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, and more that aren't quite ready to be presented yet. (Lots of characters are Out of Character (OOC).)
Chapter 14: Day 5/16
Mason sat at the desk in their private office area. Cal stood, leaning against the wall, wearing his armor. Mason played with a stress ball, spinning his chair around.
"So, how do you get to Bartholomew?" Mason asked. Cal shrugged.
"No clue, but there's no time like the present," Cal smiled. Mason laughed and shook his head.
"Well, I'll give you the room. I have homework to do for us," Mason joked. He left the room, leaving Cal to focus. Cal stood in the center of the room, focusing. He focused on a portal, but nothing happened. Cal focused again and strained his mind, peering into a 'crossroads' of portals. He saw the path he needed and focused, straining his physical endurance. He pushed his mind and his body into the crossroads.
Cal floated in the crossroads. There was no definite ground, so Cal floated gingerly. The paths were lit with a light purple trail, and Cal followed the path he needed. He passed dozens of portals, all glowing doorways showing a glimpse of the world inside. Cal looked beyond the pathways and doors and admired once again the dark blue haze that was… space, plain and simple. He breathed the non-existent air and sighed. There wasn't anything to breath or smell, but Cal always smelt a fresh morning nature smell. Cal made it to his destination, stopping between 2 doorways. He closely examined the space, lightly running his hands around an imaginary doorway, leaving a trail of glowing residue. After finishing shaping his doorway, the doorway became real, making an opening. Cal took a deep breath and stepped through the doorway.
Cal entered into the dimension. He walked into an entrance of a mansion. He looked around, taking in the familiar feel of his past home. He called out into the mansion.
"Bartholomew!" Cal barked. His voice echoed through the mansion.
"Yes yes, come on in!" Bartholomew called back. Cal made his way up one of the staircases, entering into the living room. Bartholomew was reading a comic book, wearing a robe. He was seated in his favorite chair, next to the fire. The flames in the fire made shadows dance on Bartholomew's aged face. "So, finally ready to listen?" Bartholomew asked.
"So it was you. Why the hell would you take Kara here?!" Cal demanded.
"Relax, I'm Cal's great-uncle and she even came willingly," Bartholomew explained. Cal growled angrily. "Besides, I know it's safer with her here, protected…"
"No, she belongs home, with her family to protect her!" Cal said. Bartholomew shook his head. He sighed, put down his comic, and stood up, rewrapping his robe.
"Callum, you need to look at this from my point of view. According to the prophecy, you hold something, most dear. Not someone. Whatever that thing may be, you need to understand that she's safer here until all this blows over, whether you win or lose, you have my word she will be safe," Bartholomew tried to explain. Cal shook his head.
"You can't just keep her here. Just because she's safer here doesn't mean she should be here!" Cal said.
"Well, by keeping her here, I ensure you rest easy and even so, by keeping her here I am preventing the worst possible future from happening. She's here to up your chances of winning…" Bartholomew said, clasping Cal's shoulder. Cal pushed his hand off.
"You and I both know consequences will come from her disappearing from her dimension…" Cal warned. "…and if everyone she cares about is gone… AGAIN… well, YOU try dealing with that!"
"You and I both know the consequences will be against me, not you or her. Besides, I'll take the consequences," Bartholomew said.
"No, I won't let you break the rules because you think it's better for someone…" Cal said. Bartholomew raised his hands in defeat.
"Fine, I'll convince her to go back, but here's the catch. You have to train here again, for a 2-week time period…" Bartholomew negotiated. Cal nodded. "Good, good. Kara!" A few seconds later, Kara appeared in the doorway. She stopped, surprised at The Protector's appearance.
"Wait! Why are you here? What are you doing?!" Kara asked. The Protector started to speak, but Bartholomew interrupted him.
"You are going back. Your family needs you," Bartholomew briefly explained. Kara shook her head.
"No! I'm not going back! Not till whatever is supposed to happen happens! That future you showed me, I'm not going to let it happen!" Kara said. The Protector glanced at Bartholomew, who weakly smiled and looked away.
"Showed you?" The Protector asked.
"Yeah," Kara said slowly. "He showed me a future where… Let's just say it isn't a pretty future…" The Protector groaned and rubbed his head through helmet.
"Look, I don't know what he showed you, but he can't and has never been able to show another being a future…" The Protector said. Kara's eyes widened and she looked at Bartholomew, who was rubbing his neck nervously. "He can see futures, plus a few other things, but he can't show futures…"
"So what was the point of bringing me here? Probably some sort of perversion…" Kara whispered the last part, making Cal mentally chuckle.
"Well, in the meantime, grab your stuff, we're leaving," The Protector said. Kara nodded, quickly walking over and slapping Bartholomew, hard. Bartholomew flinched back and grabbed his face. Kara walked away.
"I just wanted to see if you were good enough for Callum!" Bartholomew called out. Cal turned to Bartholomew and snarled like a wolf. "I know, I know. If anything you're not good enough for her…" Bartholomew said to Cal. Suddenly, Bartholomew jumped at The Protector, slamming him against the wall, holding his arm against his throat. "You're training can start…" he snapped his fingers and a giant countdown clock appeared, with 336 hours on the timer. "NOW!" the clock began counting down and Bartholomew pushed off Cal. Cal rubbed his neck and waited for Bartholomew. Bartholomew leapt at him again and this time he was ready for him. The Protector sidestepped and kicked Bartholomew into the wall, making the mansion shake. Bartholomew got up, smiling and looked at The Protector. The timer stopped and Bartholomew looked at The Protector. "Just as I thought, you're still separating yourself. Action and survival aren't in sync with the rest of your mind. You're still in your bad habit or separating your instincts and yourself. We start from scratch tomorrow night. Have a good day tomorrow." And with that, Bartholomew waved and disappeared. Kara came down with her suitcase.
"What's all the ruckus?" Kara asked.
"Bartholomew wasn't too happy with the prospect of me jumping into his plans or whatever," The Protector said. Kara nodded in understanding.
"So, want to explain how you found me and everything?" Kara said. The Protector sighed and began his story.
"Well, it was my understanding that Superman panicked when he found out you were missing. I heard this and began digging into everyone around you. I figured your disappearance was too quiet for a kidnapping so you most likely went willingly. With that in mind, I found out you're dating one 'Callum Orson'. I proceeded to look into him and in my database I found a connection. 'Bartholomew Wethersong', Callum's great-uncle. He has a knack for getting into Callum's business and I decided to follow a lead. And you know the rest," The Protector said. He ushered her to the door.
"Oh, so you're a shiny Batman?" Kara joked. The Protector laughed. "So I suppose you always knew who I was?"
"Well, I'm not entirely like Batman. I don't go looking for secret identities unless I absolutely have to," The Protector explained.
"Oh, so about your looking into me, how many sets of underwear will I be missing when I get home?" Kara joked. Cal's head turned sharply.
"None, I swear!" Cal said. Kara laughed and patted his shoulder.
"I'm joking, sheesh," Kara said. Cal breathed a sigh of relief. They made it to the door.
"I don't know if you saw this, but this might knock your socks off," Cal warned. He swung open the door and Kara gasped in amazement. She took a moment to admire the beautiful purple trails, the dark blue haze beyond, and the glowing doorways. She stood there, star struck. Cal gave her a moment, admiring her. 'Dang, she's beautiful…' he thought. 'She's like an angel… A really perfect angel…' Cal got lost in her beauty, and Kara when Kara stopped admiring the beautiful coloring of the interdimensional spaceway, she grew uncomfortable with The Protector simply standing there, looking in her direction. She rubbed her arm, uncomfortable. Cal snapped out of it.
"Oh, sorry," Cal said. He gestured out the door. Kara glanced at him and stepped out. She found herself floating and looked at Cal. Cal stepped out with her, closing the door behind him. He began guiding her to their home dimension. Kara gazed in wonder at the various glimpses of other worlds, mostly sad or depressing looking glimpses, but some were full of bright colors and happy images. "So, not to be pushy, but who is Jason? And, if you don't mind me asking, what's officially going on with you and Cal?" Cal asked.
"Well, Jason is this guy who is REALLY over obsessed with me. We 'dated'," Kara used air quotes for effect, "for a while in 6th grade. It technically ended when I realized we weren't actually doing anything. And as for Callum," Kara paused for a moment. "We've gone on a single date, but I already feel like I've been with him for months…" Kara tried to continue, but stopped herself short, seeing the familiar skyline of her city. They made their way over to their doorway, but Cal stopped her from entering.
"No quite yet," Cal said. He grabbed the side of the doorway and swung his arm, causing the doorway to spin and a new location appearing with every spin. They waited a few seconds, and Cal suddenly stopped the door. They were now looking at the decision room of the Watchtower. Before they entered Cal warned her. "Kara, I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I am going to tell you that in these cases, and most, the truth if the best idea. How much detail is your choice, but I'm recommending only the relevant ones… Just some friendly advice…" Kara nodded.
"Thank you, I was going to ask you what I should do too. Thank you Protector," Kara responded.
"No problem, and now that I think about it, 'Protector' is a mouthful. Call me 'Walter'," The Protector said. Kara smiled.
"Ok, Walter," Kara said. Cal smiled underneath his helmet.
"You probably can't tell, but I'm smiling underneath," Walter said. Kara laughed. He gestured towards the door and Kara slowly walked through, with Walter following close behind. They entered into the Watchtower, where the Justice League was seated, all looking worried, except Batman. They all sharply turned towards Kara's abrupt entrance, with The Protector following close behind. Superman stood up abruptly and hugged Kara.
"KARA! What happened?! Where have you been?!" Superman demanded. He glanced at The Protector. "Thank you, thank you for finding her…" For the next few minutes, Kara was harassed to explain what happened and she did, telling an elaborate story about how someone lied to her and convinced her to go with him only to reveal later that he had been lying and had ulterior motives and how if The Protector, Walter, hadn't shown up when he did, she might have never gotten back. After recounting this story, she glanced at Batman, who narrowed his eyes. Walter stepped in and answered some outlying questions.
"It may have been the work of Chronos, but I'm not sure yet. I'm still looking into it," Walter said.
"Well, I'm just relieved Kara's ok," Superman said.
"And also relieved that I can say a name shorter than 3 syllables for The Protector," Flash joked. Wonder Woman shot him a look. Green Lantern high fived him.
"As much as the timing is kind of off, he has a point. The Protector is a mouthful… Nice to have a name for a… helmet," Green Lantern said. Cyborg nodded.
"So… Walter, is that even your real name?" J'onn asked. Walter smiled under his helmet.
"Do I seem like the type to tell you my real name?" Walter asked. Batman smiled.
"But maybe it is and your demeanor is to throw us off the scent," Flash pointed out. Walter shook his head.
"There are literally millions of names and billions of people, telling you his real name would be like putting a needle on the very top of the haystack, then trying to find it. A bit confusing, but nowhere near impossible," Batman said. Walter nodded. Superman glared at everyone.
"Can we get back to the actual problem at hand? Someone went after Kara!" Superman yelled. Everyone quieted up and paid a bit more attention. "We need to find whoever did this, and then we prepare to deal with Chronos…" Walter rubbed his neck.
"About that last one… I put an ultimatum on his little chess game, he's going back into the shadows for a long time…" Walter bluffed. Everyone stared at him.
"So you're saying there won't be a big battle?" Wonder Woman asked. "Shame, I was ready for a challenge…" Everyone glanced at her, worried.
"So in a single day you've managed to avoid a possibly catastrophic event?" Batman asked suspiciously. Walter nodded.
"'With motivation, one can move the mountains and erase the seas.'" Walter quoted.
"Well, I would have gone with—" Batman started.
"—'The future is not set in stone'?" Cal interrupted. Batman smirked and nodded. "I thought about that one, but it seemed too… used."
"Well, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt Walter, and assume you're not lying to us. But as soon as I see something suspicious concerning Chronos…" Batman took a drink of water, "I'm preparing for war." Everyone looked on in curious fear of the 2 smartest and most calculating men on the planet battle it out in a game of wits. Walter smiled.
"Fair enough," Walter answered. Superman stepped in before anything else could happen.
"Walter, thank you for involvement in finding Kara," Superman said. Walter nodded.
"That and the Chronos situation was all I came here to tell you," Walter said. "And with that, I'm off." Walter began walking away. Everyone half-heartedly waved or said 'goodbye'. Walter made it to the teleporting room, but was stopped by Batman.
"I don't know if you are bluffing or not, by which I mean I know you are, but I'm going to let it pass for the time being, but I want you to know…" Batman sighed and struggled to say the words, "I trust you… Somehow, in less than a week I trust you enough to give you the benefit of the doubt and this…" Batman pulled out a vial of blood. "This is the blood you left on the floor of the Batcave. I was going to call your bluff about changing DNA and process it but…" he handed Walter the vial. "I trust you, for some reason…" Walter took the vial and nodded. Batman left. Cal turned to the computer and typed in coordinates of the Sahara Desert. He turned to walk into the teleporter, but then Kara walked in.
"Hey, Walter… I was just wondering…" Kara paused for a moment. "Well, something deep down tells me you're about my age and I guess I was wondering… Maybe you need a friend, you know… you could always open up to me… I'm good at keeping secrets… I mean, for example, I've kept secrets about my best friend for a few years now. I've kept a secret about my boyfriend that he doesn't even know I know. I'm not telling you these secrets, I'm just giving you an example of secrets I can keep… So yeah, if you need a friend… You can always talk to me…" Kara looked away, nervous at her declaration. Cal began nervously sweating.
'What secret about me does she know?!' Cal thought alarmed. He contemplated her offer for a moment, thinking of the right words to choose and say.
"Kara… I appreciate the offer and maybe one day I'll take up on it, but for now I don't think it's best…" Walter said. He went up to her and grasped her by the shoulders. "I think you should probably tell your boyfriend what you know… and possibly, I'll meet the 2 of you one day," Walter said. 'This 1 person, 2 identities thing is creepier than speaking about yourself in the 3rd person aloud…' Cal thought. Kara nodded thoughtfully.
"You think I should tell Cal?" Kara asked. Walter shrugged.
"I think that if whatever you know about him is intensive enough that you can be proud to have kept it, yet he DOESN'T know you know…" Walter paused his advice for a dramatic moment, "I think he might deserve to know that you know…" Kara nodded.
"Well, thank you for the advice. I'll see you around," Kara waved goodbye and left the room. Cal sighed and took a moment to breathe. He stepped into the teleporter and teleported himself to the Sahara Desert.
-Break-
Cal appeared in his and Mason's room, sand in his hair. Mason raised an eyebrow, but shrugged it off. Cal recounted his story, including all the details, during which, Mason nodded thoughtfully.
"So you're saying we have to go to Bartholomew's for 2 weeks?" Mason asked.
"Yep, 2 weeks of training for me, refresher for you," Cal said.
"Well, at least we won't miss anything. I'd hate to miss my favorite TV shows…" Mason said. Cal laughed. "Also, 'Walter' the Justice League actually backed off? Without any more details than you putting him in an ultimatum chess game?" Cal nodded.
"Batman privately called my bluff. But for some mysterious reason he trusts me…" Cal explained. "So until he has reason to, he and the Justice League are backing off."
"Lucky you, lucky you," Mason said. "Seriously, this is the first time your luck has actually worked to your advantage…"
"Yeah, first time in a LONG time…" Cal said thoughtfully.
"So, tomorrow night… What are you going to do till then?" Mason asked. Cal's phone started ringing. Cal held up a finger and glanced at the caller, Kara. He answered and held the phone up to his ear.
"Hey Cal, sorry I missed you today. I was sick and not the fun kind," Kara's voice rang over the phone. "I'm sorry I didn't see you, I know you were planning to take me out tonight and I'm sorry."
"Hey Kara, it's okay. When you're sick you're sick. No real way to avoid getting sick. I hope you feel better!" Cal said.
"Thank you, I'm feeling much better already!" Kara said. You could almost hear her smile. "So how can I make today's missed day up to you?" Mason shot Cal a suspicious look. Cal saw Mason's look and smiled, shaking his head.
"Well," Cal said, turning away from Mason, "I'm free tomorrow if you really want to make it up to me…" There was a moment of silence while Kara thought about her schedule.
"Hm, tomorrow…" Kara faked having to debate something. "I GUESS I can see you tomorrow... I suppose I could move my 'do nothing' for another day," Kara joked. Cal laughed.
"Well, I'm glad you could make time for me," Cal said. "Meet me at the mall say… 9 o'clock?" Kara scoffed.
"On a Saturday? Do you want me to be pretty and cranky or neither?" Kara asked.
"Well, I know you're always pretty so there's no possibly way for you to be both if you sleep in," Cal complimented.
"Hey, don't get smart with me," Kara said, blushing from the compliment, but Cal couldn't tell. Cal laughed.
"Ok, I get the message. Make it noon in the food court," Cal offered. Kara laughed.
"Wow, an extra 3 hours?" Kara asked. "What makes me so special? Or are you giving me 3 hours so you don't have to see me?" Kara taunted.
"Oh, did you want to meet me at 9?" Cal threatened jokingly.
"No, no, no! Noon is fine!" Kara said quickly. Both of them laughed.
"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow," Cal said.
"See you tomorrow, bye," Kara said.
"Goodbye!" Cal responded. The call ended and Cal kept the phone next to his ear intentionally for a few seconds. He sighed and put his phone away, turning to Mason.
"You two should get a room," Mason said.
"Who says we don't already have one?" Cal joked. They both laughed.
"So, what you got planned for her since you won't see her for 2 weeks?" Mason asked. Cal shrugged.
"Lunch, let her shop, see what else happens," Cal suggested. Mason shrugged and nodded.
"So, this journal Bartholomew gave… What are the chances this is all crap?" Mason asked.
"I hope one some level that it's all crap and then that's avoided, but in all honesty it would still be nice to know what's coming," Cal said. Mason nodded.
"Well, I'm getting to bed, you probably should too," Mason said. He climbed into his bunk and laid down. "Night."
"Goodnight," Cal said. He went into their back room and started taking his armor off. He knew tomorrow was going to be a nice day to have considering his 2 weeks of hell, AKA training, were next. He finished putting his armor away and climbed into his bed. "Tomorrow is going to be peaceful," Cal wished. "I just need one day of peace, one single day with Kara that doesn't involve me fighting or bloodshed… One day…" And somewhere, his wish was heard.