#34: Smallville: Land of the Pharaohs

The Smallville bank sat on the corner of main street. It was not the biggest building in Smallville, that distinguishing characteristic was laid claim to by Holcombs Feed and Seed. The bank however was the most impressive. Made entirely from granite from the local quarry the sun glanced off the smooth rock blue columns that adorned the front entrance where etched into the stone above the door it proudly proclaimed itself as Smallville's First National Bank.

Once inside the, the dark wood stain and the smell of leather whisked one away to some exotic Mediterranean banking center, where the locals wore pressed linen and white shoes, but patrons were quickly reminded where they were when they meet Pete Ross, the bank manager.

Born and bred in Smallville Pete had many friends and no enemies. That's not to say as bank manager he sometimes didn't have to take a hard line with people, even those people would tell you that Pete was fair and as fine a man as you would ever want to meet. Everyone was surprised when Pete came back to town after leaving for college and spending some years abroad, but everyone was glad for it.

Pete looked up from the papers on his desk as the line on his phone blinked; it was his private line, which most of the citizens of Smallville had anyway.

"Hello, this is Pete", he paused. "Wow, that's great news Mr. Hutton . . . How much? . . . Wow . . . What do you think I should do? . . . Yeah, I heard about it . . . It sent the stock down that much . . . Absolutely that would be great . . . Yes, I could get everything in order here in few days. Thank you Mr. Hutton. This is great news." Pete put the phone back down into it's cradle. "And I know just who I'm going to share it with."

Pete held down the button on his intercom. "Miss Danvers, will you please call a staff meeting and get me Miss Lang on the phone."

Lana held two dresses in front of her. One of them was blue, the other was yellow. She held up the blue to her, imagining how the dress would move when she walked. Pete had just called and asked her to dinner. They had been going out steadily now these last few months. They had shared lots of things growing up. Elementary school, High School, Clarks friendship, for a time they had been Smallvilles own version of the three musketeers, all for one and one for all.

Then Clark told her.

She put the blue dress down on the bed and held up the yellow one.

She withdrew, afraid that she would accidentally let the secret out. For a while she locked the door to her room at night afraid that she might blurt it out in her sleep. Soon everyone went off to college and their separate ways. She pushed the secret out of her mind. Then she came home, with her son. Or she thought she did. It was all a fake, memories placed there by Brainiac. What had she done instead of raise a son? She couldn't remember.

She would go with the yellow one. It complimented her red hair and she liked the way the way the waist was cut.

The door bell rang. Could that be Pete already? I thought I was meeting him at the restaurant. Whatever he had to tell her must not be able to keep. She quickly slid the dress on over her head and ran into her stocking feet to the door. The last person she expected to see was her Uncle Professor Phineas Potter.

He blew into the house like a Kansas dirt devil.

"My goodness, little Lana! Look how you've grown!" He grabbed her and hugged her tight.

"Uncle Phineas?" She looked down at her dress; it was now stained with dust. She would have to wear the blue one.

"What are you doing here, you should have written me or called to tell me you were coming. I have an appointment in a few minutes."
"Hot date, my dear? I'm sorry, I'm just through town for a couple of days and thought I would drop in to see my favorite niece."

Only neice you mean, she thought. "You're welcome to stay here." She called out as she ran into her bedroom and changed to the blue dress.

Uncle Potter had already made himself comfortable on the couch as she came out. "Don't go to any trouble dear, I'll only be a couple of days, Big Dig in Peru you know."

"I'll be back in a couple of hours Uncle Potter, and we'll catch up. You can tell me all about your latest archeological find."

"Don't rush on my account dear you take your time. I'll be here when you get back, and please call me Uncle PP like you did when you were little."

"Uh, ok Uncle PP." Lana closed the door as inside Uncle Potter clutched his dusty back pack to his chest and headed out back to the barn

The Barn smelled of old hay and leather. It smelled old, and Potter knew from old. He had started in archeology innocently enough, having a fascination with other cultures and ancient civilizations. Several high profile universities had sponsored several early digs, but soon after several disappointing expeditions funding and interest dried up. There were still people who would pay for the kinds of things that Potter could find. Unfortunately most of those people preferred to display Potters finds not in a museum but instead in their cribs next to their one thousand gallon shark tank. And most, no all governments, didn't like the idea of national treasures going to the highest bidder. Egypt was no different. That was the reason for Professor Potters hasty retreat from Egypt before the Egyptian authorities could catch up with him and the reason he was back here in Smallville. No one would think of looking for the treasures of Se-Osiris, the son of Ramasses in little ole po-dunk Smallville.

Potter climbed the ladder into the hayloft. A couple of old stale hay bales left behind and forgotten sat in the corner of the loft, any animal that would have eaten it had been long since sold off to market. Potter sat down his back pack and took out the carefully wrapped treasures stuffing them behind the hay bales.

That should do for a couple of days until the heat dies down. Then it's a bus trip to Chicago, buses are far less suspicious when it comes to carry on luggage.

Silent it glided through the air, on wings that gave no hint of its presence. Vision that opened the night as if it were midday. She saw the rodent scurry across the field. It stopped, vaguely aware of a presence. Did it hear her? Not likely, probably something else. Or did it have some sort of sixth sense and could detect the approaching danger? No matter, for it didn't help the little field mouse as the great owl descended from the night sky cloaked in the silence of its immense wings. Its sharp talons grabbed the mouse snapping its neck and hoisting it into the sky. Tonight her chicks would feed. She landed in the highest rafter of the Lang Barn, hesitantly the swung her large head around, the limp mouse dangling in her beak, there was something off, something had been here. No matter, her chicks were safe, their little mouths swung open wide. Little balls of fur that needed to be fed. The mother owl dropped the mouse onto the rafter and stepped on it with her large clawed foot. Her razor sharp beak tore the flesh into chunks and she stuffed it into the waiting mouths. Blood pooled on the rafter and ran down dropping to land behind the stack of hay onto the Egyptian relic swaddled in cotton.

The blood soaked through the cotton to the relic below, the relic that Se-Osiris the son of Ramesses and the most powerful magician in all of Egypt, had chosen to house his spirit. The blood awakened the long dead magician's spell. A great vortex of energy opened and the barn was bathed in a brilliant white light.

Martha woke up. What was that? There was the absence of sound, as if sound had just happened but you had missed hearing it. There was a flash from outside and a sound like wet clothes being thrown on a wooden floor. She ran to the window that looked out over the street. There was Potter running down the street as some nearly nekkid guy was about to shoot him with some sort of gun.

"Kara", she whispered. The tall blonde girl was already standing besides her wearing the new suit her and Martha had designed for her.

"Be careful." was all she said.

Kara was on the street in a second placing herself between Se-Osiris and Potter.

"Put down your weapon and give up." She said.

"My magic allows us to understand each other woman, so understand this. The defiler of the tomb of Se-Osiris shall die for his transgressions. If you choose to stand with him, so too shall you share his fate." Energy erupted from the staff and Supergirl easily sidestepped it catching Se with an uppercut that sent him flying into the air. Martha watching from the window pumped her fist in the air.
"You go girl."

"Mrs. Kent I would advise coming away from the window." The little gold robot Keelex floated beside her.

"Oh pipe down Kay, I'm not the one that's a talking phone."

Se-Osiris landed flat on his back with a loud thud. Supergirl bent down to take the staff from him. "Let's see how much trouble you are without this."

She touched it and a white light bathed her body causing her to fall unconsious.
Se-Osiris stood picking up the staff, he leveled it at Kara's head. "So shall you all share the punishment."

A shotgun blast tore through Osiris's shoulder. He screamed in pain.

Ma Kent stood on the street in her flannel night gown; the one Jonathon had given her with the little blue flowers on it. Smoke from the shotgun she held in her hand lazily dissipating into the air.

"Drop that stick or I'll fire the next round into your head."

"Who is this man that so many are willing to die for?" Se-hand shot out his fingers twisted like claws. Martha felt a sudden tightening around her throat as if she were being strangled. She dropped the shotgun as her feet slowly began to lift off the ground.

Osiris plowed into the fertile Kansas fields, dirt and soybeans spraying into the air.
"You picked the wrong town to start your villain career in mister. You have two seconds to tell me why I shouldn't pound you into the ground." Superman was furious. This maniac had threatened his Mother, and he wasn't taking any chances.

"I will take back what is mine." Osisris shoved the raven end of the staff at Superman's chest; he easily sidestepped it but was caught with the other end as Se brought it around with the force of a major league pitcher. It caught Superman in the jaw and sent him sailing into the air.

Superman twisted his body around slowing his backward motion. Magic. Great. He hovered over the quarry as Se-Osiris approached him in the sky.

"What exactly is it you're trying to take back." Superman asked.

Se-Osiris leveled the staff at Superman, the energy shot out from it tearing across Superman’s chest.

Superman shook of the energy blast and flew at the magician. A quick spell of intangibility and he went flying through him. Se-Osiris turned solid catching the man
of steel by his cape and hanking him back toward him. Osiris, held the staff high over his head ready to blast Superman.

"Hey! Give me this stick! You'll put someone’s eye out!" Supergirl sped by grabbing the staff from Osiris. She trained her heat vision on the ruby embedded in its center and the jewel exploded, the staff and Osiris began to fade.

"Noooooo," he cried, as he faded away, I will be avenged." and with that he was gone.
Superman and Supergirl hung there in the air.

"Nice guess Kara." Superman said, "Any idea what he was after?"
"It wasn't a guess, and he was after him." Kara pointed below on the ground. Lana stood there with Professor Potter.

Superman flew down to them. "Professor Potter. I'm sure that the Egyptian authorities would like to talk to you. As it happens I just happen to be going that way.

"Ms. Lang, I hope you understand, he has to be turned in."

"Absolutely Superman, its par for the course, when I was growing up Uncle Potter was always in some sort of trouble."

Superman took Uncle Potter by the shoulders and turned him away from Lana. He winked at her. He knew of course about Potter, having grown up himself around his schemes and his stolen archeological finds.

"Be safe Miss Lang, and Superman flew up with Professor Potter in tow.
More secrets.

In a city best known for Superman, one more crater usually isn't a big deal; this one however had cost many lives and was the former site of Lex-corp towers, then Fero-corp. Superman and city workers had cleared away all the rubble. It was now ready for new construction.

A crowd had gathered around a small makeshift stage with a podium.

"So, Kent where'd you sneak off to yesterday". Lois asked as she elbowed a reporter from the Daily Star.

"I flew home I had to take care of some business.”

"Rumor has it someone bought Lex-Corp/Fero at a ridiculous low rate because of all the trouble surrounding it. Any ideas who it is?"

"Not a clue Lois."

Mayor John Henry Irons approached the podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I have called the press conference to introduce to young entrepreneur who will be rebuilding here on this site and to welcome him to Metropolis. It is with great pleasure that I introduce the owner and CEO of the new Ross Industries.

Pete Ross dressed in a black business suit stepped from behind a small curtain.

Lois elbows Clark, "Hey, Kent, ain't that . . . ?

Pete addressed the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen. Let me assure you that I am no megalomaniacal businessman bent on world domination. I'm just a Kansas farm boy who has had a run of good luck with some past investments. I have always thought that this company had the capability to help in some way every citizen on this planet, and I intend to see that as Ross Industries, it does. Along with the help of my CFO and finance Ms. Lana Lang."

From behind the curtain Lana stepped up to the platform, and took Pete's hand; the modest but expensive diamond flashing on her hand.

"Hey, that's . . . from Smallville.” Lois turned to look at Clark; she could tell from his expression that he was just as surprised as everyone else. "Ouch."


Epilogue:

The hard Antarctic winds whipped around the geological mapping team. Robert, pulled his parka around fumbling with the switch on the MiD (Magnetic Imaging Device) He checked the cable that snaked back to the small brown tent that sat alone on the white arctic plain. Gustav would watch as the magnetic pulse forced its way through the antarctic ice to the continent below. The resulting image would be stored in the computer and then the next grid would be shot to produce an image of what lay below the ice.

"Ready grid 32" Robert spoke, the mike strapped and bundled to his neck carried his voice back to Gustav.

"Grid 32, go." Gustav relayed back.

Robert turned the switch and the large gun looking machine pointed straight down at the ice began to hum. A blue light pulsed from it down into the ice.

Miles away at the Fortress of Solitude. A small blue spark erupts in the air, and a finger pokes through from nothing to this world. The blue spark rips open and a man steps through.

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