Kara and Harry lurked around off to the side of the shadows there was a time where they needed to carefully edge around the side of everything. The blonde Kryptonian and the dark haired wizard continued to walk carefully step by step around everything, their feet cracking against the ground. The blonde Kryptonian and the dark haired wizard shook their heads when they continued to walk around. Kara in particular tried to zero in on the flash of the light.
"Someone got transported here," Kara stated, even though it was obvious at this point in time. Her shoulders slumped a little bit when Harry put a hand on her shoulder and made sure they stuck to the side. "But are they friend or foe?"
"In this place, it's hard to tell," Harry managed in a whisper when he turned around and his eyes flickered carefully. He kept his eyes forward and tried to look forward but he knew that there was something about the Phantom Zone that put him on edge more than ever before. This would be the type of place that made people feel a little nervous, even the most hardened people in the world. The two walked around with the wizard turning to the Kryptonian. "Careful, it could be a trick to begin with."
Kara nodded, that much was for sure, anything that happens in this Phantom Zone could be a trick. Deception was the rule of the day along with this location being survival of the fittest. She only felt slightly more at ease given her powers, including her growing mastery of magic. Okay to call it mastery would be a stretch because she was a novice in the grand scheme of things. Still she hoped to utilize her full potential.
Meanwhile the words of Alastor Moody rang out in Harry's head, "constant vigilance", those words kept ringing out in the back of his head over and over again, a pretty constant and everlasting mantra that should ensure his survival. The young wizard turned around on his feet and leaned forward on the heels of his feet. He would not allow anything to harm Kara that much was for sure, even if his own health was peril.
'Got to keep my eyes open,' Harry thought when they continued their walk forward.
Kara frowned when she listened for with her enhanced hearing and tried to conjure a sword, just in case. The blade was a little bit dull but Harry corrected her steal making it sharp. Learning self-defense the mundane way was great as her powers would not defeat everyone and there might be an opportunity when she lost her powers. She stepped forward a little bit, with the two of them continuing to walk forward.
They moved to where they figured the source of the light popped up.
Harry turned to Kara with a frown shrugging his shoulders. "I'm guessing that whoever was there, they're not here or they're… they're on the move."
He paused before he added.
"Or there is someone who is going to pop out of the open and kill us after they drew us over here."
Kara smiled at Harry even if the smile was a bit weak. "You do like to keep on the optimistic side of life don't you? Maybe it is someone who needs our help, who are like us, sent here but they don't belong."
Harry waved his hand over to the side, he didn't think he was being pessimistic, he thought that he was being realistic. There was a huge difference between the two things. He turned off to the side to his blonde companion. "Remember those stealth spells I taught you. Those will come in handy right about now."
Kara agreed, she performed a charm that would allow herself to blend into her surroundings more easily. Harry copied her motions, causing them to resemble what surrounded them in the Phantom Zone. These types of camouflage spells would not hold them for long but they would hold long enough for them to sneak around and do what needed to be done in the area of the Zone.
There were many ghostly whispers around the pair of them and they kept their wits about each other when they continued to walk around the area of the Zone. The duo stood with their eyes narrowed when they slid across the dirt of the Zone and arched their necks to see what was up. The seconds ticked by, although given how weird the time passed in the Phantom Zone, it could be minutes or hours or even days before they could locate the flash in the air. That was how things tended to work in this messed up dimension, everything was turned upside down.
"Keep focused," Harry whispered to Kara and she nodded, a bit annoyed that he told her the obvious. Then again she figured that he was only looking out for her and making sure that everything went by okay.
The two stepped forward and they could hear a light moaning from the horizon, down into a dusty valley. Dust in the Phantom Zone was rarely a good thing, as it cut out one of their senses. Granted both Harry and Kara learned to listen, smell, touch, although perhaps not taste as much as they figured that nothing inside this Phantom Zone would taste that good to be honest.
Dust was bad, there was no question about that, that was one thing that should not be debated. There was one thing that was worst than dust inside the Phantom Zone and that was the thick fog that kicked up whenever the Dementors were around. It blinded them when they moved around and they shook their heads, trying to ignore the feeling of hopelessness. Sending a Patronus would give away their position even though one killed all of those Dementors back there. They wondered if there were any survivors that that saw what happened.
Kara craned her neck when she peered over the side and she spun around to face Harry. She could hardly believe it when she saw him down on the ground and she was there as well. The blonde Kryptonian and the dark haired wizard locked eyes with each other when they gripped each other's hands and saw what was there. A million questions swam through Kara's mind, she could not even being to quantify them all.
Did they arrive here intentionally or by an accident? She figured it was an accident because Clark would not bring Lois here, at least not willingly. As far as Kara knew, Lois was blissfully ignorant about the secret although she suspected that the woman would put two and two together before too long and then he would be in for it.
Perhaps Brainiac sent them here?
This was another possible idea to be honest and Kara knew that if Brainiac sent them here, then the Earth would be in peril. If she was Brainiac, she would send Clark here at the first possible time, so she could destroy the Earth. At least that's what made the most sense to Kara.
She really thought too much about the probable plans of villains.
And there was also the possibility that this was not the real Lois and Clark but rather some Phantom Zone trick. It was best to remain on their guard and remain focused, intent, constant vigilance as Harry stated. Kara thought that those words were great, words to live by. At the very least it would allow them some survival in the Phantom Zone.
Clark saw Lois out like a light at his feet and he shook his head, it took him a moment to realize where he was and how he got there. He received a package with a crystal in it and bang, he was sent through the portal into the Phantom Zone. He kneeled down and tried to figure out what was happening with him and shook his head. It was bad enough he was here but Lois was sent here. She did not understand the danger that she was in after all.
He remembered the last time he was sent to the Phantom Zone all too well, and all of the problems for almost a year with the Phantoms that were let out. He fought them many times and many people were put in the crossfire to say the very least. The Last Son of Krypton stood on his knees, nearly staggering a little bit, before he saw Lois down on the ground.
"Oh, my head, I don't think that this is because of happy hour," Lois managed when she shook her head, trying to get up to her feet but she staggered around with Clark gently and casually supporting her. "Clark, where….oh my god….I don't think we're on Earth anymore."
Lois got up to her feet, staggering, it would not surprise her at all if she had some kind of concussion but her head was ringing never the less. Her eyes felt a bit funky as she tried to focus on everything around her. The dust around her, not to mention the heavy concentration of fog, made things a lot worse. She stepped forward and nearly collapsed but Clark continued to hold her up.
"It's freezing in here, do you feel that chill?" Lois asked when she looked at Clark, trying to keep her wits about herself, whatever happened to them, this would not be the perfect time to panic.
Clark honestly had to answer when he felt the numbness going through his body. "Yes Lois, I feel the chill, and….it's not good."
Clark staggered around a little bit and shook his head, but Lois seemed to be jumping to the worst possible conclusions. If she knew where she was, then…well then there would be problems. He would have to explain a lot when the duo continued to walk forward. The brunette beside him started to breath heavily, careful not to freak out all too much but at the same time, it was hard to keep all of her wits among herself in the place where she was.
"Clark….I think we got abducted by aliens," Lois managed when she looked towards Clark and Clark tried to remain firm and on his feet.
"Aliens….Lois I…."
"That's what was there, aliens, how do you explain what happened?" Lois asked him in a tone that Clark knew better by this point not to question. "The blinding flash of light, waking up in a strange place….at least probing wasn't involved, at least I hope not, I don't remember if it was but….how long were we out?"
Lois paused before she added another point.
"And what the hell is with this frigid chill?"
Clark could not answer this, perhaps because he was unable or unwilling, he had no idea. He turned to Lois, nervously waiting for something to happen. It was going to take every ounce of cunning he possessed to find a way to get them out of the Phantom Zone without him blowing his secret. He might be put in what one might consider to be a no win situation. At the very least, it was not good.
The fog got thicker when they approached and suddenly Clark staggered forward, feeling paralyzed. This was worse than Kryptonite at its very worst and he tried to stagger around when he felt something. There was some kind of horror there but he could not see it.
"Clark?" Lois asked but then she felt the cold chill wash over her body as well when she staggered a little bit, dizzied and unable to find herself back to a standing position. She shook her head and gave a cough that rattled her body. The woman tried to maintain some level of clarity but she about collapsed when several memories that she would like to keep suppressed flooded back to her.
What was happening?
Lois did not know.
'It's him the son of Jor-El.'
'Zod will be pleased.'
'Feast upon the other one, she is of no use.'
The Dementors glided forward, even though Lois could not see any of them, she about passed out from the misery. She staggered a little bit before she felt cold and clammy hands grab her around the wrists and steady her, holding her up a little bit. The woman tried to get back to her feet but it was all for nothing when she felt the cold rattling breath in her face.
"LOIS!" Clark yelled but he was too paralyzed to move, the creatures grabbed onto him.
Lois felt that she was on the edge of a near death experience but little did she know that whatever she felt was much worse than anything she could ever imagine in her entire life. The instant that she felt the cold breath on her, her mind went numb and terrible things flooded back into her mind. Her knees buckled as she felt so close, it was almost like an important part of her was about to become disconnected from her very being.
Two figures bolted in seizing the moment, she blacked out the second, wondering where she would wake up. Lois was out of it, having experienced those things a bit up close and personal but one of them was able to verify that her soul was completely intact. That was a bit of a close call and then it was time to run these things off into the night, to make sure they would never harm another person ever again.
Clark staggered off to the side a little bit, feeling the tight grip on his wrists being retracted. He felt the need to throw up but thankfully he kept it all together, there was a bright white light that shot through the Phantom Zone that was blinding. The Last Son of Krypton tried to figure out what he was up against but he could not, no matter what. He staggered a little bit, nearly out of it when a figure grabbed him firmly around the shoulders.
"Let's go, Kal-El," she whispered urgently, before she hoisted him up and shot him out of there, at the speed of light.
Clark was trying to figure out what happened and he knew Lois was left behind but sure enough, something held her up as well when she seemed to be flying from some invisible force. Then again, given what he felt, it was almost as if the Last Son of Krypton flew by some invisible force as well, something that was unable to keep him up and high above the air.
He took a moment before it all settled in for a moment, he could hardly believe that he could not figure it out before. With a pained expression, Clark managed one word. "Kara?"
Brainiac said that what happened to her was much worse than death and there were few things worse than Death than the Phantom Zone. He felt a twist of guilt that he did not look for her harder and had been side tracked by other things. Still the Phantom Zone was not a picnic. Especially since the fact he encountered those things that tried to rip and pull at his body, and it felt like he was drowned in ice water. He also never thought that he would be happy ever again and Clark wondered what was going.
He never met these things before during his previous trip in the Phantom Zone and believe him, something like that would stick out as a very vivid memory, there was no question about that. Yet there were no memories of anything in the Phantom Zone whatsoever. Clark shook his head, rattled and confused, dazed and unable to really focus on anything other than making sure that he survived long enough to draw another breath.
Of course it was at this point where Clark passed out but no doubt when he woke up, there would be answers.
Providing he did wake up that is.
Clark's eyes flickered open when he rested on the ground.
"Excellent you're awake," Harry answered when he looked over Clark.
"What happened?" Clark asked when he tried to get himself to his feet but he sank to the ground.
"Oh, just to give you a summary of events, you got attacked by soul sucking monsters that have been imprisoned her in the Phantom Zone after my idiot government threw me in," Harry answered in a casual voice when he said everything. "And then you and your girlfriend here or whatever she is, you nearly died or worse….actually far worse, you got your souls sucked out."
Clark paused when he shook his head but he saw Lois down on the ground.
"What were you thinking coming here Clark?" Kara asked when she popped up. "Now you're here, you can't leave, and great that means we're all stuck here and everything and….oh it's good to see that Brainiac didn't kill you."
"It wasn't for any lack of trying," Clark responded, he would be a lot happier with seeing his cousin if his head was not buzzing in a constant flux and he shook his head to try and return himself to some level of clarity. "And I didn't come here on my own free will, it was the crystal from the Fortress, it sent me here and Lois but we got to find a way to send Lois back."
Kara placed her hands on the side of her temples and sighed when she turned to look at Clark.
"If only it was that simple," Kara responded when she shook her head and took a deep breath. "The problem is that the Phantom Zone has gotten a lot more dangerous since you got here. The things that you accidentally let out last time….well they're rather tame compared to what you let out this time. Harry will tell you more about it, in great detail if we don't have to run for our lives anytime soon."
"It's simple," Harry responded, okay it was needlessly complicated. "My people….being the brain surgeons that are, sent me through a mystical veil that caused me to end up in this place years and years ago. They sent some of their worst creations in after me because I have this ability to not die when people want to me too. I've been running for my life for decades."
Clark's face flashed with a look of skepticism.
"You don't believe me, well that's fine, all you need to know is that you will die in here if you don't fight for everything you have and then more," Harry answered before he inclined his head to Lois. "Fight for her if you need any motivation, I don't know what your relationship is, we just met but you know what, if you have any sense of self preservation in you, you should know that the Phantom Zone isn't what it used to be."
Clark had one question. "How could I didn't encounter you or any of us this in the Phantom Zone for the first time?"
"Time and space behaves strangely in the Phantom Zone, it of the effects that drives the prisoners mad," Kara explained when she looked at Clark. "Harry and I have been in here for a couple of months already, maybe less, maybe more, it is hard to tell in here. All you need to know is that these things make everything worse and as dangerous as they were before, if they are let out into the world, it would be a chaotic mess to put things kind of bluntly."
Kara let out her breath, hoping that Clark would understand where she was coming from, even though there were sometimes where it was hard for her to relate to him. He spent so much time on Earth and she did on Krypton, that she found it hard to figure out where his head was. She wanted to understand but at the same time she could not understand, that much was for sure.
"There's got to be a way out of here," Clark persisted in a very stubborn tone of voice.
Kara let out the breath she held before she turned to Clark. "There is but there isn't."
Clark caught that statement and decided to call Kara out on it. "There either is or there isn't, it has to be one or the other isn't it?"
Kara's frustration mounted on her face. "It's not that simple, Clark, there is an exit point in the Phantom Zone but remember those soul sucking monsters Harry got done explaining to you about. Well they're guarding the exit point, either waiting for someone to try and use it so they can get a good meal or someone to let them out. What is worse, you tell me?"
Clark took a step back and considered the situation, yeah to say that they were in for it now would be putting things extremely mildly. He liked to think that nothing was hopeless but there was something about the Phantom Zone now that made it far worse. And make no mistake about it, the Zone was hell on Earth before. There was a reason why the worst prisoners in the universe were sent there but now things increased by tenfold.
Lois rubbed the side of her head.
"I had the most horrible….." Lois managed when she got back to life and blinked her eyes when she looked around. "Oh, we're still not in Kansas anymore, are we?"
"I'm afraid not," Harry added when he spoke up for the first time and Lois backed up a little bit, feeling a bit of shuddering fear coming within her, even though she tried not to show it.
"You're not the alien who is going to….eat my brains, are you?" Lois asked Harry but the dark haired wizard shook his head.
"No, I find the taste of human brains to be quite awful," Harry responded without missing a beat and this caused Kara to crack a smile.
"Oh my, Kara, they got you too," Lois stated when she looked at her. "Just….just stay calm, and maybe he won't attack."
"Harry's okay, he helped me out here," Kara responded when Lois's eyes widened.
"No, you've… you've developed Stockholm Syndrome," Lois responded when she took a break but then she felt the chill that she felt. "Why is this place cold all of the sudden, how do you people live with yourselves?"
"That's not the cold, that's the Dementors in this place," Harry answered and Lois sat up a little bit wondering what Dementors were. Although judging by the tone of this person who may or may not be an alien, they were nothing good and she sensed a tiny bit of fear, not much but maybe a tiny bit. And maybe respect for how dangerous they were. "And I'm Harry by the way."
"Wonderful, I always like to know the name of my murders," Lois responded but she was handed a piece of chocolate and he did the same to Clark. "You're going to brainwash us with chocolate. Granted there are far worse ways to go but…."
"It will help with the effects against Dementors, trust me," Harry answered but Lois shivered.
Most of the time when someone told them to trust her, that normally meant that she should really be suspicious by their actions but at the same time Kara gave her a reassuring smile. The blonde took the chocolate up to her lips and began to eat it, feeling the warmth come back to her.
"I've heard about some people using Kool-Aid but never chocolate," Lois answered but she shrugged, Clark ate it too and so did this Harry. "Oh well, won't hurt, join the dark side and all that, they have chocolate."
Lois took the chocolate with a shrug but they had far greater problems, namely finding a way to get out of the Phantom Zone.
General Zod was known throughout the Phantom Zone as one of the greatest terrors in the universe, a true monster who had the blood of countless on his hands. Some of the most hardened prisoners in the world even feared the General a little bit due to his sadistic methods. Despite the fact that he long since been stripped of his body, he still had power.
For a brief second, Zod had his freedom on the primitive planet known as Earth, in the ill equipped vessel known as Lex Luthor. Yet it was the son of Jor-El who banished him back to the Phantom Zone where he lingered until these Dementors showed up. They thought they could feast upon the spirit of Zod but Zod was strongest of them all.
He infused his wraith with that of the Alpha Dementor, for lack of a better term, to gain a form where he could speak with them. All of the Dementors were dutiful little soldiers but like many armies, they lacked a great deal of discipline. They feasted too much on the torment of others instead of merely getting the job done. Zod was for decisive action and thus he wanted everything to turn out for the best.
"Master…."
"No need to be formal two nine five, the term General will be fine," Zod replied in a crisp voice. "Report."
Two Nine Five stated in a rattling voice, his cool and cold breath freezing everything alive in the air around him. "One Nine Two, Three Four Eight, Three One Six, Two Eight Nine, and Zero Five Two all have been destroyed by the Accursed One."
Zod stood high over his minions, he heard the words about the Accursed One and wondered what could inspire such fear among creatures that inspired the greatest fear. If the General had not been among the strongest will of them all, he would have even backed off a little bit. He lost respect for these beings when he saw that they feared this creature, this pathetic weakling of a human being. The Kryptonian General shook his head when he stepped back a little bit and closed his eyes to think.
"How did the Accursed One destroy you?" Zod asked them.
Two Nine Five could not explain that, the Dementor shook his head. He feared what this accursed one would do. They were sent here by the horrible toad woman to make sure the job was vanished. The Dementors could not even stand to be around the horrible toad woman and the love that she showed them caused them to become rather squeamish and if Dementors could hurl, they would in the presence of that woman.
"I'm not sure, my liege," Two Nine Five responded when he looked at him.
"Well you better be certain and you better bring me news that will not lead to your dismantlement," Zod answered, he showed no fear in the face of these weak creatures, as he cracked his knuckles together.
"The son of Jor-El is here," Two Nine Five blurted out when he heard a whisper of his arrival.
"The Son of Jor-El, well this changes much," Zod answered when he crossed his arms when his eyes narrowed and he crossed his hands together. "I no longer need the daughter of Zor-El if the son of Jor-El is present. He will allow us to release our legions upon the planet Earth and we will be able to plunder them. The others that are there, they will be annihilated naturally."
Two Nine Five did not even ask another question, the Dementor rocked back and forth, when he was near his fellow Dementors, the cold green eyes of the accursed one was shown in his memories. That did lead him to a bit of scorn and much ridicule with his fellow Dementors.
"Rally them and grab the interlopers, make sure they do not escape the Phantom Zone," Zod stated when his eyes glowed from behind his disguise with malice. Despite technically being a Dementor there was something about him that inspired far more fear than any of them could realize. The other Dementors shivered in terror when Zod showed up and went before him. "
"All we need to do is drive those things away and find a way out of here, should be easy, shouldn't it?" Clark asked in what he hoped was an optimistic tone of voice even though his body language and his voice did in fact betray him.
"It's not that simple, it's never that simple," Lois responded despite the fact that she did not see these things, she felt enough of them to realize that they were not messing with anything that she wanted to deal with for more than a little bit. She shook her head and remained calm and crisp, on her feet and ready to go. Lois clenched her fists a little bit.
"It will be okay," Harry responded when he looked at them.
Lois somehow doubted that but she was going to take his word for it, at least for the moment. He seemed to be the Dementors.
"They're all crowding around," Kara managed when she looked at Harry but Lois and Clark both exchanged a glance that ensured that they came to around the same conclusion at about the same time. It was Clark who spun around to face Kara.
"Did you….did you….you didn't see them, did you?"
"I can see them yes, although I'm not sure what is worse," Kara answered, her hand finding her way's in Harry's. "Seeing them and feeling them or not seeing them and feeling them. They feed off of people's emotions."
"What do they look like anyway?" Lois asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Harry spun around to face her, a grimace on his face.
"Imagine the worst thing you've ever seen in your life, the most horrific nightmare that you've ever had and multiply it by about ten times. And you've got your Dementors, they cause most people to go mad with despair."
"There is a way to kill them, right?" Lois asked when she looked at Harry.
Harry offered a noncommittal nod, there was a way to kill them indeed, the problem was that it was not an easy thing to kill them, not at all. And he only conjured up enough power to kill them one time and one time alone. The dark haired wizard stepped forward and took a moment to draw in his breath. He still felt them nearby and knew that their leader was likely near as well.
"Zod," Kara whispered to Clark.
"I destroyed him," Clark managed but Kara shook her head.
"No you merely sent him back to the Phantom Zone," Kara answered when she placed a set of hands on her hips and rolled her head back with a slight sigh. "There is a difference between those two things."
"I wish I knew what they were talking about," Lois whispered to Harry in an undertone and Clark shook his head.
She was about ready to chalk up this entire experience to some kind of weird hallucination, where she would wake up in bed after the fact and never mention it again to anyone. Right now that seemed to be the most logical thing in the world to her, at least one that she could hang her hat on.
"We could destroy the Dementors but I'm not sure I could take out that many, if we trick them, we might have a chance," Harry responded but then he shook his head. "The problem is Dementors are not that easily tricked. Deception is not something that they're deceived by."
Harry paused before he saw one of the fluttering robes on the ground beneath his feet and an idea formed around his head. He doubted that this would fool them for that long but maybe just maybe it would confuse the creatures enough to trap them somewhere away from the altar.
"I've got a plan," Harry answered to the three of them, and there were varying stages of apprehension. "If at the very least, we can get Lois and Clark out of there and maybe you too Kara. They're not going to miss taking a free shot at the Accursed One."
"The Accursed One?" Clark asked, curious but at the same time he almost did not want to know.
A smile crossed Harry's face before he spoke with Clark. "Yeah that one is a long story but that's beside the point. Just put these robes on and we'll figure out a way out."
Kara knew that despite what Harry said, she was not leaving without him. After he spent so much undeserved time alone, she did not want to do something like that and just turn around freely. She'd make sure Lois and Clark got out safely but she was staying here with Harry. If it meant destroying the altar after Lois and Clark left, then so be it. No matter what, they were in this together until the bitter end and she would not let him suffer alone for another second longer.