Author: CaptainTightPants12
Rating: K
Disclaimer: If I owned Superman, his story lines, or any related characters, you'd be seeing this story in the pages of the this month's issue of Superman and not for free on FanFiction. Ditto any DC Comics characters or storylines.
Summary: After Barry Allen changes history to save the world, Clark Kent faces an uncertain destiny in a new world.
Chapter: #55, Knowing
Author's Note: Hope you enjoy!
"So, you just stay in here. No one ever comes looking for you?"
Solovar nodded slowly. "The glowing stone. It has protected us. No man can see us, or our home, unless we allow it."
"That's pretty nifty," Clark grinned.
"I do not know this word. But the glowing stone has been good to my people, Outsider. It has made us stronger. Smarter. I owe much to the light that connected with the stone. It has been our savior," Solovar explained.
The stone at the center of the courtyard no longer glowed, but Solovar had explained that when "the Light" struck it, one of his ancestors had touched it. The Light had given them their higher intelligence. In doing so, it gave them the ability to do a great deal. They had built their city from scratch. They had figured out how to use their surroundings to protect them. And apparently it had given them the means to camouflage their home from the humans that might have invaded.
"You wonder how we remain hidden, when the stone glows no more."
"Ummm... Yeah. Did you just read my mind?" Clark asked.
Solovar smiled as much as a gorilla could. "Our minds are all connected, Outsider. The touch of the glowing gave us this gift and together, we can hide ourselves. The glowing stone has not had the Light for sometime, I am afraid."
"So it's gone?"
He paused for a moment. "No... Not gone. There will be another."
"Another what? Glowing stone?"
"No, Outsider. The Light is always. But there will be another touched by the Light. Not a stone... But an Outsider, like yourself. He will be touched by the Light, and then he will come. He will come."
Clark nodded for a moment, "When he comes... Will he be a friend?"
Solovar paused again. "To most, yes. But not to all..."
His gaze went off into the distance where the adolescent gorillas were playing. Solovar's eyes stayed on one in particular for a good long while. "I will not be the King of Gorilla City forever, Outsider. Some will not accept sharing the Light. Some will be foolish enough to try to take it back, but the Light is not for anyone to own. It is a gift."
"Well, I hope that they'll be fast on their feet, because Titano was a handful."
"Fast..." Solovar smiled. "How amusing."
Clark looked down at his watch. "Speaking of fast, I need to get back. I've got some tracks to cover, and it's not going to be an easy sell job when a giant gorilla goes missing in the middle of Kansas. People notice that kind of thing."
Solovar nodded, "Then let me simply say, thank you, Outsider."
"Thank me? For what?"
"You have brought one of our own back to us. That is an act that is worthy of much thanks."
He shook his head, "I was just trying to do what I could, Solovar. Titano was taken from his home, and I don't know what Lex did to him, but I swear to you that I will find out. I'm not going to let this go unchecked."
Pausing yet again, Solovar looked Clark over. "You too were taken from your home, I believe. Were you not?"
That wasn't what Clark was expecting, and it took him by surprise. He looked around at the inhabitants of Gorilla City and he thought about where he came from, and he thought about where he called home. "I was taken from where I was born, Solovar. No one can take us from where we're from. Home isn't a place. It's where your family is. Mine's in Kansas."
"Very well, Outsider," nodded Solovar. "I wish you a safe journey to your home, in this Kansas."
"And I wish you a very happy, and long ruling, King Solovar. I'm sure we'll meet again."
It was dark by the time that Clark got back to Smallville. He could see the Kent Barn from over the horizon, because the Loft window was open and his parents always left the light on for him. It was a beautiful contradiction. They would leave the light on for him, knowing that he would come home, but they'd sit in the dark depths of the living room waiting to tell him how they had feared for his life. His mother wouldn't hesitate to ground him. His father's mouth would betray the frown that he so earnestly tried to give. They were adorable like that.
Before he could go inside, Clark knew that there was other business to attend to. He recognized the silhouette that stood in the glow of the Loft. It was time to pay the piper. He made his way up to where he knew Lex was waiting.
"Hey..." he offered slowly. Testing the waters.
He turned around even slower. It wasn't concern or worry etched across his face. It was borderline amusement. "I thought you said that you were going to keep an eye on things for me, Clark?"
Clark was quick to make up an excuse. "I tried. But it saw me, and honestly, I just started to run."
"You ran?"
"As fast as I could. I didn't even look back."
Lex barely managed to contain his grin. "I had helicopters survey the area. There wasn't a sign of you or the gorilla. How do you think that happened? Where did you get off to that we couldn't find you either?"
"It was obviously not your average gorilla, Lex. I saw it rip a tree out of the ground. I'm no zoologist, but I'm pretty sure they can't do that naturally," Clark said firmly. "I booked it down the hillside and out towards Burnham Woods. I couldn't be sure if he followed me, so I tried to tread carefully. They probably couldn't see me through the trees."
"That sounds pretty lucky," Clark shot him a look that made him smirk. "To find a tree-line that is."
His brow furrowed a bit as he took in what Lex was trying to imply, "You think I'm making it up? That's kind of rich coming from you right now, don't you think? Care to explain what a tree-ripping gorilla was doing in Smallville?"
"I told you. We were studying it."
"In Smallville. Where you coincidentally happen to be looking for this Superboy."
Lex laughed coldly, "I told you before, we have a lot of facilities. I moved some of our more promising cases to one that we opened in Smallville so that I could remain in proximity. Do you know how much it costs to charter a helicopter, Clark?"
It didn't fail to don on him that Lex was trying to deflect his attention. "No, but I know that gorilla shouldn't have been as big as it was. And no amount of corn and cattle would have made it that big. Not to mention how fast it was. So, I can't help but wonder if you're actually telling me the whole story or not, Lex."
"And the fact that you escaped it, makes me wonder if you aren't either."
"You caught me."
Lex's eyebrows raised. "I did?"
"The Superboy saved me. And I just didn't want to tell you," Clark shook his head. "Seriously, Lex, just because you come from a world where you can't trust anyone, doesn't mean that applies to me."
"And I'd think a simple farm boy like you would be filling to take things at face value."
"I guess you're starting to rub off on me, Lex."
That caught his friend off guard. Instead of retorting, Lex just stared at Clark. This simple farm boy had come a long ways since their paths had crossed. "I've got a PR disaster to deal with. We'll talk about this another time."
Clark didn't reply. He had said everything he needed to say. Lex felt the same. He buttoned his suit jacket, like it was an armor that would protect him from the daggers that were dripping from Clark's gaze. He paused for just a second as he walked past Clark. As if he was going to say something. But he chose not to. He left and Clark headed down and into the house to suffer his fate at the hands of parents, and then write that paper for Mrs. Klingman's class that he had put off to go on that hike with Lex. But he was pretty sure he wasn't going to get much done.
Because Clark could see that Lex was lying. And so could Lex.
Author's Note: Well, what did you think? So, we got to visit the inhabitants of Gorilla City! And we got a little easter egg for two big name characters! Who spotted them?! And we see a crossing of the roads for Clark and Lex. How sad. But it's just part of their story that always has to happen and with that, we head to a new journey! Make sure to shoot me some reviews and let me know what you thought! Because it's a whole new ball game in the next chapter!
