Shooting Clark turned out to be quite therapeutic for the girls; it didn't bother Clark as it was just another game like football or pool that Dani and Lorna challenged him too.
For Lex, he had a chance to reconnect with Pamela. Harry hadn't made her a magical just as he hadn't made Lex a magical. For the moment they were too high risk. Earl Jenkins and his family lived on their property and stayed in Smallville for the most part, as did Cassandra. Harry had no intention of withholding magic from them forever, just until they became more used to the idea of magic or in Lex's case, until magic was more widespread and he wouldn't have an extra target on his back.
Clark had surprised Dani and actually managed to ask Lana to the Spring Formal without prompting. She had been ready to smash him over the head with a kryptonite club. She pouted for an hour.
Chloe still didn't have a date. She intended to go stag, despite Clark and Lana's protests otherwise. It was the current sole student of Lorna's school who saved her: Jeremy Creek. He had come a long way since trying to fry his former tormentors and losing his memory and when he had overheard Chloe's predicament he had offered to escort her as he had missed his Spring Formal. The following year he would be attending a Metropolis high school as a regular student as he had made significant progress in controlling his powers.
Lex was the one with current problems. Over the past six months his father had been trying to get him back to Metropolis. Lex claimed that Lionel didn't like the fact that Lex was beginning to have his own successes and wanted to be able to keep a closer watch on him. He had gone from simple persuading to out right backstabbing. This brought Lex to Harry for help.
"He stood there and announced that he was closing the plant immediately due to management issues!" Lex ranted as he paced in the castle living room. "He blatantly accused me of failing in front of all the people I spent a year getting to know and helping get that plant successful."
"Can't you just buy him out?" Amara asked.
"We have done." Lex admitted. "I managed to convince the other employee shareholders to join together and institute a buy out with me. They were reluctant but understood it was the only way."
"Then what's the issue?"
Lex scowled angrily. "Dad bought the Smallville bank. He now owns their mortgages and loans and he threatened to foreclose on them if they were even a day late."
"What plan did you have in mind for us?" Harry asked curiously.
"Nothing, I'm at a loss. I just pushed my employees into a corner they can't back out of. I'm open to any suggestions."
"Why not just have them transfer their loans and mortgages to another bank?" Lorna asked.
"Dad has raised the transfer fees to astronomical levels."
"You could pay those off yourself." She suggested.
"Not without causing significant damage to myself financially. Forget that it could empty all my accounts, my reputation would be shot because I lost so much, it wouldn't matter why I lost it, the business world just see it as a bad business move."
"He is correct." Emma nodded. "They would be like piranhas sensing blood in the water."
"I know we agreed to not do anything drastic in this world yet, but we could create a new Smallville bank." Dani offered hesitantly.
"Do you know the outlay required for that?" Lex asked incredulously. "The start up costs alone-" He stopped mid sentence as Dani conjured a diamond with a large smile. "What about the employees of the current bank? They are good people who will be out of jobs when my father decides the bank is a money pit and simply shuts it down."
"I doubt your dad would do that." Jean waved off that concern. "He is too competitive. It's more likely that he would turn his attentions to us to discover where our wealth comes from. He would try and destroy us."
Lex cringed when he saw the huge grin on Harry's face. "I think I'm about to find out why Clark hates that look."
Three days later and the Beanery was closed, as was the store next door, Mellville's Nursery. Amara had walked into the Beanery with a health and safety officer who declared the place closed and then she proceeded to make a modest offer for the place. She then walked next door and offered Jodi and her father a small fortune and the chance to open a larger store on their lands at the edge of town.
Four days later and the both buildings were demolished and the work began on a new single building. It was a huge secret as to what was being built; all they knew was that it was a very large and sturdy building.
Five days later and Clark stumbled into the Kent home missing his shirt and with his jeans badly tattered and singed.
"Clark, what the hell happened to you?" Dani asked. "You smell like explosives!"
"The truck blew up." He said somewhat woodenly as he sank into a chair at the table.
"The truck blew up?" Amara echoed. "Do you know how?"
"I turned the key and… boom." He was still slightly shocked.
"Clark? Hey, what's the big deal, you've survived worse." Dani prodded him in his naked shoulder.
"I have?" He asked sceptically.
"You were eaten by a T-Rex." She smirked.
Clark could only nod. "I didn't even feel the heat or the explosion. I guess I'm getting stronger."
"As expected." Amara said firmly. "You are still a child and you are still maturing. Harry and Jean both believe that you could take on Thor and Bruce Banner one on one when you finally hit your peak."
"Take on the God of Thunder?" Clark asked slightly shocked at the thought.
"We probably ought to deal with the bigger issues, like telling Martha and Jonathan and then figuring out what caused the explosion and if anyone saw." Amara redirected the conversation. "Clark go and get changed."
"Aww, can't he stay like that?" Dani whined as she lovingly caressed Clark's naked chest.
There was a gust of wind as Clark vanished leaving a smirking Dani and exasperated Amara.
"I've got various chemical explosives and here is part of the detonator." Laura said as she held up some melted black plastic.
The castle residents stood with the Kents around the remains of the truck as the sun sat low on the horizon.
"We've also got someone watching and listening." Harry mused as he pointed to the car parked several hundred metres away. "Clark, go and get him will you. Don't worry about hiding what you can do."
The car suddenly started up and started to move off. Clark sped after it, moving to the front and placing both hands on the bonnet. The man in the car looked at Clark fearfully and he pushed harder on the accelerator. Clark pushed harder on the bonnet, buckling the metal and pushing the wheels deeper into the mud.
There were two loud bangs as the tyres burst and then the rims started digging further into the mud and gravel.
"He can stand there all day doing that."
The man turned in fright and shock to see Harry leaning casually against the side of his driver door. "In fact, I'm going to have him turn your car into a paperweight." Harry nodded thoughtfully. He grabbed the driver and pulled him out of the car, phasing him through the door. "Clark, crush the car as small as you can."
Clark was used to weird requests from Harry. There was usually a method to his madness. It was just rare that he shared his method.
He began systematically flattening and folding the car starting with the engine as the driver watched in fascinated horror. By the time Clark was finished it was the size of a small toaster sitting in his hand.
"Very nice Clark." Harry said approvingly. "Now, Mr…" He asked leadingly.
"Soon to be very rich." The driver said with a greedy smile. "I'll just be going now, I have a story to print." He said as he pried Harry's hand off his shoulder.
"Jean, would you get the basics before I wipe his mind." Harry requested.
"I've already done so, Harry." Emma interjected. "He's a reporter, a former acquaintance of Lex's. Roger Nixon: never met a Nixon I could trust. He's the one who blew up the truck." She grimaced.
"Wonderful parlour trick my dear." Roger said condescendingly. "See you in the papers."
"Shut up Roger, the adults are talking." Martha snapped as she sent a silencing charm at the man. She was not about to let this monster who tried to hurt her son walk away.
"God I wish you were bi." Dani said with a longing look at Martha.
Martha just rolled her eyes with a smile as Clark's brain stalled.
"Anything of use or shall we set him up for attempted murder?" Harry asked.
"No, Lex fired him and warned him off Clark ages ago." Emma replied.
"Not that I don't think he's guilty, but how do you intend to prove it?" Jonathan asked carefully.
"Well, first we need to repair his car and your truck." Harry said.
"I'll handle the truck." Dani volunteered as she skipped off with Martha and Amara hand in hand.
"I'll deal with the car." Scott offered as he led Clark off to the side.
"Laura can you replicate the device if Emma shows it to you?" Harry asked the ebony haired woman.
"Shouldn't be a problem."
"Excellent, all that's left is for Jonathan to engage in a game of rock-paper-scissors with Amara, Dani and Martha to see which one gets to be blown up." Harry said as he dragged Jonathan over to the truck.
"Wait! Blown up?!" Jonathan objected as he struggled in an unrelenting Harry's grip.
"I still want a do over! You three cheated!" Dani ranted as she lay in the hospital bed completely bandaged up.
She had one leg in a cast her ribs bound and her left arm in a sling.
"You lost fair and square Dani." Martha smirked. "You just need to admit it."
"You wait Martha Kent, one day I'm going to slip you some truth serum and then we'll find out the truth!" She glared.
"How's my favourite patient of the day?" Harry asked happily as he bustled into the room.
"Throwing about wild accusations of cheating." Martha smiled.
"Which is why she isn't allowed to play poker anymore. Or Monopoly. Or Scrabble. Or-"
"I get the picture Harry."
"I don't think you do, her accusations of cheating are usually to cover her own cheating." Harry said.
"That was never proven!" Dani objected as her face heated up in embarrassment.
"Only because I never confirmed you were lying sweetheart." Harry laughed. "Now, you will need to be in for at least a week, minimum. Try and act like you are in some pain, maybe even a little traumatised."
"You better make sure I at least get Amara for company over night." She warned.
"She'll be here as soon as she and Jonathan have finished with the Sheriff and the insurance company." He assured her.
In order to convince the doctors, nurses and other officials that the accident was serious, Laura had staged a controlled explosion in which Dani was actually injured. It had hurt like hell, but after millennia of fighting she and the others had learnt various techniques to ignore the pain. If Martha or Jonathan had lost the game then Harry would have numbed them so they couldn't feel pain.
Roger Nixon had his memory altered. He had no idea about Clark or what he might suspect he could do. He simply thought that he could get a story if he started blowing people up… which was about the same as what he was trying with Clark except now he was a burgeoning serial killer.
The group was three short as they waved Clark, Lana, Jeremy and Chloe off as they headed to the Spring Formal. Scott, Laura and Emma where already at the school arranging things and playing chaperone. The two limos, one for each couple, had been a gift from Lex.
The triplets were going stag as it would be seen as inappropriate to go with Harry.
"Did you have this sort of thing back in your home worlds?" Martha asked as they headed inside the castle.
"We tried, but every week there was another villain to deal with. We had our times though." Amara smiled in fond remembrance as she pushed Dani's wheel chair.
Dani was stuck in the wheel chair until she would normally heal without magic, they couldn't risk jeopardising the case against Nixon.
"How about you Harry?" Jonathan asked.
"When I was in school we didn't have dances like America does. Most English schools didn't. I did attend a special Yule Ball when I was fourteen. It was an international thing to do with a special tournament."
"Sounds exciting." Martha smiled.
"I was about three years underage, entered against my will by someone who was trying to kill a highly agoraphobic fourteen year old." Harry said frankly. "It was a bloody nightmare. Especially considering what else happened that year." He shuddered. Lorna moved closer giving him comfort.
There was an uncomfortable silence. Nobody wanted to know what could cause Death to shudder like that.
"I have a different question." Lex offered, changing the subject. "Which of you is this 'Batman' who keeps popping up in Gotham?"
"The caped vigilante?" Dani asked.
"Yes, I saw it in the papers and put in a request with my contacts for more details. I was just curious if it was one of you."
"No, but it sounds like it is another indication that this world is reaching the next stage of evolution." Harry mused seriously.
"Is this person a mutant or meteor infected?" Jonathan asked.
"From what I could see, the individual might just be very fit, but they have been seen flying and performing feats of reasonable strength." Lex answered.
"He's not taking the punishment into his own hands is he?" Jonathan asked worriedly.
"Actually, no." Lex assured him. "He does have a flair for the dramatic though when he leaves the criminals for the police to arrest. I'll show you the file I have so far."
"Eventually we might take Clark and see if we can get a meeting with this masked man." Harry said. "It'll be a good learning experience."
"And a chance to design a costume for Clark!" Dani said eagerly.
"Costume?" Jonathan asked with a raised eyebrow.
"He needs to keep his identity secret or he will never have a private moment in his life ever again." Harry explained. "Take it from someone who was made into a celebrity at the age of one."
Clark and Lana had received quite a few compliments from their fellow students as they danced and mingled. Neither was particularly interested in dancing to the faster songs instead content to sway in each other's arms. It was, to be frank, the best night of their young lives. The high school quarterback and the head cheerleader were the undisputed king and queen of the dance.
Jeremy had found himself handed a camera as Chloe pulled him all over the place to take photos for the paper. Jeremy soon put a stop to it and told her to enjoy the dance as a student.
It was only a half an hour into the dance that the band stopped playing and Principal Frost took the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen… and Mr. Kent." She said gaining some snickers and a red face from the aforementioned Mr. Kent. "I have some serious news. There has been a tornado warning issued. Three separate funnels were seen touching down at the edge of town."
The murmurs began.
"You are in no danger as this is a tornado safe building." She assured them. She was certain of that as she Laura and Scott had applied the runes themselves before having the others double-check them. "The school is a designated shelter so we expect to have more people entering soon. In aid of this we will be conscripting you gentlemen to help set up tables and chairs under the direction of Coach Summers. Ladies, dresses are quite the inconvenience at this time so you will head to the locker rooms to change into gym clothes, Coach Kinney will take your dresses and lock them safely away.
"Mr. Kent, with me please." She ordered as she stepped down from the platform.
Clark turned to Lana. "I'll see you in a bit. They might have me outside or something."
"Be safe." Lana said worriedly.
"If bullets can't hurt me then I doubt flying debris can." He grinned.
He made to move off but found himself pulled back; he turned to see an angry Lana glaring at him. "The debris those tornadoes kick up might contain meteor rocks." She hissed quietly.
Clark paled at the thought.
"I'll… er… I'll mention that to Em- Principal Frost." He said nervously.
Lana's expression relaxed and she pushed him off with a nod.
"Don't worry Lana, we'll keep you company."
Lana rolled her eyes as she heard the lascivious drawl of Mindee Cuckoo. She turned, unsurprised to find all three Cuckoos standing there. "Aren't you three going to be out there helping?" She asked pointedly.
"But how would we explain our disappearance?" Celeste said innocently.
"Come, let's find Chloe and we can change our clothes with magic in a classroom or something."
Emma led Clark to her office where she teleported them both to the castle, she instructed him to go in and find Harry as she teleported back to the school.
Outside the wind was already blowing strong and Clark had to shield his eyes as he made his way inside where he found the rest of the castle residents along with Lex, Earl, Mr. Melville and his parents.
"Clark, excellent." Harry said as he saw him enter. "You and I are going to be making a run around the various properties, Lex is working with Jonathan to contact the National Guard and Rescue services to handle coordination. Once the storms have gone we will all begin a census of the town and then act as necessary for search and rescue."
"Follow Harry's every instruction, son." Jonathan instructed sternly.
"Yes Dad." Clark nodded obediently. It was common sense really, after the journeys and adventures Harry had dragged him on, he would be a fool to do anything but what Harry said.
"Come on Clark, let's get a move on. We will be moving invisibly so-" Harry waved a hand and Clark became invisible. He looked down at his hands and body-
"Ow!" And accidentally poked himself in the eye.
The adults chuckled and snickered.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it eventually. My first experience with invisibility involved wearing a cloak." Harry assured him.
Harry couldn't move as fast as Clark could so he made himself weightless and let Clark drag him in the direction of the tornadoes to see if they could stop them.
"Alright, back in my previous home we had several beings who could control the weather. We don't have that here but we do have basic science." Harry said as they stood staring at the massive tornadoes from within a protective shield Harry had conjured.
"Cool air from the rear flank downdraft needs to surround the funnel and cut off the warm air feeding it." Clark recited.
"Very good Clark! You've studied tornadoes?"
"They are common enough in these parts." Clark shrugged.
"Right… so… we need to cool the air around the funnel. Clark, you are about to get very cold." Harry warned.
"Why?" He asked nervously.
"Whilst I am clinging to you I am going to generate a sub-zero cold and you will run at super-speed around the tornado until it dissipates. Then we will move onto the next one."
"Couldn't we just throw Sean Kelvin into the tornado?" Clark whined.
Harry jumped on Clark's back, piggyback style. "Mush!"
Lex drove back to the mansion through the eerily quiet Smallville Main Street. The damage was minimal as Clark and Harry had managed to dissipate the tornadoes before they reached the town. The most amount of damage was the public waste bins that had been blown over. He made a note to load up with some cleaning equipment and come and help Lana out with the Talon as there were a few broken windows.
Clark and Harry were happy to report that all the residents had been safely locked away in their storm cellars; they had just had to round up a few stray animals and repair two barns and a house that was practically destroyed. Fortunately no one would be aware of what they had done for a while until the authorities gave the all clear.
Harry had to declare a local graveyard off limits though as a tornado had done severe damage to the point of ripping up graves.
Lex reached the mansion and realised that it must have been either one of the first places hit by a tornado or simply in the middle of some very heavy winds. The place was a mess as nearly every window was broken and a large tree had fallen through the roof. He was lucky he had been out helping Jonathan coordinate with the authorities.
He made his way inside to get to the wine cellar that doubled as the storm shelter for the mansion. The mansion workers would have taken refuge there.
He was side tracked by the sounds of moaning. He quickly changed course for the study where he found his father trapped beneath a ceiling beam.
"Dad!" Lex exclaimed as he leapt over the beam. He made a cursory glance of how his father was pinned and pulled out his phone.
"What are you doing? Get this thing off of me!" Lionel yelled.
"I can't, we need professional gear in case you get injured further in the process." Lex hissed as he covered the mouthpiece. "Yes, I need a rescue team at Luthor Mansion, my father is trapped beneath a beam."
"…"
"No, I can't see any external injuries aside from a few cuts… Dad, do you know if you are injured any where?"
"I am trapped beneath a heavy beam… OF COURSE I'M INJURED!"
Lex rolled his eyes. "Just get here quick." He said as he hung up.
"Where the devil where you?" Lionel demanded.
"I was helping to coordinate the emergency services. I was at the Potter Castle." Lex said as he bundled up his coat and placed it beneath his dad's head.
Lionel scoffed derisively. "Lex, we are Luthors. We do not engage in the affairs of lesser men. If you want to feel important or powerful, run for office."
"I think I will go and check the rest of the house… wouldn't want anything else to fall on you." Lex muttered in annoyance.
"Lex… wait! You can't leave me here! Lex! Lex?"
Lex just kept walking.
Jean was working hard at the hospital as various injuries came flooding in. Clark and Harry had stopped the funnels but there were still high winds to deal with and that meant people getting injured. She was pleased and proud of both Lana and Chloe when they had turned up at the hospital in their gym clothes and offered to help out. She kept them close as her personal assistants, lending them out as needed.
Their lack of training meant that they couldn't do things like clean up bodily fluids or be present for exams, but considering the mass of patients they were excellent for grabbing extra bandages and splints as needed. A small percentage of the Smallville population was soon mummified with scolding on getting to shelter quicker next time.
"I just saw Lex." Lana said as she came back to Jean and Chloe after running an errand for a nurse. "He seems fine but he says his dad was at the mansion and was trapped under a fallen beam. He's in surgery now."
"Oh dear. I don't care for Lionel one bit." Jean frowned. "But that doesn't change the fact that Lex's father is in trouble and Lex will be worried. I can handle things here for now. Why don't you two go and keep him company."
The girls quickly made their way to Lex where they got the necessary information from him.
"They are saying that there is possible damage to his optic nerve." Lex explained. "I told them to operate straight away instead of waiting like one of the doctors wanted."
"So now you are just waiting to hear the results?" Chloe asked.
"Welcome to the waiting game girls." Lex gave a sour laugh.
Clark and Harry stood with Pete and his parents and siblings as they gazed up at their demolished house. There was absolutely no way they could stay in there now. They had been at the school when the storms hit and were thankfully safe now.
"I'm sure my parents would be able to put you up." Clark offered.
"Your parents are going to have their hands full just dealing with the farm after the storms." Mr. Ross said firmly. "We will just have to find a hotel in Metropolis."
"What about all our stuff?" Kathy, Pete's sister, asked with tears in her eyes.
"I'll have my family go through the wreckage and we will try and salvage everything we can, then we'll send it on to your new home." Harry assured them.
"We'd appreciate that Doctor Potter." Judge Abigail Ross said gratefully.
"It's an easy thing to do. Did you sell the house off already?"
Abigail looked to her husband and they shared a smirk. "We sold it to Lionel Luthor. He under paid but we had little choice as he scared off other buyers."
"Seems like he get's a taste of karma now." Mr. Ross added smugly.
"It's a shame you couldn't get in contact with me. This is prime real estate. We would have paid top dollar."
"It doesn't matter, it's done now and we can only move forwards." Mr. Ross said sadly. Smallville had been good for his children and wife, but personally it had been disaster after disaster ever since Luthor came to town.
"Well come on. Let's see what we can do to get you set up in your new home." Harry said as he dragged Mr. and Mrs. Ross away from the scene.
"Our house in Topeka won't be ready for another two weeks." Abigail said.
"We can at least get you a hotel there and fly you out. You are good people Judge Ross and those who want to be good people need to lead by example… so I'm flying you out and if we can't speed up the process on the house then we will put you in the best hotel we can find. Think of it as a thank you for your years of service and citizenship to Smallville."
Clark just rolled his eyes as he listened to the inevitable back and forth of polite declines and Harry's stubbornness.
The Ross family was soon packed onto the private jet owned by Harry and his family. Emma, having already gone through with purchasing a private helicopter had also bought a private jet that was hangered in Metropolis.
Lana and Chloe had returned home to their families but when Harry and Clark had made it back to the castle after a very long day, they found Lex engaged in a very intense fencing match with Hilde. They were not using protective gear and both were sporting gashes.
"What's going on?" Harry asked Laura who was standing nearby making sure things didn't get too far out of hand.
"Lex returned to his home to find Lionel there. Lionel was trapped under a fallen beam. He required surgery to deal with a damaged optic nerve but it failed and Lionel is now blind and taking great pains to taunt Lex. Hilde decided to help him burn off his anger."
"Did Jean take a look?"
"She says he might still regain his sight but there is too much scarring from the surgery to tell right now. It could also be simple shock to his nervous system."
"Can't you do anything for him?" Clark asked Harry.
"Not without revealing magic or my true nature. Lionel is the last person I would tell any of my secrets." Harry said.
"Can we do anything for Lex?"
"Yeah, keep the door open for him so he has some place to escape to."
