"Are you having a hard time keeping up, Alexander?" she stopped and completely bent at the knees to be at his level.
He bit his lower lip and shook his head quickly. He didn't look into her soft eyes, just focused on the long skirt of her bright white sundress. He didn't want her to know that he practically had to run to keep up with her. If she thought he couldn't keep up, she might not take him with her anymore. …He secretly fiddled with the inhaler in his jacket pocket, just incase.
She gave him a knowing smile and lifted her hand to smooth his already perfectly combed red hair. Then she put her hand under his chin and gently raised his eyes to hers.
Her face was framed with deep red ringlet curls. Her wide brimmed white hat caused a vague shadow to be cast over her sparkling blue eyes. Her smile was widening as she looked at him adoringly in his child size suit and tie. …His mother was the most beautiful woman – ever.
She softly rubbed his cheek with her thumb for a moment before she slipped her hands under his arms and picked him up. She rested him above her hip and wrapped her arm around him securely.
He felt the silky fabric of her dress and her nurturing hold on him, immediately he felt his eyelids sag. The glass greenhouse was approaching. He worked his forehead into her neck and relaxed. He would just rest for a second, he promised to help her pick out flowers. He wanted to keep his promise to her; she said that she needed his help.
He heard a door open and a smell hit him. It was – awful. It smelled like dirt and rain and the humidity that he felt close in around him. He would never forget that – unnatural over accumulation of natural smells. He crinkled his nose before he drifted off to sleep.
XXXXX
Lex didn't have a chance to smile to himself; something was slowly wrapping itself around his right ankle. Startled, he looked down quickly.
It yanked hard and he lost his balance, hitting the back of his head on the glass side of the trophy case. He heard the sound of glass cracking and darkness closed in on him like he was in a tunnel walking backwards, watching the light get smaller and smaller.
XXXXX
The sword slammed into her neck just below her right ear. She didn't move to block it or react when it hit her. It was like her soul had gone on a vacation and didn't bother to tell the rest of her. That scared him and the old man quickly dropped the katana he had used to hit her. In his language he said, "What's wrong?" If she hadn't been using the relic he could have…
She stood there for a moment, staring straight ahead. At least he thought she was staring ahead, he couldn't see her eyes – just a dull reflection of himself staring back at him. In only a second, this motionless figure made the cave they were sparring in just that.
When she moved again, she turned to him and shook her reflective head. The liquid mirror of her helmet folded down and melted into the rest of the metal armor. "Sensei," Rhone used his native tongue, "I saw it again."
He knew instantly what she meant. She had told him about the false vision and the girl that caused it. It was one of the reasons she had returned to him. Well, that and…
"Was it the same?" he started to lead her to the exit. He knew she would leave if it was what she had seen before.
"I think so," she was obviously still thinking.
"Go," was all he said. He didn't know why, but he was alright with the other things she had told him. Maybe it was because a part of him understood it.
She looked at him as she quickly absorbed the rest of the relic. Her face said that she didn't know if she was ready to leave them yet, specifically leave him yet. This may be their last chance. But she needed to go, had to go. …Lex.
"I told you that you could come back whenever you wanted and I still mean it," He said honestly, "But we both know that this is goodbye." He thought he would never see her again after she went back to the military. He was ushering her closer to the exit.
He was old – she didn't know how old, but ancient. She was busy, to put it mildly – and halfway around the world.
When they reached the exit he handed her the trench coat she had been wearing on her arrival and said, "I don't have anything else for you. I told you everything that I know."
She knew what he meant. He was talking about the relic. What he had told her could fit on an index card – cut in half. "I know," she made it sound like he had given her an ocean of knowledge.
She looked at him one last time as she put on the coat. He was dressed in a uniform similar to the one she wore to train in. He was tall and thin with white hair so wispy, any slight breeze disheveled it.
"Remember, true heroes don't need gratitude," he put a hand on her forearm.
She bowed low to him and when she straightened, saluted. Rhone didn't want the last thing they said to one another to be goodbye. She turned and ran into the desert at a dead heat.
XXXXX
Clark abruptly stopped using his speed a few feet from The Torch office – why did it smell like – a freshly tilled field after a heavy rain in here? He dismissed it. He knew that he was late. Chloe would probably give him some annoyed look and be cranky for about a half hour. …It was worth it.
He put on his best smile and turned into the office, "I…"
No one. He looked behind the door as though she was going to jump from behind it and yell "surprise." He ventured, "Chloe? …Lex?" He had seen both of his friends' cars out front. There was a faint noise behind him, almost like a cracking noise.
He used his speed and went down the hall. He paused and used his X-ray vision – nothing. He moved and checked again – nothing. When he paused again, he knew something had happened. One of the trophy cases had a crack in it at a point slightly lower than his head on it. But the big clue was the small amount of blood that was near the center of the crack – a circular impact point. He quickly used his X-ray vision again and saw 3 skeletons down the hall in one of the rooms. None of them were moving. Two of them were – suspended, one of which was holding something. The other was sitting at a table with their back to the door – but the skeleton didn't look right, he could almost see through it.
He sped to the door marked Agriculture Lab and tore the door open. He was assaulted by the smell of dirt and flora.
He could barely see Adra Arden – he knew it had to be her – in the center of the room, it was so dark. The windows were completely covered over with – vines or plants or something. Clark looked around as he eyes adjusted, they were – everywhere. The walls, ceiling, not to mention a lot of the floor was covered with them. This was disturbing, but more so was that they were – breathing – almost pulsing. …Actually, the most disturbing thing was Lex's hand sticking out of one of the foliage walls – at least it was a safe assumption that it was his billionaire friend's hand.
Clark felt something wrap around his left calf. He looked down and saw a thick vine encircling it. He felt the same thing around his left wrist. "Adra, stop!" he yelled. That never works, he told himself as he felt a vine going for his right ankle. He used his speed to divest himself of the vines that had already started to claim him.
He ran to Adra and grabbed her shoulders but his hands just kept sinking into her. It was like squeezing a very rotten watermelon. He felt his hands get wet through her shirt. The plants started to rustle intensely as his face turned to one of disgust – sick. He pulled his hands out of her and tried to get a good look at her. She was darker than she should have been, but without the light, he really couldn't see much else. He backed off quickly, she smelled like a compost heap – at least, what was left did.
Rhone's words came to him. She had told him to stay away from Adra – and to protect Lex. Well, it didn't look like staying away from Adra would be much of a problem.
He ran to Lex's hand and started tearing vines away from it. The vines were strong; a normal person may not have been able to tear them without a significant effort. He used his speed to keep the vines off of himself as well as to reach Lex. It felt like everything else slowed down, like when he watched bullets come toward him.
He panicked slightly. It felt like it was taking a really long time to get Lex out of there but in reality it was probably far less than a minute. He didn't know what exactly the plants were doing to him, but it probably wasn't good – if Adra was any kind of indication.
He finally tore Lex out and sped him down the hall a short way. His friend was still breathing but not completely conscious. He had a small wound on the back of his head and looked – well, messy. While Clark was setting him down, Lex opened his eyes, "Clark?"
In a way this was bad, he would probably have to run normally now. "Lex, are you okay?" he didn't wait for an answer, "Get outside and call for help."
Lex nodded and started to stand up. …Wait. He gently pushed Clark away, indicating that his flannel clad friend needed to go back inside, "She's been in there for longer than I have." He knew it was safe to assume that Chloe had fallen prey to – whatever the hell was in there. He didn't know why, but for some reason he thought it seemed like a rational idea to send Clark back in. He looked around to get his bearings, but when he turned to face his friend again, he was gone.