Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Mind Games.

"So you're telling me that someone thinks that this Hugo Strange has figured out what my secret is?" Clark asked both Lana and Chloe, when they had informed him of the mysterious cryptic e-mail. "How would he know?"

Chloe shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I think we've figured out Strange is a genius."

"I would have pegged him as insane," Lana offered, with a shrug.

"He's both, which is a nightmare to deal with," Chloe said with a shrug. "The point is, we don't know how much Strange knows, or doesn't know. This mysterious e-mailer, he said Strange was catching onto the secret. Not exactly that he knows for sure."

Clark shook his head. That didn't necessary make things much better.

"But that doesn't make things better," Clark said. "If not Strange, then someone has caught onto my secret."

Chloe gave Clark a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah, but that's not the cream on this cake of weird. The e-mail address was cancelled, and I did a bit of digging. I can't find any record of this company even existing. It's almost like someone set up a company, made this one e-mail address to send this one e-mail, and then disbanded the company."

"Who would do something like that?" Lana wondered out loud.

"Someone who is trying to get inside of all of our heads," Clark suggested a pained expression on his face. "If Strange knows, what do you think he's going to do? He's going to blackmail me, or have me locked up or go after people close to me. Lana, you heard what he said. He said all super powered people should be locked up, for their own protection."

"He knows something, or has an idea," Lana said. "All of the strange events with you in the middle of them, it's a miracle someone hasn't figured something out."

Chloe pulled out the information she had on Strange. The more she read it, the more disturbed she was by every little torrid detail.

"I…I don't really know what to say," Chloe said, trying to get a better handle on herself. "Strange is trying to get inside of both of your heads, trying to find out what you know, and he's got both of you worked up."

"And he's doing a very good job of it, as well."

The three of them jumped, but relaxed when they saw it was just Harry.

"All too good of a job, given how jumpy you three are," Harry said with a slight smile. "I'm a bit late to the party, do try and bring me up to speed."

Between the three of them, Clark, Lana, and Chloe explained every single detail to Harry about the visit earlier, the mysterious e-mail, and everything else. Harry listened, deep in thought. Of course, for all of the questions it might have answered, even more answers were raised. His frown got deeper and deeper by the time they finished explaining everything.

"That's pretty much it," Clark concluded, wincing slightly at how anti-climatic that sounded.

Harry remained calm. He looked outside, almost to make sure no one was listening in right now. "I see. Given Strange's track record, the fact he may be onto something should worry you a lot."

"That's something we already figured out," Lana said.

"I've found out some interesting information about Strange," Harry said. "He's been brought into court many times on charges of unethical behavior, but the charges to mysterious dropped."

"So, he paid them off," Chloe suggested.

"Not exactly, I was thinking more along the lines of blackmail," Harry told them. "Strange seems to be the type who would not spend one cent, but would accumulate information on everyone he meets. He's obsessive like that. He's been interviewing every patient in Belle Reve, going through records of past patients who are no longer with us. I popped into his office, and guess what I saw."

"Nothing good," Lana said weakly.

Harry pinched the bridge of nose.

"He's been looking long and hard into the meteor rocks, and the meteor shower," Harry replied to them. "There's really no delicate way of saying this. If Hugo Strange puts two and two together, you're screwed, big time."

Clark closed his eyes. "What should I do?"

"That's up to you," Harry said, not wanting to dictate Clark's life for him. "If I thought it'd help you, I'd wave my hand and make everyone forget."

"Wait, you can do that?" Lana asked him, a bit alarmed at the possibilities of that particular power.

"Yes, I can," Harry said, but he offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, mind wipes are only a last resort. Given that it can lead to brain damage, and if it has one misstep, you have a vegetable on your hands. A teacher of my tried to wipe my mind, the spell backfired on him, and…well he never recovered."

Clark, Chloe, and Lana looked disturbed at how casually Harry said this. He had seen a lot, too much.

"Magic is dangerous in the wrong hands," Harry concluded. "Anyway, I wouldn't do it, because of the risks and the fact that you would learn nothing. You've made mistakes, but I'll tell you one thing. The fact that your secret hasn't been blown out into the public eye by now is a credit to you."

"Or that everyone's desentized by the weirdness in the town," Chloe interjected.

"Or that," Harry agreed. "It's hard to keep a secret this big alive in this day and age. There's always someone around, taking pictures or filming video of anything that is the slightest bit odd.

Clark responded with a nod. He always thought he was careful, for the most part. There were times where his emotions got the better of him, and he could have blown everything had he not been paying attention.

"Keep a low head, and if Strange comes by again, don't do anything and don't say anything," Harry advised Clark.

"Don't worry, I won't," Clark said.

Lana frowned, and piped up. "Well someone caught onto what Strange is up to, in that e-mail.

"That vexes me as well," Harry said. He could tell the question that was on the tip of all of their tongues. "Don't worry, it's not me. Trust me. I'd be more direct if it was me. Subtle isn't exactly my middle name."

"No kidding," Chloe said in an undertone.

Harry just shut out that retort, and rubbed his fingers across his temples.

"Clark, against someone like Strange, your powers are not going to help you," Harry said. "I'm going to tell you to be careful. If Kara could be here right now, she would say the same exact thing. Strange plays a very crafty game and his mind is complex. That's not exactly something that I can get a one hundred percent idea."

"What about the person who e-mailed, Chloe?" Clark asked him. "What's there stake in this?"

Harry pondered this for a few seconds. One could cut the tension in the air with a knife, and Harry stroked his chin, thinking slowly and carefully.

"They could be a friend, they could be a foe," Harry suggested to them with a shrug. "Or they could be Strange himself. He's trying to fish for information, but being very subtle about it."

Chloe could have smacked herself. Why didn't she think of that of that?

"But, Strange is only a very outside possibility," Harry added with an afterthought. "He would have kept the lines of communication open."

"I'm putting everyone in danger, if Strange is dangerous as you say he is," Clark said to them.

Lana recognized the signs, and knew what Clark was trying to pull. She grabbed his wrist firmly. "Clark, no, just, no. Just how many times are we going to go through this?"

"Pulling that heroic savior act isn't going to help us, it's going to hurt people more," Chloe said, and she turned to Harry. "Right, Harry?"

Harry waved off this question. "I'm not getting involved in this."

"And that's because Harry knows where I might be coming from," Clark offered.

Harry shook his head.

"I didn't say that, don't put words in my mouth," Harry warned him. "I'm just saying…you know what, you want my opinion, my honest opinion."

Chloe and Clark both nodded, and even Lana listened closely.

"Fine, my opinion, I've learned that pushing people away isn't going to help anyone in the long run. And I can't believe it's me of any people who has to be the one to give you this speech. These two get themselves into near death experiences quite often, if I'm not mistaken?"

Clark nodded, and Lana opened her mouth to protest, but shut it immediately. She couldn't really argue that.

"And I'm pretty sure that these two would have gotten themselves killed a long time ago, if it wasn't for you, so they're right about you pushing them away is going to hurt," Harry added.

He felt he had drilled that rather important part through Clark's super powered skull. In a way, Harry wished someone could have given him that speech years ago, but what is done is done.

"Thanks," Lana said, but then she realized what Harry may have implied. "I think."

"You know, I can't just figure out whether I've just been complimented or insulted," Chloe said, and Harry just shrugged.

"The point I'm trying to make is this," Harry added, and his gaze fixed on Clark. "Strange is dangerous, you know that, I know that. If you start pushing others away, that will give him all of the reasons he needs to know that there is something about you that is worth studying. And even if you push them away, it doesn't change the fact that you still care?"

Clark conceded this point.

"Just live your life, without any worries, the best you can," Harry said. "Strange is waiting for you to crack. Let him slip up, and do it himself. Keep your head low, and…I don't want to promise everything will work out, but just do your best to remain as normal as you can."

Clark got the message, and Harry could tell he did.

"Kara says hi, and she'll see you soon, I expect," Harry said as an afterthought. "Don't let Strange get to you, even if he seems to be a master of getting to people. I've got to get out of here. Good night, and be careful."

Harry walked out, just barely hearing their goodbyes. Before he could vanish, Chloe followed him out of the door. He could tell that she wanted to tell him something, but not in front of Lana and Clark.

"Do you have any idea where that e-mail might have come from?" Chloe asked.

"Chloe, I'll see what I can do, but I only know as much as you do," Harry said. He offered her a slight smile. "I'm powerful, not omniscient. I can't just close my eyes, and have the answers to every question, you know"

"I knew that," Chloe said quickly.

"I'll do some digging, but the fact they junked the e-mail address really is going to make it hard," Harry told her.

Chloe barely hid the smirk she had. "We might have found a person more paranoid than you are."

"Oh, there are people far more paranoid than I could ever hope to be," Harry said, and he paused. "The real burning question is who reinstated Strange's medical credentials?"

That casual comment caught Chloe off guard.

"What?" Chloe asked.

Harry took a deep breath.

"Think about this logically, he was banished from Arkham Asylum, about six months ago. His license was suspended, without a chance to ever be reinstated for at least the next ten years. Then a couple of months ago, it gets reinstated just in time for him to get the job at Belle Reve. Blackmail might be the game, but I'm thinking someone pulled some strings to get Strange there."

Chloe scrunched up her nose, and nodded.

"And, judging by the fact you're telling me this, you have an idea who might have done the deed," Chloe offered him.

Harry just smiled and commented dryly.

"Someone who was curious enough about Clark to have Strange connect the dots in the right order."

Chloe frowned, and sudden realization struck her. Before she could voice the obvious suspect, Harry put a hand on his forehead.

Harry felt the beginnings of a migraine headache coming on. It increased in pain by the second. This was impossible, given that because of his powers, he could not suffer an illness. He staggered, but tried to remain on his feet.

"Harry?" Chloe asked him.

Harry tried to bite back the pain, but then he felt a pain akin of a migraine headache splitting through his head. Harry bit back his lip, but a scream of absolute anguish escaped his mouth.

"Harry!" Chloe yelled, eyes widening, and she took a few steps towards him. "Are you…"

"Fine," Harry managed, and he nearly collapsed, but held it together. "Chloe, I'm fine."

"Really, that's not what I'd exactly call fine," Chloe said to him, but Harry gave her a glare that indicated that he was not arguing.

Harry shook his head, annoyed that he showed such weakness, even temporarily. He saw a flash of a bright light and an outline of something in his mind's eye.

"I've got to go, check on Kara, talk to you later," Harry said.

Chloe opened her mouth to contradict him, but Harry was gone. She could have sworn he was in absolute agony a moment ago, but he managed to pull himself together.

Kara slumped forward, and felt her ears ringing. Echoes resounded in her mind, and it was horrible. It subsided, and Harry showed up, nearly collapsing.

"You felt it too," Kara managed weakly.

"Yes, I felt it," Harry said, and the two collapsed in each other's arms, before they deflated onto the couch.

"I felt so weak," Kara said sadly, and Harry wrapped his arm around her head to support it, before they pulled themselves up to a sitting position. "I felt everyone screaming out to me, to help them, but I couldn't help them."

"You couldn't help them, because they were all dead," Harry said, clutching her tightly "Remember what she told us?"

"If we allow ourselves to get overwhelmed, the echoes of the dead will get to us," Kara said in a quiet voice.

Harry wrapped his arms around her more tightly. He kissed her, in a reassuring way. Kara relaxed, a bit. Now that Harry was here, everything was okay. That was the scariest three minutes in her life. She heard everyone she ever knew on Krypton crying out to her, telling her to save them. She could hear them, but she could not see them. Their cries got more frantic, more desperate. It seemed like hours, even though it was only minutes.

"Did you hear them too?" Kara whispered to him.

Harry brushed her hair away, and looked at her beautiful face.

"Bits and pieces of it, but I saw something else," Harry told her. "Something caused our natural defenses to fail, temporarily."

"Now that we're together, everything's okay," she replied, and Harry smiled at her. His smile caused her heart to beat a little bit stronger, and looking into his eyes gave Kara strength.

"Always with you, Kara, always," Harry said to her, and Kara relaxed against him. "I did manage to see something, at Godric's Hollow."

"Where you parents are buried?" Kara asked him, and Harry responded with a crisp nod.

He sighed, and Kara continued to rest in his arms.

"You want to see what happened there, don't you?" Kara asked. "What caused this?"

"I know who caused this," Harry said, frowning. "I saw an image of him. It was Lex."

Kara frowned, but she did not break form Harry's grip. Her eyes looked into his.

"What was he doing now?" Kara asked. Her voice was laced with a bit of anger. "Why can't he just leave everything alone? It's none of his business!"

Harry had no idea what to say, but he stroked the exposed flesh on her back.

Kara felt relaxed. Harry did have the magic touch after all.

"I should really go see what Lex did," Harry told her, and offered her a light kiss. Kara sighed into it, content. He slowly pulled away from her. "But I don't want to leave you alone, after what you've seen."

"I'm much better now Harry, really," Kara said, and she grabbed him tighter. "I'll come with you…"

"No, Kara, stay here, watch Claire, and I'll see you in about ten minutes," Harry said.

Harry wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her to her feet. They exchanged another deep kiss. They floated up, and nearly hit their heads on the ceiling, from the pure power that was flowing through them.

Kara dropped down, and Harry left. She hoped that everything would turn out okay.

Harry dropped down at Godric's Hallow. The snow and winds blew in his face. He trudged through the absolute insane snow storms. He was outside the gates, and saw blasts of energy shoot up into the air.

There was some kind of light show coming from the graveyard, and Harry hastened his steps. He rushed towards the gates, and glided through the snow. He stopped at a gravestone, which gave a weird, eerie glow.

The moment Harry approached forward, and held out his hand, the gravestone immediately stopped glowing. It remained immobile, and Harry closed his eyes. He reached his hand forward, and touched the mark of the gravestone. It was cold, but there was something about it that he felt he should be able to access. Yet, he couldn't. He retracted his hand.

Harry spun around, and noticed Lex prone in the snow. He was knocked unconscious. Morbid curiosity got the better of Harry. He closed his eyes, and accessed the web to check the status of Lex Luthor's life-life. His dot flickered from white to grey to black. This little quirk caused Harry to pause, and frown. He wondered exactly he was dealing with.

The dot steadied itself on grey. Harry drew his breath, and leaned down to face Lex. Harry drew a deep breath, and reached behind his head. He pulled his hood over his head, and with a flash, he morphed into the robed form of the Herald of Death. He reached down, and without any preamble he shocked Lex back awake.

Lex's body convulsed wildly, before the young man's eyes flickered open. "Who's there?"

"Your fairy godmother," the robe figure retorted dryly.

The cobwebs cleared from Lex's head, and he realized what situation he had put himself in. He straightened immediately, and struggled to sit up.

"So, is it my time, yet?" Lex asked him.

"You were extremely lucky for it not to be. Curiosity did often kill the cat, Lex Luthor. And you decide to stick your nose into a place where it was not needed."

Lex closed his eyes. Clarity reached him, but much was still confusing.

"I touched the mark, and every single nerve ending in my body was set on fire," Lex said, and he pointed to the gravestone for emphasis. "I've been knocked out before, but this was different."

The robe figure paused.

"You touched the mark on the gravestone?" the robed figure asked him, and tried to fish out of Lex's mind exactly what happened.

There was a nod, as the man in question struggled to his feet.

"Numbness in my fingers, but that has to be from the cold," Lex added to him. "I guess the hand of fate smacked me around again, but now I have a clearer idea what I have to do. Now I know what I must do to achieve my purpose in life."

Harry noticed the word "Veritas" and thoughts of the traveler in Lex's conscious mind. He was obsessed by this.

"You have no clue what your purpose might be, Lex," he replied. "You follow up on mad leads, and are obsessed with things that are above your comprehension. What in particular brought you to this particular graveyard today?"

"Well, you see, that's the strangest thing," Lex offered him. "I had another recent brush with death, those do seem to follow me around, but I digress."

He paused for dramatic effect, and continued to speak.

"This brush with dead caused me to remember things that I was not supposed to remember. It was curious, because I remembered something my father took extra care to insist that I imagined."

"Continue," the robed figure said detached.

Even though his words were detached, his mind was less so. Thoughts stirred up in Lex's demented psyche. Harry caught onto thoughts that Luthor had about a mysterious boy in a cupboard underneath the stairs. That quite frankly perplexed Harry, because he did not recall seeing either Luthor, or being seen by them.

Then again, during those days, he was pretty much in his own little world inside that cupboard, and kept his head down.

"But, I'm sure you already know, being the avatar of the afterlife, don't you?" Lex asked, but he did not wait for confirmation. "This has been an interesting conversation, but I must go now. I have found all of the answers I'm going to see here. At least, all I'm going to find, for now."

The Herald of Death held up one hand, and his gaze was fixed on Lex. His hood remained up.

"Do consider one thing; you're at a crossroads, Lex. And about to take a dangerous step down a road that might not benefit you. There are many paths in life. The path you chose to take on this day, there's a chance for glory, or a chance for doom. But, it's not a decision that I can make for you."

Lex just half paid attention to these words.

"I believe I'm about to head down a path to greatness," Lex told the herald smugly.

"Do not get too complacent," The Herald of Death warned him. "You will first need a proper understanding of what greatness is. And I don't think you have that understanding, and you may never at this current rate."

"I may have to beg to differ," Lex said, but he shrugged. His eyes were focused on the robed figure. "Well, until I almost die again, this is goodbye."

"Next time, there may be no nearly, if you continue to indulge your curiosity at your current rate," the Herald of Death warned him.

Lex offered a curiosity nod, but turned and walked away. He continued to walk off into the night. Harry waited for him to leave. He tapped his foot on the ground, and turned around. The moment he was certain Lex was gone, he took a good and long look at the gravestone before him.

The gravestone had long since stopped glowing a long time ago. Harry took another step towards it. He carefully ran his hand up and down the symbol of the gravestone. He heard a faint humming, but there was nothing more than that. His eyes narrowed, and he peered over the symbol. He calculated every single little thing about the symbol, before he came to one logical conclusion.

It was a switch of some sort. This gravestone had a switch on it that activated something. And it also had a defense mechanism that repelled anyone who should not be messing with the symbol. Harry had no idea what it was, or how to activate it. There could be some great secret that he would be about to uncover. Would it be the type of secret that he would want to know? Harry could not answer that question. He scanned the gravestone, but found nothing else.

It was a dead end, and Harry turned on himself. He made sure no one was watching him. He had the strangest sense that someone else was here, but he shook that feeling. He closed his eyes, and willed himself back home.

Kara was waiting for him when he got back. He could tell his girlfriend had a million questions on the tip of her tongue.

"Lex Luthor apparently saw me when I was in my cupboard under the stairs days," Harry said to Kara.

Kara frowned at this, and grabbed Harry's hand. They held hands and closed their eyes. They sat down on the couch, or collapsed to be more accurate.

"Does he know for sure?" Kara asked him quietly.

"He doesn't know anything for sure, he just has a bunch of wild theories," Harry said, cradling her in his arms. "But, the wildest theories tend to eventually have some amount of truth to them."

Kara would have to agree. After tonight's events, she needed sanctuary, and the best place was in Harry's strong arms.

"You must think I'm pathetic going to pieces like that," Kara said.

"No, I can never think of that," Harry said firmly. "The strongest of us can go to pieces easily over something just as easily as anyone else. I think I've come to terms with everyone dying a long time ago. I hate to say this, but…I've gotten used to it. Death doesn't bother me anymore, in any sense of the word."

Harry paused, and what he implied just sunk in completely.

"Does that make me a monster?" Harry asked her suddenly.

"I think it does bother you, you've just come to grips to it better," Kara said, looking up into his green eyes. They had so much life in them, that she could not help but be inspired by them. "No one appreciates life more than you do, Harry. Funny, given what our job occupations are."

Harry shook his head.

"You're the one who has given me the new appreciation for life," Harry told her softly, stroking her cheek. "If it wasn't for you, I don't know what life would have brought me, at all."

Harry paused, holding Kara in his arms tightly against him.

"You saved me Kara, more than you ever could know," Harry whispered to her.

"Weren't you the one who managed to get my ship open?" Kara asked him.

"If I had not found you, I might not have cared," Harry said to her.

"No, if you hadn't found me, I might have hurt someone I care about," Kara said, closing her eyes.

Sudden realization dawned upon Harry.

"So, I guess we saved each other," Harry said to her.

"I can live with that," she agreed.

Harry stroked her cheek and her hair. His gaze met hers. For the first time in his life, he truly felt that he could connect with someone on a deeper level.

"Thank you, Kara," Harry whispered to her.

"No, Harry, thank you, I would have gone to pieces tonight without you," Kara said.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Harry whispered to her, seriously. "But there's a part of me that thinks…"

Kara put her finger on his lips. She knew what he was going to save.

"I'm not with you because I have to be," Kara told him, and she gently kissed him on the lips for emphasis. She withdrew to finish her thought. "I'm with you because I want to be."

Harry had to smile. He cupped her beautiful face, and planted light kisses on it, as she rested in his arms.

"I swear, no matter what, I'll never let you down," Harry whispered to her. He brushed her hair, and looked into her eyes. "My sweet Kryptonian angel."

"I know you won't, my emerald eyed savior," Kara retorted sweetly, curled up in Harry's arms, letting his heart beat lull her to sleep.

His warmth gave her courage, and focus. All she had lost paled to what she had now.

Sometimes the journey to greatness was filled with adversity.

"The symbol on the tombstone is an ancient Kryptonian word," Kara said to him, before she drifted completely off to sleep. "Its closest interpretation means, death."

"No surprise," Harry told her, and kissed her one more time. "Good night, sweet dreams, I love you."

"I love you too," Kara whispered, and she drifted off to sleep.

Christmas was a few days away, but the events of a few days ago that occurred in Europe had piqued the curiosity of many people.

Crisp and gusty wind continued to blew through Godric's Hallow. It was on track to be one of the worst storms of the year. Yet, no storm would be able to quell the desire to be nosy. A few days ago, pretty much every single Internet connection in Europe had went dead for a period of fifteen hours. It was such a big story that it spread worldwide.

Many were willing to chalk it up to just a weird freak occurrence of nature. Others were thinking that this was a big conspiracy.

"Lois, I'm capable of some insanity, but flying halfway across the world and going to a graveyard in the middle of an abandoned village on some wild hunch is beyond my normal breed of insanity!"

Chloe shouted as her cousin moved up the hill. Lois moved with a purpose.

"What makes you even think what we're going to find what you were looking for here?" Chloe asked her.

Lois paused for a brief moment.

"I don't, I'm just following a tip. All of the Internet connections on an entire continent went down, but those in the villages closest to this graveyard had their computers completely fried."

"Some kind of electro-magnetic pulse?" Chloe suggested.

"It was something weirder, more so than that," Lois said. "I'm just glad we chartered a flight out here. Anyway, there was a huge light show through from this graveyard."

"Are you sure it wasn't someone pulling a prank?" Chloe asked.

She knew where this was. She knew about Godric's Hollow, Harry's parents were buried here. Yet, Lois seemed to be deaf towards her cousin's warnings. She continued to march up the hill with an absolute purpose. Her lips pursed together, and Lois looked around.

"Kind of hard to see in this storm," Lois said, squinting.

"Well, these are white-out conditions," Chloe said to her.

Lois grimaced, but she trudged through the snow. She was not above roughing gates recently had been opened, and she pushed through them. There were rows and rows of snow covered gravestones, but there was one in the center of the cemetery that stood out above the rest.

Chloe eyed it, but Lois noticed it. She tried to push herself towards it.

The blonde woman paused, and she heard a sigh in her ear. Chloe turned around, and saw a dark haired girl with mousy hair and eye glasses. She wore robes.

"People don't know when to stop meddling in things that they are not meant to mess with," the dark haired girl said a knowing voice.

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked her.

Lois stopped and turned around.

"Chloe, who are you talking to?" Lois asked in a confused voice.

Chloe opened her mouth and paused. The girl just looked at her.

"I thought I heard someone," Chloe said, and Lois just shrugged. She turned to investigate the area around the mysterious gravestone. For some reason, she could not find a way up the hill no matter how much force she exerted. She slipped, and slid, not able to gain her footing.

The girl just clicked her tongue, and swayed her feet from side to side. She crossed her arms, and just offered a slight smile.

"She couldn't see me you know," the girl said in a calm voice. "There are only some people who can see me, some can't. Of course, I'm always here, but I only let those who I want to see me, see me."

Chloe remained calm and closed her eyes.

"Who are you?" Chloe whispered.

The girl just smiled a mysterious smile.

"It's a secret," the girl told her in a mysterious voice. "This is sacred land, and you two are trespassing. There could be dire consequences for you going to this place. It is her will, it is her way."

"What are you talking about?" Chloe demanded.

The girl just offered a knowing smile.

"Shh, secret," the girl whispered in a patronizing voice. "When the time is right, all will know. I know about your friend Clark, and how special he is. And I know that there are those who are willing to control him for their own gain. To master the world, to control all, he was sent here for a purpose. But there will be those who corrupt that purpose."

Chloe became rather alarmed and looked at the girl. The girl just had a slight and sad smile.

"I was brutally slaughtered in the name of someone's vendetta," the girl added remorsefully. "But some must die, so others could live. Don't worry, I haven't told anyone about Clark. Not even Lex, but I could have. He's going to figure out soon. Clark should be more careful."

Chloe did not trust herself to respond. The girl hummed under her breath.

"So you're a ghost?" Chloe whispered to her.

The girl ignored the question.

"So many questions, not enough answers, but soon the truth comes to those who wait," the girl said in a cryptic voice. The girl turned towards Lois. "I would advise pulling her back before she does something foolish. The last person who touched that gravestone barely escaped with their life. The next person, well I'm not sure if they will be so lucky."

Chloe turned towards Lois.

"Look at this," Lois said. "Have you ever seen a symbol like that before?"

She pointed towards the triangle with the circle in the middle, and a line going down it.

"No, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to touch that," Chloe said.

Lois looked at her with a questioning expression on her face, and just relaxed. It was just as well, because she could not even get up the hill. The symbol was out of her reach.

Chloe let out a sigh. Lois appeared to be giving up the symbol as a dead end, at least for right now.

She was now curious about it though, but there was only one person who she suspected had the foggiest idea.

Chloe wondered if the symbol, the pulse, and Harry's mysterious near collapse were all connected. Perhaps she was connecting dots that were not there, but there was only one way to find out.

"Well this was a wasted trip," Lois said, shrugging.

Chloe just offered her cousin a reassuring smile.

"Well you never know until you try."

Hugo Strange shifted through pages and pages of notes he had taken on Clark Kent, the meteors, and everything connected to him. His smile twisted. There was some missing puzzle pieces that he needed to grab onto. If he found it, he would have his hands on the secret that many would give their right arms for.

He had a hunch, but naturally a learned man did not draw conclusions until they had a full study of the subject.

"What are you Mr. Kent?" Strange said to himself in a low voice. "Are you one of the meteor powered mutants? Perhaps a bit lucky not to tap into the psychosis that has infected those who have been blessed by the rocks, both living and dead. Or are you something else?"

Strange tapped on the bars and the patients moved around the institution. The restraints would ensure that he could not be harmed. All he needed was one simple push of a button, and they would be at his will.

"Professor Strange, a Mr. Luthor is on the line for you?" his secretary said to him from inside his office.

"Ah, I was wondering when he would call," Strange said. He took a few steps forward, and grabbed the phone. "Yes, Lex, what can I do for you?"

"Just a courtesy check to double check that you are still working on the project that I'm paying you for," Lex said. "I didn't go to all of the trouble to get your credentials reinstated out of the goodness of my heart."

Strange's mouth curled into a malevolent smile.

"Yes, I know you and I know your father, Luthors never do anything unless it benefits you," Strange said. "But it is not without any benefit to me as well."

"The small talk is nice, but I'm on a deadline," Lex said. There was a pause. "Information, Strange, I need it."

"Well your friend gets around the block, so to speak," Strange in a cryptic voice. "I've never seen anything like him. There is no one quite like him. No one should be able to survive as many encounters with the super powered that he has survived."

"Cut the chase, Hugo," Lex prompted him.

"I believe your friend may be special," Strange said. "Exactly how he is special, I will have to perform a personal study. Have some one on one time with Mr. Kent, beyond what I had at the farm. The problem is, you're not the only one with a keen personal interest towards Clark Kent."

"Do tell," Lex said.

Strange enjoyed the fact he had knowledge that Lex needed, craved. He allowed himself a few seconds to let the information hang.

"No, I will keep my suspicions under wraps for now, until I have further information," Strange said.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with something called Veritas, would it?" Lex asked.

Strange's interest seemed to perk up in a moment, and he stroked his chin.

"Ah, Veritas, there's a name that I haven't heard in a while," Strange said.

"What do you know about it?" Lex said, eagerness dripping from his voice.

Strange chuckled. The doctor tapped his foot on the floor, a twisted grin on his face.

"Did I say I know anything about it? Maybe I do, maybe I don't, but that's getting off the subject. The fact of the matter is, Clark Kent has attracted interest from many parties. He is a unique young man, and I'm fascinated by him. And I'm fascinated by you, Lex."

"This isn't about me," Lex said dismissively, not quite liking where this was heading.

"Ah, but this is very much about you," Strange corrected him. "You told me to investigate everything involving young Mr. Kent. And everything includes you. Tell me Lex, you do have a fractured family. Could this attempt to find out about Clark be just a front for a quest of your own? Perhaps you are two sides of an age old struggle, or perhaps you wish to be what Clark is. Something that you never could be."

"Is there a point to all of these cryptic words?" Lex asked.

A twisted smirk appeared on the face of Hugo Strange.

"Just pointing out some observations that I've made in the course of my study," Strange said. "I will send you the notes I have made on Mr. Kent, and will contact you if I come across anything interesting."

Lex remained silent for a moment. "Fair enough, but you better not turn this around into some kind of investigation on me."

"Good bye, Lex," Strange said curtly.

Strange chuckled, if Lex really had nothing to hide, then he had nothing to fear with an inquiry into his personal life. Now he was intrigued with Lex Luthor. Perhaps not as intrigued as he was with Clark Kent, but still this bald young man held many secrets.

Speaking of secrets, Strange made his way up towards the high security cell where Winston Smith was being kept.

"Hello, Professor," Smith said in a crisp voice. The silvery glint in his eye was not unnoticed by Strange.

"Good day to you, Winston," Strange said. "I must say, your nearly Lazarus like resurrection has intrigued me. The bullet wounds should have put you down, or lead to permanent brain damage."

"You're not complaining, for I have been a wealth of information," Smith said dryly. "But I do need your assistance to correct an error."

These curious statements did not faze Strange, but he had been intrigued by them many times.

"An interesting observation, Winston," Strange said. "But what can you give me?"

A long pause, before Smith responded.

"I can give you Clark Kent," Smith said. "If you allow me to bring him back, all of his secrets will be at your fingertips."

Strange stroked his chin, and pondered the benefits of this arrangements.

"This deal does not benefit me as much as you would think, you've given me no reason to trust your word," Strange said. "Your unique vital signs do make me wonder. Perhaps you could shed some light on them."

Smith paused.

"Perhaps I had misjudged your intelligence. If you don't wish for me be set free to retrieve Clark, perhaps you would like the information on how you may capture him. As an act of good faith, for your assistance."

The tension could be cut with a knife.

"I'm listening," Strange said, and he held his clipboard.

He had a theory that there was more to Smith than met the eye. Then again, there was more to Clark Kent than met the eye. Strange found that if he uncovered the young man's secrets, he could command a high price.

Strange made plans and the game was on.

Harry clicked on the ear piece.

"Hey, Chloe, what can I do for you?" Harry asked her. Kara listened in as well.

"Are you okay, first of all?" Chloe asked.

Harry smiled. "Yeah, we're fine, both of us are, Kara got zapped by something too, but it's good. So what's on your mind?"

"Harry, you're never going to believe this," Chloe said slowly.

Harry and Kara just exchanged an apprehensive look.

"Chloe, after what I've seen, nothing's going to surprise me," Harry said. "So spill."

Chloe took a deep breath. "I was in a cemetery, Godric's Hallow, and I thought I saw a ghost."

The silence was brief.

"Oh," Harry said flatly.

"Oh, that's all you got to say?" Chloe asked him.

"I've seen ghosts every day for six years of my life," Harry said, but he paused. "Actually, now that I think about it, this is a curiosity. Ghosts are the ultimate grey area in the game of life and death."

Harry paused.

"My employer does not like them, at all," Harry said. "Of course, being a ghost is its own kind of eternal torment. So Death does get the last laugh in a way. They will never see anyone they have known ever again, and be condemned to watch how everyone lives forever.

"Why would anyone want something like that?" Chloe asked him.

"Some people fear their own mortality to an obsessive degree," Harry said after a moment of time. "It's really insane to see how people cheat the afterlife. But, never mind that. Tell me everything."

Chloe explained the encounter the best she could.

"So, you could see the ghost, but Lois couldn't," Harry concluded.

Kara shrugged; she was completely as baffled as Harry was. This little supernatural thing did not come up in their training.

"Ghosts don't normally are selective by who they let see," Kara interjected. "So it could be something else."

"Something else, something dangerous," Harry said, frowning. "And I doubt that fact Kara and I collapsed was a coincidence. There's something there. Something dangerous, and that gravestone where you saw the ghost, there's a switch."

"You're kidding," Chloe said. "What does it open?"

"Here's the thing, I don't know," Harry said. "My curiosity has long since been killed, after the nine millionth time it almost got me killed. I'm sure I'm meant to find out eventually, but the last time I tapped into the secrets of the past it did not end well."

"Yeah, your mother, we knew how that went," Chloe agreed.

Harry grimaced. The subject of Lily Potter was one that he did not want to ever think about again.

"She's gone, let's not speak of her," Harry said dismissively. "Kara and I will go and investigate the gravestone after the holidays."

"Why not, now?" Chloe asked. "Sorry, just curious about the delay."

"I'd prefer not to leave a ten year old child alone in the house," Harry said. "We're letting Claire stay for the holidays."

"Ah, that's nice, shows you do have a heart underneath all that power," Chloe said.

"Funny," Harry retorted dryly.

"I do try," Chloe said smugly. She then cleared her throat. "But back on the subject to this girl, who do you think she is?"

That actually was a good question, but Harry was at a loss for any good answers.

"It doesn't matter who she is I think," Harry said. "I'm not even sure if she is a ghost, or something else. Something strange, but we'll find out soon. If that's all, I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, I'll let you know if I find out anything about our mysterious e-mailer, and you do the same," Chloe said.

"Having people look into it," Harry told her. "It's not looking promising, but I'll let you know if I find out anything."

The ear piece clicked off. Kara scooted closer to Harry on the couch.

"Another mystery, I guess," Kara concluded.

"As if we didn't have enough," Harry said. He knew having a normal life was never going to happen, but still everything was overwhelming. He was glad he had someone to share the burden with, because he could not shoulder this particular mess alone. "There's some mysterious girl, who may or may not be a ghost. She might know about Clark. Not to mention the fact that Lex is nosing around, and getting dangerously close to finding out about Clark, and then there's Strange, and everything else."

"I know," Kara said, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, Lex is beginning to get too dangerous, despite my attempts to nudge him away from his obsessions," Harry said. "If something happens, yeah, I might have to deal with him."

He drew a deep breath, before he voiced another thought.

"A part of me regrets saving from that car," Harry said quietly. "If I had let him drown…"

"You wouldn't have been able to live with yourself," Kara interjected firmly, and grabbed him by the shoulders. She looked in his eyes, trying to tell him that nothing was his fault. "Harry, you said it, it wasn't his time. You didn't know who he was anyway. Granted, I wouldn't blame you if you would have let him drown, but I guess there's a saying about hindsight that applies here."

Kara continued her hold on her mate.

"And if he tries to do anything to Clark, he'll have me to answer to," Kara added, looking rather dangerous at this point.

Kara let the implied meaning of her words hang.

"What's going to happen, now?" Kara asked him.

"I don't know, Kara, and the only thing for sure, nothing is for sure," Harry said to her. "We don't know if we're going to see tomorrow. We both know better than anyone that everything we know can end in a snap in an instant."

Harry then smiled.

"We're going to enjoy what we have while w can," Harry added to her, and she nodded in agreement. "I'm just wondering about that gravestone, the more I think about it, and the effect it had on us."

"Yeah, me too," Kara agreed. She stroked Harry's hair with her fingers. The two Heralds relaxed, feeling solitude with each other. "We have the greatest power, but that would only mean our concerns would only have to be greater."

Harry offered her a light smile.

"The fact is, we have a good idea of the worst that could happen," Harry said. "I think this is the reason why the other heralds, providing they exist, went insane with their powers. They tried to fix everything, it corrupted the balance, and everything just created more problems. The entire power of the Herald of Death, maybe it is something that dooms everyone."

Kara firmly shook her head.

"And you disagree with this," Harry said to her.

"They went insane with the power, because they allowed themselves to be alone, they let themselves to lose sight of what truly was important," Kara said. "They didn't have anyone that they could identify with."

Kara offered him a smile, and snuggled up against the side of his neck.

"If it wasn't for you, I could have been like that," Harry said.

"Maybe, maybe not, I don't know," Kara said conflicted, and she looked at Harry. She swung legs over him, straddling his lap. She tightly wrapped her arms around his neck. "You can find something within you that could go beyond your role. You could have turned to complete and utter darkness, you could have given up. Beneath all of that power, beats the heart of something wonderful."

Kara turned, and whispered in Harry's ear.

"You could be the shining light that the world needs, if you allowed yourself to be."

Kara peppered Harry's face and neck with light passionate kisses. Harry wrapped his arms around her. His hands traced hands around her lower back, and cupped her backside with his hands.

"And you taught me something important, that emotions aren't something that should be feared, something that would make you weak," Kara said to him, nibbling on his ear. "It's the improper understanding of them, the fear of them that makes people weak. I don't know what path life would have taken me without you, but I know where it's taking me now."

Kara grabbed Harry's face, and planted a huge passionate kiss on him. Harry returned it. She pushed Harry back. Their hands slowly roamed over each other's bodies, as they continued to kiss deeply on the couch.

She pulled herself away, and licked her lips hungrily. "It's taking me somewhere wonderful."

Kara grabbed Harry's shirt, and pulled it over his head. His hair was messed up even more. She planted teasing kisses on his muscular, bare chest.

"I want to be with you forever, too" Kara breathed in his ear, but she felt Harry's fingers go down the waistband of her jeans. Her eyes glazed back.

"I'll never leave you," Harry said, and he met her lips with a kiss. More clothes found their way off. His hands traveled around every inch of her slender body, and he soaked it in. "I love you, always and forever."

Kara closed her eyes. She never thought she could feel like this. She only heard about people feeling like this, but Harry proved her wrong. It was possible to feel these wonderful feelings.

Harry flipped her over. Kara's prone form was sprawled out on the couch. Hair draped over her breasts, and she inhaled and exhaled.

"How could I be so lucky to have a beautiful woman like you?" Harry asked her.

"It's no less than you deserve," Kara replied, but her lips curled into a smile. "Are you going to take me now, or do I have to beg for it?"

"Be patient, or I'll have to tie you up," Harry teased her.

A triumphant grin appeared on Kara's lips.

"Are you offering?" Kara asked him, excited about the possibilities.

Harry just smiled, and lowered himself down onto her.

The two lovers found themselves submerged in each other's passions. It was the most wonderful thing. Their minds, bodies, and soul worked in perfect harmony. It was meant to be.

The entire Hugo Strange visit had Clark on the edge of his nerves. He really wanted to ask someone how to best deal with this situation. And on a whim, he decided to head up to the Fortress of Solitude. He remained calm, and looked around. He drew a deep breath, and prepared to address Jor-El.

"I've run into a situation," Clark said, and the Fortress remained silent. "There was a man named Hugo Strange who came to the Farm today. He's studying me. He could know about my secret, and what's worse he's studying my friends. They could be put into danger. He's not exactly a problem that I can solve with physical force."

Jor-El had no response.

"I've come to you, for advice, that's what you wanted," Clark said. "I've run out of options. I'm looking over my shoulder because of this Strange. Every single moment of my life, he could return. Everyone I care about is in danger because of me. We've had our differences of opinion regarding Kara recently, but I could use guidance."

Once again, the Fortress of Solitude remained silent.

"If this is another one of your tests, I'm lost to see what it might be," Clark continued. "If you could just tell me what you're trying to do, because the cryptic act is getting really old. Kara can be open and honest with me, but my own biological father can't. What do you want me to do?"

There was once again no response. Clark wondered if someone had tampered with the Fortress, but it seemed to be normal. The only difference was Jor-El had become mute.

"So, you have nothing to say to me, nothing at all," Clark said, his temper raising.

Clark turned and sped off, frustrated and if he had to admit it, a bit hurt at the cold shoulder that he was being given by the AI.

A cell phone rang inside his house, and Harry hastened to answer it immediately. Kara walked behind him, to see who had called him on his private phone.

"The secrets you seek can be found in the graveyard of your ancestors," a voice said cryptically over the phone.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked the voice over the phone.

A slight pause, and Harry hoped to keep this person on the line long enough to trace the call.

"The secrets you seek can be found in the graveyard of your ancestors," the voice repeated. "The truth is in your grasp, reach it before others do."

The phone clicked off, and Kara frowned in confusion.

"What was that about?" Kara asked.

"Normally, I would have to say that someone's playing mind games with me," Harry said, but he paused immediately. "But, I'm not really sure, with the alleged ghost Chloe saw, I'm not sure what's going on. Is she trying to tell me something?"

Kara frowned, but it clicked with her immediately.

"If this is another one of her games, I swear I'm not going to be happy," Kara said to him.

"I hope it isn't, but you never know," Harry offered her, but he had had to agree that he was not going to be happy. "We better see what's up. I thought we could leave this, but once we got that beacon, someone wants us to know something."

"I don't know if it's something we want to know, after all of the things we learned, this could be the most deadly secret of them all," Kara said. She was then struck with a thought. "But, could it be something to help my cousin?"

"It could be something to help him, or it could be something to hurt him," Harry offered her. He really wished he could offer her more reassurance. "There's only one way to find out. I hoped my curiosity would not get the better of me, but it has, again."

"If it makes you feel better, I'm interested in it as well,' Kara said, before she made a decision, for the both of them. She knew this was going to eat up at Harry, so it was time for drastic action. "Claire, grab your coat, something's come up!"

Claire exited her bedroom a few moments later. She saw both of them look concerned, and she frowned at this.

"I'm really sorry Claire, but we're going to drop you off with Chloe for a little bit, we've got to deal with something," Harry said, in an apologetic voice.

"What is it?" Claire demanded.

"We're not sure," Harry admitted to her.

"But it's important, we swear," Kara added.

The girl's shoulders slumped, but Harry grabbed her, gently. "When we get back, we'll do something fun, the three of us. But, you can hang out with Chloe for a while, and she'll keep an eye on you."

"Okay," Claire said, offering them a reassuring smile. After Harry and Kara had a talk with her, she was a bit more accepting that they weren't going to abandon her if they had to go off for a while.

Harry and Kara teleported themselves and Claire outside of Chloe's door. Claire smiled in spite herself. That was fun, even if took some getting used to.

Kara knocked on the door, and a moment later, Chloe answered.

"Harry, Kara, Claire, this is…unexpected," Chloe said, but she looked at them. It took her a second to recover "What can I do for you?"

"Chloe, please do me with a favor and watch Claire for a few hours," Harry said. Chloe nodded. "We got a mysterious message, telling us something about the graveyard at Godric's Hollow."

Chloe frowned, before she said something she had on her mind. "So is this mysterious messenger, and our other mysterious messenger one and the same?"

"You know, that's a good question," Harry said.

"It could be mind games," Chloe said.

"I thought so too," Harry agreed. "But, the fact there was something weird that you saw, and I have a suspicion something weird Lex saw as well. There are too many weird things happening to chalk up as a coincidence."

"So, we're going to figure out what that gravestone is," Kara said to Chloe.

"I don't suppose it would do you any good to tell you to be careful," Chloe said.

"You can tell us, the gesture is appreciated," Kara said.

Harry had to add his two cents. "Whether or not it would actually do any good, that's an entirely different matter entirely."

Chloe felt a feeling of dread she could not quite shake.

"We'll be off, Claire, don't get into too much trouble," Harry said.

Claire smiled. "Don't worry, I won't."

"We'll be back in an hour, a couple at the most," Kara said. "We promise."

"I know," Claire said.

Harry bent down. "Make sure Chloe doesn't get into too much trouble."

"HEY!"

Harry and Kara snickered, and Claire hugged them goodbye. Claire walked inside. The two Heralds of Death moved off, and seconds later, they appeared at the Graveyard.

They touched down. The fact there seemed to be an eerie amount of mist was not lost on them. It seemed almost foreboding.

Both were on their guard, for anything.

It was a peaceful day, with not a cloud in the sky. Lana looked out the window, half paying attention to what happened around here. For some reason, this type of day just put her on edge. Perhaps it was because of what Strange may have found out about Clark and by extension her and everyone else or perhaps there was something else.

She watched out of her window. Clark returned, and seemed to be in a sour mood. Lana opened the door, and looked at the expression on Clark's face.

"Something's bothering you," Lana said knowingly.

Clark tried to avert that particular line of questioning.

"It's nothing, Lana," Clark said in a calm voice.

"Well, it's something," Lana prompted.

Clark sighed deeply.

"Why is it that when you want someone, they're not around?" Clark asked her. "And when you don't want them around, they keep interjecting themselves into your life."

"I don't know what to say, Clark," Lana said. "It's Strange, isn't it? You heard what Harry said. If you lay low, you won't play into his hands."

Clark turned towards Lana.

"I can't just sit there, and wait for the other shoe to drop," Clark said. "That has never been in my nature. But Strange, with him, the game has been dangerous. I'm not entirely convinced he is acting alone. A world class psychiatrist does not come to a place like Smallville, not without a good reason."

Lana had a bit of a theory about Strange, but she tried to squash it.

"Lana?" Clark asked her, gently. "Is there something you want to tell me."

"I don't know, but I think Lex could be involved with this," Lana said. A pained expression appeared on her face. "I want to get away from him, just let it be, but he just keeps following me around."

"Lana, I won't let anything happen, not again," Clark told her.

There was a pause, and Lana looked at Clark.

"You can't protect me from everything," Lana said.

Clark just offered her a smile.

"I'm serious, Clark, there are some things where I can't drag you into them," Lana said firmly. "You're powerful, but you're not invincible. I think Lex is closer to figuring out what your secret is, more than ever before."

Clark tried to say that there was no way Lex could find out, but he was not sure. If there was someone he barely knew like Strange who came close to his secret, than someone he did know and was friends with, it was only inevitable.

Then there was this cryptic mystery e-mailer.

The question is what would he about it should something happen.

Clark's super hearing perked out. He heard a whizzing, and felt weak suddenly.

"Clark, what is it?" Lana asked.

"Lana, get down!" Clark yelled.

The front windows of the Kent Farm blew open, and Clark shoved Lana down, before shielding her with his body. A miniature missile shattered the windows, and caught Clark in the back. Clark dropped to the ground, in pure agony.

Lana rolled over. She coughed and wheezed by the dust that had been created. She, by a miracle, had not been cut up by the broken glass. She crawled over, and saw Clark on the ground.

"Clark!" Lana yelled frantically.

He was barely breathing, and she knew why. The missile that had been sent through the window had been laced by fragments of Kryptonite. The doors cracked open, and Clark tried to get to his knees. Lana reached over, to help him up.

By sheer force of stubborn will, Clark barely made it to his feet. He collapsed, and Lana could not properly hold him up. Several guards, dressed in masks kicked down the front doors.

"What are you doing?" Lana asked.

"Taking Mr. Kent in for observation," one of the thugs said.

"He seems very sick," another thug mocked, kicking Clark in the ribs for emphasis.

Lana fought the bubbling fury she felt.

"That's because you attacked him!" Lana yelled. "I won't let you take him!"

The guards chuckled at her daring attempts to protect him.

"I'm afraid that's out of your hands, Ms. Lang," a guard said smugly.

Lana rushed over, and tried to knock the guards back. However, she was shot with a tranquillizer dart. Lana staggered, and the woman collapsed on the ground, drugged.

A click of the radio could be heard, and one of the guards held out a two-way radio.

"We have Mr. Kent," the guard said. "What about, Ms. Lang?"

"Bring her as well, for insurance," Strange said coldly. "Make sure to keep the meteor rock fragments on Mr. Kent at all times. I wish to further study what the long term effects would do to him. If it kills him, well there's always dissection."

Clark and Lana were both shackled, and led off in restraints. Neither of them could even begin to move, and both were out for the count for the foreseeable future.

They were hauled into a back of a van, and drove off. The daring move of Hugo Strange had paid off, with some assistance.

Kara and Harry moved through the mists in the graveyard. If Harry did not personally see to their destruction, he would be almost sure that the Dementors had lived. He made sure those particular monsters had been slain years and years ago.

"Is this the gravestone?" Kara asked him.

"Yes," Harry said. "How did you know?"

"It seems familiar," Kara said with a shrug. "I remember bits of the premonition before the echoes of death overwhelmed me, when Lex touched it, when we collapsed."

Harry and Kara walked over to the gravestone. At first glance, it seemed to be normal, but appearances were often deceiving. The two of them studied the stone, careful not to touch it at all.

Something interesting happened when the two Heralds approached it. The gravestone glowed immediately. The symbol on the gravestone divided into three identical symbols. All of them were the same. Harry reached forward tentatively. One symbol was on the top, one symbol was in the center, and one symbol was on the bottom. They were all stacked, evenly.

Harry touched the symbol on the top and it illuminated. Harry touched the symbol in the middle. The top symbol went dead, but the middle symbol was now flowing with bright light. He shrugged immediately, and Harry touched the bottom symbol. Now it was the bottom symbol that was glowing, while the other two went dead.

Harry retracted his hand, and they all went dead.

"Kara, could you…"

"Yeah, let me try," Kara said.

She touched the top symbol. It was glowing. When she touched the middle symbol, it glowed, but the top symbol was dead. She touched the bottom, and the middle went off.

Harry and Kara both paused, and when the bottom symbol went dead they tried something else. They took a brief moment, and Harry touched the top symbol. Kara pressed the middle symbol, and both of them were glowing. Harry tried to touch the bottom symbol, and it activated, with the top symbol going dead.

"Well, we might need three people to activate this thing, whatever it is," Harry said.

Kara looked thoughtful. "Not just any three people, three Heralds, the three of us, we need to touch the symbols."

This presented a bit of a problem.

"We have no idea who the third Herald is," Harry said. "Or where they might be, or even if they are trustworthy."

"And until we do, we won't be able figure this thing out," Kara said, frustrated.

Harry placed his arm around her, reassuringly.

"Do we want to?" Harry asked.

Before Kara could answer, someone else piped up.

"It matters little what you want to do, but rather the answers that you must seek."

Harry and Kara both spun around. They saw the girl standing before them. Her arms were folded. She was transparent, but Harry was not fully convinced she was a ghost. She was something else.

"I hoped that my little lightshow would lure you here," the girl said, with a smug smile.

The two of them surveyed the mysterious ghost girl.

"What do you want?" Kara asked.

The ghost girl smiled. "It doesn't matter what I want. Not anymore, but all that matters is the truth. The answers you have been searching for involve the traveler. Are you worthy to hold them? Are you worthy to understand the secrets of Veritas?"

Harry had heard that word so many times recently, that now his curiosity was piqued.

"I want answers now!" Harry yelled, his lack of patience finally breaking through for the first time in ages.

The ghost girl just gave Harry and Kara a shifty little smirk, and shot off into the distance like a cork out of a bottle.

Kara and Harry had no choice, but to follow this mysterious girl. They felt their fingertips on potential answers.

Whether these answers would be something they would like the answers, or something that would not raise more questions, that remained to be seen.

Chloe tapped her fingers, keeping an eye on Claire, as she sat in front of her computer. She remained rather calm and collected, but the events of the last few days weighed heavily on her mind.

Another e-mail brought her out of her thoughts. Chloe did not recognize the e-mail address. She proceeded with the ultimate caution, and when she discovered the e-mail was safe, she opened it up.

Much like the previous mysterious e-mail she had received, it was short, and rather to the point. She clicked it open.

Strange has Kent. The game has begun. Location is unknown. Time runs short.

Chloe tried not to freak out, for the sake of the ten year old child across the room. Sure enough, the e-mail had once again been disabled before she could even send a return response. She hoped that it was a prank, even if there was something nagging in the back of her mind that it was far from a prank.

Something really serious was going on. Strange was far more dangerous.

The blonde woman bit her lip, and reached out for her cell phone. She began to dial the number, hoping that Clark was there. She allowed the phone to ring twenty five, thirty times, she lost count, but eventually it was proven to be a futile effort. Chloe put the phone down, and clicked on the ear piece.

She spoke in the softest voice she could. "Harry, are you there?"

There was nothing but static. She wondered if she had damaged it somehow, but then remembered that Harry told her that it had been charmed against damage. Which meant there was some kind of interference on Harry's end.

Never one to give up, Chloe tried again.

"Harry? Kara? If either of you are there, and can hear me, just give me a sign. I think something's happened."

There was nothing. Chloe looked at the telephone. Calling the police seemed to be logical right now, but how to explain what happened, that would be a huge challenge.

"Is everything okay, Chloe?" Claire asked.

"Oh, yeah, everything's just hunky dory," Chloe said with a false cheery smile.

Claire rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid, you wouldn't look so worried if something happened, and you wouldn't use the word, hunky dory. Who uses that word anyway?"

Chloe did not want to have that argument with a ten year old child.

"Well, I think something bad might have happened to Clark, but everything should work out okay," Chloe said.

"Harry will be able to find him," Claire said without missing a beat.

Chloe sure hoped sure. Curiosity got the better of her.

"How do you know?" Chloe said.

Claire shrugged.

"I'm not supposed to tell you," Claire said, adopting an expression of innocence.

"You're not supposed to tell me what?" Chloe asked her.

"I'm not supposed to tell you that Harry planted a tracking charm on Clark, I heard both Kara and Harry talking about it," Claire said, but she then clapped her hands over her mouth, realizing she's said too much.

"So you were eavesdropping," Chloe said, eyebrow raised.

Claire flew on the defensive immediately.

"Hey, they should be more careful about leaving the door open where people might hear them," Claire protested.

Chloe frowned. It would be one thing if it was an actual tracking device, but now Harry was the only one that could track him.

She wondered about the ethical implications of what Harry did, but if this would help Clark, she certainly would not complain.

Trying to call Harry again got nothing. Chloe Sullivan was lost, and frustrated.

The waiting game was the worst thing of all.

Clark's eyes flickered open. His breath was shallow, but he could still could breathe, albeit barely. His arms were chained to the wall, and he could not even bust the chain. He could not even lift his arms. It took him a few moments to realize that the room he was in had been bathed in a red light.

"Is anyone there?" Clark asked in a hoarse voice.

"Ah, good, you're awake."

Clark looked up, and tried to focus himself. The face of Hugo Strange had been seen on the other side of a thick sheet of glass.

"We meet again, Mr. Kent," Strange said.

"Why did you do this?" Clark demanded. He tried to free himself. "I've told people that you visited me…"

"Ah, and they may expect to find you at Belle Reve," Strange said. "However, I have an alternate location where we could have our private session. You see, judging by your temper and your paranoia, you may be a very sick man, Mr. Kent."

A twisted smile appeared on Strange's depraved face.

"Let me out of here!" Clark demanded.

"If you give me the information that I want, I'll let you go," Strange said, and his beady little eyes focused on Clark's face. "I trust you do not want your pretty little friend to have physical scars to match her emotional ones."

The implications of what Strange said clicked with Clark.

"Where's Lana?" Clark demanded.

Strange just scratched a note on his clipboard.

"Where's Lana?" Clark repeated, a bit more forcefully.

"Relax, Mr. Kent, she's perfectly safe," Strange told Clark, and he peered at him once again. "Perfectly safe for the moment, and she will remain so, as long as you cooperate. She's insurance in the event you have any ideas of escaping my hospitality."

Clark gritted his teeth, and looked at Strange with a heavy amount of hate. Strange just chuckled, drumming his fingers, and clutched the side of the walls.

"You do intrigue me, Mr. Kent," Strange said. "In fact, there is only one other individual that I have met that intrigues me as much as you do. He wears a mask, but while yours is merely emotional, his is physical and emotional."

Clark tried to find a weak spot in the chain. He had no idea why he could not snap that. It was almost like something had snapped his strength. He looked at the lights, and a meteor rock swung high above his head, like a pendulum.

"Let us begin our interview," Strange continued, and he frowned, before sliding back. "You will give me the answers I seek, or I will take them for you."

The psychiatrist's face twisted into a malevolent smirk. Despite his best efforts not to react, this expression did make Clark's skin crawl.

"The choice is yours," Strange said.

"I won't tell you anything," Clark persisted, stubbornly.

Strange moved forward, and clicked something.

"A pity," Strange said, and he reached forward, to activate a device that Clark realized had been strapped to his head.

Clark screamed, as he felt agony beyond everything he had ever experienced. Every nerve ending on his body felt like it was on fire.

"You might be a tough nut to crack," Strange said. "You will find it to your benefit to tell me soon, or you will be left a vegetable. The human mind cannot withstand this stress for very long."

Strange prepared to rip the answers from Clark Kent's mind. His mind seemed to be different than anything he had ever encountered, but Professor Hugo Strange enjoyed a challenge.

The mysterious ghost girl had given them the run around apparently. Harry and Kara flew, trying to get a hint of where she could have gone. They noticed the static in the ear pieces, which meant if there was an emergency, there was no way for anyone to contact them.

Harry tried to put his mind at ease; his luck could not have been this rotten where something drastic could have happened in the short time he was away.

The taunting, almost childish laughter echoed through their ears.

"Over there," Kara said, tugging on his sleeve.

They saw a flicker of light, and Harry and Kara slowly and carefully decelerated from their vantage point.

"Come on, I thought you wanted answers!"

"Oh, I'll be getting answers," Harry said, in a firm voice.

Harry and Kara fought the biting wind, and they saw a bright light in an otherwise dark village. It was coming from what appeared to be a library or what used to be a library. Kara and Harry busted the doors open. They took a few steps, careful not allow anyone to sneak up on them. The shelves were completely bare of all books.

"Why did she want to lure us to an empty library?" Kara wondered out loud.

Harry stopped, and stared. He blinked immediately, and he drew breath. He recognized the library. The last time he had been in this place, he was not greeted by a pleasant sight.

Kara's face dawned in the same realization; the venue was familiar from Harry's memories. One of his worst memories, and she grabbed his hand. The two of them stepped forward, into the dusty library.

"She's gone," Harry whispered to her.

Kara closed her eyes immediately. The two of them continued to walk step by step down the empty shelves.

The ghost girl reappeared sitting cross legged in the air.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded. "Who sent you?"

"You're demanding, you know that," the girl said. "She sent me."

"Who?" Kara asked.

"Her," the girl said in a misty voice. "Do you want to know the secrets, or do you fear the truth?"

"It was Death, wasn't it?" Harry asked her.

"Mmm, nope, can't say it was," the girl responded dryly.

Kara looked at Harry, her mouth curling into a frown. The blonde Kryptonian scanned the door with her X-Ray vision, but was blasted back.

"No peeking," the girl responded in a sing song voice.

Kara was helped to her feet by Harry. Nothing was injured, unless one counted her pride.

Harry decided to do something reckless. He reached forward, and opened the door. He closed his eyes, waiting for something bad to happen, but much to his surprise, nothing out of the ordinary occurred.

They took more steps into the library. Pinned to the wall was an envelope, and Harry snatched it. He opened it, and held out the piece of parchment for Harry to read.

"The Veritas Society," Kara read. "Formed to watch for the coming of the traveler."

Harry's eyes averted down the list of families involved. He recognized some of the names, but the others were a mystery.

"The Lovegoods, the Greengrasses, the Grangers," Harry read down the list, noticing three particular families that he knew all too well. "Would explain why Astoria said that word to me before she died. Let's seen, Teague, Swann, Queen, Luthor, Wayne…interesting. And…Strange?"

"As in Hugo Strange, the guy who visited Clark," Kara said, a bit of alarm creeping into her voice.

"Yes, perhaps the very same," Harry said. "And Petunia Dursley was offered membership, but declined it said. Given what my mother dug up, that's not surprising, and would explain the Luthors little visit."

Harry and Kara realized that they now had something tangible to go on, names, beyond the whispers of the word.

"I was wondering when you'd get here."

Harry and Kara turned around, and saw the figure in the shadows.

Time stood still.

"You!" Harry yelled, unable to believe his eyes. "I thought you were dead!"