It was after midnight as Linda tossed and turned in her bed; she moaned softly, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, her eyes squeezed shut. Krypto and Streaky lay in their bed near her dresser, watching with concern but unsure what to do.

Linda suddenly opened her eyes and looked around in confusion. She was levitating in a vertical position in a void, dressed in a white, toga-like dress. The young girl's heart pounded in her chest as she reached around and tried to move, but she couldn't, and her fear increased as she looked around frantically. A speck of light caught her attention, growing larger as it moved toward her. Linda's eyes grew wide as she recognized the lights—a bright orange—in the shape of Flamebird. The figure stopped in front of the young girl, hovering as it stared at her with dark blue eyes.

Destiny, a voice boomed out from the figure.

"What?" Linda asked, confused, her voice shaky.

Destiny, the voice repeated as it flew toward Linda, engulfing her in flames.

The young girl shouted loudly as her eyes flew open; her heart pounded in her chest, and she sweated profusely, panting hard, looking around in confusion. She stood in the middle of the Kawatche cave, dressed in her pajama shorts and tank top; she reflexively shivered and hugged herself, even though she wasn't the least bit cold. Her attention was drawn to the back wall, and Linda's eyes grew wide as she stared at the 'Crusade' symbol—the same one that had been on the rice paper Dr. Swann had given them.

Linda stared in shock and disbelief. She had no idea what was going on—or how she even ended up in the caves in the first place—but she knew she needed to get back home before anyone noticed she was missing. The young girl glanced at the symbol once more before taking a deep breath, pivoting on her heels, and blurring out of the cave.


Linda managed to get back to the farm and into her room without being seen, but she knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep; part of her wanted to investigate the symbols on the rice paper more, but she had had her fill of anything Kryptonian for a while. The young girl decided it would be safer to work on the art piece for the social gathering, so she changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, pulled her hair into a loose braid, and headed into the loft. After mulling for about an hour, she finally settled on an idea—a watercolor painting what she felt was a good representation of Smallville. She set up her easel and arranged her paints and brushes and began working, losing herself in her work as she filled the blank canvas with colors.

"There you are."

Linda turned her head when she heard the gentle voice. Jonathan walked over, dressed in his work clothes, and looking relieved. Linda tilted her head slightly, furrowing her eyebrows. "Did I wake you?" she asked.

"No, the alarm clock did," Jonathan replied. "Got dressed and then came to get you up so we could do our chores together—figured you could use the company after last night—but you weren't in your bed…or the house, then I saw the lights on in the barn and figured you were out here."

"Is it morning already?" Linda asked, glancing over at the open window; she saw the dim light of the sun peeking over the horizon. "Huh…didn't think that much time had passed."

"Sweetie, how long have you been out here?" Jonathan asked as he sat on the edge of the couch.

"About two, I think," Linda replied as she went back to her work.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?" Jonathan asked, looking at his daughter with a little concern. "You seemed pretty bothered about last night's events."

"Well, I was pretty upset by Dr. Swann's death," Linda replied as she dipped her brush in some yellow paint and gently dabbed a small area, "and the whole thing with the rice paper is very," she sighed and shrugged slightly, "honestly, I don't know what to make of it, but I'm okay."

"You sure?" Jonathan pressed gently.

Linda nodded, giving him a small smile. "I'm sure," she replied.

Jonathan stared at her, almost as if he was deciding if she was telling the truth; after a few moments, he smiled back. "Okay," he replied, "but if you want to talk, your mother and I are always available."

"I know," Linda replied before she glanced at the easel. "So, this is what I'm making for the social on Tuesday night; I'm going for a representation of Smallville, you know, make a good first impression with the CEO. What do you think?"

Jonathan's smile widened as he stared at the painting; he got up and walked over, kissing the top of her head and rubbing her shoulders. "I think he's going to really like it," he replied.

"Do you want me to stop and get started on my chores?" Linda asked.

"Why don't you finish your painting first," Jonathan suggested, "then you can join me when you're done?"

Linda nodded and went back to work as Jonathan headed for the stairs. He stopped and looked back at his daughter, watching her for a few moments—his eyes filled with concern—before making his way downstairs.


The rest of the weekend passed uneventfully—for which Linda was extremely thankful. She managed to distract herself for the entire day by completely immersing herself into finishing her painting, her chores, and even working on five other projects: three watercolors, a charcoal, and an oil painting. She did her evening chores and had a nice quiet dinner with her parents before heading upstairs to decompress before going to bed.

Monday morning came without any more nightmares, and Linda woke refreshed and ready to face the day; she quickly completed her chores before getting dressed and blurring off to school; she smiled as she felt the cool wind in her face, taking a deep breath through her nose and letting it out. The young girl skittered effortlessly—and unseen—to a stop behind the school stadium, clutching her backpack.

A low growl behind her caught her attention. She turned and saw a large black bear emerge from the trees nearby with a red backpack in its mouth, but Linda simply sighed and smiled as she rolled her eyes. "You just can't help yourself, can you?" she asked, amused.

The bear stood on its hind legs, its body rippling as it appeared to shrink. In an instant, Gar stood tall, grinning, as he took his backpack and slung it over his shoulders. "Hey, at least I used a local animal this time," he said as he walked over. "Have a good weekend?" His eyes twinkled. "How was Saturday night with Jimmy?"

Linda smiled halfheartedly and shrugged. "It was…interesting," she replied as they headed toward the school.

Gar noticed the subtle change in her voice. "What happened?" he asked, concerned. "You guys didn't have a fight, did you?"

"No," Linda replied, "nothing like that. It's just…it's complicated." Gar simply raised an eyebrow, and Linda sighed. "Did you hear about a Dr. Virgil Swann passing away Saturday night?"

"Yeah, a little," Gar replied.

"Well, he was a friend of Clark's," Linda explained. "He helped Clark learn a little bit about where he came from; I met him once, he was a really nice man. Anyway, after he died, Clark and I got this envelope, and inside was a piece of rice paper with Kryptonian symbols, including my family's symbol, as well as part of a Latin passage from Ovid—and Clark said it dated back to Third Century B.C. China."

Gar stopped and stared at her in shock, his eyes wide. "Really?" Linda nodded. "Any idea what it means?"

Linda shook her head. "Not a clue."

Gar knew there was something she wasn't telling him, but he decided not to press it—for now. He simply put an arm around her shoulders as they continued their walk.


"I already said I have no comment, Lane," Inspector Henderson said angrily from behind his desk, glaring up at Clark and Lois.

"Come on, Henderson," Lois replied, just as angry. "There was another politician murdered—this time with an acid squirting water pistol—and you have 'no comment.'"

"What do you want me to say?" Henderson asked. "'We all know who's doing it, but we have no idea where he is.'? I'm sure the public would appreciate that."

"So, what are you doing?" Lois asked.

"Our jobs," Henderson answered unwaveringly. "We're done here."

Lois opened her mouth, but Clark grabbed her arm and steered her quickly out of the office, closing the door behind him before letting her go.

"I wasn't done," Lois said angrily.

"Oh, I think you were," Clark replied as they made their way through the bullpen and toward the entrance. "Henderson looked like he was on the verge of tossing you in jail. I'm sure they're doing everything they can to find Schott."

Lois glanced at him, unconvinced. "Clark, we have another city official dead, this time half his face melted off; what's next, a wind-up monkey with cymbals that blows someone into a million pieces?" They headed out of the building, making their way down the sidewalk. "You know, we haven't heard anything from Superman; I mean, does he even know what's going on?"

"I'm sure he does," Clark replied, "and I bet he's trying to find Schott right now." His phone buzzed, and he pulled it from his jacket; he saw the text alert that he'd received a message and attached picture. The reporter opened the message and read it before opening the picture; his eyebrows shot up a little.

"What is it?" Lois asked. Clark handed her his phone, and Lois quickly skimmed the image before reading the text; she smiled as she handed it back to him. "Linda still doesn't know who he is, does she?"

"Nope," Clark replied.

"I don't get why you're keeping it a secret," Lois said.

"I have my reasons, don't worry," Clark replied, "and I don't have to wait too much longer for the reveal."

"Yeah, well, I'm still not sure Linda's going to be all thrilled," Lois said, glancing at Clark's phone. "So, what are you going to do?"

"Get some answers of my own," Clark replied as he opened up his 'Contacts' folder, scrolling until he found who he was looking for.

(End of Chapter 5)