Even from his jail cell, Slade managed to get the officers in his command to bring him all the notes they had on Clark Kent. It had been easy enough; they already knew how to follow orders. It was a matter of finding those who were weak enough, who were willing to bend the rules.
Among the papers collected from the Fort Abrams facility were notes on various meteor rocks and their uses. The notes had been expanded on from Luthor’s research, and included all the known types of meteor rock. As he scanned the list, he noted one that had some intriguing possibilities:
Gold meteor rock might be the rarest to find its way to Earth. It is likely the only substance that can take away a Kryptonian’s power forever.
Slade sat back against the cool, cement wall. The moment he had learned that Clark Kent wasn’t just a meteor freak, but an alien, it had become his mission to eradicate him. But being in prison made that difficult… unless, he could find a way to permanently make him powerless.
The notes went on to suggest areas around the world where there were likely depositories of the gold meteor rock. Slade simply needed to send his minions there to locate one… and then use it on Clark Kent.
~L&C~
With the VRA no longer a threat and Clark once more with his powers, the Blur made a return to Metropolis. The people of the city were grateful, and were no longer swayed by those who wanted to unmask the heroes. The Blur had a purpose in Metropolis, and was welcomed with open arms.
With every save though, Clark missed Lois more and more. He missed having her coverage of his activities in the Planet, and what’s more, hated coming home to an empty house each night. While the Blur became more popular around the city, Clark became ever more lonely and concerned. He wished there was a way to locate the ring in time, or someway to connect to the Legion of the future to locate Lois and Joel…
But the days clicked by, super save after super save, and they still hadn’t returned.
As Clark had done when Lois had last disappeared, he threw himself into being the Blur. He visited the Fortress more, allowing Jor-El to help him finish his training. But when he returned to the empty farmhouse in the evenings, he felt like half a person.
Lois was his better half, and without her there, he feared he was losing touch with Clark Kent. He realized she was his humanity, and without her, while he could concentrate more on being the hero that the world needed, his own soul felt bereft.
The world needed the Blur, but Clark needed Lois more.
~L&C~
Clark had told Oliver about the darkness. Clark’s explanation of it reminded Oliver of Sunday school lectures, from when he was a kid, fighting an evil that preys on your weakness.
Lord knows that Oliver had weaknesses to spare… but he was determined not to fail Clark on this one. Oliver had stumbled more times than he cared to count, but if he could find a way, he would try to beat the darkness himself.
Years ago, when Oliver had started dreaming up his Green Arrow persona, he had read a legend about the Bow of Orion, which had defeated a darkness called Darkseid. The more he mulled it over, the more it seemed to Oliver that this darkness was the same that Clark had mentioned fighting. Oliver decided he needed to do some research, to find out if the legend was true. He spent the next weeks going through Carter Hall’s notes and the Veritas Journals, piecing together the history of what had happened to the legendary bow.
Now, with Lois missing, Oliver feared that Clark wouldn’t be strong enough to fight the darkness on his own. It was up to Oliver to try and locate the Bow of Orion, and to banish the darkness from the earth once more.
~L&C~
Celtic Coast
Oliver’s plane circled the tiny island off the coast of Ireland, looking for a relatively flat place to land amid the rocky surface of the island. It couldn’t have been more than five miles wide, with a large mountain covering most of the surface area. There was no civilization here, no tourists. In fact, most maps left the location off entirely, or mislabeled its coordinates. It had taken Oliver an extra hour and a half to locate it himself.
Eventually the plane landed, with just his pilot and assistant on board. Using his communicator to Watchtower, he sent his location to home base, so his pilot could relocate him after refueling. Oliver gave a final wave as his crew took off from the rocky coast. “Just don’t forget to come back for me, all right? Already spent too long on an island once…” he said aloud, though his crew couldn’t hear him in the cabin.
When the jet had finally whirred away out of sight, Oliver took out the map he had found in the Veritas Journals. The outline of the island was pretty accurate, but the place marking the spot of the bow didn’t seem very clear. There was just a large star, set off slightly to the right of the middle of the mountain.
Oliver sighed, looking around him at the huge expanse of mountain before him. It was going to be a hell of a long day.
~L&C~
Once inside the mountain, the temperature dropped considerably. Oliver pulled his leather vest out of his gear bag, as well as a miner’s light to wear. He thought it had looked ridiculous when he had tried it on at Watchtower, but in hindsight he was glad that Chloe had insisted he take it along.
Again he consulted the map, knowing that it had been written hundreds of years before. There was only a vague marking of a bridge within the cave somewhere, but it was hardly anything to go on. He still had a little radio access and tried to reach out to Watchtower.
“I’m heading in deep. Not sure for how much longer I’ll be able to ‘reach out and touch someone.’”
“Old AT and T jokes aside, you’re still on my radar,” Chloe reassured him. “I have a copy of the map, but I see what you mean by not a lot to go on. Still, the mountain is only about three miles long… surely you can’t get too lost in there?”
Oliver looked around him at the caves, seeing various passageways that led somewhere into the heart of the mountain. “I wouldn’t be so sure. But my crew will be back in two hours. You have them connected?”
“Yes, I just talked with your pilot. If you’re not out in two hours… we’ll get you out, Ollie.”
“All right. I’m gonna switch off to save battery power, okay?”
“Okay. Good luck.”
He grinned. “Love you, too, blondie,” he teased, noting her overly formal tone.
“Blondie? Who’s calling who a blondie?” she retorted with a snort.
“All right, I’ll see you when I get back…”
“Damn straight. We have reservations tomorrow night at the Golden Apple. I have a new dress all picked out and everything. Be a shame to waste it,” she teased.
“Don’t worry. Your new purchase won’t go to waste. Okay, over and out.”
Oliver chuckled to himself as he turned off his communicator. Chloe was a handful, but she was quickly becoming his whole world. He wasn’t sure she realized yet how important she was to him, but he wasn’t going to wait much longer to let her know. He had seen what had happened to Lois and Clark…
He shook his head, still trying to understand what had happened to Lois. He was always blown away by how blasé Clark took things like phantoms and time travel… He just hoped Lois and Joel would be all right. Regardless, Oliver had to do his part to try and save the world…
~L&C~
Oliver used instinct rather than logic to navigate, because there was no logic to be had in these caves. After about a half hour of wandering, he spotted something, like an engraving on a wall. He came closer to inspect it, and ran his fingers over it. It was filigreed in gold, and was the symbol of a bow and arrow.
He felt relief. He was on the right track!
Now that Oliver knew there were guiding symbols, he started looking for them before choosing his next path. After wandering for over an hour, Oliver at last came to a suspension bridge. The water seemed to give the cave light, and as Oliver peered down, he could see bioluminescent light running through the waters below. The bridge covered a wide span, but across the way, Oliver could see it – the Bow of Orion, suspended in a sheath of light.
Oliver stepped cautiously on the bridge, noting that it was made of a silvery thread he had never seen before, which almost glowed on its own. The boards to walk across were made of a similar material, but the whole construction seemed flimsy. Oliver put a tentative foot on the bridge, hearing the water rushing below him. The narrow bridge moved slightly under his weight, but it seemed it would hold him. Tentatively, Oliver started inching his way across the bridge. The wires were too thin to hold onto. As Oliver crossed, he felt his weight straining the fine ropes and wires that had suspended the bridge, likely for centuries.
Oliver pulled out a bow attached to climbing rope, uncertain whether the bridge would hold to make it across. He shot it across to the stone wall, mere feet from where the Bow of Orion hung.
He had exerted too much movement on the bridge, though, and just as his arrow was secured in a rock, Oliver felt the frail wires start to unravel. Knowing the bridge was about to collapse under him anyway, Oliver started running, and then jumped, just as the bridge fell, washed away by the rushing water below.
“Well, I hope there’s another way out of this place,” mumbled Oliver, pulling himself up his rope, dangling a good twenty feet from where he wanted to be.
But Oliver managed the distance in a matter of moments, using his martial arts skills, to make himself lighter and propel himself upwards.
At last, Oliver reached the rock, the Bow of Orion within his reach. He could read an inscription, ‘The only true power comes from within.’ To Oliver, the saying meant staying true to oneself. He knew that the times he had really messed up, gone way off track, were the times when he hadn’t been true to his calling.
A sense of calm came over Oliver as he reached for the Bow. It seemed to hum in his grasp, sending energy up his arm. Three arrows were in a small quiver beside the bow, each with a special engraving: Truth, Love and Power. Oliver carefully picked them up, and slid them into his small quiver that he had carried with him into the caves.
He turned to look about him, now wondering how he would get out of there, when he saw a shadow across the pass he had just come.
“Lord Darkseid will rule!” shouted the old crone. She seemed to be summoning some dark magic about her, but Oliver didn’t wait to see what, and simply pulled an arrow from his quiver, not even noticing if it was one made for the Bow or not.
The silver arrow flew across the pass, flashing a white light that evaporated the evil that had appeared out of nowhere, including the old crone. Fully spooked, Oliver looked over his shoulder, pulling an ordinary bow from his quiver this time, in case any other surprises awaited him.
There were none. He was alone. And he was trapped.
~L&C~
The now familiar purple light flashed around Lois and Joel. Lois looked around, noticing that they were in the loft in the barn. The loft looked neater than when they had left, making her uncertain whether or not they had made it home.
Lois let out a long breath. “Well, what do you think, Joel? Did we do it this time?”
Joel glanced about his surroundings, looking just about as uncertain as Lois felt. “Tell me about it, little guy. This time travelling is starting to get exhausting.”
Lois pocketed the golden ring, just in case they would need it again, and slowly headed down the steps of the loft. “Everything looks as it always does… no tells here,” she said, noting the tractor and other various farming equipment.
She stepped outside the barn, observing that the sky looked ripe with rain. It was late afternoon, and would be dark soon. Lois saw that Clark’s truck wasn’t in the driveway, but ran ahead to the farmhouse, just as thunder rumbled and the heavens opened up with rain.
Joel was crying by the time she made it to the porch. “Sorry, Joel. It couldn’t be helped,” she said sympathetically.
Tentatively, Lois knocked on the screen door. “Just please don’t let Lana pop out again,” she murmured nervously before calling out, “Hello? Is anybody home?”
When she didn’t get an answer, Lois tried the door. It was locked. But luckily, the city of Smallville was old-fashioned in all the best of ways, and Clark always kept a key under the mat. Lois located it and unlocked the door, entering the kitchen.
“Hello?” she called out again, noting that the house was completely dark. She flipped on a switch, and frowned when she noticed how neglected the place looked. It seemed it hadn’t been swept in weeks, and there were dishes left in the sink.
“Wow, Mrs. K wouldn’t approve,” Lois said dryly. “When the hell are we now?”
Then, Lois spotted it. Joel’s highchair, sitting in the corner. Joy coursed through her as she squeezed Joel tight. “We did it! We made it home!” But her joy was quickly dampened as she looked around her again, noting how neglected the house seemed.
And where was Clark?
Joel was getting antsy in Lois’ arms, needing a diaper change and to get out of the wet clothes he was wearing from the rain. She took him upstairs and was relieved to find all his baby things, just as she had left them. As she changed Joel, worry gnawed at her gut, thinking about Clark.
How long have we been gone? What effect must it have had on Clark?
Joel seemed happy to be back, and even enjoyed having bath. Lois put him in fresh clothes and took him downstairs to feed him, all the while worrying about Clark. She peeked in the fridge, and was disheartened to see that it looked like no one had been there in over two weeks. Thankfully, there were still some jars of baby food in the cabinet. Lois fed Joel and then took him up for bed.
“We’ve had some adventures, huh kid?” she whispered softly, settling him into his crib. “Now if I can just find Daddy…”
Lois tucked him in and sat by his bed and rubbed his tummy, before winding a small toy that played a lullaby. Lois noticed Joel’s giraffe in the corner of the crib, trying to remember if they had had it with them through the last time jump. She picked it up, puzzled as to how it got there looking so clean. She hoped it wasn’t a signal that they had jumped to the wrong time. Eventually Joel settled into sleep, and Lois got up with a big sigh. She stood by the door a moment before blowing a kiss and shutting out the light. “Good night, sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”
She sighed as she headed back down the steps to the living room. Lois sat on the sofa and tried to process what she remembered of their jumps in time. It wasn’t like the first time she jumped, where her memories had been all repressed, but it did feel like a dream.
She recalled seeing Clark and Lana together, and running into Ollie…. But the most amazing encounter had been meeting Clark in the future. The details were fuzzy, but Lois recalled a larger than life hero, flying to the rescue. She tried to reconcile that image with the broken man she had left, and she felt tears well up.
What if Clark still didn’t have his powers? Future Clark had said he eventually got them back, but when? What if Slade had found him again and was holding him somewhere?
Lois tried to stave off the panic, but looking around at the neglected farmhouse, she couldn’t help but come to the worst conclusion.
Lois started pacing around the living room, wondering what she should do. She spotted her purse on the sofa and thought of her phone. Maybe she could try to call Clark?
She was dismayed to discover that her battery was dead, and she couldn’t remember where she had put the charger. The farmhouse still had a landline, but she never bothered to memorize anyone’s number. Lois headed into the kitchen, thinking she may have left her charger in one of the drawers…
She started digging through the drawers, but then remembered that she had actually left it in her drawer at work. She let out a heavy sigh as she shoved the drawer shut. “What now?”
Lois looked about her in frustration, wishing she could reach out to someone to try and locate Clark. And she couldn’t drive anywhere, since Clark’s truck was missing. She was stuck there, especially with a thunderstorm raging outside…
“Clark, where are you?” she whispered forlornly, her stomach in knots over the idea that somehow Slade had gotten hold of him again… or maybe they had jumped time. Lois hadn’t exactly been proactive about keeping up with the house chores while Clark had been held in Fort Abrams…
Full of restless energy, Lois started cleaning. She scrubbed the dishes and swept the floor. She straightened the living room and vacuumed the carpet. Then suddenly, the electricity went out.
“Seriously?” she griped, pulling the vacuum plug from the wall. Then unexpectedly, feeling so overwhelmed she slid down against the wall and started sobbing. She was exhausted and feeling so lost. Perhaps they were in some other time… maybe some dystopian future where something had happened to all of them… she couldn’t know!
She realized too late she could have checked the news on TV for a clue. But the power wouldn’t come on again until at least after the storm passed.
Lois got to her feet, trying to pull herself together. She hated feeling helpless and uncertain. She found her way to the kitchen and dug through the drawers again, this time to locate a flashlight. She remembered seeing one earlier when she had been looking for her charger. When she found it, she then went on the hunt for candles and matches.
Lois found a stash of both in the hall closet. She set about lighting them and setting them up strategically around the kitchen and living room. The house actually looked lovely in the candlelight, but it only served to reinforce Lois’ distress.
She sat on the sofa in the living room, and let the tears flow. She had never felt so lost in her life. Lois knew in the light of day things would look better, but at the moment, with no communication to the outside world and coming home to a semi-abandoned farmhouse, she felt pretty hopeless.
Lois lay down on the sofa and tried to calm herself. She took a few deep breaths, but all she could think of was when she had last seen her Clark, dejected and afraid of never getting his powers back. What could have happened to him after they had disappeared?
“Where are you, Smallville?” she whispered to the darkness.
“Right here,” came a whispered response, tight with tears.
Lois jumped, seeing a shadow outlined in the kitchen. She sat up, blinking in disbelief. “Clark?”
Clark suddenly came to her and she stepped into his embrace, relief washing over her.
“You’re all right,” she breathed out in a sigh.
“I knew you’d come back…” he said softly, his eyes searching hers in the candlelight.
He suddenly pulled her closer, and kissed her deeply, thoroughly. Lois wrapped her arms around his neck, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, when there had been tears of sorrow only moments before.
“Tell me I’m home,” she whispered when she could speak again. “Tell me that you know who Joel is and what that stupid gold ring is. Tell me…” her breath hitched just a bit as she finished. “Tell me you are okay, that Slade didn’t come after you again…”
“Oh, Lois,” Clark sighed, pulling her in for a hug again. “I’m fine. I’m better than fine… my powers came back.”
“I knew they would,” she smiled.
He nodded, his eyes scanning her features hungrily. “But once they came back… God, all I could think of was you and Joel. I know you had taken the ring…”
She shook her head. “No, that one you can blame on our little guy. I was actually looking for the disk,” she admitted, somewhat abashedly. “I thought Jor-El could help you…”
“Well, you were right to think of Jor-El, but I wish you had come to me first,” he reprimanded softly.
“Future you said the same thing,” Lois responded with a snort.
“Future me?” Clark asked, suddenly curious.
Lois nodded. “Yep. And he—well, you told me Jor-El helped you. I’m sorry, Clark. I know I should have come to you first, but I was so worried… you were so withdrawn into yourself, and I didn’t know how to reach you. It seemed like getting your powers back was all that mattered to you…”
“I’m sorry, Lois. You are right. I did withdraw… I feared that without my powers, I couldn’t be me anymore, or at least, not who I was meant to be… But when I got my powers restored—Lois,” he sighed. “I needed to be Clark Kent more than ever. But I couldn’t face it here without you and Joel… I threw myself into being the Blur once more. But with every day that you were gone, I feared I was losing a part of myself…and it was terrifying me.”
Lois pulled him in for a hug once more. “Well, I’m here now.”
“When I saw you, lying on the sofa,” he whispered into her hair. “I knew everything would be all right. That everything was right with the world once more. Lois, you help me be who I need to be.”
She breathed out a sigh. “Wow… when I think about what I saw in the future…”
“What did you see, Lois?” Clark asked, sounding a little fearful.
“Clark, there is nothing to fear about the future. We’ve got this. And what you become is more amazing than I could have ever thought possible.”
Clark let out a long breath, full of relief. “I hope you’re right, and that I can live up to it.”
“You will, Clark. You will.”
~L&C~
Oliver sat down beside the rock to study the bow, and its arrows. He had obviously used one of the bows to fight the darkness that had appeared. He got another shiver, wondering how long that old crone had been on his heels in these caves… He glanced around and sighed. These caves that he longed to get out of, now that he had accomplished his mission.
He tried his communicator, but knew that even before he did, he wouldn’t be able to reach Watchtower.
Oliver sat his pack aside a for moment, to rest and think. He studied the arrows in his quiver. The one that he’d pulled to stop the evil crone had been ‘Truth.’ He wondered if that had been a mistake, but somehow he thought not. Though what truth had to do with anything, he wasn’t sure.
He was curious about the power of the Bow, though. He pulled an ordinary arrow and shot it across the way, just to test it. He had more accuracy than ever, which for him was hard to beat. Also, the arrow felt effortless, clean, and lethal. It felt made for him, and though few things made Oliver feel humble, he was honored that he was the one who had found it.
One of the arrows started glowing in his quiver. The one marked ‘Power’. Oliver studied it, curious as to why it was starting to glow. Then he noticed a small glint of light, a chink in the wall behind him. The light was from the sun, and he was a mere wall away from freedom.
But to use another arrow? There were only three, and one he had already used out of desperation. Was he supposed to use the second to escape?
He couldn’t explain it, but the arrow seemed to be speaking to him, beckoning him to use it. Not sure what else to do, Oliver stood up and loaded the ‘Power’ arrow in the Bow. He let it fly into the chink in the wall, causing it to break a wide hole in it. Seconds later, the mountain started to shake and Oliver knew that he had mere moments before the whole place would collapse.
Oliver stepped through the large hole, seeing that he was about fifty feet above the ground. He shot a regular arrow into the side wall, and rappelled downwards, just as the mountain started collapsing in on itself.
Just as he cleared the ground, Oliver spotted his jet. He ran towards it, the Bow of Orion clutched in his hand, looking like molten silver in the sunlight.
The steps of the plane were ready for him to board. Oliver bounded up them, struggling to catch his breath as he shouted orders.
“We’re done here! Let’s go!”
