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chloecrossingTitle: Blood is Gold
Author: HumbugGirl
Email: humbuggirl@yahoo.com
URL: http://www.pink-kitten.org/lamplight or http://www.livejournal.com/~humbuggirl
Fandom: Smallville/Stargate
Pairing: Chloe/Lex, Chloe/Lionel, Chloe/Daniel
Genre: Angst, Action/Adventure, Romance
Rating: NC17
Summary: In the weeks following Chloe’s disappearance from Smallville the blonde reporter finds herself mixed up in a whole new variety of trouble.
Spoilers: Mentions spoilers for first two eps of season 4
Disclaimer: Neither the characters of Smallville or the show itself belong to me. They all belong to someone with far more money and power. The same is true of Stargate.
Author’s Notes: 1.Sparked by spoilers for season 4 of Smallville as of 19-07-2004 – don’t say you haven’t been warned. This doesn’t exactly follow what is suggested in them for Chloe as it’s based more on what appears to be Lex’s storyline for the beginning of S4. 2. This is completely and utterly AU after S3 and the brief spoilers that have been given for S4. 3. Assumes established Chlionel relationship sometime between the end of S2 and the beginning of S3. If you have a problem with this move on and don’t bother reading. I should point out however that to begin with Chlionel doesn’t play a major part of the plot and that it’s used more as a device that anything else. 4. At the time of writing this fic I have *not* seen the second half of S3. 5. Its going to be a while before this fic gets around to any of the relationships mentioned in the pairings and that’s because I’m actually trying to write something that’s plot driven.
Feedback: Will be much desired… it might actually help me not get too sidetracked, lol.
~ Part Three ~
He had never realised just how boring being grounded could be before that week had begun. At first there had been some small naïve little part of Daniel’s mind that had been happy to know that he was going to be given a week off work even if it was a week that was enforced and the result of General Hammond’s irritation at being kept out of the loop as to exactly what the SG-1 team had been on their last off-world trip until everything had well and truly gone wrong and they had, against Jack’s better judgement admittedly, resorted to telling the commanding officer of just how close they had come to messing up some potentially rather important negotiations with their host alien nation. Then the reality of the situation had hit him and despite Jack’s rather too happy attitude to the whole affair the archaeologist had found himself growing increasing frustrated at the fact that he wasn’t even allowed onto the base to just work in his own office. Thoughts of some interesting little snippet of information brought back from off world just sat on his desk while he was supposedly on leave was driving him slowly crazy as were the ‘relaxing’ long lie-ins in the mornings and the fact that he didn’t have to eat on the run.
He was used to not getting enough sleep and he was used to not being able to eat properly. His body was not responding well to their absence.
Blinking at the flashing lights on the television screen Daniel tried to make sense of what he was seeing. At the moment there was some blonde girl with ridiculously bouncy blonde hair leaping around the screen exchanging inane banter with some peculiar looking man who she was apparently trying to kill. The picture moved and flashed to that of a cute looking redhead as she chanted and then… He frowned, reaching for the television schedule on the coffee table in front of him and peering through the listings.
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’… What sort of name was Buffy anyway?
With a little a sigh he reached for the remote, meaning to change the channel to something that might manage to be a little more intellectually challenging then stopped sharply as the telephone on the side table behind his head rang. It took a moment for the reason for the noise to sink in and then Daniel was on his feet, reaching for the handset and raising it to his ear.
“Daniel Jackson.”
The line crackled fiercely with static and for a brief second Daniel was forced to hold the phone away from his ear. It died down almost as quickly as it had begun and then a thin, vaguely familiar sounding voice said, “Daniel? Daniel Jackson?”
“Yes?”
“Dr Daniel Jackson?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Oh thank god, I finally got the right number.”
Frowning and peering at the strange number on the caller ID Daniel asked, “Who is this?”
“Albert Sunby,” the voice said and something clicked in Daniel’s mind instantly. “We were on a dig together near Said a few years back…”
A smile peeled onto Daniel’s face as the name, the face and the voice came together in a solid memory. Images of a short, prematurely balding man who was about his own age, with large grey eyes and a tendency to develop a thick Norwegian accent when he had a little too much to drink despite all the years he’d spent living and studying in America, filled Daniel’s mind. Dropping back down onto the couch he relaxed a little, only leaning forwards briefly to grab the remote to the television and turn it off. “Oh, of course! How are you?”
“Not so good actually,” Albert said though another burst of static. “I’m having a few problems at the moment but I think you might be able to help me…”
“Well I’m not sure what use I can be…”
“It’s to do with a dig site,” Sunby continued. “I should never have got involved with it really – completely out of my area of expertise and the man who was funding it… well, I doubted from the beginning that his intentions were even remotely connected to preserving and protecting anything I might find.”
Daniel shook his head even though he knew the other man could not see it. “I don’t see how I could help Albert. I’m not even actively involved with archaeology anymore.”
“But this would be right up your street!” the other man exclaimed. There was a pause and then he sighed. “I’m not going to lie to you Daniel… I’m not sure I’m entirely safe anymore. I made the mistake of expressing my doubts to one of the dig supervisors and, well, I didn’t realise until afterwards what a big mistake it had been.”
“You’re in danger?”
“Perhaps…”
“Can’t you go to the police?”
“I’m in Cairo Daniel and there is every chance that the man funding the dig has bought off more than a couple of the local officials. If I went to the police then I doubt that I’d get out of the city. I’m already in hiding.” He paused and then added, “Listen, I heard a couple of years ago that you had gotten involved with some military types…”
Shock rolled through Daniel. “Where did you hear that?” he asked.
“It doesn’t matter. I was just wondering whether you thought they would be able to get me out of here somehow… I don’t care where I end up but I need to get away from Egypt. There are… things happening out here. Things I don’t understand but I don’t think this is simply an archaeological dig – I think there is something else going on.”
“Wait – slow down a minute. What are you saying exactly?”
At the other end of the line there was a pause and for a second Daniel found himself catching his own breath. Albert had sounded panicked, scared perhaps and even though Daniel’s memories of the small man were mainly concerned with how anxious he had always seemed there was nothing there to suggest that he was anything less than brave. If something was happening, if it wasn’t just Albert’s imagination then there must be something fairly serious going on.
“They had us reopen the old Sotherington dig site,” Albert said in a breathy voice. “I couldn’t understand it at first, everyone knows there is nothing out there but they said we should at least try there. There was nothing at first but we kept going down – further than even the geo-survey team suggested and we hit something. I couldn’t believe it! I mean, that place has been turned over a half a dozen times and no one has ever found anything new. Well the moment that the site managers realised that we’d found the beginnings of a structure they dragged us all into private and started reminding us of the contract we signed… It was nothing. I mean, I thought it was nothing. They told us it was just to do with safety but apparently there was some small print saying that we’re not allowed to talk about what we’ve found.
“Well Schulman - I don’t think you ever met him – he went a bit mad. Started talking about how it was a great discovery and how the world should know but they wouldn’t budge even a little. He ended up storming off the site and never coming back.”
“He quit?” Daniel asked.
“That’s what they said but when I tried to get in contact with him, to tell him not to be stupid and come back I couldn’t find him anywhere. He’s disappeared off the face of the planet Daniel and he wouldn’t do that – he had a wife and a daughter.”
“You think that something has happened to him then?”
“It’s possible. Like I said, the man who is funding the dig does not seem like the sort that would take such a betrayal lightly.”
Leaning forwards even before he realised he was doing it Daniel asked, “Who is it?”
“His name is Lex Luthor,” Albert answered, his voice lowered slightly. “Of LexCorp Industries.” The line crackle once more and Daniel strained to here the voice of the man on the other end. He stood and moved to another part of the room, hoping that it would give him better reception only to find that it failed to do so. Even considering the distances that they were speaking over the telephone line should have been better than it was if Sunby had been using a landline and Daniel instantly wondered whether the man wasn’t putting himself in even more danger by talking to him from the dig site itself.
“LexCorp Industries…” he began to say and then suddenly stopped as once more Albert’s voice broke through the static.
“Hurry,” the man said. “If you can do anything then hurry. I think they may already be suspicious. I can’t leave the dig site. We used to stay in a hotel in Cairo and be flown in by a helicopter but Luthor’s men made some excuse about no longer being able to finance the flights – which is a complete lie considering his wealth – and now we are forced to sleep here… Daniel…”
“I’ll do what I can,” he said quickly. “I’m not promising anything but I’ll talk to a few people – hang on.”
“I will, but hurry. I have to go now - they’ll start to wonder where I am.”
“Of course. Goodbye…”
“Just hurry.”
The line went dead in Daniel’s hand and he dropped the receiver from his ear until he ended up just staring at it. The desperation had been clear in Sunby’s voice. He honestly believed that his life was in danger and if what he had suspected about the other dig archaeologist was true then there was every reason that he might be right.
Dropping back into a sitting position he rolled over in his mind once more the man that Sunby had mentioned. Lex Luthor. It was impossible not to know who he was. Even as reclusive as his life working for the military sometimes became Daniel was well aware of the young billionaire. It was not uncommon to see his features flashing across television screens, to see it printed on magazines and in newspapers. Daniel had always imagined from looking at him that Luthor was a rather predictable mix of tough businessman and rich kid playboy. Why on earth he would be interested in an old archaeological dig in Egypt was far beyond his comprehension.
It was a thought that was well and truly capable of propelling him into action. Considering that Luthor really shouldn’t have been interested in anything archaeological then there was every chance that he was up to something illegal and therefore all the more reason that Sunby was right about his life being in danger.
Reaching for the telephone the archaeologist quickly tapped in the familiar number of the SGC, waiting until Hammond’s personal assistant answered with his heart leaping into his mouth. He doubted that there was anything that the military could - or even would – actually do to help Sunby but that didn’t meant that the General didn’t know people who might know people that might be able and willing to do something. It took several seconds for him to reassure the person on the end of the line that his call was important enough to direct straight through to the General and then a few more until the man himself actually accepted the call.
It was not surprising when as a consequence the first words out of the General’s mouth were, “Hello Daniel, no you can’t come back to work just yet.”
For a second the archaeologist was stunned into silence before he remembered himself and said, “That isn’t why I was calling, sir.”
“You said that the last time you called to ask whether your leave could be cut short.”
“Yes, I know, but this time I’m telling the truth. Honestly.”
“Very well…” Hammond said slowly.
“The thing is, sir, I just got a rather worrying phone call from an old colleague and I think he may be in trouble.”
There was a pause from the other end of the line before the man spoke. “You telephoned me to tell me about a phone call?”
“Well, yes, but more what the call was about. I realise that this probably isn’t directly concerned with the military but the fact is that there seems to have been a little trouble concerning a dig that my friend has been working on in Egypt and…”
“In Egypt?” the General interrupted, abruptly sounding more alert.
It was Daniel’s turn to pause for a moment. “Yes,” he answered stringing out the words.
“And this friend of yours, Dr Jackson, would it so happen that he was on contract to LexCorp Industries?”
“Yes!” Daniel spluttered. “But how did you know?”
“Dr Jackson I would very much appreciate it if you would cut short your leave and return to base immediately. It appears that we may have a situation.”
TBC
Author: HumbugGirl
Email: humbuggirl@yahoo.com
URL: http://www.pink-kitten.org/lamplight or http://www.livejournal.com/~humbuggirl
Fandom: Smallville/Stargate
Pairing: Chloe/Lex, Chloe/Lionel, Chloe/Daniel
Genre: Angst, Action/Adventure, Romance
Rating: NC17
Summary: In the weeks following Chloe’s disappearance from Smallville the blonde reporter finds herself mixed up in a whole new variety of trouble.
Spoilers: Mentions spoilers for first two eps of season 4
Disclaimer: Neither the characters of Smallville or the show itself belong to me. They all belong to someone with far more money and power. The same is true of Stargate.
Author’s Notes: 1.Sparked by spoilers for season 4 of Smallville as of 19-07-2004 – don’t say you haven’t been warned. This doesn’t exactly follow what is suggested in them for Chloe as it’s based more on what appears to be Lex’s storyline for the beginning of S4. 2. This is completely and utterly AU after S3 and the brief spoilers that have been given for S4. 3. Assumes established Chlionel relationship sometime between the end of S2 and the beginning of S3. If you have a problem with this move on and don’t bother reading. I should point out however that to begin with Chlionel doesn’t play a major part of the plot and that it’s used more as a device that anything else. 4. At the time of writing this fic I have *not* seen the second half of S3. 5. Its going to be a while before this fic gets around to any of the relationships mentioned in the pairings and that’s because I’m actually trying to write something that’s plot driven.
Feedback: Will be much desired… it might actually help me not get too sidetracked, lol.
~ Part Three ~
He had never realised just how boring being grounded could be before that week had begun. At first there had been some small naïve little part of Daniel’s mind that had been happy to know that he was going to be given a week off work even if it was a week that was enforced and the result of General Hammond’s irritation at being kept out of the loop as to exactly what the SG-1 team had been on their last off-world trip until everything had well and truly gone wrong and they had, against Jack’s better judgement admittedly, resorted to telling the commanding officer of just how close they had come to messing up some potentially rather important negotiations with their host alien nation. Then the reality of the situation had hit him and despite Jack’s rather too happy attitude to the whole affair the archaeologist had found himself growing increasing frustrated at the fact that he wasn’t even allowed onto the base to just work in his own office. Thoughts of some interesting little snippet of information brought back from off world just sat on his desk while he was supposedly on leave was driving him slowly crazy as were the ‘relaxing’ long lie-ins in the mornings and the fact that he didn’t have to eat on the run.
He was used to not getting enough sleep and he was used to not being able to eat properly. His body was not responding well to their absence.
Blinking at the flashing lights on the television screen Daniel tried to make sense of what he was seeing. At the moment there was some blonde girl with ridiculously bouncy blonde hair leaping around the screen exchanging inane banter with some peculiar looking man who she was apparently trying to kill. The picture moved and flashed to that of a cute looking redhead as she chanted and then… He frowned, reaching for the television schedule on the coffee table in front of him and peering through the listings.
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’… What sort of name was Buffy anyway?
With a little a sigh he reached for the remote, meaning to change the channel to something that might manage to be a little more intellectually challenging then stopped sharply as the telephone on the side table behind his head rang. It took a moment for the reason for the noise to sink in and then Daniel was on his feet, reaching for the handset and raising it to his ear.
“Daniel Jackson.”
The line crackled fiercely with static and for a brief second Daniel was forced to hold the phone away from his ear. It died down almost as quickly as it had begun and then a thin, vaguely familiar sounding voice said, “Daniel? Daniel Jackson?”
“Yes?”
“Dr Daniel Jackson?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Oh thank god, I finally got the right number.”
Frowning and peering at the strange number on the caller ID Daniel asked, “Who is this?”
“Albert Sunby,” the voice said and something clicked in Daniel’s mind instantly. “We were on a dig together near Said a few years back…”
A smile peeled onto Daniel’s face as the name, the face and the voice came together in a solid memory. Images of a short, prematurely balding man who was about his own age, with large grey eyes and a tendency to develop a thick Norwegian accent when he had a little too much to drink despite all the years he’d spent living and studying in America, filled Daniel’s mind. Dropping back down onto the couch he relaxed a little, only leaning forwards briefly to grab the remote to the television and turn it off. “Oh, of course! How are you?”
“Not so good actually,” Albert said though another burst of static. “I’m having a few problems at the moment but I think you might be able to help me…”
“Well I’m not sure what use I can be…”
“It’s to do with a dig site,” Sunby continued. “I should never have got involved with it really – completely out of my area of expertise and the man who was funding it… well, I doubted from the beginning that his intentions were even remotely connected to preserving and protecting anything I might find.”
Daniel shook his head even though he knew the other man could not see it. “I don’t see how I could help Albert. I’m not even actively involved with archaeology anymore.”
“But this would be right up your street!” the other man exclaimed. There was a pause and then he sighed. “I’m not going to lie to you Daniel… I’m not sure I’m entirely safe anymore. I made the mistake of expressing my doubts to one of the dig supervisors and, well, I didn’t realise until afterwards what a big mistake it had been.”
“You’re in danger?”
“Perhaps…”
“Can’t you go to the police?”
“I’m in Cairo Daniel and there is every chance that the man funding the dig has bought off more than a couple of the local officials. If I went to the police then I doubt that I’d get out of the city. I’m already in hiding.” He paused and then added, “Listen, I heard a couple of years ago that you had gotten involved with some military types…”
Shock rolled through Daniel. “Where did you hear that?” he asked.
“It doesn’t matter. I was just wondering whether you thought they would be able to get me out of here somehow… I don’t care where I end up but I need to get away from Egypt. There are… things happening out here. Things I don’t understand but I don’t think this is simply an archaeological dig – I think there is something else going on.”
“Wait – slow down a minute. What are you saying exactly?”
At the other end of the line there was a pause and for a second Daniel found himself catching his own breath. Albert had sounded panicked, scared perhaps and even though Daniel’s memories of the small man were mainly concerned with how anxious he had always seemed there was nothing there to suggest that he was anything less than brave. If something was happening, if it wasn’t just Albert’s imagination then there must be something fairly serious going on.
“They had us reopen the old Sotherington dig site,” Albert said in a breathy voice. “I couldn’t understand it at first, everyone knows there is nothing out there but they said we should at least try there. There was nothing at first but we kept going down – further than even the geo-survey team suggested and we hit something. I couldn’t believe it! I mean, that place has been turned over a half a dozen times and no one has ever found anything new. Well the moment that the site managers realised that we’d found the beginnings of a structure they dragged us all into private and started reminding us of the contract we signed… It was nothing. I mean, I thought it was nothing. They told us it was just to do with safety but apparently there was some small print saying that we’re not allowed to talk about what we’ve found.
“Well Schulman - I don’t think you ever met him – he went a bit mad. Started talking about how it was a great discovery and how the world should know but they wouldn’t budge even a little. He ended up storming off the site and never coming back.”
“He quit?” Daniel asked.
“That’s what they said but when I tried to get in contact with him, to tell him not to be stupid and come back I couldn’t find him anywhere. He’s disappeared off the face of the planet Daniel and he wouldn’t do that – he had a wife and a daughter.”
“You think that something has happened to him then?”
“It’s possible. Like I said, the man who is funding the dig does not seem like the sort that would take such a betrayal lightly.”
Leaning forwards even before he realised he was doing it Daniel asked, “Who is it?”
“His name is Lex Luthor,” Albert answered, his voice lowered slightly. “Of LexCorp Industries.” The line crackle once more and Daniel strained to here the voice of the man on the other end. He stood and moved to another part of the room, hoping that it would give him better reception only to find that it failed to do so. Even considering the distances that they were speaking over the telephone line should have been better than it was if Sunby had been using a landline and Daniel instantly wondered whether the man wasn’t putting himself in even more danger by talking to him from the dig site itself.
“LexCorp Industries…” he began to say and then suddenly stopped as once more Albert’s voice broke through the static.
“Hurry,” the man said. “If you can do anything then hurry. I think they may already be suspicious. I can’t leave the dig site. We used to stay in a hotel in Cairo and be flown in by a helicopter but Luthor’s men made some excuse about no longer being able to finance the flights – which is a complete lie considering his wealth – and now we are forced to sleep here… Daniel…”
“I’ll do what I can,” he said quickly. “I’m not promising anything but I’ll talk to a few people – hang on.”
“I will, but hurry. I have to go now - they’ll start to wonder where I am.”
“Of course. Goodbye…”
“Just hurry.”
The line went dead in Daniel’s hand and he dropped the receiver from his ear until he ended up just staring at it. The desperation had been clear in Sunby’s voice. He honestly believed that his life was in danger and if what he had suspected about the other dig archaeologist was true then there was every reason that he might be right.
Dropping back into a sitting position he rolled over in his mind once more the man that Sunby had mentioned. Lex Luthor. It was impossible not to know who he was. Even as reclusive as his life working for the military sometimes became Daniel was well aware of the young billionaire. It was not uncommon to see his features flashing across television screens, to see it printed on magazines and in newspapers. Daniel had always imagined from looking at him that Luthor was a rather predictable mix of tough businessman and rich kid playboy. Why on earth he would be interested in an old archaeological dig in Egypt was far beyond his comprehension.
It was a thought that was well and truly capable of propelling him into action. Considering that Luthor really shouldn’t have been interested in anything archaeological then there was every chance that he was up to something illegal and therefore all the more reason that Sunby was right about his life being in danger.
Reaching for the telephone the archaeologist quickly tapped in the familiar number of the SGC, waiting until Hammond’s personal assistant answered with his heart leaping into his mouth. He doubted that there was anything that the military could - or even would – actually do to help Sunby but that didn’t meant that the General didn’t know people who might know people that might be able and willing to do something. It took several seconds for him to reassure the person on the end of the line that his call was important enough to direct straight through to the General and then a few more until the man himself actually accepted the call.
It was not surprising when as a consequence the first words out of the General’s mouth were, “Hello Daniel, no you can’t come back to work just yet.”
For a second the archaeologist was stunned into silence before he remembered himself and said, “That isn’t why I was calling, sir.”
“You said that the last time you called to ask whether your leave could be cut short.”
“Yes, I know, but this time I’m telling the truth. Honestly.”
“Very well…” Hammond said slowly.
“The thing is, sir, I just got a rather worrying phone call from an old colleague and I think he may be in trouble.”
There was a pause from the other end of the line before the man spoke. “You telephoned me to tell me about a phone call?”
“Well, yes, but more what the call was about. I realise that this probably isn’t directly concerned with the military but the fact is that there seems to have been a little trouble concerning a dig that my friend has been working on in Egypt and…”
“In Egypt?” the General interrupted, abruptly sounding more alert.
It was Daniel’s turn to pause for a moment. “Yes,” he answered stringing out the words.
“And this friend of yours, Dr Jackson, would it so happen that he was on contract to LexCorp Industries?”
“Yes!” Daniel spluttered. “But how did you know?”
“Dr Jackson I would very much appreciate it if you would cut short your leave and return to base immediately. It appears that we may have a situation.”
TBC
