The Rise To Power; A Smallville Saga {Part 5 - Glass Heart}

Guardian

A/N: I don't own Smallville or any characters and places in the DC universe. Nor do I own the episodes that these chapters are based on and contained from.

I also don't claim to be a writer. My inspiration is simply to get a creative outlet going.

I only own Tyla Nevin and what pertains to her character story.

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Tyla rubbed her eyes as she turned back to her computer screen. A list of projects waiting for her approval was glaring back at her. Some were in their finishing stages; others were just coming to fruition. What she didn't expect was that Lionel was taking over the projects for himself. He had sent a few "courtesy" emails, but she already knew that meant he had already taken over and claimed them as his own while she was mending from the events of Dark Thursday. She scowled, taking an inventory of the projects that she needed to oversee again into her planner. How much damage was he doing being Lex's back? She started to scribble down all the names of the projects when she heard the door open.

"Lex, did you know about this?" She asked, not bothering to look up from the book. She knew that it was him. No one else would walk into her office while the door was closed. Mercy would have seen to that.

A fleeting moment of questionability passed through his eyes before he turned to the guest that had followed him in. "Dr. Groll. This is Tyla Luthor," he introduced, extending his hand towards his wife. 

It was then that she looked up. He had large, speckled glasses which almost covered his already large face. His brown hair was swept to the side. It matched his dark cherry brown suit. "Mrs. Luthor," the man nodded before he adjusted his glasses. He was carrying a large grey suitcase. Much like the ones that LuthorCorp dolled out.

Tyla looked from Lex to Dr. Groll. Lionel dipping into her work would have to be dealt with later. She got up from her desk to walk over to shake his hand. "Dr. Groll," she greeted. "I wasn't aware that we had a meeting set." She glanced over to Lex as if to ask him, what if she were in a meeting.

"We didn't but I feel like you should know about this," Lex explained as he paced towards the large ceiling-to-floor windows that looped around her corner office. He glanced over to her computer. An email sent by his father was on the screen. Her planner, written with project names. He looked back up and nodded towards the doctor.

Dr. Groll gulped and moved to Tyla's coffee table at the far side of the room to open the suitcase. Tyla held back a gasp. It was the key, the disk that Zod used to power the world back and something that she never thought she would see again. Up until now, she thought that when the satellite case melted, the key went with it. She reached out to take the piece from his hands. It looked to her that a piece of that key had broken off before meeting the same fate. There was still writing on it, but it was no longer gold. It was a solid black etching.

"Where did you get this?" She traced the object with her hands, squinting at the etchings to try to understand what it meant.

"I found it," Lex replied, smirking. Her interest was peaked, even if she was trying to capture a professional demeanor. "It was among the debris from the damage of our home. I asked the good doctor to figure out what it was." He nodded towards Dr. Groll before he sat at her desk, watching the two of them. "Dr. Groll, Tyla here has done extensive research about the.... lore of this before I signed you on. Ty, do you know what it says?"

Tyla palmed the piece in her hand. There was no humming. It was as if it was dead. What was worse, she couldn't decipher the letters. It was as if not only the powers had left but the knowledge that came with it. She was about to say that she could reach into her contacts, but she forgot that she couldn't lean on Clark anymore. He wouldn't help Lex through her. She sighed and looked at Lex apologetically. He seemed to know that she too had lost her connection to the higher powers. He gave a slightly disappointed look to her and leaned back against the chair.