Here's Chapter 20 of Herald of Death. It's a big one, in many ways I daresay. And it's a long one too, again. Anyway, try to enjoy. There was one particular scene that I rewrote about six or seven times before I was satisfied enough to post this chapter. So yeah, don't quite know when the next chapter will be out. December's an insane month for me.
Chapter 20: Uncovering.
Shock did not begin to adequately describe what Harry had felt. His gaze was fixed on the young woman who spoke to him. He saw her face, he recognized it, but there was something that was holding him back from fully believing it. He knew by now that believing what he saw, and what he heard at face value was something that was foolish.
His mouth remained open, and Kara blinked immediately. She was able to regain the ability to speak before Harry.
"What's going on here?" Kara demanded, and she rounded upon the girl. "I know who you are, I saw you in Harry's memories, but you can't be alive."
The girl just threw up her hands, indicating that she was not there for a fight, but was fully aware that the blonde's gaze was on her and knew that one wrong move would not end well.
"I know it's hard to believe," she admitted. "There are parts of this entire mess that I don't completely get myself, but you've got to believe me."
"Let's get one thing perfectly straight," Harry stated slowly, and he looked this young woman right in the eye when he said this. "I don't have to do anything, much less believe you. If you are who you appear to be, then you let me think you were dead. And if you aren't, then you're not only a threat, but someone trying to play head games with me. And I don't play around, not anymore."
Harry paused.
"So which one is it?"
The girl took a deep breath, and Harry and Kara both looked ready to fight if she made one wrong move. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife.
"We want to know the truth," Kara added fiercely, and she grabbed the young woman by sleeve to get her attention. "Who are you?"
"I'm…I'm….I know this is hard to believe," the girl said with a slight reassuring smile, but Kara did not relax her grip and pushed this woman back ever so slightly.
"Kara, it's okay, you can let go," Harry said in a soothing voice.
Kara slightly relaxed her grip, and the girl slumped against the wall. Harry's eyes narrowed. He surveyed the young woman. The face was staring back at him. It was a face he had seen many times.
"Let me explain, please," the girl pleaded.
"You have five minutes," Harry told her in a calm voice.
"I never wanted this to happen, I never meant to hurt you in such a way," the girl said.
"No one ever means to hurt people, especially me, yet you did," Harry replied in a stoic voice.
The girl nearly broke down into hysterics.
"Okay, calm down, that's really not getting us anywhere," Harry said, feeling a bit bad at how he reacted, but only slightly. There was still a chance that this was some imposter, trying to play head games with him. "I know you died. You went to meet Sinclair and her followers, and a few days later…"
Harry choked out these words. Kara grabbed his hand, and squeezed it gently, giving him the strength to continue.
"You were dead, it was brutal," Harry added. "Are you a ghost?" Please tell me you're a ghost."
"Could a ghost use a cell phone?" the girl replied crossly. "Could a ghost do this?"
The girl reached forward, and briefly touched both Harry and Kara'.
"So, not a ghost," the girl responded, but then she took a deep breath. "As for Sinclair, I remember leaving to go, but everything that came after, total blank."
"No, you don't get it, I spoke to Hermione Granger!" Harry shouted. "After the final battle with Sinclair's followers, and you…"
It hit Harry immediately, and Kara thought the same thing. Harry thought Hermione would have died, so his mind perceived an image of her. Or the hand of Death was involved, knowing that Harry would be distracted if there was a hint that his best friend might have survived.
"I found your…you can't be her," Harry said immediately, and he turned around.
Kara then turned her attention to the brunette who took a step back.
"I really don't know what kind of sick game you're trying to pull," Kara said. "Wearing the face of Harry's best friend, his dead best friend, and someone he thought of as a sister, that's lower than anything I've ever seen. I won't sit back, and let you harm my mate like that."
The brunette bit her lip.
"You're…oh you're her, you're the other one, aren't you?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kara said, and Harry stepped forward before Kara would pound the other girl into paste. "Whatever I am, it's none of your business."
"Ask me anything, things that only the real Hermione would know," Hermione said quickly. She then added in a challenging way, "Unless you're afraid of what you could find out."
Harry was never afraid, he was fearless. His eyes locked onto Hermione, and began to fire off a serious of questions.
"What did you say when we escaped from the troll during our first year?" Harry asked her.
She responded, a bit amused at how misplaced her priorities were. "I said we were lucky to not be killed, or worse expelled."
"What did we do during our third year?" Harry asked.
"Harry, you made that sound so seedy," Hermione said, but Harry gave her a glare. "Oh fine, we used the time turner, to save Sirius and Buckbeak."
"Fine, what did you say I had during my fifth year?" Harry replied.
"I said you have a saving people thing," Hermione responded.
"Who was the only person to beat Ron in chess?" Harry asked her.
"Luna, and the look on his face as hilarious," Hermione said, a bit amused by the memories.
Harry looked at her. Realizations dawned upon him, but they were not entirely pleasant.
"And how did I discover that I could fly without a broom?"
"You got drunk off of Firewhiskey, and jumped off of the Astronomy Tower, to try and win a bet that you could fly without a broom, couple days after the last battle with Voldemort," Hermione said.
There was a long pause, and Harry turned his back slightly on her. Kara walked over to him. Hermione waited nervously for the verdict.
"So, it really is you," Harry concluded softly.
"Yes, Harry, it's me, and I'm really sorry, for everything I might have ever done, or could potentially do in the future," Hermione said. "I know how much trust means to you, and I seem to have broken your trust, but I'll try and do what I can to make things right."
Harry did not want to be mad with her. But, there was just something that was unsettling about this. He had been burned one too many times in the past by people he thought were friends and his family. The truth about his mother, at least parts of it, had caused him to err on the side of caution.
"It's just not that simple Hermione, you might be the only untainted link to my past right now," Harry said. "I could just walk away right now, and pretend this never happened. I don't want to learn something about you that might sour my picture of you, like it did my mother."
"Your mother?" Hermione asked. "Oh, she's….what did you find out?"
There was no response.
"I take it you would have been happier to find out that I was an imposter," Hermione said, turning away to hide the tears in her eyes. She managed to gain her composure, and turned back around. "But I'm very real."
"I know, Hermione, and that's what scares me," Harry said coolly.
Kara turned around to face Hermione.
"You could have tracked down Harry at any time, what was with the games?" Kara asked her.
"I have my reasons, I swear," Hermione said.
Hermione immediately realized due to the look on Harry's face, this was the worst possible thing to say to him.
"So did Dumbledore," Harry answered her, and Hermione winced, that was a brutal stab right into her heart. "And so did my mother."
"Dumbledore…I'm done defending what he did," Hermione said. "And your mother…well she must have made some mistake. The hardest thing to deal with is when you grow up and come to the realization that your parents are not what you thought they were. They have a past, and some of it is not that pleasant."
Kara and Harry both nodded, they knew that all too well.
"It begins with the traveler, and a generations long obsession with him," Harry continued. "And this Veritas society, I'm guessing this all ties together loosely with the old obsession of the Evans family."
"Yes, but I don't know too much about it, other than what you have in front of you," Hermione said, pointing to the paper. "Contrary to popular belief, I don't have all of the answers. I do know enough to know that you may want to be weary of some people finding out the entire truth."
"Now that wouldn't be because their last name would be Luthor, would it?" Harry asked.
Hermione just offered a bit of a knowing smile.
"Use your imagination to fill in the dots Harry, it isn't that hard to figure this out," Hermione said with a sigh.
"No it isn't," Harry agreed with her. "But one thing that I can't wrap my brain around is the fact that you were supposed to be dead. Everyone in that world was supposed to be dead."
"Well I've learned something interesting, and that is magic has a lot of variety," Hermione lectured. "I'm sure the Ministry would have liked that our misfit band of foolish wand wavers were the only magic users in town. That might have been the case in most parts of Europe, but around the world, there were other magic users, many of them not using a wand. The Ministry, hell any government in the International Confederation of Wizards would never have wanted us to know, because they would break the control. They could not have tracked magic, unless it was used with a wand."
Hermione remained silent. She could feel the tension.
"You don't have to believe me, you don't have to trust me, and if you didn't like me anymore, I'd understand," Hermione said. "There are things that I did, that I'm not really proud of. And I'm sure there are things that you did that you weren't really proud of. But, they were all steps to build the person that you are, the person that you can be."
Kara spoke up. "How much did you know about what Harry could have been?"
"Not too much, but I had an idea, with the Hallows that he would be the only one to be destined to unite them," Hermione said. "But, I knew what would happen, if Harry touched them together, and became the Herald of Death. That's why I tried to discourage you from tracking them down, the real reason."
"So you knew," Harry said, distrust dripping from his voice, and Hermione grimaced.
"And so did Astoria, but the Greengrasses were the eyes and ears for the magical world in the Veritas Society, but they never reported what they found to the Ministry to the best of my knowledge," Hermione said.
Harry figured that was for the best. He could just imagine someone like Umbridge or Fudge, blowing an absolute gasket over an alien.
"What about the Lovegoods?" Harry asked.
"To try and guess what the Lovegoods intended would be trying to guess the meaning of life itself," Hermione said with a wry smile. "Given their obsession with the Hallows, they may have had an idea about the Herald of Death. At least Luna's mother maybe, because the more I think about it, the more I believe that her death was not an accident."
"Murder, then," Kara said.
"Yes, absolutely, someone wanted to shut her up, or try and find out information, but it was taken a step too far," Hermione said. "That's something that happened a long time ago…but still…"
Hermione regained her composure
"The thing is, I never intended to reach out for you, for reasons which I'll try and explain the best I can," she continued. "But the fact of the matter is, the minute Lex Luthor started to dig around here, I knew what I had to do. I kept an eye on the graveyard, knowing that it was a potential lightning rod, given the secrets that lie here. And those secrets involve the Heralds of Death."
Kara voiced something she had been wondering. "Are you…"
"The third Herald?" Hermione asked calmly, and Kara responded with a nod. "I can tell you that I'm not."
"So you know who it is," Kara prompted.
"I never said that," Hermione argued. "I only have a vague idea of a lot of what is going on. For a while, I didn't have my memories, and it took me a long to relearn everything without using a wand. The ability to use a wand has been stripped, I can tell you that much. Not that there were many of us foolish wand wavers left when the bomb dropped."
Harry's mind was going a mile a minute. He eyed Hermione, a bit suspiciously, but if he had to be honest, he wanted to trust her. Yet, there was so many secrets that he did not know about. Hell, the more he thought about it, he didn't even know the first names of Hermione's parents.
He was so guarded, because after the incident with his mother's journal, he did not want to know the truth. The expression ignorance was bliss.
Yet, secrets and lies were something that could harm people more than any weapon. Harry was living proof of that.
"I know the Heralds were sent here to assist the traveler, but not to fight his battles for him," Hermione continued, but she smiled. "You being you, however, you decided to get involved."
"You know me all too well," Harry said.
"And your mere involvement has caused a cosmic ripple effect, that has changed everything," Hermione added.
"I can't stand back, and not get involved," Harry said.
"And I couldn't either," Kara added, and they wore prideful looks of determination on their face.
Hermione took a few seconds to really study Harry and Kara. Kara had to be a remarkable girl, for Harry to be that comfortable with her. Harry never truly trusted anyone one hundred percent to tell them everything, but yet he appeared to open up his heart to her and it seemed to benefit him, hell both of them if she was honest with herself.
"Well, what you do is your business, and I'm sure you'll find a way to make it all work out in the end," Hermione said, before she added as an afterthought. "Watch over the traveler, because there are three schools of thought regarding him."
Hermione paused, before she gave Harry and Kara her conclusions, even if she was certain that they might have come to something similar.
"One, he could be molded into a force of good, to protect humanity from those that will harm it. The second one is that he must be molded into a conqueror, to save humanity from itself. And the third is that he must be destroyed so humanity will be able to rise to the next level."
Harry nodded, he figured as much.
"And what one do you believe?" Kara asked.
"I can't really say," Hermione said in an even voice. "I believe you two, soon to be three, will be able to do what's best for the continued existence of humanity."
"No pressure then," Harry said.
"Yes, no pressure," Hermione agreed, but she sighed. She looked Harry in the eye. "I'm sure you want to know about the gravestone, but you're too proud to ask."
"Depends on if you know," Harry said.
"Do you?" Kara asked her.
Hermione allowed herself a few thoughtful moments.
"I'm guessing that it had some kind of adverse effect on you, which drew you here in the first place," Hermione said, and Harry just blinked. It took a bit more concentration to use his powers, at least until the effects wore off. Kara seemed to be the same way from what he could tell. "Yeah, I figured as much. Some things never change, you're always too proud to admit when you're hurt. Why would great cosmic power be any different?"
Hermione got two rather agitated looks, so she knew now was the time not to be critical.
"Both of you I take it," Hermione said, and once again there was no response.
"Use your imagination, it isn't that hard," Kara answered.
"It's something that could hurt us, isn't it?" Harry asked.
"That would be the most logical explanation, yes," Hermione offered him.
"But when we touched the symbols, they activated, two of them did," Harry said.
"So, it could either help or hurt," Kara concluded.
All three of them looked thoughtful.
"There are many things that can hurt you, even with your powers," Hermione said. "There will always be someone more powerful, or at least more devious."
"Before we leave, I need to shield the gravestone, so no one can find it again," Harry said.
"I'm wondering if that will work," Hermione replied.
"Why wouldn't it work?" Harry asked.
Hermione paused, before she gave Harry her honest observation.
"It must be magic beyond life and death itself," Hermione concluded. "But I'm grasping at straws, and can only give you my best guess. It's really something that you'll have to deal with on your own time. I just hope it isn't something that it won't be for the worst."
Harry was a bit annoyed.
"Do you have anything else tangible to tell us?" Harry asked her.
"No, that paper I gave you is the best I can give you this time," Hermione said in an apologetic voice. "I really wish I could give you every single answer. And I wonder how much I'm risking even talking to you that much. I half expect to be struck down by lightning because I know too much."
There was an extremely long silence. Fortunately, Hermione was not struck down by lighting, not yet anyway.
"Hermione, we really need to be going," Harry said. "We only said that we'd be gone for an hour, and it's a bit past that time. And there's something in the air that are interfering with our ear pieces."
"I understand, you have created a new life," Hermione said.
Harry and Kara exchanged a look, knowing what they had to do.
"If you'd like, you could come with us," Harry said.
"Yeah, no one should be alone," Kara added.
Harry did wonder if he was giving Hermione this offer out of friendship, or because he wanted to keep an eye on her. There was something about her entire mysterious return from death that was unsettling, although he could not quite put his finger on it.
"That's nice, really it is," Hermione offered him, and she sighed immediately. "But, I can't leave."
"Sure you can," Kara said. "You just walk out the door, how can anything be simpler?"
Hermione offered a sad smile.
"No, I physically can't, I leave this library physically, and I lose my ability to perform magic. If I stay out of it for more than a few hours, I suffer great pain. I can never leave until I figure out why."
"Hermione, I didn't know," Harry said.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Kara asked.
"No, I'll manage, and I cannot ask you to uproot your lives for me," Hermione said.
She took a long sigh, and put her hands on her hips. She looked reflective for several moments, before she spoke to the couple.
"Years ago, you couldn't pull me out of the library," Hermione concluded. "Now, I've been condemned to spend all eternity here, I would like nothing better than to leave. I guess life appreciates its little ironies."
Harry had no idea what to say.
"Hermione…I…we'll find a way to get you out of here without consequences," Harry said.
"Don't, Harry, please, don't," Hermione said, realizing it was a mistake to show herself, because Harry would obsess over helping someone, no matter what the circumstances were. "I'll be fine, I've gotten used to it."
There was a rather uncomfortable bit of silence. None of the three knew what to say.
"I'm really happy you found someone," Hermione whispered in an undertone. "Someone who loves you for who you are, not for some hyphenated title."
"I am too," Harry said with a smile, and Kara returned it. He shifted, and spoke once again. "If you're sure you're…"
"Harry, I'm fine," Hermione persisted. "So this is goodbye."
"It won't be goodbye Hermione," Harry said firmly. "But if it is, I'm glad to have a chance to do so properly."
Hermione nodded. Harry and Kara turned around. There were no words. They had to take couple of the gravestone, to make sure no one like Lex or anyone else stumbled upon it again.
The brunette bookworm sat in the library, watching them disappear. The truth was that she really had no idea how she had returned from the dead, if she was dead, or what happened. She just knew that she was here.
There was a slight whisper in her subconscious telling her that she should encourage Harry and Kara to take steps in controlling the traveler, but Hermione shut it out. It would be their decision and theirs alone. She just gave them the potential leads to hopefully find some answers.
Tears streamed down her face. Hermione was living, but never truly alive. And the wind was her only company.
Lex worked hard into the late afternoon. Even if the holidays were very near, there was no rest for the weary. He sat calmly, and the door opened, allowing his father to walk inside.
"Something tells me this isn't to wish me a happy holidays," Lex commented casually.
"Well, I do wish this was a festive visit, but I have come here on a mission of grave importance," Lionel said, and he drummed his fingers on the desk. "This morning there was an attack on the Kent Farm."
Lex raised his eyebrows, but maintained the mask of indifference and innocence.
"That's a shame,"Lex replied in a calm and collected voice.
"Yes, I'm sure you would consider that shameful," Lionel answered crisply. "Clark and Lana both are missing, and I fear that they have been kidnapped by someone extremely dangerous."
"And is there a particular reason why you're telling me this?" Lex asked.
A moment of awkward silence was present, before Lionel continued to speak.
"I was wondering if you had any insight on the matter," Lionel replied in a calm voice. "Given, that I have uncovered information that you have been in contact with Hugo Strange, and have recently had his credentials reinstated, just in time for him to return to practicing at Belle Reve."
"Yes, I've been in contact with Strange," Lex admitted, but he looked his father in the eye. "It was just me assisting an old family friend, to get a second chance to continue to use his talents to help the poor twisted souls condemned to that institution."
"Strange is dangerous, Lex," Lionel said. "If it benefits him, he'll find a way to manipulate you for his own gains, no matter how much you're paying him. You don't know who you're truly getting in bed with."
One did not have to be a super genius to read between the lines of what was being said.
"Let's quit tap dancing around the accusations, you think I had something to do with Clark's disappearance?" Lex asked.
"I can't prove anything, but given your recent strange and increasingly desperate behaviors, it's not a possibility I would discount easily," Lionel answered.
Lex frowned, and he got to his feet, to continue to look his father in the eye.
"You will find that I didn't have Clark kidnapped. Why would I do something like that? It is highly illegal, and not the publicity I need, especially given recent events. And I wouldn't put in such a sloppy performance should I have done so. It's not the Luthor way, after all? And besides, I can account for my whereabouts over the past couple of days; I've actually been researching something else entirely."
Lionel reached forward, and saw a sketch of a triangle encased in a circle, with a line down it, but Lex snatched it away from his grasp.
"Unless you can shed some insight on what that symbol means, I don't think we have any more to say about this matter," Lex continued.
"Even if I did know, I would not tell you anything," Lionel said, but he was oddly intrigued about this symbol himself. "I'm guessing my warnings about not to dwell on your imaginary friend underneath the stairs have fallen upon deaf ears."
Lex's lack of response told Lionel all he needed to know.
"Just because you have an alibi, means very little," Lionel said.
"In the eyes of the law, it means everything," Lex answered him.
Both Luthors exchanged a look, and neither took her eyes off of each other.
"Goodbye, Lex, do keep both eyes open, and do exercise caution with Strange," Lionel answered, and he turned around. He walked off.
Lex waited to make sure his father was completely gone. He immediately dialed up Strange. The fact that Clark was gone was most troubling to him, because it meant Strange decided to take this matter one step too far.
The file he had been sent on Clark was on his desk, and had useless information that he could not have guessed on his own or had someone dig up with a fraction of the price he was paying Strange.
The phone rang and Lex carefully tapped his fingers on the side of the desk. He waited for several moments, before he gave up trying to call Strange's office. He then proceeded to call Strange's private line. He got an answer more quickly.
"Hello, Lex," Strange said in a crisp voice.
Lex remained calm. "My father has learned of our arrangement."
"Ah, Lionel, resourceful as always," Strange said with a chuckle. "Did you get the information I sent you about Clark Kent?"
"I did," Lex confirmed. "I must say, it was nothing that I could not have guessed. What I am paying you for, Strange?"
"Research takes time, Lex, and often requires a more personal touch," Strange answered him.
"So you did kidnap him?" Lex inquired without preamable.
Strange remained silent, and there was a longer pause. Lex tapped his pen on the side of his desk immediately, and waited for an answer.
"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about," Strange answered. "I have done nothing outside the law. In fact, I am dealing with a patient right now. He is very sick, and may not be long for this world. I am trying to get information that will help him be at peace with who he is."
Lex leaned back in his chair, feeling a headache coming on.
"You have Clark, don't you?' Lex asked.
"Ah, Lex, is that concern I see creeping into your voice?" Strange retorted.
There was a long pause. Lex took a moment to compose himself. Strange would not get into his head, even if he had been doing it to people for years and years.
"My friendship with Clark Kent is ancient history, but I'm more concerned about the consequences of our arrangement," Lex said.
"Yes, the consequences are something that most do not think of, until they are staring us straight in the face," Strange replied in a crisp voice. "You do intrigue me, Lex. The path you take in life will be an interesting one to watch. You're really juggling a lot of ambitious plans."
Lex wondered if he had bitten off a bit more than he could chew dealing with Strange. There were hints that Strange had studied everyone remotely connected with Clark in question. And that he took his job all too seriously.
"I must be going, it is bad form to leave a patient hanging, during a session, " Strange said. "If I find out anything tangible, I will send it you immediately."
"I want to know everything," Lex told him.
"And you shall, in time" Strange answered. "Have a nice day."
Lex felt shivers going down his spine. There was just something about Strange that made his skin crawl, and it took a lot to do that. Their partnership seemed like a good idea when it started, but the obsession of Strange increased with each passing day. He was devious, and dangerous.
All Lex could do was wait and see. He remained rather calm, and returned back to his obsession on the mysterious symbol on the gravestone. There was just something about this symbol that intrigued him. He wondered if he was about ready to tap into some ancient mystery, older than life itself.
Then there were his recollections, and research into Veritas that monopolized a great amount of his time.
The bald young man knew why he had been spared. It was his opportunity to save the world from something dangerous, although what he had no idea.
Strange turned his attention back to the young man who was slumped against the wall. Clark grimaced, sweat rolling down his face, and his breath shallow. He never felt weaker in his life, and Strange took a step forward, surveying him with a nasty expression.
"I apologize for the interruption, it won't happen again," Strange said in a soft voice. "Did it give you ample time to think about what your lies are doing to everyone?"
Clark could barely hold his head up.
"I'm sure you've reconciled in your mind that your lies are protecting everyone, but what you have to offer should be shared with the world," Strange said. "Would anyone even look you in the eye if they ever found out what you truly are? The realization of would be disasterious. So why don't you tell me the truth."
Clark did not say anything.
"Or perhaps Ms. Lang will be able to offer me a bit more insight on what you are," Strange said. "Perhaps I should find a way to convince her."
"You can do whatever you like to me, just leave Lana alone," Clark managed in a pained voice.
"How nice of you to offer Mr. Kent, and very noble," Strange said with a sadistic smile.
Strange twisted a knob and more pain visited Clark. His natural defenses were being brought down and Strange plugged himself into Clark's brain. His scientific curiosity was indulged.
"Your brain waves are interesting," Strange remarked calmly. "There are unlike anything I have ever read before. But what are you?"
Strange cranked up the machine, and Clark's limbs twisted in absolute pain and misery.
"All of this misery could be saved by you just relaxing, and telling me everything," Strange prodded him.
There was no response, other than a simmering gaze of pure hatred. Clark wondered how long he could hold himself together, under the circumstances.
Strange was a master of breaking down the minds of people. He enjoyed the challenge of breaking down a strong mind, and only one person had resisted his efforts completely.
Chloe sat, and looked at the clock. She mused about how when people were worried about something, they spent a great amount of their time looking at the clock. As if they thought that time would pass quicker, and thus their lives would get much easier.
That was something that worked out a lot better in theory than in practice.
A couple of hours had passed, and there was no hint on what happened to either Clark or Lana. She did not have to wait too much longer, and the door opened up. Harry and Kara returned. Chloe bit her lip; she could tell immediately they had found out something. And that something was not pleasant.
She was just going to have to add to the unpleasantness.
"Chloe, sorry we took so long," Harry said in an apologetic voice.
Chloe nodded, and breaking this news to them gently would be the hard part.
So she opted for the not so gentle approach, to just get it out of the way.
"There's no delicate way to say this, but there's been an attack," Chloe said with a sigh.
"Something happened to Clark," Kara said, and immediately, Chloe took a step back, throwing her hands up in the air, defensively. "What happened?"
Kara waited impatiently.
"Something tells me it has to do with our demented psychiatrist," Harry said, and Chloe nodded. "Wonderful, this complicates things, and Lana too."
"It shouldn't be too bad, you were the one that slipped a tracking charm on him, weren't you?" Chloe asked him.
Harry looked at her with a start.
"Yeah, technically a breach of trust, but we'll hammer out all of those details when you find him, alive, please tell me you can find him alive," Chloe said.
"It was technically my idea, the tracking charm" Kara said quickly. "If Clark got in trouble…."
Kara fell silent.
"How did you find out about the tracking charm?" Kara asked her calmly.
Chloe just offered a sheepish smile. Suddenly, Kara's eyes averted towards Claire who was on the couch and trying to pretend that she was asleep.
"We'll worry about that later," Harry said to her. "I'll need to track him down, but there's something dampening the tracking charm."
"Is that even possible?" Chloe asked.
"It shouldn't be but it is," Harry said, but Kara paused and held up her hand to silence him.
Kara took a few steps outside, and reached through the door, before she pulled Lionel Luthor into the apartment.
"What were you doing?" Kara asked in a dangerous voice.
"That's obvious," Chloe said. "Eavesdropping, trying to find out what we knew about Clark's disappearance."
Lionel did not look apologetic at all, but Kara did not relax her grip on his shoulder.
"You don't know what you're dealing with, my son has apparently taken his obsession with uncovering the mysteries of life to a new level," Lionel said.
"Hugo Strange," Harry replied dryly.
Lionel nodded. "Yes, you've done your homework, Mr. Potter. I do wonder how much of this you saw coming?"
"I figured it was possible, but I didn't think Strange would act this soon," Harry said.
"Which means, he's found out something about Clark that interests him, and perhaps he thinks that he will use it for his own benefit," Lionel said. "Strange is a master at blackmail. I regret my part in bringing him into this mess."
"What?" Kara demanded and she was seconds away from getting some answers form Lionel in the most physical way possible, but Harry held her back.
"Wait, wait, whoa, you had something to do with this too," Chloe said.
"Not recently, but I have been in correspondence with Strange years back," Lionel said. "He's slippery, like a snake in the grass, and he will bite you."
Lionel took a calming breath.
"Judging by the looks on your face, you don't know where Clark is," Lionel said. "Therefore, you need my help in locating him."
"We'll manage fine," Harry said dismissively, and Kara did not take her gaze off of Lionel. She was trying very hard to keep her head together, to try and help find Clark. Especially when she was fixated in tearing Hugo Strange's head off.
"Yes, you'll manage, you might find him," Lionel agreed. "But in what state will Clark be in? Will he be of sound mind? Or will his brain be picked apart, and left a muddled fragmented mess?"
Harry gritted his teeth, and Kara clenched her fists at the graphic picture Lionel was painting. If Strange harmed one hair on her cousin's head, he would pay.
"I have a general location, don't worry, I'll find him," Harry replied.
Harry did have it pinpointed within the general area. Tracking charms were never exact, especially when they were placed on a person, as opposed to an object.
"You might want to start with this address, Strange takes his patients here when he wants a little one on one time with them," Lionel said, handing Harry a slip of paper. "He's done it in any place he's been at; he uses any number of methods to break their minds down."
"And how do we know you're not trying to pull something?" Harry asked.
"You don't, but you must understand, this is the only lead you have," Lionel said to him. "The choice is yours."
Harry and Kara exchanged a look.
"Well if you're telling the truth, then you're coming with us," Kara said to Lionel. "And if you do anything to hurt my cousin, then you and I are going to have a little chat."
"I have nothing, but the best intentions," Lionel replied.
Kara looked dubious, but Harry cleared his throat.
"We'll be the ones that are going to judge that," Harry answered.
Harry and Kara escorted Lionel out, before Harry put him to sleep. He did not need any more trouble.
"You'll bring him back safely, well both of them," Chloe said to Harry and Kara.
There was a long pause, and Harry nodded.
"I intend to," Kara said in a firm voice, and there was a dangerous look in her yes.
Harry and Kara grabbed Lionel, and transported him off, to the address he had given them.
Lana's eyes flickered open inside the cell she had been placed in. She took a breath, and tried to figure out what she needed to do. Her anger simmered, Strange was doing God only knows what to Clark.
A loud pained grunt was heard from down the hallway, and her eyes snapped up. Lana shook her head from side to side, and clutched her fists. Clark was in trouble, and she was unable to help him.
She got up to her feet, and closed her eyes. She would give anything to be able to save Clark. Yet, she was here in this cell, and unable to free herself.
The young woman put her hands on the exit of the cell. For lack of anything better to do, Lana began to shove and push on the door of the cell.
The door busted off the hinges, and Lana nearly staggered out in surprise, but she regained her footing. Footsteps were heard from the other side of the wall.
'Either they made doors a lot weaker than they used to be , or something really strange is going on here," Lana thought to herself, but she slumped against the wall and heard several loud sounds, amplified to what they normally would have been.
The footsteps of security guards could be heard from nearby. Lana slumped into the shadows, hiding behind a trash can, and watched as the security guards looked into the cell.
"She's gone!"
"How is that possible, that door's reinforced?"
Lana heard the guards move around. She closed her eyes, and made a break for the end of the corridor. In a blink of an eye, she found herself at the end of the hallway.
She blinked when she realized she was at the end of the hallway in a split second. This was not feasible for any human, even at their peak condition.
It hit her immediately, but it didn't make any sense.
Harry took away those powers after all.
Didn't he?
Lana took a deep breath, and tried to focus herself. She would worry about the whys later, and the pained grunts indicated she needed to focus more on saving Clark. She thought Clark was a bit closer than he was. There was a set of stairs behind where she was located.
The guards moved towards her, and Lana blinked, before jumping out of complete reflexive action.
She was on the ground one second, and then two floors up the next second.
"Hang on Clark, I'll find a way up there," Lana mumbled.
Lana made her way up to the floor. This entire facility was a labyrinth of hallways, and rooms, and Clark could be in any one them.
'Clark makes this look so easy,' Lana thought to herself. 'The saving people part."
She grew rigid immediately, and several security guards were behind her a second ago, and then something took them out. They were all knocked on the ground, and she could have sworn she saw a dark and brooding figure disappear back into the shadows.
Lana was confused by who did this, but she was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Right now, she had to find Clark. He had to be around here somewhere.
Outside of the facility, Harry and Kara arrived, with the unconscious form of Lionel Luthor. Harry waved his hand and Lionel stirred awake, dazed.
"Looks like you were correct, Clark is here," Harry said.
For some reason, his tracking charm worked better when he was in a closer proximity. There was a huge amount of static in the air that cackled around them. Harry suspected that he could have found Clark much easier, had he not been bombarded with that attack earlier today.
Kara scanned for the top floor, careful to focus, and to find where her cousin was being held.
"Clark's up there, with Strange, and Lana's on her way up there too," Kara said. "You don't think…"
"I don't know," Harry replied.
"Do you wish to indulge me about what this particular conversation is about?" Lionel asked.
Harry and Kara did not, but made plans to safely get up to the top floor, and get Clark and Lana both out of there, before Strange was any the wiser.
It was a simple shot, but they had to do it carefully. And they needed to find out what Strange found out, if anything.
It was tense, but if they worked carefully, they would be able to get Clark out of there in under ten minutes.
Lionel was left, forgotten, but he shrugged. They were capable of liberating Clark.
"I have something, well that's quite interesting, you were not born of Earthly soil, now were you Mr. Kent?" Strange asked. "A ship, a dying planet, and a meteor shower, well this is quite interesting, and you arrived on the same day. But of course you did, your adoption occurred around the same time. Could it be you, Mr. Kent? Could you be the traveler?"
"The traveler, what are you talking about?" Clark slurred.
Strange chuckled.
"Come now, let's not play games, Mr. Kent," Strange said. "I was most concerned about what Doctor Swann had found out all of those years ago, and I tried to gain his confidence to attempt to find out more. But for some reason, he did not trust me. You see, I feel such a threat should not be allowed to live. You might look like a human and perhaps even think like one, but you'll never be one of us."
"I am human," Clark argued.
Strange chuckled. "It seems like denial is not something that is exclusive to humans either. You feel guilt, yes, guilt. Your planet died, but you were sent here. Above all else, you were the one who survived."
Strange continued to speak, and now was on a roll.
"You should feel guilty. For if you did not come the balance would not have been upset so much. You hide behind this mask, the mask of Clark Kent, but that's not who you truly are."
"You're wrong," Clark argued, trying to shut out the pain he was feeling "Clark Kent is who I am."
"More denial, and more lies," Strange said, and he turned a knob. The equipment was finally able to get more through reading, and Clark was breaking down. "But I know who you truly are, Kal-El of Krypton. This secret is far more valuable than what Lex Luthor could pay me. Every government in the world would enjoy having a living, breathing specimen such as yourself in their clutches."
Clark felt a ringing going through his ears.
"Are there more of you here?" Strange asked.
Clark tried to block out anything else, to shut his mind off, to prevent Strange from tearing every single detail out of his mind.
Strange paused, and he heard loud crashing from above. He turned to the security monitor, and frowned.
"Do excuse me, Kal-El, I have a bat in my belfry," Strange said, and he took a step forward to give his security guards orders.
Clark had no idea what that meant. His head throbbed, blood poured out of his nose, and his senses were super heightened to the point where the dust particles settling on his skin hurt. He had never felt this much pain, and he felt more normal, more human underneath these red lights than ever before.
The glass shattered, and he looked up, unable to focus properly. Yet he recognized the voice.
"Clark, oh my God, I got to get you out of here!" Lana yelled, and Clark barely was able to speak.
"Strange, he knows," Clark breathed. "Lana, get out of here."
"Not without you, I'm not leaving without…" Lana stated firmly, but she felt absolutely flushed.
The Kryptonite dangled above her. She felt weak, perhaps not as weak as Clark, but still dazed and sluggishly she moved forward.
"No, I got to get you out of here," Lana said lunging forward before it overwhelmed her, but she dropped to her knees.
"Lana, what's going on here?" Clark asked.
"I'm not sure, something…something…I thought I lost those powers, but they came back when I needed them the most," Lana breathed, but she pushed herself up, struggling to her feet.
She had to save Clark before it was too late.
"Harry said they were gone," Clark managed, barely able keep awake.
"They were, but I don't know," Lana said, but the footsteps of Strange could be heard. She tried to pull on the chains, but they would not budge. "He's coming back, he's going to finish you right now, Clark I'm so sorry, I wasn't able save you."
Lana tried with all of her might to pull the chains free from the wall.
"Lana, it's the thought that counts," Clark said, and Lana collapsed to the ground at that moment.
The sadistic face of Hugo Strange approached. He had sealed off this floor, it would take an act of God to get up here. Not even his fabled flying rodent problem would be able to reach this floor in time.
"We're going to die, aren't we?" Clark asked.
"No, we can't," Lana said.
"You will," Strange said, and he held up a needle, dripping with liquefied Kryptonite. "I feel that your remains will be a lot easier to move then your breathing body, because there's a chance that your powers will come back. Good night, Kal-El, humanity will thank me for the sacrifice I'm about to make."
Lana threw herself in front of Clark to try and take the shot, but nothing happened. Strange was pulled back with full force, and whipped hard into the wall at super strength. Every single one of his vertebrae snapped from the impact, fracturing into his spinal column.
Lana allowed herself to open her eyes seconds later. Kara stepped over Strange, and turned to Clark, absolutely horrified at the state of him.
"Clark, you're…it was so close," Kara said, and if she was one second slower, Clark would have been killed.
She could not think about what could happen, but Strange got exactly what he deserved.
"Kara, you found us," Lana said. "Clark's in really bad shape,"
Harry appeared a moment later, and removed the Kryponite from the equation. Despite Kara's new found immunity to it, they did not want to chance seeing what happened when she actually touched it with her bare skin. He blasted lamps hanging above Clark.
"Strange knows my secrets," Clark slurred, feeling a bit of strength returning to him.
"That's not a problem," Kara said to him, and she could tell that Strange was not breathing.
Clark found himself utterly gob smacked.
"How could you say that Kara…" Clark asked her, but then it hit him. "You didn't…"
"Clark, we need to get out of here," Kara said evasively, and she tried to remove the band Strange had placed on Clark, but it jolted, and caused Clark even more pain.
Kara stepped back, eyes widened. She needed to get Clark out, without hurting him.
"This could be a problem," Harry said, and he looked at the headband wrapped about Clark's head. He gritted his teeth, and thought carefully. "Some kind of charm to nullify it…no that could kill him. I've got to figure this out, just give me a few seconds."
Suddenly, the lights went out around the complex, and the rest of the power had gone out. This allowed Harry to safely remove the metal band from around Clark's head, before it could reactivate and likely hurt him from the power coming back on.
Clark pulled himself to his feet, staggered, but he mostly remained standing. A bit dazed, but managed to keep a focus on Lana.
"Kara, you can get them out of here, I have a few more things to tie up," Harry said.
"Okay, be careful," Kara said, and she gave Harry a quick kiss goodbye. Harry scrambled off, and Kara grabbed Clark and Lana firmly by either arm. "Just close your eyes, and we'll be back at the farm before you know it."
Before either Clark or Lana could protest, they were pulled through what felt like a tube. They flew through, and they were safely back home.
Clark narrowly avoided blacking out from the impact.
"How did you do that?" Clark asked.
"I flew really fast," Kara said, and technically given the mechanics of the teleportation, she was not lying.
Harry made his way through the complex, and stepped over the body of Strange. Someone had intervened and cut the power. Not that he was complaining. It cut down the job to a fraction of what it was going to be. He scanned the floors, and tried to find if anyone else was there.
An open window indicated that someone was there, but whoever it was, they were long come. A filing cabinet was opened, and sure enough it contained detailed notes regarding Clark and several of his friends, made by all of the interviews that Strange conducted. Harry knew that this information could not fall into the wrong hands.
He turned around, and tried to look for Lionel Luthor, but he had also mysteriously vanished from the premises. Harry wondered if Lionel was the one who cut the power.
The guards made their way up, and they were yelling. Harry turned over, and caused them to all fall asleep.
"When you wake up, you'll find out that Clark Kent was discovered to be perfectly normal," Harry whispered. "Strange was killed by one of his former patients wanting revenge."
Harry turned around in an instant, and disappeared into the night. It was a quite the process tweaking that many minds, and not something that he relished doing.
With the written records in his hands, he could dispose of them immediately. Tempted that he was to look into them, he decided not to, at least for now.
The file containing the information regarding both of the Luthors hovered in his hand. Curiosity plagued Harry, but he stashed it away in his bag.
'Just in case,' Harry thought to himself.
He moved off to the night, to make sure there were no other surprises lurking around in the night. His mind was going a mile a minute. Today had been an eventful day, but then again, there was never a dull moment in his life.
Clark collapsed on the couch. His powers and strength would return back to him soon. Lana sat on the chair, in a bit of a numb shock. Now that the full extent of what happened hit her immediately, she wondered what was going on. She half wanted to ask Harry about what happened, what might have gone wrong, but she wondered if it was just a feeling thing.
Kara stood in the doorway, watching the both of them. The disaster was averted, but she really did hope that Clark could recover from this. If the state of him physically matched his mental state, she shuddered to think what Strange put him through.
Which was why she only felt the scarcest amount of remorse for.
"Both of you should get some rest you know, a near death experience is not something you can shake off," Kara replied.
Clark just offered a weak smile in response, but something that had been plaguing him had come up.
"Kara, can I ask you a question?" Clark asked.
"I believe it is within your capabilities to do so," Kara replied, but she had a shrewd hunch what Clark was going to ask.
"Did you murder Hugo Strange?" Clark asked.
Kara sighed. She should have known that was coming. This was going to be a fun conversation.
"Well, technically I did, but to be more accurate, his obsession killed him," Kara replied delicately. "He was dangerous, more than you could ever know. He was seconds away from killing you. What was I supposed to do?"
Clark could not offer an answer, but he managed to find his voice.
"Kara, you could have knocked him out," Clark offered her, but there was a long exasperated glare given towards him.
"Yes, I could have," Kara agreed. She shook her head. "But, he knew about everything. He was willing to break your mind to find out everything. He's dangerous. It's a situation that I didn't want to be put in. And I hope to every deity in every civilization in the galaxy, that you don't ever find yourself put in a situation like that."
Clark opened his mouth, but Kara was not done.
"I'm not apologizing for saving your life," Kara said firmly. "Strange was willing to kill you, and he would have killed me, Lana, Harry, or anyone else if he had the opportunity. It's hard, but I had to save you, and sadly killing him was the only way."
"She has a point," Lana offered, not feeling much sympathy for what Strange did herself.
"I know," Clark said, but he closed his eyes.
He allowed himself a moment to reconcile everything in his head.
Strange had the liquid Kryptonite, he was about to inject Clark with it. Clark was helpless, more vulnerable than a drowned kitten. Strange found out everything about Clark's friends.
"This is all my fault," Clark concluded.
"What's your fault?" Kara asked him.
"The fact you were put in this mess," Clark said.
"Oh, sure Clark, it's all your fault that some madman wanted to crack open your mind," Kara replied sarcastically. "I'm sure global warming, world hunger, and every disease known to man, that's all your fault too."
Kara paused, before her expression softened.
"I'm really glad you're going to be okay, a bit banged up, but you'll be fine," Kara said, but she turned around. "Harry should be here in a minute. If you have any more questions about what happened."
As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. The door opened, but it was not Harry. Rather Lionel Luthor entered. Kara remained calm and stepped back. She did not keep her eyes off him, but he entered, calmly and carefully.
"Clark, it's nice to see that you've recovered from your ordeal tonight," Lionel said, barely even acknowledging the presence of either Kara or Lana. "Hugo Strange is a formidable individual, and….well I hope he didn't find out anything."
"Don't worry, he didn't," Clark said.
"That's good, really good, so he will be unable to pass on any further information to Lex," Lionel said. "Strange's own greed should work to our advantage. He wanted to blackmail you for the highest dollar, but I think that he wanted his hands on some of the Luthor money. I'm truthfully sorry about what might have happened regarding Strange, but the important thing is you're still in the land of the living. I think that's one thing we can all agree about."
"For once, I would have to agree as well."
Harry popped up immediately, and everyone turned towards him.
"I uncovered most of everything Strange found out, about everyone," Harry said. "So anyone who might happen to go through his office to acquire anything after his death, well they'll be in for a disappointment."
"And I trust you didn't take this as an opportunity to find out information for yourself," Lionel said.
Harry just smiled. "I have more direct ways of finding out information, and tonight I've found out plenty. You and I both know the real reason why Strange was so obsessed with Clark. I'd be careful with who I'd associate with from now on."
Lana frowned. She knew what Harry implied, and her distrustful gaze focused on Lionel. Harry turned his attention to Clark.
"You'll be fine Clark, physically, mentally…well only time will tell," Harry said. "Hugo Strange proved to be dangerous, and was lucky enough to find an opportunity to grab you. Where Kara and I were conveniently out of town."
"It won't happen again," Kara said, and she would fight to her dying breath to make sure that something like that did not happen again.
"No, it won't," Harry said. "But Strange might be just scratching the surface. There are others who know the truth. And we should be thankful there was someone to cut the power when they did."
Lionel looked puzzled.
"Someone cut the power," Lionel said.
"So, it wasn't you?" Harry asked.
"No, I had no idea, I managed to slip away at the first opportunity," Lionel answered him, and he leaned back against the wall, taking a careful breath. "But perhaps it is fortunate that we did. Now, Mr. Potter, I require a brief word with you, if I may."
Harry instantly was on his guard, but he played Lionel's game. Kara followed him, when she saw Clark was resting and in one piece. Lionel stood calmly, and held a piece of paper.
"I visited my son earlier today," Lionel said calmly. "And he was sketching this symbol. I was wondering if you knew the significance to it."
Harry and Kara took a moment to look on the symbol. They took a moment to act like they were puzzling it out, even if they knew precisely what it was.
"I can't say I know anything about that symbol," Harry said.
"It's new to me," Kara said with a shrug.
Lionel looked at both of them, and disappointment flushed his face. Harry wondered if he bought their words as genuine. There was a few seconds pause, and the elder Luthor paused.
"So, I'm guessing it's another one of my son's fanatical obsessions," Lionel said.
"Perhaps, your guess is as good as mine," Harry said, keeping a completely straight face. He had no idea when he learned how to lie, but he was going to follow through.
"Well, I'll bid you farewell then, it's been a long day for many of us," Lionel said, and he turned around, to walk off into the night.
Harry and Kara watched him leave. The cool air bit into their arms, but they only scarcely felt it. The two looked at each other, speaking in hushed undertones.
"I think he actually believed that we didn't know anything about the symbol," Kara whispered.
"Lex won't find anything about it, it's not in any normal books," Harry said. "But maybe it will deter him other obsessions."
Kara looked rather dubious at this fact. Something told her that Lex Luthor would not be so easily thrown off.
"I can handle him, if he gets too close," Harry said, and they pushed open the door to return inside. Lana waited for them, half listening to everything. "Yes, Lana, what can I do for you?"
"Today, I was in the cell, and heard them torturing Clark from a different floor," Lana said, and there was a bit of a pause. "And I was able to bust out. And I sped past them, and I was able to jump stairs, in a single bound."
"So, what are you trying to imply?" Harry asked.
"I thought you said you removed those powers," Lana said slowly.
Harry just offered a smile. "Did I say that?"
"Yes, you did, you gave me a lecture about how great power is not so easy to handle," Lana said.
"Oh yes, I remember that," Harry said, slowly building up a head of steam. "I removed the powers at that present time. I do recall that. However, there's something I don't recall. Did I ever imply that they would never come back?"
Lana was absolutely gobsmacked. Pleased in a way, but still a bit confused. Kara looked kind of amused at the mixture of emotions on her face.
"They won't have any kind of adverse effect on me?" Lana asked him.
"The fact you're asking that proves that you can handle them this time, but no, they shouldn't," Harry told her. "Use them wisely."
"I will," Lana said, knowing that if she did something wrong or misused her powers, Harry could likely snatch them away, and this time it would be permanent. There would be no return; she would have blown her last chance to be with Clark. "Um, thank you."
"Well, no need to thank me, you wouldn't have received those powers if you didn't exhibit a certain amount of selflessness to earn them," Harry said.
"So do you think that this will give me a better chance for an actual long lasting relationship with Clark?" Lana asked.
"I can't answer that, there are only two people in the entire world that could answer that," Harry said. "Where you go from here, that's really mostly up to you, and the choices you make from here on out. You must have made the right choice otherwise your powers would not have manifested themselves. I was very careful how I did the charm work."
Lana stepped forward, but Clark was asleep right now. As much as she wanted to explore the full benefits of her powers, Clark did need some rest, and as it turned out she did too.
Harry and Kara both turned around, and made sure everything was secure. They repaired the damage done by Strange, and his forces. Then Harry put a few charms up that would alert him and Kara of any unwanted intruders immediately. They were not as strong as those put on the Shining Light Foundation Headquarters.
"You have everything?" Kara whispered to him.
"Yeah, all of the files, all of the information Strange had, I even popped over to his office at Belle Reve to find the duplicates," Harry told her. "And I took a peak at what he sent Lex. Nothing too concerning, just police reports and interviews about the encounters that Clark had with the meteor infected in the past."
Kara relaxed immediately, and offered a brief smile. Harry and Kara had one more piece of business to wrap up tonight, before calling it an evening, and it had been a long one.
Lex remained by the phone, waiting for any further information that Strange would have been able to uncover about Clark. He was beginning to distrust this entire business arrangement, and in a way regret it.
The phone call he was waiting for came through. He answered it before the second ring was completed.
"Strange?" Lex asked.
"Sorry, Mr. Luthor, there's been an accident, Hugo Strange is no longer with us," the person on the other end of the phone said to him.
"What happened?" Lex demanded.
His contact remained apologetic. "One of his patients, he escaped, and came for Strange. He took out all of the security, and vanished into the night without a trace. He left Strange dead, we tried to revive him. Must have been super strength, his entire spinal column was shattered."
Intrigue appeared on Lex's face.
"Super strength, that patient would not be Clark Kent, now would it?" Lex asked.
"No, not Clark Kent, Clark Kent is normal as you and I, and he has been released, well what's left of him anyway," the contact on the end of the phone replied.
The contact might have been assured that everything was fine, but Lex was not convinced. He took a deep breath.
"Listen to me, I want you to take Strange's files, all of them, on Clark Kent, and send them to me immediately, along with any research he's done on him," Lex told his contact.
There was a long pause.
"I'm afraid that's impossible."
"I'll make it worth your while to give me that information, it must not fall into the hands of anyone else," Lex said.
"No, it's impossible, because it's gone, there were files missing from Strange's office, and he uncovered much."
Anger did not adequately describe what Lex had felt right now. He clutched the phone tightly in his hand, and took a deep breath, to remain absolutely calm. The fact was Strange might have found out something about him, but there was no idea what. Even if Strange was dead, someone had those files, and information on him.
There was no need to panic. The files might have been lost due to sheer incompetence. He would have to pull some strings to find out for sure what was going to happen.
Lex's eye fell on the symbol he had sketched once again. It was nothing like he had ever seen before in any civilization ever. He wondered if the three components of the symbol meant something, like some equation.
It would be a worthy endeavor to study.
Chloe looked up, and saw Harry and Kara standing right in front of her. Before she could say anything, Harry filled in her on what happened, at least the short version.
"Clark's fine, Lana's fine, and Strange…well he's not fine," Harry concluded.
Chloe took a few seconds to process this information.
"So, he's on the other side now," Chloe said.
"It was his time," Kara said, resigned that with her role as one of the Heralds of Death, killing was something that she had to do. Plus she was protecting Clark.
"It's not easy, despite what you are, is it?" Chloe asked.
Kara shook her head. "It isn't, but to save Clark, I would do it again."
Harry looked thoughtful. "All of the people I had to fight, many of them it was to the death. And it was not easier. The blood on my hands each and every time that it's been put there, it's been bittersweet at best. But some people…well that's just the only way."
"Strange didn't pass anything to Lex, then?" Chloe asked.
"Nothing that anyone who's lived here in any amount of time couldn't figure out," Harry said. "I'm curious about how Strange knew about the meteor rocks, not to mention how to weaken Clark and how to try and force the information of his brain."
"It's not like we could ask him," Kara said with a sigh. "Guess I should have kept him alive long enough to find these things out."
Harry squeezed her hand, to reassure her. "No, you only had a second to react. You did what you had to do. We'll find out, there's another way, but something weird was going on."
"Actually, this might qualify,' Chloe said to them, and she punched up a police report she had received through one of her contacts. "Winston Smith was found dead in his cell, completely mangled beyond recognition."
This floored Harry completely.
"Strange, I was under the impression Smith died weeks ago," Harry said slowly.
"So was I, but he was being kept in Belle Reve," Chloe said. "His door was ripped off of its hinges. Either someone's been eating his Wheaties, or we have a situation on our hands. There was nothing left of Smith, but a few fragments, blood. This happened earlier today."
Harry's first thought was Strange, but the timeline just did not match up in his head.
"I'll see what else I can find, just adding to the many things I have on my plate," Harry said.
"You are really taking a lot on your plate," Chloe commented seriously. "Do yourself a favor and don't work yourself to death."
Harry shuddered at her choice of words. "Believe me, working myself to Death is the last thing I want to do."
Kara gently walked over, scooping the sleeping Claire off of the couch. She cradled the girl in her arms gently, as to not wake her, and wrapped a blanket around her. She walked over to be with Harry.
"It's been a long day, but at least everything will be back to normal," Harry said, before he realized. "Or what passes for normal."
"I'm afraid I'm unaware of the meaning of that word," Chloe joked.
"Yeah, well join the club," Harry said.
"There's a club now?" Chloe asked.
"Take care of yourself, and see you around," Harry said. "Bye, Chloe."
"Yeah, bye," Kara said. "And thanks."
"Yeah thanks," Harry said.
"Goodbye you two and it wasn't a problem at all," Chloe said, and immediately they were gone. She sighed.
Chloe just offered a shrug, and checked her e-mail. She was almost hoping for an e-mail from her mysterious anonymous pen pal, but there was nothing.
The shadowed figure moved around in Hugo Strange's old office in Belle Reve. The file cabinets had been removed of all information regarding Clark Kent, and the information regarding anyone connected to him had aslo been removed. With a crisp nod, the figure stepped into the shadows, and moved over to the computer systems. Using the uplink, he tried to access the computerized records regarding Kent.
There was nothing on the computer. Whoever had been in here had made sure to wipe everything regarding Clark Kent, and any studies Strange did on him.
The dark brooding figure in the shadows done his own research, based off of notes his father took before his untimely murder, regarding his role in Veritas and the coming of the traveler. The detective came to one conclusion.
All of the strange meteor activity and the coincidental timing of his adoption proved only one person could be the fabled traveler.
The dark figure stepped into the night, a grappling hook shooting out as he swung out the window. He would need more information before he made a decision on Clark Kent. He could be a valuable ally in the mission, or the gravest threat the world had ever faced. He prepared contingencies in the event that this young man went mad with power.
Yet, there was this mysterious third party that had wiped all of Strange's studies off of the face of the Earth. For that, there was no information.
He would have to correct his ignorance immediately.
It was a bit after midnight, and Harry sat, with notes in front of him, in front of the fireplace in his home. There were a number of thoughts going through his head after the events of the last couple of days.
'Never a dull moment,' Harry thought to himself. 'Well, another crisis was averted, narrowly. A storm's brewing, I just don't know how and I just don't know when.'
Harry closed his eyes. It was amazing how great power just increased the scope of what a person had to deal with it. In a way, he was ready for everything, but in another way, he was apprehensive.
"Harry?"
Harry turned around, and Kara stood in the doorway, dressed in a sheer white nightdress. Well technically, more like hovered, but she dropped down to the ground. She walked over, and handed Harry a cup of hot chocolate, before taking the other one for herself.
"Figured you could use some company," Kara said with a smile, and Harry got a good look at her. She really looked beautiful. "Claire's all tucked in for the night."
"Thanks, Kara, I've just got a lot in my mind," Harry replied. "I just find it hard to go to sleep."
"Same here," Kara said with a sigh. "Guess I got a taste of how insane your life could be."
"Kara, I…" started Harry, but Kara put her finger on his lips.
"And I find it kind of exciting to be honest with you," Kara said. "A bit nerve racking, but it's exciting, something that in the end, I think we're going to do something great, together."
Harry sipped on the hot chocolate, and took a look outside of the window. He tapped up the side of the cup.
"Secrets that people would kill for, it wouldn't be the first time I knew them," Harry answered immediately, and Kara offered him a smile. "The Veritas thing, I've done a bit of digging, not too much, but a number of the members do tend to drop dead."
"You'll figure it out, Harry, you really will," Kara said, knowing that Harry was avoiding the topic of his best friend's status of the return to the living. So she was not going to bring it up.
As it turned out, Harry decided to bring up the subject.
"Hermione's return…I thought I would be happy," Harry said, and Kara encouraged him to continue. "But, there's just something about it that seems off. Something about it that seems unsettling, but I can't put my finger on why."
"Do you think she's up to something?" Kara asked him.
Harry paused. "I don't want to believe that she's up to something. But it's a possibility. The fact her family was involved in this entire mess a long time ago…it makes me suspicious. I wonder if she was telling the truth."
Kara put her hand on Harry's. She would be lying to herself if she had similar reservations.
"But, the Veritas thing is worth looking into, so I'll be doing a lot of digging after the holidays, and figure out where I would go from there," Harry concluded, but he relaxed. "At least everyone got out of that mess with Strange okay."
"Clark didn't seem too comfortable with the fact that I had to kill Strange," Kara said, but Harry looked at her. "If he only knew the truth, but I've tried everything to let him know."
"There's always a way," Harry said, and he turned to her, to look at her properly. "He'll need to know the truth eventually. I just wonder how well he'll take it."
Concern appeared on Kara's face, but Harry put a hand up.
"If anyone understands the need to keep secrets, its Clark," Harry offered her, and Kara relaxed just a tiny bit. Their eyes met each other. "We'll deal with it, when the time comes, together."
Kara turned her attention to the Christmas tree that Harry had set up. Granted, it was nothing outlandish, but it looked amazing.
"You did a good job on the tree," Kara said.
"Thanks, but it was nothing with the right charm work," Harry said.
Kara smiled, and scooted a bit closer to Harry, placing her hands on his legs.
"Harry, your modesty is cute," Kara said. "I was reading some of the books in your library. Some of the charm work takes a lot of concentration, and most could not pull it off. You should be very proud of the work you did. You're very powerful, and amazing in other ways."
In spite of himself, Harry looked a bit pleased.
"You're amazing too," Harry said to her, and he held her hands tightly, looking in her eyes. The two sat in front of the fireplace, lost in the moment they shared with each other. "With you, I don't have to pretend to be something that I'm really not. I'm free to be who I really want to be. The scars on the outside were healed, but the scars on the inside didn't heal right away."
He paused, before he continued.
"Until the day I met you. You make my life worth living, you make me complete."
Harry captured her lips in a tender kiss. Kara returned it, and they melted into each other's embrace. The truth was, as much as Harry said her love healed him, his love did wonders of making her life a lot better as well. The kiss deepened. To them it was natural as drawing a breath. They were meant to be together, always and forever.
The kiss broke, and Kara pushed back on the couch.
"I got you something," Kara said. "For the holidays, you're a very hard young man to shop for, but I made you something that I thought that you'd like."
"Kara, you didn't have to get me anything," Harry said.
"I know, but I did, anyway," Kara replied to him, and she pulled the gift out. "It's not much, but…"
"It's the thought that counts," Harry offered her, and Kara nodded. "Besides, you're the true gift."
"Yeah, but you'll get to unwrap me later," Kara replied playfully, but she held the wrapped package and pushed it into Harry's lap. "Here you go, Merry Christmas, Harry."
Harry opened the gift. A beautifully hand drawn portrait slid it. It depicted Harry and Kara embracing outside of a handsome crystal structure, in an entire city full of advanced architecture.
"It's us, on Krypton," Kara told him. "It's the best of both of my worlds. Sorry, if it's not much, but that's the best I can think of.
"Kara, it's amazing, just like you, thank you," Harry said, and he recognized the significance of the garb, which meant the gift he had got her was appropriate.
Harry put the portrait on the wall, right next to the drawing that Claire had sketched of the three of them months ago.
"I've got something for you too," Harry said.
Kara was curious at what Harry got her. He walked over and pulled out a small gift wrapped box. He placed it in Kara's hand. The Blonde Kryptonian opened it, tearing through the wrapping paper.
There was a black box, and Kara opened it up. Inside the package was a diamond ring, and Harry smiled at her.
"It's beautiful," Kara said in an awed voice.
"Just like the girl who it belongs to," Harry replied with a smile. "And there's something I want to ask you."
Kara listened closely, and Harry dropped to a one knee. He took the ring from the box, and slipped it on her finger.
"Kara Kent, will you marry me?" Harry asked her.
Kara's eyes widened, and she was rendered speechless for a minute. She threw herself at Harry, knocking him to the floor. She began to kiss him madly on the floor. Harry returned the kiss with equal fury. It was at this point where Harry could truly notice that she was wearing nothing underneath her nightdress.
Kara pulled herself up to sitting position, and a wide smile appeared on her face. She was hoping that he would ask, but she had no idea that it would be this soon. It just made what was in their heart official. Kara could feel the bond that she shared with Harry, and it would only be strengthened by the ties of marriage.
"The answer is yes, by the way," Kara said.
"I thought so," Harry offered her, and the two got up to their feet.
"I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else ever," Kara said.
"And our lives are going to be a very long time," Harry replied.
The two sat with each other, by the fireplace, just enjoying each other's company.
"Harry?" Kara asked him, untying her nightdress.
"Yes," Harry replied.
"Make love to me until we both pass out," Kara said to him.
Harry looked at her bold request, but he could think of nothing that he wanted to do more right now.
"With our stamina, that could take hours," Harry said, and Kara wrapped her arms around him.
"And you're complaining about this?" Kara replied playfully.
"Not in the slightest," Harry said, with a smile.
After today, they needed to relieve tension anyway, and this would be the best way to do so, along with celebrating their love with each other.
To Be Continued in Chapter 21 "Bats."