Under Siege
David J. Duncan
July 2002

Rating: R for language and violence. (Warning: Incidents of child abuse are referred to in the
text.)

Notes: The characters from "Forever Knight" belong to Sony Tri-Star. The characters from
"Xena Warrior Princess" belong to StudiosUSA and Renaissance Studios. The characters from
"Smallville" belong to the WB, and DC Comics. The characters from "Mutant X" belong to Tribune
and Marvel Studios. The characters from "Dark Angel" belong to their copyright holders. All
other characters are fictitious and are of my creation. Please send comments to
dante0220@yahoo.com



Prologue [A rise overlooking the reconstruction of the Amazon village]

Gabrielle, Bard-Queen of the Amazons, writes....

It's good to watch this scene unfold in this
fashion. For several weeks after the battle, the
village had remained in ruins. Now, as with the
phoenix, new structures have appeared to replace
the destroyed ones. Soon, we'll be able to move
in again...

In this scroll, I tell the tale of how tragedy
almost derailed our friends' dream before it
began...and how, after so very long, a little
girl lost was at last found again.


(Additional Note: The dream flashback in this chapter occurred at the end of "Return to
Nurrengaard")

Chapter 1 [Smallville, Kansas]

The late summer night blanketed the town in the
heartland. After the heat of the day, the cool
breeze had relaxed the inhabitants, allowing them
to sleep. One notable exception was going on
over on the western side of town. There, in a
small rented room, a young woman thrashed back
and forth on her bed. Her cheeks were flushed
with a crimson hue and her brunette hair lay damp
and plastered against her face.

As with other nights during the past two weeks,
she had the same nightmare. Over and over again,
she saw herself as a little girl of about
eighteen months in a very dark place.
Surrounding her were these monsters...hideous and
slightly hunched over with menacing looks on
their faces. She felt herself being carried by
an adult woman with a sad smile and long brown
hair. After that, she and the lady were ripped
from each other. The latter was tied to some
stone slab. Then, a large demon loomed over the
lady with an elaborate dagger poised to stab her.
Watching the whole scene, a man with dark hair
and a beard sat on his throne.

Then the ruckus started as two intruders bullied
their way into the area. One was short and well
muscled with long brown hair and a deadly ax.
The other was just under six feet tall with dark
brown hair and fired his bow repeatedly, emptying
his arrows into the monsters. In response, the
dark haired man rose from his perch and blasted
these two with energy from his hands.

"Unca!" she heard herself cry out.

At that moment, "Unca" rose from the floor. His
mouth was contorted in a ghastly grin, and his
right eye was closed. A deep throaty chuckle
escaped his lips as he started to exchange blasts
with the dark bearded man. From him, she could
feel something wicked and cruel emanating
throughout the room. His right hand sent a
glowing burst into his adversary knocking him
into the way of the descending blade.

"This isn't over...Dubois," the dying man
muttered and gasped his last breath.

****

The radio's alarm buzzer jolted the woman awake.
Sitting up in bed, she could feel herself shaking
and the sweat across her brow.

"Why do I keep dreaming this same scene over and
over again?" she wondered, wiping her face off
with a blue hand towel by her bed. Staring in
the mirror, she examined her face and felt the
familiar scar on her chin. For as long as she
could remember, the two inch long scar had
elicited questions from her classmates and now,
her co-workers at the Talon. "Somehow, I know
the dream is tied to this scar. How? And who is
this Dubois guy? That's a new twist. Okay,
Miri, get a grip. You have to be at work in an
hour and a half." With that admonition, she
jumped into the shower and steamed away the
feelings for the day at least.

****

Right at 5:15, Lana Lang let herself into the
little café inside of the former Talon movie
theater. Despite the struggle to convince Nell
and Lex Luthor to keep this place open and
running, she felt that the sense of nostalgia,
not to mention the sounds of happy customers and
the busy register, made everything worthwhile.
For the past two and a half years, she and Lex
had worked together to insure the café's success,
surpassing her own wildest dreams in the process.

After graduation, everything had changed. While
the Talon had provided her with a focus during
school, it was time to move on. Nell would be
back from Metropolis in a couple of days to
resume day to day operations so that she could
leave for college.

"It's so hard to believe that in just a week,
Clark and I will be going to Tucson again," she
sighed deeply and shook her head. Just another
way that everything had changed, she supposed.
Just two months earlier, she and Clark had
arranged a visit to the University of Arizona and
a personalized orientation. Once they got there,
everything went to Hell as a rouge group called
the GSA attacked, kidnapping Dr. Angela Dubois,
Dr. Adam Zero, and herself and holding them at a
place called Genomex. Despite the situation,
Lana had held her own and forged a bond with Dr.
Dubois, who she discovered was also Xena, the
legendary Warrior Princess. Most shocking of
all, she discovered why Clark had been so
mysterious as he used his powers in front of her
for the first time to save her life.

Upon their return, the two teenagers had
explained everything to the Kents and almost
everything to her aunt. With the help of the
Duboises, they convinced the latter group to let
them study there.

Admittedly, the Kents were a little dismayed at
first at Clark's decision to reveal his true
nature to her. However, Lana was adamant that
she would keep his secret no matter what and made
that very clear to his parents.

At that moment, a knocking at the door broke her
reverie. "Huh? Oh, Miri!" Walking over to the
door, she allowed the slightly older woman into
the place. "How's everything going? Did you get
any sleep?"

"Some," the other conceded, letting out a yawn.
"I had that dream again."

Lana shook her head as she started a coffee pot
going. Her friend had graduated a year ahead of
her, but she was so mysterious. For years, her
parents hadn't been able to have kids or adopt
one for various reasons. Then, at the age of
nine, Miranda, or Miri as she liked to be called,
appeared in Smallville, and, as with Clark, she
remained secretive. Rumors had swirled about the
girl, but both Lana and Nell had always liked
her. Still, these chronic visions had always
bothered her one way or another. "Are you ever
going to tell me about them?"

"If you're ready to listen," Miranda finally
relented, accepting the steaming cup from her
friend. "I see myself as a toddler in this dark
place with monsters all around me. There is this
woman with long brown hair holding me. Then,
she's about to be sacrificed by the monsters.
Suddenly, these guys burst in. There's a
fight...and something weird happened to the
taller of the two intruders. He changed
somehow."

"Changed?" Lana wondered. "As in physically?"

"No," Miri continued, sipping her coffee. "This
is gonna sound really crazy."

Lana shrugged. "Try me. We live here,
remember?"

"Well, the guy shuddered and started to snarl
like a rabid dog or something. Then, he got up
with this slasher type look on his face, ready to
kill."

Lana nodded, feeling an incredible sensation of
deja vu. "This guy. What did he do?"

"Okay, he was slurring in this deep Southern
accent and firing some sort of energy pulses at
the monsters," Miri noted. "Why?" Seeing Lana's
eyes widen, she asked, "What is it?"

"Was there anything else?" Lana pressed.

"Yeah. I kept calling out to him as "Uncle".
Also, as the head monster died, he called
him...."

"Dubois," Lana guessed.

Miri almost dropped her coffee. "That's right!
How?"

Lana got up and began to straighten up the
counters before the rush came in. "The man...was
he almost six feet tall with dark brown hair?"

"Yes," Miri agreed in confusion.

"And the brown haired woman, what was her name?"
Lana continued.

The older woman scratched her head. "It's so
fuzzy, but I think I remember...Amanda. No, that
wasn't it."

"Angela, right?"

Miri stood up. "Yes. That's it, but how could
you have known?"

Lana sighed. "You know how we've always wondered
about our real parents and all that? You
remember when Clark and I went to Arizona?"

The other nodded. "Sure...and that was some
adventure from what you told me. Funny, I
remember feeling flashes of pain for some reason
during that time. In fact, that's when I started
having the visions again. What does that have to
do with anything?"

"Miri, I can't swear to this, but I think I know
your uncle. He's a professor at the university
where Clark and I are going," Lana postulated.

"What if you're wrong, Lana? There are a lot of
Duboises out there!" Miri protested, starting
another of her meditative techniques.

"True, but I think that there aren't that many
David Duboises out there who look like your dream
man, can do what he does, and have the same
issues. His wife's name is Angela. Kind of cuts
down on the possibilities, doesn't it?" Lana
explained.

Miri paced about the room. For the past fourteen
years, she had wanted to know who her true family
was. Now, after so much questioning, the answer
might be in front of her. "Can I meet him?" she
asked.

"Actually, they're coming here to help Clark and
me move in a few days. Let me talk to Clark and
maybe we can arrange something at his folks'
house," Lana agreed.

"Please do," Miri concurred, tying on her apron
and getting ready for the customers. "I would
really like that!"

Lana smiled warmly. For once, she was going to
do something for her friends instead of the other
way around.


Chapter 2 [Tucson]

Dave walked across campus feeling a bit depressed
and moody. Oh sure, his plans for the upcoming
semester were proceeding along well and
everything was going all right. The day was
bright and sunny with a nice breeze. Francesca
would be meeting him in about an hour for lunch.
In just a couple of days, he and Angie would be
heading for Smallville to meet up with Clark and
Lana. Everything seemed to be coming together.

Yet that day, August 10th, had always been a
difficult one in the Dubois family. Fourteen
years before, his sister-in-law, Terri, had taken
her small daughter, Miranda, shopping for
clothes. The department store in question
bustled with shoppers of all kinds. For an hour,
the two looked at cute dresses, trying to make up
their minds. Then, tragedy struck. As Terri
turned her back for a minute, a medium built man
grabbed the little girl.

The frantic mother gave chase, quickly catching
up to the kidnapper.

The man pulled a gun and shot her in the chest
before he escaped into the parking lot, taking
the little girl with him.

For Randy Dubois, Dave's brother, it was an
excruciating night. Already reeling over the
kidnapping, he sat with his wife as the latter
slipped away in a hospital bed. "Find our baby,"
she whispered with her dying breath.

For years, Steve Petersen pulled every rock and
stone looking for her yet he always came up
empty. Despite these failures, he had sworn to
both Randy and Dave that the Bureau would keep
looking.

****

Once in his office, Dave plopped himself into the
soft chair. Opening the top drawer, he pulled
out a picture of Miranda and him taken just a
week prior to the kidnapping. Seeing her face
brought the old feelings of guilt and he heard
the Child growling in his head. A tear creased
his left cheek. "Some day, Miri. Some day, I'll
find you, Sweetie."

Then, a knocking came from the door. "David, it's
Eve. Can I come in?"

"All right," he sighed, placing the picture on
the desk and watching the Religion professor
enter the room. "What can I do for you?" he
asked, forcing a smile onto his face.

She took the guest chair and assessed him for a
moment. While he always had something on his
mind, her friend seemed so sad on that particular
day. During her meditation, she felt his pain
and the need to help him. "What is it, David?"

"Just another of my anniversary days," he
groused, sipping on a cup of cherry tea.

"What kind of anniversary?" she probed, looking
around the office for a clue. Then, she spied
the picture. "Who is that? Can I see?"

For a moment, he almost said no, but slowly, he
handed it to her.

Watching the effort that this action took, she
knew this was very dear to him. Noting the
little girl in the picture, she remembered Angie
telling her about the situation last year. "This
is your niece, isn't it? She's beautiful."

"Thank you," he expressed, releasing another deep
sigh. "You know, I went through the Pit after
her and got her back. But, I can't find her
here!" He slammed his fist on a corner of the
desk, scattering papers everywhere. "Where is
she, Eve? Why can't we find her?"

"You will," she maintained. "Be strong."

He snorted. "I always have to be strong. No
letdown for me. If I do, whammo! The Child
takes out everything in his path. Eve, every year
it gets harder for us to have hope."

She nodded. "I know, but you have to hang on to
your faith. Pardon me." She embraced him and
urged, "It's all right. Let it out before it
forces the change."

Surprisingly fast, his guard dropped and the
tears flowed. For several minutes, he released
his emotions in a big burst. Then, as quickly as
the emotional monsoon had flared up, it abated.
"Thanks. I'm sorry you had to see that."

She smiled and rubbed his shoulder. "That's what
friends are for. You've come so far, and been
such a help to me. It's my pleasure to help you
too."

"I agree. At some point, I'm going to run across
her, and..." he started, a vision interrupting
his train of thought. In his mind, he saw his
young friends, Clark and Lana, holed up in an
office area with two other girls whose faces he
couldn't see....

"What is it?" she asked fearfully, not knowing
what to expect.

"I just had a vision of our two new students.
They're going to be in trouble," he revealed.
"It's in the future. Somehow, I know that much."

"Well, you and Angie are going to be there on
Friday," she told him. "Hopefully, you'll be
there in enough time to prevent any trouble."

"I hope so too," he concurred, taking a gulp of
tea. "I hope so too."

****

Across campus, Angie sat in her office with a
stack of unread reports on her desk. As with her
husband, she felt the effects of the anniversary
poignantly. Their niece was a source of joy,
always bubbly and warm. Every year, it was tough
to get through the day, supporting him as she
dealt with her own feelings. Still, she needed
to get through the day no matter how tough that
proved.

At that point, a knock came from the door.

Forcing her professional façade to the surface,
she called out, "Yes?"

"Angie, it's Natalie. Can I come in?" Natalie
LeBeau requested.

"Sure. It's open," she agreed, relaxing into her
chair.

The coroner walked into the office and shut the
door behind her. "What's up?"

"Oh, the usual stuff," Angie supposed.

Her visitor chuckled. "You have that look of
Nick's when he's hiding something. C'mon, Angie.
You and Dave have been depressed the last couple
of days. What is it?"

"I suppose Nick senses it too, huh?"

"Actually, he and I both thought I should drop
by," Nat revealed. "I expect Dave to have his
mood-fests, but you?"

Angie shook her head sadly. "This is a hard day
for both of us, Natalie. Did we ever tell you
about how Dave saved Karen, Miri, and me from
Lousain the first time?" Seeing the other nod,
she continued, "Today's the anniversary of the
day Miri disappeared."

Natalie's jaw dropped. "Oh. Angie, I'm so
sorry."

"That's okay," she excused. "I think I'm going
to book off early. Do you think that Nick and
Alyce could drop by? Or maybe we could go over
to the Loft? Eve's going to be watching the
twins. I don't want Dave to be alone tonight,
and I need some friends around us."

The medical examiner hugged her friend
reassuringly. "He wanted to invite you all over
to his place. Steve warned me that this was one
of those red flag days, but didn't tell me why.
He knows, then?"

"He's used every connection to try and find her,"
Angie told her. "As usual, he's the most loyal
friend one could want, Natalie."

"I couldn't agree more," Natalie concurred, a
smile coming to her face. "Hey, let's go out to
lunch on me. You look like you need it."

"Okay," Angie agreed and stood up.

Then the phone rang.

"Who?" she wondered, picking up the receiver.
"This is Dr. Dubois."

"Dr. Dubois, hi, this is Lana Lang from
Smallville. I'm sorry, is this a bad time?" Lana
wondered.

Despite her mood, Angie was glad to hear from her
friend. "Of course not. What's on your mind?
Do you have a question?"

"Well...actually, I might have a bit of a weird
situation here. There's somebody here who is
having visions of a dark place," Lana started.
"A place with trolls and some black haired guy
with a beard."

The description forced chills up and down Angie's
spine. "Lana, what else was there?"

"She's right here. I'll let you talk to her,"
Lana indicated.

"H...Hello," another female voice came over
hesitantly.

At the sound of the voice, Angie tensed even
more. It was so hauntingly familiar. "Hi, who
am I speaking to?"

"I'm sorry to trouble you, Ma'am. My name is
Miranda Arighatto, and the visions are mine,"
Miri responded.

Angie signaled to Natalie to sit back down and
collected herself. While she was in no mood for
a hoax, she knew that Lana wouldn't do something
like that. For her own sake, she needed to know
more. "That's okay, Miranda. What else can you
tell me about your visions?"

"Well, it's pretty much as Lana said except for
four things. I see a really short determined guy
with a beard, and an ax. Then, there's a sad
woman who's comforting me against the monsters.
I'm only a baby in this dream for some reason.
Finally, there's this guy who's shooting the
beasts with a bow. The bearded guy hits him with
some bright light. There's a demon who stabs him
with some knife. I call him "uncle" and..."

Angie's face turned white. Somehow, the woman
was describing the scene from the Pit. "What
happened? It's okay, but I need to know."

Collecting herself and glancing over at Lana and
Clark, Miri continued, "He changed. It was the
scariest thing I've ever seen in my life. His
eye closed and he snarled with this deep
accent...Southern accent. He blasted the bearded
guy into the way of some sacrifice-looking event.
He died instead of the woman. Can you tell me
what it means?"

Angie sobbed loudly, trembling. "Oh, goodness."

Natalie jumped up, wondering what was going on,
and wanting to help.

"I'm sorry, but I need to know what that means,"
the young woman pushed. "Why do I have these
dreams?"

Angie started to hum the lullaby she sang so long
ago.

"That's it! How? I...." Miri wondered. Then,
it hit her. "You...you were the woman with me!"
Realizing this, she began to cry herself.

"Miri-Ma?" Angie asked, not wanting to believe it
despite the fact that all of the clues were
sitting right in front of her.

"That's right, but only my real father and uncle
knew that nickname! I can't believe it...Auntie
Angie is that you?"

The doctor broke down, crying a few tears of
happiness. "Yes, Sweetie, it's me. Oh, you don't
know how happy this is going to make your uncle
and me! Are you in Smallville? Is there anyway
you can stay there for a couple of days?"

"Sure. You are coming then?" Miri wondered.

"We'll be there sooner than you think," Angie
assured her. "Trust me, you won't be able to
keep your uncle away now even if Hell were in our
way."

Recalling the vision, she shuddered. "Can I talk
to you again?"

"I'll call you tonight, okay? Can you put Lana
back on? And Miri, we love you."

"I love you too," the girl noted, handing the
phone back to Lana.

"Dr. Dubois?" Lana asked. "Is she your niece?"

"It seems that way. Listen, are you going to be
at home? I want to call back tonight."

"I'll be at Nell's," the prospective student
agreed. "I'll have Miranda there too."

"Great. Oh, this is going to make Professor
Dubois so happy!" Angie exclaimed. "Well, I got
to tell him the news. Can you have Clark keep an
eye on her?"

"We both will," Lana concluded. "I'll look
forward to your call." With that, she hung up.

Angie slowly hung up on her end and looked at
Natalie.

"What is it? What happened?" the coroner
demanded. "Who was that?"

"It was Miri. Somehow, she's found us. She's in
Smallville and waiting for us," Angie declared,
laughing.

"Are you sure this isn't a hoax?"

"Nobody knows about the Pit in such
detail-certainly not a girl of that age.
Natalie, she described it in such detail. She
knew the lullaby and Dave's pet nickname for her!
I...I can't..." the oncologist continued,
breaking down with tears of joy. "C'mon, let's
go get Dave and Steve! They need to know!"

Natalie agreed and followed her out of the
office, smiling at the prospect of good news.

****
[Smallville]

Lana hung up the phone and turned to face her
Clark and Miri. "I'm so happy for you, Miranda!"
she cheered, hugging her friend.

"I...I can't believe it!" Miranda exclaimed.
"After all of these years. Listen, both of you,
I am so grateful that you both were there for me
through everything. You don't how much it means
to me."

The two orphans exchanged glances before
returning their gaze to her.

"Oh, I think we do," he stated. "But hey, you're
going to have two families now, right?"

"I guess." She winced, knowing how protective her
stepfather could be. Despite her age, he still
treated her like a child during his visits from
Metropolis. "He isn't going to like this."

"Well, it's not for him to say," Clark advised.
"You're twenty, so you're old enough to make your
own decisions. Besides, the Duboises are family
to you...your original family."

"They're going to call again tonight. Can you
come over for dinner tonight, Miranda?" Lana
requested.

"You bet I'll be there. Well, I need to practice
my martial arts for a while. I want a clear mind
when I speak to my uncle. Thank you, Lana."
With that, Miranda put away her apron and walked
out of the Talon.

Lana embraced him, her eyes twinkling up into
his. There was a special magic in the air at the
Talon once again. Accordingly, they decided to
enjoy it together for the moment, basking in its
special nature.



Chapter 3 [Genomex]

Mason Eckhart sat behind his desk, pensively
plotting his next move. For the past few months,
most of the GSA's efforts had been directed at
keeping the FBI at bay. The Dubois fiasco had
cost the agency a great deal in terms of secrecy
and credibility. Worse still, the repeated
efforts to find Adam's accursed hideout had
failed, causing him a great deal of stress. For
some reason, his memory of certain events
remained hazy. His efforts with the agency's
counselors were getting results, but it was going
so slowly.

Then a buzzing came from his intercom. "Yes?" he
asked impatiently.

"Mr. Eckhart, Lionel Luthor's here to see you,"
his assistant informed him.

A smile creased his face. Luthor was one of his
biggest supporters throughout this recent mess.
"Please send him in."

As the doors slid open, he rose from his chair to
greet the visitor. "Lionel, how are you?"

"Fine, Mason. I have a situation in Smallville
with Lex, but otherwise, everything is in
control. Your call sounded urgent," the
businessman replied.

Eckhart frowned. While he knew that his plans
would benefit his visitor as well as himself, the
GSA's contacts had informed him that Lex Luthor
was a friend to both Clark Kent and Lana Lang,
thereby creating a potential problem for any
operations. "We're getting ready to launch an
investigation of Smallville, Lionel. There's
been a great deal of...shall I say...abnormal
activity there."

Luthor allowed a smile to flicker across his
lips. He too had heard about strange things
happening in Smallville and, in one case,
witnessed one such "meteor-mutation" hold his
plant hostage. "Yes...well, it's a unique place.
I have one favor to ask of you, Mason."

Guessing at the other's intent, the white haired
man nodded. "I will order my men to stay away
from your son and your operations of course."

"Thank you," the visitor replied pleasantly.
While he enjoyed initiative on the part of his
friends, he had to maintain the integrity of his
operations. "And I appreciate your letting me
know about this. Hopefully, this will get Lex to
move back to Metropolis."

At that moment, Eckhart felt a flash of
recognition pop into his head. Somehow, the
conversation with Lionel had triggered something.
"Yes, that would be a good thing, I suppose."

"Are you all right?" Luthor asked.

"Yes, in fact, I just remembered something I have
to do," the administrator told the other man, a
grin forming on his face.

In spite of himself, Luthor shuddered. Usually
when Eckhart grinned like that, someone was about
to get it. "Very well," he excused himself,
shaking the other's gloved hand. "You know where
to find me if you would like assistance. Good
day."

After his guest had left the area, Eckhart sat
back behind his desk and rubbed his hands
together. For some reason, the mental block in
his mind had been suddenly lifted. "Griffin!" he
hissed, realizing who had done this to him. When
the opportunity arose, he would make that
anomaly's life miserable to say the least. More
importantly, however, valuable information
started to come back to him...including the
location of Mutant X's hideout.

He remembered how to get there and the security
overrides.

Pressing the intercom, he ordered. "This is Mr.
Eckhart. I need Mr. Samson, Ms. Peckenpaugh, and
Mr. Tomko to report to my office immediately."

Like a cat circling a bird, his grin grew in
anticipation. "Soon, Adam, I'll have you and
your outlaw band," he vowed. "All of you."

****

[Mutant X Sanctuary]

Despite the fact that the previous week had been
quiet, Adam's nerves were on edge. It was like
the calm before the storm. Due to the close call
the team had when Griffin led the GSA to them,
the leader had agreed to allow Toni Quintana and
Dave Dubois rig up an alarm to their machines in
Arizona. If the security was compromised or
files were downloaded to a computer with a GSA IP
address, the alarm would be sounded in the
desert. Much to his relief, the final
connections had been made only an hour before and
tested to insure they didn't compromise the
firewall.

Around the Sanctuary, most of the lights were
off. Tomorrow would be another training day as
they all needed to stay sharp in case Eckhart
tried something. As he passed by the stairs, he
noticed that Jesse was still working away despite
the hour. Walking up to the next level, he
asked, "Still at it, huh?"

"Yeah," the density mutant replied, turning from
the monitor. "Toni and Dave have everything set.
I was just running some sensor sweeps to make
sure that everything was in order."

The older man wondered, "And?"

"Everything's great. It's nice to know that we
have backup," Jesse stated prophetically.

As if on cue, the lights flickered and the
computer monitors went dark. The backup
generator kicked on, but then, it too went out.

"What in?" the younger man wondered.

"Get the others, now!" Adam yelled, realizing the
cause. Somehow, the GSA had found them again.
There was no time to lose. Pushing buttons
wildly, he initiated a system wide wipe of the
files.

Shalimar leapt into the area from the hallway.
"Adam! What the Hell's going on?"

Around the corner, they could see Brennan bolt
into the area; rapidly firing energy bursts at
the intruders. "Who let them in here?"

"They broke in. Somehow, Griffin's mind block
must have worn off," the leader supposed.

"Yeah, well, we're outnumbered, Chief!" the
electrical mutant informed him, firing another
burst and taking out the two GSA agents coming
around the corner.

Then the rest of the invading force broke into
the atrium, surrounding the platform where they
stood. Off to the edge of the group, they could
see Emma and Jesse being herded away with their
hands bound and the telltale governors on them.

Adam looked at the deletion sequence. Half of
the database was gone, but how would they buy the
time needed to finish the job and rescue their
friends?

From the mass of his well-dressed shock troops,
Eckhart strutted to the bottom of the stairs.
"Adam, what was yours is now mine again. You've
lost."

"Not yet," Brennan argued, shooting off bursts
from his hands and taking out several more
agents.

"As much as I admire the attitude, Mr. Mulwray,
you're finished," the chief adversary disagreed.

As their enemies encircled them, the remaining
three prepared themselves for the final assault.

****

[Tucson-About twenty minutes earlier]

Nick walked about his living room, taking in the
sights of his friends' conversation and
fellowship. The night had gone much better than
he had anticipated. Although a bit of gloom
still hung over the air, the mood was a
productive one. The potluck meal had gone
quickly. Deirdre meditated in the corner. Angie
and Francesca talked with their new friend, Max.
Dave and Toni Quintana tweaked her laptop
connection. Due to recent events, they had
decided to have a backup alarm in case the GSA
got too close. While they hoped it was a
redundancy, one could never be too sure.

Finally, Dave stood and remarked, "It's done."

"You said it," the blonde cracker agreed,
reaching for a glass of wine. "Between the
laptop and your office computer, that was an
afternoon that went fast."

"So, what does that thing do?" Francesca
wondered. "I saw you two working in his office
this afternoon."

"It's a relay alarm back to Adam's computer
system in Sanctuary," the professor declared.
"If security's breached, we'll know about it."
Pouring himself a drink, he sat down next to his
wife.

"I thought he was super paranoid," Max supposed.
"How did you manage that one?"

"He trusts us," Toni informed him. "Besides, the
only way that something would happen is if
Eckhart were to break in."

"That's not likely," Angie doubted.

At that moment, the recently installed light
began to flash bright red.

"Ummm...like that?" Steve wondered.

Everyone stared at the alarm beacon. Sure
enough, things had been too quiet.

"Damn!" Dave hissed, jumping out of the chair and
raising his hand. From across the room, his bow
and quiver flew into his waiting grasp.
"Speaking of which..."

"Maybe it's a false alarm," Francesca offered.

The medievalist grabbed the back of his neck as
pain shot up and down his spine. "Arrggh...Not
bloody likely!"

Angie grabbed his arm in a panic. "Emma?"

He nodded. "She's been taken. They put a
governor on her."

Deirdre stood and stated, "Give the signal,
Papa."

"In a minute, Kiddo," he advised. "Angie, why
don't you and Francesca go home? Can you see if
you can find our two warriors, will you?"

The two female academics exchanged glances.
While the excuse was high on the lameness meter,
it did give them an opening. Bolting out the
door, the duo made their way down the stairs to
the car. Once there, they made sure the coast
was clear before initiating the transformation
into Xena and Gabrielle.

"C'mon," the Warrior Princess urged, running back
up the stairs.

"I'm right behind you," her companion assured
her.

Less than a minute later, they rushed back into
the room to find that the young priestess had
already opened the portal. Nick, Max, and Dave
were waiting for them.

"Hey," Max declared. "Now that they're here, can
we go?"

"You bet," Dave agreed. "You all ready?"

"Let's deal with that slime," Xena remarked
grimly, chakram at the ready.

"Deirdre, when you open the portal, flood the
other side with the mist," her father instructed,
drawing an arrow with a small colored bulb and a
wick on the tip. "This is for color."

"What do you need the arrows for?" the transgenic
soldier wondered.

"A flourish," he replied flippantly before
jumping into the mists just behind Xena and
Gabrielle. "Steve?"

"I'm right behind you, Bud," the agent assured
him, checking his weapons. After giving Nat one
last look, he vanished into the mists.

"After you," Nick said to Max.

"Thanks," she accepted, entering the smoky
tunnel.

After the former Crusader had brought up the
rear, Deirdre closed it behind them. No sense in
letting the enemy have a backdoor.


Chapter 4 [Mutant X Sanctuary]

Eckhart's forces continued to close in on Adam,
Brennan, and Shalimar. To their credit, the
latter two kept fighting, driving the agents
back. However, they were starting to tire,
having expended their powers over such a long
period. Finally, their opponents overwhelmed
them, knocking them to the floor before sticking
governors on them as well.

"Finally," the administrator huffed. "Give it
up, Adam."

"No way," the Mutant X denied. "I just wiped out
all of the data and infected the computers with a
virus. You've got nothing, Mason. There was
also a homing beacon built into the system.
Help's on the way."

"He's bluffing, Mr. Eckhart," Tomko retorted.
"The system diagnostic from this afternoon showed
nothing of the kind."

At that moment, several gunshots in the air
interrupted the conversation.

"Who would?" Eckhart wondered, staring at the
doorway.

From there, Steve walked in, a gun in his right
hand and his badge in the left. "Good evening,
everyone. Agent Petersen, FBI. Now, whatever
are you Genetic Security Agent types doing here?
I thought you were supposed to be shut down
during the probe into your dealings." Priming
both guns, he continued, "I guess this shows what
you think of the law, doesn't it?"

Eckhart scoffed. "Really, Petersen, you've been
around your friend too much. Coming in here
alone against us? You're a fool."

Hearing the mental alarm in his head go off, the
agent hoped that everyone was in position. In
the dim reflective light of the intruders'
flashlights, he could make out Max skulking
around the edges. Nick levitated along the west
wall. He knew that Xena and Gabrielle were
crouched in back of him, the former holding her
chakram at the ready. Finally, Dave floated high
above the scene, ready to fire as needed. "Who
says I'm alone?" With that, he bent over low.

The warrior grinned and flung her weapon. The
metallic disc ricocheted off of several metal
panels and still more agents' heads before
returning to her hand.

"Xena!" Adam realized.

"Yeah, it's me all right," she concurred,
stepping into the open. "Come on, I can use a
good workout."

Then, the group heard a dark chuckling from
above. "Hey, guys. We've got ya surrounded."
Looking up, they saw Dave levitating in midair,
his hands glowing brightly, revealing the dark
smile on his face. "Now, why did you have to
screw everything up by showing up uninvited and
all? Tsk, tsk! Hey, Steve, what do we do with
uninvited nerds?"

"We throw 'em out on their asses," his friend
concurred, glaring at their adversaries.

"Damn straight," Dave agreed.

"We have the numbers and there are only three of
you against fifty of us," Eckhart bellowed.

"That didn't matter back at Genomex, Whitey,"
Dave disagreed. "And it won't matter now!"
Allowing his hands to cool off, he lit and fired
a special shaft into the agents' numbers. "A
present from me."

The projectile exploded in their midst, covering
the area with a thick choking smoke.

The professor counted to five before yelling,
"Everyone into the pool! The one who kicks the
least amount of GSAss buys the first round back
home!"

"You're on!" Max cracked, leaping into the fray.
Moving quickly, she took out enemies left and
right. Seeing an agent abusing Shalimar, she
leapt to her fellow feral's side and smacked the
agent holding her down. Nobody was going to beat
on a like-minded genetic soldier like herself if
she could help it.

Xena gyrated, flipped, kicked, punched, and
cracked her way through the opponents. Before
her, they fell like so much wheat.

Gabrielle's staff found more than a few heads.

Nick and Dave fought back to back taking out the
remainder of the enemy.

After a few minutes, the GSA agents were out for
the count, strewn across the floor like so many
rag dolls. Unfortunately, Eckhart and his chief
lieutenants were nowhere to be found.

"Are you okay, Adam?" Dave wondered.

"Yeah. You all really saved the day," he
coughed.

"I'll say," Brennan agreed, wincing from having
his hands bound.

"Hang on a minute," Xena advised and using her
dagger, cut his hands free.

"Thanks," the electrical mutant expressed.
"Adam, can you?"

"Just a minute," the leader agreed, fishing
through the panel in back of him. There, he
found a probe-like device. Walking down the
stairs, he touched it to the governor's base,
deactivating it and popping it out of his neck.
Then he did the same for Shalimar.

"Thanks," she expressed, rubbing her neck. "And
thanks, everyone. Max, you too, for the save."

"As if I was going to let some Manticore-reject
beat on a sister like that," Max replied, a smile
growing on her face. "Get real."

"Well, we have to get out of here. Everything's
been compromised, unfortunately." Adam told them.

"Not to mention that they have Jesse and Emma,"
Brennan reminded him.

"At least for tonight, come back with us," Dave
urged.

"You three can stay with me," Nick invited.
"It's secure, and who's going to mess with the
Elder of Tucson?"

"I thought that LaCroix was the Elder..." Adam
interjected.

"Since we came back from Nurrengaard, things have
been changing. You saw my new floating powers.
Nick is now the Elder of the Community," Dave
explained, glancing around. "Too bad about this
place, though. I really liked it."

"We did too," Shalimar agreed. "It was home."

"But, you can start over," Nick asserted. "We'll
help."

"We can try," the new mutants' leader agreed.
Looking around at the scattered agents around
them, he asked, "What do we do with them?"

"Leave them to me," Steve asserted, getting on
the phone to the local law enforcement. Maybe
they might not be in jail for long, but he could
get more evidence on Eckhart for the Bureau's
case.

After all was said and done, the group grabbed a
few things including a box of clothes for each
Mutant X member. Then, Deirdre opened the
portal, teleporting them away from the scene
toward safety.


Chapter 5
[Genomex]

About two hours after the battle, Eckhart
reentered the complex. He had to hand it to the
incorrigible FBI agent. As big of a pain as he
was, he certainly could set up an operation on
the fly. Given how much difficulty the GSA had
in getting around it, the blockade had been
somewhat formidable. "It's a pity he's working
for the wrong side," he remarked walking down the
hall of the interrogation area. Turning to his
right, he entered a side room. There, he saw
Emma and Jesse secured by their wrists and
ankles.

"They got away, didn't they?" Jesse cracked.

In response, Peckenpaugh shocked his side with an
electroprobe. "Speak to Mr. Eckhart with
respect."

After allowing the scene to take place, the
administrator glared at the density mutant.
"Yes, Mr. Kilmartin, they did escape. It seems
that Dubois and the others knew we were there.
No matter, we have you two and we know where your
base of operations is. Now that your forces have
been split, I can proceed with my next plan. My
contacts tell me that young Mr. Kent and Ms. Lang
are about to travel to Arizona. I'm going to put
a stop to that."

"Leave them alone, Eckhart!" Emma protested,
fighting the pain from the earlier questioning.
"Haven't you done enough to them?"

"I don't think so, Ms. diLauro. That young freak
is still running around trying to pretend he's
normal. Mr. Kent needs to learn a few things in
stasis," Eckhart retorted. "Don't worry, as soon
as I track down the rest of your band, you'll be
there too." With that, he turned and walked out
of the area. The Smallville raid was already in
the works. Tomorrow, he and thirty handpicked
agents would leave for the town to take the
troublesome teenagers into custody.

****

[Tucson]

Meantime, the group had returned to Nick's loft.
Max took off immediately to report on Genomex to
Logan. As for the others, Nick's collection of
artifacts and memorabilia from across time
stunned the Mutant X members. While they knew he
was a vampire, those items revealed his true age.

"These are something else!" Brennan admired,
looking at the various items and instinctually
calculating their worth.

"Thank you," the former Crusader accepted.
"Eight hundred years of traveling does provide
its share of souvenirs. Anyhow, take a look
around if you'd like." Turning to Alyce, he
requested, "Can you entertain them for a while.
I need to talk with Janette."

"Certainly," the curator agreed.

"Thanks," he said appreciatively. "Dave, Xena,
Gabrielle, thanks for coming over."

"No problem," Dave told him. "A workout is
always a good thing."

With that, the Elder disappeared through the open
skylight and into the night sky.

Then Xena slapped the side of her head. "Angela
had a call she wanted to make!"

"Can't it wait until morning?" Dave yawned.

"I don't think so," the warrior disagreed,
sheathing her sword and changing back to Angie.

"Okay," Angie stated, pulling out her cell phone
and dialing away. "Here goes. I hope it's not
too late for them."

****

[Smallville]

For several hours, Lana and Miranda had sat in
the former's living room, talking about the past
and their hopes for the future. Occasionally,
their glances would turn to the phone over in the
corner. As the hour drew later, both women
wondered when the call would come.

"They forgot," Miranda fretted.

"No, I'm sure that they're occupied with
something," Lana disagreed. "Trust me, they'll
call."

Then, about 11:30PM, the phone finally rang.
"Hello?" she answered.

"Lana, this is Dr. Dubois. Sorry about calling
so late. We had an emergency to deal with,"
Angie explained.

The younger woman shuddered. If they had an
emergency, it meant trouble. "Did you deal with
it, okay?"

"Kind of. Before I speak to Miri, I wanted to
give you a message for Clark: he'd best watch his
back," the doctor told her. "We just ran into
Eckhart and his goon squad again."

At the memory of that monster, Lana shook a bit
more. "I'll do that. Thanks," she replied,
trying to keep her voice steady. "Meantime,
here's Miranda."

"Hi, Aunt Angie. Is everyone all right?"

"We're fine, Sweetie. As I told Lana, we had
something to take care of. Look, I have someone
here I think you'll want to talk to. Hold on,"
the oncologist noted. Looking at her husband,
she advised, "You might want to take this one.
Brace yourself though."

"Why?" he asked.

"Just trust me," she said knowingly before
sitting down on the couch.

He shrugged. Oh, what the heck? "Hello?" he
inquired.

"Hi, is this Professor Dubois?" Miri asked.

At that exact moment, he felt a familiar
vibration coming through the connection. There
was something about the girl's voice. "Who is
this?"

"My name's Miranda," Miri continued. "I'm a
friend of Clark and Lana's."

For some reason, the feeling he was getting
jogged his memory. "It's good to meet you," he
stated. "What can I do for you?"

[Angie shook her head on the couch and through
their telepathic connection, urged, "Open
yourself up, Dummy!"]

[He looked at her in a funny way. "What is it?"]

["Ask her about her past," she pushed.]

"Okay," he relented. "So, tell me a little more
about yourself."

Miranda glanced at her friend nervously. Seeing
the other woman nod, she continued, "Well, I was
adopted when I was about six, but I remember my
real parents. My mother was blonde and had a
brilliant smile. She was into painting until she
died suddenly." Then, the image of that day in
the mall flashed back into her mind and she
sobbed suddenly. "I...I'm sorry. I can still
see the guy who grabbed me shooting her."

Dave almost dropped the phone when he heard that.
Combined with the reading he was getting from
her, those words revealed who she was. However,
he had to know for sure. "What else do you
remember about your childhood, Miranda?"

"When I was really small, I was kidnapped by
these monsters and taken to this dark place along
with a woman with brunette hair. Two guys
rescued us, but they had to fight off a lot of
the monsters and a bearded guy in the process.
One of the two rescuers turned angry and blasted
the bearded guy after taking a stab wound in the
left shoulder from a black knife. Do you know
any of this?" she detailed.

[From deep within his head, the Child roared,
"Dammit, it's her! Somehow, Ah know it's her!]

He gripped the old wound once again. "I was
stabbed in the shoulder in a dark place like
that," he told her. "Do you have any scars from
that?"

"A crescent one on my chin," she told him.

He wavered and collapsed onto the couch next to
his wife. When their friends tried to intervene,
Angie waved them off, allowing him to continue.
"Mi...Miri-Ma?" he sobbed.

"Uncle Dave? Is it you?" Miranda pushed.

"Oh man," he whispered, the tears streaking his
face. "I...It's me, Short-Stuff. Although, I'm
not sure you're so short anymore."

"No, I'm all grown up," she tried to make a joke
of it.

"I'm sure you are. Umm, your aunt told you that
we're going to be in Smallville, right?" he
inquired.

"Day after tomorrow, right?" she confirmed.

"Heck with it!" he exclaimed. "Hold on."
Turning to Deirdre, he told her, "Get your Aunt
Cybelle. It's an emergency."

Guessing at the cause, she nodded and vanished
into the mists. A moment later, she returned
with the High Priestess.

"Dave, what's going on?" Cybelle demanded. "You
know what hour it is?"

"I do," he told her. "We need a portal opened to
Smallville."

The priestess scoffed and looked at her niece.
"For this, you got me up? Couldn't you do it
yourself?"

"Auntie, Papa has a reason," Deirdre retorted.

The High Priestess shrugged. "Very well."

"Okay," Dave agreed before getting back on the
phone. "Are you still there?"

"Yes, are you still coming?" she wondered.

"In a minute or so, you're going to see some fog
near you. Can you and Lana walk through it?" he
requested.

Miranda glanced around. Sure enough, the fog had
taken over the left half of the room. "You want
us to walk into that?"

"It's perfectly safe," Lana assured her. "Come
on."

"All right. If something doesn't work, I'll call
you back," Miri concluded and hung up. Following
her friend's lead, she crossed the room and stood
at the mists' edge. "Are you sure about this?"

"I've taken this trip before," Lana noted. "Take
my hand and follow me."

Miranda grasped her hand firmly and started into
the smoke, not knowing what to expect next.

****

On the other side of the mists, Dave stood and
walked over to his sister's side. "Are they in
there?" he asked.

"They are," she replied. "Deirdre, can you help
them?"

"On my way," the younger priestess complied,
entering the area.

Seeing that her brother was nervous, Cybelle
rubbed his arm. "Hey, it's going to be okay.
What's got you so worked up anyhow?"

"Trust me. If it's what I think it is, you'll be
at that point soon enough," he declared.

****

Deirdre walked around for about two minutes
before she spied the two women. "Ah!" she smiled
and walked over. "Lana?"

"Deirdre, good to see you," Lana inquired.
"Sorry, it's not as easy to navigate in here as
you make it seem."

"I'll bet," the priestess chuckled. "And you
must be her friend. Welcome!"

"Do we have much farther to go?" Miranda
wondered.

"Nope. It's this way. Let me get us a
shortcut," Deirdre commented with a smile.
Waving her hands, a patch of mist opened to
reveal the Loft. "Go ahead. They're all waiting
for you both."

"C'mon," Lana assured her friend as she guided
her through the portal.

Deirdre followed them, sealing the portal behind
her and hoped for the best.



Chapter 6

Miranda stumbled out of the mist only to find
herself in a strange but rather unique place. As
with the other visitors, she found herself
overwhelmed with the collection of artifacts and
such. More noticeable, however, were the
insights from the others in the room. Throughout
most of her life, she had felt things about the
people around her, picking up on their auras and
emotions. Now, as she looked around, she felt
the differences in her cohorts. The man and the
blonde haired woman with the black clothed man on
the stairs were definitely more than they seemed.
Most of the others in the room shared this
characteristic.

"Focus, Miri. You gotta focus. Remember what
Quan Gui told you," she reminded herself softly,
probing the energies around her. Finally, she
settled on the two people on the couch. She knew
their auras somehow. While the brunette's was
familiar, she could feel his energy leap at her
from across the room.

Lana was right. He could only be one person:
the man from her dreams. For a moment, a tremor
of fear shot through her as she could distinguish
between the two personas within him. Then, she
collected herself. Somehow, she sensed neither
would hurt her.

"Uncle Dave?" she asked, running toward him.

"That's right." he nodded, positively radiant.
Sweeping her up in his arms, he kissed her over
and over again. "Miri, it's so good to hold you
again." The tears dripped down his face.

Cybelle stared at them before exclaimed, "It
can't be!"

"Apparently, both Dave and the Child are
satisfied," Angie remarked, getting up to join
their embrace.

The priestess stared at her niece. "You knew,
didn't you?"

"Not really, but few things would make him that
happy, especially today," Deirdre noted, watching
her parents' scene with her long lost cousin.
"Sorry, Auntie. This is too important not to
have you here."

"I need to see for myself," she asserted, walking
over.

"Auntie Cybbie?" the visitor wondered.

For a second, Cybelle froze. Before she
vanished, Miri had called her by that name often.
"Can you relax and look into my eyes for a
second, Dear?"

"Okay," she agreed, doing so.

The priestess analyzed the young woman's aura and
energies and discovered what the others already
knew. "Goddess be praised!" she exclaimed,
hugging her. "You've come back to us!"

"My little sister, the doubting Thomas," Dave
cracked.

"Hush, you," she shot back with a grin on her
face. For once, she let the austere priestess
façade drop. "As for you, Miranda, your father
will be so ecstatic when he finds out!"

"You never forgot about me?" Miri wondered.

"Never," Dave asserted, kissing her cheek. "We
never stopped looking for you. The man with the
short black hair is a FBI agent who spent the
last fourteen years with you as his pet project."

"Somehow, I knew that," she assumed. "Hold me,
Unca and Auntie, please."

"As long as you like," Angie assured her. "As
long as you like."


****

Lana aimed the camera, waiting for the perfect
snapshots. She grabbed the initial embrace
between Dave and Miri; Angie's joining them,
Cybelle's realization, and his heartfelt kiss on
her cheek for posterity. Having done so, she
walked over to the staircase where the Mutant X
members, along with Alyce, Steve, and Natalie,
just watched silently.

"That's great," she told them. "Since I've known
her, Miranda's always wanted to know that her
family remembered her. This is incredible."

"Yeah, it's a real tear-jerker," Brennan sighed,
a tear coming to his eye in spite of himself.

"Hey, look at you!" Shalimar teased, poking him
in the side. She would never let him live this
one down.

Adam simply watched and admired the scene in
front of them. Given how everything
else-including his dream-had come caving down
around him on that night, it was gratifying that
the professor was showing emotions other than
anger, pain, and hate. "May you have those
feelings for a long time, my friend," he hoped.

"I wish Clark were here," Lana sighed. "He's
going to be so happy when he hears about this."

"I can imagine," Adam concurred. "How are you
both anyway?"

"We're fine. We're almost ready to move out here
to start college," she replied pleasantly.

"Great!" Shalimar commented. "How's he handling
everything?"

"He's okay. I think he likes that he doesn't
have to hide his true nature from me anymore,"
Lana told her.

"I'm sure," the geneticist stated, walking over
to their friends.

"Lana, you sure know enough special people, don't
you?" Miri inquired.

"What do you mean? These are your aunt and
uncle's friends."

"Well, there are several types of people here.
The woman by the refrigerator there is empty.
Over there, the blonde lady and her friend have
strong energy. And, as for my aunt and uncle,
I'm reading two auras in each of you," Miranda
revealed.

"You're a mutant too," Adam realized.

"I've always been different," she continued.
"That's why I was so secretive, Lana. Watch."
Focusing on the cup on the far countertop, she
made it float across the room into her hand.

"Impressive," her uncle complemented. "Who knows
about this?"

"Nobody except my stepdad. He said I was a freak
and if I did that, he would beat me," Miranda
informed him.

Dave flushed beat red and felt the Child raging
inside of him. "Let him try," he told her.

She stared at him. "I just felt that. The
tremor of darkness that just went through you.
What is it?"

Angie cleared her throat. "You mean 'he' not
'it'. There are two personalities there, as you
already know."

Their niece nodded. "I know. He's so
angry...ever since Clark and Lana were here last;
I've felt you, Uncle Dave, in my thoughts. The
darkness screams like a hurt child."

"That's exactly what he is," Dave agreed. "I'm
dealing with it. Having you here is as good as
any medicine that I could ever get."

"Amen," Angie agreed.

Lana looked at the clock. "Ummm, Miranda, I'm
sorry, but it's getting late and we need to be
getting back before Nell has the police looking
for us."

"So soon?" Miri asked crest fallen. Having just
found her family, she didn't want to let go.

"Can you make it until the day after tomorrow?"
Angie asked. "We'll be landing in Smallville at
10AM sharp."

"Okay," the younger girl relented. "I'll be
counting the hours. I love you both. Please let
Daddy know I'm alive and I'm thinking about him."

"Count on it," Cybelle assured her, opening up
the portal. "He'll be thrilled."

"Thanks, everyone," Lana beamed. "You've made
her so happy. See you soon." With that, she
popped through the mists.

Miranda took one last look at everyone before she
followed her friend. Soon, she would be with
them permanently. "Please, let everything go
right!" she hoped as she pushed ahead toward
Smallville.

****

Back at the Loft, Dave stared at the spot where
the mists had dissipated. He was thrilled-more
so than he had been in a long time. But, for
some reason, he had a bad feeling. Something was
about to hit Smallville, involving Miri and their
friends. "Take care, Short Stuff," he thought.
"We'll be there as soon as we can."


Chapter 7

Even as the happy reunion occurred back at his
Loft, Nick walked into the El Gato Negro and made
his way over to the bar. After the fight earlier
that evening, he hoped that all was well within
the Community.

"Nicolas," Janette greeted, leaning over the
counter. "What will it be tonight? White wine?"

"Make it a straight glass of Chablis," he
requested. "Thanks."

She nodded and produced the glass quickly. "So,
what happened earlier tonight? Your thoughts
were centered on a fight."

"Some of my friends were attacked tonight.
Remember those goons who attacked the university
a few months back?" he inquired.

She sipped from her glass of bloodwine. "Hmm,
that is difficult to sort out, mon Cher. So many
people take aim at your professor friend these
days," she indicated, allowing a touch of irony
to seep into her voice. "These threats could
endanger the Community."

"I know, but as I mentioned to LaCroix, Eckhart
isn't going to stop unless everyone stands up to
him," he hissed.

"Your white haired megalomaniac has returned, has
he? Well then, I shouldn't have to tell you what
to do, Nicolas. Stop brooding over it. Drain
him and leave nothing," she declared icily.
"You'll make everyone's lives easier including
your own."

At that moment, Tracy plopped herself down next
to him. "Hey, Nick, you seem stressed. What's
up?"

He glanced at Janette, trying to decide whether
to involve his partner or not.

"She...is your partner, Nicolas. She deserves to
know. If you will excuse me, I'll attend to my
other customers. Bon chance, mon Amor," the
vampiress noted, turning from him and walking
down to the end of the bar.

"I deserve to know about what? Nick, what's
going on?" Tracy pushed.

"The GSA made another move tonight," he revealed.
"Remember the Fallone case?"

Her eyes bugged out wide. "You mean the goons in
the good suits are back?"

"There was an attack...not here in Tucson, but
elsewhere. Some of my friends got hurt," he
mentioned, sipping on his wine.

"I'll bet the Duboises were involved too, right?"
she snickered. "Figures."

"Hey, they kept the damage at a minimum," he
argued. "Six of us took out fifty of them."

"Fifty?" she coughed, almost choking on her
drink. "Where does that creep recruit from? I
thought we arrested most of them the last time."

"Steve's looking into it," he said trying to
assure himself in the process.

"I thought he was already doing that," she
supposed.

"He was. I thought the investigation was pretty
far along. There was an order to stop their
operations during the probe. Eckhart's not going
to stop for the law."

"So, his name's Eckhart. Nick, what else is
there? What's going on and why does it involve
the Duboises?" she wondered.

He sighed, considering how much to tell without
giving away Mutant X's secrecy. "Remember Dave's
speech after the incident. That sums it up."

"So, they're the Klan essentially? Who are these
'special people' that he spoke about? We've
heard rumors about mutants and such from the
government, but that's nonsense, right?" she
pressed.

"I know several such people, Tracy," he muttered,
gulping down the rest of his drink. "You do
too." Then, through his link with Alyce, he felt
something. "Hang on." Taking his cell phone out
of his coat pocket, he dialed his home number.

"Hi, Nick!" the curator greeted enthusiastically.

"What's going on, Alyce?" he asked.

"Well, you're not going to believe it.
Everyone's fine here. Cybelle showed up and
well, I can't believe it," she mentioned.

"What happened? Is there something wrong?" he
asked nervously. "I can feel Dave's emotions
going off the charts."

"It isn't what you think," she told him. "Nick,
you know what today is, right?"

He sighed. It was the anniversary of his niece's
disappearance. "So, why is he...happy?" He
shook his head, not believing what he was
feeling.

"Miranda's been found. Cybelle brought her here
with Lana Lang from Smallville. Oh, Nick, you
should be here! Everyone's hugging and kissing
her. Natalie's positively bawling over here,"
she reported.

"Hush!" the coroner cracked next to her, elbowing
her.

He grinned. At least, something good came out of
all of this. "I'll be right there."

"What happened?" Tracy wanted to know.

"For once, Dave's happy."

"Him? Get real!" she scoffed. "Mr. Doom and
Gloom with the Dark Brat in tow?"

"He is," he affirmed. "Take care, Trace. I've
got to check this out for myself." With that, he
rushed out of the bar and took off into the night
sky.

Back in the bar, Tracy finished her drink and
left her money on the counter. "I hope that he
is happy for all of our sakes." With that, she
departed herself, heading for the apartment to
talk with Vachon.

****

Steve and Natalie watched their friends
carefully. It wasn't often that the Duboises
expressed happiness on that level.

"I take it this has been a long time in coming?"
she wondered.

He nodded. "I've been searching for that girl
over the past fourteen years, Natalie. Trust me,
they're due for this. Long overdue. I just hope
there aren't any problems."

"Problems? Like what?" she asked.

"Usually when something like this happens to
Dave, there's a huge rope attached," he told her.
"In that regard, his luck's the absolute worst
I've ever seen."

"He hung onto Angie, didn't he?" she inquired.

"Trust me, Karen and I were ready to pull them
back together if anything happened. In fact, it
almost didn't happen. Thank Karen for helping
them get started. I'll tell you about it
sometime," he replied. "I won't let anything
happen in this situation either."

"I know that," she agreed.

"If we can be of any help, we'll be there too,"
Shalimar told them.

"Absolutely," Adam affirmed, rubbing the agent's
shoulder.

At that moment, Nick descended through the
skylight into their midst. "What happened,
Dave?"

The professor got up off his knees, a smile
spread wide across his face, and his cheeks wet
with tears. "She's alive, Nick! She's okay!"

The vampire detective embraced his friend
tightly, wanting to enjoy the feeling as long as
he could. "Alyce said she's in Smallville. Did
Clark and Lana find her?"

"She found us through Lana," Angie noted, her
eyes just as red as her husband's.

"That's right," Cybelle added. "Thank you for
allowing us to be here, Nicholas."

"My pleasure," Nick told her. "I'm glad for you
all. When do you give her father the good news?"

"Tomorrow morning," Dave stated. "Randy needs to
know. Cybelle, you want to handle it? And don't
tell Dad. I don't care. No buts."

"Fine," she groused, shaking her head and
disappearing into the mist.

Collecting himself, the professor turned to Adam.
"Hey, I'm sorry that I'm celebrating when Jesse
and Emma are in the GSA's hands. We'll get them
out."

"We understand," the geneticist assured him.
"It's great to find loved ones like that. I'm
happy for you all. I truly am. When we get
things up and running again, she'll be the first
person added to the new database."

Seeing their friend's despair, Angie asserted,
"Nothing's changed, Adam. Your mission is still
on."

"I know," he sighed. "But Sanctuary's gone and
so are our records."

"No, they aren't," the professor disagreed.
"Let's get over to the university. I have a
surprise for you."

Glancing at each other, the Mutant X members
didn't know what to expect. However, they
decided to follow his lead.

After getting in the Subaru, they took off toward
the university.


****

Toni waited by the side door of the Social
Sciences Building, nervously looking about for
GSA agents. She couldn't believe that the
Sanctuary was gone: that Eckhart had found
everything. "At least, we got the system hooked
up in time," she told herself, glancing at her
laptop. Everything seemed normal, but it never
hurt to make sure.

About 10 minutes into the vigil, she saw Dave's
Subaru approach and blink its lights a
prearranged number of times.

She rushed over to find the professor there along
with his wife, Adam, Brennan, and Shalimar.
"What? Where's Jesse? What happened, Adam?"

The leader rubbed his forehead anxiously. "I'm
sorry, Toni. He and Emma were captured by the
GSA."

"How could you let that happen?" she demanded,
not caring who heard her.

"Hey, we are going to get them back," Shalimar
reassured her. "It's been a tough night all
around."

The hacker nodded. "Hey, I'm sorry. It's just
that...I care...I really do."

"We know," Adam told her. "Dave, what did you
want to show us?"

"In my office, c'mon," the professor urged,
guiding the others up the stairs. When he tried
to unlock the door, he found that it had been
jimmied already. "Damn!" Turning to the others,
he told them, "Be ready for anything, gang."
With that, he led the group into the darkened
building and down the hallway to their right.
Sure enough, light was showing under the door to
his office.

"Don't these assholes listen?" Dave hissed.

"Nope," Brennan noted, already generating sparks
with his hands.

"Angie..." the professor advised his wife.

"Right," she agreed, ducking around a corner and
pulling the sword, becoming Xena.

A moment later, the Warrior Princess rejoined
them. "Ready?" she asked grimly, her eyebrow
arched.

"Oh yeah," the feral agreed.

"Allow me," the professor told them. Walking up
to the door, he saw two fairly built intruders in
the telltale suits rifling through his files and
trying to get at something on his computer.
Rapping on the door, he asked, "Can I help you,
guys?"

The two looked up at him. "Shit! It's Dubois!
Get him!"

"You've got to be kidding," the medievalist
laughed. With little ado, he charged into the
room, bulling into one assailant, putting him to
the floor.

The second one smacked him across the back with
an electroprobe, delivering a healthy jolt of
electricity in the process.

"Should we?" Adam asked.

"Nah," Xena replied. "He's having fun."

Meantime, after three jolts from the probe, Dave
stood up with the crazed look on his face. "You
shouldn't have done that," he muttered, elbowing
the other in the face before delivering a
haymaker to the chin. "Damn, that felt good. I
took them with no powers. Guys, they're all
yours."

"Thanks," Shalimar accepted, grabbing the two
agents and shoving them into the wall. "Hey,
guys, how's it hanging?"

Brennan walked up to the captured duo, allowing
the sparks to fly from his fingers. "Now, guys,
we need some information. Where's Eckhart
holding our teammates?"

"Where else?" one snorted. "Genomex, you freak!"

For his trouble, the feral banged his head
against the wall. Allowing her eyes to flash
gold, she pressed, "That ain't nice. Where did
you learn your manners?"

"So what is Eckhart up to next?" Adam posed.

"Get stuffed, Adam. We're not telling anything,"
the other prisoner denied.

The professor moved the water dishes from under
his plants to the floor. "Shalimar?"

"Right," she growled, allowing the two men's feet
to touch the liquid.

"Now, guys," the electrical mutant resumed.
"Adam asked you a question. Just answer it,
okay?"

"You wouldn't dare!" they chorused.

The former thief laughed wickedly. "You break
into our pad, kidnap our friends, put governors
on the two of us, and you say that? Please.
Just answer the question!"

The two looked at each other and then, at Adam.
"You wouldn't do it."

Xena cracked her knuckles and told her
associates, "Allow me." Walking up to the two
prisoners, she put the pinch on them both before
advising them in her iciest voice, "Okay, I've
just cut off the flow of blood to your miserable
brains. You'll be dead within thirty seconds
unless I release ya. Answer Adam's question."

The two men writhed in pain, trickles of blood
coming out of their noses. "Sm...Smallville,"
the one in Shalimar's left hand coughed.
"We're...going after those teenage...brats."

The warrior turned to the professor who
approached the two men. For a second, he glared
into their eyes, allowing them to see the fury
just behind them. "You better hope everyone's
okay otherwise I'm coming for both of you," he
threatened. "Any surprises up your sleeves that
we should know about?"

"Jus...somethin' for you...Dubois. We have an
agent...ready for you," the left one continued.

"Oh really?" Dave smirked. "Well, I'm ready for
whoever it is too. Xena, it's getting close to
time."

"Right," she agreed, removing the pinches and
knocking the two captive agents out. "What now?"

"Now, we get these creeps into custody," the
professor noted, dialing his office phone. "Hey,
Schanke, what's up? It's Dave Dubois and guess
what?"

Schanke glanced at Tracy who was watching him
impatiently. "I give up. What?"

"I'm in my office and I found a couple of the
suits burrowing around like roaches. Wanna come
by and pick them up?" Dave offered.

"You betcha," the souvlaki-loving detective
accepted. "We'll be there in five minutes."

Hanging up the phone, Dave told Adam. "You folks
had best hide for a bit unless you want a run in
with Tucson's finest."

"Good idea," the leader agreed, guiding Brennan
and Shalimar outside.

A few minutes later, Schanke and Tracy walked
into the building and found them fairly quickly.
"Hey, guys."

"Detective," Xena replied curtly.

"What happened here?" Tracy asked, glancing back
at the warrior.

"They broke into my office, looking for
something. We found them first," the professor
informed them.

"I see. Well then, Tracy, I think we have a nice
cell in Holding for these guys, right?" Schanke
proposed, slapping the cuffs on one unconscious
agent.

"Right," the blonde detective noted, securing his
associate. "Umm, can we get some help here?"

"Okay," Dave agreed, levitating the two prisoners
out the door, down the hall, and out of the
building. Once outside, Schanke opened the back
door, allowing them to be placed on the seat.
"All set?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Dave. We'll call Steve as soon
as we get back to the Precinct," Schanke informed
them as he and Tracy got back into the car and
drove away.

Watching them leave, the professor and the
warrior walked back into the building where
Mutant X had slipped back in unnoticed.

"So, where's this surprise?" Adam wondered.

Accessing his computer, Dave found the file and
opened a series of directories and
subdirectories. Each one had its own separate
password. Placing a CD-RW in the CD-ROM, he
downloaded the information. "Voila," he told
them. "The new mutant database."

"You're kidding!" Brennan doubted.

"We keyed in an automatic high-speed yet secured
dump of the information on the Sanctuary's
computers to this computer. The other piece is
in my laptop here encrypted and zipped," Toni
explained. "As soon as the computer's security
system was compromised, the download initiated
automatically."

"Pretty slick," Shalimar complemented.

While Adam wasn't as sure, he couldn't argue with
the precaution. Indeed, due to Dave and Toni's
efforts, the information was safe for a new
Sanctuary. "Thanks, both of you."

"No problem," the cracker told him. "But we need
to keep this information safe and sound. Dave?"

"Give me a second," the professor told her,
keying in a new sequence. "There! The computer
keys in a new set of passwords as it closes down.
If someone keys in the wrong sequence, it erases
the files in that directory. If they try to FTP
in without authorization, the computer locks onto
their IP and sends them a potent nasty gram if
you get my drift."

Adam nodded, feeling relieved. He should have
trusted them to take such precautions. "Sounds
good. Shall we get going? It's been a long
night."

"Yeah, sleep will be a good thing," Angie
concurred, having just come back into the
picture. "We'll fix something for all of you at
our apartment."

"Great. When do we leave for Smallville?"
Brennan wondered.

The professor glanced at his watch. "Angie and I
fly there in about 30 hours or so. Deirdre can
pop you three in a couple of hours later," the
professor noted as they walked to the car. "I
want to get a feel for the situation first."

"Do you think there's a way to get Jesse and Emma
out of Genomex?" Toni wondered.

"I think the three of us can do that. If you can
help us with the alarms," Adam agreed.

"You bet," Toni replied enthusiastically.

"Sounds great," Dave added. "Let's go. Toni,
where's your car?"

"Over here," she pointed to the little blue
Nissan.

"We'll wait for you," Angie told her.

Toni nodded and hurried over to her vehicle.
Once inside, she started it up quickly.
Following the other car's lead, she left the
university heading toward the East Side.


Chapter 8

[Genomex]

As the group interrogated the two agents, the
eyes of Genomex were on them. In particular, a
red-haired man with a stocky build sat in a lotus
position on the floor focused on the events
unfolding across the country. To prepare for
this moment, he had watched the security footage
of the professor's fights with Alti, the break in
at that facility, as well as reviewing the field
reports of the recent battle at the Sanctuary.
Seeing those images of Dave and his moods sent a
thrill through him.

Then, through his fellow agents' eyes, he stared
into the other man's psyche. He felt the
volcanic nature of the emotional tempest lying
just beneath the surface. "Marvelous," he
savored, standing up. While most GSA agents
considered him a nut case waiting to explode,
Joseph MacTavish relished challenges such as this
one. His unique telepathic ability gave him the
edge he needed. Anger and violent emotions
strengthened him. In exchange, he could send out
bursts of pain to his victims. His acquisition
rate made him one of the agency's top operatives.

Leaving the area, he walked down the hall and
into the room where the two Mutant X members were
being held. He allowed a big grin to spread
across his face as he inspected the prisoners.

"What?" Jesse asked less than cordially.

"Oh, nothing. I like what I'm reading off of
you," MacTavish gloated. "Your fear,
anger...they're an open book to me. I just
wanted to take a look at both of you before
leaving for Smallville. It seems Mr. Eckhart has
a job for me. A special job..."

Emma begged, "Don't...confront David Dubois. For
your own sake, don't."

The density mutant gasped, "You're crazy."

The agent stared at the prisoner, shooting a jolt
of pain into the latter's system. "You should
learn respect for your betters, Kilmartin."
Turning back to her, he wondered, "And what about
you, Emma? What do you know about Dubois that I
can use?"

"No..." she muttered, trying to shut out the
pain. "You'll...destroy the...town
between...you."

"If that's the way it has to be, so be it,"
MacTavish remarked coldly. "I haven't met a mark
tougher than me yet." Getting the attention of
the two guards by the door, he told them, "Keep
an eye on them. Knowing Adam, he'll try
something."

"Keen observation, Mr. MacTavish," Eckhart
agreed, nodding his support of MacTavish's
warning to the guards. "We leave in five
minutes. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Sir," the psionic agreed, holding up a
garment bag. "The rest is with Ops."

"Splendid. Come with me, then," the
administrator directed. After taking one last
look at his prisoners, he led the other man down
the hall and out of sight. Shortly thereafter, a
plane bearing the GSA agents took off, heading
for the Midwest.

****

At 6 PM, the shift change started, allowing the
previously assigned guards to be relieved for the
evening. As the monitors were left momentarily
unmanned, the screens rippled and froze in
position throughout the compound. In addition,
the security suddenly went offline. Even as the
newcomers assumed their positions, they had no
idea that they were suddenly vulnerable to an
attack.

Five minutes after that, the mists formed inside
of the cell, coalescing into the familiar portal
shape. Wisps of fog blocked the cameras,
providing cover for the operation to occur.

Emma managed a smile. Help was there at last.
Glancing over at Jesse, she could see that he was
still woozy from MacTavish's pain dose.

From the portal, Xena, Dave, Gabrielle, and Max
cautiously slipped in. Unbelievably, the coast
was clear.

"This is too easy," the medievalist griped in a
whisper.

"Don't bitch about it," Max hissed, looking
about.

Xena whipped out her sword and began cutting
their friends' bonds. "Stay still. We'll have
you out of there in a minute." Quickly and
efficiently, she helped them both to the ground.


"Thanks, Xena," Emma whispered.

"Don't mention it. At least not yet," the
warrior advised, handing the telepath to
Gabrielle for support. "Max?"

The transgenic, already supporting Jesse, huffed,
"I've got him. "Let's go, gang."

"Right," Dave concurred, signaling to his
daughter within the mists that they were ready.

The portal opened wider, allowing them to carry
their beleaguered allies to safety. Once they
were inside, Xena followed with Dave bringing up
the rear. Having done its work, the fog
dissipated, leaving no trace of either prisoners
or rescuers to be found.

****

[Tucson]

Toni finished typing away at the keyboard in her
office and watched the screen as her latest virus
FTPed itself to Genomex, wormed its way through
the firewall, and disabled the security system.
"C'mon, guys," she urged. "There are only a few
more minutes before they realize what's
happening."

"Relax, Toni," Eve soothed. "When it comes to
infiltration, my mother and Gabrielle are masters
at it."

"That's true," Adam stated, recalling his ancient
history. "But we are on a time limit here."

As if on cue, the mists formed, allowing the
others to spill into the room.

"That's it," Deirdre noted, sealing the portal
behind them.

Brennan and Shalimar rushed over to embrace Emma
even as Toni practically pounced on Jesse.

"Wha? Toni, but...?" Jesse wondered woozily.
"How'd they catch you?"

"Silly!" she laughed, kissing him again. "We
pulled you out."

"Hang on," Adam told them, pulling out the probe
and popping the governors out of their necks.
"There."


Natalie walked over from where she had been
sitting with Steve and asked, "How are you both
doing?"

"Peachy," Jesse muttered.

"Better now that I'm not hanging by my arms,"
Emma sighed. "Do you have an aspirin?"

"Right here," the coroner agreed, pulling out a
bottle and tapping two white pills into her hand.
"How's that?" she asked.

"Great," the psionic said appreciatively, putting
them in her mouth and using the glass of water
which Dave handed her to swallow them. Rubbing
her head, she added, "Adam, they're going to
Smallville."

"We know," the leader told her.

"But they're bringing a new mutant agent with
them. Joseph MacTavish," she told him.

Hearing that name, the leader's eyes bulged.
Staring at Dave and then, at the computer screen,
he asked, "Toni, can we bring up the database
here?"

"Yes, why?" she responded, keying in the access
codes. "Should I search for MacTavish?"

"Please," he told her. "I hope I'm wrong."

"Y..You're not, Adam," Jesse declared, managing
to sit up.

The screen popped up the appropriate entry.
"Here he is, Adam," Toni indicated. "According
to this, he...oh wow..."

Adam shook his head. "Guys, what did MacTavish
say to you? Anything about his mission?"

"Yes," Emma brooded and looked at Dave.

"What? He's just another GSA agent whose ass
we're going to kick. So freaking what?"

"He's not just another agent," Adam disagreed.
"Xena, have a look at this, will you?"

The warrior nodded and scanned the screen. Using
Angie's knowledge of modern English, she quickly
deciphered the text and growled, "It figures.
David, he's another stinkin' Alti!"

"How?" Gabrielle and Eve wondered, looking at the
report for themselves.

"According to this," Adam continued.
"MacTavish's new mutant ability is two fold.
First, he can absorb strong emotions...pain,
fear, and anger. Then, he can emit burst of
psionic energy, triggering pain responses in his
victims. Dave, you really need to be careful of
him."

"He's going to hunt you down, David," Emma
emphasized.

The professor chuckled darkly. "Well, I've
learned a few things from facing the Wicked Bitch
of the East. He can try to bring me down, but I
don't think so. If he goes near Miri, I'll rip
him apart."

"David," Xena reminded him. "Remember what
happened between you and Divia? Do you want to
do to Smallville what you did to Wabash?"

"I had no choice. She attacked me," he
countered. "I am not going to let Clark, Lana,
or my niece be hurt by those bastards! Am I
clear?"

Nothing but silence could be heard in the room.

"I SAID AM I CLEAR???" he bellowed.

"Yeah, chill out, Chief," Max advised, rubbing
her ears.

"A little St. John's wart will help here," Dave
suggested, cooling off.

"Just like with Alti, right?" Steve guessed.

"Absolutely," the professor concurred. "I'll
have enough time to do my thing before we leave.
Deirdre, can you have your aunt get me some
herbs?"

"I'm on it, Papa," she agreed, vanishing into the
mists.

Taking a deep breath, the professor continued,
"Okay, the flight's at 7 in the morning. If
you'll excuse me, I'll be working in my office."
With that, he left.

Everyone collected themselves for a minute before
the next words were uttered.

"Steve, I'm feeling abnormally high emotional
levels even for him," Emma noted. "What's going
on with him?"

"Besides another challenge, I don't know," he
replied. "There is someone who might know,
however."

"Karen Montoya," Xena guessed. "Good choice."

"Thanks," the agent concurred, pulling his cell
phone out of his pocket.

"Do we need to involve her too?" Adam wondered.
"This is a secret, remember?"

"She's a mutant too," Natalie noted.

"And besides Angie, she knows the most about
him," Steve pointed out, dialing the numbers.

"Hello?" Karen answered.

"Hi, Karen, it's Steve Petersen. What's going
on?" he asked.

"Oh, just getting everyone back on track after
our little trip. And yourself?" she wondered.
Then, reaching out with her own enhanced senses,
she felt the emotional tremors. "Oh no. Now,
what happened?"

"Well, there's good news and bad news. Which do
you want first?" he inquired.

"The good," she chose.

"Okay, we found Miranda. She contacted us last
night," he started.

"Oh, that's wonderful news!" she exclaimed. "So,
are you going to get her?"

"Yes," he sighed.

"Where is she?" Karen probed.

"Smallville, Kansas," he informed her. Then, he
heard her drop the phone. "Karen!"

For a minute, there was silence. Finally, she
forced herself to speak. "That's a really bad
place for him, Steve. Remember, the trip that
his father made him take junior year?"

"I kind of remember that," he agreed. "Wasn't it
about that time that he went over the deep end?"
As the memories circulated, he recalled the giant
card they sent somewhere out of state. "That
where he was hospitalized, wasn't it?"

"Yes," she confirmed, starting to feel the anger
boiling inside of herself. "When are you all
going there?"

"Tomorrow," he mentioned.

"I'm coming with you. No buts. Are either Angie
or Xena there?" she stated.

He looked at Xena. "She wants to talk to you."

The warrior glanced at her companion and daughter
before trying to deal with the small talking
thing. "How in Tartarus do I use this thing?"

"Just put this end to your ear and talk," Natalie
explained, helping her with the device.

"Thanks," Xena mentioned. "Karen?"

"Yes, Xena. I was just telling Steve that I'm
coming with you. Smallville is a hot spot for
Dave. A real bad one," the nurse explained.

At that moment, Deirdre reappeared with the
herbs. "Here they are. I...where's Papa?"

"Here's Deirdre. See you soon," the warrior
concluded. "It's Karen Montoya."

"Auntie Karen, what is it?" the priestess asked,

"Sweetie, can you pop me in there? I'm going
with all of you. Your father's going to need all
of the help he can get there with his moods when
we get there," Karen requested.

"Sure. With everything else, I'm sure we can do
something. What's the big deal?" Deirdre
wondered. "Papa just started acting up today,
but doesn't remember any reason why."

"He wouldn't either," Karen surmised. "But the
Child would, and so do I."

"I'll be right there," the priestess agreed,
hanging up and summoning the fog. "We'll be
right back."

Within fifteen minutes, she had returned with
Karen. The latter had thrown a few essentials
into a duffel bag.

Seeing the strangers around a few familiar faces,
she introduced herself. "I'm Karen Montoya. And
you are?"

"My name's Adam," Adam introduced himself,
shaking her hand. "And these four people over
here are Mutant X."

"My name's Max," Max added.

"You're Dave's friend, aren't you?" Emma
wondered. "Besides Angie, I felt strong feelings
from him about you. I know you from somewhere
else...You were in Istanbul, weren't you?"

"That's right," Karen replied.
"Telepathy...hmmm...Angie mentioned someone who
had helped Dave with his feelings during the GSA
mess. Emma diLauro?"

The psionic smiled. "That's me. I'm glad to
finally meet you, Karen. So, where's Dave?"

"In his office," Xena informed them. "C'mon.
Gabrielle, Eve, let's see what's going on."

Those companions departed the room with Emma and
Karen, heading for the office.

Afterwards, Brennan insisted, "Hey, what happened
there, Petersen? What was so bad?"

"How about a public beating?" Steve muttered,
shaking his head. "Compliments of his father."

Everyone went quiet again, almost feeling the
pain emanating from across campus and hoping that
this could be resolved.


Chapter 9

At sunset, Nick stirred and looked out his
bedroom window toward the university. In only a
few short hours, Dave's mood had shifted from
happy to enraged. "What happened?" he wondered,
putting on his work clothes and walking
downstairs.

"Nick, what is it?" Alyce asked, looking at him
through the doorway to her study.

"We may have another problem," he sighed, picking
up the phone. "Nat said she was going to be with
them."

"Hello?" she asked.

"Nat, it's Nick. What's going on?" he inquired.

"Nick...well, it's really complicated," she
explained. "Eckhart's going to attack Smallville
before we can get the kids out of there. Then,
there's a new mutant agent who's challenged Dave
to a duel. Apparently, this guy feeds off of
anger and dishes out pain. Finally, the Child
has just started up with some issues about
Smallville which only Karen knows about."

"Well, it can't be his father," the detective
presumed.

"It was," the coroner stated. "Some sort of
public embarrassment session with a bonus beating
on top of it."

Nick winced. Bad enough to deal with an Alti
wannabe, but in a place where his pain was so
pronounced? "Where is he?" he asked sharply,
seeing the last rays of sunset descend over the
city.

"His office, we think," she replied.

"I'm there," he concluded, hanging up. Looking
up, he zipped through the skylight and streaked
towards campus, landing beside the Social
Sciences Building in time to see Karen, Xena,
Gabrielle, and Emma running up.

"Nicholas, you felt it too?" Xena asked despite
already knowing the answer.

"It hit me like a sledgehammer as I slept," he
told them, hurrying inside.

****

For the past half hour, Dave sat at his desk,
grinding herbs with the pestle for his
arrowheads. However, he found it difficult to
focus with his guts in an uproar. The Child was
pissed about something, but not being forthright
with him. "All right! Out with it!" he spat.

In the corner, the black image within the bright
corona appeared, "Ah'm busy. Wha's up?"

"What's going on?"

"If Ah thought ya could take it, Ah'd tell ya,"
the Other replied frankly.

"Why don't you tell him?" Emma proposed, stepping
into the room with the others.

"When we're there!" the Child spat.

"No, I think now's a good time," Karen retorted.

"Ya know as much as we do," the image snorted.
"Naw, this would blow his mind. Daddy really
made a mess of things that time. Let's just say
that the scuz beat us within an inch of our lives
and the folks in Smallville helped us."

"We're up against pretty big odds," Karen
declared.

"Wha? Mutie-Boy with the pain powers?" the Child
guffawed. "Please! Ah've survived Alti. Git
this straight, he projects pain and absorbs
anger. Ah am the summation of pain and anger!
Xena, we ain't stupid, but we know our friends.
Just as with y'all, those folks helped us an' we
'member."

The others stared at him. Somehow, his ties to
Smallville were beyond Clark and Lana, but
rather, to the town itself. No wonder the GSA
attack had him so rattled.

"Hey, Emmie, take a peek if ya like," the Child
invited. "Bro', let 'er in."

The professor nodded and locked eyes with the
telepath. "Ready."

She focused, burrowing into his subconscious.
Only a minute later, she saw flashes of what had
happened: an illegal land deal, Dave's calling
in the government, and his father pummeling him
in public before leaving with a man with long
brown hair. The next memory showed the
townspeople helping him. One took him to the
hospital. Another provided a blood transfusion.
A nice farmer and his newly married wife put him
up for a couple of days. "Yes, it's clear.
Karen's right."

"Ya see?"

"I do," Emma concurred. "Dave, you'll really
need to brace yourself when you get the whole
story. He's right."

"Ah'll leave ya to watch 'im," the Child told
them. "Ah'm here if ya need me." With that, he
disappeared.

Tears streaked his cheeks. "I won't anything
happen to them! I can't!"

"It's going to be all right," Xena comforted,
embracing him. "We'll stop them."

"Count on it," Karen concurred.

"Absolutely," Gabrielle agreed.

"Nick?" Dave asked.

The vampire shrugged. "Unless it's a quick trip,
I can't be there. If it's a dire emergency, then
if Deirdre can pop me in so we can deal with it
and get me back here quickly, I can help you. In
the meantime, I will keep an eye on things for
you here, however."

"That would be great. Thank you," Dave accepted.
"I'm done anyway. Why don't we head back to the
apartment. Granted, things are gonna be cramped,
but we'll manage."

"Okay," Nick indicated. "If that's okay, then I
have to get ready for work. Good luck." With
that, he was gone.

"Now, let's meet the others and let them know
you're doing better," Karen urged, rubbing his
shoulder.

After scraping the pestle into a salad bowl and
putting the lid on it, he followed his friends
out of the room. One way or another, this was
going to be a Hell of a trip--even if he couldn't
remember the details at the moment.



Chapter 10 [Smallville-The following morning]

Clark had stared up at the ceiling for much of
the night. Besides his excitement over Miranda's
situation the day before, he couldn't wait to see
his friends again when they arrived at the
airport later that morning. There were so many
questions about the university he still wanted to
ask, and well, he had to admit that there was the
"I want to get out of Smallville" factor as well.
Finally, about 4 AM, he got himself up and down
to the barn. Working at super speed, he did both
his father's and his own chores in about fifteen
minutes before returning to the house. Coming
into the kitchen, he turned the light on. His
parents would be up in a few minutes anyway.

Sure enough, Jonathan joined him shortly
thereafter. "Morning, Son. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine. I'm just nervous is all,"
Clark admitted.

"Yeah, well...with city folks coming out here to
judge where you and Lana grew up, I'd be nervous
too," his father stated half-seriously, eyeing
his wife who was walking into the room.

"Jonathan, not everyone is like that," Martha
chided gently, setting up the coffee maker.

"I know," he conceded, a smile spreading across
his face. Then, his brow furrowed a bit as he
tried to latch onto a memory.

"What is it, Dad?" Clark wanted to know.

"Oh, I was just remembering a young man, Clark.
He was, you might say, firm in his own
convictions. He managed to save part of the
downtown from commercial development," the older
man noted.

"We were talking about this yesterday while you
were in town, Clark," she continued. "I've never
seen anyone take a beating like that." She
leaned over the sink.

"Hey," Jonathan said caringly, rushing over to
her side. "It all worked out. He did get into a
foster home after that, remember?"

"I...I know," she replied, composing herself.
"How could any father treat his son like that?"
For a while, they stood there, holding each other
and allowing the painful moment to subside.

Finally, she told them, "You both had better get
the chores done."

Clark stared at his folks with concern. Who was
this mystery guy who had them so shook up?
"Everything's done already. I couldn't sleep
myself last night."

"Good man, Clark," his father stated, rubbing him
on the shoulder. "By the way, how are you coming
with your packing?"

"I'm getting there," he admitted. "It's tougher
than I thought."

"It's like that the first couple of times," she
reminisced.

"I'm sure." He nodded, knowing that everything
was about to change. "You know I'm going to miss
you both."

"We'll be here for a while yet, Clark," she
commented, breaking some eggs for their
breakfast.

Clark sighed, a smile forcing its way onto his
face. No matter what trauma came and went, the
farm always seemed to stand and his parents were
there with it. "Thanks. You don't know what
that means."

****

Meantime, Lana and Miranda were just opening the
Talon for business that morning. As with Clark,
neither woman could sleep that night and so, they
met early at the restaurant to do extra cleaning
and make sure that everything was just right.
The food order had come in and been put away in
the cooler.

As they waited, Miri decided to work off her
nervous energy in the back. For most of her
life, she had trained in the martial
arts-partially because of her stepfather, but
also, because it helped her to focus and control
her abilities. As a result, she had achieved a
fourth degree black belt at an astonishing rate.


Over and over, she executed a feint here, a chop
at the air there, and a random kick into space.
She felt as one with the universe, in harmony
with her surroundings. For the better part of an
hour, this exercise continued.

Finally, Lana joined her. "How's it going?"

"Oh fine," Miri muttered, collecting herself and
smiling at her friend. "I just want my aunt and
uncle to like it here is all."

"I think they will. They're really nice people,
Miranda. Your uncle can be a bit on the weird
side at times, but he had a lot to deal with,
especially where your grandfather's concerned,"
Lana said reassuringly.

"You've met my grandfather?"

"Unfortunately," Lana continued. "I'm sorry, but
he isn't a very nice man."

Miranda shrugged. "So where is he now?"

"He's in jail," Lana informed her. "He and your
uncle have a serious history."

Miranda shuddered. Judging from the psychic
vibrations she had felt the other night, she knew
her friend was right. "Lana, he was really upset
last night, and it was tied to here. Are you
sure he's never been here before?"

"No, he hasn't. Why?"

"I was getting images from him of here...the way
it was-fifteen years ago," she continued. "But,
as you say, that can't be."

Lana's brow furrowed. What was going on? As
they did their work, she decided to think on this
a bit. Maybe she would give Chloe a call before
they met over at the Torch for their going away
party.

****

About the same time, Lex Luthor finished his
breakfast meeting with his advisors before his
personal assistant, Keira, rushed into the room
and right up to his side.

"Excuse me, Mr. Luthor?" she asked nervously,
glancing about. "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt
your meeting."

"Yes, Keira?" he replied. Noticing her
expression, he continued, "It's okay. What is
it?"

"Your father just arrived from Metropolis, and he
says it's urgent," she continued.

The other businessmen glanced anxiously at him.
Lionel Luthor was not a man to be kept waiting
for anyone.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Lex growled, tired of this
little cat and mouse game between him and his
father. Sooner or later, he would have to
eliminate the Old Man, but not until the time was
right. Meantime, he still needed to play the
game. Accordingly, he waved the others away and
walked down the hall to his office.

Composing himself, he swung the double doors open
to see his father lounging in his chair, the feet
propped up on his desk. "Gee, Dad, to what do I
owe the honor of this visit?" he scoffed,
allowing the doors to close behind him.

"Does a father have to have a reason, Lex?"
Lionel wondered.

"When it comes to me and you, let me think a
minute on that one and get back to you, okay?"
the son sassed.

"Damn it, Lex! This is serious! I need you in
Metropolis for a couple of days!" the father
demanded.

Lex studied the other man carefully. As he said
before, there was always a calculated purpose
behind such acts of so-called compassion. "Why,
Dad? What's going on? Did it have anything to
do with the large group that suddenly filled the
Smallville Inn last night out of the blue?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lionel
denied, putting on his best poker face.

To most, his father's façade would be foolproof,
but not to his son. No, the slight furrow of the
eyebrow was enough to give away something. "Oh,
you know something, Dad. Isn't it funny that
it's going on just as an old friend is returning
for a visit? Or perhaps, when Clark and Lana are
going to be leaving? What is it?" he theorized.

"You really need to stay away from them, Lex,"
Lionel informed him.

"Why?" the son demanded, throwing his hands up in
the air animatedly. "Or perhaps, you're going to
do to me what you and your buddy, Stuart Dubois,
did to his son." Seeing the other man's blank
stare, he continued, "I can search a database
too, Dad. I know about the spectacle down in the
town square. I may have been a bit young at the
time, but it made an impression. Wasn't it
something about family loyalty?"

"Dubois's son cost us a fortune!" Lionel ranted.
"He should have respected his father's wishes
instead of playing the rebel. He learned."

"Oh yeah, right," Lex cracked. "Instead now,
he's developed MPD: two personalities for the
price of one. I've read about his exploits.
It's interesting stuff."

"Indeed it is, Mr. Luthor," a cold voice
concurred from the doorway.

Turning, the two men saw Eckhart standing there
with four GSA agents.

"Mason, you said you weren't going to involve
him!" Lionel stormed.

The administrator snorted. Pacing the room, he
surveyed the design and handiwork of the sanctum.
"Very nice indeed. I would listen to your
father if I were you. Your friends will be dealt
with soon enough."

"Who? Clark? He has secrets, but nothing that
big," Lex announced his doubt, although he was
hoping to egg the intruder into spilling
something.

"You'll find out when everyone else does, Mr.
Luthor. Secrets do need to be kept," Eckhart
said, shutting off debate.

Lex ignored the hint, stepping right up to the
white-haired man and staring him in the eye.
"This is still my town. Eckhart. I know about
you and Genomex from my contacts. I also know
about what happened with Miss Lang and the others
in your facility. For someone trying to keep a
wrap on things, I'd say you've made quite a mess
of it."

"I don't intend to leave it there," the other man
told him. "Dubois will be the bonus in all of
this."

"Well, I think that it's too late for that. As
for Dave, let's just say this place is special to
him as well thanks to Daddy Dearest over there.
Whatever you have in store for him is going to
backfire. Pack your bags back up and leave
before he gets here, okay? And stay the Hell
away from my friends. If you don't, well, let's
say after Dave and his crew are finished with
your boys out there, I'll eat the leftovers. No
questions asked." Glaring into his visitor's
eyes, he pushed, "Am I clear?"

Eckhart bit back his anger. Who was this
miserable little worm to threaten him? "Let's
just say you've been warned."

"As much as I appreciate your concern for my
welfare, Eckhart, I would say the same of you.
Get out of here now and take your thugs with
you," Lex concluded, watching as Eckhart marched
out of the office and down the stairs.

"That wasn't wise, Lex," Lionel protested.

"I suppose you pointed him here as a way to come
between me and my friends, didn't you? I have
issues with Clark. The boy is keeping something
from me and maybe Eckhart knows what it is, but
I'm not going to have a repeat performance of
what happened in Tucson!" Lex lectured. "Stuart
did that one out of spite of his son. Now, the
other's life is upside down."

"He's a freak, Lex."

"And who made him that way? What turned him into
that freakish monstrosity? People like you,
that's who. Three words, Dad...leave him alone
and while you're at it, leave them all alone.
Now, I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. Don't
you have a meeting in a few hours at LuthorCorp?"

The other man angrily shook his head and left.
Over his shoulder, he shouted, "You can't defy me
forever, Lex!"

For a long time after that, the younger man sat
behind his desk, pondering the events that had
just happened. True, he did have issues with
Clark over trust and such, but that didn't mean
that Eckhart deserved to experiment on him like a
lab rat. Seeing that it was just after eleven,
he put his coat on and decided to go talk to Lana
at the Talon about this matter.


Chapter 11

About 10:30 AM, Jonathan parked his truck in the
short-term parking lot next to the Smallville
airport. Despite the fact that Clark was with
him, the two men hadn't said more than three
words during the trip from the farm. To the
elder, that was a sign that Clark was absorbed in
his own thoughts.

"Hey, Son, it's okay. He's not going to bite,"
Jonathan reassured him.

"I know," Clark agreed. "I guess I'm feeling the
same way as Lana and Miranda right now. I just
want him to like it here is all."

"I'm sure he will," his father surmised, still
wondering if the professor was indeed the
teenager from long ago. "Come on, let's meet
these professors of yours." With the usual warm
smile, he rubbed his son's shoulder before
getting out of the truck.

Clark felt better after that. He was looking
forward to introducing the Duboises around town
and talking to them over at the Talon.


****

Dave stared out the window as the plane began to
descend toward Smallville. By now, the farms
were coming into view with their rectangular,
almost checkerboard like, plots of land. With
them, the memories from his past visit began to
coalesce inside of his head, reminding him of
another tragedy within his life. Yet, there were
the good memories of the people there, and how
they had been so kind to him.

"Kind of reminds you of Wabash, doesn't it?" he
asked his wife.

"Hmmm?" she inquired dreamily. "Kind of. I
don't recall so much wheat in New York State.
Still, I'm glad that we're doing this trip. I
was getting homesick for the farm."

He rubbed her hand gently. "I know, Princess,
and I'm sorry we haven't been back there in a
while."

"Don't worry about it. Once we get Miri
straightened out, my folks have volunteered to
have everyone over to celebrate. We're going
too. I hope you don't mind if I made the
arrangements with Mama and Daddy," she replied.

"Now, you know how I feel about your folks," he
said warmly. "Why would I object to a trip to
Wabash?"

"Especially since you can see the downtown for
yourself?" she teased.

He shook his head not wanting to get into that
one again.

At that moment, the wheels hit the ground and the
aircraft braked slowly, gradually coming to a
halt by the terminal building. A couple of
minutes later, they walked down the stairs and
entered the facility through the gate door. It
wasn't that big a place-just a few pictures on
the wall and a little coffee stand over to the
side of the area. Once they passed by the
security gate, Dave and Angie looked about the
room, sorting out their fellow passengers from
the man they were supposed to meet there.

"Look, there's Clark," Angie told her husband,
waving back and walking over to meet him.

Dave smiled warmly as he followed. "How's it
going, Clark?" he asked, shaking the younger
man's hand.

"Fine," the student concurred. "How was the trip
here?"

"Uneventful, and that's just the way we like it,"
the professor informed him.

"I can imagine," Clark supposed. "Hey, let's get
your bags and we can get into town. First
though, let's go meet my Dad." Crossing the area
over to where the baggage was being placed, he
announced, "Here they are. Dad, meet..."

"David Dubois," Jonathan realized, looking at
Dave. "I wasn't sure if it was you when we spoke
before on the phone. How've you been?"

"I'm great, Mr. Kent. Thank you," Dave
expressed, shaking his hand. "How are you and
Mrs. Kent?"

"We're doing fine," the farmer noted. "It's
never easy pursuing your dreams."

"Don't I know it," Dave replied. "By the way,
Mr. Kent, this is my wife, Dr. Angela Dubois.
Angie, this is Jonathan Kent."

"Please call me Angie and it's a pleasure," Angie
greeted, shaking their host's hand.

"Same here and please call me Jonathan, all
right? I do appreciate the respect, but we're
all adults here. C'mon, let's get your bags and
get into town. Everyone's waiting for you,"
Jonathan told them.

Dave and Angie exchanged nervous glances before
chorusing, "Everyone?"

"We just arranged to have lunch at the Talon is
all," Clark assured them. "There are a few
people who want to meet you."

"Okay," Dave agreed, albeit hesitantly. Going
back there so quickly wasn't a part of the plan,
but better to get it over with sooner rather than
later.


****

A half-hour later, Lana busily arranged the long
reserved table in the corner. Although the place
usually bustled around eleven with business,
today was an especially busy day for some reason.
There wasn't an empty seat in the house.
Fretting over every place setting, cup, and
utensil, she wanted it to be perfect.

At that time, Eckhart and MacTavish walked into
the establishment, looking for a bite to eat.
Although not normally seen in public, the day's
schedule was too full to spend looking for
another place in this rural town.

"It seems that the good professor has drawn a
crowd," the administrator noted. "There aren't
any tables to be had."

"I can fix that," his lieutenant said firmly and
looked around for a waitress. Spying Lana, he
asked, "Hey, lady, are those tables open? My
boss and I would like to sit there."

"I'm sorry. They're reserved," she told him.

"You don't understand. We need one now. Mr.
Eckhart doesn't like to be kept waiting," the
red-haired man asserted.

Looking to the door, she saw the man from her
nightmares standing there, glancing at her. "Oh
no," she sighed. "Look, we don't want any
trouble. Can you come back later?"

MacTavish fumed. "No." Looking at her, he hit
her with a psychic burst, initiating pain.

"Ah!" she screamed, drawing the attention of the
crowd.

"Stop it!" Miri interceded, jarring the attacker
and disrupting the interchange.

"Mr. MacTavish, you're making a scene," Eckhart
disapproved.

"I'll say," Lex concurred, walking through the
door. "Didn't I tell you not to bother my
friends?"

"This isn't your mansion, Mr. Luthor. Stay out
of this," the administrator growled.

"I am one of the partners running this
establishment and Miss Lang is the other one. We
both want you out of here," Lex asserted. "I
will call the authorities."

"Oh great, I want a road test," MacTavish replied
confidently, approaching Lex. "Bring them on!"

****

At that moment, the truck pulled to a halt across
the street.

Seeing the two men in suits stationed outside of
the restaurant, Clark asked, "What's going on?
Are they?"

Feeling the telltale pain vibrations coming from
within the restaurant, the professor nodded.
"Yup. They are, and I was so hoping to have a
quiet time here."

"Lana! She's in there!" Clark realized.

"I'm sure everything's okay. They look like FBI
or something," Jonathan commented.

"They're something much worse than that," Dave
growled, getting out of the truck and opening a
bag in back of the truck to reveal his bow and
quiver.

"What in?" the father wondered.

"Trust me, Dad. Stay down," Clark advised.

"I'll agree to that, but I'm going to help him,"
Angie asserted, running for a nearby alley. Once
there, she pulled the sword, changing into Xena.

The Warrior Princess glanced around and ran back
toward the Talon, hoping to avoid a scene.


****

Meantime, Dave walked up to the Talon's front
door. Seeing the two thugs there, he baited,
"Training for the British Beefeaters, are we?
Let me through."

"I don't think so," the African-American man
mountain on the left sniggered and brandished the
electroprobe. "Scram."

"Now, that wasn't nice," the professor hissed.
"Oh, hell..." Willing up a couple of bursts, he
took the two agents out. "Too easy."

"David!" Xena called, running up to him.

"Good to see you too! Did Cybelle pop you in
here?" he wondered, covering their tracks.

"We all know you can't stay outta trouble!" she
baited. "Shall we?"

He shrugged. "We shall. Besides, I need to work
up an appetite." Walking through the front door,
the two companions took in the crowded
establishment.

The patrons glanced at the warrior woman and the
man with the bow. Granted, they had seen a lot
of weird stuff in Smallville, but nothing quite
like this.

"Well, I see the gang's all here." Eckhart
frowned.

"And I see that you keep showing up like a bad
stench, Whitey," Dave retorted. "You should hit
the road now."

"I'd listen to him, Eckhart," Xena suggested,
allowing a threatening glare to spread across her
face.

"So, where's this super agent of yours?" Dave
pushed. "I can feel him." Focusing around the
room, he stopped at MacTavish. "What? Is
beating on girls the best you can do?"

The telekinetic released Lana and approached the
new adversary. "You'd best tone it down."

"Or what?" the professor asked sarcastically.
"You're gonna beat me up, huh? Let me guess, all
brawn and no brains. And do yourself a favor,
don't try your crap on me."

"Oh. You'll cry all over me, is that it?"
MacTavish hissed. "You're going to have a
tantrum?"

Miri watched this scene from the corner and was
visibly shaking at the dark vibes coming from her
uncle.

Xena shook her head and told Eckhart. "Call him
off before he gets David going."

"I quite agree," the administrator stated, not
wanting to see Dubois lose it here either. "Mr.
MacTavish, stand down! Now! We're leaving."

The operative glared at his boss for a long
minute before complying. As he followed the
other out the door, he vowed, "This isn't
finished, Dubois."

"Get in line," Dave retorted, allowing the anger
to show clearly on his face. "And scrape that
crap off the sidewalk."

After the car bearing the GSA sped away, he added
to Xena, "Tell Angie it's okay to come out.
We'll see you later, okay? Thanks."

"My pleasure. I'll give your regards to Cybelle
and the others," she told him before hurrying
away. Once around the corner, she changed back
to Angie and rushed over to the truck. "It's
okay, guys."

"What happened?" Jonathan inquired.

"Knowing Dave, I'd say there was a near fight of
some kind," she replied knowingly.

Followed closely by the two men, she hustled into
the restaurant and looked around. In the corner,
Dave hugged their niece, reassuring her that
everything was okay. Fortunately, nobody was
hurt and the damage was minimal.

Clark sat down next to Lana. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she nodded.
"I...I guess. That was awful! He just looked at
me, and I felt this pain. I still ache. Can you
hold me?"

"Sure," he replied caringly, embracing her
tightly against him. This situation hit her a
little too close for comfort. "Hey, it's going
to be all right. I'm thankful we got here when
we did."

She nodded. "I agree. No telling what would
have happened had Professor Dubois and Xena not
come in."

He smiled. "Now you know what they meant about
life never being boring, right?"

She managed a grin. "You're something else,
Clark. Thank you." Pulling her to him, they
exchanged a passionate kiss.

****

In the corner, Lex caught up with Dave. "Nice
work there, Guy. I thought you were going to
lose it."

"Over him and in front of everyone? It wasn't
worth it. Thanks," the professor expressed.
Looking into the man's eyes, he saw something
familiar, but couldn't quite place him. "I know
you, but can't place your name..."

"That's okay," Lex accepted. "It's been a while.
I'm Lex Luthor."

"Little Lex?" Dave wondered, returning the
handshake. "Sorry, I didn't recognize you."

"Yeah, the hair would make a difference," the
co-owner concurred.

"So, what are you doing here?" the professor
wondered.

"I run this place with Lana and her aunt," Lex
explained. "It can be a little slow sometimes,
but business today has been good. As you know,
this is a special place."

"It is that, especially after I saved it from our
fathers' wrecking ball."

"My Dad was storming about you an hour ago," Lex
revealed. "He hasn't forgotten, trust me. But,
that's enough of him. Let's get some lunch into
you, okay? Are you all right, Miranda?"

"I'm fine, Mr. Luthor," she told him, getting up
and straightening herself. "I'll get these last
few orders done before I join you all over at the
table."

"Smart girl," he complimented after she walked
away.

"I'd like to think so," Dave agreed, walking over
to the table.

Lex considered those last few words. What did he
mean by them? The professor had enough mystery
and controversy swirling around him already.
What was the connection to his employee, an
adopted child with supposedly no past? He would
have to look into it at his first convenience.
For now, he joined the others in the reserved
area to get caught up on things.



Chapter 12

Later that afternoon, Chloe Sullivan typed away
rapidly on the computer keyboard. For the past
crew of The Torch, their last issue was due the
next day at the typesetters. With the arrival of
Clark and Lana's mysterious new professors, she
doubted that they would be done on time.

"Pete, I really wish you hadn't left for school
so early," she griped, wishing that her friend
were there with her. After Clark and Lana's
relationship developed, he had been a steadying
influence to her.

Looking at the feature piece that Lana had
written on Alicia Fallone, she admired the
insight and feeling which her friend had poured
into the story. Since her friends had returned
from Tucson, something was off. Her instincts
screamed that a major catastrophe had happened,
but when she cornered them, they would tell her
nothing except what she had found on CNN about
the hospital attack.

"Who is this woman, Lana? And why did she affect
you so deeply?" she asked herself, admiring the
piece once more before setting it down and
getting back to work.

At that very moment, Clark, Lana, and Miranda
walked into the room, fresh off of their long
lunch at the Talon. Placing their stuff down in
the corner, they smiled, yet their faces had a
slight heaviness to them, as if something had
happened at the café. "Hey, guys! It's about
time you got back here! How did lunch go?"

"Great," Clark replied, trying to keep an upbeat
tone to his voice.

"But...?" Chloe asked, knowing her friend well
enough to know when something was eating at him.

"There was a near incident at the Talon," Lana
sighed, shaking from the memory. "A guy showed
up and did something to me. He just looked at me
and I felt pain."

"Looked at you?" the blonde reporter supposed.
"Is this tied to the meteor rocks?"

Clark suddenly got nervous as he recalled how
anxious Adam was to keep Mutant X a secret. "I
think so, Chloe," he indicated.

"Are you okay?" she asked Lana.

"I'm fine. Thanks," her friend assured her.
"Thanks to Miranda and her uncle."

"Uncle?" Chloe wondered wide-eyed. "Who? What
is this?"

"This is off the record at this point," he told
her.

"Okay. So who?" Chloe pushed, happy that her
friend had found a link to her past.

"My uncle is their History professor, David
Dubois," Miranda revealed.

"No way! Talk about coincidences! So, what did
your uncle think of the Talon?" Chloe inquired.
"I'll bet he liked his first taste of it."

"Actually..." Lana cut in. "It wasn't his first
taste of the Talon or Smallville. Chloe, can we
dig up something from 1981 in the Ledger?"

"Hang on," the news-junkie advised, getting into
the town newspaper's website. "Okay, search for
Dubois and Talon, right?"

"Right."

"Okay," Chloe agreed, inputting the information
into the database. Sure enough, the computer
produced an abstract of the article. "Wow. It's
here," she said surprised to see it. Noticing
her friends' interest, she added, "Your professor
has been here before." Getting on the phone, she
talked to somebody in a rapid-fire sequence of
half-sentences before hanging up. "They should
have a piece to us in a couple of minutes.
Apparently, your incident stirred up a lot of
interest. I wish I'd been there to see Xena
myself!"

"There really wasn't much to it," Lana declared.
"She showed up and then left."

"The meteor-guy attacked Lana," Miranda reported.
"I stopped him, but he was about to turn on both
of us before Uncle Dave showed up."

"Yeah, the guy at the Ledger mentioned that he
and the attacker had a stare down of some kind,"
Chloe mentioned, trying to picture the scene in
her mind. "I guess your teacher has a bit of a
temper, huh?"

Clark, Lana, and Miri all looked at each other.
That was the understatement of the century.

"And who were those two guys I saw outside on my
way over here?" Chloe probed.

"They were with the meteor guy. Professor Dubois
took care of both of them, I guess," he replied.
"I was ducking for cover with my Dad."

"Oh, Clark," Chloe teased. "I guess not everyone
can be a tough guy, huh?"

He shook his head and shrugged. If only she
knew.

At that moment, the fax machine started up,
shooting out two pages of newsprint.

"Okay," Lana said, picking the sheets up and
laying them out on the counter for them all to
look at. "Geez, look at this!"

Miranda skimmed the pages. About halfway through
the account, her eyes went wide. "Oh my! My
poor uncle!"

"My folks were pretty upset about something this
morning," he remembered, looking at it for
himself. "Man, that's why."

"I knew there was trouble over the Talon's
ownership back in the early eighties, but nothing
like this," Lana agreed. "Professor Dubois just
about single-handedly saved the place by
himself." A slight shudder passed through her.
Her parents had met there just after the
incident. What if it had been torn down before
that?

"No wonder he was like a pit bull this morning,"
Chloe surmised. "Geez, I might not have gone
back in there if I took what he did."

"Oh, if you meet Professor Dubois, he'll surprise
you," he stated. "There's a lot to him not
apparent on the surface."

"I can't believe that his father would do this,"
Chloe said, not knowing all of the facts.

Lana shook again, recalling the memories of the
kidnapping incident and being held at Genomex.
She held onto Clark tightly.

"What?" Chloe wondered. "Are you all right?"

"We actually met his father, Chloe," he told her.
"Trust me, he's not a very nice man."

The editor-in-chief scratched her head. Now, she
definitely knew that there was more to that trip
than they were telling her. She was determined
to get all of the facts if it killed her.

"Well, we'd best get to work on this edition if
we're going to put it to bed on time," she told
her friends. "Principal Evans wants it in her
office by 10 AM tomorrow."

With that, they all got to work on the piece.

****

Dave sat at the Kents' kitchen table, analyzing
his surroundings. Remarkably, the house was much
the same as he remembered it except for the
telltale signs related to a teenager living
there. One thing he did marvel at: Mrs. Kent
still had one of the best green thumbs when it
came to flowers.

Beside him, Angie rubbed his shoulder
supportively. While he had been quiet all the
way back here, she could guess that his mind was
like a jumbled mess right now. "Are you hanging
in there?"

He nodded. "Uh huh. It's just tough dealing
with the old stuff on top of watching Miri in
danger like that."

"I can imagine," Martha said, setting down cups
of hot water in front of them. "David, are you
still drinking that flavored tea?" She held up a
little tin. "When Clark told us about you, I
bought a fresh one just in case."

"You remembered," Dave giggled in spite of
himself.

"Sure," Jonathan agreed, coming in the front
door, and joining them. "We don't get many
visitors like you."

Dave saw the slight frown across his face.
"Jonathan, what is it?"

"Is it always going to be like this for Clark?"
the father wondered.

"Not if we can help it," the doctor affirmed.
"The world just needs time to accept us. Can you
keep a secret?" Seeing the Kents nod, she
continued, "You didn't know that Miranda was a
mutant, did you?"

Their hosts stared at them. "Quiet Miranda?"

"She's telekinetic, just as I am. It runs in the
family," the professor informed them.

"I see," Martha indicated, although with a great
deal of uncertainty as she placed the tea bags on
the table.

"And those men today? Were they the same people
that kidnapped your wife and Lana?" Jonathan
probed.

"They are. The white haired man is an
anti-mutant bigot named Mason Eckhart. He runs a
covert government agency, which likes to break
the rules in going after people like ourselves
and Clark," Dave noted.

"And you talked him into using his powers in
front of someone like that the last time?"
Jonathan pushed.

"C'mon, this is Clark we're talking about. You
think he's going to let Lana get hurt? Trust me,
I've been in his shoes," the professor reminded
them even as he let the memory of the Genomex
affair took place in his mind. Watching Lana
fall, screaming toward her death. Nick too far
away to do anything. Then, seeing Clark floating
right under her, protecting her.

"He's got a point, Jonathan," Martha agreed.
"Still, we want them to be safe."

"And they will be, Martha," Angie promised, a
smile forming across her face. "You know, I
think it's so funny."

"What is?" Dave asked.

"Oh, the way that Clark and Lana are. It kind of
reminds me of two other people I know," she
sighed, looking at him.

"Let me guess, David and that classmate of his,
right? What was her name?" Jonathan inquired,
searching his memories. "Karen, right?"

"That's right," Dave concurred, sipping on his
blackberry tea. "Mmm...thank you."

"Just a second," Jonathan requested, going to the
bookshelf and grabbing an old photo album. As he
walked back, he flipped pages until he landed on
the right one. "Here it is!"

Placing the item down in front of them, he showed
them a picture of five people standing in front
of the barn.

"That's Karen and her Dad along with you three,"
Angie realized.

"That's when they came out here to get him,"
Martha remembered. "Nice people. I wonder what
they're doing now."

"Well, her father's doing fine. As for Karen,
she'll be here tonight with our friends," Dave
noted, pulling out his cell phone.

"Friends?" Jonathan wondered. "Who else is
involved here?"

"Eckhart has his friends. So do we," Dave
stated, dialing first the secure line code before
the number in question. "Steve? Hey, what's
up?"

"That's my question. Where are you two?" the
agent inquired.

"We're with Clark's folks right now," the
professor informed him. "Eckhart's made his
first move already. We were just in time to
prevent a serious spectacle."

"You and MacTavish didn't...Man, you should know
better," Steve admonished.

"Steve, I'm not stupid. The idiot already
exposed himself before I walked in. We had a
spitting match before Eckhart called him off.
Still, you know as well as I do that he'll try
again. If he touches those kids again, all bets
are off. Can I speak to our group mastermind?"
Dave recounted.

"Yeah sure. Tell the Kents that we'll be on the
first flight up there," Steve concluded, handing
the phone to Adam.

"Dave, what's going on up there? Logan's tap on
the GSA computers shows that they're angry over
that scene this afternoon," Adam commented.

"Adam, we walked into it," the professor told
him. "Apparently, they wanted lunch...and they
were going after our table. MacTavish decided to
use his powers on Lana and was about to do the
same on Miri when I showed up. We went toe to
toe for a second before Xena convinced Whitey to
call off his pit bull."

"Just the same, I want you two to be careful.
Don't provoke them," the geneticist reminded
them. "We'll be up there in the Double Helix
right after sunset. Who else do you want with
us?"

"Francesca and Nick. Have Deirdre bring Steve
and Karen up ASAP," Dave replied. "We need them
on site."

"We're on it," Adam concluded. "If anything
changes, let us know."

Dave hung up and informed the others. "Help's on
the way."

"When do the troops roll in?" Angie asked.

"After sunset. We have some folks who should be
here any minute, however."

At that moment, a knock came from the door.

Martha glanced at Jonathan, not knowing quite
what to expect. She cautiously answered it.
"Yes?"

"Excuse me, Mrs. Kent?" Deirdre inquired.

"That's right. And you are?"

"I'm Deirdre Dubois. My parents are here
somewhere," the priestess commented. "These
are..."

"Karen Alvarez, right?" Martha realized looking
at the familiar face in front of her. "It's been
a long time! How are you?"

"I'm fine, although right now I'm concerned as to
where this situation is going," the nurse
indicated. "And this is one of our other
classmates, Steve Petersen, an FBI agent."

"Relax, the Bureau doesn't know about Clark,"
Steve assured them. "I did that much for him the
last time."

"Thank you for that," Jonathan expressed,
motioning for the others to sit down. "Can we
get you anything?"

"A cup of coffee would be great," Steve agreed.
"Thank you."

"Same here," Karen joined in. "I'm glad that
everything worked out this afternoon. What a
relief!"

"So far," Dave interjected, sipping his tea.
"The day's not over yet. I want an eye kept on
those kids at all times."

"The others will be leaving soon. Can they land
in back in the fields?" Steve asked.

"Are they flying a private plane?" Martha
wondered.

"You could say that," Dave concurred.

"Fine. If it means quicker access to keeping the
kids safe," Jonathan agreed.

"By the way, how did they get their plane back?"
Angie inquired, glancing at Deirdre.

"Mama," the priestess replied. "I popped them
into the cabin and we took off before anyone
could stop us. I must say, Papa, now I know why
you love to mess with them." A mischievous smile
formed on her lips in spite of herself.

"Dave, you're a bad influence on your daughter,"
Angie muttered.

"What? And you're the good little stay at home
wife?" he laughed, letting out a loud snort at
the end. "Yeah right."

Karen shook her head in wonder at her friends.
"Ahem! So when are we moving in?"

Looking over at the clock, he noticed it was
getting on for 4:30. "I'd like to be there
within the next hour."

"The Bureau's on standby just in case," Steve
revealed. "They wanted to be on the scene, but
with our friends getting involved, I wanted to
keep them out unless it was absolutely necessary.
Trust me, if anything happens, Smallville will
be locked down tighter than Fort Knox."

"What about that guy at the restaurant, Dave?"
Angie worried. "If he gets you going..."

"It'll cost him big time," her husband reassured
her. "Especially if he touches Miri."

"You're awfully sure of yourself, Sir," Karen
disagreed. "I saw the jerk's M.O. back in
Arizona. He's a prescription for disaster as far
as you're concerned."

"I'm not afraid of him. In any case, we can
sense each other at all times." He shrugged and
finished his tea. "Now, let's move. We need to
be over there soon."

With that, the group stood and brought their bags
into the house. Much to the Kents' surprise, a
cornucopia of weaponry was produced including
shaft refills, the usual variety of incendiaries,
and a whip for Dave and some pistols for Steve.

"Those look good?" the agent inquired. "They
were the last of your supplies."

"Great. Thanks," Dave complimented. "Jonathan,
can you...?"

"Uh...yeah sure. That stuff...uh...it won't
explode or anything, will it?" the farmer
wondered with concern.

"We should be safe," Dave reassured him, putting
the last of the shafts in his quiver. "Thanks
again for everything, Mrs. Kent."

"My pleasure," she replied, trying to mask her
concern over all of this stuff.

"Deirdre, can you stay here and wait for our
friends?" Angie requested.

"Sure, Mama," the priestess agreed, sipping on
her tea.

With that, the group headed out the door with
Jonathan for town before anything else happened.


Chapter 13 [A couple of hours earlier]

Across town in his office, Lex steadily analyzed
reports both classified and unclassified
concerning Miranda's life. The school database
and adoption records were found easily enough,
but there was nothing on "Miranda Arighatto"
earlier than 1984. "Strange. Where's her birth
certificate? Hmmm...let's try Miranda Dubois."

The computer popped up a screen of hits tied to
that name between 1980 and 1984, but nothing
later than that. Using a password he had
obtained questionably from an FBI insider, he
looked at the records for the girl. Sure enough,
there was a little girl's picture along with her
fingerprints. Apparently, there had been a
national manhunt for her, but not surprisingly,
nobody in this town suspected anything. The
agent in charge was Steven Petersen. "Ah ha," he
realized. "Given his ties to Dubois, that's a
smoking gun if there was one." Downloading the
fingerprints from the database, he superimposed
them on top of the ones in his employee database.

They matched perfectly. She was Miranda Dubois.

"Sonnuva of a gun," he muttered. "No wonder she
was so happy to see him. Still, given the grief
that the Dubois kids took from the Old Man
growing up, they deserve a break like this one."
Hitting "save" on the files, he preserved his
findings for later viewing if needed.

Now that he had solved that mystery, the bald
entrepreneur turned his attention to his unwanted
visitors from this morning both there and at the
Talon. What were those goons doing here? It
wasn't like Eckhart to come slithering out of his
hole after just anyone. Yet, here he was in
Smallville personally overseeing a raid.
"Whatever you're hiding, Clark, it must be a
helluva secret," he told himself. In his
research on Genomex, Lex had discovered several
shady practices, many of which were being
investigated by the FBI. "Given what I saw from
the red head today, there must be genetic
experimentation going on," he said knowingly,
reading the screen. "And just when the Duboises
were coming into town as well. This isn't a
coincidence." With that, he kept digging through
the data files.

****

Across town at the Smallville Inn, Eckhart paced
about the second-class amenities. He hoped that
he wouldn't pick up any diseases from the bugs
flying around outside and he certainly wished
that there had been better lodgings in this
bumpkin town. "The sooner we get what we came
for, the sooner we can leave," he told himself as
well as the agents congregated around him.

"Sir, our surveillance has them over at the high
school. We can sweep in and get them after
school lets out," one of the agents reported.

"There's an assembly of some sort at 4PM. Can't
we just surround the auditorium and get what we
need before Dubois and the others realize what's
going on?" another agent offered.

"Nice observation, Mr. Hinkley," the
administrator complimented. "While I don't
relish the thought of holding an entire school
hostage, we need to keep Mr. Kent, Miss
Arrighato, and Miss Lang from escaping. I want
this done as quietly and efficiently as possible
hopefully before the assembly is over."

"If we go longer than that, I'll handle Dubois
myself," MacTavish crowed.

"Calm yourself," Eckhart ordered. "Knowing the
professor, he has already contacted Adam and his
band of outlaws. It's only a matter of time
before they get here. And then, I'm sure
Petersen has the FBI already covering things.
No, Mr. MacTavish, if we wait, we risk exposing
ourselves further to social scrutiny. Is that
clear?"

"It is," the new mutant conceded.

"Good. We don't need any more problems or public
displays such as the one this morning," Eckhart
told him. Turning back to the other agents, he
instructed, "Go to your posts as we've planned.
Be ready for anything, especially for Mutant X.
Understand?"

The subordinates nodded and grabbed their gear
before taking off.

Eckhart smiled confidently. Soon, everything
would be within his grasp. If he played his
cards right, he might even be able to not only
take the students, but add the Duboises and
Adam's band. If that happened, it would be a
great night. A great night indeed.

****

About 5 PM, Jonathan parked his truck around the
corner from the high school. Looking around, he
noted that it was quiet...too quiet.

Dave scanned the area with his senses, probing
for any sign of trouble. He discovered several
auras moving in from the back of the school.
"Steve?"

Ducking behind a mailbox, the agent managed
enough of a glance through his binoculars to
confirm his friend's observation. "Damn! GSA
agents are on all sides!"

"Terrific," the professor groused. "Keep an eye
on them buggers."

"Company?" Angie wondered.

"The uninvited type and lots of them," Dave
reported. "Jonathan, you might want to head back
to the farm and wait there. If we need you,
we'll let you know."

"And what about the kids?" the farmer argued.

"Trust me," Angie urged. "You're not going to
want to be anywhere near here when this operation
goes down."

The anguished father stared at the school again.
"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive," she affirmed.

"Well, I'm staying put. Heck with the
circumstances."

"Suit yourself. Help's on the way," Dave added.
"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Get ready to move in on my signal," the
historian directed.

"Right. Dave, the other agents are in position
at the airport and at the city limits.
Smallville's locked down," the agent told them.

"Terrific. Tell them to stay there," Dave
copied, switching channels. "Adam, are you
there?"

****

On board the Double Helix, Adam responded,
"Dave, what's going on?"

"The GSA's moving in on the school sooner than we
expected," Dave reported. "What's your ETA?"

After looking at the displays, the team leader
replied, "About 2 hours unless you want to send
us some help."

"I'll see what I can do," Dave concluded, signing
off.

"What's up?" Shalimar inquired.

"Something's going on in Smallville," Emma noted
from her station.

"What are you picking up on?" Adam asked with
concern.

"Concern, fear, anxiousness mixed with occasional
spikes of anger. So far he's in control, but we
should hurry."

"I don't know. Watching Dave light into a few
GSA agents might be entertaining to watch,"
Brennan supposed.

Nick glared at him. "You have no idea of what
you're talking about, do you?"

"What?" the electrical mutant wondered. Seeing
his teammates' expressions, he reiterated,
"What?"

"Dave's been in a fight like that," the detective
continued. "He and a female vampire fought
unrestrained."

"And?" Jesse asked.

"And they leveled the downtown area of Wabash, NY
between them. Given what you've told me about
MacTavish and what I know about Dave, this has
the potential to get ugly really fast."

"Tell me about it," Deirdre concurred, stepping
from the mists. "Papa sent me to give you all a
lift."

"Go for it," Adam agreed.

The priestess nodded and focused. In front of
the speeding jet, the passengers watched as the
fog formed. Despite the fact that they had seen
her do this before, the others were still amazed
at this phenomenon. Zipping through the portal,
they ended up about ten miles from Smallville.

"There," she declared, wiping some sweat from her
brow.

"Stealth cloak," Adam instructed the ship's
computer, causing it to turn invisible to outside
observers. "How much farther?"

"About a mile away. Aunt Karen's waiting for us
in the cow pasture," Deirdre replied.

"I have her on the readings," Jesse informed
them. "Taking her down."

The ship touched down on the cow pasture just out
of sight from the house.

Waiting there, Karen stared at the air in front
of her. Despite not being able to see anything,
she could sense that her friends had just
arrived. As the ship's door opened and the
passengers disembarked except for Nick, she
greeted, "I'm glad you're here."

"Thanks," Adam replied pleasantly. "What's the
situation?"

"Dave and the others went to town about
forty-five minutes ago. From the vibes I'm
getting, as well as seeing you here so soon, I'd
say we're in trouble," the nurse reported.

"If Eckhart's getting ready to move, we'd best
get to the high school fast," Brennan
interjected.

"Especially since Miranda's with Clark and the
others," Karen added.

"And from what I can tell, MacTavish is nearby as
well. Adam, he and Dave have some sort of link,"
Emma guessed.

"I see," the leader said, the concern growing on
his face. "Deirdre?"

"Right. Francesca, we're going to need you too,"
the priestess requested, willing up the portal.
After her cousin and Mutant X were inside, she
sealed the passage behind them.

Inside of the ship, Nick sat in his seat and
watched the chronometer. "Still two and a half
hours to sunset. Terrific," he groused, wishing
he could be more help to his friends.


Chapter 14

Meanwhile, inside of the school, Clark, Miranda,
Lana, and Chloe continued to research the
question in front of them.

"Finding anything?" Lana asked.

"Yeah," Chloe agreed. "There's a lot of stuff
here..."

Then the lights went out.

"What? Oh no! Not now!" the journalist
complained.

Miranda looked around. While she could sense her
friends' anxiousness, she picked up on something
else as well: many auras approaching them.

Clark's super hearing also picked up on them as
well. Trying to think on his feet, he wondered
how he could use his powers in front of Chloe and
Miranda. "C'mon!" he urged, feeling his way in
the darkness to the other desk. Although he
could have moved it by himself, he wanted to
maintain the façade.

Lana shook her head. She had seen him do some
pretty incredible things and now, he was
complaining about moving a desk? "But, Clark..."
she started, wondering what he was getting at.
Then, it hit her that this was part of the
disguise. "Okay, never mind."

Without another word, the quartet shoved the desk
against the door, blockading themselves into the
newsroom.

"Now what?" Chloe whispered nervously.

"Now we wait," Clark sighed, his arm around
Lana's shoulders.

"Hurry, Uncle Dave. Please," Miranda thought
anxiously.

****

[Lex's castle]

For the past hour, Lex had sat behind his desk,
listening to taps on the police and FBI bands.
Something was going down at the high school and,
despite knowing about it, local law enforcement
was keeping a loose cordon around the town.

"You're good, Petersen," he admired. "What do
you have up your sleeve?" Judging from the
locale, he guessed that Eckhart's goons had just
cornered Clark.

At that moment, Lionel burst into office.

"Gee, Dad, don't you believe in knocking
anymore?" Lex baited, putting his jacket on.

"Lex, stay away from town," his father advised.

"And why would I do that?" the son asked.

"Let Eckhart do his dirty work and crawl away!"
Lionel argued and seized Lex's arm. "I don't
want you involved!"

Lex glowered at his father. So, the Old Man's
buddy was involved in this mess. Shaking his arm
loose, he stated, "Too late, Dad. When you
involved my friends, you involved me! You'd best
hope they're okay."

"Or what? Damn it, Lex! They're not your
future! I am!" the other man yelled. "Come to
your senses!"

Lex smiled coldly. "It isn't just Clark or Lana.
You know Miranda Arrighatto?"

"The waitress at that coffee dump?"

"Right," Lex agreed, forcing himself to stay
composed. "If she's hurt, you're going to get a
visit from David Dubois. Judging from what I saw
at the Talon this afternoon, I wouldn't want to
be in your shoes. Trust me." With that, he
grabbed his keys and hurried to the garage.

Lionel slumped into the padded chair and rubbed
his forehead. While he was willing to let
Eckhart take the others, he wouldn't allow Lex to
hurt himself through stupid heroics. Getting up,
he rushed through the office doors determined to
stop his son.



Chapter 15

From his post in the vacant office building
across the street from the high school, Eckhart
watched the unfolding drama through a pair of
binoculars. "Mr. MacTavish, I do hope you know
what you're doing," he stated mindful that the
operation's success hinged upon efficiency.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to the
dark-haired woman standing by the door. "Be
ready to move out at a moment's notice, Ms.
Henderson. I don't want any exposure."

"Yes, sir," she agreed, leaving to relay the
order onto her fellow lieutenants.

The administrator smiled at the subordinate's
response, hoping that the others shared her drive
as well.

****

Below Eckhart's perch, Deirdre and Mutant X had
joined the others.

"Who are all of you?" Jonathan demanded.

"We're friends," Adam replied cryptically,
shaking his hand.

"You can trust them," Angie assured him.

"Deirdre, can you take Mr. Kent back to the farm
and wait for us there?" Dave requested.

"Okay, Papa, but you be careful," his daughter
urged.

"Count on it," he told her, rubbing her shoulder.

"Mr. Kent, we'll get Clark and the others out,"
Adam promised him.

For a second, Jonathan stared at the man and his
associates before assenting, "Okay. Just take
care with everything."

"We will," Emma replied, sending waves of
pleasant feelings through the farmer's mind as he
vanished into the mists. "How are you holding
up, Dave?"

"About as well as can be expected under the
circumstances," the professor indicated,
producing four ski masks. "Here you go. In case
the FBI gets here early."

"Good idea," Adam agreed. "Put them on,
everyone." When they had all done so, he asked,
"Do you have a plan?"

"He always does," Steve chimed in while remaining
focused on the school.

"Angie and Francesca, you know what to do," Dave
hinted.

They nodded and moved into the alley behind their
position. Once out of sight, they initiated the
changes into Xena and Gabrielle. A moment later,
they were back with their friends.

"Okay, now what?" Gabrielle wondered.

"We can't just go charging in there with the
hostages," Shalimar pointed out.

"And with MacTavish waiting for me," Dave added.
Then a smile came to his face. "Oh, that's
good."

"What is?" Xena inquired. "What is it?"

"A trick I learned in the Dark Lands," the
medievalist revealed, checking his weapons over
one last time. "All set. Steve?"

"They're in the tube beside you," the agent
indicated, guessing at his intent.

Dave nodded and unrolled the structural
blueprint. A close study gave him the route he
needed. "Yeah."

"Great. No way in," Brennan doubted.

"Some former thief you are," Jesse needled.

"Actually, Brennan, there is," Dave disagreed.
"See this tunnel right here? That's our way in."

"That's the sewer." Shalimar frowned.

"That's right. You lucky folks get to learn
about Operation Sewer Meet," the professor
remarked.

"It's a pincer maneuver," Steve explained. "We
attack on two or three different fronts at once,
splitting the GSA forces between us."

"But you said earlier that MacTavish can sense
you. How's that going to work?" Jesse wondered.

Dave shrugged. "With a little help, it'll work."
He cast a glance in Emma's direction.

Adam watched their friend carefully and deduced
his meaning. "Emma, can you generate the
appearance of anger into MacTavish's mind?"

"You know I can. Why?" she responded.

"I need you to be me," the professor hinted,
stretching out with his senses and reading the
environment. Inside the school, he felt fear,
anger, nervous, and tension not to mention his
adversary's brightly burning aura. However, he
also detected a pocket of emptiness moving
through the lower levels of the school. "What
now?" he thought, filing that knowledge away.
Sunset was still an hour away, yet somehow a
vampire was in there as well. Composing himself,
he told the others, "Okay, here's the plan. Adam
will take Mutant X and hit them topside. Once
inside, Emma, you'll need to convince MacTavish
that you're me. Steve, Xena, Gabrielle, and I
will take the underground route. Hopefully, we
can delay things until sunset when Nick will get
here. Emma, stay in touch telekinetically,
okay?"

"Right," she agreed. "Take care down there."

"Always," he agreed, focusing on the manhole
cover beside them. With a mental "pull," he tore
the cover off of the hole and set it down about
three feet away. "Ladies first."

"Always the gentleman, ain't you?" Xena needled
as she climbed down.

"Don't mind her," Gabrielle told him as she
followed.

"You owe me," Steve muttered, stepping onto the
ladder's top rung and climbing down.

"Good luck," Adam wished.

"Same to you," Dave replied, joining the rest of
his group.

When he had disappeared, Adam indicated, "Okay,
let's go. Be careful." With that, they hurried
across the street being careful to conceal their
movements within the lengthening shadows.

Chapter 16 [An hour later]

Nick watched as the shadows grew longer and
longer on the Helix's monitors. Finally, the sun
sank below the horizon, freeing him to help the
others. Needing no further urging, he took off
into the night sky, heading for town.

****

In the Torch's darkened area, Clark kept his ears
tuned to the approaching agents. The latter had
been running up and down the hallway for the past
twenty minutes. Finally, one rattled the right
door and yelled, "This has gotta be it! What's
in here?"

"I don't know," another man answered. A shove
revealed that the door was blocked with
something. "Hey, guys! Can you help us with
this door?"

Hearing this effort, Lana whispered, "Clark, what
are we going to do?"

"I don't know," he stated honestly. With these
goons, he knew he would have to use his powers to
save his friends and worry about the consequences
later.

Miranda scrambled to their side. "My uncle's
getting closer."

"How's Chloe?" Lana asked low.

"I'm okay for now," the blonde reporter replied.
"Miranda, what's the big deal with your uncle
against these creeps?"

"Oh, he can do quite a bit," Clark informed her.
"Trust me."

Chloe cast a skeptical look in their direction.
Whoever or whatever this guy was, he'd better be
something special. From the hallway, she could
see the crack of light from the door getting
wider as the GSA pushed their way inside.

****

Mutant X made its way into the building with
relative ease, taking out a couple of agents
stationed at the door. With Nick's assistance,
they had made their way through two more levels
of guarded passages.

"Better start your beacon, Emma," Adam advised.

"Right," she agreed, broadcasting the right range
of tense emotions to MacTavish. "Get ready,
guys. He's coming this way and thinks I'm Dave."

"Remind me to talk to you about that temper of
yours," Shalimar baited, trying to take the edge
off of the situation.

The others silently followed the two women down
the stairs toward the next level and the
challenges awaiting them down there.

****

Dave kept a close eye on the markings along the
walls. In addition to looking for a sign that
they were at the school, he was tuned to
Miranda's thoughts as well.

"It's hard to believe you used to do this with
Singleton," Steve complained, turning his nose up
at the odor and worrying about what the sludge
was doing to his pants.

"I thought ya were a tough guy," Xena chuckled.
"Didn't they tell ya that sewers ain't for Adonis
types?"

"And I suppose you've done this before?" he asked
impatiently.

"A few times," the Warrior Princess replied
flatly.

"We both have," Gabrielle cut in.

Dave sighed to himself as they pressed on.
"Which marker are we looking for?"

"140," the agent replied.

At that moment, the professor felt a wave of
panic smack him right between the eyes. "Crap!"

"What?" Xena pushed. "What is it?"

"That was Miri. We just ran out of time!" he
reported, taking off down the tunnel at a full
sprint. "135...136....137," he counted off
before stopping at 140.

"Where's the door?" Steve asked. "There's
supposed to be a door!"

"Stand back!" Dave hissed, focusing energy into
both hands. "We'll make a door!" Through Miri's
eyes, he saw the agents bursting into the room,
brandishing weapons and threatening the kids.

With no more time to waste, he uncorked a double
blast into the reinforced concrete, boring their
way into the scene.

Chapter 17

MacTavish and four agents moved toward the spot
where they thought Dave was. Climbing two
flights of stairs, the new mutant operative
increased his pace, forcing the others to do the
same.

Finally, in the midst of an empty, echoing
hallway, he could have sworn he was right on top
of him. "Where are you, Dubois?" he challenged.

"Sorry," Emma replied, stepping out of the
shadows.

"Ms. DiLauro, I trust?" he retorted. "Too bad
for you. Get her!"

The four agents rushed her only to find their way
blocked by her allies.

"That's no way to treat a lady," Brennan
admonished, blasting one into unconsciousness.

"I'll go with that," Jesse concurred, smacking
another with a massed fist.

Nick silently took out another man with little
trouble.

Finally, Shalimar backhanded the last one out
cold, cracking, "I'm glad to see that chivalry
ain't dead."

"The rest of Mutant X," the anger-seeking mutant
realized. "I don't know who your friend is, but
he'll join you soon enough in a stasis pod of his
own. First, tell me where Dubois is."

"He's attending to other business at the moment,"
Adam noted.

Then an explosion echoed up the stairwell.

"I'd say that's him now," the feral mutant
baited.

"This isn't finished," MacTavish growled.

"I think it is," Emma asserted, projecting
soothing emotions into him and lulling him to
sleep.

"Nice work," Adam complimented.

"Thanks. It won't last long though," the psionic
replied, checking her mask. "Let's get those
kids out."

The team made their way to the auditorium.
Overpowering the six agents by the door, they
entered the area to find the students crammed
together and nervous.

"Who are you?" Principal Evans demanded.

"I'm a police officer," Nick assured her. "These
are friends of mine. C'mon, let's go."

The official nodded and, with the help of the
rescuers, guided the students out of the school
to safety.

Once that had been accomplished, Adam asserted,
"Now, for MacTavish."

"Wish we could," Jesse noted, phasing through the
wall between hallways. "He's gone."

"It's up to Dave and the others now. I hope he
can get the kids out of there before MacTavish
gets down there," Nick hoped.

****

Lex's car screeched to a halt in front of the
school just as the last kids poured out of the
front doors, heading for safety.

"What the?" he wondered, jumping out of the
Porsche. Catching a student, he pushed, "What
happened?"

"We were in an assembly when these guys came in
with weapons of some kind. We were stuck in the
auditorium until this cop got us out," the
student recounted nervously. "Can I go now?"

"Yeah. Thanks," Lex agreed, releasing the
student. This situation was bordering on the
ridiculous. Even Eckhart wasn't insane enough to
want to hold an entire school class at gunpoint
unless there was something to be gained from it.
"What are you hiding, Clark?" he wondered again
as he rushed into the building to see for
himself.

****

Meantime, the four other GSA agents had cornered
Clark and his friends.

"You really don't wanna make this any tougher on
us, Kent," the head agent stated, knocking Clark
with an electroprobe and sending a heavy jolt
through the teenager's body.

Clark twitched a bit, but intercepted the second
swipe from the agent. "Watch that thing!" he
advised, bending the probe in his right hand and
letting the voltage spark off of him as if it
were so much water.

"Clark, get down!" Miranda yelled. As he did,
she telepathically "shoved" another agent into
the wall, knocking him out cold.

Chloe stared at her two friends anxiously. Until
now, she thought they were all normal everyday,
angst-driven teenagers. However, after seeing
that sight, she was agape. A quick glance at
Lana's calm façade told her volumes. "Lana, did
you know?"

"Trust me. It's a long story," the former
cheerleader replied.

"Arighatto's one too!" the remaining agent
reported into his headset. "Reinforcements now!"

At the urging, six more agents rushed in to face
Clark and Miranda.

However, at the far side of the room, something
hit the wall hard, shaking the entire area, and
cracking the reinforced concrete.

"You'd best back off," Miranda told the agents.

"Or what?" they taunted.

Then, another blast hit the wall, spider-webbing
it this time.

"Miranda, what is it?" Chloe demanded, turning
white.

"Damn it, it's Dubois! Get back!" the rear agent
yelled as the concrete finally gave way.

As the dust settled, the professor stepped
through the crater with a cross look on his face.
"Well now, look what we got here. Those are my
friends you're messing with, boys. I'd leave now
if I were you."

Before they could even take another breath, a
black blur whizzed out of the hole, gyrating,
kicking, punching, and screaming her signature
war cry. Landing beside the kids, Xena shrugged.
"They were all talk, David."

"Whatever," he retorted, not caring about those
creeps. "Miri, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Uncle Dave. Thank you."

"Good. Come on," he urged. "Back through the
hole."

"Sure," she agreed, stepping into the muck.
While she normally would have made a fuss, she
went in without argument on this occasion.

"Thanks, Professor Dubois and Xena," Lana
expressed, following her friend.

"No problem," the warrior told her.

"Come on, Chloe," Lana called. "Gabrielle's here
to help you as well."

The reporter shook her head. Too many weird
things had just happened to be easily explained
away. "There had better be a good explanation,"
she groused, exiting the battle zone.

As Clark started through, he noticed an intruder.
"MacTavish!"

"I know. Keep going. That's an order," Dave
instructed firmly.

"That was a nice trick you pulled to get in
here," the operative complimented.

"I have a few up my sleeve for lowlifes like
you," the professor remarked, turning to face his
opponent.

"So, the girl's your niece. Too bad I have to
take her in," MacTavish crowed.

"No, I don't think so," Dave disagreed. "One
more step and I'll nail you."

"You have to get angry first and then, I have
you."

Dave shrugged. "Your loss." Firing a pulse, he
knocked his opponent out cold. "Asshole," he
hissed, lifting the new mutant telekinetically
and floating him into the sewer passage.

At least the trouble was now over...or so he
thought.

Chapter 18

Back at the Kent farm, Karen and Deirdre kept a
close eye on the road for any sign of trouble.
For hours, all had been quiet.

Finally, Karen smiled. "Dave and the others just
got the kids out."

"How do you know that?" Jonathan asked, sipping
his coffee.

"Telepathy, sir," the nurse admitted. "Dave and
I have had a link of sorts for years. He just
sent me a message of sorts."

"She's right," Martha added. "The news just
announced that the students were just released!"

"That's a relief!" her husband cheered, hugging
her. They were glad that the mess seemed over
finally.


****

Mutant X waited anxiously in the alley for their
friends to emerge from the manhole. They knew
that the area could be swarming with police, FBI,
or GSA agents at any moment and wanted to get out
of there.

"Thankfully, it's dark," Adam assessed, looking
at Nick. "For more than one reason. Thank you,
Nick."

"We all had a role to play," the immortal
detective replied, downplaying his role.

"You can certainly kick your share of butt, guy,"
Brennan declared.

"I'll say. Nice work," Shalimar complimented.

At that moment, they heard a coughing sound
coming from the hole.

The feral stuck her head down there. In the dim
lighting, she spied the group making its way
toward her. "Miranda?" she asked.

"Shalimar?" the tired woman responded. "Yes,
it's me."

"Great. Hang on, we're gonna get out of there.
Can you climb up?"

"Yes," the telepath agreed, scrambling for the
outside and the clean fresh air. "Clark, Lana,
and Chloe are still down there."

"They're right here," Gabrielle indicated from
below, helping Lana up first.

"Where's Dave?" Emma worried, feeling some
anxiety.

"Delaying MacTavish," Xena informed her as she
guided Chloe and then, Clark up the ladder before
making her own way up.

Steve scrambled up the ladder glad to be out of
the muck.

Sitting on solid ground, Chloe scrutinized the
group of odd folks in front of her. Who were
they? Why were they in Smallville? And how did
they know her friends so well?

Clark studied her face, knowing that expression
well. They would all have some serious
explaining to do when the situation was over.

"Coming up!" Dave's voice called from below.

MacTavish floated through the opening and came to
rest on the ground. Then, the professor stepped
out into the alley.

"Whew! That reeks!" he remarked, waving his hand
in front of his face.

"You took care of him?" Adam wondered.

"He thought he could get us riled," the
medievalist declared. "Too bad for him. Still,
I have a ways to go."

"For once, we agree, Dr. Dubois," Eckhart
announced, stepping into the light.

The heroes turned to see their nemesis flanked by
forty agents, some normal, others, new mutants,
but all were spoiling for a fight.

"Lana, Chloe, get behind me!" Clark urged,
stepping in front of them protectively. Maybe he
would go down, but the GSA wasn't going to get
their hands on his friends again without a fight.

"Miri, get back!" her uncle ordered.

"No," she asserted, assuming a defensive karate
posture. "I'll stand by you to the end."

He winced. He wasn't going to lose her again,
not after taking so long to find her. Still, he
felt proud of his niece for standing her ground
to protect her friends and adopted home.

"Lana, what is this?" Chloe demanded.

"You wanted to know what happened to Clark and me
in Tucson. Those are the creeps who kidnapped
Dr. Dubois and me. The people standing between
them and us are our friends, Chloe. You have to
trust them," Lana reported.

"That's right," Clark affirmed, still facing the
small army in front of them.

Meantime, the rest of the group was just as
prepared to face the threat. Xena held her sword
and chakram ready for action. Gabrielle spun her
staff in hand. Jesse was massed out. Brennan's
hands crackled with electrical energy. Both
Nick's and Shalimar's eyes glinted yellow,
indicating their preparedness.

In the center of the line, Dave's hands glowed
brightly as he warned menacingly, "I'd back down
now."

"I don't think so. You and your freakish friends
are a menace!" the administrator countered.

A slight spasm went through the professor's body
as the change took place.

"Ah think ya're the freaks!" the Child spat
vehemently, recalling the last time somebody
called him that here. "'Mon!"

Eckhart looked around. If it happened, this
fight would attract too much attention, exposing
them all. While the Duboises didn't care, for
all the others concerned, it would be their ruin.

Noticing his longtime enemy's hesitation, Adam
stated, "It's over, Mason."

"For now, Adam," the other admitted grudgingly.

"Naw. We're done period!" the Child asserted,
glaring daggers into the administrator's eyes.
"Take a look, Whitey! If ya come to Tucson
again, Ah promise ya that ya'll will regret it."

"And we'll back him," Nick declared cryptically,
meaning both the police and the Vampire
Community.

"As will we," Adam chimed in on behalf of his
group.

"Scram," Xena growled at the enemy, stepping
forward.

Eckhart swore under his breath. The previous
debacle had proven still more costly yet. "We're
done," he told the others.

"Smart move, Whitey," the Dark One hissed.
"Still, Ah was lookin' forward to a good brawl."

"Thankfully, you won't get it," Nick disagreed.

Looking toward the sky, the Child growled, "Hey,
did ya feel that, Nick?"

The former Crusader realized what it was. "Not
her!" he denied, rushing into the darkness.

Then, they could hear Eckhart's screaming.

"What is it?" Clark pressed.

"Keep back, Boy!" the Child snarled.

"Would someone please give me some answers?"
Chloe insisted.

From the darkness, a familiar voice cackled.
"Yes. Do tell."

"Divia," the Child challenged. "Ya looking for
'nother whuppin'?"

The blonde vampiress stepped into the light. She
was fully vamped out and wiping the blood from
the sides of her mouth. "No. For tonight, I'm
thankful for the meal and our Community's
secrecy," she declined.

"Meal? What is she getting at?" Miranda inquired.

"Adam," Shalimar informed the leader, wincing as
her senses picked up on the blood.

Nick stepped into the alley carrying Eckhart's
drained corpse. "Divia, you've started a war."

She snarled, "No, Nicholas, I've taught these
insolent mortals a lesson. Your friend said it
best!" She smiled wickedly at the Child. "They
needed to pay."

At that moment, MacTavish rose to his feet and
gaped in horror at his boss's corpse. "Mr.
Eckhart! He's dead!"

"Yes, he is," Divia replied frankly. "I must say
the taste of plastic covering is revolting. For
your sake, Mortal, I would advise you to keep
quiet about this situation if you know what's
good for you."

"I'm not afraid of you," the red-haired operative
countered, stepping toward her.

"Hey, Meathead! Ah'd keep 'way from her if Ah
were ya'll," the Child advised. "Git lost."

"Bring it on, Dubois," MacTavish challenged.

Divia snorted incredulously at this display.
"Nicholas, should we?"

"No, let them deal with this matter," the
detective stated. "It won't take long."

"Right," the GSA agent agreed.

"Man, he's got a death wish," Brennan assessed,
shaking his head.

Meanwhile, MacTavish reached out with his
abilities, trying to feed off of the Child.
Unfortunately, nothing came of it.

"Well?" the Dark One chuckled amusedly.

"Why isn't anything coming from you?" his
opponent wondered.

"Maybe cuz Ah'm focused, Jerk!" the Child
postulated, grabbing him by the scruff of the
neck and locking eyes with his enemy. "Ya think
ya know anger? Take a good look!"

As if a switch had been thrown, MacTavish felt
the emotions crash into him, strengthening him.
After two minutes, he had taken his fill and
tried to break the grip.

"Na yet!" the Other indicated, increasing the
emotional flow.

After another minute, the agent started to shake
and his eyes bulged. "No! That's sick!"
Severing the connection with a pain burst, he
roared, "What are you?"

As the Child got back on his feet, the others
noted the right eye's yellow pallor and the grin
on his face. "Anger, hurt, pain," he retorted,
the hate seeping off of him.

"You're a menace!" MacTavish insisted, throwing
an enhanced punch with little effect into the
enraged man.

"Stop this!" Miranda screamed, afraid that both
men would be hurt.

"Tell 'im, Leader Man," the Child stated to Adam.

"You heard him, MacTavish," Adam concurred.
"Stop this now!"

"Not until he's taken care of!" the agent
insisted, opening the link again. Unfortunately,
the pain flowed freely, proving too much for even
somebody like him to take.

"Wha's the matter? Too much juice?" the Child
chortled darkly.

The other man shook violently. His mouth
twitched constantly and his eyes crossed.
"No...no...no..." he stammered as he collapsed.

"Couldn't take our last whuppin' here, could ya?"
the Child guessed. "Welcome to mah world, Smart
Ass. Guess ya'll weren't as tough as ya said."

"Well, now that's taken care of," Divia assessed.
"I'm needed back in Toronto before dawn. Tell
your friend to call off his associates."

"I'll do that," Steve agreed, getting on his
phone, eager to get her as far away as possible.

"Dubois, Xena, Gabrielle, you have my thanks.
Until we meet again," the female Elder concluded,
disappearing into the night sky.

"Good riddance!" the Child roared. Looking at
his shaking opponent, he asked, "How's the twit?"

Emma informed him, "He's completely lost his
mind."

"His loss," he replied. "'Nuff of this!"
Turning his focus inward, he changed back into
Dave.

"What?" the professor inquired, staring at the
others. "Where are the agents? What's he doing
there?"

Chloe blurted out, "You mean you made him go nuts
and you don't remember?"

"Hey, take it down a notch," the professor
requested, wincing from the headache.

Xena stepped forward and offered him two pills.
"Angela gave me these for you."

"Thanks," he agreed, gulping them down dry.
Looking at the kids, he asked, "Are you all
right?"

"We're fine," Clark agreed.

"I'm okay," Lana noted, albeit a bit nervously.

"Me too!" Miranda concurred, hugging him tightly.
"Don't let me go!"

"Never, Miri-Ma. You're safe," Dave promised,
kissing her on top of her head.

On the other side of the alley, Chloe tried to
make sense out of what just happened. Bad enough
that she was caught between two secret parties
fighting their insane war, but how would she deal
with Clark and Miranda being more than they
seemed? Then, there was the matter of the
vampire. Finally, her new friends' new professor
was a total psycho. She was torn. On the one
hand, there was the need for secrecy. On the
other hand, her journalistic instincts screamed
out that she needed to reveal these events.

Turning to Clark, she asked, "How could you keep
this from me?"

He shook his head. "My parents always told me to
keep what I am a secret. You can see why."

"But you told her!" the reporter ranted, the
tears starting to streak down her face. "I...I"

Lana put her hand on Chloe's left shoulder and
stated, "At least you didn't find out in the
middle of a three story fall, Chloe. He saved my
life. I think keeping his secret is worth it."

"I didn't want to end up on 'The Wall of Weird'
or in 'The Torch,' Chloe," he added. "Sometimes,
your drive to collect information overrides
everything else."

"But you didn't trust me!" Chloe protested.

He slumped his shoulders and sighed, "I have
enough problems with being me without added
exposure. Now, there's the goon squad to deal
with as well."

"And Norman over there?" she asked, motioning
toward Dave.

"What about me?" Dave cut in, glaring at her.

"I'm afraid you're going to hurt them," she
accused.

The professor fought back a wave of indignation
and laughed derisively, "Look, I wouldn't hurt
them."

Lana trembled at the harsh words being exchanged.
Had they just dealt with a bad threat only to
have arguments destroy everything? "No! Stop
it, everyone!"

"But, he's a lunatic!" the reporter argued.

The professor glared at her and growled
wordlessly. He had taken enough pain already for
a lifetime. "I've had enough of this crap.
You're welcome for the help," he snarled
sarcastically and stalked out of the alley, the
tears of rejection stinging his eyes.

Miranda stared at her friend incredulously. "How
can you say those things, Chloe?" she demanded,
her own tears running down her cheeks. "How?"
With that, she ran after her uncle.

"He's not that bad," Steve countered, trying to
get Chloe to stop. "I've known him since we were
your age. It's sick what pain does to someone.
Trust me, you don't have the right to call him a
lunatic. Not when you haven't walked in his
shoes."

"You can't talk about this to anyone," Lana told
her.

"But...doesn't the public have a right to know
about vampires and them?" she asked, motioning
toward Mutant X.

Nick stepped forward and looked Chloe in the eye.
"No," he responded, turning on the hypnosis.
"Listen to me, Chloe. You were in the middle of
a bad situation between a hostile militant group
and the police. Agent Petersen saved you all.
You will forget about any knowledge of vampires,
new mutants, or the Genetic Security Agency."

"I will for...get," the entranced girl agreed
robotically.

"Chloe, you will keep Clark and Miranda's secrets
as there is nothing newsworthy about them. And
you won't be afraid of David Dubois anymore and
will keep his secret as well," the vampire
concluded. "Now sleep."

The young girl collapsed to the ground in a dead
slumber.

Clark picked her up with concern. She was out
cold from whatever whammy Nick had just pulled.
"What did you do to her?"

"I hypnotized her, Clark. I hated to do it, but
she needs to forget about most of tonight.
She'll be okay with a few altered memories to
show for it," the detective told him.

"Well, I'll take her home," Clark indicated,
rushing off at super speed, leaving a breeze in
his wake.

Miranda marveled at her friend's abilities.
"That's something else."

"Tell me about it. I'm still adjusting to it,"
Lana agreed, managing a smile.

"Hopefully, someday the world will too," Dave
sighed, rejoining them.

"If it's okay, we're going to take off. Dave,
we'll deal with MacTavish," Adam told him.

"Fine," the professor agreed, shaking his hand.
"Thanks for the help."

"We'll talk when you get back to Tucson," the
team leader replied. Speaking into his ring, he
called for the Double Helix. Within seconds, the
cloaked ship landed in the street. "Coming,
Nick?"

"I'll have Natalie take care of Eckhart," Nick
informed them, carrying the body and MacTavish on
board. "Nice job, everyone. Clark, Lana, have a
good trip. See you soon." With that, he walked
into the ship.

After that, the door closed and the craft took
off into the night.

"I think that's our cue," Xena told Gabrielle.

The Bard nodded, following her companion down the
street. Once out of sight, they changed back
into Angie and Francesca before the latter
returned to the scene.

"Let me see about getting us a ride," Steve
indicated, getting on the phone. It had already
been a long enough night already and they needed
rest.


Chapter 19

Minutes after the group had departed from the
scene, Lex made his way out of the damaged
building. Strangely, there was no trace of the
combatants--only the damage that they had caused
to the lockers not to mention the gaping hole in
the Torch's newsroom.

"What are you hiding, Clark?" he wondered not for
the last time as he got into his car and drove
away.

****

Lana watched as Steve's rental car drove off into
the darkness. While the ordeal at the school had
left her exhausted, she felt troubled. Would it
always be like this for her and Clark? Would he
make her a target? "C'mon, you can't think like
that," she chided herself, walking up the stairs
and sitting on the porch swing. "Clark's the
best thing that's happened to you." Swinging on
the chair, she mused over the events again and
again. While the GSA threat was clearly shown in
the standoff, her friends had stood by her.

However, Chloe's reaction to the whole thing
troubled her. Granted, she remembered how she
felt during the incident at the UMC and later at
Genomex. She still could feel the shock at
seeing Clark catching her in midair and shielding
her from the bullet fire on the ground. During
the months that followed, she had worked hard to
gain the Kents' confidence that she could keep
their son's secret safe. As they told her, his
powers didn't make him any different; they just
made him special. And with Professor Dubois, she
felt that he was stronger than he seemed. How
else could he deal with his abilities and his
dark alter ego, especially in a place which held
painful memories for him?

"Chloe, I hope you can understand one day," she
said to nobody in particular as she stood up.
While she knew that Nell would be home soon, she
needed to clear her head. Walking over to the
barn, she looked at the horses. While she
usually rode Buttercup, she felt that the other
mare, Willow, could use some exercise. However,
when she had tried to take her out over the past
year, the horse wouldn't let anyone ride her.
Nell had admitted that she was thinking of
selling the animal, but for some reason, hadn't
done so yet.

Taking the saddle off of its hook, Lana walked up
to Willow and soothed, "It's okay, Girl." With
that, she put the saddle on the mount's back and
got on.

Surprisingly, there was no reaction as in the
past. Willow looked back at her as if to say
'Ready?'

Lana nodded and rode off into the night, heading
for the woods and her familiar sanctuary.

****

Fifteen minutes later, she entered the Smallville
cemetery and made her way for her parents'
gravesite. For some reason, the buzzing in her
head intensified with every step. Around her,
she could hear the wind whispering to her,
calling her name. "What's going on?" she
wondered as she reached the stone.

"Hi, Mom and Dad," she greeted, kneeling before
the stone and inspecting it. She kept good care
of the site, making sure no weeds grew and that
fresh flowers were always there. "It was an
exciting day at school and at the Talon.
Fortunately, everyone's okay. My...well...Clark
and my new friends got us out of trouble. I wish
you could meet my new professors. They're really
great. Professor Dubois, well, he has his
issues, but...I really admire how he stands up
for his beliefs. His wife's a doctor who grew up
on a farm, kind of like me." She sighed, the
reactions of Chloe and Eckhart playing across her
consciousness. "I wish I knew why people hate
others so," she sniffled. "Chloe turned on Clark
and Miranda because they have special gifts.
They aren't any different, but why should they
have to hide what they are?" Tears streaked her
face as the images of the expressions on Clark's,
Miranda's, and Dave's faces at her friend's
outburst.

For a minute, the area seemed to hum a bit for
some reason. Then, a flash of light appeared in
front of her, congealing into the form of a
slender woman dressed in white. The figure
smiled warmly at the visitor.

"Mom?!" Lana asked incredulously, staring at the
angel. Granted, she had always been able to
speak with her parents, but this was taking
things to a whole new level.

"That's right, Dear," the angel indicated with a
warm sparkle in her eye. "You know that your
father and I are always with you."

"How is he?" the daughter wondered.

"He's fine," the mother stated. "Lana, look
around you and tell me what you see."

The former cheerleader glanced around her. Where
there had been nobody a moment earlier, the
images of friends and family who had since passed
on stood before her. "Wha...What is this?" she
gasped.

"You've done nothing wrong. Don't worry," an
older man assured her.

"Grandpa?" she realized. "It's you!" Trying to
embrace the old man, she found that she couldn't
do so.

"Sorry," he apologized. "You can't touch me, but
we can speak. I had to see you again, Sweetie."

"How?" she asked her mother.

"Clark and Miranda aren't the only ones in
Smallville with unique talents," the angel
pointed out. "It seems you have your own gift as
well."

"What? I was always able to talk to you and
Dad," she noted. "What does that have to do with
a special gift?"

"The ability to communicate with those who have
passed on," her mother agreed. "And not just
with those people in your family. Look behind
you."

The dark haired girl turned hesitantly to find
Xena--or rather, her spectral image-standing
there. "Xena?"

"That's right, Lana," the warrior confirmed,
stepping forward. "It's okay, you really are
seeing me. That's some gift you have there."

"But, where's Dr. Dubois? You know...I thought
you were like her bodyguard," Lana wondered.

"In a way I am," Xena noted. "She and I are
well...like roommates in her body. At least
that's what David calls us. Can I trust you with
that?"

"Of course," Lana promised. "So that was you
that Dr. Dubois was talking to in the cell in
Genomex?"

The Warrior arched her brow in curiosity. "What
do you mean?"

"I couldn't quite make it out, but I knew she was
having some sort of conversation in another
place. At the time, I thought it was crazy, but
then, you showed up, and well..."

"I rest my case," Laura declared to her daughter.
Then she looked to the Warrior Princess. "Thank
you for protecting her at that awful place."

"No problem," Xena replied, bowing slightly.
"I'm looking forward to getting to know her
better."

At that moment, Willow whinnied at the gate.

"What is it, Willow?" Lana inquired, rushing over
and patting the mare's shoulder. "They won't
hurt you."

The mare neighed and looked up...straight at
Xena.

The warrior studied the horse for a while. For a
minute, she was standing at the corral on Joxer's
farm, saying goodbye to her trusted companion.
Then her mind snapped back to the present. True,
the mare was the same shade as Argo, but the way
she was looking at her. So much like her old
horse.... "No, it can't be!" She walked closer.
"Argo?" she whispered, hoping she was right.

The horse stomped its right foot and snorted.

"Argo!" Xena exclaimed, hugging her old friend.
"I can't believe it's you!"

"Argo?" Lana asked in surprise.

"Her horse, Dear," Laura indicated, smiling
warmly. "Just the first of our reunions and
discoveries, I'm afraid. That is your friend,
Xena?"

"It is," the warrior agreed, embarrassed over the
tears in her eyes. "There's one way to know for
sure. Tomorrow, Lana, we need to let Dr. Dubois
ride her. If that's okay with you, Argo?"

The mare nodded and stomped her hoof again.

"Thank you, Lana, for bringing her," Xena sighed,
rubbing Argo's mane again.

"Yeah...you're welcome," the astonished teenager
replied, managing a sheepish smile. "I'm glad
that I could do something after your help and
well, being my friend."

"And why wouldn't I be?" Xena inquired. "You're
a quality person, Lana. Trust me, you're more
than looks. Clark knows that and so do your
professors. Have faith in yourself."

Lana blushed. "Thanks."

Laura admired the scene between her daughter and
the Thracian spirit. Certainly, Lana had come a
long way in her own right to secure the
admiration of a shrewd assessor of character like
Xena. She felt proud of the strong young woman
in front of her. "May you do well with all of
your friendships, Lana," she hoped silently.
Then, she requested, "Xena, can you bring David
and Karen here tomorrow? We have something to
say to them as well."

The warrior studied the angel. "I don't wanna
provoke him. He's been through enough here."

"I agree," Laura concurred, a warm smile
spreading across her face. "My husband and I
would like to thank him for helping Lana and
Clark is all."

"Sure," Xena agreed. "Tomorrow after sunset? I
think we can manage that."

"Absolutely," Lana added. "I'll be here. Should
Clark come?"

"Yes, but just the two of them. Angela will be
in Xena's form. Lana, you have seen what your
friends have gone through with their talents.
You are now like them: special yet apart from
others," the angel stated. "Your aunt is worried
about you. It's time for you to go. I'll see
you tomorrow."

"Tell Dad I love him," her daughter requested.

"I will," she responded as she and Lana's
grandfather vanished from view.

Turning to Xena, Lana asked, "This is real, isn't
it? I'm a mutant too?"

"Seems that way, doesn't it? Looks like ya
slipped under Eckhart's radar," Xena affirmed.
"You'll do fine, Lana. Well, as your mother
said, you need to be headin' back. I have to be
getting' back to Dr. Dubois now. See ya. And
Lana, thanks again." Slipping close to Argo, she
added, "I'll be seeing ya tomorrow too." With
that, she faded away as well.

For a minute, Lana glanced at her surroundings
uncertain of what she had just experienced.
Around her, she could still feel the vibrations
and the voices of the deceased people around her.
"This is going to be something else," she told
herself and the mare, climbing back on the
latter's back and riding back toward the farm.


****

When the group had returned to the Kent farm,
they found Martha cutting a cherry pie and
putting pieces on plates.

"Hi!" she greeted. "Is everyone okay?"

"We're all fine, Martha," Angie noted. "Has
Clark come back yet?"

"He's in the loft," Jonathan replied from the
table where he was sipping on a cup of coffee.
"What happened out there tonight?"

"From what Clark said out there, your worst
fear," Steve reported. "Some people are jealous
of others with special gifts."

"Is that the government agency you were talking
about before?" the nervous father wondered.

"It is," the agent agreed, taking a cup of his
own. "The Bureau is investigating them. They
just lost their leader tonight, so I expect
they'll be out of commission for a while."

"Is our son going to be safe?" Martha probed,
setting down pie portions on the table for
everyone.

"There are no absolutes," Dave admitted. "Still,
if we have anything to say about it, the kids
will be fine."

The Kents exchanged glances. Wherever Clark
would go in the world, there were risks such as
the one he faced tonight. At least, he had
someone to help him with his abilities...and
someone they knew and trusted. "We know,"
Jonathan agreed. "Thanks for helping us out,
Dave."

"You're my friends," the professor told them. "I
owe this town quite a bit and I don't forget my
debts. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to check
on Clark."

Walking out the door, he made his way for the
barn and climbed the stairs. There, he found the
younger man staring at the stars through his
telescope.

"So, which one was yours?" Dave inquired.

"I don't know, to be honest," Clark commented.
"So many of them out there. They're each
unique."

"I agree," the professor concurred. "As you are,
Clark. You did great tonight standing up to the
GSA like that. You thought of Lana, Chloe and
Miri first. That's the sign of a hero."

"I guess. I just wish that people wouldn't treat
me like a monster when they find out about my
abilities," Clark complained. "You saw how
Eckhart looked at us and how even Chloe reacted."

Dave nodded, feeling the familiar pain running
through himself. Sitting down next to Clark, he
told the prospective student. "The Eckharts of
the world are always going to be there, Clark.
You can't change them. Their closed minded views
make them a threat to everyone, not just people
like us. You can't go into a shell because of
them. You're here for a reason. So am I. So is
Miranda. So are Lana and Chloe. We owe it to
them to make this world a better place by
example. You're a quality person, Clark. I just
want you to know that."

"Thanks," he replied. "But how about Chloe?"

"What did you do with Lana? Remember?" Dave
asked.

"I talked with her honestly," the teenager
stated. "I'll do the same thing with Chloe."

"Smart man," the professor complimented. "Just
give her time."

"How are you dealing with what she said?" Clark
inquired.

"People have called me worse, Clark," Dave
informed him. "Still, it did hurt."

"She didn't mean it like that," the young man
tried to excuse.

"Oh, she did. The Child scares a lot of people.
Remember though, he's just as scared as everyone
else," Dave mentioned. "I'm willing to start
fresh with her since she seems like such an
enthusiastic person." He sighed and shook his
head. "You know, when she asked if I'd ever hurt
you and Lana, that hurt me."

"Yeah, I'm sure it did," Clark guessed. "I know
you'll do your best by us, sir. It's going to be
tough leaving home, though."

"Yeah, it always is," Dave concurred. "I was so
lucky that Karen's family let me stay with them.
We're both lucky, Clark. We have the best
friends and parental figures. Your parents are
the best people. That's why I owe it to them to
see that you get the best education money can
buy."

"I appreciate that," Clark expressed. "From what
I saw of your Dad and watching how Lex's father
treats him, I know I'm really blessed to have my
folks. You know, you're a special person, Dr.
Dubois. I know how it is to deal with special
powers, but to carry them and the pain in
addition to the knowledge of how to balance all
of that stuff, that's something."

Dave smiled. "Believe me, it's not always like
that. There are days when it doesn't work. I
just manage everything is all. Hey, everyone's
waiting for us. Let's get some of your Mom's
cherry pie before it's gone. Okay?"

He nodded, leading the professor down the stairs
and out of the barn. Granted, things were about
to change for the kids. At least for now,
everything was all right with the world.


Chapter 20

Chloe walked anxiously into the Smallville Inn.
Although she couldn't quite remember the events
of the previous day, she knew that she needed to
talk with the Duboises and apologize. Looking
around the lobby, she wondered which room they
were in and if they were even up yet.

Then she saw Dave walk into the lobby. "Excuse
me, Dr. Dubois?"

"Hmmm?" he asked. "Oh, hi, Chloe. What's going
on?"

"Nothing much. Actually, I was hoping to talk
with you for a minute if that's okay," she
requested sheepishly.

He smiled. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No, why?"

"I was just about to grab some breakfast. Care
to join me?" he invited.

She nodded. "Sure. That sounds great." She
followed him into the small hotel restaurant and
sat across from him at the table. Except for
them, the place was eerily quiet. After placing
their orders, they sat silently for a minute.

"I wanted to apologize...about what I said to you
last night," she started. "I was thinking about
what Agent Petersen said and he was right."

He shrugged. "Agent Petersen's been my friend
for many years, Chloe, and is a very wise man.
Still, I hope you learned something about judging
people. One thing about journalism...or life is
that you should always try to get all of the
facts, but never try to hurt anyone in the
process. At least, I always tried to keep that
in mind when pursuing a story."

"You were a reporter?" she asked, surprised to
find a common thread.

"I was the editor of the high school paper for
two years," he revealed, sipping on his coffee.
"I always gave that same maxim to my reporters.
You're going to be a good reporter, Chloe. I can
feel it. Just remember, a little more restraint
can be helpful."

She remarked, "I would say the same of you. You
went berserk last night. Why?"

"I have...well...you might say a medical
condition. I'm doing a lot better these days
dealing with myself on all levels," he explained.
"Last night was also a very extreme case." He
sighed and glanced out the window toward the
Talon. "All of my life, I've been fighting one
battle or another. After a while, you just fit
yourself into a groove."

"I see," she said hesitantly, taking a sip from
her juice. "Does this have anything to do with
your father?"

"Some," he admitted. "We never did hit it off.
Sometimes, I used to look at my friends and
wonder how they got such great parents. Clark's
folks are a case in point."

"The Kents are the best," she agreed. "At least,
you got out."

"After an epic battle. I was such a pain they
finally let me go live with Karen and her
family," he continued. "Thank God for them."

"I'm glad you had somebody," she told him.
"Well, I was going to write one last piece for
the Talon before I left for school. Would you
mind if I interviewed you?"

"That depends," he replied, "on the topic."

"It's about the Talon stuff," she clarified.

"Oh that. Sure, but let's do it after lunch,
okay? Trust me on that one, okay? Well, I have
to get moving," he replied, signaling for the
check. When the waitress brought it, he handed
her a ten-dollar bill. "Chloe, thank you for
coming by to talk. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," she indicated. "I think I
understand why Clark and Lana respect you now."
A bright smile spread across her face.

He grinned back as he left the restaurant,
leaving her to compose her thoughts. "There are
definitely more layers in that man that meet the
eye."

****

To Clark, it seemed that the night had passed all
too quickly. Since he and Lana had made their
decision to go away to school, the weeks had
flown by. At last, the day arrived when they
would leave the familiar grounds behind.

Slowing his pace down a bit, he did his chores
much slower than normal, savoring the activity.

"You okay, son?" Jonathan wondered.

"I'm great," Clark assured him.

"Then, why are you taking so long to get your
chores done?" the farmer inquired although he
already knew the answer. "You and Lana have
bigger things in store, Clark. The farm will
always be here for you to come back to, as will
your Mom and I. You will come back regularly,
won't you?"

"You bet," the younger man affirmed, embracing
his father.

"Never forget how proud your Mom and I are of
you," Jonathan told him. "Well, shall we get
some work done before lunch?"

The son nodded. Tomorrow, he would think about
being a college student. For that day, he would
still be a farm boy.

****

After returning from breakfast with Chloe, Dave
sat on the balcony of his hotel room. It had
taken a great deal to face MacTavish, especially
so close to the site of his earlier nightmare.
Fortunately, he had survived the experience. Not
that the trip had been all bad. The Kents were
still the quality people he remembered, and
helping to save the students had given him an
opportunity to repay the townspeople for their
kindness so many years earlier.

Karen had mentioned that she had an envelope of
some sort for Lana. While he was pretty sure of
its contents, he wanted it to be a pleasant
surprise.

"Hey," Angie greeted, kissing him. "Couldn't
sleep, huh?"

"I still have a lot on my mind," he admitted
grimly, sipping on his tea.

She hugged him trying to offer comfort. Would it
always be like this for him? "I'm here,
remember?"

"I know. Thanks, Princess," he replied, rubbing
her shoulder.

"For what it's worth, I'm so proud of how you
both handled MacTavish last night. It took a lot
for you to restrain the Child, I'm sure," she
declared.

"You don't know how tough it was, especially when
he threatened Miri," he responded.

"I can imagine," she agreed.

"I can't wait until Randy gets here," he
expressed. "His plane just took off."

"I know." She smiled. "We've waited so long for
today."

"Thanks for being here to share it with me,
Angie," he said appreciatively.

"No problem," she mentioned. "Now, let's get
dressed."

He nodded and joined her inside.

****

Lana wiped the reserved booth down one more time.
She wanted everything to be just right for her
friends.

"It looks great, Lana. Such a worrywart!"
Miranda teased.

"And you're not nervous?" her friend responded
anxiously.

"Okay, I am," the older woman admitted, putting
the table settings down. "We're going to have
fun, you know."

"I know." Lana grinned. She was so glad that
Miranda was there to keep her head straight.

At that moment, Dave, Angie, and Karen walked
through the front door followed by Chloe.

"Hey, everyone," Miranda greeted the new
arrivals. "Where's Agent Petersen?"

"Taking care of some last minute business," Karen
noted. "He'll be joining us later. Where is
everyone?"

"The Talon's closed for a couple of hours. I
wanted us to have the place to ourselves," Lana
indicated.

"For this occasion, I approve," Lex agreed,
joining them along with Clark and his parents.
"I'm glad that everyone's okay after yesterday."

"We are certainly better," Chloe agreed, smiling
at Dave. "And wiser too."

"That's great," the bald entrepreneur replied.
"Shall we start on that food that we have in the
kitchen?"

"Not yet," Jonathan cut in. "I believe that
David has something to say."

Dave shot Angie and Karen a nervous look before
starting. "Who's in the mood for a Talon story?"
he asked.

"Go on," Angie laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Well, there was a time when I was in this
theater. I was in the middle of something
magical...."

****

[Twenty-One Years Earlier]

Dave stepped out of the theater and stretched his
arms. After being cooped up in that hospital
room for a couple of weeks, it was great that the
Kents had offered to take him and Karen there to
see a film. However, he felt the need to go to
the Men's room.

Finding the place, he walked in and found a man
staring into the mirror over the sink. He looked
nervous about something and kept staring at the
door.

"Hey," Dave started. "How about that movie?"

"Huh?" the other wondered. "Oh, it's okay, I
guess."

"What's going on? Why are you looking out the
door like that? There's only the candy counter
over there," Dave wondered.

"Yeah...and the girl behind it. We were in the
same high school class, but never noticed each
other. Now, for some reason, I have this urge to
talk to her," the other told him, choosing to
trust him.

"So, go talk to her," Dave remarked. "She won't
bite. I bet you two will hit it off really
quickly."

"You think so?" the other wondered.

"Hey, intuition's usually right on, Chief," the
high school junior remarked, stepping into the
stall. "Go on! Fortune favors the brave!"

"Thanks," the other man expressed, making his way
out there.

Dave heard the door close as he finished in the
stall. After washing up, he walked back into the
lobby. There, he saw the man and the concession
girl having a pleasant conversation. "Good for
you, Bud," he thought, going back into the
theater to rejoin his girlfriend and their hosts.

About an hour later, as the movie let out, Dave
saw that the two were still talking up a storm
and smiling at each other.

"What is it?" Karen asked.

"Hmmm...oh, just that guy over there. I had to
nudge him to talk to the lady behind the counter.
I'm glad that everything's working out."

"Hi, guys," Jonathan greeted, easing into the
conversation. "Sorry to disturb you both. How's
everything?"

"Oh, we're fine. How are you and Martha?" the
woman asked. "I hear you've had a boarder at
your place."

"We're fine and yes, here's our boarder. David
Dubois, meet our friends, Lewis and Laura."

"Thanks, David," Lewis expressed, shaking the
young man's hand. "How are you doing?"

"You're welcome and I'm doing better," Dave
replied. "This is my friend, Karen Alvarez."

"Pleased to meet you both," Karen stated.

"I wanted to say thanks to you for standing up to
Lionel Luthor and your father to save this
theater. Calling the feds in took a lot of
guts," Laura told Dave.

"It's a wonderful place," the student agreed.
"It deserves to be here."

"Well, in honor of your visit, we can take a
picture," Jonathan agreed, holding up an old
portable camera. After his wife, the two guests,
and his friends had crowded into the shot, he
snapped the shutter.

"Darn it, I only had one picture left," the
farmer complained.

"You can have it, David," Lewis offered.

"No, let's each keep half as a memento. That
way, we'll have a reason to meet here again
someday," Karen suggested.

The others agreed and so, the picture was cut in
half. After that, the Kents and their guests
left their acquaintances to continue their
conversation into the night.

****

[Present Day]

As the story ended, Jonathan got up from the
table and took a walk around the area,
remembering the events which Dave had just
related. His eye scanned the pictures until it
came to rest on one particular one.

Clark thought he had heard a version of that
story before. "You remember the name of the
movie?"

"Close Encounters," Dave indicated.

Lana gave the professor and nurse an incredulous
look.

"Lana, do you mind if I look at the picture?" the
farmer requested.

"Certainly," she agreed, walking over and taking
it down. "Weird isn't it? Just like in
Professor Dubois's story...No, it can't be!"

"Karen?" Dave asked.

"This, Lana, is for you," Karen revealed, handing
the younger woman a manila envelope.

"What?" Lana wondered, opening the present.
Inside, wrapped in tissue paper was a half of a
picture. The matching half to the picture
Jonathan was looking at. Slumping into a chair,
her eyes started to water. "Oh wow..." There,
in plain sight were Dave, Karen, Martha, and her
parents.

"Dave wasn't sure at first," Angie noted, looking
at the other half. "When we saw the picture
during our visit here the other day, that cinched
it."

"I...I...can't believe it!" Lana sobbed happily.
"Clark, Chloe, there are my parents!"

"That's wonderful," he agreed, kissing her cheek.


The journalist rubbed her friend's arm
enthusiastically. Now, she understood why Dave
had asked her to wait on that interview until
later on. "What a story this is going to make!"
she thought.

"Do you remember the promise you made the next
day to us?" Jonathan inquired.

Dave nodded. "If I became a professor, I would
teach your child the right way. I keep my word."

"With a little help from fate," Clark added.

"Fate works in strange ways, Clark," Lex advised.
"It sent you both to meet our professors here as
well as bringing me and him into contact at
last." Looking at the history professor, he
added, "I admire the way you stood up to my
father as well as yours. That's part of what
convinced me to help Lana save this place."

"I figured that," Jonathan noted gruffly.
"Still, we know you'll do well by the kids.
That's why they're heading west.

At that point, a knocking came from the door.

Dave got up and answered it. There, he saw Steve
and his brother, Randy, standing there. "Miri,
can you let Agent Petersen in?"

"Sure," she agreed, taking the keys and letting
the two men inside. "Agent Petersen, who's your
friend? He looks so familiar."

"Do you remember me, Miri?" Randy inquired, his
voice breaking.

She stared into his eyes and probed his mind with
her abilities for a moment before it hit her. "I
can't believe it! Daddy!" she exclaimed, hugging
him tightly.

"Oh, Baby!" he told her. "You don't know how
long I've dreamed of this!" He ran his fingers
through her hair. "This is the answer to my
prayers."

"Me too," she sobbed, burying her face in his
chest. Looking at her uncle, she expressed,
"Thank you, Uncle Dave!"

"Thank Lana," he advised. "She brought us all
together."

"I played a hunch," Lana admitted. "I'm glad I
did."

"I am too," Randy concurred, holding his long
lost daughter close to his heart. It had been
far too long for both of them.

"Well, I'm in the mood to celebrate," Lex
indicated, motioning for the other help to bring
out the food. "Let's dig in!"

"Before we do," Dave interrupted, raising his
glass. "A toast." When the others had their
glasses, he stated, "To old friendships and
relationships, may they always be sweet. To
current friendships, may they always be wonderful
and inspiring. And to the future, may our
opportunities always be positive!"

"Hear, hear," the others concurred, touching cups
and glasses before starting the meal.


Chapter 21

For several hours, the group sat around talking,
laughing, and exchanging old stories. For
Jonathan and Martha, the tales of their teenage
days, long hazy, came back in brilliant color and
clarity. For the Duboises, the special feeling
of finding someone you thought was gone, and a
father's joy overwhelmed them all. The teenagers
sat beside their companions, quietly soaking in
the moment.

Dave looked around and smiled at the area. The
magic was definitely still there. This was the
reason he had acted as he did all those years
ago. If there had been any doubt, he realized
that his pain had been for a purpose: to keep
this mystical place standing.

Lex watched the scene with mixed feelings. He
felt envious of everyone there since he and his
father would enjoy no such moments. However, in
spite of his aim to stay detached, he was a part
of these people and their lives for better or for
worse. Oh, he had intended to stay only a few
years here, survive his experience, and move on.
But, something happened along the way. These
people had touched his soul and welcomed him into
their inner circle--not because he was the scion
of the almighty Lionel Luthor. No, it had been
in spite of his heritage. He was one of them
because of his own personality. In short, the
spoiled rich boy had become a caring man of the
world. In spite of his best laid plans and
ambitions, he was one of them, and he liked it
that way. A tear creased his cheek at his
friends' happiness around him.

Then reality struck as he heard the door open and
close. Turning, he saw his father come strutting
in, the arrogant frown on his face. "We're
closed, Dad."

"I noticed," Lionel remarked, looking at the
scene. "There's no profit to be had in giving
food away and empty tables at this hour."

Jonathan started to rise, but Lex held up his
hand. "This, Dad, is what's called a special
occasion."

"Yes. I assume since the two deadbeat sons are
here, carrying on while their father rots in
jail. You do know how to pick your friends,
don't you?" Lionel asked with a tone of righteous
sarcasm.

Randy shook his head. While he didn't share
Dave's views about their father, he wasn't going
to take the elder Luthor's tone.

"Siddown," Dave growled low.

His brother shuddered at the dark glare,
remembering the wild stories he had heard from
Cybelle and others.

"David," Lex stated. "This isn't your fight."

"Oh Hell yeah it is," the professor hissed,
getting out of the booth.

"Dave, don't!" Karen and Angie chorused.

He shook them off and walked across the room. At
the table, the others could feel the anger
boiling off of him as he approached the two
Luthors.

"I see you're as dramatic as ever," Lionel
cracked. "Nice to see you haven't changed.
You're still the obnoxious brat."

"Dad, don't," Lex warned.

"He's right, ya know," Dave mentioned. By now,
he was right at the edge of his self-control.
"But, Unca Lionel, it's nice to know you're still
the ice-king and biggest conceited egomaniac
there ever was." A smug grin spread across his
face, daring a reaction from the businessman.

Lex shook his head. Nobody talked like that to
his father and got away with it. Didn't this guy
learn from the last time? Shouldn't that
hospital stay have convinced him? Then it hit
him. After a lifetime of standing up to his own
father, Dave had nothing else to fear, especially
from the Lionel Luthor type.

"Now, I know why Eckhart wants you dead," Lionel
assumed. "You're a psychopath."

Dave chuckled maniacally, sending pinpricks of
icy fear up everyone's spines in the room,
including Lex's. "Ya'll had better hope not,
jerk. An'..." He started shaking and gripped a
booth for support.

"Lex, how many has he had?" Lionel baited. "He's
raving."

"Dad," Lex interjected. "This has gone on far
enough."

"Stop this!" Angie added. "Can't you see he's
suffered enough?"

"Git back!" Dave barked, but it was the Child who
now called the shots. "Ah'll deal wi' this!"

Jonathan and Martha gaped at the change. What
was going on with him?

Lionel examined the facial gestures of the man in
front of him. The reports were true despite what
he had thought earlier. The signs were all
there: the closed eye, the growling, and the
attitude. "You need help."

"Oh, like ya gave us 20 years ago? Hey,
Jonathan, do ya remember when that front window
was installed?" the Child asked.

"While you...were in the hospital," the farmer
answered.

"After we went through it," the Dark One
clarified. "Fortunately, we had good doctors.
We needed them after dear Daddy left us beaten
and bloody, face down in the gutter 'cross the
street!" Leaning really close to Lionel's face,
he pressed, "An' ya pulled him away, citin' some
pretty verse 'bout cuttin' an infection 'fore it
poisons everythin'."

"You were and still are a poison. I won't let
you damage my son," Lionel stated.

"If Ah'm poisoned, Unca Lionel, it was ya'll and
Daddy Dearest who put it in us!" the Child spat
darkly, glaring menacingly into the other's eyes.

"Lex," Lionel called, his voice rising just a
bit. "Do something."

His son sipped on his cappuccino and shrugged.
"Hey, aren't you always telling me to clean up
after myself? You caused this mess. Now, you
fix it, Dad."

"Lex," Clark argued. "This isn't a game. Trust
me, I've seen him like this."

"I've seen the footage, Clark," Lex told him
calmly, sipping on the drink. "I trust Professor
Dubois to give my father a lesson without hurting
him."

The teenagers all looked at each other, scared
out of their wits.

For her part, Chloe wondered if she wasn't right
after all about him in the first place.

"'Spite your best efforts, we're here. Damaged
maybe, but still here. Na' ya'll, an' na' Whitey
can stop that!" the Child informed Lionel firmly.
"Now, git outta here 'fore Ah really git
pissed!"

"This isn't your place," Lionel stated.

At that moment, Lana thought she heard calling
for her. Beside the two men, the figure of a man
with black hair in a white robe appeared, asking
her to intervene. It was for her to say
something.

"Clark, do you see someone beside Mr. Luthor and
Professor Dubois?" she whispered in his ear.

"No, why?" her boyfriend replied, confused at the
question.

"I'll explain later," she told him, walking over.
"This is partially my place, Mr. Luthor, and I
want you to leave. Professor Dubois is our guest
and he shouldn't have to deal with these things.
Now, please leave."

Everyone gave Lana a surprised look.

"Lex..." his father chuckled.

"You heard the lady, Dad. I quite agree. If you
don't walk out, I'll have David escort you out,"
his son said supportively of his partner's
assertion, relishing both her steadfastness and
his father's embarrassment. "You're disturbing
the peace...again."

"I am the peace," the elder man concluded.

"Ya're the chaos," the Child contradicted. "Your
boy there has darkness in 'im. Ah know it an' so
does he. He cares 'bout us all. In spite of
everythin', he's human. It takes a real man to
stand up to a tyrant like ya'll." Glancing over
at Lex, he continued, "Ya'll don't wanna be like
me."

The young man considered those words carefully.
With them, he felt that his risk was about to be
rewarded.

"He's my son...my creation," Lionel argued.

"I'm my own man, Dad," Lex countered. "And I
agree with the good professor here. It's time
for you to go."

"If Ah were the freak ya'll think, Ah'd kill ya
right now!" the Child pointed out bluntly. "But,
ya'll are gonna get a chance to crawl outta here.
Even now, Ah'm better than ya'll an' Daddy
Dearest, Scum."

Steve dialed his cell phone. Hearing the sheriff
answer, he started, "This is Agent Petersen of
the FBI at the Talon. We may have a potential
situation here. Hang on please." Placing the
call on hold, he stared at the intruder.

"You wouldn't dare!" the elder Luthor chortled in
disbelief.

"Try me," the agent asserted. "My friends
deserve some peace from the likes of you. Leave
or I'm going to file a complaint against you.
I'm sure that some of your business associates
would love to see some mud in your eye, wouldn't
they?"

Lionel looked around the room at the angry faces.
While he didn't really care about these peons,
he wasn't about to pick a fight with the enraged
man in front of him. "This isn't finished,
Dubois."

"Ya got that one right," the Child growled. "Ah
want ya in jail for wha' ya did ta us! One day,
Luthor, Ah'll see ya in there where ya'll
belong." He stood there, shaking from the effort
to hold himself back. "Wha? Are ya'll deaf? AH
SAID GIT!"

"We'll speak of this, Lex," the father concluded
before making his way out the door. He had lost
this battle, but there would be other phases of
the war. Yelling at his driver, Lionel sat back
as the limo drove away. He detested losing and
he had done just that. No, this wasn't over, not
by a long shot.

****

Meantime, inside of the Talon, the Child stared
through the glass at the car. "Ah still wanna
whup 'im good." Looking back at the others, he
stalked across the room and sat down in a far
corner. "Ah know the rules," he sulked, focusing
and allowing Dave back out.

"Where is he?" Dave asked, rubbing his head.

"You got rid of him," Lex pointed out, saluting
him with his cup. "And, I might add, without
touching him. Nicely done."

Angie got up and hugged her husband. "I'm really
proud of you, Dave. You did it."

"Amen," Karen agreed.

"I'll say," Clark concurred, recalling the
Child's grand tantrum on the U of A campus. That
restraint demonstrated to the young man that
there was a lot he could learn from the
professor.

"Randy, are you okay?" Dave asked.

"I'm fine. Thanks to you," he concurred, holding
his daughter tightly. "Thanks to you."

****

An hour later, the doors to the Talon had
reopened to the public. Needing rest in some
cases and to finish packing in others, the group
prepared to depart.

As they did, Lex told Dave, "Thank you for your
confidence in me, Dave. I appreciate it."

Shaking his hand, the professor replied, "I do
remember that, Lex. I meant it. You are a
better man than your father." With that, he took
his wife's hand and left the place.

After everyone else had departed, Jonathan came
over next and added, "That took guts, Lex. I
think I've misjudged you all of these years.
Thank you."

As much as Lex wanted to celebrate those words,
he kept a calm exterior. "No problem, Mr. Kent.
I meant it. Dad's got to learn that he can't
just pick fights with impunity. Sooner or later,
somebody's going to come by with a much bigger
stick than his. It finally happened today and
hopefully, I can live up to that confidence."

"Just keep trying," the farmer advised as he
left.

For a while afterwards, the entrepreneur sat at
the corner table, sipping on coffee and staring
into space. He was indeed establishing a space
here...a place he could call home. And he was
doing it as Lex, not Lionel Jr. That, he had to
admit, felt damn good.

****

As they left, Lana pulled Clark aside and asked,
"Can you meet me at my place? I think you're
going to want to see something."

"We do need to pack," he pointed out, but
glancing into her eyes, he saw that determined
look again.

"Let's go to the Inn and get the Profs. They'll
want to see this too," she asserted, leading him
toward the lodging facility.


Chapter 22

Chloe came out of the elevator with a smile on
her face. The interview had been really
short-maybe only ten minutes or so, but the
professor had shown remarkable poise throughout
it. After the scene with Lionel Luthor disrupted
the special mood at the Talon, she had expected
him to be moody and well...terse to say the
least. Much to her surprise, he was
calm-somewhere between moods on his emotional
roller coaster-but still willing to address the
issues behind the Talon incident.

"Hey, Chloe," Clark greeted as he and Lana
entered the lobby.

"Hi, guys," the blonde reporter replied. "Sorry
I have to run, but Dad wants me to get home ASAP.
The Duboises are all yours."

"How is he?" Lana wondered.

"If you're talking about your History professor
upstairs, I'd say he's dealing with the mood
swing we all experienced at the Talon. The
interview went fine. He managed to tell me some
things. I'll speak to my friend at the Ledger
about them. I'll say this-you picked two
interesting professors. Well, I'll be by
tomorrow before you leave. See ya!" Chloe
explained before she disappeared through the
glass doors.

"At least he's still calm," he presumed.

"He just had a major triumph, Clark, by standing
up to both Mr. Luthor and his own problems like
that. Although, I thought your folks were going
to freak when he changed," Lana responded as they
got into the elevator. "I'm glad that everything
worked out."

"Yeah, me too. Thanks, Lana, for stepping
forward. I gotta say I was impressed," he
complimented, kissing her cheek.

"Yeah, it feels nice being the one who saves the
day for a change," she cracked, allowing her eyes
to sparkle at him.

"You better be careful. This is starting to
become a trend," he joked back, the warm smile on
his face.

She giggled. What was it about him that brought
out the best in her? "Thank you, Clark, for just
being you." She returned the kiss. "Now, let's
not keep them waiting." Walking to the room, she
knocked on the door.

Angie stuck her head out. "Oh. Hi, kids,
umm...Professor Dubois isn't exactly feeling his
best right now. Sorry, but..."

"That's okay. Sorry, Dr. Dubois, we can come
back later," he agreed, starting to turn back
down the hall.

Lana sighed. "I'm sorry if I seem rude, but this
is important. I need you both to come with us
tonight."

The oncologist studied the younger woman. Lana
hadn't seemed the pushy type, so what was going
on? "Are you both okay?"

Lana nodded. "Last night after you dropped me
off, I went riding in the woods to do some
thinking. I...um...had something happen."
Leaning close to the other's ear, she whispered,
"Xena appeared and talked to me in the cemetery
last night."

Angie took a step back, trying to deal with that
statement. "Okay, come in," she agreed, needing
to get to the bottom of this situation. Closing
the door, she asked, "What happened?"

["We spoke," Xena stated from within her mind.
"As much as I hate to put David through anything
else right now, you two need to go with them
tonight. Trust me, I can't say any more than
that, but take my word for it."]

[All right," Angie concurred, trusting that Xena
knew what she was doing.]

"Angie, who's there?" Dave called from the
balcony.

"Clark and Lana. We have to go out tonight," she
replied.

Dave walked into the room, still rubbing his
head. He was obviously exhausted by the
situations of the previous two days. Beside him,
Karen stood quietly assessing the situation and
knowing that he couldn't take much more.

"What is it, Angie?" she inquired.

"It's important. Special request from...you
know," the doctor hinted, pointing at her head.

"Ah," the nurse agreed.

"Well, I guess then, we're going out," Dave
agreed, sitting on a padded chair in the corner.
"Are you both okay?"

"We're fine, sir," Clark informed him.

"We're just concerned about you is all," Lana
added.

He smiled warmly and looked at both Angie and
Karen before turning back to the two students.
"You don't know how much that means to me. It's
okay. Believe it or not, dealing with Lionel
Luthor, and then talking to Chloe about what
happened really made me feel better. Thanks."

The two teenagers exchanged relieved looks before
grinning warmly at him.

"We'll need to meet at my aunt's farm. Is
eight-thirty too late? Sorry, but it has to be
after sunset," Lana indicated.

"Okay," Angie agreed, rubbing her husband's
shoulders. "We'll be there."

"Great. Well, we have to get our chores done,"
Clark told the trio. "We'll see you there."

"Right. And, Clark, tell your folks if they have
any questions about what happened in the Talon
today, I'll be happy to answer them," Dave
replied.

"I'll do that, but I don't think they will,
Professor Dubois. They were there, remember?
And, trust me, they were upset about it too,"
Clark assured him. "See ya tonight." With that,
he guided Lana out the door and back to the
elevator.

"Those kids are something else," Karen stated.

"They are certainly special," Angie agreed.

"I'm going to enjoy seeing them in class," Dave
concurred, taking a deep breath. Whatever this
sudden engagement was, if Xena was involved, it
was going to be a doozy.

****

Just after sunset, Lana and Clark waited on her
front porch, sipping on glasses of lemonade and
admiring the Kansas scenery. For both, this was
a time of transition. However, at least they had
each other.

"So, when are you going to tell me what this is
all about?" he asked,
half-nervously/half-eagerly.

"Be patient, Clark. As soon as they get here,
we'll get started," she assured him.

He nodded, wondering if he had done something
wrong. Usually, she was so open with him,
especially since they had returned from Tucson.
However, she had been so secretive the whole day,
even before Lex's Dad had intruded into the Talon
gathering. He had trusted her with his secret,
why couldn't she tell him what was on her mind?

Sensing that he was troubled, she rubbed his hand
and told him, "It's okay, Clark. You haven't
done anything. I just want to show everyone at
once is all." Seeing the mists form, she stood
and watched as Dave, Angie, and Deirdre stepped
out of them. "Glad you could make it!" she
greeted, coming down the stairs.

"Thanks for inviting us," Dave replied, managing
a smile. "Where's your aunt?"

"She's at bridge club tonight," Lana informed
him. "Now, please follow me."

As they followed her to the barn, Angie felt a
weird tingling.

"What is it?" her husband asked with concern,
knowing the expression that was on her face.

"Keep an eye out," she told him doing the same.
Entering the barn, she looked around, but saw
nothing out of the ordinary.

"Almost there," the hostess told them, leading
them out the back door to where Willow was
waiting in the corral.

Upon seeing the group, the mare glared at them.

"What's Willow doing out?" Clark inquired.
"Letting her run around?"

"She will be soon enough," his girlfriend assured
him. "Dr. Dubois, can you take Willow out for a
ride?"

"Lana," Clark sighed. "She never lets anyone
ride her."

"Wait and see," Lana hinted mysteriously, getting
into the pen and putting a saddle on the horse.

"If you think it's safe," Angie agreed, getting
onto Willow's back. Surprisingly, the horse
trotted around the length of the corral.

"I don't believe it," Clark gasped.

Dave focused on his wife. For some reason, he
felt something out of place here. The horse.
There was something about the horse.

Angie felt a warm feeling coming from Xena.
["What is it?" she probed.]

["Bring me out and see," the warrior replied, the
eagerness clearly in her voice.]

["Okay," the doctor agreed.] Reaching over her
shoulder, she pulled the sword, starting the
change.

In a minute, Xena sat in her place on the mount's
back. Seeing the shocked expression on Clark's
face, she glanced down at the horse.

Argo looked back at her.

"Hi, Girl," the warrior greeted her horse,
stroking her mane. "This is one of the things
Lana wanted to show ya."

Saddling Buttercup, Lana requested, "Clark and
Deirdre, can you meet us at the cemetery? I'm
going to ride ahead with the Duboises."

"Okay," the priestess agreed. "C'mon, Clark."
Opening a portal, she guided him through it
before disappearing into it himself.

"Can I get a lift with you?" Dave asked Xena.

"Sure, but I think ya might wanna whistle first,"
the Warrior Princess hinted, the mischievousness
clearly evident on her face.

"Whistle?" Dave wondered incredulously.

"Yeah, like you did in the Inner Realms," Xena
pressed the issue.

He shrugged. It seemed dumb, but oh well.
Pursing his lips, he exhaled two shrill notes
toward the barn.

In response, a whinny could be heard in the
distance followed by a galloping sound.

"No way," he gasped, looking toward the pasture.
Even in the dim dusk, he could see a black
Andalusian steed galloping toward him.
"Streaker!" he exclaimed. "How?"

"He's already saddled, Papa," Deirdre informed
him. "Compliments of Molori. For service well
performed."

The professor stroked his horse's flank and felt
a smile crossing his face. In the face of three
wars, Streaker had been the most loyal companion
one could want. Now, they could enjoy a good
ride without worrying about trolls or demons.
Climbing up on Streaker, he felt right in the
saddle.

"Molori?" Lana asked.

"A friend. We'll tell ya about him sometime,"
Xena noted. "Now, why don't you take the lead?"

"Right," the younger woman agreed, urging
Buttercup to start before riding off.

Dave smiled and waved his hand in a sweeping
motion. "Ladies first."

Xena chuckled and stated, "Yah, Argo!"

"Go, Boy!" Dave told Streaker.

The two horses took off, catching Buttercup in no
time flat before settling into a slower pace.

****

Clark looked around the cemetery. It felt
strange to be out there without Lana. In
addition, there was something out of place there.
He just couldn't put his finger on what it was.

"What's wrong?" Deirdre probed, the concern
clearly etched on her face.

"Something's different," he mentioned.

"We'll know more when Papa, Xena, and Lana get
here," she assumed.

"Right," Lana concurred as the trio rode up to
the gate out of the dark woods.

"This is it," Xena indicated, dismounting from
Argo and entering the graveyard.

"Smallville Cemetery," Dave read the sign as he
climbed down from Streaker and followed them in.
All around him, he felt the strange vibrations
associated with spirits. While none were
visible, he knew they weren't alone. "Who wants
to talk with us, Lana?"

"Some old friends," she declared, stopping in
front of her parents' headstone.

Although she knew what was going on, Xena still
kept a sharp eye peeled for trouble. One never
knew what could pop up in a place like this.

Lana smiled as she saw her grandfather. "Hi!"
she greeted.

"Good evening, Sweetie," he replied pleasantly
with a warm smile.

Clark tapped her on the shoulder. "Who are you
talking to, Lana?"

"My grandfather. He's standing right there," she
indicated, pointing to the phantasm.

He stared in that direction, but was unable to
see anything. "Are you okay? There's nothing
there, Lana. Tell her, Professor Dubois."

Dave grinned. "She's right, Clark. Somehow, she
can see whatever's there. I can sense it, but I
can't see it. Do you see him, Lana?"

"As clearly as I can see you both," she affirmed.

The professor smiled. "Well, it seems you have a
gift of your own, Lana. You're unique as well,
you might say."

"She can see dead people?" Clark wondered.

"Yeah, just like you can do the impossible,
Clark," Lana replied almost nonchalantly.

He studied her as she looked around them,
recognizing faces which were buried there, but
none of them could see-not even Clark with his
x-ray vision.

Then above the headstone, a light appeared,
coalescing into a pair of figures awash in light.
Their flowing white robes contrasted with their
dark hair. Lana immediately recognized them as
Lewis and Laura Lang.

"Are those your parents?" Clark asked Lana in
disbelief.

"Yes," she replied, a smile clearly coming to her
face. "How are you both?"

"We're fine," her father replied, his eyes
twinkling. "Are you doing all right?"

"It's been an interesting day," the teenaged girl
told him. "We've had two of those reunions that
Mom hinted at last night. Miranda and her Dad
are together again, not to mention Professor
Dubois and his horse. Unfortunately, Lionel
Luthor had to show up and ruin things."

"He didn't," Laura assured her. "It was a test."
Looking at Dave, she continued, "And you
passed."

"With flying colors," Lewis agreed. "You showed
her the picture, right?"

"Right," Dave indicated. "And told the story
about how you two got serious with each other."
A smile crossed his lips. "I told you so,
Chief."

"I can't thank you enough," Lewis expressed.
Looking first at his wife and then, his daughter,
he continued, "You've given me so much."

"All I did was tell you to say hi. You took it
from there," he professor assured him.

"Yes, we did," the angelic mother concurred.
"David, can you make sure that Lana's okay in
Arizona? We know she's ready to leave
Smallville, but especially with her new talents,
we want her to be safe."

"Consider it done," the professor promised. "I
promised, remember?"

"Yes you did," Lewis noted, a wry grin on his
face. "And you'll do a great job of it."

"We also wanted to say thank you again for saving
the Talon...not only for us, but for future
generations," Laura added.

"It was just another stand for me to take," Dave
responded honestly.

"Keep up the good work," she continued as they
vanished. "Lana, if you need us, just call and
we'll be there..." With that, the two angels
were gone.

"Wow," Clark stated, trying to comprehend what he
had just seen.

"Now you know why I've been so secretive today,
Clark," Lana revealed. "I just hope that we
can...well..."

"What? Most of my friends are mutants too,
remember?" he assured her, embracing and kissing
her as proof. "And I'm from another planet.
What's the problem?"

She smiled brilliantly, hugging him as tightly as
she could. At last, she felt kind of on par with
him. She now had a secret talent too, one that
would link them for a long, long time.

For a few minutes, Dave and Xena watched the
scene develop before cutting in. "Umm, guys," he
chuckled. "It's getting late and you're causing
the air to fog up."

Xena cast him an incredulous glance. " 'Causing
the air to fog up'? Is that the best line you
can manage?"

"Hey, it works," the professor cracked, getting
back onto Streaker. Looking at Lana, he told
her, "Thanks for inviting us tonight. This was
special."

"My pleasure and, I guess, my folks' as well,"
the younger woman indicated, climbing on
Buttercup. "Come on, Clark. Since Deirdre had
to leave, I'll give you a lift to the farm."

"Lead on," he agreed, settling down behind her in
the saddle.

She grinned wickedly and urged Buttercup to take
off.

"Your turn to go first. I insist," Xena told
Dave.

"Right," he agreed as they took off heading for
the farm to wrap up that very hectic and pivotal
day.

Chapter 23 [The Next Day]

Early the next morning, Randy and Miranda walked
back into the Talon where the others waited for
them. For much of the previous afternoon, they
had picked out a few things and packed them for
the trip back to Massachusetts. Although she
would be back on the weekends to check on the
restaurant, Miranda felt that her time in
Smallville was quickly coming to a close.

As the taxi pulled up in front of the restaurant,
Randy told her, "Take your time. I'll wait."

His daughter nodded and turned to face her
friends. For as long as she could remember,
Clark, Lana, and Chloe had always been there not
minding if she was three years older than them.
Especially with the former two, their common
thread as orphans had made it easy to bear life
in a small town. She promised herself that she
would always be their friend and to stay in
touch.

"I can't believe it's time already," she
remarked, hugging Chloe.

"Time flies," the news junkie replied pleasantly.
"Thanks for being so helpful with The Torch."

"Sure," Miranda agreed. "Your passion made it
easy for me to hand it over to you."

"Well, New York's not that far from
Massachusetts. I'll stop by when I can if that's
okay?" Chloe offered.

"That'll be great," Miranda said
enthusiastically, hugging her again. Turning to
Clark and Lana, she told them, "I'll be out to
see Auntie Angie and Uncle Dave so often, you
won't have a chance to miss me."

"We're going to hold you to that," Lana asserted,
allowing a humorous undertone in her voice.

"And I'm going to second that," he stated,
embracing her. "Thanks for being such a great
friend."

"You're the great friends," Miranda replied,
hugging them both. "Lana, I'm going to miss
stepping into the Talon and not seeing you
there."

"It's time to move on," Lana surmised. "It's
time for all of us. Take care and enjoy being
with everyone. We'll see you soon, okay?"

"You bet," she agreed, heading over to her aunt
and uncle who waited off to the side. "I'll talk
to you both soon."

"Sure," Angie agreed. "We'll look forward to
hearing from you."

"If you need anything, Short Stuff, you call,"
Dave advised, holding her tightly. "Take care of
your Dad."

"Right," Miranda mentioned, heading for the taxi.

"Oh, Miranda! I almost forgot to give you this,"
Chloe interjected, hustling over to hand her a
newspaper. "This is a copy of The Torch-our last
edition together as a team." The blonde
reporter's eyes watered as she embraced her
friend again. "Take care, okay?"

"You too," Miranda declared, returning the hug.
"We'll email soon."

Chloe silently nodded, stepping back to join her
friends.

Miranda took a long look around at Smallville.
For years, she had wanted to find her real family
and leave there. Now that she had, she wasn't
sure that she wanted to leave. "You have to,"
she told herself as she got into the cab and rode
off for the airport with her father.

"That was nice," Lex assessed as he walked onto
the scene.

"Lex, I didn't think you were going to show,"
Clark declared.

"What? And miss seeing my friends off?" Lex
replied incredulously. "Surely you jest, Clark.
I had some business in Metropolis and broke a few
speed limits to get back here for this event.
Both of you do well down there, okay? Good luck
and stay in touch. If there's anything you need,
you let me know."

"Thank you, Lex, for being a good friend and
partner," Lana expressed, shaking his hand.

"My pleasure," the entrepreneur told her.

"Lex, I don't know what to say," Clark told him.

"That's okay. You've been a good friend,
probably better than I deserve, but I'm glad we
met. Just remember that I'll be flying both you
and Lana up here from time to time just to talk,"
Lex informed them.

"Or you can come down to the desert if you want
to talk, Lex," Dave offered.

Lex nodded. Given his own inner turmoil, he
would definitely benefit from talking with his
father's adversary. "Don't be surprised if I
do."

"Just don't let him drag you down," the professor
advised. "You don't want to end up as I did."

"I don't know about that," the younger man
surmised. "You have a beautiful wife, a great
job in a glorious location, and excellent
students. You're a better man than you give
yourself credit, Dave." Shaking his hand, he
concluded, "Keep your head up. I, for one, was
very impressed with your control over this
weekend."

"Thanks for that. Keep on the higher road,
okay?" Dave requested.

"You know it," the businessman told him. "See
you all soon." With that, he got in the Porsche
and drove off.

Angie saw Dave watching him drive away. "What is
it?"

"There's a lot of darkness in him, Princess,
especially dark thoughts and ambitions. I hope
he doesn't give into them. His father could push
him over the edge," he worried.

"Look, you made the offer. That's all you can
do. Trust him to make the right decision. You
did," she assured him.

He smiled and kissed her, knowing that she had
made his entire day.

****

A few hours later, the scene repeated itself at
the Smallville airport as Jonathan, Martha, and
Lana's Aunt Nell had all gathered to see the kids
off. After the heart-wrenching embraces and
tears were exchanged, Chloe handed Clark and Lana
their papers.

"See you two later. Don't forget to write me,
okay?" she requested. Then, she gripped them
both tightly. "I'm really going to miss you
both!"

"So will we," Clark indicated sadly, wishing that
she were going with them.

"Thanks for everything," Lana added.

"You take care of him, okay?" the journalist told
her, the tears dribbling from her eyes. After
all of those years, he was riding off into the
sunset with Lana and leaving her here. No matter
how she had tried to deal with it, the pain still
ate at her. She would always love him no matter
what. "Sorry, but I have to go." With that, she
got into her car and drove away.

For a long minute, they all stood quiet, blown
away by Chloe's feelings. Then, Dave said, "We
do have to go." Looking at the two kids, he told
them, "We'll wait at the gate. Take your time."
Before they walked through security, he
expressed, "Once again, thank you both for
everything."

"Thank you, David," Martha replied.

"Right. Let us know if there's a problem or
anything," Jonathan added. "Remember, the door's
always open if you want to pop in. If you get my
drift."

Angie chuckled at the pun. "We will. Thank you
both. I know Karen and Steve really appreciated
the hospitality." With that, they walked through
the gate, leaving the kids with their guardians
for final thoughts.

Unfortunately, their flight was announced at that
moment.

"Whoops! That's us! Well, we'll have them call
you when they get in," Lana added as she kissed
her aunt.

"I love you both," Clark added, embracing his
parents.

Then, the teenagers bolted for the gate and made
the plane with minutes to spare.

After the plane took off, Martha asked, "I wonder
what's waiting for them out there?"

"The big world, Martha," he replied frankly.
"We've done the best we can. Now, it's up to
them."

She nodded and rubbed Nell's shoulder, knowing
that the latter was under the weather as well.

"C'mon, let's go get some dinner," Jonathan
offered.

The ladies followed him to the truck and they
drove off in search of life after parenthood in a
manner of speaking. Never forgetting that they
were parents, but maybe just a bit less involved
in things.


Conclusion

Later that evening, Steve walked into the morgue
glad to know that another challenge was behind
them. Farrell had shown him a letter of
commendation from the Metropolis Police
Department for his role in saving the kids from
the high school standoff. That and an overall
good letter for him went into his file. Now, he
sought closure.

He saw Natalie talking to Nick in front of him.
"Hi, guys. What's up?"

"Steve," he greeted glumly.

"What is it? Something's wrong," the agent
guessed.

"Take a look at this," Natalie indicated, showing
him the freezer door. The lock was practically
ripped off of it.

"Who or what did this?" Steve demanded. Rushing
into the room, he saw another horrifying sight:
an empty gurney. "Isn't that where?"

"Yeah," the coroner agreed. "That's where I put
Eckhart's body before I went home this morning.
When I came in, it was like this and the day
shift has no idea of what happened. Another
vampire. Right, Nick?"

The new Elder nodded nervously. It hadn't even
been a month yet and already there was a revolt
from within the Community. This would have to be
dealt with and soon. He remembered his warning
to LaCroix. If Eckhart was brought across, he
could be the death of them all. "Dave and Adam
have to be told. Meantime, I'll also let Janette
know. If the Renegades or worse, the Enforcers,
get a hold of him, there's going to be Hell to
pay."

****

Meantime, about a five-hour drive to the north,
Mutant X's new headquarters was almost ready to
go. It had been almost too easy for Steve to cut
through the red tape and Nick to purchase the
former NORAD facility which had been long
deserted. Thanks to their efforts, as well as
those of Larry Merlin, any memory of this place's
existence had been wiped clean from the public's
knowledge.

Adam looked around at this place. It needed a
lot of work for sure, but at least, it would be a
new Sanctuary to replace the defiled one.
Eventually, he and his team would bring back the
decorative elements: plants, fountains, etc.
However, for now, they could rough it for a while
as they helped Dave to set up his branch of the
Underground.

Logan and Toni labored away at the computers,
making sure they were hack proof and untraceable.
The alarms which had been so important in saving
everything were installed once again. The
databases were functional as well.

"How are we doing?" Adam inquired.

"You're ready to go," Logan informed him, making
his way across the room to join Max.

"I don't think the GSA's going to find you
again," Toni asserted.

"And we should have the old Sanctuary completely
emptied before the GSA can get back there," Dave
added, allowing a couple of planters to alight
gently on the floor. "You want to help us with
the Dojo?"

"We can do that," Jesse agreed, taking his
girlfriend's hand and stepping through the mists.

"You bet," Shalimar stated, leading Brennan and
Emma after them.

The leader took another look around. Everything
was coming together. The new mutants, Clark, and
Lana would soon start school together. This
Sanctuary would soon be complete. And, best of
all, the dream was alive again thanks to the help
of his friends. Nodding in satisfaction, he
followed the others into the fog.

****

[A hotel on the outskirts of Nogales, Sonora]

Eckhart slowly opened his eyes. What had
happened? The last thing he remembered was going
to help a little girl who was crying. Then, she
turned on him, sinking fangs into his throat. He
remembered death and now, a very cold form of
unlife. Worse still, there was a burning hunger
the likes of which he had never felt before.
Feeling his face, he couldn't find the plastic
covering. "What? Where is it?"

"If you're looking for that cocoon, you won't
need it any longer, Mason Eckhart," a firm voice
advised.

Turning, he saw a massive, well-built man in
Middle Eastern robes and a Turkish head covering.
"Who are you?"

"One who shares your vision of world purity and
your hatred of Dubois," the man exclaimed. "You
are no longer human. You are one of us now. A
vampire. I am Ali, an Enforcer and the one who
brought you back from the edge. Join us in our
quest to make the world pure!"

The offer hit the right chord. "Certainly.
Seeing as my former subordinates left me to be
dragged off. I would not only be avenged upon
Dubois, but his new mutant freakish friends as
well!"

"Then, come with me. Soon, we shall have our
revenge. For now, the sun's about to rise and we
will need to rest. But, first here is something
to assuage the hunger eating at you," the
Enforcer indicated, handing him a big bottle.

Eckhart guzzled the bottle's contents. The
liquid was sweet and sticky yet it cooled the
fire burning deep within him. "Thank you. That
is much better."

With that, Ali closed the shades, allowing
himself and his charge to rest. He was already
impressed with the fledgling's composure in the
face of the First Hunger. While this one would
never replace Dijon, he would be an awesome
avenger indeed.

To Ali, that was all that mattered.

THE END (for now)

(**I hope you liked this piece! As soon as I finish with a vignette I'm working on, I'll be
onto the next one. Remember, if you want updates to the storyline first, you can join the
"DuboisChroniclesUpdates at YahooGroups. Thanks for your interest!**)