Chapter Six: Don't Even Want to Take My Chances

"Clark is completely obsessed with this 'science' project you guys are doing." Lois told Chloe, bored out of her mind. Nothing new had happened in Smallville, which was making her more and more stir crazy. The city was the place for Lois Lane, not some country town in Kansas.

"I think he just wants to do well. It does count as a huge percentage of our grade." Chloe reassured her, although she knew there was a lot more than that going on.

"Don't you ever get bored with being here?"

"Sometimes, which is why I write for the Daily Planet. There's always something going on in Smallville, but you just have to pay attention to the little things." Chloe explained.

"Maybe you're right. I bet there's a story right in front of my face, but I'm too blind to see it." She smiled to herself. "But I've never been one to wait around for something to happen. I'm going to make it happen."

"Lois, what about our ..." Chloe paused as Lois slammed the door behind her. "...dinner date?" "I guess it's cancelled," Chloe said to herself as she heard a knock at the door. 'Clark,' she thought to herself. He was going to show up at her door.

"Chloe, I need you to go a HUGE favorite for me." Lana Lang burst through the door. Chloe was wrong.

"Lana. I wasn't expecting you."

"Look, somehow I ran into one of my childhood friends Taro. We have so much history Chloe. I-I thought I would never see him again and until I saw him this afternoon, I forced myself not to think about him."

"Sounds interesting. Is Taro one step to focusing your life on something else?" Chloe pried.

"If you mean, having more people to occupy my time, you've got it. You know you sound just like my guidance counselor at school." Lana began. "She's always trying to get me involved."

"Then, let his be a start. First Taro then ... the entire student government." Chloe joked as Lana hugged her in gratitude.

"I have her coming over tonight." Giorgio revealed to Ana.

"So, what are you standing here for you bloke? Go get her." Jonathan popped in unexpectedly. He did that often.

"Well, Ms. Genius here changed my shape at the last second. I came out as Taro instead of Witney. We have no background on Taro." Giorgio tried to explain.

"I don't want any excuses. Make it work. Say whatever you have to say to get her to trust you, to tell us how far Ka-el has progressed. If we wait too long to get this done, it may be too late."

"It's never too late." Ana chimed in. "With the source, there is no enemy we can beat."

"We will only rely on the source if necessary. We do want to reap the benefits of his venture, don't we?" Jonathan asked rhetorically, referring to fact that no one had ever enlisted the help of the source and survived.

"I will not fail you." Giorgio promised, changing his form back into Taro. "Find me those papers those ..."

"Newspaper articles." Ana finished for him.

"Yeah. If he made the papers, that will make it easier for me."

"Nell? Nell?" Clark yelled over the phone as Lana's Aunt finally found the strength to pick up the phone again.

"Where did you get that name Clark? Where!" She demanded, uncontrollably.

"I don't know."

"Did Lana mention it ... did she tell you about this?" Nell asked, panicked.

"No. She doesn't know anything about this."

"Good. I plan on keeping it that way." Nell calmed down a little.

"Why does Tawnee Hearne mean so much to you?"

"Clark, I can't talk to you about this over the phone. I'll ... meet you ... in a little town forty miles outside of Smallville. Its called Dunesburg. Can you meet me? There's a diner called 'Open House.'"

"Yes." Clark agreed, dropping the phone and using his super speed. In seconds, he was there, waiting in front of the diner. The way Nell's voice sounded on this phone made him really worry. What if the whole thing with Jason Teague and his mom was just the beginning. What if Lana was in danger somehow?

Lois sat around lurking around Luthor Corp. There had always been something going around here in the past, and she was hoping that tonight was no exception. The only difference was that she had no leads, objectives ... no clue about what could possibly going on in that building.

But, she did know that her being outside of the building, crouched, wasn't going to help anyone. She needed to find an easy target. There was the guy at 2:00 who was half-asleep, the fat guard who looked bored at the window and another one up top.

She knew it. Lois decided that the best thing to do would be to play the damsel in distress. It never failed her before, but she needed to climb back to her car for that ... without being seen. As she turned the other way, she came face to face with a guard.

"Hi." She started slowly, trying to put on a fake southern drawl with a huge southern grin. "I'm new to Smallville, just visiting. When I heard about this place, I just had to see it for myself. Why, it's gorgeous." She commented with such a strong conviction that Lois felt like she was on a movie set.

"Ma'am. I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."

"Goodie. Do I get a full-on private tour and everything? I knew Kansains had a little southern hospitality still left in them." She smiled, careful to watch the guard who now had her arm and was pulling her towards the gate.

Great. She was going to get in, but just not the way she imagined.

"Lana." Taro smiled his same smile at her as she hugged him tightly.

"I really hope your parents decide to stay here." She admitted as Taro watched her closely. Lana was very, very emotional. If he watched close enough, he could program a few of her facial changes into his memory. This one was a smile, but with eyes that lit up--joy. He took note.

"Ahem. I am Lana's very close friend Chloe, even though she had neglected to introduce me." Chloe stuck at her hand as Taro-Giorgio shook it, understanding why they had to go through that 'human' intensive before coming here. They had strange customs.

"Sorry Chloe. So, are your parents home?" Lana wondered as Taro signaled Ana immediately. 'She's expecting two parents. Make it happen.'

"They'll be back soon. They went out ... to explore." Taro added lamely, but Lana didn't seem to notice.

"So, dish. What have you been up to?"

"Umm...since when?"

"What do you mean since when?" Lana looked at Chloe. "Since my abrupt move from Chicago to Smallville." Lana searched his eyes for understanding, meaning, but she could see nothing. She felt that he had changed. "If you don't want to talk--"

"No, I do. Just give me a second ... it's been so long without you in my life. I barely remember how it was before." Taro answered.

"Oh. I guess it was stupid of me to think you would remember everything. We were only seven." Lana looked sad suddenly. "Maybe I shouldn't have come. I mean, that was ages ago. Too many bad memories."

"No. Don't leave!" Taro heard the sound of his voice get higher. He was catching onto this human thing quickly. "I guess I just blocked it all out. It was so hard not having you around." Taro sighed. "I never got to say this before, and I don't know how good it would have sounded coming from a 7 year old but, I'm sorry aobut your mom."

"Please Taro.Let's not talk about that."

"Lana, if you need me ... I'll be outside. Clark called." Chloe interupted. Lana didn't even care that he called. She had to figure out why Taro had changed so much. He was so stoic. She had to find out what was behind that handsome facade.

"Tawnee Hearne is not your sister, is she?" Clark asked as Nell looked away distraught. How did Clark know so much.

"I really want to know where you got the name." She begged.

"Tell me the story or--"

"With her name, you'd be able to find it on any internet search." Nell prepared herelf for the worst. "Tawnee Hearne is Lana's biological mother."

"But I--"

"She was married to Lee "Henry" Lang."

"But I thought..." Clark's voice trailed off.

"Tawnee was my sister's best friend. They met while she travelled abroad in Eastern Europe."

"So, how does Lana fit into all this? How did she end up in Smallville? What do you mean was?"

"Tawnee was a drug addict Clark. She thought she had psychic visions, always did actually. But when she started having 'visions' about Lana, about her being the 'Source of All Evil,' as she called it, we knew that she was going too far. Tawnee always had her own home remedies, herbs, pills ... and when she started saying that Lana had to be hidden away, killed, my sister knew that Tawnee had gone too far.

"So, after Lee found her performing a ritual on Lana, he had had enough. He and Tessa, my sister, consulted a medical professional who perscribed anti-depressants for her. She claimed that the doctor was killing her and that she couldn't see ... she didn't mean literally. The visions were leaving her. We were thrilled. Her complaints continued ... but the treatment didn't stop.

"Within months, by the time Lana was 4, Lee and Tawnee were having marital problems. He always loved Tawnee, but couldn't trust her anymore. He turned to Tessa for answers. She turned to me and we both decided that the best thing to do was let the medical professionals help her. We opted for medication-assisted-suicide.

"Tessa and I thought we were doing what was best for Lana, but we killed a woman Clark, her mother." Nell sighed, tears heavily flowing from her face from all the guilt she was feeling.

"Lana was barely 5 when Tawnee was killed. Tessa felt so much guilt for what she did. She married Lee that year and vowed to care for him and Lana in Tawnee's memory. Lee didn't last to see Lana's seventh birthday. As you know, they moved to Smallville, our hometown..

"As you know, the meteor shower ... I don't want Lana to know any of this Clark." Nell sighed as Clark grimaced. He cost Lana both her parents. By him being here--

"Promise me that you won't tell Lana, or anyone. Make up a story about Tessa and Less, whatever you want. I don't want Lana to know that I'm not her blood relative, that I killed her mother. It would destroy her.

"Is this show all for little 'ol me?" Lois asked, still trying to see if she could figure out how to lose this goon. He had a tight grip on her.

"Yes." He answered simply.

"Well, keep it coming. I love big, empty buildings. They're so beautiful."

"You can cut the act Lois." She cringed upon hearing the voice of Lex Luthor.

"I know that you've been spying on us. I won't have it." He proclaimed.

"No use in getting all bent out of shape. I'll leave you alone. No sweat." She lied. "But first, tell me what's behind that door." Lois pointed to the one in front of her.

"Funny you should ask about that one." Lex smiled. "That's where I'm taking you. You want to know so much about Luthor Corp, why not be a customer ... you won't be the first of your kind, but you'll be unique." He promised as Lois struggled to get away.

In seconds, she had the guard knocked out on the ground, but five more came in, upon Lex's signal. Lois kept attacking them, convinced that her will power alone wouild get her out of this. Each time she thought she had won, Lex brought in more men.

"Now, if you're not tired yet ... why don't you ... step into my office?"

A/N: I got my inspiration back and put it to USE! Watching those old Smallville episodes helps a lot. I hope you like it and keep reading. I want to finish this by the end of 2007! --NL