Subtraction Time (Chapter Seven)

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PREVIOUS CHAPTER

Back now with more of the aftermath of Ambush, then glancing at what Chloe was up to during Abandoned.

As for the rest, I’ve definitely had Batman/Bruce make a few appearances, but my patron specifically wanted to see Chlollie interacting with him and it’s coming now (and in the present). As I’m using movie-Batman, any 2011 activity with Batman takes place between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (yes, I know it was a 2008 film and the first was even older, but… eh. It’s just the only thing that works for me as I need him an active hero rather than retired.)

So, where were we?

Chapter Seven

November, 2011

“I thought we were going back to Star City,” Chloe pointed out. “I packed and everything.”

Oliver shrugged. “Well, we paid for the whole weekend in the suite. Might as well use it.”

Chloe shook her head. “This is exactly the opposite of what you said before, with all the complaining about what a stinkhole Gotham is. Why the sudden…”

“Hey, Rachel's already taking our bags back. We’re next. Have any more gum?”

“Now you’re suddenly okay with using Rachel?”

“You said I have to get used to it. Besides, I decided to let the jet sit with Victor here in case…”

“What are you hiding?” she sighed.

“Nothing! Jeez!” Oliver nodded past her. “Your girl’s back. Don’t you want to say goodbye before she pulls us through a wormhole or however that works?”

Chloe turned to see Rachel waiting. “No,” she said miserably. 

There was a part of her that wanted to stay and be a part of what these kids were about to experience. How many heroes had she watched grow now? It seemed strange not to watch them, too. But she had a job and a life on the other side of the coast. It was Victor who was overseeing things here and she’d been perfectly fine with that up till now. But seeing the place, seeing all the kids together, made her wish she could stick around. 

Rachel moved to her. “You ready?”

“Not really,” Chloe sniffed as she pulled Oliver in. “But let’s go anyway.” She took one last look at the kids chattering as the white light engulfed her…

November 25th, 2010

When the white light receded, Chloe found herself in the corner of a bare room with only monitors and consoles, staring as several people, Rick Flag among them, were rushing around, staring at the monitors full of nothing but snow. That was fine. That was all part of the plan.

The dizziness wasn’t, however, nor the ringing in her left ear. She tried to ignore both as Rachel relaxed her grip on her arm. “Having a little trouble?” she called out from their little corner, trying to sound something besides confused and dizzy.

Flag whirled on her. ”You!”

“Don’t come any closer,” Chloe said, tucking Rachel behind her and holding her cell phone in front of her as if it were some kind of shield. It really was. “I press one button and your system isn’t just packed up, your coordinates are sent right to the government.”

Flag gestured to his screens and advanced on her. “You did this.” It wasn’t a question.

“I can do more. So you better back up.” She managed a smile. “My finger's getting shaky.”

Flag stilled and spread his hands. “Hey, I’m just surprised. You look pretty good for a dead girl.” But his flunkies advanced, Bette among them.

“Make one move towards me and I'm gone,” Chloe said as Rachel firmed up her grip. “No sudden explosions, either. That won’t help anyone,” she added, keeping a wary eye on Bette. As much as she’d tried to have faith in the mutant youths, she wasn’t silly enough to trust Bette anymore. “I get taken out, your entire database goes with me.”

The others stilled and Flag stared at Rachel behind her. “So that’s how your body disappeared before?” Flag laughed. “I should have known you had some trick, but this kid…”

“She’s more than a kid,” Chloe warned, almost sensing Rachel’s displeasure as she gripped her.

“Hey, I‘m not saying anything against her. We’ve got a teleporter, too. Warp!” he called out. A dark-haired man appeared. “LaSalle helps on missions, but we can always use another for...”

“No,” Chloe cut in.

Rachel stiffened behind her. “But I might…”

“Raven’s still a minor,” Chloe broke in quickly, “and, trust me, you don’t have anything like her.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Flag said, eyes landing on Chloe again. “Mind telling me what brought this on? Seems like you got what you wanted before.”

“Oh, did I?”

“Hey, we released Oliver Queen. We held up our end and didn’t pull any tricks, unlike…”

“Is that why you targeted my family? To get back at me?”

“Your family?”

“General Lane is my uncle. Lois Lane is my cousin and you almost killed the both of them tonight,” Chloe sneered.

“Oh, yeah. I kind of forgot that connection.” Flag shrugged. “Nothing personal.”

Chloe stepped forward. “You son of a…”

Flag put his hands up. “Hey, I mean it. This was nothing personal. The general was on the side of the VRA and we are doing what we can to…”

“To make things worse,” she broke in. “Assassinations and explosions. Great work. That’ll definitely get public support behind the vigilantes. This is not the way to…”

“You sound just like your little friends,” Flag groaned.

“Good! In case you haven’t noticed, they spend their time saving people, not hurting…”

“No offense, Sweetheart, but this is a long game,” a grizzled man in a dusty coat drawled from the corner. “A few people are going to have to get hurt before the end.”

“What end?” she yelled. “What is the end result you guys are going for here? Do you want to make sure people are good and scared of vigilantes and mutants and the things they can do? Because that’s what’s going to happen!”

“In case you missed it, we’re on the same side,” the grizzled man said. “We’ve tagged your friends. If anything happens to them, we’re the only ones who can get them out.”

“So that’s why,” she said softly. She knew she was in the right place, she just wasn’t sure why until now. But they weren’t on the same side… or same page, not yet. She shook her head. “What do you mean by tagged?”

“Sub-dermal tracking devices,” Flag said tiredly. “So we can find them at all times.”

“That’s… that’s sick!” Chloe gasped.

The grizzled man smirked. “We’re just a bunch of sick bastards, aren’t we? Getting our hands dirty so your little friends can sleep safe in their…”

“Enough with the cracks,” Chloe snapped. 

“Maybe if you stop lecturing us,” Bette sneered. “Like you’re so much better than…”

“Back off, Plastique,” Flag cut in.

Bette rolled her eyes. “What? That’s all she does, acts like she has all the answers and…”

“Right now, she does.” Flag nodded at Chloe. “At least, she has our database. Out with it. What do you want?”

“I want you to stop blowing up buildings and harassing my friends, for a start,” Chloe said before taking a deep breath. “That and I need training.”

Flag shook his head. “Not saying I agree, but what kind of training are you talking about?”

“Weapons training, hand to hand combat. I’ve started loosely, but…”

“You know what?” Flag threw up his hands. “We would have been happy to provide training when we recruited you for our technical liaison, but you screwed us over with your…”

“You don’t understand,” Chloe broke in, “I need to learn all I can. I need to get them out so they can fight it.”

“Get who out of what? Fight what?”

“I don’t even know yet. I just know that it’s all coming together and we’re the only ones who can save them,” Chloe breathed. “There’s so much more at work, here, and every event feeds into the next and it can seem so random, but it all matters. It all comes together in the end. I know that now. And I’m like this cog in the machine that…”

“I’m going to have to stop you there.” Flag looked around at the others, then landed on Bette. “You know her better than us. Can you translate this?”

Bette scoffed. “No. She always talks like a self-righteous fortune cookie.”

Chloe ignored her and stared hard at Flag. “If I’m being vague, it’s because I’m still working it out myself. When you get a glimpse of the future, it’s always hard to untangle that chain of events, but it gets a little clearer every day and....”

“Listen, I did my homework on you,” Flag said dismissively, “and none of my intel pointed to psychic…”

“Would you stop arguing and listen?” Chloe said, irritated. “It all goes back to a group called the Justice Society and they…”

“I’m way ahead of you. I’m tracking that team. I know all about them and how they let themselves be destroyed. It’s a cute little cautionary tale, but otherwise useless to me.”

“If you know all about them,” Chloe countered, “then you know about Doctor Fate and his helmet that…”

“I know enough to leave it the hell alone. I know your gang had a run-in with them, but whatever the lunatic told you…”

“He didn’t tell me,” Chloe snapped. “I saw it for myself when I put on the helmet!”

Flag opened his mouth and she put a hand up.

“It was a risky move, but you’d taken the man I loved and I couldn’t think of anything else that would give me the answers I wanted. But then I saw so much more than that,” she said desperately. “And it’s only now beginning to make sense. You think my team saving the odd person is small potatoes compared to what you do? Well, let me tell you what they’re about to face something worse than government interference. Something’s coming. Something bigger than…”

“Chloe?”

She turned, surprised to find Rachel still behind her. “I forgot that you were…”

“I got that,” Rachel droned. “Do you want me to go or something?”

November, 2011

“Can I go?” Rachel droned. “I’m fine.”

Chloe pushed Rachel’s hood back and smoothed her hair. “Well, I just want to make sure. I promised your mother you’d be looked after and…”

“Why are you even talking to my mom? I’m a legal adult now,” Rachel said in something approaching a whine as she pulled her hood back up. “I don’t even need looking after.”

They were back in the hotel suite now, but Chloe was reluctant to let Rachel zip back to Happy Harbor just yet. “Well, why don’t I just pop back with you and make sure your room has everything. Just real quick. We can make a shopping list and…”

“If I need to buy anything, I can buy it Rhode Island,” Rachel cut in. “They have stores there. And Jayna said we can shop together. I mean, she’s kind of annoying, but she’s okay.”

“Okay. Yeah. That’s probably better,” Chloe said haltingly, trying to push her hood back one more time. “You know, I should come with you two and make sure you get practical…”

“My God!” Oliver groaned from the bathroom doorway, wiping his mouth as the toilet flushed behind him. “Chloe, you’re a grown-up. Let the girl find her own way with people her own age and…”

“I was just about to,” she hissed at him before turning back to Rachel. “You just… you have fun,” she whispered, pulling a reluctant Rachel in for just one more hug.

“Okay. Bye.” Rachel said. Then she was gone.

Chloe swiped at her eyes and felt Oliver move behind her to rub her back. 

“There you go. Let the baby raven left the nest and…”

Chloe whirled on Oliver. “Oh, shut up!”

He threw up his hands. “What did I do?”

“You called me a grown-up,” she sneered before pushing past him and moving in to the bathroom. “Barf breath!”

Oliver snorted and followed her. “And? You are. You’re a grown woman.”

“It’s the way you said it. Like I’m not cool anymore.”

“Baby, you never were.” He laughed and plucked the toothpaste from the edge of the sink.

Chloe slapped it out of his hand. “Jerk!”

He caught it in his other. “Hey, I’m just going by the traditionally teenage definition of cool. As in someone teenagers want to spend their free time with. Weren’t you the editor of the school newspaper who spent your summers interning and not partying?”

“I was voted prom queen,” she said with relish. “I mean, it’s not something I talk about because I technically don’t care about the establishment’s practice of trotting out women like prized…”

Oliver snored loudly. 

Chloe slapped the toothpaste out of his hand again.

“Oh, sorry,” he said, all fake yawns before he stuck his toothbrush in his mouth. “Honey, the fact that you got voted in was like some middle finger to the establishment and all that traditional teenage bullsh*t, from what you’ve told me. That’s exactly my point. Why do you want to be a cool kid? What are those cool kids even doing now?”

Chloe stared at him in the mirror. “I don’t know.”

“See?” He spat and winked at her. “Take it from one. I was one deserted island away from being a trust fund baby with no secretly awesome life. I mean, I’d have had the money, the fame, the posse of nubile, young things hanging on my every…”

Chloe scoffed. “Is this you trying to argue me out of…”

“Maybe a reality show called ‘Life of a Queen,’ which sounds gay as anything, but that would just be part of the appeal.” He shrugged. “I mean, when you’ve got the is-he-gay mystique going on, you know you really have… That’s not the point. The point is that I’m not a Kardashian and I want my life to stand for something,” Ollie finished, spitting. “And the same goes for you. So why be cool? You weren’t cool then and you definitely can’t be cool now.”

“But why can’t I be cool?” she grumbled.

“Because you’re twenty-five. Grown up. You can be admired, even idolized, but, to a bunch of teenagers, you are not cool. You’re like… the man or something.” He shrugged as he moved back into the room, opening his suitcase. “There’s only one way for you to be cool and you won’t do it.”

She followed him. “And what’s that?”

He pulled on his quiver with a wink. “Buy them all booze.”

Chloe gasped. “I am not going to encourage…”

“Exactly. Because you’re a grown-up!” He pulled her in and laid a loud kiss on her. “And that’s not a bad thing. There are all kinds of awesome things about being grown-up. I’d demonstrate at least half of them tonight, but it’s getting dark and I have somewhere to be.”

”I knew it,” Chloe said with some satisfaction. “I knew there was something other ‘we already paid for it’ behind this sudden urge to rush back here.”

“What can I say? You get me.” He grinned as he pulled on his gloves. “I know you said not to bother, but I just need to take another crack at him.”

Chloe’s eyes widened. “At Batman?”

“All that stuff Victor was saying about hope for the future and blah, blah. I guess it got to me.”

Chloe scoffed loudly. “You were goofing off the entire time. Besides, what about letting him have this hellhole and all that?”

“Well, I’m greedy. Maybe I want a piece of Gotham after all. And maybe he needs help and just can’t ask for it. Remember how long it took Clark to stop doing every damned thing himself? Maybe Bats would like to expand his horizons a little. You don’t know him.”

“That’s right. I don’t,” she said quickly. “And… neither do you. And don’t call him Bats. And… What if he’s intensely private and doesn’t like to… share his… rooftops?”

“Tough.” Oliver finished strapping on his kneepads. “I figure I outline our position, show him that our organization is nothing to fool with and…”

“And he’ll blow you off just like before.” And he’ll call me and tell me to stop sending my little friends after him.

“Hey, I just want to know I gave it the old college try. Just one last time. Cool?” 

“Just one last time,” she sighed. 

He dropped a kiss on her forehead and moved to the window. “Hey, if this doesn’t work, I can come back with Diana and…”

“So you’re going to keep bugging him?” She shut the window. “Oliver, what if Batman doesn’t respond to being badgered into things? Some people need time and space and patience and eventually…”

“Babe, I’m not known for my patience.” He threw open the window. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Or you could leave in a few hours,” she tried, moving closer, running a finger along the V in his vest, wondering if she could tire him out so he dropped this. “I remember your little scenario earlier and I just bet I could get hold of a cheerleader or field hockey uniform.” She leaned in to run her lips over his collarbones.

“Now, that’s a damned good idea.” His hands moved to her waist, then set her away. “Tell you what? If you take care of that, I’ll grab dinner on my way back.” 

“But…”

“You’re the best,” he called out as he dropped to the ledge.

She groaned and paced away from the window. She’d been convinced Oliver had let this go, even relieved. She had faith that Bruce would come around. But she knew his stubbornness well enough by now, knew that nothing would set him in his lone bat ways more than a bunch of other heroes buzzing around him. Now, he might dig in even harder. Now… Now she had to call him, at least give him a heads up.

Not that he was answering, damn him. After the fifth try, she finally called the other number in her little arsenal. 

“Yeah, Alfred? I need to find him.”

December 1st, 2010

“You need to slow down,” Alfred chuckled across the kitchen island. “Aren’t they feeding you there?”

“Yes, but it’s all horrible,” she said with her mouth full, finally having gotten a moment away from the base to have Alfred’s turkey dinner. He’d saved her a plate, after all, the wonderful man. “They run that place like it’s boot camp. I’m surprised I can even lift a fork.”

“Which explains why you’re barely using one,” Bruce said as he sailed in. “Any chance you’ll tell us where this boot camp is?”

“Any chance you’ll stop asking?” she snapped, dropping her fork on her now empty plate, wondering how embarrassing it would be to lick it. “You don’t let me poke into your business.”

“Moody.” Bruce chuckled. “It must suck being stuck in the desert.”

“I never said…”

“The mountains?”

“I’ll tell you one thing,” she said, “training with you was like a picnic compared to these sadistic bastards. They make me do these sprints and push-ups and not even girl push-ups and then they expect me to fight them,” she finished on a whine. “And they all fight dirty.”

“So?” Bruce shrugged. “You know who else fights dirty? Criminals?”

“Oh, you’re no help.” She turned to Alfred and pulled up her sleeve. “Look at my bruises.”

Alfred shook his head. “I can give you a salve for that. And some pie.” He pushed a plate to her.

“Oh, my God, I love you,” she moaned as he moved off.

“Fine,” Bruce said after bare seconds of silence. “If you won’t tell me where you are, then just… What are you trying to do here? You don’t have mutant powers and you don’t have the budget to work like I do and...”

“You don’t know all there is about me,” she said, lifting her chin. “Who’s to say I never had mutant powers. And you, sir, aren’t the only rich guy in my circle of acquaintances. So there.” 

“Chloe, is there a why to all this?”

She sighed. “There is. I’ve spent too much of my life throwing myself into situations that lead to me getting rescued. I’m not saying I’m about to put on a cape and roam the streets. But I need to be able to protect myself better, maybe even protect them,” she finished softly. “Something’s coming.”

“You keep saying that. It’s annoyingly vague.”

“It’s annoying me even more,” she said, throwing up her hands. “I’m playing with guns, bows, my kicks are still horribly low, and I have no idea of any of it is enough to save them.”

“From what?”

“I’m not sure!”

Bruce growled and paced away. 

“Yeah, well no one else is happy about it, either. Everyone on base resents me for holding their system ransom. I’m convinced I’m getting the bad food on purpose. And all because I won’t let them blow up everything they see. Bunch of pyros!”

“That’s great. I’m really glad you’re hanging around this gang.”

“It’s a means to an end. They’re going to need me and I’m going to need them.”

“Again, you’re being really vague and…”

She met his eyes. “Bruce, you can’t say you don’t want to be a part of things, then turn around and want to know everything that’s going on. If you ever want a team, it and all the intel that goes with it, is waiting for you. You just say the word.” She smiled as Alfred came back with a small tin. “Now, will you let me enjoy some pie before Rachel takes me back?”

“Teleporting teenagers, secret compounds, prophecies,” Bruce grumbled. “I think I’m better off without your team.”

She shrugged and dug into her pie. “Eh, you get used to the weird side. Well… maybe not. I started off walking on the weird side, so I don’t know what it’s like for… regular people.”

“Regular?”

“Oh, I just meant normal people that haven’t seen what I have.”

“You know, I’ve seen a damned lot more in my time than you have.”

“It’s apples and oranges. You may have travelled farther, but magic, aliens, and various other things that go bump in the night are still pretty beyond you.” She reached over to pat his hand. “Don’t worry. I can show you around if you ever feel brave enough to play with my team.”

Alfred chuckled. Bruce huffed and moved off. 

Chloe smiled and finished her pie. “He’s kind of fun to mess with, isn’t he?”

November, 2011

Batman didn’t mess around. She knew she had a very limited amount of time from lighting the signal atop the Gotham PD to him showing up. She pulled on her gloves and secured her hat. She didn’t know how Ollie ran around with bare arms even in winter – not that she minded the view. Of course, it probably helped that he was always moving, which just reminded her to switch the damned thing on, already. Green Arrow could find Batman before Batman found her.

She felt mildly guilty as that bat lit up the misty sky, as this was supposed to be for police use, but she couldn’t help but think maybe Bruce would appreciate the heads up, maybe he’d even take her advice. She doubted it, but she had to try.

This wasn’t working for anyone. Green Arrow chased after Batman, Batman blew him off. That just made Oliver keep going after him harder. Nothing got Oliver after something more than being told he can’t have it. She learned that the hard way when she said she didn’t think she would ever leave Metropolis for Star City. And what was she calling home now? He liked putting his powers of persuasion in action and he rarely lost.

And Bruce? Well, he had to stop saying it was never going to happen and just ask for some time. Because it was damned well going to happen, but she knew he had to come into it in his own time. They’d be caught up in this cycle forever if Oliver didn’t give him some damned space. The both of them were impossible!

“I can’t believe this!”

She took a deep breath and turned, wondering if Oliver might be the more annoying of the two at the moment. He was the first here, after all.

“Oliver…”

“Chloe, what are you doing here?”

“I lit the signal,” she said tiredly. “I decided it was way past time…”

“Hon, I appreciate the help and everything, but you have to get out of here. Batman could show up any…”

“I know,” she said through clenched teeth, “that’s why I’m here. I think it’s way past time we all…”

“Did you see that?” Oliver hissed.

“What?”

“I swear I just saw a dark shape on the next roof over. Chloe, you gotta go!”

“No, I don’t,” she said slowly. “In fact, the only way he’ll listen to you is if I…”

Oliver rushed to her, pulling at her arms. “Babe, just hide behind the skylight.”

“Let me go! Would you listen to me for a…”

“You just duck out here till I’m done. This guy tends to disappear pretty quickly, so…”

“Oliver, I know! Would you stop pulling me and listen? He also… Oof!” She landed on her back on the graveled rooftop. She knew why. If Oliver had taken a second to hear her out, he’d have also known how quickly “this guy” snuck up on a person. She sat up, brushing the tiny rocks off her hands as a green and black blur wrestled in front of her. “Damn it! Stop!”

They stilled, Batman’s knee on Green Arrow’s chest. “Is this guy bothering…”

“What?” Oliver flipped him over. “Hey, she was doing just fine till you showed up!” Oliver glanced at Chloe. “Are your hands…”

“You again!” Batman pushed him off and jumped, landing some feet away. “Here I thought you were a hero,” he rasped.

“I damned well am!” Oliver jumped up. “I’ve been doing this a hell of a lot longer than you!”

“So messing with defenseless women is what your gang does,” Bruce growled. “Once again, I’m gonna have to say no to…”

“That’s fine. I’m not even sure we want you now,” Oliver growled back

“Oh, of course you do,” Chloe groaned, standing. “And I’m fine. He wasn’t messing with me. Will you…”

“Well, he’s bothering me,” Bruce cut in, eyes still on Oliver. “I thought I told you to stop…”

“Who’s bothering anyone? I’m just taking a tour of the Gotham criminal element like you do in this city. See, mine’s so peaceful thanks to my work that I get bored, and picking up your slack is like a fun, little…”

Bruce rushed at him, but Oliver jumped out of the way, landing with what Chloe thought was an excessively showy backflip onto the skylight.

“Why don’t you go back to your easy, little city and your happy little gang and leave the real work to me,” Bruce rasped.

Chloe really wanted to hand him a cough drop. 

“I deal with enough amateurs like you," Bruce went on, "coming in and thinking you can put on some body armor and destroy all I’m trying to…”

“I’m not an amateur.” Ollie leapt back to the roof. “And you know it. You have to by now.”

“Because of your press coverage? Great move, by the way. It really makes it easier on those of us who work to protect our lives when idiots like you…”

“Hey, you don’t know what I was dealing with! You think dealing with a couple thugs and drug dealers compares to what I’ve….”

“Oh, my God! Will the both of you shut up?” Chloe ripped off her hat and moved to Ollie. “If the two of you actually talked, you’d find a lot more common ground than with this pissing contest!”

Bruce stepped toward her. “Chloe?”

Oliver turned to her. “You know this guy?”

CHAPTER EIGHT