Lana looked ill as Chloe related the whole story and what they suspected. Oliver had gone out to get some ice from the machine for his head and returned with hotel security. One of the other guests had called them, complaining about the noise. The manager had also been called, speaking in rapid French that not even Lana could keep up with. Oliver told the man what had happened and offered to pay for the repairs. The matter presumably settled, the manager had left them, promising he would alert the police about the attack.

"You think these people are after Clark's daughter?"

Chloe nodded at her friend. "We're sure of it."

Oliver was sitting in the armchair, holding the ice pack to the massive bruise on his temple. He had switched the television on and was watching the French news broadcast. He suddenly sat bolt upright, drawing Chloe's attention.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Superman's been injured!"

Chloe stared at her husband. "What? How?"

"A bomb."

"We better call Lois," she said.

"I doubt you'd get through," he told her, his gaze still on the screen, even as she went to pick up her phone. "They've just declared martial law in the city." He was silent for a few moments as he continued to watch the broadcast. "They just said Gotham's under the control of someone called Bane."

Chloe frowned, itching to get at her laptop so she could start doing some digging.

"I know what you're thinking, honey, but what good will knowing it do? Even if we could get back there, we'd be fighting a losing battle without Clark."

"Don't you get it, Ollie? This is exactly what they want. They want us to be cut off. They ..."

She stopped, the awful truth dawning on her.

"Call Mrs Kent, right now!"

"What?"

"Ollie, just do it!"

"Why?"

"Because I think the baby's gone!"

Lana stared at her. "Chloe, what ...?"

"About a month ago they used the same tactic in Smallville to get Clark out of the house so they could get at Mara."

"If that's so, why didn't they snatch her then?"

"Maybe because they needed proof that she's the child of Superman. Maybe they needed a sample of her DNA," she said.

Oliver quickly got on the phone, calling DC. He managed to get Martha's apartment.

"It's Oliver," he said. "I know it's early, I just ... Yeah, we saw the news. How did ... oh my god! Is there anything we can do? You're right. We'll just pray they're all right."

He hung up and looked at the two women.

"I think you're right, Chloe. I think they were trying to keep Clark from getting home. Mara's been kidnapped. They almost lost Clark. He's still critical."

Lana seemed to be almost in tears.

"Lois must be going out of her mind," she said. "What did Martha say we should do?"

"Hang tight," he told her. "There's nothing we can do here."

"Oh, you're wrong about that," Chloe said, her mouth tight. "There is one thing we can do."

"What's that, Chloe?" Lana asked.

"I think it's time we talked to your boyfriend."

"Murphy? Why would he know anything?"

She looked at her friend. She had been thinking about it for days, sure that Murphy's presence at the time of the accident at the Eiffel Tower had been no coincidence. She had a horrible feeling they had been set up that day. It made her wonder what else they'd been set up for, or rather, who had been set up.

"Lana, I hate to say this, but I think Murphy may have been manipulating you."

"Why?"

Oliver bit his lip.

"I would say because they know of your connection to Superman."

"You really think he's part of this group?"

"Yes, we do," Chloe told her.

"If you're right, then I should ..."

"No, Lana. We should. Together. We're not going to let you face this guy alone."

XXXXX

In the midst of the chaos in Metropolis, a limousine with diplomatic plates left the Hotel Sheridan and drove slowly through the streets toward Metropolis International airport. A few minutes later it was stopped at the cordon controlled by the city police and National Guard.
A sergeant carrying what appeared to be an assault rifle and wearing army fatigues along with a hard helmet, approached the car.

"Sorry gentlemen, but the city is under martial law. No one is to leave the city."

Simon Valmont glared at the man. As far as he was concerned, his employers were high rank enough not to have to abide by the federal laws.

"Do you not see the diplomatic plates?" he said haughtily. "These men are official representatives of the French Republic." Knowing there was a good chance they would be stopped, he had prepared a folder with documents. "These are their papers and accreditations."

The seargeant looked at him steadily, then turned away to speak into his radio. Simon didn't hear the exchange but the man was gone for a few minutes. He returned, his expression stoic, but he was clearly pissed.

"You're cleared to leave. Sorry for the confusion, sir," he said, although it obviously hurt him to say. "Do you wish an escort?"

Simon chose to be courteous, not wishing to make an already bad situation even worse.

"Yes, indeed. We are in somewhat of a hurry. Thank you, sergeant."

The man gestured and several military vehicles and police mounted on motorcycles moved to positions both in front and behind the limousine. The convoy accelerated with screaming sirens and revolving lights.

Baron de Rochefort watched this activity for a moment, then turned to look at Henri Ducard.

"Bonnes nouvelles. Nos informateurs à Metropolis général nous disent que Superman est mort, ou va bientôt mourir."

"Excellent," Ducard responded. "Vraiment excellent. Je propose que nous célébrons avec une bouteille de notre meilleur champagne pour fêter notre victoire."

De Rochefort nodded. "Oui, Superman est mourant et sa fille est entre nos mains."

"Nous devons être prudents," Ducard reminded him. "La Ligue de la Justice reste."

He waved his hand airily.

"Ce ne sera pas un problem," he said. "Nous avons l'hybride. Elle est l'otage et objet d'étude parfait."

"Good news. Our informants in Metropolis General advise Superman is dead, or will be dead soon."
"Excellent. Really excellent. I propose we celebrate with a bottle of our finest Champagne to toast our victory."
"Yes, Superman is dying and his daughter is in our hands."
"We must be prudent. The Justice League still remains."
"It will not be a problem. We have the hybrid. She is a perfect hostage and object of study."

The limousine continued on through the streets, its occupants ignoring the chaos they had left behind. The brilliance of the early morning sun indicated it was going to be a glorious Fall day in the city, belying the mood of its citizens left to wait for news of the fate of their hero.

XXXXX

Martha gently placed the phone receiver and sighed, glancing out the window of her apartment. She had a good view of the Potomac, and most days she loved to look out over the river, but not today.

She had told Oliver to stay put and protect Chloe and Lana in Paris, but there was no way she could stay. Not with her family in danger.

Decision made, she picked up the phone and dialled the office of the Senate President Pro Tempore.

"Janet, this is Martha Kent. I know it's early, but I need to speak to Senator Francis."

"Can I say what it's about?" she asked.

"Of course. I need a leave of absence. My grand-daughter has been kidnapped."

There was a gasp on the other end.

"Oh dear god! That's awful! I will call him straight away!"

"Thank you, Janet."

While she didn't know the senator's executive assistant very well, she had always found her to be a personable young lady and knew she would be sympathetic to her plight. She hung up and poured herself a cup of coffee, sipping it while she waited. She didn't have to wait long.

"Senator Kent, this is President Martinez."

"Mr President," she said, almost dropping the phone in shock.

"We heard about Superman. I know you are close to Perry White at the Daily Planet. Have you had any news?"

"No sir. All communications out of the city have been cut-off."

She didn't want to lie, but she had to protect Clark's secret identity at all costs. If even the President knew she had been visited by Kara in the early hours of the morning, when no one knew that Linda Danvers was in fact Supergirl, or that she knew Supergirl in any way, she would be putting it at risk.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Martha." There was a pause and he seemed to be speaking to someone in the room. He returned to the phone. "I just heard about your grand-daughter. Is there anything my office can do?"

"I would like to take a leave of absence and be with my son and daughter-in-law."

"From what I understand, they have declared martial law in the city. Having said that, I think I can help. I need a courier to take a diplomatic packet to the British Consulate in Metropolis. I can have a Secret Service officer escort you."

"I'll do it, Mr President," she said without hesitation.

"Great! Martha, please do keep us updated on the situation there. I have nothing but praise for Superman and I'm sure the entire country is hoping he will recover."

"Thank you."

She hung up after President Martinez told her an agent would be there within the hour to escort her to the city. Martha quickly moved about the apartment to pack her things.

As promised, the agent knocked on the door an hour later. Martha was pleasantly surprised to see it was Steve Trevor. She locked up and picked up her suitcase and briefcase. Steve solemnly handed her the diplomatic packet and she locked it in her briefcase while he took her bag from her and led her to the elevator.

Airport security didn't even question the diplomatic papers Steve handed them and let her through with just a cursory inspection, nodding at the agent. It seemed the president had also arranged a private plane to take her to Metropolis as there was only a short wait while the gate was cleared.

Martha found herself fidgeting during the two and a half hour flight, desperate for any news on Clark. Steve seemed to understand, finding a Metropolis station still broadcasting and letting her see the news. There was no mention of Superman. Normally she would see it as a good thing, but she couldn't help feeling nervous. What if Clark hadn't survived? She wasn't prepared to bury her only child.

She tuned out from the rest of the coverage of the rioting, staring out the window and thinking back to more than twenty years earlier and a little boy who had found them in a cornfield.

She remembered Jonathan calling out her name, sounding surprised. She turned her head to see a boy with dark curly hair, no older than about two or three, smiling at them through the smashed window of the truck cab. He had been naked as a newborn, walking over the debris, picking his way along the burnt earth as if he'd been walking over freshly mown grass.

Still dazed from the crash and hanging upside down in the truck, she barely remembered her husband pulling her out of the cab and helping her upright. Meanwhile the little boy just gazed up at her and she couldn't resist picking him up. She found a blanket in the truck and wrapped it around his little body.

They found themselves walking along the same path the boy had taken, trying to figure out where he had come from.

"Kids don't just fall out of the sky, Martha," Jonathan had said.

She knew that, but still, it was what she had wished for. She had been devastated when she had learned that she would never be able to have children, thinking she had somehow let Jonathan down. While he had wanted to be a father, to him, having a child was not as important as her health and she had let it go, choosing instead to believe that it would happen some day for them.

The discovery that the sweet little boy in her arms had indeed fallen out of the sky, albeit in a small ship, was incredible, and she felt a duty to protect him. She had just known the moment she held him in her arms that she was meant to be his mother.

It was not to say it had been easy raising him. Clark, as she had decided to call him, using her maiden name as his first name, had had difficulty with the language at first. Not to mention the strange Earth customs, like eating or taking a bath, or even toilet training.

It had been fairly clear from the beginning that while some things had been taught to her son during his inter-galactic journey, certain others, like hygiene and control, were things she would have to teach him.

His first bath had been an interesting experience, she thought with a smile. She'd filled the bathtub with water and Clark had been fascinated by the running water under the faucet. He'd tried to catch the water and she'd had to pull him back, not wanting him to scald himself.

"No sweetie," she said, gently moving his hand and pulling him away. "That's hot."

He'd looked at her, his eyes wide in confusion.

Once the bath was filled, she'd lifted him. Immediately he'd tried to get out, reaching for her.

"No baby," she told him. "We need to get you clean."

Eventually he'd got the idea, even giggling at the way the water had run over his little body and the sound it made when he splashed.

Toilet training a toddler who couldn't understand what she was telling him had been the most difficult. There had been a few little accidents in the house, especially when he'd decided he didn't like the training pants she'd bought and preferred to run around bare-bottomed.

Still, the little difficulties were nothing compared to the joy she'd had of being a mother at last. She remembered her first Mother's Day, coming downstairs to find her son 'helping' his father make her breakfast. He'd been covered almost head to toe in flour, but was grinning ear to ear.

"Happy Mommies' Day, Mommy," he'd said, running to her to give her a hug. Martha didn't care that he'd also covered her in flour. She was just happy to be celebrating the day.

Martha fought back tears, blinking as she realised she had dozed off. Steve was gently shaking her, telling her they were about to land in Metropolis. She sat up straight and put on her seat belt, tightening it. She had never really enjoyed flying since the night Brainiac had crashed a plane in the Arctic Circle.

The airport was crowded with travellers waiting impatiently for clearance to get out of the city, berating staff for not letting them go. Martha caught snatches of conversation, glad that she wasn't the one having to face irate passengers who didn't care that it had been ordered by the National Guard and sympathetic toward the plight of the helpless airline staff having to tolerate the abuse.

The entrance to the airport was cordoned off but the man beside her kept his cool, handing the diplomatic papers to the seageant.

"Senator Kent is here on official business for the President of the United States," he said.

"Yes sir," the sergeant said, looking harried. Martha frowned as the man turned away, wondering what was going on as he spoke with another man in a rapid-fire conversation. She heard something about another diplomat, but it wasn't enough for her to draw any conclusions.

They were let through the cordon and Steve drove through the eerily quiet streets. Martha guessed the majority of the rioting was located in another part of the city.

"Where first, senator?"

As much as she wanted to visit the hospital first and find Lois, she knew she wouldn't want to leave without trying to get news on Clark, or the baby, so she told him to drive to the consulate. He nodded, seeming to agree with her assessment. She assumed he had been told the situation when given his orders.

She spent an hour at the consulate making sure the packet was delivered to the right person, before the agent drove her to the hospital. There was a huge crowd waiting outside in the parking lot and she had no idea how she was going to get through. Her escort, however, just pushed his way through, waving his identification at the police officers standing guard.

Someone had at least been alerted to her coming, Martha thought, as Emil Hamilton appeared in the main vestibule.

"Senator," he said.

She smiled at him. She'd met Emil very briefly when Lois and Clark had got married.

"How is he?" she asked.

Emil glanced at Steve, who just nodded.

"Senator, I'll take my leave now. I'll have your bags delivered to Queen Tower."

"Thank you, Steve. You've been very kind."

"Just doing my duty, ma'am." He handed her a card with his number on it. "If there is anything you or your family need, the President has instructed me to see to it personally."

"Thank you, again."

She followed Emil along a corridor and up the stairs to the intensive care wing.

"Martha, I ... I have to be completely straight with you. Clark's wounds were fairly extensive and we don't know if we managed to extract all the Kryptonite. We lost him, very briefly. We managed to revive him, but he fell into a coma..." He swallowed, sounding almost as if he was on the verge of tears, then cleared his throat. "Uh, anyway, we have him closely monitored."

He opened the door to a small room. Martha gasped, seeing the still figure in the bed, hooked up to a range of monitors. He looked so pale and forlorn, she thought.

She had been used to seeing her son so powerful. Nothing could have ever prepared her for seeing her child deathly ill. Or for how so much smaller he seemed in the bed.

There was an audible gasp on the other side of the room and Martha looked over to see Lois get up and run into her arms.

Martha held her daughter-in-law, trying to soothe her as Lois sobbed.

"It's all right, baby, I'm here."

The other woman's words were jumbled among her sobs but Martha could understand Lois' grief. Her beloved husband was gravely ill and her baby was gone.

There were raised voices outside in the corridor and the two women raised their heads. Lois started to wipe her eyes and Martha reached for a Kleenex from the box on the shelf, handing it to her daughter-in-law.

"I'll go see what the trouble is," she said softly.

Lois nodded. Martha went out, closing the door softly behind her. Perry was in the corridor, arguing with a stocky man with a bald pate. A young woman stood beside the pair looking uncomfortable.

"Perry," she said.

The Daily Planet chief turned and smiled at her. He looked exhausted and a little bruised but otherwise unhurt from his ordeal the night before.

"Martha," he said.

She went to him and hugged him.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm fine. I thought you were in DC?"

"I came in on special orders from the President." She turned and looked at the other man. "Hello Sam. Lucy."

"Martha, I came as soon as I heard about the kids. How is Lois?"

"Barely holding it together. Perhaps we should find somewhere quiet to talk."

"How is Superman?" Perry asked as they walked along the corridor to find an empty waiting room.

"Still critical, I'm afraid."

"Is there nothing anyone can do?" Lucy asked, looking pale and upset.

"The doctors are trying," Martha assured her. "All we can do now is wait."

"There has to be something more they can do," Sam said. "Lois needs ..."

Perry found an empty room and opened the door, letting them inside. He quietly closed the door. Martha looked at Sam, wondering what he was about to say.

"What does Lois need, Sam?"

"She needs her husband. I know my daughter, Martha. I raised her to be independent, but I also know how fragile she can be. If she loses him ..."

Martha glanced at Perry, who nodded. He had told her months ago that he knew the truth about Clark, but he had chosen not to reveal that fact to Lois and Clark, knowing the couple valued their privacy and also knowing Clark's fears about others learning about his abilities.

"Sam, how long have you known?"

"I suspected it the night he saved her from the explosion at the Talon, but when I saw him as Superman it confirmed everything. Martha, while I have my concerns about it, I know he puts his family first and does everything humanly possible to keep them out of harm's way. Which is why I find it so morally reprehensible that someone would kidnap my grand-daughter."

"We believe that there is a deeper issue at work here, Sam. Have you heard of the Illuminati?"

He scowled. "It's a fairy story."

"Not from what my sources tell me," Perry said. "They have infiltrated every network on the planet. I even believe some of my own staff are connected to them, but I've yet to find out who. These are fanatics who believe in a new world order and that Superman is a threat to that order."

"What about Mara?" Lucy asked hesitantly. "Why would they take her?"

"For one thing, it gives them control over Superman," Martha said. "Another, they may either want to experiment on her or raise her to work for them."

"Well, I'd hate to be them when Clark does recover," Perry told them. "He will take this as a personal threat."

"I know, dear," Martha replied. "Which is why we need to find out what has happened to her first."

Sam nodded. "You're absolutely right, Martha. I will contact everyone I know in the military."

"Be cautious, Sam. Even those who you consider your allies may be involved."

"What are you suggesting?"

"The Illuminati isn't an underground organisation. There could possibly be some involvement at the top level."

Martha frowned at Perry.

"What are you saying?"

"About three weeks ago, some papers crossed my desk. Most people would dismiss the theories as complete rubbish, but the Inquisitor ran with the story. These papers claim a link between Vice President Madison and the Illuminati. I tried to contact the journalist who left them but he was arrested less than a week ago by the Canadian authorities. For treason."

"Why did you sit on the story, Perry?" Sam asked.

"It takes time to verify the sources and unlike the Inquisitor, the Daily Planet is not a tabloid rag. While we are fairly certain the Illuminati is behind Mara's kidnapping, I am not going to add fuel to the fire by releasing that information."

"What else did these papers claim?" Martha asked.

"There were a few names on the list. Some in the senate."

Martha nodded. She had a feeling she could name at least two on that list.

They left the room when someone knocked on the door, heading back along the corridor to Clark's room. Emil Hamilton was checking Clark's vital signs while Lois stood quietly observing. Her eyes widened as she saw her father and hugged him tightly.

"How are you holding up, sweetheart?" he asked softly.

She just shook her head. She didn't want to start crying again, knowing it wouldn't help the situation. She hugged her sister, grateful for her presence. Emil glanced up from his examination and frowned, but said nothing further.

Kara came in, looking dishevelled, her Supergirl uniform dirty. Lois hugged her.

"The league has managed to round up all the gang members but the authorities say it's going to take a couple of days before the city can get back to normal. How is he?"

"I'm afraid there is nothing more we can do," Emil said. He glanced uneasily at the rest of the group.

"We'll wait outside," Martha said, gently propelling Sam, Lucy and Perry out of the room.

"There has to be something you can do," Lois said.

Emil sighed regretfully. "Lois, the problem is, I really don't know enough about his physiology so that I can help. It looks like there's still far too much Kryptonite in his system and I'm afraid our intervention hasn't helped at all. At this point, it is up to him."

Lois didn't want to think about the possibility of Clark dying. It just didn't seem real. It couldn't be true. Not after the things he'd told her about seeing himself in the future.

"Are you saying he could still die?" Kara asked.

He shrugged helplessly. "I just don't know, Kara. I'm sorry. I know it's no comfort."

"You're doing your best," she sighed.

XXXXX

For a moment, Clark thought he was in the fortress. He could see the same crystalline structure, but underfoot it seemed more like glass than ice. As he looked up, he could see a red sky through the clear crystal roof, rather like the image he had of the alternate future Lois had visited.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"Krypton," a feminine voice told him.

He looked around and saw a woman with long blonde hair wearing a flowing white dress.

"Mom?"

"Kal-El," she said softly, smiling at him.

"I don't ... I don't understand," he told her. "How did I get here?"

"You are near death, my son." Clark stared at the older man, who just nodded. "This is a parallel world. A dream world, if you will."

"Death?" Clark echoed.

"The bomb contained Kryptonite and tiny fragments embedded themselves in your skin. Your enemies have your child, Kal-El."

Terror froze his heart. They had Mara! The thought of what they were doing to her, of those evil men laying their hands on his daughter terrified and angered him at the same time.

"No! How do I get back?"

"You must fight, Kal-El," Lara said. "If you do not, they will destroy the Earth, as Zod once did Krypton. You must not allow this."

"I don't know how."

"Let your human consort be your anchor, my son. She alone can guide you back."

There was a bright flash and he saw his beloved wife standing beside his parents.

"Clark, I need you. Don't leave me."

He reached for her, but his hand went straight through her.

"Lois!"

"I'm here," she said. "Please come back to me."

"Lois ..." He reached for her once again, desperate for her touch.

In the hospital room Lois dozed next to her husband's bed. She woke with a start and looked around dazedly, wondering what had woken her. The sound came again, just a low moan, but for a moment the hand in hers shifted, as if it was trying to find something to hold on to.

"I'm here," she whispered. "Come back to me, my darling."

"Lois."