Lois used her spring break to go to Smallville. She's told her dad she was going on a senior trip and he'd signed the permission slip without a second glance, too consumed in his work to notice the deceit as usual.

Smallville was, well, small, and the first person she asked for directions to the Kent residence was able to give them.

The older woman who came to the door was dressed in the black of mourning and wearing a look of distrust. "Yes?"

"Mrs. Kent? My name is Lois Lane."

If anything, the look of distrust grew at the mention of her name. "What do you want?"

"Only to deliver a message. Your son wanted me to tell you that he's okay and not to worry."

She clasped a hand over her mouth and the tears rolled.

Lois had the impulse to hug the seemingly fragile woman and she wasn't much of a hugger.

"Can I see him?" she asked.

"If it was up to me, you could. I'm not really supposed to be here at all or even know about him, but I'll try and find ways to be in touch, and I'm certain he'll be released soon.

She wasn't certain of anything, but it gave Mrs. Kent hope and that was more important she felt like than a tiny white lie.

sss

Today's experiment consisted of finding out just how impervious to injury his skin was.

This was the first way he'd discovered he was different as a child when he"d been reaching to grab cookies from the too-high counter and instead he grabbed a knife by the blade. Both he and his parents had been astonished to discover not a nick on him.

The soldier with a gun stood not fifty feet away from him. The M9 pistol was trained on his leg and not his chest, but that didn't make him less nervous.

He flinched when the gun went off, but he didn't even really feel it when it bounced off his leg. The soldier raised his gun higher. However, General Lane held up a hand to halt the firing.

"What are you doing testing bulletproof clothing?" Lois demanded. His daughter showing up was the reason for the general stopping the proceedings rather than an act of mercy. She'd seen him get shot without getting hurt and that was the only logical answer to her.

"Lois, what are you doing here?" the general said going up to the fence and completely ignoring her question.

"I live here, remember?" she answered with a straight face though the sarcasm was thick in her voice.

"This is a-"

"-restricted area," she finished for him. "I know. I'm behind the fence, aren't I?"

The general wasn't amused by his daughter's wit or boldness. "Some days I regret my decision not to remarry. You wouldn't act this way if your mother were alive. Aren't you supposed to watching Lucy?"

"Lucy started high school this year if you haven't noticed. She doesn't need a babysitter though I'm sure she'd appreciate a father who's home once in a while."

Clark was shocked that the general had more than one daughter. The general braiding hair and playing dolls would be amusing to picture only he had a feeling he'd never done those things. From the bitterness in her last comment, he imagined she'd had to grow up fast and be a mother to Lucy.

"Go back to the house, Lois, before I have someone escort you there."

Her eyes looked past her father to him. She was silently asking him if he was okay. If he wasn't, he didn't know what she'd do though he had a feeling she wouldn't have been afraid to try and break him out then and there.

He gave her a small smile that he hoped communicated he was alright because he didn't feel alright. Then he used his eyes to motion her to go.

"Fine," she said to her father. "I have homework to get done anyway."

Kal-El let out a soft, humorless laugh only he could hear as he remembered when that had been his biggest complaint.

She caught his eye again and slipped something under a rock right by the fence when the general turned his back on her.

When they were out of bullets and parts of his body left to fire at, they were ready to take him back to his cell; he ran toward the fence as if he were attempting to break through. He was soon stopped when General Lane opened his box, holding that small but deadly sliver of meteor rock.

He fell to his knees, but that's what he wanted to happen, so he could grab the piece of paper, which he did and stuffed in his pocket.

Two soldiers roughly picked him up and carried him back to his room with the general following behind with the open box to make sure there was no more struggle.

Once he'd been returned, only then did he pull it out and read. It was a note from his mother.

My dearest child,

I love you, and I haven't forgotten you. Lois tells me that they have you locked up in a lab. I will get you out. It brings me comfort to know they can't hurt you and you have a friend there. As you may or may not know by now, your dad passed. I know you, Clark. Don't blame yourself. If you had stayed behind to fight, his heart still would have given out. There's nothing you could have done. Keep the faith, and we'll be together again soon. Mom

The words seem to shake and then blur from tears in his eyes. He'd known he missed her, but he had no idea just how much until he read her letter, the longing to be home welled up in him stronger than ever. He'd find a way to escape. He just had to bide his time.