THE LAST CHILDREN OF KRYPTON

SMALLVILLE : PART 1

BY PHOENIX FURY.

CHAPTER 25:

Whitney and Lana raced across an open field on horseback and eventually slowed down so they could talk.

"It's been a long time since we've done this." Lana said enjoying the sunshine and the wind through her hair as she rode.

"Yeah." Whitney agreed.

"I thought it'd be nice, you know? Something to keep your mind off of..." She trailed off. (Nice going Lana. It only takes your mind of it if someone doesn't bring it up.)

"It's okay. You can say it, I'm not gonna break. Sorry, I've just been kind of out of it lately."

"I'm here if you need to talk." Lana said grabbing his hand.

"Well, there was one thing I wanted to ask you. Would you be my date to the Spring Formal?" He asked.

Lana laughed, "Of course. You didn't have to ask."

"I guess I'm just not taking anything for granted anymore."

There was an explosion in the distance. Lana's horse reared as Whitney's shied away. They quickly tie the horses to a fence and go to see what happened. Cops drive up as a fire blazed out of a pipe sticking out of the ground and two cops get out of the car, one cop spoke into the radio, "This is Watts and Vertigo. We have a gas main fire just off of Route 12, mile marker 18."

Whitney and Lana ran up and Lana's noticed another pipe right next to them shaking.

Lana pointed, "Whitney, look."

Whitney started shouting to the men at the other pipe, "Hey!"

"Hey!" Lana waved her arms.

"Hey! Lana get out of here." Whitney said and started to go to the men.

"Wait, no!"

"Get out of here! Run!" He got to one of the men and yanked him round to see the pipe. "Look at the pipe."

Man's eyes widened, "Everybody! Clear on out!"

Whitney saw Lana still standing there, "Lana, get out of here! Go! Run!"

Everybody ran away and Lana ran in the opposite direction. The pipe exploded, lifting her up and throwing her to the ground. She was covered in dirt and several meteor fragments.

"Lana!" Whitney yelled ready to run to her but was yanked down behind the cop car.

There are several more blasts. Lana opened her eyes and saw two cops run over to her, looking down at her.

Then Whitney appeared calling her name. "Lana! Lana!"

Clark walked down the hospital hall and found Lana's room, where she was sleeping and Whitney sat next to her. "Hey, I just heard. Is she all right?"

"Yeah. They gave her something to help her rest." Whitney looked at her.

"How are you holding up?" Clark asked.

"I kind of hoped I'd seen my last hospital room in a while," Whitney said dryly.

Chloe entered putting a hand on Clark's arm.

"Hey, hey." Clark said noticing her arrival with a double take. He took her outside the room. "I thought you'd be halfway to Metropolis by now."

"Ah, it's just a summer internship. I can always reschedule." Chloe said easily.

Clark smiled, "You've been waiting for that interview at the Planet for weeks."

"I know. I just feel weird taking off right now."

"Lana's gonna be okay. It's just a mild concussion."

"Okay, call me on my cell if anything goes wrong at the Torch," She ordered.

"We can survive one day without you." Clark assured her.

"Are you gonna wish me luck?" Chloe asked with a smile.

"You don't need it." He rubbed her arm.

Chloe grinned, "All right. Bye."

"Bye." She walked back down the hall, Clark watched her till she rounded the corner out of sight. Clark went back into the room and asked Whitney, "Can I buy you a cup of coffee?"

"Yeah." Whitney nodded and then kissed Lana on the forehead and left the room.

As Chloe left the hospital and Lana's eyelids started to flicker and there were frownlines between her eyes. Lana's eyes opened and she saw Chloe going to her car. Her view closed in as Chloe was unlocking the door. Chloe looked up, afraid, as a gloved hand put a handkerchief over her nose and mouth. Lana sat up in the bed.

"Chloe!"

Jonathan was working beneath the sink while Jessica was looking through her bag at the island as Martha talked on the phone, "Okay, well, I'll let you know. Bye."

Clark came into the kitchen for breakfast, "Who was that? The plumber?"

"No, your school." The twins looked at her in surprise. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble. They're looking for chaperones for the Spring Formal."

"Oh. What'd you say?" Clark's asked his tone casual.

"I said neither of you had even mentioned it," Martha looked at them intently.

Jessica shrugged, "No one's asked me and there isn't anyone I want to ask. I'm finishing my dress this week though, hopefully."

Martha looked at Clark who shrugged, "I don't think the whole tux and limo thing is for me. Besides, it's customary to have a date to a dance."

"Which is why it's customary to ask someone," Martha said pointedly.

Jonathan stood up and looked over at his wife, "Martha, stay out of it. Son, can you see if you can get that trap out of there for me?"

"Uh, sure, Dad." Clark pulled the pipe out easily.

Martha looked meaningfully at Jonathan.

"Thank you," Jonathan said as his son handed him the trap, ignoring his wife.

"So, are you planning on asking Chloe or not?" Martha asked.

Jonathan chuckled, "She just can't help herself. Don't use the sink till I get back." He left the room.

"Well, you said you had feelings for her," Martha reminded him persistently.

"It's not about Chloe."

Martha looked at her daughter who rolled her eyes. They both knew who it was about. "You can't keep putting your life on hold because of Lana."

"But if she sees me with someone else, it's like saying the door's closed." Clark said ducking his head.

"The door is closed, Clark. You need to admit that to yourself." Martha said gently.

There was a knock at the screen door and they looked over to see Lex. "Hi, Lex. Come on in," Martha invited.

"Sorry to barge in. I came by to see you and Mr Kent," Lex explained.

"Oh, I'll go get him." She walked out.

The twins grabbed some fruit and their stuff. Lex looked at the twins, "You in a hurry?"

"Yeah. We're taking over at the Torch while Chloe's out of town. Catch up with you later."

They left waving to their parents as they came back in.

"Hi, Lex." Jonathan said

"Hey."

"What can I do for you?" He asked as he knelt down to put the trap back.

"The paperwork on the chemical spill finally came through."

Jonathan looked over at him in surprise, "Well, I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Since the dumping wasn't done by an actual LuthorCorp employee, it did require jumping through some corporate hoops. The, uh, accident was unfortunate. I know your loss can't be fixed entirely with money, but I hope this helps." Lex handed Jonathan an envelope.

Jonathan opened it, "Well, I appreciate the gesture, but," He looked at the check. "I hope we're not getting special treatment because of your friendship with the twins."

"I assure you, Mr Kent, that has nothing to do with this."

"This is very generous, Lex," Martha said.

"Actually, it isn't. It reflects the exact value of the herd and grazing land you lost. I wouldn't insult you by putting you in my debt. All I want is to leave the doubt between us in the past."

Martha smiled looking at her husband. Then Lex offered his hand and Jonathan shook it.

Clark struggled with the printer at the Torch as Lana entered.

"Hey. How you feeling?" Clark asked.

"Better. Now it only hurts when I walk, sit, or breathe."

Clark smiled, "I'm surprised to see you. Usually a hospital visit comes with a 'get out of jail free' card."

Lana looked around, seemingly a little jumpy, "Actually, I was looking for Chloe."

"She's not here. She's in Metropolis until tonight." Clark said.

"You covering?" Lana guessed.

"Well, if you could call it that. The printer's jammed, the scanner's broken, and the Spring Formal event schedule is late. Chloe leaves for a day and the Torch goes down in flames."

"It's safe to say we won't lose you to the entrancing world of journalism. So, have you talked to Chloe?" She asked casually.

He shook his head and leaned back in his chair, "I left a message on her cell phone. I think she's busy convincing the Planet they were insane ever to publish without her. What's up?"

"I had this intense dream about Chloe I just can't shake. It was totally surreal, but I dreamed that she was attacked outside of the hospital. I know, sounds crazy."

Clark stood up, "But, it's got you freaked."

"It's just it felt like I was right there. She was walking to her car and she was getting her keys out of that red bag with the butterflies on it." Clark frowned. "What is it?"

"She... she was carrying that red bag when she left the hospital. Do you want me to call her dad to see if she's all right?"

She hesitated and then shook her head, "You know, I'm sure it's just the concussion. I don't want to scare him just because I spent the night on pain killers."

"Yeah, it was probably just a nightmare."

"Um, I'll see you later." She walked away.

The school bell rang and Jessica walked out of a classroom smiling. She was supposed to be helping Clark with the Torch, but he'd said he could handle it so she'd used her free session to finish her prom dress instead.

She wasn't exactly a girly girl or fashion follower but nice dresses were expensive and making her own was cheaper, and it meant she could make exactly what she wanted. And she enjoyed designing and making things.

She'd thought about wearing the dress she'd made for homecoming but she'd chosen to do a dress for her textile project anyway. She'd gone for a deep blue-purple indigo colour and had cheated slightly by buying a padded bra and building the dress over the top of it so it was built-in.

She didn't have any shoes yet but had used the remaining fabric to make a shawl and small purse. She just had to figure out how to wear her hair but her mother had said she'd help with that and do her make-up for her.

"Hey Jessica!"

She turned and saw Lance Jackson jog up to her side. He had blonde-brown hair with honey brown eyes and a gold skin tone, built out of lean muscle a few inches shorter than her brother. She knew Lance fairly well, his father was the local vet and Lance wanted to follow in his footsteps. He was a nice guy, smart, in the middle popularity wise and they were friends though not like she was with Chloe and Pete.

"Hey."

"Do you have a date to the prom?"

She shook her head.

"Neither do I. So I was wondering if you would you go to the prom with me? We're friends; I think we'd have a good time."

She blinked in surprise and flattered.

Going to the Prom with a friend sounded like a great idea.

She didn't really want a date-date. There wasn't anyone she was interested in, and Clark's love drama put her off completely on the idea of dating. She thought with her powers it was too risky anyway, and to lie and cover up all the time just sounded exhausting.

She smiled, "Yeah, I think we'd have a good time."

"So that's a yes?"

"That's a yes."

He grinned, "Ok, I'll get back to you on details."

"Ok, oh and Lance, the dress I'm planning to wear is an indigo colour, white flowers work with it."

He grinned, "Gotcha."

She turned and left smiling, heading to the Torch.

She walked in to see Clark frowning at the computer screen.

"Are you ok?"

"The printer's jammed, the scanner's broken, and the Spring Formal event schedule is late," He listed.

"Ok, let me have a look." She was better with technology then Clark so she quickly unjammed the printer and fixed the scanner.

"Did you finish your dress?"

"Yeah and I got date to the Prom. Lance asked me."

Clark looked at her in surprise.

"We're going as friends."

"Is that good?" Clark asked a little unsure if that was a good or bad thing.

"Yes. I'm not interested in anyone and dad would properly flip if I did date anyone."

Clark chuckled. Despite their abilities their parents were very protective of them. Their mother was interested in their personal life, encouraging them to date and makes friends while their father was not as encouraging, afraid that they might reveal their abilities. And Jessica was Jonathan's little girl and would prefer that men didn't go within a yard of her.

"So I have a date to the dance, are you going to stay at home and wonder what if or do something?" Jessica asked looking at him.

"I don't know." He said quietly. "She's my best friend, I don't want to lose that."

"Who says you have to? You're not asking her to marry you or become your girlfriend. You're asking her to go as your date to one dance." She pointed out and then said, "You can't put your life on hold for a dream girl who might never be available to you. It's not fair to you or anyone else. And you might be missing out on something a lot more real and that might be better for you."

Clark looked thoughtful as he considered his sister's words.

Lex was in his study looking over some LuthorCorp papers spread over his pool table when Roger Nixon came in.

"Lex?"

"Since I didn't call you, and I haven't heard of any three-headed sheep born in Smallville recently, what brings the Inquisitor to town, Roger?" Lex said as he made little notes on the large pieces of papers.

"We need to talk."

"Oh, I seriously doubt that."

Roger dropped a newspaper on the pool table, "It seems you're giving out gifts to the competition. Now we had an arrangement. You give me stories, I give you information. Now, what did Karen Castle do for you that I couldn't?"

Lex smirked, "She gave me a pretty mean shiatsu massage."

"Well, mock all you want, Lex. It just means I've had to take the initiative, develop my own leads. There's a story here in Smallville and I am going to make my name on it."

Lex poured himself a glass of orange juice while Nixon was talking and then turned to face him, "I thought my position was clear. I don't want you going anywhere near the Kents. They're more than off-limits, they're under my protection."

"And what about the meteors? Are they under your protection too?" He asked.

"You have something?"

"I found a man who had a very interesting view of the meteor shower. Claims he saw something falling out of the sky."

Lex scoffed, "We all did."

"Yeah, well not like this." Roger tossed a file onto the pool table.

Lex picked up the file. "If you're feeling so abused, why are you bringing this to me?"

"Getting the full story takes money and access, and unlike some, I always hold up my end of the deal. Get ready to thank me." Roger said on his way out.

Clark tried to start the tractor outside the farm but it didn't start after several tries and he hit the side in frustration, denting it. Jonathan walked up.

"Hey, hey, Clark. Take it easy, would ya? This thing's been in our family a long time."

"The stupid thing won't start!" Clark said in frustration.

"Clark, what's going on, son?" Jonathan asked able to tell something was wrong.

"I'm worried."

"I'm sure that Chloe's gonna call any minute and you'll realize you've been worrying about nothing." Jonathan said reassuringly.

"Yeah." He sighed and got down from the tractor, "I'm glad we'll finally be able to get rid of this. You know, we spend more time fixing it than we doing riding it."

"Well, I'm not sure that I'm quite ready to retire the old girl yet."

Clark grinned, "With Lex's check, we can get a new one."

"Actually, I haven't decided to deposit that check."

His son gave him a look, "Dad, Lex is just trying to do the right thing."

Jonathan sighed and they started walking, "I know he is, Clark. I know he didn't try to buy me off, he's just trying to repay me for damages that he thinks he caused. You're right, I got no real reason to doubt him. It's just something in my gut tells me I should."

"Lex isn't perfect, Dad. I know that. But slamming the door in his face over and over only helps turn him into exactly what you think he already is."

Jonathan looked at his son thoughtfully. Clark had a point and he'd had a conversation before with Jessica about Lex, as well as many lectures from his wife. "When did you get to be so wise?"

He grinned, "Ask my dad."

"I'll sleep on it."

The Kent twins walked into the Talon when Pete came up to them, "Hey."

"Hey."

"Have you talked to Chloe yet?" Clark asked.

Pete shook his head, "No, but the Planet better not have turned her down if they know what's good for them."

"I just thought she would have called by now to get an update on the Torch." Clark said trying to ignore the feeling in his gut that he'd had ever since Lana had told him about her dream.

"Ah, she probably already got the internship and is out celebrating. So, did I mention I'm taking Erica Fox to the Spring Formal?" Pete asked excitedly.

Clark and Jessica looked at each other with a smile. "Several times, yes."

"The hottest girl in our class. Just wanted to make sure that was clear." Pete said.

Clark nodded, "It is."

Pete was practically bouncing. "So do you want to know my secret? You do, don't you? I asked her. You ought to try it, Clark. Getting up off your butt is the wave of the future. I gotta go reserve my limo for the Spring Formal, to which incidentally, I'm taking Erica Fox."

"I hadn't heard."

Jessica watched Pete go and then looked at her brother. "He has a point you know."

Before Clark could retort Lana walked up with a tray in her arm. "Any word on our interrupted reporter?"

"I called her dad. He was stuck in a seminar. I'm sure she'll be okay."

"Yeah, me too."

Jessica shook her head, it was so obvious that the two of them were worried. Chloe was probably on cloud nine and hadn't come back to earth or she was sulking because they hadn't taken her on.

Clark saw a sign saying 'Spring Formal Tickets Now On Sale.' "Oh, you can buy tickets to the Spring Formal here. That's a cool idea."

"You asked anyone yet?" Lana asked.

"I've got my eye on someone." Clark said bashfully.

"Well, you better hurry up. No one likes to look for a dress last minute. Not even Chloe."

"What makes you think I'm asking Chloe?"

Lana laughed and walked away with a tray of cups. She suddenly gasped and started to have a vision. She saw a room with teddy bears hanging from the ceiling and Chloe tied up and blindfolded on the floor. Her view went past Chloe and to a door, where a hand reached out and locked it. Next to the door was a mirror, in which she saw someone in a strange mask. He punched the mirror, breaking it, and Lana dropped her tray.

"Lana?" Clark jumped up and went to her side.

Lana was panting, panicked. "It happened again!"

"You saw something?" Jessica asked, joining them.

"I saw Chloe. Somebody's got her. You have to believe me." She begged desperately.

Chloe was blindfolded and her hands were taped behind her back, she was rubbing the tape against a metal rail trying to break them so she could escape.

(Come on, Chloe. Come on. You've been through worse than this. Come on, Chloe.) She told herself trying to keep calm; she could hear some type of machinery in the background, like a room away. (Ok maybe you're lying.)

The tape broke and she tore off her blindfold. She tore the tape off of her ankles and stood up, looking around. She walked through the hanging teddy bears in the door and the man in the mask grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. He held up a syringe with green liquid dripping from the needle and jammed it into her shoulder. He opened the door as she became drowsy and she vaguely saw a metal box before she fell unconscious.

He spoke through a voice changer, "Home sweet home."

Chloe's father entered the Talon with the two cops that Lana recognized from the explosion, leading them over to Clark and Lana. "Hey, guys. I, uh, I called the sheriff's office because I wanted them to hear this too."

"Any luck reaching Chloe, Mr Sullivan?" Clark asked.

Mr Sullivan shook his head, "No, I haven't heard from her all day. I'm starting to get concerned. I tried calling her but it went to voicemail."

Watts looked at Lana, "You said you had some proof that Chloe might have been abducted?"

"Well, I sort of had a vision."

"A vision?" Vertigo repeated sceptically.

"She saw Chloe being kidnapped." Clark said.

Vertigo shut his notebook rudely, "Maybe you should have called the Psychic Friends Network instead, then."

"What makes you think it was real?" Watts said less aggressively then his partner.

"I saw Chloe bound and blindfolded in a dark room." Lana said quietly.

"Oh, wow. It's too bad you didn't see something a little more useful like an address where we might find her." Vertigo said sarcastically.

Mr Sullivan's cell phone rang. "Uh, excuse me." He stepped away to answer it.

"Miss Lang, you went through a pretty rough ordeal yesterday. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Watts asked her gently.

"You mean do I think I'm hallucinating? It felt like I was right there, like I was seeing through the kidnapper's eyes." Lana said firmly, upset by the attitude she was getting.

"I promise, we'll take this seriously, and look into it." Watts said while his partner rolled his eyes.

"Thanks." Mr Sullivan said and hung up looking dazed.

"Mr Sullivan? What is it?" Clark asked.

He looked at them, "They found Chloe's car. It's been abandoned in the woods."

Lex and Roger pulled up in front of an old house, though Lex didn't think it was an accurate description. Shack would be better. The land around it was littered with junk and an old crop duster plane.

They got out of the car.

"So far I'm unimpressed." Lex said.

"Reserve judgment for five minutes."

Lex looked at his watch, "Starting now."

A man came out of the house and came towards him.

Roger introduced "Mr Cole, this is Lex Luthor."

"I know who he is."

"He's very interested in your story." He turned to Lex, "Twelve years ago, Eddie Cole had more clients than he could handle. He spent eight hours a day dusting fields all over Smallville."

"And then?" Lex asked.

"FAA pulled my license." Mr Cole answered.

"And why would they do that?" Lex asked glancing at Nixon.

"They decided I wasn't fit in the head to fly anymore. 'Cause I couldn't keep my dumb mouth shut."

Lex turned to the plane, "What were your rates for crop dusting, Mr Cole?"

"600 a day."

Lex pulled out a stack of hundred dollar bills and counted out six, handing them to Mr Cole. "I'd very much like to hear your story."

Mr Cole gratefully took the money, "I was up in my prop dusting the Baker's field, 50 acres of sweet corn, when it happened."

"The meteors?" Lex guessed.

"It was like lightning all around. Pretty sure I was gonna die right there. Then one… just missed my tail by about ten feet. I saw it go straight down and then swerve just before it hit."

Lex looked at Roger and then said, "Doesn't sound like a meteor."

Mr Cole shook his head, "I know aircrafts better than most. The way that thing moved, it had to be a ship."

"You saw a ship crash?" Lex asked to clarify.

"It's not just that I saw a ship crash. A couple hours later, I went and looked for it. It was gone."

"Maybe it burned." Lex suggested.

"Or maybe it was taken. Nobody believes me. I gave Mr Nixon a map of the crash site."

"I've seen it."

"So you believe me?"

After a pause Lex said, "It's a good story. Thanks for your time, Mr Cole."

Lex walked back to the car and Roger followed.

"Hey, I thought you'd be pleased. I just booked you the story you've been waiting for."

"You brought me a desperate man and a tall tale. It's about what I expected form you." Lex checked his watch, "Sorry, Rog. Time's up." He got back in the car.

Late at night Clark was sitting on the large chest in the barn loft in front of his telescope when Lana came in.

"Any word on Chloe?" Lana asked.

Clark looked up and then away, "Uh, my dad, Jess and I went out with Mr Sullivan and the police. We searched the woods but we didn't find anything. They've organized a search party first thing tomorrow morning." He stood up, "How are you doing?"

Lana shrugged, "Spent the afternoon at the sheriff's station telling them what I saw. They kept looking at me like I was crazy." She took a seat.

"I don't think you're... crazy."

Lana smiled, "How are you holding up?"

He rubbed his hands together, "I keep wishing Chloe would just walk up those steps. I never appreciated how much she meant to me until now. The thought of never seeing her again-"

She put a hand on his arm, "Clark. You can't think that way."

He smiled, "You know, I remember the first time I met her. It was sixth grade. She'd just transferred from Metropolis and I was assigned to show her around. The first thing she wanted to know was where she could buy a copy of the Planet so she could keep in touch with civilization." Lana chuckled, that sounded like Chloe who had never stopped being a city girl. "When she found out I lived on a farm, she insisted I invite her over to experience it first-hand. I think she thought I was Amish. When I brought her up here, she just kissed me, right out of the blue."

"Why'd she do that?" Lana asked.

"She said 'I know you've been thinking about that all day, so I figured we'd get it out of the way and be friends.'" Clark smiled fondly. "That was my first kiss."

Lana smiled. "It's nice it was with someone you still care about. We're gonna see her again, Clark." Lana got up to leave and gasped as she started to have another vision. She saw a windmill and a hole in the ground. She saw Chloe in a coffin being put into the hole and being buried.

Clark went to her side, "Lana?

"I just saw her again!" Lana panted upset by what she'd seen.

"Chloe? Where?"

"Buried. She's still alive." Lana said quickly.

"Did you see where she was?"

Lana shook her head, "I'm not sure, but there was a windmill, a big one."

"She must be on Chandler's field. I'll get help." Clark ran out.

Chloe was in the coffin, a green glowstick by her head, and she started to fade out of consciousness as started to run out of air.

Clark super speeded into the field. He looked around and then looked up at the mill. He super speeded up the ladder to look around. He looked through the ground with x-ray vision and saw Chloe in the coffin. He super speeded to her, punched through the ground, and pulled the coffin up and ripped off the lid.

"Chloe? Chloe!" He shouted desperately, fear clear in his voice. (Please be alright.)

She took a breath and her eyelashes fluttered.

Clark breathed a sigh of relief as she opened her eyes, "Chloe, it's okay. Everything's okay."

Chloe started crying, "Clark, Clark. I knew it was you. It's always you."

They hugged as someone watched them from the bushes.

Chloe was on the phone in her hospital room, "Thanks, I appreciate that." She saw Clark and Lana came in, "Oh, I gotta go. Some real people just came in. Okay, bye." She hung up. "Hi."

Lana smiled, "Hi."

"Who was that?" Clark asked nodding at the phone.

She grinned, "The Daily Planet."

"I thought you missed your appointment for the internship." Lana said.

Chloe smiled, "I did. They were calling about an interview."

"Are you gonna do it?" Clark asked.

Chloe shook her head, "Ah, I've always wanted my name in the Daily Planet, but not like this. Besides, I figure that the Torch could use an exclusive, which I will write as soon as I get out of here." She waved at the bed and the IV line.

Clark went and took a seat on her bed and asked, "Chloe, do you remember anything?"

"I remember… tripping on some metal rails and I remember hundreds of teddy bears hanging from the ceiling." Her voice faltered, "Anyway, that's where I was kept until I..." She started to cry. "I'm sorry, you guys. Flashback. I can still hear the dirt falling on the coffin. Sorry. If you hadn't found me, I don't know where I'd be."

"Don't thank me. Thank Lana." Clark said looking at their friend who had stood silently.

Chloe smiled, "Yeah, you know, I got to hand it to you, you sure picked a perfect time to take a walk on the weird side."

Lana grinned.

"You should get some rest," Clark said.

She nodded and Clark went to stand and leave but she grabbed his hand. "Clark, um, would you mind sticking around for a little while? Whoever did this is still out there."

Clark patted her hand, sitting back down, "Of course not. I'll stay here as long as you need me to." He'd come so close to losing her forever that he was glad he had an excuse to stay with her.

Chloe nodded, "Thanks."

Lana looked at their hands uncomfortably and then said, "Okay, well, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Chloe waved, "Bye, Lana."

Clark nodded, "Okay."

"Bye." Lana left the room. She looked back in through the window and saw Clark touch Chloe's face, tucking her behind her ear. Chloe was looking at Clark like he hung the moon and stars and he was touching her as if she was made of glass. She shook her head, reminding herself that she'd missed her chance and she had Whitney. She continued to walk away and she had a vision of herself from the back. She turned around and no one was there.

Clark walked up to where his father and Jessica were putting bales of hay onto the truck.

"Hey. Glad you could join us. How late were you at the hospital?" Jonathan asked.

"All night. I snuck in after visiting hours."

"I'm sure Chloe appreciated that," Jessica said, grinning at her brother.

Clark blushed bashfully, "I'm just worried that the person who did this to her is still out there."

"Clark, you got her back safe and sound. That's what's important." Jonathan reminded him, as he hefted a bale down while the twins easily picked up a bale in each hand.

"Not without Lana, I wouldn't have."

"Hey, she hasn't had any more visions, has she?" Jonathan asked.

"No," Clark said.

"I think they're connected to the gas pipe explosion. That's when they started." Jessica said, she'd been sceptical at first but Lana wasn't one to make up stories and she'd seen her reaction at the Talon and there was the vision that had led Clark right to Chloe.

Clark considered her theory and nodded, "We can check that out."

Jonathan shook his head, "No, let the police do it. It's their job."

"I just wish I knew whose eyes she was seeing through," Clark said thoughtfully.

"What you need to focus on right now is getting this hay put away."

"So you've had a night to sleep on it. What are you gonna do with Lex's check?" Clark asked as he leaned against the truck. Jessica looked expectedly at their father too.

"I might be stubborn, but I'm not blind." He said and the twins grinned. "Yeah, I had a talk with your mom. She's cashing it as we speak."

Someone watched them through binoculars as they worked.

A field was full of workers digging and investigating while Lex was speaking to one of the workers and signed a paper on a clipboard.

Moments later Dr. Harris walked up to Lex with a plastic bag.

"Lex, you've got to see this." Lex looked at it. "You understand what this could mean."

"More than you know. I want you to handle all the tests personally, then report directly to me."

He looked at the field pensively. He'd been going to dismiss the man's story of a ship but it nagged at him, the meteor rocks and their strange properties. And now he'd found something but what?

It was late when Whitney entered the Talon and watched Lana cleaning up. He thought she was the most beautiful girl he knew.

"Hey."

Lana looked over and smiled, "Hey."

"How you feeling?" He asked as she walked over to him.

"Better. At least the nightmares seemed to have stopped. I'm glad you came by."

"I got caught up at the store, went home early, started going through some of my dad's things."

"You sure you're ready for that?" Lana asked concerned, her parents had been dead for years and looking at their things was painful for her.

He smiled, "It's okay. It actually brought back some nice memories. And I found this." Whitney put a small box on the table and opened it, revealing three army medals.

Lana tucked her hair behind her ears and stared at the metals surprised. "These were your father's?"

"Yeah. I knew he served in Vietnam, but he never talked about it."

"Do you know what they're for?" She asked running her fingers over them.

Whitney nodded, "Yeah. They keep a registry on the internet. The Silver Star is for exceptional valour. He rescued three men in his unit during the fire fight. He was wounded, but he wouldn't leave his men behind."

Lana smiled and nodded, "Sounds like your dad. I wonder why he never told you."

"Maybe he just did. You know, you win a couple football games and people start calling you a hero and it feels good, but …" Whitney said thoughtfully, "maybe he's just trying to tell me that throwing a ball isn't the only way to do something important with your life."

Clark and Jessica were in the Torch when Chloe came in.

"Hey."

"Chloe, why aren't you at home sleeping?" Clark scolded her.

"If I fall asleep, I'll have nightmares, so I figure the best thing to do is keep busy. God knows you left enough of a mess for me to clean up."

"Well, I'm glad you're here," Clark said making her smile.

Whitney came in.

Chloe looked at him surprise; she didn't know the jock even knew where the Torch was. "Whitney. You sure you're in the right place?"

"Clark called, said he needed my help."

Clark gestured at Jessica, "We think we've figured out how Lana got her visions. It was the explosion."

Chloe looked confused, "You think the blast somehow caused them?"

"It was more than that. It connected her with someone at the accident." Jessica said from where she sat at a computer.

"Leaping tall theories in a single bound. How did you arrive at this one?" Chloe asked crossing her arms.

"Well, apparently there were meteor rocks at the explosion, and I found this article." Jessica handed Chloe a paper.

Whitney stepped behind her to read over her shoulder. Chloe read out the title, "The De Kretser Syndrome?" She passed Whitney his own page.

"It's kind of like a post-traumatic stress disorder. There were several cases reported during the London Blitz." Jessica said.

Chloe read out, "'Some people who were huddled in shelters would find themselves psychically linked after a bomb hit nearby.' Okay, I'm sold."

Whitney looked down at the page he had, "According to this, it's in times of stress, anger, or excitement that triggers the visions."

Clark nodded and asked Whitney, "Who was around Lana after the explosion?"

"Myself and two deputies, Watts and Vertigo."

Clark looked at Chloe, "They were with your dad when we told him about Lana's vision."

Chloe nodded, "He probably called them himself. They're in a bowling league together."

"Whitney, which one got to her first?" Clark asked looking at Whitney.

He shook his head trying to remember, "It's tough to say. It all happened so fast. You think one of those cops kidnapped Chloe?"

"Who would suspect a cop? We have to warn Lana. If one of those guy's is the kidnapper, he knows that Lana's seeing through his eyes." Clark said.

"Great. I'll drive." Whitney said.

Chloe stopped him, "Um, that's okay. We'll take my car." The twins nodded in agreement and followed Chloe.

"Hey, I'm not that bad," Whitney said following after them.

Lana came down from the upper level of the Talon when Deputy Vertigo came in.

"Miss Lang. I know it's late, but I just wanted to ask you a few more questions."

"I'm surprised you found the time." She said sarcastically.

"I know I deserved that." Vertigo looked regretful.

Lana shrugged, "Do you want a cup of coffee?"

"Sure."

"'Kay."

Lana went toward the bar and but gasped as another vision came of someone entering the Talon. Her view comes up behind Vertigo, and a hand punched him in the face, knocking him out. She saw herself from behind as the man in the mask walked up behind her. She turned around.

"Aaaah!"

Clark, Jessica, Whitney, and Chloe arrived in the Talon to find Vertigo coming round. They helped him into a chair.

"Where's Lana?" Whitney asked worriedly.

Vertigo rubbed his cheek, "I don't know, she was here. The guy must have grabbed her."

"I'm gonna check the back," Whitney ran past Clark.

"Deputy, where's your partner tonight?" Clark asked, if it wasn't Vertigo then it had to be his partner.

Vertigo looked surprised, "Gary? Uh, he's working a second job at the carnival grounds. He's a security guard."

Clark looked at Chloe, "You said you saw stuffed animals and train tracks."

Chloe nodded, "The carnival's closed this time of year. It's a perfect place to hide someone."

"Call the Sheriff." The twins said and quickly left the Talon.

Lana was tied up in the room with the teddy bears, her hands and feet were bound. "Hello? Hello? Help! Somebody, please help me!"

"No one can hear you. How did you see through my eyes?"

Lana turned to see a man dressed in black across the room, "I don't know." He came toward her and she recognized him, "Deputy Watts, why are you doing this?"

"I never wanted to hurt Chloe. I didn't even want money. I wanted to rescue her." Watts explained urgently.

"You kidnapped Chloe so you could take credit for finding her?" Lana asked in disbelief.

"I could have been a good cop! The best cop this town's ever seen! This case would've made my career!" He yelled at her making her cry in fear.

He turned away, "But it doesn't matter now. I can still be the hero."

"What are you going to do?" Lana asked.

"Solve your murder." Watts took his gun out of the holster.

She held out her bound hands, crying, "No. Please, please don't do this."

Watts cocked the gun.

Clark and Jessica super speed into the carnival grounds. They looked around with x-ray vision and saw Watts pointing a gun at Lana.

"Lana." Clark whispered and superspeeded into the room, Jessica a step behind him, as Watts squeezed the trigger.

Lana had turned away, throwing herself flat against the ground.

The bullet came out in slow motion as the world around the twins slowed down them, Clark reached out, stopping the bullet with his hand. It bounced up to a mirror above Lana, shattering it, and the twins jumped onto her to shield her from the glass.

They glanced behind them to see Watts had run away.

"Lana, you all right?" Clark asked as her sat up while Jessica was taking of the tape that bound her feet and Clark took care of her wrists.

"Clark," Lana looked around, "it's Watts. Deputy Watts."

"Stay here." Clark told Lana and exchanged a look with Jessica and they both headed off to find the deputy.

Watts was running through the carnival grounds, he could hear police sirens, and ducked behind a crate.

"It's over, Watts."

He turned to find the twins behind him.

Watts shot them several times in the chest, having no effect.

Watts stared, "What the hell are you?"

Clark picked him up and threw him at the ticket booth as cop cars drove up. The twins super speeded away. Lana, still in the room, saw the cop cars through Watts' eyes. The cops get out and pointed their guns at him. The twins went back to where Lana was.

"Lana." Clark whispered as they came through the door and saw her expression, and they ran to her side.

The Cop yelled to Watts, "Freeze! Drop the gun!"

"Aaaah!" Watts raised the gun to fire and the cop fired at him. Lana saw the bullet coming straight at her view, and when it hit, everything went black.

A while later Jessica and Clark, with his arm around Lana came outside to meet up with the cops and someone watched them through binoculars.

It was Roger Nixon.

The next morning breakfast at the Kent table was interrupted as Jonathan swore loudly as he was reading the Ledger.

"Jonathan?"

He started reading out, "'Reportedly Lex Luthor is considering buying the Miller's Field for a pilot agricultural project, but he wanted to test the soil first. Standard operating procedure. Which meant men with metal detectors and Hasmet suits went over every inch of the field.

When asked Lex Luthor said, 'To be honest, we learned there may have been a major meteor strike on the site. Of course, there's no proof the meteors are actually harmful, but you're well aware, LuthorCorp's environmental record's taken some serious hits in recent weeks. Better safe than sorry.'"

"What? People test the land all the time." Clark asked confused as to why their parents looked worried.

"I know that, Clark. But this field is where your ship crashed down. If Lex's scientists find anything out here, they could trace it right back to you."

"Only if we're stupid and get Lex suspicious. If we show an interest or get angry with what he's doing he's going to ask himself why." Jessica said pointedly looked at Clark and her father. They were the impulsive Kents. "It's been years, as long as we're careful it doesn't matter what they find they won't be able to trace it to us."

Martha agreed with her daughter, "Jessica's right."

Chloe walked slowly into the Kent's barn and saw Clark throwing hay into the stables.

His white shirt tight enough to show off his muscled abs, his arms flexing with each heave of his arms, wide broad shoulders tapered down to a narrow waist and the worn jeans showed off his tight ass and long legs. She always forgot how muscled he was from doing farmwork. Mostly because she was often distracted by his handsome face; he had high cheekbones, a strong square chiselled jaw and full lips with perfect straight white teeth that looked like they should be in a toothpaste ad. His thick shiny jet-black hair was ruffled almost curling a little around his face… but it was the eyes that kept drawing you in. Such a vivid penetrating blue, she'd never seen another pair like it, even Jessica's eyes despite being his twin didn't have his eyes.

"Your mom told me you'd be out here."

Clark looked over and grinned, "Hey. I haven't seen that smile all week. What's up?"

"Well, I've got good news. The Daily Planet called and I got an internship." Chloe said giddily.

"That's great!" He hugged her tightly, "You didn't even have to interview."

"I know. Well, they read my article in the Ledger on the kidnapping cop and I guess my work spoke for itself."

He grinned, "Congratulations."

"Thank you."

Clark smile faded a little as he realized what the internship meant. "So, I guess that means you'll spend the summer in Metropolis."

"Yeah. Will you come visit me?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah, of course." He assured her quickly. "I would never pass up an opportunity to see you in your natural habitat."

They both paused and there was an awkward silence.

Then Chloe said, "Well, I-I just wanted you to be the first to know, so um, I'll see ya. Bye." She turned to go.

Clark jumped forward, "Uh, Chloe."

She turned back looking at him expectantly.

Clark managed to stumble over the words to ask, "Um, uh, do you have plans for the Spring Formal?"

"Not at the moment." Chloe smiled, looking hopeful at him.

"I was hoping, uh," He swallowed nervously, "I was hoping you'd go with me... As my date."

Chloe's took a deep breath calming herself, while inside she was jumping up and down, and said, "I would love to, Clark." The smile she gave him was absolutely radiant. "Now I'm gonna go before my good karma runs out."

He called her back, "Chloe. I'm sorry I didn't ask sooner."

Chloe smiled, "It's okay. It was worth the wait." She left with a bounce to her step.

Clark nodded, grinning happily to himself.

Clark and Jessica were in the loft late at night when Lex came up the steps.

Clark greeted him, "Hey, Lex. What are you doing here?"

"Came for a visit."

"Sorry we couldn't speak to you when you came by it's been a little hectic the last few days." Jessica said.

"I heard about Chloe and Lana, they ok?"

"Getting there," Clark said.

"We read that you're considering buying Miller's Field." Jessica said casually. "Everyone's been talking about the hazmats and stuff. A little over the top don't you think?"

"With the meteor rocks I don't think you can too careful." Lex shrugged, and the twins glanced at each other warily. "You don't believe me."

"We know you get obsessed about things. Like the car accident. I find it hard to believe you'd waste your time supervising a routine land survey if that's what it was." Jessica said.

"My life changed when the meteors hit and I need to know why." Lex insisted.

"You can't let it go?" Clark asked.

"This isn't some empty emotional quest, Clark, it's about finding the truth."

"The truth?" Clark repeated.

"I found a man. He said something besides the meteors came down that day."

"Like what?" Jessica asked.

"A ship." He said seriously.

"And you believe him?" Jessica said, trying to sound disbelieving of the idea.

"I listened. Chances are he's just another crackpot, but I'd be remiss if I didn't check it out."

"And when the next story comes up, you'll be sure to check that one out too." Clark joked, trying to deflect Lex.

"Clark..."

"When are you going to be able to put your past behind you?" He asked.

Lex turned to look out the barn door and up at the midnight sky. "Take a look at the stars, Clark. Some of them have been extinguished for thousands of years, but their light is only reaching us now. The past is always influencing the present. I can't change that. All I can do is try to understand it."

"If you're looking behind then you're missing where you're walking and where you're heading to." Jessica said quietly.

Lex looked back at her thoughtfully recognizing that she had a point but was determined to continue investigating.

Lex was in his study when Dr. Harris came in, knocking on the door as he passed, "Lex. Where's that crop duster of yours? I wanted to talk to him."

"He seems to have disappeared."

"Maybe your visit scared him." Dr. Harris suggested.

"Something or someone did. What do you have for me?" He asked.

Dr. Harris held up the bag with the metal disc in it and took a seat in front of Lex, "The preliminary results of the fragment we recovered."

"So, what is it?"

Dr. Harris opened the bag and pulled out a small octagonal piece of metal. "Well, all I can tell you is what it is not."

"I don't like riddles, Doctor."

"Then this object will make you profoundly unhappy. To be honest, Lex," He put it on the desk, "there is nothing like this alloy on this earth."

Lex leaned forward and looked at the metal thoughtfully.

In the Kent storm cellar there was an indentation on the side of the space ship that was the very same octagonal shape.

END OF CHAPTER 25

The only reason I wrote this episode was because you find the key.

I think Lex would be a bit suspicious when Jonathan gives back the check because he's digging in someone's else's field with permission. All Jonathan is doing is drawing more attention which is risky isn't it? So I made him cash it before he found out what Lex was doing and changed how he found out. Plus there's the fact that trucks and equipment have a habit of getting broken around the twins and yet it was always replaced in the next episode. I want to build up Lex's suspicions a little slower.

Any ideas as to how Nixon shadows the twins despite their using superspeed to see them get shot? I followed the episode because I couldn't figure out another way of writing it and it was holding me up to posting the chapter.

Can I just ask, would you stand there like a complete idiot while there's a shaking gas pipe right next to you while telling others to run, watching them start running?

And isn't is strange she can't remember the windmill she only climbed up a few episodes ago.

Quick reminder - Dr Hamilton was changed to Dr Harris.

Jessica has a date to the prom but it's not a date-date, it's a friend's thing. I wasn't quite happy with the way it came out but she needed a date to the prom but not a potential love interest. If you have any ideas pass 'em along.

Chloe's been in Smallville for five or six years, 8th grade would have made her thirteen and she's supposed to be fifteen now, math doesn't add up so I changed it so they met when they were 11yrs.

PHOENIX FURY.