Chapter 11: I'm Going to Go Back There Someday

"Well, how do you like the film so far?" Slade asked Lawrence as the film was being repaired.

"I've seen detergents that leave a better film than this." Lawrence said as Slade groaned at the joke.

"Well I don't care what anyone else says!" Conner protested. "I'm having a great time!"

"Good." Clark said with a smile.

"Okay!" Chloe called down from the projection booth. "The film is A-okay again."

"Alright." Clark said. "A bit of a patriotic part's coming up."

"Should we stand up?" Conner asked.

"No." Clark replied.


The gang, now including Davis, were riding through the Rocky Mountains as John began singing the America the Beautiful.

Oh beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain.

For purple mountains' majesty

Above the fruited plains!

America! America!

God shed his grave on thee,

And crowned thy good

With brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

"Not bad, pal." Davis noted from his seat.

"Thanks." John said. "I always considered myself something of a patriot."

()()()()()

Not too far from where the gang was driving, a group of Lionel's new hired guns were practicing by shooting a cutout of Clark Tess was holding, and they were all missing by a mile.

Eventually, Lionel drove up in his limo and came out.

"Hold it, boys." Lionel said before raising his voice to be heard over the gunfire. "Hold it!"

The men stopped firing and went to Lionel as Tess stood up and listened to what was being said.

"Now boys, no offense for the work you've been doing, but I decided to bring in a specialist." Lionel explained.

Just then, a man with wild gray hair and a goatee came up. He wore a brown cowboy hat, a long brown coat, and a red eye piece over his right eye.

"Boys, I'd like you to meet Floyd Lawton, also known as Deadshot." Lionel explained. "Deadshot, tell them what you do."

"Kill people." Deadshot said as he took a gun and shot a bullet right between the eyes of the Clark Kent cutout.

()()()()()

"How much longer is it to Hollywood?" John asked as they continued to drive through the desert.

"Well, we have to get there by tomorrow." Clark explained. "So hopefully it should only be a couple more hours."

"Hey Clark, are you gonna get an agent like Lois had?" Oliver asked as Clark sighed and looked out the window.

"Oliver, you know he's touchy about that." John said, exasperated.

"Yeah, Ollie's more of a 'talk fist, think later' type." Chloe remarked.

Just then, Clark saw Lois waving them down.

"I don't believe it!" Clark called out. "It's Lois! Stop the car, John."

"Okay." John said.

The car stopped as Lois came in.

"Hey everyone." Lois said as she got in. "Thanks for stopping."

"How'd you catch up to us?" Chloe asked.

"Oh, my agent drove me out here after the commercial." Lois explained. "So Clark… How are things?"

"About the same." Clark said with a smile as he took Lois' hand. "Thanks for coming back."

"Well I promised to, didn't I?" Lois responded as everyone "awed" at the scene.

"So who are you?" Lois asked Davis.

"Davis Bloome." Davis explained. "I was playing the piano at that restaurant from a few days ago."

"Oh." Lois said. "Glad to meet you, sir."

Just then, the music they were listening to stopped.

"You've been listening to music to hunt Kryptonians by." An all too familiar voice said over the radio. "This is Lionel Luthor saying that if Clark Kent doesn't stop right now and agree to be my spokesman, he won't be doing anything else ever again."

The radio cut off as everyone was clamoring.

"Clark, what are you going to do?" Lois asked.

"Nothing." Clark said. "All we have to do is get to Hollywood, and Lionel won't dare try anything."

"Wow, Clark." Lois said. "You're really brave."

"Thanks." Clark said with a nervous smile.

At that moment, a loud bang emanated from the engine.

"What's that?" Oliver asked.

"It's nothing." John said quickly. "We're doing fine. We just need to get to the gas station. No problems, we're fine."

The car stopped dead on the road.

"Oh, we're in trouble…" John groaned nervously. "I wish I still had my Studebaker."

"Sounds like the radiator." Davis observed.

"Hey, don't worry!" Oliver assured them all. "Someone's bound to come along."

()()()()()

Three hours later, it was nightfall, and not a single person had driven by. The gang had started a campfire to keep warm as everyone was starting to get dejected.

"Well," Davis said as he stoked the fire. "I guess we blew it, huh Ollie?"

"Yeah." Oliver said with a sigh before looking at the stars. "But the sky sure looks beautiful tonight."

"That's what I love about you, Oliver." Chloe said with a smile as she took his hand. "You always find the silver lining."

"We uh…" John began as he turned to Clark. "We're gonna miss the auditions tomorrow, right?"

"Clark?" Lois asked.

Clark could only look at the fire, saddened at all the new friends he'd made, and how it all led to being stranded in the middle of the desert for nothing.

"Boy, you could get lost in a sky like that." Oliver noted. "I wish I still had those balloons."

"So much for Hollywood." Lois said with a sigh.

"Listen gang," Clark said, though he doubted anyone really heard him. "I never promised we'd make it. I… I never promised anything."

Eventually, Davis took out a harmonica and began playing it. Inspired, John grabbed his guitar and began strumming.

This looks familiar, vaguely familiar,

Almost unreal, yet, it's too soon to feel yet.

Close to my soul, and yet so far away.

I'm going to go back there someday.

Sun rises, night falls, sometimes the sky calls.

Is that a song there, and do I belong there?

I've never been there, but I know the way.

I'm going to go back there someday.

At this, Lois began harmonizing along with Chloe.

Come and go with me, it's more fun to share,

We'll both be completely at home in midair.

We're flyin', not walkin', on featherless wings.

We can hold onto love like invisible strings.

Eventually, Clark just wandered off to be alone, barely listening to the rest of Oliver's song.

There's not a word yet for old friends who've just met.

Part heaven, part space, or have I found my place?

You can just visit, but I plan to stay.

I'm going to go back there someday.

I'm going to go back there someday.

"I didn't promise anybody anything." Clark insisted out loud. "What do I know about Hollywood anyway? Just a dream I got from watching too many double features."

So why did you leave Smallville anyway? Clark asked himself.

"Because some agent guy said I had talent." Clark said as he scoffed. "Probably says that to everybody."

On the other hand, if you had stayed home, you'd be feeling pretty miserable anyhow.

"Yeah, but then it'd just be me being miserable." Clark argued with himself. "Now I've got five other people miserable and freezing too. I brought them out here into the middle of nowhere. It's all my fault."

Still, whether you promised them something or not, you've gotta remember that they wanted to come along.

"But that's only because they believed in me."

No. They believed in the dream.

"Well, so do I, but…"

You do?

"Yeah!" Clark called out. "Of course I do!"

Well then?

"Well then…" Clark realized as he finished talking with himself. "I guess I was wrong when I said I never promised anyone. I promised me."

As Clark looked at the sky, somehow renewed, he all of a sudden heard band music and rushed back to camp to find Carter Hall and the Electric Heroes having a jam session with the others in a decked out bus.

"Hey, what's happening?" Clark asked.

"At the moment, we're what's happening." Shayera said with a smirk.

"So you're finally back." Carter said with a smirk. "Hey Selina?"

By this point, everyone but Selina had stopped playing.

"Selina!" Shayera called out. "Cool it."

"Sorry." Selina said with slight embarrassment.

"Hey look," Clark began. "It's wonderful to see you guys, but how'd you ever find us?"

"Oh, you left your script with us, pal." Bruce explained.

"Right." Carter went on. "We read ahead and found out you were going to be stuck in the desert outside the Rocky Mountains. We knew just where to find you."

"Pretty lucky, huh?" Selina said with a smile.

"Hey listen, when do you guys have to be at that audition?" Carter asked.

"Two o'clock tomorrow afternoon." Clark pointed out.

"Then hop on the bus." Clark said with a smile. "We'll have breakfast in Hollywood and Vine."

Everyone cheered. They were almost home free, now.


Only two more chapters left, people.