Chapter 24
Oliver had not said a word to Kal-El since they started marching onto Argos City. He had more than once tried to bring up the subject of what he had seen between him and Lois but Oliver always walked away.
The massive army set up camp in a low valley to hide the light of their fires. They would arrive at Argos City before noon the next day. Everyone was in Kal-El's tent to discuss the battle plan for tomorrow.
"Every city serves as an outpost and fortress for the Genesis Army housing dozens of troops. If a city is attacked and overrun, the next town houses arms for the remaining soldiers so they may ambush the advancing army before they reach the next city. I have sent my finest knights of the Red Shard to destroy these armories before we attack each city." Kal-El said over a map of Genesis.
"Even I have to admit this is a well laid plan." Oliver said. Peter and J'onn nodded in the background.
"A good plan but I do notice several flaws. I would have planned it better." Bruce said and everyone looked at him. "What? I can if I wanted to but this is not my war."
"I have no doubt of your skillful tactics, Bruce, but a compliment would have sufficed." Clark said.
At that moment, Lieutenant Cam-Zel entered the tent. "King Orin of Atlantis has arrived, Your Majesty." He said.
Arthur entered the tent wearing a green cloak over an orange gambeson. He lowered the hood of his cloak and smiled. "You are late, Orin." Kal-El said.
"I had to find a good place to dock without being seen so forgive my absence. And when we are alone, you may call me Arthur." Arthur said. Everyone proceeded to give him a pat on the shoulder.
"Lieutenant Cam-Zel, bring Commander Lane to me." Kal-El ordered and Oliver's smile disappeared immediately. Cam-Zel nodded and then left the tent.
Cam-Zel returned a few minutes later with a chained Lois. Oliver clenched his jaw shut while everyone else turned to look at who entered the tent. "Commander Lane as ordered, Your Majesty." He said. Kal-El nodded and motioned to him to leave the tent. Cam-Zel bowed and left the tent.
Lois took a stepped forward. Kal-El removed a key from a pouch on the table and walked up to Lois to remove her shackles. Kal-El put the shackles down onto the table. She rubbed her wrists when he removed them. "It is about time you sent for me." She said.
"Must you complain?" Kal-El joked and Lois shook her head. Bruce and Arthur were the only one who seemed to be confused of what was going on between them. "My friends, Countess Lois Lane, the commander under General Samuel Lane." Kal-El said and Lois gave them a nod as she continued to rub her wrists.
"Do I have to wear the shackles all the way to Metropolis?" Lois asked rubbing her left wrist one last time. She then flexed and extended all her fingers.
"We must keep up appearances to protect you. It is only for a little while longer." Kal-El said and rubbed her back. Oliver slammed her hand down onto the table. Kal-El sighed. "Is there something you wish to say, Oliver?"
"Well, you know me. I always have something to say and today I want to say that you are acting like a blind fool. Do you not see that she is using you?" Oliver snapped.
"Oliver!" Carter exclaimed. Arthur and Bruce were even taken aback. Lois tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms. "What has gotten into you?" Carter asked.
"I saw the two of them together back in Smallville. And Kal here is blinded to see that she is using your affections for her to her own advantage and you are playing right into her manipulative hands." Oliver said harshly. Before Lois could protest, Clark lunged at Oliver but Carter and Arthur grabbed him by the arms and held him back. Peter and J'onn held back Oliver.
"Enough!" Lois shouted above Clark and Oliver's bickering. She stepped in between them and held her hand up to Clark. "Think what you want of me. I may be no angel but my feelings for Clark are real. You do not have to approve of me but you will show me some respect from one soldier to another." She said fiercely.
Oliver and Lois glared at each other. "Now what exactly is going on here?" Arthur asked confused. Oliver shook off Peter and J'onn and composed himself.
"I believe Clark is having an relationship with Commander Lane and Oliver saw them together. He is upset over this because he believes the Countess is using Clark like Baroness Lutessa Mercer used him." Bruce said and Oliver glared at him. "However, due to the fact she is in this tent with us gives me the belief that she is the spy Clark were speaking of." Bruce said.
"I am calm now so release me." Clark demanded. Carter nodded to Arthur, who let go of his strong grip on him. "How do you do that, Bruce, making conclusions from bits of information?" Clark asked straightening his gambeson. Bruce just lifted an eyebrow and walked back to the table to quickly scan the map.
"What? You…" Oliver turned to look at Lois. "You betrayed your own king? Your own country?" Oliver asked Lois.
"Luthor was no longer my king when I found out he had my family murdered for my father's army. And his son is more of a monster than his father ever was but he is a clever monster. His lust for power had become insatiable and I have witnessed its consequences first hand. Lionel had more mercy than Alexander. I think we all agree he must be stopped." Lois replied. Everyone agreed in unison and Oliver reluctantly agreed with her.
"Thanks to Lois we have a foolproof plan to attack and conquer each city in a matter of days. And fortunately for us, Lex left the kingdom unprotected when he sailed with a majority of his army to Themyscira. Now let us be done with this nonsense so we can finish what we came together to do." Carter said looking at Clark and then at Oliver.
"Go on." Oliver said. He and Kal-El still flashed glares at each other but their feud would have to be buried for now.
"As I was saying, I have sent my finest knights to dispose of the armories before we attack each city leaving the Genesis soldiers without weapons to defend themselves. I am hoping that fact will make them surrender or give us a great advantage over them but to be safe, Ak-Var is ordered to dispose of any messenger sent to warn the other cities, especially Metropolis." Kal-El said.
Lois stepped in. "These are all the roads messengers will take when there is an invasion." She marked them on the map. "Now at Argos City, we can catch the soldiers by surprise if the attack begins at sea before dawn. Most of the soldiers will be asleep or too drunk to fight. Those who are not will assemble at this side of wall to fight the Atlantians. We can attack the city from all sides but it will waste too much time." Lois said.
"What do you recommend?" Bruce asked.
"The people of Gotham are climbers, are they not?" She asked and Bruce nodded. "We will make the soldiers split into two groups. One to fight off the Atlantian assault and another to protect the main gate leaving the back walls unprotected. You and your men will climb them and surprise the soldiers while they are too busy looking at us once dawn approaches. There is also an escape tunnel that few know about. Nobles and messengers will try to escape this way. A properly aimed boulder from a catapult will seal it."
"Once my men are over the wall, we can attack the soldiers defending the gate. Once we have defeated them, we can open the gate to allow our troops to enter the city and overwhelm the rest of the soldiers." Bruce said.
"If we are fortunate, the rest of the soldiers will see that they are outnumbered and surrender." Kal-El said.
"With this plan, Argos City will be ours within a matter of hours instead of days. I am impressed, Commander Lane." Carter said.
"Thank you. You may address me as Countess or Lois for after tomorrow I am no longer a commander in the Genesis Army." Lois said.
"Why not?" Oliver asked.
"For years I have been fighting on the wrong side. I believe it is time I started fighting on the right one." Lois said.
"No, Lois. You are…" Kal-El started to say but she cut him off.
"If you assume that I will sit here in the camp and do nothing but wait for you… You are mistaken. If it will help console you, I will wear a helm so no one may see my face." Lois said.
Kal-El sighed and rubbed his eyes. "She reminds me of my wife." Oliver commented.
"And mine." Carter, Bruce, and Arthur said in unison unintentionally. Kal-El sighed and crossed his arms.
"Fine. You will pose as a knight of the Red Shard but you will not leave my side." Kal-El said and Lois nodded. "Be careful of who you speak to because there are few women in the Red Shard for they may realize that you are not one of them." He warned and she nodded again.
"When will the Amazons arrive?" Oliver asked.
"In my ships, they may arrive just in time for our attack on Grand City." Arthur said. "Do we need to worry about other towns besides the ones that house the armories?" He asked.
"No, every city form a straight line to Metropolis with all the towns located in the lower valleys. The towns are mostly filled with common folk. If they do hear a battle, they will most likely stay in their homes to stay out of the way." Lois said and they nodded.
"And what of Metropolis? I have no doubt your father will not surrender unless he is the last man standing." Carter said.
"My father is more stubborn than I am. He would rather die fighting. However…" Lois stroked her upper lip as she thought of what to do.
"What are you thinking?" Kal-El asked.
"My father will be a problem but we can solve that later… After Grand City, Metropolis is the last stronghold this realm has but Hub City and Central City will follow us." Lois said.
"How do you know this?" Arthur asked.
"Because both cities are run by the Resistance right under Alexander's nose. Luthor assumes they are just merchant cities so they make great outposts for the Resistance. I know that they have already raided the last of the armories and taken all the weapons to prepare for the attack on Metropolis. They will offer your men shelter while they wait for our arrival. Them they will march with us." Lois said.
"Then I send word to Ak-Var to leave these two armories be since they are empty… Now we must rest if we are to attack before dawn." Lois reluctantly held out her wrists and Kal-El put the shackles back on. "Lieutenant Cam-Zel…" Kal-El called and he entered. "Inform the troops they we attack before dawn and you may take Commander Lane back to her tent." Cam-Zel bowed and left the tent with Lois.
The stars were beginning to fade in the sky meaning it would be dawn soon. The darkness masked the army as they quietly marched onto Agros City. Arthur and his fleet were ready and were waiting for the signal to attack.
The groups were on horseback on a hill overlooking the city. "You should wear proper armor, Oliver." Kal-El said.
Oliver wore only his green archer's tunic from his army. "I will wear armor when we actually participate in a battle… and when my wife arrives, of course." Oliver said and they chuckled. "Besides, I prefer a bow to a sword. The armor throws off my aim." He said.
"Then wear only chest armor as Carter and Bruce prefer to." Kal-El said.
"I will take it under advisement." Oliver said.
General Fine rode up the hill. He wore the black suit of armor of a general with his family crest on the gray tabard over his chest armor. "We are ready to begin our attack, Your Majesties." He said and Kal-El nodded.
Oliver placed a bow on the quiver and aimed. He fired and the arrow disappeared into the night sky. A few seconds later, the arrow landed in the stern of the ship a few feet from Arthur. "Show off…" He commented. "Begin the attack." Arthur ordered.
From the hill, they could hear the sound of cannon fire and a bell being rung in the city. Kal-El nodded and a catapult was launched to seal the escape tunnel out of the city. They heard the boulder hit its target and men yelling.
Kal-El then nodded at Bruce, who nodded as well, and took off with his men on horseback. Kal-El nodded at Oliver, who signaled his archers to fire flame arrows. The arrows flew throughout the sky like shooting stars and they hit their targets. They could see the glow of flames from inside the city walls and the sounds of women screaming.
The army was far back enough to be out of range of the Genesis archers' armor piercing arrows but not their regular ones. "Volley!" A captain warned and the soldiers held up their shields to protect themselves from the incoming arrows. The arrows collided with the shields, shattering on impact.
Oliver signaled to send another volley. "General, order the catapults to fire at the soldiers protecting the main gate. That will cause a big enough distraction for Bruce and his men to climb the wall undetected." Kal-El ordered and Fine barked the orders. The catapults began firing at the sea wall. The boulders destroyed the parts of the wall it hit and soldiers fell when they lost their footing.
Bruce and his men scaled the wall quietly without armor, they wore their dark gambesons. Bruce reached the top first and motioned for everyone to climb over the wall when he saw that it was clear.
Bruce patted his protégé, Sir Richard Grayson, on the shoulder and Richard nodded at his mentor. They split up into two groups. It was Richard's job to open the gate with his men while Bruce and his men took care of the soldiers. Bruce saw the archers shooting blindly in the dark and only a few soldiers had on their armor. A commander kept splashing water in some soldiers' faces to sober them up.
Once their backs were turned to them, Bruce removed two throwing daggers from his belt and aimed. There were two knights in his view, a commander and a captain. He threw the daggers and they hit their targets in their necks. The commander and captain gasped for air but they fell over the battlements and were dead before they hit the ground. Bruce drew his falchion.
The soldiers saw their commanding officers fall and turned around too late. Bruce and his men attacked them and killed them quickly. Soldiers on the ground saw the Gotham soldiers but before they could do anything, they were attacked from behind by Richard's men. They slit their throats so they could not scream.
The soldiers defending the sea wall did not notice a thing and the cannon fire muffled all the noise around them. Richard and some men began turning the wheel to open the gates. Bruce waved two torches in the air signaling the army.
They noticed the signal on top of the hill and they rode down to lead their troops into the city. Arthur noticed the signal as well and signaled his soldiers to prepare to enter the city so the cannon fire stopped for fear of hitting the Gotham soldiers. Outside the city walls, the army slowly marched toward the city.
The dawn was approaching and a dim light lit the skies. That is when the soldiers noticed the advancing army and then they noticed that they were surrounded by Gotham soldiers. They had no choice but to drop their weapons for they were too few and held their hands up in defeat. Bruce motioned for them to march down from the battlements and they did.
Richard ordered his men to open the gates of the sea wall to let the Atlantian flag ship, the Queen Mera, in. The Genesis soldiers stumbled passed them for half of them were not completely sober and they were forced to sit down in a circle surrounding by armed guards. There was another group of people sitting in a circle half dressed. Bruce assumed they were the nobles and he saw the Mayor of Argos City holding his wife and children.
Their Majesties were the first to enter the city on horseback and Lois kept her visor down. One regiment of each of their armies entered the city while the rest remained outside forming a perimeter around the city.
They rode up to Bruce and dismounted. They all removed their helms, except Lois, and held them under their arms. "I present to you Sir Perry White, the Mayor of Argos City." Bruce said and stepped to the side.
"Sir Perry, we will only harm those who attack us so you have nothing to fear from us." Kal-El said but the man was still stiff.
"It is not you I fear but the wrath of King Alexander." He said as Peter rode up to them.
"Alexander will not be king for long." Peter said and removed his helm. Sir Perry noticed the gold lion on Peter's blue tabard over his chest armor.
"The House of Ross." Perry whispered. "That is impossible. All of the House of Ross were wiped out at the start of the war." He said as Peter dismounted.
"No, not all." He walked up to the Mayor and removed his right glove. "I am Peter Joseph Ross, youngest son of King William and Queen Abigail Ross, and the last living heir to the throne of Argos." Peter said and held up his right hand revealing King William's ring. Peter had worn the ring around his neck since his mother died and now it felt like a part of him with it resting on his finger.
Everyone began to murmur among themselves and then Perry White kneeled before him. The people and soldiers immediately followed suit. "But you and your family were murdered by the Kryptonians." Perry said still kneeling.
"That is a lie. The Kryptonians have been sheltering my mother and I for years. I grew up safe in the home of the Duke and Duchess of Kent when my mother joined my father in the next life." Peter said and the crowd began to murmur again. "I have also married the woman I love, the Lady Lana Lang." The people murmured again even louder.
"I do not wish for you to partake in this war. I only wish to tell you that you have been lied to and that this war began on false pretenses. My friend, King Kal-El of Krypton, tried to form a peace treaty with King Lionel, who was going to give me back my father's throne but his death was unexpected." Peter said holding out his hand and helping Perry to his feet.
"Does Alexander know you are alive?" Perry asked.
"He had known for some time now, yet he has made no attempt to forge a peace treaty. We both know his lust for power grows daily and the power he seeks now has made every realm turn against him." Peter said.
"Let us speak privately in my home." Perry said and Peter nodded. Perry put his arm around Peter's shoulders and led him to the largest house in the city. The group followed as their commanders handled the troops.
Perry led them into a parlor and closed the door behind them. Everyone placed their helms down on a large oak table in the center of the parlor.
"Sir Perry, I believe introductions are to be made… His Majesty, King Kal-El I of Krypton." Kal-El nodded. "His Majesty, King Oliver of Star City." Oliver nodded. "His Majesty, King Bruce of Gotham." Bruce nodded. "His Majesty, King Orin of Atlantis." Arthur nodded. "And our great mentor, King Carter of Thanagar." Carter nodded. Perry greeted every one of them.
"Sir Perry…" Lois said and removed her helm.
"Lois! What are you doing here?" Perry asked and they embraced.
"I have been a soldier of the Resistance for over a year now. I am serving as their ambassador until we meet with our leader to take Metropolis." Lois said and they all took a seat.
"You were the last person I thought would become a soldier of the Resistance… especially after what happened to Sir Gabriel and his family." Perry said looking at Kal-El when he finished his sentence.
"Lionel had my family murdered for the support my father and his army. Like Prince Peter said, this whole war was built on false pretenses." Lois said.
"Today is full of surprises. First, the city is under attack and now people believed long dead are rising from the grave. I am going to need some wine." Perry said and went to pour himself a goblet of wine.
"Lois, I believe it is time I told you something." Kal-El said and she turned to look at him. "I asked Lionel about your family's assassination… He did not know what I was talking about and he was telling the truth. He assumed they were assassinated by Kryptonians as well." Kal-El said.
"What?" Lois asked shocked. "Then who…" She paused.
"There is only one Luthor left who would kill to gain an army and their best general's unquestioning loyalty." Kal-El said.
"Alexander…" She clutched the arm rest tightly and covered her hand over her mouth as if to prevent herself from screaming. Kal-El took her hand and Perry noticed how comfortable she was with him. She had not been this comfortable with a man except with Wesley a long time ago.
"The Luthor family has become a curse over these lands and Alexander's ruthlessness surpasses that of his father. Lately there has been talk of a large scale invasion but no one knows of what realm. Alexander sailed past here some days ago with a large fleet." Perry said.
"They were making their way to Themyscira." Lois said and Perry coughed on his sip of wine.
Perry wiped his mouth. "Alexander is mad indeed then. No one invades Themyscira. Thanagar tried and their army was massacred in a matter of hours. No offense to His Majesty." Perry said to Carter.
"That was my great-grandfather, not I. He was a fool to think he could invade Themyscira in the first place. I prefer to have the Amazons as allies and not enemies." Carter said.
"Becoming King of Themyscira is not Alexander's true goal for invading. He is after a great Kryptonian power that has not been harnessed for over two hundred years." Peter said.
"What power? I have not heard of any great Kryptonian power." Perry said.
"The world has since forgotten about it except us Kryptonians. The Royal Family were tasked to become the guardians of this great power and never to use it unless Krypton was in real peril. Lois, can you help me." Kal-El said.
Kal-El stood and Lois helped him loosen the straps of his chest armor. He grinned at her and she grinned back. Perry noticed this again. Kal-El removed the chain around his neck and set it down on the table in front of them. Perry recognized Countess Ella Lane's wedding ring on the chain but he remained silent.
"This is what Lex's wants, Sir Perry… the stones of power. Together these stones form a crystal that grants the bearer the powers of the gods… That is why my great-grandfather, King Seyg-El I broke the crystal back into the three stones that made it. The power was too great for one man alone. Alexander has taken my cousin's stone and he has gone for the second stone on Themyscira. My father left it there for safe keeping years before his death." Kal-El said.
"If this power is as great as you say, all your realms would be at risk because Alexander would not stop at Krypton." Perry said.
"We know that and that is why we have come together to invade Genesis before he can invade us." Bruce said. "Will you help us?"
"Great Caesar's ghost!" Perry said under his breath and Lois grimaced. "Yes, I will help but first we have to make sure General Wilson does not come to investigate the smoke." Perry said.
They all got up and Lois put back on her helm. They all went outside to see the soldiers from both sides helping the people of Argos City clean up the wreckage and collect the dead. Perry was looking around for someone and then he spotted them.
"Alice!" His wife and sons ran to him. "Jerry, Keith… I need you and your brother to ride to Grand City and tell them a fire broke out in the stables but that we have it under control now. We do not want Wilson sending troops here because we are offering shelter to Prince Peter and his army."
Everyone looked at Peter when Perry said that it was his army and Peter shrugged his shoulders. Carter went on to slap Peter on the back of the head once they were back in the manor. "Ow!" Peter exclaimed and everyone laughed.
A falchion is a broad, short sword having a convex edge curving sharply to the point. (pic in profile)