The not so great thing about being stuck in a field with nowhere to go, is that it gives you no way to escape from your own wandering thoughts.
Clark Kent, was in just such a position, because of a Smallville high tradition meant some unlucky freshman would miss the homecoming dance. The football team thought they would look better stuck on a cross in the middle of a field stripped down to their underwear with an S painted on their chest.
Clark had been picked by the football team captain for such an honour. When I get down from here, I'm definitely going to kick Whitney's ass for this.
Not that he hadn't tried to put up a fight, but for some reason his strength left him at that precise moment when he needed it most.
It was only when Whitney had knocked him to the ground that Clark had noticed he was wearing Lana's necklace. The same necklace that Lana wore all the time. And the same sick and dizzy feelings he got whenever he was near Lana were now his constant companions.
Everything hurt, his shoulders, which were taking most of his body weight had gone numb long ago, only to send spikes of pain anytime he tried to move. He couldn't feel his hands or feet. Thanks to the position he was in he could still see them.
His skin felt raw, his joints ached like they were too big for his body, his head felt too heavy to move and he felt like he was boiling from the inside out.
Then there was the burning sensation where the green crystal was touching his skin. Was it actually hot? How is it burning me? Why does it hurt?
It was pretty humbling for a guy who had survived a hit from a car moving at sixty miles an hour to be brought down by a tiny little green crystal.
Just breathing in and out was taking concentrated effort at the moment.
Clark was all too aware that he was in serious trouble, but try as he might he was having difficulty keeping focussed on the here and now. His mind kept wandering away from the present. Drifting to the revelations that had taken place earlier in the day.
Today had been a busy day.
His parents had been keeping a secret from him nearly his whole life.
It wasn't the fact he was adopted. Knew I was adopted before I could spell it.
Dad had shown him a spaceship that had been in the storm cellar for years. My whole life I knew I was different, special like mom always said, but at least I still thought I was human. Apparently that was never true.
If Clark could have mustered up the energy he would have laughed at the unfairness of it all.
I came to earth in a meteor shower. I brought the meteors with me.
At Pete's urging, Chloe had revealed to him her 'Wall Of Weird' showing every single recorded piece of evidence of just how much damage the meteors had caused in peoples lives. It wasn't bad enough they had bombed Smallville to pieces. There was proof that they were causing even more harm just sitting there.
Clark knew enough about physics to know the meteors must have been caught up in the wake of his ship, an actual spaceship, and been dragged down to Smallville. My fault, all my fault.
It was getting more and more difficult to focus on what was real and what was imaginary, his mind was playing tricks on him to keep his focus off the sheer amount of pain he was in. Gonna break Whitney's arms for this, then we'll see how impressive the talent scouts find him while he's on the bench.
Clark tried to shake his head to clear it, but it came out as more of a twitch. Jeremy Creek had been another Smallville high scarecrow. The experience had left him comatose for years, the fact that Clark even knew the name had been due to Chloe's reporters instinct and obsession with being thorough.
Clark had been skeptical at the time, Chloe had some 'out there' theories. But the more he thought about it the more the theory panned out.
Jeremy Creek had been the scarecrow during the meteor shower, he had survived the event by the skin of his teeth, he had also been left with some seriously screwed up body chemistry and a really strong desire to track down the football players who had stuck him up in a cornfield.
Three victims had turned up so far, each one of them fatally electrocuted, seriously screwed up body chemistry, all former jocks, thank you Chloe.
Clark sighed, only to hiss in pain as the movement of his chest jostled his already painful shoulders. Can understand why Jeremy wants payback, hey! There he is.
The subject of Clarks musings stood not ten feet away, just staring up at him.
"Nothing changes."
Tess drove down the dark road in a car she was only just getting used to.
The mansion had a garage filled with cars, well, with the exception of two empty spots. One of them belonged to her current vehicle and the other belonged to the car she had attempted to fly off a bridge.
A movement by the side of the road caught her attention, her foot stamped on the brake before she had even realised there was someone in her headlights. Not going to happen again.
She had only taken her eyes off the road for a second to secure the unfamiliar cars parking brake. When she looked up again, there was nothing there. Great, my mind's playing tricks on me.
Tess was all set to dismiss it as a figment of her imagination, but stepped out of the car to double check regardless. Maybe the stress is finally getting to me. Lets see, completed my degree faster than anybody ever thought possible, met my biological father, accepted said fathers offer to work in his company, moved across the country to a town where nobody knows me and live in a big empty mansion. Only to nearly drown after my first day of work!
Tess chuckled to herself as she reviewed her mental list. She hoped that things would settle down soon.
Then she heard an all too familiar voice.
"Help me."