Chapter Three
Revelations
Georgia (Western Eurasia) At the Black Sea
(Translated from Kartuli)
"Thank you, Bah-tal," Diana said as she bowed her head gently. "May Demeter bless your vineyards this spring."
The elderly woman nodded hurriedly. "Your silver is thanks enough." She looked around in nervous anticipation. "Hurry, you must go before your bed is found empty."
Diana gently smiled and passed through the heavy door that blocked out the cold winter wind. She looked up and frowned at the storm-clouds that covered the sky. Thunder could be heard in the distance echoing against the mountains.
"Please, Grandfather, stay your hand. You know better than I that my destiny does not lay in the lands of my ancestors."
In the distance atop the highest mountain she could see a bolt of lighting strike and the resulting rumble of thunder shook the very ground where she stood after which the winds calmed and a slight smile found its way back to the face of a lone traveler.
"Thank you, Grandfather. I promise to make you proud."
A short hike later found Diana speedily making her way down a docking bay and into a questionably stable sea plane. She clicked the rusty seatbelt into place and gazed unhappily out the grimy window at the mountains she would probably never see again.
"Farewell, Mother."
0
(Two Months Later)
(Fortress of Solitude)
"Clark," Chloe breathed heavily. "Not that I mind waking up to … uuuunnnn."
A low chuckle found its way from under the sheets as its blonde inhabitant clutched a head-sized lump in the vicinity of her lower midsection.
"Mmmmmm," she hummed through a wide smile. "Jor-el is going to be seriously ticked off if you're late againnnnnnn."
She almost pouted when Clark stopped what was quickly becoming a most welcome morning occurrence, but it was replaced by a happy grin again when he emerged from the sheets with a kiss.
"Morning," Clark purred.
Chloe grabbed a handful of hair and pulled him in for a deeper kiss silently bouncing around in her head at her happiness. A few moments later they broke the kiss and Chloe chirped, "Go on so you can get back here and warm me up after your lessons."
"I can't wait," he responded with bright eyes.
0
Lex Luthor dropped down from the overturned bed he was using as a makeshift pull-up bar and looked over his newest visitor. "Dr. Williams, what do you have for me?"
Williams looked around at the large cell he had been called to and narrowed his eyes as he looked around for obvious cameras. "We're ready for field testing on our newest project."
Lex took a small white terry towel and wiped at his forehead. "Is he stable? I really don't need anymore bad publicity at this juncture."
Williams beamed back. "Not only is he stable, but after Garner's treatment he's even willing."
Lex wrapped the towel around his neck and smiled grimly. "Very well. Try out your new toy and if it works properly then I want you to find that person we were discussing and activate Project Janus."
0
Chloe followed the corridor around to the nexus of the Fortress and stared in wonder at the sight of Clark suspended in mid air surrounded by a halo of red. Since her arrival Clark's training had increased. Jor-el had even commented to a week previous that her presence had calmed his son giving him a set resolution that he had not seen in the six years before.
Clark's muscle mass had nearly doubled since his arrival and with the aptitude he had showed over the last two months Jor-el reevaluated his training to an additional eight to ten weeks, a far cry from the original six months to a year. It seemed as if the lack of constant arguing was beneficial to the learning process.
Chloe sighed and returned the way she came however she forked off into a different hallway once she closed in on their room. A laptop sat on a sheet of Kryptonian crystal humming almost eagerly in wait.
She pulled up her research document and quickly entered in a few brief lines of data before lifting her head.
"Jor-el?" she queried.
"Yes, Chloe Sullivan."
"Could you tell me a brief history of your family?"
As with weeks before Jor-el tutored Chloe on the various aspects of Krypton and the known galaxies for the book that would follow Clark's unveiling to the world.
0
Dr. Williams stood outside the common room of Belle Reve Sanitarium. Along side stood a thirty-something man dressed in casual business attire.
"Anyone?" the man asked.
Williams nodded.
The man found a random patient and then closed his eyes briefly. A smile found its way to his face and when he opened his eyes the mayhem began.
Christopher Wayside was well on his way to recovery after being diagnosed with specific dementia disorder. Instead of completing his prescribed treatment of three more group sessions and a final evaluation he flipped the paintbrush he was holding and jammed it into the ear of a long term patient by the name of Van McNulty quickly ending Van's treatment along with his life and also setting off the common room's inhabitants to frenzy.
Christopher's last words before being subdued were, "she's safe … she's safe now."
The orderlies were zip-cuffing Christopher Wayside's wrists before transferring him into isolation when Dr. Williams and the unknown man stared on in satisfaction.
"Now one of my choosing … the tall orderly I think, with the blonde hair."
The man closed his eyes once more and reopened them again, as before. The moment he did the blonde orderly slipped his security baton into his hand and blindsided his partner.
"I told you to leave her alone, you bstard!" he screamed.
Dr. Williams smiled. "Very good, I think we're ready to proceed."
0
(Two Weeks Later)
Chloe sat at her desk as was her routine while Clark was away training and typed happily on her laptop before she felt warm lips grace her neck.
"Mmmmm," she smiled and tilted her head aside to allow Clark access. "You are getting really good at that."
Clark chuckled. "It helps that you taste so good."
A wide smile widened on Chloe's lips. "If you think that's supposed to turn me on … well, your lips already did that."
She spun around on her chair and grabbed Clark's hands before they roamed too far. "Sex, sex, sex, is that all your alien mind ever thinks about?"
His eyebrows rose. "You didn't seem to mind yesterday and the day before that, or even the three hours the night before that."
Chloe recalled the previous days. "Yeah," she sighed happily. "But a girl likes to be romanced every now and again, Romeo."
Clark frowned. "If we go out tonight it'll add more time to the training."
She looked dejected for a moment. "And in a couple of months we'll be free from Jor-el's thumb for the most part."
Chloe stood up and sank into Clark's arms letting her hand slide to his chest she ran it along feeling the extreme definition of his muscles. "I love being here with you, no meteor freaks, no Lex Luthor, no …"
"Yeah," Clark whispered while rubbing small circles on her back. "But I do miss Mom's pies."
Her head rose. "Next time I'm in I could stop by and see if she'll make you one?"
Clark shook his head. "Congress doesn't recess until Easter; she'll be in Washington. By then I hope we're out of here."
They stood, holding each other for another few moments until Chloe looked back up. "I feel so tiny next to you."
Clark didn't laugh this time like he always does. Instead he bent his knees and dropped his height until he was eye to eye with his intended. "You're perfect, don't think any different."
She responded with a smirk and her eyes glassed up. "Okay, now see, that's romantic."
0
Diana sat on the beach in front of Spencer's Hardware store carefully studying each and every face she could discern on the cold morning. The grey hoodie and overly large coat she wore hid most of her features from the average passer-by. Most people, if they even noticed her, gave a nod as they walked or drove past the store. She felt anonymous for the first time in her life.
The vision she received from her distant cousin some four months previous led her to that very spot to await the one event that would define the rest of her life. Now if only that event would hurry up and occur it would please her to no end. Waiting had become monotonous and if there was one thing Diana was described at it was very rarely the adjective, patient.
At the sudden sound of a door slamming open her head swiveled to the left and witnessed a young man emerging from a pastry shop and dashing down the walkway. A moment later another person exited, but this time that person was yelling.
"Somebody stop him! He's got my deposit!"
Diana watched as the young man jumped into the back of a truck and said truck's tires burned in quick exit. Her face darkened as she stood and absently moved her right hand to her back as if to check something. Her eyes darted back and forth down the street to make sure everyone's attention was on the fleeing truck when she took two steps to the waiting alleyway.
Her boots dug in to grip the small side street when she came around and began to parallel the escaping truck speed for speed. It wasn't long before she and the truck were on the open road and Diana purposely fell behind to gain the tactical advantage. She could see the young man crouched behind the cab of the truck holding on to the bed railing trying to keep his balance when she took two deliberate bounds and a final leap into the air.
Her jump took her thirty feet into a defined arc that would lead her to her prey for that morning when she saw the hand of the young man, wide-eyed, lift a handgun in his defense.
Diana was three-quarters of the way there when an explosion sounded and she knew she was being fired upon. Her eyes narrowed and her left wrist jetted forward in defense. Her right hand slipped behind her back and withdrew a weapon and the battle was all but over before it had rightly begun.
The bullet from the 40 caliber handgun ricocheted into the cornfield to the left and Diana landed solidly into the bed of the truck slashing downward into the young man's wrist holding the handgun. Panic and pain seared their way into the young man's brain.
"YAhHHHHHHHH!"
Diana braced herself and leaped out of the truck as the brakes were slammed on and it slid to a stop.
The driver quickly opened the door and jumped out holding his own firearm.
"Nick! Nick what happ…" He halted in mid step and looked in the middle of the road at the person wearing the twice-too-big coat and whose head was covered in a grey hood. What shocked him even more was the blade she was holding at her side.
"You and your friend have thirty seconds to return to the pastry shop and surrender yourselves or else face my retribution."
0
(The Next Day)
"I have a few things to take care of and I should be back by dinner time," Chloe said as she shouldered her backpack. "Need anything?"
Clark thought for a moment. "I would almost kill for something sweet."
Chloe smiled. "And here I was thinking I was sweet enough for my super man."
The well-muscled man leaned against entryway. "In that case I'll take some tasty meat … preferably a breast and a thigh."
Chloe's eyes sparkled in mirth. "Clark! That's it, I've corrupted the incorruptible. You are officially a perv."
Clark straightened and looked off proudly setting his fists against his hips in a stately gesture. "Super-perv, able to leap tall headboards in a single bound. The rugged alien from a lost world sent to Earth to ravage young women and corrupt their sense and sensibilities. By day he is mild-mannered Clark Kent but by night ladies and gentleman … well, lets just say lock your daughters away."
Chloe smacked his chest playfully. "My headboard better be the only one being leaped and bounded."
They, not so quickly, said their goodbyes and Chloe activated the return controls that placed her in the Kawatche caves.
After a short hike about half a mile away she slid off the tarp that covered her car that was hidden to insure a less exhausting trip into town.
Her first stop was always the Talon to relish in the bitter goodness that was a triple-latte and an hour or so perusing the Daily Planet and the Smallville Ledger. She leaned on the counter after ordering her latte and scanned the headline for the Ledger.
Vigilante Wanted for Questioning
"Whoa, what's this about?"
"Where have you been?" the waitress behind the counter asked. "It was all over town by last night."
Chloe looked up. "What happened?"
The waitress leaned in and whispered covertly. "A guy named Jake Hastings and his brother Nick robbed the deposit from Sylvia's Pastry yesterday morning. According to them some girl chased down the speeding truck jumped in and cut off his hand; same with his brother."
Chloe's eyes widened as saucers. "What?"
"Yeah," the waitress agreed. "I mean I've seen some weird stuff in Smallville, but still."
After paying for her latte, Chloe sat at a wide table along the wall and delved into the lead story in the Ledger and occasionally whispered to herself at some of the lines.
"Authorities are baffled as to how the vigilante
boarded the truck and exactly how the wounds
were cauterized. 'It's like it was done with a
surgical laser scalpel…' senior resident
Dr. Connors remarked."
And.
"Sheriff Nancy Adams commented, 'We have
no room in Smallville for people that take the
law into their own hands. The vigilante will
be caught and prosecuted for her crimes.'"
0
Chloe folded and tucked the newspapers into her backpack and made her way to the Smallville sidewalks to do a bit of shopping before she made her way to the Kent farm to check up on things for Clark. After making a few purchases she found her car and set out of town following the familiar rows of corn that made up most of the outlying areas.
After pulling into the drive she noticed a familiar truck that should be in the long term parking at the local airport.
"What's Mrs. Kent doing home?"
She parked her car and before she turned off the engine she saw Martha Kent standing at the front door to the house. Chloe hopped out of the car and smiled brightly. "Mrs. Kent!"
Martha stepped down the stairs and opened her arms wide for a hug. "Chloe, it's wonderful to see you."
"I was just coming by to check on the house for Clark. I wasn't expecting to see you."
Martha's face went into shock. "You've seen Clark. He's back?"
Chloe quickly looked around. "Maybe we better talk about this inside."
Martha nodded. "I was just making some coffee."
Chloe smiled in response. "You always knew how to make a girl feel at home, Mrs. Kent."
Once Martha closed the door she looked to Chloe for news.
"Clark's not back yet, but he should be home for Easter," Chloe started.
Martha let her confusion show on her face. "Then how did you know?"
Chloe looked down in slight embarrassment. "A couple of months ago he came and got me from Metropolis; right before Christmas in fact."
If Martha was confused before then she was doubly confused when Chloe dropped that bomb. "But I thought he was at the Fortress?"
"He was, he is … we are."
"We?" Martha asked.
Chloe clasped her hands together and raised her face up. "Clark and I … well …," she started. "We're together now."
Relief and a slight bit of elation fell over Martha's body. "My baby's finally wised up has he?"
"You're the first to know."
0
After only two weeks of waiting, Diana came across someone that did not belong on the streets of Smallville; someone that wore clothing that was not made from natural elements, wearing a necklace that provided otherworldly protection upon its wearer, and one who wore a single bracelet very similar to the twin bracelets that adorned her own wrists.
She followed the girl along the rooftops, keeping pace with the small car and making doubly sure that the girl knew that she wasn't being followed.
Using the large structure in-between the house and the road Diana made her way through the field undetected. Once she was inside the barn proper she let her senses guide her to a loft located inside. There was furniture and a desk with books and papers lying about. After a search Diana found a sheet of paper with curious symbols, curiously familiar symbols and she knew that she had found who she was looking for.
Exiting the way she arrived, Diana made her way around to the front of the barn and up to the front steps of the house. She took a deep breath and knocked on the screen door.
0
"I wonder who that is," said Martha as she stood. "I wasn't expecting anyone."
Chloe frowned. "And I didn't hear a car drive up."
Martha opened the door while Chloe stepped to the side looking for something heavy to pound with. You didn't live in Smallville and have the name Chloe Sullivan and not answer the door without some form of protection anymore.
"Hello, can I help you?" Martha said with her polite but curious voice.
"Greetings, my name Diana Troy," the young lady said as she removed her hood and let waves of black hair spill across her shoulders. "I'm in search of the young blonde female that arrived just recently."
"Chloe?" inquired Martha.
Diana's face relaxed and a smile tugged at her cheeks. "Of course," she said to herself. "Yes, please. I am in search of Chloe."
The inquisitive side of the young reporter could not take anymore when she stuck her head around the corner of the door. "I'm Chloe."
Mrs. Kent opened the screen door. "Won't you come in, we were just having coffee. Would you care for a cup?"
The broad shoulders of the visitor dropped slightly in reprieve at her immediate acceptance into the house. "I am honored to accept your kindness, Thank you."
"May I take your coat?" Martha offered.
Diana looked nervous suddenly. "Yes, please. I must confess though that I am armed, but I have no ill intentions toward you or Chloe."
Chloe stepped back. "Armed?"
Diana grasped her coat and opened it letting it fall to her waiting hands. Chloe and Martha looked on at a shoulder harness that held a dagger under the left arm and something heavier on her back.
"The dagger and the Falcata are a few of the traditional weapons of my people."
"I can't place your accent," Chloe said with slight nervousness to her voice. "You're not from around here, are you?"
"I am not. I've come to meet the persons of my vision awarded to me from the Goddess Demeter. I've traveled across the globe to meet you and your unborn daughter's father, Chloe Kent."