Chapter 29

Clark sits in the infirmary with his parents and sister as Beast returns with the test results. Luckily Mystique was no longer around, having been allowed to return to her quarters on strict instruction to take it easy so they hadn't had to think of a way round her and keeping who he really is secret from her.

No, they didn't trust her. Do they look that stupid?

"Let me guess," Clark says in grim tones that match Beast's currently grim expression. "I'm mortal, right?"

Hank opens and shuts his mouth several times before he confirms what Clark came down to see him about first thing this morning. "I'm afraid so. In fact it seems Jor-El has somehow completely masked your alien nature. I had to do a deep genetic scan to find any evidence of it. A customary assessment of you by anyone else would have registered you as completely human. I'm baffled as to how he did this," Hank admits that he's clueless as to how you could hide Clark's alien nature in this fashion. His blood looks human at first glance. Even comes up as the most common blood type 'O'. His alien genetics are hidden under what appears to be the typical double helix structure of a human. Again Hank has no idea how you do that.

Clark sighs and his shoulders slump.

Martha steps forward and rubs his shoulder in motherly concern.

"Why did he do this?" Jonathan asks, utterly baffled and angry at the way Jor-El constantly interferes in Clark's life like this.

"He said it was a trial...and that was about it," Clark replies.

"What a fucking tool," Claire swears her curse.

"Preaching to the choir sister," Clark tries to joke, only it comes off a little flat.

"Are you ok, honey?" his mother asks in worry.

"I'm fine," he assures her...or tries to but Martha can hear it in his voice that he's not fine. Without his powers he's missing part of who he is.

"There is little more I can do for you, Clark," Hank says regretfully. This is truly well beyond him. It's certainly well beyond all human science. "It is solely up to Jor-El to undo this," he gives the only diagnosis he has at the moment.

"Thanks Mr McCoy," Clark says, appreciative of all Beast can do, however little that seems.

Jonathan and Martha thank him too and the Kents depart.

"So what now?" Claire asks.

"I try and figure out what the hell it is I'm suppose to do to pass this trial," Clark answers. "Jor-El, presumably, won't restore my powers until I do."

"But where do you even start, son?" Jonathan asks. "He told you next to nothing about what it entails."

"Only that I have to solve something without the use of my powers," Clark reiterates the only clue Jor-El gave him...or what Clark believes Jor-El meant.

"Like what?" Claire inquires.

"I don't know," Clark says with a pathetic sounding sigh. "However, there must be something happening or about to which is why Jor-El chose to do this now. I can only think that as the only thing that makes sense."

"But how do you narrow it down?" Martha asks.

"Well I am a reporter in training, mom. I do research, press my sources, you know that sort of thing."

Honestly some days Martha almost forgets he is trying to forge that particular career. Mainly due to her worry over his erratic behaviour but he is actually very good at it. She reads his work on his blog. He's got real talent. It makes her proud in him that he seems to have chosen a focus for his future.

"So what about tonight?" Claire asks. "We were going to hang out with Peter," she reminds him of their plans. Peter being Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. They were going to do that team-up thing as Clark and Peter refer to it.

"You should still go," Clark advises. "Keep him out of trouble."

"Or more likely kill him," Claire mutters. His never ending bantering drives her insane.

"There's that possibility," Clark will concede. "But really go. Keep him company. He's kind of miserable with Kitty away visiting her parents," he implores her to go.

Claire sighs...painfully. "Ok, fine I'll go...but I make no promises we won't be having flash-fried spider for dinner," she warns.

"Doesn't that taste like chicken," Clark says with a thoughtful expression.

"Arh!" Claire shouts in frustration at him as she storms off.

Clark smirks. "She's so easy," he chuckles.

"Honey," Martha says with a warning gaze.

Clark shrugs and pulls his phone out his pocket.

"Who are you phoning?" his father asks.

"Peter. I'm going to ask him to watch for Claire tonight. You know how miserable she's been with Marie away."

Jonathan and Martha share a smile. There's the thoughtful boy they raised.


"So dude, your father can really just pull the plugs on your powers like that?" Bart queries, snapping his fingers for emphasis.

They were both in their room and Clark was just explaining what has happened. "I'm afraid he can," Clark confirms in dour tones.

Bart was actually amazed. Sure Clark had told some stories about the jackass his ghostly father could be but he never imagined it was possible for someone as powerful as his room-mate to just be made powerless overnight. "Are you doing alright?" he asks, the joky, light-hearted persona gone for a moment and the real friend shining through.

Clark shrugs. "It's not the first time," he points out.

Bart can hear the sadness in Clark's tone and he can imagine if he himself lost his powers how he'd feel so he can just about imagine what Clark's going through. Must be tough.

There is a knock on the door.

Clark frowns. "You know what, that's annoying," he comments as he walks towards the door

"What is?" Bart wonders.

"Not being able to tell who's at the door," he explains what he is suddenly finding annoying. Without his supersenses he doesn't have a clue who it is.

"Oh the burdens you must face," Bart mocks sarcastically, even going as far as to mock swoon.

Clark rolls his eyes and opens the door to be mildly surprised at finding it is Jean. "Jean," he acknowledges her.

"Clark," Jean acknowledges him back. "So I...uh...heard about your powers," she gets to the reason she is here.

Clark steps back and invites her in.

"Bart," Jean greets him.

"Red," Bart greets her back. "How's it hanging?"

"Fine," Jean replies and then waits for Bart to realise he's the 3rd wheel. She's giving him way too much credit and realises she'll have to say something. "Bart, can I talk to Clark in private, please?" she requests.

"Sure. In private," Bart adds a suggestive edge to the word before with a smirk he's gone in a blur, the door being sucked shut behind him.

Jean's green eyes narrow. What was he implying there? Her chain of thought is interrupted by Clark.

"So what brings you here?" Clark asks her. "Thought you were mad at me," he recalls where he thought they stood after their blow out last week in Smallville over Andrea. In fact they haven't really spoken much since.

"Not mad, Clark. Confused," Jean corrects him. "I don't understand who this person was that spoke so coldly."

Clark looks at her slightly puzzled himself why she won't just accept his reasons. "I am who I've always been. I'm saving Andrea...from herself in this case...and that is as much as I'm going to say on the topic on top of what I said in Smallville."

"You threatened me," Jean reminds him.

"You refused to just trust me that I had good reasons," Clark snaps back. "Not my fault you don't have any faith in me."

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Jean says, her ire rise. "That is rich!"

"How's that exactly?" Clark asks, folding his arms across his chest in his best intimidating pose.

"Faith in what, Clark? Faith in your volatile mood swings?" she points out his flaws lately.

"There's been nothing volatile about my moods," Clark refutes that.

"Right because searching for Apocalypse non-stop without sleeping or eating is not volatile at all," Jean says sarcastically to get her point across.

"I'm just passionate about protecting you and sometimes it gets the best of me," Clark defends that.

Jean narrows her eyes and stares at him...and stares at him...and stares at him. There's something different about him. What is it?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Clark asks, deeply uncomfortable at the close scrutiny she is apparently giving him.

It finally clicks for Jean. "I can hear your thoughts," she states in surprise. She's never ever been able to read his mind before but right now she can pick up his surface ones. She's not meaning too really but it's just such a shock to her she can.

"Jor-El," Clark mutters in annoyance as to how that has happened. "Hold on a sec," he requests of Jean.

Jean wonders what he...her brow furrows. "Stop that!" she snaps at him.

"Stop what?" Clark asks innocently.

"Singing that song in your head," she elaborates.

"What song?" Clark asks with an infuriating smirk.

Jean's expression darkens. "You know what song. Now stop it before I have it stuck in my head all day."

"I'm sorry Jean I have no idea what you are talking about," Clark pretends innocence.

Jean stalks up to him and jabs her finger in his face. "You're on the list," she promises before she departs, before she gets that damn song stuck in her head.

Clark's eyebrows rise. "Wonder what her problem is," he chortles. See after his experience with Emma and Isobel getting into his head, despite how most other telepaths can't, he spent some time exploring how to prevent that ever happening again. One of the ways to keep people out is to sing a song in your head so Clark chose the most annoying song ever.

Well the day isn't getting any younger so even with his powers gone Clark has stuff to do. He departs the room singing a catchy, yet very irritating, song.

"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, yes on everybody's nerves. I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves and this how it goes..."


Bayville Public Library...

The sun has set as Clark and Rogue exit the building down the few steps at the front and start to walk along the street.

"Thanks for helpin meh study, Clark," Rogue says gratefully.

"It's no problem," he assures her. "Didn't have much else to do...considering," he says with a heavy weight in his voice.

Rogue nods along. His loss of his powers. He told her. "You ok?"

Clark could complain about how tired he is of everyone asking that but instead just pushes his annoyance aside. "It's just odd. Too quiet," Clark complains about the loss of that background noise. Yeah, he's complaining about it as weird as that sounds. "I guess I got use to it," he tells her. "Use to hearing it all."

"Ah don't get what Jor-El is thinking," Rogue honestly admits.

"He's thinking that I need to prepare for battling Apocalypse. Battling someone who could well be more powerful than I am. I do sort of get his aim even if I think his methods stink." Although so far today Clark hasn't found anything that could be his trial so how and when he ends this he hasn't a clue just at the moment.

"You're more understanding than meh," Rogue comments. She would have gone ballistic if she were in Clark's shoes.

"I didn't think that needed saying," he says with a smirk.

Rogue rolls her eyes and gently punches him on the arm.

"Oh, hey, ow, remember mortal here," Clark complains as he rubs his arm.

"Oh, ah barely touched ya," Rogue dismisses his complaining as play-acting.

"It's not just loss of my powers, Rogue. Jor-El messed around with my genetics this time. I don't even have the slightly more durable form normal for my kind. You run some tests on me and I come off as human. For all that it matters Jor-El has made me human."

Rogue blinks. She wasn't aware of that. "And how is it, being human?" she wonders.

"For a long time growing up it's all I wanted to be. To stop being different from everyone else."

"Ah can understand that," Rogue says, her voice soft as she remembers growing up herself, alone and isolated and wishing to be able to be like everyone else. It's a reminder of what they had in common that brought them together originally.

"But I finally moved past that. I accepted what I was. Sure I didn't like being the last of my kind but I no longer wished to be what I'm not...if you get what I'm saying."

"Yeah. I do."

"Therefore I don't feel...whole right now," Clark tries to express what he's been feeling all day.

Rogue wraps her arms around his and pulls him close. "Ya still have meh," she informs him, trying to cheer him up.

"Thanks," Clark says gratefully. "I'm glad we're friends again."

"Meh too. It helped when ah needed an excuse ta get away from tha mansion," she says because when she said she needed to come out here to the library Clark backed her up.

Clark can guess why she wanted to get away. "Not enjoying your new extended family?"

Rogue snorts. "No. Ah feel lahke Alicia is stalking meh."

"She's probably looking for the best place to stick the knife."

"Tha sad thing is even though ya meant that as a joke y'all are probably right."

Truth is Clark hadn't had any real reason to spend any time with Alicia nor did he wish to so he can't be sure if Rogue is right or not. Alicia may be a fellow Smallvillian but she is also another person who had their memories of him altered by Wanda. Apart from the fact he has to be more careful than ever now about appearing human around the mansion he also doesn't want to push his luck with her memory since he knows, from what happened with Claire, that it can be restored and Alicia knew him a little better than most. Therefore he tended to avoid interaction with her whenever possible.

Clark looks at Rogue and can see she is pretty weighed down with this and chooses to try and cheer her up. "Well ah have your back, sugah," he assures her in an impression of her southern accent.

Rogue looks twice at him. "That...was actually quite good. When did ya stop being awful at mah accent?" she asks because he use to be terrible.

"Remembah when your powahs went crazy and ya absorbed meh and ah absorbed your accent?" Clark reminds her, still sounding very southern.

Rogue nods.

"Well even if ah stopped speaking it after a day ah nevah lost tha ability to call on it when ah want."

Rogue bursts out into a smile. "Do meh a favour?"

"Certainly, darlin."

"Speak ta meh lahke that when we're alone," she requests. "Ah miss hearing that accent," she confesses with a nostalgia for her Mississippi home.

"Your request is mah command."

"Remembah that night we did that," Rogue says with a sultry gaze.

Clark's cheeks go crimson red. "Um, we so promised never to speak of that outside the bedroom," he reminds her, so out of his stride he's back to speaking normal.

"Nothing wrong with remembering tha good tahmes."

"I'm all for remembering the good times...except those should remain private. I really think you agree with me on that."

"Yeah, ah do," Rogue confesses. "But it's fun makin ya blush," she smirks, showing she's having a good time embarrassing him.

"You know I could have spent the day with Penny and not have to take this," Clark points out.

"Seriously we're really going ta carry on calling her Penny?" Rogue questions that nickname for Penance.

Clark shrugs. "It doesn't seem to bother her," he thinks.

"Even though she's Monet," Rogue reminds him.

"She doesn't respond to that name," Clark reminds her.

"Whatevah," Rogue just accepts it. "By tha way was she sullen today or was that mah imagination?" she wonders about what she thinks was a rather downbeat Penance...as silly as that sounds that you can tell such a thing.

"I think she's upset I'm mortal and that I couldn't give her a hug," Clark gives his opinion.

Rogue arches an eyebrow.

"What?" he asks at her expression.

"A hug? Seriously?"

"I am the only person who can give her any sort of physical contact without being hurt. Honestly I'd thought you of all people would sympathise with her."

That honestly never occurred to Rogue before. Yeah, she guesses she does know better than most what Penance suffers through.

Clark puts his arm around Rogue and gives her a squeeze. "Besides as I recall you use to enjoy my hugs. How can you blame Penny for missing them, hmm?"

Rogue actually manages a smile and leans into Clark a little. Yeah, she did enjoy his hugs because he was the only person who ever hugged her without flinching slightly in fear of being absorbed...and even with him powerless it hasn't changed. This is nice. Just the two of them walking along, being close friends again.

Just then a car pulls up to the kerb next to them and in it is a certain Duncan Matthews and two of his flunkies.

"Oh come on, really?" Rogue complains at seeing him again.

"I know. Just when you thought he had crawled back into the hole he came from," Clark quips at the fact Duncan is working down the mines now.

Rogue snorts with laughter.

The 3 young men jump out of the convertible, looking serious for mean business.

"Hey skunkhead," Duncan greets Rogue...well what counts as a greeting from him. "Last I saw you was assaulting our nation's capital," he says in reference to that day Rogue defected to Magneto. "How is it a freak like you is free to walk the streets?"

Truthfully all Rogue knows is the Professor promised to take care of it and she left it to him and his lawyers.

"How is it a freak like you is?" Clark asks Duncan back, unwilling to let Rogue be insulted. She is still his friend and he doesn't like his friends being insulted. He didn't tolerate it at school. He's sure as hell not tolerating it now.

Rogue smirks at that.

"Shut up, Kent," Duncan snaps with an angry face. "Mutie lovers like you gives the rest of us normal people a bad name."

"I am truly flabbergasted Matthews that you seem to consider yourself one of the 'normal' people. You do own a mirror right?"

Rogue sniggers. God, has she missed Clark's mocking...which is weird because it use to annoy her silly.

Duncan's face starts to go red with rage. "I think we need to perform a citizens arrest on this mutie terrorist and if you happen to be hurt in the process Kent...well accidents happen don't they," he says, the menace in Duncan's tone clear.

Rogue wants to roll her eyes at their stupidity. They couldn't hurt her short of hitting her with a mortar round. Her and Clark circle round and Duncan and company do the same until she and Clark are next to Duncan's car which Rogue then proceeds to pick up. "How about this Matthews? Ya agree ta get lost and ah don't 'accidentally' drop your car," she threatens.

Duncan barely restrains himself going apoplectic with rage. Only the love of his beloved car restrains him. "You scratch that and I swear..." he threatens vaguely.

"Ya swear what?" Rogue challenges him in a deadly serious voice, daring him to put up or shut up. "We're not in school any more, Matthews. Ah don't have ta take your crap and ah don't have ta restrain mahself any longah," she points out. At school they had to abide by the rule to not use their powers but they're not in school. Hell Duncan's graduated now so she never has to see the jackass again and wishes right now she hadn't had the misfortune of running into him tonight.

What Rogue doesn't realise is that Duncan and his friends were deliberately out tonight looking for any mutant they could find to send a message. You know the 'we won't tolerate your kind, you're not wanted in our town' sort of message.

Duncan and his friends from school.

He had more than the 2 currently with him...evidenced by the van that is pulling and a good 8 more young men tumbling out.

"Is that tha entire football team?" Rogue queries that her memory is correct and this is the former Bayville High Football Team...or at least the part of it that hung around Duncan Matthews.

"More or less," Clark says with a slightly more strained and worried tone. Usually he doesn't even think about the possibility of being hurt. Now he's mortal he must admit to feeling his heart rate picking up, that surge of adrenaline and a trickle of fear at the back of his head. It's actually an interesting experience because it's new. Something he's never experience before.

Ok, this is more awkward, Rogue will concede. Not for her but remembering Clark can be hurt and even for her keeping an eye on 11 people at once is going to be tricky.

"You might want to put the car down," Clark advises. "You're going to need your hands free," he argues.

"Good point," Rogue accepts as she lowers the car down. She and Clark move back to back as they are surrounded. She cracks her neck and her knuckles. "On tha plus side ah haven't had a good excuse ta beat tha crap out of racist thugs for a few weeks," she says as a positive.

"And people wonder why we broke up," Clark says with an airy sarcasm.

"Well it's more why would ya break-up with someone as hot as meh," Rogue jests.

"Can't imagine," Clark says with a goofy grin.

Before anyone can make a move both the van and Duncan's car find their tyres being popped by a series of flaming spikes.

Everyone looks up as Spike himself leaps down, from what must have been a nearby rooftop, into the middle of the circle and lands next to Rogue and Clark.

"Since when do ya do flamin spikes?" Rogue asks Spyke. That being her 1st question rather than what is he doing here.

"New trick," Spyke answers. He was upside because he felt a need to keep an eye on things considering how tense it all is, despite what he and Callisto talked about last night and he happened to run across this situation.

"You messed up my car!" Duncan exclaims.

"Yeah and if you don't leave next I'll mess up your face, Matthews," Spyke vows.

"Well you have to admit that would be an improvement," Clark comments dryly.

Evan has to laugh because it's so very true.

Duncan has had enough. "Get them!" he yells.

"And here we go," Rogue mutters under her breath.

Only that's not what happens.

All parties pause at the sound of gunfire and screeching tyres that are clearly coming nearer.

A pick-up screeches round the corner with half a dozen guys packing weapons and on the side of the truck, painted; FOH.

Friends of Humanity.

Clark's done his best to keep that racist lot out of Bayville as Superman but he can't stop people being idiots. Especially this lot...whom he's met before. "I thought I had those morons thrown in jail," he grumbles to himself. It's a long story. Needless to say they and Superman had a 'fun' encounter.

"Huh?" Spyke asks, only half-catching that.

"Noth-get down!" Clark shouts as one of the new FOH guys fires what is a rocket propelled grenade.

All of them, including Duncan and company, have the sense to listen

The explosive projectile hits the van the football team came in, blowing it up.

"They're out of their minds!" Spyke exclaims. There was no warning, they can't have seen enough to have seen him. It wasn't even that near him even if they had. His point is they can't have known for certain it was a mutant they were shooting at and in fact most of the people here are only human.

"You have no idea," Clark remarks thinking back on when Superman had to stop them. It was almost exactly like this. Them driving around looking for mutants to pick on. They're totally insane. "Rogue, you need to lead them off before they level the block," he says to her.

"What about you and Spyke?" she asks concerned.

"We'll manage," Clark assures her. "I can't do this. Only you can," he points out to remind her he doesn't have the power right now.

Rogue realises he's right. She pushes herself to her feet, sticks her fingers in her mouth and whistles real loud. "Oh boys!" she calls out. "Mutant hottie right here!" she points at herself. Then to prove it she runs over to a nearby street-lamp and rips it out before throwing it at the FOH group, deliberately missing. It's all just to get their attention...and it works.

Rogue then breaks into a sprint and they chase her. Luckily, while she hasn't got a handle on flying yet, she can run 60mph easy. In fact she's topped 70 at a push. Considering she can squeeze through spaces a truck can't it should be easy enough to lead the bigots a merry chase away from innocent people.

That leaves Clark and Spyke with Duncan and company...and it seems clear that despite what just happened they're still intent on giving Clark and Spyke a doing over.

"Spyke can I borrow a couple of spikes?" Clark asks.

Spyke frowns in confusion but agrees. He creates a couple and hands them over. Clark twirls them in his hands with quite some skill. Course then it occurs to Evan. Clark has to keep his secret identity so has to put on a show of being human. He thinks this without realising Clark is indeed quite mortal.

Spyke focusses on the task at hand. Without Rogue they're very outnumbered but for once he is thankful he has his bone armour. That helps a lot.

Like when one guy tries to punch him in the back and Spyke hears the cry of pain as he swings round and clocks the guy hard. He spots Clark skilfully using those spikes as fighting sticks, fending off one person after another.

Huh, you know you never do think that much about how much fighting knowledge Clark has. Gets kinda overshadowed by his sheer vast power but Evan remembers how Logan absolutely insisted Clark learn how to fight in the exact same way as everyone else.

Then Evan loses sight of his friend as at least 4 people jump him. Trying to use numbers to weigh him down but Evan hasn't been the same since he was transformed into what he is now. Something changed inside him that has made him...not superstrong but significantly stronger than someone his size and build should be. Beast said it was a side-effect of his bone growth. Stronger bones internally create a firmer base for stronger muscles to grow on.

This allows Evan with a cry and a surge of strength to throw his attackers off before pulling out a spike from his arm and creating a fighting staff with which he bats the four off, knocking them down cold.

There is a cry of rage from behind him and he raises his staff up and blocks a downward strike with what is a piece of wood. Evan kicks out behind him, striking the person, proved by the clear cry of pain. He swings his staff round low and sweeps the person off their feet. Evan then gets a good chance to see who it is. "Matthews," he snorts in derision.

Since the blond haired young man is now groggily just lying there Evan turns his attention on to finding Clark. He follows the trail of knocked out goons into a nearby alley where Clark must have been...he wants to say forced to but surely that wouldn't apply to Clark.

Evan enters the alley and is surprised to find Clark tangled up in a heap on the ground with one of Duncan's pals. He rushes over, yanks the other guy away and rolls Clark over. He is incredibly surprised, nay shocked, to see a cut on Clark's temple and his friend out cold.

Evan looks up and spots the blood stain on the edge of a garbage skip. Clark must have fallen and caught it...except how can he be hurt?

Evan realises he can't leave Clark here. His friend needs care so he hoists Clark on his shoulder and heads for the nearest manhole cover. The Morlock home is closer than the mansion. Evan will think of some story to tell Callisto.

He flips up the manhole cover with his foot.

"Hey...where are you...goin...mutie freak," a slurring Duncan asks as he staggers around groggily.

Evan barely gives him a glance. "If you remember this Matthews pass on a message. The mutants of Bayville are off limits to hate crime."

Then Spyke leaps down into the sewers carefully with his friend over his shoulder. As he goes he fires off a couple of flaming spikes into the air...which perfectly impact the fuel tank of Duncan's car sending it up in a ball of fire.

Just to reinforce his point...

...and ok perhaps he got some perverse pleasure in destroying something precious to Duncan Matthews.


Author's Note: Clark appearing to be human reflects the fact that when he was mortal on the show his blood came up as completely normal so Jor-El either utterly transformed him into a human being or somehow masked his alien DNA completely in some fashion. However it was done I wanted to reflect that aspect in my story in this arc. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Uprising part 3.