Chapter 3: Déjà vu At Loeb Bridge
Clark Kent sat uncomfortably in the limo, brooding over everything that had recently happened. "I shouldn't be sitting here. I should be out searching."
"You are searching, son," Lionel told him. "Besides, from how J'onn put it, you were probably out for quite awhile. The clone could be anywhere right now. We have to keep an open mind in this time and wait for him to make a mistake."
"I'd rather be the one listening to the radio then Mercy," Clark said. "I don't trust her. She's under Lex's payroll."
Lionel shook his head. "Not anymore. Now that Lex is going to jail, I have a feeling that all LuthorCorp assets will be turned over to me."
"How can you be sure?" Clark asked.
"Because the board of directors aren't idiots, Clark," Lionel replied with a chuckle. "Believe me. LuthorCorp will finally be back in more stable hands, and I can shut down his blasted Level 33.1 projects permanently. If it hadn't been for him and his pursuit against alien invasion, things wouldn't have happened the way they did."
Clark nodded. "I hope you can clean up Lex's mess."
"It's not going to be an easy task," Lionel stated. "The company is surely in shambles, but since I have had little pull there for quite awhile, I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't take me months to correct things."
"I have a feeling you'll be able to pull it off fine," Clark said before looking down to the floor and mainly his boots as he allowed himself to brood once more.
"You do realize that it is never good to put yourself in that state, don't you?" Lionel asked. "I know a boy close to your age that broods all the time. He was a close friend of Lex's when he was young, before Julian's death."
"Lex never told me of any friends before that happened," Clark stated.
"No, I'd guess not," Lionel said. "Lex doesn't speak of Bruce Wayne very often."
"I've heard that name somewhere," Clark stated, shaking his head, narrowing his eyes. "But I can't remember where."
Lionel shrugged. "Bruce is a celebrity in Gotham, something like Lex... and Oliver Queen."
At the mention of his fellow hero and friend, Clark raised his eyes back up, trying to become more interested in the subject again. He missed Oliver as he had been a really good friend, and when he had left with the rest of his team to take on the Level 33.1 facilities around the world, Clark couldn't help but feel more alone, and having to put up with Lois's anger toward him as well didn't really help much. "So why did he brood for?"
"His parents were gunned down in a place called Crime Alley," Lionel replied. "Loosing Lillian was difficult on Lex for sure, but he still had me in his life. Lex never experienced brooding, as I wouldn't let him. I saw how it would eat at Bruce, and I was going to make sure that Lex didn't end up like him. And now, I want to make sure that you don't either."
"You don't have to worry about me, Mr. Luthor," Clark said. "I'll be fine."
Lionel sighed. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, son. You go through many trials everyday, saving people left and right, using your abilities for good. I don't want to see those days come to an end simply because you decide to lock yourself away in depression."
"I'm not depressed," Clark quickly said.
"Really?" Lionel asked, raising his eyebrow, obviously not believing it. "You just lost the love of your life today and went to take that anger out on your former best friend. Surely that has to be eating at you."
"Yeah, but I'm not going to let it control my life," Clark stated.
"Hopefully not," Lionel said. "Remember how I told you that you have a hard time letting things go? In this instance, I was definitely correct. You should've let your feelings for Lana go before they started eating you alive. Despite your reason to try to make me believe that it isn't, I know that's not the case."
"Well, since you're examining me, maybe I should cross examine," Clark stated. "Why did you feel it necessary to keep the knowledge of Jason Teague's mother still being alive from me?"
This gave Lionel pause as shock clearly appeared on his face. "How... How did you know that, Clark?"
"I got a little visit from Jason when I was dying earlier," Clark informed. "He told me that Jor-El, during the second meteor shower, resurrected Jason's mother and that she's a vessel for my biological mother to inhabit now. Why did you keep that from me?"
"Genevieve Teague is a very deranged woman, son," Lionel replied. "She's been at Summerholt Neurological Institute in a special section of the building for a long time. If she has retained the knowledge of Krypton, much like I have, she could very likely finger you as a Kryptonian. I didn't want to take the risk of her causing you to end up in some lab."
"If she's so deranged, then why would anyone believe her in the first place?" Clark asked.
"Because I'm one of the few people that knew the real side of Genevieve Teague," Lionel replied. "I knew the side that came out when she was searching so desperately for the stones that formed your fortress. My statements against her alone would not have been enough. Somehow or another, there was the chance that she would eventually reveal everything about you. The risk was too great."
"And you think you can trust the people at Summerholt not to do anything?" Clark questioned. "How do you know that they won't do something? They experimented on a friend of mine named Ryan, and you know what they did to Molly Griggs."
"Those days are over, Clark," Lionel stated. "After I bought the facility, I made sure to replace everyone with my own LuthorCorp staff. Summerholt is merely a branch of LuthorCorp now."
"Then that means that Lex had access to the place," Clark said.
"Lex never found out that I acquired Summerholt," Lionel informed. "It was privileged knowledge that would never be made available to him."
"I hope you're right," Clark said. "If not, Lex may have known about me all along... I want to see her."
"Clark, I really don't think that's the best idea," Lionel stated.
"I don't care what you think, Mr. Luthor," Clark replied sharply. "If she's the vessel for my biological mother, then I need to see it for myself."
Lionel sighed. "Very well then. I do wonder though, why would you have a vision of Jason Teague? Of all the people to come to you, why him?"
"He wasn't the only one," Clark replied. "My dad, Raya, and an old girlfriend came to me as well. They all had different advice for me, but what Jason said was what you needed to know most... My dad believes he was wrong about you now though."
Lionel's eyes lit up slightly. "He does?"
"Yeah," Clark replied lowly. "He never trusted you, but his views have changed."
"That's good to know, son," Lionel said. "Hopefully I won't let him down."
"I'm sure you won't," Clark said.
The window separating the driver's section from the back area came down as a beautiful woman with brown hair and wearing a scoffer's hat was driving. She turned her head slightly. "LuthorCorp plaza, Mr. Luthor. There's something going on there. One of your guards was tossed off the roof, and there's eye witness accounts of a Smallville Ledger truck flying onto the roof in the first place."
Lionel's facial expression faltered slightly as he seemed to recall something, but he shook it away, thinking nothing else of it. "Thank you, Miss Graves. Take us to LuthorCorp then."
"Yes, sir," Mercy said as the window rolled back up again.
Clark shook his head. "You're more then welcome to sit in this car, but I'm going to get there before something bad happens."
"Clark, I don't know how I'm going to explain to Miss Graves what happened to you if you just up and..." But before Lionel could finish his statement, Clark had gone into super speed right then, rushing out of the limo, closing the door behind himself and then speeding down the road, going off for Metropolis. Lionel simply shook his head and chuckled. "Good luck, Kal-El."
Lois Lane had frantically made the trip to The Smallville Medical Center as quickly as possible. Chloe had been unresponsive on the entire trip, and it had only made Lois go that much faster to get there, praying that she wouldn't get stopped by the cops, but it seemed like anymore, after the death of Nancy Adams, the Sheriff's Department hadn't been much anymore. So thankfully she got there without being stopped to get a ticket.
Currently, the reporter for The Inquisitor was sitting in the room that Chloe was resting in. Dr. Scanlon and the rest of his team had done all the normal tests, but they'd found nothing wrong with her. The only thing they could do was keep her there under observation for the night. Lois was allowed to stay there, and it was a good thing, because if they were going to make her leave, she would've had to have gotten rough with a few orderlies, because she wasn't about to leave her cousin in her time of need.
The entire time had been spent thinking back over everything that had happened leading up to that point. She was just glad that Clark was alright, and that Chloe seemed stable for the time being. Her worries weren't coming true after all, but they'd both given her quite the scare. To think that she and Lionel Luthor had been the only survivors of whatever had happened at Reeves Dam seemed to have been she would call a cruel fate, but it hadn't come to that as of yet as long as Chloe pulled through.
"Lois?" a whispered voice stated, breaking the dark, lonely silence of the room.
Lois's head snapped up as she looked to Chloe, seeing that her eyes were open and looking directly at her. "Hey, you." She clenched her cousin's hand tightly. "I'm so glad you're awake."
"What happened?" Chloe asked weakly.
"I don't know," Lois said. "You were unconscious when I came to, and my wound was gone. I was stabbed. There's no way that would've healed over so quickly, but whatever it was, I was afraid that you were dead. It's good to know that you're alright now."
"I feel really weak," Chloe stated.
"That's because you're blabbing your mouth at me instead of sleeping," Lois said, throwing a bit of sarcasm to her, hoping that it would make her smile. "You really should rest."
Chloe did in fact smile for a moment and then nodded. "Can you call Jimmy for me? Let him know what happened? He's covering a field assignment involving some polar bear hockey team or something. I can't remember exactly now. You still have his cell, right?"
Lois needed. "Of course. After he moonlighted for me that one time, we decided to change numbers just incase. I'll let him know for you. Now you sleep."
"Thank you, Lois," Chloe said before closing her eyes.
Lois placed a kiss on Chloe's forehead. "Not a problem, cuz." With that said, she stood up and walked out the door to make the phone call to Chloe's boyfriend.
Lex Luthor was a condemned man, and he hadn't even done the deed that he'd been arrested for in the first place. Sitting in the back of a police cruiser, his hands cuffed behind his back, Lex's anger was on fire. He hadn't believed Clark when he had attacked him back in the dam facility, but being arrested made things all the more clear that it was true. His wife, Lana, the love of his life, was dead. The bald man couldn't believe it, but the reality was real.
There was no doubt in his mind what needed to be done though. Lex would make sure that he discovered who had really murdered his wife, and would not rest until they were brought to justice. No one hurt someone that he cared about and got away with it. This was no exception to the rule. There was no way to know who the killer really was though. Lex had many enemies, but besides those of the meteor infected category, Lana didn't really have enemies, and considering that most of the meteor infected were locked up in one of his facilities, it was very unlikely that any of them had do it.
So then there had to be Lex's enemies. Someone that hated the bald billionaire had sought revenge against him, and they had believed the best way to accomplish it started with taking the love of his life. If they had known that Lana was planning to leave him in the first place, they probably would've decided on a different route. That would've ended up with perhaps him getting killed, or maybe even his father. Not that dear old dad would really be missed. Lex had stopped trusting Lionel Luthor a long time ago, and there would be no love loss if his father passed on.
Looking straight ahead, Lex could see that they were nearing Loeb Bridge, the place where his life had changed forever. Thinking back to that day and everything that had happened between him and Clark since left a sour taste in his mouth. Things had been so good for their friendship, but in the end, it seemed that their friendship really wasn't the stuff of legend after all. His wife had been a major problem between them, and not to mention all of the secrets and lies that came with being friends with Clark Kent. It was all too much of a hassle for him, and no longer having to be his friend was both peaceful and frustrating, but necessary.
Suddenly, as they were passing over the bridge, blonde hair appeared out of nowhere, and Lex heard the cop that was driving the call out something derogatory before they swerved to miss her, instantly going out of control as the car crashed into the guardrail and went sailing off the bridge to the icy waters below. Lex had a feeling that this time, fait wouldn't allow him to live as Clark Kent wouldn't be there to save him. His life was surely over.
Kara Zor-El hadn't known what to expect when the car with the flashing lights had gone over the bridge. Casually, she moved over to the guardrail and looked down curiously, seeing the car sinking into the water. It crossed her mind to simply leave, remembering her father's teachings. However, another part of her wanted to jump in anyway. She had amazing abilities from what she could tell, and using them to the fullest seemed like a logical idea.
Jumping off the bridge, Kara splashed into the water and swam down to the cop car, now resting on the bottom of the river. She looked inside the windows, seeing that there were three men inside, two in the front and one without hair in the back. They were all unconscious from the crash. Using her strength, she ripped the doors off their hinges and reached in, pulling the two men in the front out, their seatbelts breaking off as she used her strength to accomplish as such.
After moving both men to one arm, she reached in the back and pulled the bald man out with her free hand and then started the accent to the top, kicking her legs as she did so. Once breaking the water, she seemed to jump right into the air and was floating with the three men in her arms. Slowly but surely, she sat them down on the side of the road at the far side of the bridge, curiously examining them.
Lex's eyes opened suddenly. He was no longer in the water and could breathe. The picture before him was rather blurry, but he could make out the face of a beautiful blonde girl in front of him. If it hadn't been for her long hair, he could've almost pictured her as a female version of Clark. Her jaw line was very similar to Clark's own, and her eyes, those green eyes reminded him so much of his former best friend that it was creepy.
Kara was staring at the bald man as he had woken up. The other two were still out cold, but she couldn't help but inch closer to him. She was very curious about the man that was without hair. The Kryptonian hadn't seen many bald men in her life. In all honesty, she hadn't really seen much of anyone in a long time considering where she had been for so long.
She suddenly saw a red streak come over the sky and her eyes widened. Kara knew instantly whom it was and took off immediately, wanting to get out of there before she could be spotted, fearing that she might've already been too late to get away.
One moment, the girl was there, the next she was completely gone. Lex tried to sit up, but had to do it very slowly. Upon finally achieving a sitting position, he looked around everywhere, not finding her anywhere. But then again, his vision was still very blurry. He wanted to find her and thank her properly if it was true that she had saved him, but then again, he couldn't truly believe that she had. It had been a feat of amazement that Clark had done so years ago with just himself to save, but if she had saved him and two cops, it raised the question of what this girl was really capable of.
Kara had taken to the sky after she had gotten a good enough distance away from the bridge. It was such an amazing feeling to feel nothing but the air beneath her. She realized at that point just how lucky J'onn J'onzz had been on those years when he had known the Kryptonians of Argo City. Just like on cue, Kara was forced to stop flying as she came face to face with the man that had come to mind only moments before as she was flying.
"J'onn of Mars," Kara stated coldly.
"Kara of Argo City," J'onn stated in a similar way as he crossed his arms, floating there in front of her as she took a couple steps back from him. "Did he see your face?"
"Who?" Kara asked, feigning confusion.
"Lex Luthor," J'onn replied. "The bald man you just saved with the two cops. Answer my question, Kara. Did he see your face?"
"He opened his eyes, yes," Kara said. "I don't know if he got a good enough look at me. It's too dark."
"You're just as foolish and reckless as you always were years ago, Kara," J'onn stated coldly. "You very well could've just ruined any life you could have on this planet."
"Why would I want to live here?" Kara asked. "There is nothing here for me."
"Your cousin is here," J'onn stated. "He's the only living family you have left. I expect you accept him in your life and not to disobey him."
"And what makes you so sure that I'll listen to you?" Kara asked.
"Because if you don't, I will reach so far into your mind that you won't be able to remember your cousin's name, let alone your own," J'onn replied.
"Your threats do not affect me, J'onn," Kara stated. "You're a peaceful man. I know you'd never do that. I don't plan to stay here." Kara started to move off in a different direction.
J'onn quickly moved to block her, suddenly standing where she had turned to go. "And just where would you go? There is no where in the universe that you would belong more then here among a race that looks very similar to the Kryptonians."
"These weak humans are nothing like Kryptonians," Kara stated angrily.
"No, they aren't," J'onn agreed. "But they can be a kind hearted, peaceful race if you choose to accept them in your life. If you give it time, you will see that you like it here just as much as Kal-El does."
"Kal-El is weak," Kara said. "He has been among the humans for too long to know what his people were really like. I will not become like him."
"You judge him so quickly, Kara," J'onn observed. "You have not yet even met him. How do you know these things without seeing for yourself?"
"I don't have to get to know him to see it," Kara replied. "I saw how that old man and the one woman from the dam were worried about him. They were on the verge of crying. I refuse to allow anyone to feel so weak over me, but I'm sure Kal-El loves the attention he gets from humans that claim to love him, when in reality, I'm sure they fear him greatly."
"You're wrong, Kara," J'onn stated matter-of-factly. "There are some that have accepted Kal-El in their lives as friends and family."
"How nice for him," Kara said, clearly uninterested. "Am I free to go now, J'onn? I have other things I could be doing, like getting used to my abilities."
"Perhaps I could help you with them," J'onn offered.
"I'd rather you didn't," Kara said. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to go."
"I can't let you do that," J'onn stated. "I would prefer that you..."
J'onn wasn't able to finish his sentence as Kara had reared back and punched J'onn right in the face, sending him in a circle from the sudden attack before a swift kick went into his gut as well. Turning quickly, Kara shot off into the distance, J'onn following right after her. He knew that they were going in the direction of Metropolis, which wasn't good. He didn't need her to be noticed by anyone, but the problem was that she didn't have invisibility like he did. If he couldn't stop her in time, she would be spotted, and things would become much worse for Kal-El's cousin then they already were.
Clark Kent could see the Metropolis skyline up ahead. He would be in the city in mere moments and would make the short run to LuthorCorp, hoping to catch up with the clone before too much damage could be done. He knew already that one had died at the clone's hands, but if Clark had anything to say about it, that would be the only death that the clone made. However, the biggest problem on Clark's mind was how he was going to deal with his enemy. The Phantom Clone may have had his abilities and looked like him, but he was invulnerable to Kryptonite. How do you beat a creature that has all your strengths, plus some, but none of your weaknesses all that the same time?
Little did Clark know, but he had friends already in Metropolis going to meet up with The Phantom Clone already, and that he wouldn't have to fight the battle alone. Business was about to pick up in a major way, but something else that Clark didn't know was that The Swann Foundation had picked up on what was going on as well, and a certain member's assistance would be of great need to Clark and his friends before all was said and done. Only time would tell what would happen next.