This chapter may shock you - you have been warned!

Chapter Twenty-One: The Cage

"Mr Luthor."

A voice. A woman's voice, calm but authoritative.

"Mr Luthor."

For a second time Lex heard his name, and this time the insistent tone somehow reached into his brain, summoning him back to reality. For a time – how long was it? – it had been almost as if he had been cut off from the world around him, his all-consuming rage driving out all sense of reason, extinguishing the image of calm ruthlessness that he so carefully cultivated. He had surrendered to the anger that burned within him, and unleashed the darkness that lurked within his soul – but at what cost?

"Mr Luthor, is this what you want?"

Lex looked to his right, to find Akunin standing a few feet away from him. For a moment he looked at her uncomprehendingly, as if he did not understand what was going on. He then looked down at the apparently lifeless form of his enemy, limp and unmoving. He could see his hands still grasping Oliver's hair, their vice-like grip now no longer required as the struggles of the young man had ended.

What have I done! Suddenly Lex was overwhelmed with a sense of near panic. This was not how it was supposed to be, not how he'd rehearsed it in his head. He'd wanted to savour his triumph over the vigilante, gloat over his defeat, but he'd been weak – he'd allowed the taunts and provocations of Oliver to unsettle him, disturb his sense of equilibrium. It was just as it always had been, even back at Excelsior – Queen had got to him, exposed his insecurities and laid bare a side of his character that he always labored to keep hidden. Even in defeat Oliver had managed to snatch victory, cheating him of the pleasure of prolonging his agony by provoking him into a single act of murderous rage.

He's not going to win – not this time!

Suddenly Lex hauled Oliver's head from the water, holding the young man upright. He studied his face for a moment, searching for any signs of life. There were none – Oliver's eyes remained closed, and his face appeared serenely calm as rivulets of water ran down his cheeks and forehead. Lex scowled, before allowing his captive to fall lifeless to the ground.

"Bring him back!" he demanded, looking across at Akunin. There was anger in his voice, anger not just at the situation, but also anger at his own weakness in allowing himself to lose control. He turned his back and walked away as Akunin swiftly knelt down by Oliver's body to see if it was possible to bring the young man back from the dead.

Seconds passed – long, agonising seconds. Lex stared at the wall in front of him, struggling to regain his composure. He could hear Akunin at work behind him, following the procedures of CPR as she attempted to resuscitate Oliver. Would she succeed? She had to succeed – it couldn't be that one loss of control, one lapse into madness, could cheat him of all that he had dreamt of these past six months. He had planned the breaking of the Green Arrow with such meticulous attention to detail, every step along the road to his physical and mental destruction prepared to the point of obsession. And the fact that it would be Oliver Queen who would endure the torments he had in store – well, that made the prospect of what lay ahead almost mouth-watering in its perfection. Surely he was not to be denied - not now, not like this?

Lex froze, the sound of coughing and choking at last bringing the seemingly interminable wait to an end.

He recognised the sound – it was the sound that confirmed his fantasy was not to be extinguished. Oliver Queen was alive, and now nothing could prevent justice from being done. He would pay for his crimes in the way Lex intended, and nothing, no one, was going to prevent that.

Lex turned, to find Akunin standing over Oliver. The young man lay on his side, his body convulsing in pain as he spat out the mixture of bile and water that had so nearly robbed him of his life. Lex smiled – Oliver looked so pathetic, so feeble, the arrogance of apparent invincibility at last stripped away. How could he have ever contemplated taking the man's life, when so much pleasure was to be had in grinding his spirit into the dirt?

"Well done, Rachel – we wouldn't want our guest to leave the party early, now would we? Not before he's seen the suite of rooms we've prepared for him." Lex's voice once more exuded the measured authority that was his trademark. He was back in control, not just of the situation, but also of himself.

He walked over to where Oliver lay, observing his stricken captive with apparent detachment.

"You know, Oliver, that mouth of yours always did get you into trouble. I think it's time you showed some respect for your betters, don't you?"

"Screw you, Lex," croaked Oliver in reply, his voice weak after his ordeal.

"Ahh, Oliver, will you ever learn? This isn't Excelsior, my friend – you can't buy your way out of this one," sighed Lex. He turned to Akunin. "Rachel, Mr Queen here doesn't understand the importance of respect. Until he does – gag him."

Akunin smiled. She looked across at Carter, who pulled a roll of duct tape from his jacket and threw it across to her. She then knelt down and grabbed Oliver by the chin, pulling his face upwards so that their eyes met. She looked down at the hapless hero for a second, her face a picture of malicious pleasure as she searched his features for any sign of fear. There was none, only a blazing defiance that shone from the young man's eyes. Then there was the sound of material being torn from a roll, before Akunin ruthlessly wrapped the silver tape two or three times around Oliver's head, cruelly silencing him.

Oliver barely had time to recover from this latest indignity before he felt rough hands grabbing him by the arms and hauling him to his feet. Carter and Lex's other guard held him firmly, and for a moment Oliver felt his head swimming as he struggled to adjust to being vertical once more. It was just as well the grip of Lex's men was so strong, as he could feel his legs giving way beneath him. His brush with death had drained him physically, and he could not help but wonder what else Lex had in store for him, and how much more he would be able to endure.

As his vision began to clear he became aware of Lex standing in front of him, a half smile dancing on his otherwise impassive features. Only minutes before he'd managed to unsettle his adversary and get under his skin, but one look at Lex now told him that he'd recovered his sense of control. Lex was once again the master of the situation, and both men knew it.

"I'm sorry about the gag, Oliver," said Lex, affecting a conversational tone. "But until you learn to control that lying mouth of yours, you'll have to learn to accept your punishment. Now, I think it's time we showed you your new home, don't you?"

Oliver glared at Lex, acutely conscious of his own helplessness.

Lex looked at Carter.

"Bring him."

Lex then turned and began to walk towards what looked like the doors to an elevator, located on the far wall. The others followed, Oliver too weak to resist as his captors dragged him across the floor.

On arrival at the doors Lex punched a sequence of numbers into an electronic keypad. The doors slid back, to reveal a large elevator. The group entered, the doors closing silently behind them. Oliver felt a sudden chill run down his spine – as the elevator began to descend, he could not escape the feeling that he was descending into a hell from which he might never emerge.

The elevator plunged downwards for at least twenty seconds, before slowing and coming to a halt. Oliver had no idea how far down they'd travelled, but he guessed it was a considerable distance. If this was a 33.1 facility, it had been hidden well, with all that meant for the chances of discovery - or escape.

The doors again slid open, to reveal a narrow corridor, featureless and clinical in appearance. Again Lex led the way, setting off purposefully with the others following in his wake. They walked for about three minutes, turning seven or eight times down side corridors which all looked exactly the same. The effect was disorientating, and deliberately so – were Oliver ever to escape from the place where they were taking him, his chances of finding the elevator shaft again were slim. And as he was dragged along he could not help but notice the security cameras, located at regular intervals wherever they went. This place had been designed to hold a special prisoner - and that prisoner was him.

At last they arrived at a large steel door. Lex once again keyed a sequence of numbers into a keypad, taking care to hide the code from his captive who stood a couple of feet behind him. There was the sound of heavy bolts moving, before Lex took hold of the door and pushed it open. It was obviously heavy, and swung back slowly to reveal their final destination.

Lex stepped inside, and then turned to face Oliver. "Welcome to your new home, Oliver – welcome to the cage."

Oliver felt himself being dragged forward, and within seconds he had a clear view of the prison that Lex had constructed to house him. He found himself in a large open space, brightly lit with the harsh glare of electric lights which were spaced at intervals across the ceiling high above them. The space was large, but it was empty of any objects, any features, save one – a large cage which stood on a dais in the center of the room. It dominated its surroundings, appearing like some relic from a travelling circus of days gone by. However, the gleaming metal of the bars indicated clearly that this was no antique. This had been specially made to order, not to house a lion or tiger, but to imprison one man. The sight of the cage filled Oliver with a sense of dread – he knew that this where Lex intended to break him, and he could not help but wonder what tortures might lay ahead in this subterranean prison, shut off from the rest of the world. A terrible sense of isolation swept over him, as he contemplated what fate might have in store.

"What do you think?" asked Lex, walking towards the cage. He turned to look at Oliver, who stood flanked by Carter and the other guard just inside the entrance to the chamber. He could sense the other man's fear, his growing realisation that something terrible awaited him in this place, and that knowledge empowered him. He felt once more the exhilaration of victory, the joy that comes from complete mastery of a situation.

"Not quite the Queen penthouse, I admit, but then I wasn't expecting such an exalted inmate as yourself." Lex paused, enjoying his own humor. He then started to walk slowly around the cage, looking up at it like a visitor to a gallery, admiring some work of art. "You know I designed this myself? I wanted a cell fit for a terrorist, and a cage somehow seemed appropriate. The Green Arrow to end his days behind bars – seems fitting, don't you think?"

Oliver stared at Lex, like a trapped animal waiting for a circling predator to strike. He wanted to appear strong, to give the impression that he was not afraid, but the tape that was so tightly wrapped around his head robbed him of his most telling weapon to date – the power of speech. All he could do was to glare at Lex, to use his eyes to blaze contempt and defiance at his adversary. But even as he did so he was acutely aware of his own powerlessness, a powerlessness that Lex was clearly enjoying. Inside he could feel his stomach churning, as the full extent of his dire situation again hit home.

"Well, shall we make you comfortable for the night?" asked Lex, once more standing before his captive. He nodded towards Carter, who proceeded to drag Oliver towards the cage with the help of the other man. Akunin went ahead of them, keying yet another code into a keypad to unlock the barred gate set into one side of the cage. As they dragged him closer to the cell Oliver could feel himself starting to panic, as if somewhere inside him some instinct was telling him that if he set foot inside the cage his fate was sealed. He tried to resist, to struggle free of his captors, but the powerful grip of his two prospective jailers was unrelenting as they dragged him inside. To his surprise, they then let him go, and he stood unaided for the first time since his near drowning. He could feel hands working on the ropes that bound his arms to his sides, and within seconds his well developed triceps felt the freedom that came with release. The same process was repeated with his wrists, so that for a few precious seconds he stood free from the bonds that had humbled him for so long. He thought of escape, but one glance at Akunin told him it was impossible – she stood at the door to the cage, her gun levelled directly at him.

For a moment time seemed to stand still, as Oliver wondered what would happen next. Any hope that he would be granted some respite was soon dashed, however, as the sound of a generator drew his attention upwards. His heart sank at what he saw – two large steel manacles were descending on a cable from the roof above, slipping between the bars of the cage so that they eventually came to rest just above Oliver's head.

"Sorry, Oliver, but after all the trouble you've caused me, you didn't expect a good night's sleep, did you?" Oliver turned to see Lex watching him from outside the cage, his mouth curled into a smile. He knew escape was impossible, but suddenly he was overwhelmed with a need to fight back, to use his new found freedom to lay a blow on his enemy. He made a lunge at the bars, his arm stretching out in an attempt to grab Lex. However, the other man was too agile, and neatly sidestepped the futile attack.

"Now don't be sore loser, Oliver – what would Chloe say?"

Oliver let out a muffled cry of anger as he reached through the bars, his arm straining to reach Lex. But it was pointless, and within seconds he felt large hands grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him back to the center of the cage.

"Now you be a good little pretty boy, and don't give me any trouble." Carter's voice, contemptuous and menacing, sounded close to Oliver's right ear. He then doubled over in agony as a crippling blow to his gut reinforced the point that his jailer would stand for no resistance. Temporarily unable to move, Oliver could feel his right arm being lifted high above his head, and then the cold feel of steel on his wrist as the manacle was clicked tightly into place. The same process was repeated with his left arm, so that within seconds he had once again lost his freedom.

At last his tormentors stepped back, leaving Oliver alone in the center of the cage. He hung like a lifeless puppet, his body slumped forward whilst his arms were pulled upwards by the shackles that now controlled him. For a few seconds there was silence, save for Oliver's labored breathing as he tried to force air back into his beaten frame. He stared at the ground in front of him, unable and unwilling to look up to see the gloating faces of those who had so mercilessly defeated him. He was not given long to recover from this latest round of punishment, as the sound of the generator starting up way above him gave a clue as to what was to happen next. He could feel his arms being lifted as the manacles began to be retracted to their original positions. Within seconds his whole body was forced to respond, and he found himself being lifted inexorably upwards. The muscles in his arms were stretched taut as his limbs were pulled into the air, the pressure forcing them together as his head hung forward. He grimaced in pain as the sinews in his shoulders and upper arms objected to the torture to which they were being subjected, and within seconds the inevitable happened – his feet finally were pulled clear of the floor. He lifted his head in agony, a searing pain shooting from one shoulder to the other as his body was placed in an acute stress position. He felt as if his arms were going to be pulled from their sockets, and he wanted to cry out, to release some of the torment, but it was impossible. After two or three more seconds the sound of the generator stopped, and again there was silence, broken only by the sound of Oliver's desperate, stifled gasps for air.

The crisp, clean sound of footsteps sounded on the hard, polished floor of the chamber. As Oliver looked up he knew what he would find, and he was not disappointed. He found himself staring into the eyes of Lex Luthor, who now stood before him inside the cage, just a couple of feet from where he hung suspended and helpless.

Lex looked up at Oliver. His captive was a tall man, over six foot tall, but somehow the effect of being suspended in the air seemed to exaggerate his height still further. He was indeed an impressive figure, well developed muscles filling perfectly every inch of his leather costume. But all those muscles now availed him nothing, as he hung defenceless before him. This was where Lex wanted him, utterly powerless and at his mercy. Even Oliver's tongue had been reduced to impotence, the duct tape silencing the famously cool wit of the Green Arrow.

A hero brought low, and brought low by him, Lex Luthor. Did it come any better than this?

It was time to complete his triumph – time to deliver the coup de grace.

"So here we are – the mighty Green Arrow finally where he belongs," began Lex, relishing the moment. "Comic books don't end like this, do they Oliver? Well I'm afraid this is the real world – my world – and here you lose, my friend."

Oliver looked down at the gloating figure who now taunted him, his eyes flashing with anger.

"I hope you like your new home – as you can see, I've spent a great deal of time ensuring everything is just perfect," continued Lex, glancing around the chamber before looking once more at his captive. "What you can't see, of course, are the electronic cloaking devices and lead roof that keeps this prison our little secret – not even the most powerful spy satellite in the world can detect this facility. There is no risk of our being disturbed in the weeks that lie ahead, Oliver – you are quite alone."

Lex paused, allowing this latest piece of intelligence work its effect in the silence of the room. He turned, and walked calmly to the door of the cage. As he was about to exit, he looked back at Oliver's helpless form. He had one last line to deliver – one last, devastating blow to extinguish what remained of Oliver's hopes.

"So don't waste your time dreaming of rescue, Oliver – your freak friends will never find you. Not that they will be looking for you, of course – not after what your fishy friend will have told them."

Lex studied Oliver's face carefully. Was there a flash of fear there, a hint of uncertainty behind the eyes? He thought there was, and decided to press home his advantage.

"Yes, Dr Thomas has performed miracles with Mr Curry. Not only has he wiped all of fish boy's memories of what really happened, but he has created an entirely new version of reality in his mind, a reality that he genuinely believes. And in that reality Oliver Queen is dead – killed in a sudden explosion in a warehouse in Rio. So you see Oliver, this really is the end of the line for you – there will be no cavalry riding to the rescue, because the cavalry believes it's too late."

There it was – Lex's coup de grace, the body blow that he knew would cripple his adversary, rob him of any lingering hopes he had of salvation. Oliver struggled for a moment to take in the enormity of what he had heard – not only was he a prisoner in one of the most impregnable prisons in the country, but his friends believed that he was dead. Dead! The Justice League would not come to the aid of their leader, Bart, AC and Victor pulling off yet another daring mission. There would be no rescue, no eleventh hour victory snatched from the jaws of seemingly inevitable defeat - no one was looking for him. Instead his friends would be mourning his death – Chloe's face flashed into his mind, and he thought of how the news would hit her, how she would feel as her world crashed down around her.

Lex had won – the trap was complete, and the last exit had just slammed shut.

"You get some sleep now – you will need all your strength for the treatments we have planned for tomorrow." Lex's voice was further away now, and as Oliver looked he could see that he had left the cage and now stood at the exit to the chamber. "Don't take it too hard, Oliver – I'm sure your little friends will survive without you. Even Chloe will move on – the two of you were never really suited anyway." He paused, looking at the solitary, helpless figure who hung in the center of the cage. This was victory – absolute, undiluted, perfect.

"Hope you're not afraid of the dark." And with that he extinguished the lights, before leaving Oliver alone in the cavernous chamber.

The door slammed shut, and suddenly absolute silence and blackness engulfed Oliver, save for his own labored breathing.

At last he was alone, but now he had to face the terrible truth, stark and unforgiving.

It was over – and Lex had won.

THE END

Yes, you read that right - the end! I wanted to give this story a surprise ending, and what better than Lex triumphant, and Ollie apparently without any hope of escape.

Thanks to all those of you who have stuck with this story over the last few months - I really appreciate it. I especially appreciate all the words of you wonderful reviewers - without you I would have given up ages ago. Please let me know what you think of how I've ended the story - and please don't throw things at me!

I've got a sequel in mind, based around how Ollie survives his ordeal at the hands of Lex and how Chloe tries to find out the truth about what happened to him. If I write it, it will start to appear in a few weeks. I say if, because I have to say I'm not sure whether I'm going to take it on at the moment. I find writing demanding, and I sense that interest in what I'm doing is slipping a bit, which is a little disappointing. I certainly don't want to start a story and not finish it - I hate that.

Anyway, I've enjoyed writing this one - hope you've enjoyed reading it.