"Well folks . . ." Professor Port announced. "It appears that Ms. Polendina will not be competing today due to certain health complications. Therefore, tonight's match will be postponed. If Ms. Polendina is still unable to fight tomorrow, Pyrrha Nikos will be the default victor and the final match will be between her and Yatsuhashi Daichi."
Disappointment diffused throughout the crowd, a number of spectators booed the decision. Meanwhile, Pyrrha Nikos stood in the center of the arena with a surprised expression.
Ultimately, Ironwood knew that a victory in the tournament was a small sacrifice. If Kent and Penny had a chance to subdue his double, then they had to take it. Such an asset was too dangerous in the hands of the enemy. The double's strength and speed alone made him a fearsome opponent, but heat vision was even more frightening.
Its power made Ironwood's metal fist tighten as he left the stadiums to get down to his ship. Despite Penny's modifications, she was in extreme danger. Kent seemed to care for her, he'd protect her, but that was no guarantee of her safety.
Ozpin and the others had left minutes ago to return to Beacon. Ironwood had recognized the tense grip with which his old friend had held his cane. Ozpin was expecting trouble now that Kent was no longer present to defend them, and Ironwood had learned to trust the man's instincts. He'd developed them through centuries of experience.
While the three of them would be at Beacon, Ironwood would be at his main flagship to oversee the situation. It would be a tense night if nothing happened, but he'd have to remain alert.
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rang out from the side of the coliseum. Brief blasts, but loud and bright. Ironwood's eyes widened for a moment at the sight before sprinting off to his ship. An attack? How?
He placed a transmitter in his ear and activated it. "Amity Security, this is General Ironwood. What hit us?"
"W-we don't know, sir! None of the ships are responding to our signals and we didn't detect anything approach!"
Ironwood attempted to establish communications with the ships, but only confirmed the soldier's findings. He cursed.
In the crowd, panic had spread like wildfire. People screamed, and confusion rang out in their shrill cries. Those who'd already begun to leave out the exits ran in a wild stampede.
The screens suddenly switched their view. Instead of the arena, they displayed graphic of a red chess piece. The queen.
"You are not safe." Cinder spoke.
Another blast shook the stadium, and more cries ran out from the crowd. She must have coordinated this with Kent's double. That much was obvious, but confusion rang through Ironwood's mind. What was her goal? If she'd been able to plant bombs in the coliseum, why was it still flying? How had she taken control of the screens? Everything was protected by Atlesian cybersecurity.
"A foreign general brings his forces into Vale. Claiming that they're here to keep you safe, but has he truly accomplished that? The attack yesterday seems to indicate otherwise, as does your current predicament."
"Damn it, get her off the screen!" Ironwood yelled into his comms.
The panicked response came immediately. "Sir, we can't! We're locked out of the system!"
Cinder continued her speech. The audience had fallen almost completely silent, their fear put on hold by their shock and curiosity of this mysterious woman.
"Yet, even with such danger present, those in power still continued with the festival. The headmasters, the Councilors. Perhaps they were eager for the prestige of the event regardless of the citizens' safety. Perhaps they wished to distract from their failures to protect the people when Grimm invaded Vale only months ago. There are many self-serving reasons for their actions."
Another blast echoed in the air. This one was different from the others, it didn't hit the stadium. No, the shot had come from one of his ships, and when he looked outside, he saw that it had fired into its ally. The damaged ship fell and swerved out of the city. The brave survivors steering it away from the city.
"The headmasters hold more power than most armies. One of them even commands both. They lie to their people, keeping them pliable and silent, without ever telling them how close the kingdoms are on the brink of war. And as I hail from Mistral, I can promise that the situation there is equally appalling."
A report came in from Ironwood's transmitter. Some of his forces could still communicate. "Sir! We're detecting Grimm heading for the city in massive numbers! We need reinforceme-"
Brief shots came in through the transmitter, Ironwood recognized the weapon. Yet it was no match for the overwhelming amount of Grimm he could hear snarling, and the shots were cut off as one of the monsters tore into armor and flesh.
"I ask you now, who will you trust?"
Cinder's message ended, just as the blaring of the Amity's security system began.
"Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner."
The crowd screamed and stampeded for the exits. Already, Ironwood could see airborne Grimm approach. Nevermore, Griffon, the people would be slaughtered by them if they left.
He switched to the Amity frequency. "This is General Ironwood! I want all forces in sections A, B, D, G, and H to head to the periphery of the stadium and protect the citizens from incoming Grimm! Guide them to evacuation routes! All remaining men will stay in the stands until every single person is filed out and will then convene with combatants on the periphery! Officers, try to get in contact with the ships! If any succeed, inform me immediately!"
Then, even when he realized there might be many who wouldn't hear it, he switched to the frequency of those guarding the city. "Men, fall back as slowly as possible, and hold your ground at these points. We cannot lose them!" He shouted out the streets that they couldn't give up. It was a tenuous balance, the regions they could cover so they wouldn't be too spread out, and the safety of the people outside of those zones. He could only hope that they would realize where they'd be safest and head there.
Ironwood repeated his order for anyone to get into contact with the ships and made it outside just in time to see Bullheads land on the stadium. His hopes for reinforcements were dashed when he saw the crude White Fang symbols painted on the crafts' sides.
They opened, and glowing red eyes emerged from the compartments.
Grimm, the White Fang were bringing Grimm to the stadium. Ironwood's soldiers, both living and robotic, fired at them immediately. They were enough for felling the weaker Grimm, but not an Alpha Beowolf, which appeared and tore into a droid.
Ironwood rushed forward, brandishing his gun and slammed his robotic fist into its jaw. Then, he fired off a round into its skull. Eliminating it.
The general also fired off at the White Fang approaching to release more Grimm onto the stadium. The rounds killed those who didn't have aura, and their vehicles crashed or careened off the side.
In any other situation, Ironwood would have attempted to arrest them. However, the law was clear in cases when combatants had to simultaneously deal with Grimm. They couldn't allow dangerous criminals to roam free when they were preoccupied with fighting. As a result, in times of such crises, it was acceptable to eliminate dangerous individuals who didn't automatically surrender.
None of the terrorists looked to try, so Ironwood fired at them without remorse. His soldiers would do the same, it would be fatal for them to try and arrest the White Fang and fight Grimm.
A few minutes later, students arrived at the stadium, asking him what they should do. Ironwood offered them the choice to evacuate with the civilians, but instead they chose to defend Vale. That level of bravery at such a young age had been admirable, and their assistance gave him the opportunity to get into a ship and establish contact with Ozpin. He chose a vessel meant for cargo, with deactivated droids in the back, as the transport ships were all used for evacuating civilians.
"James, how is this happening? What's happened to your ships?"
"I don't know, I'm heading there now to seize back control."
"I understand. I've ordered Qrow and Glynda to help defend the city."
"What?! What about the Relic?"
"I will stay to delay Cinder. Even if she defeats me, it will take her time to find it. Use that time James, beat back this invasion and kill her if you must. The Relics are durable, missiles and bombs won't harm them."
Beat back this invasion? Ozpin made it sound like it sound like a routine matter. "I understand. Have you had any success with contacting Kent? We'll need him here after he confronts his double."
"No. I believe he's too far in the wilderness for a signal to reach him."
"I may have a solution for that." Ironwood would need to reclaim control of his ships first, but he could send a signal to Penny. Another reason why he'd made the right decision to send her with Kent. The general could also use the high frequency sound generator to alert the alien.
A beep sounded from behind the general. The droids? Why were they activating? He turned around to look at them and spotted the red screens on their faces. One aimed a gun at the console.
"Stop!" Ironwood demanded. It should have recognized his voice and obeyed, but it ignored his order and fired into the console. Aura protected him, but the same couldn't be said for the ship.
Ironwood reacted quickly. He shot into wall of the vessel, and with those openings, he ripped out an exit with his prosthetic limb. The general grabbed a parachute and leapt out.
The aircraft crashed into a building seconds later, and he pulled the cord to his chute. He was slowing, but still plummeting to the ground at a dangerous rate. This parachute hadn't been designed for a man with half of his body made of metal.
He slammed into a building, grunting as aura protected him, and landed on the ground on his side. His metal side, thankfully. Aura protected it, and no pain came from the prosthetics.
Ironwood got to his feet. Already, it was chaos in the streets. Grimm ripped into innocents and splattered blood. If it weren't for the White Fang, the monsters wouldn't have gotten to this point in such a short time. Even if the city's defenses had failed.
The Grimm weren't the only cause of destruction. Atlesian droids meant to defend humanity instead fired into citizens and allies rather than the monsters, and ignored the Grimm who destroyed them indiscriminately.
The general tried once more to contact his ships and failed. With a frustrated growl, he charged into the fray. There were too many people to protect, too many monsters too kill, no matter how much he shot or rammed into the horde.
"Everyone!" He yelled into the panicked throngs of people trying to run from the danger. "Go to the nearest terminal, you'll find evacuation routes there!" Ironwood repeated the information to his soldiers through his comms and ordered that they say it to every citizen they encountered.
With a grimace, he stopped fighting and ran for the terminal as well. He had to stop this, get onto his ship and reset the droids to defend the city. Or deactivate them if that wasn't an option. Then, he could reestablish communications. Organizing an ordered defense was Vale's best hope.
He knew that, but it didn't make leaving and hearing the cries in the streets any easier to bear.
\\\\\
Coco gripped her scroll as she stood waiting for the call to go through. Hardly anybody on the ship could sit still. Terrorists, Grimm, they were here and attacking her city. Their city. Nevermore and Griffon flew outside the window. This was Vale, the capital city of the Kingdom. There couldn't be Grimm here, it was supposed to be safe, secure.
Even the international students were in shock, many of them fidgeted or paced nervously. Some looked out the window with somber expressions, and conversation had come to a stop as the group descended down to the chaos below.
Coco's call went to voicemail and she ended it with a curse. "Still no answer from Velvet, either of you get anything from Clark?"
Fox and Yatsuhashi shook their heads.
Where in the hell was he?! He'd been in the coliseum with them ten minutes before the attack had started, before he'd left without any explanation.
'I ask you now, who will you trust?'
Coco shook the woman's words out of her head. Bullshit, that had just been to stir up fear and distrust to attract Grimm. Clark's past might be a mystery, but there was no way he'd be involved in this.
He was probably fighting already. He had some weird ideas about Grimm, but he couldn't be hesitating to kill them now. He was just too busy to hear his scroll ringing.
Coco let out a breath. Velvet had to be in the same situation. She had to be. The first wave of Grimm must have met her, wherever she was in the city, but Grimm weren't any match for her. Velvet's techniques and weapon had no match.
Even so, Coco dialed Velvet's number agai-
"Coco." Yatsuhashi put a hand on her shoulder. He stood over her and met her eyes. His gaze was focused and steady, his lips held flat in a calm expression.
It was times like these when she was reminded just how tall he was. "What is it Yats?"
"There'll be time for that later. We're almost at Beacon, Clark and Velvet can take care of themselves."
"I know, I just have to make sure." Her finger moved to press call, but Fox's hand stopped her.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
"Hey, they're probably already in the fray." Fox said. "Fighting's busy work, and we can't have you distracting them. Do you have any idea how annoying it is when someone keeps calling you over and over? They'll get so upset that the Grimm will keep coming, and they'll never get a chance to answer your call." He said it with a crooked smile.
"But-
"Just let them call you back after all this is over." Yatsuhashi said in a soothing voice, and he offered her a light grin. "And then, we'll do whatever's necessary to make sure they'll regret making us worry. I'm sure you have a few ideas."
Their expressions might have been lighthearted, but it didn't take a huntress' eye to see how tense they were. Fox's legs were slightly bent, ready to get in a fighting stance at any moment, and Yats' fingers were white where he gripped his weapon.
They were worried too, of course they were, and doing their best to make sure she didn't go crazy with worry. What kind of leader would Coco be if she didn't return the favor?
She nodded and her lips quirked upwards. "Okay, you're right. We're gonna make them suffer. There are plenty of embarrassing shenanigans I can think of for our lovely couple, but I'll tell you about them later. Let's go!"
The ship landed, and the students ran out screaming. The sound got Coco's blood pumping, and her purse transformed into a mini-gun. It wasn't often she got to fully unleash it.
\\\\\
Blake had been at the fairgrounds with Ren and Nora before the attack had begun. They weren't the closest of friends, they probably wouldn't have even gotten to know each other if their leaders hadn't become friends. Even so, they'd watched the tournament together at one of the stalls. She'd learned to enjoy the noise and activity of their teams, but she appreciated Ren's silence. Nora, on the other hand, was loud. But not in an entirely bad way.
She'd gotten to know them a lot better after the attack had begun. Even though it couldn't have been long, Blake had learned a good deal. Combat styles revealed a lot about huntsmen. While she'd seen them fight in the tournament, it hadn't been like this. In the coliseum, they could let loose and enjoy themselves, but now they were fighting for their lives and their school.
Blake shot into a Beowolf in the courtyard, and saw Ren leaping after another to her right.
Ren was quick and stealthy, she'd already known that, but what she hadn't known was how well he communicated. She hadn't had the opportunity to see it before in spars or even the tournament, but now he could bark out information at rapid fire. Locations of Grimm or requests for support from Nora. His excitable partner showed a level of concentration that had surprised Blake, and the two worked together with incredible efficiency.
They'd even incorporated Blake into their style without too much difficulty. After all, working with people outside of their pair had been necessary this past year.
"They're having trouble with Ursai to our left, at the far pillar." Blake said. Offering her own contribution to their impromptu trio.
"Alright, let's go help." Ren finished off a Grimm with his guns, and Nora shot a few grenades at another. A slight nod passed between the two, and the three of them ran off to help.
This was horrible. The woman, Cinder, who'd briefly befriended Ruby. How could she do this? How could the White Fang have fallen so low as to take part in such a scheme? To be so set on hatred and rage, to again set Grimm loose in a populated area?
How could she run from them? If Beacon wasn't a safe place for Blake, what was?
"The Bullhead's coming!" Nora cheered for a moment, then slammed her hammer into a Boarbatusk.
Blake sighed with relief, she could glimpse students in the windows of the ship. This was the ship that Ruby had told her about in their call, even students from other schools had come to help.
The door opened, and she found her teammates in the horde of students rushing out. Jaune and Pyrrha also emerged and regrouped with Ren and Nora.
"Blake! You okay?" Yang asked, and their teammates gave the faunus worried looks.
Blake nodded. "I'm fine, but there are still so many of them, and something's wrong with the Atlas robots."
Ruby took in the information and readied her scythe. "Got it. Pyrrha?" She asked, getting the redhead's attention. "The droids, your Semblance will take them out the fastest."
Pyrrha nodded in understanding and rushed off, she held up a hand and dismantled the machines. Careful not to affect the weaponry or armor of the human soldiers.
"Regroup with us after and be careful!" Jaune called out, before bringing his attention to them. "Alright, we're sticking together in this, right?"
"Right." Ruby said. "Everyone, protect the school!"
\\\\\
With Penny riding on his back, Clark flashed to the next location. They were dozens of miles from Vale, far enough that the city was beyond the edge of his hearing.
Vale was a coastal city. The ocean was to the west, with a small island that Clark had checked in the first minute. It had been full of only wildlife, and he'd raced back to the mainland miles north of the city. If they'd had a map, it would have shown that minute by minute, he followed widening semi-circles centered on the city. Stopping every few miles along the path to focus on the sphere of his hearing.
Right now, Penny remained silent to help Clark concentrate. It wasn't necessary, but he appreciated the gesture. He closed his eyes once again, repeating the process.
He ignored the wind rustling the trees, the rush of water in streams, rivers, and waterfalls.
He ignored the sounds of wildlife. The whish of what must be swarms of birds flying by, or the faint stampedes and howls of the packs of animals miles away.
He shut it all out and tried to focus on the unnatural. The echo of the phantom's heart and breath through his body. His voice. Or even any sign of Velvet.
For half a minute, he stood there and listened. And just as he was about to rush off to their next destination, he heard it. A crack in the distance, miles away, the air shattering in a familiar blast of noise.
A sonic boom.
Clark looked in the distance toward the sound, and telescopic and X-ray vision peered miles away. Over the horizon and through the earth, he saw a lead cube built into the mountains.
He resisted the urge to race to it immediately. This would be the only time he'd have to discuss strategy before the phantom overheard them. "Penny, I found him. There's a room made of lead in the distance, I can't see into it. When I get there, you'll have to take Velvet and go."
"Clark-
"Penny, please. There's not much time. Trust me, I'll be fine." He turned back and gave her a smile. "I'll beat him and join you in a few minutes."
She didn't breathe or have a heartbeat for him to use to gauge her emotions, but he could see her frown from the corner of his eye. "Do you promise?"
He swallowed nervously and nodded. "I promise. I have the sonic grenades and my crystal, remember? It'll be a breeze."
"Then I understand." She replied. Anyone else would have seen through his false bravado immediately, even Penny didn't seem to fully believe him.
Clark sped off and reached the mountains in seconds. He came to an abrupt stop when he saw the glowing green on the rock face. He hadn't seen it before, he'd been looking through the mountain instead of on it.
To his relief, it was normal green. The glow lacked the unique radiation of kryptonite. It was some kind of paint splotched on the mountainside, arranged in large letters as a message for Clark.
NO SPEEDING IN OR ELSE SHE GETS IT.
As if that weren't proof enough, the Kryptonian crystal vibrated in Clark's pocket and glowed before returning to its inert state. He could also hear the phantom inside the room. The creature's heart and breathing echoed off his body, and it sounded like he was wearing his lead armor. With relief, Clark also heard Velvet inside. Her pulse was elevated and her breathing a bit rushed. She was frightened, but at least she was alive.
"Hey, Clark!" The phantom said. His own hearing would have alerted him to Clark's arrival.
"I'm here, like you wanted. Now let Velvet go." Clark responded. Penny motioned for him to set her down, but he shook his head. Not yet. He couldn't risk the phantom hearing it and knowing that she was here.
"Hold your horses Clark, I want to say something first. I'm impressed, you actually grew a spine and asked Velvet out."
Clark heard the phantom stroking her skin, and her heartrate spiked. "Don't touch her!"
"Whoa whoa, calm down. Can you blame me? She has a cute face, and even though Iremember what made you like her in the first place, it's really something else when I can see it in person. She's pretty brave, even though she was scared and confused at first." The phantom chuckled. "Even now, she's looking at me like I'm crazy for talking to thin air. Yeah, no transmitter here. You haven't told her about super-hearing, have you?"
"Enough. What do you want?" Clark's fist tightened.
"Jeez, Clark. Have a little patience, would you? We're practically brothers, at least, that's what Velvet probably thinks. I wouldn't know, I don't feel like taking my gag off her to ask."
"You gagged her?!"
"Well I couldn't have her screaming her head off and making it easier to for you to find her, could I? You know, just in case you happened to get lucky and choose this direction to check out with super-hearing first. I haven't hurt her too bad either, aura's not that hard to deal with."
Clark grit his teeth and seethed with anger.
The phantom's tone became even more self-satisfied as a response. "You should calm down first, before you listen to what I say. I have a finger to the side of Velvet's head, and we all know how little effort it would take to scramble her brains. I like her, but she's no Lana."
Velvet's every breath was laced with fear. Now that Clark knew to look for it, he heard the gag muffling her.
"Fine." Clark relented, his voice strained. "What do you want me to do?"
"Take the crystal out and tap it with your finger."
Clark obeyed, removing the device from his pocket. While holding it, he tapped it with the thumb of the same hand grasping it. The ding of the Kryptonian material was a unique tone, one that he wouldn't have been able to simulate with anything else. Especially if either he or the phantom listened to it ring. As Clark tapped it several times, he set Penny down as gently as he could. Hopefully, the phantom would be too focused on the crystal rather to hear her.
"That's good." The phantom said, not a hint of suspicion in his voice. As a result, Clark relaxed and silently urged Penny to stay still. She nodded in response.
"Now, what do you want?"
"Toss it a mile or so to the mountains at your right and stay still afterwards. If you move off to go after it, Velvet's going to suffer."
Clark bit his lip and readied his arm. Against anyone else, he would have done it with little hesitation. Confident that he could retrieve the device and return in seconds.
Penny's eyes widened as she saw his throwing pose.
"Okay, I'm about to throw it now. Just don't hurt her." Clark said it to inform Penny as well as to keep Velvet safe. He had no choice but to relinquish one of his weapons.
"Go right ahead."
With powerful muscles, he launched the crystal up into the air. He aimed for a valley to give him a chance to retrieve it before the phantom. It would be impossible for Clark to beat him in a race up an incline when the phantom could fly.
"Good, now wait." The phantom said.
A minute or so later, Clark heard the crystal clink and tumble off in the distance.
"Now, since that's taken care of, I'll let you come up. Not too fast, though. If you try barging in here, my finger just might slip. Hop up a couple dozen feet at a time, and when you get to the cave entrance, slowly walk up to the room. Get in through the doors, and when you do, Velvet will leave at the same time."
"You're just going to leave her out here alone after I come in?" Clark's eyes met Penny's, making sure she'd catch as much as she could of their conversation. "We're miles from the city and she has no aura, she could get killed by Grimm."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets home safe and sound."
"How can I trust you?"
"Well you don't really have a choice, do you?"
Clark glared at the lead chamber in the mountainside. The phantom was right, he couldn't do anything about it. But he still needed to stall, at least try to think of a way where the three of them would get out of this safely.
"You know Clark, I don't really want to hurt Velvet." The phantom said with a surprisingly tender note to his voice.
No, no it had to be a lie. An act.
The phantom continued, and Clark zeroed in for a hint of deception in a voice identical to his own. "It wasn't a joke, what I said earlier. I really do understand what you see in her. Back at the dance, she was ready to help and support you when she thought you were ashamed of being a faunus. She cares so much for you, do you realize that? When I met her, she was so excited and happy to see me, because she thought I was you. I could see the delight in her eyes, I had that for a moment, and so did you. You still do." A brief growl undercut the phantom's voice.
The phantom cleared his throat, and he spoke with an even voice. "Anyway, the point is, I'll make sure she's safe after you do what I say. Now get up here, I'm starting to lose my patience."
After a moment of deliberation, Clark bounded up the cliffside in short leaps.
Clark hadn't been able to find a smidgen of a lie in the phantom's voice. Their bodies didn't react exactly like other people's when they lied, no elevated heartrate or nervous breathing. But the voice had shown it all, the emotion in it had been genuine.
Clark reached the cave entrance, about fifteen feet inside was the lead room. The outside was covered in green paint, and Clark walked forward, step by step.
There would almost certainly be kryptonite on the other side of that door. Clark laid a hand over the pieces of lead and sonic grenades. They were his only hope, and he'd have to be fast to defend himself, even by his standards.
A few steps from the door, the phantom spoke. "Stop."
Clark halted.
"That's an interesting clinking sound I'm hearing from you. Did you take a page out of my book and get some armor?"
Unsurprisingly, the phantom had heard it. It was okay, Clark could still manage. He'd came out here with the assumption that the phantom would spot the lead on him from a mile away. The phantom would know he had something, but he wouldn't know what.
"It wasn't a bad idea." Clark said.
A brief chuckle came from the phantom. "Thanks, stay right there and clap your hands a couple times for me."
Clark clapped. He knew that the phantom would probably get some idea of the layers of metal on him from the echoes, but it shouldn't be possible to realize what else he had.
"Hmm, you know what? Keep it on." The phantom said. "I'm going to send Velvet up, and you'll walk through the doors together. Try speeding her away and I'll heat vision her head off. So make sure to match her steps exactly."
Clinking sounds came out from the room. The phantom was probably ripping apart the restraints he'd had on her.
"Walk out slowly." The phantom said to her. "Or else you and Clark will regret it."
With shaky, uneven steps, Velvet approached the doors. Clark held onto the piece of lead in his jacket. He'd have to jump in front of Velvet to block the phantom's heat vision and use the metal to cover any kryptonite the phantom had recovered. If he was lucky, he might even be able to use the phantom's heat vision along with his own to melt the lead.
When Velvet reached roughly the same distance as Clark from the other side of the door, he walked forward and matched her pace. The phantom stood only a few steps behind her.
So close. Could Clark risk it? Hope to catch the phantom by surprise and intercept his heat vision?
The doors could open two ways. When Velvet placed her hand on one side, Clark placed his on the other. The phantom seemed to care for her, but he was an alien monster, he could just as easily follow through with his threat despite his affection for her.
Velvet opened the door and seeing her was an immense relief. Clark scanned her for any injuries, but the phantom hadn't even bruised her. Her hair was in disarray, her clothes wrinkled, and there was sweat rolling off her. She was frightened, confused, but otherwise mostly unharmed. He met her eyes to give her some silent reassurance. Then, he pointed out of the cave and mouthed go.
Clark shifted his eyes forward and continued walking. He needed to get between her and the phantom if he'd have any hope of protecting her. With a hand on the slab of lead, he prepared to shift into super-speed.
The moment he got between them, the entire room became bathed in light. Even from behind him.
"Gahh!" He almost fell to his knees and barely held onto the lead in his hands. It provided some relief in his chest from the familiar agony of kryptonite. In an instant, Clark's back banged against a wall. The phantom held him by the neck, ripped the lead from his hands, and threw it away.
The . . . the entire room. So much kryptonite . . . how could this amount have crossed over with him?
"You really shouldhave invested in lead armor Clark." The phantom said, smugly encased in his own. "That little piece really didn't cut it."
"Let him go!" Velvet's voice rang out.
Clark's eyes widened. No no no! She should have gone! Penny was still down below, she wouldn't have been able to get up here without alerting the phantom.
"You're still here?" The phantom asked. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised, y-
Clark slammed his palm against the phantom's face, whose head moved back an inch. Clark scrambled to take out the sonic grenades, now his only hope.
Before he could, the phantom knocked Clark's head into the wall, making him see spots in his vision. Then, the phantom and Velvet vanished. In another instant the phantom returned, and with a motion that Clark could barely perceive with his dulled senses, the double swiped the grenades from Clark's pockets in a single motion.
Velvet's voice rang out in a brief cry from outside the room.
"Hm, wonder what these were supposed to be?" The phantom crushed them in his bare hands. "Still conscious? Wow. I guess you're still tougher than a human. I'll have to keep that in mind, considering how weak the k-radiation is in here. Can't exactly run a risk of brain damage, so how about this-"
"Wh-what did you do to her?" Clark demanded. Sweat rolled down his forehead and fell in his eyes, but he gave the phantom the hardest glare he could. He tried his best to summon heat vision.
The phantom snorted. "Ooh, red eyes, I'm sooo scared. Don't worry, I just threw her out into the cave and tied her up again. Can't have her interrup- who's that I hear?"
Clark's eyes widened.
"Oh, the robot, I recognize her footsteps. Smart, bringing someone along who doesn't breathe or have a heartbeat."
Clark panted, every breath hurt, but he tried to put up some force to resist. Something was off about the kryptonite here, it wasn't like it usually was. He had a chance. "Don't hurt her! She's just here to take Velvet somewhere safe!"
"Fine, whatever, I'll hear her coming anyway if she tries something." The phantom turned his head and yelled. "And don't try shooting or coming into this room unless you want Clark to get hurt! Now, I can't risk damaging that precious brain of yours. So let's work out a deal. The two of us are going somewhere, you try to resist, and I'll go into the city and start some mayhem. Understood?"
Clark nodded.
"Good. Now- Aaaagh!" The phantom screamed and dropped Clark, the double's hands held his ears.
Clark could hear a faint, high-pitched shriek. The doors bolted open, and Penny ran inside. A new source of light almost blinded Clark, and she threw a sonic grenade at the phantom's feet. She swiftly carried Clark off out the doors in a few seconds.
The sound was emitting from her too, but it soon deactivated. And what was that from her shoulders . . . sunlight? Clark closed his eyes, thanks to the distance from the kryptonite and the sun lamps, he recovered quickly. Clark winced at the sound from the room and took action.
Even at high speeds, Clark was still able to recognize the warbled shriek of the sonic grenade. With a crunch, it went silent.
In a fraction of a second, he escaped Penny's grasp and carried her off instead. On their way out of the cave, he picked up Velvet too. Then, he sped off into the distance.