Devils Night
Part 3: Darkness and Light

Time seemed to slow. Chloe reached out with her mind, trying to find an opening to the power grid that she could transfer herself to, but there was nothing in range. She's almost conceded the fact that she was going to die, or at best, severely hurt herself when she felt someone grab her, stopping her fall instantly.

"Need a ride?" Apollo asked, a halo of energy glowing round his head.

"Thanks." Chloe gasped, "Clark and Lana have gone a little, crazy."

"We can deal with them."

"We?"

"You think I'd come to a place like this alone?"

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Kal-El and Isabel had reached an almost stalemate in their attempts to defeat the other: Kal-El was faster, but he couldn't get close enough to Isabel to attack her. The witch was likewise cornered, but able to fend off and attack.

"Is this a private party," A deep voice asked as a shadow fell across the doorway, "or can anyone join in?"

"This is not your fight, mortal." Kal-El snarled, "You have no comprehension of what you are medalling in."

"Let me make this situation clear for you: you're good, real good, but my talents were built in by Henry Bendix, the biggest bastard Earth has ever known." The stranger looked him in the eye, "I know what special abilities you have. I can sense them. I can detect the increased electrical activity in your brain. I know what moves you're preparing to make. I've fought our fight already, in my head, in a million different ways. I can hit you without you even seeing me. I'm what soldier's dream of growing into. I'm what children see when they first imagine what death is like. I am the Nights Bringer of War. I am the Midnighter."

"You are weak and foolish!" Isabel tried to hit the newcomer with a magical blast, but the Midnighter simply stepped to the side at the last possible moment. Kal-El tried to catch him with a heat beam, but the Midnighter moved with un-natural grace and precision.

Going on the offensive, the Midnighter dived across a desk and rolled up onto his feet, catching Kal-El with an upper cut that lifted him off the ground and sent him flying through the air. He landed on a desk, demolishing it.

"Nice try, Junior." The Midnighter smirked, "But you don't live with someone like Apollo and not learn how to fight dirty." He opened his hand, revealing a ring with a glowing green stone, "A little something I picked up last time I was in town."

"Clever little man." Isabel made the mistake of trying to grab the Midnighter from behind, and got hit by a taser for her troubles.

"Think you'd better sit this one out, little girl." The Midnighter lowered her to the floor. He looked round, and was shocked to see that Kal-El was gone. "Oh crap…"

"Oh crap what?" Apollo asked as he walked through the shattered doorway, followed by Chloe.

"The kid got away." The Midnighter looked round, "He must have gone out the window."

"I'll have a look for him." Apollo took off and was out of sight almost immediately.

"I should get Lana home before she wakes up: hopefully Isabel will be gone…" Chloe saw the glow from the Midnighter's hand, "You carry kryptonite around with you?"

"Call it a precaution."

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"All the other Doctors have heard of the Stones of Power, but very few ever saw them." Jeroen stood leaning against one wall of a briefing room deep below the Adirondack Mountains, "They are contain knowledge and power unlike anything you have ever seen. If reunited be the right person, they could do unparallel good. But if they fall into the hands of the wrong person…"

"We get the picture." Snow nodded, "Any idea who the right person is?"

"It is unclear, but the others believe that they were intended for Kal-El. How he chooses to use them is the important part. Not much more I can tell you without going back into the Dreamtime."

"I'd rather you didn't: we may need you to go to Smallville and help the others. We know from Chloe's reports that Clark is susceptible to magic, and you're the Sharman."

"I understand, but I really should go talk to Jenny Sparks: if Chloe's right about her recent dreams, she may know something we don't."

"Jenny seemed to know Clark's father, so it's a possibility." Snow nodded, "Ok, go, but don't be too long: Jack, Shen and Angie are already on their way, and they may need your help. I can send Jakita and The Drummer, but they're still in New York."

"You could always contact Majestros…"

"I'd rather keep the Kherubim out of this if it can be avoided, as they seem to have history with Krypton: the last thing I want to see is another war that we have nothing to do with being brought to Earth. Add to that he works for the government, and I don't think Chloe or Clark would thank us for bring them to the attention of the authorises…"

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Apollo scanned the night time sky, looking for some trace of Kal-El. The first sign of something wrong was when the young Kryptonian hit him from above with enough force to slam him into the soft Kansas earth.

Kal-El then lifted Apollo and threw him across the field they'd landed in. The winded Planetary agent flew through the air until he hit a tree. The century's old oak snapped in two, the top half falling on Apollo.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved." Kal-El looked down at Apollo, "What is to come will happen, whether you like it or not: you can not fight the future."

"They did a reasonable job of it in The X-Files." Apollo lifted the tree up and held it like a club, "I know you're in there Clark, and I know how upset Chloe would be if anything happened to you, but I don't have time to be subtle!" Apollo swung the tree round with as much strength as he dared.

Kal-El didn't even flinch as several tons of wood slammed into him, splintering on impact.

"Okay." Apollo rubbed his hands, "This might take a little longer than anticipated."

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"CAN'T YOU MAKE THIS THING GO ANY FASTER?" Chloe yelled above the sound of the wind and a rearing engine as she clung onto the Midnighter's back.

"I'M GOING AS FAST AS I CAN WITH YOUR ADDED WEIGHT." The Midnighter shouted back as he took a corner at 120mph, his motorbike almost skidding off the road, "I'M NOT USE TO CARRYING ANYONE."

"FINE!" Chloe spotted an overhead power cable approaching out of the darkness, "I'LL CATCH UP…"

A bright flash lit up the road as Chloe changed into her electrical form, tapping into the power grid and disappearing from sight. She navigated the cables and relays by instinct, thankful that she'd spent a lot of time crisscrossing Smallville county by way of its electrical supply.

She finally found the junction she was looking for and reached out for an exit.

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The jet-black Planetary helicopter flew across the endless sea of corn on its way from Metropolis to Smallville. The three people in the back sat in silent contemplation.

For Jack Hawksmoor, the journey was proving to be a test of his endurance. As a post-human surgically altered to work symbiotically with cities, he can only last a limited time away from large urban areas before his body goes into shock. He can already feel Metropolis losing its grip on him.

For Dr Angela Spica, it was a chance to run through a few hypotheses in her head, trying to work out what could be causing the trouble they were rushing towards. As one of the smartest humans ever, she prided herself on knowing what she was getting into, but this was far outside her area of experience.

Shen Li-men sat meditating; trying to recapture the inner peace she'd had before she'd been drawn into the shadowy world she now inhabited. Her Buddhist upbringing had taught her that all life was sacred. But bitter experience had taught her that a more pragmatic view of the world would let her live longer.

Up front, the pilot and co-pilot shared a look: there was never a dull day when you worked for Planetary.

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Jonathan Kent almost passed out as the kitchen lights flickered for a moment, and then Chloe seemed to leap out of an electrical socket. She appeared for a moment as a living pillar of electrical flame, before solidifying.

"Sorry for the unusual entrance, Mr Kent, but time is of the essence." Chloe took a moment to straighten her white linen jacket, "Has Clark been home?"

"No." Jonathan shook his head, "Martha told me what happened; are you ok?"

"I'll be fine by tomorrow. One advantage of being the daughter of a century baby: we're tougher than we look."

"If Clark's acting as out of control as you say, even you might not be able to stop him without one of you getting hurt."

"I know: that's why I'm going to go talk to Jor-El…"

To Be Continued…