Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN these characters, DC comics entertainment, and Warner Bros. are the owners not me. I do not take any credit for the characters or anything, ALL CREDIT goes to DC…..again ALL CREDIT GOES TO DC! No money is being made off of this story…none, No money whatsoever is being made or exchanged so please….please DO NOT SUE ME! I have no money. None. Okay cool.
Hey loyal readers it's me Nomad88 flying in with an all new chapter in the Superman/Justice League Universe. I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, again I know it's a bit of a slow burn but it'll pick up soon, the challenge with any story is creating a proper background and positing set pieces and that's what I'm doing right now. I've got a lot of back-story I want to tell before we can really get to the explosions and super powers LOL! Anyway I know all of you are eager to get to the story but before I go I would like to ask to please continue to READ, REVIEW (a writer's main source of motivation) and of course ENJOY!
Chapter 11: Invisibility vs. Invulnerability
Palmer Household
Chloe smiled nervously at Jeffery who quickly scrambled over to his fallen mother. He carefully cradled her head, his face full of worry before he realized Chloe was standing there.
"WHO ARE YOU!" he shouted in anger "AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE!"
Chloe held up her hands defensively and squatted down on the other side of his mother.
"I'm Chloe Sullivan we go to Smallville High and I'm here to…we can talk later right now we need to get your mother to a doctor." She said with concerned as she reached for the cell phone in her pocket.
Jeffery nodded his head until he realized that if she called 911 that would bring people to his house and to the place where he was keeping all of his stolen merchandise; his eyes widen as he lunged for the phone.
"NO!" he shouted knocking her over and grabbing for the phone.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Chloe yelled.
"NO POLICE! NO AMBULANCE! SHE'S FINE!" he screamed while over powering her and snatching the phone from her. He quickly ended the call and threw the phone away. The phone flew and smacked into the concrete wall of the basement sending pieces of it flying everywhere.
Chloe shimmied from under him and backed away, she glanced towards her destroyed phone before turning back to him with a little bit of fear in her eyes. In all of the scenarios of how meeting him would happen this was at the bottom of her list.
"The heck is wrong with you!" she exclaimed.
"We don't need anyone okay…she's…she's fine. It's just a little bump." He replied while carefully turning his mother over onto her back.
Chloe looked at Mrs. Palmer to see a bleeding gash on her forehead.
"She hit her head hard Jeffery, that's not a little bump. We need to get her to a hospital."
"I SAID SHE'S FINE!" he yelled at her.
Chloe looked at him for a long second before her eyes shifted towards his mother however it was then that she finally noticed the necklace around Mrs. Palmer's neck and she took notice at how expensive it looked. Her eyes then darted around the basement quickly taking notice of more expensive items and it was then that her suspicions were brought to the forefront of her mind.
She knew that he had the power of invisibility however she wasn't sure if he was behind the mysterious robberies until now. She continued to stare at the necklace until she looked up to see Jeffery staring at her with a hard look. The young and inquisitive teen swallowed hard before slowly started to rise to her feet.
Jeffery watched her getting to her feet narrowing his eyes at each step.
"I'm….uh….going to get some ice for her head." She said carefully while inching towards the door.
Jeffery started to breathe a bit heavier seeing her inch closer to the door.
"No. You stay right there and I'll get a cold rag from out of my bathroom."
"That's a nasty gash she needs some ice."
"No." he said strongly.
Chloe gritted her teeth and she glanced at the door behind her before looking at Jeffery. A tense look passed between them.
In an instance Chloe turned and ran for the steps.
"NO!" Jeffery screamed gently laying his mother's head on the concrete basement floor and running after Chloe.
Outside Palmer home
Chloe emerged from the front door of the Palmer residence, running as fast as she could. She looked over her shoulder for a brief second and she saw Jeffery suddenly turn invisible. Chloe gasped and she doubled her speed.
'Thank God I decided to get in shape a year ago.' she thought while she kept pushing herself, trying to get away from the house as fast as she could hoping that she could out run him.
About a mile away
Chloe came to stop and she leaned against the brick wall of a small locally owned bakery. She heaved a few breathes trying to slow her rapidly beating heart.
'That was intense' she thought to herself, 'I-I think I'm safe for now.'
CRASH!
Chloe jumped from her spot and she looked behind her to see a trash can had fallen over. She looked frantically to see how it had fallen over but she didn't see anything. Her heart began to beat faster and faster until she swiftly turned and began to run away not noticing the small black cat that crawled out of the can.
Palmer house
Jeffery coughed and breathed deeply as he collapsed onto the steps of his house. He had chased Chloe as far as he could but he quickly found that he and running did not mix very well and so she had escaped, into the night.
He gritted his teeth, looking out towards the street he had seen her run down.
'She saw me turn invisible. I-I have to find her before she tells anyone about my secret. I can't let her tell anyone about what she saw.' He thought to himself as he briskly stood and made his way into his house and to his unconscious mother.
'What did she say her name was….oh Chloe Sullivan. And she goes to Smallville. I'll have to get her there…but…what am I going to do. I'll do whatever it takes to keep my secret.'
Kent Farm
Martha Kent laid a gently hand upon Clark's head as she noticed his closed eyes darting rapidly, almost as if he was having a nightmare. She looked towards Jonathan who also had a look of worry on his face as well.
"Clark" he said "Clark can you hear us?"
Clark's Mind
Clark raised his head as he frantically looked around to see himself in an partially lit white room surrounded by several men and women, each staring at him with fright. He tried to move however to his horror he was firmly strapped down by thick black bonds. He could also feel a metal device secured upon his head making it hard for him to think and concentrate.
THUMP! THUMP! Came the sound of hard boots touching the ground.
He looked to the left to see a shadow make its way into his line of sight. The figure was obviously male but all of his features were obscured by thick shadows. He leaned in close to Clark's face and he blew smoke from his cigar into the teens face.
"That was a stupid stunt you tried to pull Alien." He said.
"W-Who are you?" Clark asked.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
The figure looked away from Clark and towards a man in a wheelchair with an oxygen tube coming out of his throat. The wheelchair bound man directed his chair to roll up towards the shadowed figure.
"I said leave him alone."
"Or what Dr. Swann? Exactly what are you going to do?" The shadowed figured challenged.
"Beware." Came a weak voice.
Clark turned his head to the right to see a tall green red eyed alien staring back at him.
"JESUS!" Clark shouted.
"BEWARE VERITAS!" yelled right as Clark felt a pain flow of electricity flood through his body.
"RAHHHHHHH!" he screamed.
"NO! STOP! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Dr. Swann's voice echoed.
Clark's Room
Clark's eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed in terror. He was disoriented and so when he felt a hand on his shoulder he quickly grabbed it not thinking about his strength.
POP! POP! POP!
"ARGHHH!" Jonathan yelled feeling his son's strong grip.
"CLARK!" Martha screamed.
Clark shook his head and his vision zeroed in on his mother, he looked at her and then at his dad who he still had in his grip. He immediately let go.
"Oh My God dad….I-I'm sorry…I…." he stuttered while scooting away from them and towards the backboard of his bed, "I'm sorry." He whispered again.
Next Day- Kent Farm- Kitchen
Jonathan Kent grimaced a bit as he raised his bandaged right hand to his mouth and ate the spoonful of oatmeal; his hand hurt but he's suffered worse pains before working outside in the barn.
Martha took notice of the discomfort and she quickly kissed him on the forehead.
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
The two of them looked towards the stairs to see Clark making his way down and then into the kitchen.
"Morning." He said to them.
"Morning sweetheart. How are you feeling?" Martha asked.
He was about to respond when he saw his Dad's bandaged hand.
"I was about ask you guys that. How the hand Dad?"
"I've had worse Clark, no need to worry about it." He replied.
Clark lowered his head a little and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Look, I don't know what that was last night. One minute I was fixing the tractor and the next…I don't know green aliens."
"It must've been stress related. I know this is alot for you to take it and maybe you're trying to find someway to cope." Martha surmised.
"Maybe, but…after, after you guys left, I-I couldn't get back to sleep and so I was up all night thinking. Thinking about everything you guys said me and I've come to the conclusion that I've been a bit selfish, only thinking about myself and not you guys."
"Clark…"
"Let me finish mom. I've been so focused on how this has been for me that I forgot to think about you guys. I know this must be hard for the two of you, living with this secret knowing that one day you'd have to tell me and realizing that I could very well reject the both of you. And I'm sorry if I've ever made the two of feel rejected. I was thinking about this all night and I don't care about where am I from or how I cam to be here on the farm. All I care about now is that I'm here with the two of you on the farm and that I'm your son Clark Kent, normal sixteen year old Clark Kent."
Martha smiled as she looked to Jonathan who also had a smile upon his face. Clark stepped towards the two of them and the small family of three embraced each other warmly.
Later- Smallville High- Basement
"Smallville police department. How may I help you?" came the voice over the phone.
CLICK!
Chloe sat on her desk that was full of papers looking at the cell phone in her hands; debating with herself on whether or not she should report Jeffery to the police. On the one hand she knew that if she exposed him she would have to have proof that he was behind the robberies and so far the only proof were the expensive items in his room which she knew would be hard for him to explain however the biggest thing that bugged her, the biggest problem was that if she reported him she would be exposing him to the world. So far the world at large was oblivious to the meta-humans that were springing up all over world, thanks in part to the shadow governments, and Veritas abducting them.
'Lucky' she thought to herself 'We've been lucky so far but if I do this, then there is a very high mathematical probability that this will be the spark that lets the world at large know about us….so what do I do? Obviously I can't talk to him but I still can't let him go on stealing from people…or can I?' she thought to herself, 'Could I really turn a blind to…'
BANG! Went the sound of something hitting the glass window behind her. Chloe's heart almost jumped from her chest at the sound, she whipped towards the window to see someone jogging towards the window and picking up a football.
"Jeez" she whispered to herself, trying to get her heart to stop beating so fast. She swallowed hard and got off of the desk
CREAK!
Chloe whipped her head towards the door that led into the basement as it slowly opened up a little more.
"J-Just…uh…the w-wind." She stuttered to herself.
After fleeing from the invisible thief she had made it to her home and she quickly locked herself in her room hoping to God he hadn't followed her. She didn't get any sleep in fear that he was waiting for that to happen so he could do whatever it was he was going to do to keep his secret pillaging a total secret, however as the night rolled into the day she started to get some semblance of confidence back.
She had gathered just enough courage to take a shower and head to school but now she found that fear was slowly returning to her.
'Stupid. I told him my name and that we go to school together so he could be right here and I wouldn't even know.' She thought to herself fearfully.
Chloe shakily reached out with her hand and moved it through the air.
"J-Jeffery." She whispered.
Jeffery turned visible and he stared at the Wall of Weird with angry eyes. He slowly turned around and he stared at Chloe as she moved her hand through the air looking for him.
"For the longest…" he started, getting a small amount of enjoyment out of gasp of fright that escaped her throat.
Chloe turned around to see Jeffery standing there with his hands behind his back and a serious stare upon his face.
"OH MY GOD!" she shouted seeing him, "When did you…."
"I've been here for a few minutes now Chloe. Just looking at all of this stuff you got here." He stated, "Like I was saying for the longest I…wanted to be seen. I wanted people to pay attention to me. I wanted the friends, the girlfriend, parties, everything, but I was invisible to everyone here. It was like I didn't exist and I hated it. You know I'm a nice guy, I'm funny and I watch the same reality shows, but still nothing. No one reached out to me despite my attempt to reach out to...to…anyone. I was going to end it all and finally be noticed until I discovered that I have this wonderful gift of…..invisibility. And now I don't want anyone to see me at all. Ironic huh?"
Chloe nodded her head.
"Textbook definition."
Jeffery lifted his shirt and he took the gun from out of his pants and held it at his side. Chloe gasped at the sight of the weapon and she took a shaky step back.
"J-Jeffery w-w-what are you doing?"
He raised the gun.
"I'm sorry Chloe but I can't have you telling anyone about me and what I can do."
"Think about this for a second Jeffery."
"I have."
"I-I won't tell anyone I promise." She said with fear gripping her tightly.
"Then why did you call the cops!"
"I hung up!" she exclaimed.
"And what's to stop you from calling them again. I can't have that, not when I'm so close to pulling off the biggest robbery in Smallville history. I'll be on easy street after this job, me and my mom. And Smallville is only the beginning, next it's Metropolis…then Gotham, then Star City."
Chloe listened to him and she could see the seriousness of his eyes, but along with that she saw a bit of hesitation.
"So that's it then…..you're going to kill me." She said 'I don't think he's really going to do it.' She thought.
Jeffery swallowed hard and his hand started to wobble a little.
"I-I…don't want to but I have to protect my secret at all cost, by any means necessary."
Jeffery closed his eyes and fired.
"WAIT!" Chloe yelled.
POW!
Outside Smallville High School
A newly rented red pick up truck pulled up to the front of Smallville High drop off lane. Jonathan and Clark both eyed the school for a second before looking to each other.
"Are you sure you're okay son?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine dad, normal as can be. I'm completely normal." He replied.
The two Kents got out of the pick up and Clark walked around the front, heading towards the stairs with the other students.
"Clark!" Jonathan called out.
Clark turned around to him.
"I Love you son."
"I Love you too Dad."
POW! Came the sound of the gunshot.
Jonathan and Clark turned towards the High School.
"What the heck was that?"
"That sound like a gun." Jonathan answered.
POW! POW!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" came several loud screams from the teens inside. Clark instantly dropped his book-bag and he ran into the school with the thoughts of Lana and Pete on his mind.
"CLARK!" Jonathan called out as she swiftly got out of the pick but his words fell upon deaf ears.
Inside the School
Chloe ran up the stairs her left hand gripping her bleeding right shoulder. She looked behind herself to see no one behind her but she knew he was there. She turned a corner just as a spark from nowhere erupted and a bullet struck the wall.
POW!
Jordan turned visible again the rush of adrenaline making it a bit harder for him to concentrate but he forced himself to calm down and focus on his abilities. The light around him shimmered as he once again became invisible and continued his singular pursuit of Chole Sullivan.
Clark ran into the school and he could see his peers running out of the classrooms and towards the doors he had just come through.
"STUDENTS! CALMLY GET TO THE NEAREST EXIT!" one teacher shouted.
Clark peered through all of this however he didn't see Lana or Pete. He moved and suddenly everything slowed around him while he was moving at super-speed. Clark side-stepped student after student, briskly weaving through each of them while searching for his closest and only real friends in the whole school.
He continued down the hall and he came to a quick stop when he spotted Pete but not only that he saw that a bullet bouncing off of the metal locker heading right for him. Clark's eyes widen and he rushed over to him then lightly shoved him out of the way; the bullet continued and hit Clark in the shoulder however to the teen's surprise the bullet caved in a bounced off of him falling harmlessly to the ground.
Pete blinked and suddenly he was suddenly falling to the ground. He looked up to see Clark standing ahead of him grabbing at his shoulder and looking at it in amazement.
"CLARK!"
The tall teen turned his head towards Pete and looked at him.
"Pete! Are you alright?" he asked going to him and helping him up.
"I've been better. Come on we gotta get out of here someone is shooting!"
"Yeah." Clark trailed off as he looked at his shoulder and then the flattened bullet on the ground. He looked up a bit and further down the hall he could see Lana kneeling down next to someone; he quickly zoomed at super-speed but not before he grabbed the bent bullet off of the ground.
POW!
"AHHH!" came a scream.
"COME ON!" Pete yelled turning away for a brief second. He looked to where the other students were running and he started forward until he felt a gust of wind. He turned his head back and Clark was gone.
"Clark?"
Chloe fell to the ground breathing heavily.
"OH MY GOD!" came a shout.
The blonde turned to see Lana Lang running towards her and kneeling next to her.
"You've been shot!" Lana exclaimed.
"REALLY?! I HADN'T NOTICED!" Chloe yelled back, "You need to go!" she said attempting to shove Lana away. She turned her head to see Jeffery turn visible briefly before turning invisible again.
POW!
Clark saw the flash from the gun muzzle followed by the bullet flying towards Lana and Chloe. He moved a bit faster and he reached them in a split second, he looked at the two of them see their eyes were closed both preparing for the worst. He gritted his teeth and stood in front of them looking at the bullet that was coming. The super-powered teen steeled himself and winded his arm back and backhand the bullet backwards.
The bullet flew and struck Jeffery.
"AHHHHHHH!" he screamed feeling the object clip his neck. He grabbed his neck while falling down to the ground. The sudden shock of pain caused him to turn visible once again.
Clark stared in wonder at Jeffery who stared at him in confusion.
"CLARK!" Lana shouted
The teen turned around to his crush to see her and Chloe staring up at him.
"Where did you come from?"
"I saw you guys and I came to help." He said quickly.
"CLARK DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!" Chloe shouted pointing towards Jeffery.
Clark turned to see Jeffery running down the hall towards a crowd of students. He went after him but Jeffery suddenly turned invisible and he was gone form sight.
Elsewhere- Location Unknown- Same time
Dr. Swann sat in front of a man that he despised yet feared at the same time. The man was from what he could tell a Co-Leader of Task-Force X that he sided with years ago. At first he believed that they were liked minded individuals like himself who had a yearning for understanding of life beyond their world but he quickly found out that were anything but like minded much like Veritas. They were two groups he belonged to and in retrospect they were two of the worst mistakes in his life; mistakes that he in his heart needed to rectify and he would do it or die trying.
Dr. Swann steeled himself as he saw the man in front of him shift in his seat. He was older, a few years older than Dr. Swann but he kept himself in excellent physical condition. The man had a handsome face that was covered with a ginger but partial silver-whitish goatee, hard brown eyes, and short ginger hair. The man's name was Captain Alex Fairchild.
The Captain leaned back in his chair, the dim light within the room giving his features a menacing appearance, his eyes boring into the good Doctors'. Dr. Swann steeled himself and returned the stare, slightly afraid but hoping to God that it didn't show.
"Why?" came Captain Fairchild's strong voice.
The question hung in the air between them for a long second before Swann found the strength to reply.
"Because it was the right thing to do." He answered truthfully.
"Did that thing get into your head Swann? Did he use his alien mind voodoo on you, because I could accept that. But you doing something so blatant as hacking into our system that is something I can not allow or accept."
"And yet you'll have to do both." Swann remarked.
BAM! came the sound of Captain Fairchild's fist hitting the desk, rattling it loudly. The Captain let out a quick laugh before leaning forward and curling his lips into a snarl.
"You getting smart with me Swann? You think that this is a moment where it's wise to get smart with me? You've obviously forgot who I am and what I can do to you."
"I haven't forgotten anything Fairchild, I…"
"CAPTAIN!" he shouted cutting Dr. Swann off, "You will address me, with my proper rank and that's Captain."
Dr. Swann stared at him and the restrained rage that was upon his face.
"I know who you are….Captain."
"Then again I ask you why."
"And my answer remains the same, because it was the right thing to do. It is inhumane to keep J'onn caged like some animal. All he wants is to live."
"J'onn?" Captain Fairchild questioned.
"That's his name." Dr. Swann responded "He might've told you if you took the time to talk to…." he started before Captain Fairchild scoffed and shook his head.
"That thing has no name other than alien. And if he isn't spilling his secrets then I'm not interested in anything it has to say, and also the Alien is living, solely by the grace of his God, which is me. Although I'm not sure for how much longer. "
Dr. Swann recoiled a bit at the statement.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that the Alien's life is teetering on a very thin thread. The longer that thing keeps its green mouth shut the less I have patience for it breathing and using up my money."
"You're not even footing the bill."
"True, but I could be using that money for other endeavors. Endeavors that include ensnaring another alien, one that's recently been found."
Dr. Swann narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips together, as he quickly read between the lines of what Captain Fairchild was saying.
"You managed to tap my secure phones." Dr. Swann stated.
"Of course I did. And if Veritas has found another alien what's the point of keeping the old one."
"Veritas will never let you anywhere near the Traveler."
"Again with the names." The Captain said flippantly "You let me worry about Veritas."
"I will never let you anywhere near the Traveler."
Captain Fairchild let out another laugh while reaching towards his waist and removing his gun and aiming it Dr. Swann. The good Doctor saw the weapon and his blood ran cold for a long moment. He had expected many things from the unstable and unpredictable man in front of him however he never expected being shot at point blank range.
"What makes you think you'll be alive to do anything Swann?" he said.
The Captain could see the obvious fright in other man's eyes and he had to admit to himself that it brought him absolute satisfaction; the power he wielded the power of holding another person's life in his hands, the power over life or death. He allowed himself to enjoy the moment a few seconds longer before lowering his weapon, and releasing a long sigh.
"As much as I want to kill you right now I can't…I still need you. But congratulations, you've earned yourself an all expense paid stay at my lovely holding facility. You'll have your three squares a day and you'll be under surveillance twenty four seven. And that's not all. Someone has to pay for you crime Dr. Swann, like my father used to tell me before he kicked the sh** out of me. If you do the crime you have to pay the fine, but seeing as how you're in a wheelchair, I can't really do too much to you that God hasn't already done, however your little alien friend…well…that's a different story."
J'onn's Cell
"RAHHHHHHHHHH!" J'onn cried out as the electricity mercilessly flowed through his body.
"AGAIN!" Agent Cloud's voice shouted out.
The electricity started up again.
"RAHHHHHHHHH!"
"Alien Freak!" the sadistic Agent growled out.
J'onn gritted his teeth fighting through the agony enough to reach out to the link that he shared with the Traveler.
Smallville High- Same time
The chaos from the school shooting was still evident as parents, police and firefighters littered the school grounds. Teens were crying, shouting and huddled together as the adults tried to sort out the mess. In the crowd was Jonathan Kent frantically searching for Clark who had yet to come out of the school that he had so brazenly run into in search of his friends.
The anxious farmer continued to move through the crowd and towards the school entrance however he was stopped by a police officer.
"Sir! Sir! You can't go in there!"
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND MY SON IS IN THERE!" he yelled.
Inside Smallville High
Clark stood there staring down the hallway in awe, confusion and shock at what he had seen.
"Did he…" he started.
"NO TIME TO GAWK CLARK CATCH HIM!" Chloe shouted to him.
Clark quickly eyed her for moment before he started to run at normal speed in the direction he had last seen Jeffery. He peered through the crowd of students, he saw a kid younger than himself getting shoved out of the way by nothing but air. Clark made his vision zoomed in and he saw a droplet of blood leaking out from the air and to the ground.
He ran a little faster careful not to reveal his abilities while being so close to the people around him. He rounded the corner and he came face to face with several police officers who were blocking the way.
"THIS WAY SON!" one of the officers yelled.
Clark saw that the officer's gun was suddenly yanked from his grip and he was shot.
"NO!" Clark yelled.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he cried out grabbing his head.
The hallway quickly distorted and changed into a chamber where several men with gleefully looks upon their faces stared at him.
"ALIEN FREAK! ALIEN FREAK! HIT HIM AGAIN!"
Clark felt a surge of electricity fire through him which only caused him to scream again.
"VERITAS!" came a voice that was filled with pain "DR. SWANN! VERITAS! BEWARE!"
Clark screamed as he felt the electricity surge again however his screams were mixed in with the officers who were all shot by the invisible Jeffery Palmer. The last officer went down and that's when Jeffery released the breath that he had been holding. He shakily looked around at what he had done in his panicked state and it only made him panic even more. To him everything was spinning more and more out of control.
"W-What the h-hell are you?" came a voice.
Jeffery looked down at an officer below him who was clutching his bleeding shoulder, the man's eyes wide with fear.
Jeffery swallowed hard before he began to hyperventilate knowing that his life as he knew was over. He had been seen. Jeff turned towards the exit and did what was the only thing on his mind which was to run away.
Outside
Jeffery ran down the steps of the school and into the chaos of screaming students. He looked to his right to see a female officer coming towards him. He saw the look on her face and the gun in his hand. He swung the gun and knocked her across the face and down to the ground.
"PUT THE GUN DOWN NOW!
Jeffery heard the yell and he held up the gun.
"STOP!" Jeffery yelled "GET BACK! EVERYONE GET BACK!"
"Easy son. Easy. No one wants to hurt you." One of the officers said trying to defuse the situation.
Jeffery looked at the officer as well as all the other eyes that were upon him, for so long this is what he wanted; to be noticed by everyone and now that he had been noticed he ironically wanted nothing more than to be invisible. He could see everyone pointing and gawking at him. He heard someone yell that he was psycho which to him could be nothing further from the truth.
Jeffery felt a sharp pain erupt through his wounded arm and he looked to see that the bullet wound was still bleeding heavily. He turned back to all of the eyes and fingers turned upon him.
Everyone gasped in shock at Jeffery as he suddenly disappear from sight. The officers looked back and forth between each other trying to make sense of what was happening but in that quick amount of time they heard a car door slam.
The other's turned to see Jeffery turn visible again in the driver's seat of one of the squad cars that was nearby. The teen threw the car in reverse before turning on the wheel wildly; he shifted into drive and he sped off and away from the scene.
Inside the School
Clark had recovered enough to where he was able to think straight once again. He sat slumped on the ground with his hand to his temples.
'Veritas. Dr. Swann. That was….that was not stress related.' He thought in his mind.
"ALL UNITS RESPOND! THE SUSPECT HAS TAKEN OFF IN ONE OF OUR SQUAD CARS!" came a shout over the radio.
Clark snapped back into focus and he looked at the radio.
"SUSPECT IS HEADING EAST AND HE'S…..HE'S…..SOME TYPE OF MONSTER OR FREAK! HE CAN TURN INVISIBLE!"
Clark slowly rose from the ground and he looked to see if anyone was watching and when he was sure he moved at super-speed and away from the school without being seen.
Main Road
Jeffery applied more pressure to the gas pedal as he zoomed down the long stretch of road that would take him out of Smallville and away from everyone that had seen him use his powers.
The road in front of him blurred a bit and he felt drowsy but he shook his head vigorously and focused. Jeffery blinked several times and on the last blink he saw Clark in the middle of the road.
"SH**!" Jeffery yelled.
Clark closed his eyes and braced himself as the police car slammed into him.
BAMMMMMMMM! Came the sound of the front end of the car hitting him at sixty miles an hour and caving inward.
The front end of the squad car crumpled complexly destroying the engine and sending metal and oil flying all across the road along with Jeffery who was ejected through the front window.
Clark opened his eyes and he looked down at his body to see that he was completely unharmed but the car was totaled.
He heaved a few breathes and pried himself from out of the metal.
"Uggghhhhhh." Came a moan of pain.
Clark turned see Jeffery several feet away from the car.
"Oh My God." Clark whispered as he rushed over to the fallen teen.
Jeffery was semi-conscious and he stared up at the blurry image of Clark.
"W-W-What…..a-are….y-you." Jeffery managed to mumble before he passed out from his horrendous injuries.
Clark looked down at the wayward teen and he surveyed the injuries that were evident upon him and he knew that he needed medical attention and so he gently scooped Jeffery up into his arms and he ran away at super-speed to the nearest hospital.
Location Unknown
Alexandra's hand flew across the keyboard in front of her, attempting with all of her might to tear down the firewalls that prevented her from tracking the alien signature that appeared on the screen just a day prior. She was brilliant young woman and that was a fact that she prided herself on and it was with great reluctance that she admitted to herself that whoever created the firewall was possibly…more than likely smarter than her.
BANG! Came the sound of her fist hitting the console.
"DAMN IT!" she screamed in anger.
Alexandra pushed away from the computer and she stood to her feet and began to pace back and forth. She curled her lips and stared at the black screen with the green eye.
"Watchtower is watching you." She said, "Watchtower is watching you" she repeated again, and several more times before she stopped her pacing, lifted her right hand and held up her middle finger.
"Very mature."
Alexandra turned to see her father Dr. Shugel limping towards her, his cane making very light taps against the floor.
"This coming from you mister temper tantrum."
"I get it from my father." He replied.
She smirked.
"Likewise."
Dr. Shugel grumbled to himself as he stood in front of his daughter. He looked at her for a moment before looking around the lab; thankfully for the moment they were alone however in the back of his mind he knew that the place was bugged, but in this moment he didn't care. Alexandra scrunched her face in curiosity as her father just looked at her.
"What?" she questioned.
Dr. Shugel, without warning slapped her across the face completely catching her off guard. Alexandra recovered from the hit and she grabbed her stinging red face.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?"
"That was for going behind my back and alerting Veritas to the signal." He growled back at her in a hushed voice.
"I work for them. I had to."
"I'm your father."
"Unfortunately you are but that has nothing to do with this!" She snapped back "You've forgotten whose running the show here Father dearest."
"And you've forgotten what we stand for."
"I haven't. I'm just going about things in my own fashion."
"BY SIDING WITH THEM!" Dr. Shugel shouted in a hushed angry tone, "Pffft...these people are dreamers, believing that this alien is some type of messenger from the Gods or some…some fairytale savior."
"I agree with you. This alien is no savior but a means to end. But something you need remember Dad is that there is a time and place for everything. In order to accomplish your goals you need friends, specifically friends with deep pockets, like these so called dreamers." She replied in a low voice.
Dr. Shugel listened to his daughter's words and a he had to admit to himself that he felt some pride swell within him. For a moment he thought his daughter had gone over to the side of the illogical, believing in a ridiculous ideology that his 'employers' believed however he was relieved and proud that she was actually planning and scheming for her own goals just like himself.
He smiled.
"Perhaps you're right." He stated.
"There is no perhaps, I am. I'm always right." She replied turning away from him and going back to the computer.
Smallville- Later- Kent Family Farm
Clark stood in front of his parents who were sitting at the kitchen table discussing the shocking events had happened earlier. He looked between the two of them for a moment before he placed the bent bullet from earlier down on the table for them to see.
"I think we can add bulletproof to my list of powers." He stated to them before walking away and upstairs to his room "And I was hit by a car going sixty miles an hour." He shout about before he closed the door to his room.
Upstairs- Clark's Room
Clark sat on his bed thinking about everything that happen but his mind focused more on the cryptic message that had been plaguing him for the past couple of days. He thought it was some type of stress related visions due to him finding out that he was an alien but now he wasn't so sure. He knew it was something else entirely.
"Veritas." He whispered "Dr. Swann. Veritas. Veritas. Veritas."
Flashback
Chloe: Meta-humans are popping up more and more to the point where it's noticeable. The governments around the world…Veritas….people like us are being hunted and abducted."
Clark's Room
"Chloe." He stated raising his head a bit. He used his hearing to listen to the conversation between his parents and the bomb he had dropped upon them a few seconds ago "They're gonna be like that for a while. So they probably won't even know I'm gone."
Clark moved at super-speed and away from the peaceful Kent Farm.
Smallville Hospital- Room 53
Chloe Sullivan looked at her bandaged arm and the IV drip that administered the pain killers that were blocking the intense pain in her shoulder. After the shooting she was rushed to the hospital where she learned she had a minor nicked artery that the doctors quickly repaired. Her parents had come to visit her but had left a few hours ago due to visiting hours being over but they promised they would be back first thing in the morning. She had put on a brave face and agreed but if it had been up to her she would've made them stay.
Chloe looked around the empty room with slightly fearful eyes because it seemed liked Jeffery could appear at any moment and try to kill her again.
'Come on Chloe, stop being such a….' She started to think when she felt a gust of wind.
Chloe's hand flew to the button to call for the nurse but she felt two strong hands stop her. She closed her eyes and waited for death but it never came.
"Chloe it's me, it's Clark."
Chloe opened her eyes to the see Clark standing next to her bed; at the sight of him she released a heavy sigh and finally relaxed.
"I-I thought you were…"
"Jeffery." He answered for her, "No. He's still unconscious with about a dozen cops standing at his door."
"He can turn invisible that's not gonna stop him."
"He's not going anywhere."
"I'm in the same Hospital he could…"
"He won't do anything." Clark said.
"How do you know he won't come after me again?"
"Because he's in traction with his legs and arms broken in several places, and four cracked ribs so trust me when I say he's not going anywhere. But if he does manage to get up, if he's gonna get to you he'll have to go through me again."
Chloe looked at him and a small smile graced her lips. A comfortable silence passed between the two teens but it was broken by Chloe who furrowed her brows a little.
"Not that I don't appreciate you visiting me, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
Clark backed away from her for a second and grabbed the chair that was behind him and scooted it up to the bed. He sat down and ran a hand through his hair.
"I've been struggling to come to terms with…with what I am and I'm starting to accept it but something strange has been happening with me and I think it has something to do with you."
"With me?" She questioned.
"Yeah. Yesterday when you were trying to get me to listen you said something about a secret government organization abducting people."
"Yeah, I remember."
"You said they called themselves Veritas."
Chloe straightened up in the bed a little at the name.
"Veritas is a very shady organization. I've found out a few things about them but…but I need some help. I've hit a stone wall; you can only find so much information on the net."
"Tell me everything you know and we'll see what we can find out together."
End Chapter: Read and Review: Hey Readers it's me Nomadd8 coming at you with the closing comments to another chapter in my Superman tale. I hope all of you enjoyed the chapter as several major things happened that are of noteworthy. I wonder can you readers pick them all out.
I'll give you one story that's gonna span out of this chapter and that's the relationship between Chole and Clark which you kinda saw at the end there. The visions that J'onn has been givin Clark has finally broken through and he's curious about this Veritas and who knows about it….Chole so maybe they might be bonding in the next couple of chapters. And that's something I know a lot of people have been waiting to see.
Anyway there are a few more arcs but I wonder can you readers find them all. LOL! Again I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and another one is coming soon. If you have any questions, comments, Rants or raves please leave it in the review or hti me up with a PM and I'll get back to you ASAP this is Nomad88 saying later…..
Ps: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! Several of my other stories have been updated so when you get a chance check those out and tell me what you think. This is me saying later…
Next up: Around the World in 180 Seconds Starring Jay Garrick
Summarry: A Day in the life of Task Force X speedster Jay Garrick.
