Chapter 1 – Missing
Lois ran up the last flight of steps. He must be up here. Lois deduced that there was something important about this place. Zod had wanted to meet her here and then that strange light above here soon after Clark had ... she tried not to dwell on that, it distracted her and she would not be distracted from finding Clark by thoughts of ... Clark. She reached the top and quietly peered round the pillars. If Zod was here she needed to be careful.
It seemed deserted.
She stepped out and immediately felt the rain on her hair, soaking her through in only a few seconds. As she stepped past a shattered wall of glass she noticed something on the far side of the roof. Inching forwards carefully and slowly she could make out a black figure surrounded by yellow light. As she watched the black figure seemed to dissolve upwards and the yellow light faded. Was that him? She frowned.
She tentatively drew closer to the area but found no sign of anyone. Wandering around searching for further signs of life the only thing she came across was broken glass. There was no way to be sure that Clark had even been here ... unless that dark figure engulfed by the light had been Clark. She desperately hoped not, but at the moment all the evidence pointed to Clark being missing.
"No!" came a whispered cry from Lois as she noticed blood on the ground for the first time. She ran over to it and knelt down.
"No!" What happened here? She looked around further and saw something in a pile on the ground. Stumbling over to it she cried out once more.
"No!" It was his coat. Slowly standing and picking it up she whispered to herself, "Clark will be needing this." Holding the coat close to her chest she began to search around again.
"Clark," she shouted. "Clark!" she raised her voice again, desperately. Where is he? As she wandered aimlessly around the roof top, tears mingling with raindrops on her cheeks, she noticed a slight glow ahead of her. Why didn't I see that before? Making her way over to it she discovered that it was a large stone pedestal about waist height and when she could see over the rim she noticed it was full of spiky ... crystals? Standing right at the edge her eyes widened when she saw what was embedded in the centre. The Book of Rao. That's Clark's she thought. He'll be needing it. She reached forward and took out the octagonal disk. Clasping it close to her chest along with the coat she set off back down the many steps.
Clark awoke in a dark alley. He was lying on his back, the dagger in his side was no-where to be seen and his wounds had healed.
He stood to his feet.
Looking down he could still see the slash mark across his 'S' and he noticed that he was soaking wet. "The Book of Rao," he said out loud as he suddenly realised the situation he was in. As he sped back to the top of the tower he wondered why he had not ascended if the blue kryptonite was gone.
He stopped at the crystal panel and started to reach out then he noticed that the book was missing. So that's why I'm still here. But where is the book and who took it out? He looked around for his coat but that was also missing.
He frowned.
Someone has been up here since ... since I fell off. His frown deepened. How did I even land safely? Did I pull the dagger out instinctively while I was unconscious?
One final search of the roof top revealed only a single reminder of his fight with Zod; the lead sheath for the blue kryptonite dagger. He picked it up and sped over to Watchtower.
Chloe was holding it together. She was. By a thread. Clark was gone, permanently, and Ollie was missing. She felt the despair as if it were hovering over her shoulder, ready to land heavily on her back at any second. I can't let it. I need to be strong. I'm the only one left now. I need to be the strong one.
Chloe felt the rush of wind on her back and immediately knew what it meant although she didn't understand how it was possible. She spun round.
"Clark!" she said in joyous surprise, "you're still here."
"Chloe," he took a step forward, "they're all gone," a relieved tone in his voice. He paused. "I should have gone too but Zod stabbed me with a blue kryptonite dagger. He was trying to keep himself here on earth but by stabbing me the blue kryptonite stopped affecting him and he ascended. I fell off the building and blacked out. When I came too I was on the ground and the dagger was gone but I never ascended. I think that's because someone took out the Book of Rao and deactivated the crystals. I don't know where it is now."
Chloe shook her head to clear it. "What?" she asked. He had spoken so fast she couldn't follow his tale. It was then that she noticed his outfit. "Clark, you're wet through, and you have a rip across your chest, and your coat ..." her voice raised in pitch at each thing she noticed.
"Chloe, I'm fine." He put his hands on her upper arms and looked sincerely in her eyes. "In fact, I'm better than fine. I'm still here." He smiled at her.
Chloe felt herself crumble. When she thought she had to deal with loosing everyone by herself she had been strong. She had worked at Watchtower for the last hour in emotionless silence relying on her own strength. Now that someone infinitely stronger was here she naturally turned to him for the strength and her own left her.
"Oh Clark," she wailed, "I'm not" she said shaking her head. "Ollie's been taken."
"Taken?" Clark looked puzzled.
"He went to switch on Watchtower's satellite and while he was there he was attacked."
"But all the Kandorians are gone now."
"His last words were that they were not Kandorians," the last of Chloe's resolve dissolved. "Oh Clark, what's happened to him? Where is he?" She collapsed in his arms.
Clark put his strong arms further round her and rocked for a few seconds. "It's ok, I'll go looking for him right now." He pulled her away to look into her eyes. "Where did he go?"