Chapter Two

Awakening

Lana threw her arms around Clark's neck as she leapt at him, burying her face in his neck. When she had arrived at the Luthor Mansion, she had found it surrounded by security and police. One wing had been set aflame, and was now nothing but a hollow scorched skeleton. They had told her to go home, which she had and spent the entire night worrying. When Clark knocked on her door the next morning, she had been absolutely thrilled to see him.

He wrapped his strong arms around her, holding her tightly against him as they embraced. He loved the way her petite form fit perfectly against his, and he knew that history had been changed. He was not sure what the outcome would be, but anything was certainly better than losing Lana. They stayed like that for several moments before Clark finally set her back down.

"What happened?" she finally asked, her doe eyes gazing worriedly into his.

"I'm not entirely sure," Clark replied honestly. "I was talking to Lex and then I heard a scream and gunshots. Next thing I know, it's like the S.W.A.T. team from hell had burst in and started shooting. They don't even know if Lionel will survive. Lex is fine, though. He got knocked out just as everything started.

"Wonderful," Lana sighed, then she once again shifted to concern. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Clark nodded. "That's one thing you will rarely have to worry about, Lana."

She furrowed her brow at him curiously, wondering if this had anything to do with the abilities he had begun to tell her about. "Why not?"

"Because almost nothing can hurt me," Clark replied. "I'm literally bullet-proof."

Lana raised her eyebrows. "So what can hurt you then? Sounds to me like you're invincible."

"Not entirely," Clark said. "You know those meteor rocks that are all over the place? Those are radioactive pieces of my homeworld, and they are deadly to me. The technical term for them is Kryptonite, but yeah, the different variations have other effects on me."

Lana's hand went instinctively to her neckline. "You mean my necklace… Clark, why didn't you ever tell me? I would have taken it off a long time before I did!"

Clark shrugged. "It was something important to you, and I wasn't even a blip on your radar at the time."

"Well you're certainly more than a blip now, mister," she replied with a mischievous grin. "So have they figured out who attacked Lionel yet?"

"They can't find any substantial evidence," Clark replied. "Nothing that brings up any names or organizations. There's nothing to go on."

"Apparently these guys were good," Lana mused.

"Oh they were very good," Clark agreed. "But I think there are some serious mutations going on since the last meteor shower. They had abilities that I never thought were possible. Some of which, I think could possibly hurt me if adapted."

Lana pulled him into another hug, resting her head against his chest. She was not sure how close she had come to losing him last night, but she did not want to think about the possibility of him encountering these people again. He was all that was left in her life that was good was him. She loved him so much she thought she would burst, and now that he was hers forever, there was nothing that would take him away if she could help it.

When Clark pulled away a few moments later, she felt like her entire universe was being ripped in two. She only felt whole when he was close to her, and it was that that told her he was the one. He had always been able to make her feel safe and protected, but the love she felt from him was enough to make her weak in the knees. Still, she knew that his destiny was far greater than hers could ever be, and she would do anything possible to ensure that he fulfilled it.

"So when do we tell everyone the happy news?" Lana asked.

Clark grinned. "Why don't we go and tell them together right now?"

"So you're telling me that an 18 year old kid stopped six of my best heavily armed and trained warriors… with his bare hands?" Owen asked the woman standing before him. She was several inches shorter than he, but still tall by modern standards. Her blonde hair fell in waves to the middle of her back, and her curvaceous figure was concealed behind a very revealing, but tasteful, gown. Her eyes were the same shade as the summer sky, and her skin lightly tanned and perfectly smooth. She was beautiful, but it was her laughter, her smile, and her intelligence that made Owen marry her.

Allie nodded slowly. "We have footage from the kill cams, but nothing conclusive. Mostly a lot of blurring and then the back of his head. Still, we should be able to find him."

Owen rubbed his temples. "Lionel Luthor is alive, and now they're going to have him heavily guarded for a long time. That was possibly our only shot at getting him clean. If we re-deploy, we'll lose a lot of people trying to get to him."

"Well, what do you want us to do? If this kid hangs out with the Luthors often, he could possibly be there any time we make an attack," she said.

"Good point, but the security cameras showed him throwing Lex into a pillar, so it's obvious they're not friends. They were yelling shortly beforehand, and it didn't look pretty," Owen affirmed. "We need to find this kid, figure out what side he's on. If at all possible, we'll try and bring him under our wing. Something tells me he would be far more valuable than he seems right now."

"Well Riley, Wolfe, and I beat on him for a full five minutes and he came away without a scratch," Njord interjected as he stepped into the room. "We either need to recruit or kill this guy."

"I'd prefer to not start a policy of killing teenagers," Owen replied. "And even if I did, how do you kill something that survives a three-way attack against a half-demon, a Mage, and a Werewolf?"

"Were-BEAR," Njord corrected.

"Regardless," Owen continued, ignoring the correction. "We still need to find this kid and figure out what his place in all of this is. I will go myself. He might recognize anyone that was part of that team."

"I'll go with you," Allie agreed.

"Fine by me," Owen said with a nod. "Njord, I'll need you and Quinn to hold down the fort while we're gone."

Alamondria snorted. "Putting a werewolf and vampire in charge together, you MUST be smoking something."

"They'll get along, or they'll deal with the resulting punishment when we get back," he said, shooting a glare at the larger man.

"Yeah, we'll take care of everything, Big O," Njord assured him. "Do what has to be done."

Chloe sat in her favorite spot within the Talon, typing up an article to once again try and get herself out of the Daily Planet's basement. It was not going well. Still, her winter vacation from MetU was helping her to get more work done, and even rest some. Things were still hectic, however, and the added push of an attempt on Lionel Luthor's life was not something she needed, however much it would help.

She had begun finding out all she could of the invaders, but they hid their identities well. However, she was able to get information that suited her when the guards began tell of reality itself behaving strangely around the attackers. After taking down some notes, she quickly returned to the room she and Lana were currently sharing in the Talon. From the moment she sat in front of the computer, Chloe had been unreachable. Other than moving her laptop downstairs for a latte and snack, she would hardly respond to anyone.

She sat back in her chair, running a hand through her short blonde hair. She bit her lower lip, as she often did when thinking hard. She still was completely confused by what had transpired that night, but she was glad Clark had been there to stop it. Still, these people could possibly know his secret by now, and come looking for him.

She suddenly realized exactly the amount of danger Clark was in. If even a quarter of what she had researched into the supernatural abilities of the assassins was true, they were in serious trouble. Chloe quickly grabbed for her phone and dialed Lana's cell number. She only hoped Clark would be nearby so she could warn him.

The young woman chewed her lip nervously as the phone continued to ring. She was quickly growing impatient, and had begun gathering her things together when Lana answered.

"Hello?" she asked dreamily. Yep, she was definitely with Clark.

"Lana! Is Clark there with you?" Chloe asked impatiently.

"Nice to hear from you too, Chloe," Lana replied flatly. "Yeah, he's right here, what's wrong?"

"I need to talk to the both of you, can you put me on speakerphone?"

There was a beep before Lana said, "There, go ahead."

"Well I was doing some research on the guys that attacked Lionel, and I found out that there have been a number of terrorist activities in Metropolis over the past few months. All of them have been extremely well done, like beyond professionalism and into the realm of the supernatural."

"Chloe, slow down," Clark said calmly. "What does this all mean?"

"What it means," Chloe said. "Is that these guys might be meteor freaks or something else. Right now I'm leaning towards the something else. And if they saw you use your abilities, they could potentially come after you. After all, you did ruin their plans to kill Lionel."

"Clark, what if she's right? What if they try to get to you?" Lana said, the worry clearly evident in her voice.

"Hey, both of you, calm down," Clark said reassuringly. "I can handle things. I'll protect those I care about, and besides, they don't know my weakness so they can't hurt me."

"But what if they learn it," Chloe insisted.

"Then I'll just have to rely on my friends and fiancé to save me," he replied. There was a moment of silence as Chloe let his words sink in. They had gotten engaged. There was truly no chance now of her and Clark ever being together, and that thought saddened her. At the same time, however, she was extremely happy for the two of them. They deserved one another, she thought.

"Wait, you're getting MARRIED!?" she exclaimed. "That's SO great you guys! I can't believe it! When is the wedding? When do I get to take Lana out for her bachelorette party?"

"I'll tell you all about it when I get home tonight," Lana replied.

"Okay, well you two lovebirds be careful, okay? I'm going to keep looking into this stuff."

"Thanks, Chloe," Clark said. "Let us know if you find anything else."

"Will do."

Owen wrung his hands a little as he watched the boy and his girlfriend walk into the Talon. Alamondria was right beside him, waiting in the passenger's seat. She did not look as nervous as he, but then again, she was always the more politically and socially capable of them. Owen had classic manners, but otherwise he was more of a front line fighter and mechanic than anything else. Still, he was a natural leader, and that had shone through on more than one occasion.

They were waiting for the right moment to approach them, but until they watched them long enough, picking the right moment would be tough. Then again, there was a chance that they had nothing to worry about. Owen highly doubted the latter, however.

The pair watched curiously as a silver Porsche pulled to a halt in front of the café. The driver's side door opened, and Lex Luthor stepped out and walked into the Talon. A few moments later, as darkness fully overtook Smallville, another car pulled up. This one was a black SUV, and suddenly, five armed men in vastly different clothing that each other stepped out. Their attire ran the gamut from wealth to squalor, and Owen understood why. They would stand out much less if they remained separated and looked as though they had no association with one another. Things were about to get interesting in Smallville.

Clark looked up from the computer as Lex walked in. He, Lana, and Chloe had spent the evening so far going over her research, and the last closed her laptop as he approached. Lex stopped a few feet before them, shoving his hands in his pockets. He was sweating, and Clark could smell the alcohol on him. He was drunk.

"Hey, Clark, can I talk to you alone for a minute?" he asked.

"Anything you need to say to me, you can say to them, Lex," Clark replied coolly. As if to emphasize his point, he put one arm around Lana's shoulders, and she instinctively sank into her new fiancé.

"Well, I just wanted to apologize for the other night. I'm glad you're okay, but I regret that you got caught in the middle of that."

"Are you saying you set up your father?" Clark asked a little suspiciously.

"No, no," Lex hurriedly denied. "It's just that sometimes corporate warfare actually turns into literal warfare. And my father has made a lot of enemies. He's lucky he's lived this long."

Clark nodded, but it was Lana who spoke next. "Is there anything else we can do for you?" she asked. There was a not-too-subtle hint that she wanted him to leave.

Lex got the hint, but as he opened his mouth to say goodbye, Clark heard the click of a trigger. Everything slowed to a crawl as the thunderous sound of gunfire filled the air. He saw the bullet headed towards Lex's head, and quickly threw his friend to the ground. Next, he turned to Lana and Chloe and put his back to the gunfire. His eyes widened in surprise when he felt the first bullet rip through the flesh of his back and lodge itself between his ribs. Pain exploded throughout his torso, and he felt the effects of Kryptonite causing his flesh to literally begin to wither.

He fell to the ground, taking the two girls with him. He shoved them forwards, telling them to get behind the counter as more gunfire echoed overhead. Lana tried to drag him with her, but when a bullet glanced off of the counter right next to her head, she decided to listen to Clark. With both of them safe, Clark rolled onto his side with a pained groan. The last time he had been shot, he had been mortal and hit with a normal bullet. This was far worse. Whoever these people were, they had been after him, not Lex.

Two of the men rushed forward and grabbed Clark's arms. As they began to drag him out, Lana screamed and came running out from behind the counter. Another of the group raised a massive revolver and took aim. Lana froze in place as he squeezed the trigger.

The world was awash with color and life. Exotic plants and beasts of myth and legend swarmed the Primal Wild. Lana looked around in awe and utter amazement. Suddenly, everything made sense. She understood how Isobel had worked her magic, and realized that the witch had been merely dabbling into something far much greater.

However, there were also other beings within the world. Spirits of all kinds walked the earth as well, and it gave Lana an eerie feeling to be among beings that had never lived and died. She knew what they were, reflections of the spiritual energy in the Material Realm, but that did not make them any more disconcerting.

She found herself wondering how she had come to reach this level of understanding, and a curiosity to know more overcame her. She ventured forth into the jungle landscape, finding that the plants would even bend from her path. She chose not to disturb anything, knowing that she was the visitor here. The good graces of the land might only last so long, and she intended to make her visit as little a disturbance to the natural life as possible.

As the trees before her parted, Lana gasped at the sight that came before her. A massive tower rose out from the center of the wild land, its pinnacle reaching the highest clouds. At the top was a massive stone book with two very strange symbols engraved on it. Lana suddenly, and unexpectedly realized what they were. Life and Spirit.

She quickly entered the large tower, passing the stone guardians at the doorway without incident. Once inside, she saw that the only way up was to climb the trees growing everywhere within the tower. Rather than breaking it up or damaging it, however, it seemed they helped to support and strengthen it. Still, she knew it would be a long climb.

As she reached out and touched the nearest tree, Lana suddenly felt a change come over her. Her bones bent and shifted, her arms and legs growing longer and fixing in a position that forced her onto all fours. Her face elongated slightly, her eyes slitting as her body took on the appearance of a leopard. When the transformation was finished, Lana looked in awe at her new form. Realizing what she was supposed to do, the young girl leaped to the lowest branch and began to climb up with amazing speed and skill.

It was not long before she reached the top, and when she did, changed back into her human self. The pinnacle of the tower contained a myriad of natural paints, animal claws, fangs, and barbs. Etched or painted on the walls were names. Limitless names covered the inner wall of the tower, but it was not long before Lana saw a place that seemed to be reserved just for her signature. She bent down and picked up a leopard's claw, as it seemed only appropriate.

Literally shaking from anticipation of the knowledge that awaited her, Lana knelt down and began to scratch her name into the small space where none had left their mark yet. She took careful time, although her name would be forever etched there regardless. As she did so, she thought of the other names. All of those people had come there before her, and she was sure there were many more to come. It was clear to see that there were more older and worn names than new, giving evidence that she was part of a slowly dying fraternity and sorority.

When she was finished, the world flashed around her, spinning rapidly. A moment later, everything returned to the Talon.