Over the past few days, Kay adjusted the best she could to life on Earth. She thought she started to get the hang of things in general. However, one thing worried her and that was the safety of the Omegahedron. Being tasked to keep track of that device had been a burden thrown on her suddenly and Kay did not know why. She had no more troubling dreams after the first night either, but that dream seared into her mind.
Despite Kara and Alex reassuring her she could trust Harry to deal with the Omegahedron, Kay still was not certain. It was not a matter of his capabilities, but rather a matter of the capabilities of the individuals who would be desperate enough to get their hands on the item.
Kay, Harry, Kara, and Alex made their way up to Star Labs. Harry introduced Kay to two lovely young women, who she figured were members of Harry's collective. One a stunning redhead and one an alluring dark-haired woman.
"This is Patricia Swann and Lena Luthor. They have been helping me work on the security system which will hold the Omegahedron."
Harry motioned for Kay, Kara, and Alex to join them. Patricia pointed to a huge box which flashed to life.
"This multi-layered security system will give anyone who tries to access it more than enough trouble," Patricia explained.
"Especially given that it will inform Harry at once, so he can deal with the situation," Lena said. "There are layers which transport them into various locations. And also, false Omegahedrons which can give them a sense of hope."
"Along with other aspects," Harry said. "Even if they breach the pocket realm, it's going to be very difficult for them to get their hands on the Omegahedron."
"But, not impossible?" Kay asked.
Harry put a hand on the top of her head and looked her straight in the eyes. Blue eyes met green for a good long second. Something about that stare relaxed Kay, although only slightly.
"Nothing is impossible. All we can do is take every step to protect that device. Until I can move it into the Fortress, when I secure the other two stones of power."
"Which we're working on," Kara said.
They came to the conclusion that it was very lucky the stone of water pretty much landed on their lap. The other ones, they might not be so fortunate.
"I have something else for you."
Lena handed Kay a pair of glasses, who frowned.
"As your powers come in, you might have problems with your super senses. This allows you to get used to having them in a way which is more at your pace. Therefore, you don't get overwhelmed."
"And there are some sounds you don't want to hear," Alex said. "Trust me on that one."
Kay slipped on the glasses. Oh, not bad at all. They glinted in the distance. They would not be functional if she did not have any vision problems.
"So, are you ready to go?" Lena asked Harry.
"Nearly," Harry said. "Kay, a word."
The younger version of Kara nodded and walked over to join Harry.
"I would have invited you to go along. But, throwing you into a wild vacation just days after you arrive on Earth is kind of a bad idea. A very bad idea."
"Yeah, I can see that," Kay said. "You should go though, don't let me ruin the fun of you and your mates."
"Eliza and Martha will both be there," Kara chimed in from afar.
"And if you need anything, urgent, they can't take care of, just press this button on this watch."
Harry snapped a stylish watch on Kay and showed her a red button. Which, to be fair, was kind of obvious in a situation like this, but still, Kay appreciated the assistance.
Alex looked across the room, with a brief shadow of a smile crossing her face.
"The last person you gave a watch like that, she never used it yet."
"Well, she never had the need to use it. Which is fine. She has it, when she needs it."
Harry, Alex, and Lena joined with Lana, Emily, Lois, and Chloe. Kara had gone off to check up on Siobhan.
"I can't believe we're actually going to leave for this," Lana said. "Ten whole days way from Smallville. Not that it's a bad place, but...we could use time off."
"I understand," Chloe said. "Really, I do."
"It's not that bad," Lois said.
"Well, you just got here," Chloe responded. "Give it time and you'll lean into the weirdness."
Oh, Lois had traveled to several exotic locations throughout the world. If Chloe thought this sleepy little farm town was weird, then she needed a reeducation it is weird.
"Still, the arts, the culture, the history," Emily said excitedly. "And we'll have a chance to relax and have some fun and not learn anything too."
Lana and Chloe both laughed at amusement. Lena, who had spent more time in many of these countries than she cared to remember, had a pretty good idea where all of the tourist traps were located and thus she had a good idea what to tell them to avoid.
"Kara's running late," Alex said.
"She'll be here," Harry said. "In fact, here comes her and Siobhan right now."
Kara walked over, along with Siobhan, who had hair which looked slightly damp and she had been given Kara a crosslook.
"I overslept,' Siobhan told them.
"And you wouldn't be you if you didn't," Kara said.
"But, apparently, my roommate thinks that a bucket of cold water over the head is an appropriate alarm clock," Siobhan said.
"You mean it's not?" Lois asked.
"No,' Chloe said. "As I told you."
Lois just responded with a cheeky little grin. They made their way to the airports. With all of the usual hold ups, which made Harry not want to take airplanes that often. He just did this to maintain appearances.
"I may have to go off for a little bit when I get there," Lena said. "I'll try and relax, but there's a few business opportunities I have to follow up. And a couple of international contracts which are now up in the air, thanks to Lionel being put in prison."
"I understand," Harry said.
Harry gave Kay the signal watch, he had a phone which had a pretty good international calling plan, which could actually reach Smallville. The hard work Lena put into Horizon and the communications grid over the past year, had been admirable and Harry really commended her for it.
The entire group made their way to a castle. Siobhan looked at it in awe, as they moved forward on their tour.
"I've only seen it in pictures," Siobhan commented. "It's belonged to my ancestors, although no one has lived in it for hundred of years."
A cobweb fell onto Lana's shoulder. Lois casually flicked it off as they walked into the castle. Harry moved behind them and looked around.
Oh, there had been some kind of ambient magic in the air, which caught Harry's attention and his interest.
"Oh, that...that's foreboding."
Chloe pointed out a portrait. Siobhan smiled. She heard of this legend from her great grandmother. It had been a story which haunted her family.
"This is the Silver Banshee. She's a demon which has haunted my family through generations. And only the women in my bloodline. When they experience a huge stressor in their life, they turn into this creature and go on a rampage against anyone who has wronged them. Anyone who they feel envy of."
"Yikes," Kara murmured.
"That's...an interesting legend," Lois commented. "And terrifying."
"But, it's just that, a legend," Siobhan said. "I haven't seen anyone in my family go full mythological creature. Even at certain times of the month."
Kara just grinned. The group spent the next couple of minutes moving. Lana and Emily stopped for a second and they were in conversation.
"If you want to see it, it's a bus ride from here," Emily said. "If you're sure."
"Yeah, I'm curious."
They could see Harry, Alex, and Chloe curiously looking at them. Lana decided to explain what they were interested in.
"It's a tomb in Paris, that I read about in an old family journal," Lana remarked. "A strange legend."
"There's a lot of those going on around the group," Chloe said.
"Well, yes," Lana agreed. "My ancestor was accused of being a witch. And she had been burned at the stake on the orders of the Countess who did so."
"Okay, pardon me for asking the obvious question?"
Chloe looked almost apologetic. Harry just waved his hand to tell her to proceed, even though he knew the question, and had a counter-argument ready.
"If she was really a witch, why did she not teleport away?"
It was as Harry figured and he learned this one by heart.
"In many cases, the witch in question, if they were one, did freeze the flame and teleport away when a sufficient amount of time had passed to realistically establish a burning. However, if the accuser was a witch herself, deflecting suspicion of her own activities, then she could prevent the accused from escaping because she knew the trick. It was a matter of power and potency of magic."
"Or she could not be proficient in that branch of magic," Alex said.
"Or that," Harry agreed. "But, the deflection of suspicion seems a lot likely. The best way in those days to get rid of a potential rival was to get the Puritan mobs riled up at them and burn them at a stake."
"So, Emily and I are heading off to Paris next to take a look at it," Lana said. "I'm studying my family history and I'm curious."
"Actually, we're all going next," Harry said. "Once Siobhan finishes looking around."
"To be fair, the scariest thing in Paris you can run into is my sister."
Lois almost popped in behind them so quickly, one would assume she mastered the art of teleportation herself.
"Lucy. She's going to boarding school. Or at least supposed to."
The entire party made their way to Paris. While Lana and Emily headed up to the crypt, the others explored around. A short time into their journey, Lois got a call which she excused herself for.
Curiosity, always had been something which Harry indulged in with an alarming amount of regularity. He stepped off into the distance and followed Lois, while acting like he was taking in the sights.
"Lucy. I don't know what you got yourself into this time, but chill. I'm here, and I'll be right up. Just don't do anything stupid."
Lois moved past Chloe, so fast, that Chloe jumped with a startling expression on her face.
"I think I left something at the hotel," Lois said. "I better take the bus back up there. I'll catch you guys later."
Chloe and Alex locked eyes. Lois had moved off so fast, that it appeared something was wrong. They turned to Harry, who gave them a look as if to say he'll take care of it.
Kara, who had also witnessed the entire incident, walked over to join Harry.
"She's going off for some reason," Harry said. "Her sister called. There might be trouble."
"And we better be there to see if there is," Kara said.
Lana and Emily had been in conversation with Lena, who had joined them on the trip. Lana and Emily had been insistent on splitting from the rest of the group so they could properly explore the tomb of Lana's ancestor.
"Just to let you know, if you run into a spot of trouble, your high school French is not going to get you out of it," Lena told them.
"It shouldn't be too bad," Lana said.
"Okay, I didn't do too well in that class anyway, but that's why I'll let Lana do all of the talking."
"Here. Take this. It's a headset which allows you to translate. Only a few languages and nowhere near ready to go on the market. But, it should do for the afternoon so you two don't embarrass yourself."
Blunt as she might be, Lana figured Lena would have a point. Emily and Lana took the headsets, both too wrapped up their excitement to realize that half of their group had split off already.
Lois entered a very run down looking building. Already, she had felt a bit nervous going into this place and could only imagine what her sister had stepped into this time. Perhaps it was not too bad, but a small part of Lois thought it could be even worse.
"Lois!"
Lucy looked around nervously and waved Lois over.
"What did you do?"
"I really stepped into it this time. Like, bad, really bad."
Lois could have almost smacked herself in the face.
"You were supposed to be at that boarding school. Unless...you got expelled, didn't you?"
"No, not yet, as far as I know," Lucy said. "But, I could be killed because I really stepped into it this time."
"Lucy! Lead with that next time."
Lucy flashed Lois an apologetic expression. Lois could feel the temples of her forehead throbbing. Oh, her sister, she would be the death of Lois. A migraine was about ready to manifest from Lois's head. Deep calming breaths, Lois had to be the voice of reason.
A part of her wished she had brought Chloe along to mediate, but kind of glad she did not, if Lucy got into the trouble she did.
"What happened?"
"Well, I stuck out of campus to visit a nightclub."
Already, Lois could already tell this story was going to a wonderful, wonderful place. She managed to keep her nerves in check and motion for Lucy to continue her story.
"I ran into some terrorists, who intended to kidnap a very important official and pin it on the United States. I think they wanted to do it, so they could start some unrest here, in the region. I guess. It's all politically, so I really don't get it. I don't get what they're doing."
"You saw it."
"And I think they saw me and now..."
Lois realized, perhaps a split second too late, that her headache was not just because of her tension. Rather, there had been some mysterious force which made her dizzy and caused her to stagger slightly. Lucy screamed in agony.
"Oooh, my ears are ringing!"
And seconds later, Lois's began to ring as well. They collapsed, unable to move. Through blurry vision, Lois noticed the image of a white-haired man approaching her. He dressed in a green overcoat.
"Both of you know too much. And now you will all suffer at the hands of Count Vertigo."
Oh, Lois's head was too busy splitting in half to properly appreciate how stupid, and yet entirely appropriate that particular name had been. She tried to pull herself up.
"I detest the blood of commoners on my hands. Gentlemen."
Two large thugs moved their way in. They prepared to execute Lois and Lucy before their very eyes. Lois stared down the barrel of the gun. Oh, there was really no way out of this. She was going to die because Lucy could not stay put and do as she was told.
Suddenly, a blur caught the thug on the right and another blur took out the thug on the left. Vertigo's eyes widened and he signalled for more of his associates to come in.
They had company.
Kara and Harry showed up just in time to see Lois and Lucy on the ground. Some man dressed in green, with white hair, had powers which took them down. And now, a couple of thugs moved in for the kill.
Their timing had been perfect. It had to be. Kara went to the right and Harry went to the left. They took out the thugs instantly.
"Take them out!"
Oh, armed thugs, not a problem. Harry dove up into the air and blocked the punch from one of the thugs. He grabbed the man around the shoulder, and snapped him all the way down to the ground with a thunderous impact. His arm had gotten bent from behind him and snapped back.
Kara dodged the attacks of another man and took him out. A third man moved forward and tried to shoot Kara point blank. Kara flipped up high into the air and landed on the back of the head.
"What are you?"
The man known as Count Vertigo left and left his goons to take the brunt of the attack. Harry grabbed one of them by the arm and took him down with a snapping attack to drive him down. Another attack and Harry put two more of the guards asleep.
One of them tried to rush out of the way. Kara took him down.
Kara and Harry dropped down to the ground. Lois and Lucy were both dazed.
"Get them out of here."
"What are you?"
"I'm going to find Vertigo."
Kara picked up Lois and Lucy underneath her arms and bolted them out of the way. They would recover their senses at the hospital.
Now, Harry thought the Count could not have gotten too far. Whatever he was planning, Harry would put a stop to him.
"How very interesting. You're not like the one in the hood who has been giving me so much trouble."
Harry could tell he was getting close. Vertigo's taunting voice lead him up the tower. It had been a cat and mouse game which had lead Harry in circles.
"But, you will succumb and kneel before the might of Count Vertigo, peasant!"
Well, he most certainly got the super villain speech down. Harry could feel the ripple of the powers the further he went up. Despite the ringing and the sensation to vomit visiting Harry, he moved further and further up the tower. The thumping in his head only increased the further he made his way up the steps.
"You can't stop me."
"We'll see."
Harry blasted upwards closer towards the Count. The Count rushed in the other direction and the bells of the clock tower clung. Due to the sensitive hearing, Harry found himself paused.
Harry dropped to his knee for a split second before he shut out all of the pain. The Count took a few steps closer towards him.
"You are intriguing. You lasted much longer. All I have to do is call my men to subdue you, and you will be studied. Are you a weapon of some other country? Perhaps the United States….perhaps….."
The Count let his guard down, and Harry used his finger to flick him right on the bridge of the nose. The force sent Vertigo flying through the windows of the clock tower and falling several pieces below.
Harry recovered, now out of the pull of the Count's powers. He dropped down and noticed there had been no Count. However, there had been a ledger which laid on the ground. It had been written in a strange language. Thankfully, Harry had more than a few translation spells at his disposal to get a good idea of what it said.
"I know what he's doing. And I can stop him."
Harry arrived at the scene of the crime, only to see a surprising sight. Several of the Count's associates had been on the ground. And they had arrows impaled into their bodies.
The law enforcement had arrived and had been speaking in French. One of the languages which Harry had been fluent in.
"I don't know, they grabbed me. They said that they would make sure the world knew that the Americans would have killed me, and they would have started a war. But, then...there was this demon. It moved quickly, moved violently."
"What did it wear?"
"It was dressed in green. Had a bow and arrow, and a hood. It attacked them all. And I've been here this entire time, unable to move. Fearful that he might show up. He has demonic powers as well. You look into his eyes and you get an awful splitting headache. It feels like your head was on fire."
Harry looked around. The second time an individual in a hood had been talked about. Oh, that was interesting, very interesting. Harry scanned the ground and the men.
The arrows killed them on impact. Whoever this hooded individual was, they did not mess around. Harry made sure the officers were busily interrogating the politician. When the time was right, he reached down and pulled the arrow out of him.
It had been quite the odd arrow. Almost specially made. Extremely sharp and very lethal. No poison on the tip, although Harry suspected it could be easily treated with one. Not needed though given how lethal the arrows were.
"Okay, I did get expelled."
"I knew it!"
Chloe and Alex had been keeping Lois and Lucy company after they had been discharged from the hospital. They were physically fine, just shaken up a tiny bit. And Lois had given Lucy an accusatory look which caused Lucy to get progressively more annoyed the more it passed over her face.
"I know what you're thinking," Lucy said. "But, you know something, you're the last person to talk. Given all of the trouble you were in since you've been at school."
"You were supposed to be the good one."
"Yeah, right."
"What matters is you two are very lucky not to get killed tonight," Alex said.
"Always am when I get in these situations," Lois said.
"Guess that was my fault," Lucy said. "Although, I guess deep down you do care."
The touching family moment had been interrupted by Harry showing up. He caught Lucy's interest immediately and she gawked at him for a good long minute. Until Lois snapped her fingers, and brought Lucy back into the conversation.
"This is my sister Lucy, don't let her innocent demeanor fool you, she's secretly a demon," Lois said. "Lucy, this is Harry Kent, he's…."
"Chloe's boyfriend, I know," Lucy said but regardless, she licked her lips when looking at Harry.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
Lois had still been collecting her bearings from earlier. She finally managed to settle just enough to explain things to Harry.
"My sister got stuck in the middle of some international political conspiracy. Which almost got both of us killed by some creepy count with powers which made my last hangover look like a walk in the park."
"I agree with that."
"You're too young to know about that," Lois said.
"Oh, if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black."
Harry cleared his throat and Lois and Lucy fell back into line. Chloe admired his power to get her cousins back on track. It was just one of his many, many abilities which was admirable to Chloe.
"Anyway, we were inches away from death," Lucy said. "But, bam, the Count's goons were done. In a blink of an eye and someone whisked us away."
"We pretty much got checked out and Chloe and Alex picked us up from there."
"And it's a good thing you got picked up too," Alex said.
And a really good thing Harry had been eavesdropping on Lois's conversation in the first place and he and Kara showed up when they did. It had been a damn good thing.
"We had a guardian angel," Lois said.
"Never thought you would be the type to get that sappy."
Lois rolled her eyes towards Lucy. It was sappy, sure, but it was true, very true. She also gave Harry a good long look, as if she had a good idea what happened. Could not prove it, but Lois had a good idea.
"Alex, Chloe, I need to talk to you for a second, in private," Harry said. "If you don't mind."
They knew Harry had something in mind. The three of them passed Kara in the hallway, who would be taken over for Lane sister watching duties for the moment.
"The Count disappeared," Harry said. "He got away, unscathed as far as I know."
"Well, someone will catch up to him," Chloe said. "It just might not be you."
"Yeah, you can't really win them all, no matter how much you try," Alex said.
"Well, his men were not so lucky. I found this buried in one of them."
Harry produced the arrow, slightly stained with blood. Chloe's eyes widened a fraction of an inch as she locked her eyes onto it.
"Person in a hood, according to the diplomat who got rescued," Harry said.
"Well, there's this hooded assassin who uses arrows, who have been taking out Russian gangsters," Chloe said. "It's been a big urban legend some parts of the Internet. But, all of the sightings have been in Russia and not in France."
"So, is this a copycat or the same person?" Alex inquired.
"Don't know," Chloe said. "There's a lot more about this guy, or girl, or whatever, than several other urban legends. Including a creature of the night who strikes terror into the hearts of the people of Gotham."
Oh, Harry read about that. Gotham City was a very corrupt place. Ripe with gang activity and police corruption with so many problems it was a mess. If someone had decided to take matters into their own hands, it was a problem.
"I'll keep an eye on this," Harry said. "Although, the chance of us bumping into this figure in Europe, when they don't want to be found out are slim?"
"Unless they want to kill you," Alex concluded grimly. "Must not be too bad. Taking out a dictator's goons and Russian gangsters."
"I wonder who is under the hood," Chloe said.
Oh, that was a damn good question. If Harry had been a moment earlier, perhaps he could have gotten a look at it
Harry entered the room, with Alex and Chloe following them from behind. Lucy looked up at Harry. She casually moved forward and brushed against Harry's forearm. She squeezed his muscles.
"Oh, you're in pretty good shape," Lucy said. "But, how good?"
"Calm down Lucy, he has a girlfriend," Lois told her. "A couple."
"More than a couple," Chloe said off hand.
"Well, there's always room for one more, isn't there, Harry?" Lucy asked. "Guess that answers my question about how good of shape you're in, if you need multiple girlfriends. But, I'm game to test you if you are."
"Behave yourself, Ms. Lane," Harry told her.
"Well, maybe I just need a nice strong hand, from a nice strong man, to keep me in line. Maybe, I'm not the only one in this room who does."
Lois figured Lucy would not be deterred. And given her own increasing desire for Harry, Lois could not let Lucy jump the line and jump him first.
Still, despite Lois's needs, there was one thing she had to do. And that was to tell her father the happy news that Lucy did get herself expelled. And murdered. Oh, that would be joyous.
"Oh, he's busy! Well, that's just great. Yes, Margaery, I know it's not your fault, but you should tell him this, when he actually is willing to pay attention. His lovely, perfect daughter, , my younger sister, Lucy, she got herself expelled from boarding school. And some crazy count with vertigo powers almost killed us! And now, I have to be her babysitter, again, when I'm supposed to vacation. Tell him that!"
Lois hung up the phone and took a deep breath. She had been trying to call the General for hours. An exercise in pulling teeth to be honest. And finally, she ran into his secretary, who gave her the run around. Lois supposed it could not be easy.
"Problem?"
Her day did brighten up a little bit when Harry showed up. Lois turned towards him with a small smile.
"Yes, getting ahold of my father, always a headache when he's on some super secret thing," Lois said. "Might be weeks before he learns that Lucy got expelled. Maybe I can buy a leash to keep her close by. You know, to make sure she doesn't almost get us killed again?"
"Your sister tends to do what she wants, has no fear and it gets her in trouble," Harry said. "Family trait?"
Lois sighed, she guessed Harry had a point. She motioned for Harry to sit down on the bed. Today had been a day where Lois came close to death. Time to seize the moment.
Suddenly, Lois threw her arms around Harry and kissed him passionately. Harry put his hands around the back of Lois's head and deepened the kiss. The two of them enjoyed each other for several minutes before they broke apart.
"I've been wondering when you would get around to that," Harry said.
"Well, I wouldn't have minded if you came next door that night when you visited Chloe. I don't know how you didn't hear me."
Harry just smiled at Lois. Lois shook her head. Of course he was making her wait. Of course, Harry made her good and thirsty.
"It's a good thing you're good looking, because that cancels out the fact you can be an asshole sometimes," Lois responded. "A good looking one though. And the point is, Lucy's sniffing around like a bitch in heat. Sooner or later, she will jump her bones."
"You just want to do it first."
"Damn right."
Lois straddled Harry's lap and could feel his growth through his pants. Oh, she just needed to get those pants off. Harry wrapped his arms around her and the two made out. It was a long time coming in Lois's mind. She should have took him to the side and rewarded him for his rescue in Atlantis.
Oh, well, better late than never.