-Chapter Ten-

Splintered Mind

They know, Clark thought to himself, they know what form the key is in? My god I'm think of Dawn like she is an object, she's a child, a girl for god sake.

"Mr Kent?" came a voice muffled in Clark's thoughts.

How do I tell Buffy? He thought guiltily his eyes lolling down to the notepad on the desk in front of him. How do I tell her without her hating me?

"Mr Kent?" came the voice again a little more exasperated.

She's going to hate me, Clark concluded, no matter what I do she'll hate me. She has to know, she's involved now. I was stupid to bring Giles into this, of course Buffy would find out.

"Mr Kent?" came the voice more exasperated than before and a lot louder, loud enough to snap Clark out of his train of thought and guilt. Clark's eyes flickered wildly waking him to the scene around. Clark looked around to see his smiling classmates looking at him as his Professor, Milton Fine looking at him exasperated. "Thank you, Mr Kent for making us wait. Now might you be able to discuss what the three great powers in Europe at the beginning of the 1900's had in common?"

"Ermm... they had empires?" Clark said dully.

"Correct," Fine said with exasperation, "though only a partial answer. The great powers did indeed share the quests for more territory as well as protecting their own colonies. But where these empires secure? Was the First World War a clever ruse by the Great powers to distract from growing instability within their countries?"

A bell rung through the room causing Fine to sigh shaking his head as though the bell was an inconvenience, he was on a roll. "Save by the bell," he joked dryly turning to his desk to pick stuff up, "Please read chapter three and four for next week! And Mr Kent please stay behind for a minute please."

Clark sighed throwing his bag over his shoulder and walking guiltily to Professor Fine. "Professor am sorry I..."

"Was in another world," Fine finished smiling warmly, "I don't mind day dreamers Mr Kent. It means there's potential in that brain. Just needs to be tamed." Clark nodded, Fine sighed picking up his briefcase.

"I have a faculty meeting. Remember read chapter 3 and 4. Leave the day dreamer for outside class," he said walking past Clark who stood watching Fine leave. "And Clark. Use that mind of yours."

Clark nodded. Fine smiled leaving the lecture theatre. Clark turned to the door something falling to the floor as his bag swung against Fine's desk. Clark stopped looking at it. A silver rock. A meteor rock. He recoiled a bit. It could be lethal. He had never seen a silver meteor rock. He bent down. There was no effect. Nothing. He was fine. He picked it up gingerly. He winced in pain as the rock cut him, dropping it to the floor. His eyes widened at the piece of rock embedded in his finger. It hurt him. He backed away from the rock on the floor in terror storming out of the room wanting to get away from the rock.

Clark stormed out of the lecture theatre in no time he was out into the front entrance of the Kansas State University. She's going to find out? Clark thought wildly the words repeating over and over again.

Clark bumped into someone on his way across the front courtyard. He turned to a tall bulking college student. He glared at Clark, as he walked away a small smile crept across his face. Clark's squinted at him watching the student closely. Who was he? Clark had never seen her before, why did he smile at him like that? It wasn't a normal smile, it was a knowing smile, goading, he was goading Clark and he knew why yet Clark didn't. That was the point, he knew why, Clark didn't.

Clark felt a weight hit his stomach as he thought filled his mind. He shook his head thinking it was ridiculous. It couldn't be here, Clark thought, but then Clark didn't know what it looked like, What did a Brain Interactive Construct look like? Did he look human? Can a machine be human?

A hand touched his shoulder causing him to jump from his shoes and his buzzing beehive like thoughts. He turned around to see Jenny from his History Class. "Where is the key?" she hissed.

"What?" Clark gasped.

"The assignment?" Jenny said exasperated, "remember? For next week? Have you finished it?"

"Err... No," Clark said shaking his head trying to catch his breath as the fright from Jenny's words shook him to the core.

"Good," Jenny said cheerfully flicking her hair over her shoulder, "cos I was wondering if you wanted to meet at library and we could help each other out cos I am..."

"Excuse me I have to go," Clark said hastily storming off leaving her mid sentence. She didn't look please glaring at him as he stormed off digging into his pocket for his phone. He pressed the buttons shakily, fumbling at them.

"Clark?" came Professor Fine's voice next to Clark. Clark turned wildly his eyes wide and surprised to see Professor Fine.

"Professor?" Clark said shocked.

"I know where it is," he whispered softly. Clark looked at him shocked shaking his head, "Clark? Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, Professor," Clark said rubbing the sweat from his head. He backed away towards the steps, "I need to make a call sorry."

He dialled the number for Buffy's home. It rung. An agonising long ring. It seemed to go on forever. Clark breathed heavily. He was unable to breathe as he waited for someone to answer.

"Clark?!" a voice yelled down the phone, it was a girl's voice. It was Buffy. "It's here! It's after Dawn! Please Help me!"

Clark's eyes widened as he stared at the phone hearing Buffy's screams. He looked around to check no one was looking before zooming off into a red blur.

Clark came to halt in the middle of the Summer's home. He looked around wildly. The house was bare. No one was home. It looked as if no one had been home for hours. No sign of force entry.

"Buffy?!" Clark yelled, looking up to ceiling looking around, "Dawn?! Where are you?!"

"Clark?" Xander asked confused as he walked into the Summer's Home to see Clark stood there. "What are you doing here?"

"Where's Dawn?" Clark said urgently turning to Xander.

"At the hospital with Buffy," Xander said doubly confused. Why did Clark want to know where Dawn was? Why not Buffy?

"What's happened?" Clark said stepping forward quickly causing Xander to step back, "I heard screaming on the phone."

"What? Clark, Buffy's been at the hospital all day," Xander said moving his hand to Clark's arm gingerly. "Her mother fainted today."

"Is it serious?" Clark said shocked his eyes wide and his voice even more urgent.

"The... they err..." Xander seemed a loss for words, which was a first for him, he gulped as he tried to force the words out, "the doctors said its Brain tumour."

Clark felt his throat close up. He could hardly breathe. He backed away. He felt his legs being ready to buckle. "It's my fault," Clark breathed, "all my fault."

"Clark, its not your..."

"I came back, some has to go, balance of nature," Clark rambled pacing up and down, "he warned me. I didn't listen and now she's going to die and there's nothing I can do... all I do is hide. I hide the truth of Dawn. I hide the truth about everything."

"Hey, CK," Xander said nervously moving toward Clark sheepishly. There was no way he was getting close to him in this place. He had flipped his wig, Xander thought to himself, "it's not your fault... these things just happen..."

"They don't just happen!" Clark yelled furiously, his blue eyes bearing down on Xander, "Mrs Summers dying shouldn't be happening. Dawn being hunted by a Alien Robot shouldn't be happening. None of this should be happening."

Xander backed off keeping his distance.

"I have to find them," Clark said walking to the door.

"Clark, I don't think you should do that," Xander said pulling Clark back. A smile crossed Xander's face. A smile Clark has seen before. A knowing smile, "It's not like you'll find them... you've told me exactly where they are."

Clark grabbed Xander by throat throwing him up against the wall lifting him up so his legs dangled. "Where are they?" he snarled viciously.

"Clark!" Xander gasped for breathe trying to pry Clark's hands from his throat, but was unable to match Clark's strength. "Let go, I can't breathe."

"Not until you tell me," Clark snarled. "WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"I already told you," Xander weazed. He fell to the ground as Clark's grip suddenly loosened. Clark felt a harsh pain fill his body, like his entire body was bubbling, his blood bubbling inside him. He gulped through the pain, wincing as his knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor. He flinched in pain at the green glow covering him as looked up at Buffy holding a piece of Kryptonite at him.