"Chloe, would you just give up this Wall of Weird stuff, please?" Davis Kent offered a flickering smile.
"I can't," Chloe Sullivan said. "Would I be a good reporter if I did?."
"You're a reporter for the 'Torch,'" Davis pointed out. "Not the 'Daily Planet.'"
She looked at him with those eyes, very worried eyes. "Davis, that thing keeps showing up."
Davis looked slightly perturbed. As he paced, hand to his chin, trying to figure out what to say, a band played in the background. As they often did during a game, Chloe and Davis were together on the sidelines during halftime. It seemed to help Davis on the field, the coach found.
As her boyfriend paced, Chloe thought to herself how the Smallville High band just didn't get it. During a football game, most high school bands would play songs like "Who Let The Dogs Out?" or "The Imperial March"-otherwise known as "Darth Vader's Theme"-from the "Star Wars" movies.
Not this band, though, Chloe said to herself.. When the Crows were losing, the band, directed by assistant music director Mark Snow, would play that song from "West Side Story." Chloe only knew the main words: "There's a place for us somewhere."
Or the band would play "Loving You." You know, with the really high-pitched notes in it when that woman—Minnie Ripperton?- sang it. Instead of "Go, Team, Go" they would play "76 Trombones" from "The Music Man" or a mellow version of "I Could Have Danced All Night" from "My Fair Lady."
Mr. Snow might know a lot about music, Chloe realized. He certainly knew a lot of Broadway tunes. But in some ways he was clueless.
Like Davis at times.
Chloe finally broke the silence. "Aren't you the least bit worried?"
With an uneasy grin, Davis shook his head. "No, I'm not. After all, it's never tried to hurt you." He tenderly put his hands on her shoulders.
"What about all the other people it's hurt? Or even killed?"
Davis gave a slight shrug. "I don't know. To me, the guy seems like the Incredible Hulk."
Chloe made a face. "The Hulk?"
"Yeah. You know. You read these reports of how the Hulk went on a rampage. But then it seems like he always ends up helping someone. He rescued a little girl or a little boy or a blind woman or a woman being abused." He grinned. "In one case, I heard he even landed a plane."
Chloe grimaced. "The Hulk landed a plane?"
"Yeah, he's not all rage and anger." Davis made a face. "'Hulk good,'" he grunted.
Chloe thought for a moment. "So your theory is the beast here in Smallville is trying to be helpful?"
Smiling, he drew her closer. "I always felt like Frankenstein was misunderstood, too, you know? He never meant to hurt anyone." He rested his head on hers. "Just like the Hulk. And what you call the Beast."
With her head pressed against his jersey, Chloe's speech was slightly muffled. But she didn't mind the sweat. This was true love. "So you think the Hulk is a great big green misunderstood Frankenstein? And the Beast, too?" she asked with a giggle.
"Yeah." As they ended their embrace, Davis put his hands on her face. While Davis' smile was reassuring, Chloe felt there was something nervous and uncertain in his smile. Like he was trying to hide something.
"Just try not to worry, okay?" Davis said as the halftime buzzer sounded. "I've got to get back to the game." Cupping her face with his hands, he gave her a quick kiss. " I'll see you later at the Talon?"
"Yeah," she said. . As her boyfriend jogged off, Chloe frowned.
Who, she wondered, had the beast possibly helped?
Chloe and Davis were quite the couple at Smallville High.
They started dating shortly after Chloe moved from Metropolis. It all happened so quickly some said it was like Davis just grabbed her and carried her away.
Everyone was very proud of Davis Kent, the town's big football hero. But some people made insensitive jokes about how being a quarterback meant doomsday. After all, Whitney Fordman died in that auto accident, And then that guy Danny got killed by a bear. At least according to the official police reports. Most people dismissed the Beast as another town legend, like those reports of meteor freaks.
Davis seemed like a perfectly nice guy. But there was something people didn't know about Davis.
You didn't want to make Davis angry.
You wouldn't like Davis when he was angry.
Ten minutes away in a top floor office at Luthorcorp Plaza, Lex Luthor strolled casually into his brother's office. Clark sat with his feet up on his desk.
"Clark, have you seen Dad?" he asked as he gently ran his hand through a full head of red hair. The same red hair so often seen in the tabloids.
"Oh, Lionel?" Clark said as he tossed aside that day's issue of the "Daily Planet." "Oh, that. Yeah. He threatened to expose my secret so I had him committed to Belle Reve."
Lex briefly considered this. "Hmm," he said. "Okay then."
"In there Lionel can blab all he wants about my X-ray vision and heat vision."
"I guess so," Lex said as he sat down to use a keyboard. "And we can take the company in a whole new direction."
"We can," Clark said.
"We have a destiny together," Lex said. "I've been looking into this geothermal plant at Queen Industries."
"Yeah?" Clark said. "Your pal from school, huh?"
"Could be an interesting partnership," Lex said. "Or I could just help Duncan with his law firm for the poor." Lex started using his smart phone then pointed to the door. "Oh, by the way, she's here again."
"Oh," Clark said and quickly headed out the door. Once he was in the next room, the woman in the blue dress looked up at him with big brown eyes.
"Miss Lane," Clark said.
"Hey, Clark," Lois said. "I'm here about 'it' again."
Clark slouched on the couch. "Ah, yes. My monster hunting days in Smallville."
"Yeah. Well, 'it's' killed again. A small time bookie." She read from a paper. "Mikail Mux-uz-pittle-ik,"
Clark took the paper from her. "Mix-iz-pittle-ik, actualy.. Says here he was holding Chloe hostage during a football game."
Clark examined the photo that was with the paper. It was one of those Bigfoot/ Loch Ness Monster jobs where the grainy blob or shadow could be anything, even the Beast. If you wanted to believe.
"You're one of the few to see the Beast," Lois said.
"Right," Clark said. "When Pete, Chloe and I were tracking that bug boy. What was his name?"
"Greg Arkin," Lois said. "After he kidnapped that cheerleader. Lana Lang."
"Are Pete and Lana still going out?" Clark asked.
Lois nodded. "Pete's class vice president now. Chloe says they're planning on getting married right after graduation." She made a face as she folded her arms. "How'd you graduate so quickly anyway?"
"Speed-reader," Clark said with a grin. "I only went to Smallville High to tick Lionel off."
Lois grinned as well. "Of course you did. That's one of the things I like about you, Clark." Lois set out folders on the coffee table. "I need some fresh eyes. And your eyes almost shoot lasers. How fresh is that?" She gestured to the folders. "What do you see as some ways the murders are connected?"
Clark glanced through the documents, and Lois saw his pupils dart side to side, back and forth. "By the way," she whispered, leaning toward him, "I didn't tell anyone your secret."
Clark leaned toward her. "That's good, Miss Lane," he whispered back. "Lionel tried to expose me, and I had him committed to Belle Reve."
"Oh," Lois said then gestured zipping her mouth shut.
After slapping the folder down on the coffee table, Clark leaned back. "Sean Calvin...Justin Gaines...this quarterback Danny...and now this Mikail guy." Clark looked thoughtful.
"What are you thinking, Clark?"
"I remember when Pete, Chloe, and I encountered the Beast, it just looked at us and backed off." Clark's distant gaze was intense. Lois called it his "thousand yard stare." "Now that I think of it, the Beast was looking directly at Chloe."
Lois frowned. "You think the Beast has a thing for Chloe?"
"Most of those guys were a threat to her."
Lois flipped through the folder. "What about this quarterback, Danny?"
"Once he's gone, guess who becomes the new quarterback?"
A deeper frown from Lois. "You think Davis is controlling the Beast somehow? Like with mental commands, maybe? The way that girl Sasha controlled those bees?"
"Or maybe...Davis is the Beast."
Lois made a face. "That's really leaping tall theories in a single bound."
"Think about it. I looked everywhere in Smallville for the Beast. But what if it's not always the Beast? What if part of the time it's in human form?"
"A kind of split personality?" Lois said. "Like Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde?"
"More like the Hulk and John Doe," Clark said. "If we're going to take this thing on, we need a plan." Clark sat back as he thought. "I think I know a way. Maybe more than one way."
You may ask: How did this happen?
How did Lionel find Clark in that cornfield while the Kents found Davis?
Oddly enough it all began with Bill O'Reilly.
In this other reality, Bill O'Reilly, at his first TV reporter job in Florida, received so much affirmation and attention that he lost all his drive and any ambition to do national news. Consequently, in this other reality, there was never a national Bill O'Reilly TV program.
In the reality you and I know, Lionel, while not a regular O'Reilly viewer, got so caught up in the guest and the topic one crucial night that he gave little thought to how he would greet the Traveler the next morning. Because of this, he simply decided to send a few men, unsupervised, to intercept the Traveler.
In this other reality, the one with Clark Luthor and Davis Kent, there was no O'Reilly TV program to distract Lionel. As a result Lionel decided to personally supervise the armed men who would greet the Traveler and put him in cage. (Ironically, it was Clark's early experience in a cage that caused him to rebel against Lionel so much.) Lionel got the first name from a brief encounter with Martha Kent, who mentioned her maiden name. He suggested the name Davis to her should she ever adopt. That name was part of Lionel's fabricated background of being from Scottish royalty.
In this other reality, Lionel sent an underling to sign papers with the Ross brothers, and he never took Lex to Smallville on a business trip.
Because of this chain of events, Lionel and his men found Clark first while the Kents ended up with Davis.
Many mysterious deaths followed. Some were cows. Some were people.
It all ended up with Clark and Lois heading for Smallville to confront Davis.
The team's three largest football players approached Davis.
"You're this year's scarecrow," the biggest one announced.
In response, Davis laughed nervously. "Little late for that, don't you think? Come on, guys, what is this?"
"We think you had something to do with Danny's death." The biggest one did all the talking while the others vigorously nodded their agreement.
With his look suddenly very serious, Davus waved his hands and shook his head. "Easy, guys. I had nothing to do with any of that.."
"Don't count on it." In his blue suit with red tie, Clark boldly marched out of the bleachers. "Danny gets killed by the Beast, you get to be quarterback. And the Beast is always protecting Chloe. You're the Beast, aren't you, Davis?"
As she stepped over a bleacher in her red high heels, Lois rolled her big brown eyes. "Wow, Clark. Subtle much?"
As Davis' eyes turned red, Clark turned to the football players. "Guys, get out of here." They hesitated. Davis began to turn gray and sprout dragon-like fins and scales. "Go now!" Clark ordered. Promptly, the football players fled.
With blazing red eyes, Davis spoke through gritted teeth in a rough hoarse voice.
"What if I am the Beast, Clark? What are you going to do about it?"
In response, Clark disappeared.
A moment later, he reappeared at the center of the field with a small spaceship.
"Now, Lois," Clark said then he was gone.
Lois moved toward the spaceship with a glowing green octagonal disc in her hand. By now, Davis was fully transformed into the Beast, eight feet of gray fins, scales, and horns to go with the glowing red eyes. The Beast charged toward Lois but the green disc was in the ship and she was running off the field. A moment later, there was a quick "whoosh," and Lois was gone.
In her wake, the ship exploded. It sent the Beast flying straight up, screaming and roaring all the way during its flight. It came back down with a thud in the center of the field. There it lay on its back, groaning and writhing.
From the sidelines, Clark surveyed the situation carefully. As he did, the Beast jumped to its feet, screeching and screaming.
Clark held out a crystal. Energy shot out and engulfed the Beast. The roaring, screeching creature vanished.
Lois emerged from behind the bleachers, the place where the super-speeding Clark had stashed her.
"It's okay, Lois," he said. "I sent it off to the Phantom Zone."
"Nice work, Smallville."
Clark winced as he grinned. "Why do you call me 'Smallville?'"
As she shrugged, Lois smiled. "I just feel like you have a connection to this place. But how'd you know the first plan wouldn't work?"
"I didn't. But I always try to be prepared. A corrupt cop named Sam Phelan taught me that. You don't go into a situation with one plan. You go in with seven. That's how you survive,"
"Hmm," Lois said. "And where'd you get the crystal?"
"The Fortress. When Lex and I found the Stones of Power together, we formed the Fortress. Lionel wanted to shut it down but I convinced him it might have powerful things he could use to his advantage." Clark smiled. "Sure helped here today."
"And what if that hadn't worked?" Lois asked.
Clark shrugged. "I thought I might bury him in a geothermal plant by Queen Industries. But that might have just made him stronger."
As Clark finished speaking, Chloe ran up to the couple.
"What happened? Where's Davis?" she yelled breathlessly.
"I'm sorry, Chloe," Clark said. "He was the Beast."
"I know." Chloe struggled to catch her breath. "I think I always knew."
"I sent him away. To a place called the Phantom Zone."
"Send me there, too," Chloe insisted.
Clark flinched. "Chloe, it's dangerous."
"I have someone to protect me. Besides, I don't want to go through my senior year as 'the girl who went out with the Beast.' And," she said, "I love Davis."
"Chloe," Lois said. "I can't let you throw away your life like that."
"Lo, it's for the good of everybody." Chloe gave Clark a direct serious look, perhaps her most serious look ever. "Clark, can you guarantee this Phantom Zone is escape-proof?"
"No," Clark admitted.
"I've always had a positive influence on Davis. If he should get out of the Phantom Zone somehow, I might be able to stop the transformations or keep them in check. Just like I did before." Chloe gave her cousin an intense tearful look. "I have to do this, Lo. For the good of the world. For everybody."
Though her eyes were moist, Lois nodded in agreement.
"Okay," Clark said. "Let's head for the Kawatche caves. From there, I'll take you to the Fortress. That's a safer way to enter the Phantom Zone."
"If you're sure," Lois said.
"I'm sure," Chloe said.
The weeping cousins embraced for a very long time.
Months later, after the graduation ceremony at Smallville High, Clark visited the Kent farm.
"Hey, Mister and Missus Kent," Clark said. "Sorry again about your son." .
"It's so sad," Martha said.
"I guess we should have known. We always had dead cows on the property. And there were the temper tantrums." Jonathan shook his head.
Clark held up a copy of the "Smallville Ledger." "Saw your ad for a room for rent. Thought I might live in Smallville."
"What about Luthorcorp?" Martha asked.
"It's in good hands with Lex. Besides, I never felt like being there was my destiny."
"What do you think you'd like to do?" Jonathan asked.
"I'm not sure." Clark put down his black suitcase. "Funny thing about destiny, though. It always has a way of landing you exactly where you need to be."
"That's true." Martha smiled. "My father always said things like that."
"Yeah?" Clark said. "Sounds like we'd get along great."
"Well," Jonathan said, "just so you know, there's reduced rent if you help out with the chores."
"That sounds perfect." Clark looked around at his new home. "I think I'm going to like life on the farm."