Smallville: Annual

Chapter 12

4/16/05 - 12:45PM  - Observation Room - Fort Riley, KS

"How much longer is this going to take Captain?" said Lane remembering to control himself.

"Well Sir," Steve continued. "The name and rank, by the way a petty officer like Hardcastle mentioned. Doesn't count as quickly without the serial number and if she's as skilled as claimed those can be faked. So it wouldn't matter. Its going to take some time."

"If this can't be done within the hour I am going to coordinate the search as soon as possible, I have men ready to enter the town of Smallville as a contingency."

"And I hope you can be able to find a decent explanation as to why the US Army is in the middle of small town America with guns blazing other than giving a few conspiracy nuts a reason to cry foul.  Sir, let intelligence do its job and then I recommend that ... " Steve stopped talking for a moment as an alert flashed on his computer screen.

"Wait a minute. Wait A minute. Wait A Minute!  Oh crap!" spat out Steve.

"You found something Captain?" asked Lane.

"Sir I believe 'something' would be an understatement."

        Steve pressed more buttons putting the information on display on the monitor in the observation room as a warning flashed on a picture of a young woman with dark hair, glasses yet spouting a nose similar to that found on a Greek statue with full lips and perfect skin.  Everyone else in the room was at attention to Steve's news as the information confirmed their suspected time traveler correct.  'Petty Officer First Class Diana Prince.  Serial number xxx-xx-2017. Born April 30, 1985.  Phoenix, AZ.'  So on and so forth providing a military record who's last entry was receiving financial information from the Naval Diving and Testing Grounds - Smallville, KS at 0830 on the very same day as today.  Even more important than all of this was the flashing red square reporting her information as invalid and in violation of the law.

"Oh, she's good I'll give her that." said Steve.  "She must have categorized all of this within a few hours knowing just the right protocols to get it done.  My guess is she expected to get away with it given the insignificance to her assignment as well as to her appearance.  I mean I wouldn't give notice to a mousy secretary like her as a threat to national security."

"Alert everyone within twenty miles of the town, she must not be allowed to escape." Lane was already in motion giving orders.  "Local law enforcement be on a look out for a female between twenty to thirty-five years of age, 5'9''-6'0'', blue eyes and a light olive complexion.  This woman is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous.  Post check points and roadblocks up to twenty miles of the town immediately and by the end of the hour up to sixty.  If they aren't captured by the end of the day I'll authorize it up towards the entire state if not the whole country. Lets get this done."

        Everyone in the room hit phones, laptops, radios sending the General's will across the air waves and cyber space.  Lane looked down into the room keeping his friend from the future and hoped to see him relaxed.  But even he knew that if he was probably right, it was already to late to ask.

"Jason.  Give us the name now.  Who is the woman protecting?"

"Kal-El of Krypton or the name he is currently using?  When his vessel crash landed on Earth he was found by a family in Smallville Kansas who raised them as the child they couldn't have.  Because of the woman's infertility."

"A child? How do you know this?"

"Everyone knows this in my time.  His story is something the people spread as if it were the origin of a comic book superhero. Men, women and children know it by heart."