Ch.2
He sped across the Midwest, a vapor trail of heat from the friction of gravity and air the only sign that he had passed through. In a matter of minutes he had them out of Kansas and on their way towards his first destination. He felt Lois snuggle into him tighter as he broke the speed of sound. The Red-K coursing through his veins made him grin wildly as he held her tightly. So long had he missed the feeling of the little red rocks presence. Too long had he ignored his inner being. Kal-El was unleashed, and there wasn't a thing in the world that would make him feel bad as long as he had the ring on.
One problem about switching personalities was the fact that he still had his other memories. Even though the red kryptonite made him feel confident and invulnerable, he still couldn't shrug the feelings that Clark inhabited. He snorted a laugh thinking about how Clark felt; the man was pathetic and weak. What person would be scared and afraid if they possessed his abilities? Laughing out sharply, he looked down to notice Lois's eyes were closed and the tears that were once there were now gone.
He sped on forwards, crossing from one state to another in mere seconds as time slowed around him. He knew Lois wouldn't be able to take much more; her head must have been hurting horribly. Slowing down just inside the Arizona border, he found a run down motel. It was late afternoon, the sun still up as he had shifted across time zones. Noticing that Lois was asleep in his arms, he walked into the motel office and bought a room. He took the keys from a sweet elderly woman and went to their room. Sliding the key into the keyhole, he turned it and opened the door. His nose curled up in displeasure as he smelt the horrible stench of mold and smoke. Normally he would only stay at the ritziest hotels when Kal, but Clark was having an effect of him for some reason. Plus, he lacked money at the moment.
With Lois still in his arms, he closed the door with his foot and flicked on the light. The bulb blinked a couple times before it lit up fully. Frowning in disappointment about the disco era wallpaper and uncomfortable looking bed, he set a slumbering Lois on the mattress. It wasn't even dark out yet, but he knew she would sleep until morning. No mere human could withstand such high speeds without being affected in some way.
He closed the drapes and sighed. Looking down at his left hand, he slowly put his right index finger and thumb on the ring. With a grunt, he quickly pulled the ring off. Falling to the floor in a sudden heap of bones and emotion, he lied flat on his stomach. He breathed heavily against the floor as he began to cry. All the feelings that the ring had hidden and shoved aside came rushing back into him with such force he couldn't move. The sobs escaping his throat caused his body to rack violently as tears fell from his eyes. Taking a few deep breaths, he worked his way up to his knees and rested on his fists.
So many things had gone wrong, and all he could do was cry. He lifted his head to notice Lois sleeping peacefully on the bed. What had he done? He cried to himself. He had dragged Lois into all of it. He tried to remind himself that she came with him willingly, but no matter how much he forced himself to believe that, he couldn't. Sitting back on his heels, he wiped away his tears and pulled the blankets up over Lois, tucking them under her chin. In what could only be described as being in a decrepit emotional state, he still managed a smile as he watched how beautifully Lois slept. The pinkish hue in her cheeks gave her a wonderful flustered look that he found incredibly attractive.
Shaking himself mentally, he stood up on wobbly legs. There was no way he was going to be able to get or do anything without the ring on. He was incredibly exhausted. Sighing mightily, he slipped the ring on, feeling the power enter his system once again. Unlike previous times though, the feeling wasn't as powerful. It was if something deep within him still knew that he was not okay. He knew this was the only way things could get done at the moment, and he could feel the power and confidence begin to grow stronger by the second. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards the door, turned off the light and exited. Turning around, he locked the door and walked towards the freeway that was bustling with mid afternoon traffic. He looked down at his clothes and grunted in displeasure. First thing he was going to do was get new attire. Eyeing the sign that said one hundred and twenty miles to Phoenix, he took of at the near speed of light.
In a matter of seconds, he was in the city of Phoenix. The heat of the near desert like conditions made his body sweat just a little. The sun fed his energy, causing the ring on his hand to blink softly. With renewed vigor, he clenched his left hand convincingly and made his way to the closest bank. This was just a one time stop, he didn't plan on staying long, so he just walked to one of the ATM's and smiled down upon it. Quicker than a blink of an eye, he smashed his hand through the top panel and into the vault inside the machine. Grinning wildly, he pulled out enough cash for the time being, making sure that his larceny wasn't exactly grand in the sense of criminal activity.
Stuffing numerous bills into his pockets, he looked around to see if anyone was watching. He was careful enough to avoid making eye contact with the security cameras as he spied the exit. Normally he would have taken much more money, but for some reason the red kryptonite wasn't working as well as it usually did. He frowned and walked out the front door, the heat from outside slamming into him as he exited the air conditioned bank. Smiling up at the sun, he walked down the sidewalk casually as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. He stuck his hands into his pockets as he watched numerous people walk past him and frown at his flannel shirt, jeans, and work boots.
The glares he received only caused his anger to boil even more as he shot back murderous glances to each person who looked at him funny. He walked a little farther down the street and spied a clothing store. Raising his head up and quietly thanking himself, he walked into the store; his pockets bulging from the numerous bills that were stashed in them. A portly bald headed man came walking up to him and inquired as to his tastes. In a matter of minutes, Kal had a new wardrobe picked out. A silk black dress shirt, long black dress pants and fine pair of black Italian leather shoes. Looking at himself in the mirror, he turned to the man who was attending him and tossed him a stack of bills. "I'll wear it out thank you." He said with a sly grin.
"What about you other clothes sir?" The man asked.
Kal walked over and fished his wallet out of the back of one of the jean pockets. Slipping it into his new pants, he quickly transferred the cash into his new pants as well. Finishing his transportation of money, he stood back in front of the mirror and fixed his collar. "Throw them out; I won't be needing them anymore." He admired how good he looked as he raised an eyebrow at the man who was still staring at him. "Throw them out." He said with more authority. His patience was certainly thin this afternoon. He briskly made his way over to the door and exited the store, not bothering with the tags and the security beeper that was singing loudly. Ripping of the tags, he continued his waltz down the streets of Phoenix.
Sticking his hands in his pockets again, he felt the money that occupied them. He smiled evilly to himself as he felt the edges of each bill with a coarse finger. He was going to have some fun while in town, maybe even show the people of this city in the dessert what having fun was really about. Rolling up his sleeves in a fashionable manner, he passed a group of high school girls who were walking home. He flashed them a quick grin, eliciting giggles and smiles from the group of young woman. This was the part of himself he loved the most. When he was Kal, women were his play toys, and men's jealousy was his drive. There was no feeling like having people gawk and stare in wonder.
The daylight was not his favorite time, but he could play along with it for the time being. When the night came, that was when he really shone. He did know that he was going to need supply of things to keep both him and Lois going. Mundane acts of buying toothpaste and combs were extremely tedious and annoying to him with the ring on, but he forced himself to buy the necessary things they needed. Sucking up his pride as Kal was much easier than taking the ring off and being rendered an emotional wreck as he tried to buy the necessities they needed. He could have went around speeding through the city and stealing everything he needed, but the day wasn't even close to done, so he just wasted his time until the night came.
Glancing at his new watch, he grumbled at the time. It was mid march and the days were getting longer. Luckily he remembered that daylight savings time was not in effect yet. It was a quarter past six and he didn't know what to do. Sliding into a back alley, he set his bags down and rested his head up against a brick building. Sighing again, he reached and removed the ring. He knew that too much exposure to the ring would affect him permanently. He had learned that the hard way when he had ran away previously to Metropolis. The ring fell out of his fingers as he suddenly fell to the alley pavement in a heap. His short and ragged breaths were a clear indication of how much energy and will power he needed to simply take the ring off.
He leaned his head back, slowing his breathing as much as he could. Sudden images of his parents and friends crossed his mind as he sat there with his eyes closed. They were likely running around and looking for both of them now. He only hoped that Lucy had explained it to his parents by now. The alley provided well needed shade as he stared at the ring lying between his legs. Red Kryptonite was the solution to all his problems. He scoffed at himself suddenly. He had promised himself and his parents before that he would never willingly put the ring on again, but once again he had disappointed them. There was no possible way he could return to them. This was the final straw, and he was sure that none of them would ever want him back.
Another sigh overtook his body as he thought about Lois. He had dragged her into all of this, no matter how much she had willingly agreed to come along with him. He had to admit, even thought he felt terrible that she came along, he was happy that he had a friend to keep him from getting completely lonely. He knew that when he was lonely, he tended to get wilder when on Red-K. His mind turned to Lucy. The woman had seen exactly what Lois had, and all he could do was hope that she would handle it well. He knew Lois's sister was in on the whole dirty deal with Becker, but he was confident that Lucy would keep her mouth shut, especially around Lex. What unnerved him the most was the fact that the woman wasn't afraid to use family as a collateral casualty. That was almost below anything Lex had ever attempted.
Shaking his head in frustration, he quietly wondered how he had gotten himself into such a crappy predicament just because he had mistimed a jump. If only once he could have done the right thing and ran after the truck, but no, he had to leap. He banged his head against the wall, the brick cracking as he got more and more frustrated with himself. Reaching over to the bag in his lap, he fished out a small bag of chips and opened them. Digging out an oven roasted salty snack, he plopped it into his mouth and sighed in exasperation. Was this how his life was going to be like from now on? Running around from city to city with a woman in tow, eating chips in an alley while patiently awaiting the return of red kryptonite to his body? Hating himself for getting Lois involved, he punched the ground beside him, the tar surface of the alley cracking and depressing below his fist.
Then there was Chloe and Lana. Truth to tell, he wasn't going to miss Lana. Things between them were strained enough as it was, but he was really going to miss his best friend. She was always there when he needed her. Yes, Chloe had had him investigated for Lionel Luthor, but he really knew she didn't mean to. The days of walking into the torch and greeting her smiling face were over. As much as he wanted to see that face again, he would never be able to pull himself together and be able to do it. His life in Smallville was over.
His thoughts turned back to Lois momentarily. He smiled as he remembered her sleeping peacefully on the motel bed. Things had been the most strange with her. It had really all started a day earlier when Lucy had shown up. First he had equated her weird behavior as just nervousness about seeing her sister for the first time in years, but he could have sworn she was jealous of the way Lucy flirted with him. Lois hated him, or she made it seem that way. There wasn't anything he had felt for the brunette, but when the woman said that she wouldn't let him leave her, he realized that he had been hiding feelings that he was so confused about. Even with the help of ring, he was still confused at it. Usually the ring made him so self aware of woman's hormones and aura's he could sniff them out one by one and drive them wild, but Lois, even with Red-K, was still a mystery.
Clenching his fist once again, he pounded the asphalt again. "Why dammit?" He seethed between clenched teeth. Slowly and quietly, he settled himself down and continued his assault on the chip bag in his left hand. Every bite seemed like an indictment of his foolish actions, causing his heart to drop a little each time he plucked another chip from the bag. It took a surprisingly long time to eat the small bag. With the combination of a million things running through his head, and the food that seemed to lingering in his mouth, he had simply lost track of time. What would have made the picture more pathetic was if it would begin to rain. Luckily for him he was in a city that saw a scarcity of it. Glancing at his watch, he smiled at the time and how dark it was outside. Seven thirty and already it was dark.
He spied a garbage dumpster in front of him and tossed as the now crumpled bag of chips into it. His hands dropped lazily down to his side as his eyes lingered on the brown dumpster. Slowly but surely, his gaze fell down to the ring that continued to stare up at him, bidding him, encouraging him to out it on. Sometimes he felt like Frodo, the ring calling out to him, trying to bring out an evil that he couldn't master. It was his precious, but not in a creepy way, but a dependant way. The ring was going to become a regular contributor to his life. There was no way he was going to be able to deal with his pain without the aid of it. Someday he wished he might be able to, but the sorrow he felt at that particular moment told him it wasn't likely to happen.
Picking up the ring, he rolled it around his hand while eyeing it seductively. Even without the ring on, he could feel its effects slowly seep into him as he fondled it. It was a feeling unlike anything he knew in the world. His whole life he had been afraid to use his powers, afraid of what people would think. As Kal though, he felt liberated and free. He longed to put it on, yet something in the back of his mind always told him it was dangerous, and that's probably why he never let it consume him too much before he took it off. Starting to feel the effects of the day's events on his heart weigh more heavily, he did the only thing he knew that could make him feel better. He slipped the ring on and stood, his stupid grin plastered to his face again, along with his shopping bag in hand.
Walking out of the alley and back onto the sidewalk, he eyed the faint pink glow of the sunset through the city lights. Juggling the bag in his hand, he sped out of view and back towards the motel. He was a little light headed as he reached the motel; he had gone a too fast this time around. Shaking the cobwebs out of his head, he opened the door to find Lois still sleeping peacefully on the bed. Finding a piece of paper, he scribbled a note on it and put it by the bag of supplies on the desk by the door. Standing up and stretching his back, he couldn't help but grin. He was going to have some fun tonight. There was no feeling like exploring a new city and all the debauchery that came along with it. Locking the door behind him once again, he took off towards the city once again, determined to not let Clark's feelings get in the way of the sudden feeling of euphoria that the ring was providing.
-
Martha stood at the sink, worried about her son and Lois. Neither had come home for dinner, and that was incredibly strange as both of them ate like ravenous dogs. She smiled briefly at how much alike they both were, even if they argued all the time. Wrapping the towel around a pot, she removed the remaining suds and hung it over the faucet tap.
Jonathon had been out looking for them, and Chloe was with him. Neither knew where they were, but they were determined to find both Clark and Lois. Martha sighed heavily as she leaned on the sink, her palms tightening on the counter edge as she wished that they would be found. She knew Clark could and Lois could both fend for themselves, but for some reason she had sick feeling in her stomach that she couldn't ignore. The smell of coffee overcame the kitchen as she turned to the freshly made pot and poured a mug. The sound of tires on gravel suddenly made there presence known as she took a small sip. Hoping that it was Clark and Lois, she rushed to the front door. She was surprised to see that it was Lois's sister Lucy. "Lucy, I thought that Lex wouldn't let you leave the mansion?"
Lucy walked up on the porch and stood in front of Martha with resignation and fear in her voice. "I got him to let me go for a minute. There is something I need to tell you."
"Sure sweetie, come in and tell me. I just put on a fresh pot of coffee while Jonathon and Chloe are looking for Clark and Lois."
Lucy let herself get ushered into the farmhouse as her legs noticeably shook. "They're not going to find them." She said abruptly, interrupting Martha's pouring of a cup of coffee."
"What do you mean by that?" She asked the young Lane, her eyes intent on reading the expression on her face.
Lucy took the cup from the older woman and took a deep breath. "Clark ran off. I know he did, and I'm pretty sure Lois went with him."
Martha shook her head trying to grab any understanding. "Why would they run off?" Things were getting more complicated by the second.
"Lois and I both saw what Clark can do." The words came out softy, and in a haggard whisper, but she forced them out with all her might. She didn't really understand what Clark's abilities were about, so she could only speculate.
Martha's eyes went wide as she set her own cup on the counter. The woman had just said something that she thought she would never hear. "You saw Clark use his…" She let the question linger, her hopes fighting for the woman to shake her head. When Lucy nodded her head instead of shaking it, her eyes dropped lazily to the ground in defeat. As she sunk into one of the stools at the island counter, she let out a beep breath. "What exactly happened Lucy?" She asked weakly.
Lucy began her words by explaining the situation. The more she got into it; she could see Martha visibly shaking. By the time she was done, the older woman was in tears. Lucy didn't know what to do, her emotions caught up in a whirlwind of factious surrender and defeat. Seeing such a strong woman as Martha Kent crying made her feel empty inside. She hadn't felt this way since her mother died, and even then, she didn't cry, really too young to understand it all.
Chloe and Jonathon entered the house suddenly. There faces were etched with concern as they both noticed two crying woman in the kitchen. Jonathon wrapped his arms around his wife and whispered to her. "What's wrong? Is it about Clark and Lois?"
Martha hugged to her husband with all her might. "They both ran off, I don't know where, but Lucy says she and Lois both saw Clark us his-." Her words stopped in her mouth as they all turned to notice Chloe standing there, her eyes wide.
Chloe gaped at them for a second. She knew exactly why Mrs. Kent had stopped her words. "Don't worry, I know about Clark's abilities." She stared at three pairs of confused faces as she moved to the coffee pot. "I've known for about a month." She turned back to them and explained to them how Alicia had shown her before she was killed. "I would never betray Clark, I hope you know that."
Jonathon wrapped Chloe in a hug a second later. "We know you wouldn't Chloe, you're a very good friend." He pulled back and looked to Lucy. "Do you have any idea where he went?"
Lucy shook her head. "I have no idea, but the way we were looking at him, no wonder he ran away."
Martha hugged an emotionally broken Lucy. "Clark and Lois will be alright. He will look after her if she followed him. There is no way he would allow harm come to her." She squeezed the young woman tighter to herself. "They will come back when they can, but right now, we can only pray that they're fine."
Chloe took a sip of her coffee and stopped suddenly, something in her mind clicked. "Is this in any way similar to the time where he ran off to Metropolis? Do you think he went back there?"
Jonathon's brow furrowed, but his heart was registering something completely different. He looked over at his wife, who was disengaging herself from Lucy. "He could be, but that would mean he…" He let his words drop slowly as he took a sharp breath. A second later he bolted out of the house and towards the barn. Up the loft stairs he flew, his shirt whipping wildly as he reached the loft. Darting to Clark's desk, he opened the drawer. He held up a small box and felt the extremely light weight of it. His heart sunk to the bottom of his stomach, he didn't need to open it to know that the ring was gone. He heard the others finally catching up to him, reaching the stairs behind him.
"What is it?" Martha asked, concerned at how fast and quick her husband had darted out of the house.
He stood up, the box in hand and opened it on front of them.
Martha gasped, the air in her lungs suddenly ceasing to do anything but stand still.
Chloe and Lucy both looked at Mr. Kent with questioning eyes. "What's supposed to be in the box?" Chloe asked.
"A ring." Jonathon said weakly, his worst fears having come true.
"What does it mean that it's gone?" Lucy asked, still confused.
Jonathon looked at Lois's little sister and sighed heavily. "It means that he is not himself. We are not dealing with rational and collective Clark, we are dealing with cool, slick, confident, and worst of all, dangerous Kal."
"Who's Kal?" Chloe asked quickly.
He ushered them back down the stairs and towards the house, flipping the box shut with his right hand. "There are some things we are going to tell you that no others know, and I hope that you can handle it, because it may be the only chance of ever finding them again."