Chapter Four
Pursuit
Owen paced back and forth in front of his fellow supernaturals. "Okay, Clark and his friends are going to be heading back to Smallville to talk to his parents and let them know what is going on. From what we've learned about him, he's pretty much invincible."
"Except for Kryptonite," Wolfe added. "Radioactive pieces from his home world," he explained. "They appear as greenish rocks and can kill him if he's exposed to enough of their radiation."
"Exactly," Owen agreed. "So if you're around this guy and you see him start to go weak, clear out any of the rocks you find. He's under our protection now, guys. Treat him the same as you would any other, and the same goes for Lana."
The group nodded their agreement, and he heaved a sigh. "Next order of business is who will be in command here while Alamondria and I are in Smallville. Quinn and Njord, can you two not kill one another long enough to keep things together here while she and I are in Smallville for three days?"
The vampire and Lycan looked at one another for a moment, their body language impossible to read except amongst the predatory-minded individuals within the group. Those that could understand, took a step back. Nobody wanted to get between a vampire and werewolf on the verge of ripping themselves apart.
"HEY!" Owen snapped. Both men's attention was instantly returned to their leader, but a moment later, everything distorted as the floor dropped out from beneath the two of them. When Owen shouted, he had also cast a spell from the Space Arcana, which had opened a portal entrance beneath both of their feet and the exit just above their heads. As a result, both entered into a portal loop where they continuously fell.
Those who had not withdrawn before did so after Owen started to lose his temper. The Mage walked over to his victims and, as he began to speak, moved his head in sync with their motion, ensuring that they could hear him.
"You. Two. Better. Not. F*ck. Anything. Up. While. I'm. Gone. Understand?"
Both men shouted their agreement, and a moment later the portal entrance closed behind them, as did the exit when they fell through. Both hit the floor with hard thuds, and slowly began to peel themselves off of the ground.
"Let's all try to get along for three f*cking days, shall we?" Owen said, arching an eyebrow at the two men as they got to their feet. Both nodded in agreement, and a moment later the door opened. Kia, Owen's blonde-haired petite eighteen year old adoptive daughter, entered. Beside her was Oxana, one of the members of Njord's werewolf pack. They parted to allow Clark, Lana, and Chloe to enter.
Owen smiled softly as the three stopped before him, and he gestured towards each of his team in turn. "Clark, Lana, Chloe, I'd like you to meet my friends and family. That big furry bear you encountered is Njord and you've already met Konrad, Riley, and Wolfe."
He put an arm around his wife as he continued. "Over there is Callisto, but you'd do best not to talk to her," he said, gesturing to a woman with bright blue dreadlocks, eyes that could break a man's heart or sear his soul, and a slim, athletic figure accented by her armor.
"How come?" Clark asked.
"Uh… she's… cranky," Owen said with an apologetic lopsided grin.
Just then, Callisto pulled out a very large knife, which she proceeded to use to clean her nails. Her gaze fell on Clark, and she gave him a wicked grin.
"As I said, just… don't get too close. Anyways, this is Kia, and Oxana."
The latter was a tall woman with tan skin and brunette hair intermixed with blonde highlights. She had a very primal, predatory look about her and she offered Clark and his friends a toothy grin.
"Last, but certainly not least, we have Dilandra, Draven, and Aasta," Owen said. "Everyone else is either not here or asleep, but you'll meet them as time goes on."
Aasta smiled, definitely enjoying looking at Clark, as was Dilandra. The former looked almost like royalty, and for a time during her two millennia existence, she had been. She had shoulder length, dirty blonde hair and fair skin as soft as silk. Dilandra was the opposite. She wore a black leather jacket to compliment her armor and was rather intimidating. Her brunette hair fell to her shoulders, and she was a head and shoulders taller than her petite female counterpart. Draven, on the other hand, was an original gothic vampire. He dressed more like a rock star, and sported several chains and spikes. Still, the vampire had a mischievous glint in his eye, as though he knew something no one else did.
"It's nice to meet all of you," Clark said. "So when are we going back to Smallville?" he asked Owen.
"Very soon, I just have to wrap up this meeting and we'll be ready to go," Owen replied. "You're more than welcome to stay and participate."
"That would be fine," Clark agreed with a small smile.
Owen turned back to his group. "Okay, everyone. You've got your work cut out for you while we're gone. Someone is trying to kill Clark, and I want you to find out who and stop them."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Quinn asked.
"I don't know, but you need to hurry. We can't risk any more attacks on these kids until they're under our full protection."
"Oh, I get it. You have no idea what I should do or how I should do it, but whatever I do, I should do it fast," Quinn replied flatly.
"Exactly," Owen replied. "They were using Kryptonite weaponry, so they may have the resources to exploit our weaknesses as well. Be sure to watch each other's backs. If possible, start with capturing one of their soldiers."
"Sounds like a plan, but we'll need something to draw them out," Njord said as his gaze fell on Clark."
"No way, fuzzball," Owen warned. "Don't even think about using him as bait."
Njord shook his head. "I wasn't talking about using him as bait. We'll use me. Just let me taste a sample of his blood, then I'll use my Gift of Skin Stealing to copy him. They won't know the difference, and Kryptonite is not lethal to me."
Quinn shrugged. "If the walking carpet wants to eat a machine gun sandwich, I'm all for it."
"You know where the blood samples are kept, just be careful," Owen said.
Clark was confused, but he figured he would understand what they were talking about soon enough. Still, the idea of someone copying him reminded him of Tina Greer, which made him shudder uncomfortably. Lana must have made the connection, too, because she drew herself closer, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his arm.
"If you guys can stop whoever is trying to kill me, I'm all for it, but I'd also like to help. I can't have you putting your lives on the line for me and not try to help," he said.
Owen offered him a warm smile. "You're worth a hundred vampires and werewolves, kid, and they know that. They're very, very good at what they do. Don't worry about them throwing their lives away needlessly, they'll be fine."
Clark believed him. He had seen them in action, and against just normal humans they would be effective indeed. He nodded, and Owen grinned, looking back at his subordinates.
"So the plan's set. No civilian casualties, guys. Any questions? No? Then let's get to it."
Lex paced back and forth in front of his father's hospital room, cell phone in hand. He had not slept since the attack, having been consumed with finding those who attempted to kill his father. He may not have liked the man, but he was still his flesh and blood. A deep-rooted love for his family outweighed all of the wrongs they had done to one another in the past, and it was this that fueled his rage.
"I don't care what it takes, you are supposed to be the top security agency in Metropolis. So tell me why my father is laying on what could be his death bed because of your incompetence!"
"Sir," the man on the other end of the line began, "We were not prepared for an attack of that magnitude. The people we faced were better armed and armored than we were. They were highly trained and well-organized."
"I don't want your excuses," Lex spat. "I want you to find the people that did this and bring them to justice."
"That isn't our job."
"And as of now, neither is guarding my manor. You're fired."
Lex shut his phone angrily. He continued his frantic pacing, and could feel the beginnings of a migraine coming on. He knew that Clark had somehow saved his father, but at the same time, he wondered how the boy had managed to survive where six of his security force had died.
Clark had always been a mystery to Lex, and regardless of his suspicions there had never been any proof to show that he was anything other than mortal. Still, there were too many inconsistencies and coincidences for him to ignore. One way or another, he knew that Clark was connected to all of this, and he planned on finding out how.
He flipped open his cell phone again and began to dial a number. It was time to find out the truth about Clark Kent.
Owen pulled out of the garage, the engine of his massive pickup truck letting out a deafening roar as he hit the accelerator. Alamondria sat beside him, Clark just behind and Lana beside her fiance. Chloe, on the other hand, had elected to return to MetU in order to set a few things straight before following them the next morning. The two had been quiet since the meeting, which made Owen uncomfortable. Much to his surprise, Lana was the first to speak.
"So… what are you?"
Owen chuckled softly. "Gee thanks."
"Oh, I'm sorry," she quickly said. "I didn't mean any offense."
"No, it's perfectly fine," he replied with a smile. "I'm a Mage, a Moros to be exact, and a member of the Adamantine Arrow."
"I have no idea what that means," Lana admitted.
"Trust me, you'll learn soon enough," he replied. "As Wolfe told you, you also happen to be a Mage, though we are from opposite ends of that spectrum."
"What do you mean?"
"You, my dear, are a Thyrsus. You will, in time, learn to master the magics, or Arcanum as we call them, of Life and Spirit."
Lana was still having trouble coping with her new gift. The reality of what had happened still had not completely sunk in, but it was really beginning to. She rested her head against Clark's shoulder and breathed out a heavy sigh. She did not want this, she just wanted to be normal. Extraordinary gifts were supposed to be Clark's thing.
"So how are we opposites?" she asked, furrowing her brow.
"My primary control is over the Arcanum of Death and Matter," Owen replied. "Just as you deal in healing and the manipulation of all things living, I influence those things that have died or were never alive in the first place."
"No wonder they call you Moros," Clark mused with a soft chuckle. It was hard to find anything about their new situation amusing, but he wanted Lana to feel more comfortable if he could.
"It is ironic, I'll agree with that," Owen replied with a smile of his own. "But don't get the wrong impression. Just because I can manipulate the forces of Death does not make me inherently evil, or evil in any fashion. I fight for the same things that you do, Clark."
"And what exactly do you think I fight for, Owen?"
"Oh you know: truth, justice, all that other stuff," he said.
Clark could not help but grin. He remembered saying something very similar to Chloe when he ran for student government his freshman year. The more he thought about it, the more he began to trust his new companions.
"So how am I supposed to learn to control these abilities?" Lana asked.
"Well, either myself or Wolfe can take you on as our apprentice. That would be the easiest way."
"But I thought you said our magics were different?"
"Indeed I did, but every Mage has the potential to master any Arcana he chooses save for one."
"And how is that decided?" That was Clark.
"By the Mage's Path," Allie replied. "Just as Lana will be most effective with Life and Spirit magic, she will have an extremely difficult time learning anything from the Death Arcana. Owen, on the other hand, has almost no skill or understanding of Spirit magic."
"Then how exactly is he supposed to teach me if he doesn't understand my powers?"
"It has nothing to do with understanding, and everything to do with inherent natural skill," Owen replied. "Magic is divided into different practices, which you will learn with time and training. These apply to all magic, regardless of its nature. The techniques developed by early Mages paved the way for later students to be taught even by masters of a different Path."
"All right, that makes sense," Lana said. "But can we continue this conversation later? It's starting to give me a headache."
Owen nodded. "Sure, but feel free to ask me anything about your new abilities. I'll do what I can to help."
The group fell silent as they continued to make their way towards the Metropolis city limits, and as Clark tenderly stroked Lana's hair, he felt her fall asleep in his arms. It was a pleasant feeling, knowing that Lana was so relaxed and secure with him. Her face was peacefully angelic, and as he gazed lovingly upon her exotic yet innocent visage, he felt himself falling for her all over again.
Clark had made so many mistakes with her in the past, and he knew it. He could have had her in his arms years before had he only summoned the courage to be honest with her, but he had been a coward. As he brushed her hair out of her face, he silently vowed that he would be honest with her from now on. The Kryptonian was not entirely sure what the future held for them, but no matter what happened, everything would be okay as long as she was by his side.
His moment of reflection and regret was brought to a sudden, violent halt as something slammed into the back of the truck like a giant fist. Owen cursed, looking into the rearview mirror as Clark turned to see what was behind them as well. He was not pleased.
"Clark, what is it?" Lana asked groggily. "Did we just hit something?"
"Keep your head down," Clark replied.
Behind them, two black SUV's had begun to give chase. Clark could not see who was driving, but he had a bad feeling it was the people who were after him in the Talon. A moment later, one of the vehicles gunned its engine and pulled up alongside Owen's truck on the left. The window rolled down and Clark saw a glint of metal in the moonlight.
"DOWN!" Owen ordered with a sharp bark.
Everyone except for Clark instantly obeyed, and the passenger opened fire with a fully-automatic assault rifle. Glass shattered and bullet holes peppered the side of the truck, but thankfully none of them penetrated. Owen responded by turning sharply into his assailants' vehicle, and the two hunks of moving metal met with a horrendously loud crash. Steel scraped against steel, each side jockeying for position.
Owen's truck proved the more powerful, and forced the enemy SUV onto the sidewalk.
Pedestrians scattered as the enemy vehicle crashed over mailboxes and street signs, sending sparks and debris everywhere. Owen took the moment offered to unbuckle his seatbelt and set the cruise control.
"What the HELL are you doing!?" Allie shouted.
"DRIVE!" Owen roared back. As Alamondria took the wheel, the Moros slid through the window and onto the roof. He rolled, allowing the momentum of the vehicle to carry him into the truck bed. Clark watched in awe as Allie slid into the driver's seat just as the SUV to their left regained control and pulled back onto the road. From behind them, the other vehicle opened fire, spraying bullets at the pickup. Owen ducked and the back window was blasted apart by the volley of fire.
Clark quickly fell atop his fiance, covering her as the hot lead shot by overhead. Or at least he thought it was lead at first. Some of them landed within the truck, and he immediately felt Kryptonite sickness overtake him. He winced as the expended ammunition began to glow, their radiation seemingly drawn to him.
Lana sensed the change come over him, and immediately placed her hands against his face. His skin was becoming more cold and clammy by the moment, and she could already feel sweat beading on his flesh. She wasted no time in hunting for the stray bullets, throwing them out of the window as quickly as she could.
"Hang on!" Allie called from the driver's seat. She made a hard right, turning into an alleyway. The SUV behind them followed easily, but the one beside them was forced to slam on its brakes to avoid crashing into the brick building left of the narrow street. There was a loud thud, and a complaining groan from the bed of the truck as Owen was jostled about.
"What the fuck was that!?"
"An 'L', or half a 'U'!"
"Well don't fucking do it again!"
Allie managed to keep her cool, but floored the accelerator. The engine roared and the vehicle lurched into high gear, quickly putting a lot of distance between them and their pursuers. She silently thanked the Creator for Owen's natural affinity with mechanics.
Clark wanted desperately to be able to help, but with the bad guys using Kryptonite against them, he was for once the most vulnerable member of the party. He hated it, but knew that he would have to rely on these people to protect him. They were capable, to be sure, but he would never like the idea of others putting their lives on the line for his sake. His eyes widened as they shot out of the alleyway and into the street, traffic zipping past all around them. Every muscle in his body corded in anticipation of an impact, and he instinctively wrapped Lana in his arms to protect her. A moment later, however, they were through the gauntlet and into another alleyway. He muttered the closest thing to a curse he ever had in his life, though, when the lead SUV made it through as well.
The one trailing, however, was not so lucky. Lana looked up just in time to see an oncoming semi smash into the driver's side of the SUV. The force of impact caused the vehicle to buckle and shatter, sending the ruined hulk pin-wheeling through the air. Lana's eyes widened in horror, a gasp escaping her as she covered her mouth with her hand. When the remnants of the SUV landed, it rolled several more times before finally coming to rest on its side, smoke billowing from the engine. A moment later, the vehicle exploded in an impressive ball of fire and shrapnel with enough force to shake the entire block.
Owen knew this chase had to end soon or even more people would wind up dead, but just as the remaining pursuit vehicle started to disappear, Alamondria slammed both feet on the brakes. He barely managed to stop himself from pitching through the back window and out of the windshield, but as he desperately grabbed onto the fog lights, he felt his shoulder dislocate. The Moros gritted his teeth against a pained groan, looking up to see what had forced her to stop. Up ahead, a station wagon with the back seat full of children had pulled directly into their path. Allie had managed to stop just inches from the passenger's side, and Owen let out a sigh of relief.
Allie threw the truck into reverse and stepped on the gas, speeding backwards towards their pursuers. Owen held on for dear life, watching with wide eyes as they came closer and closer to their antagonists, playing a deadly game of chicken. At the last second, she turned sharply into another alley, once again nearly sending Owen flying. He knew the only way she was able to pull off such high-risk maneuvers was to draw upon her power, and he prayed she would not draw too much. Being an Elemental, her abilities gave her heightened senses and reflexes while she was drawing upon her power, but if she were to draw too much, it could possibly kill her.
The SUV followed suit, and the two vehicles sped down the corridor face to face. Keeping hold of the fog lights with his right hand, Owen drew his revolver with the other and took aim. He fired twice, the weapon letting off a thunderous crack that reverberated off of the nearby walls. His first shot missed the driver's head by bare millimeters, but the second struck true. The passenger riding shotgun's face exploded, sending bone, blood, and brain matter splattering throughout the interior of the vehicle.
One down, three to go, he thought.
The two in back leaned out of their windows a moment later, taking aim and sending hundreds of deadly armor-piercing rounds towards them. Owen ducked, but as he did, Allie whipped a hard right out of the alley. The rounds passed by harmlessly. Now back on the main street, she yanked the handbrake and sent the truck into a one hundred eighty degree spin before gunning the engine as they oriented away from their pursuers. Owen was only kept from being hurled through the air by his decision to drop, instead bouncing painfully around the truck bed.
I'm going to be so fucking sore after this…
Back on an level playing field, the two vehicles shot down the street at speeds exceeding eighty miles per hour. Had it not been so late at night, the endeavor would have been suicidal. As it was, the chase was still extremely dangerous. Clark was more worried about the innocent people in Metropolis being harmed as a result than anything else, but he knew there was no avoiding this conflict.
Owen was faced with a dilemma. He wanted to end the chase as quickly as possible, but at the same time do so with as little collateral damage as possible. It would have been easier within the alleyway, but there had not been time with the extreme maneuvers his wife had been pulling off to try and shake their tail. He made a decision and took off running towards the tailgate.
Lana and Clark watched in amazement out of the back window, and Allie from the rearview mirror as the Moros leapt. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as he flew towards the enemy SUV. While still in mid-flight, he drew his Nordic longsword, using it as a spear to lead the way towards their antagonists. He landed hard on the hood a breath later, his weapon shattering the windshield and embedding itself into the driver's throat, killing him instantly.
Chaos erupted as the driver's body slumped to the side, taking the steering wheel with it. The top-heavy vehicle was unable to take the strain of the sudden, sharp turn with no drop in speed. As it went up on two wheels, Owen did the only thing he could and jumped, trying to put as much distance between himself and the vehicle as he could. He landed hard on the sidewalk as the SUV crashed onto its side, kicking up massive amounts of sparks as it slid into the middle of a major intersection. Owen rolled and tumbled before coming to rest nearly one hundred feet from where the SUV stopped. He lay there, motionless.
Allie slammed on the brakes, whipping the truck around once again to face the other way. The suspension system Owen had installed was intended for such high-speed and risky maneuvers, and its weight counteracted any chance of the truck tipping over. Clark was unable to see the tears rolling down her face in fear for her lover, but he knew how she felt. She stopped beside her husband, not even bothering to set the parking brake before jumping out and dropping to her knees at his side.
The Moros was in bad shape. It was clear he had countless broken bones, and a deep gash across his head caused her heart to turn to ice. His blood was everywhere and it quickly soaked through her clothes as she gently cradled his head in her lap. Allie wept bitterly, not caring about the danger still present from the now burning vehicle only one hundred feet away. All of her focus was on her husband but, despite her amazing abilities, there was nothing she could do to help him. She wanted to yell at him for being so foolish, but his bravery and sacrifice had saved them. Allie shook her head, pushing such selfish thoughts from her mind as she concentrated on making him as comfortable as possible.
Clark's brow raised in surprise as Lana started to climb out, but he made no move to stop her. He did not know what she planned to do, but if she could help then he was not about to get in the way. He started to follow her, but realized that someone would need to drive them away from here before the police arrived. He quickly climbed into the driver's seat and set the brake to ensure the truck did not go anywhere.
Lana's stomach churned unpleasantly when she saw Owen's condition, but managed to resist the urge to vomit. Still new to her power, the young woman had no idea what she was supposed to do, but tried anyway. She placed her hands against Owen's chest and concentrated on taking his wounds away. In her mind's eye, she saw cuts closing, bones setting and mending back together. She saw new blood produced at four times the normal rate to replace what was lost, and his whole body knitting itself back together.
"Lana! Stop! You're going to-!"
But it was too late. Lana opened her eyes as Allie spoke, and at the same moment, the fabric between planes was rent. She felt energy being almost sucked out of her, and exhaustion seemed to have overcome Allie as well. The trees lining the sidewalks withered and died, and a stray cat screeched, turning tail and running away from them as though being chased by a dog.
Then the voices came. Lana was unable to see them, but she could feel beings of ephemera drawing near. They were whispers at first, but as the spirits drew closer, their voices turned to enraged roars that cursed and screamed at her. Shadowy figures began to manifest around them, taking the shapes of humans, animals, and even objects. These semi-transparent reflections of the material world approached her, and Lana froze in utter terror.
It was not until Clark wrapped his arms around her middle and hauled her to her feet that she realized she could move. She clambered into the front passenger's seat as quickly as she could, wanting to put as much distance between her and whatever she had angered as possible. Alamondria was not far behind, carrying her unconscious husband with surprising ease and getting into the back of the pickup. Clark wasted no time, flooring the gas and speeding away from the scene. As the intersection slowly faded in the distance, Clark could see fire trucks and other emergency vehicles arriving to the scene. They began to douse the flames consuming the SUV, but he knew they were too late to save the occupants.
"Just head towards Smallville," Allie said finally. "Whoever it was doesn't want us there, so that's where we're going to go."