Today, it was the test run of a new training simulation. Eliza, Alex, Lena, and Harry observed it, with Molly, Alicia, and Claire going through it. Testing to see how they lasted under fire, how they reacted to certain situations which demanded creative uses of their powers. And testing to see how they would mentally react under pressure. Tina, while not a part of the simulation, watched.
"How have you been?" Harry asked her.
"Much better lately," Tina admitted. "My headaches are cleared up."
She watched Claire very nearly dodge a very deadly obstacle. Well, what seemed deadly. Everything was pretty safe and merely just a simulation. If they were close to being in any kind of danger, they would be ejected from the simulation. Tina turned her attention back to the conversation and back towards Harry.
"I'm not ready to go back in public yet. Don't know if I ever will be."
"You should do everything at your own pace," Eliza said.
"She's right," Lena said.
"I would have to agree with everyone else in the room. You are still keeping up with your classes online?"
Tina responded with a nod.
"Keep it up. I'm sure you'll find something that you want to do in the future."
If it was not for Harry speaking out for her, and the help of Doctor Danvers and Ms. Luthor, Tina would feel like she was not going to go forward.
"Alexandra, are you ready?" Lena asked.
Alex stepped out of the room with the suit on. The material clung to her body and formed a protective shell. The mask created a protective aura around her head as well. She flicked her wrist and allowed a shield to appear. She did it again, and a staff appeared in her hand.
"Really getting the hang of this."
"Good, because I'm going to need your help."
Lena stopped the stimulation in mid-motion. Alicia, Claire, Molly stopped and Lena got on the microphone.
"That was good. However, it's time to test your abilities against an actual opponent who can think for herself beyond a computer."
Alex stepped into the room. Alicia, Claire, and Molly all had various levels of worry as she walked closer towards them. Molly closed her eyes a few seconds later and took in a deep breath.
"Right, we can take her."
Those might prove to be famous last words. Regardless, Molly charged in. She tried to take control of the laser turrets on the wall. Alex disabled them with a well-timed blast from her suit and two silver bracelets shot out. The magnified against the wall and pinned Molly back.
"Keep her distracted!"
Alicia teleported behind Alex. Alex caught her and she just barely teleported out of the way. She kept teleporting until she screamed as a cage wrapped around her.
Claire had to abort her attempts to free Molly and rush towards Alex. Alex's suit was resistant to flames because of course it was. She jumped over the top. Claire blocked Alex's punch and engaged in some hand to hand combat. She was the most equipped of the three girls at fighting hand to hand.
Harry had wanted Eliza's opinion on something.
"So the suit…"
"It's necessary," Eliza said. "There's no force that's going to stop her from wanting to help you and I fear the threats are going to get more dangerous. But, that's not going to deter her any. Best she has the tools and is trained to use them right now. And I might have done the same thing."
Alex dodged the final attack from Claire. All three meteor mutants were down on the ground.
"Teamwork," Lena said. "It's a concept which you need to learn, if you want to step outside of these walls."
Oh, Claire gritted her teeth. Just give her some more time and she would figure out how to take Alex down.
"Again."
Harry's phone went off.
"Hello, Kal-El."
"Doctor Swann."
"I would like to meet with you as soon as possible on a very urgent matter."
"I'll be up in an hour."
"Excellent."
Harry turned to Lena and kissed her goodbye. He walked off and caught Helen coming into the room.
"Leaving already?" she asked. "Just as I got here."
"I have a meeting with Doctor Swann," Harry said. "Should see you sometime soon."
"Stop by any time," Helen said. "Especially when I'm not busy. We can continue our therapy."
The lovely doctor planted a kiss on Harry and he disappeared into the shadows. She waited to examine Claire, Molly, and Alicia. Although, the three women likely had a case of the bruised ego at the very least, with how Alex had been putting them through the paces.
Harry arrived outside of STAR Labs, but ran headlong into Lionel Luthor.
"Mr. Kent. A nice day."
Harry wondered what Lionel was doing here. And Lionel motioned for Harry to come with him.
"If you have anything to say to me, then say it right here. If you can't, then I'll be late for an appointment."
"Well, you've captivated many, given how the illusive Doctor Swann rarely grants appointments these days," Lionel said. "I had to move heaven and earth just for his secretary to stonewall me. To think, at one time, we were colleagues."
"Yes," Harry said. "Your point, please?"
"I wish for you to pass on a message to my daughter. Tell her to leave Cadmus and Summerholt alone."
Harry figured something like this might happen.
"You obviously told her yourself and it didn't go well, did it?"
Lionel's lack of response confirmed that answer better than any words. He leaned as close as Harry would allow him to get.
"If you care about Lena, you will ask her to drop it. And ensure neither of you even tell Lex."
Lionel pulled back and straightened up.
"Nice to see you again, Mr. Kent. And congratulations on your record breaking performance on the statewide exams. It would be an honor to see you work alongside me someday."
"Good day, Mr. Luthor."
Lionel left the parking lot, only to run into two figures in suits. Harry's interest had been piqued suddenly. Of course, it had been dashed when the men had been speaking in a language which Harry did not understand. And they responded with a very casual "not now" before parting ways with each other.
Harry went into Star Labs.
Whether Potter or Kent, one thing that could be certain for Harry, as there would be some sort of complications in his life. He stepped forward, just in time to see a young blonde man with a fantastic beard having an argument with Swann's security forces. He both seemed to dress in the dark and his biological clock appeared to be set at twenty minutes after four.
"Dude, you got to let me through! It's urgent!"
"Doctor Swann has warned you to leave. Do not make us call the police."
"Right, I'm going."
Harry noticed this man and realized, this man had been seen a couple of times lurking around Horizon. By the time Harry could get a closer look, he disappeared. The man stormed off, with Harry following him. He had smelled so strongly of fish, to the point where either he worked at the docks Or had some kinks which Harry was not going to think about and quite frankly, it was his business.
"You've been stalking Horizon, why?"
"Oh, hey, brother," he said with a wave.
"And you've been at the Plant too. And I've seen you in a few other places. Who are you?"
"Oh, I've never been one for etiquette, my brother is always better at being polite. My name is Prince Arthur Curry, of Atlantis, but my friends call me AC. You know, because I'm cool like one."
He lifted his hand up for a high five, but Harry denied it. He grew somber and serious.
"Have you seen Lionel Luthor?"
"You just missed him," Harry said. "Why are you stalking the Luthors?"
"Luthorcorp is putting your people in danger. And my people. All of our people. Lionel Luthor's going to cause a war, between Atlantis and the Surface World."
"Right?" Harry asked. "And do you have any proof?"
"That's what I'm trying to get man. Look, you hang out with Lionel's daughter, maybe you can…."
At this point, a second man turned up. He looked at Harry with thinly disguised contempt and turned towards Arthur. The two had a conversation. In the same language and cadence the two men in the suit said to Lionel, how very particularly odd.
"We need to warn them."
"You can't reason with these land barbarians. Mother will be furious that you're stirring them up. Now let's go."
AC responded with a nod and looked towards Harry. Perhaps, Lionel had been up to something. The fact these two men seemed to be from Atlantis seemed almost absurd on the surface. And yet, entirely plausible, for many different reasons. Harry put his hand to his head and brushed his hair back.
Oh, he would have to find proof, before taking the claims of some fish-smelling man seriously. Although, the fact that Lionel had been talking to man who spoke the same language really set off a red flag in Harry's mind.
Harry stepped inside, to have his meeting with Doctor Swann. However, he had a call. Lex, finally returning his call.
"Sorry, I've been busy."
"I have something important to tell you. But, it can't be done over the phone."
"I'm in meetings until five today. Swing by the Mansion by five thirty."
"Right."
Harry stepped out. Boy today had been very weird and Harry had a feeling the insanity was just beginning to take shape. Something was happening.
The meeting with Doctor Swann had been nothing in particular to write home about. Sharing some strange seismic activities with Harry which could be a concern, and also encouraging him to activate his ship. Which, Harry had prepared to do. He had been joined by Imra and Kara and turned up at Shadowcrest.
"The Pocket Realm is completed," Zatanna said. 'It's underwent every single magical stress test I know and withstood it."
"Good," Kara said. "You have my ship?"
"In my pocket."
Harry took up the small model shape object. The rune in Harry's hand activated as a key. To the naked eye and more importantly to those not bonded to Harry, it would be just a simple rock. However, it would be much more. They stepped into the shadow realm. Harry set down Kara's ship and it grew to its full size.
"Martha will be glad to have that out of the barn."
"She would," Harry agreed. "Imra, do you think you can give me a hand?"
Imra nodded. The malfunction of her ring served her well. She was living history. And more importantly, she could see how accurate it was up, close and person. They stepped into the barn. It was hard to believe this tiny ship.
"Sorry, no matter how many times I see it, it leaves me in awe. And it's the original."
They had a model of the ship which brought Superman to Earth in the future. Although, Imra kept that thought even isolated to Harry. While it would be foolish to rely on her foreknowledge, it would also be a disaster to throw it away completely.
Harry and Imra loaded the ship into the Pocket Realm. Away from prying eyes and most importantly, away from anyone who could hurt it.
"Oh, this is amazing," Zatanna gushed. "The work we've done on this place."
"Yes, it's a fantastic bit of magic," Harry said. "But, we've waited too long."
Harry summoned the disc, which appeared to be glad to return to the ship. The ship began to hum to life. Strange symbols flashed all over the ship and it began to vibrate.
"Is it supposed to do that?" Zatanna asked.
Kara nodded, although she prepared to brace herself for impact. Harry held the rune key tight in case the ship did something unexpected.
It glowed and spoke in strangled Kryptonian.
"I've picked up some of our language, but that one, got by me," Harry said. "Do you have a translation?"
Kara was only happy to help.
"AI Repair and Mother Program boot starting ,please wait one rotational cycle to load."
"So, another day," Harry said. "That's fine."
They waited so long to get this pocket realm together, they could wait one more day without any problem whatsoever. Everything would be fine, more than fine in fact.
At the Mansion, Harry arrived. Lex sat down at the table and had been considering a particularly large bottle of wine.
"Long day?"
"Oh, yes, it has been," Lex said. "Last couple of days. I met my half-brother. One of Lionel's little affairs. Lucas. He's a self entitled brat. I really wish I didn't meet him. And that's all I'm going to say about him."
Casually, Lex reclined back in the chair. Harry sat on the one next to him.
"And there's a lot of weirdness going on in Summerholt and Cadmus."
Harry raised an eyebrow at this revelation. So Lex did know about Cadmus and Summerholt.
"I've been looking into things. My mother was involved with both. They were her pet causes, until she took a turn for the worst. And after she died, they did. Especially Summerholt, although someone is using Cadmus for something."
Lex paused for a second.
"I'm thinking you already knew. And I'm thinking that's what you wanted to tell me about, but I'm already a couple of steps ahead of you."
"Yes, partially. Lionel had met with me earlier today. He doesn't want either you or Lena to look into what's going on. And he didn't know that you knew."
Harry could tell this brought great pride to Lex, staying a step ahead of his father, finally. Lex just smiled and casually dragged the glass closer to the bottle of wine, although he did not fill it just yet.
"I was able to pull two and two together. I can't figure out my father sometimes. A part of me thinks he still thinks he's fragile like I was when I had my break."
Lex rarely talked about that. Harry knew better than to press for something that personal, without Lex volunteering the information on his own. Casually, Lex slipped his hand against the bottle of wine and tipped it back, humming lightly as he tapped it against the table.
"Or maybe, he wants to control my destiny. But, I have to create my own. Just like you are yours."
Lex reached over and poured himself a drink.
"I would offer you one, but the last thing I need is the papers after me for enabling underage drinking. Not that I'm one to crusade against that. I had a record and not the good time by the time I was your age. Thankfully, that goes away."
Lex took a drink and sighed.
"I had to chase away a drug-addled hippie who was going on about Atlantis the other day."
Harry would have not minded the drink when Lex brought up his fishy friend.
"So, AC, you've met him?"
"You know his name?"
"Well, his name is Arthur Curry Jr. He claims to be the Prince of Atlantis, and he smells strongly of fish."
"Yes, he does," Lex said. "So, is there anything else you want to tell me? Summerholt was only partially it, you said?"
Harry decided that was no delicate and tactful way to say this, so he went out and said it.
"I'm the Smallville Savior."
Silence, silence passed. For a long time, Lex said nothing. He just drank his wine. Harry said nothing as well. He could almost sense Lex mulling over something in his mind. Slowly, Lex closed his eyes and started murmuring underneath his breath.
"Of course. Everything fits. Like a glove. I figured there was something different about you. You were right there from the beginning. The Kents found you. You were abandoned, right in the Epicenter of the meteor shower. It would be impossible for you not to get powers. Or lose your hair."
Lex allowed himself a second to remember.
"So, you're a meteor mutant? That's how you met the Doctor Danvers and her daughter. To help control your powers. And Lena figured it out, I'm sure sooner than anyone else."
"I'm not a mutant."
This stopped Lex in mid-stream.
"Is that word not acceptable anymore? Sorry, I'm not current with what's PC."
"No, nothing like that. I wasn't affected by the meteor shower. I arrived with it."
Lex had picked up the bottle. He very nearly dropped it.
"So, you're…."
"Yes."
Lex calmly drained the rest of his bottle, without saying anything.
"Should I start from the beginning?"
"Do I need a bigger bottle?" Lex asked.
A long story concluded. Lex let some time to let the story sink it.
"Warrior Angel Volume 2 Issue 52."
This statement caused Harry to raise a quizzical eyebrow. Lex decided to explain.
"Warrior Angel was a rare positive role model. Bald representation in comic books, especially positive ones, is grossly underrepresented. We simply do not have the characters, but Warrior Angel was different. And in this issue, Warrior Angel finally told his friend his secret. And the arc kicked off a pivotal moment where Warrior Angel's friend was kidnapped by a mysterious shadow group and tormented for information, information regarding his friend."
Lex took a second to draw breath, although he was giddy about sharing one of his favorite comic book stories of all time.
"The twist was the shadow group was run by the friend's mother, who was believed to be dead. I must have read that story dozens of times, if not a hundred, when I was growing up. And it's still a hotly debated arc. Fans have debated whether or not Warrior Angel should have broadcasted his secret. Especially when the friend came back as an enemy when Warrior Angel's sister took up the mantle in the rebooted comics. Which, were good, although I feel like it lost something. Or perhaps I lost a personal connection to the main character, due to being a young woman with a full head of red hair as opposed to a bald crusader."
Lex took another drink. He frowned.
"The comics were good. Until another writer could a hold of them. Filled them with smug liberalism, preachy messages, and had an ultra-feminist slant. Destroyed the franchise for good, in my opinion and in the opinions of many fans, who just stopped buying the comics due them being alienating to everyone. Politics, they've been burned into comics, but when politics overwhelm the story, it stops being fun. Which comics should be. They're not going to change the world, they should be fun."
Lex obviously had been about ready to unload that rant for some time.
"Alex hated that run too," Harry said.
"Lena despised it as well," Lex said. "Funny given how women and young girls hated those comics more than any man. Funny to think about. How it alienated a very dedicated fanbase of female readers, despite the writer thinking that's what women wanted to read. But, we're getting off the point."
"Right," Harry said. "So?"
"It's a lot to take in. But it makes sense. Lionel's so fixated on you, I almost believed that rumor that you were a product of an affair between my father and Martha Kent."
Harry just rolled his eyes.
"Crazy, and I know Martha has better standards than my father. But, you're a God. At least in the eyes of the Kawatchee you are. The story of Naman and Sageeth, funny how that one keeps coming up."
Lex spent a second holding the empty glass of wine. He had more than enough and had been slurring his words slightly.
"Sageeth's mistrust is that Naman was a god-like being, who he did not really trust on a personal level. But, you've...I'm glad you told me. And most importantly, nothing is black and nothing is white in this world. We are all flawed. Perhaps we should go in colorblind?"
"Perhaps," Harry said.
A knock on the door brought Harry's attention away from his conversation with Lex.
"Come in."
Lena stepped into the room. She noticed the bottle of wine and Lex sitting back.
"He told you?"
"Yes," Lex said. "And how long did you know?"
"I figured it out from the beginning, although I didn't understand what I knew for a while. And I know deep down you did as well. It's just your therapy repressed a lot of your old memories."
"True," Lex admitted. "It took me a bit to remember I saw the ship, although I had been traumatized by seeing fiery death up close. Could have been so easily crushed to dust like Lana Lang's parents. Or got cancer. Or super powers. Instead, my hair just fell out. To be fair, I couldn't really look myself in the mirror if I was still a ginger."
Lex laughed. If you could not make light of your predicament, then what was the point in leaving?
"I should have died many times. After that Meteor Shower. With all of the self-destructive behavior I've had before I even came to Smallville. Many crashed cars, and not just the one you rescued me from. Although, admittedly, that brought me the closest to death."
Lex realized that he had needed to tell something to Lena. He sobered up a little bit more.
"I have a lead on Lutessa. She's currently studying as a Marine Biologist. Or at least she was."
"What do you mean, was?" Lena asked.
"She's been missing for six months," Lex said. "Her adoptive parents also died a couple of years ago, under mysterious circumstances. And the Orphanage she was at, I can't find any records of it anywhere."
"Hmm, that's odd," Lena said.
"Here's everything I've uncovered so far."
Lex slid a stack full of folders into Lena's hand. She took them and nodded graciously at her brother's assistance.
"I'll keep digging and you can as well," Lex said. "Thank you, to both of you. I would like to chat more, but I really have some things to mull over. I'm going to take a closer look at Cadmus."
"So, you know about that?"
"Yes, and Summerholt," Lex said. "I just talked about Warrior Angel Volume 2 Issue 52 was such a pivotal piece of art, but I hope that life does not intimate art."
It was really a gut punch when Mikey came back as the arc enemy of the new Warrior Angel. Their friendship was such a pivotal part of the journey. Some people shipped them, although Lex personally thought that was missing the point of their character dynamic. Still, ship and let ship and their ship was not his ship.
"Lex didn't say it outright. But he's come to the same conclusion. Lillian's death has plenty of holes in it."
Lena and Harry had left the Mansion and had gotten in Lena's car from the drive to Horizon. Which then they would head off to meet Zatanna, Imra, and Kara at Shadowcrest.
"How much does Lionel know about this?" Harry asked her.
"I don't know. You know how he keeps the cards close to his chest."
"Yes. Lex is more of the same."
Harry leaned out. Lex had not been angry, although things felt a bit awkward for a minute. Lena reached over when they reached a stoplight and put their hand on Harry's thigh.
"You did the right thing, telling him."
"He's in a funny mood."
Lena noticed it as well. Although, that could be down to the repressed memories which were pouring back into Lex's mind in the aftermath.
"He'll deal with it," Lena said. "He's much stronger than what Lionel gives him credit for."
Lena decided to shift gears and drive back towards Horizon. She also steered the conversation.
"I can't wait to see the Kryptonian AI in that ship," Lena said. "Did Kara tell you what to expect?"
"A little bit," Harry admitted. "But, we'll see when we get there."
X-X-X
Harry, Lena, Zatanna, Kara, and Imra stepped into the shadow.
"Kal-El! Welcome. I am Jor-El, and I am pleased to see that you have been quite healthy. Finally, you've achieved the first step of your destiny…."
"No," Harry said.
"You cannot deny me…"
"Let me make one thing perfectly clear," Harry said. "Any tests, any riddles, any games you want to give me, save them. I'm not going to put up with it. Either you tell me what you need to do or I'll shut you down and you'll never be turned up again. Is that clear?"
"Do you dare?"
A flare of energy erupted through Harry. Lena, Kara, Zatanna, and Imra all felt goosebumps. Jor-El's AI flickered and shut down for about ten seconds. Then, Harry brought it back on with a blink of his hand.
"You shouldn't test him,' Kara said. "He's got far better control of his powers than you can imagine. And they are far greater than you can imagine."
"Yes,' Jor-El said. "There are Kryptonian artifacts left on Earth which you must collect to begin the first stage of your training. The Stones of Power."
Jor-El created a three dimensional hologram of the stones of power. Harry noticed a small flicker of symbols which showcased the Earth's elements.
"The Crystal of Fire. The Crystal of Water and Crystal of Air. Powerful on their own. And when combined, you will create a crystal which will create a fortress of knowledge."
"And you have no idea exactly how to find them."
"They were scattered on Earth sometime ago," Jor-El said.
"I remember reading about them before," Zatanna said. "I'll consult some of my father's texts."
"We need to find them," Kara said.
"Dangerous?" Lena asked.
"Very,' Kara said. "If they fall into the wrong hands, or if they cause any human blood to spell, it could create a cataclysmic event."
"That bad," Lena said. "We better search for them."
"Yes, it would be wise," Jor-El commented. "Although, I'm surprised at you, my son. You trust her to…."
"Don't...even start," Harry said.
Jor-El went silent. The Artificial Intelligence flashed.
"You didn't do that, did you?" Imra asked.
"No, I didn't."
"My son."
The whisper which came through the cave caused Kara to look surprised.
"Aunt Lara?"
"Lara? I had no idea you completed anything. And how did you incorporate it inside of the system without me knowing?"
"I didn't. Our son did."
"I did?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Lara said. "You did. You managed to pull my essence into the ship and create an artificial intelligence the minute you placed the key into the ship. Deep down, I believe you needed something to temper Jor-El's influence."
"That's extremely powerful magic,' Zatanna said. "As in magic that should be possible."
"And yet, I did," Harry remarked.
"Magic? What you perceive as sorcery is a science which has yet to be understood and properly understood. As matter of fact…."
"Is there a mute setting on this thing?"
"No, but I can do this."
Harry put Jor-El completely under.
"Aunt Lara, it's good to see you again."
"You, as well, Kara. Didn't Kara make it back from Krypton or not?"
"No, she was still in Argo."
This statement caused a bit of confusion with the rest of the group. Well, other than Imra, who seemed to be the only one who kind of understood what was going on.
"I better explain," Kara said. "My mother, she had a twin sister. She had a daughter, also named Kara. It was a very popular name during our time on Krypton."
"Oh, that makes sense," Harry responded.
"Little Kara, she was taken in by my mother and father, when my aunt was busy fighting an extremely long civil war. First with Black Zero, and then with General Zod...no one quite knows what happened to her afterwards. She was with my mother, on Argo when the Destruction of Krypton happened. Alura was searching for a rare element which she hoped to stabilize the planet's core."
Kara drew out a deep breath and sighed. Harry put his hand on Kara's shoulder and pulled her in.
"She didn't succeed."
"So, they died," Harry said.
"Yes," Kara agreed. "Little Kay had such a bright future ahead of her."
"Kara, may I examine the crystal around your neck?"
Kara pulled herself out of her remembrance, and nodded. She grabbed the crystal and slipped it in front of the ship.
"It's just as I thought," Lara said. "Two energy signatures. Two distinctive bits of genetic material. It's...a clone of your father and a clone of myself?"
Lara just sighed.
"I knew he was obsessed, but I didn't think it was that bad. Once that crystal is plugged into a sufficient enough source of magic, it would cause the two beings in the crystal to rise."
"Can we separate them?" Lena asked.
"We can replicate them," Lara said. "But, we need to get the Fortress built, and for that, we're going to need the Stones of Power."
"We might not be the only ones after the stone," Harry said. "Doctor Virgil Swann mentioned something to me. A married couple who was obsessed with getting a group of magical stones for power. They were part of the group, but their own greed caused them to break way from the original purpose of Veritas."
"I have an idea who you might be talking about," Lena said darkly. "We'll find them."
"Yes, we will."
Harry arrived home with Martha. She had takeout on the table.
"Sorry, I couldn't cook anything tonight," Martha said. "Classes have really got me swamped."
"With all you do, you deserve a night off," Harry said. "I'm really sorry that I wasn't able to get home to cook dinner and surprise you. But it's been a busy day. I told Lex about the secret."
Martha took a bite out of her food and pondered about it.
"Not everything, but enough about the truth to ease suspicions I knew he had," Harry said. "The time travel reincarnation thing for instance, I didn't want to complicate matters by bring that up."
"Jonathan was very uneasy about people finding out your secret."
"And for good reason. And when I was younger and did not have a hold on my powers and what they could do, I understood. But, I had to."
"I know," Martha said. "And someone like Lex, he'll find out. So best to get in front of things and make him an alley, instead of an enemy."
Harry explained about the ship and also what he needed to do.
"You've got some challenges ahead of you," Martha said. "But, I know that you'll take them on all? Do you have any idea where to find the crystals?"
"Not yet," Harry said. "Lena and Zatanna are looking into things. I've got a couple of ideas. If I can get my hands on just one of them, it will be easier to find the other."
"It might be," Martha said. "I'm...expecting a guest. Do you think you can go upstairs?"
Harry nodded in response. He had a feeling Martha had a surprise for him. And given the events of the past couple of days, Harry would be in the mood for some good surprises.
He cleared the table for Martha and made his way upstairs to get comfortable for this surprise.