Chapter 7: Old Friends and New Friends to the Rescue
It's never nice to be woken up by pain. In my reality, I had chronic back pain, and at times it woke me up from a dead sleep, or kept me from sleeping altogether. But this tie, being woken up by pain was a bit of a miracle for me. Waking up to pain meant that I was still alive; it meant that I was still in Smallville, and I never thought I would be happy to still be in that reality.
I groaned as I slowly sat up in the ditch Zeed had left me in. I felt stiff and incredibly broken, but I was thankful I could still move, even if it was just a little. The day had moved on while I was unconscious, and now it was late afternoon, early evening. I was surprised I hadn't been found yet, and my heart sunk a little as the Other voice in me said awful things. Like maybe Lex and Clark had been grateful I ran away, or maybe they had found me, but left me anyways.
"Nonsense," I yelped at the sudden voice next to me. It sounded familiar, but I had grown numb to things that had been familiar. If I tried to guess who it was, it would probably turn out to be Zeed.
I looked to my right and saw someone I had never expected to see in the realm of Smallville: Dagon Andrew Black, and sitting next to him was Craven Daniel Walt, who gave me a little awkward wave. My mouth dropped open in surprise, and both boys just smiled at my shock.
In my later adventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I started utilizing my Personality Characters more, cementing them into reality as actual, physical beings. These "characters" were people I had created to fit specific niches in stories. I created a lot of characters for writing, but there were five that stuck out the most, and I realized that they represented essential parts of me. There was Anna Phin Teller, who was the character whose powers I borrowed while in the MCU, she was the Joy part of my personality. Then there was Dagon, a pyrokinetic, who represented my anger. Craven was another superpowered individual who was actually made for the DC universe, and he was my anxiety. There was Marlee Marie Robbins, a mythical knight with a phoenix companion who represented my sadness. Finally there was my newest creation: Other, a demon, who represented my disgust. And yes, these five feelings were inspired from Disney Pixar's movie Inside Out. It was what made me realize that I had these five characters and what they meant to me.
Craven looked relatively comfortable here, sitting next to me in the realm of Smallville. I had been working on his story lately at home, fleshing him out into a workable character for the DC comic world, mostly for Wonder Woman. It made a little sense as to why he was here, feeling at ease in a little ditch in Smallville.
Dagon and Craven were two completely different people. Dagon had emerald, green eyes and black hair, and Craven had blue eyes and blond hair. Both boys had extraordinary powers with devastating effects. Craven was practically a clone of Ares, God of War! Then there was Dagon, who had burned down his entire town, burning himself on purpose in the process to divert suspicion away from him.
I looked at Dagon's scar just then, trailing it with my eyes from his middle knuckle on his hand, and up in a spiral around his lower arm to his elbow. Next to him, Craven's distinguishing mark was a group of overlapping circle tattoos behind his right ear. Staring at the two of them it suddenly hit me: Dagon and Craven were here with me! There were HERE in Smallville!
"How are you two here?" I asked weakly. "Zeed said he changed things, and that no one was coming to save me."
"Craven can be here because you specifically made his storyline in the DC universe, much like Anna's and the Marvel Universe." Dagon started to explain. "I can be here because my story is original, and is not specifically connected to any universe." Dagon's voice had a smooth tone, and I found it extremely comforting at the moment.
"Zeed did try and block us from coming, but I cut a way in." Craven added, blushing a little in his intrusion into the conversation. "We aren't physically here, but we are in spirit, and we heard you calling to us."
"I was calling to you?" I looked a little dumbfounded by that.
"That's how we found you, and how Craven found a way to cut through Zeed's complicated shields and traps." Dagon explained. "If we hadn't, you wouldn't have made it."
"What does that mean?" I struggled to sit up more, and Dagon scooted over to help me to a sitting position. Even though he wasn't there physically, I could feel him willing strength into me to help.
"You should have died a little while ago, from whatever Zeed did to you, Maddie." Craven said. "Dagon and I were able to help and heal you, just a little bit." All the blood drained from my face, and I swooned just a little.
"I think that since this is Craven's world, he'll be able to appear more and help you out. He may even be able to manifest physically in order to use his powers in case you need them." Dagon added and I nodded.
I closed my eyes to try and stem the new set of tears building in my eyes from falling down my face. I hated being a sobbing, crying mess all the time, but these were tears of relief to know that two aspects of myself had pushed through a part of Zeed's diabolical plans. Thinking about Zeed and his stupid plan made me think of Watt. I wasn't the only one suffering right now.
"What about-," Dagon held up his hand to stop the thought coming from me.
"We're are helping Watt, yes." He said. "We've split up: Marlee and Other are on a trail that might lead to Watt. Anna is back in the MCU getting help, and Craven and I are here for you."
"Dagon," I started to say, but he shook his head.
"We have to get going, but you should be good now." He said to me, looking at Craven who nodded in silent understanding.
"Stay strong, Maddie," Craven smiled at me. "You still have all of us inside of you, and more specifically on your side." His words rang with the reminder of the note Watt had left me. There were others on our side.
"Oh, and um," Craven fidgeted with his hands a little. "We're getting kind of mad at the crybaby you're being. But we love you!" He added the last part quickly, and I just laughed as Dagon dug his elbow into Craven's stomach.
"You and me both, but thank you." I said smiling as they both reached out and put their hands on my arm. I could feel them willing more strength into me; a warm feeling spread through my body as they gave me silent goodbyes, and then faded away.
Their fading away gave me the chills. I was once again alone in Smallville, but a new resolve was building inside of me. It was reassuring to know that I was still being watched over by those who cared about me. It was also good to know that they were also working hard to help Watt, and I wondered who Anna was going to get to help from the MCU, if she could. I could see maybe Doctor Strange and Wanda helping, but another part of me hoped that maybe Bucky and Sam Wilson would step in.
I remained sitting in the ditch for a long while, gathering my strength for the next hurdle: getting to my feet and up the side of the ditch. Once I felt ready, I clamored up the side of the ditch and stood shakily next to the road. I held onto my left wrist; it still ached like I had torn a muscle or sprained it from the hard push Zeed had given me. I was checking it and the rest of myself over when I heard a faint whooshing noise, and felt a bit of a breeze go by me. When I looked up, Clark was jogging down the road towards me. He looked absolutely relieved to see me.
"Maddie!" He called out as he jogged up to me, pretending to be out of breath. "I could have sworn I checked over here for you earlier." He panted. "We've been looked all over for you!"
"We?" I furrowed my brow. My assumption that Zeed must have kept me invisible during my running away and our conversation was confirmed.
"Yeah, you know," Clark shrugged. "Me, my parents, and Lex." He added Lex's name softly and slowly, giving me a knowing look as I flicked my eyes to the ground.
"I've messed everything up, Clark." I told him softly. "I'm surprised that any of you would care at this point with all the trouble I've caused.
"Hey, you haven't caused me any trouble," Clark moved closer to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "I've talked to Lex, and he knows you aren't that crazy guy's accomplice. He was just stressed and scared. None of us have ever been in a situation like this before." I high doubted that last part, but I just let out a deep breath and nodded, though I couldn't believe that Lex was truly scared of anything.
Clark asked if I could walk, and I told him the extent of my injuries: hurt wrist, aching chest, and I could not find my inhaler. I gave him some dumb story of falling down the ditch, and afterwards he decided that carrying me would be the best option. He kneeled down so that I could jump on him piggy-back style, and then started walking back to the farm.
"I really can walk, you know." I said after about fifteen minutes of walking.
I knew he would object; Clark probably had no problem hold me with his super strength, but the façade had to be kept up that I did not know he was an alien being who would one day be the world's greatest hero.
"It's fine!" He laughed it off and I shook my head.
He trudged on, making small talk as the light darkened into evening. We chatted about mundane things like school and music, and other teenager sort of things. For the first time in a long time, it all felt normal. It felt like I was really fourteen years old, and I had lived in this world my entire life. It was hard for me to settle into that feeling, but I had to remind myself that I had the backing of Craven and Dagon, and they were two of my most formidable characters. They could definitely take care of me.
"There's a car coming," Clark's voice snapped me out of my reverie.
I leaned a little to my right to see the dark silhouette of a car heading our way. The headlights were off, but they suddenly sparked to life, blinding both me and Clark. I hissed and Clark looked away and blinked rapidly to clear his sight. Whoever was driving the car veered it right at us, and Clark hastily pushed up back into the ditch. I rolled onto my hands and knees; Clark slid onto his back.
"Hey!" I snapped angrily at the sound of a door opening.
I got to my feet and then helped Clark up before looking at whoever it was that had tried to hit us. A swear word bubbled inside me, and then lodged in my throat at the sight of the man standing above us, at the top of the ditch. His eyes were a familiar bright, meteor green, and I didn't need any green haze to tell me it was the Smallville Prowler.
"You got away," A raspy voice growled. I stepped back, and Clark moved in front of me, providing a shield.
"It's him, Clark," I whispered. "That's the Prowler." Clark nodded, his stern face set like stone in a glare.
He clenched his jaw tightly; I thought for a moment he would launch himself straight at the me man, but once he took a step forward, Clark faltered. He began to tremble, and a pained expression crossed his face.
"Clark what's wrong?" I clutched his arm as he dropped to his knees, groaning as he strained to remain conscious.
I looked up at the Prowler, and saw that his eyes were glowing bright green. It dawned on me that whoever this was must have the green meteor rock in their eyes. How it got there I couldn't even guess, and I didn't really care as all my attention went to Clark. I knew that he was "allergic" to the blasted rocks, and they had a harsh, immediate effect on him. I recalled that the man's gaze could cause pain, and I doubted that Clark was in any pain the Prowler gave him, but just from the allergy. In any case, the Prowler just stared down Clark, and reached for me, pulling out of the ditch by my right arm and tearing me away from Clark's side.
"No!" I screamed, whipping around and punching the man in the side with my left fist.
The man grunted, and loosened his grip just enough that I could pull my arm free and pushed him away with all of my strength. He stumbled a couple of steps back, but that was enough to break the stare that was making Clark sick. I dove back down into the ditch and helped Clark up to his feet.
"We have to get out of here!" I said loudly. I started to half drag, half lead Clark towards a bank of trees.
"Wait, Maddie, you go!" Clark coughed a little and then stopped me. He turned me around and looked me in the eye. "See that path right there?" He pointed to a small worn path through the trees. "That will lead back to the farm, one of our pastures is on the other side of the trees."
I shook my head furiously. "I'm not leaving you here to clean up my mess." I argued, but Clark gave me a feeble push in an effort to get me going.
It was too late anyways, because he crumpled to the ground again. The Prowler had regained his composure and doubled down his bright glare on Clark. From the look on his face, the Prowler was intent on making sure Clark was either unconscious or flat dead.
"Leave him alone!" I yelled angrily. "Leave me alone, leave us all alone!" I must have sounded like a small toddler throwing a tantrum, but I didn't care. I was done.
"I must finish my mission." The man's raspy voice said, and I scoffed and furiously shook my head.
"I'm not going to let you or HIM win." The Prowler's eyes flicked to me, just in time to see me launch up the side of the ditch and tackle him to the ground.
He called out in surprise as we landed hard on the asphalt near the car. In that moment I felt like I was on autopilot, punching at him and landing a few hits on his arms and chest. He quickly threw me up and over him, sending me scrambling into the middle of the road. Before I could get up, he was on his feet, and a foot came crashing down onto my stomach. All the air was forced out of me, and stars danced at the edges of my vision. Somehow though, I held on to my consciousness.
The next time he kicked at me, I grabbed his leg and wretched myself to the side, pulling him back to the ground with me. He got a hold of my arm and held tightly, then practically pushed me and himself up onto our feet. He gripped my shoulder painfully hard as he forced me to look him in the face.
I saw a deranged man with spittle at the corners of his mouth, and he was snarling at me like an animal. His eyes were no longer the bright glowing green that had incapacitated Clark, but darker green, with red rimmed around the lids. He narrowed his eyes at me, as if expecting something to happen. I stood there, struggling to get away and looking mildly confused. He scrunched up his features, screwing up his face as if he was trying to move something with his mind.
"Why isn't it working?" He shook me harshly, and my vision spun. "Why aren't you screaming in pain?"
"What are you talking about?" I yelled back and he growled angrily. I struggled in his grip, but he only held onto me tighter, all the while glaring and narrowing his eyes, trying to make something happen.
It hit me then that when his eyes glowed green, he could make people feel pain, almost to the point to maybe dying. But his eyes weren't glowing right now. It was like he had run out of steam from using all of his strength on Clark. Maybe even because of what Clark was, he sort of drained all of the man's power for the time being.
As I wondered about this, I could hear sirens coming down the road. Their sound sliced in the air, and the flashing blue and red lights began to dance off of the trees and the eyes of the crazed man. Screeching tires sent some mild gravel into the air, peppering me and the Prowler in stinging little pokes. The man whipped us around, reached an arm around my shoulders and suddenly brandished a gun, holding it to my temple.
We were facing two police cars with their bright flashing lights turned on to the max. I could make out two figures also holding guns, and pointing them at us. Behind them were three other figures, and I thought I could barely make out the outline of Lex.
"Drop the weapon! Let the girl go!" An officer barked. The figure I thought to be Lex tried to rush past the officers, but he was caught and pushed back; it was Lex.
"No!" The man's voice was barely audible, even for me. "No!" He then yelled. "I have to finish it, I have to!" He began to babble. I struggled to get away, but he held on tightly around my shoulders. My eyes locked onto Lex's, and he stared back at me intently.
Try.
The word lit up in my head, and Craven and Dagon's images were conjured in my mind. I thought myself a little crazy, because I could have sworn, I could see the two of them standing behind Lex.
We're getting kind of mad at how much of a crybaby you're being.
Craven's words lit up next, and I couldn't help but laugh at them, but it came out in a series of coughs and sputters that cut through the Prowler's rabbling. The character whose anxiety was worse than mine by design really told me to stop being a crybaby.
I needed to stop being weak. In the realm of fictional superheroes, I had been a trained SHIELD agent. I could throw knives with deadly accuracy, and I snuck into Hydra facilities, taking down super soldiers twice my size! I was brave in the MCU, with Captain America by my side, brave with the heroes that defined my life since I was little, and then well into adulthood. Just because Smallville wasn't a show that I obsessed over, or had a superhero I didn't really care for didn't mean I had to crumble into a pathetic whiner.
A feeling of calm descended on me in that moment. The man hold me hostage and the cops continued to yell at each other. I could hear Mr. and Mrs. Kent calling out for Clark, and I could see Lex and his eyes glued on me. We had been locked in an intense stare for the briefest of moments, even though it felt like an eternity. Luthor's did not tolerate weakness, and that was all that I had shown Lex the whole time he had known me. It was my chance now to show him that I was more, more than this crying sniveling girl from a vastly different reality.
What happened next went by in slow motion, though I know it must have gone by in the blink of an eye for everyone else. I pulled my right elbow up and pushed it back with all of my might, digging it into the Prowler's stomach and ribs. There was a hiss and an expulsion of air as the man gasped in sudden shock. I grabbed his arm and pulled it up and over my head to free myself. Then I took the gun from him, spun around and pointed it at him. I aimed at his knee, and fired.
The crack of the gun jerked me back to real time, and the man screamed out in pain. He crumpled to the ground, clutching the bloody mess his knee had become. The officers rushed past me, eager to apprehend the notorious Smallville Prowler that had plagued the small town for weeks. I still held the gun, watching with wide eyes as the man before me rolled back and forth and screamed bloody murder. Someone came and took the gun from my hand, and I jerked. I looked to find Lex's eyes bearing down on me as he held the gun away from me, his expression was one of morbid curiosity.
Author's Note
At some point I would love to really cement Craven's story down and post it. His story is more Wonder Woman centered, but I do have a Smallville story arc for him as well.
Also, next week I will be posting the last chapter to Part 1: The Ominous Watcher. But, never fear! Part 2 is already finished and edited, so I will still be posting on Tuesdays with no interruptions. You may just have to find the new published story. I'll be keeping the picture the same, but the title will be slightly different.
Thanks for Reading!