Chapter 5

Present Day

"I told him everything," said Tess. Her voice was painful and guilty. "Where to find you and Lois, that Clark is Superman. I told him everything and couldn't stop myself."

"It's not your fault Mercy," said Oliver. He wrapped his arm around her as she took a shaky breath.

"Oliver's right," said Clark. His voice was calm and sympathetic. "Gemstone kryptonite is some pretty powerful stuff. After all it got Lois to play housewife," he chuckled.

Lois sighed. "Never going to let me live that down are you?"

"I shouldn't have gone off like that Tess," Clark said apologetically.

"It's okay Clark," said Tess.

"Wait a second Tess," said Lois "If Kal-El hypno-swore you to secrecy, how'd you just tell us everything?"

"The blue kryptonite must have flushed it out of system," Tess guessed. "Along with any hold he had on me."

"Doesn't matter," said Clark. "This guy knows where we live. Lois, until Oliver and I find Kal-El I think you should stay here at Watchtower."

Tess shook her head. "It won't matter. Clark, I told him everything. That Oliver's Green Arrow, where Watchtower is, that Chloe and I run it. Besides, he's not after Lois," she said. "He's after Chloe."

Oliver missed his practice shot. "What?"

Chloe choked on her coffee. "Why me?"

"I'm not sure," said Tess "Only that he needs you for his Christmas miracle."

Oliver snorted. "His what?"

"That's what he said," Tess replied. "He's here for a Christmas miracle."

"He said that on the roof," Lois remembered.

"Yeah well Kal-El's not going to get a miracle this Christmas," Oliver snarled "He just made Santa's naughty list."

"Relax, Ollie. I can handle myself."

"He won't come here," said Tess "He's scared of the kryptonite arsenal. That's why he was looking for Lois. He was going to use you as bait to lure Chloe out."

"Okay that does it," Oliver snapped. "This guy's about to wish he had never been born. Sidekick, have the satellites found him yet?"

Chloe checked the computer. "No, but I did find out where he's been. I'll pull it up on the monitor."

Kal-El stood on top of a building in Metropolis. He was staring at the Daily Planet. He looked at building on the other side of town, and shot it with his heat vision, setting the top floor ablaze.

Clark was stunned. "Kal-El started the fire."

"He flambéed it," Chloe emphasized "That building's nothing more but a pile of rubble now."

"If this guy is willing to destroy a building just to cause a distraction, then we need to stop him before he gets really desperate," Clark said sternly as his phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hello Clark."

"Kal-El," Clark gestured toward Chloe and Tess and the two of them began tracing the call. "What do you want?"

"To apologize. I feel that we got off on the wrong foot," Kal-El explained, his voice cool and distant. "I meant what I said before at the planet Clark. I'm not your enemy."

"Says the man who demolished an entire building," Clark challenged.

"That building was already set to be demolished and was two weeks behinds schedule," Kal-El countered. "If anything I saved those workers from working through the holidays."

"Then how do you explain brainwashing Tess into giving away all of our secrets?" Clark demanded. "You say you're better than Clark Luthor, but from what I've seen, you two are cut from the same cloth.

Kal-El paused. "I'm not proud of what I did to Tess ," he admitted sincerely "And if given the chance I'd like to apologize to her in person. But as I told her, I don't have a lot of time. And I can't waste it fighting you and your friends at every turn."

"So why burn down a building to get me away from Lois?" Clark questioned "If you wanted work with us why go out of your way to avoid us? And just what do you want with Chloe?"

"I was forced to burn down the building after talking to Tess," Kal-El explained. "because after learning about your history with Clark Luthor, I knew you wouldn't be that open to visitors from other dimensions. If I were to come straight to your Watchtower you would keep me in there until I could convince you I was telling hte truth. And that is time I cannot afford to waste." He emphasized. "As for Chloe, right now I'm looking for other means to achieve my goal, so you can tell Oliver to relax for now."

"For now?" Clark repeated.

"I'm not going to lie to you. The method that requires Chloe does come with a risk," Kal-El replied honestly "which is why I'm exploring other options."

For a moment, Kal-El was silent, as if he was thinking on the other end of the phone. Clark glanced at Chloe, who made a circular motion with her hand: keep him talking.

"I have to admit," Kal-El said at last "visiting your world has been quite the experience."

"Glad you're enjoying your trip," Clark said sarcastically "you finding everything alright or do you need tour guide?"

"You know what I find the most interesting about your world?" Kal-El asked "The time difference. This world is ten years younger than mine. Feels like more like I slipped on the Legion ring instead of activating a mirror box. Which is why if you and your friends won't work with than you it would be better if you stay out of my way," he said darkly.

"Is that a threat?" Clark asked.

"Think this through Clark. You've been Superman for what, a year?" Kal-El guessed "I've done it for eight, and spent the two years leading a group of super powered Kryptonian soldiers. Whatever you and your League can come up with to try to stop me, I can see it coming from a mile away."

"You don't know me Kal-El," Clark disputed.

"Don't I? Let's see, after our little run-in at the Planet, you and Lois went straight to the Watchtower to fill others in. Chloe would've made Lois some tea to calm her nerves. Lemon and extra sugar, because she likes it sweet," he added. "While Tess got right to work, checking the computers to find any trace of me. She and Chloe are probably tracing this call right now. Though I'll be done before they can finish. As for Oliver, he's been ready for action since you got here, Kryptonite arrows locked and loaded. He's been taking practice shots, probably imagining that the bulls eye is my head when Tess told him about Chloe. Have I gotten anything wrong so far?" Clark's jaw dropped as he looked across the faces of Watchtower, the five of them feeling the evident chill in the air from Kal-El's words. "Judging by the silence, I would guess I was pretty spot-on. And just for the record, no I haven't been watching you," he added "I don't want you fight you Clark," Kal-El said honestly "or your friends. If I wanted a scrap, I would've stayed at home. But I'm a desperate man and if I have to go through you to get what I came for,"

"What are you here for?" Clark asked. "You said you came here for 'Christmas miracle'. Just what do you need a miracle for?"

Kal-El paused. But when he finally spoke, his voice was dark and serious "I hope you never have to find out," and he hung up, without another word.

"Please tell me you got him," Oliver begged.

"Almost," said Chloe "We managed to track him down to a mile radius in downtown Metropolis."

"The only location in that area is…," Tess paused as the computer ran through the possible options "LexCorp."