On the 16th day of the hero's 16th year
For one single precious held most dear
By the shade of evil with time in his hands
Choices will be made to determine who stands
The hidden hero will be proclaimed
After a fall leaves him heavily maimed
The day's weather will be fought
By winter, summer, and storms a lot
The land of choice is the original spot
Where she died and now lives reborn
In the world of the original's form
The Road to Happiness, The Long One
A/N: Please review!
Characters: Cal (Your "average" mysterious male), Mason (Cal's best and most trustworthy buddy), Kara Danvers (Kara Zor-El, AKA Supergirl), Jason (Kara's Ex), Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Clark Kent (Superman), Lois Lane (Superman's wife), Batman, Bartholomew, Karen (Power-Girl) and more that aren't quite ready to be presented yet. (Lots of characters are Out of Character (OOC), but I try my absolute best to make it as close as I can with the story.)
Chapter 29: Day 10/16, Wednesday
Cal grunted as he hit the cold, snowy ground. Darren did the same, and Cal rolled a few feet away and managed to get to his feet, his helmet falling off in the process. Darren slowly got to his feet, laughing evilly.
"You really are nearly impossible to kill!" Darren said. He glanced around for his swords. "What? Where are my swords?" He glanced around the cold, snowy mountain top, searching for his swords. After a short while, he turned to Callum. "Oh well, I'll finish this quickly." He snapped his fingers, but nothing happened. Frowning, Darren snapped again, but nothing happened. He snapped a third time, but still nothing happened.
"Dammit! Why won't my powers work?!" Darren yelled. He turned to Cal. "I don't suppose you're able to even try…" Cal frowned, struggling to stay upright, his face pale. He briefly shook his head. Darren looked around.
"Oh well, I don't need my powers to kill you!" Darren said. He trudged through the snow over to Cal. When he reached Cal, Cal was still dizzy. He grabbed Cal by the chest plate, but Cal tried to throw him off, breaking his grip. Darren fumbled with grabbing Cal, but Cal was too weak from the stab wound in his back. Darren tugged Cal by the chest plate and dragged him over to the edge of the snowy cliff they were on. Cal struggled to fight Darren off, but he could barely keep his eyes open. Darren tipped Cal's head over the edge.
"You're going to die," Darren said. "Finally, after all this time… You're going to die for real this time…" He began pushing Cal over the edge of the cliff.
*ZAP*
Darren's eyes widened, and he fell to his knees. His eyes closed and he slumped to the side, unconscious. Cal's eyes fluttered as he saw the outline of someone lean over him.
"My oh my, you seem to be in a pickle…" the voice said as Cal blacked out from loss of blood.
-Break-
Kara laid on her bed, Ace's head resting on her legs. Kara stared, emotionless, at the ceiling. Cal was gone AGAIN. But Kara knew Cal wasn't dead. She felt it, like a burning sensation, in her chest that Cal wasn't dead. All Kara could do was hope and pray that Cal managed to get home safe, sound, and alive. She started to imagine where Cal could be. She imagined Cal found help for the stab wound in his back. She hoped the man who attacked them was gone from her and Cal's life forever. She hoped Cal would come back to her, wrap his arms around her, kiss her. A soft knock on at the door brought Kara back to reality.
"Come in," Kara said. Barbara opened the door.
"How are you doing?" Barbara asked. Kara shrugged. "Kara…"
"I don't want to think about it!" Kara shouted. Ace whimpered at the loud noise. Kara petted him in apology.
"Ok then, what do you want to do?" Barbara asked, closing the door behind her and lying next to Kara on the bed. Kara sighed.
"I want Cal back!" Kara said. "I already lost him once, I don't want to go through it again…" Barbara nodded in understanding.
"You'll get him back," Barbara comforted. "I just know it! You'll have your life back, sort of…" Kara laughed lightly.
"Do you think he's okay? I mean, with that stab in his back…" Kara asked. Barbara sighed.
"Kara, I don't know for sure, but Callum is one tough son of a gun. He'll find his way back, no matter what probably…" Barbara answered. Kara smiled softly.
"Cal will come back…" Kara said to herself, reassuring herself. "He'll find some way to live… some way to get home…"
"Some way to get back into your arms…" Barbara added. Kara nodded.
"I'd rather be in his, but either which way works for me," Kara said. She sighed. "I'm so worried about him!"
"I'm sure wherever he is, he's more worried about you," Barbara said. Kara smiled again.
"The sad part is I'm pretty sure you're right…" Kara admitted. Barbara and Kara both laughed.
-Break-
Cal struggled to open his eyes. His vision was blurry and he managed to see a faint blob of a person in the corner of the room, sitting at a small table. He struggled to sit up, rubbing his eyes and wincing in pain from his back. Cal looked over at the figure, who had noticed him. The figure was an elderly woman, with gray, wild hair that looked like it had been attempted to be combed down. She stood up, slowly limping towards Callum.
"My, you're awake faster than I would have thought," the woman said. Her voice was old but cheery sounding. "You had a mighty fine wound when I found you…" She handed Cal a clay pottery cup of water. "And then there was that other boy, standing over you. He looked about ready to throw you over that cliff." Cal took a sip of water.
"Thank you," Cal said, his voice quiet. "Who are you?" The woman sat back in her chair, a twinkle in her eyes.
"Who are you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm Callum Orson… That other guy, Darren, teleported me here… Where is here anyway?"
"You remind me of someone I knew long ago…" the woman said, ignoring Cal's question. "Back then, I was your age. He was the nicest boy in our village… He was the one who taught me how to defend myself. He was probably the smartest in our village too… He would play this ridiculous game, where everyone avoids everyone else, and if you ran into anyone you would have to swordfight with our wooden swords. Normally, everyone would intentionally run into other people, but he was different… He would hide, dodge, and avoid everyone the best he could… Funny thing, he was the best fighter, and would best the most experienced fighters of our village… As a joke, he would follow someone for as long as he could without being noticed… Then one day, some Barbarians came to our village. They were smarter than the other Barbarians, having rules and whatnot. They challenged our village, our best fighter against theirs… He volunteered, and nobody stopped him… Nobody had the courage to face the Barbarians, no one except him… Not even me…" She stopped, sighing.
"What happened to him?" Cal asked, intrigued. The woman scoffed.
"He won of course. He beat the Barbarian's champion. No one believed in him… No one thought he would win, but he did… He did easily… But he didn't know that the fight was to the death… He had to kill the champion to win… After a few minutes of thought, he swiftly and quickly killed the man… The Barbarians, true to their word, left. But he… he was devastated. 'No one should have to take another person's life to save another's,' he said to me. After that, he just disappeared. That night he packed up what few things he had and just left… Left only a note saying he couldn't stay here and face the reality of taking another person's life… He said he was going to leave the village, and he'd come back if he was needed. A few years later, the Barbarians came back, with a stronger, tougher champion. True to his word, the boy came back. He swiftly defeated their champion. He said something to me, he said, 'Remember this: Science and magic are just 2 cards in a deck… You make your own playing card…' At first I didn't know what he meant; I was confused. He said something to the girl he loved, something I didn't quite catch. But I heard the words 'I'm sorry' and I know that he was asking her to come with him… To go with him wherever he went… She said she couldn't, that she had her family… I heard that clearly… He just nodded in understanding, kissed her one last time, and left again. Someone tried to stop him, but he just went through him. Literally went through him… I didn't understand at the time, but I do now… He only came back once after that… He came back to die, and he was a man now… He had a wound similar to yours… He collapsed in the center of the village, breath heavy, blood flowing relentlessly. Our doctors went to help him, but he told them he knew it was already too late. I was the first one to notice him, and I tried to help him… Before anyone else arrived he told me something. He said, 'The mountain ridge, near the top of the mountain… All my notes… All my research…' Then, he looked at the girl he loved and her family she had created. She was happy and had everything she could want, and he was dying with nothing. He looked at her and her family and told them all that he was happy for them. He looked at her husband, which was his best friend from childhood and he nodded to him. 'Keep her safe,' he whispered. His friend nodded. He looked at the girl, now a woman, that he loved and he just said, 'I know you're happy. I don't want to ruin that. I just want you to know I never could have cared for you as he does… And I'm sorry…' And with that he died… Just like that… A person so strong just dies… Deep down I knew he died because he had no one to live for… The girl he loved wouldn't come with him… And that was killing him from the inside… He died, giving me alone his precious life's work… I still don't understand some of the things he found out, and it's been nearly 50 years since I started…" the woman told her story, her face sad and tired. "Look at me," she laughed. "Rambling about a man's life story to someone who simply reminds me on him…"
"What did he find out?" Cal asked. She looked at him suspiciously.
"He found a way to make, to BE anything…" she answered after a few minutes of debating whether or not to tell him. "He found the hole between everything…" After she saw Cal confused face she tried to explain. "Do you remember when people draw circles and they overlap?" At Cal's confused face, she took her finger and drew a circle in the dust on the floor. "Let's say this is time," she said, gesturing to the circle. "And this is space," she said, drawing another circle that overlapped with the first. "And this is destiny." She drew a third circle that overlapped with the other 2 circles. "And death, and karma, and life, chaos, order, magic, science, good, evil." She drew another circle for each item she listed, and each circle over lapped with all the others. She gestured to the center of the circles, were a small space was present. "This represents were all of these things come together, everything. He called it 'The Center'… But with everything coming together, they all have their opposite that counteract each other. Time and space, destiny and karma, life and death, magic and science, chaos and order… Good and evil…" She stared at Cal. "This is where you can do anything, you can BE anything… If you can get here, you can control everything… You could be unstoppable…" She leaned back in her chair. "Of course, he never would have wanted this to be abused. He and I both agree that this power should not be used to change anything, but to help the world that already exists… What do you think?" Cal crossed his fingers and placed them over his lips to think. After a few minutes, he spoke.
"I think you and him are right. This isn't something to use lightly… But I do ask, did he find out how to use the power? Did he find The Center?" The woman laughed lightly.
"Yes, but he didn't dare touch the power itself… He was scared of the temptation of the power… He found a way to wall off most of the possible entrances…" she said.
"So why did he leave you with all this information if it's so dangerously tempting and powerful…?" Cal asked. The woman shrugged.
"I guess deep down he wanted someone to know what he had found out, what he had accomplished. And deep down, I think he wanted someone to continue and protect his findings… I think to continue protecting the information was his primary hope and or goal," she said. Cal nodded.
"But…why tell me this?" Cal asked. The woman sighed.
"I guess when I saw you with your wound in your back and about to be thrown over that ledge, you just reminded me of the person who started all of this… You know, if someone's about to throw you over the edge of a cliff… You either did something really wrong to the wrong person… Or you did the right thing…" the woman answered. "And you didn't strike me as the kind of person who did something really wrong…" Cal nodded. "Now, I've told you my story, and I think you should tell me yours…" Cal sighed and told his story, the whole, truthful story. He told her of his life in the orphanage, the sadistic bullies, the coma, the 2 years of training, Annabeth Monroe's death. Then, he got to some more recent events: dating Kara, dying, the Justice League's tests, a pet wolf.
"…And he stabbed me in the back. I fell to the ground and Darren went over to Kara. He tried to kill her, but since she is Kryptonian she couldn't be by a normal knife. He turned the knife into Kryptonite and raised his arm to stab her… I used the last of my strength to tackle him, and he teleported us here… The rest is kinda blurry, but I think you know the rest…" Cal explained. The woman nodded and yawned.
"Well, your story is very interesting, not to mention nearly unbelievable…" the woman said. "I suppose you are eager to get home…" Cal nodded. "Well, first let's go for a walk. You probably need to stretch your legs." She stood up, limping towards the door. Cal got up and followed her. She exited through the door, and Callum followed. They stepped out onto the frozen, snowy tundra, the ground crunching softly beneath their feet. She walked towards a small patch of pine trees. They silently made their way through the trees. Past the trees, the woman guided Cal up the rest of the mountain. About half way up, they took a moment to catch their breath.
"I should probably tell you," the woman said, breathing heavily. "I heard, what was his name, Darren? Yes, Darren. I heard him become frustrated and ask about his powers not working… As I understand you two share similar powers don't you now?" Cal nodded. "Well, your powers don't work… At least not on this mountain… At least not anywhere near this mountain…" They continued walking up the mountain.
"Why not?" Cal asked. The woman chuckled to herself.
"You're a smart kid, you'll figure it out…" the woman said. Cal frowned and tried to think. After a few minutes, Cal spoke.
"I can't use my powers because… this mountain is The Center?" Cal guessed. The woman laughed and nodded.
"This mountain is the heart of The Center," the woman said. "I use the tiniest piece of its power to protect it… To get home, this is the quickest route…" She stopped and turned to Cal. "In order to get home, you will need to tap into the power…" She studied his eyes. "And you must promise me that you will use the power ONLY to get home… You seem like a man of your word, so promise me you'll-"
*ZIP*
She stopped as an arrow embedded itself into her chest. She gasped and collapsed onto the ground.
"NO!" Cal yelled. He caught her and lowered her gently to the cold ground. She clutched the arrow, trying to keep excess blood from flowing. Suddenly, a small group of Barbarians charged from out of the patch of pine trees, wielding axes and swords. One single archer hung back from the rest. They yelled and charged, and Cal's eyes glowed gold once again. He charged them in return, rolling under the first axe swing. He rolled to his feet and saw a sword swing at him. He caught the Barbarian's wrist, kneeing him in the stomach. The Barbarian grunted, and Cal raised their sword arm up and got behind the Barbarian. Cal twisted his wrist and he dropped his sword. Cal shoved the man forward, sending him barreling into another Barbarian. Cal swiftly picked up the sword and spun around, blocking another axe swing. Cal kicked the man in the knee, causing him to kneel. Cal threw the axe off and slammed the hilt of his sword into the Barbarian's head. The Barbarian crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Cal swiftly side stepped as an arrow flew past him, hitting another Barbarian in the eye. The man screamed and fell to the ground, clutching his eye. Cal faced the nearest Barbarian, who yelled and stabbed at Cal with his sword. Cal casually blocked the stab and retaliated with a quick and deep cut to the throat. The man went down, hopelessly trying to keep himself alive. Another Barbarian yelled in anger and threw himself at Cal, swinging his axe rapidly. Cal dodged the first few swings, but the third swing got lucky and clipped the hilt of his sword, sending it flying away. The man raised his axe and swung down. Cal grabbed the shaft of the axe and flipped the man over him, sending the Barbarian crashing into the ground. Cal leapt up and, in one fluid motion, caught the arrow flying towards his chest with one hand, grabbed and forced away the next Barbarian's axe by their wrist, and stabbed the arrow deep into his neck. Cal looked at the last Barbarian standing, axe raised in ready. He swung at Cal, who backed away and picked up his sword. He swung again, but Cal side stepped and spun around the Barbarian. The Barbarian spun around as well, swinging his axe. Cal ducked the swing and flew up, stabbing the man through the heart. The man collapsed, and another arrow flew towards Cal, but Cal blocked it with his sword, and the arrow found its way into the unconscious Barbarian's chest. Another arrow flew, and Cal barely managed to block it. Cal threw his sword, and it buried itself in the archer's chest. His eyes returned to normal, and he went back to the woman, who was gasping for air.
"I… I never told you our names…" the woman said. "His name… his name was Walter… he was a lot like you… in both look and act… He fought with the same ferocity, same unrelenting thought of only protecting those close to him… My name is Catherine… I think… I think you and he were both born with some sort of access to The Center… Otherwise your eyes should not have glowed gold with your power… You hate killing, but you know that sometimes it's kill or be killed…" Catherine coughed blood. "Go home to Kara, live out life in happiness…" Cal shook his head.
"You can't die!" Cal protested. Catherine shook her head.
"That's out of our hands… My time has come… Just… destroy it all, every note… everything… destroy it all so no one else will get to it…" Catherine demanded. Cal shook his head.
"You won't die!" Cal promised. She took his hand.
"That is not for us to decide…" Catherine said. "Now be a good boy… Destroy the notes, destroy the cabin… Then go to the top of the mountain… Go to the top of the mountain… And jump off the north cliff… That's how you get inside it… That's how you get into The Center…" Catherine closed her eyes and her breathing went even shallower than before. Cal shook his head and closed his eyes. He didn't want her to die. He didn't want her to suffer. He hugged her and began to silently cry. Suddenly, a golden light encircled Catherine and Cal. The soft, warm glow of the golden light was comforting, and it began to heal them. The light swiftly, somehow, healed Cal's back. For Catherine, the light made the arrow disappear, and the wound healed. As quickly as the light had came, it was gone. Catherine's eyes fluttered open.
"…Why am I not dead?" she asked. She stared at Cal. "What did you do?" Cal's eyes were wide with shock and he shook his head.
"I don't know!" Cal admitted. Catherine stared at him.
"I remember a soft, glowing light…" Catherine recalled. "It seemed to be golden… like your eyes when you use your powers… Did you use your powers to save me?" Cal shook his head in confusion.
"I don't know!" Cal said. "I've never done that before, if it was me!" Catherine studied him for a moment and got to her feet.
"Well, I hope that was you, because I'm pretty sure the future is going to need some hard core healing like that…" Catherine said. She gestured to the top of the mountain. "Well, Callum, it was nice knowing you, and you know where to go. Goodbye!" With that, she began walking down the mountain.
"Wait!" Cal said. "Walter… was he my doppelganger of this world?" Catherine stopped and turned to look at Cal.
"Is your name Walter?" she asked. And with that, she disappeared with the cold wind. Cal frowned as he finished the climb to the top of the mountain. He found the northern cliff and looked out. Clouds seem to cover the landscape, making visibility below them impossible. Sighing, Cal jumped.
-Break-
Kara sparred with Barbara emotionlessly. Her tired eyes didn't care about anything except the hope that Cal would come back, safe and sound. She knew in her heart Cal was still alive, but she wasn't sure whether or not to trust that feeling. Batman and Cyborg, as well as the rest of the Justice League, were doing their best to find him, but to no avail. Barbara swept Kara's leg, and Kara went down with a thud.
"Kara, you need to take your mind off this!" Barbara said. "And I need a focused sparring partner!" Kara sighed and got to her feet.
"Sorry Barbara, I don't feel like sparring," Kara said. Barbara sighed.
"Look, I know you're worried about Cal. I am too, but we need to take our minds off him as much as we can until there's something we can do about it. Now, spar with me please!" Barbara said. Kara sighed and nodded.
"You're right…" Kara admitted. Barbara nodded. She threw a punch, which Kara blocked, and spun around, swinging her foot. Kara caught her foot and tugged her towards the ground. Barbara hit the practice mats and groaned.
"See, doesn't focusing help?" Barbara asked. After no response, she looked at Kara, who was staring at the doorway of their sparring room. Barbara followed her eyes to see Cal, smiling softly and his arms out to hug Kara. Kara gasped and flew towards Cal. Cal caught her, and they hugged. Kara wrapped her arms around Cal's neck and her legs around his waist. Cal tangled his fingers in Kara's hair and held her close. Kara buried her face into Cal's neck, breathing in his new scent of pine and snow. Her voice was shaky as she spoke.
"I thought I lost you again…" Kara admitted. "I love you!" Cal laughed lightly.
"I promised you I'd always come back," Cal said. "Always." He used one hand to cup her chin and stared at her beautiful blue eyes. "I love you…" Cal said, kissing her. Kara smiled into the kiss, hoping this moment would never end. Somewhere across the Watchtower, Ace barked excitedly and ran towards his master.
