Linda's body was on fire as she opened her eyes and saw everything bathed in a nauseating green glow; it didn't take her long to realize she was in the trunk of a car as she reached down and felt a large stone on her chest. The teenager looked down and recognized the kryptonite taped to her, even though she'd never seen any before; it was the size of a baseball but felt much heavier. Linda grasped the rock as tightly as she could and tried to pull it off, but she had no strength; her arm flopped limply to her side as she panted. She tried to focus her x-ray vision, but she couldn't even squint without feeling like she was going to throw up. Tears formed in her eyes as the fear built up inside her, but she willed herself to keep it together as she closed her eyes and tried to focus on Clark.

The car suddenly braked, causing Linda to be thrown forward like a limp ragdoll, breaking her concentration. She couldn't even raise her head as the trunk opened, and she blinked repeatedly at the bright sunlight. She slowly opened her eyes and saw three people looking down at her, but their backs were to the sun, their features hidden by shadows. They said nothing as they pulled her out and dragged her away from the car; in a few seconds, they reached a metal rail, and Linda finally knew where they were: the Loeb Bridge over Elbow River. She tried fighting or struggling, but she could barely keep her eyes open as the trio lifted her up and dumped her over the rail.

As Linda fell, she could have sworn she heard a loud shrill, almost like a scream, a second before she hit the murky water with a sickening splash. She held her breath as she sunk below the surface, trying to swim, but she lacked both the strength and experience. When her feet hit the muddy bottom, a loud splash above her caused her to look up; as her vision grew dark, she saw a large object swimming toward her.

[Clark, please help me!]


Dick carefully explored the loft, looking at all the new additions since he'd last been there. Between the purple, silver, and white quilt over the couch; the strings of soft white lights draped over the bookcases, and a few vases filled with fake flowers, the teenager could definitely feel the feminine vibe, but what really caught his attention were the two paintings on separate easels and a sculpture near the desk: the first one was a landscape of the Kent Farm on the lower half, with a couple dancing on feathers. The girl was painted in fire flames, while the boy was done in icy flames; Dick raised his eyebrow and smirked a little when he saw the small T.A.R.D.I.S. in the upper corner, almost hidden by the blue ribbon attached to it. He shook his head a little as he looked at the other painting: a watercolor of a Great Horned Owl. The sculpture appeared to be a life-sized rendition of a hawk with its wings spread, but a closer look showed the bird made entirely of flames; the word 'The Phoenix' was carved into the base.

Dick whistled softly. "Very nice," he said softly, impressed. A little bark drew him back into reality, and he looked down. Krypto sat at his feet, looking up at him with big brown eyes. Streaky said beside the puppy, and she meowed once before pawing at Dick's leg. "Oh, hey there." Dick said as he leaned over and scratched the puppy behind the ears; Krypto thumped his tail loudly, whining softly. The cat meowed loudly as she got under his arm, nudging it off Krypto; Dick smiled as he started petting her. "Oh, I'm sorry I ignored you." He carefully knelt down, still petting Streaky, who began purring, letting him know he was forgiven. Krypto jumped up, trying to lick his face, and but he landed right on Streaky. The kitten hissed loudly and smacked him with one of her paws before running off; Krypto barked loudly before chasing after her, his tail wagging.

"Okay," Dick chuckled as he slowly got to his feet. He sighed and slowly got to his feet, continuing to look around the loft.


Inside the kitchen, the five adults sat around the table, drinking coffee, talking about different things. Alfred kept trying to make sure everyone's mug was filled, but Martha finally put her foot down and ordered Alfred to sit down; when Alfred protested, Martha quickly persuaded him with letting him help her make dinner in exchange for sitting with them. The offer was too tempting to refuse, and Alfred took his place at the table.

"So, how are things in Gotham, Bruce?" Jonathan.

"Just how they've always been," Bruce answered. He wasn't big on small talk, but he tried to humor the Kents whenever he visited; he would never admit it to anyone, but he had a lot of respect for the Kents. He glanced at Clark, raising an eyebrow, his corners turned up a little. "The offer still stands if you want any pointers, Clark."

"No thanks, Bruce," Clark said, smiling. He and Bruce had different methods in dealing with criminals, and—while they didn't always agree on each other's methods—they did respect them and each other.

Martha looked at the clock on the wall and raised an eyebrow. "I wonder where Linda is," she said as she got up to get more cream from the fridge. "We told her you and Dick were coming today, and she said she'd be home right after school."

"She's probably at the Talon with her friends," Clark joked as he glanced at Bruce. "Or maybe she got scared of—"

[Clark, please help me!]

Clark dropped his mug as he got to his feet, his head resonating with the fearful voice of his cousin; the mug fell to the floor and smashed into several pieces.

"Clark, what's wrong?" Jonathan asked, concerned.

"It's Linda," Clark replied seriously; he looked over at his father, his eyes full of fear. "She's in trouble." Before anyone could say anything, Clark blurred out of the house; they heard the whoosh and small sonic boom a second later.


Superman soared over Smallville, scanning the world below him with his telescopic vision, X-ray vision…nothing. He finally stopped and hovered in place, closing his eyes, focusing his mind. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the blurry image of murky water and a blurred image of what appeared to be a bridge. Superman opened his eyes, knowing exactly where his cousin was; he quickly zoomed off, heading south. When he was over the Elbow River he dove down toward the water. He was about thirty feet from the surface when something broke through the surface near the bank; Superman quickly stopped, hovering in shock at what he saw.

A large saltwater crocodile—easily fifteen feet in length—backed slowly out of the water, effortlessly dragging Linda out by her shirt, delicately grasping the fabric in its front teeth. The teenager was unconscious, her head lolling to the side, and Superman saw the deep purple bruise across her nose, blood trickling from her nostrils, but what really drew his attention was the large piece of kryptonite taped to the front of her shirt.

The hero quickly landed on the bank about twenty feet away from the crocodile as it finished dragging Linda out of the water. He started to approach, but after a few feet he started to feel nauseous and weak in the knees; he groaned softly, but he knew he had to get to his cousin.

The crocodile suddenly whipped around, facing him, hissing loudly, mouth open. Superman stopped in his tracks, startled, but before he could say or do anything the crocodile turned back to Linda; Superman tensed and started to move close, but the crocodile deftly grabbed the kryptonite with its teeth and quickly yanked back, pulling the kryptonite off Linda's shirt. It lumbered into the river and disappeared under the surface of the water.

Superman was a little confused, but he pushed that aside as he hurried over to Linda and knelt beside her. He quickly listened for her heartbeat and breathing, but there was nothing. He didn't waste any time as he quickly started performing CPR. "Come on, Linda," he whispered as he compressed her sternum. "Don't do this to me, sweetie." Linda didn't respond. "Fight, Linda, fight."

Suddenly, Linda started coughing furiously, spitting up water. Superman gently supported her head and neck as he turned her on her side, gently rubbing her back. After a few seconds, she stopped gagging as she gasped for air, her body shaking. The hero sighed with relief as he carefully turned her toward him, holding her in his arms; Linda slowly looked up at him, her skin extremely pale, her eyes dull and clouded.

"Clark?" she whispered, confused.

"Hey, Short Stack," Superman replied softly. Linda stared at him, then her composure suddenly broke as she wrapped her arms around him, crying into his chest. Superman held her close and as tightly as he dared. "It's okay. You're safe now." Still holding her, he carefully stood up and gently floated into the sky, heading back toward the farm.

(End of Chapter 2)