Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Shambles.

Kara floated in the air; her arms were by her side. Her chest inhaled and exhaled, trying to get ahold of herself despite the dire situation. This was a catastrophe of epic proportions, and one that could not have happened in their worst nightmares. Lily was certainly gone, for sure this time. Their powers had banished her to beyond. The woman who had caused them so much trouble was gone.

At least they hoped that she was.

However, she certainly made her mark, regardless of if they had successfully vanished. Lily Potter was gone, but not forgotten. The proof was in front of them. The Fortress had collapsed into time and space, and the backlash had left snow and ice everywhere. The entire Artic as far as she could see was completely destroyed by the backlash. An avalanche occurred where the Fortress once was. And Clark, Lana, and Lex were all in there. Kara had little interest in whether or not Lex remained alive. Hopefully he had been buried, and killed, after what he did.

The blonde Kryptonian tried to use her X-Ray vision. It was really a crapshoot to find them. They could have been anywhere, or dare she even think about it, any time. That was something that rattled Kara, her cousin being lost in time and space, without any way to help him.

"CLARK!" Kara shouted once again. "Give me a sign if you hear me!"

There was nothing. Kara never felt more frustrated in her life.

Chloe was equally worried. Clark seemed to be able to survive a lot, and with his powers, that did go without saying. Kara was flying around frantically. The girl was trying to find her cousin. Chloe could actually hear Kara's heart beating against her rib cage. She wondered if that was a new consequence of some kind of powers that had been manifested. Chloe clutched her ear. Harry moved over, and whispered in her ear.

"Chloe, keep it together," Harry said. "Just focus on one thing at a time."

Chloe nodded. understanding what she needed to do, but at the same time it was easier to say than to do. "Clark makes everything look easy. So do you and Kara. But I guess everything is a lot easier said than done."

Harry would have to agree. He tried to use some scanning charms to find Clark. Kara nearly fell out of the sky. She was so upset with what happened that the girl could barely fly straight. Chloe walked over, and turned to Kara.

"Kara, you need to calm down," Chloe tried telling her in a pacifying voice.

Kara slowly turned around, and the blonde Kryptonian's eyes narrowed.

"I AM CALM!" Kara shouted in fury.

Chloe winced at this shouting. That likely took a couple of years off of her hearing. "Yeah, that's calm alright. I can hear your heart beating. I'm not sure if Kryptonians can even have a heart attack, especially one in the prime of her life, but we better not risk it. Clark's out there somewhere. If we want to find him and Lana, we need to just keep it together. I know it's hard."

"It is hard," Kara breathed, shutting her eyes and trying to regain her bearings. She put her face on hands, and sighed deeply. Kara swayed back and forth, fighting tears. It would not serve her well to lose her head.

Harry paused for a moment, before he decided to bring up his assessment.

"Clark and Lana are across that large snow bank, or likely underneath it," Harry informed them.

"Underneath the snow and the ice," Chloe said. A sigh escaped her mouth. "What is your mother playing at?"

"Tell me, and we'll both know," Harry said dryly. His arms folded, and he pointed his hand forward. Chloe just put a hand to her forehead. "Chloe, are you…"

"I'm coping," Chloe said, shaking her head. There was still a subtle ringing in her ears. Chloe allowed Harry to place an arm around her to offer comfort. Kara did not question anything, although she was too preoccupied with Clark.

"Once we take care of everything, we'll be able to help you get a handle on these new powers, and your old ones too," Harry responded, and he looked at Chloe. "But just try and keep a calm head."

Chloe decided that she would have to agree with this situation. Everything had happened so fast. The trio moved forward. Time continued to tick by with each passing moment. Clark and Lana were in reach. Harry had no idea how far they were buried underneath the snow, and the two of them could be anywhere. Lex was another matter entirely. They would have to track him down once Clark and Lana were out of the woods, and safely out of this situation.

"We got to find Clark, Lana, and Lex," Harry whispered to them.

Chloe looked at Harry. To be honest, Lex had slipped her mind until this moment.

"I wouldn't complain too much if you left Lex for dead in the Artic," Chloe replied.

Harry's smile spread across his face.

"I'd like to know if he was dead for sure. Just call it crazy, but as long as there is one breath in his body, Lex poses a danger. Especially considering he knows the secret now, and who knows what he could do, because he might be a desperate man."

That was another thing that Harry could thank his mother for, among the many secrets she let slip out of the bag. This entire day was starting to become stressful, but Harry somehow had the feeling that everything was just reaching a fever pitch. The Artic as far as they could see was in shambles, and the search continued. Chloe, Kara, and Harry stood, and Harry continued to scan. On the chance that they were too deep down, any scanning spells would not be able to find them.

That was providing that they were actually conscious, or had not been transported wherever with the rest of the Fortress. Harry shuddered at the thought. There were an infinite number of dimensions where Lily could have transported Clark and Lana, along with the Fortress. And he would not put it past Lily to use some sort of misdirection in her schemes.

The search continued. Kara and Harry scanned the snow for any tell-tale signs. Chloe wondered if she had the particular power of X-Ray Vision. Her eyes focused, and sure enough she did. Chloe found her X-Ray vision focused on Harry, perhaps a bit longer than she wanted to. Chloe shook her head.

'Stay focused, Chloe,' she thought to herself.

Chloe did what she could to help Harry and Kara go through the snow. It was a few moments of searching, before Kara piped up.

"I think I found something!"

The other two stood up straight. There was a moment of hope, hope that they could get Lana and Clark out of there. Something told them that time might have been running out, and the three of them had to move quickly.

Time ticked by, and was this close to running out.

Lana clutched her head, and winced. It was plainly obvious she suffered a few bruised ribs. Her head was also buzzing, and her powers had been somewhat sapped, due to the magically simulated red solar radiation that Lily had bombarded them with on their way out. Falling through the ground was not an experience she relished. Lana tried to float into the air. Sure enough, she was floating, although with the low ceiling and potential for the cave in, it would be unwise to fly.

"Clark!" Lana yelled. She saw that her hand was scratched up, although she suspected that would heal in close proximity to the yellow sun. The limp was annoying, so Lana switched to floating. "Clark!" If you're down there, just give me a sign, any sign!"

There was a swift, and a grunt, which prompted Lana to pick up her pace down the tunnels.

"I'm here, Lana," Clark said in a raspy voice.

Clark was down. He had the blood staining his shirt when Lex had stabbed him with the crystal. Lana reached down, and helped hold Clark up. Clark nearly buckled underneath his weight, but he was still in one piece.

"Thank God," Lana whispered, throwing her arms around Clark, and allowing herself to catch her breath. "I thought for a minute….never mind what I thought. Both of us, we need to find a way out of here, and you've lost a lot of blood."

Clark winced, everything just hurt so much. His eyes looked heavy and lidded.

"I know it hurts, but you got to keep it together Clark," Lana told him. The two of them made their way forward, and continued their movement. Lana saw the specks of red splattered in the snow.

"We're going to die down here," Clark managed in a pain voice.

Lana frowned. The dark haired woman shook her head, with a determined gaze focused on Clark. "No one is going to die, especially not you. Not today, not if I can help it. Just hold on. We'll find a way out of here."

Lana mentally added that she hoped they found a way out of this place. The truth was it was highly likely that they would be entombed in this snow coffin forever. Lana dragged Clark a little way, and Clark's knees began to buckle under his weight. It was a small mercy that Lana had enough strength to hold both herself and Clark steady. That would buy themselves a small amount of time. Exactly how much time, Lana thought that was a good question, and one she did not have the answer to you.

Lana could not resist asking Clark a question, given the fact that blood was drawn.

"Do you have any idea why that crystal hurt you?" Lana asked.

"I think it was because it was super charged with magic," Clark said.

"Lex found a way to leave his mark," Lana said. It made her feel anger towards Lex, and given the condition of how she got her powers, that was something that she could not really be feeling right now.

Clark was reminded of Lex's lack of presence down here with them. He had most certainly been down here with them.

"Did you see Lex when you were down here, Lana?"

"No Clark, I didn't," Lana admitted. A frown spread across her features. She would have just sooner Lex had been buried alive in the snow and ice, without any way out. Hopefully it was slow and painful, he would deserve no less after all the trouble he caused. The last bits of life should have faded away from him. Yet, until Lana saw the body in the casket, she would have to assume that Lex was still out there. And even then, Lana would have her doubts. "But, we'll worry about Lex later, right now let's worry about getting us both out."

Clark tried to remain optimistic that everything was going to be alright, and both were going to get out to breathe another day. The fact was that they might have been so far underneath the ground, the yellow sun had been blocked. Reserves they did have, although Clark found himself sufficiently weakened after Lex had stabbed him with that crystal. There was also the fact that he lost a significant amount of blood that was weighing a huge amount on him as well.

"Are you alright?" Clark asked to Lana.

Lana offered the slightest ghost of a smile at that statement. "You're the one who had the blood loss down here."

"Yes, well you're the one who Lily tried to force feed all of the knowledge of the Fortress into her frontal lobe," Clark replied.

Lana shook her head, which was still buzzing with all of the new knowledge that had been crammed into her mind. "Seems like both of us had a rough day."

"Rough last couple of days, it seems like," Clark added.

"Rough last few years," Lana amended. "Maybe it should be a rough life, but that just sounds a bit too…"

"Bitter?" Clark offered.

"I was about to say pessimistic, but bitter works too," Lana responded.

Clark cracked a hint of a smile. He would have offered more than just one smile. However, the young man was weaker than he had ever been in the past. Lana hovered in the air, lightly suspending Clark. She had to be careful to conserve what powers she had, until there was an exposure to a yellow sunlight. However, Lana was visited by inspiration how she might do that in a pinch.

"I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel," Lana said.

"Seeing light might not be a good thing right now," Clark replied.

Lana sighed. She should be glad that Clark was joking, and maybe feeling just a little bit better. They were close to the area where the Fortress used to be, and that was a sign that they were heading in the right direction. Lana's heart skipped a beat at this, and there was shouting from above that caused her to perk up just a little bit.

"CLARK!"

"I think Kara is above," Lana whispered to Clark.

"Yeah, I hear her too," Clark offered in a weak voice. He then paused, wincing at everything. His hearing was more sensitive than ever before. "And Harry, and Chloe they made it out okay."

Lana and Clark both looked at each other. It was plain to both of them that thinking quickly would be their best ally out of here. What would they be able to do? One wrong move could cave in the tunnels, and entomb both of them in a casket of snow and ice. That was the last thing that either of them wanted to do to each other. Lana half dragged Clark beside her, and tried to shift the ice a little bit. If a little sunlight could come in, without compromising the structural integrity of the tunnels, it would help them a lot.

A flicker of hope was scene, and Clark felt a little bit better.

"Thanks," Clark offered weakly.

"No problem, Clark," Lana said. She tried to figure out where everyone was.

Suddenly, the voices that shouted for them gave them something to focus on.

Harry, Kara, and Chloe had been searching the area around where the Fortress used to be for the past ten minutes. It was hard to cling onto hope at this point, in time, but they tried. Lana and Clark had been separated from them. It was very likely, but not assured, that Lex went down as well. However, it was just like a Luthor to take as many people down with him when he had fallen. Kara stiffened, and heard the voices of Clark and Lana from below. They were fainted.

"Do you two hear that?" Kara asked them.

Chloe and Harry nodded in confirmation that they did.

"Clark, Lana, if you can hear us, just hang on!" Chloe yelled. "Harry and Kara will get you out."

Chloe folded her hands. The blonde bit her lip nervously, and she shifted her feet in the snow, leaving footprints as she did. Harry and Kara cracked open the snow and the ice. They began to shift through everything. It was going to take a bit of time, even with their powers.

"I think I see something!" Kara yelled.

She used her heat vision to lightly melt the snow, while Harry siphoned the water away. Kara could not burn through the snow and the ice too much. It would drown both Clark and Lana, at least in theory. It really should not because of their abilities, but there were so many variables that they did not want to play with. With their powers at their lowest point, it would be wise not to leave too much to chance.

There were several more minutes of this, before Clark was pushed out through the snow. He landed with a hard, and coughed. Kara and Chloe walked over, to help pull Lana out of the snow. She was on shaky legs. Despite the fact, the yellow sunlight managed to heal the scrapes and bruises that she had. Lana collapsed to her knees, mostly to check on Clark or anything. The stains would only be coming out of his shirt by magic.

"Compliments of Lex," Clark told them, and he rubbed the wound on his chest. It slowly healed, at least up to a certain point. Then there was a light scar left.

"And my mother," Harry added. He had figured out what had occurred. The crystal had been super charged with magic. There was no way around it.

Kara stood, and looked at her cousin. If they had not found him, if there had just been a few more minutes, Clark would have died. Kara sighed in relief at the crisis that they averted. There were other problems.

Lana's expression remained calm. She did everything possible to keep Clark from getting buried alive in the snow, even if it was a risk to herself. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, Lana managed to take a deep breath, and felt light headed. Everything that happened over the last few weeks had hit her. This new responsibility was a dangerous one, and now with the Fortress gone, things weren't going to get any easier on both of them.

Lana mentally vowed to step things up just a little bit.

"There's nothing down there," Clark said, to break the silence.

"You mean, the Fortress, it's gone," Chloe whispered.

Everyone turned towards Harry. Harry sighed, and answered. "There could have been an infinite number of pocket dimensions Lily had sent the Fortress. Or that she banished Jor-El to. Providing she didn't erase his programming completely.

"Something tells me that Jor-El may have had some kind of failsafe," Kara suggested, out of blind hope more than anything. She said that in a matter of fact way, but none of them were able to determine what that failsafe was. "Did either you see Lex down there?"

Lana and Clark both shook their heads.

"Maybe Lex got transported off to Dimension X or wherever with the Fortress," Chloe suggested.

"I'd feel a lot better if we found a body," Lana said solemnly.

That was one statement that the entire group agreed on one hundred percent. The lack of body of Lex Luthor was the most disturbing thing of it all. Harry, Chloe, and Kara all knew that he had been with Clark and Lana when all hell had broken loose. After that moment, it was hard to say what happened. Then there was where the Fortress had gone, Jor-El, and if Lily had somehow still lingered out there somewhere, despite their best efforts.

Any semblance of a plan they had would have to be reevaluated and restructured. Harry scanned the area, but he found nothing. No telltale hints of the Fortress, his mother, or Jor-El. Lex was not there as well. He had mysteriously vanished with the rest of everything. They had searched all they could. There were no easily exploited hints, or backdoors to be found.

Harry decided that it would be prudent to get the entire group back to the Shining Light Foundation, and regroup there. Having something stressful like this a couple of days before a wedding was not conductive to many things. Especially given the complications regarding Chloe, but that would be something that Harry and Kara would both have to mutually figure out later.

That would be a fun situation to hash out when everyone had gotten out of the woods, and safely home.

Deep in the wastelands of Siberia, Lex Luthor had laid face down in the snow. He had been transported to this place through means which he scarcely remembered. His breath was shallow. His fingers and toes were both numb, and his lips had been frosted over. The bald young man lost the usage of his legs, and hoped that his call for help had gotten through to someone at Luthorcorp. Today had been both his greatest triumph, and his greatest failure all rolled into one.

Death had visited Lex Luthor many times, and somehow he had survived. Luthors were survivors. His father had that credo driven into his head time and time again. Lex could barely feel his face now. The cold weather bit him with harshness. How he even ended up in Siberia he even know. His memories of the entire incident were a blur. The only thing Lex had remembered was that Clark was an alien

That was the only thing that kept him alive. There was a burning obsession going through Lex that no matter what, if he was alive, the world could be saved. Time ticked by, and Lex gingerly lifted his head up to view what was before him. A flash of light appeared in the air.

A floating woman appeared, hovering over him, a cold and indifferent expression on her face. At first Lex thought that it was Clark's cousin. However, upon second look, she did look similar, but remotely different. Her hair was a bit shorter, cut to shoulder length. She seemed to carry herself as being a few years older. Finally, the girl seemed to be a bit more well-endowed which was quite a feat as Kara Kent was quite gifted as well.

The woman stood, her short blonde hair flapping in the breeze. The woman's blue eyes studied Lex, with thinly veiled contempt. Her rosy red lips were pursed into a bit of a frown. A red jacket was worn over her slender, yet still muscular arms. A tight white shirt wrapped nicely around her chest. A pair of blue jeans fit snugly around her hips and rear, and offered a hint of the gorgeous legs that rested underneath. She topped off the outfit with a pair of white boots.

"Where is it?" the blonde asked. There was no empathy for Lex's condition present in her voice, or her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lex managed in a strained voice.

The blonde picked up Lex off the ground by his throat, and lifted him off of the ground. Lex actually was glad to feel a sensation, even though it was pain.

"You know what I'm talking about, the Fortress, where is it?" she demanded, and suddenly her eyes started to glow. "Answer me, or I'll cremate you alive."

Lex felt a small amount of fear. This girl, whoever she was, would kill him if he did not think quickly.

"I don't know, it's somewhere in the Artic, I don't know where exactly," Lex managed. "Let me go."

The blonde obliged Lex by hurling him into the ground with a super human force. Lex landed hard, with his arms and legs folding off to the side at an awkward angle. He used his remaining strength over, trying to shut out the pain that he was feeling.

The girl turned around. The one thing she had been able to determine was that the world she had been sent to had been different than the world that she had been in. Anything was better than where she had been. For the past seven years of her life, she had been held captive by Lionel Luthor in her world, and forced to undergo all sorts of experiments. The experiments would have broken, or even killed anyone else. What did not kill you made you stronger, and that was something that Kara Zor-El of Earth 2 had made a mantra out of.

Kara did weep for her cousin, how he was corrupted and twisted, until his eventual demise. Lionel had been the one who found him. Kara's ship had got delayed, but eventually she found a way out. Clark had been a young man by that point, and had been firmly under the thumb of Lionel Luthor for years. She tried to save him. Lionel had her imprisoned, because she didn't fit into his plan for the traveler. The only reason why Lionel did not kill her was to torture her with the knowledge that she had failed in her plan to protect her cousin from harm, and the influence of those who would do so.

Lionel's other son was something that was far worse. Harrison Luthor had offered Kara her freedom several times, in exchange for being with him. However, Harrison repulsed Kara, mostly because of his attitude. He was rather easy on the eyes, and Kara imagined what someone like him could be capable of. It was not even the fact that he had multiple sexual partners that repulsed her. Kara was able to keep an open-mind on something that, even though humans might frown upon that.

The way he treated them, and others, that's what really turned Kara's stomach. Not to mention the fact that he killed her cousin, just to prove that he could. Still, that was beside the point. Kara was in a brand new world, and there would be a bold step for her to achieve her destiny. Her new destiny as one of Death's chosen, and given what she knew, there were two others that were in this world.

Kara would have to gather knowledge, but she would meet them. As the Herald of Death of Earth-2, she was looking forward to making a brand new start, and hopefully helping prevent some of the awful things from happening in her world from happening in this one.

At this moment, Kara had to keep moving. There was no one else around for miles. The Fortress was in the Artic, and this was a way away from there. The young blonde corked up in the air, and flew off like a bottle rocket into the night. There was nothing to be gained by staying around here. Once she found the Fortress, then it would be easy to seek out her two counterparts in this dimension, wherever they might be at.

Lex shivered. This was how it ended, dying alone in the snow, frozen to death. Taunted by the fact that he had finally found out the truth about Clark Kent in the twilight of his life. The wind bit his face.

Clark and Lana waited patiently inside the Shining Light Foundation. Harry concluded a few more detailed scans of them to make sure they were of complete health. It was magic beyond any of their comprehension, but Harry told them that he wanted to make sure there were no nasty surprises that had been left behind when Lily had exited the building. The two sat on edge of a bed, and Harry decided to give his assessment.

"The good news is, Lily has finally left the building," Harry concluded.

Although given how many false disappearing acts she pulled, Harry mentally added that he would always be looking over his shoulder.

"And the bad news is, she took the Fortress with her," Lana concluded with a sigh. "But the good news is that she seemed to download all of the knowledge in the Fortress into my brain. The bad news is, I can barely make any sense of almost all of it."

Chloe was the one who piped up next. "Well, it's there. Maybe Harry and Kara can take a peak in your mind, and maybe help you make sense of it."

Lana looked a bit apprehensive. She was not quite sure about people poking inside her head.

"It's up to you naturally," Kara amended. "We don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. But if you understand what you learned, it will help you help Clark help the world."

"I just need some time to think about it," Lana said.

Harry waved off her statement. "Take all the time you need. Right now, rest is the best medicine. There should be a slight scar, even magic can't remove it now. It could fade in time."

"Looks like Lex left me something to remember him by," Clark commented. There was a moment where Clark sat. Lana's arms were wrapped around him. "So, is there a chance…"

"He's out there," Lana said shortly, with conviction in her voice. There was no question in her mind that Lex was still out there. It would be foolish to assume that he died.

"Harry and Kara searched the Artic up and down," Chloe offered. "Do you really think he would have escaped in his condition?"

Lana just offered her opinion on the situation. "How many times has Lex survived certain death? Just because we assume that something killed him, does not mean that anything killed him. He is highly adaptable if nothing else."

Lana did not like Lex by any means. However, one did not need to like someone to understand what they were capable of, and there were a lot of things that Lex was capable of. Lana knew that she had not seen the last of him, and as long as he lived, Lex would cast a dark specter over the lives of everyone that knew him.

"There were times where I think that there was an internal struggle in him," Clark said. "A part of him…"

"Clark, you see the good in others, even when there is nothing really to see," Kara interrupted. She looked at her cousin, and a serious expression spread across her face. "Lex may have had some good buried deep down, but that good is buried by what he is capable of."

Kara smiled. Seeing the good in other people's might have been both Clark's greatest strength and weakness.

"And to think, if I didn't rescue him, none of this would have happened," Harry added.

Lana shook her head. "Who knows what might have happened? You said it wasn't Lex's time right now. Couldn't you use that Lifeline reader thing to find where he is?"

"It has to be in proximity, it's not a GPS," Harry informed Lana.

Lana looked flushed. "Oh too bad, that would be useful."

"Yeah, it would be," Kara agreed.

Clark had gotten up to his feet, and looked a bit restless. Everything that happened really did flow through him. In some ways, he thought today would be a milestone in the journey he took. With the Fortress gone, the rules of the game changed. If Lana did have the information in her mind, perhaps that could help him. Then again, Clark thought that the actual information was only one part of everything that was to come, but Jor-El had been cryptic about the subject, only talking about mysterious training.

"The two of you have a clean bill of health, providing nothing else happens tonight," Harry said. "And if you feel a bit off, call me immediately."

"We will," Lana replied.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want a relapse," Clark added.

Clark and Lana walked off to return to the Kent Farm. They would figure out where they would go from here in the morning, after a good night sleep. Kara stopped them from leaving.

"Take care, both of you, and I mean that," Kara said in a firm voice. "Today was just one test, and there will be many more to come. As far as you come, everything has just begun in many ways."

Lana had a shrewd feeling that Kara was addressing her as much as she was addressing Clark. The pair of them walked off, with Lana lightly scooping up Clark. Clark did not protest too much. Lana flew off the pair of them to the Kent Farm, for a night of relaxation. What they would do from there.

"It seems like I got some explaining to do," Chloe said. Harry and Kara looked at her. "I was in my hospital room minding my own business, and the next thing, I'm in the Artic. And I had the symbol on my hand. And then I'm getting these strange powers, like Clark's…"

"Actually like mine, and like Harry's too," Kara said.

"What's the difference?" Chloe asked.

"Oh, there is a big difference," Kara said. She really had no idea exactly what Chloe did, well no clear idea, but there were a few theories. "The powers could be a passing thing, or they could be permanent. We're going to have to all hash out it, and if it's permanent, the arrangement is."

It was that moment where Chloe got on her toes.

"What arrangement is that?" Chloe asked.

"We'll let you know when we're figure it out, and we'll help you get a handle on your powers," Kara told her.

Chloe nodded in acceptance.

"After we get back from our Honeymoon, just try and keep a low profile," Harry said. Chloe opened her mouth to protest, and Harry could see the protest was coming. "I know you're confused, and we don't have all of the answers, no matter how much we want to. I would advise you stay here, instead of going to a hospital or back home…"

"That's fine," Chloe interrupted, shaking her head.

Chloe had no idea what was happening. She trusted Harry and Kara to figure it out. This symbol on her hand indicated something, and the way Harry and Kara looked at her, she was not certain that she wanted to know, at least right away. Yet, despite that, everything was going to come out whether she wanted it too or not.

Kara showed Chloe to her temporary living quarters. Harry turned around.

"This could complicate things," Harry said to himself.

Kara returned, and nodded. They would have to make sure what was happening. Chloe was not the third Herald of Death. That being said, she had been blessed with some Herald of Death powers, and both of Harry and Kara's natural powers as well.

Chloe screamed. Kara looked around. Chloe had just inadvertently had gone invisible.

"You better talk her how to get through that," Harry said.

"Why couldn't you do it?" Kara asked.

"In case she becomes visible, and her clothes don't," Harry answered, trying to give his bride to be the message.

Kara responded without missing a beat. "Again, why couldn't you do that?"

"It would be awkward for Chloe," Harry said. The truth was he did not mind, but things would get awkward.

"Oh, that human modesty thing, I forgot," Kara said, and she shook her head. "We're going to have to work on that, if this arrangement is what we both think it might be."

Kara turned around, and moved off to walk Chloe through the process of becoming visible.

When a person's life flashed before them, it put everything in perspective. Lex had tried to yell out to get the attention of someone, anyone, to help him. However, all he accomplished was a sore throat. The cold wind bit into his skin. It seemed obvious that he was going to die in the winter wasteland, and he shuddered at the very thought. Lex's eye twitched. Everything that happened to him flashed before his eyes.

'So this is it,' Lex thought to himself. 'This is how it ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper. And this time, there is no swooping voice of death to pull me out at the last brink. Someone will find me, days from now, maybe weeks or month. Find my decaying remains.'

The whirling of a private helicopter filled Lex's ears from above. Lex shuddered in the cold. Someone had arrived. Would it be someone that could help him? Or would it be someone to help kick that final shovelful onto his grave? Lex had no idea. The fact he could not feel his limbs actually may have been a good thing. Any pain he would have felt would have been numbed.

Footsteps could be heard. Lex tensed up as much as he could. His heart thumped across his chest. It hurt to breath. Every single movement was like agony. Every possible moment of his life was torture.

The newest arrival approached Lex. Lex's vision was rather blurred at this point. Perhaps he had been hallucinating, given the level of frost bite and hypothermia he was likely suffering. A woman stood over Lex's downed form. The woman had curly red hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in a heavy black coat, pants, and boots. Gloves covered her hands. She stood over Lex, and surveyed his downed form.

"You look like you're having a bad day, Lex."

Lex could barely speak or breathe. He dragged himself over barely an inch, before the bald businessman collapsed down onto the ground. The heart had thumped against his chest, and he rocked back and forth on the snow drift.

"Tess, you need to…"

Words had failed Lex, his throat was completely raw.

"Help you?" Tess asked. An eyebrow raised, and she surveyed Lex. "I thought you didn't show weakness."

"Not weakness, survival," Lex breathed.

"I see," Tess said coolly. "Do you mind actually letting me in what you were doing out here in Siberia?"

"Don't remember," Lex mumbled.

"Convenient amnesia then," Tess answered lightly. "No one else knows you're here, and they wouldn't find your body for weeks."

Lex had known this game. Despite his weakened state, the game she was playing was obvious to him.

"You wouldn't let me die," Lex whispered.

"Would you have had our positions been reversed?" Tess countered.

Both remained silent. Each had their own take of the answer. There was no need for either to respond.

"Kal-El," Lex whispered, but he stopped suddenly.

Tess invited Lex to continue.

"The traveler," Lex managed once again. "Harry Potter…is the ultimate power…between life and death."

Lex blacked out at moment. Tess reached over, and pulled out a glowing orb that Lex had stuffed inside his coat. She quickly stowed it away. The woman turned around, towards her bodyguards who stood at the edge, waiting for orders.

"Get him on the helicopter," Tess ordered firmly to her men. "Make sure he gets a warm set of clothes and something to eat. I'll decide whether or not he goes to the hospital, based on how much information he gives."

Tess thought that if it even leaked out that Lex was in the hospital, whoever did this might finish the job they started.

She stood out in the snow, and reached into her pocket. Tess removed the piece of paper she had swiped out of Lex's desk drawer. The symbol was of interest. If she had to hazard a guess, it meant keys to great power. It meant something that could change the world.

Something Tess promised to learn more about, especially since she had a potential name to go off of now with Lex's statement. It might have seemed like a statement made out of delirium, but there had to be something to the madness.

To Be Continued in "Relocation."