Report."
Brother Blood listened intently to his students as they revealed their first day at Mile High. Jinx could feel the pressure of the headmaster's powers in her mind. He probed her thoughts to be sure she held nothing back.
"Very Good. You have done well."
He collected the encoded data chip of Gizmo's recording device and their reports.
"You are dismissed. Continue to monitor and report to me in two weeks."
Pleased they were doing so well Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo all left the secret room in the cover housing they maintained as agents of the H.I.V.E. as they executed their mission.
After his students departed Brother Blood turned to a giant monitor which actived.
"Your students are most impressive." a young man said from the screen.
"Thank you, they are at the top of their class. So, Mr. Cane, what do I owe the pleasure of your call today?"
"I just want to know the assessment on the two most distinguished students of Mile High, Alexandra Hill and Leo Maxfert."
"Yes they do seem to be very powerful, why haven't you approached them yet?" Brother Blood asked curious to know the answer.
"Well, they revealed themselves to be very powerful and my uncle Jordon became interested in someone as powerful as a Stronghold. After getting him a picture he looked like he saw a ghost." Mr. Cane said his gaze most pleased by such a discovery.
"So Jordon has seen this Mr. Maxfert before?"
"Not exactly, an alien from another world, a Kryptonian called Jor-el was on a mission to Earth. My parents had escaped a civil war and Jor-el chased them down even after my people were destroyed as a culture." The headmaster remembered Jordon told him that he and his nephew were from another world.
"My uncle says that his features are very similar. This Mr. Maxfert maybe the key to finally freeing my parents from their imprisonment."
"Imprisonment?"
"A different dimension called the Phantom Zone where Krytonians use it as a prison. Eternal Damnation. Neither alive or dead, trapped in a world devoid of life, and unable to find death."
"How dismal, I assume young Mr. Maxfert here might know a way to free them?"
"No."
"Then..." Cane held up a hand and cut off Blood.
"It is of no concern for now. Your students are friends with Mr. Maxfert and are close enough to report anything that will help that project in the future."
"Moving on then" Brother Blood said as they reviewed other operations in the H.I.V.E.
-----------------------------------------------------------
In Eastmerrow Alexandra's dad was working late again. The Maxfert's had already arranged to look after her as he worked the long hours to get the plant up to Mr. Luthor's standard of performance.
The school day had gone really well and Peter had told them about his tryout with the football team to become a starter. They were both happy he did well and could hardly wait to know if he made the team. As the sun began to set Peter went home.
Finished with their homework Leo sat on the couch looking at the stars with his arm around Alexandra. They were best friends, Peter teased them all the time, but they refused to make a change in that arrangement for their own reasons that even under their friends intense merciless questions kept tight lipped.
Leo just wasn't thinking that his arm around her could mean more than him being a friend and Alexandra was not about to demand more from her nearly perfect relationship with him.
The stars appeared in the sky one by one as the sun's light faded completely from sight.
"Leo?" Alexandra asked her friend, her hand on her shoulder with their fingers intertwine. "Hum." he acknowledged she was talking to him.
"Do you, do your powers ever make you feel ... nervous?"
"Nervous?" his attention reverted from stargazing to his blonde friend. He wondered what she meant.
"Well," she closed her eyes summoning the courage to say what she wanted and beat back the fear of looking foolish to him. "I mean afraid of them."
"Oh." he said realizing her meaning from her clarification. "Yes, my powers do make me afraid. I always have to be in control of myself."
He sat up and turned to her so he could look into her eyes so that she would know he was being as honest as he could to her.
"It feels like I live in a world made of cardboard and tissue paper. If I ever..." he broke off summoning his own courage as he spoke from his heart.
Her hand found his showing she was not scared of him. He smiled a little at her demonstration of her confidence in him.
Before Leo could continue Alexandra spoke up, "You know I can control water, and I really do know what you mean by always being in control. If I ever willed it I could boil away the water from a person's body, or freeze it, or worst."
"Worst than that?" Leo's eyes widened realizing she really did understand. Alexandra went on to explain how she could also 'separate' water from a person's body. That was how much control she had over it.
"When we fight I can feel the water in another person. With my power all I have to do is..." she trailed off. His respect for his friend was again renewed and to him she was even more amazing. Leo could hear her heartbeat. The sounds of the night on the farm as the silence of understanding grew between them. Then a new sound reached his ears. The ringing of the telephone in the house.
He could hear his mother as if she were standing right next to him.
"Mr. Hill." his mother recognizing Chloe's father's voice. Clark was surprised even more when he could hear Gabriel Hill's voice just as clearly. "Mrs. Maxfert, I'm afraid that the project I am working on is turning into an all nighter. Is it alright if my daughter spends the night with you?"
"Is the project really that important?" Trinity wondered aloud and directly to the man on the other end of the line. Leo heard Mr. Hill sigh and said, "It is a worker safety protocol that Mr. Luthor has insisted upon. It is in a critical final stage actually. I can't say more, but I am sure after tonight this should not be a regular occurrence."
"Alright, I'll have Leo go with Alexandra to pick up some of her things so she can spend the night."
"Thank you Mrs. Maxfert" he then hung up the phone.
"Your dad called." Leo said as his mother began to make her way to the barn.
Alexandra was surprised. She heard the ring faintly, but did not think it was her dad.
"He is pulling an all nighter."
"Are you psychic now? You aren't reading my mind right now are you?" she asked a little nervously.
Leo laughed and touched his ear. "New power."
"SUPERHEARING!" she shouted excitedly.
"Not for much longer." he said faking liking his ears were burning. Alexandra hit him on the arm. He rubbed it like it hurt. She knew it did not really hurt him, but she did not care. It was part of the act they had to maintain that they were normal to everyone else. Besides to her he was normal everyday Leo Maxfert.
His mother came into the barn and called out to the kids. "We know Mom."
At her puzzled look Alexandra explained. "Leo discovered a new power. Superhearing."
"Oh." she said surprised a little, but quickly assimilated the new aspect of her son. "Well that saves me time from explaining."
"Explain what?" Alexandra asked.
"That I am going to take you to your house to get some of your things since you are going to spend the night."
"That's right so get going." she smiled to her son.
As if he had asked her Leo lifted Alexandra as she wrapped her arms around his neck. In what looked like a blur of light they were gone. In seconds they were at Alexandra's house.
"Wow, I think I'll always be amazed by that." she said getting out of his arms. Leo just smiled.
It was late enough that no one would notice them on the deserted streets. Most of the lights were off since the people that lived there were likely to be at the plant too.
A few minutes later Alexandra was ready. She handed her bag to Leo and held onto her sleeping gear. She took off into the air. "Race you home."
While technically students were not allowed to use their powers outside of school, it was not a rule rigidly enforced. Alexandra was moving fast. It took Leo almost three seconds to catch up. He even suspected that the reason he did was because she slowed down to land. They laughed at their race, both feeling just happy being together.
"Come on let's get your bed set up."
He could see Alexandra's eyes dance with mischief as he realized he said he was taking her to bed.
"I mean..."
"I know what you mean Leo." she teased him
Alexandra went upstairs and as he finished setting up a fold out bed she came back down. She wore an extra large white T-shirt that had a large logo of the Daily Planet on it.
"Good night, Alexandra."
"Good night, Leo."