Poison
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
“But we destroyed all of the Project Ares prototypes.”
“Vic thinks this is something different,” Oliver said, pulling away from the curb and into the street. He reached for her hand as he drove, slipping his fingers between hers. A week away from her had been too long.
“How so?”
“He thinks this might be something drug-induced. He’s still checking the information we received.”
“Lex will never stop, will he?” She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder, silently cursing bucket seats and the console between them.
He leaned over, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Then neither will we.”
Oliver pulled into the entrance of the lower leveled parking spaces at Queen Tower. They exited the car, and he reached for her hand once more as they walked toward the private elevator. Once inside, he pulled her against him. Wrapped in each other’s arms, lips and tongues met in fiery, passionate kisses. These few stolen moments would be the only time they’d have alone together until the mission was over, and Oliver wanted every last one of them. They were so lost in their kissing; they hadn’t noticed the elevator stopping, and the door opening.
“Ahem.” Victor cleared his throat.
“Don’t you guys come up for air?” A.C. asked.
When they parted reluctantly, Oliver had the decency to wear a sheepish grin as they exited the elevator, while Chloe blushed to the roots of her hair. The elevator was on its way down again, and Chloe knew Clark wasn’t far behind.
“What’d I miss?” Bart asked, as he stepped into the room.
“Nothing,” Chloe said too quickly.
Bart looked at A.C. and grinned. “Give ‘em a break, dude, they haven’t seen each other in a week.”
“Give who a break?” Clark asked stepping from the elevator.
“No one,” Chloe answered, offering him a brief hug in greeting. She then turned to Victor, recovering from her embarrassment and getting into Watchtower mode. “What have we got?”
Victor led them over to the computer, handing her a printout of a file he’d hacked. “Ever heard of Cadmus Labs?”
Chloe’s eyes widened, as she and Clark looked at each other at the same time.
“Yes, but Cadmus Labs no longer exists,” she answered, scanning the page in front of her. “Victoria Hardwick and her father Harry gained it from Luthorcorp years ago in a hostile takeover. But the company was in some financial and legal trouble, and eventually Cadmus folded.”
Oliver read the file over her shoulder. “Wait. Look here at the bottom of the page, last paragraph.”
“Lex has re-opened it.” Victor said, nodding. “And, starting new drug development, and experimentation on human subjects. Several mentions are made about drug enhanced strength, endurance, and aggression.” He sat back down behind the computer. “I’m still waiting for this program to finish decoding the last file’s password codes, but my hunch is, Lex is still trying to recover from his loss of Project Ares, and using drug enhancement instead of DNA and accelerated cloning.”
Finally the file decoding was complete, and Victor was able to read its contents. Sure enough, he found U.S military connections to the project, various doctor’s and scientist’s names were found in another file, as well as building schematics.
“What about kryptonite?” Clark asked. “Are there any containment rooms I should know about?”
“One containment room on the lower level, but if they’re using kryptonite to formulate this drug, you may want to stay out of the main lab area here,” Victor then pulled up the schematics on the large screen for everyone to see, and showed them where kryptonite was probably contained.
“I’ll get into the lab area,” Oliver said looking up at the screen. “Make sure everyone’s evacuated. Bart and A.C can set charges, Clark you can get us in, then remain on standby. I’d rather not take the chance that you might run into any green rocks.” He turned to the group. “Gear up, let’s do it.”
Victor vacated the chair, and Chloe took up her post after Oliver had gone into his Green Arrow room to gear up. She tested the comm. to make sure it was in good working order, then checked her screens, pulling up the building schematics, then interfacing them with Queen Industries’ satellite feeds. There were heat signatures in the building at this moment.
The others had already headed down the elevator, when Oliver returned to her minutes later dressed in his leathers. His hood was down, and he’d set his glasses on the desk. “I’m sorry about dinner,” he murmured as she stepped into his arms.
She smiled up at him. “It’s okay. If Bart left anything in the refrigerator, I think I’ll be fine.” Her hands clasped around the back of his neck.
“I’ve missed you so much. I’ll make it up to you,” he pressed his lips to her forehead.
“No. It’s okay, Oliver. Just come back to me safely. I’m not going anywhere, and…” she lowered her voice to a husky whisper pulling his head down. “I plan on being here all night.” She kissed his cheek, then looked up at him, hoping he understood her meaning. She’d decided the moment she’d seen him enter ISIS this evening to pick her up for dinner. She was certain. This was what she wanted. He was what she wanted, and had wanted for a long time.
He pulled her closer, “You’ll spend the night?” He was whispering too now, brushing his nose against hers. Though why they were whispering, neither one of them knew.
“Yes.”
“Chloe, are you sure?”
“Yes. I’ve missed you. I want you, Oliver. So much… I want us to….”
He cut off her words, slanting his lips over hers, capturing her mouth with his hungrily. She wanted him. She didn’t need to say more, and the thought of coming home to her and making love to her for the first time was already making him hard.
“I promise you, I’ll come back,” he whispered into her hair. “And when I do, we’ll continue this, finish where we left off.” He took her face in his hands then, passing his thumbs over her cheeks tenderly, he lowered his head kissing her softly.
Oliver smiled down at her.
“Careful, I’ll swoon.”
A throaty laugh escaped him. He then released her, placing his glasses over his eyes and raising his hood. Forcing his expression to become stoic, he turned his voice distorter on. “No swooning allowed. Got that, Tower?” he ordered.
He walked away from her then, and when he turned back for one last look through the elevator gate, the beautiful smile she gave him had him thinking he needed to follow his own order.
* * * * *
Victor disabled the alarm system, and Clark’s muscle got them in through heavy doors. Several guards were dispatched easily, and Victor then set the main disaster alarm. Soon a computerized voice sounded over the loudspeaker, advising everyone to evacuate.
Oliver made his way toward the main lab. “Green Arrow to Watchtower, what’s the situation?”
“Four heat signatures in the lab. One near the door, two on the southwest wall, one on the northwest wall.” She switched channels. “Boy Scout, Arrow’s headed for the lab, he may need some company, but be careful. Remain on standby for now.” Switching again she hailed Bart. “Impulse, what’s your status?”
“All charges are set, bonita.”
The Green Arrow burst into the room, his crossbow poised and ready to fire. His distorted, metallic voice sounded in the room. “Didn’t you hear? This building is set for detonation, everyone evacuate now!”
Three men in lab coats scurried past him, but the guard reached for his weapon. Arrow round-kicked it out of his hand. He didn’t want to use his bow on anyone unless absolutely necessary.
“Arrow, three heat signatures approaching the lab, get out of there.”
The guard dove for Arrow, who pivoted out of the way at the last second, causing the man to crash into a metal cart. Three more guards entered the room.
“Boy Scout, get to the lab, Arrow needs assistance. Cyborg, Aquaman, standby to enter the lab. All other areas are evacuated.”
Clark whooshed to the lab, and knew immediately that both he and Oliver were in trouble. Upon entering, Clark felt the weakening effects of kryptonite, and though not acute, if he stayed there long enough, he would be incapacitated. Clark shoved two of the guards out the door, their shock at his strength causing them to run for the nearest exits. He turned to the next guard, who had seen Clark toss the other two, and without putting up a fight, he ran out the door without a moment’s hesitation. Clark then heard a crash on the opposite side of the room. The final guard had shoved Oliver against a glass cabinet, causing the vials containing green-tinted liquid inside to come crashing down on him. Clark, weakening by the second, dispatched the final guard, pushing him out the door, and helped Oliver to his feet. He was covered in whatever was contained in the vials, some of the liquid spilling on Clark as well.
“Watchtower, we need to abort.” Clarks strained voice sounded over the comm.. "Kryptonite. We’re getting out of here.”
“Impulse, don’t detonate those charges, we need to abort. Repeat no detonation, mission abort.”
Bart ran about, collecting charges in seconds.
Oliver had yet to speak to her, and Chloe was becoming panicked. She practically shouted over the comm.. “Archer, what’s your status?”
When no answer came she hailed Clark. “Boy Scout, report.”
“Getting out,” he replied, his voice weak and hoarse.
“Cyborg, Aquaman, get them out of there.”
“On it.”
Chloe waited, watching her screens frantically. Her heart pounded wildly. “Status report,” she requested. No answer. “Status report!” she called again as she watched them head for where she knew the rendezvous point to be.
“We’re all out,” Victor answered her. “Everyone’s fine.”
“Where’s Archer, why doesn’t he respond?”
Finally, Oliver’s voice came over the comm. He was panting heavily. “We’re fine Tower, on our way,” he said, and then he collapsed in a heap at Clark’s feet.
End Chapter 2
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