Smallville: Annual

Chapter 28

4/17/05 - 7:00AM  - Conference Room - Fort Riley, KS

        Power had been restored to the facility and the communications were up and running,  but the damage was devastating.  Fires and various acts of disruption had prevented the base from being restored.  Several other bases had come to assist them.  To which General Lane was incredibly furious because of his position at one of the largest military bases in the country having such a disaster on his watch.

That wretched woman outmaneuvered us and there was going to be hell to pay. "Status?  Someone here give me status?"

"General, we have several air support units still being flown in to make sure the base is working." replied Major Hardy.  "Colonel Napier has been sent to the hospital with a concussion and a Lt. Colonel Ironsides is taking his place."

General Lane reflected on Ironsides, he was a capable subordinate.

"The rest of the brigades have been completely mobilized, the checkpoints have been reestablished and there are seeking out the Kents and Miss Sullivan." Hardy continued.  "But given the time that had passed during the blackout we have to accept that they are long gone.  That was a powerful EMP.  If she truly was from the future then the technology she had was more than capable in shorting a US military base.  But not enough to destroy Hardcastle."

Lane had heard how Colonel Napier told him about the laptop that was able to survive the EMP.  If that technology could have survived, then so could Hardcastle. He still had to give the woman some credit.  Diana had highly advanced technology alongside a traditional low-tech cleverness.  They searched her for weapons but couldn't see inside her body.  They should have used an X-Ray machine on her, but then again Hardcastle mentioned magic in that woman's culture.  It was probably invisible.  He already mentioned to him about an invisible plane, odd considering she could fly in the first place.

"We have coordinated the battalions on the base, the colonel is with them right now.  We also are setting up communications back with Washington but at this point we can't cover this up like the previous night.  Its catastrophic.  The Secretary of Defense and the rest of the advisors are finding a way to spin a story like this without telling the whole truth."

"Any word from Hardcastle after his escape?" said Lane.

"None Sir.  But from what Colonel Napier had said, he was fighting what sounded something fierce to him while he was attempting to deal with the woman, perhaps the boy really was in league with her."

"Captain Trevor?  Did the computer happen to prove the colonel's suspicions correct about 'Private Christopher.'"

"Yes sir." replied Steve.  "The information came out of this terminal which is now completely back online.  But once every source came back it proved exactly what the colonel suspected.  Private Christopher does not exist.  It was Clark Kent."

"Major Hardy?"

"Yes Sir?"

"Have Brigadier General Michaels prepare his brigade and surround the town of Smallville.  I'll gain the necessary authorization to move on Blankenship's order, after what just happened here today I'm more than satisfied that the situation calls for this response but until then have him Michaels' men assemble and have them ready to move in an hour."

"Yes sir."

***

        Lois and Lana had all but finished extinguishing the candles in her room as the both relaxed as the lights had been restored.  Despite the confusion that was occurring on the base the guards had been bringing her some food from and had all but returned this time with far less worry.