When Chloe and Davis walked into Watchtower again a few hours later, they didn't miss the looks their arriving together generated. Even though they weren't holding hands or displaying any sort of affection, it was clear that everyone else could tell something had changed between the two of them. Courtney's face fell slightly while Victor's took on the blank mask he assumed when trying to hide his feelings. But it was Clark's reaction that Chloe honed in upon. At first his face went dark and stormy, then cleared slightly as if a thought occurred to him before settling into a watchful expression.

That was interesting...and strange.

Chloe glanced up to see how Davis was reacting, but he was looking back at Clark with a steady expression. He was offering neither challenge nor submission in that look. Chloe felt a smile quirk her lips with admiration. Davis was neither challenged nor overwhelmed by Clark as the other men in her life had been. Here, finally, was a meeting of equals. Though any sort of romantic feeling she once held for Clark was years gone, she was glad to finally be with someone that could stand even with her larger-than-life friend. Her sudden grin up at him caused Davis to glance at her questioningly, but she couldn't find the right words. So she took his hand in a quick squeeze instead. Then she walked into the middle of the room and used her best no nonsense voice to pull everyone's attention to the task at hand.

"Alright everyone, we've had a bit of a reprieve the last few days between Davis striking at Doomsday and the sabotage we did to Lex's operations at the plant, but that breather is coming to an end." She picked up a tablet and set several of the monitors to display the alert feed she had set up during the aftermath of the first quakes. "As you can see by these spikes, the seismic activity is starting again and is still emanating from the Geothermal Plant. So far we aren't feeling much here in Metropolis, but it is clear the activity is rising steadily. From this we can estimate that within the next twenty-four hours, we can expect another major quake." She took in a slow breath and released it before continuing. "And judging by the intel we got during our investigation of the old geothermal plant site, I think we need to assume that Doomsday will break out with the next event." She paused and gave everyone in the room a hard look. "So we need a solid plan on how to deal with that threat. This is what we have to work with." She gave the tablet a few quick taps to bring up a file she had previously created. "We know that no power on earth can defeat Doomsday, which is why Clark originally put the monster under the earth." She gave an appreciative nod to Clark then continued. "Theoretically, we could try that again, if a suitable location could be found, except there are some major difficulties. One, there are a very limited number of facilities that go deep enough to hold the monster. Two, of those facilities, none are secure in the long run. We would have no guarantee that Lexcorp wouldn't just swoop in and set up shop again like they did here." Chloe saw the nods of acceptance she had expected here.

Courtney raised a hand which caused Chloe to smile. "Yes, Courtney?"

"So if we can't contain the monster on or under the earth...can we contain it in space?" She turned and looked at Clark. "I know the J'onn can fly in space for a time and so can you. Could you just set the creature adrift out in space? Or throw it into the sun or something?"

Clark shook his head in reply. "Unfortunately, sending the monster out into space is probably even less secure than burying it here. The universe is much more crowded than I think any of us ever imagined. There is nothing to say that some other evil wouldn't take possession of Doomsday and send it right back here. Or that the creature wouldn't eventually make its way to some other innocent planet and unleash havoc. We can't run those risks. Since it seems unlikely we will be able to destroy Doomsday, we need a way to secure it permanently where it can neither be used or cause any more destruction to innocent lives."

Chloe nodded. "Clark's right. Which brings us to this -" With another tap on her tablet an image of the Phantom Zone crystal appeared on the monitors. "With this crystal, we have a secure prison where we can send Doomsday where no innocents would be harmed, but there are challenges here too. The crystal can only be used at Clark's arctic fortress, and it has a range of only a few feet." Chloe shot Davis an apologetic glance before continuing. "This is also a tactic that has been tried before and failed."

Davis cut in. "What Chloe is trying not to say is that the tactic was tried on me, when Doomsday and I were still connected. But the important note here is that while the portal stood open, neither Clark nor I were able to force the other into the portal. We were too well matched."

Chloe nodded, acknowledging the point. "True. Doomsday was intended to match against Kryptonians. So we have to find a way to push the balance in our favor if we don't just want a repeat." She paused and looked at Davis, asking and receiving some sort of permission before continuing. "Davis has informed me about how his powers react concerning Doomsday. As he draws on his Kryptonian powers, there is a marked draw on the monster."

"Basically, we both draw from the same well of force, and when I use my abilities, it limits what Doomsday can access," Davis clarified.

"Wow! Really?" Courtney interjected. "Shouldn't that give us a major advantage? I mean as you get stronger, Doomsday gets weaker - that's HUGE."

Davis nodded with reserve. "Yes, except even with me drawing in all the power I can, what Doomsday can still access is way beyond anything you could imagine. Certainly it would still be enough for the monster to be a significant threat - yes, even to Clark."

"Oh," Courtney replied looking crestfallen.

"There is something else to consider," Davis said. "I can sense the monster at all times - its location and, for lack of a better word, its moods. More so when I channel the power. I don't think it can normally sense me unless I use my powers, but when I do, I locks onto me with a single-minded madness." Davis paused then added, "But we may be able to use that to our advantage."

"As bait," Victor said, flatly.

Davis caught Cyborg's eyes and nodded.

"That makes sense. Otherwise, how would we get it to the fortress to send it away in the first place?" Courtney said.

"I just carried him away with me last time," Clark put in, sounding slightly miffed.

Davis half-smiled. "That was only because you caught me by surprise..and I was me. Not Doomsday."

"So you are saying you are weaker than Doomsday?" Clark said with a challenge in his eyes.

Davis' own eyes glittered with response to the challenge. "No, but I was fighting against both you and Doomsday." The glitter left Davis' eyes and was replaced by regret. "And I was losing. You came just in time."

Chloe smiled at Clark warmly. "He always does."

Clark smiled warmly back, "Though I'd say you had pretty good timing that day too."

"Agreed," Davis put in.

Victor rolled his eyes. "Yes, we are all timely and wonderful. Can we get back to the problem at hand?"

"Of course," Chloe said, turning back to her tablet. "So Davis has already covered how his power draws upon and focuses the monster on him, but that it doesn't weaken Doomsday enough for us to take it down."

"What about Davis and Clark working together? Could they wrestle it to the arctic and through the tunnel?" Courtney asked.

Davis turned a questioning look to Clark, but the big man was already shaking his head. "Too risky. If it fought us, we could destroy half the city trying to take it out."

"Also Davis is our only Ace against the monster," Victor put in. "If you two both prove to be insufficient to the task, it will kill Davis and we will lose our only advantage."

"And I'd be dead. Again. For good this time," Davis said offhandedly.

"Wait, what?" Chloe turned to look at Davis, fear and shock in her expression. "Why wouldn't you come back?"

Davis looked sheepish. "I guess I didn't mention that part, did I? Ummm...Doomsday can injure me and those injuries don't heal like I normally do. I mean, I do heal eventually, but like a human, not like a Kryptonian. It stands to reason the monster could kill me permanently too."

"That is kind of an important detail," Chloe chided.

Davis shrugged unconvincingly. "I'd rather not die of course, but there is risk for all of us."

Chloe glowered in response, but she couldn't refute that logic.

"So that leads us back to how do we weaken the monster?" Clark said.

Collecting herself, Chloe said, "Yes, right. So far we know, Davis himself and things that affect Davis' power carry through to Doomsday."

"The Blue-K," Clark said.

"Yes," Chloe agreed flatly. What the Blue-K had done to Davis last time had been terrible. Could she really do that to him again?

"What about your immunity, though?" Victor asked, looking to Davis. "I know you and Doomsday both are impervious to Green-K. What if you are now immune to Blue?"

"Last time I was killed by the Green-K before I became immune. That is always how it worked before," Davis replied.

"Have you died since you were split from Doomsday?" Victor asked.

"Yes...though it was from an explosion...and also maybe suffocation, but I must admit I had already died from those causes before the split."

"So maybe we should have another plan in case the Blue-K doesn't work?" Courtney asked nervously.

"Like what?" Clark responded.

Davis turned to look sharply at Clark. "Clark, what does the Gold-K do?"

Clark looked suddenly nervous. "It's dangerous stuff Davis, and I'm not sure I want it to be common knowledge."

Davis pointedly looked around the room. "Is there anyone here that doesn't or shouldn't know?"

Victor let out a heavy breath. "Clark, except for Davis everyone here knows because of what happened at your aborted wedding. And I have to admit I think Davis has a right to know too. Tell him."

Clark looked at the faces of Courtney and Chloe to see what they thought. Courtney looked anxious then nodded, while Chloe looked very firm.

Sighing, Clark turned back to Davis. "Gold-K takes away our powers. Permanently. There is not coming back from it."

Davis blinked in surprise. "So it makes us human...forever?"

Clark nodded grimly.

Wow. Now Davis understood the closed-lip nature of everyone about it. If that fact was common knowledge, someone would surely use it against Superman.

But for himself...would being human be so bad? Davis pushed that tantalizing thought away.

"I can appreciate why you kept that secret," Davis said quietly.

"Yeah, and you also see why it is too dangerous to use," Chloe put in.

"Wait a minute..." Courtney said, her expression thoughtful. "You and Davis both react to Kryptonite because you are Kryptonian, right, Clark?"

"Right, " Clark agreed, looking confused.

"And so is Doomsday, right?"

"Yeah..."

"So if you are afraid Davis may have formed an immunity to Blue-K, why not just hit Doomsday with it directly? Maybe make a bullet or something you could do at a distance? You could even use the Gold-K if you wanted."

Chloe caught on to Courtney's plan and turned to Clark excitedly. "Then while the creature is weak, you and Davis can force it through the portal! And no one would know about the nature of the other Kryptonites because everything would be contained within your fortress, Clark!"

Clark looked thoughtful. "Sounds like a good plan, though to be safe someone else will need to handle the weapon. We can't risk Davis or I being exposed to the Kryptonite."

"I'll do it," Chloe said immediately. "Thanks to the Suicide Squad I am more than competent with a gun and can make my own bullets. I'm also familiar with both the Phantom Zone crystal use and The Fortress."

"Are you sure, Chloe? Aside from Davis and I, Doomsday seems particularly drawn to you," Clark said.

"I'm sure. In fact, that is another reason it should be me. With the three of us in one place, it will be an irresistible lure to get The Beast up there away from Metropolis."

Clark frowned, but didn't disagree.

"If you, Davis, and Clark are all going to this fortress of Clark's what will Victor and I do?" Courtney asked.

"You need to keep the city from tearing itself apart in the wake of the quake and the reappearance of the monster that wrecked havoc last time it came through. We don't need another Dark Thursday on our hands. If any other team members are available to help, call them in."

"Even Oliver and Dinah?" Victor asked with a single arched eyebrow.

Chloe gave a less-than-pleasant smile. "Especially them. They owe me."

Clark clapped his hands together and cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Alright, so we have a plan, let's get started."

"Yeah," Davis agreed. "We're only luring a near-invincible alien killing machine to an arctic fortress based on its desire to kill us, then shoot it with meteor rocks before pushing it through an inter-dimensional portal to a prison world. There is absolutely no way this could go horribly wrong."

Author's Note: I'm hosting another Smallville Sunken ships event starting Feb 1 over at the livejournal community. The link is on my About Me page. It features all non-canon 'ships. So if you vid, make art, write, or just want to see some new works, go check it out!