Title: Caging the Phoenix
Author: RedKaddict
Genres: Drama, Angst
Summary: The Phoenix Operation fiasco was only partially resolved. In searching for his previous cellmate, Clark learns that caging his inner beast is not a problem that he alone deals with.

A/N: Welcome to the second installment of the Phoenyx Flight saga! As previously implied, I have decided to turn my story, Despair's Edge, into a full-fledged series. This is the sequel to that incredibly well-received story, and, as you can probably already guess, is a crossover. If you couldn't guess, for whatever reason, then just forget I said anything and enjoy this story as if it were strictly Smallville.

I do not have a beta for this story, and, not to seem rude or cocky or anything, but frankly, I don't think I need one. Besides, Tiana (who usually betas my stories) is way too busy with other things currently to bother with this. So, if there are any typos or problems with this story, you'll have to forgive me. Hopefully you like it anyway!

Prologue

I ran. I bolted, because I was scared. I'd done it again. I'd caused destruction and death. She tried to help. She tried to stop it. But, once again, her powers are on the fritz. She couldn't stop me. No one can.

I opened my eyes, and the sky fell down on top of me. I opened my eyes, and the little shack in the woods we'd been staying in was gone. I opened my eyes, and then I felt her pulse stop.

Everywhere I go, I cause death and destruction. Now I have nowhere to go. So I just wander around out here, with no clue where I am. Blind and helpless, I stumble around, searching, searching for some solace. But none comes.

It's cold now. Cold and damp. I've been sitting here for several hours, maybe even a full day. Am I out of the sun? Is it safe? I can't be sure. But for once there is no one around to hurt if I'm wrong.

So I open my eyes.

Chapter 1: Missing

The tractor emitted one more plaintive groan and settled decidedly on the barn floor with a harsh clank. Clark gave an exasperated sigh as Lana giggled, watching from her perch on a nearby stack of hay bales. "Does the tractor always give you this much trouble?" she asked, still smiling.

He shrugged, straightening up and dusting his hands off. "No, not usually. Got a lot on my mind, I guess."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

There was a pause as he tried to collect his thoughts into something remotely comprehensible. "That man back at the lab," he began. "Nobody ever found him, or the woman who busted him out. I just wonder what happened to him."

"And you wonder if, maybe, he was like you?" She hopped off the hay bales and slipped her arms around him, pulling him close. He returned the embrace, wondering how it was that she seemed to be able to see right through him. The incident with the Phoenix Operation had given her his powers. Had it also linked their minds?

You would know if your minds were linked. Again, that tingling feeling in the back of his head. Lana glanced up at him, sensing his uneasiness. "Clark? What is it?"

"I don't know. I… thought I heard something."

You have a strong mind. Just like him.

"There it is again." He turned around, and there she was, standing in the barn doorway. Waiting for him.

Even though he knew she could take care of herself, he gently pushed Lana behind him. "Who are you?" he demanded.

There was no answer. The woman stepped forward slowly, cautiously, gauging the situation just as much as he was. It was clear she felt like a caged animal here, but she tried hard not to let it show. What did show was the pain in her emerald eyes. "He's gone," she sobbed. "He's gone, and I can't find him. I can't find him! He's closed the link. He won't let me in. Please, you have to help me find him." Please.

Lana peered around Clark to get a better view. "Who's missing?"

The woman still did not answer. Her pleading gaze remained on Clark the entire time. She was still waiting for him. "The man from the lab," he answered slowly. "Am I right? Is that who's missing?" At last the woman nodded in response.

A car pulled up the driveway and parked in front of the barn. The woman went into a panic, glancing around for somewhere to hide. "They're coming for me," she whispered frantically. "Please don't let them find me." Spotting the loft stairs, she darted for them, leaving Clark and Lana standing bewildered on the floor.

"Sorry, am I interrupting anything?"

They turned to see Lex Luthor standing in the doorway where the woman had been. Both were reluctant to say anything, so both fell silent for a moment. Finally, Lana took control of the situation. "No, not at all. Did you, um… Did you need something, Lex?"

If he could tell that she was lying, he didn't show it. "Actually, I came to talk to you guys about something. A source in Washington has informed me that there could be some complications regarding the Phoenix Operation incident."

Clark's eyes narrowed. "They didn't buy the story, did they?"

"Clark, it's been a full month. If they weren't going to buy it, we would have heard long before now. The complications have to do with your friend at the lab."

"What about him?"

Lex pulled a folder from behind his back. "It turns out that he was linked to the murder case in New York. There's an institute in Westchester that, officially, is a school for special, or gifted, children. Unofficially, it is believed to be a refuge and training ground for mutants. A couple months ago, one of the teachers – your mom's friend, I believe – reported one of their staff missing. They'd been previously harassed by LuthorCorp regarding the Phoenix Operation, so naturally they suspected he'd been abducted."

"Lex, we've been over all this before. What's this got to do with that guy from the lab?"

"I went over all the research from the Phoenix Operation before it was destroyed. There was something in there about some sight complications. They put it down as an eye condition, but I'm putting my money on some kind of ability that makes it difficult for him to go around without having his eyes covered. Considering the condition in which he left, that would make any progress from the lab extremely slow, even with someone else's help. Which means he's probably still around this area."

Clark smiled slightly. "Sounds like you had some help getting all this information."

"Well, Chloe did have a hand in deducing the nature of this guy's powers. But, to get to the point, the school has somehow been able to locate the general whereabouts of their missing staff."

"They think he's still around here?" Lex nodded. "How are we going to find him?"

"They've already taken care of that. They're sending a team down to search the area around Smallville."

"So, what are the complications?" Lana asked.

"This man was pronounced dead. The fact that he is still alive, and that he was seemingly rescued by the same woman who was supposed to have killed him, and who is herself supposed to be dead, raises a lot of questions as to the actual intentions of the Phoenix Operation. They might come here asking questions, since you were involved. The sooner we find him, the sooner this mess can be sorted out."

She didn't normally act like this. But she had killed all those people. That was why they were looking for her, it must be. And they wouldn't listen to her when she told them that it hadn't been her, that she had not been in control of her actions, that she would never do such a thing.

He would listen. He would understand. He would comfort her and console her, and assure her that she was innocent. He would forgive her, even though he had been one of her victims. Because he understood.

If only she could find him.

The sound of footsteps on the loft stairs interrupted her thoughts and made her withdraw farther into her corner.

As soon as Clark reached the top of the stairs, he crossed the room and knelt in front of her. "Your friends in New York are sending a team. They'll help us find him."

She shook her head. "They won't help us. They'll want to kill me. Then they'll want to find him, so they can take him away from me again. No, we have to find him first, so he can tell them that it wasn't my fault."

"What wasn't your fault?" He toned his voice down as much as he could, trying to calm her.

"All those people," she began, her eyes welling with tears. "All those people dead because of me. They're dead because I let her kill them. I wasn't strong enough to stop her. I wasn't strong enough… Only he is strong enough to stop her. Only he understands that it wasn't me."

Suddenly he remembered where he'd seen her face before. "Alcatraz. You were the one that destroyed everything. You killed those people at Alcatraz, didn't you? You're the Phoenix."

"It wasn't me!" she screamed. "I didn't do it! I had no control! It wasn't me!" She broke down crying, repeating the phrases over and over to herself between sobs. "It wasn't me… It… wasn't me. I didn't do it… I couldn't have… I couldn't control it… Wasn't strong enough…" She paused and looked at him, bringing a hand up to touch his forehead. Her voice had sunk to a low whisper. "You have a strong mind. Just like him. It's hard to see… But you understand, don't you?"

A series of brief impressions flashed through his mind. Imprisonment. Loneliness. Loss of control. Regret. Guilt. "I do know what it's like," he said slowly. "I know what it's like to lose control of your actions. To see what you're doing and not be able to stop it. To feel suppressed by all the limitations life gives you, but to feel guilty about forcefully removing those restrictions, knowing that you had not control. I've almost killed people before. I know what it's like."

"Then you know why I can't let them find me." Relief flowed freely into her voice.

"No, Phoenix. As much as you hate to admit it, it was still you. You have to explain to them that you weren't in your right mind. Believe me, you'll feel better about it."

"They'll think I'm going crazy. That I can't control my powers." Her voice lowered to a dangerous hiss as her eyes darkened. "They'll cage me again!" The floor beneath them began to rumble as various objects shuddered and began levitating. The lead box floated off the shelf behind him and positioned itself between them. "Your mind is difficult to read. But not impossible. If you aren't going to help me, then you must be destroyed!" The lid flipped open, revealing the chunk of meteor inside.

The green rock glowed as the radiation hit him full on. He stumbled back against the couch, gasping for breath. "Phoenix, stop! You can't do this. You don't want to be a murderer, I know you don't. I'll help you find him, I promise."

"Why? Because I threatened you? Because I'll kill you if you don't? If that's the case, I might as well kill you anyway."

Waves of nausea and dizziness swept over him. "No. Because I… need to talk to him. I need to ask him… about what happened… at the Phoenix Operation." The room spun around his head, and suddenly the floor came up to meet him.

And then it stopped. He looked up to see the closed lead box making its way back to its shelf. "Help me find him," she hissed. "Help me convince him that I am not a murderer. Or else, I will kill you. Do you understand?"

A/N: Make sure you review! I'll post the next chapter soon.