A red tornado

Tess has barely been back in Kansas when her attention gets pulled in a hundred directions at once. It isn't a while until she realizes she's forgotten one very important thing: Lena's lost barette, probably somewhere at the Kent Farm.

After a call to Clark to make certain the coast is clear, she drives over intent on making a quick search of the property and then heading back to the mansion. Naturally, it would be rude not to say hello so her first stop on arrival is the farmhouse itself, letting herself in the kitchen door.

This has not been a good week for Tess. All things considered, the last few days in particular have possibly been the worst of her life in recent years. But that's what happens when you're playing too many sides and one of them catches up to you. She knew this was going to happen one day. She'd just been hoping not this soon.

But it has and there's nothing Tess can do but accept the consequences of what she's done. Or more to the point, what she won't be doing anymore. To that end, she'd managed to leave messages for both Clark and Oliver to meet her at one of Luthorcorp's abandoned warehouses in downtown Metropolis.

Now it was just a waiting game to see if they decided to show up.


[[OOC:Posting order Oliver, Chloe, Clark, Tess.]]

Tess was late for work. She'd fallen asleep after last night's tryst with Ryan Edge - something she'd never done before. Thankfully, he'd had the decency to be gone when she finally did wake up, so she could run around and chastise herself in private.

Also on her side, she keeps a change of clothes at the office and there's a rush to get ready once she arrives, practically ignoring the messages her receptionist has left on her desk. There's an investors meeting this afternoon to prepare for and she needs to be on the ball. One, however, catches her eyes. It's from her doctor. A not-brief-enough phone call later and Tess is in an entirely different state of mind. One might call it numb.

Several minutes later, she somehow finds herself at Luthorcorp, headed straight for Oliver's office even if he's not in right now, Ms. Mercer, can you please wait outside? Please?

Ms. Mercer isn't listening. She has no idea how long she waits, simply staring out the office window, before her brain decides to start booting back up into survival mode and she wonders why the hell she's here. She doesn't need to cancel the meeting in person.

Tess takes a deep breath and decides to leave, starting back toward the door.

To say that Tess was shaken would be a massive understatement.

Lex was dead. He was supposed to be dead. And yet, here he was. Part of her wants to run away and never look back. Part of her can't believe how utterly stupid she was to believe he was ever really gone. But then, Lex had always been able to make her believe what she shouldn't.

Mostly, she wants to be sick.

But that's not an option. Tess has to think and first things first, the mansion is going under complete security lockdown; no one gets in, no one gets out. Except for herself, of course, because second on the agenda? Tess is getting the hell out of Dodge. At least for now.

She packs light - there's no time for anything else - even though she isn't sure exactly where she's going. Aside from, appropriately enough, Luthorcorp itself. Which seems insane, but she put Oliver in the middle of this and as much as she may not want to admit it, she needs to make sure he's all right.

By the time Tess gets to the office she's in no better a state. She's literally shaking and she can't stop, but the gun in her hand couldn't be held any more firmly. She pushes the CEO office doors open slowly, weapon at the ready.

"Oliver?" Her voice is shaking, too.