Author's note: Sorry about the reposting, I found some typo's I wanted to correct and I also wanted to post the completed version of episode 1 in a single chapter. Stay-tooned for episode 2. Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or any of its characters. Yes, I quoted the first part from the end of Season 7 in the preface. This is my personal opinion on how Season 8 will begin.
Preface: End of Season 7.
Clark hesitated as he saw Lex, standing next to the fortress controls holding the device. "Must admit Clark, this is a big step up from the barn." Lex stated as Clark slowly came forward. "It's not what you think, Lex. You don't understand." Trying to prevent what was about to happen. The device activated preventing Clark from moving closer.
"For the first time, I think I do. You see you live among us as a mild-mannered farm boy but secretly you're a strange visitor from another planet plotting our demise."
"It's not what I'm doing at all." Clark backed away from Lex keeping his distance from the device. "It's a brilliant disguise, Clark. You don't even need a mask."
"I'm not your enemy, Lex. I've never done anything to hurt you."
"You didn't trust me, with everything you have, with everything you could do. Did you ever think about what we could have accomplished together? I would have helped you become a hero."
"When have you thought about anyone other than yourself?"
"Right now, I'm doing this for the world. I have to protect the human race."
"This is my life. You have no right to control it!" Clark yelled as Lex backed him into a corner. "It's my birth right. After all my sacrifices, after all the pain. I finally understand. I was being prepared for a much greater destiny. Everything led me to this moment."
"And we're both here, where in this moment and what happens next is your choice."
"But no one is controlling you, Lex. No one is forcing you to do this." Clark said in his last attempt to reason with Lex.
"Who am I to turn my back on my fellow man? Especially after you turned your back on me. I'm sorry Clark but you are the traveler. You hold the future of the entire planet in your hands. I'm here to take it back." Lex said as he walked away from Clark over to the control station.
"Lex." Clark begged as he stood up knowing he couldn't go near the device.
"You'll never threaten the world again. Kal-el." Lex hesitated, cherishing the moment of his accomplishment.
"Lex, don't!" Clark yelled as Lex put the device in the fortress crystals. A beam of light shot from the crystals through Clark, bringing him to the ground. Lex knelt down and held Clark in his arms as the fortress started crumbling to pieces. "I loved you like a brother Clark, but it has to end this way. I'm sorry."
Episode 1:
Before, Lex knew it he was standing on a weird gelatin surface. "What the…" He stated as he looked into outer space. He looked down and saw that Clark was unconscious at his feet. Lex tested the tenacity of the surface as it squished under his feet. Within the next two seconds, he found himself in an endless desert with winds picking up fast. He knelt down trying to shake Clark awake. "Where are we?!" He yelled, but it was useless Clark was still unconscious. He looked up as dark hooded figure walked toward them. "Who are you?" Lex yelled trying to overcompensate for the high-powered winds. The hooded figure looked down at Clark. "Clark!" She said as she tried to wake him up. "What did you do to him?" She yelled at Lex as she took her hood off. "Kara." Lex gasped. "We have to get out of here before they come. I need your help." She yelled to Lex as she tried to pick Clark up. "Why don't you use your powers? He is after all, your cousin!" Lex exclaimed. "We don't have any powers here." She tried to explain. "I need your help." Lex carelessly dropped his heavy coat and gloves top of Clark and they proceeded to drag Clark off her tent. When they finally got there they were exhausted. "Where are we?" Lex panted as he finally got a chance to rest. "The Phantom Zone." She stated. "How do we get out?" He asked. "I don't know." She sighed.
Back on Earth
"Lois…" Jimmy gasped as he ran to the basement of the Daily planet. As he predicted she was working late again. "I'm sorry." He told her. "I need you're help, I screwed up." He started rambling. "I lied to you." "Slow down, before you break a blood vessel." She said as she took out her notebook. She tried to calm him. "Start from the beginning." "Chloe was arrested by the homeland security." He continued. "Lex wasn't drilling oil." "I knew it." She exclaimed. "Hey, you lied to me. First, we need to help Chloe. This is out of my league." She dropped the notebook and started dialing. "Who are you calling?" Jimmy asked. "The General." She stated solemnly.
Back at the Phantom Zone
Clark groaned as he started to wake up. "Clark, are you ok?" Kara asked. "I think." He replied. "Earth's in-trouble." Kara said. "Brainiac escaped, back on Krypton." Clark sat up. "It ok, I took care of it." He replied. "And Lana, is she?" She continued to ask. "Lana's back to normal." He cringed as the sting from the break up still hurt. "Lana's ok?!" Lex said from behind. "I have to go see for her. How do we get out of the Phantom Zone?"
"You used the device didn't you?" Kara accused Lex. Clark continued Kara's thought. "So in order to protect Earth it sent me here, powerless." He said glaring at Lex. All of a sudden Clark's adrenaline started pumping with furry. He stood up and through a punch at Lex. "You had no right!" He yelled. Lex fought back and got a few good punches in before Kara started yelling. "Hey, break it up. This isn't going to solve anything. You both need your strength if we are going to have a chance at getting out of here." They backed off of each other gasping for air. "How are we going to get home if we don't know how to leave." Lex pointed out. "My blood." Clark said as he used his hand to wipe blood from his nose. "Is the key to the portal." He continued. "How do you know this?" Lex asked. "Raya told me the last time I was here." Clark stated. "How did you get through without letting the phantoms out?" Kara asked. "I didn't." He replied.
Back on Earth
Lois hung up the phone and glared at Jimmy. "This may take a while." She paused. "You, looked me straight in the eyes and lied to me?" She demanded. "I should have trusted my gut." Jimmy hesitated trying to think of a rational explanation. "Homeland security was after Chloe, I had to do something to keep her out of jail." Lois sighed.
Back at the Phantom Zone
Clark sighed heavily. "If we escape we have to make sure the phantoms don't get out." He turned and looked at Kara. "I spent over 6 months trying to clean up my mess. I still don't have all of them."
"Do you realize the damage they could do with their powers on Earth, Kal-el?" Kara replied. "Like DNA replication?" Lex interrupted. "Bizarro, escaped?" Kara replied with fear in her voice. "Like I said I took care of it; his weakness was sunlight." Clark responded. "These are hardened criminals, Clark. Even on Krypton they were evil." Kara emphasized. "So if his weakness was sunlight and his strength was meteor rock, and if you guy's were opposite of each other…" Lex's voice trailed off. "Lana's necklace, the day I found it in the corn field." Clark stared at Lex in silence trying to think of some way to reason that it wasn't true. Kara filled the silence, bringing them back to the situation at hand. "Doesn't matter, we don't have powers here and we still need to get back through the portal without letting the phantoms escape."
"Raya had a device that repelled the phantoms. Last time I saw it was when I used it to defeat Zod." Clark remembered. "I think I know were her tent is, lets go." Kara said as she handed Lex and Clark the appropriate clothing to blend in. "We have to stay out of the open. We can't let the phantoms see us…"
Back on Earth
"You lied to me." Lois pointed out again to Jimmy. "I know, I'm sorry." Jimmy said weakly. The phone rang and Lois immediately jumped after it. "Lois Lane speaking." She said hoping it was the General. "Hum uhum…" Lois responded after a long pause she spoke again. "Isn't their anything you can do?" Lois pleaded. A few seconds later she hung up the phone and looked at Jimmy. "What's wrong?" Jimmy asked. "He said it was out of his league." Lois replied. "You said Lex had something to do with this?" She asked. "Yes…" He sighed as he started to explain the whole situation.
Back at the Phantom Zone.
As they stealthily entered the Raya's tent Clark let out a sigh of relief. "So what exactly are we looking for?" Lex asked. "The shield Raya had was about the size of my palm, and had the letter S on it. She may have had another way to defend herself against the Phantoms." Clark replied. They all started looking frantically through her stuff. "I got nothing." Clark said after a while of searching. "But you usually can find a needle in a haystack." Lex said. "That was when I had powers." Clark hesitated. "Oh so finding a mini microphone hidden in a sound system is a power?" Lex said sarcastically. "It is when you can see through stuff." Clark replied. Lex sighed. "You have these incredible powers and yet you use them to stack hay?!" Clark paused for a second before he responded. "People have tried to take advantage of my powers for their own personal gain. And if I don't keep things under control people could get seriously hurt." Without going into too much detail. "Clark." Kara interrupted as she lifted up the rug. He looked over and saw huge sheets of paper. "Those are the same characters from the cave walls." Lex said as they pulled them out. "They're blueprints." Clark said. "It's the Phantom Zone." Kara said as she flipped through them. "There's the portal, where I left last time." Clark said as he pointed. "Raya did say my father built this place."
"Why didn't you say Jor-el built this place?" Kara exclaimed. "He always includes a fail safe method." She said as she pointed to another page. "There."
"What's that?" Clark asked. "The test." Kara continued to explain. "If by some chance his plan went wrong he had a self destruct method that would destroy this place. Only a family member would be able to activate it."
"But the portal is on the other side of the zone." Lex said. "I know." Clark paused as he grabbed a knife and a jar. "No, you can't." Kara said. Clark sat down and set the jar down in front of him. "It takes my blood to activate the portal, and only I can activate the self destruct method." He reasoned. "I'll distract the phantoms and you guy's get out." Lex sighed as Clark took the knife and cut his hand and let the blood drip into the jar. "Look, if there's anything I can do." Lex said. "Well, you could let Chloe off the hook."
"Why should I do that?" Lex defended his actions. "She was only trying to help me." Clark tried to explain. "Oh sure, so she helped you by hacking into the high secure database, without knowing your secret." Lex responded sarcastically. Clark looked down as he stayed silent for one second too long, while he wrapped up his wound. "She knows?!" Lex said in disbelief. "Who else knows?" Lex asked. "No one." Clark lied horribly looking off to the side avoiding eye contact. "As a favor to me, please let her off the hook." Clark continued as he handed Lex the jar of blood and looked him in the eyes. Lex sighed as he reached for the jar. "Fine." Lex concluded the conversation.
"Ok, so I distract the phantoms and you guys get out…" Clark said as they bravely agreed. "Bye, Kal-el." Kara said as she gave him a farewell hug. Clark finished saying his goodbyes as he shook hands with Lex.
Back on Earth
After Lois talked out Jimmy they both sat silently trying to figure out their next move to help Chloe. "I don't know anyone else that could help Chloe." Lois said her thoughts out loud. "Don't worry it's been taken care of." Lex said from the background. "But I thought." Jimmy stuttered. "Wait how'd you get back so fast?" He continued. "Plane trouble." Lex lied. "Wait Chloe's out?" Lois said. "As of tomorrow." Lex continued. "I"ll be expecting that piece on the oil-surveying on my desk by 8am." He said as he walked out of the basement leaving Lois and Jimmy in shock.
