Another long chapter, featuring important things being set up for the next several chapters.
Chapter 18: Calm.
Harry and Kara turned up at the Shining Light Foundation after breakfast. It was the day after their training had concluded. They had made up for some lost time in the evening and early morning before they had arrived. The couple stood hand in hand. Harry appeared distracted, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Kara. She looked at him, with a frown on her face.
"There's something bothering you, isn't there?" Kara asked him gently.
Harry gave a long sigh, and looked into her beautiful eyes. He felt he could tell her what was on his mind, no matter what.
"Yeah, how can you tell?" Harry retorted.
Kara gave him a smile, and threw her arms around him. She softly whispered into his ear.
"The look on your face. Usually, you don't look like that. Unless, there's something bothering you."
Harry gave a smile. She knew him all too well, even after only knowing him for a few short months.
"You're right," Harry admitted to her. He placed his arms around her. "I was just thinking about what happened. Before I went into the journal."
Kara leaned forward to close the gap. She gave him a tender kiss on the lips. Harry returned the kiss, with equal love and passion. He felt his confident mount. Her arms tightened around him, and he responded in kind. The kiss lasted for a couple of minutes, before the two broke it. She pulled back. Kara's hand held Harry's, and the two drew strength on each other. Harry took a deep calming breath, before he spoke again.
"Claire wasn't too happy about the fact I was leaving, actually the fact that both of us were not around," Harry told her. A sad smile appeared on Kara's face. "It bothered her that neither of us are around as much as we used to be. With everything that's happened, she kind of got swept to the side."
Kara tightened her grip on his hand. She sensed Harry's guilt, and looked him in the eyes, to try and reassure him this was out of his hands.
"Yeah, I figured she might not be happy about something like that," Kara sighed. "How do you explain something like what we're doing to a ten year old girl?"
Harry gave her a smile, and they continued to stand in the hallway.
"You can't really do that, that's the thing," Harry said. He closed his eyes, and put his arms around Kara's waist. Kara leaned onto his shoulder, resting it on his shoulder, with Harry resting against the wall. Harry spoke again after several moments. "She doesn't deserve to be burdened by something like that. She deserves a childhood, without being dragged into life threatening situations every other week."
Kara looked up at Harry with a knowing glance at that moment. She smiled at him.
"So, the childhood you wished you had in many ways," Kara offered him.
Harry just barely smiled. He shrugged his shoulders. "If the shoe fits."
Kara relaxed against him, but turned her head. She brushed her blonde hair out of her face so she could properly look into his eyes.
"You see a lot of yourself in her," Kara stated softly. "She's done well here, and she's…well she's really come a long way since she came here. But, you know, I think we both know that there are certain things that Claire needs. Things that are beyond training to control her powers."
Harry nodded. He understood her implied meaning.
'She has shelter,' Harry thought to himself. 'But she doesn't have a home and not a family. And she's starting to resent it a little bit. Boy, have I ever been there.'
Kara cleared her throat, and brought Harry out of his thoughts.
"Harry, you can make up for lost time with her, both of us can," Kara suggested to him.
Harry gave her a smile. "You read my mind."
Kara returned the smile, and giggled. "And I thought that wasn't one of your powers."
"Well you never know," Harry said. He grabbed her hands, and stared into her eyes. "Great minds do think alike. And ours do too apparently."
Kara laughed at this statement. She gave Harry a beautiful smile and leaned over towards him .Her arms wrapped around his neck. Harry repeated the action. The two continued to move forward, and their lips met into a deep kiss. They kissed, feeling the love and the connection that they had with each other in the Shining Light Foundation Headquarters hallway. The action got rather heated, and Harry roamed his hands over her body. They moved into a private office, so no guests or staff would catch them in their activities.
After they had their fun, Kara and Harry exited the office, a determined expression on both of their faces. They had their fun, now they had something to do.
"Let's go visit Claire," Kara said to Harry. "I'm sure she'll forgive the fact we left her when she sees us."
Harry smiled at her, but he had a bit of uncertainty on his face. "I hope you're right."
Kara grabbed Harry's hand. The couple led each other towards Claire's room. Harry took all caution to the wind, and raised a hand. He knocked three times on Claire's door. He wondered if she was out, as there was a long pause.
Claire did answer after about a minute. "Who's there?"
"Claire, it's me, Harry, and Kara, both of us are here," Harry said, but he got no response from the girl. He felt he should have expected that "We're back, just like I promised."
Claire remained quiet for another moment. "Oh, that's nice. You're going to be here for a little bit to visit, and then you're leaving me again. It's just a check on the guests, make sure everything is alright. Well, I'm fine, so you can just move on to more important things. I really don't mind."
Kara and Harry both got a sense she did mind from the bitterness in her voice. Kara closed her eyes.
"Claire, it's nothing like that," Kara said in a gentle voice. "We really wanted to see you. I was hoping that the three of us can spend the day together. Just the three of us, no distractions or anything."
"I get to spend the entire day with just you two?" Claire asked. Harry and Kara exchanged a fond smile. The girl was trying to keep the excitement out of her voice, but she failed big time.
"If you want us too," Harry told her.
Claire remained quiet for a minute. It was almost like she was weighing over the options of this in that head.
"What about your work?" Claire asked them. "Don't you have other things to do?"
Kara and Harry looked rather amused with this statement.
"I own the place, remember?" Harry said. "What am I going to do, Claire? Fire myself."
Claire laughed at this statement, and Harry found his own spirits lifted. This was a welcome change from the sullen brooding the young girl was undergoing the last time he saw her. Claire opened up the door, and walked out to face Harry and Kara. She looked at them, almost to verify the two of them were there. She leaned on the wall, a smile on her face.
"Make sure you get your coat," Kara told her. "It's cold outside."
Claire looked at her incredulously. "But, I can just use my powers to warm myself up!"
Kara placed her hands on her hips. She gave Claire a very prominent "just do it or else" look, and Claire knew better than to argue with her. Claire gave Kara and Harry both a shifty little smirk, before she returned to her room. She returned, with a hat, a scarf, mittens, and a jacket on.
"Okay, I'm ready to go now," Claire said, and Kara made sure her coat was zipped up, before the three of them left the Shining Light Foundation Building.
The three of them walked out for a day together. Harry took the step to turn his cell phone off. He did not want their day out to be disturbed, and he figured that the world could wait for the day. Plus, he felt that he owed Claire a day out with his full attention, and he had a feeling Kara agreed.
The smile on Claire's face made Harry a bit hopeful that her life could end up better than his.
With determination, and precision, Lex rummaged through a cabinet underneath his father's desk. It was his hope that he would find something, anything that would stir up the patchwork of memories that were slowly coming back to him. There was something missing in these memories. Something he felt he should remember. He tapped on the side of the desk, and barely kept his focus at anything, but the task at hand.
If he was paying closer attention, Lex would have noticed the door knob twist to signify someone was opening the door. With a swift movement, the door pushed open. The figure of Lionel Luthor walked into his office. He seemed to be unsurprised to see Lex standing there.
Lionel cleared his throat, and Lex spun around to face him. "So, are you just sightseeing, or hoping that I've kept a copy of my last will and testament in here?"
Lex straightened up. A smile was on the face of Lionel, but Lex remained stoic. He stared down his father. Lex Luthor was calm, cool, and collected. He tapped his foot.
"So, they let you out of the hospital with a clean bill of health, I take it," Lex remarked coolly.
"Yes, although I'm not without my suffering and agony," Lionel fired back. He took a deep breath, and it was easy to tell that the gunshot wound took its tool. "Smith was a dangerous adversary, with his ability to turn back the hands of time. And he convinced himself that I was hoarding some secret that prevented him from achieving his full potential."
"Amazing people would think that of you," Lex stated in a slightly sarcastic tone of voice.
"Yes, quite," Lionel replied evenly.
Lex and Lionel stood in the office. The silence was long, and awkward.
"You'll be happy to learn that Smith has been transferred to Belle Reve," Lex said without any emotion in his voice. "He is under the tightest security. It seems unlikely he will be bothering either of us again."
Lionel let out a low whistle. He looked Lex directly in the eye.
"Well, that's fascinating," the elder Luthor said. "Given the fact that he was shot point blank in the back of the head."
"By you?" Lex inquired.
Lionel had no guilt on his face.
"It was self-defense," Lionel informed Lex. "Any court of the world would not have convicted me for my reasons."
"The hardly ever do," Lex replied dryly.
Lionel chuckled at his son's cynical words. He grew suddenly serious.
"As I was saying, he was shot point blank in the back of the head," Lionel said firmly. "And what's more, in a spot that should have killed him."
Father and son both remained quiet.
"He should have died, but I can tell you he's alive, perhaps not well, but alive," Lex remarked. "As I said, he lives in Belle Reve. He won't be getting out any time soon. I've suggested for the administration to keep a close eye on him. Keep him sedated, for his own good naturally."
"Naturally," Lionel agreed. "An intelligent suggestion, given the nature of his powers. I'm impressed, Lex, you engaged your brain."
Lex ignored the slight against him.
"Well, I doubt next time I would be so lucky to be narrowly have escaped should I be kidnapped," Lex said. He chose his next words carefully, and looked at his father. "As for why he didn't die, perhaps your aim is off. You're not as young as you used to be. Or perhaps Smith couldn't afford proper bullets."
Lionel gave Lex a respectful nod.
"The strangest thing is that I could have sworn in my concussed state that Clark was there," Lex added, almost casually.
Lionel stood up straight. His face remained blank and without any sort of expression. He responded to Lex's accusation.
"I can assure you this Lex, since I was in sound mind, and that was Clark was nowhere near the scene of the crime."
Lex surveyed his father. He sensed no deception, but that just meant there was a stronger chance for deception.
"So, a hallucination, then," Lex remarked lightly.
Lionel offered him a nod. Time stood almost still, and Lex had more to say.
"The strangest part was these weird images that have popped in my head since then. Things that I now remember, but I didn't remember them until now. It's almost as if my mind has come back together."
"I would not put any stock in these memories," Lionel warned him. "They could be a product of your imagination."
"Maybe," Lex agreed grudgingly. "But there's one interesting memory that stands out. We went to this house, when I was young. Real conformist neighborhood and every single house looked the same. Every lawn was mowed perfectly. It was rather eerie."
Lionel waved his hand, and offered his son the chance to continue.
"You went to see this woman, and she was rather rude. Yet her rudeness was not the most disturbing part of our visit. I could have sworn that I've seen this young boy underneath the stairs. It was for a second, but I know what I saw."
Lionel's mouth contorted into a slight grimace, although he hid it well from Lex. He spoke in an even tone of voice.
"I stand by what I said all those years ago," Lionel stated. "It was a hallucination. You imagined something that was not there."
"The woman shooed me away before I reached the cupboard," Lex offered Lionel. "If I didn't know better, she was trying to hide some misdeed."
"Well, she kept a tight house, and would not want your finger prints to mark up the cupboard," Lionel explained. "She was an obsessive compulsive neat freak, for lack of a better term."
Lex got the confirmation that he need.
"So, you knew her?" Lex asked Lionel.
"We've met a few times prior to that, yes," Lionel said in a dismissive tone of voice. "It was a matter of business, and nothing personal."
Lex scoffed at this.
"For you, business can get very personal."
Lionel gave him a smile. His son was tripping down a dangerous path. If he connected certain dots together, it would jeopardize a lot.
"Do not go indulging this curiosity any further," Lionel warned Lex. "This is one instance where you will get burned if you press this issue too hard. Your curiosity and your obsession might be amusing in certain instances. This individual will not hesitate to make you disappear forever if you go too far down that road. Do not go down it. It's a dead end."
Lex was not intimidated.
"I think I'll be the judge of that," Lex said. "I'm gathering a theory already about who that family might have been."
Lionel stepped forward. He stared right into his son's eyes, unblinking. He was more serious than ever before.
"Let it die Lex. I'll have to kindly ask you to leave. You'll find nothing here you're entitled to."
Lex shook his head and drew a deep breath. He stepped towards the opened door, and Lionel cleared a path. Yet the elder Luthor did not turn his back on the younger one.
"Once again, I think I should be the judge of that fact," Lex replied crisply. "I'm intrigued in what you were after on that day. And I do wonder if has anything to do with a journal we're both all too familiar with."
Lionel took a step forward, and once again he gave Lex a warning look.
"Your obsession over the journal has blinded you, worse than ever before," Lionel said. "You've poured countless hours into tapping into the secrets that journal may have to offer. Yet, you've found nothing. What if it's nothing, but a blank book?"
Lex kept his mouth shut. He remembered his meeting with the envoy of Death months ago. The envoy hinted that the journal was powerful. He had to know exactly how.
"I'm certain there's something to it," Lex said firmly.
Lionel chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Lex demanded.
"Did you ever consider the possibility Harry Potter has deceived you?" Lionel asked.
Lex looked at his father, almost wondering if the beginnings of senility had begun to set in.
"Deceive me?" Lex asked slowly. "I'm afraid I don't follow your train of thought."
"He just left the journal where you could grab it, when he could have taken it himself at any time," Lionel explained. Lex's look of pure disbelief continued to be prominent. "He allowed you to have the journal."
It was now Lex's turn to laugh.
"Harry Potter is a flake," Lex stated, dismissing the possibility with a wave of his hand. "He doesn't have a devious bone in his body, and he's naïve beyond all believe. Given the fact, he's helping those who are beyond help. Those children who are under his care, and do not forget that recently he bailed Lana out of trouble."
Lex felt he had Harry Potter in the palm of his hand, and it would be easy to use him should it be necessary.
"Well, I can see you've made your own mind up on the situation," Lionel concluded. "And I must ask you to leave this building once more."
"If you insist," Lex stated. He gave Lionel a warning glance. "Watch your back."
"Is that a threat, I'm detecting?" Lionel responded in mock fear.
Lex gave him a knowing smile. "No, merely a warning from son to father. Smith came out of the woodwork rather easily, and no security is foolproof. Who knows how many more enemies you have lurking underneath a rock. Well, this is goodbye for them."
Lex exited without another word whatsoever. Lionel walked around the office and did an inventory of all of the itmes he knew to be there. Nothing was disturbed. He kept nothing of value in this particular room, but he liked to make sure all of his belongings remained in place.
Wind blew outside of the Kent Farm House. An imposing figure walked down the drive. He was dressed in black and had a receding hairline. This individual was dressed in a suit, with thick bifocal glasses over his eyes. His name was Hugo Strange, and he was the new administrator at Belle Reve. Strange leaned on a walking stick, and raised a hand. He knocked three times loudly and firmly on the door.
Strange waited for someone to answer the door. He got his wish a couple of moments later. A young man with dark hair answered the door. Strange found himself face to face with this impressive looking figure. He looked larger than life.
"Mr. Kent, I presume," Strange said in a thick German accent.
"Yes, I'm Clark Kent," Clark said in a cautious voice. "And your name is?"
Strange offered him a smile. There was something about his expression young Clark Kent found unsettling.
"Hugo Strange, I just arrived in Smallville a few weeks back. I'm the new administrator of Belle Reve," Strange told Clark. "Quite the number of troubled cases have been committed to that particular institute. And I've looked over their files. And you know what I've found, one common denominator for many of the patients."
Clark tried to play ignorant, even if he had a clear idea what dots Strange connected. Chloe had told him enough about Strange to cause him to err on the side of caution. "And what would that be, doctor?"
"They cite past encounters with you, my friend," Strange said and he invited himself inside. "Now once, I might be able to overlook it as just a bystander who got involved when a friend was endangered. Twice, and perhaps we are talking about coincidences, but when we are getting into dozens and dozens of cases, where you keep showing up. And you seem to be responsible for many of them being placed inside of Belle Reve."
"Well, I do try and help out when I can, and they have a habit of going after friends of mine," Clark responded casually.
Strange chuckled, and he appeared to give Clark a standing look.
"A heroism complex I take it," Strange said. Clark opened his mouth, but Strange was far from done talking to him. "I'm not accusing you of anything, Mr. Kent. Far from it, I'm intrigued by you. As a psychiatrist, I want to see what makes you tick. There must be something in your brain chemistry that would lead to these acts of heroism, or perhaps a genetic trait."
Strange surveyed Clark with a calm expression on his face. There was something about the doctor's look that made Clark feel uncomfortable.
"I find the cases of the meteor infected to be a fascinating area of study," Strange continued. "Just to think, one astrological event could have changed the lives of these many people. It does prove the old adage that absolute power may corrupt absolutely. And having studied the research done on the meteor rocks, they have offered unique effects."
"Not everyone has been drastically affected to the point where their lives are destroyed," Clark interjected.
Strange chuckled. "Perhaps Mr. Kent, but enough have to merit a cause for my concern. I do say that those who are different, are often twisted even if they do not start that way. The best of us can fall under the pressure without powers Adding powers, and the descent can be quite ugly."
Clark felt compelled to argue against this point, but Strange continued to lecture him on his theories.
"And society tends to judge those who are different quite harshly. There is an inherit prejudice encoded in humanity, whether it be coconscious or subconscious, to look twice at those who are different. And lash out, perhaps out of jealously or maybe fear, or to assure their own normality."
Clark opened his mouth to protest, but Strange was not done. He leaned on his cane, and peered at Clark over his glasses.
"I often have suggested that the super powered should all be locked up, for their own protection of course," Strange continued. He seemed to be gauging the reaction Clark's reaction, but the young man tried to keep any emotion off of his face. "The world will be a lot nicer on them if they were not put out, and had a chance to make a spectacle out of themselves. They might try and help with their powers, but they will hurt many. Perhaps you will agree, given the number of times you have encountered the meteor infected, Mr. Kent?"
"It's an intriguing theory, but I would have to disagree," Clark replied, and Strange took another step inside. Strange was almost up into his face, invading his personal space.
"Oh, and do you want to elaborate on that?" Strange asked him.
Clark chose his next words carefully.
"Until they do anything wrong, we should give them the benefit of the doubt. This hysteria could only lead to them lashing out and becoming dangerous. It's one of those self-fulfilling prophecy things."
Strange looked neither angered nor upset, but rather amused by Clark's answer.
"Funnily enough, you are merely the second person to give that answer," Strange said. "A similar answer was given to me by a Mr. Harry Potter during a brief meeting we had some time ago. He seems to feel that he can help the meteor infected live normal lives, but there are many hopeless cases. Those who are different are only fit to be put on display with some kind of freak show or to be studied. That is how the human race works."
Strange's smile twisted at that point, and he once again looked Clark in the eye.
"But then you would have no idea, Mr. Kent due to being a perfectly normal human being."
Clark disagreed with that comment one hundred percent of the way. Strange responded with a hearty chuckle, and continued to survey Clark, as if he was an object for study.
"I see you as a young man who likes to see the best in people," Strange concluded. "But there are times where he can't see the best in himself. Where he questions who he is, and I must say it is a common cause among the adopted. Yes, Mr. Kent I know you were adopted, I do research on all my subjects."
Clark gave Strange a very pointed look.
"Naturally, you are not an official subject, given you have not been committed under my care, but I will not lie to say your case does not fascinate me," Strange said. "What makes Clark Kent tick? You could be a young man, who kept his head down, but you throw yourself into these situations. Perhaps it is an attempt to find your purpose, or perhaps you merely are a death seeker. I've only known what I've read naturally."
Annoyance crossed Clark's case, but there was a bit of panic in the back of his head.
"Is there a reason why you're here?" Clark asked.
"Merely just to see the infamous Clark Kent in person," Strange said, but he peered over Clark's shoulder. Lana made her way down the stairs. "And this lovely young lady must be Lana Lang."
"Yes, I am," Lana said suspiciously. She had just woken up, and noticed that Clark was not present in bed. So she wanted to find out why. "How do you know who I am?"
Strange offered her a bit of a knowing smile that made Lana a bit nervous. Clark made sure to put himself between Strange and Lana.
"You are a common topic of conversation among many of my patients," Strange said in a calm tone, and Lana felt herself tense up. "I have studied you, not as closely as I have Clark, but I have studied you Ms. Lang. And your past fascinates me. You seem to gravitate towards powerful and strong men, but yet you have fallen hardest for some Kansas farm boy. It is merely an observation, but you're not sure who you really are."
Lana tried to remain calm, but it was hard to do.
"I barely know you, yet, you're creating a psychological profile," Lana said, looking at Strange through narrowed eyes.
Strange appeared to have made a subtle note of some sort.
"Such tension, it seems as if I have struck a nerve," Strange said. He took a step backwards. Clark towered over him. "I will be taking my leave. Farewell for now, Mr. Kent, but we may meet again."
Strange turned and walked from the farm house. It left Lana and Clark waiting. They both remained silent, and Strange's drive drove the car off. Clark watched him leave. Lana remained silent, and Clark put a hand up. He focused intently and scanned with his X-Ray vision.
"Just making sure he didn't slip a bug or anything in the wall," Clark remarked, and Lana nodded. She stepped forward, and Clark put an arm around her. "I don't think he did, no he didn't. Chloe warned me he was trouble."
"Who is he?" Lana asked, closing her eyes.
"He's a former doctor from a place that has one of the worst turnover rates for patients, it's Arkham Asylum, in Gotham City," Clark told her. Lana nodded slowly, a look of recognition spread across her face. "It's so bad that half of the doctors end up as future guests of the asylum. And he was fired for unethical behavior."
"What did he have to do to do that?" Lana asked him.
Clark wished he could tell him, but he had no idea. It was silent, a bit too quiet, and unsettling quiet at that.
"If he's creating psychological profiles off of both of us, he could find out your secret," Lana said, mind going wild with a worst case scenario. "Someone like him, it could be dangerous."
"It's more than dangerous, he seems to have it out for the meteor infected," Clark said.
Lana closed her eyes. Clark took a deep calming breath, and looked straight at her.
"And all super powered people, if he had his way, they'd all be locked up," Clark said. "He says it's for our own protection."
"Do you believe that?" Lana asked.
Clark did not say anything. There had been times where he wondered, but he had gotten beyond that. His powers could help, because he was the one who had control of them. Many other people, they could hurt. The new administrator at Belle Reve trying to figure out his secret, it could be a potential cause for concern.
"Clark?" Lana prodded gently, putting her hand on his cheek.
"Not anymore," Clark said, but he turned around and looked out the window. The day had just begun, but the visit of someone who had only been in town a few weeks and knew so much about him unnerved him greatly.
"Good," Lana said, and she offered him a kiss, relaxing in Clark's strong arms with a sigh.
Clark felt a bit more at ease, in spite himself. He did wonder in the back of his mind how long that would last, but he would enjoy the moment.
The wind blew outside and rustled leaves all around the city of Smallville. Claire, Kara, and Harry exited a pizza place. Kara just looked amused about something, and Claire did as well. Harry looked at both girls with an exasperated expression, which caused them both to crack up in laughter.
"See, Kara, the idea of ski-ball is to roll the ball up the ramp," Harry explained to her an exasperated manner. "The idea is not to throw the ball, and total the machine with your super strength."
Kara put her hands on her lips, and her lips curled into an innocent smile.
"I hit the loop didn't it?" Kara asked.
"Yeah, that was awesome," Claire added, in a praising voice. "It was on your first try, too."
Harry sighed, and he could tell he was fighting some kind of losing battle with the both of them. He had managed to patch up the destroyed machine before anyone seemed to notice, but that was not the point. Kara just smiled at Harry, and Claire walked right next to them.
"Yes, you hit it, and you hit it good," Harry replied to Kara with a smile. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and they leaned against the building. Claire ate the slice of pizza she had rescued from the place.. "To the point where I had to reconstruct the dust you made. You have quite an arm on you, Supergirl."
"I seem to have quite a few body parts that you seem to approve of," Kara said to him. She did not bother to hide the knowing grin she was giving him. "But, no one saw me, and that's what matters."
"No, no one saw you," Harry assured him, and Kara nodded. She leaned back against Harry. She grabbed Claire by the sleeve, to make sure she did not stray too far from them.
"So did you have fun today?" Kara asked Claire, with a smile.
Claire looked at them, a grin was on her face, and she took a bite out of the pizza.
"Yeah, loads of fun, the best," Claire answered her with a bright smile on her face. She then stiffened a little bit. "But it's going to be over before too long, and it will be…"
"No, Claire, the day's just started," Harry said to her. Claire's expression took a turn for the much brighter.
"Finish your pizza, and then we'll find something else fun to do," Kara said, and she checked the clock high above. "It's only a little after noon, still plenty of time."
Harry, Kara, and Claire all walked off towards a nearby park. Snow began to fly in the air, but it was rather light at first. It was only over a small amount of time where the snow got heavy. Harry's charm work managed to keep a good deal of the snow at bay, and the cold biting winds away from them.
A knock on the door brought Chloe's attention away from her work. She stepped over, and opened the door. Lana stepped inside, offering Chloe a smile.
"Oh, hey, Lana, how are you holding up?" Chloe asked her.
"Oh I've been good, just recovering from what's happened recently," Lana said, but she could not keep a straight face. "We had a visitor to the farm today, me and Clark. Someone named Hugo Strange. Clark told me you've looked into him."
Chloe's eyes snapped up, her full attention on her friend.
"He visited you?" Chloe asked, a bit alarmed by this prospect.
"He was asking questions, he studied me and Clark, and he seems to know a great deal about us," Lana said, and she took a deep breath. "Just someone like that, Clark told me what you said about him. He seems to be a bit obsessive. He said that he might be seeing Clark again soon enough."
Chloe's mind went crazy with the dire possibilities of what that particular comment meant. None of the conversations led to pleasant thoughts in her head. She tried her best to ease her mind. Lana and Chloe sat down side by side.
Lana though Chloe was being eerily quiet. "So what do you think about that?"
"Harry's keeping an eye on Strange, but I think I should tell him that he's swung by to visit you and Clark," Chloe said, and she tried to dial up Harry's number. However, she got no response. "I could have sworn he said he would be back from…the thing he was doing today."
"What thing?" Lana asked, but then she paused. "Sorry, it's just the way you said it, it just sounded so.."
"Strange and mysterious," Chloe offered. Lana nodded. "Harry and Kara, both had to go undergo…well it was a journey they both had to take together. The two of them were vague and mysterious about it, but well it just is something that's in their nature."
"You could write the book on being vague and mysterious with how you're describing it," Lana said, and Chloe offered her a grudging nod. "I don't know, there's just something. . . maybe I'm going insane."
"Why would think you're going insane?" Chloe asked.
Lana tried to best put what she was thinking. The weird subconscious feeling that something was different about her.
"When Harry had to take away the powers Clark gave for me, I thought that would close the door on us forever," Lana said and Chloe nodded slowly. "But, there's something that tells me that it didn't close the door. It just opened it wider. Don't ask me how, but I just know something. It's almost like if I got some kind of second chance in life."
Chloe now was curious about what Harry really did to Lana when he had gone in and undid the power transference. She had an off the wall theory, but she had nothing substantial to back it up with.
"Well, if something was bound to happen, it's going to happen," Chloe said. "After life's kicked you around, maybe you deserve a lucky break with this Clark thing. And I'm sure if push comes to shove, well I guess you'll figure out a way. I do have something interesting to share with you."
Lana nodded, to indicate she was listening.
"Lex's kidnapper, the guy who framed you, he recovered from a gunshot wound to the head," Chloe told Lana. "It hit him in the base of the brain, and it should have killed him."
"That's odd," Lana replied, with a frown on her face, and she was deep in thought at that. "I'm trying not to think Lex, good, bad, or indifferent; it's caused me enough misery lately."
Chloe winced. "Yeah, sorry about that, I don't want you to fall back off the wagon after you're on the right track."
"Make it sound seedy," Lana said, shaking her head. "Although there should be a twelve step program to help with recovery after any involvement with a Luthor. I'm proof enough of that, but never mind, continue your story."
Chloe tried to regain her place in the story.
"The meteor rock gave him the power to transcend time," Chloe said. "But it left him as vulnerable as the next person. And Smith was declared dead on the scene of the crime, so something must have super charged his brain. He's currently being evaluated at Belle Reve by our new good friend, Hugo Strange. And Strange gets well stranger the more I dig deeper into his past."
"What, why?" Lana asked.
"Clark told you about his previous job, right?"" Chloe inqured, and Lana nodded. "Strange conducted an interesting social experiment involving prisoners. A lot of the details have been lost, but I found out this much. Every single prisoner ended up killing each other. I'm thinking that he put them in a single area, and just left them to their own devices. Then the final prisoner got shot."
"My God," Lana gasped.
"It was for the interest of science, or so Strange said" Chloe said seriously. "And he got a job at Arkham Asylum based off of his credentials, after that experiment. Then he got fired, and he's here. What do you know about Gotham City?"
"Enough to know that I don't want to visit there any time soon," Lana said darkly.
Chloe knew that was a common answer to that question.
"Knee deep in corruption, to the point where the gang leaders are more law abiding than the police," Chloe said. "And there's this outlandish urban legend of their mysterious protector. This guy's never been photographed ever, but when the criminals are found, they are scared to death and screaming to get locked up to stay away from him. And he may have had a hand in shutting down Strange's last operation."
"Who is he?" Lana asked.
"No one's really sure," Chloe concluded. She shifted through whatever she could find up. "He's been dubbed a vigilante, and there's a reward on his head. By both the police unofficially, and the mobs who lost territory in the city. "
Chloe looked thoughtful at that moment.
"He's always one step ahead. Likely, he's a master escape artist and a martial arts master, by what little eye witness accounts I can dig up. He seems to prey on the superstitious and cowardly lot, or something along those lines."
Lana shook her head, to clear the confusing thoughts.
"As interesting as that is, we're getting off the subject," Lana said, and she closed her eyes, sighing. "I'm worried that someone who is relatively new in this town knows so much about me and Cark. Our names kept coming up."
"Well if it makes you feel better, he's likely created a psychological profile on me as well," Chloe said in an absent minded voice. "So we're all in the same boat, and as long as we don't go down with the ship, it should be fine. Clark will survive."
"Yeah," Lana agreed, but it was a half-hearted tone of agreement.
Chloe frowned, and she checked her e-mail. There was something utterly weird. She received one new message, and it was short and oddly cryptic.
Strange may find out Kent's secret. Tell him to be careful. Watch your backs.
The blonde woman's eyes widened, and she read the e-mail over a few times.
"Lana, look at this," Chloe said in a low voice.
Lana moved over. She read the e-mail as well, and a terrified expression appeared on her face.
"Strange might find out Clark's secret," Lana whispered, and she read the message, three simple lines over and over again. She could not decipher any kind of hidden meaning, but judging by the look on her face, Chloe could not either. "But who is this person, what does he or she know?"
"Let's find out," Chloe said.
She typed up a response e-mail to clarify, but immediately it hit a return to sender wall.
"Okay, that's weird, this e-mail address doesn't exist," Chloe commented, and Lana looked at it. She tried to mull the situation over and over in her mind, but found nothing that made any sense.
"Someone opened an e-mail address," Lana offered. "And then closed it just after they sent you the message. Who does something like that?"
That was a good question.
"Someone who doesn't want us to find out who they are," Chloe offered in a weak voice. She frowned. The e-mail address offered no hints. It was random letters, symbols, and numbers, almost like someone had just pounded randomly on the keyboard to create a really cryptic e-mail address. "I'm sure it's something that can be traced, but who knows how much time it will take."
Chloe looked thoughtful, and then added.
"And it was almost as if they knew we were talking about Clark," Chloe added, and she peered over her shoulder nervously.
'I've been taking too many cues from Harry in the obsessively paranoid, everyone's watching me department,' Chloe thought to herself.
Chloe and Lana made some light talk, as Chloe tried to find out anything, even a slight clue about her mysterious cryptic e-mailer. Yet, she found herself going around in circles.
Kara, Harry, and Claire stood outside. The snow blew around outside, and it looked like a winter wonderland. Claire laughed in amusement, and she looked up, to see the blizzard kicking up.
"Nasty storm coming up," Harry said in a deflated voice, and it was getting close to dinner time anyway. "We better get going."
Claire suddenly deflated. She should have known this was too good to last. Kara and Harry both sensed her distress.
"So, it's back to the Shining Light Foundation for me," Claire said. The girl tried to put on a cheerful voice. "Everyone's leaving tomorrow, you know."
"And so are you," Harry told her, and Claire looked at him, confused. "If you want to, you can spend Christmas vacation with us, at our house. Only if you want to."
Claire seemed absolutely bemused. She had to be imagining things.
"So, what do you think?" Kara asked her in a gentle voice. "Do you want to spend the next two weeks at our house?"
"Are you kidding?" Claire exclaimed in a cheerful voice. "Of course, I do, I'll be good, I swear."
Both Harry and Kara exchanged warm glances.
"I know you will, Claire," Harry said with a smile. Kara and Harry grabbed a hand each.
"This might tickle a little bit, and might make you dizzy," Kara told her. "So just hang on tightly, and don't let go to either of us. And it won't be that bad."
Claire could barely conceal the huge grin that was on her face. She felt her body being pulled through a tube along with Harry and Kara. It did tickle, but she managed to hold onto her lunch. She spiraled to the ground, but both of them hung onto her. She trusted them, the girl knew that neither of them would do anything to hurt her.
She knew she was inside the house immediately. The girl was awestruck, as she looked around and got a full view of the decor. The house was far cooler than anything she had ever seen. Claire wished she had many pairs of eyes, because she wanted to see every single thing in this house.
"If she's impressed by this, maybe we should show her where she's sleeping?" Kara offered to Harry.
Harry smiled, and turned towards the ten year old girl.
"Are you ready to see your room?" Harry asked Claire.
Claire resembled a bobble head, and nodded up and down. Kara and Harry both smiled at her. They guided the girl down the hallway. She closed her eyes, almost as if she was trying to convince herself that this was real, and not a figment of her imagination. The door swung open, and Claire took a step back. She offered a little gasp, and she took a nice look at her room.
It took her a few seconds to register what she had seen. She stammered and looked around. She turned towards Harry and Kara. "This is all mine?"
"It's all yours," Harry confirmed to her with a smile.
"You didn't have to do this," Claire told him.
"Harry didn't have to, he wanted to," Kara said. "And I wanted to as well."
"I shouldn't have yelled at you for going away for a week," Claire said in an apologetic tone of voice. Harry just waved off her apology.
"No, you were right in a way, we haven't been around," Harry said. "We're busy, but that's not an excuse to neglect the things that matter. And no one deserves to be alone on Christmas. It's supposed to be the happiest time of the year, and I know what it's like to be alone, when everyone else is having fun. It's not fair on you, you didn't ask for all of this to happen."
"I think I can speak for Harry, and say that we'll never be too busy for you," Kara told her, and Claire looked up at her. "You're practically family."
Harry nodded in agreement, and Claire's expression brightened. All traces of her brooding disappeared..
"I like it," Claire whispered. She rushed forward, and hugged both Harry and Kara. "Thank you both. I shouldn't have…I shouldn't have thought you would abandon me either you. It's just that everyone else has so…"
"You didn't want to get your hopes up," Harry said.
Claire paused, and nodded in a crisp manner.
"I know the feeling, but you're welcomed here always, like I said no one deserves to be alone," Harry concluded. "Dinner won't be for an hour, so why don't you enjoy your room. Kara and I, we need to talk."
"Yeah, you two spent the entire day with me, you didn't have any time with yourselves," Claire said in a guilty voice. "I'm sorry about…"
"No, Claire, it's not your fault," Harry told her gently, but firmly. "You've had a tough life, but it's going to get better. There's always light at the end of the tunnel."
Claire turned around. She felt optimistic she would have the best Christmas since her parents died.
Kara and Harry left Claire to her own devices. The two of them made their way to the room across the hallway that they shared. They shut the door behind them.
Immediately, Kara turned towards Harry with a smile on her face. "You took time out of your busy day to give a little girl the best day of her life."
"It's something that I had to do," Harry said to her.
"Many people would not agree," Kara told him. "But, you did, and I agree, it is something that she needed, to know that there are people there for her. The universe can be a cruel place, but it's people like you who make it better. I just wish you were the rule rather than the exception."
"Hey, if I can make one person's life better, than that's a victory, isn't it?" Harry said, and he grabbed her hands, and Kara nodded. "And you're a good influence on her too. It's not something that I would be able do alone."
Kara looked in Harry's eyes with unconditional love.
"You could, but it would be harder," Kara argued, and she pushed him back onto the bed with these words. "But I'm glad you trust me enough, I'm always glad. You didn't have to let me into your heart, but you did anyway."
Harry smirked at her, but he was lost in her beauty. He felt his heart beat faster, and every day he spent with her gave him more reasons to live than ever before.
"Well there are certain perks," Harry teased her.
"They're mutual," Kara responded, and her arms wrapped around his neck. She leaned forward and looked deeply into his green eyes. "I just feel myself attracted to you. Mind, body, heart, and soul, and it's a feeling like nothing else I've ever heard of. The moment we kissed, it was almost like it was something that was joined. Did you feel that?"
"I felt that, and every time I kiss you, or do anything else with you, it's the ultimate fulfillment," Harry told her, and wrapped his arms around her tighter and pulled her into a deeper kiss. Kara returned it. She sighed into his mouth, and Harry continued to deepen the kiss. Kara and Harry both worked their tongues into each other's mouths.
Harry decided he was the luckiest man in the entire universe with this beautiful blonde in his arms. It took him a while to get to this point, but he earned it. He broke the kiss, only to kiss the side of her neck. Kara moaned at his efforts, and intertwined her fingers into his messy hair, just making it even messier.
Kara's eyes were glazed over, and she absent-mindedly started slipping Harry's shirt over his head. She felt Harry's fingers roam, and touch her, hitting all of her pleasure points.
"Love you," Kara breathed. "You just know how to hit all of my pleasure centers, and you make me feel absolutely special."
Harry smiled.
"You make me feel special, too," Harry told her, and Kara pulled his pants over his ankles. "Better use the charm before we get lost…oh that feels good."
Kara smiled and hummed. She liked to think she got better at this, since she started. The pleasure she could feel building in him, until the moment he popped made her feel warm inside.
She also felt proud of the fact she got her heat vision better under control when the passion got intense, but that was beside the point.
It was the best taste in the world, and she swallowed, savoring the taste, and smacked her lips.
"My turn," Kara said, and she flew across the across, and positioned herself over Harry's face.
She felt a part of her brain shut off, as she lost herself to the pleasures that Harry gave her.
Harry's mind was in a daze as they continued their activities. He had found the person that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Kara was his life mate, and he could not have found a better choice if he looked for a million years in a million worlds. He could have settled for some girl, but found one that he truly belonged with.
The two Heralds of Death got it out of their systems, spending several hours in their room, which was only thirty minutes in the real world. They got quickly cleaned up, and Harry went to prepare dinner for the occupants of this house.
Godric's Hallow was a quaint little village. It was also abandoned. Lex arrived closest airport, and took a long trek through the snow. His research indicated that Harry Potter's parents were buried there, and he hoped to find any hint whatsoever about how to work the journal that vexed him.
Lex looked around the grave yard. A number of gravestones could be seen, but the young man was intrigued by one particular stone beyond his quest.
"Perverell," Lex muttered to himself. It seemed to be a strange name, but many names in this graveyard were strange. On the gravestone there was a symbol. It was an upside down triangle, with a circle in the center, and a line cutting the triangle in half vertically.
It was an intriguing symbol, and Lex wondered if it meant something of substance.
He took a step forward, and pulled back the grass, to see if there was any more information. Yet the gravestone seemed to lack a birth or death date, or perhaps it was worn off.
"Curiosity killed the cat, Lex Luthor."
Lex turned around, and saw a young woman with mousy brown hair. She wore glasses and was dressed in black and green robes.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Lex asked.
The girl gave him a look that indicated pity.
"We've met, in the past, but you have no idea what you're meddling in now," the girl said. She offered him a smile, the type of smile that indicated she knew things that Lex wanted to know. And the fact that she was well aware that the fact that he knew she knew what he wanted to know, and she knew how it bothered him.
"I'm just looking for answers," Lex said. "There was something about the traveler, and my father was part of something, Veritas, I think the word is."
The girl remained silent and still, with only a sad smile on her face.
"The truth is a harsh thing," the girl responded in a mysterious voice, breaking the silence. "Veritas, named after the Roman Goddess for truth. Secrets are being held, out of your reach. You want answers, but you are not prepared for the consequences that come with said answers."
Lex's gaze remained fixed on his mysterious mousy haired visitor. She remained calm and collected.
"Beware the shadows Lex, they move when you're not looking," the girl concluded, cryptically.
The girl offered him a mocking laugh. Lex reached forward, but the girl was gone as quickly as she had appeared. It was almost as if she vanished without a trace.
Lex's face contorted into confusion, but took another step towards the gravestone with the strange symbol. He placed one hand upon the symbol, almost instinctively.
A bright light engulfed him, and Lex propelled into the air, before he smashed down to the ground with a sickening thud.
The gravestone remained undisturbed, and motionless as an immobile, but still breathing Lex Luthor was sprawled out on the ground several hundred feet from it.
The mousy haired girl reappeared to stare down at the unconscious form of Lex.
"You were warned," the girl said in a cryptic voice.
She disappeared into the wind once again.
To Be Continued in Chapter 19 "Mind Games."