Clark Kent paced back and forth in the kitchen. He hated the tuxedo his mother had rented for him, he hated dancing... but it was for Chloe. Chloe really was wonderful, he thought. She was funny and smart and great to be around. He wondered again why he'd spent so much time pining for Lana. Chloe was more... more Chloe... than Lana could ever hope to be.
But this date could make or break it all. If his relationship with Chloe was going to work out, it all hinged on this dance... And he didn't want to think about what would happen if it didn't work out.
"Clark, honey, if you keep pacing like that you'll bring the whole house down!" Martha Kent warned her son.
"But... there's so much that could go wrong! I mean... with my powers and everything. I've developed so many in the last few weeks..."
"Relax. Your powers are completely under control and you know it. I think this is a case of misplaced anxiety." Martha gave him a knowing look. "You and Chloe have been friends for years, this date isn't going to change that. People can be in a relationship and still be friends too, you know." Clark looked at her, confused. "I suppose it doesn't seem like that from your point of view, but that's usually how the best couples start out. As friends."
Clark smiled. His mother always knew just the right thing to say.
Suddenly, Chloe's car horn sounded in the driveway. Clark glanced at his reflection in the microwave door, straightened his tie compulsively, and rushed out the door, pausing only to grab the little plastic box containing Chloe's corsage.
"Hi," Chloe said softly as he walked up to her. There was a moment of awkward silence, and then some awkward compliments were exchanged, followed by another awkward silence. Chloe reached for a way to break the tension.
Spying the corsage in his hand, she said, "Is that for me?" Smiling, he opened the box and slipped the ring of pink flowers over her wrist. Chloe smiled up at him. God, he was so tall...
"Oh, and I have yours!" she exclaimed, remembering herself. Pulling the carnation out of her purse, she reached up (and up and up, she thought) to pin it on Clark's lapel. "Oh, did I get you?" she asked, as she felt the pin slip. "Nope," he smiled.
The wind had picked up on the drive to the school, and as they made their way up to the doors of the gymnasium, the sky began to spit rain. Laughing, Chloe used the weather as an excuse to clutch onto Clark's arm.
In the atrium of the school, Pete Ross on the arm of the (much taller) Jessica Fox, accosted them. "Hey, Chloe, would you mind..." He brandished a camera at her. Chloe nodded.
As the pair posed, Clark heard a familiar heartbeat coming toward him. He had listened to it frequently from afar before he realized his feelings for Chloe. Turning around, he saw Lana Lang on the arm of Whitney Fordman ascending the steps into the school.
She was still beautiful- frighteningly so- but he now realized that she was little else. Clark would always think of her fondly, but there was just so little... substance... to her. Not like Chloe.
Lana wore a baby blue dress with a flared tulle skirt and little glittery things all over the bodice. Clark smiled ironically. He hated glitter. Whitney, on the other hand, looked every bit as awkward as Clark did in his tux.
The two smiled at each other. They knew that things had been... strained... between them all year, but that was all in the past now. The death of Whitney's father had changed him. He had matured. Clark too had grown up, and they both silently acknowledged this.
Chloe and Clark linked arms and walked into the gymnasium, followed by Pete and Jessica and Lana and Whitney. Clark heard Chloe catch her breath- the gym had been decorated beautifully, and even he was impressed.
They mingled casually with the other students, but the six of them- Lana and Whitney, Clark and Chloe, Pete and Jessica- stayed mostly together in a group.
Clark excused himself briefly, and shortly after he returned, Remy Zero (band appropriated courtesy of Lex, most likely, he supposed) began the song 'Perfect Memory'. "Oh my god, I love this song!" Chloe gasped. "Would you like to dance?" Clark asked her softly. Chloe took his outstretched hand with barely contained enthusiasm.
Hundreds of couples flooded the dance floor. Clark glanced around at them over Chloe's shoulder. He barely knew half of them. Nearly two thousand students attended Smallville High... There were so few students he recognized. Perhaps next year he should work on getting to know more people...
Suddenly, the song cut to a halt. Chloe looked up in confusion, and Clark glanced toward the stage. What he saw made his blood run cold. Sasha Woodman, surrounded by a cloud of bees, was driving the band out of the room. Eric Summers gleefully took the microphone.
"Okay people, party's over! Sasha came to stand beside him, her hair blowing about wildly, tossed about by the breezes created by the bees that swarmed around her, and an evil light gleamed in her eyes.
For a space of about two heartbeats, there was dead silence in the room. And then all hell broke loose. People screamed. Students raced for the doors, which slammed shut and locked of their own accord, while chaperones attempted to restore calm.
"Now now now people, this isn't a time to panic," Eric cooed into the mike. "We're going to let you all out of here safe and sound... after we have a little fun. After all, that's what you're all here to do isn't it?"
Chloe was fishing around in her purse, until finally she found her small handheld recording device. She switched it on and called up at Eric, "What do you want, Eric?" Eric smiled evilly.
"What do we want, I'm assuming you mean. After all, you didn't think I'd come here completely alone, did you?" He pointed each person out as he listed their name. "There's Sasha here, of course. Then there's Justin Gaines. I assume you remember him rather vividly, Miss Sullivan? And then there's my dear friend Sean Kelvin. Jodi Foster... Greg Arkin... Jeremy Creek... Jeff Palmer... Tina Greer... And I guess that's about it. As for what we want... that's simple. Revenge."
"Revenge on who?" Chloe called out. Eric gritted his teeth before continuing, and Clark felt a sinking in the pit of his stomach. He had a feeling he knew what was coming.
He was right. "Revenge on who? Well isn't it obvious? You've been researching our kind. Meteor freaks, you call us. Those who the meteors gave unusual powers. Well, we were just minding our own business, quietly using our powers for our benefit, when a certain SOMEONE screwed it up. He came smashing into our existences... messed up all our plans... Well, he's going to pay for that! And who IS that someone, ladies and gentlemen? Who's the reason we're about to inflict some serious pain on you all? Why, Clark Kent, of course!"
Chloe gasped. So did a large majority of the people in the room. A spotlight swung around of it's own accord to point directly at Clark. A large space cleared around Clark very quickly. Only four people stayed with arm's reach- Pete, Lana, Whitney, and Chloe.
"We're out for revenge here people. And Clark Kent? He's a good guy. There's nothing that hurts him more than seeing others suffer. That's why he destroyed our lives- because he had some idea that we were hurting people. Well, tonight, he's going to see every single one of you suffer!" Eric paused, building up for maximum effect, waiting until the terrified whispering had died down.
"You see, ladies and gentlemen, if it were up to most of my compatriots here, we'd simply be pounding him into the ground. And I agree, it would be tremendously satisfying to smash his face in. But Clark Kent isn't like other people. No no, he's not a meteor freak. He's something else. I'm not quite sure what he is, but his powers... Oh people, I've had his power, and let me tell you, it's a helluva thrill!"
"Do you mean to say that the source of the incredible powers you displayed earlier in the year was... Clark?" Chloe asked, stunned. "Yeah, I think that's exactly what I mean, Miss Sullivan," Eric replied.
The bottom had dropped out of Clark's stomach several minutes before. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't be happening... He was in freefall. His secret, so carefully guarded for so many years...
His Kryptonian heritage, his powers... All of it blown out in a few seconds by this jerk with a microphone!
But Eric wasn't done yet. "So, Kent! Tell us. You're no meteor freak. I could tell you that. But what are you? What... is the source of your power?" Clark took a deep breath.
"I-- You're wrong, I am a meteor freak..." he tried weakly. Maybe he could still salvage some of this...
"You're lying!" Eric said sternly, a saddened look on his face. "Greg? Sean?" Sean Kelvin stepped forward from the recesses of the stage and moved toward a girl who was suddenly held tight in the iron grasp of Greg Arkin. "If Sean Kelvin touches her, she'll die! You know it's true, Kent. And he will, if you don't talk. Come on, spill. What's your secret?"
Clark sighed. He couldn't let the girl die! "I'm... not human," he said finally, calling loudly to be sure Eric would hear. "Twelve years ago, in the Smallville meteor shower, my parents were driving down the road when their truck flipped. They landed in a cornfield, where they found... a spaceship. And inside the ship was a baby... me."
"Now that's more like it, Kent!" Eric called. "Now, we're gonna keep you all here just a little longer. I'll give Kent time to say his goodbyes, and then it's time for the hurting to start." Abandoning the microphone, he and the other meteor freaks took up posts guarding each door.
Chloe, Pete, and Lana gathered around Clark. "Is it true?" Lana gasped, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Yes," he sighed. "I know I should have told you all before, but... how could I? If you'd known the truth, you'd have hated me for it."
Then, raising his voice, he called out loudly, "To all of you whose lives were changed by the meteor shower... I'm sorry. Maybe I didn't have any control over it, but... I still feel responsible. I'm terribly sorry for all the pain and loss this town has suffered because of it. I know that there's no way to make up for all of it, no apology in the world can change what happened, but..." he trailed away, at a loss for words.
"Clark..." Lana said, "Do you really think we would blame you for what happened?" "Yeah," Chloe piped up. "You were only a baby!" "That's what my parents always say..." Clark said ruefully. "Look, guys, I'm really sorry you're all in this mess because of me--" "God, Kent! Quit apologizing for stuff! It's the Summers kid's fault!" Whitney burst out. Clark looked at him, a stunned expression on his face.
"Stop taking all the blame on yourself and start talking! Since it seems like there's a pretty high chance of death here, I'd kind of like to know... you know... the story! Your story." Whitney and Clark stared daggers at each other.
Clark broke the gaze first, and sighed. "I was born on a planet called Krypton. My father was a scientist. He realized that the planet was going to explode, and he sent me away. He sent me to earth. That's pretty much all I know. I'm the last of my kind. The last of my species..." Clark bit his lip and looked away. He'd never wanted his friends to know about this most shameful part of him.
Suddenly, Chloe threw her arms around him in a hug that could have easily crushed his ribs if he weren't indestructible. "Clark, no matter what planet you're from, you're still our Clark Kent!" she whispered into his chest.
Pete was still staring, dumbstruck. "Aww man, you got superpowers and you never mentioned it?" he said finally. "Man, that's lame!" "Sorry, Pete," Clark said. "When I was a kid, my parents... you know how protective they are..." Pete nodded. "I get it. But you heard what Whitney said about apologizing for stuff..." he said warningly.
"Uh... Pete... Those freaks are coming over here..." Jessica Fox piped up. "Do you guys mind if I... uh... get the hell out of here?" "Go," Clark said, nodding. "And... you guys should go too. This is my fault. I don't want anyone else to get hurt." "Are you kidding, Kent?" Whitney said, unbelieving. "Yeah, Clark. We won't leave you," Lana said softly.
They flanked themselves on either side of him, Chloe and Whitney on one side, Pete and Lana on the other. Eric Summers approached them. Sasha, Justin, and a haze that Clark suspected was Jeff Palmer trailing behind him.
"So, Kent... I see you've got your little... posse. And not a meteor freak among them. A sad match for my arsenal of big guns. But then again... I suspect you're a match for them, anyway," Eric sneered. "I've gained many powers since they were transferred to you, Eric. Don't be so cocksure. Please... just end this all before somebody gets hurt. I mean... all these people! Let them go. You only want me," Clark pleaded.
"Ah Clarkie, so naïve. I don't care about these people. And they serve a purpose. If you're distracted... playing the hero, keeping them safe... you'll be SO much easier to take down." Tina Greer ambled over. "So what? You guys get to have all the fun? Justin's keeping the doors tight shut. What say we start this thing?" she said, chomping on a piece of gum.
Clark appeared passive, but his mind was racing. These people meant business. And Eric Summers just might, possibly know about the kryptonite... he had to hold them off long enough for everyone to escape. No matter what...
"Lana, Chloe, Pete, Whitney. I need you to leave now. I will not risk you getting hurt," he hissed at them. "Oh, so what, you think we're just going to sit by and watch you get kicked around?" Chloe whispered back.
"No, of course not," Pete replied. "He's going to suggest something stupid." "No, not something stupid. I want you to get everybody out of the way. Get them all together. If everyone's close together, there's less chance of one of these guys attacking them... And try to get the doors open somehow."
Pete, Whitney and Lana stepped back, but Chloe hesitated. "I don't want to leave you, Clark," she said uncertainly. He took off his jacket. "I know. But please. I don't want to survive this only to go to your funeral. Please Chloe." She nodded.
And then the freaks attacked. A cloud of bees swirled around his head, stinging and stinging, and though he felt none of it, Clark was distracted long enough for Jeremy Creek to throw a massive bolt of electricity shooting through him.
"Aaaaggghhh!!" He screamed. He hadn't expected this, hadn't expected the pain to come at that. And before he could recover from the shock, Tina Greer and Greg Arkin ran at him from opposite sides. They slammed into him, and a shockwave reverberated through the gymnasium.
Clark was dimly aware of horrified shrieks and gasps coming from one corner of the room where the other people in the room were huddled, but he paid it no mind. All he could focus on were the seven people surrounding him.
Sean Kelvin gripped his arms and he felt a chill. The cold stole through him, making his breath come in ragged gasps... Jodi Foster was gnawing on his ankle, and a huge shock still poured through him where Jeremy grasped his wrist...
With a yell, he pushed outward, and the freaks flew away from him. Slamming into the walls, they stood up slowly, gasping. "Come on!" he called to them. "I don't want to have to do this!" His eyes glowed red. "I could lobotomize every single one of you right now. But I can't do that. That's not how I work! But I could really hurt you guys!"
Clark let go of the heat vision. Threatening them wouldn't work. And then they threw themselves at him. Tina and Greg shoved him to the ground with their increased strength, and Jeff Palmer threw invisible punches at him. Sasha's bees continued to torment him, and picking them off one by one with his heat vision did no good.
He kicked Tina in the stomach and she flew up into the rafters. Morphing into an eagle, she soared down and began to scratch at his face. Her claws- saturated with kryptonite- tore into his cheeks and he felt the blood pouring hot down his chin. Jodi sat heavily on his left arm, pinning it down with a strange weight that didn't look as though it should belong to her. Greg continued kicking him in the side.
Once again, Clark threw them all off. But even before he caught his breath, Jodi was on him, clawing at the places where Tina had ripped his face open. Greg spewed web at him to bind his legs tightly. Clark stumbled and fell to his knees. He used his heat vision to sear the web away, but by the time he regained his feet, Sean had grasped his head from behind, and he could feel his limbs becoming numb, freezing up...
Gathering his strength, he kicked backward, sending Sean spinning away to crash into the refreshment table. And yet even as Sean left off, Sasha's bees zoomed in at him, taking Jodi's lead and attacking the open wounds on his face.
Jeremy threw lightning bolts at him in rapid-fire succession. The electricity and the bees poison streamed through his veins. He groaned softly. An invisible fist caught him in the jaw and landed on his back. He felt a faint twist in his stomach, and then he saw Jeff's arm up to the wrist buried in his stomach. The git had become intangible and thrust his fist in Clark's gut!
Clark landed a blow on the side of his head. Jeff's concentration was broken for just an instant, and he lost his form. His molecules bounded outward, and by the time he reformed, Clark's fist had connected hard with his jaw.
Once again, Greg's web bound most of his body. "Dammit!" he hissed under his breath, and burned it away once again. But now Tina, in the shape of a Bengal tiger, was leaping for him. Using his superbreath, he knocked her away with a single gust.
Jodi Foster came at him from behind and sunk her teeth into his neck. He screamed, and batted her away, just in time to whirl and catch tiger-Tina in the face with his right fist. She shrieked in rage and fell to the floor, morphing quickly into a massive boa constrictor, who wound its way around his legs, squeezing with Tina's considerable strength. Clark felt his head swim.
He ripped the Tina-snake off him, and spun around, ready to face whatever freak came at him next. This time, he was on the offensive. "Fine, you guys want a fight? You've got it!" he screamed, and threw himself at the phantom Jeff. Jeff landed hard on the wood gym floor. His head struck the ground, and he suddenly became visible as he lost consciousness. Whirling, he launched himself at Sasha. He tapped her on the head, and her eyes rolled up as she keeled over.
Suddenly, a horrible, crippling pain ripped through every cell of Clark's body. Kryptonite... but where--?
"I'm sorry to have to use this, Kent," came Eric's voice. Clark whirled, staggering slightly. Eric stood there, holding a shard of green-glowing meteor before him. The other freaks had arrayed themselves behind them, every one of them in a fighter's crouch. "It would have been a tremendous boost to our egos to kill you without this little Achilles Heal of yours, but you're doing FAR too well for me to let it go any farther. Well, children, this is your chance," he said over his shoulder, "Take him out!"
Sean and Jeremy came at him first, and each latched onto his arm. Now, in addition to the kryptonite poisoning, he had ten thousand volts of electricity and enough freezing power to kill a bull elephant coursing through his system. His vision swam slightly. "Pete, Chloe! Get everybody out NOW!" he called weakly.
Justin Gaines telekinetically raised the refreshment table over his head and brought it smashing down so that it cut right between the two freaks hanging onto Clark's arm. It caught him on the head. Justin raised the table again and again, bringing it down on Clark's head repeatedly.
Jodi kicked him in the shins with every ounce of her strength, while Tina and Greg once again rammed into him from opposite direction. Clark saw that the shockwave from their impact had shattered every window in the room. Everyone could still escape...
"Get out! Get out, please!" he called. The onlookers stared in shocked silence. Not one of them moved. "Please! They'll start on you next! I can't take this much longer! Go! Save yourselves!" he screamed.
"Hold his arms," Greg Arkin hissed. "Get him on his back." Eric knelt down and, bringing the kryptonite close to his face, forced Clark backward until he was lying stretched out on the gym floor. Jodi sat on his left leg, while Justin pinned the right one with a section of the bleachers he'd ripped from the wall. Eric took Clark's right arm, and Sean Kelvin took the left, freezing Clark's system once again. Jeremy stood above Clark, shooting lightning into his eyes, blinding him.
Greg leaped. He soared right up to the rafters and seemed almost to hover for a moment, before he crashed down to land on Clark's stomach. The ground beneath them shook, and a massive dent appeared in the gym floor. Clark yelled, and a thin trickle of blood oozed out of his mouth.
Tina looked at Greg, and he nodded. Hefting Clark over his head, Greg spun like a discus thrower and hurled Clark at Tina. Her fist connected with his face, and he spun in a dizzying circle across the room to land halfway between the meteor freaks and the huddle of terrified students in the corner.
"Clark!" Chloe screamed. She rushed across the floor to him, and threw herself down next to his lifeless body. "Clark!" she screamed. Her hands flew across his face, his neck, searching desperately for some sign of life. She found none.
The meteor freaks stood proudly on their side of the gym, simply staring at the man who had destroyed their lives... the man they had brought crashing down. Across the gym, the students of Smallville High stared as Chloe sobbed.
The body of Clark Kent lay in the center of it all...
N/A: Now how's THAT for drama? I promise that there's a to be continued. And I'm not telling you ANYTHING that's going to happen. Not a thing. But I promise it'll be good. Please leave a review, they're always appreciated and really motivate me to keep writing...
Lara
