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Into the Dark

Summary:

Part 2 of the Into the Dark Mirrorverse. In an AU Metropolis, Oliver is devastated by the loss of his wife Chloe and their unborn child, who were murdered by Zod. Turning his back on Clark and the Justice League and obsessed with the possibility of finding Chloe again, he tasks Garrison Slate and his scientists at S.T.A.R. Labs with reverse engineering a broken mirrorbox he took from Clark.

When an alternate Oliver crosses universes looking for Chloe, Ollie is suspicious. Oliver claims to be there for Chloe’s protection, but Ollie senses a darkness in his doppelganger that worries him. As Oliver grows closer to Chloe, it becomes clear to Ollie that the other man is determined to get back what he lost in his own world by any means necessary.

Chapter 1: Finding Chloe

Chapter Text

“Memories and feelings of nostalgia are nothing more than cruelties; they are the most beautiful lies we will ever convince ourselves to believe.  We chase the false hope so fiercely that we nearly push ourselves past the edges of our sanity, longing for that which can never be in our possession again.  These edges are blurred by our regrets and desperation all throughout the darkest hours of the night, until finally we are set free from the illusions and the ghosts of our past with the rising of the sun… and we are changed in some small, yet permanent way.”

Margaret E. Rise

Chapter 1 – Finding Chloe

Clark watched grimly as the bodies of Zod and Alia were covered again. “Are you sure about who you saw?” He knew the answer was yes, but he had to ask. He had to be certain because if Oliver was responsible then he had failed him just as much as he’d failed Chloe and her baby.

Faora nodded. “I am sorry, Kal-El. Please understand that we do not want to pursue the matter. We voted against blood for blood, but the council does recognize he was owed a blood debt. What Zod and Alia did to his family, and what they were planning to do to yours, is unforgivable. Perhaps now he may find some peace.”

“He murdered them,” Clark said quietly, heart heavy. His own moral code said that Oliver should be punished for such an offense, but the man was already suffering. There was little he could really do, anyway. The Kandorians were illegal aliens in every sense of the word. Yes, they had social security numbers and papers that allowed them to blend in as citizens, but that wouldn’t hold up under an autopsy or a police investigation. It would only bring negative attention back to the rest of the group.

“He avenged his family.” Faora motioned to two of the men, who removed the bodies. “It is done.”

For all their technological advances, Clark found the Kandorians to be rather primitive in their sense of honor and justice. It was one of the reasons he wasn’t certain he could ever really understand them or join them. He knew that Faora and the others hoped he would find a mate among the Kryptonian women. A mate – that was the word she often used when speaking of love or marriage. They loved, of course, but there was a level of practicality to choosing a mate that made him uncomfortable. Many things that they believed were in direct opposition to what his parents had taught him. Blood aside, he felt he was far more human than Kryptonian.

He would need to talk to Oliver. He considered waiting before deciding against it and racing to the Queen residence. But when he arrived at the penthouse, he fell to the floor in agony, his eyes focused on the man standing calmly across the room.

Noting the green panels lining the lower walls, Clark gasped, “What are you doing?”

“I’m giving you a warning.” Oliver walked over to Clark and knelt down. His eyes were cold as he said, “I finished it, Clark. I’m not sorry, I will not lose any sleep over it, and I really don’t care if you think it was wrong. You just don’t get it – I watched my family die. I couldn’t help them. Chloe struggled to survive for at least ten minutes before I heard her stop breathing. Do you know what that’s like? To watch, helpless, as someone you love dies?”

Clark closed his eyes as pain swept through his body. It wasn’t just the kryptonite; he recalled the scene of the crash and Chloe covered in her own blood. Maybe he hadn’t loved her like Oliver did, but he’d loved her longer, and he knew the agony of that moment would stay with him.

“Then there’s Zoe.” Oliver’s voice broke as he said her name. “She kept kicking at first because she was strong, just like her mother. I talked to her. I hoped she could hear me, and I told her that I was sorry I didn’t protect her. And then I was just alone in that car, Clark. I wanted to die and I think the only reason God let me live was to make sure their killers paid.”

Oliver stood and walked over to a panel on the wall. He punched in a code and the kryptonite panels were hidden behind lead sheeting.

Clark used the wall to pull himself up, still sweating and shaking as nausea rolled through his body. “You said this is a warning.”

Oliver nodded slowly. “I don’t want to see you again. I’m done – with you, with the League, all of it. I don’t want to hear whatever lecture you came here to deliver. I don’t want your sympathy. And I’m sure as hell not going to listen to you tell me what you think Chloe would have wanted. Those panels? They’re in my office, too, and I’ll carry stones with me.”

“You’re the one… the one who took all of the meteor rock from the refinery.” Victor had informed them of the break-in just before Chloe’s funeral. All of the meteor rock stored in the refinery owned by Queen Industries had been taken. One person stocking up on kryptonite had raised an alarm within the League. They’d thought Lex might be behind it.

“I’ve got people working overtime on weapons production,” Oliver confirmed. “If the Kandorians ever become a problem, I’ll be ready. If you ever become a problem, I’ll be ready.”

This was so much worse than Clark had thought it would be. Oliver didn’t even look like Oliver – he was unshaven and hard eyed, drowning in his own bitterness and sorrow even if he didn’t see it. And there was nothing Clark could do to help him.

“I’ll go,” he finally said. “Oliver… don’t shut everyone out. If you don’t want me around, I’ll respect that. But you need to talk to someone before this eats away at your soul.”

For just a moment, Clark saw an Oliver he recognized. “My soul was buried with my wife and child over a week ago. Talking won’t change that.”

He turned his back, and Clark limped to the elevator.

<<<<< 

Oliver threw himself into his company and the production of the kryptonite weapons, though the Kandorians had been quiet so far. He turned away all visitors other than Chloe’s immediate family. While it hurt to see them, he didn’t have the heart to tell them to go when he knew how much they had loved Chloe.

Lois’ visit four months later was the tipping point. She was still involved with the League through Bruce and she told him that not only did she understand why he killed Zod and Alia, she believed he’d done the right thing. Then she told him about a mirrorbox that had transported her to an alternate reality.

Oliver had heard of the many worlds theory before but he’d never believed in the concept of alternate realities or mirrorverses. But according to Lois, she’d visited a world eerily similar yet drastically different. The Kandorians had gained powers in the other world and had turned the sun red, which stripped Clark of his own power and left everyone defenseless.

The Lois of that world was dead but when she told him about the alternate Chloe, he felt his world tilt. He’d never imagined that there might be another Chloe somewhere and the proof that there was at least one was a shock to him. Of course, there was an Oliver too, but according to Lois they weren’t married. They were partners in taking down the Kandorians; that world’s Chloe was also murdered by Alia, and Lois watched it happen.

Clearly it affected her because Lois told him that she slept better knowing that Oliver put Alia in the ground in both worlds. She said that Bruce agreed, and if Oliver wanted to come back and work with them then he would find the League understood what he did far better than Clark, especially after her impromptu trip to another universe. When he asked about the mirrorbox, she told him that it was broken after she returned.

Oliver didn’t care if it was broken. He wanted that box.

<<<<< 

Oliver stared down at the small, silver box he’d taken from Clark’s barn. This was the box that had transported Lois to a world where she’d seen another Chloe. That world’s Chloe might be dead, but he now considered the possibility of other worlds – worlds where another Chloe might be alive or might need his help.

He wasn’t sure Emil could be trusted with this since he still had ties to the League, so he contacted Garrison Slate at S.T.A.R. Labs. They had worked together to create the kryptonite weapons, and Slate was fascinated with the alien box when Oliver brought it to him.

“I’ve long believed in the many worlds theory, but to have confirmation is remarkable,” Slate commented, turning the box over and over as he examined the markings. “You said this is alien technology?”

Oliver nodded. “I was told that it somehow opened a portal to a mirrorverse – a universe similar to ours but one in which things didn’t happen the same way. It was supposed to be a two-way door – one person goes there while another comes here – but the mirror self of the person transported was already dead.”

“It’s broken, but I know two scientists who have been working on the concept of traveling between worlds. They believe they’re close to a breakthrough, and it’s possible this box could help.”

“I’d like to meet them,” Oliver said. “If they’re close, I’m willing to fund the research as well.”

There was a part of him that recognized what he was doing wasn’t entirely sane, but he didn’t care. Ever since Lois told him about meeting the other Chloe, he couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of finding his Chloe again.

Something of what he was thinking must have shown in his expression because Slate cleared his throat. “I know you lost your wife six months ago, Oliver. I want to make sure you understand that there is no guarantee of finding a particular person in another world, and there would be no way to determine who is in that world before traveling there.”

Oliver looked up at Slate. “Just set the meeting.” If it worked, he’d visit all of them if necessary.

<<<<< 

The research became an obsession for Oliver. Other than his company, it was the only thing he cared about. He often went to the cemetary and talked to Chloe about what they were learning. He made her a promise – that if there was another Chloe in another world who needed help, he would save her.

The scientists, Dr. Howard and Dr. Stein, put their new funding to good use and shared every development with Oliver. Two months after they began, they opened a portal for the first time, though it closed just as quickly as it appeared. Another month passed, and they were able to sustain the portal.

“I believe we can use the box as both a stabilizer and as a safe gateway transportation device for the traveler,” Dr. Stein explained as they watched the lights of the portal shift. “This metal is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It seems to store energy, but it’s also a conductor. It’s sensitive to gravitational pulls as well, which is important because choosing a world with a similar energy and gravitational pull is safer.”

“Once a traveler uses the box to move to one world, the box should bring him back when it’s opened again in the same spot,” Dr. Howard added. “It has a sort of memory, if you will. We’ve seen it repeat back energy patterns during our tests.”

Slate was the voice of caution. “Oliver, you realize this is all theoretical. We can speculate but until there is a trial, we have no way of knowing how accurate these theories are.”

“If someone leaves their world, is it possible for them to live in the other world permanently?” Oliver asked, ignoring Slate.

The two doctors exchanged a look. “It should be possible, but Slate is correct. It’s all theoretical until we’ve tested it.”

Oliver stripped off his jacket and removed his tie. “Then let’s test it.”

The first test didn’t work. As soon as Oliver stepped into the light of the portal, it closed, leaving him standing in the same place in the lab. “What just happened?” he asked, frustrated.

“Not enough energy,” Dr. Howard muttered. He started up the machine again, a modified, small scale particle accelerator. “Let the box absorb the energy first.”

When the box was left in the light, they began to see more than just lights. Worlds appeared and disappeared, images shifting rapidly from one to another. Occasionally the images slowed down enough that Oliver could make out familiar landmarks. “It’s only showing us Metropolis.” They had told him that’s how it would work, but he was still surprised to see it with his own eyes.

“Yes, because the portal should open and close in the same place in both worlds, which is why we’ve chosen this building to work from,” Dr. Stein informed him. They had set up a lab in a warehouse on the docks that featured a basement not shown on any city planning documents. It was also part of a group of buildings owned by Queen Industries, though this one was not in use due to flooding concerns. In a similar universe, they hoped this fact would be unchanged, and Oliver had spent a lot of money flood proofing the basement and providing other necessary safety measures.

“Are you ready?” Dr. Howard asked.

Oliver nodded and picked up the box before stepping into the light. The images became sharper; when he felt pulled towards one of them, he opened the box.

Everything was impossibly bright for a moment. When he finally opened his eyes, he was standing in a dank basement. A glance out the window confirmed it was the same basement they were working out of in his world. The sun was yellow – a good sign. He’d feared the box might take him back to the same world Lois visited.

Oliver set up his laptop and after a few password attempts, he managed to log into the Queen Industries satellite. He immediately began searching for Chloe Sullivan.

He found a death certificate on record with the county.

“Damn it!” He punched the window, breaking the glass but oblivious to the pain as he squeezed his eyes shut and fought to push back the despair he’d worked so hard to control since the funeral. After a few minutes and a few deep breaths, he sat and pulled the laptop closer.

Based on her birth and death dates, she died in high school at the age of seventeen. She was scheduled to be a witness in the trial of Lionel Luthor, and he was later prosecuted for her murder. He was still on death row.

Further searches showed that Clark was alive and well and working at The Daily Planet along with Lois. A search of Oliver Queen showed he was married – he did a double take when he saw he’d married Dinah Lance. Somehow he doubted that would end well. He and Dinah had flirted with the idea of dating once or twice but had wisely kept their relationship platonic given they each had a fiery nature.

Closing the laptop, Oliver stood up and slipped it back into his bag. There was nothing he could do for Chloe here.

<<<<< 

The first test was a success, but Slate, Howard and Stern all agreed that Oliver should have an extensive physical upon his return. Oliver was frustrated, eager to get back out there and continue his search, but he reluctantly agreed. If he found Chloe, he needed to be sure she would suffer no ill effects from crossing universes.

Over the next few months, he completed the crossing four more times, only to be bitterly disappointed each time. The manner of death varied, but Chloe Sullivan was dead in each world he visited – sometimes while in high school and sometimes later. She was the victim of Smallville’s meteor freaks at least twice, as far as he could determine, and she died at Lex’s hand once while in her early twenties. The last world was one in which she was killed by a boyfriend who’d apparently been stalking her.

And in every world he visited, Clark Kent was still alive. If he wasn’t sure before that Clark’s very existence had put Chloe in peril time and again, he was certain of it now. He thought about killing Clark – he knew it would bring the League down on him, but he didn’t care. The only thing he cared about was the fact that he knew, beyond a doubt, that Chloe would not want that. As much as he hated the very sight of Clark now, he wouldn’t hurt the Sullivans and the Kents that way.

The one year anniversary of Chloe’s death came and went. He projected photos and videos of his life with Chloe on the wall of his bedroom and stayed in the dark, ignoring the outside world. This was the only way he could hang onto her – he could remember the way she’d smiled and how she’d laughed. He still sprayed her perfume in their bedroom, and the scent comforted him now as he drank and watched the home videos.

Oliver gave himself that day to grieve before packing his essentials, mostly money and tech, and returning to the basement lab. He wasn’t giving up until he found her.

<<<<< 

Oliver gave himself a moment to adjust to the disorientation that accompanied each crossing, blinking rapidly against the little dots floating in his line of vision. He was back in the basement, though this time it was full of boxes and didn’t smell damp.

That’s different, he thought, taking a cautious look around. The logo on the boxes indicated it was still owned by Queen Industries.

He set up his laptop on one of the boxes and linked to the satellite. He pulled up The Daily Planet and frowned when he saw a byline by Lois and Clark. That sense of dread was creeping back up on him, and it grew as he paged through the Planet’s website and found no mention of Chloe.

Closing out the page, he took a deep breath before he began searching public records. Ten minutes later, dread turned to hope. He found a marriage license for Chloe Sullivan, followed by a divorce decree that was issued months later. He found a current driver’s license; the address listed indicated she lived in a dormitory at Metropolis University. Since the license had been issued three years earlier, he thought that might be out of date. He stared at her photo, running his finger over the image. She looked the same – her hair was a little shorter, but she was the same beautiful Chloe.

He searched for Oliver Queen next and found that he was a Metropolis resident in this world. He lived in the old clocktower, and he was unmarried based on blurbs in the society pages. There was no mention of him in connection with Chloe Sullivan. He did find reports of Green Arrow operating in Metropolis and assumed they might know one another since this Chloe also grew up in Smallville.

Chloe had been living in a small walk-up near the city center when he met her. Deciding to take a chance, he pulled on his non-descript black coat, a hat and a pair of sunglasses. The air was cold outside, a reminder that although it was early fall in his world, it was winter here. This had happened twice before – he’d crossed into the universe at a slightly different time. He’d seen the dates on the Planet’s website and knew it was January, approximately a year earlier than his world.

Oliver walked from the warehouse district to the downtown area of Metropolis, making a note of any differences in landmarks. Most were the same, though small things were different – Chloe’s favorite bookstore was an Internet café, and their favorite Thai restaurant was a pizza place. But he passed other familiar stores and restaurants, including Chloe’s favorite espresso café – the one that served the fresh berry scones she’d scarfed down daily from her second trimester on.

The walk-up was a bust – it wasn’t even an apartment building in this world. Tamping down his frustration, he went back to the espresso café, bought a cup of coffee and thought about his next move. Chloe was here – he could feel something different about this world, and Oliver was sure it was because of her. He just had to find her.

Impulsively, he bought a few of the scones and walked to The Daily Planet. If Chloe was here, Lois would probably know where she was. He could follow her, maybe even use his cloning technology to check her phone. Choosing a bench in the park across the street, he kept watch. Lois emerged around five-thirty with Clark at her side, and they walked to an Italian restaurant and had dinner before returning to the newspaper office.

That night he followed Lois to an apartment building near the newspaper office. Through the second floor window, he saw her turn on lights and turn on the TV. It was only a one bedroom, so Chloe didn’t live there with her. An hour later Clark blurred in.

He’d noticed this – in four of the worlds he’d visited, Lois and Clark were a couple. It didn’t look like she’d ever met Bruce Wayne, which made him wonder if there was even a Justice League here. After he checked into a motel, he searched for mentions of other heroes. He found stories on the Batman in Gotham, and Black Canary seemed to move around to different cities in this universe.

Bart seemed to have made Central City his permanent base, and Victor Stone was listed as an employee of Queen Industries. So were Bart, AC and, interestingly, Chloe Sullivan was listed as an IT consultant. That answered the question of whether Oliver and Chloe knew each other in this world. When he finally fell asleep in the early morning hours, he dreamed of her.

Following Lois the next day yielded nothing interesting until she left the office at five and walked further downtown to a Korean fusion restaurant. And there she was – Chloe was standing outside the restaurant checking something on her phone as she waited for her cousin. The two women hugged and went inside.

Oliver knew better than to try and follow them inside – he chose a nearby café and sat at the window so he could see when they left. He realized his hands were shaking, and he squeezed the cup in his hand. He had to calm down. He didn’t want to scare her when he saw her.

When they emerged, he followed Chloe. She detoured by an espresso café. It wasn’t the same one that sold the scones, but he noticed that she had a bag in her hand when she left, as well as a large cup of coffee. She didn’t appear to be in a hurry.

Her destination was an old tower building with a distinctive green roof; located in the heart of Metropolis, it covered an entire block. He recognized it as the tallest building in the city, but as far as he knew no one had ever lived there and it was abandoned in his world. The building was dark except for the lights he could see shining from windows at the very top. He supposed it could be a loft apartment but with no one else coming and going, he had to wonder if she was the only resident.

It was around seven, still relatively early. Oliver had made a plan for when he finally found Chloe. He would do nothing more than observe her at first. He thought it would be helpful to understand her world, the people with whom she associated, and what she did from day to day. It would also provide him with an opportunity to assess any potential threats to her safety.

Oliver should have known he wouldn’t be able to wait after he actually saw her, especially after five failed attempts to find her. He was filled with a burning desire to be in the same room with her, to talk to her, to see for himself that she wasn’t just a ghost his mind had constructed. He walked into the building and pressed the button for the elevator.

A computerized voice startled him when he stepped inside. “Please state your name.”

Shit. Apparently this was more than just an apartment building. “Oliver Queen.”

“Confirming identity of Oliver Queen – scan in progress.”

Oliver removed his hat and glasses and said a prayer that he was similar enough to the other Oliver to pass a security scan. Moments later, the red light blinked off.

“Scan complete. Welcome to Watchtower.”

He released the breath he was holding as the elevator started moving.

<<<<< 

Chloe heard the elevator start up and smiled when she saw Oliver on the monitor. She hadn’t been expecting him that night because he had a business dinner, but she couldn’t deny she was happy to see him. In the months since Jimmy’s death, he’d been a rock. Her only rock, really. Lois had disappeared and Clark had been completely unavailable while the rest of the League scattered after they dealt with Davis.

She had honestly expected Oliver to follow suit, and he had for a few weeks. She’d eventually tracked him down – easy enough since all she had to do was follow the reports of his boozing, playboy behavior. He hadn’t been happy to see her but when she explained that Lois had disappeared and Clark was gone, his demeanor changed. He’d returned to Metropolis with her, albeit reluctantly at first.

They’d worked together to create the Watchtower database, and eventually they talked about Davis and Jimmy. She could see the guilt he was carrying and knew he blamed himself for bringing Jimmy into the situation. She blamed herself, too. Opening up to one another had been a slow and arduous process, but soon Oliver quit wallowing and started being more productive. He took up the reins of his company again, and he stopped the excessive drinking. Eventually he put on the uniform again and went back to patrolling the city as Chloe guided him. From that point forward they’d been full partners in this venture, and they’d become very close friends in the process.

When the elevator doors opened, she said, “Didn’t think I’d be seeing you tonight, or at least not this early.” When he didn’t answer, she turned her head to look at him.

Oliver was standing a few feet away. He was completely still, as if some force had rooted him to that spot, and he was staring at her. Something in his eyes sent a chill through her.

“It’s really you,” he said. It was almost like he was talking to himself.

Chloe turned to face him slowly. Something wasn’t right – Oliver didn’t look like he’d come from the office, for one thing. He often changed before coming here, so it wasn’t unusual to see him wearing jeans and a long-sleeved Henley under his coat. But the coat was not the one he’d been wearing lately and the cheap cut screamed knockoff. Then there was the fact that he hadn’t shaved and he had bags under his eyes.

The last time she’d seen him looking this tired and unkempt was when he’d been drinking, and her heart sank. “Oliver, did something happen?” She walked over and reached for his hand, searching his face for clues.

He looked confused as he said, “Your eyes are green. They should be blue.”

“What?” she asked, frowning. “Oliver, what are you talking about?”

“Everything else is the same, though,” he continued, reaching out to touch her hair and then her face. “Almost the same.”

That chill had returned and it was slowly creeping through her body as the hairs rose along her arms. Some instinct told her to back up, to put some distance between her and the man staring at her like he was seeing a ghost. Swallowing hard, she reached behind her and hit a button on the keyboard.

Within seconds, Oliver’s voice came through the speakers. “Hey, I’m just finishing up. I should be there in about an hour.”

The man moved so quickly that Chloe didn’t even have a chance to respond before he disconnected the call. “Who are you?”

“I’m Oliver Queen,” he said slowly. He held up his hands, a gesture she thought was intended to put her at ease. “I’m not this world’s Oliver, but I am Oliver. I came here to find you.”

“Why?” Chloe edged along the desk without taking her eyes off of Oliver’s doppelganger. She could hear her phone ringing now and knew it had to be Oliver, but it was on the other desk.

“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly. “I’m doing this the wrong way. But you can trust me – I just want to take you some place where you’ll be safe.” His words were rushed now.

She had no idea what was going on, but she had no intention of going anywhere with him. She finally reached the far monitor and pressed the panic button that would lock down the tower.

<<<<< 

Oliver frowned when Chloe’s call disconnected. He immediately tried calling her again but she didn’t answer. After his second attempt, he left the table where he’d been wrapping up with his colleagues and called Clark, who also didn’t answer. He was about to try Lois when his phone rang.

Seeing it was Victor, he said, “Look, I’m going to have to call you back…”

“Hey, I’m just following procedure,” Victor said. “You want to tell me why you and Chloe put the tower in lockdown?”

“Wait, what?” Oliver ran his hand through his hair in agitation. “What do you mean it’s in lockdown? Since when?”

“Since a few minutes ago,” Victor said, sounding confused. “You’re there with her. Shouldn’t you know what’s going on?”

“I’m not at Watchtower, Victor. I’m at a business dinner and Chloe called a few minutes ago but it disconnected before she said anything.” He could feel a knot growing in his stomach.

“Then we have a problem because according to the feed from the elevator, you entered the Watchtower about ten minutes ago, and less than five minutes later Chloe put the place on lockdown. So whoever is in there with her? I’m assuming they’re not a friend.”

A/N – This one has been sitting around on my computer for over a year, so I decided to start editing and posting. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Basically spoilers through Season 9 Absolute Justice, but you’ll notice I made little changes to canon here and there. More coming soon.