Chapter 27
There was a paralyzing silence inside the command tent after Bruce told them everything that had transpired. Lois had especially turned pale. Milton was holding a terrified Kara in his arms. Kal-El was not in the tent with them.
Carter was the first one to break the silence. "Then we must move up our plans. It is the only way to save Clark." He said and everyone nodded in agreement, except Lois who was still pale. Shiera put a comforting hand on Lois's shoulder and Lois then nodded in agreement.
"Milton, order the men to prepare to march. We depart in an hour." Kara said. Fine nodded and left the tent. They could hear him giving the orders.
"Can nothing be done?" Lois said softly.
"No. It is a rare poison only lethal to Kryptonians so no antidote exists." Bruce answered.
"He is right. Not even Dru-Zod used it for he feared he might poison himself or his family. The only thing that can save Kal-El now is the crystal. Once the stones are joined and he absorbs its power… then he will become invincible." Kara said.
"And once he becomes invincible?" Carter asked.
"Hopefully, the poison should lose its potency and leave his body." Bruce said. Lois then got up to leave. "Do not leave just yet, Countess." Bruce said and Lois stopped next to him. "You must send a message to the leader of the Resistance, tell her to have her men ready to march onto Metropolis as soon as we arrive at Central City."
"Her?" Everyone exclaimed. Lois was the only one not surprised.
"How did you… How long have you known?" Lois asked. Bruce walked up to her and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"As long as I have known she is your cousin." Bruce said whispered. "Will you send the message?" He asked and she nodded. "Good. Wilson and his men left in the night so they could not have gotten far and they left most of their supplies behind. That will give us an advantage over them."
"I can also send word to the Resistance fighters in Hub City to assemble and prepare for departure." Lois said.
Bruce nodded. "And Arthur, have some quarters prepare for Clark on your ship. He will not be able to ride soon." Arthur nodded. At the mention of this, Lois left the tent.
Kara watched her leave somberly. "What shall we tell the men? They will notice Kal-El's disappearance. The Kryptonians will be especially motivated to march onto Metropolis to save their king." Kara said.
Carter sighed. "The decision is up to you but the men need to think clearly. We do not want them distracted with thoughts of vengeance." Carter said.
"Your men may become distracted but not Kryptonians. We are at our best when we have something worth fighting for and the men will fight to save their king." Kara said.
"Fine. If we march each day until the sun sets, we can reach Metropolis in five days instead of seven but that is still too long a journey." Bruce said.
"My fleet can be there in four days if we do not drop anchor." Arthur said.
"You fleet can carry all of us and we do not want to exhaust the men." Shiera said.
"I know my cousin. Kal-El would want the men at their best when the battle begins. And I am confident that he is strong enough to fight this poison for more than five days." Kara said.
"Luthor will assume that the army will lay seize to Hub City and Central City before marching onto Metropolis. We will have the element of surprise on our side, which is always the perfect moment to attack." Carter said and Shiera nodded.
"I will speak to my cousin of this new plan. I am sure he will agree with you, Carter." Kara said.
Lois walked up to Kal-El's private tent and the guards let her in. Kal-El was sitting down shirtless on his cot. A small amount of blood had leaked through the bandage and he was trying to change it. A few veins in his arm were visible on his skin because they were turning green from the poison.
"Clark…" She exclaimed softly and he looked up at her. She saw him gulp and flash a nervous smile. She knelt down beside him and began changing the bandage.
"I am sorry." Clark said softly.
"For what?" Lois asked.
"It looks like I am breaking my promise of a future together." He said. She tied the bandage tight on his arm and he grunted.
"Do not speak like this. Do not lose hope because you of all people taught me to have hope even when things seemed dire." He stood up and grabbed his torn black shirt. He put it back on with his back facing her.
"I do not believe hope will save me this time, Lois." Clark said.
"Well then, your friends and the people who love you will save you." She said and stood. "No matter what it takes, we are going to save you. We need you, Clark… I need you." He turned around. His fears of death were now forgotten. He held Lois in his arms and kissed her forehead.
Kara stood before the Kryptonian troops in her full armor and red knight's cape. They kneeled before her. "My brother and sister Kryptonians, we must march to Metropolis with all haste to save our beloved king." The soldiers exchanged glances. "His Majesty, King Kal-El was wounded by Sir John Corben earlier this day. His Majesty has perhaps a week before the poison reaches his heart."
"His only salvation lies in Metropolis with Alexander Luthor. Do not let your knowledge of this weaken our resolve but motivate it. For we not only take care of our brothers and sisters… we fight for our loved ones, we fight for our king, and we fight for Krypton!" The soldiers stood and then banged their spears against their shield in rhythm.
Lois was helping him put on his red knight's rope when the rhythmic metal against metal could be heard throughout the camp. "It is time." He said.
"I know." She said softly and caressed his face. He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. Kara entered the tent and smiled at them. They broke apart and let their foreheads touch as they took in each other's scent.
Then they stood tall like soldiers and he winked at Lois. She grinned slightly but her eyes were still filled with sadness. Lois then handed him his helm and he held it underneath his arm. Lois grabbed her helm and they exited the tent.
The Kryptonian soldiers stopped banging their spears against their shields and kneeled before their king. Kal-El nodded to them. They rose when he mounted his horse. Kara, Fine, and Lois mounted their horses as well.
They arrived in Hub City before nightfall. The lieutenants left in charge of the Resistance fighters were Victor Sage and Jay Garrick. Slade Wilson had left the cooks, chambermaids, and stable hands from Grand City at Hub City, still unaware of their true alliegiance.
When they entered the city, Sage constantly questioned Lois and Perry on their loyalty despite everyone vouching for them. He eyed Lois and Perry for the rest of the night and he calmed down only when Garrick told him to.
That night, Clark and Lois were sleeping in each other's arms. Then Clark's eyes shot open and he let out a scream of pain. Lois immediately shot up. "Clark?" She exclaimed. He grabbed hold of his right forearm and screamed.
Clark then fell out of the bed and landed hard onto the floor. Lois threw back the blanket and rushed to his side. Two Red Shard knights burst into the room with their swords drawn. Clark screamed again in agony. Lois watched in horror as more of his veins turned green, moving up and down his arm.
Kara and the others then rushed into the bed chamber. "Kara, stay back." Bruce said and rushed to his friend's side. "The poison is spreading!" Bruce exclaimed. Clark was thrashing around but due to his super strength, it took all the men to hold him down but it was still difficult. Lois held his hand the entire time but she also helped hold him down.
Kara could not stand it any longer. She rushed to her cousin's side despite everyone's protests. She balled her hand into a fist and punched Clark right in the face with her full force. Clark was knocked unconscious. Kara shook her right hand. "Ow!" She said under her breath and began rubbing her hand.
"Alright, gently lift him back into the bed." Carter said. Clark was heavier than he looked so it took a few minutes to lay him back in the bed. The veins in his right arm leading up to his shoulder were now green. Clark was quite pale and sweating profusely.
"Kal-El is fortunate… Most Kryptonians are dead by morning even with such a small amount of this poison." Milton said. He put his arm around Kara because of the horrified expression upon her face. "It is alright, my love." He whispered to her and rubbed her shoulders. She still looked a bit shaken up but she nodded. Lois was now standing besides Clark holding his hand.
J'onn then entered the room with a vial. "Open his mouth." He ordered and Oliver did. J'onn opened the vial and poured the contents down his throat. He then closed Clark's mouth. "It will not slow the poison but it will help with the pain. He will need to drink it every morning." He said and put another vial down onto an end table by the window.
"I will make sure he drinks it." Lois said. She examined his hand and arm. She then began to dab his forehead with a wet cloth. "Go back to bed, all of you. He needs to rest." She said. Everyone slowly left the bedchamber. Bruce was the last to leave. Lois then went back to her side of the bed and rested her head down on his chest.
Lois could hear his heart pounded so fast and she closed her eyes trying to hold back tears but she could still feel them rolling down her cheeks. She soon drifted back to sleep.
Clark awoke the next morning. His head was killing him and his right arm was numb. He turned his head toward his left and saw Lois sleeping. He had a bad taste in his mouth, a taste he recognized as J'onn's pain remedy. He looked around the room and saw a vial on the end table.
He slowly sat up and stood. He felt weak but he shook it off and walked towards the end table. Lois stirred behind him and opened her eyes. She grinned with relief when she saw him standing. Clark opened the vial and downed its contents. He shook his head in disgust at the taste.
Clark heard Lois moan behind him and he looked over his left shoulder. Lois was wiping her eyes and she sat up. He put the empty vial back down on the end table. They said nothing.
They said nothing when she helped him put on his blue gambeson, his chest armor, and his red knight's cape. They said nothing when she watched him put on leather gloves to hide the green veins on his hand. They said nothing when he caressed her sad face and kissed her forehead tenderly. They said nothing when they left the bedchamber to march to Central City.
The group left most of their armor in the manor. They all only wore chest armor over their gamebsons with their knight's cape. Wearing full armor would slow down their horses and they need to be fast. "Let's go!" Bruce yelled and they rode out of Hub City.
Chloe walked hurriedly through underground corridors with her second-in-command Henry "Jimmy" Olsen and her bodyguard Victor Stone. She had just finished reading a letter from Lois and call for an urgent meeting of the Resistance leaders.
They entered an underground chamber where her lieutenants were waiting: Bart Allen, Kent Nelson, and Ted Grant. Victor, Jimmy, and Chloe took their seat around the round table. There were four empty seats around the table. Wesley Dodds and Sylvester Pembleton were killed in an ambush a few months ago. The last two empty seats were for Victor and Jay.
"I have called this meeting because there has been a change in the schedule. The invasion force will be here three days earlier than planned. A… situation has arisen." Chloe said.
"What kind of situation?" Kent asked. His bronze helm lay before him on the table. He wore only a black pants and a blue gambeson. Bart wore a red gambeson and Ted wore a black gambeson.
"The King of Krypton has been poisoned by John Corben… and his only salvation rests in Metropolis. The army is marching as fast as it can without exhausting the troops. It is a good thing we have been prepared for this invasion since its inception." Chloe said.
"Is he going to be alright?" Bart asked. He grew up near Smallville so he knew the Kents well.
"They are not certain but we need to be prepared for the worse. But now, we need to be prepared for the battle. As I have said, the league of armies will be here in three days time and we will march with them the day after... Now with this unforeseen problem, I will plead with my uncle to help our cause." Chloe said.
"Do you really believe you can turn him? He is a soldier like I once was. They do not just betray king and country when first asked." Ted Grant said.
"I am counting on that." Chloe said.
Clark's right arm twitched on occasion meaning that the poison was spreading. When they stopped for the night and Clark removed his armor and clothing, the veins in the right half of his upper body were green.
He traced his fingers of his right hand, along the green lines. He could see more veins turning green. Thanks to J'onn's pain remedy, all he felt was a slight discomfort but he knew that he would be screaming in agonizing pain right now. Lois grabbed his left hand. "Come to bed." She said softly.
"The remedy is helping the poison spread faster. I must stop taking it." Clark said.
"But… but the pain." Lois said.
"I know but it will slow down the poison giving me more time but just in case…" Clark was saying but Lois cut him off.
"I know what you are about to say." She said. Lois cupped his face in her hands and looked into his eyes. "And I am telling you to stop thinking of it and not to say a word about it to me. Understood?" She ordered sternly and he grinned. Clark nodded and Lois gave him a stern look.
Clark placed his hands over hers and brought them both to his lips. "I love you." He said softly.
She grinned. "And I love you." She ran her left hand through his hair.
"Lois, I do not know what will happen tomorrow or the day after but I do know that I love you with all my heart and soul." Clark started but she cut him off.
"You do not need to tell me this. And this conversation better not be where I think it is headed." Lois said and gave him another stern look.
"Please let me finish. For years I was blinded by ambitions, expectations, traditions… and then I met you this stubborn, iron willed, and remarkable woman and everything became so clear. I do not want a perfect wife, a perfect queen… I just want my soul mate and you Lois, you are my soul mate. You see past all my doubts, inhibitions, and my Kryptonian self and see Clark, my true self." Clark said and took both her hands.
"I stand before you not as a king but a man in love with an unconventional and amazing woman, who I want to be by my side for what time I have left." Clark then got down on one knee still holding her hands, which were now shaking. "Lois Lane, will you marry me?"
Lois was speechless and her jaw was slightly dropped. "Alright, this conversation is not going where I thought it was headed." Lois said and sighed. Then her lips formed an amazing smile and her hands stopped shaking. Clark looked so nervous waiting for her answer but her smile reassured him. "Yes." She said. "Of course, I will marry you!"
Clark smile and stood. They wrapped their arms around one another for a passionate kiss they had never experienced before.
Hope you guys enjoyed the new chapters. Chapter 28 will be posted in 2012. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! And Happy New Year!