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The House of the Earth Part 3 (4/8): Here in My Heart, I Do Believe
Title: Chapter Four: Here in My Heart, I Do Believe
Pairing/Characters: Kal/Bruce
Notes: "The House of the Earth" is an AU in which a few thousand Kryptonians escaped the destruction of Krypton to flee to Earth and conquer its people.
Rating: G
Word Count: 2600
Summary: On the way to Smallville, Kal and Bruce pick up some companions.
Bruce slowed the truck as he pulled up alongside a young man in a dusty jeans jacket walking down the road. "Need a lift?"
The man looked up at the cab and grinned, his hazel eyes sharp under a thatch of unruly blond hair. "I could use one, perhaps. Depends on where you're going."
"To which House are you bound, brother?"
The man's smile widened, and instead of answering the rote question with the name of the House, he said, "Why, to the greatest House of all, brother."
As Kal stared in confusion, Bruce said easily, "Then you must be bound for the House of the Earth."
"I am indeed," said the traveler.
"Hop in," said Bruce, tilting his head toward the back of the truck.
The man clambered into the back of the flatbed, tossing his backpack in. "Name's Pete," he called through the back window as he sat down in the back.
"I'm Bruce, this is Clark."
Pete grinned at Kal. "Where you headed?"
Kal found himself smiling back. "We're headed a ways west still. Going to see my folks in Smallville, they run the plantation there. Haven't been back for years."
Pete arranged his backpack on the bed of the truck and sat down on it. "That's interesting," he said. "Because I'm from Smallville. Born and raised there." He looked up and met Kal's horrified eyes. "And Jonathan and Martha don't have any son I know of." There was a long pause, and then the smile stretched his mouth again. "But if they're willing to vouch for you when we get there, I'll assume they've got a good reason...brother."
Kal saw Bruce let out a small breath of relief. "Thank you," he said.
Pete waved a dismissive hand. "There aren't many people on the plantation been there their whole life, we've got a lot of people coming and going. I don't think anyone else will call you on it. But I'll tell you what," he said, "Come back here and I'll fill you in on some of the names and things you should know, so you'll be more convincing." His smile went a little wistful. "I'd love to talk about home."
Kal moved into the back of the truck and he and Pete spent the time between stops talking about Pete's home. After a couple of hours, Kal felt like he'd practically been there. Pete described every building, every dog, every place a young boy would love to play, fields of corn and wheat and soybeans.
"Wait, what about the iao?"
Pete chuckled. "We're so far away from any major city it isn't worth the time to grow it. We mostly grow food for other plantations. Vegetables. Fruit. Jonathan's pumpkins are unbelievable."
From Pete's descriptions it quickly became clear to Kal that Smallville was like no plantation he'd seen or heard of. Out in the middle of the continent, far from any of the areas Kryptonians lived, Jonathan and Martha "oversaw" something much closer to a community farm than a plantation. And more--a major stop on the underground network of connections among the slave community. From the way Pete described the movement of people on and off the plantation, it seemed very likely that Smallville housed runaways, runaways that stopped there for a time to rest and help and then moved on...where?
Smallville was a mystery, and Kal had the impression there were still-greater mysteries beyond it.
At their third stop for the day, Bruce picked up another passenger claiming his destination was "the House of the Earth.". The new arrival was also blond, with green eyes and a small goatee. Oliver turned out to be just as talkative as Pete, but with a difference: where Pete mostly wanted to talk about his home, Oliver seemed much more interested in talking about himself. The rest of the day was a constant stream of stories about Oliver's heroic exploits, most of which seemed to involve bedding some very grateful woman at the end of it. The other three listened rather incredulously during their stops, with Pete casting Kal "can you believe this guy?" looks every few minutes. His casual camraderie both warmed and embarrassed Kal; he found he liked Pete a lot and was increasingly uncomfortable with his deception. The silver collar around his neck reminded him that it was Clark Pete was becoming friends with--Clark, a fellow human, not an alien in disguise.
As night fell, Oliver and Pete were still with them, so they pulled off the road at a shelter, a tiny lean-to with a small fireplace. "Just in time," Oliver said, looking at the sky; storm clouds were massing on the horizon and the wind was starting to pick up. They finished moving into the shelter just as the first drops of rain began to spatter the ground.
"Ah," said Oliver, holding his hands out to the little fire he'd started. "Nice to be warm. And speaking of warm..." He launched into another extremely implausible story about a time he had fought off a grizzly bear that was threatening a beautiful young woman.
Pete shook his head in amazement. "Does he ever shut up?" he said sotto voce to Kal.
"You've known him as long as I have," Kal answered. He looked at Bruce, who was watching Oliver. It was strange, but the two men seemed similar somehow. It made no sense, they were total opposites: dark and fair, silent and loquacious. Yet there seemed to be more behind Oliver's chatter than the ramblings of an empty blowhard. Kal sincerely doubted that Oliver was no more than the glib, arrogant braggart across the fire.
"I'm beginning to suspect that he's secretly the Bat," Pete whispered loudly. "It's the only explanation."
Oliver's expression was very serious for just a moment. "Don't joke about that," he said, glancing out at the dark. He looked back and smiled again, bright and glittering. "Have I told you about the time I wooed an overseer's favorite concubine away from him while hiding under his bed?"
Pete laughed again and Oliver started to detail the lady's charms, but broke off as a gust of wind rattled the flimsy lean-to and curled in to make the fire spark and flare. A flash of light in the distance was followed by a low rumble of thunder, and the rain picked up on the roof "Here's to good company on a stormy night," Oliver said, lifting his tin cup in a salute. They fell silent, listening to the howling of the wind through the trees outside, punctuated by the sound of limbs snapping now and then.
Suddenly Kal stiffened. "Did you hear that?" he said. The other three looked blank. "I heard someone crying."
"It's just the wind," said Oliver.
"No," Kal said, looking at Bruce. "It's not."
Bruce frowned and shook his head slightly. "The storm can sound like--"
Kal stood up. "I'll be right back," he said, and plunged out into the torrent.
He hadn't made it more than a few yards when a hand grabbed at his elbow; he turned to see Bruce there, already soaked with rain, the wind lashing his face. "It's too dangerous!" Bruce yelled over the scream of the wind. "You can't risk revealing--"
"I can't shut off my hearing!" Kal retorted, then pulled away and headed into the woods.
Branches tore at his clothes and slashed across his face; he limited his speed but couldn't silence the sound of someone sobbing, a tiny sound in the depths of the raging storm. He drew closer, until a flash of lightning revealed a figure huddled at the base of a tree--a girl, her face contorted with terror at the sight of him. "Sh," he said. "I won't hurt you," but he wasn't sure if she could hear him over the wind and thunder.
Below the roar of the storm and the girl's hopeless sobbing, he heard another sound: voices speaking in Kryptonian. < Did you hear that? > one said, and Kal froze, gathering the girl up instinctively in his arms.
Then a hand was on his shoulder, and Kal looked over to see Bruce there, his eyes narrowed against the wind and slashing rain. Kal hadn't heard him approaching. They're coming, he mouthed into the howling wind, but Bruce was already taking out the little silver pearls that buffered against sound and setting them into motion.
The girl stared at the spheres, but Bruce pushed both her and Kal down into a hollow in the tree, making them as inconspicuous as possible, and they all went motionless as the rain and wind pummeled them. Kal could feel the girl's heartbeat against his chest, could feel Bruce's breath on the back of his neck. They waited there, silent and still, until Kal heard the Kryptonian searchers move on, until the storm started to die down.
: : :
The girl's teeth chattered against the tin cup of coffee Pete had given her. The firelight revealed a girl barely in her teens, with a narrow, alert face framed by waves of dripping red hair. Oliver wrapped a blanket around her shivering frame, all his Casanova affectation entirely gone. "I'm Oliver, this is Pete and Bruce, and our friend with the very sharp hearing is Clark," he said.
"I'm B-B-Barbara," she managed, huddling down into her blanket. Her eyes were still filled with fear.
"You're safe here," Bruce said. His voice allowed no doubt on the matter. "We won't let anyone hurt you."
For a moment, she looked like she might cry, but then she bit her lower lip--hard--and nodded. "Father sent me away," she said. "Hath-Okh, my owner--he--he wanted--" The tin cup in her hands started shaking again, threatening to slosh over the rim. "I told father I'd rather die. He told me to head west and keep going." She put down the cup and reached into a pocket; took out a small silver compass. "He gave me this. It's all I have left--" There was a long, pained silence. The compass sent off silver glints of light as it trembled in the firelight.
"Well," said Pete after a while. "You're in luck, since we're heading west ourselves." He looked at Bruce. "She'll come with us, right?"
"Of course she will!" Oliver announced, clapping Pete on the back and beaming.
Bruce nodded slowly. "We'll need to hit the road soon and put as much distance between us and here as possible. But first--" He looked at the girl. "--That red hair is far too conspicuous." He turned to Pete. "There was a walnut tree near the road. Go collect a bunch of fallen walnuts."
A few hours later Barbara's hair was a dark brown and they were packing up to go, casting nervous glances at the sky. "If they stop us, she's got no papers," Pete said, worrying his lower lip.
Oliver rummaged in his bag and came up with a folded piece of paper. He held it out with a flourish to Barbara. "I just so happen to have some...spare papers. The lady they belong to doesn't need them at the moment, so..." He squinted comically at the Kryptonian writing. "The lady's name is Dinah. Can you go by Dinah?"
Barbara nodded and took the papers. "Dinah," she whispered.
Oliver looked a bit worried as he spoke to Bruce. "Dinah's older than she is. I'm not sure she'll be able to pass--"
"Kryptonians have a hard time judging human ages," Kal said. "It's the longer lifespan. She should be okay."
"You've spent time around Kryptonians?" Pete asked, rolling up a blanket. "Is it true they're like gods?"
"Hardly," Bruce snorted.
"You've never met a Kryptonian?" Kal asked.
Pete flashed him a grin. "I've never even left Smallville until a few weeks ago. And I don't think the Kryptonian that owns the Smallville plantation's been there in my lifetime." He started to move toward the truck. "Nope, never seen a Kryp in my life, and that's fine with me."
Kal followed behind more slowly.
: : :
They made good time; Bruce pushed past plantations, hoping to put as much space as possible between "Dinah" and the last known location of the red-haired runaway. But their progress wasn't linear. Washed-out bridges and impassible roads forced them to strike off on detours and sidetracks, and when the sun began to set Bruce announced that they were still a full day's drive from Smallville.
"But also a full day's drive from where anyone last saw our lovely young friend," said Oliver, stretching. He peeked into the back of the truck, where Barbara was curled up asleep on the floor. "She must have been totally exhausted, she's slept all day," he said.
"Let her sleep a little longer," said Bruce. "We'll set up camp right here by the truck."
The smell of cooking food eventually drew Barbara from the truck, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She took her place at the fire and Pete handed her a cup of stew. "Thank you," she said. "You're all very kind." Kal saw her touch the pocket in her coat where her father's compass was hidden, her eyes sad.
"We humans gotta stick together," Pete said cheerfully.
"What's it like?" Barbara asked. "Smallville, I mean?"
Pete chuckled, a sound with a hint of irony to it. "A few weeks ago, I would have said 'the most boring place on Earth.'" But now that I've seen a few other plantations..." He smiled, his eyes far away. "It's a good place. Quiet. The overseers are good people. Aren't they, Clark?"
Clark had been expecting the question, so he was ready for it. "Ma and Pa do their best."
"Smallville's a special place," Pete said. "It's--well, you'll see when we get there."
"I'm looking forward to it," Barbara said.
They finished the meal and rolled out blankets. The sky was clear tonight, studded with brilliant stars, and Kal stared up into them, feeling his companions settling in around him. There was a sudden mournful, reedy sound, and Kal looked over to see Pete holding a harmonica, testing out quavering notes. He took a breath and started on a melody; after a moment Oliver started to sing.
My life flows on in endless song
Above earth's lamentation...
His voice was unschooled but pleasant as the notes lifted into the night, against the stars. Barbara and Bruce soon joined in, her sweet light voice and his baritone mingling:
When tyrants tremble, sick with fear,
And hear their death-knell ringing,
When friends rejoice both far and near,
How can I keep from singing?
Kal listened to their voices and looked at the heavens. He wished he could join in, but he didn't know the words. It wasn't his song. The stars glittered, far away and remote, and Kal closed his eyes and felt his chest tighten with a grief he couldn't name, couldn't express.
As the song came to an end, Bruce said to Pete, "Do you know this one?" He started on a new song, and Pete joined in right away, Barbara and Oliver following along: We shall overcome, we shall overcome, we shall overcome someday..."
The song was simple, the words repeated as a sort of call and response, and Kal realized it was a song created so anyone could sing along right away. By the second verse he'd lifted his voice in harmony with the others, following Bruce's lead: We'll walk hand in hand, someday. Here in my heart, I do believe...
He looked over the fire to see Bruce's eyes on him as their voices blended.
We'll walk hand in hand someday.
Pairing/Characters: Kal/Bruce
Notes: "The House of the Earth" is an AU in which a few thousand Kryptonians escaped the destruction of Krypton to flee to Earth and conquer its people.
Rating: G
Word Count: 2600
Summary: On the way to Smallville, Kal and Bruce pick up some companions.
Bruce slowed the truck as he pulled up alongside a young man in a dusty jeans jacket walking down the road. "Need a lift?"
The man looked up at the cab and grinned, his hazel eyes sharp under a thatch of unruly blond hair. "I could use one, perhaps. Depends on where you're going."
"To which House are you bound, brother?"
The man's smile widened, and instead of answering the rote question with the name of the House, he said, "Why, to the greatest House of all, brother."
As Kal stared in confusion, Bruce said easily, "Then you must be bound for the House of the Earth."
"I am indeed," said the traveler.
"Hop in," said Bruce, tilting his head toward the back of the truck.
The man clambered into the back of the flatbed, tossing his backpack in. "Name's Pete," he called through the back window as he sat down in the back.
"I'm Bruce, this is Clark."
Pete grinned at Kal. "Where you headed?"
Kal found himself smiling back. "We're headed a ways west still. Going to see my folks in Smallville, they run the plantation there. Haven't been back for years."
Pete arranged his backpack on the bed of the truck and sat down on it. "That's interesting," he said. "Because I'm from Smallville. Born and raised there." He looked up and met Kal's horrified eyes. "And Jonathan and Martha don't have any son I know of." There was a long pause, and then the smile stretched his mouth again. "But if they're willing to vouch for you when we get there, I'll assume they've got a good reason...brother."
Kal saw Bruce let out a small breath of relief. "Thank you," he said.
Pete waved a dismissive hand. "There aren't many people on the plantation been there their whole life, we've got a lot of people coming and going. I don't think anyone else will call you on it. But I'll tell you what," he said, "Come back here and I'll fill you in on some of the names and things you should know, so you'll be more convincing." His smile went a little wistful. "I'd love to talk about home."
Kal moved into the back of the truck and he and Pete spent the time between stops talking about Pete's home. After a couple of hours, Kal felt like he'd practically been there. Pete described every building, every dog, every place a young boy would love to play, fields of corn and wheat and soybeans.
"Wait, what about the iao?"
Pete chuckled. "We're so far away from any major city it isn't worth the time to grow it. We mostly grow food for other plantations. Vegetables. Fruit. Jonathan's pumpkins are unbelievable."
From Pete's descriptions it quickly became clear to Kal that Smallville was like no plantation he'd seen or heard of. Out in the middle of the continent, far from any of the areas Kryptonians lived, Jonathan and Martha "oversaw" something much closer to a community farm than a plantation. And more--a major stop on the underground network of connections among the slave community. From the way Pete described the movement of people on and off the plantation, it seemed very likely that Smallville housed runaways, runaways that stopped there for a time to rest and help and then moved on...where?
Smallville was a mystery, and Kal had the impression there were still-greater mysteries beyond it.
At their third stop for the day, Bruce picked up another passenger claiming his destination was "the House of the Earth.". The new arrival was also blond, with green eyes and a small goatee. Oliver turned out to be just as talkative as Pete, but with a difference: where Pete mostly wanted to talk about his home, Oliver seemed much more interested in talking about himself. The rest of the day was a constant stream of stories about Oliver's heroic exploits, most of which seemed to involve bedding some very grateful woman at the end of it. The other three listened rather incredulously during their stops, with Pete casting Kal "can you believe this guy?" looks every few minutes. His casual camraderie both warmed and embarrassed Kal; he found he liked Pete a lot and was increasingly uncomfortable with his deception. The silver collar around his neck reminded him that it was Clark Pete was becoming friends with--Clark, a fellow human, not an alien in disguise.
As night fell, Oliver and Pete were still with them, so they pulled off the road at a shelter, a tiny lean-to with a small fireplace. "Just in time," Oliver said, looking at the sky; storm clouds were massing on the horizon and the wind was starting to pick up. They finished moving into the shelter just as the first drops of rain began to spatter the ground.
"Ah," said Oliver, holding his hands out to the little fire he'd started. "Nice to be warm. And speaking of warm..." He launched into another extremely implausible story about a time he had fought off a grizzly bear that was threatening a beautiful young woman.
Pete shook his head in amazement. "Does he ever shut up?" he said sotto voce to Kal.
"You've known him as long as I have," Kal answered. He looked at Bruce, who was watching Oliver. It was strange, but the two men seemed similar somehow. It made no sense, they were total opposites: dark and fair, silent and loquacious. Yet there seemed to be more behind Oliver's chatter than the ramblings of an empty blowhard. Kal sincerely doubted that Oliver was no more than the glib, arrogant braggart across the fire.
"I'm beginning to suspect that he's secretly the Bat," Pete whispered loudly. "It's the only explanation."
Oliver's expression was very serious for just a moment. "Don't joke about that," he said, glancing out at the dark. He looked back and smiled again, bright and glittering. "Have I told you about the time I wooed an overseer's favorite concubine away from him while hiding under his bed?"
Pete laughed again and Oliver started to detail the lady's charms, but broke off as a gust of wind rattled the flimsy lean-to and curled in to make the fire spark and flare. A flash of light in the distance was followed by a low rumble of thunder, and the rain picked up on the roof "Here's to good company on a stormy night," Oliver said, lifting his tin cup in a salute. They fell silent, listening to the howling of the wind through the trees outside, punctuated by the sound of limbs snapping now and then.
Suddenly Kal stiffened. "Did you hear that?" he said. The other three looked blank. "I heard someone crying."
"It's just the wind," said Oliver.
"No," Kal said, looking at Bruce. "It's not."
Bruce frowned and shook his head slightly. "The storm can sound like--"
Kal stood up. "I'll be right back," he said, and plunged out into the torrent.
He hadn't made it more than a few yards when a hand grabbed at his elbow; he turned to see Bruce there, already soaked with rain, the wind lashing his face. "It's too dangerous!" Bruce yelled over the scream of the wind. "You can't risk revealing--"
"I can't shut off my hearing!" Kal retorted, then pulled away and headed into the woods.
Branches tore at his clothes and slashed across his face; he limited his speed but couldn't silence the sound of someone sobbing, a tiny sound in the depths of the raging storm. He drew closer, until a flash of lightning revealed a figure huddled at the base of a tree--a girl, her face contorted with terror at the sight of him. "Sh," he said. "I won't hurt you," but he wasn't sure if she could hear him over the wind and thunder.
Below the roar of the storm and the girl's hopeless sobbing, he heard another sound: voices speaking in Kryptonian. < Did you hear that? > one said, and Kal froze, gathering the girl up instinctively in his arms.
Then a hand was on his shoulder, and Kal looked over to see Bruce there, his eyes narrowed against the wind and slashing rain. Kal hadn't heard him approaching. They're coming, he mouthed into the howling wind, but Bruce was already taking out the little silver pearls that buffered against sound and setting them into motion.
The girl stared at the spheres, but Bruce pushed both her and Kal down into a hollow in the tree, making them as inconspicuous as possible, and they all went motionless as the rain and wind pummeled them. Kal could feel the girl's heartbeat against his chest, could feel Bruce's breath on the back of his neck. They waited there, silent and still, until Kal heard the Kryptonian searchers move on, until the storm started to die down.
: : :
The girl's teeth chattered against the tin cup of coffee Pete had given her. The firelight revealed a girl barely in her teens, with a narrow, alert face framed by waves of dripping red hair. Oliver wrapped a blanket around her shivering frame, all his Casanova affectation entirely gone. "I'm Oliver, this is Pete and Bruce, and our friend with the very sharp hearing is Clark," he said.
"I'm B-B-Barbara," she managed, huddling down into her blanket. Her eyes were still filled with fear.
"You're safe here," Bruce said. His voice allowed no doubt on the matter. "We won't let anyone hurt you."
For a moment, she looked like she might cry, but then she bit her lower lip--hard--and nodded. "Father sent me away," she said. "Hath-Okh, my owner--he--he wanted--" The tin cup in her hands started shaking again, threatening to slosh over the rim. "I told father I'd rather die. He told me to head west and keep going." She put down the cup and reached into a pocket; took out a small silver compass. "He gave me this. It's all I have left--" There was a long, pained silence. The compass sent off silver glints of light as it trembled in the firelight.
"Well," said Pete after a while. "You're in luck, since we're heading west ourselves." He looked at Bruce. "She'll come with us, right?"
"Of course she will!" Oliver announced, clapping Pete on the back and beaming.
Bruce nodded slowly. "We'll need to hit the road soon and put as much distance between us and here as possible. But first--" He looked at the girl. "--That red hair is far too conspicuous." He turned to Pete. "There was a walnut tree near the road. Go collect a bunch of fallen walnuts."
A few hours later Barbara's hair was a dark brown and they were packing up to go, casting nervous glances at the sky. "If they stop us, she's got no papers," Pete said, worrying his lower lip.
Oliver rummaged in his bag and came up with a folded piece of paper. He held it out with a flourish to Barbara. "I just so happen to have some...spare papers. The lady they belong to doesn't need them at the moment, so..." He squinted comically at the Kryptonian writing. "The lady's name is Dinah. Can you go by Dinah?"
Barbara nodded and took the papers. "Dinah," she whispered.
Oliver looked a bit worried as he spoke to Bruce. "Dinah's older than she is. I'm not sure she'll be able to pass--"
"Kryptonians have a hard time judging human ages," Kal said. "It's the longer lifespan. She should be okay."
"You've spent time around Kryptonians?" Pete asked, rolling up a blanket. "Is it true they're like gods?"
"Hardly," Bruce snorted.
"You've never met a Kryptonian?" Kal asked.
Pete flashed him a grin. "I've never even left Smallville until a few weeks ago. And I don't think the Kryptonian that owns the Smallville plantation's been there in my lifetime." He started to move toward the truck. "Nope, never seen a Kryp in my life, and that's fine with me."
Kal followed behind more slowly.
: : :
They made good time; Bruce pushed past plantations, hoping to put as much space as possible between "Dinah" and the last known location of the red-haired runaway. But their progress wasn't linear. Washed-out bridges and impassible roads forced them to strike off on detours and sidetracks, and when the sun began to set Bruce announced that they were still a full day's drive from Smallville.
"But also a full day's drive from where anyone last saw our lovely young friend," said Oliver, stretching. He peeked into the back of the truck, where Barbara was curled up asleep on the floor. "She must have been totally exhausted, she's slept all day," he said.
"Let her sleep a little longer," said Bruce. "We'll set up camp right here by the truck."
The smell of cooking food eventually drew Barbara from the truck, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She took her place at the fire and Pete handed her a cup of stew. "Thank you," she said. "You're all very kind." Kal saw her touch the pocket in her coat where her father's compass was hidden, her eyes sad.
"We humans gotta stick together," Pete said cheerfully.
"What's it like?" Barbara asked. "Smallville, I mean?"
Pete chuckled, a sound with a hint of irony to it. "A few weeks ago, I would have said 'the most boring place on Earth.'" But now that I've seen a few other plantations..." He smiled, his eyes far away. "It's a good place. Quiet. The overseers are good people. Aren't they, Clark?"
Clark had been expecting the question, so he was ready for it. "Ma and Pa do their best."
"Smallville's a special place," Pete said. "It's--well, you'll see when we get there."
"I'm looking forward to it," Barbara said.
They finished the meal and rolled out blankets. The sky was clear tonight, studded with brilliant stars, and Kal stared up into them, feeling his companions settling in around him. There was a sudden mournful, reedy sound, and Kal looked over to see Pete holding a harmonica, testing out quavering notes. He took a breath and started on a melody; after a moment Oliver started to sing.
My life flows on in endless song
Above earth's lamentation...
His voice was unschooled but pleasant as the notes lifted into the night, against the stars. Barbara and Bruce soon joined in, her sweet light voice and his baritone mingling:
When tyrants tremble, sick with fear,
And hear their death-knell ringing,
When friends rejoice both far and near,
How can I keep from singing?
Kal listened to their voices and looked at the heavens. He wished he could join in, but he didn't know the words. It wasn't his song. The stars glittered, far away and remote, and Kal closed his eyes and felt his chest tighten with a grief he couldn't name, couldn't express.
As the song came to an end, Bruce said to Pete, "Do you know this one?" He started on a new song, and Pete joined in right away, Barbara and Oliver following along: We shall overcome, we shall overcome, we shall overcome someday..."
The song was simple, the words repeated as a sort of call and response, and Kal realized it was a song created so anyone could sing along right away. By the second verse he'd lifted his voice in harmony with the others, following Bruce's lead: We'll walk hand in hand, someday. Here in my heart, I do believe...
He looked over the fire to see Bruce's eyes on him as their voices blended.
We'll walk hand in hand someday.
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As twisted and depressing as this universe is, I really, really love what you're doing with it. :) You could have turned this into a dark, sad tale, but instead you've infused it with so much hope. :happy sigh: I really love this series. :D
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I really don't know Pete very well, but he insisted on being in here. :) And Ollie--well, who can resist him?
I'm glad both the darkness and hope come through here! Given a dark world, I don't think you could ask for a better cast of characters than the DCU to set it right, all things considered, so the hope tends to leak through when I write. :)
*hugs* Thanks for the wonderful comment!
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(Anonymous) 2009-03-16 03:01 pm (UTC)(link)I love that we get to see Kal interact more with people. Will we see him with kriptonians during his stint as Clark ?
I'm not very familiar with Ollie and I don't know Pete but I enjoyed your hitchikers, I hope Barbara find a good place. Up until now, Kal, Bruce and Kara were almost the only example of personal slave we saw , with the exeption of a small Metropolis visite. With one short sentence from Barbara you ilustrated perfectly how horrible the concept actualy is. Bravo.
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I think I've hot a jag where I'll be able to post pretty steadily for a while now!
I love that we get to see Kal interact more with people. Will we see him with kriptonians during his stint as Clark ?
I was going to say "yes," and then realized it doesn't actually count, hm. Kind of no, not really. I wrestled with that one but wanted the arc to be more about Clark being able to bond with humans than suffering at his own peoples' hands, tempting as it was...
I'm glad you liked Barbara here! When I realized they'd be passing near Chicago she insisted on making a break for it and joining the group. :) She's...interesting to write so young, but there's definitely some Oracle in her already. :)
Thanks so much for the comment!
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This was just so cheery and wonderful to read. As always i can't wait to read the rest, i am enjoyting this series immensely!
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It took me forever to figure out who would be meeting them on the road! There are just so many options, lol... Pete was a logical choice, and then Ollie just insisted (he'll do that sometimes!) And when I realized they were passing near Chicago Barbara insisted on coming along...
I'm glad you're enjoying it! The next chapter should be up soon--I had a lot of fun writing them in Smallville, which managed to stay fairly similar to canon Smallville in some ways...
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The Smallville plantation sounds like a good place. indeed. Leave it to Martha and Jonathan to swing something like that. ;)
Kal will feel like their son by the time he leaves. :)
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The Smallville plantation sounds like a good place. indeed. Leave it to Martha and Jonathan to swing something like that. ;)
Jonathan and Martha insisted on keeping Smallville an oasis of sorts in this world. I really enjoyed writing them! Their connection with Clark is such an important part of who he is...
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Oh, yes, they are vital to the mythos! They gave Clark love and protection and as normal a childhood as he could get. They had to insist he pass as human to protect him but accepted him for who he was, and they are really his parents, as he never knew Jor-El and Lara.
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Oooh! Pete!
"Come back here and I'll fill you in on some of the names and things you should know, so you'll be more convincing." His smile went a little wistful. "I'd love to talk about home."
Yay for Pete! That's such a great way for Kal to learn about Smallville... :)
From Pete's descriptions it quickly became clear to Kal that Smallville was like no plantation he'd seen or heard of. Out in the middle of the continent, far from any of the areas Kryptonians lived, Jonathan and Martha "oversaw" something much closer to a community farm than a plantation. And more--a major stop on the underground network of connections among the slave community. From the way Pete described the movement of people on and off the plantation, it seemed very likely that Smallville housed runaways, runaways that stopped there for a time to rest and help and then moved on...where?
Smallville! Smallville is (mostly!) the same? Yay! :D
The new arrival was also blond, with green eyes and a small goatee. Oliver turned out to be just as talkative as Pete, but with a difference: where Pete mostly wanted to talk about his home, Oliver seemed much more interested in talking about himself.
Eeeee, Ollie!
The silver collar around his neck reminded him that it was Clark Pete was becoming friends with--Clark, a fellow human, not an alien in disguise.
*pets Kal*
He launched into another extremely implausible story about a time he had fought off a grizzly bear that was threatening a beautiful young woman.
*giggles* And, I see, something else hasn't changed... ;)
Below the roar of the storm and the girl's hopeless sobbing, he heard another sound: voices speaking in Kryptonian. < Did you hear that? > one said, and Kal froze, gathering the girl up instinctively in his arms.
Uh oh...
They waited there, silent and still, until Kal heard the Kryptonian searchers move on, until the storm started to die down.
*sighs in relief*
"I'm B-B-Barbara," she managed, huddling down into her blanket. Her eyes were still filled with fear.
Oh, Babs... *huggles her*
"You're safe here," Bruce said. His voice allowed no doubt on the matter. "We won't let anyone hurt you."
*hearts Bruce*
"I told father I'd rather die. He told me to head west and keep going." She put down the cup and reached into a pocket; took out a small silver compass. "He gave me this. It's all I have left--" There was a long, pained silence. The compass sent off silver glints of light as it trembled in the firelight.
*huggles Babs again*
"Nope, never seen a Kryp in my life, and that's fine with me."
Ouch.
Kal listened to their voices and looked at the heavens. He wished he could join in, but he didn't know the words. It wasn't his song. The stars glittered, far away and remote, and Kal closed his eyes and felt his chest tighten with a grief he couldn't name, couldn't express.
*huggles Kal*
He looked over the fire to see Bruce's eyes on him as their voices blended.
We'll walk hand in hand someday.
Oh... and they will, won't they? *huggles them*
This chapter was very bittersweet! *pets everyone* I hope to see more soon! :)
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I was inspired by your Pete and the role he played in your story! I don't think I've ever used him and I was a little nervous about it, but he relaxed into the story fairly quickly...
Smallville! Smallville is (mostly!) the same? Yay! :D
Smallville is largely ignored by the Kryptonians, so Jonathan and Martha have been able to keep it relatively safe and positive. After ruining Gotham, it would break my heart to destroy Smallville too! :(
Oh... and they will, won't they? *huggles them*
If anyone can find a way to do it, it's Clark and Bruce. :)
I'm hoping to have the next chapter up quite soon! Thanks so much for the sweet comment! *hugs*
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I froze at first when Pete called out Clark's story but what a relief that he was ok about it!
And that last line and the image it invokes is an absolute killer.
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I've severely limited my OCs by having Kal and Bruce only be about 22! Cass would be about 4 at this point...so Barbara it was. :)
I froze at first when Pete called out Clark's story but what a relief that he was ok about it!
Generally, Smallville folks are reliable. :) And I'm glad you liked the ending! I've been listening to Bruce Springsteen's version of the song on heavy rotation for a while now, it tends to stay with me. :)
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another great chapter, and i'm excited to see you've linked in babs, pete and ollie. this is just getting SO interesting!!
*anxiously anticipates more*
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Glad you're enjoying!
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(Anonymous) 2009-03-16 09:53 pm (UTC)(link)Angeloz
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In this case, it really is just that the owner is so phobic about humans and the plantation is so out of the way that he never comes around, so they're relatively free to make plans there.
Well, he almost never comes around. :P
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Also: Eeeeeee! Babs!!!! So well done. Really feel for her, being in that situation. So glad you fit in some of the family.
Everything flowed well in the group scene, so good job there.
I confess I don't remember what's going on with the Kents. Are they going to vouch for Kal?
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I've discovered I've limited some of my supporting cast by making Kal and Bruce so young! Barbara was just>/i> barely old enough to manage this, and I had to go with the older versions of her anyway, wow...
I confess I don't remember what's going on with the Kents. Are they going to vouch for Kal?
Yes, they've been told they're going to be helping someone in the resistance by giving him a cover story and pretending he's their son, so there won't be any "Who the heck are you?" moments, lol...
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Aw, it's an AU! Go ahead and adjust the ages if you want to. It's not like DC doesn't do it all the time.
Yes, they've been told they're going to be helping someone in the resistance by giving him a cover story and pretending he's their son, so there won't be any "Who the heck are you?" moments, lol...
Because that would be really awkward. :) I guess they don't know he's a Kryp, though. That's going to be super awkward when they find out.
I've been thinking that Kal probably won't pass for too much longer. He's gotta slip up somewhere, by not being able to tell how old a human is, or by holding a view about humans that humans don't hold about themselves...
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That's a really good point--he squeaks by, but largely by being careful to mostly keep his mouth shut and do what the people around him are doing as much as possible. And Jonathan and Martha especially are likely to cut some extra slack for someone with odd ways... I assume that there are humans who've been isolated from other humans to some extent by their "owners" and it would be awkward to call attention to it.
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I didn't think of that! That they'd make allowances for him (secretly pitying him all the while) is certainly a very potent dynamic to have.
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Hey, the gang's getting back together! I love the organic way they all kinda fell in together. And singing songs around a campfire. :D Poor Clark. He worries so much, about everything. He was really sweet here, trying to fit in with the human club.
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I really enjoyed writing the campfire singing, somehow. :) And Ollie manages to be social glue, lol. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Clark is a fretter indeed...
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And PETE! You know, I always thought the comics had done Pete a disservice in more recent years, and Smallville's version grew on me in his place, but I can like this one easily.
Oh poor Barbara.
I am now, of course, curious as to why Ollie had Dinah's papers, and is that as foreboding as I believe it to be?
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Oh dear, no. *hugs* Ollie would never be glib about something that horrible. No, Dinah is somewhere she doesn't need papers at the moment (Kal and Bruce will get there) and Ollie's kept them specifically for cases like this--so few people can read Kryptonian that papers are hard to forge.
Pete has gotten some bad treatment in comics lately! It's such a shame that Clark can't just have a good solid friendship with him...
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Like this sentence. It make them together. ^^
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Nice. *Smile*
Wow, you wrote Pete as such a great character. I loved it.
And all these others characters (Oliver, Barbara, Diana) - that was wonderful to see them in this story. :)
My favorite moment was Kal saving Barbara - AWWWW!
He looked over the fire to see Bruce's eyes on him as their voices blended.
Amazing ending. :)
Thanks for sharing this.
I look forward to Martha and Jonathan. :)
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Pete isn't very consistently written in canon, unfortunately! About the only thing I know of him is from old SIlver Age SUperboy comics, so I mostly went with those, lol...
I look forward to Martha and Jonathan. :)
Me too! *bounces* I hope to have the next chapter up soon! Thanks so much for the comment!
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Haaa, yes, Racefail was deeply rattling, but definitely gave me more to think about on the topic--and made me both nervous and very eager to finally get to writing Clark as fully Superman at some point, doing more than worrying and making personal changes, although that's a valid part of the process (I think).
And yeah, the constant frustration of not getting reassurance from Bruce that Kal is just swell and perfect makes the story really tense, but provides a sort of...engine that keeps it running, too.
Heh, sorry, I can go on a bit on the topic. :D
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(That's my annoyingly verbose way of saying I'm happy to see Barbara.)
>>"You've never met a Kryptonian?" Kal asked.
Pete flashed him a grin. "I've never even left Smallville until a few weeks ago. And I don't think the Kryptonian that owns the Smallville plantation's been there in my lifetime." He started to move toward the truck. "Nope, never seen a Kryp in my life, and that's fine with me."
Kal followed behind more slowly.
Aw, I just want to hug him. His insecurities about being not being human are pitiful but cute. And quite misplaced, I'm sure.
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I'm generally a lone-bat fan as well, just because...well, since Superman/Batman is my OTP, I kind of like Superman to be the one who gets through the loneliness and barriers, and if he already has a flock of friends it's something less of a feat. :) But Bruce's supporting cast is really wonderful in and of their own right too, and animated Batgirl is so very awesome!
His insecurities about being not being human are pitiful but cute. And quite misplaced, I'm sure.
With these people, yes--he seems to have a hard time telling when people are the type who'll love him anyway, in some ways. I guess I can understand that...people will surprise you by going from kind of closed rather quickly sometimes.
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I do love that you've cast Smallville as sort of the antithesis to the rest of the plantations, with Martha and Jonathan acting as rebel leaders, of a sort. Fits well with the idea that Martha Kent might have been involved with the civil rights movement in the 60's.
And Barbara! So glad they found her. :)
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