Sunday, January 28, 2007

CoKE: Chapter 7: Fulfill

Rating: K+
5600 words

Lex, green dagger in hand, lunged forward toward Clark.

The strike was deflected by Pete’s saber. “I don’t think so, Luthor,” Pete said from atop the table.

Lex struck hard, but Pete easily blocked. “Don’t get in my way, Pete. This has to be done.” With this, he attempted to push away Pete’s saber with a hard thrust. The move failed as Pete’s saber found itself at the base of Lex’s neck. Lex was unfazed. “Nice moves, Ross. Try this one.” Lex fell backwards to the floor, and kicked up on the table, sending Pete tumbling to the floor behind the table. He landed beside the gasping Clark.

Pete lightly punched Clark in the shoulder. “Hold in there, buddy. I’m about to repay you for all the time you’ve saved my ass.”

Clark nodded through the burning pain, the acid green veins creeping up his neck.

Lois’s screeching voice echoed loudly through the room. “Let go of me! Groo! Where the hell did you go?” Several tall Kenaki men held a struggling, kicking, and screaming Lois.

Chloe leapt up from her chair to aid Clark, but no sooner was she standing did a black rope suddenly wrap itself around her arms. Falling to the ground against the tight bonds, she found Lana, standing up with her whip in her hand and an apologetic frown on her face.

Chloe struggled against the binds. “Lana, what are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, but Lex knows what he’s doing.” Lana swallowed a lump in her voice, shaking her head guiltily.

After a quick examination of her mind, Chloe’s jaw dropped. With a lowered brow and clenched teeth, she practically spit the acidic words out, “You stupid… LITTLE… GIRL!” Lana winced, but did not reply. Chloe simply kept on struggling and screamed every word. “The Kenaki lied to you. Lex lied to you…” She took a few seconds to collect her breath when the realization dawned on her. With a softened voice, she added, “…even as he bedded you every night, every chance he got.” There was a dramatic pause. “Girl, you’ve got stamina!” She said it with almost admiration.

Lois, struggling against her captors, stopped struggling to look stunned. Clark, aching in the presence of the dagger, glanced back and forth between Lex and Lana. He grimaced, from either the proximity to the kryptonite dagger or from Chloe’s revelation.

Pete, now with both his saber and a small battleaxe out to defend himself against Lex’s kryptonite blade and metallic saber, paused briefly to give Lex a probing look.

The bald man only returning a contented look, answering with a suave, “Can you blame me?”

With a thoughtful look, Pete replied casually, “Hey, no, I feel ya.” Lex pulled his saber free and struck again, meeting Pete’s thrust hard.

Chloe pulled against the rope. With the urgency apparent in her voice, she cried, “Lana, that blade will kill Clark.”

Shaking her head, Lana replied calmly, “No, it won’t. It’s that stuff from the legend of Naman that doesn’t hurt humans. It’ll just take away Clark’s powers! You as well as I know that Clark’s too strong. This is only protection.”

With desperate assurance and zero of the Lana’s calmness, Chloe screamed, using every last breath of air in her lungs, “NO! Lana! You’re wrong! Clark is not human! Clark is an alien! He is Kal-El. And he has always had these powers. And when Lex puts that dagger through his heart, he will die. And Lex knows that. The Kenaki know that, too.” Lana’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.

Proditor with calm grace not befitting the situation stated, “Actually, Lanalang, Clo-ee is correct. We noticed that Clarkent, or Kal-El I should say, seemed rather affected by the aggression hormones that we spray in the battling arenas. He also was also rather intoxicated by Acuavitane wine, which passes right through Terrans. Plus, the resemblance between him and Jor-El was uncanny. We, as you Terrans say it, ‘put two and two together.’”

Lex, seeing in slow motion, swore he could feel every molecule of adrenaline coursing through his veins. As an expert fencer, he immediately caught Pete’s arm subtly shifting, preparing for a high blow. With more than plenty of time to mentally prepare, Lex spun with the steel blade arcing up and the kryptonite blade aiming for the hip. Pete took the bait and found himself with a painful jab in the leg as he deflected the steel but neglected the green stone. As Pete winced, Lex threw his right arm into Pete’s shoulder, sending him crashing into the far table, which collapsed. Lex leapt back onto the center table, noticing Clark’s spasms worsening as the blade neared him.

Tilting his head down as the green light flooded his shadowed face, he grinned menacingly. “Well, Kal-El. It looks like I’m about to save a planet or two front a hostile invasion.” The table lurched under Clark’s leg and Lex found himself unceremoniously crashing to the floor.

Chloe continued to scream at Lana, too fixated on the drama around her to release her whip, “You know what else Lex knows? He knows Proditor is actually Inali.”

Once in seventh grade, Lana had forgotten to study for her history class, and was very embarrassed when her teacher asked her to tell the class about some guy named Benedict Arnold. She felt that way now. “Who?”

Lex pulled himself up. “Got to give you credit, Kal-El. You learn quickly.” With this, Lex grabbed the center portion of the table and through the light material over his shoulder. He descended upon Clark.

It was at this moment Lois noticed that the Kenaki guard holding her had loosened their grip and were eyeing Proditor. With a quick yank, she freed herself, elbowing the two nearest warriors. She probably didn’t even need to fly, but it was quite a spectacle to see her tackle Lana in mid-air.

As the ropes loosened from around her, Chloe leapt up and tackled Lex off of Clark, who with his last ounce of strength held the blade away from his heart. Since she weighed much less than Lex, she barely moved him off of Clark. He recovered quickly and the two wrestled adjacent to the struggling Clark.

Lois whistled gaily as she wrapped Lana’s rope around its owner. As she was finishing her handiwork with the final knot, she sung to herself, “Around, over, under, over, turn, over and through. And that’s, my dear,” she sung to Lana as she slipped a finger through Lana’s hair to whisper in her ear, “is how you tie a two half-hitches. Thank you, Daddy.” She had little time to sing. The Kenaki guards were running towards her. Rolling her eyes with boredom, she disappeared. One by one, confused Kenaki guards found themselves thrown across the room, slammed into the walls, or flung into the ceiling.

Lex held down Chloe, who defiantly kicked at him. Neither paid attention to the glowing of Chloe’s bracelet. Grimacing, he asked, “Just answer one question, Chloe. If you knew Clark was Kal-El, why are you defending him? Don’t you know he was sent to Earth to conquer it?”

Chloe was able to wedge her knee into Lex’s side and wiggle away. She tried to elbow him in the gut, but he proved too quick and attempted to put a choke hold on her, but she got in an arm which didn’t allow him to squeeze. She replied, “Jor-El may have sent Clark to Earth to conquer it.” She slammed her high-heeled foot onto Lex’s toes, who winced enough for her to free herself. “Unfortunately for him,” she continued as Lex grabbed her wrists. “Jonathan and Martha Kent raised him to defy such arrogance. A literary buff such as yourself…” She slammed herself into Lex, causing him to slam against the back wall, “…should appreciate the irony. You’re the one…” Lex slammed Chloe back onto the table. Her voice ragged, she finished, “…who wants to take over the world. That’s why you wanted to help the Kenaki. They promised you their technology, right? Always have been a sucker for gadgets, haven’t you, Lex?”

Lex spoke through his teeth now. “Chloe, that clairvoyance of yours is really starting to get on my nerves.” Of the three tables that made the horseshoe of a front table, Chloe found herself being thrown into the last of them standing. Lex then proceeded to throw his metallic saber in the air, which struck a floating, celebrating Lois on the back of the head, causing her to fall five feet to the ground. Proditor emerged from hiding behind a curtain and surveyed the unconscious Lois.

“Is it true?” The voice came from behind Proditor, and it belonged to Beipanzhe. “Is it true that you are Inali?”

Proditor pulled a knife from his belt. “No,” he replied, “at least it was untrue until this moment.” Proditor’s blade was soon lunged into Beipanzhe’s stomach.

Beipanzhe, from the ground, asked, “But why?” Black blood bled from the wound.

“It should not have happened like this. But we were meant to be the superior race of this galaxy.” With this, he took his booted foot and placed it on his companion’s head, pressing it to the ground.

Lex, sensing his finest hour, reverently lifted the blade above Clark’s heart. Clark was losing his last thread of consciousness. Lex swiftly lowered the blade, only to have his wrist yanked back by Chloe. He elbowed her away, noting that even the bleeding temple and the dislocated wrist held tightly to her chest had not prevented Chloe from attacking. “Why, Chloe? You can’t love a freak this much. Look, he’s not human, no matter how much you tell yourself that. These people have studied his kind! He’d outlive you by far! He’d never be able to give you children! He will always be an outsider.”

“My kind of guy.” Chloe jumped forward and tried to wrestle the blade from Lex’s hand. The much stronger man easier slammed her on top of the unconscious Clark, who winced but did not wake. Lex then could not ignore the glowing of Chloe’s bracelet, which impaired his vision. Without knowing what was happening, he slammed his fist into Chloe, and the glowing of both Chloe’s bracelet and the kryptonite blade disappeared. Lex looked down. Chloe’s face was blank and the hilt of his blade rested flush against Chloe breast.

* * *

Tawodi would accept no charity in his earning of the position of chief. “Are there any more challengers for the hand of Saasa? If so, let them challenge me.”

“I accept,” came a single voice in the crowd. Sageeth stood proudly and walked toward the ring.

Wehali approached the warrior. “Sageeth, you are truly one of the wisest braves I know. If you were interested in pursuing my daughter’s hand, why did you not speak up before?”

Sageeth replied gravely, “I am much older than Saasa. And I have already lost two wives to strange circumstances. I truly believed that Naman was the best man for Saasa. But I do respect his decision to be with Walelu. It is well-known that Tawodi and I have never seen eye-to-eye, but I will gladly give him my blessing if he defeats me in combat. I only want to fulfill Saasa’s wish that the greatest warrior in the tribe would be her bridegroom.”

Sageeth then moved to Kalel. “Naman, we are good friends. You have already given Tawodi your approval. Might I too have it?”

A conflicted grimace was evident on Kalel’s face. “You cheered the loudest for me in my trials to claim Saasa. But if you have such love for Saasa as I once had, I can only give you the same support you gave to me.”

“Thank you, my friend.”

Tawodi was weary after a long day of fighting, but he still had the same burning in his eye as he battled Sageeth. To the crowd, it was an engaging fight. To Kalel, it was an enigma. His well-trained warrior eyes, able to watch the battle as if it were occurring ten times slower, counted dozens of mistakes on the part of Tawodi, which translated to dozens of opportunities for Sageeth to soundly defeat Tawodi. Sageeth merely did not take them. But as the fight raged on, Sageeth finally took his opportunity. Pushing forward, he caught Tawodi mid-stride with a side swipe, which the strong warrior easily deflected, but at the cost of stepping off-balance. With a quick slap to the leg with his branch, Sageeth send Tawodi tumbling to the ground just inside the circle. Cursing his failed attempt to dislodge Tawodi, Sageeth stepped back and waited for Tawodi to get back up. Only the warrior did not; he simply lay on his back.

“Tawodi, rise. Surely you are not ready to yield? I will not take the title so effortlessly.”

Tawodi’s only reply was a groan. Sageeth kneeled down to assess Tawodi’s strange behavior when he noticed the pool of red liquid growing from underneath Tawodi. As his face filled with horror, he cried out for the tribe to assist him in helping Tawodi up. It was quickly discovered that a stray piece of wood had stabbed Tawodi in the middle of his back.

Kalel looked through his former rival’s skin and flesh to notice a small section of branch tangled with the snake-shaped innards of Tawodi. When he revealed his findings to the tribe, Myora gave her diagnosis: “The branch has tangled itself with his spirit. To remove it would prematurely rip it from his body.”

Overnight, the skin around the wound began to turn unnatural colors: yellow, green, purple, and finally black. That morning, as sweat dripped down his face, Myora announced that evil spirits had entered Tawodi’s body and that she had prepared his spirit to move on into the Ghost Realm.

Tawodi’s last wish was to see Sageeth and Saasa.

“Sageeth, I yield to you. Please, take care of Saasa.” At the mention of her name, Saasa was unable to hold back the tears anymore.

“This was not meant to happen,” Sageeth stated.

“Kalel was never meant to fall from the sky. You were never meant to challenge me in battle. Sageeth, if I have learned anything, it’s that the spirits have lost their control over the ways things are ‘meant to be.’ It is up to you take charge of your future. Protect our people.”

As Sageeth walked out of the tent, Saasa clung tightly to him, weeping. “He’s gone…”

On the full moon following Saasa’s seventeenth spring, the largest banquet the Koga had ever held took place to celebrate the joining of the chief’s two daughters to the two greatest warriors in the tribe. The bonfire burned for hours as in their jubilee the dancers danced long past the setting of the sun.

Myora presided over the naming ceremony. Saasa was christened with the epithet of Rayen, an honor she’d long awaited. Sageeth, her husband, was christened Uwache, the chief-in-waiting. Kalel was also christened with the name Uwache, to signify his wisdom training, though all found it more fitting to call him by the epithet of Naman. Walelu was christened Loral, the new chieftess-in-waiting for the second tribe. Dayak was awarded a ceremonial tomahawk in honor of his acceptance of his role as Naman’s protector.

A new day had dawned.

* * *

Lex let go of the hilt. It rolled off Chloe’s Shaman’s Eye bracelet-clad wrist, only a few clear shards of crystal still attached. The rest of the now glass-like blade was in pieces around Clark and Chloe. The stunned Lex was abruptly pulled off Chloe and slammed into the wall by Groo.

Chloe commented sarcastically to her rescuer, “Well, now you’re here. Some warrior proxy you are.”

“I apologize, Miss Sullavin.” Even as Lex struggled, Groo held tight to his wrists and awkwardly started to tie rope around his wrists.

Chloe sighed, and then realized that she was still lying on top of Clark. Smacking his cheek, she called, “C’mon, Clark, wake up.”

Clark drowsily groaned, but opened his eyes, smiling as Chloe’s face came into view. He shot up, Chloe moving away just quickly enough as not to collide with his iron head. He calmed significantly when he saw Groo successfully tying Lex to the table. Both Clark and Chloe, who was now is his lap, jerked away as Lana approached, but she simply passed by them to stand before Lex. “Did you know that knife would have killed Clark? Did you?” she pressed. She also pressed with her hands.

“Yes,” Lex replied stoically. Lana’s face crunched up, but he cut her off, “Lana, I’m sorry I lied to you about that, but everything else was true. Clark’s not human. He is an alien from a planet called Krypton, a militaristic race that sent him to conquer Earth.”

Lana didn’t turn around. Clark?”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it ‘militaristic’ but my people are—were very stoic and intellectual. I was sent to conquer, but I’m not going to.”

Lex screamed, “Kal-El, how can you be so naïve? You’re powers are going to grow exponentially. Trust me, when you have that power, you’re gonna find it hard to resist the temptation.”

“You would know, wouldn’t you?” Chloe cut in.

Lex ignored her, “I intend to spend my every waking moment making sure that doesn’t happen, Kal-El.”

Lana wasn’t finished. “What about the Inali thing? Did you know about that?”

“I haven’t the slightest clue what Chloe was talking about.”

“Perhaps I could fill you in,” Proditor stated. Clark rose, ready to defend. Chloe ran over to check on Pete, who was awake, but his thigh was bleeding and he had wrapped a tablecloth around it. She eyed Lois, but saw her unconscious form behind Proditor. “You see,” he continued, “Inali is a myth on our planet. Legend has it that he will rise up and kill many Kenaki people, and then he will take over the planet. Actually, Miss Sullavin appears to be a prophet. It wasn’t until a few minutes ago that I realized I myself was Inali. Quite exciting actually. So, want to hear the dastardly plan I just invented? Since I am in control of the force fields surrounding the tables…” He held up a remote control. “That means I can not only block the door, but protect myself from everyone in the room, including Kal-El. I shall merely escape to the transport room that we prepared for Lek, Lanalang, and my compatriots to escape. It appears the traveling party has shrunk to one. The palace will self-destruct and you’ll all perish. Now, Kal-El, it’s possible you’ll survive, but all your friends will be dead, and you’ll be stuck on a planet of hostile forces with no way to get home.”

Lex screamed out through his teeth, “You’re a traitor.”

“As is Inali supposed to be. Your job, Lek-Sluthore was to kill Kal-El. You have failed. You are now expendable. I am victorious.”

“Your plan has one flaw,” came a unfamiliar, high voice. Proditor looked down to see on of the small servants looking up defiantly at him.

“Slave, you test your obedience.” He reached to his belt and squeezed a mechanical device. As far as anyone could see, nothing happened. Proditor looked very disturbed at this development.

“Proditor, you fool; you killed the only other person with the controls to our electric collars.” He tilted his neck to show that he no longer wore a collar.

“Regardless, you can touch me. I’m protected by a force field.”

“Would that be the same force field that’s powered by the generator we just destroyed?” The small creature wrapped a leather strap around Proditor’s ankle and pressed a button on a remote control similar to the on Proditor’s belt, causing the taller creature to fall to the ground in pain. The servant placed another collar around his neck, pressed the button again, and caused Proditor to pass out.

Suddenly, dozens more of the small servant creatures raced into the room. Most of them swarmed around the fallen Kenaki, tying them up. A few others started to attend medically to Lois, Pete, and Chloe. A couple of others took Lex from Groo, and one tied up Lana, who passively let them.

Lex screamed out. “This is not how the legend was supposed to go. Sageeth was supposed to be able to defeat Naman!”

The small alien who defeated Proditor replied, “Mr. Luthor, our enslavers fed you lies that they spent years convincing themselves of. You apparently do not know the whole story of Naman and Sageeth. Yes, Sageeth had the power to defeat Naman, but in the end he failed. Listen to true tale.”

* * *

Five more springs had passed since the marriages of the daughters of the Koga tribe. Rayen and Loral’s father had died, and both Naman and Sageeth became the chiefs of their respective tribes. Saasa bore Sageeth two children: a son Sageeth had named Konel—it was a name suggested by Naman, from his home world in the heavens—though the pair decided to call him Tawodi in memory of the great warrior; and a daughter, Woya, the bird of peace, named after Sageeth’s mother. Loral had born her husband no children and Naman feared that his unearthly origins were the cause.

One day, Sageeth journeyed to Naman’s side of the river. At first, he was welcomed warmly by his best friend, but soon Naman found himself on the ground as Sageeth stood above him, wielding the blade of green stone given to him by Naman himself seasons ago. While his betrayal was surprising, it did not stop Dayak from defending his master. The older Sageeth was a more experienced fighter and was able to wound Dayak. While the wounds would heal in time, Dayak was too hurt to aid his chief and friend.

From the ground, Naman cried, “Sageeth, why are you doing this?”

“Why do you think, Naman? You are a god among men. You will surely conquer all tribes.”

“I have no such desires, my friend. I wish only to be a peaceful and helpful race.”

“Your intentions are good, but you are naïve. Have you not heard of the Mexica tribes of the South? They have built a great empire because they are powerful. I alone have the power to stop you from your inevitable reign of power.”

Sageeth took the blade and swung it down at Naman’s heart. Before it could reach its destination, Loral jumped in front of the blade, trying to block it, but the blade instead became lodged in her heart. Sageeth released the blade and stepped back, watching as Naman’s wife started to bleed profusely from the chest. A sudden bright light blinded his view, as the turquoise bracelet on Loral’s hand, a wedding gift from her mate, began to glow like the sun.

After the light receded, Loral now stood tall, and Naman joined her. The blade, now clear instead of green, lay on the ground, the sharp tip chipped off.

“How is this possible?”

Myora emerged from his tent. “Foolish Sageeth. I imbued that bracelet with many blessings.”

Loral continued, “My love for Naman has saved me through the power of my bracelet. The great spirits protect me. I can hear them whispering in my ear.”

Sageeth fled his tribal grounds, racing into the morning sun for days until he reached a great river where he joined another tribe of powerful warriors.

Many moons passed, and stories of the Koga tribes reached the Great River tribe. Dayak had been appointed chief of Sageeth’s former tribe. Loral bore a daughter for her husband, named Saasa. Sageeth found his own name had been cursed by the Koga, and it now meant traitor. But soon, messengers brought strange stories. Loral found herself able to become the mountain lion, the very animal her epithet was derived from. Her daughter, upon her coming of age, earned the ability to become a lovely songbird. Dayak’s son, Kalel, married her.

The people of Sageeth’s tribe were terrified. “Surely, they must be kawatche!” Skinwalkers. By winter, Naman’s tribe had adopted this name.

The news of Myora’s passing brought hope to Sageeth, who hoped with the shaman’s death, he could conquer Naman once and for all. Once again, after more than a generation, he journeyed to the Koga lands, hoping to find some of the green rock which would allow him to kill Naman.

Naman found him in a prairie, the very spot where the tournament for Saasa’s hand had taken place so many seasons ago. Since his exile, Sageeth had developed a limp and his eyes were beginning to fail him. His hair was silvery and sparse. Naman, on the other hand, had a full head of silvery hair. He skin showed the lines of age, but he stood tall and strong as the day Sageeth fled his traibe. Naman still spoke with the same timber he always had. “Sageeth, give it up. Loral used her bracelet on all of the green stones. The only one left is a small piece in her heart.”

“Then truly, there is no one in the world who can stop you.”

“Wrong. Before his death, Myora used some of the cave stone to cast a new dagger. The one who holds it will be given my power. Dayak holds it.”

“I will not rest until I place my hand on that dagger.”

“I would not. If you, or any other warrior deserving of the name Sageeth, is to ever place his hand upon that blade, it will turn to dust, and then truly will I have no equal. Now, leave this land. You are not welcome.”

* * *

Clark turned to face the small creature, Woyi, the leader. He walked proudly, giving no indication that he was intimidated by Clark towering over him. He asked, “Wait, so you are the Kenaki people?”

He nodded, “Yes, Clark, we are. These people took over our kingdom many years ago and enslaved us. They put these collars around our necks.”

Clark nodded, “But why wait until now?”

“We never had the opportunity. Plus, it was long-known that the Champions would save us.”

Clark laughed. “So, in other words, Jor-El actually did send us here to rescue the Kenaki. I feel bad for partying so long.”

“All is forgiven, son of Jor-El. Soon our society will be rebuilt, thanks to you and the Champions.”

“I can’t see how you can say that. Lex was a traitor. And Lana, she blindly followed him.”

“Had Lex not been here, Proditor would never have had become so megalomaniacal. It was his undoing.”

“One thing I don’t understand. How did Chloe not realize the… your captors… well weren’t actually… you, the real Kenaki?”

“Our captors… the name of their race they themselves have forgotten… they are strong of mind. They were easily able to deflect your friend’s empathy.”

“Oh. Wait, Chloe’s my…” The small Kenaki man gave Clark an unmistakable smirk. “You know?”

“We too are strong of mind.”

Clark looked queasy. “You can’t tell what’s going through my mind right now, can you?”

“If I desired so, I could. I’m not, out of respect. But, you are the one who brought her up…”

Clark sneered at Woyi, but his expression turned to embarrassed admission.

“I suppose then,” he said to Clark, “that you’re ready to return to Earth?”

“Yes, our families will be looking for us. But, what about Lex?”

“Fear not. We have a potion that will make his memories hazy for the last few days. He’ll believe it was nothing more than a dream.”

“You underestimate Lex’s paranoia.”

Woyi paused. “It would be no trouble for us to imprison him here.”

“No, that won’t work. You see, Lex is a very important and famous person back on Earth. If we go back without him, it will arouse suspicion. And his father will waste precious resources attempting to find his son.”

Woyi seemed prepared to respond, but he was interrupted by Pete racing to meet them, and, though out of breath, delivered his message, “We’ve got a problem. Lex has escaped.”

* * *

Lois kept her head downcast as she spoke to Groo, who stood very near her. “So,” she began uncomfortably, “I guess you’re going back to Pylea?”

“No, I am a slave there. The Kenaki are benevolent and will have nothing of it.”

“So,” she started suggestively, “maybe you could come back with me.”

“I’m afraid not.” Lois backed away and grimaced, so he added, reaching for her hand, “At least not immediately. Lois,” his pronunciation of her name was still off-kilter, though Lois grinned anyway, “I care deeply for you, but… I am bound by a code of honor. If I do not go out and save lives, like how my own life was saved, I could scarcely live with myself.”

“I always was a sucker for the selfless, stalwart, and valiant.”

“I’m afraid we never adopted those words on Pylea.”

Lois was forced to laugh. “You have ‘heroic’ right?” Groo nodded, but Lois averted her gaze again.

Groo took another step forward toward her, “Trust me. I couldn’t go forever without you.”

“Don’t go mushy on me now.”

There was a knock. “Am I interrupting anything?” came Chloe’s meek voice.

A firm “yes” was Lois’s initial reply. There was an exchange of glances between the cousins, and Lois relented. “Alright.”

Standing before Groo, she slid off her bracelet. “As my warrior proxy, I think you’re supposed to hold on to this.”

Groo took the bracelet, but also Chloe’s left hand. “Milady, this is your betrothal gift from your husband. It belongs to you. Whenever I am to take your place in battle, I will wear with honor.”

Clark’s not really my husband. There was a mix-up or something.”

Groo’s brow lowered in puzzlement, but he insisted, “You should still keep it, Clo-ee. Clark thinks very highly of you.”

“Still doesn’t make it a proposal.” She slid the bracelet onto her wrist and stroked it softly.

* * *

The transport room was circular, with a fifteen-foot tablet in the center, covered in thick glass. Around the edges of the wall, near the door was a long, elaborate control panel which Lex looked at frenziedly.

“Lex, it’s not worth it.”

Lex turned to see Lana standing in the doorway of the transport room.

“You escaped?”

“They let me free, Lex. Said I was just ‘a pawn in your little game.’”

Lex’s voice remained uptight. “Lana, listen, I’m sorry I deceived you. I truly care for you, but Kal-El is dangerous, and I knew you couldn’t handle the severity of killing him.” Lana remained quiet. Lex continued, “Do they know where I am?”

“Lex, the whole place is looking for you. You’re gonna be found.”

“And you’re going to let them?”

“Where am I going to hide you? Lex, I feel betrayed by Clark, too…”

“His name is Kal-El. Clark Kent is just a secret identity.”

“Okay, Lex, hear me out. We get back to Earth and you start spouting about how Clark is an alien. I seem to recall the last time that happened, you found yourself in Belle Reeve.”

Lex took Lana’s hand, “Not if you corroborate.”

“Lex, even if both of us start spouting that we’re abductees or whatever, we’ve been missing for several days. They’ve got words for that. ‘Shared psychological disorder’ or something.”

“A folie à deux? That’s not quite Psych 101.”

“I watched The X-Files with Chloe when she lived with me. The point is… what good will it do?”

Lex grabbed her arms and shook her, “It could stop Kal-El from taking over the planet! I have resources, Lana. We know his weaknesses. We can study him.”

“Study him? My God, Lex, Clark used to be your friend! You want to turn him into a lab rat? This isn’t you.”

“Actually, Lana, this is very much Lex.” Pete stood idly at the door. “Never figured you’d start jonesin’ after Baldy here. Guess some guys just got that psychopathic allure that women dig. Don’t try anything Lex. I don’t care how fast you can move, I’m armed and you’re not. And I’ve got backup.”

* * *

Chloe ran up to Clark, who was pacing in their shared room. “Lex is loose?”

“The Kenaki are turning the place up-side-down looking for him. It appears Beipanzhe had a surprise up his sleeve. He gave Lex some sort of device that disarms the handcuffs. They want me to stay away because they don’t know if he’s armed with kryptonite.” Clark shuffled restlessly from one foot to the other.

“And it looks like you think you’re missing out on the fun.”

Clark stood still. “I partially blame you. Lex is dangerous. And with you constantly pushing me into the search for truth, justice, and that kind of thing… add that to my savior-guilt complex. I always want to be part of the action. Is there something wrong with me.”

“Plenty. Just nothing you just said. In fact, you kinda just told me you want be a hero. Some of us like that kind of thing in a guy.” She smiled coyly.

Clark paused and commented, “You’ve still got the bracelet. I thought you were going to give it to Groo.”

Chloe’s smile fell, apparently not getting the response she was hoping for. She replied, “Wouldn’t take it. Says it’s my betrothal gift from you.”

“We oughta tell him we’re not married.”

“I did. I think he’s still holding out for us.”

Clark just swallowed in response. “Everyone’s a romantic.” Chloe didn’t know how he pulled it off, but she didn’t notice Clark’s arm moving until she felt him slide his hand into hers.

Chloe didn’t reply. She simply stepped towards Clark, standing only inches from him and tilted her head to look straight into his eyes. Taking the hint, he stepped forward, closing any distance left between them, and tilted his head forward.

“Clark, Chloe,” Woyi stated, standing at the door. Chloe turned her head away, a frustrated smirk on her face. With a sigh, Clark nodded. “We captured Lex in the transport room. We are bringing the serum for him and Lana.”

Chloe turned. “Lana?”

“She led us to Lex, but now she’s refusing to cooperate. She won’t allow us to erase Lex’s memories. So, we’re going to erase hers, too.”

Lex and Lana stood on the far side of the transport room, embracing as they shot suspicious glances toward the half-dozen Kenaki guarding them. Woyi, Clark, and Chloe approached Pete, who was watching from outside the door.

“Hey, guys, you’re missing the action.”

With concern, Clark asked, “They said they’re going to drug Lana, too?”

“Yeah, I know. The plan is to have Lois go invisible and use some kind of syringe on them.”

Chloe was almost incredulous. “But Lana?”

“She’s still convinced she can talk Lex out of revealing your secret. Look, it’s not like she’s gonna care about us erasing her memories after we drug her.” He paused to look at Chloe’s wrist. “Hey, Chlo, you’re glowing again.”

Initially, Chloe’s hand moved to her stomach. But, after realizing what Pete meant, she shook off the thought, and stared at her wrist, hoping no one had noticed her brief confusion. “Uh, that could mean anything.”

Suddenly, the glassy top of the round platform that dominated the room began to glow like Chloe’s bracelet. The Kenaki guards fled the room, passing Lois, who turned invisible. “I’m going in,” her disembodied voice announced.

Clark, Chloe, and Pete chased after Lois, hoping to protect her from whatever was happening with the tablet in the room.

A second later, the entire room flashed with a sudden blinding light and all six of the Champions of Kal-El were gone.

Woyi stood solemnly. “Who activated the transporter?”

“It activated on its own. They were sent back to Earth. I think it was the Loral bracelet,” one of the technicians stated.

“Was Lois successfully in drugging Lex and Lana?” His question was answered when one of the guards brought back the two syringes, still filled with the yellow liquid. “Then good luck, Champions.”

* * *

A dozen FBI agents carrying metal detectors, X-ray goggles, and other high-tech devices deliberately and determinedly searched every square inch of the Kawatche caves. Many took notes and pictures of the various petroglyphs. Outside the caves, behind yellow police tape, were at least fifteen officers of Smallville PD, holding back a crowd of about fifty reporters from various Kansas and national television stations and newspapers. Lionel Luthor spoke with one of the officers, and with Martha Kent in tow, slipped into the cave.

A stocky man with a moustache and FBI jacket turned, “Mr. Luthor, please, we’re trying to work here.”

“I understand. I’m not trying to interfere; we just want to have our sons back. Please, just a short update.”

The agent sighed. “Still no leads. We’re doing our best.”

Lionel nodded and turned around. Martha pulled away and thanked the agent.

“You’re welcome, Sen. Kent. Now, please, if anything happens, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Hey, Zolomon,” an agent called from the far side of a cave, “we just got a huge surge of ultra-high frequency radiation from behind this wall.”

“My men in danger, Flores?”

“Nah, we’re not made of the right molecules for this stuff to affect us. But there’s something funky goin’ on behind this wall.”

“We’re standing in a federally protected area. We can’t knock out that wall unless we can prove there’s something behind that wall worth digging for. Get an X-ray on it. I want to know what’s happening in that cavern.”

~

A/N: I know. I’m a horrible author for making you wait two months. School started up again is all I can say. But I’m making it up to you. I briefly mentioned a sequel to this story? I promise to write it.

Oh, and I totally beat the writers to the Sexana, didn’t I?

^_^ - Holy Q-word! Everything did go down. Not enough Hot!Chloe, though.

Chapter 8: Spectacle

©2006 Godeerc VanDrey Enterprises, Inc. Created Tuesday, August 22, 2006. Finished Friday, October 20, 2006.

No comments: