WORKING TOGETHER

Chloe could not be more aggravated. The only thing worse than working with one hard headed cousin in your spare time, was working with the cousin and a hard headed intergalactic traveler. Their arguing was incredibly funny. That is unless your name was Chloe and you were right in the middle of them.

"Hold on there Buster! Chloe I don't think he should be hacking into Government databases!"

"Zod will not hesitate to, and you can help me do this, or I will do this on my own!"

"Lois is right; we have to make sure that whatever we do can't be traced back to this location…we could get into a lot of trouble!"

He frowned and set a small crystal on top of Chloe's laptop. "This will scramble the signal so that it can't be traced back."

"A rock? Gimme a break…how do you even know it will work?"

"I would explain it to you, but I don't think you have the mental capacity to assimilate the process." He answered smugly

Lois walked around the desk and stood toe to toe with him and started blasting him with…. "Look Kal-el! I've just about had it with your condescending attitude!"

"Lois! It's Clark…you have to start using Clark…That's the forth time you've called him Kal-el!"

"Clark? No way. I have a better idea….I'll give him a nick name…." and then pacing she tried to think of something that he would hate.

"Lo-is, don't make things worse than they are already. We're never going to get anywhere if you two keep arguing!"

Kal-el looked over at Lois and said, "I have an idea, why don't you go back to Smallville and let us adults get some work done?"

"Adult…you? Please…You go back…you're the one that lives on a farm!"

"I am not a farmer from Smallville." He said as he glared at her.

Then she shouted so quickly Chloe nearly choked on her coffee.

"I've got it!"

"What? Don't scare me like that…what are you talking about?"

"Smallville…That way I don't have to keep up with who he is at the moment."

"I don't like it…you won't call me that, I won't allow it." Kal-el walked over to her and stood toe to toe with her, he then crossed his arms as if that was the end of it.

"The hell I won't…Smallville!" and with that she grinned at him largely, like the yellow Canary that grinned at the Cat. She was the Canary and this Cat was determined to get the better of her, eventually. Today he didn't have time. He would let her win.

"Fine, But I won't answer." He walked back over to the screen and sat down beside Chloe, and then glancing over he smiled and hoped the loud Ms Lane was done for the time being.

"I told you…Don't hack into those sights!" she said as she took the mouse from his hand and exited out of what he had spent an hour accomplishing.

He threw his chair back and announced…

"That's it! I have had enough of you. You obviously have no concept of the gravity of this. It's time you left Miss Lane!"

She ignored what she considered his ignorance and instead threw him a direction that she thought was the lesser of two evils.

"If you are interested in Zod…then why don't you start with the last person he possessed before your cousin forced his exit?"

He looked at her angrily and wondered if she was right.

"You mean this Lex Luther."

"Chloe and I have been working on exposing him for these last few weeks. We have actually dug up some things that are pretty interesting. While my story is now a bust…"

"You mean OUR story!" Chloe interrupted with a scolding tone."

She glanced over at Chloe and gave an innocent shrug and continued.

"While our story is a bust, I believe we have a lot of information that might actually help us with our newest quest."

She held up a jump drive and grinned at Kal-el. He walked over cautiously and took it from her hand. He then turned and with a great deal of arrogance in his voice he said-

"You should have spoken of this to begin with, however, I will allow you to stay, but do not cross me again."

"You arrogant oaf! This is my apartment, my place…I am not going anywhere…Ever! As a matter of fact…I think you're the one that needs to take a hike!"

Chloe had enough. At this moment in time it was foolish to be fighting each others Ego's.

"Enough! I have had it with you two! We don't need to be fighting each other, Get off your high horses and try to get along!"

"Did you not hear anything he said to me?"

"You're the one who doesn't listen to anyone." Kal-el stated quickly.

Chloe looked at them both and said

"Stop it! Lois, you have been pushing his buttons from the start!" and then turning around and facing the daunting Kal-el, she said…"And you! There is something here on this Planet called manners…something you have seemed to have forgotten to learn about in your studies."

He just looked at her, not sure if he should be offended or impressed.

"I don't want to hear another mean remark from either one of you!"

She looked at both of them and said "I mean it!"

Lois rolled her eyes and said "Fine!"

Kal-el looked over at Lois and said "I can abide by your wishes, as long as she does."

"Good! Now let's start working together instead of against each other." Chloe sat back at the computer exasperated. One day she knew she would laugh at this. Just not today.