Chapter 61: Mastermind.
Caitlin Snow broke into a wide ear to ear grin despite herself. She could not help, but feel pretty pleased after today's events. She never felt this good in a very long time. Caitlin's entire body sang from the pleasure of her encounter with Harry and it would be a very long time before she would have been able to feel anything this good.
Despite the fact Caitlin felt beyond good, there were a couple of things which stirred up in her mind. She shifted against Harry's shoulder. The powerful man wrapped an arm around Caitlin and held her in close to him which made Caitlin feel a bit more content than she might have been otherwise. She could not feel too content, not with her mind going about a million miles a minute with different various possibilities. Caitlin's lips curled against each other with the frown being more prominent.
"You know, that was nice."
Harry raised an eyebrow at Caitlin's very blasé declaration. The scientist answered with a very evident sigh and turned to Harry with a very warm smile.
"Okay, that was more than nice," Caitlin said. "No matter how nice you made me feel, it still did not answer the underlying question of what went wrong and what caused you so weak."
Tess pulled herself off of the ground. She sobered herself up with a couple of sighs and pushed her hair out of her face. "I would have to agree. There's something missing in the experiment. I don't know what it might be, but there's something missing."
Caitlin did not dare get close to those rocks. She still felt some tingles and entered a state where she might as well have been on a hair trigger. She crossed the room while laying a hand down on the table with a couple of deep breaths coming from her.
"There has to be something we're missing, "Caitlin said. "Because, no matter how pleasant that encounter was, it was also not the thing we relooking for, was it?"
"Unfortunately, not," Harry said to her. "He compromised my ability to perform and I think you could agree, that did not compromise anything with my ability to perform."
Caitlin cracked into a brief smile. She could not argue. Harry stood up and had been completely dressed. The feeling of lust dancing in his eyes had been eliminated or at least tempered enough. Caitlin tried to figure out what to do with the intense concoction of red and green Kryptonite she created in the next room. She might have had to dispose of it, if push did in fact come to shove.
"There's something missing," Caitlin repeated.
Harry leaned closer towards the scientist with a teasing smile dancing in his face. "I thought we already established there was something missing."
The one single variable they could not isolate would haunt Caitlin Snow from right now until the moment she could figure it out. She drew out the papers and took a couple of long looks at the calculations. Her scientific mind drew the conclusion everything should have worked because everything made way too much sense. She could not argue with the results on that piece of people in front of her.
"I'm missing something," Caitlin commented. "I'm missing something big."
"Yes, you are," Harry said. "Maybe the person needed to have the right…what did you call it earlier?"
"Meta-gene," Tess offered.
Shado pulled herself up to standing position and craned back. Today had been very nice and to be honest, something she felt to be long overdue. The dark-haired woman brushed strands of hair away from her face while she leaned up against the wall.
"Some kind of meta-human ability to drain away mystic energy is being used," Shado said. "And we're going to have to find out what it is."
Caitlin bit down on her lip. If there was one thing she hated, was having loose ends. She needed to find out what the hell was going on and soon.
"They're going to know that this is causing me problems," Harry said. "They're not ignorant. He's not ignorant at the very least."
He also should have been dead, but that was way beside the point. Harry did not want to worry about the potential death of Damien Darhk right about now. He wanted to focus on what he was going to do next as a living human being. He looked towards Caitlin who stared down at the notes one more time.
"I'm going to need something," Caitlin said. "I'm going to need a replication of the same situation…the meteor is just one part. He must have been experimented on by something."
Harry closed his eyes. Caitlin wondered what he was doing. Tess opened her mouth and was about ready to say something. Shado grabbed both of their shoulders and pulled both of them backward. She leaned into their ears and spoke in a soft tone of voice.
"Don't. It's better off that you just let him run his course. Trust me when I say it's going to be better when he just does what he needs to do."
The trio of women nodded with each other. Caitlin's burning scientific curiosity reached a fever pitch. Harry's eyes snapped open. He motioned for the pen and paper on the desk. Caitlin handed it to him. Harry scrawled several scientific calculations down. Formulas which Caitlin had trouble understanding, even though someone of her intelligence should have no trouble in doing so.
"That's the best we have to work with," Harry said. "Let's see what you can make of this."
Harry put the document down on the table in front of Caitlin. She had something to work with and it was a start, at least for right now. It was something they could build on.
Isobel grew progressively annoyed the more Rose stared at her from across the room. The witch decided to let the younger girl have it after a constant amount of time had passed with this staring.
"It's almost like you don't trust me."
Rose lifted a single hand up against Isobel's face. "I don't trust you. You lost Sara's trust as well after the stunt that you pulled. And Harry wants me to keep an eye on you. You could have been killed."
The unspoken statement that Isobel would have also gotten Harry potentially killed rear its ugly head. She looked across the table with a very evident frown. It was not her intention to cause too much trouble to be perfectly honest. It was just the fact trouble was bound to happen. Her single minded-obsession almost cost them big time.
"You really don't trust me," Isobel said.
The question had been repeated once more. Rose just took a moment to smile and finger the knife sticking up against the table. Her gaze locked onto Isobel's from about halfway across the table.
"No, it's more that I don't trust you," Rose said. "I simply don't like you at all. And I think you're nothing other than a spoiled entitled brat who is upset she didn't get her way. And you were foolish to trust that woman all those years ago."
"Just like you were foolish to let your guard down from your father."
It was a good idea Harry told Rose not to attack Isobel, because she would have gutted the smug bitch in a blink of an eye had she been able to get away with it. Rose closed her eyes and mentally summoned pretty much all of the strength possible to deal with this particular woman.
"I'm glad I've come back to this."
Harry appeared in the doorway with a smile. He moved over from Rose to Isobel and then to Hailey, who had been sitting across from them. She held a necklaces belonging to the wicked woman in question they intended to hunt down. She leaned up with a very obvious smile etched upon her face
"I'm sorry, I haven't had any luck yet," she said with a dee sigh.
"It's fine," Harry said.
"No, it's really not."
Harry's gaze of power came onto Isobel. She clamped her mouth shut the second Harry stared her down. No one held a gaze this powerful which could cause many women to fall completely into line. Harry showed Isobel who was in control.
"You are allowed to be here," Harry said. "As is Rose and as is Hailey, and I want the three of you let me know the minute you get a flicker of Genevieve. I need to know so I can get to her and I'll deal with her."
Isobel crossed her legs and stared up at Harry with the tiniest of smiles etched upon her face. She tried not to press her luck too much because she knew it could get her into trouble. Still, she felt like in the interest of fairness, her master deserved at the very least a warning.
"The Deacon is the one who is pulling the strings," Isobel said. "You understand that, right? He's pulling all of the strings with Darhk and with everyone else. He's manipulating everyone."
"I'm clear and I understand," Harry said.
"I told you he understands a lot," Rose said. "And he understands how you think as well."
"I don't suppose either of you have gotten a hint of her," Isobel said.
Rose responded with a shake of her head. She looked very flustered, and hoped to contribute more. Rose failed to consciously tap into her sensitivity to her psychic vibrations. They came suddenly and left even sooner. Rose bit down on her lip and drew in a very obvious breath.
"We haven't had a hint of her, yet," Hailey confirmed. "And would it help to say I don't like this? I don't like just sitting in the dark waiting for something to happen."
Harry fired a sympathetic smile at the younger girl. "I know. I know. I know how your sister was, and how she hated when things were out of her control."
"That's not technically my sister," Hailey said. "But, thank you for trying to make me feeling better."
Harry smiled, sometimes it escaped him he was currently standing in an alternate universe. He knew there were a couple of pieces in the puzzle which they needed to fit into place. He enjoyed the thought of having to solve a mystery. Still, he would have thought something would have broken just a bit sooner.
Claire stood backward and had been determined to get the upper hand on Nyssa. Nyssa might have had years more training than her, but she still should have been able to accomplish something. Both women surrounded each other and moved closer towards each other.
"You don't want to get too frustrated," Nyssa said. "Frustration opens up opportunities for your opponent to exploit."
Case in point, Claire threw too much energy behind her punch. Nyssa blocked the punch and turned Claire around. The exploit made Claire's knees sink forward with Nyssa pushing her down to the ground. Claire drew her breath and Nyssa allowed her to break free.
"Attack, again!"
Claire jumped into the air and Nyssa dodged her attacks with precision. Nyssa caught Claire's arm and Claire broke free before doing a forward roll. Nyssa feigned a palm strike which caused Claire to duck her head. The Daughter of the Demon grabbed Claire in a front headlock.
"No matter how strong or how skilled an enemy is, they aren't anything when they don't have oxygen to bring into their lungs."
Claire was feeling that fact as Nyssa applied more pressure onto the side of her neck. She almost faded from this position, struggling to take breaths. Nyssa held her arm and neck out before breaking the maneuver. Claire staggered about an inch and dropped down on the ground.
"Do you understand the point I'm trying to make?" Nyssa asked her.
"Yes," Claire managed, rubbing the side of her neck.
"Good, and one more time for good measure."
Claire flipped up behind Nyssa and landed with a thud. She took Nyssa's ankles from underneath her and flipped her down onto the ground. The Daughter of the Demon scooted back just in time to see the Last Daughter of Krypton grab her and pin her to the ground. Claire used a leverage move which Nyssa found a way to counter.
"You're improving."
Liv stepped into the barn. Nyssa almost hurled a knife at her but stopped.
"You should announce yourself before you come by," Nyssa said.
"Yeah, I figured as much," Liv said. "But….just stopping by to see if you're okay."
"I repaired the window if that's what you meant."
Liv cracked a smile. That was not exactly what she meant. Still, she was glad Claire seemed to be in pretty good spirits. Nyssa decided to excuse herself.
"So, anything else on your crusade?" Claire asked.
Liv opened her mouth and stopped when she noticed a very familiar face stepping down the pathway. She would recognize that bald head pretty much anywhere. Liv took in a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
"Well, Olivia Queen. Interesting to see you at the Kent Farm House, and I'm surprised. It is refreshing to see the rumors of your demise were greatly exaggerated."
Lex Luthor, and boy Liv's skin crawled at his very presence. She took in a few moments to draw in a deep breath.
"Lex Luthor," Liv said. "Surprising to see you here…didn't think you would come down from your ivory tower enough, and it's unfortunate to say the rumors your demise never even started and if they did, they never had been completely accurate."
Far from being rattled, Lex answered with a very evident chuckle. He looked from Claire to Liv.
"It appears three years away has not changed you, Olivia," Lex said. "And I wouldn't talk about standing in someone's ivory tower given the smug attitude you've had. And at least I didn't have my mother buy my way out of trouble when she tried to have one of her Freshmen classmates almost locked out in the cold."
"You still believe that old rumor?" Liv asked.
"You and your faithful sidekick, Merlyn," Lex said. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Then again, Malcolm and Lionel, they would get along if they weren't trying to cut each other's throats to better their business."
"Did I come at a bad time?"
Lex turned around and had been surprised to the gentlemen who appeared. The medallion around his neck surprised Lex even more and raised numerous questions.
"I'm afraid we haven't had the privilege to me…."
"Harry Potter."
"Ah, are you any relation to those twins who run Horizon Incorporated?" Lex asked.
"Perhaps," Harry said. "I have a big family tree…so what brings you to Smallville, Mr. Luthor?"
Lex did not even blink at the fact Harry knew his name. On the contrary, he stood before a man who did his homework. Lex had to appreciate it.
"I've come here to visit an old friend," Lex said. "I had no idea I would come across two of them on today's trip."
Liv's arms crossed over her face and the scowl pretty much indicated her relationship with Lex was the complete opposite of being friends. Her dangerous eyes locked onto those of Lex's.
Harry put a hand on her shoulder. If he knew Liv's body language right, she would have put an arrow through Lex at the first possible opportunity. He wanted to avoid that strife as much as possible.
"My father, despite being imprisoned, is up to something," Lex said.
"Well, I would be checking for a pulse if your father wasn't up to something," Liv said.
"Cute, you haven't changed," Lex said. "Well, just keep your eyes open. And it was an honor meeting you."
Lex offered a handshake and Harry took it. He attempted to overwhelm Harry with the firmness of his handshake, but Harry turned the tables. The two broke away from each other. Lex regained his composure and disappeared off into the night.
"You better get that washed," Liv said to him. "And…do you think I can talk to you about something?"
Harry just nodded. Claire took it as her cue to leave.
"I think Ma just finished lunch," Claire said.
Lionel Luthor held himself down on the ground and did some pushups. One could argue it would not be the best idea in the world to strain himself given his rapidly declining condition. Lionel could not help himself. He had to push himself up and down off of the ground. His breath came deeply and hit his lungs. His eyes shut deep with a couple of more breaths coming from him. Lionel rose completely up off of the ground and then came down with another solid move.
"Mr. Luthor."
The guard walking over the cell made Lionel's concentration at his workout loss. He finished with three more sets of pushups before rising to his feet.
"Are the results of my latest medical test back?" Lionel asked.
He took in a deep breath and wiped the sweat off of his face. The guard shook his head.
"Actually, you have a visitor."
This caused Lionel to frown. The only person who stopped by briefly was Lex, and that was to look Lionel in the eye mockingly. Lionel had been close to be proud of his son a couple of times. He just needed that extra nudge to do something great and to be something more than worthy of the Luthor name.
A figure dressed in a black suit with a very worn looking face and white hair. It took Lionel a mere couple of minutes to recognize the figure as he stepped closer to the cell. Lionel understood who he faced off against.
"You, you are one of the last people I expected to see. I'd offer you a seat, but I'm afraid they won't let me have any visitors inside."
Things had been lonely after his cell mate had been stabbed in a scuffle. Lionel hoped he would get well soon because the cell mate had been integral in his plan going forward. Despite his attempts to strengthen his body, it grew in weakness. There would not be too much more time before Lionel collapsed.
"So, you know who I am?" Darhk asked.
"Yes, your name is Damien Darhk," Lionel said. "I've done business with several of your associates, although I have not had the pleasure of meeting you directly."
"Do you know what this is, Mr. Luthor?"
Darhk held up a vial of green water. Lionel locked eye to eye with the vial. Dare he think what he hoped it was? He heard many strange legends over the years and many whispers about an element which could heal the sick and bring the dead back alive. A group of pits with mystical waters with amazing healing properties, but they had been guarded by the legendary and quite feared Ra's al Ghul and his League of Assassins.
There had been many things which Lionel was willing to do in his pursuit of knowledge. Messing with the League of Assassins ranked so low down upon the list it was practically off the page.
"You're going to confirm whether or not I'm right," Lionel said.
Darhk smiled, he held Lionel's interest. The fat juicy worm on the hook reeled Lionel in. Now, he had to make his sale's pitch and dive in for the kill.
"This is an extract from a Lazarus Pit," Darhk said. "It is more than enough to heal you of your ailment."
Lionel raised his eyebrow. He had a lot of questions popping into his mind. The biggest of which was, what did Darhk want?
"A brilliant mind like yours should not rot in prison."
The man pressed against the cell bars. The heat flickering down his body made it look like he was about ready to collapse down from exhaustion. Darhk smiled when looking across the cell at Lionel.
"You don't look so well," Darhk remarked with a smile on his face. "Let me help you."
He did not trust a single word coming out of Damien Darhk's mouth and for good reason.
"Why would you help me?" Lionel asked. "Why would you waste a precious resource which you could use yourself? There must be something you can do with it. Otherwise, you wouldn't have even bothered."
"You're very intelligent," Darhk said. "We can make a deal. You have something HIVE has been searching for. Something you've smuggled in your cell. Your plan is interesting, but it's just temporary. You can be stronger together with the might of HIVE behind you."
Lionel had no idea whether or not the Lazarus chemical in his hand was legitimate.
"Ponder upon how valuable your life is. And I'll be back if you wish to trade the stone for the cure to your ailment."
Lionel leaned back and dropped down on the cot. A sharp pain rose through his body. Lionel placed his hands on the back of his head.
'Be strong,' Lionel thought. 'You don't need his help.'
"I don't like the fact he's around her. His father was obsessed with controlling the traveler from what I could find out. And Lex…the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. He doesn't…he's an awful person. There was a woman who was found murdered at a night club, the year before I left. All evidence pointed to Lex, but he got off."
"What about what he said about you?" Harry asked.
The two walked around the back of the Kent Farm, where they hoped they would not have been heard. Liv put her hand on her head and sighed.
"That…that was a stupid prank," Liv said. "I regret doing a lot of things in the past. Every time I open my eyes, I think about how my life would have been a better person who didn't have any baggage. It upsets me to think about what might have been."
"Yes," Harry told her. "The past can be upsetting. I know that more than anyone."
"You ever think about what you would have done differently?"
This question made Harry just gave Liv one of those once-over looks. Liv took a couple of seconds to stare at him and was about ready to apologize.
"All of the time."
She relaxed, even more so when Harry wrapped an arm around her waist and walked her around the barn. Liv grew more comfortable with Harry, and also a little bit confused. She always had a preference towards girls and it wasn't for any lack of trying due to the men around her trying to find a way into her panties. Even at her most intoxicated and impaired, Liv always cut off those advances. She didn't really find any number of beautiful women to invite their way into their beds.
"And now, I'm worried about my mother," Liv said. "I don't want to think she's involved with all of the shit that's going on in Starling City. It's looking like it though."
"Do you think she's….."
"I think she's working with the wrong people," Liv said. "And I think she might have succumbed to the same greed the Luthors have involving the traveler. She's…well…she's…..I don't know how to explain it."
She took a couple of seconds to consider what was going on.
"Moira's colder," Liv said. "I suppose it has something to do with my mother losing a daughter for three years, and her husband…but their marriage wasn't the fairy tale. I think…..well I think she was sleeping around with Malcolm Merlyn, and I know he was cheating on her…guess your parents aren't always the most noble of people."
"You learn that your parents are only human," Harry said.
Liv smiled and turned towards Harry. This seemed to be the perfect time to perform a very drastic action. She moved a bit closer to Harry.
"Harry?"
Sara stepped from behind the bar and Liv moved away from Harry.
"I might have found something. Or rather one of Ruve's contacts did."
Liv checked her watch. It had been getting late and the Hood had to check out a couple of warehouses. She might be joined by the Black Canary tonight, but if not, she would go it alone.
"Well, good luck," Liv said. "I better get back to Starling City."
The Queen Heiress stepped back, with Sara greeting her with a smile and a hug which lingered to the point where Liv almost thought Sara was trying to feel her up. She allowed Liv to get on her way.
"Oh, someone's been bitten hard," Sara said.
Truth be told, Harry was going to wait to Liv to come to her terms. Her mind was a mess. Obviously she and Lex did not get along at all and seeing him triggered the heiress greatly. There was a problem with her mother and the crusade on Starling city was taking place as well.
"We'll worry about her later," Harry said. "Tell me what you've found."
To Be Continued on September 28 th , 2017.
After mulling it over, within the past couple of months, I've made a decision to scale back my involvement with Harry Potter related fanfiction for a time after this set of stories that are being posted. So, yeah, that set being Ascension, Emerald Flight 2k17, and Stranded being the three stories in general I'm talking about. Calendar Girls and Breeding Ground will still be around in some form or fashion. Calendar Girls obviously being every month, and Breeding Ground being about twice a week, at least until June of 2018.
There's still a fair bit to go. Ascension Book Two is wrapping up on November 4th, 2017, and that universe enters a state of hibernation. I may return to that after a time or I might not. Stranded wraps up, going ninety-seven chapters and finishing up about March. EF2k17 finishes up in April.
I want to say that it's simply because I don't really get as much enjoyment out of Harry Potter as I used to. I don't hate it, but I'm growing rather tired of it and it just doesn't light that creative spark that it used to. And as some people might know if they've been on my blog, Emerald Flight was supposed to be the only time that I was supposed to dip my toe into the Harry Potter fandom. The original one, but I decided to write a couple more projects and a couple more became many more and I just really overstayed my welcome in a fandom that's an extremely charitable third out of the three main ones I'm writing.
That being said, if I get through these Stranded chapters and these EFk17 chapters, I should be wrapping things up on my end before the end of the year. On your end, you'll be seeing chapters at least until the end of April on both of those ends. Calendar Girls for 2018 is written and ready to go. Breeding Ground for the first half of 2018 should also be written and ready to go. And I'm in the position not be writing anything for Harry Potter anyway, break or not, for a couple of months anyway. Which might help. I don't think it will hurt.
But even if I do ease back into the fandom, there will be dead spots here and there. And I'm really not trying to seem down on things. I never really intended to be known as a Harry Potter writer. I don't really think too much about Harry Potter when I'm not writing the stories he's involved in. Regardless, Calendar Girls is locked in for 2018, because those chapters are already written. Breeding Ground will be in and around, although there might be some small changes, potentially returning to either a once a week or whenever I feel like it schedule, which it really was supposed to. It got hot, so I made an effort to update it twice a week.
So, yeah, things are winding down on the Potter end of things, and at the same time there's still a fair amount of content to be pushed out.
Chapter Sixty-Two: Negate
Harry stepped into the meeting room, unsure of what to expect. There should be no worries, yet Harry held them. Ruve had been truly and utterly converted to their side. Harry lacked the probable cause to question her loyalty. The loyalty of others, however, Harry had more of a probable cause to it. He stepped across the room with Ruve dragging out a case.
"It's shielded," Ruve said. "And I don't think you should be directly exposed to it. Even if you become immune to their powers, I wouldn't want to risk it."
Harry looked at the edge of the crystal clear case in astonishment and surprise. He tapped his fingers on the top of it. The Kryptonite parts stuck out from it. Harry noticed other elements, darker than the shining green. They poked up and shimmered with an obscene amount of light. This type of light drove Harry ever so closely to them.
Sara never saw anything like this before. She cast one look back and towards Harry. The surprised glimpse in Harry's eyes made Sara more astonished then anything. He did not see anything like these crystals ever before in his life either, at least if Sara read his expression properly.
"These are very interesting," Harry remarked.
"The story of them goes deeper than that," Ruve said. "The crystals were not meant for you. They were meant as an advanced failsafe in case the White Bumblebee saw my estranged husband and his followers as expendable and he needed them to be extinguished for the greater good."
Harry's eye twitched at hearing those three words. It had been used by Dumbledore's critics mockingly when he did something which seemed to defy all explanation. Harry agreed on Dumbledore on very few things. However, attributing this phrase to him was a bit unfair, given it was Gridelwald who was the one who said it.
'Then again, maybe in this universe, Dumbledore's the bad one and Gridelwald is the hero,' Harry thought. 'I would not be surprised to be honest.'
"They weren't meant for you," Sara said. "Well, it would be just right if they created something dangerous by accident."
Some of the most dangerous things had been either created by accident or had been created with a more mundane purpose. Many crafted together some very potent and powerful magical artifacts. Sometimes it was done by accident in mind.
"Do you have any the crystals which have not been combined with the Kryptonite?" Harry asked.
Ruve took a few seconds and nodded. She moved into the vault off to the side and opened it up. A case, shielded, of several different crystal pieces popped out. It had been blocked from affecting Harry. Harry took it into the palm of his hand and considered opening it.
"Shut if it makes me pass out," Harry told Sara.
He put it in the palm of Sara's hand. Hot fire, more or less ,pressed into the palm of the woman's hand. The box opened up and the crystals shined out. Harry stepped back and a flushed feeling went over him. He could feel his energy slowly turning against him. A few miniature knives, invisible, stabbed against his body. The sorcerer pushed back.
"Close it."
The box snapped shut. Harry stroked his hair back and took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself. He took a second to readjust himself. Harry ran the medallion over himself. A three dimensional image of his vital signs floated in the air. Harry checked them and nodded in response.
"Everything is okay," Harry said. "It didn't affect as fast."
"The meteor rocks being included amplifies the strength of the crystals," Ruve said. "And before you ask, I don't know where they've come from."
Harry figured about as much. He really did not know where they would come from himself. These were powerful elements the likes of which Harry had never seen. He slipped deep into the bond link.
'So, any of you see anything like this?'
The people in the bond all muttered against it. Harry figured about as much. He saw the flickers of power flashing against it. Harry's fingers touched against the edge of the box and brushed closer towards it. The sorcerer frowned and studied the crystal with deep intently.
'No,' Kara thought. 'It's pretty bad thought all things considered. If you can combine the crystal with the Kryptonite, it's very dangerous. And who knows what this could do to normal humans in the long run. We'd have to study them more closely.'
Harry would have to agree. The advanced soldiers were not made for him. They might have not been created until being exposed to the advanced cocktail. Two questions came to Harry's mind.
The first was exactly how did Darhk get his hands on crystals which threatened any magic. Harry wanted to find the source and shut it down at possible. The other question did not really pertain to something which affected Harry directly. He locked eyes with Ruve.
"Would these work on the White Bumblebee?"
Ruve shrugged her shoulders in response. No one could know whether or not they would work against him. No one ever slipped very close to the White Bumblebee in recent times. Ruve thought it could, but they don't know.
"No one has been close to him in decades."
Harry figured about as much. He took both of the raw crystals and the sample combined with Kryptonite. Behind the shields, Harry felt some kind of energy pumping against him. A sensitive blast of energy came close to rising deep from the other side of them.
'So, what's your next move?' Nyssa asked.
'Hopefully we figure out something at Star Labs,' Harry thought. 'We've found the one missing component.'
Seconds later after the meeting included, Harry made his way down into the parking lot at Star Labs. Amanda and Emily appeared a few inches away from him. The twins blinked in astonishment.
"So, are you here to see Caitlin?" Amanda asked with a suggestive smile and wink which only ended with Emily jamming Amanda in the ribs to shut her up. "Oh, you…that hurt!"
Harry chuckled at the twins just glaring at each other. Emily shook her head in response. She had been curious to see Harry showing up at Star Labs right now to be perfectly honest. One twin had slightly more tact that the other twin.
"I'm here to see her," Harry said. "And not in the way that you think…that was earlier."
"And we missed it?" Amanda asked. A mischievous smile popped against her face. Emily looked across the shoulder and warned her sister. "What? What did I say?"
Emily tapped her finger against Amanda's chin. "You know what you've said."
Amanda shook her head. Harry cleared his throat and the twins turned to him. They moved closer towards Harry. They curiously looked at the case in his hands with a frown etched on her face.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked .
"Well, we're trying to get Wells to sell," Amanda said. "We heard the rumors that some of the investors are losing confident in him. He's interested in getting the Particle Accelerator up and running."
Interested, some might want to say he was a little bit obsessed with getting the Accelerator up and running. He claimed anywhere between eighteen months at the most conservative estimates, to three years providing anything that was wrong. Amanda would not be surprised for this project to go on for a decade and for it to work properly, it almost had to go on that long.
'Stock holders have no patience.'
It was a very unfortunate truth, but one that was very obvious. Amanda did hope Star Labs would be strengthened through their relationship with Horizon. Wells had been very secretive of a lot of what he's up to.
"So, what were you working on with Caitlin?" Amanda asked. "And if you don't mind me for asking….."
"These?" Harry asked.
Harry held out the case with the crystal. The black crystals shined out and drew the attention of the twins into it. They almost expected some loud crash of lightning to come on in. Amanda's lips pressed against her in surprise and Emily moved over to open the case. Harry drew it away.
"They are crystals which drastically effect magical users," Harry said. "The people who found them combined it with the green space rocks and it made me weak."
"Wait?" Amanda asked. "No way! No way! You're being very serious? This is something that can cause magic to be suppressed? You're not kidding, are you?"
"He's not kidding."
Emily's mundane statement regarding this made Harry just shake his head with a smile on his face. The twins hovered over the case with the crystal. Their eyes dropped from one crystal to the larger case. The huge chunk of combined black crystal and green kryptonite shimmered from the other end of the case.
"It's some kind of alien element," Amanda said. "It has to be."
Amanda wondered to crack it open and see what made it work. It was risky to touch something like this especially when it caused the damage on Harry. And it should not have caused damage to Harry.
"I don't want either of you to get your hands on this," Harry said. "It's something that HIVE uncovered."
"Oh, that's bad," Emily said. "It seems like they're finding a way to bring you down."
Harry decided to drop the other part of the bombshell down on them. "Actually, they're not created to take me down. They're created to take the White Bumblebee down."
Both twins brought their mouths open. Confusion pretty much summed up their expressions. Harry could have smiled at the shocked looks. Harry stepped around them, with both of the cases, the smaller elements. He could tell the twins had many questions. Harry had more than a few questions which he would have loved to answer.
"Harry," Caitlin said.
"I found it," Harry said. "The missing element…it might be beyond the reach of Star Labs though."
Caitlin took a second to eye the element from the other side of the crate. She decided to give her best crack at it. What would there be to lose?
"That is intriguing."
They all turned around to see Harrison Wells. Wells turned over and acknowledge both twins with a smile before stepping over towards the box.
"Be careful," Harry said.
"Yes," Wells said. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Potter, and you're welcome by the way. I thought that device might come in handy, although it was you who got it working. And you've put me on the right track for something else, whether or not you realize it or not."
Wells studied the crystals on the other side of the crate. Harry could see those wheels turning. Wells looked intrigued, with a true mystery of life out from under him.
"You've uncovered a rare element," Wells said. "But, the reason is why would you bring it here?"
"The element could tap into certain super human abilities," Harry said. "Or cause people with them to suffer."
"Element Seven," Wells murmured. Harry, Caitlin, and the twins looked at them. "That's…what me and my old partner called something which had not been classified by any scientific means. Some call it mystical, but I just call it science which cannot be properly explained just yet."
"I think would agree that it's dangerous as well," Harry said.
"Yes," Wells said. "And I believe we should find a way to negate this crystal, in case more of it falls in the wrong hands. I think I have some resources which might help."
Harry had been pretty surprised Wells offered to lend a hand. There were a couple of questions, but still, any help Harry could get, he appreciated it one hundred percent.
A couple of pained steps dragged Olivia past the driveway into the Queen Mansion. She moved over around the blindspots and past the security cameras. Liv noticed the window half open and it would be her way to get back in. She hated to sneak out of this mansion constantly.
'I'm going to have to get my own place,' Liv said. 'No matter how much it flies in the face of the entire rich spoiled child who can't figure out what to do with her life, narrative.'
Liv took off her hood and had been bruised just slightly. The armor prevented the bullet from piercing her side and she appreciated it that much. Liv pulled out the list on the table. Another marked off the list, and the information given to the Starling City Police Department would damage the man's reputation.
Some people on this list would not go down easily. So far, Liv had terrified many into making a confession. The urban legend of the Hood putting arrows through the throats of the criminals in Starling City went a long way to solidify her stance.
Liv brushed her bruised arm and groaned once more. Maybe she should have waited for Laurel to back her up. Unfortunately, Liv hated waiting.
A couple of footsteps came down the hallway. Liv stepped and looked around. She noticed Thea coming from the bathroom. She walked around in a half-asleep state. Liv made sure Thea was back into her room before going down the hallway. Liv needed to head to the bathroom and wash up.
'Yeah, there's no question about it. If I don't get a place of my own soon, there's going to be problems.'
"Olivia?"
Liv turned around on sheer instinct and braced for an attack. Thea leaned against the door frame. Brown eyes stood widened at the state of Liv.
"You've been acting weird since you've been home," Thea said. "I mean it, you've been weird. I thought at first it was because you were getting used to being back home from the island."
She knew Thea would say something. "I am."
"Damn it, Liv, we both know it's not it," Thea said. "You know it. I know it. Both of us know it. So why don't you just cut the bullshit and tell me what the hell is going on?"
Liv could see Thea's imploring eyes at her. She hated lying to her sister.
"Listen, Speedy…."
"Don't listen Speedy me," Thea said firmly. "I thought at first you were sneaking out to see someone. Might have been Laurel, might have been Sara again, might have been that one blonde who works at the IT office at Queen Consolidated. Or it might have been someone else."
"Who else?" Liv asked.
Thea shook her head. Boy her sister could be dense sometimes. Regardless, Thea did not want this conversation to be distracted from the point of it.
"That's not the point," Thea said. "I thought it was you seeing someone, but I think you're doing something. You come back and walk funny, and not in the good way either."
"I've been out at night," Liv said. "I think it's time for you to know. But you're not going to like it."
"Why wouldn't I like it?" Thea asked.
Liv motioned for Thea to follow her down the hallway. Any number of possibilities entered Thea's mind. Liv was into prostitution, Liv was doing drugs, she was robbing people to get a high. She entered some kind of illegal fight club deep underneath Starling City. Thea knew nothing about such a thing existing. She figured it might have existed. So many possibilities entered her mind.
The one which did not enter her mind even though it should have was her sister running around the city dressed in a green hood and shooting arrows through douchebag one percenters.
"My god," Thea said. "This is…you're her…you are….aren't you?"
"Yes," Liv said. "And I'm not too happy what I have to do. Our father, he wasn't a perfect man. He made this list and handed it to Sara who passed it off to me. It was the people who cause most of the problems in this city. And…I'm not sure if he's the one who made it, but he….there's a lot of pretty wealthy people on it."
The drawer opened and Liv pulled out the notebook. Thea's eyebrows raised when seeing the name.
"He gives money to orphanages every year," Thea said. "And he sponsors the children hospital, these are champions of good causes, and you're saying these are bad people."
The list and Liv's grim smile caused Thea to come to the articulate conclusion of "oh, fuck, fuck, fuck" which danced in her head like some demonic sounding mantra. Thea lost it, lost it all mentally and physically.
"Our father was involved with these people," Thea said. "What about Mom? She's acting funny lately. She's just…I don't know, she's acting funny."
"What do you think?" Liv asked.
"I…don't know," Thea said. "This is too much."
Thea Queen's mind ran about a million miles a minute. She thought that if this was some mess her parents caused, she really wanted in to do something worthwhile. Yet, was it her responsibility to do so? Was it Liv's? Was it anyone? Could Starling City even be saved or was it doomed to decay? These were the questions moving over Thea's head.
"I need to think about it."
Liv understood and returned. She was confident Thea would not tell anyone, especially their mother, about the list. What else she might do in her terror and in her confusion, Liv had no idea.
'She had to know'
Lex Luthor spent the last few days in Smallville and had been very curious about some of the events going on. Olivia Queen rolling back into their lives after being assumed dead for a few years put Lex on his guard. Queen and her extremely narcissistic behavior rubbed Lex the wrong way. Lex did not really feel the closeness with Claire either, but he really felt it was a public surface to warn Claire that Queen was up to know good.
Claire Kent, Lex recalled the ups and downs of their friendship, and despite rumors to the contrary, they were nothing more other than friends. Lex did not even hold his heart on anything more. The level of secrets between them caused a fraction. Lex tried to be the better person. It appeared through despite him being the better person, she was keeping secrets form him once again. Lex did not particularly like that.
'Who is Harry Potter?'
Any time there was a mystery, it caused Lex much frustration. He hated mysteries because it made him feel out of control. He felt more frustrated than ever before with Harry Potter's arrival. The symbol he wore also opened the door for another mystery which Lex felt could not be answered.
'Smallville,' Lex thought. 'A sleepy little town which is always capable of much mystery.'
The phone Lex clipped this side started to ring. Lex grabbed it and then answered it.
"Yes," Lex said.
"Alexander," the steely voice on the other end of the phone said. "This is Mr. Eastman. Lionel's attorney."
Yes, Lex knew exactly who that particular bottom feeder was. He was hovering about the edges like a parasite just waiting to settle the Luthor estate in his own way. Lex ran his finger against the end of the phone before waiting for some kind of answer.
"What can I do for you?" Lex asked.
The slimy voice of Mr. Eastman came on the other end of the phone. "Lionel has taken another turn for the worst. He may be dead by the end of the weekend if they don't find exactly what was wrong with him."
Lex held some skepticism regarding his father's ailment if he had been perfectly honest. At least at first, because he would not put it past Lionel to fake an interest. Lex turned and peered from his hiding spot out towards the Kent Farm. He could see Claire walking outside with the girl who claimed to be her cousin, Kara. Lex had gone digging and had not found anything to contradict it, although he had not found a chance to look deep. His fascinating with every single personal aspect of his former friend's life just grew.
Some cynics would accuse Lex of stalking Claire. He disagreed with statements like this. He was just looking out for Claire's best interests.
"So, are you certain that Lionel is about done?" Lex asked.
He sounded none too eager, at least no more than Mr. Eastman did when speaking of Lionel's potential demise. "If you want to say goodbye, I would advise doing it within the next couple of days."
Lex noticed Kara and Claire walking into the kitchen. Non-existent hairs pricked up on the back of Lex's neck. It was a weird feeling and almost made him feel like someone watched him.
"I'll be there."
Sara crouched down in front of a punching back. She dressed in a very tight pair of black pants and a sports bra to match. Sara wound up and connected her bare foot against the punching back. She kept herself very fit for the upcoming people. Sara leaned back and punched the bag again.
Her phone rang from the other side of the room. Sara moved over, took a drink of water and answered the phone.
"Sara," Liv said. "I did something that I kind of regret."
'Oh boy,' Sara thought. 'What could she regret?'
"I told Thea about the list," Liv said. "I'm not sure if it is the right thing though. She's not acting very well about it, especially given what our parents are involved with."
Liv took in a deep breath. Sara just listened to Liv. Would she have given showed Thea the list had Sara stood in Liv's shoes? She did not really know to be perfectly honest. Sara had a lot of thoughts going through her mind.
"Okay," Sara said. "Okay. Just keep calm. Everything's going to be fine. Thea…you don't think Thea's going to tell everyone, is she?"
"No," Liv said. "But, I think it might have pushed her back into a dark place. I'm going to keep a close eye on her. And I just hope she doesn't fall back into her old habits."
"Give your sister credit," Sara said. "She's made some bad choices. We both made our share of bad choices."
Sara found herself on the wrong side of law enforcement many times when she was Thea's age. Her father was not too happy with what Sara did, although she did catch him wondering where he went wrong. Sara's mother on the other hand, she really let Sara have it from what she did.
"Harry and I will be in Starling tomorrow," Sara said. "I'll talk with her…we all will talk to her."
Liv, bless her, did not have the best tact in the world. Sara hung up the phone with a small smile popping over her face just in time to see Harry standing there.
"So?" Sara asked him.
"Horizon and Star Labs are working together on a cure," Harry said. "They should be able to find out a way to block the crystals, if anyone can. They have enough resources between the two of them….and even the fabled Harrison Wells is involved in this."
"Do you trust him?"
"I trust Mandy and Emmy," Harry said. "They're going to be there. I can't put my finger on something though. It almost looked like Wells ran into that element before."
"You think?" Sara asked him.
"I didn't tell him much more than I had to," Harry said. "But, I'll give him credit. He didn't really asked."
Sara frowned. She trusted Harry's judgment most of the time. This particular play had been one out of desperation. Darhk would not sit on this information for long.
"So, did you finish your workout?" Harry asked.
"Actually," Sara said with a smirk. "It's just beginning."
The two came next to each other with a kiss. Sara backed Harry against the wall with both of them tugging against each other's clothes. Harry reversed the position and deepened the kiss for Sara.
'And now, time to get my real cardio,' Sara thought.
Harry bent Sara over the workout bench much to her approval. His strong hands rolled over Sara's perfectly firm backside and squeezed it. She registered her approval with a couple of soft moans. Harry worked his hands over her sexy back and leaned in to kiss her across the chest. The sweet taste of the sweat against her beautiful skin form her workout just drove Harry to lust when kissing and sucking on the back of the neck of the vixen.
Sara closed her eyes tight and allowed a sultry moan to escape from the back of her throat. The fingers pushed deep against Sara from all ends. He reached down to her pants and tugged them down. Her thong clad ass came out into the picture with Harry pushing against it.
"Beautiful," Harry said.
He explored the back of Sara's strong legs and pushed up against her. She gave him a few soft moans the deeper Harry worked against her. Harry pulled her thong back and the juices trickling from this vixen only incited Harry. His fingers parted her soft wet lips and ground up against them. Sara tensed around him. The feeling of Harry's fingers probing back and forth made her moans increase.
"Don't stop."
Her pleading tone made Harry smile and work his fingers deep inside of Sara's tightening quim. Her wet tightness enveloped Harry and tensed around his fingers. He pulled her thong back and leaned in. Her perfectly pink asshole opened up. Harry danced his tongue against her hole before moving in. His face smashed between Sara's perfectly formed ass cheeks and kept eating her ass.
Sara enjoyed it, enjoyed Harry's tongue grinding against her ass when he fingered out. The perfect hunk of feminine flesh received plenty of touching on Harry's part. He slipped down the back of Sara's legs and worked her over to an orgasm. She came at a constant and rapid rate all over Harry's face.
He pulled away from her. Sara grabbed Harry's hair and kissed his lips. She tasted her juices and ass all over Harry's mouth. The two sucked at each other's mouth and lips. Harry grabbed Sara firmly by her bare ass and dropped down onto one of the workout benches.
Sara did a beautiful backbend to show her physically fit and flexible body. She smiled. It was nice to have a form desirable for the most powerful man on Earth. He reached on the underside of her top and pulled it off. Sara's full supple breasts stood perfectly. Harry grabbed them and squeezed the milky orbs. Sara thrashed back.
"Did anyone tell you you're just perfect?" Harry asked her.
"You did," Sara said. "But, the reinforcement is nice."
Speaking of perfection, Sara unraveled it in the form of Harry's engorged cock. Sara clasped a hand around Harry and guided his cock over towards her entrance. The sensual siren mounted the tip of Harry's cock and allowed it to pass through her warm lips.
Sara ensnared Harry by her legs and guided his huge prick inside of her. She put a hand on Harry's shoulder when rising up high and dropping down on him. Flesh smacked on flesh when Sara bounced upon him. Her beautiful body bended and contorted from each push down upon Harry.
"Take me," Sara said. "I need you so badly."
Harry grabbed Sara's hips and drove up inside of her. Her wet pussy grabbed Harry hard and milked him. Sara rose up and dropped down onto him. The vixen dropped down onto Harry. His fingers brushed against Sara's nipples and tugged on them. Sara breathed and bounced on his massive cock.
"So badly," Sara breathed. "Oh, fuck!"
Sara came hard and pressed her body against Harry. The two felt up each other's bodies and soaked in the power. Harry brushed his fingertips against Sara. Her perfect flesh shined in the light when bouncing onto them. She bent back to allow Harry access to everything. Warm lips collapsed on top of each other. Sara grabbed Harry's bicep and curled her fingers around it before squeezing it.
And speaking of squeezing, she squeezed his cock with her powerful inner muscles. Harry drove up into Sara. Her warm thighs crashed down upon his hard upon Harry's thighs. Harry grabbed her and guided Sara up and down. The moisture pooled down onto Harry.
Sara rose up, got off Harry, and turned against the wall. She grabbed onto the handle grips and gave Harry a perfect view of her pleasantly shaped booty. Harry walked over to Sara and grabbed her firmly. Her perfectly toned ass taunted Harry. Harry reared back and slammed himself into Sara from behind.
The women gave a very impassionate scream at the feeling of Harry's cock burying inside of her tight pussy from behind. Harry pulled almost all of the way back from her and drove into her pussy. Sara grabbed onto the wall every time Harry rose back and drove into her.
The wetness of her center hugged Harry. He pressed her against the wall while rocking up against her. Sara opened up for Harry and closed in at him. He pressed his groin against Sara and felt up the body of the warrior women when driving into her against the wall.
"You're getting the workout you need now, aren't you?"
Sara screamed out with a passionate yell. She got more than a good workout. Harry's thick cock speared its way into her. She felt herself stretch around him and snap back.
"Fuck! Yes! I'm feeling it now!"
Harry made her feel it. The warmth spreading over her body only encouraged Harry to drive his cock into the stunning beauty. He further stuck himself in and went deeper inside of Sara. Sara held on. Harry pushed her against the wall and fucked her very deeply.
The shared lust brought both further into this passionate dance. Harry clenched Sara's firm butt cheeks and smacked them hard. She screamed so loud the paint peeled off of the wall. Harry pushed up and out into her.
Sara's build up to the end and towards a great climax made her really excited. She had been lit up by Harry's cock driving into her.
"You're a gift," Sara breathed. "Oh, I don't know how I've lived without you."
Harry smiled and gave one of his queens an extreme amount of pleasure. His big cock pushed deep inside of Sara the further he drove into her. His hands groped her all of the way.
"Let out all of that pent up lust."
Boy did Sara ever! She made marks on the wall when hanging on. Harry held her up and lavished her body with attention. He worked back and forth against her. The rough thrusting only made Sara crave him even more. Her body craved Harry's and would take him.
Harry buried his cock deeper into Sara. She stretched around Harry and then released him. Intense cock-milking made Harry only drive himself into her. The scent of Sara's beautiful body inflamed Harry.
The two turned around, with Harry facing front against Sara. He drilled the beautiful woman into the wall. Sara's nails grabbed around Harry's bicep and squeezed it. She moaned hungrily and licked his ear lobe. Harry rewarded her lust with many thrusts. Their thighs slapped together the further they encountered each other.
Harry elevated Sara's legs up above his shoulders and slammed into the sultry vixen. Sara slumped against the wall, only held up by her own legs upon Harry's shoulders. Those fat balls pushed against her with Harry lavishing his attentions all over her. Face, breasts, hips, ass, clit, all of them received a full stroking from Harry.
Sara's damp sex brought Harry deeper inside. He breathed in the beautiful aroma from his lover the further and fast he stuck Sara with his cock. Sara ground her nail against Harry's arm and moaned in his ear. Passion brought them all down to a new level.
"Cum for me please," Sara said with a thinly suppressed moan.
Harry toyed with Sara's body and got her all heated. The pleasure shared between both of these lovers increased the further and faster Harry stuck his huge cock into Sara's moist pussy.
"Get ready," Harry said. "Get ready to cum for me."
"Yes!" Sara let out with a shriek of pleasure.
Her loins clamped down onto Harry's prick and pulled it inside of her. Harry pushed in and out of Sara at a very rapid fire rate. She grabbed onto his cock and squeezed it with her tightening walls. Harry picked up the pace to bring himself deeper inside of Sara. Her gaze burned with lust and showed how much she wanted this.
They came together next. Their workout came to an end with Harry burying himself into Sara and pushing his big cock into her. His balls tightened and discharged at a rapid rate to fill Sara up with his essence.
The two finished working together with Harry pulling from Sara and leaving her to collapse against the wall. Harry pulled Sara up by her hair and gave her a powerful kiss before scooping up Sara and walking her from the gym into the shower area. The two would have to get clean before getting dirty again.
Chapter Sixty-Three: Transference.
Now or never, do or die, Lex Luthor knew all of the sayings by now. And he knew that expecting his father to actually die when he should was not exactly something that he could take to the bank. Lex's eyes shifted over and he noticed Claire walking off to the side of him.
"Thank you for coming," Lex said. "I know we haven't gotten along the best as of late. And there are a lot of things we need to talk about. I don't know why you won't open up half of the time."
Claire frowned, hearing those words coming from Lex. Half of the time, she swore Lex found a way to blame his problems on someone else. She wanted to do what she could to help Lex. She was just that type of person to be perfectly honest.
Olivia Queen watched from the gate, dressed in a green hood. Lex tried anything, she shot him down. The voice in her ear piece gasped as Liv adjusted her head piece.
"You didn't tell me I was going to help you stalk Lex Luthor," the voice in ear piece said. "Because, seriously, I've heard about the Luthors. They make people disappear. And they have the money to make sure they're never found. Don't you…I hope he doesn't find out."
"Don't worry, Felicity," Liv said. "You're fine. I need to see if Lionel really is on his death bed as well. He's on my list."
"Yeah, but if he's dying, wouldn't it be overkill just to put an arrow through him?" Felicity asked. "Because…I get that there are a lot of scumbags that need to…well you need to take down, but going after a dying man. Isn't that a bit much?"
A few seconds passed as Liv watched Claire and Lex make their way closer to the cell. Claire was a trusting girl, a bit too much to be honest. Even at her most intoxicated, Liv did not think she was all that trusting.
"Unless this is about Lex Luthor?" Felicity asked. "I know this isn't any of my business, and asking a question like this about one of my bosses is out of line, but were you two…you know…involved?"
"No, never," Liv bluntly stated.
Felicity could tell this part of the conversation had been over since the minute it started. She did not want to offend Liv to be honest. Liv took her out of the dark IT office, where to be fair, and gave her something more constructive to do with her time. And she did not want the additional perks to end.
"Those guards are looking pretty shifty," Liv said.
"Well, maybe they saw you," Felicity said. "Are maybe they aren't guards at all or something? I don't really know."
Felicity might have said the statement out of jest, but Liv was going to have to agree with something. These guards might not look like guards at all. One of the guards moved over in front of Lex. A gun held in the hand.
"I've called ahead," Lex said. "I've obtained permission to go and visit my father."
The guard did not seem to be taking the bait. Liv put her hood down and was ready to fight in case her early hunch on the guards had been right. One of the moved into Lex who stepped back a couple of inches and was about ready to say something. The tranquilizer dart stuck in the back of Lex's neck.
Claire moved over and grabbed one of the guards. She felt the grip of one of the guards around her wrist and then felt very fatigued. The source of the sudden fatigue came in front of her with the green rock fastened to the man's belt. Claire tried to hold back her own attack. The gentleman grabbed around her wrist and forced Claire to a kneeling position. A loud grunt came over her body.
The attacker relinquished his grip around Claire from the arrow fired at his back. The piercing scream came through as the attacker spun around. The mysterious Hooded Avenger of Starling City dropped down. One of the attackers lifted his hand. Purple fire emitted from the finger tips.
Claire used a sweeping move she learned from Nyssa to bring the attacker down. A third one's forward momentum stopped with a single arrow to the knee!
A figure dressed in black swooped behind. Claire grabbed the figure and rolled around with him on the ground. The attacker dug a razor sharp blade into Claire's wrist and then something else stabbed into her hand. A flash emitted between both of them.
Liv spun in a circle and fired arrows off against the meteor mutants. The explosions sent them flying up. She nailed the figure dressed in black with an arrow to the back of the leg. The figure let go of Claire and gurgled in surprise.
"Darhk?" Liv asked. "Damien Darhk!"
Darhk tried to struggle away from Liv's grip. Liv punched Darhk in the ribs to double over and nailed him across the back of the head. He slumped to the ground unable to move.
"We should rip the bastard's head off!" Claire yelled. "Look what he tried to do to me."
"Slow down," Liv said. "I know you're angry at him. I understand it, but you need to calm down. You don't need to attack him."
Claire crossed her arms and stared down at Darhk. Her eyes just flashed with rage, but she nodded. She roughly pulled Darhk up off of the ground and slumped him over her shoulder.
The guards were already out, the real ones, in time to see Lex laid out on the ground. The Kryptonian Survivor took Liv's hand and roughly took her off of the ground.
Thea Queen spent the next couple of days in a very evident daze. She learned about what Liv did overnight. It caused her life to turn upside down. Thea lifted up the cell phone and read the message. It stated to meet Sara there.
Sara, how much she did know about all this, Thea wondered? Thea could not even begin to figure out what was going on here. All she could do was keep walking and keep moving. She had the sense at first someone followed her.
Then, there was nothing. Thea wondered if she had been very paranoid. She stepped into the room where Sara waited for her at the table. Thea felt like she was an extra in some kind of spy movie with the discreet movements and the cloak and dagger nature of the meeting. She found things extremely exciting and entirely frustrated wrapped in one package.
'As long as I don't get knifed in the back.'
Thea moved over across the room. She sat down with a smile to greet Sara.
"Liv told you about her crusade," Sara said.
"Hi, Sara, nice to see you too," Thea said. The stern look from the older blonde just made Thea shake her head. "Yeah, Liv told me. I kind of forced her into telling me. When she came in her beating up. When your sister comes in there, half beaten and half bruised, you start asking questions."
Sara offered Thea a drink. The latte actually caused Thea's nerves. She would have argued against having anything a little bit stronger. No matter how much she had been trying to get sort of such things.
"You would have done the same thing if it had been Laurel," Thea said.
"Not arguing."
Sara would not argue with Thea for a second about something like that. She looked up and smiled the second Harry walked inside. Thea almost jumped up straight in surprise.
"There was a couple of men who followed you on your way here," Harry said.
She knew it somehow. Just because you were a bit paranoid did not mean that someone was not out to get her. Thea pulled out the chair instinctually so Harry could sit down next to her. He did.
"I knew there was someone going after me," Thea said. "I just knew it. They didn't give you any trouble, did they?"
"No," Harry said. "I took care of them."
Thea honestly did not want to know what he meant by taking care of them. Perhaps it was not for the best she did not know. There were a lot of things which just spun Thea's life upside down in the past couple of months.
"You learned about Liv's activities," Harry told her. "And do you want to help her make things right?"
The loaded question just floored Thea. She had been very grateful that Harry was not going to beat around the bush. Still, she would have thought he would have asked her something a bit less blunt. Thea drank down about half of a latte and eyed her.
"I…I don't know," Thea said. "I mean, think about it. I've thought about it. I've really thought about it and I really don't know."
Harry put a hand on Thea's bare leg. Thea's eyes closed together with a few seconds and felt very relaxed by Harry's touch brushing against her leg.
"What happened is my responsibility to take care of as much as Liv's. Our parents….I don't want to think the worst of them."
It was easy to understand where Thea was coming from. She came to the crossroads many people did. Despite the fact that someone wanted to hold their parents up to a high standard, they still were only human and they still made some mistakes. That was just how things went.
"I understand what you mean," Harry said to her. "We can help you."
"Laurel's already working with me," Thea said. "I took some defense lessons when I was younger before I had problems. Will it be enough?"
"We can help you," Sara said. "But, only you can make that decision, Thea."
Thea almost one hundred percent made up her mind. There was one shred of lingering doubt which made her frustrated. The waitress came over and they ordered before leaving.
"I'll let you think of it," Sara said. "Let Laurel know if I'm not around and she knows how to get in touch with us."
The younger Queen heiress nodded in understand. Did she want to jump down that rabbit hole? Her body shifted at the sound of the phone ringing. Harry took the phone.
"We have a problem," Liv's voice said over the phone.
The semi-conscious form of Damien Darhk's eyes flickered open. The Daughters of Ra's al Ghul stood on either side of him. Nyssa would not have believed it unless she saw it with her own eyes. And hell, there was a huge part of her which did not believe it.
"So, what do you think?" Talia asked. "Should we bring him to our father? Providing of course he's exactly who he says he is and not some kind of double."
Nyssa would have to be fair, even though Darhk barely warranted it. He had pulled deception before. They could only tell when he had been woken up. The medallion around her neck reacted very weirdly around Darhk's body. She had no idea what it meant.
'I'm going to have to ask someone when it's done,' Nyssa thought. 'Olivia must have hit him harder than I thought.'
Every few seconds, they noticed Claire hovering around the outside of the barn which they kept Darhk. Darhk stabbed her with something and wounded her. They had been unable to find the blade unfortunately.
"He's awakening," Talia said.
Darhk gargled when trying to get to his feet. The man did not look too well. A few black lines came around his jaw when he was barely held together. His eyes opened and a blurred vision came towards him. Nyssa placed her blade against Darhk's throat to prevent his movement.
The groggy individual tried to break the ropes holding him. The ropes only burned around his wrists. It was very hard to breath in this particular position.
"Where am I?" Darhk asked. "This isn't right….nothing feels right….listen!"
Nyssa jammed her finger against the edge of Darhk's neck. Darhk jerked up from his position and a very hideous breath came out of him. He tried to get away from the wall once again.
"Does nothing feel right because you did not expect to be grabbed?" Nyssa asked. "Failure normally does not feel right. You will pay for your crimes."
"You don't understand."
Darhk's words faded off into nothing as Talia jabbed him in the side of the neck. The first few blasts of a knockout drug rendered him completely unconscious. The delirious Darhk ranted out a few more words before he faded completely to black.
"He will pay once I get the go ahead."
"Maybe we should kill him?"
Nyssa turned around to see Claire standing in the doorway. Her eyes narrowed when locked completely onto Nyssa. Nyssa had been honestly surprised to see the rage in Claire's eyes.
"Kill him. Make him fry. He deserves to suffer like he's made so many other people suffer."
"Slow down," Nyssa said. "He must get sent to the League of Assassins for judgment to be passed."
"And what if he escapes?" Claire asked.
"Child, you have no clue of our competence," Talia said. "You kill him and you answer to us. Is that clear?"
A large chunk of green space rock slipped out of Talia's sleeve. Claire's eyes narrowed and the energy around the rock caused her to stagger back. Talia only showed it for a few seconds before retracting it back into the lead lined sleeve. Nyssa grabbed Claire's shoulder.
"Let's go."
The two stepped back a few feet from the barn. Nyssa stood in a battle stance when locking eyes onto Claire. Claire and Nyssa surrounded each other.
"You want to burn off some of this energy?" Nyssa asked. "Let's go."
The two walked over towards the barn. Claire grounded her fists together. Nyssa spent a few seconds studying the girl. She wondered if there had been some place where she had been infected by Red Kryptonite. Chloe mentioned that Red Kryptonite altered Claire's personality. And if Darhk threatened her in any way, it might have caused those changes come out.
'There are other options,' Nyssa admitted to herself. 'I'm going to have to be sure, and be ready to fight her.'
"Should have killed him why you had the chance," Claire said.
Nyssa rushed in and nailed Claire with a back hand punch. Claire popped up and blocked Nyssa's arm before pushing her back. A couple of bones cracked and Nyssa staggered down to the ground. She winced at the force Claire applied for the attack.
"Alright there?" Claire asked.
"You caught me off guard," Nyssa said. "Good job."
The Daughter of the Demon adjusted her stance to deal with a more skilled opponent. Claire rushed on in to attack her adversary. Both of them moved knuckle to knuckle with each other. Nyssa flipped in the air and used Claire's momentum to keep her down. She dropped down onto the ground and then took her down with a sweeping motion.
Claire adjusted her position and wrapped her arms around Nyssa's neck. She put a squeeze on the neck of the daughter of the Demon. Nyssa closed her eyes and groaned.
"I could break your neck here."
A struggle between the two ended with Nyssa pulling the pin on her wrist band and releasing a flare of red light out. Claire backed off from the attack and then Nyssa swept her down onto the ground. The Daughter of the Demon put a blade down against the suddenly weakened Claire.
"Yes, you could have," Nyssa said. "It's a good thing that I am not about to kill you, is it, Ms. Kent?"
"Yes!" she yelled.
The heat vision only flickered a small amount before Claire collapsed on the ground. She started to breath the second Nyssa pulled away from her.
"I have to go back," Claire said. "See what happened with Lex."
Nyssa watched her leave with a very thoughtful expression on her face. She nodded and waited for her to disappear around the corner and out of sight.
The moment Claire disappeared, Nyssa picked up the medallion and studied it with a frown on her face. It stopped glowing the second she cupped it in her hand.
Olivia Queen stepped through the gates at one of the Queen townhouse properties in Smallville. It had been a while since anyone had been here. Robert Queen spent a lot of time here, when he had been working with Virgil Swann and he conducted his business with the rest of Veritas.
She took in the scent of the fresh country air. Lex would be okay, and Liv supposed that she did not want him to be killed by HIVE. Claire, she lost it, and she lost it big time. Liv always saw her as about as mild-mannered as your average reporter.
Liv stepped over the fence towards the archery range. She had vague memories of herself and Thea coming out here when they were much younger. It almost felt like it was yesterday. She studied the arrows.
'Still in good shape,' Liv thought. 'Dad always bought the very best. Some of his decisions might not have been the best. But he bought the best.'
Liv tested the strength of the arrows and let in a very evident sigh. She plucked the arrow and then had enough give. She pulled out the bow which still had been strong as the day she had been last here. The arrow fired towards the central target.
"There are times where I really think you're showing off."
The hooded archer spun around on a reflex to point the bow at the two parties who showed up. Two of the medallion holders, the White Canary and the Dragon, stepped in. Liv dropped the bow and invited them to sit down on a bench.
"Any luck with Thea?"
Sara smiled and patted her friend on the knee. "I think we're coming to an understanding. She's a bit weirded out, but…she's not had as much time to come to terms with this as you did. And she was coming off some problems."
"Having her sister die and return to life didn't technically help," Liv said.
"Laurel's working with her in sharpening her skills just in case," Harry said.
Liv knew Thea would be in some pretty good hands if Laurel had been helping out. To be perfectly honest, Liv slept a little bit better knowing Thea had the ability to defend herself. Liv hated to admit it. The incident in Starling City when she found out what Thea would have been up to pointed out that Liv could not always be there to stab her.
'I think there's something wrong with Claire,' Nyssa thought.
Harry figured it was best to ask Liv. "Is Claire alright? I heard from Nyssa she was attacked."
Liv sat bolt upright for a second. It was almost like something just came to her.
"I don't think….well she wanted to kill Darhk after he stabbed her," Liv said. "You don't think there's something weird going on here, do you?"
'Nyssa?' Harry asked.
'Yes?' Nyssa asked. 'Do you think it's possible that Clara has been injected by Red Kryptonite or is there something else? I de-powered her with the watch, but….there's just something else.'
'There is something else,' Harry said. 'Talia has not left to inform your father you have Darhk, has she?'
Harry crossed his fingers to hope that there had not been anything of the sort. Nyssa popped back through the bond link and shook her head. 'I'm guessing you want to hold off on it until you figure out what happened. Do you think he knows?'
'I want you to talk to him when he wakes up,' Harry thought. 'And Kara?'
'Yes?' Kara asked. 'I'm at the Kent Farm. What do you need?'
'I need you to keep an eye out for Claire in case she comes back and causes trouble,' Harry thought. 'I have a feeling she's not herself.'
It was more than a feeling. Harry wanted to investigate the scene of where Darhk stabbed Claire. He smelled a rat and another feeling of darkness rippling against the back of his head.
From the shadows of the Kent Farm stalked Claire Kent. She ensured everyone disappeared before moving into the backdoor. Obsession burned through her bright blue eyes. And obsession at acquiring a certain item continued to burn through the mind buried deep into Claire's skull.
Claire made her way to the kitchen and ripped open the cabinets. She cursed the Daughter of the Demon for using that watch to eliminate her strength. It slowly trickled back, but what had been reserved had been lost. The light burns on her skin prevented the absorption of yellow solar radiation.
"Where is it?" she demanded. "Where is it?"
She almost tipped the table over before heading up the stairs. A few flickers of energy came. Claire stood in the middle of the hallway and focused intently.
'X-Ray vision. Useful.'
The scan of the room allowed her to search the area even more. A whoosh caused Claire to cease the searching. A three hundred and sixty-degree turn of the head caused her to stand face to face with an occupant standing firm on the other side of the hallway.
"You're not Clara," Kara said. "What the hell did you do with her?"
"Well, one of you figured it out," Claire said. Her fist gripped. Most the burns heeled on her body and caused the yellow solar radiation to empower her further. "It's a pity it's going to be too late for you to do anything about it."
Kara looked into her cousin's eyes and saw not only a complete stranger, but an utter monster wearing her cousin's flesh. The holder of the separate medallion swept Claire's legs out from underneath her and held the woman down.
The two women struggled against each other. The strength of Kara overwhelmed Claire.
"You want to know where your cousin's mind is, don't you?" Claire asked.
"I want to know who in the name of…."
Claire nailed Kara with a forceful blow. The magic shield absorbed most of the uppercut thrust and dropped Kara down to her knees. Kara sucked in her breath and fell flat onto the ground. Her cousin threw a very violent punch.
'Not Clara,' Kara reminded herself.
The two ladies locked knuckles with Kara and Claire going back and forth until they flew out of the window and landed down onto the hard rocks. Claire hoisted the rocks into the air and started to punch them one at a time. The clouds of debris impaired Kara's vicious. Clair dodged around her and grabbed her around the throat. Kara broke free from the attack and used a dagger to slice Claire's cheek.
'I'm really sorry.'
Claire just grinned. "You could have disabled me, but you're afraid of truly hurting your cousin. But, don't worry, she'll wither and die within Damien Darhk's body."
Heat vision beams met each other. The duel ended with Claire blasting Kara backwards into the fence with a vicious smash. Kara slumped against the fence with a struggle to pull herself up. She slid down on the fence and climbed up just in time to find Claire's throat on her hand.
"I admit, a female body isn't my ideal destination. But it's not my final destination."
Kara busted free from the grip. Damien Darhk found a way to swap bodies with Claire. A heat vision beam nailed Kara in the abdomen and burned her flesh. Kara staggered up to her feet.
Darhk, inside Claire's body, hoisted up the Kent family tractor over his head with a mighty grunt and chucked it directly at Kara. Kara evaded the attack and watched the tractor hurl onto the road and smash into bits.
'Yeah, it's Darhk,' Kara thought in a haze.
And unlike Claire, Darhk had no hang ups on using these abilities to the most dangerous extent.