"We need to talk," Martha said, walking into my hotel room in Granville.
"Martha, I didn't know you'd gotten into town. I thought Conner would have let me know," I replied, taking her coat and hanging it up for her in my closet.
She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "Conner's not feeling great. All that noise from the Fortress being torn down gave him a migraine. Besides, he's a bit freaked out."
"Because of Clark. We'll figure this out. We always get a plan together; it's what the League does."
Martha narrowed her eyes at me, and I wasn't sure how we'd gotten here. The Red Queen and the White Queen, unable to get along. I know it escalated when I chose not to tell Clark, but I wondered when we'd both ended up on opposite sides of power of his life. If the split had started some time after she'd come to D.C.
"He zipped to my hotel room a couple hours ago."
"Today's a school day."
"You can imagine I wasn't happy about that. I know he'd been feeling badly, but I wanted him to try a normal schedule, to keep his mind on something because detaining Clark is not a job for Conner, even if they have similar abilities."
I could read what Martha wasn't saying in that, that Clark was bigger, stronger and faster. Even without the Fate Helmet, it would be impossible not to know exactly what the result of a fight between the two brothers would end with.
"I understand. I'd never ask that of him."
"I hope not. Still, he was very upset when he came to see me and it had little to do with Clark."
I let out a breath. "Thank God. We can't take another surprise pop-in."
"Do you know a Zoe Turner?"
It suddenly was very hard to swallow. "Yes, she runs The Torch now. We correspond even if it's under my alias. I don't understand. Did something happen?"
"She knows."
Bothering to ask what would have been insulting to both of us. "How could she possibly know about Conner's abilities or Clark's."
"Did you tell her?"
Now it was my turn to mirror Martha's stance. "I'd never tell anyone anything about Clark. You know that I did everything I could to get him back and take down the VRA's files. I'd never just blab it all out to a teen reporter. I'd know better."
Martha continued to glare and I wasn't sure if she believed me or not. "She pulled Conner aside and asked him about what happened, said she knew about their powers. I don't know but you're not containing anything. If it spreads to the rest of Smallville High..."
"I'll talk to her. She may have just put everything together. Clark's never been subtle and a person with a keen mind can piece together that The Blur started in Smallville. It's not too hard to hopscotch and Zoe's bright."
"I'm tired, Chloe," Martha replied, starting to pace. "I'm incredibly tired. I've lost my husband in this war and chaos, and I've lost the Clark I knew. All I wanted was to let him know who he was. If we had, he wouldn't be with Granny now, would he?"
"I can't know that."
"She took advantage of him," she replied, stopping and glaring back at me. "We hid the truth and it cut him off from all of us. She used that. against him. I should have known better."
"Martha, we thought-"
"I was wrong, wasn't I?"
Reeling back as if I'd been slapped, I frowned at her. "About me?"
"After Jonathan's death, I thanked you because I didn't think I could do this on my own. Maybe I shouldn't have relied so heavily on you because this is...it's ruined him."
"He hasn't murdered anyone yet and they don't have a third. I just need to think."
"Then maybe you can start by making sure Zoe stays quiet about both my sons. J'onn and I are still working on things ourselves. I'm going over any Checkmate files on the JSA in the 40s and he's going over anything Carter left to him. I just don't know what else to do."
"J'onn said the best thing isn't to blame each other. We all made mistakes and we have to work together."
Martha shook her head and grabbed for her things. "That makes for a nice story but he's my son. I know you love him. I get that, but you might actually be the worst thing that ever happened to him. Good day, Chloe."
Before I could stop her, she stormed back out of my room, slamming the door behind her.
After everything was left so terribly with Martha, I was surprised to find Conner in the waiting room of Smallville Medical Center when I rushed in. He and Clayton were sitting folded up in those hideous plastic chairs and both looked wrecked. Conner was shaking his head, staring off into space and Clayton's eyes were bloodshot.
"Guys, is she okay?"
Conner looked up and squeezed my hand with his. I pushed away any thoughts that he was like Clark, that the gesture felt familiar. Clark wasn't here anymore, not really. "She's in surgery for her shoulder. Zoe's gonna pull through but she's gonna be in a cast for a while to say the least."
"I don't understand."
"Me neither. I came into the office to grab something before third period and found her curled on the floor in the fetal position," Clayton said. "She wouldn't tell me what happened, just said to get on ambulance and then she was pretty in and out."
"Shock," I supplied.
I would have pressed more but Dr. Scanlan came out then. He gave me the once over and frowned. I wasn't sure if he remembered me, but it was possible. Every one of us had spend way too much time here. Of course, Smallville was the kind of town with monstrous rampages so a lot of the town was like that, frequent ER flier miles.
"Are Ms. Turner's parents here yet."
Clayton shook his head. "They're in Paris. They're taking a red eye here as soon as they can. I just talked to them."
"Are there any first degree relatives?"
Instinct and years of bluffing in the field took over. Holding out my hand, I shook his. "I'm Anne, Anne Hatcher and I'm Zoe's aunt. May I see her?"
He frowned again, still clearly trying to place me but couldn't quite. "I suppose so."
Clayton and Conner nodded.
"Exactly," her boyfriend said. "Anne and Zoe are very close."
It was enough to put Scanlan at ease. "Then follow me, Ms. Hatcher, but you can't stay long."
"Wouldn't dream of keeping her up too long," I said, my knees buckling when I saw her. She had her arm in a massive cast and looked pale, as if all the color had been drained from her skin.
"Zoe?"
She nodded and looked back at the doctor. "Can, uh, Anne and I have a minute?"
"Sure but no more than ten minutes. You need your rest."
"Tell me about it," Zoe said, waiting until he'd shut the door behind him before continuing. "Chloe, Clark did this."
"How?" I asked.
"You know he was The Blur or is or is something Hella powerful and currently creepy."
"Zoe-"
"I talked to Conner about his powers not three hours ago. Chloe, I know. I'm not an idiot. I can read the old files and put it all together. I don't know how Clark got his powers back and I don't know why he's dressed like the freaking Matrix, but he's very powerful and he's very angry."
"How long have you known?"
"A couple weeks since I really clenched it, but I've suspected since the Homecoming I met him."
"What did Clark want? Why would he do this?" I said, gesturing to her crushed shoulder.
"He wanted me to track meteor rock excavations. They hurt him, don't they?"
I nodded and pulled a large chunk from my purse. When Conner called me, I knew she'd need one. "Have this on you at all times. You'll be safe if you have it."
She clutched it awkwardly in her right hand. "Thank you. Chloe, why is he so angry?"
"Someone got to him. Conner mentioned that right?"
"Yeah, but he was just there in the office. I couldn't get away, but I also wouldn't do what he wanted. I don't want to help him anymore."
"Anymore?"
She looked away and blushed. "I helped set up a file for him, knew he'd check them because he had the override. I wanted The Blur back."
Reaching out, I stroked her hair back. She was not that much younger than I was, not really, at least not young enough to feel like a daughter. I was supposed to mentor her and I'd let her straight into trouble with Clark. "I'm so sorry."
"It's not...Clark's so nice, I don't know how he could be this way even if something's poisoning him. It's like he's a completely different person. He was so angry."
"I know," I said, my voice catching in my throat.
"Chloe, he said that he was bringing it to the Watchtower. Do you know what that means?"
"Yeah, I do. He's coming for me and Conner and he's done waiting. Zoe, you hold onto that rock and I'll give one to Clayton. Like I said, don't you dare drop it."
"I won't! Hell, I don't think I'll ever even sleep again."
That made two of us.
