A small stream trickled by, flanked by grass on both sides. The clear water was barely a foot deep, a result of the summer heat and the lack of rain the past week.

Clark leaned forward on the side of a stone bridge, which overlooked the steady flow of water entering a small pond further into the park. It was pretty early in the morning, around six-thirty. Clark was mostly alone here, although he could still hear the bouncing steps of a few joggers nearby. The sun was shining, and the birds were tweeting. It was a beautiful day.

And he had a date with Velvet.

Not today. God, no way he'd be ready if it had been today. But it would be soon. He hadn't made up his mind on exactly when, but the festival was almost over. He didn't have long to make plans.

Which was why he was at this park. It was the perfect place for their date, and actually one of the first spots he'd visited when he'd arrived in Vale months ago. There were plenty of food vendors and shops on nearby streets, and it was a nice, calm area where they could walk together and chat.

He wasn't very comfortable with the looming skyscrapers and busy streets of the city. Velvet didn't seem to be either, so it would be great for the both of them.

Clark left the bridge and surveyed a nearby field of grass and dandelions. Maybe they could have a picnic there? It was a nice, sunny location. Although they would probably need to get closer to the trees for some shade. Velvet got sun-burned pretty easily.

Would their date be too long if he added a picnic to the list? He was already planning on getting ice cream with her at a parlor nearby, renting a boat for a ride in the park's pond, checking out some antique camera stores, and going to the top of the Nebula tower for a view of the city skyline.

Okay, maybe that was excessive. He could definitely save a couple ideas for some other time.

Assuming there would be another time.

. . . There would be other times, right? No way he could screw up their first date that badly.

Yeah, no way. It was too important.

Was it really only a few days away? Why did it feel like forever? Had he accidentally shifted into super-speed?

Clark shook his head and headed out of the park. He was done, he had the plans for their date down to the specifics. Except for the last part, which he still wasn't sure on including.

Clark slipped in between a couple buildings and scanned the area for any onlookers. Electronic or otherwise. He widened the area within his conscious hearing and examined the walls with telescopic and X-ray vision. The only ones watching him were a few pigeons picking the ground for food.

He sped out from the alley, and seconds later, arrived at the Emerald Forest. A very specific spot in the forest, actually. The area he'd used to do his monthly check-up of his powers several days ago. He'd wrecked the area then, and the ground still displayed fissures and shattered rock as a result of his strength tests.

Like it had been before the festival, he was the only one there. Except for some Grimm he could hear in the area, but they didn't seem to have sensed him yet.

Clark dropped down and sat with his legs hanging off the cliff. Idly, he took out the Kryptonian crystal from his pocket and studied it. He'd already tried using micro-vision, his new power that allowed him to zoom his vision like a microscope, but that had just revealed more complexity to the device that he couldn't make heads or tails of.

It was almost as confusing as Jor-El, who Clark knew had to be in the crystal. Jor-El's presence had been in pretty much every piece of Kryptonian technology he'd encountered. His spaceship, the key accompanying it, the Kawatche caves under Smallville, and the magical/technological artifacts that had formed the Fortress at the Arctic. Pretty much everything.

There was no way Jor-El wasn't in the crystal, and this silent treatment was just like him. The only thing that might break it was catching this last phantom. Who the crystal didn't seem to work on.

Yeah, that was superhelpful. How in the hell was he going to get back home?

Clark put the crystal back in its place and stood up. There was a Grimm approaching, a Beowolf, judging by the sound. He jumped off the edge of the cliff to avoid it. Once he landed, he leaned back against the rock wall.

He'd been so preoccupied with trying to find the phantom that he hadn't considered the question of how he was going to get back home if the crystal didn't work.

No, he hadn't been too busy to consider it. He'd avoided thinking about it because he'd been too afraid of the possible answer. That even if he did capture the phantom, it might take months or years to learn to use the crystal and get back home.

There was one last resort that might work. Clark might be able to send himself to the phantom zone and get to Earth from the gate there. It was dangerous though, he'd nearly died the last time he'd gone in the zone. Even if he survived and escaped, it was almost certain that more phantoms would follow him back to Earth.

He might be stuck in this world for a while.

Maybe part of him had already realized that, and helped convince him to take a chance and ask Velvet out. And maybe he'd need to take another.

The festival was about to end, and Clark was going to have to give Ozpin his decision on whether to go public as the Dart. He stillwasn't sure on what would be the right choice. The people here were completely comfortable with the superhuman abilities of the tournament contestants, maybe he'd be accepted more readily than he would be on Earth. Even if his abilities worked on a completely different mechanism.

Maybe in this world, there'd be less hiding and lying.

But if he went public, there'd be no going back. Even if people reacted positively, he'd be a curiosity. A spectacle for them to gaze and gawk at.

Clark wasn't sure what to choose, but maybe his friends could help.

He looked up at Beacon. He could have looked inside to find them if he wanted to, but he didn't. Instead, he concentrated on his listening.

"Mmmrh, gett'em allll."

Clark chuckled at the mumbled words from Coco. Who knew she sleep-talked?

They were all asleep at the moment, it was easy to tell from their breathing. Clark stopped concentrating on his hearing. He liked to check in on them from time to time, but he wasn't going to listen in for more than a few seconds.

They were good friends. Friends he could trust, but if he told them, he wanted Velvet to be first. And he wanted to do it in a specific way. During their date, he could speed with her to this cliff as proof. This place would also be the best area to demonstrate his other abilities.

He could trust her to keep his secrets, but would the truth be too much for her? How would their relationship be affected? Could she accept it?

Of course she could. It hadn't been too much for Pete or Chloe to accept. Velvet would understand, she was in a school full of people with special abilities.

But there was more to Clark than his abilities. He was an alien from another dimension. Could he tell her that too? He hated the thought of continuing to lie to her as he revealed some of his deepest truths.

What was he going to do?

\\\\\

Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.

Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.

Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.

From her bed, Velvet groaned and reached for her scroll. Why did it have to vibrate so much? Just let her sleep! It was even more noticeable on her drawer's hard wooden surface.

She rubbed her eyes and answered without looking at the number. She chose voice-only. Whoever it was, they were not going to see her bedhead.

"Mrmm hello?" She said.

"Hey, Velvet?"

"Clark?" Her eyes shot wide open. Thank god she hadn't chosen the video-call option.

"Yeah. I'm really glad you answered, I was afraid that you wouldn't since I forgot my scroll and had to borrow a stranger's."

Velvet pulled the device away and glanced at the number. Huh, if she'd seen it, she probably wouldn't have answered.

Hold on, seven-thirty?

"Huh, it's kinda early. How come you're up?"

"Is this early? I'm used to waking up at the crack of dawn to do chores." He said.

Velvet could hear the smile in his voice. Clark had been in a good mood since they'd decided to officially date. It made her giddy when she realized that she was the cause.

"Anyway, I need some help. Could you meet me in the city? I need to talk with you about something, it's . . . really private. Something I can only trust you with."

"Really?" She asked. "I'm flattered, but why can't you tell me at Beacon?"

"Yeah, I know this sounds weird. But there's also something here I have to show you. Something I can't exactly do at Beacon."

"Um . . . okay." Velvet was confused by his nervous tone and vague wording. "Wait, is this our date? I thought we were going to wait until after the festival?"

He spoke after a moment of silence. "Okay, you caught me. Sorry, I just couldn't wait."

Velvet blushed. It really was a good thing she hadn't gone for a video call. "I'm flattered, but don't you think it's kind of rude to call so early without warning?" She asked with a bright smile. She couldn't really be mad at him.

"Yeah, it is. I'm really sorry, I just couldn't be patient since . . . well, you're the most amazing girl I've ever met."

Her heart fluttered. "Th-thanks. Um, where do you want to meet?"

"I'll text you the address. It's only a few minutes to walk from a Bullhead stop. See you in . . . forty-five minutes?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

That was more than enough time to get ready. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Great! And . . . could you keep the date a secret from the others? I think we both know how Coco will react."

Velvet giggled. There was a good chance she'd track them down and follow them on their date. "Sure."

"Nice. I'll see you later."

He hung up, and Velvet left a note for her teammates. She'd written an excuse that would satisfy them, and promised that she'd be back in time to see the tournament fights later tonight.

\\\\\

As he had for the past few days, Clark stayed at the coliseum as a lookout for the phantom or Cinder's people. Thankfully, the tournament was almost over, so Clark wouldn't need to do this for much longer.

There hadn't even been that many people arriving before the evening, so Ironwood's soldiers had handled checking them. Clark was mostly here in case the phantom made another move, since he was the only person who'd be able to react fast enough to stop him from doing any serious damage.

Even so, Clark had taken the time to speak to Penny about her upcoming fight. As before, she was eager to prove herself and confident in her abilities.

Clark had seen her opponent a few times before, and while Pyrrha did seem an impressive fighter, he had to say that Penny looked to stand a better chance. Which wasn't very good news for Yatsuhashi.

The big man and the rest of his team arrived later that night and took their seats about an hour before the fight. Although Clark was quick to notice a missing member among them.

"Where's Velvet?" he asked.

"Eager to see your girlfriend again? Don't worry, she said she'd be back before the fight starts. We'll make sure she gets her reserved seat." Coco patted the spot right beside Clark.

"O-okay, I was just curious." Clark cleared his throat. "Don't you think it's a bit too soon for me and Velvet to be boyfriend and girlfriend? I mean, we're dating, but we haven't even gone on our first date yet."

"And we all know who gets the blame for that."

Clark sighed. "Yeah, I know. But . . . really, wouldn't it be too soon for us be so familiar with each other?"

"Relax Clark." Coco gave him a reassuring smile. "Velvet's not going to be put off if you call her your girlfriend. Yeah, she'll get all cute and flustered, but she's not going to be upset."

"Thanks," replied Clark. "Was it really that obvious?" She'd realized what he was concerned about immediately.

"Wow. Yes, you are." She said. "Dude, if I'd known you'd get all weak in the knees, I'd have tried a lot harder to push you and Velvet together."

"Hey, I wouldn't say I get weak in the knees-

Fox and Yatsuhashi snickered. Clark glared at the two, but that only made them louder. Seriously?

"Okay, now I know why Velvet didn't choose to come until later." Clark said. "You guys are unrelenting."

"Truly, we are." Yatsuhashi grinned. "Did you expect otherwise?"

"From Coco, no." Clark sighed, with just a bit too much force to be genuine. "But I guess I had too much faith in you guys."

"What? Nobody's ever . . . believed in me before." Fox's bottom lip quivered dramatically. "I'm sorry Clark, we'll never betray your trust again."

Clark snorted. "Don't worry, all's forgiven."

"Speaking of forgiveness, you might be all for that, but the rest of us . . . not so much." Coco said. "You're a friend of the team, so you get abit more trust than you normally would, but I'm concerned about your fickleness." She smirked. "After playing red light, green light with a young girl's heart, I think you deserve a little grilling."

Her tone was just as causal and lighthearted as before, but now it had a hint of an edge added to it.

"If you hurt Velvet . . . well, let's just say you're gonna regret it." She said. Her two teammates nodded, their smiles had faded, and their eyes were slightly hardened.

Clark didn't get to see team CFVY's protective nature often. They'd actually been somewhat like that when he'd first met them, but now he could truly see what they could be like.

He could understand it. Velvet was a huntress, a fighter. She didn't need protection, but sometimes it was easy to forget that with her sweet nature and innocent appearance. Clark hadn't seen much discrimination against her, but they'd first met when a racist woman was yelling at a storeowner for letting her in. Velvet might not need have needed help, but she'd certainly appreciated it.

Clark finally began to speak. "I know my one-eighty about dating Velvet might seem weird, but I really do care about her. I'd never hurt her intentionally."

"Yeah, we know." Coco answered. "But it never hurts to be sure. Plus, for a second, you totally looked like a deer in headlights."

"No I didn't."

"You did." Fox and Yatsuhashi said in unison.

Note to self, wait a few months before hanging out with the team with Velvet. If the three were like this when Clark was with them, he didn't want to imagine how they'd be when Velvet was there too.

There wasn't much to do before the fight began, there were some pre-fight shows and ads. Clark checked through the crowd a couple times with his senses, but didn't hear or see anyone suspicious.

About twenty minutes before the fight, Clark received a text from Velvet.

Clark, there's something I need to talk to you about. It's pretty private, could you call me and make sure no one's listening?

Weird, but then again, maybe she wanted to make sure her team wasn't nearby. He excused himself and made his way down to an empty corridor. Then, Clark dialed Velvet's number. The call was answered almost immediately.

"Hey Clark!"

Clark froze. The phantom calling from Velvet's scroll.

"Hah! Surprised? Of course you are, I heard your breath hitch. Man, what I'd give to see the look on your face. Maybe I should practice in front of a mirror later."

"How do you have Velvet's scroll? What have you done with her?!" Clark tried to zero in on the phantom's voice in case he was nearby, but he didn't pick up anything.

"Whoa whoa. Calm down. Don't worry, I haven't done anything to her. She's scared and confused, but totally fine."

Clark spoke slowly, barely able to rein in his anger. "Why do you have her scroll."

The mirth in the phantom's voice vanished. "Because you care about her. I want you to come to me, and I want some guarantee that you won't try to shove that crystal in my face the moment we see each other."

"You're using her as a hostage."

"Yeah, I am." There wasn't the slightest hint of shame in his voice. "To be honest Clark, you have good taste in girls. She's cute, but don't think I won't hurt her if I need to. Want to hear her finger break? It's a really unique sound."

"You said you didn't hurt her!"

"And I didn't, but there's not much variation in the sound of breaking fingers."

Clark bit his lip.

"Also, don't get any ideas just because I haven't hurt her yet. You get thirty minutes to find me. Don't worry though, if you still haven't found me in twenty minutes, I'll give you a hint. See you then."

"Wait!" Clark demanded, but the phantom had already hung up. He closed his eyes and tried again to listen for the phantom. Breathing, heartbeat, voice, anything, but even his hearing wasn't good enough to pick up his voice.

What was he going to do? The phantom was the one person who could react to Clark's speed, and he had Velvet as a hostage. He wouldn't be able to speed her away or use the crystal on him in time.

The sonic grenades. They'd been effective against Clark for a few moments, that was his only hope.

Clark looked up with X-ray vision. Then, he flashed as quickly as he could and stopped where no one would see him. Around the corner was the room where the general and other officials watched the fights. He stepped out.

"Halt!" A soldier ordered.

Clark came to a stop. Resisting the urge to barge past him was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. He held out his scroll and displayed his huntsman ID. "My name is Clark Kent. Tell General Ironwood that I need to speak to him. It's urgent."

One of the soldiers approached to inspect his ID and confirmed its validity. He told another to go in. It was an agonizing wait, but General Ironwood and Ozpin walked out.

"What is it, Kent?" asked Ironwood.

There wasn't enough time to go somewhere private. "The person I've been worried about, he's shown up and someone's in danger. I don't have much time, where are the sonic grenades?"

Ironwood narrowed his eyes and turned to his soldiers. "Leave us. This is sensitive information. If you hear anything, you may be court-martialed." Once they received his orders, they moved down the hall.

"Your double, what has he done? Who's in danger?" asked Ozpin.

"My friend. One of your students, Velvet Scarlatina. I have about twenty-eight minutes before he threatens to break her fingers. Where are the sonic grenades?"

"I'll tell you, but I have a condition." Ironwood said.

Damn it, there wasn't time for this. "What?"

"You must take Penny with you before you leave."

"What? Why?"

"If your double has a hostage, Penny can extract her while you combat him."

"No! Do you want Penny to die?!" Clark grit his teeth. "Where are the sonic grenades?!"

Ironwood ignored his repeated question. "What I want is to avoid your double killing you, his hostage, and leaving us defenseless."

"That won't happen. Just tell me what I need to know. I can't protect Velvet and Penny." Clark stepped forward.

Ozpin came in between them. "Clark, please, you must calm down. Ironwood is right, you will need assistance against the phantom. Penny is the most resilient, and among the most powerful of us. She's the best choice, and we can't allow an innocent to suffer in our battles."

Clark could have shoved the headmaster aside and threatened the general for the sonic grenades, or he could have ignored them and leapt onto his ship to scour through it with X-ray vision.

Instead, Clark hesitated. He'd recklessly attacked the phantom before, and that had resulted in an innocent girl nearly losing her life.

Clark clenched his fist. "I understand, I'll bring Penny." He repeated his question for the last time. "Where are the grenades?"

"In my personal ship parked in the east side of the Coliseum. They're in a metal case lined with lead. Take this as well." Ironwood handed Clark a metal badge with the words Atlas Special Forces engraved in it. "Show this to the guards and they'll let you through."

Clark accepted it and flashed to Ironwood's ship.

He restrained himself, slowing down just before he entered the soldiers' field of view. It would have saved him precious time if he just tore his way into the ship.

The guards let him in. Not without suspicion, but the general had spoken through their comms and Clark had entered without a hitch.

Clark entered the ship, and the lead case stood out to him as the only part of the ship he couldn't see through. He picked it up and left the ship, racing away to a secluded hallway with the case. It was locked, and since Ironwood hadn't provided him a key, he ripped it open and took out some of the sonic grenades.

There were about a dozen inside. Small, cylindrical devices that resembled flash bangs. To test one, Clark pulled the pin.

EEEEEEEE!

Clark winced from the screeching tone, and less than a millisecond later, crushed it in his hand. These would work, but he couldn't let the phantom see them with X-ray vision before he used them.

Clark closed the case again and welded the misshapen ends together with heat vision. The phantom would definitely notice that he couldn't see into it, but he wouldn't know what was inside. That would have to do.

Clark pinched the lead together and made the layer of connecting metal as thin as he could. Lead would also be crucial if the phantom had any kryptonite with him, and Clark might need to tear open the case with reduced strength.

Without the crystal or sunlight, these would be the only weapons Clark had that would affect the phantom. With the case in hand, Clark sped to Penny's location. Luckily, she was in a room by herself.

It took a few milliseconds for Penny to react after Clark came in through the door. Her eyes widened, but she took it in stride faster than any human would have.

"Penny, I need your help." He began. "The-

She held up a hand. "I understand the situation, Clark. The general's informed me."

After hearing those words, Clark wanted to speed off with her and head for the phantom immediately, but he slowed his frantic pace. Just for a moment. "Penny, are you sure you want to come? The phantom has my abilities and flight. He won't hold back."

"All the more reason for me to go. I won't let you or your friend get hurt." She said, her eyes certain.

"This is serious. You could die." Clark warned her.

"I realize that, but you're my friend. I won't allow my friend to go into such danger without reinforcements." She walked behind Clark and climbed up onto his back. Her arms tightened around his neck, and her legs squeezed around his torso. "We don't have much time. I have a strong grip. Go."

She didn't need to hold on tight. Even objects as flimsy as plastic bags could survive his acceleration. He could have just carried Penny. She had some serious strength in her grip, it was almost enough for his throat to feel a bit constricted. It reassured him, she was no pushover.

Clark sped out of the room. A fraction of a second later, they plummeted off the coliseum. Too fast for any pair of eyes but one to spot them. Too fast to be pulled down by the force of gravity alone.

They landed in the Emerald Forest, trees and rocks blown aside by the impact. Immediately, Clark headed east, miles away to the edge of what his hearing could pick out. Super-hearing was the only hope they had of tracking down the phantom.

\\\\\

Ironwood's flagship had held Roman for weeks, but he didn't have it as bad as Neo. She'd been here for at least a couple months, and they hadn't even gotten to be cell neighbors when he'd arrived. Hell, Jimmy hadn't even let them see each other.

What that Atlesian prick had done was try to turn them against each other. A couple weeks into Roman's stay here, the general had told him that Neo had confessed and thrown him to the wolves.

As if Neo would ever do that. The general had probably tried the same thing with her. It must ha-

CREAK! WWWEEERRK!

The steelwall to Roman's cell burst apart, and for a split-second, he spotted the armored figure responsible. There wasn't even time to react before the figure flashed in the cell as an indistinct blur and crushed Roman's cuffs. Freeing the criminal.

Then, he disappeared. A piece of paper fluttered in the air, and Roman grabbed with his mouth hanging open, stunned by what he'd witnessed.

CREAK! Down the hall, Roman heard the more metal being forced apart. He walked out into the hall, and saw the floor was littered with guards. A few splattered with blood.

H-how? He hadn't even heard any fighting! And some of them looked like their heads had been knocked off! The gashes in their necks weren't clean like they would have been from swords.

Down the hall, Neo emerged from her cell from a hole just like the one in Roman's. She looked around curiously, although with not nearly as much of a stunned expression. In her hand was a sheet of paper.

Roman held up his own and started reading. They were instructions from Cinder, and he remembered why he'd feared that woman so much in the first place.

As if her own freaky powers weren't dangerous enough, since when did she have this kind of firepower on her side?