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]

"Why did you join them in the first place?" Chloe asks curiously as she starts to bandage up Tess' shoulder.

[have_no_mercy]

For some reason, it doesn't phase Tess that it's Chloe asking this. "It's a long story, but basically, it was a very... tumultuous time in my life and I thought they could give me some stability. And I'd still be doing something to help save the world."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe pulls back and starts to put away the things she used to stitch Tess up, "I'm done," she tells her then smirks humorlessly at the confession, even if Tess' back is still to her, "do you still think that's what they are doing?"

[have_no_mercy]

She turns to face Chloe and half shrugs, using her right shoulder only, and manages to get her shirt back on, leaving it unbuttoned for now. There's a rather noticeable, but still small, baby bump since they last saw each other.

"I think that's what they think they're doing, but they're going about it the wrong way. They promote segregation, not unity."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

The bump gets a glance, with everything else, Chloe hadn't really paid attention to it before, but it's expected, so she moves to put away the first-aid kit, "they can't track you anymore, maybe it's time to expose them for what they are."

[have_no_mercy]

"Expose them to who, the public?" It's clear Tess doesn't think that's the best idea ever. "The entire reason they're covert is because the public can't deal with what they're doing."

She continues, quietly. "We need to eliminate them."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe takes a seat in one of the other chairs and frowns at Tess, "and how do you eliminate a government agency, Tess? Kill everyone involved? Including people like you, who think they are doing a good thing?"

She shakes her head, clearly Chloe doesn't think that is the best idea ever, "they will just recruit more people and start over."

[have_no_mercy]

Tess takes another sip of her water.

"You take out the people at the top, leave them in disarray. Eventually, the government will shut it down because it's too much trouble and move on. It happens all the time; the government is fickle."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"Headless chicken," Chloe summarizes then takes a deep breath, raising an eyebrow at Tess, "and I assume you know exactly who needs to be taken down?"

[have_no_mercy]

"I think the best place to start would be the person who kidnapped you and is has the hit out on me," Tess suggests, finally starting to feel a little better, despite the throbbing pain in her shoulder. "That's what I came here to start to do, but it looks like that isn't happening anymore."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

That makes Chloe raise both eyebrows, "you were breaking into the Watchtower to attack Checkmate?" and that's all genuine curiosity.

[have_no_mercy]

She nods. "You've got the equipment and no one would expect me to be here." That almost makes Tess laugh now.

Then she glances over at Chloe. "Nothing would have been traceable back to you."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe studies Tess for a second and shakes her head a little, "you do realize Oliver would have helped you if you had asked, right? He would probably even have asked me to give you a hand with it."

[have_no_mercy]

"I don't need your help." And that has all the usual attitude behind it.