Lockdown with chloeas

[have_no_mercy]

Tess is tired of running. She's tired of hiding, tired of acting like the scared little girl she shouldn't be anymore. But most of all, Tess is bored.

Luckily, all that hiding and boredom has led to a plan: If she can take out the Castle's systems, then maybe she can get its residents out in the open long enough to take them out. At this point, it's worth the risk, because Tess will no longer allow herself to be hunted down and exterminated like a pest. If she's going out, she's going out fighting.

Of course, in order to put her brilliant plan into action, she needs a database. A very powerful database with very sophisticated computer equipment. Any of her Luthorcorp labs are out of the question; no doubt Checkmate is watching them and she'd never make it inside alive. But there is one place Tess can think of that no one would ever expect her to be at. So that's precisely where she goes.

Getting inside Watchtower is easy. As soon as she'd figured out Chloe was behind it, setting up a DNA cloak was child's play and it's one of the gadgets Tess actually took with her. Accessing the system puts her meager hacking skills to good use, but something catches her eye before she really starts to put her plan into action. A file on the Kandorians.

"Not on my watch," Tess mutters and then sets about purging that particular file from the system.

Comments

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe made her way back to the Watchtower after her meeting with Lois, everything had been set up and bought for Clark's birthday party the following day and should be on it's way to Smallville right now.

She stepped out of the elevator and toward the main room, a soft smile on her lips as she read the text message Oliver had just sent her, letting her know that he, Mia and Michael were going to dinner since she had already eaten with Lois.

It was Friday night and she knew they had been training for a long time, so she was about to reply just as she stepped inside the main room, she stilled for a second, one of the monitors was flashing a warning at her.

Something wasn't right, quickly, Chloe made her way to the main desk and reached under, looking for her gun, but it wasn't there.

[have_no_mercy]

Watchtower is terribly helpful, letting Tess know when the elevator has been engaged. It gives her enough time to locate the gun - in the most obvious place possible - and disappear into the shadows of the darkened room. Hopefully, the file at least got deleted.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe's eyes widen as she realizes what is happening, possible intruder momentarily forgotten as she starts to type quickly, the screen flashing in front of her 'Deleting Kandorian files, progress 70%'.

She types faster, her eyes widening as the numbers move up to 80, 90, 97% and then the sighs in relieve as Watchtower announces 'deleting process failed, Kandorian files backed up'.

[have_no_mercy]

Tess should really be happier about having an excuse to do this, but for some reason, she's not.

She steps closer to Chloe and cocks the gun, leveling the barrel at the blond's head. "You're going to want to reverse that. Now."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe will just stare in disbelief for a second, "because clearly the bullets can shoot through the steel doors," she remarks with a roll of her eyes, "I could care less if one of of them ricocheted and killed you but maybe you could be less selfish and think of your unborn child for once," she says loud enough for Tess to hear her over the loud noise the bullets are making as they hit the solid mass of steel.

[have_no_mercy]

That will get Tess to stop. Well, long enough to get another bitchy comment in anyway. "Maybe I'm hoping they'll hit you." And just because, she'll squeeze off one more bullet before finally accepting defeat and lowering the weapon.

"So, what, we're just going to sit here? And can you at least get the screens to stop flashing? That's enough to drive anyone insane."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"We can shut them off one by one, but unless you want me to try and get through the syst-" Chloe stops talking as the Watchtower announces that one of the firewalls has been taken down from the outside, that's not part of the lockdown script.

Someone is trying to hack her and Chloe knows exactly who to blame, so she will turn around and glare at Tess, "who is working for you or who the hell sent you in here?"

[have_no_mercy]

Firewalls are being hacked. That can't be good. Chloe's accusation only half surprises her.

"Since you clearly missed the memo, I'm on my own now. All I did was try to delete a file, so that's not me."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe just rolls her eyes and continues to scan, her eyes widening a little as the device starts to make loud noises, "there's something here."

[have_no_mercy]

Tess stills completely and there's a note of alarm in her voice when she speaks. "What? What do you mean?"

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"A bug," Chloe says, pulling the device back to make it stop making the annoying sound, "you're bugged, they've been tracking you, take off your over-shirt."

[have_no_mercy]

They put an implant in her. An implant. Tess thinks she might be sick, but her hands do as they're told and she removes her jacket and shirt in record time.

"Just get it out of me," she says firmly, though her voice wavers.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe is mildly disappointed by the lack of reaction, but she will just take the silence and work on stitching up the two small cuts for a moment.

Then she pauses and frowns, noticing for the first time the lack of warning from the Watchtower, "looks like my system is safe, at least."

[have_no_mercy]

"It must have kicked in as soon as I tried to access your system," Tess offers quietly. "Or some measure of proximity to hardware at the very least. I haven't been using too many computers since I've been gone."

Then a thought occurs to her. "Do you think they managed to get anything?"

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"Lower security items, probably," Chloe sighs and glances at the computer, before cleaning the newly stitched cuts once more.

"I don't know where Watchtower restored the Kandorian file to since you tried to delete it, they might have been able to access that too, depending how many firewalls it was under, they had almost three hundred down last time I paid attention, out of over four hundred fifty."

[have_no_mercy]

"So they could have the information on the Kandorians." Tess sighs again and lowers her head. "I have to make sure they don't."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"No, but you need my equipment, assuming we can access it again," Chloe says with a roll of her eyes, completely dismissing the attitude, "and I want Checkmate gone almost as much as you do."

[have_no_mercy]

"Only because they'd be watching if I accessed my own."

Tess leans back in the chair, wincing slightly even though she does her best to lean into her right side. "Well, providing we survive, maybe you can play a part if you like."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"Do you want an ice pack?" Chloe offers when she sees Tess wince since she knows she can't exactly offer the pregnant woman painkillers.

"How giving of you," there's sarcasm but Chloe's voice is quiet, "what are you planning?"

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe looks at the other woman for a long moment then quickly turns to look at the monitor when Watchtower announced it has completely shut down air supply.

Pursing her lips together, she starts looking around, maybe it's time to worry that Ollie might not make it on time after all.

[have_no_mercy]

Tess simply closes her eyes when the announcement is made and a hand unconsciously slips down to rest on her stomach. "If I can make a suggestion, in future, freezing to death would be preferable to this."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

At Tess' words, Chloe looks at her a little wide eyed, "freeze," she whispers, getting up, and walking to one of the back walls, opening a panel in it.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

If the level of sarcasm is anything to go by, Chloe thinks Tess will be fine, but she appreciates the mostly sincere answer, "sounds like a plan."

[have_no_mercy]

The sarcasm is full on, yes, so chances are Chloe's interpretation is bang on.

"How many more flights?" The complaining is kicking in, too.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"About twenty," Chloe answers quietly, looking forward to end this as much as Tess is.