wasn’t he?

Mercy waited until she saw Oliver and company execute their plan. Like the last time, she would wait outside and coordinate. If she was honest with herself, she would acknowledge the fact that she didn’t think she’d succeed. Even if she did, it didn’t matter. There was no bringing Lex back. There was no redeeming herself for that failure or giving Lana back her future. This was life now and it hurt.

erm… this might be a silly question… but just what has happened to Lana? Was she gutted for Serena’s ‘greater good’ objectives? Is she dead? Or is she still alive with ‘merely’ her womb taken away from her?

The side of her that could assess the situation recognized something wrong in the situation. Her opponent wasn’t fighting hard. She was simply fighting. The fleeting indecision made Chloe throw herself away from the other wolf. Serena knew the moment that reason tried to assert itself in Chloe. She knew the minute that Chloe wanted no part of the fight. Despite everything she was still the core of who she was.

Serena tackled Chloe again and this time she used her fangs to rip into her. It spurred Chloe into action. Serena felt Chloe twist her body again and latch onto her neck. Chloe instinctively bit down hard and felt blood gush into her mouth. She released the hard grip she had on her opponent and was bucked off. Serena felt her muscles slide and the burn of becoming human again.

Chloe scrambled back and away from what she had done. She didn’t consciously choose to shift, but it happened. Chloe didn’t want this. She didn’t want this. She couldn’t deal with this. It hurt.

This was horrifying. It was not only the gory, brutality of the scene that was horrifying, but also the meaning and undertone underneath the line of action. I’m referring to the fact that, even while she’s being attacked by a howling, vengeful Chloe, Serena is STILL in charge of the situation. There’s something so wrong about the idea that Serena maintained her control, right up to the very end.

And it also makes me rather sickened by Serena’s cowardly retreat from her responsibilities. She decided that suicide was the best way to redeem herself?!? Suicide is pathetically easy! True redemption would have come from a genuine attempt to help Chloe through her grief and ‘condition’. Instead, Serena used Chloe this one last time to achieve her own objectives… no matter what the emotional consequences to Chloe would be committing murder in wolf-form.

Serena was on her back. She felt herself fading, but it didn’t feel right. Serena didn’t think death felt like this, it wasn’t like she’d felt death before. Maybe this was it. Still, there was no shaking the feeling that death wasn’t supposed to be like this. Her body was being cradled. Serena turned her head a little and buried her nose into Chloe. Under the blood, the terror, and the pain, she smelled like home. This is what she’d been missing.

She gripped Chloe’s neck and forced her ear to her mouth. Blood gurgled from the back of her throat, “Don’t…trust…” Serena stopped talking.

Chloe leaned forward to hear more, but it was too late. There was more to the story and she didn’t know it. Chloe would never know why she was chosen or why Lex had to die or a million other things. It was lost to her.

aaaargh! Damn, damn, DAMN!!! Such a damned, friggen waste!! Serena took the coward’s way out, and left all of her pawns and victims bewildered and wondering why! It was truly heartbreaking seeing Chloe being deprived even of her chance of getting answers behind the devastating loss and defeats she has suffered. It’s not enough to lose everything, but to also NOT KNOW why you lost everything… it’s enough to drive anyone out of her mind.

“Clark,” Oliver waited until he had Clark’s attention before he continued, “She can’t stay loose. You know what she’s done. She’s a danger. At this point she’s little more than a wild animal.”

Clark pushed Bart away with a little more force than was required and spoke to Oliver, “You’re right. And as a wild animal, she won’t hurt anyone who isn’t threatening her. I’m not going after her. You do it on your own.”

With that Clark super sped away from them. Washington was a long way from Kansas. He had no doubt that they would give up. Victor and A.C. were in no position to catch her. Oliver’s arrows were ineffectual in the driving rain, and Bart was nowhere near skilled enough to use speed and agility to over take her. Chloe would be fine. She always was.

Oh nooooo! It’s another bad decision made with good intentions from a fic that’s chock-filled with them! I can understand that Clark thought he was giving Chloe some much needed space to grieve before coming back to herself again, and even Mercy thought it was a good idea to let Chloe be by herself. The JL all assumed that Chloe was strong enough to take care of herself, and that Chloe could be trusted to be by herself if she so desired.

MAJOR misconception over there, because this is the one time in her life where Chloe needed someone to sit on her and make SURE that she was safe… from herself as well as from external forces. All of Chloe’s friends and family let Chloe go… and she ended up losing the part of herself that is human because she had no-one to help her ground herself.

I was nearly choking from the tragedy of misconceptions and misunderstandings in this scene.

She looked down at her still clawed hands and screamed. It was swallowed up and muted. Her humanity lost. She couldn’t live this way. She didn’t want to even try. It wasn’t a matter of being too hard; or that she lost everything. Chloe still had her father. Her cousin. There was still a life waiting for her. There just wasn’t any point. Not anymore.

Chloe stretched her arms out wide and embraced the rain. She felt the alien mind of the wolf overcome her and she welcomed it. Already the loss of Lex was fading. Wolves may mate for life; but death and weakness were not tolerated and mates moved on to promote survival. She heard the distant sound of Clark’s voice calling her name, Chloe turned from him. He didn’t matter. Not anymore and probably never again.

wow! That was amazingly written, Ava! I did NOT approve of what happened, but I loved the way that you made it seem realistic and plausible that Chloe would choose to abandon her humanity and lose herself completely to the wolf. In retrospect, you’ve been giving hints throughout this entire fic that this would be the inevitable ending, haven’t you? Chloe has been losing herself by slow increments to her inner-wolf for a long time… so it only makes sense that a devastating loss like the death of her mate would drive her all the way to the sanctuary of the inner-wolf.

Chloe took one final opportunity to glance back to Clark. This was where she had to make the choice. The choice was easy and she let go just as she saw Clark speed away from her.

There was only survival and nothing else mattered.

This was fascinating. There is a suggestion over here that even if Clark had chased after Chloe and forced her to come home, she STILL wouldn’t have regrounded herself to her former humanity. All hope was lost even before Clark made the decision to allow Chloe ‘her own space’. BUT… we’ll never really know the true answer, will we? Perhaps Clark could have reached Chloe and brought her back to the human world… if only he had tried in just the right moment right then and there…?

But, we’ll never know.

He felt a deep sense of joy and satisfaction and contentment that had nothing to do with his job or anything else. This was all he ever wanted out of his life. Only she could make him feel this way. She had his heart and everything he ever was. Samuel had the sinking feeling that she was getting the raw end of the deal.

Walking to her, he stopped her mad fluttering around their home.

His voice was gentle and held amusement, “Your parents will love me,” his hand traveled to her belly, “And they’ll love our family. Besides, it’s not like the kid won’t have my name. So relax, my favorite wife. ”

Marissa turned in his arms and looped her arms around his neck. Her smile never failed to make him smile in return, “I’m your only wife.”

This moment was perfect and he could never regret retiring. Anything for her.

aaaargh! Oh dear heavens, Ava! I think you’re absolutely brilliant, because no other person could have delivered so frustrating and enraging an ending, and STILL have me enthralled with the story. It’s just like ‘No country for old men’, where the brilliance was in cheating the viewers of the ‘Big Shootout’ that had been building up since the beginning of the film.

In this particular case, we saw that every Every. Single. Character in this fic lost their lives, self-respect and victory in some form or another… except for the one character that everyone wished a painful, horrible death to.

Heh… don’t believe in fairy-tale endings at all, do you, Ava? I can just imagine how much Skauble must have cried over this, ROTFL!

Some part of the wolf remembered what it was to be strong and to face the bad things, those thoughts skittered away under the onslaught of sensation. This is what she was meant to do. To run. To play. To feel the pulse of life itself with no care. The wolf would find new things. She would never remember Lex, or that she had a father who loved her, or that there were people who would mourn her. It wasn’t needful for her to remember those things. It had no bearing on her survival.

I can’t imagine any sadder ending to a Chlex fic, Ava… and I’ve read plenty of angsty ones, believe me! Lex is dead, and Chloe is actually worse than dead, because she’s alive but completely lost.

And yet, I really admired the way that you interwove a feeling of joy, happiness and contentment within the tragedy too, Ava. I’m mourning Chloe’s loss (on all levels), but I can also see that she’s found a sense of wild freedom in her new state of being. It’s tragic, but there’s also a sense of hope that something better will come out of this in the end.

*phew* this was one heck of an unexpected ending, Ava. I was convinced that you were going to somehow bring Lex ‘back to life’ again, and there would be a more conventional Chlexy ending with our favourite couple in a loving embrace. Instead, you gave us the most UNconventional kind of ending possible, which I still loved.

Heh… so I take it that you’re going to be concentrating on your other fic from this point onwards, right? I’m so glad to see that your writing is continuing elsewhere, because I’m seriously in love with it, and would miss it if THIS was the end. I look forward to your continued writing. Please update soon, Ava!

[aldea16]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!