Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or other any DC character from the DC universe. Really, I don't, I swear. :P I was only 11 years old when Smallville started. ;)

A/N: Yup, I left you with a pretty evil cliffie, didn't I? ) Chapter 7 is about 11 pages or so on Microsoft Word. I think you'll like who makes an appearance at the end of this chapter… 8-) I hope you guys are still enjoying this story. For those of you who don't know, I'm writing a new story called Switch. Jovi (RPK_Jovi) has already made a poster for it… I don't know when I'll finish it, but hopefully it'll be soon – and once it's complete I don't know when I'm going to post it. :\

Anyway, forgive my stupid rambling. You probably aren't even reading this because you wanted to know what happened next after that cliffie… so enjoy Chapter 7 below! 8-)

Previously in Cause & Effect…

"Want to stop off at Metro Coffee Shop to grab some maple donuts?," Clark asked.

"You read my mind," Lois smiled and jumped in his arms before they sped off. It was a five minute stop at their favorite coffee shop to get their donuts and they headed over to the Daily Planet. Everyone was running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

"Hey! Somebody want to tell us what's going on?," Lois yelled, but nobody paid her any attention.

Jimmy came running up to them. He was a little out of breath, "It's about time you guys showed up."

"Do you want to tell us what's going on?," Lois prodded.

"You mean you haven't heard yet?," Jimmy looked shocked and concerned at the same time.

"That's why we're asking, Jimmy," Clark replied, amused, "What's going on?"

"CK," Jimmy started slowly, "It's your mom…"

Now in Cause & Effect…

Chapter 7

Clark's eyebrows shot up and jumped into panic mode, "What happened to her? Is she alright? What do we know?"

"As far as we know she's alright," Jimmy said and Lois and Clark visibly relaxed, "She disappeared from the senate this morning."

"Disappeared?," Lois quirked an eyebrow, "Do you mean she literally disappeared?"

"No, the authorities think she's been kidnapped," Jimmy told them, "We're all trying to figure everything out. I was just about to call you guys if you didn't show up."

"I think I should run over to D.C. and see what I can find out," Clark started walking backwards but Jimmy stopped him, "Oliver and Kara went down there already to see what they could dig up. I wanted to contact you right away, but Oliver said you and Lois went through enough already. If it got too dicey, he wanted me to contact you."

"I'll boot up my computer and see what I can find," Lois put a comforting hand on Clark's shoulder and ran to her computer.

"You should've called me right away, Jimmy," Clark stared him down.

"I told you that I wanted to, CK," Jimmy replied, "Don't worry, I'm sure everything will be fine… now that you and Lois are on the case."

"Jimmy," Clark started. He looked more vulnerable than Jimmy had ever seen, "Do you think my mom is going to be alright?"

"She's a Kent, Clark," Jimmy nodded, "And she has you as her son. She'll be better than okay. We'll find her in no time… J'onn's also looking into it at Police Headquarters with their vast resources."

"Thanks, Jimmy," Clark really meant it.

"Always, CK," Jimmy nodded and ran off to see what else he could do to help. Clark went up behind Lois to see if she had worked any of her magic yet.

"Dig anything up yet?," Clark leaned on her desk.

"Mom's missing, Smallville," Lois replied, "I don't think my fingers have ever flown so fast over this keyboard."

"That's the first time you called her that," Clark took a second to smile.

"She's family to me, Clark," Lois answered, "I thought it'd be natural. I know you don't mind."

"So what did you find out so far?," Clark smiled and turned his attention to her computer screen, "Any leads?"

"Nada, the cops got nothing so far," Lois shook her head, "But I have a hunch."

"What is it?," Clark pulled up a seat next to her.

"I think it may be Zod," Lois said.

"Zod?," Clark sat up straight, "I hadn't thought of that. Once we were back in the present, I thought… I guess I just didn't think."

"It makes perfect sense," Lois turned to him, "Think about it, Smallville. He couldn't get to you in the past so he said he was going to get you in the here-and-now. And he learned a great deal about your weaknesses in the past."

"He did discover kryptonite," Clark nodded.

"I'm not talking about that, Clark," Lois told him, "I'm talking about your true weakness… your loved ones."

"So he's gone after my mom," Clark nodded in understanding, "He's not going to get away with this… I'm going to find him."

"How?," Lois asked, "Zod dropped off all of our radar once we all came back to the future."

"Tess could help," Clark tried.

"She could except she's been MIA for a month," Lois replied, "She's supposedly out of town, but I think Zod's disciples have her."

"I'm going to head down to Police Headquarters and see what J'onn's dug up," Clark stood up, "Are you and Jimmy going to stay here?"

"For right now," Lois nodded, "I see him coming back now."

"Okay, we should all meet up at a certain time and collaborate," Clark suggested.

"I'll text you," Lois said. Clark nodded, gave her a quick kiss on the lips, and super-sped out, sending papers flying everywhere. As soon as Clark took off, Jimmy came up to Lois, "Did you find anything?"

"The police still have nothing and I've had zero time to go to Watchtower," Jimmy shrugged, "How about you? Did you guys figure anything out?"

"Just a hunch," Lois replied.

"A hunch is better than nothing," Jimmy looked eager, "What do you got?"

"Zod," Lois simply said.

"You think he's behind Mrs. Kent's disappearance?," Jimmy asked.

"It wouldn't be a stretch," Lois folded her arms.

"How about we head over to Watchtower?," Jimmy suggested, "I'm supposed to hear back from Oliver and Kara pretty soon anyway."

"Good idea," Lois nodded and pulled Jimmy to the elevators.

Metropolis Police Headquarters

"J'onn!," Clark grabbed the Martian's attention. He was at the front desk, "Find anything about my Mom's kidnapping?"

"Nothing, I'm sorry, Kal-El," J'onn shook his head, "Have the police or any of your fellow reporters contacted you?"

"Me?," Clark asked.

"You are her son," J'onn replied, "I would think the press would want some sort of story from the distraught son's point of view."

"Nobody's contacted me yet," Clark shook his head, "I was hoping with the Police Headquarters' resources, you'd have something."

"I was going to head over to Watchtower to see what we can find over there after one last run through of information here," J'onn said, "What about you and Lois? Have you two found out anything?"

"Nothing official," Clark replied, "But Lois has a hunch."

"A hunch?," J'onn raised an eyebrow, "Knowing Lois that's better than anything we can get… what does she think happened?"

"She thinks that Zod is behind it somehow and I agree with her," Clark told him, "He saw my strong connections with my loved ones in the past. So Zod must've figured the best way to get to me was through everyone I care about."

"I hate to say this, Clark, but he's right," J'onn said, "Want to help me search on the computers? Our combined speed will be of some use."

"Yeah," Clark nodded and followed J'onn to the computers. They had to find something. Martha Kent is in the Senate, every police official in the nation must be looking into her disappearance.

Watchtower

"Lois?," Jimmy tried to catch his breath, "Are you sure you don't have super-speed?"

"I wanted to get here as fast as we possibly could," Lois shrugged and ran up to a computer, "Taking a taxi and running the rest of the way just happened to work."

"Right," Jimmy was still trying to catch his breath, "Do you mind if I sit down for a second?"

"Go right ahead," Lois waved her arm and started up a computer, "Alright, Mom… let's find out where you are."

"Are you looking through the satellites above D.C.?," Jimmy asked, lying back on the couch.

"Yeah," Lois said, fingers flying, "But I have no idea what I'm doing. All I'm doing is trying to see if I can see a flash of red hair anywhere."

"We should've tagged everyone connected to the Justice League in case for whenever something like this happens," Jimmy sighed.

"Don't beat yourself up, Jimbo," Lois told him, "I think that's a little creepy anyway. We've got enough super-powered people on this team that work better than any tracking system, anyway."

"Right," Jimmy nodded and sat straight up, "Kara! Kara and Oliver, they're supposed to contact me. Can I get on this computer for a sec?"

"Be my guest," Lois stepped aside.

Jimmy's fingers flew over the keyboard and a picture of Oliver and a picture of Kara popped on the screen. It said they were both online, "They're both online, but I'm having trouble accessing their ear-pieces to contact them."

"Maybe they're just in an area with bad reception?," Lois tried.

"Oliver made sure that all of the equipment didn't work like that," Jimmy looked a little apprehensive, "I hope nothing's wrong… I'll keep trying." Lois nodded and looked to the screen, silently hoping that everyone was safe.

Somewhere in Washington D.C.

"Shouldn't we contact Jimmy soon?," Kara asked, walking behind Oliver in his Green Arrow gear.

"We will," Oliver assured her, his voice-modifier switched on, "I just think we should check out a couple more places first. I'd rather we have something to tell him than nothing."

"What do you think happened to Aunt Martha?," Kara continued to stay close to Oliver as they made their way through an abandoned warehouse.

"No clue," Oliver shook his hood-covered head, "Maybe somebody who doesn't like what she's doing in the Senate."

"What if it's Zod?," Kara asked.

"Zod?," Oliver stopped and turned around causing Kara to bump into him. It didn't faze him though, "Why do you think it could be Zod?"

"Because I know that he'd try to use the people Clark cares about the most against him," Kara said, "Taking his mom would definitely fall under that category."

"Maybe," Oliver nodded. He sighed and looked around, "Why don't we call Jimmy now. I know no news is good news, but no news can also be nerve-wracking."

"Alright," Kara nodded and pressed her finger to her ear, "Jimmy? You there?"

"Kara! Thank goodness," Jimmy sighed a breath of relief along with Lois, "Lois and I were beginning to worry when we couldn't contact you guys."

"Lois? Is she there?," Oliver entered the conversation, "Where's Clark?"

"Right here, Green Bean. Clark's down at Police Headquarters with J'onn," Lois smiled, "You two find Mrs. K?"

"We've got nothing," Oliver sighed, "Are you guys having any luck?"

"Not so much as a crumb," Jimmy shook his head and Lois continued, "All we have is a hunch that Zod might be behind this."

"I said the same thing," Kara said.

"Great minds think alike," Lois nodded, "Maybe you should fly Oliver back here. There's no use in staying down there if you can't find anything."

"Okay, we'll be there in a li-," Oliver agreed when he heard a crate crash on the other side of the warehouse, "Wait a second, I heard something."

"Green Arrow, wait a minute," Kara used his codename because neither one of them knew who made that sound. She reached out for his arm, but he managed to jog over to the direction of the sound. Rolling her eyes, she followed him.

"Sorry," Oliver looked to Kara and squint his eyes to see if anybody was nearby, "Can you see anything?"

"I need light in order to use any of my vision abilities," Kara told him, "It's too dark over here."

"What's going on?," Lois wanted to know.

"We have no idea," Oliver replied. Then he spotted a silhouette run by, "Hey! Stop! We just want to ask you a question!"

"Who is it?," Jimmy's eyes shifted back and forth quickly. It was driving him and Lois nuts that they couldn't see what was going on.

"We don't know yet," Kara replied for Oliver. She and Oliver were chasing after the mysterious figure, "Don't worry we'll let you know."

Oliver and Kara finally caught up to the mysterious silhouette. They were in a better lit part of the warehouse coming from a lone window. Oliver stepped forward slowly with his hand raised, "We're not gonna hurt you, man… We just want to ask you a few questions and then you can go on your merry little way."

The man stepped out into the light so Kara and Oliver could see him clearly and they both stopped in their tracks, "Lex?"

That's all Oliver managed before he raised some sort of gun and shot out green-tipped darts at him and Kara. As soon as Oliver and Kara hit the floor in two dry heaps, he pressed the button in their earpieces, turning them off.

Lex stood over them, the tranquilizer gun held by his side. He looked down at them, "Now it's time for the true fun to begin."

Watchtower

"Was I hearing things or did Oliver say, 'Lex' before their communicators went out?," Jimmy continued to stare at the screen as Ollie and Kara's status switched to 'Offline'.

"That's what I heard," Lois was just as shocked as Jimmy.

"But how's that possible?," Jimmy tore his attention from the screen to look at Lois, "Lex is dead."

"Either he's not really dead or our boy billionaire has a double out there," Lois said, "This is getting insane. I'm going to text Clark."

"Okay," Jimmy nodded. Just as Lois took her cell phone out of her pocket, all the lights in the Watchtower went out including her phone.

"What the hell? I just charged my phone," Lois slapped it shut.

"This does not bode well," Jimmy looked up and around at all the lights that shut-down a second before.

"Come on, Jimmy," Lois grabbed Jimmy's arm, "Something tells me we shouldn't stick around here."

They began to run, but their only exit was blocked by a man in a purple suit and green tie. He cocked his head to the side, "Going somewhere?"

Lois pulled Jimmy to run in the other direction, but they were both stopped by two identical green-tipped darts shot into their shoulders and they fell to the ground – Jimmy on top of Lois. The man stood over them, tilting his head to the side once again, and licked his lips, soothing his scars, "This is going to be fun."

Metropolis Police Headquarters

"No offense, J'onn, but I think Lois and I should write an article about how the resources in the Police Department get people nowhere," Clark sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"None taken," J'onn replied, "You think we should go over to Watchtower? We'll probably be able to find at least a crumb of something over there."

"Uh-huh," Clark nodded, "Lois was supposed to text me to meet up. I'll text her to tell we're headed over to Watchtower."

"Knowing Lois, I'm sure she and Jimmy are already there," J'onn said.

"You're right," Clark flipped his phone shut, "We should just go straight there. We can't afford to waste a second."

Clark and J'onn walked calmly out of the police station and went into an alley. In a second, they both sped off to meet up with Lois and Jimmy. When they arrived at Watchtower, they stopped in their tracks when they noticed all the electricity was off.

"What happened?," Clark pressed a few keys on the computer. Nothing happened.

"I'm not sure," J'onn looked around, "I just hope that Lois and Jimmy weren't here whenever this happened."

Clark's eyes widened and he immediately got out his phone, texting Lois for her location, "She better answer soon."

"Don't worry, Kal-El… we'll figure everything out and your mom will be safe and sound," J'onn assured him, "I'm sure Lois and Jimmy are fine too."

"Thanks," Clark needed the reassurance. Regardless, he began to pace and stopped when he stepped on something. Bending down, he picked it up, "What's this?"

"What?," J'onn looked over his shoulder.

Clark flipped the rectangular flat object in his hand, "It's a Joker card… were you guys playing cards or something?"

"No," J'onn shook his head, "But if my memory serves me right, that's the calling card of Gotham's criminal – the Joker."

Clark looked scared and flipped the card around in his hand. Not knowing much else to do, he x-rayed the card and saw there was something written on the back underneath the pattern, "J'onn, there's something written here."

"What's it say?," J'onn asked.

Clark peeled back what appeared to be a false pattern on the card. The message was revealed in scrawled handwriting:

Clarkie, we have your main squeeze and your boy pal. Another associate of mine has already taken your Green Bean friend and cousin. They're all joining your mommy… Come find us and join the fun. – J.

"They've got my mom," Clark's head snapped up, "They've got everybody. If they have Kara that must mean they have kryptonite. This mission is way too big for just us. Can you contact the rest of the League?"

"I'd love to, Kal-El, but I don't know how," J'onn apologized, "Even if I could, it wouldn't matter. Oliver sent them all on a separate mission before all of this happened."

"There's got to be someone else who can hel-," Clark's mind was racing and he stopped, remembering something, "What about that recruit Ollie was telling us about before?"

"Batman?," J'onn asked.

"Yeah, him… do you know how to contact him? This qualifies as an emergency," Clark looked eager.

"He's Gotham's resident hero," J'onn answered, "He should be familiar with the Joker's antics."

"His cave is in Gotham, but the exact coordinates are on our system which is shut-down right now," J'onn looked apologetic, gesturing to the blank screen, "And something tells me that the phones are out."

"I'll scour all of Gotham if I have to," Clark was determined, "Are you coming with me?"

"I think I'll go back to Police Headquarters and see what I can dig up on the Joker. Now that there's a lead, I'm going to follow up on it using my detective skills I've acquired when I didn't have my powers," J'onn replied with a smirk, "I'm going to need to take the Joker card though."

"I think I should keep it to show Batman when I find him. Maybe he'll be able to run some sort of analysis on it," Clark held the Joker card even tighter, "Isn't he supposed to be the world's best detective or something?"

"Alright, you'll have more use of that card than me anyway. Batman will know what to do with it more than we would," J'onn let him keep it.

"Are you sure you can't come with me?," Clark asked, "I'm sure we're going to need all the help we can get."

"I'm sure you will," J'onn nodded, "But in this case, it might be better if we stay separate… we'll cover more ground that way."

Clark nodded in agreement, "So does Batman have any specific characteristics in his cave that will make it easier for me to find without coordinates?"

"Just look for high-tech equipment in any of the underground caves in Gotham," J'onn told him, "That will lead you straight to him."

"Thanks, J'onn," Clark was about to speed away when J'onn grabbed his arm, "One more thing… make sure you tell him that you're part of the Justice League and explain the situation. Or else you might get kicked out of the cave."

"Good to know," Clark nodded.

"Good luck, Kal-El," J'onn said. Clark nodded an acknowledgment and super-sped off. J'onn sighed, "We're going to need it."

Outskirts of Gotham City

"High-tech equipment in a cave," Clark said to himself, taking a break from running for a second, "That shouldn't be too hard to find."

Clark activated his x-ray vision and looked below his feet, walking in the process to expand his field of view. Less than a mile down the road, he found computers and a small black tank that resembled a car parked underground, "Bingo."

He super-sped toward it until he was directly above it, "Now, how do I get down there?" He looked around and saw a wishing well a couple feet away.

"Odd place for a wishing well," Clark continued to talk to himself. He looked in it and saw a staircase much farther down, "Secret entrance… clever."

Clark jumped down into the well, landing on the stairs and continued down them. It got darker and darker. A few seconds later, he saw a light, most likely coming from the cave. As soon as he came out of the tunnel and entered the cave, an alarm went off. He looked up and around at the blaring sound and blue flashing lights, "Perfect."

"Who are you?," a raspy voice asked from behind him. Clark turned around to see a man dressed like a bat, his cowl coving his face so only his eyes and lips were visible. Batman asked again, "Who are you and what are you doing down here?"

"I'm a member of the Justice League… we've got an emergency," Clark answered, "I need your help, Batman."

TBC

Bruce is here! 8-) That's right, people… Clark and Bruce are gonna be working together. What did you expect when the Joker is involved? ) I know this isn't that much of a cliffie, but I figured you had enough of an evil one last time. :)

Please comment, everybody! I love them all and I want to know what you think about this team-up and the story in general. ;)

Clois Forever! :D