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Smallville: X-men
Episode 7: Duplicity [pt 2.]
by Geor-sama


Bayville, NY. - Xavier Institute...

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Standing outside Professor Xavier's office, Clark shifted from foot to foot in uncertainty. It was early and the professor had only gotten back late last night after being gone for the whole weekend. Still, before he left Professor Xavier had asked Clark to speak with him 'first thing Monday'.

Taking a breath, Clark finally knocked only to receive no answer. He hesitated for a moment and then tried the door, finding it unlocked. Easing it open he peaked inside and found the professor behind his desk, staring out the window.

Clark grew wary at the distant expression on the professor's face. Clearly something was wearing heavy on his mind, and Clark considered leaving. But the Professor had asked, and Clark did not want to continue dreading this conversation.

"Excuse me, Professor?"

"Oh, Clark." Professor Xavier said, breaking out of his thoughts as he turned to face him. "I'm sorry. Come in, please."

Closing the door behind him Clark crossed the office and took a seat across from the older man.

"I trust you're having a good morning so far?"

"So far, so good." Clark said. "Though, if it wasn't for my super speed I would be going hungry with Kurt around."

"Good. That's good..."

"Is everything alright?" Clark asked, frowning as the professor's distant look returned.

"Yes, or at least, as alright as things can be given the problem. I must apologize for being so distracted this morning. The emergency I dealt with this weekend...it has stirred up old memories."

"Oh." Clark said.

Clark and the others had all talked about it, reaching a consensus that it was 'personal business'. It appeared they were right, and as much as Clark wanted to know, he let it go. But somehow the Professor managed to pick up on Clark's curiosity and decided to explain.

"I have a brother. Well, half-brother, Cain Marko. Like you he has vast strength and incredible durability." Professor Xavier said. "However, he is a...very troubled case. I admit I do not like to dwell upon his situation. This weekend I was forced to do just that and, as I said...old memories."

"Is he ok?" Clark asked, uncertain he wanted to broach the topic.

"A given value of Ok, perhaps." Professor Xavier said with a wry tone. "Now, I believe we had other matters to discuss."

"Ryan?" Clark asked, hopeful.

"Unfortunately, I've had little success in contacting him. But rest assured, I will continue to try."

Clark frowned, dissatisfied with the news, but nodded in acceptance. Still it bothered him that the professor was having so much trouble tracking Ryan down.

"I know you feel responsible Clark, but I have to ask that you do nothing rash."

"I-" Clark started, lowering his gaze. "It's just, his I promised him his life would get better. If you're having this much trouble...I'm just afraid of what happened."

"I understand." Professor Xavier said kindly. "But I promise you, we will find him. While I was away, I spoke with my contacts and they will help."

Clark nodded again, and after a few more moments the Professor started talking once more.

"Now, I'm sure you're curious why I wanted to talk Friday. While I wanted to keep you updated on my search for Ryan, the primary reason was your evaluation."

"I had almost forgotten that you were studying that." Clark admitted.

Part of him had been anticipating the results. It was a chance to finally understand how his body worked. But he had also been dreading it, as it would be a sharp reminder of how different he was from everyone he knew.

"It took longer than I preferred, we still have incomplete data points and Quantum Evolution is still in its infancy but I have developed a working theory."

"Quantum Evolution?" Clark asked.

"An outgrowth of the neglected field of Quantum Biology, that concerns itself with super-human abilities derived from a mutation." Professor Xavier said, lacing his fingers together. "Now as for my theory. Tell me Clark, are you familiar with the concept of a Blackbody?"

"Yes." Clark said, wondering why the Professor brought it up. A Blackbody absorbed all electromagnetic radiation it came into contact with- Clark's eyes widen in sudden understanding.

The Professor seemed to find his expression funny. Reaching over he typed a few keys before turning his monitor to face Clark. On the screen was a series of graphs and data streams along with a digitally rendered Clark.

Clark studied the screen, fascinated to see the countless bands of radiation he was currently absorbing and processing. There were radio waves, microwave, infrared, gamma...not to mention one of the largest concentrations being labeled as only 'solar radiation'. Did that mean that Clark was not only absorbing the visible part of the spectrum but also the ultraviolet? Then of course there were the other bands that were labeled simply as 'unknown'.

Clark sat back, stunned, unsure how to process his new found knowledge. However, the longer he thought about it the more his fascination turned to concern. If he was absorbing and processing all this radiation, what did that mean for everyone around him?

"You can see why I would equate you to a blackbody? It's not a perfect theory of course as you lack a few characteristics typical of true blackbodies-"

"Professor." Clark said, cutting the man off. Professor Xavier looked surprised, but gestured for Clark to go ahead. "If I'm absorbing all this radiation and then 'emitting' it is that safe? I mean, I'm not irradiating everyone am I?"

Professor Xavier's expression turned sheepish.

"Ah, I apologize. I got caught up in the science, a habit I've had since my university days I'm afraid. In regards to your concern, I can assure you that your abilities are perfectly safe."

"Are you sure?" Clark asked, turning his attention to the monitor once more.

"Yes. As I said, we are missing data points, but as you can see," Professor Xavier said changing the readouts. "Your body somehow manages to 'clean' the radiation you absorb, which would be considered scientifically impossible. It's extraordinary, as is the fact that you do not seem to draw in an excess amount of radiation. Also, I can't be entirely certain, but it appears that you lower local background radiation levels."

"That's...wow..."

"Of course there are still questions. How exactly does your body process this energy and use it to fuel your various abilities? What are these 'unknown' bands of radiation? We can extrapolate that given your invulnerability you're absorbing neutrinos. But that still leaves a dozen other's unaccounted for. Then of course we have to ask, how it is possible for an object your size to have a power output so disproportionate?"

"What do you mean?"

"Clark. Your output is roughly the equivalent of nine hundred megawatts, or nearly double the total power output of Norway."

Clark shook his head, unable to find anything to say. That amount of power, it was almost beyond Clark's ability to process - nine hundred megawatts, that was the same amount of energy that the CANDU nuclear reactor produced. Just how powerful was he and more importantly, how much more powerful was he going to become when he got older?

Sitting forward, Clark covered his face, just unable to truly process the knowledge.

"What about the meteorites?" Clark asked after several long moments.

"Meteorites?" Professor Xavier, tone curious.

"The meteor rocks in Smallville." Clark said, sitting up and facing the Professor. "We explained about how they change people, give them powers. But for me they just cause pain."

"I see. I admit, with our failure to notice the Smallville Mutants, we have been looking into these meteorites. We do know that they emit an exotic band of radiation so it's clear you absorb that radiation. However, it is also clear that for whatever reason, you are simply unable to process it."

Clark nodded, accepting that.

"However, I have to ask this pain you experience, can you describe it?" Professor Xavier asked, frowning.

"At first I'm just nauseous and dizzy." Clark said, gritting his teeth as his perfect memory allowed him to experience a perfect recall of the pain. "But then I start sweating before getting what I think is a migraine. After that it's like my blood is boiling while all of my nerve endings explode, and someone is shoving jagged piece of glass into my muscles. I can't move or think, I can barely breathe."

"How close do you need to be before they affect you?" Professor Xavier asked his expression grave.

Clark took a deep breath, before letting it out slow, letting the remembered pain fade away.

"I'm not sure, but I think size is a factor. I know that a small piece, about the size of a pebble needed to be within five feet of me. Though I never realized why I used to get sick or clumsy until last year."

"How strange."

"Not the way I would describe it." Clark muttered.

"No, I would imagine not." Professor Xavier said adding after a moment. "Still, at least we have some answers now. I promise I will also see if I cannot find some way to counter this reaction to these meteorites."

"Thanks." Clark said, shoulders slumping.

But even as he relaxed, happy to understand a bit more about how his body worked, he started to realize that only made things worse. Because now he was aware of how little he actually knew.


Smallville, Ks. - Luthor Mansion...

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Lex Luthor hated his father, and for good reason. Lionel Luthor was a manipulative, untrustworthy bastard of the highest order. The man had hurt his family repeatedly and in ways that defied even Lex's description.

Yet, in spite of that, Lex still had some love for his father.

This explained why when Lionel asked to stay in the mansion while on break from his physical therapy, Lex had agreed. Only now Lex knew better, Lionel had left without his doctor's approval. This meant that whatever Lionel wanted in Smallville would involve destroying everything Lex had built.

Well, if the man expected to wrest the recently founded Lexcorp away he was in for a surprise. The Lex led employee buyout had been a harsh blow to Lionel's ego. One that he had known would not go unchallenged for long.

So, alongside hiring St. John Lex had used dummy accounts to buy up the employee shares. Well except for ten percent of shares that he had bought on behalf of the Kent's, who remained unaware of that fact. So with a majority control of the stock, Lex was confident he could block anything his father tried.

Reaching the door to his study, Lex paused, unsurprised to find Lionel sitting at his desk. It also failed to surprise him to discover the man using a device of some kind to read a report aloud. A report that Lex thought he had already destroyed.

"-gments spread over a large area south of County Highway 17. These fragments vary in circumference from 24 microns to 562 millimeters."

"Interesting reading, dad?" Lex asked, keeping his tone light as he leaned against the door frame.

"Lex. I didn't hear you come in." Lionel said, surprised, or at least acting like it.

"I'm surprised. Doctor Roland says he's noticed a marked improvement in your other senses since you lost your sight."

"You spoke to Roland?"

Lex remained silent, not dignifying that rather stilted 'shocked' question with an answer. Lionel was no more surprised at Lex uncover his fabrication than Lex was to find his father sitting at his desk reading private documents.

"You can imagine my surprise when he told me how worried he was that you'd gone AWOL. You've missed several physical therapy sessions. In fact, he says the worst thing for you right now is to be away from your care providers."

Lionel frowned, removing his sunglasses and turned his milk-white eyes in Lex's general direction. As dramatic displays to garner sympathy, Lex thought it rather good.

"Do you have any idea how degrading it is to be constantly poked and prodded by occupational therapists? How demeaning it is to be told by a Braille instructor, 'One day, one day, all this will feel natural'? You want the truth, Lex? I was tired of being treated like an object, an invalid. I had to get away from that."

Lex sighed tactic or not the anger in Lionel's tone was real.

"So you decided a couple days of Oedipal mano a mano would make you feel better?"

"Your analogy is apt but flawed, Lex. Blind Oedipus was the son, not the father. I'll go back to Metropolis." Lionel said, putting on his sunglasses and used his cane to help him stand.

Lex almost grinned at the display. As if Lionel would ever actually back off. Still, best to play along. "So, your sudden interest in Doctor Hamilton was just a coincidence?"

"I admit I find his work intriguing."

"He's sick, possibly delusional."

"Never underestimate the value of eccentrics and lunatics, Lex. Every Arthur needs his Merlin. Hamilton said that he found some sort of, um, disk and that you had it."

"He's mistaken." Lex said, unable to help the anger that leaked into his voice.

He wished he could be as ruthless as his father, because Hamilton knew too much. Thinking it through, it was probably exactly why his father had broached the topic. Even now Lionel was trying to nudge Lex into Lionel's way of thinking.

"Oh, even so, I think it may have been a bit rash to terminate his contract."

"Why do you say that?"

"Experience. Even if he is delusional, he could still give you keys to great breakthroughs."

"I'll keep that in mind." Lex said he grinned turning back to his father. "If you'll excuse me? No rest for the wicked and all that."

"Of course." Lionel said, slowly making his way out of the office.


Bayville, NY. - Bayville High School...

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Emma Frost smirked as a boy lost focus and walked into a door and a jealous girlfriend elbowed her boyfriend. Clearly Emma looked as good as she thought she did, though she would prefer hearing some new thoughts about her attractiveness. Still it did help to reassure her that Clark would find her irresistible.

Normally she could rely on her telepathy to know that kind of thing, but Clark rendered that edge mute. So instead Emma had to do things the old fashion way, which while it could be enjoyable left her frustrated. Hence why she had decided to take a more direct approach than what she had been trying.

Today she was going to do something she had never had to do before, she was going to ask Clark Kent out. To that end she had selected her most revealing, yet school dress code complaint, outfit: A mid-thigh skirt that swirled around her luscious legs and a v-neck blouse that revealed ample cleavage. Which when combined with her tigress like self-confidence meant one thing.

Clark Kent would not know what hit him.

Rounding the corner she found her prey and paused, watching Clark gather his books for the next class. Her smirk growing, Emma started to strut toward him, noting belatedly that he was not alone. Kurt Wagner was talking animatedly about something, but upon noticing her stopped talking.

Maybe even stopped breathing, it was hard to tell. But the sudden thought of 'hot damn' with a German flavor to it could not be mistaken by Emma. She graced him with a pleasant smile before turning her full attention to Clark.

Emma actually held her breath as Clark at last noticed her presence, waiting to see his reaction. Her anticipation suffered an ignoble death as instead of staring he just smiled at her.

Instead of showing irritation at his lack of response, she came to a stop and gave him her most enticing smile.

"Morning Emma."

"Clark. I trust you had a good weekend?"

"It was ok." Clark said. "A new student joined us at the Institute. Speaking of, if you see him around and he seems lost, would you mind helping him out?"

"If I must." Emma said with a mock sigh."So does he have a name, or shall I simply call him 'new student'?"

Clark laughed. "Evan Daniels."

"I'll keep an eye out for him then."

"Thanks." Clark said. "So, how was your weekend?"

"Sadly, my weekend did not go that well." Emma said with a faint scowl.

"It couldn't have been that bad."

"Do not speak of that which you do not know." Emma said haughtily, which earned her a sheepish grin, and Emma's stomach did a little flutter.

"Ah, sorry. Trouble with the family?"

"You're forgiven." Emma said, leaning against his locker hopefully drawing attention to her legs. "Not as such, no. For the most part we kept out of each other's way. But I did learn that I'm expected to attend a business party at the end of next month."

"I'm sorry?" Clark offered with a note of uncertainty.

"I appreciate the sentiment." Emma said before huffing out a breath of air and straightening up. "Actually, that's why I wanted to speak with you this morning."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I need an escort otherwise I'll have to put up with a bunch of grabby businessmen's sons." Emma said, reaching out to touch his arm. "So naturally, I thought of you."

"Emma, I'm not sure...I mean, I'm flattered, but I'm not sure I'd fit in."

"Clark, believe me when I say that you are a very handsome young man. In a suit and tie, I have no trouble picturing you as a peer with the likes of Bruce Wayne or Harry Osborn."

"I don't know."

"Please, Clark?" Emma asked with just the right note of pleading as she leaned forward. This had the added benefit of giving him a clear view down her shirt if he chose to look.

Kurt did, briefly, but Clark kept his gaze fixed on her face.

"I guess I can." Clark said at last, shoulders slumping. "I mean, what are friends for right?"

"Oh thank you!" Emma said and with a pleased grin stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. It also had the benefit of pressing her body against Clark's. When she pulled back there was no missing his flustered expression.

Finally, a reaction!

"We'll talk more about it after school." Emma said, almost purring.

Then with a parting smile at Kurt, she strode off, a breathless German accented exclamation of 'Dude!' in her wake.


Smallville, Ks. - Luthor Mansion...

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"We've finished our audit and all projects are in order. It doesn't appear Hamilton compromised Cadmus or misappropriated research material. Just to be safe, we'll initiate an eight-hour reboot of our systems. After which we'll perform another audit."

"Good." Lex said. "I want to know the results as soon as their ready."

"Of course." Director Paul Westfield said, taping his tablet before offering it to Lex. "On a separate piece of business, I have some numbers for you to sign off on."

"I'm not just going to rubber stamp your budget." Lex said, taking the tablet from Director Westfield.

"Nor do I expect you to. I'm willing to justify every expense. But I have every confidence that my budget will keep Cadmus cutting edge and not hurt your bottom line."

Lex frowned, but said nothing as he began perusing the proposed budget. Nothing looked too unusual, but then again Lex knew better than to trust his first look. He had done that before and it had cost Luthorcorp millions.

A knock at his office door curtailed further review of the budget.

"Enter." Lex said putting the tablet aside.

The office door opened and Mercy strode in, her face expressionless.

"Is there an issue Ms. Graves?"

Mercy gave a singular, curt nod in response and Lex turned back to Director Westfield.

"If you'll excuse me?" Lex said. "I'll finish my review later."

"Of course." Westfield said, giving Mercy a polite nod as he stood and straightened his suit.

Once he was out of the office and the door closed, Lex sat back and sighed. He had chosen Paul Westfield as Cadmus Director because on paper he seemed perfect. The man was a respected geneticist and a practical administrator with an excellent track record. Only it turned out that the man also seemed intent on obtaining power and control.

Exactly the kind of man that Lionel would approve of, until Westfield proved too much of a liability or his ambition outpaced his abilities.

"I take it you didn't enjoy the meeting." Mercy said after another moment, tone dry. His flat look seemed to amuse her.

"Just tell me whatever it is you need to tell me."

"Of course Mister Luthor. You have a guest from your trusted list, one Chloe Sullivan."

"Ah." Lex said. "Have someone show my guest in then."

"Of course." Mercy said with a nod before leaving to do just that.

Lex sighed and returned to the Cadmus' budget. Nothing leapt out at him. Though it appeared Westfield wanted to increase their research into nanoparticles for medical research.

When his office door opened again, Lex put the tablet aside once more and stood.

"Chloe, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?" Lex said to the young woman entering his office. "If this is about our fertilizer producing a three-eyed fish..."

"Pete's missing."

"What?" Lex asked, thrown.

When he recovered Lex finally noticed the lack of her usually cheerful charm. That set him on edge. He and Pete had never gotten along, due to blind resentment on the younger boy's part. Still, Chloe and Clark both considered Pete a close friend.

"He wasn't in school." Chloe said. "Nobody's seen or heard from him all weekend."

"Ok and you're bringing this to me why?" Lex asked, frowning. "I'm sure Judge Ross already has law enforcement involved."

Chloe shook her head. "When I talked to her, she just says he was probably still blowing off steam."

"Why would he need to do that?"

Chloe hesitated for a moment, before letting out a sharp breath. "Apparently his parents have been fighting lately."

"Ah." Lex said, frowning. "Well speaking from personal experience, cathartic bender's can take a while."

"Maybe, but I know Pete. Staying gone like this, without calling anyone isn't him."

Lex frowned, still not seeing why Chloe brought this to him. Though it did seem odd that Judge Ross minimal concern over her son's unexpected disappearance. She was either trying to downplay a scandal, much like his father would, or she really did believe there was nothing to worry about.

"All right Chloe, continue."

Nodding she stepped closer, holding out a set of papers. "So, as I said nobody's heard from him all weekend. Well I was working on an article involving that accident that happened last Friday -"

"Accident?" Lex interrupted, taking the papers.

"The one out on K-10 Highway, with Ray Wallace. He's the local locksmith that got ran off the road. Anyway Pete pulled the guy from his mangled truck and rushed him to the hospital. I wanted it to be a Torch exclusive, especially with the guy's claim about the spaceship -"

"A spaceship? Really Chloe?" Lex asked, giving her a wry grin.

"What, I had to look into it. But Pete swore there wasn't one when I asked and none of the police reports or my own search turned up anything." Chloe said, before waving a hand. "The point is Ray ended up dying in the hospital and I started looking into it on the off chance something was off. Apparently they ruled his death as an accident. The machine responsible for administrating his morphine suffered a 'regrettable malfunction'. One that resulted in a lethal overdose."

Lex hummed in acknowledgement, flipping through the file in his hands. Until he reached a printout of the hospital's visitors log. Where a single highlighted name jumped out at him.

"It all seemed fine, but then I noticed something. The malfunction coincided with his first and only visitor."

"Doctor Steven Hamilton." Lex said, almost growling the name.

"Exactly." Chloe said, and then paused. "Wait, you know him?"

"I recently acquired a research facility, where he served as a consultant." Lex said, furious. "He passed the background check, but when I informed him that we would be shifting focus away from the meteorites he got upset and I let him go...he didn't react well."

"I'm not surprised. The man's obsessed with them, and I mean full on Arkham Asylum obsessed." Chloe said. "So I figured, why would he visit Ray? The only explanation that makes sense is that he heard Ray's story about the ship..."

Lex grimaced realizing how badly he had underestimated the doctor's obsession. If Chloe was right, and Lex believed she was, then what happened to Pete was on him. He might be a lot of things, but he did not want to be responsible for an innocent teen's death.

"You're right." Lex said. "He would visit the field, but find nothing. So then he'd visit Ray and for whatever reason decided to kill him. But he'd still be looking for the ship. Leaving Pete, and when Pete couldn't tell him anything he decided to kidnap him."

"That's pretty much what I figured." Chloe said.

"And I'm guessing you came to me because you got these files through less than legal means."

Chloe's expression shifted from surprise to anger.

"I came to you because Pete's in danger and I thought you would help!"

"Oh Chloe, of course I'm going to help." Lex said, smirking at her outburst. "That was never in question."

"Seriously?" Chloe asked, her face not sure which expression to make.

"You and Clark are my friends and this is important to you. Not to mention that you can't buy the kind of PR saving a judges son will give you. "

"Oh." Chloe said, suddenly sheepish.


Bayville, NY. - Xavier Institute...

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Clark adjusted his goggles and having second thoughts about this group training session. It was one thing to spar with Logan, but he others were a bit more fragile. The only reason he had not put up more of a fight was that it was a supposed to be 'teamwork' training.

Though with the Danger Room still under repairs, he had to wonder what exactly that meant. Though considering they were making their way through the woods his guess was some hide and seek of some kind.

"I thought today would never end!" Kitty said, breaking the group silence.

"It wasn't das bad." Kurt said.

"You're obviously overworked and thus your opinion does not count." Kitty shot back, waving her hand airily.

"She has a point." Jean said, trailing behind them beside Scott.

"Like, thanks Jean!"

"No problem, we girls have to stick together after all." Jean said with a grin.

"Well, what would you suggest to fix that?" Clark asked.

"The Mall!" Jean and Kitty chorused, before breaking into laughter.

"Why am I not surprised?" Clark asked, glancing back at a grinning Scott.

"It is a bit predictable."

While the others laughed, Clark glanced at the newest Institute member. Somehow it did not surprise him to find Evan scowling at nothing. Clark did not know him well, but it seemed either he was always scowling or indifferent.

"Man, I wish I knew what they were going to have us doing." Evan grumbled. "I mean, why do we have to walk all the way out here?"

"Well, we don't normally go this far from the main grounds." Scott said. "So they must have something different planned."

"Yeah, well, I can't wait for them to fix the danger room." Kitty said, and then pouted. "I can't like, believe I just said that."

"It's ok Kitty," Kurt chimed in as they crested a slope. "Clark vill just demolish it for us aga - is das a vall?"

"It is." Clark confirmed, pretending that he had not heard that last exchange. Or noticed the look Evan was giving him.

Instead he focused on the field ahead of them, frowning in consideration. It was half the size of a football field, divided by a knee high wall while the walls around the sides were waist high. Oh and one side seemed narrower than the other.

"Tennis court maybe?" Evan asked.

"No, we already have one." Jean said. "Kurt, bird's eye?"

"On it." Kurt agreed and disappeared in a puff of smoke before reappearing a few seconds later. "It's exactly vat it luks like, a sports field of some kind."

"When is anything what it looks like around here?" Scott asked rhetorically."Well, lets' go see what they have in mind."

That said, Scott lead the way down to the odd field. Nothing seemed out of place as they approached, though Jean seemed tense. It was not until they reached the wall and a small gust from overheard drew their attention.

Ororo descended from overhead, smiling at them beatifically. Yet for some reason that did not reassure Clark, nor did it seem to set the others at ease. The only one who did not seem to suspect something was Evan.

"You're training us today Aunty O?"

"I am indeed." Ororo said, adopting a somewhat casual stance. "But first, I trust you all had a good day at school?"

They each made noises of agreement.

"Excellent." Ororo said. "So, I take it you are wondering about the field behind me?"

"Ja." Kurt said, cautious.

"Well, rest assured that while Logan did help me with it, he did not add any surprises." Ororo said, turning to gesture to the field itself. "I felt you would appreciate something other than an obstacle course or sparring."

Clark glanced from her to the field and back, frowning as he considered what she had in mind. Given the isolated location, it would clearly involve their powers in some fashion. Then again that was a no brainier, given that almost every activity around here included using their powers.

"So, like, what exactly are we going to be doing?" Kitty asked.

Instead of speaking, Ororo instead held her hand out. A second later a gust of wind carried a large red ball over the wall behind her, depositing it in her waiting grasp. She waited a moment for the meaning to set in and then tossed the ball under handed at Kitty.

Kitty caught it and gulped. "O-oh..."

"I trust you are all old enough to at least know the basics of how to play." Ororo said, turning her attention to the rest of them. "I know dodge ball is not as wide spread now as it once was, but I believe that there is a place in our lives for traditions."

Clark felt his stomach clench, recalling the last time he had played the game. He had been ten and had dodged a ball thrown by a vindictive older student. This had resulted in Greg Arkin's nose breaking.

"Are you going to assign teams or pick captains and let them do it?" Jean asked.

"Neither, actually." Ororo said. "In the interest of being fair, it shall be everyone against Clark."

Clark blinked, turning his gaze from a smiling Ororo to the others. Kurt and Kitty looked shocked, while Evan appeared curious. Scott had no change in expression, and Jean looked almost predatory.

Clark fought the urge to gulp. In just the short time he had been at the Institute, he had learned one thing. Jean had a large competitive streak, and that look was one she wore when intent on destroying her opponent.

"Neither side may cross the boundary line, of course." Ororo said. "You may use your powers, though Clark you will be limited to super-speed only. Please take the field...oh and Clark, your side is the smaller one. "

"Whoa, wait a minute." Evan said, frowning. "You seriously want us to play dodge ball? I thought this was supposed to be training."

"But it is, Evan. Yes, you will be playing a game, but it will also aid you in learning to use your abilities as a team. There will be opponents and obstacles that you cannot overcome alone. But by working in tandem it is possible to achieve great things."

In the wake of that Evan joined the others in taking the field.

Clark noted that all the balls were resting on the side of the field opposite him. The others wasted no time in gathering their ammunition, though nobody made a move to attack. The expectant standoff lasted only for a moment and with cry of 'X-men go' Scott threw the first ball.

In theory Clark should have had an easy time. His speed had allowed him to dodge a bullet in the past. Meaning that in a matter of one to three milliseconds he had noticed the bullet and dodged it.

So dodging a barrage of dodge balls was easy.

Only it was more complicated than just dodging. He had to do so within a limited area, which meant he could not maintain speed. The design of the field forced him to use short burst of speed, unless he wanted to plow through the walls.

This meant he was constantly dropping back to normal speed. Against opponents that were not only throwing large red rubber balls. Scott and Evan were mixing the occasional spike or concussive blast among the barrage. Kurt kept teleporting all over the place, while Kitty phased up through the ground like a cruelly cheerful wack-a-mole. Just so they could attack from unexpected angles.

To say nothing of Jean who was clearly telepathically coordinating it all. Alongside using her telekinesis to trip him, make abrupt changes in direction for incoming dodge balls and recover already dodged balls to attack his blind spots.

Yet as furious and well coordinated as their attacks were, eventually they each grew tired. Kitty was the first to bow out, followed shortly by Kurt. Ten minutes later Evan finally conceded defeat. Leaving Scott, who was growing more exhausted with every minute and Jean who grew more incensed with each passing moment.

Much to Clark's increasing amusement.

Dodge.

Dodge.

Dodge.

Dodge.

Dodge.

Dodge.

Dodge.

"Stop moving already!" Jean shouted in frustration as she telekinetically hurled another ball at him.

Dodge.

"Now why would I do that? The whole point of this is for me to dodge the balls." Clark said with a grin, unable to help it.

"No, the point is for us to hit you!" Jean shouted, her eyes narrowing to slits.

Clark froze in place as every single ball, rock, and discarded bone spike, began to levitate in the air. His gaze shifted from the display to Jean, and then back as Scott abandoned the field as the objects began to swirl into a telekinetic hurricane.

Ororo shouted for Jean to stop, but a second later a wall of debris hit Clark. A wall that moved far faster than Clark anticipated, catching him flat-footed. Five minutes later Clark sat up, as Ororo and Scott escorted an unsteady Jean back to the mansion. Kurt and Kitty both disappeared soon after in a puff of smoke, no doubt to get cleaned up. Registering a hand thrust at him, Clark accepted Evan's help getting up.

"Thanks."

"Hey man, no problem." Evan said as they both trailed after the others back to the mansion. "I'm surprised you didn't get out of the way though."

"Honestly? I was busy thinking 'God, I hope Jean doesn't hold a grudge'." Clark said with wry humor. "Something about girls being upset with me makes me do stupid things."

Evan laughed.

"Well lucky you're invulnerable as well as super fast." Evan said. "So can I ask? What's it like, you know, having super-speed? I mean you were going really fast all we could see was a blur..."

Clark frowned, considering how to explain it. His parents had never asked for more details about his powers than necessary, perhaps unwilling to confront the truth of just how alien Clark's biology was. Clark could not blame them he had spent a large part of his life ignoring them as well.

Besides, how could he explain even if they had asked? He had the traditional five senses, but they also had a breadth and depth that defied description. The only time he had ever tried had been at his first summer camp, during arts and crafts. Needless to say revealing that he could see colors that 'did not exist' and having the counselors point blank labeling him a 'liar' had taught Clark to stop trying.

Still, even though it was like Vahn Gogh explaining colors to a blind man, Mozart playing music for a deaf man, and Aretha Franklin trying to teach a mute how to sing, Clark tried.

"It's like...I can't fully put it into words Evan. But I think the closest I can come is that it's like, well, like moving at normal speed inside a painting. The faster I move the more the 'painting' smears, with everything slowly becoming just an indistinct mass of colors. But its more than that...it's...when I'm moving, it can be in utter silence...and I'm heavier...and it just, so much to process. Yet somehow I know exactly where I am, where everyone else is, what they're doing and saying...all at once."

"Insane." Evan said with a low whistle. "Is it like that for you all the time?"

"No. If it was I'm not sure how I'd handle that." Clark said, shaking his head. "Sometimes going from normal speed to super speed or back can mess with my head."

"Huh, never thought of that..." Evan muttered, looking far more thoughtful than Clark expected.


Smallville, Ks. - Doctor Steven Hamilton's Laboratory/Barn...

:

:

Pete Ross awoke to pain.

For a moment, he remained unaware of anything else other than his spinning head, stiff neck and the trembling running through the muscles of his back and arms. Still the pain ebbed and Pete became aware of the blood that had congealed on the side of his face. A dazed part of him wondered what happened, but his thoughts skittered away from him.

But this blissful daze did not last long and it all came back to him. From the confrontation with Hamilton in his shed, to waking the first time in this lab and the way Hamilton's frustration exploded into violence at Pete's refusal to betray Clark.

Over and over, each time worse than the last.

His thoughts began to skitter away again and Pete's gaze wandered around the barn turned lab. Lock his gaze on a clock his thoughts solidified and wondered how long he had been there. Three days? Four? Had his mom and dad noticed him being gone yet? Chloe must have noticed at least, and she would leave no stone unturned.

The faint noise of someone just out of his line of sight made him tense, and he tried to crane his head around to see them.

"Hamilton?" Pete croaked, hating how weak he sounded.

Minutes passed before a pale, shaking, and sweating Steven Hamilton stepped into view.

"You're awake again. Good."

Pete stayed silent, glaring at the deranged man.

"The spaceship, I need to know!" Hamilton shouted voice tinged with desperation. When Pete said nothing, he lunged forward seizing him by the jaw. "Tell me what you did with it!?"

"I told you, there wasn't a ship, I just helped -"

The backhand was sudden and prompted Pete's world to explode into a starburst of pain. Panting Pete slumped in his bindings, sending fresh waves of pain through his back and arms. Hamilton had resumed pacing, and Pete wondered how much longer he could hold out.

A small, traitorous part of him wondered if it would be so bad to tell Hamilton what he wanted to know. Clark would not want him to endure this torture just to keep his secret after all. He would not even need to tell Hamilton about Clark or what he had actually done with the ship...

Pete furiously stomped on those thoughts. No. He was not going to betray Clark like that. Plus he was not going to give his deranged bastard the satisfaction.

"You think things can't any worse, don't you?" Hamilton asked voice deceptively soft. "But you're wrong. They don't even have a name for what's killing me, so I don't care what I have to do to find that ship."

"You're dying?"

"Yes. But not before I prove I am not some sideshow freak, a quack doctor who sells meteor rocks on the side of the road!"

Hamilton took a shaky breath and began pacing, before he stopped and stared at Pete.

"And if you don't tell me what I want to know." Hamilton said, stepping in close and wiping a sweaty hand across his forehead. "Then you're dying too."

Pete's breath caught in his throat.

With mounting despair, Pete watched as the man approached a table. As Hamilton picked up a syringe a violent seizure seized him. The man made an instinctive grasp for the table, sending vials and other equipment crashing to the ground.

Watching as the seizure racked Hamilton, Pete experienced a burst of hope. But the longer it went on, seeming to grow ever more violent, that hope became grim sympathy. Finally the seizure seemed to pass, leaving Hamilton clutching the table, gasping for breath.

"A-are you ok?" Pete asked at last, against his better judgment.

"Fine, I'm fine..." Hamilton said between heavy breaths, before turning to glare at Pete. "If you had just told me...I didn't want to have to...but you wouldn't tell me, so I have to..."

"Have to what?" Pete asked, dread settling over him.

"Do you know the cause of my seizures? It's due to a rapid proliferation of lesions within my cortex due to extended exposure to radioactive material." Hamilton explained in a clinical tone as he filled the syringe with a glowing green liquid. "The result of these lesions is that my neurons are firing in an excessively abnormal manner. This results in not only my painful seizures, but intense headaches which will culminate in a lethal brain hemorrhage."

Pete could only gap in horror.

"Basically," Hamilton said holding the syringe up as he turned to Pete. "My brain is killing me because of my prolonged exposure to the meteor rocks. The dosage I'm about to give you? It's going to make my tremors look like a mild twitch."

"You don't have to do this!"

"Yes. I. Do!" Hamilton shouted, closing the distance between them, syringe coming dangerously close to Pete's throat. "You won't tell me what I need to know, so I don't have a choice!"

Pete had the sudden urge to swallow, but he did not dare. The small traitorous part of him came roaring back with a vengeance. After another tense moment Hamilton drew the syringe back.

"This is your last chance to say something."

"Fine. Ok." Pete croaked, holding Hamilton's fevered gaze. "Take that needle and stick it wherever the hell you want." Pete finished with a roar of defiance. "Because I'm not telling you a damn thing!"

Hamilton's expectant face collapsed, before his eyes narrowed and his expression turned murderous.

But before he could fulfill his promise of death, a small canister bounced across the floor. Both of them followed the canister until it came to a rest alongside Hamilton. For a single moment there was silence and then a high-pitched squeal filled the air.

At the noise Pete instinctively clenched his eyes shut, for all the good it did. The flare of light that came an instant later was still near blinding. It wasn't until he heard the sound of a door busting open that he opened his eyes.

Not that it did him any good as the world was nothing but a blur.

"Έχω το αγόρι."

"Καλό. Θα ασχοληθεί με τα τρελά."

A second later he heard the two moving in opposite directions. He began blinking furiously as he felt a feminine figure propping him up as she cut his hands free. After a few minutes he could make out his surroundings and turned to face his rescuer.

He stared up at the statuesque African-American woman and grinned. "Can I have your kids?"

The woman's lips twitched as she held up a small device and sprayed him in the face knocking him out.


Smallville, Ks. - Luthor Mansion...

:

:

"There was nothing there."

"Don't sound so disappointed, dad." Lex said without looking up from the folder on his desk.

The whole mess with Hamilton had frayed Lex's already stressed nerves. It was bad enough he had nearly gotten Pete killed, but Lex had almost ruined his struggling company. Never mind the public relations nightmare that would have ultimately ruined his company. He could have opened both himself and his company to lawsuits.

It was a miracle that he had already obscured his true connection with the disgraced scientist.

"How can I not be?" Lionel asked, bouncing his cell phone idly on the armrest of his lounge chair. "The good doctor was so certain that he had something..."

"You spoke with him?" Lex asked, looking up from his file in surprise.

"Why are you so surprised?" Lionel asked. "You fired him, it's only natural he would seek out another source of employment."

"Not sure why I was surprised either." Lex said, conceding the point as it made a certain amount of sense. Lex also suspected that Lionel's demand was what finally pushed him over the edge. Either way he would ensure that none of Hamilton's research 'wandered' into his father's grasp.

"It's sad, really. I read his theories as you know, and he was so certain of it all. For a man to die with nothing to show for his life other than failure..."

"I wouldn't say he failed." Lex said. "Hamilton's theories were the ravings of a mad man. To say nothing of this nonsense about a spaceship. But he did achieve one thing."

"Oh? What exactly did he achieve then Lex?"

Lex smirked and closed the file on his desk.

"You'll hear soon enough. So, now that your curiosity is sated, what will you do to occupy your time while in Smallville?"

"Hm, I think it best I head back to Metropolis actually." Lionel said. "As much as I want to continue to spend more quality time with my only son, the job of a CEO is never done. A lesson I'm sure you will learn soon enough Lex."

"I'm sure." Lex said, but frowned at the news. "Well, I suppose we can have an excellent dinner then before you depart in the morning."

"Sounds wonderful." Lionel said before struggling to his feet and made his way out of the office, his cane 'tap-tap-tapping' the way.

Lex stared after him in silence and when the door closed, continued to stare after him. His mind however, was trying to figure out what his father had planned. Such an abrupt change did not fit Lionel Luthor. Could Lionel's contacts have found something in the evidence the Smallville sheriff's department had seized?

If they had, and even if they had not, Lex knew that whatever prompted this was not good. For neither him, nor Lexcorp.

"Well, that wasn't suspicious at all." Mercy said, breaking his train of thought as she entered from a side room.

"Well?"

"It's official. Your connection to Doctor Hamilton is incidental." Mercy said. "So that's one crisis averted. Oh and the Honorable Mrs. Ross asked me to pass on her gratitude for our involvement in rescuing her son."

"Mmm...Do we still not know why she tried to downplay this?"

"Not yet, but most likely? Her marriage is failing and she wants custody." Mercy said, shrugging. "Speaking of Pete Ross...he suffered a lot of damage before we found him. Broken ribs, cracked orbital bone, dislocated wrist's, bruising, disjointed shoulders not to mention tears in the muscles in his arms and back."

Lex slammed his fist onto the top of his desk and stood. They had managed to salvage the situation, but it should have never happened in the first place. Lex had been too focused on the end results, which had blinded him to the fact that Hamilton had not been stable, even before his meteorite infection.

"On the bright side, Hope assures me that he'll pull through. After all, he's apparently going to have her children."

Lex blinked, processed what she had just told him, and then blinked again. And then they both laughed. As it tapered off, Lex sat back down and sighed.

"We managed to dodge a bullet here Mercy. Something that I would like to avoid in the future. Have St. John make arrangements for a psych profile for all CADMUS employees and a new round of background checks for both Lexcorp and CADMUS."

"Consider it done. I'll also have Hope tighten security and run a security check on our computers."

"Excellent." Lex said, pausing as he picked up his drink. "Oh, and please let the Ross family know that if they need help with the medical bills to let me know."

"Of course, Mister Luthor. Will there be anything else for the evening?"

"Contact the head of human resources we're going to need to go on a recruitment drive."

"Why's that?"

"Because we're going to clean up Smallville." Lex said, taking a sip of his scotch before giving her with a sly grin. "One Meteor rock at a time."


Author Notes:

Clark's Power Output: In 'Superman: Unchained' (which I enjoyed) they finally gave us a 'definitive' number in regards to Clark's abilities. In regards to the 'villain' of the story named Wraith Batman rattles off that Superman's maximum output was at 140 gigawatts while Wraith's was a 160 gigawatts. Those are stupidly high levels of energy, but they fit the characters. It also helps writers to come up with their own numbers in relation to Clark's age. So if at at 25-30 Clark is pulling in 140 gigawatts, then at 16-17 his numbers would be equally impressive but also lower.

Clark's Abilities: One of the biggest issues with Superman is where does his powers come from? Physicists have written papers on this. Writers have used the simple answer of 'Solar Power' also known as . Yet he's also been shown to be immune to various types of radiation. Personally this answer has always been an issue, and after reading the various papers, I decided that Superman had to be absorbing more than *just* solar radiation. After some research I settled on using the real world science of a 'Black body' to explain his power's.

::EDIT 1/19/17::

Was reminded by a friend about a scene in this chapter (involving Evan in class). I had intended to cut it from this chapter and move it to a later one, but forgot to do so when I upload this. Anyway, no other changes to the chapter was made.