Smallville: Kingdom

Chapter 30

5/11/11 - 4:00AM - The Watchtower - Metropolis, KS

Tess was wide awake thanks in part to another spell that Alex had cast on her as he explained it was far more rejuvenating than a full nights sleep.  The lights were dim around the Watchtower as she was unbelievably relaxed and ready to set things in motion as Clark was resting comfortably in a sleeping bag with Lois next to him.  Across the other side of the room Tess noticed that Oliver and Chloe were in a sleeping bag too.  Whereas in the middle of the room were A.C. and Mera as well. She saw Victor standing by the monitors as well, keeping in touch with as much as she could work with.

"You know I was never really used to computers." said Victor. "Still don't sometimes.  I always preferred football and doing the plays with paper and pencil, always more active than standing behind a monitor." he stopped for a moment as he considered what he was saying to Tess. "Funny huh? A Cyborg talking like a Luddite."

Tess smiled as she continued typing away and looking over various reports on the screen. 

"I still can't believe that there is somebody out there like me only he chose to give up on his humanity and become a murdering terrorist that didn't just go after his own kind but on probably the greatest person I've ever known."

Tess found Victor's words very soulful as she then wondered something. "Tell me Victor, why didn't you become something else?  Thief, assassin, something of that nature. More importantly why do you think you never lost your sanity after what Lex and that psychotic doctor had done to you?"

"Maybe because I still saw myself as human, even though my girlfriend left me all I wanted to do was just live and I knew I would stop living as I did any of those horrible things.  It was Oliver who convinced to keep going by saving people and stopping bad guys.  He even made it so I could enjoy some of my abilities."

Tess was hurt at the realization that she and Victor didn't talk very much but was not surprised to know that Oliver was what provided a foundation for him to better himself.  But now darkness was within Oliver and she wanted to help him, but that must come later.  When all of a sudden a thought entered her head.

"Victor. When you woke and realized you weren't completely human anymore you still had feelings and desires like that of a human." Victor was confused for a moment as Tess continued.  "You still knew the difference between right and wrong and despite how uncomfortable it made you.  It didn't cause you to abandon what it meant to be human?"

"No. What are you getting at?"

"I've been trying for the past two weeks trying to find the Daily Planet Deviant aka Cyborg as we now know and all of us together have looked in places that a person could hide.  The abandoned, the decrepit and with little to no civility.  Places like alleys, sewers, bridges, factories, warehouses, places like that.  I had nothing every time I searched.  So I tried the most common and ordinary, like the common single person homes, things that were humble or enterprising on a respectable level and found nothing."

"I still don't see where you are going with this Tess." said Victor.

"You said you maintained your humanity.  The good part of your humanity, but what about the bad part of your humanity?  The one that wanted luxury and comfort as well as the humble and decent. The three mentioned that with their technology, as well as his, they could hide in plain sight. They could manufacture records that would vanish almost immediately as it was summoned even send for money without it being traced.  Its how both sides could live without being caught by either of us."

Victor wanted to think on how impossible it sounded but remembered every time he got upgraded his talents became even more amazing.  From tapping into high-end security as well as hiding from enemies.