13

Clark rolled over and found himself falling to the floor of his loft. Confused, he struggled to a sitting position and looked around. Sitting on his steamer trunk, as if it were mid afternoon and not late in the morning was Chloe.

"Chlo? God, what time is it?"

"A little after 3:30."

He frowned and, standing up, eased himself down onto the steamer trunk next to her. "Is everything okay? Lionel didn't come and the police, they didn't do anything did they?"

Chloe hiccupped and he noticed then how red her eyes were. "I wish my problems were just the police."

"Then what's going on. Walden?"

"No," she replied, her tone hollow. "He's still dead."

"I'm running out of things here, Chlo."

She ran a hand through her disheveled hair and turned to him. "I just met my father."

"Yes, I've met Gabe a lot of times," he finished. "Chlo, are you sure you're feeling alright? I know you said they beam thing didn't hurt that much, but if you're having memory problems…"

"No, I mean my biological father or the construct with his stored up memories, same difference."

Clark's eyes widened. "The ship has artificial intelligence?"

"And how," Chloe replied. "After you left, it started calling for me. I went downstairs to investigate and it started ordering me around."

The geek in Clark, which, to be fair, was most of him, was beyond excited. They were talking about extraterrestrial AI's that could mimic human-like personalities. It was extraordinary. The boyfriend part of him was just barely keeping from freaking out. So far, Chloe's family, even if it were just distant ancestors in China and the one engraving on her ship, had not seemed friendly. "What do you mean it ordered you?"

"It said that I had to leave Smallville today by sunset or I'd be punished. Clark, it wants to use me."

He considered this and wrapped an arm around her, grateful that she'd allow him to do that. "But it can't. It's just a recording, isn't it?"

"I don't think so. It knew about me. It picked out things about you and my dad and Lex that it couldn't possibly know without reading my mind."

Clark pushed aside any questions of why Lex would be forefront in her thoughts. Of course he would be under those circumstances, he knew the most of any human outside of The Sullivan Circle of Trust about the Kawatchee and the Kryptonian glyphs. All of Chloe's thoughts after meeting the ship had to have been going back to the carvings in China. How could they not have?

"Surface thoughts, most likely, not that it matters," he replied. "But it didn't hurt you?"

"No."

"And what did it do?"

"Talked to me, made a few holograms of you and dad, read my thoughts. Then it shut off in the middle of the conversation. It made its proclamation and I was supposed to go with it."

"It was made to send you here and clearly it was made to be durable so it could travel 28 galaxies over. But it was a cradle, basically, why would anyone think they're weapons on it."

"He said I'd regret it."

Clark considered this. He could feel her body shaking, her breath shuddering in her chest. Yes, Chloe did believe that the ship could harm her. Clark was less convinced. It clearly could do things none of them had anticipated, but that didn't mean it could harm her. Of course, the caves had given Walden powers that could harm Chloe and they'd originally been built with Kryptonian technology too. "We need to talk to your dad about this. Maybe if you go to New York and just put some distance between you and the ship then it can't affect you. I mean, you said you had to go to it, that you went to see what was calling for you."

"Yeah."

"He might be more about threats than actual delivery. Or maybe nothing will happen at all. We don't know how this works, but I don't think this all means that there's some reason to assume that the ship is going to brainwash you. That's incredibly intricate and it can take years. It does for cults. You're not some Manchurian Candidate."

"And I wish I'd never made you watch that," she grumbled. "Clark, it's a ship so tough it survived outer space and a crash landing. It can already do about three things I thought it couldn't. We're out maneuvered and out technologied, and I don't know what to do."

"And that's why we'll talk to your dad. He's good at this kind of stuff and he'll be able to help us out. That's what parents do."

She rolled her eyes. "That's so Waltons of you. You say that because your parents always have answers."

"No, we don't always."

Chloe broke out of his grip so fast that she blurred. "Mrs. Kent?"

Clark tumbled off the chest and to the floor again. Stumbling up, he gaped at his mother. She was standing at the top of the stairs, glancing between him and Chloe before finally settling on her. "What's going on here?"

"We were having sex," Chloe defended. "Lots of really raunchy sex. That's it, punishments are good now. Clark's been bad."

He blushed and sputtered. "That's not true."

"You're dressed," his mom countered. "Chloe, I'll tell you what I heard and you tell me something else besides a bald-faced lie.

"We'll see," Chloe replied, her jaw clenching. "What did you hear?"

"A lot about spaceships and aliens. I know you two have always been on a hunt for the paranormal around Smallville and I know the meteors have had a variety of strange effects on the people here. But I don't know if I believe in aliens. So, either you're both delusional and I'm going to have to get my son help or you're both telling the truth and I'm going to need to sit down."

Clark eyed Chloe and waited for her to answer one way or the other. Jaw clenched so tightly words barely passed her lips, she uttered, "I guess we are nuts."

"I saw you move, Chloe. You were so fast that I couldn't even see the motion completely."

"Then it's from the shower. Everything is in this town."

His mother paused long enough to set herself down in the sofa. She was still at five months, but she was left drained and tired from time to time. The pause made the moment more tense, and it was then that Clark remembered his mother had once clerked for his grandfather, that she was no stranger to cross-examinations. She was waiting for Chloe to self-incriminate, which, technically, she already had.

"I don't believe you. As odd as this is, I think you're telling the truth or have been led to believe sincerely that you're an alien. It matches certain facts that came up last fall with Rachel Dunleavy and your lack of a valid birth certificate. It explains the odd things that seem to happen when you're around, why our loft is burned in the rafters, why Clark is bruised by something that can't possibly be Donatello. What are you, Chloe Sullivan?"

Clark stood up and reached out for Chloe's hand, frustrated when she didn't grab it. He understood why. She was too nervous right now to hold onto anything without crushing it to powder. "She's my girlfriend."

"I know that," his mom replied and her tone was quiet, calm. "But I want to hear things from her."

"My dad's going to be mad I'm here. I can't stay," Chloe replied.

"Is Gabe like you? Is the adoption a sham completely?"

"Mom, please, just knock it off," Clark begged, but the two women in his life weren't listening. They were going back and forth with each other.

"It's about as real as Clark's considering Metropolis United Charities lasted a month and handled three adoptions. What did you give Lionel? I know my dad was the one who covered up EPA reports back when he was in corporate. What's the tit-for-tat, Mrs. Kent?"

It occurred to Clark, vaguely at that point, somewhere in the back of his mind that he was date the transplanted Metropolis city girl with a keen intellect, just like his dad had.

"It's not relevant," she replied, crossing her hands over her lap. "Chloe, this isn't what you think. I had morning sickness and I came down and realized the barn lights were on. Imagine my surprise when I came out and you and Clark were talking about what you were. I don't care where you're from so much as what's happening to you because, frankly, you sound terrified. So level with me."

"My dad's an adult. He handles things," Chloe shot back.

"Maybe he needs more help than he has. How many people know?"

Chloe sighed and slouched then, something was broken. "My dad, Pete, and Clark. That's it. Lex and Lionel suspect something but they can't prove anything."

Clark quirked his head at her and she shook hers back at him. Dr. Swann and Dr. Crosby weren't a part of this, apparently.

Martha nodded. "How long have Clark and Pete known?"

"Clark found out the day Lex hit me on the bridge and Pete found my ship back last fall. So, not too long, not if you compare it to my dad. I didn't know until the day Lex hit me either. He was holding out on that part because he was worried I'd talk too much."

Point.

"What are you going to do now, Mrs. Kent?"

Volley.

His mother glanced between them again and settled her gaze on Chloe. "I don't know. I wasn't supposed to hear what I did, was I?"

"No."

"And your father is going to be upset that you told, isn't he?"
"He'll have kittens," Chloe countered. "But once a part of it gets out; it just seems to keep spreading since Clark found out. But you have me, don't you. You heard the whole conversation and you know Clark well enough to know when he's being genuine about something."

"And I know this town. I know that after being over at your house, I came down with something foreign that no doctor had ever scene and almost died."

Chloe nodded. "My ship had spores on it. We didn't know that. It's why we both got sick."

"And why no one could save us," his mother finished, one hand coming to rest on her stomach. "What saved us?"

Chloe looked to him and then back down at her hands. "You're not going to like this."

"Mom," he interrupted. "It was the ship. Turning it on sent something out that made both of you better."

His mom brought her other hand over her stomach and grimaced. "What about the baby?"

Chloe started to pace and Clark noticed she kept her speed human. She rarely did that alone with him when she got worked up. The blurring tended to make him nauseated but it was habit to her, normally. "Clark says all the lab tests came back normal. We don't really know what it does to the baby. We don't think it did anything but save your lives. It's not like you have superspeed."

"No."

"Mom, does anything feel different?"

She shook her head. "A little more energy, but I can't move like Chloe can. But the baby's going to be okay, isn't it?"

Chloe sighed. "I hope so."

"You weren't going to ever tell me and Jonathan about this." It was not a question. Something colder crept into his mother's voice.

"No, Mrs. Kent. I couldn't risk it but now you know everything and I can't hide things from you anymore. I assume this is the part where you ask me to leave and never bother Clark again with all my complicated problems."

His mother surprised both of them by standing up and hugging her. Chloe didn't reciprocate but stood stock still. "I'm not going to do that."

Clark frowned. "Now I'm really confused."

His mother turned and narrowed her eyes at him. "We're going to talk about the baby later, Clark. I know why you kept Chloe's secret, but this is my health and your sibling's health. That wasn't fair to either of us."

"Huh?"

"Mrs. Kent?" Chloe asked, pulling away from her. "I am sorry."

"I know the infection wasn't your fault," she replied. "Clark's happiest when he's with you. He's been a whole different person since you moved to town three years ago. If he trusts you and loves you, then that's enough for me. You're a part of this family."

"I…what?"

"I want to talk to your father. I want to try and help you with the ship with everything. I don't want Clark alone in this."

"Really, my dad's very capable."

"But I'm here now and I'm in on it," she declared, her chin cocked. "I might be out of my league, but I still don't think anyone, even if it is an alien…wait, sorry, is that a bad term?"

Clark grinned and finally took Chloe's hand. "She prefers Czechoslovakian. It's an inside joke."

His mother shook her head. "Not even a Czechoslovakian ship would want to mess with Martha Clark, litigator."

Chloe shook her head. "You don't want to deal with any of it. It's dangerous and you're pregnant."

"Clark's been dealing with it and, no offense, but you're both still children. I want to see Gabe right away. This has all been going on too long."

"Mom?" Clark asked, clutching Chloe's hand more tightly. "What about dad? Are we telling him?"

"We'll talk to Mr. Sullivan first and then we'll have to see. So, Chloe," his mom said, the smallest hint of a smile playing on her lips. "Take me to your leader."