Chapter 35

At the Institute…

It was very late at night. Jonathan was away attending a meeting with the heads of the human/mutant rights charities.

That didn't need Chloe so she was working on his cue cards for his debate. You know jotting down statistics and memorable quotes as reminders for Mr Kent.

Clark was helping her. He could tell she was troubled. "So care to tell me what's bothering you?" he inquiries gently as a friend. "Was it what happened earlier with the posters?" he takes a stab at it.

Chloe chuckles. "No," she shoots that down.

"So what is it?"

"It's...personal."

"Well I like to think, Chlo that despite everything you still count me as amongst your best friends at least and that you can share anything with me."

"You are my best friend," Chloe says with heartfelt honesty.

"I'm glad," Clark says, expressing what he feels that they're still close. "So what is it? Lois? I thought you were happy she turned up," he reflects on what he thought Chloe's reaction was to Lois' reappearance. Course he didn't know precisely what had happened and Lois never really said in any interview he saw or read. She was being oddly vague on details. Clark does know Patricia was responsible for Lois' disappearance and probably her reappearance but what game Patricia was playing this time he didn't know. He still couldn't find her either.

"I am happy Lois is back," Chloe insists. Of course she is. She never wished any harm to her cousin.

"So it's not Lois?" Clark queries on whatever topic Chloe is seeking to raise.

"No. It's...just...this may cross the line on where our friendship boundary is if I talk about this with you."

"Then talk to someone else you would be more comfortable with," Clark advises her. Anything to try and get whatever is bothering her off her chest.

Chloe blows her golden bangs out of the face. "It's about...um..." if it was anyone else they wouldn't have heard the mumbled word but Clark's not anyone else.

"It's about sex?" Clark queries.

"Keep your voice down," Chloe hisses at him.

"But...ah...um...I thought you had...already...with someone..."

"I did," Chloe confirms. "But that was before..." she gestures at herself, "well this."

Clark likes to think he's matured a little beyond blushing and stammering when a topic like this is raised but come on, this is his best friend. He doesn't need to be thinking of her in those terms. He sighs. "What's the problem, exactly?" he asks, choosing to endure being Chloe's sounding board. "Are you and Bobby…?"

"No! I mean not yet. I mean we haven't talked about it. It was just the other day in sex ed and it occurred to me after, I have powers now. What happens when..."

"Oh," Clark says, blinking. "You're worried your powers will go off," he gets it.

"Something like that. I don't even know fully what my powers can do."

Clark rubs the back of his neck. "Ok, yeah. I know that problem."

"You do?"

"Sure I do. I mean I still worry that in the, um, moment, you know, I won't be able to control my strength for example and other...stuff. There are a few bruises I left behind on those I've been with I still feel bad about."

Chloe looks at him for a while before chuckling nervously. His strength for example and other...stuff. "Wow awkward factor eight here."

Clark chuckles too. "Just a bit. The problem is Chlo, I know you haven't really got comfortable in using your powers and you need to. You need to know what sets them off, understand what they do, what it is you need to do to keep them in control. It can be done."

"Evidenced by the fact you and Illyana do...it?"

"Kinda."

"I don't think Piotr likes to imagine what you two do," she has observed.

"I noticed...and I can sympathise. I really don't like to think on what Claire and Marie get up to."

Chloe chuckles at that. "I guess I'm seriously weirding out our friendship here aren't I."

"A bit," Clark will admit. "But I am your friend and I'm here for you."

"Thank you, Clark," Chloe says honestly. "I guess I need to think on it all a bit more."

"You're welcome."

"By the way mentioning Illyana..."

Clark knows what she is about to say. "You're away to ask about that 'off' feeling aren't you," he says with weary resignation.

"I take it I'm not the 1st."

"Not even close."

"Oh, must be losing my touch," she reflects, sounding disappointed in herself that others beat her to it.

"Chlo I'll tell you what I told them, not my secret to tell. Yana will explain when she's ready to and not a moment before and I don't mean that to sound harsh but that's the way it is."

"Um, ok," Chloe says with a frown. She'll accept that for now but her curious nature means she's not happy at being out the loop.

It's just then that Martha Kent storm in, looking very frazzled.

"Mom, what's the matter?" Clark asks, instantly concerned.

"It's your father. He was attacked when he was leaving his meeting," Martha informs him.

Clark shoots to his feet. "Is he ok? Where is he is?" he asks, near panicking.

"He's in the hospital."

"Right," Clark says, making an easy guess as to where they're going to next.

Bayville Hospital…

Martha was in the hospital room with Jonathan while outside Clark paced back and forth, threatening to wear a trench into the floor. And doing the same thing was Claire, threatening to melt a trench into the floor.

Clark was silent. Claire had been swearing repeatedly about what she was going to do to whoever was responsible for this.

And Clark was silent because as usual he was on a guilt trip, blaming himself for not sticking to his father like glue when he knew from Fine something was going to happen.

Chloe stands and watches them and if it wasn't so serious with Mr Kent it would be funny seeing the siblings pace back and forth across each other.

Also there was the Professor and Logan, who while he will never admit it out-loud, considers Jonathan just about his best friend. Plus he's here as extra security just in case whoever is behind this tries again.

"What about 'morrow's debate?" Logan, of all people, asks.

"We'll have to postpone it," Chloe says with a sigh. "I've already pushed everything else off to next week so Mr. Kent can recover..."

It's at this point a battered looking Jonathan exits the room, a protesting Martha in his wake.

"Or not," Chloe says, stupefied.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Clark wants to know in disbelief at his father.

"What he said," Claire says in agreement.

"I can't let 'em stop me," Jonathan explains simply with a grimace of pain as he walks.

"So the debate's still on?" Chloe queries because she was about to make phone calls. Lots and lots of phone calls about that.

Jonathan nods.

Martha sighs in exasperation as her husband's stubbornness. "What about the doctor saying he wanted to keep you in 24hrs?"

"No," Jonathan refuses to submit. "Then they'd have exactly what they want. They would win and I won't allow that."

"Maybe you're willing to risk your life over this, but I don't think I want to stand by and watch...and neither do your children. Do they enter your thoughts?" Martha wants to know, her words coming out of her fear.

"Look, I never taught them to buckle under pressure, especially not from racist thugs," Jonathan argues, his strength of feeling showing that while at the start he wasn't sure running for Mayor was a good idea he has now developed a passion, a belief of its importance in the struggle they're involved in. The one they chose to get involved in the day they agreed to come to the Institute.

"You tell them dad," Claire agrees with his attitude. "Fucking assholes. Just wait until I find them," she promises vengeance.

Logan also agrees with that sentiment.

"Did you see who it was?" Clark asks, the journalist in him desiring to know.

Jonathan shakes his head. "No. It was too dark and they came out of nowhere."

"Say anything?"

"Just to tell me to drop out of the election."

"So Kelly supporters? FOH?" Claire wonders.

Jonathan shrugs. He doesn't know.

"I still think you need to rest," Martha argues, not willing to just let this go, not when he's this under threat.

"Martha, no," Jonathan refuses bluntly.

Charles intervenes before a full blown fight breaks out. "I understand your reluctance to appear to be allowing these people to win, Jonathan but after what has transpired it is also clear we must now also take your well-being more seriously than we have before which is why I suggest putting Logan and Sean in charge of your security until at least the election is over," he proposes a compromise.

Up to now Jonathan had been loathed to have any sort of bodyguards, not wishing to look like everyone else, cutting himself off behind a line of usually large men. On the other hand it might be enough to stop Martha nagging at him. "Ok," he agrees. "On the condition they don't try and hide me away," he adds in.

"I'm certain we can work something out," Charles says confidently.

"And I think Logan, you're first task is about to come," Clark mutters disparagingly.

No-one knows what he means...until Robert Kelly himself comes round the corner, press entourage in tow. He was on damage control. On an aside, Griff, who was suppose to be getting dirt for him, has vanished without trace. He never appeared at the Bayville docks like he promised.

"He has some fucking nerve," Claire mutters.

Logan agrees as he steps forward and places himself as a barrier between Kelly and Jonathan. "That's far enough bub," he tells the former school Principal.

Kelly comes to a stop. "I heard what happened and I just wanted to make sure Mr Kent was ok."

"Trust me, this is as close to my father as you want to get right now," Clark warns the man, tone very hostile.

It takes Kelly a moment to figure the tone out. "You don't think I had anything to do with this?!"

"Gee, let me see, who's allied with those FOH thugs again?" Claire asks him.

"The Friends of Humanity are simply one of many organisations that support me. As for the fringe element you are referring to, young lady, I have stated clearly my condemnation of their actions...as I have already done so for these actions in a statement I have released which includes a reward for information. Perhaps you should wait for the police to uncover the truth," Kelly suggests...and his condescending tone makes Claire want to punch him in the face but she manages to restrain herself.

On another day Chloe might give Kelly praise for this attempt at a PR stunt to try and save his poll ratings.

"I'm curious Mr Kelly, why is this Mayoral election so important to you?" Clark asks, in full journalist mode. "And I don't mean the dry, bland slogans you push out every day. What is your real personal motivation?"

That gets all the journalists Kelly brought with him looking at him intently, Clark now having put him under an uncomfortable spotlight.

Kelly laughs, trying to brush this off lightly. "Well, young man, first off I'd have to disagree that I issue dry, bland slogans. My views on mutants and humans are my deeply held convictions and I see this election as a first step, a stepping stone."

"To what?"

"That's like asking why did Icarus put on those wings and fly. Because he wanted everyone to look up and be inspired to soar to their true potential."

"Or he just likes the idea of people looking up while he looked down on them," Clark retorts and twists Kelly's meaning.

Kelly's face goes slightly red at that.

"And how high do you intend to soar, Mr Kelly?" Clark asks. "Will you risk getting too close to the sun like poor, unfortunate Icarus?"

"Lets take it a step at at time shall we."

Clark doesn't let up now he's got his teeth into the man. "What if you don't win? What if you get to the Mayor's office and realise you still haven't found what you're looking for? That this can't get you what you want?"

Kelly decides the response to this is a light-hearted quip, though inside he's fuming at Clark. Now he remembers why he got rid of the school paper. Kent was a pain in the ass. "Well, there's always the White House."

Behind his glasses Clark's very blue eyes narrow.

Kelly decides he better cut this short. What was an attempt to prop his reputation up is in serious danger of unravelling if he lets Kent question him more. "Look, Mr Kent, I promise you, we're gonna find out who did this to your father. I have always said people must obey the law and I meant that. I hope your father recovers and I look forward to our debate. A good day to you all," he finishes with as he departs.

"Good one, Clark," Chloe praises him. "That's almost as good as I would have done grilling the snake."

"Thanks...I think," Clark dead-pans.

"I think we should go home," Charles suggests. "Jonathan needs as much rest as he can get before the debate...and I think even he wouldn't argue with that," he thinks, giving Jonathan a look.

Jonathan relents and simply nods his acceptance of that.

The next morning at Robert Kelly Jr's apartment he, Samantha and a couple of their close associates(the same 2 she had with her yesterday during the confrontation over the posters) are watching the news, showing Jonathan leaving the hospital and also reporting the fact that their plan has backfired.

In the polls Jonathan has edged ahead for the 1st time.

Robert sits in a chair with Samantha on the arm, her hand playing with the hair at the back of his head.

"Didn't work. We failed him," Samantha laments this news. "Well, now we know what we need to do, and I already have everything in place," she says, her tone dark and worrying.

"Samantha, chill out. We already went too far, and it totally backfired," one of the other 2 boys says.

"We need to turn ourselves in before somebody points a finger at Robert's father," the other boy says.

"Robert asked us to go the extra 10 miles. It seems his son and I are the only ones willing to do that," Samantha can see.

"You're crazy," the 1st boy says. "Will you please tell her Robbie," he pleads for the up to now silent progeny of Robert Kelly to intervene.

He still says nothing. Samantha speaks for him. "Robert and I are one with this. There is one thing that Kent can't bounce back from," she vows.

"What are you talking about?" the 2nd boy asks, lost by her thinking.

Samantha gives him a frighteningly cold gaze. "Isn't it obvious."

The 1st boy's eyes go wide. She can't mean. That's insane. Beating Kent up was one thing. He's having no part of any murder. "I'm going to the cops before this gets more out of control," he declares, tapping his friend on the arm, signalling they need to get out of this madness.

Samantha leans in and whispers seductively in Robert's ear. "Your father would never give up that easily."

Robert's features twitch and before anyone can react he has stood up, pulled a gun out from behind his back and shot his 2 friends dead. He stares at them dispassionately.

Samantha rises to her feet, her hand going back to playing in Robert's hair...and if you look really closely what you see is the index finger transformed into a metal probe, penetrating right into the brain. "You know what you have to do don't you Mr Kelly," her voice...Brainiac's emotionless voice speaking, commanding him.

Robert nods. "Yes. At the debate tonight I have to kill Jonathan Kent," he states his orders.

"Very good," Brainiac says and if it felt emotion it would be pleased with the fact everything is going according to plan. After tonight, after his human 'father' is dead, Kal-El will see humanity as it truly is, pushing him away from them and closer to Brainiac, closer to trusting it, closer to letting it where it needs to be to free its Master. Soon General Zod will be free.

That night at the debate Jonathan is doing some last minute review of his prompt cards backstage while Martha was trying to get him into his jacket. Honestly without her he'd forget his own head.

Nearby Logan was on edge giving everyone suspicious glares. Until they actually caught the scum who attacked Jonathan he wasn't letting his guard down. Who knows what they'll be willing to try next.

"Never let the filth see you bleed, huh Mr Kent," a voice percolates around.

All turn their head to find, "Lois?" Martha queries.

"Hey Mrs Kent," she greets the older woman in turn. "Mr Kent," he acknowledges him. "Hairy guy," Lois smirks as Logan growls in response.

"How did you get back here?" Logan wants to know since she shouldn't have been able to what with security that he's in charge of.

"A good reporter never reveals her secrets," Lois says with a deliberately intended to annoy smirk.

"It's good to see you, Lois," Jonathan says honestly. "We were very concerned by your disappearance," he adds, again completely honestly.

"Yeah, well, it was a thing. It happened," she says vaguely. "I learned from it not to dwell or obsess so decided I needed to get back to the coalface and here I am. Any comments before your debate?" she wonders, holding up her recording device to Jonathan.

"I think I learned not to speak to reporters outside officially arranged interviews," Jonathan says back but with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.

Lois smiles back. "You're learning," she jests as she puts her recorder away. "So where's Smallville?" she asks. "Thought he'd be here," she says, looking around for him.

"Uh...bathroom," Martha makes up on the spot. "Think he's more nervous than Jonathan," she tries to laugh it off. Actually Clark was in the 'suit', around but not seen, just in case someone tried something tonight(Clark had been very, very insistent on doing that after the attack on his father) and not seen because if he is SHIELD would likely show up to chase him. Martha is finding that particularly trying.

Lois smirks devilishly as she imagines the fun she could have with that when next she sees Clark.

The 2 minute warning comes up.

"Well I better go," Lois realises. "I'm in the press section but don't expect me to go easy on ya in my assessment," she warns playfully.

"I never expect less than absolutely professionalism, Lois," Jonathan says back, understanding that despite their connection she has to do her job in a clinical and detached manner.

Lois beams, happy that Mr Kent has such confidence and belief in her. Shame her own father never felt like that. She quickens her stride so she can get into position in time. On her way she spots a golden skinned girl who seems to dive into a room, almost as if trying to avoid her.

Weird.

Behind that door, leaning against it to keep it shut, is one Chloe Sullivan, in a near panic at the fact she almost ran into her cousin. The one who thinks her dead.

Chloe knew she was taking a risk when she agreed to become Mr Kent's campaign manager. A risk that she'd be seen and recognised...but you just don't say no to the Kents when they ask you for something.

But she never dreamed for a second she would run into Lois. Chloe was just in the bathroom. Nerves. And on the way back there was Lois, where she shouldn't be. The press shouldn't be back here...but then again if anyone gets into somewhere she shouldn't it would her her cousin.

Click.

The sound of a gun being cocked.

Chloe's green eyes look up to find a gun being aimed at her and holding that gun; Robert Kelly Jr.

"Well now how convenient," he says with a dark look and menacing tone.

Beyond this room they can hear the announcer for the evening begins. "I welcome everyone to tonight's Mayoral debate. An important milestone for not only our town but our country is approaching and tonight the whole country is watching as our two candidates debate topics I can feel will dominate political discourse in our country for years to come. First up please welcome Robert Kelly!"

Robert Kelly Jr looks out a crack in this room which is right at the back of the audience and gives you a perfect view of the stage where his father hops up, waving, met with a mixture of boos and cheers. The announcer shakes Robert's hand and gestures for him to take his place behind a lectern. It was being his father's son that allowed him to have the necessary security clearances to sneak the rifle in in the 1st place to carry out his God given task to eliminate the traitor of mankind. Speaking of which...

"And our second candidate, Jonathan Kent!" the announcer continues. And Jonathan appears to the same mixture of boos and cheers and an angry snarl curls Robert Jr's lips.

Chloe is looking around and spots an open gun case with a sniper rifle within. "You can't be serious," she finds herself saying. "You're not gonna shoot Jonathan Kent," she says, assuming he isn't planning to kill his own father.

"No," Robert Jr says. "You are," he says with deadly serious intent.

"M-me?" Chloe stutters. "I don't know how to operate a gun."

"Then what use are you to me?" Robert asks her.

Chloe realises she needs to buy herself a little time to think of a plan so she walks over and picks the rifle up. "This is stupid, no-one is ever going to believe I'd shoot Jonathan Kent," she argues.

Robert Jr chuckles. "Oh but don't you see. It's perfect. Your stumbling in here was fate. The defender of mutants killed by a mutant and everyone will see you as the murderous heathens you are. So low and despicable you'll kill any human, even one who is on your side."

Ok, he's flipped, Chloe can plainly see.

Robert pushes his gun forward. "Aim and take the shot," he orders her, his threat plain. If she doesn't he shoots her dead.

Chloe sighs, finishes assembling the gun, showing she lied. She does know how to use a gun. Blame her Uncle Sam. She does.

Chloe gets into position, her mind desperately trying to figure a way out. Is she prepared to die? But that'd make no difference in saving Mr Kent's life unless...unless...

She adjusts the sight...so as to miss. Yes she'll die but the instant the gunshot is heard they'll pull Mr Kent off the stage.

Chloe aims at Jonathan now in the middle of his opening remarks...or looks like she is. To fool Robert Jr here it's going to have to be closer than she'd like.

Chloe feels the barrel of the gun pressed into the back of her head. "Take the shot," he orders her.

Chloe prepares herself for what follows next...when the door behind them flies open.

"Hey Psycho Jr!"

Lois.

Robert spins round, only for Lois to have already covered the distance and grabs his wrist trying to force him to drop the gun. They struggle, he manages to get his arm free and he smacks Lois across the face with the gun and she falls into Chloe and the two land in a heap.

Robert grabs the dropped rifle, aims and takes the shot.

The bullet flies towards Jonathan…

Author's Note: Fanatic was the episode Clark talked to Chloe about his and Lana's sex life but since Clark has had sex with his powers I figured turn it around and have Chloe ask Clark since her powers are new to her. And Samantha is Brainiac, manipulating everything. Like that twist? Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Fanatic part 3.