Thank you to Aragorn II Elessar and Cer1992 for their help with this chapter.
Guest 1: Thank you.
Guest 2: No. There's no point to it, Lex does not know Clark is back and even if he did, he has no real motive for using Simone.
Metropolis General
Mid-afternoon
"Your cousin suffered some head trauma; we'd like to keep her overnight for observation. But from our initial examination, there's no sign of any internal bleeding or damage to the brain, although we'll be doing a CAT scan just to be on the safe side," a doctor explained to Chloe and Jonathan.
"Did she tell you what happened?" Jonathan inquired.
"We believe she might have a concussion, because she mentioned a car crash but couldn't explain how she got here," the doctor explained.
Chloe and Jonathan could though, looking at each other discreetly. It seems Clark was still looking out for his friends.
"Can I see her?" Chloe asked.
"Of course, right through there, room 52," the doctor said as he gestured down the hall. "I'm afraid your friend will have to stay here, only family. Hospital policy."
"It's fine. Go make sure Lois is okay," Jonathan told her.
Chloe nodded before walking to Lois' room as fast as she could without alarming anyone. Opening the door to room 52, she found Lois sitting up in bed, dressed in a hospital gown with a bandage over one side of her forehead.
"Chlo'," Lois said as she saw her cousin.
"Thank God you're okay," Chloe said as she walked over, throwing her arms around Lois before pulling back slightly. "Do you remember what happened?"
"Sort of, but bashing my head on the dash screwed with my memories I think," Lois mused. "I was driving to work when this guy ran out in front of my car; I didn't have time to stop."
"God Lo', I'm so sorry," Chloe said horrified, sympathetic towards her cousin.
"Chloe, I hit him full on and he didn't have a scratch on him," Lois said, taking Chloe back.
"You mean he did this to you?" Chloe asked as she gestured to Lois' head.
"I don't know; I was pretty out of it after I hit my head. I even thought I saw Clark of all people," Lois said wistfully. "Probably just thinking of him after our conversation yesterday."
"Yeah…probably," Chloe muttered.
"I passed out and next thing I knew, I was waking up here. The doctors told me I just showed up on a gurney. Maybe the guy I hit brought me here," Lois suggested.
Luthor Mansion
Late afternoon
In his room, Lionel was sitting in his chair, thinking about how best to handle the situation with Tess when there was a short breeze in front of him. Lionel looked up to see Clark standing in front of him.
"We need to talk," Clark said briskly.
"Of course son, what can I help you with?" Lionel asked as he got to his feet.
"What do you know about SynTechnics?" Clark inquired and Lionel frowned.
"Doesn't ring a bell. Why do you ask?"
"Luthor Corp bought them out seven months ago. And I ran into their latest project, a man named Victor Stone who was experimented on and turned into some kind of cyborg," Clark said hotly.
"I assure you, I had no idea Clark. But knowing my son, it's not inconceivable that Lex would be involved with something of this manner," Lionel mused. "I'll do some digging. My new position at the company should grant me clearance."
"You really think Lex will like you poking around?" Clark asked skeptically.
"I know how to cover my tracks. One more thing son."
Lionel got to his feet, walking over to a dresser. Clark watched with a raised eyebrow as Lionel opened a drawer, pulling something out. As he walked over to him, Clark saw it was a cell phone.
"It's not safe for us to meet at the mansion. Should you need to reach me, my number is programed in. And don't worry, I used an account Lex doesn't know about," Lionel said as he offered Clark the phone.
Clark merely nodded as he took the phone. Clark was still unsure about this new leaf Lionel seemed to be trying to pull over. But, for the moment, he was useful.
Metropolis
Night
In the dark apartment, Victor looked at the time, wondering what was taking so long. Hearing the elevator move, Victor tensed, blending into the shadows until he heard the door open.
"Victor?" Victor relaxed as he heard Clark before he saw him.
"Did you find anything out?" Victor asked as he stepped into view.
"Yeah, but you're not gonna like it," Clark said honestly. "SynTechnics is owned by Luthor Corp, they bought them out about seven months ago. I have an inside contact, they're looking for anything they can find on what happened to you."
"Do you trust this contact of yours?" Victor asked after a moment.
"I don't know," Clark admitted. "But it's smarter than us going in guns blazing."
"Got a point there Kent," Victor noted.
Clark opened his mouth to speak but paused, his super hearing picking something up. Looking out the window, he narrowed his eyes. From across the street, using his micro-vision, Clark saw a man with a strange kind of gun taking aim.
Realizing he was aiming for Victor, Clark pushed the surprised Victor out of the way before speeding over to the building, appearing in front of the surprised sniper. Clark shoved him, sending him crashing into an air vent behind him. The man dropped the gun, dazed before Clark stalked over. Grabbing the man by the shirt, Clark slammed the man's back against the wall.
"Why are you after Victor?" Clark asked lowly.
The man pulled out a knife and tried to stab Clark. However, to his shock, the knife shattered against Clark's skin. Clark knocked the knife aside before hearing something happening over at his apartment. Tossing the man aside, Clark used his X-Ray vision, seeing three men moving in on Victor's location.
Acting fast, Clark sped over, grabbed Victor, and sped out.
Kawatche caves
Moments later
Clark and Victor appeared in the caves in a blur of movement.
"Where are we?" Victor asked bewildered as he looked around in surprise.
"Somewhere safe. The loft isn't safe for you anymore," Clark said grimly.
Luthor Corp
Later
"The loft was purchased four years ago by someone who goes by Kal," Tess explained as she and Lex stood in Lex's office. "It's been abandoned for over three years until today."
"What do we know about this Kal?" Lex inquired.
"Nothing. He paid for the apartment in cash and the real estate agent didn't ask questions," Tess said. "Lex, with all due respect, shouldn't our focus be going to Victor Stone?"
"We don't need to worry about Victor. He'll come to us," Lex said, taking Tess back. "Every man has a weakness Tess. And now I know his."
Lex then turned around his computer screen so Tess could see it. On the screen was a picture of Victor from his college year book. He had his arms wrapped around his girlfriend, Katherine.
Metropolis
Not long after
Lionel entered Dr. Wong's house, finding the door opened. Strangely, he saw no sign of Hong, which was very odd considering the hour and that Hong's shift ended hours ago.
Hearing the humming of a car engine, Lionel frowned as he began to follow the noise. Tracing it to a door, Lionel opened it. A car was running in the garage, the windows all rolled up. A pit of dread forming in his stomach, Lionel walked over to the driver's side, seeing Hong was sitting there. Lionel quickly opened the car door, seeing Hong staring ahead blankly. Lionel frantically checked his pulse, but it was too late. Hong was dead.
Kawatche caves
Moments later
Clark's phone rang. Knowing only one person had the number; Clark didn't even bother checking it before he answered.
"Did you find anything?"
"Yes, but it's not good news son," Lionel said and Clark could hear the regret in his voice. "After some digging, I found the name of the lead scientist on the latest project SynTechnics is working on, Alistair Kreig. But he was unreachable, so I managed to track down his partner on the project, Dr. Hong. I went to his house and found him dead."
"Lex. He killed him," Clark muttered.
"It seems that way Clark. I'm sorry," Lionel said regretfully.
Clark hung up, turning around to face Victor. Judging by his face, Victor had overheard at least part of that conversation.
"What happened?"
"Your friend, Dr. Hong…I'm sorry, but he's dead," Clark said and Victor's face crumbled.
"Because of me," Victor said emotionally.
"I know how you feel but trust me, it's not your fault. The only person to blame is whoever killed him," Clark insisted.
Victor opened his mouth to argue when, suddenly, a loud screeching sound pierced his ears. Victor groaned, holding his hands over his ears as Clark looked at him in bewilderment.
"Victor? What's wrong?" Clark asked in concern.
"Don't you hear that?" Victor asked pained.
Narrowing his eyes, Clark concentrated, picking up the high pitched sound as a deep voice, obviously disguised, spoke up.
"If you want your girlfriend to live, you'll return to SynTechnics," the voice said before it and the sound stopped.
"What the Hell was that?" Victor asked in bewilderment.
Clark narrowed his eyes, using his X-Ray Vision to see the hardware under Victor's skin. It only took a moment to confirm his suspicions.
"Under your left breast plate, there's a piece of equipment that links to your skull, it can operate as a speaker," Clark said and Victor looked at him stunned.
"You can see under my skin?" Clark merely nodded. "Wait, how do you know that?"
"I've seen something similar," Clark said vaguely, deciding not to tell him it was similar to some of the Kryptonian technology Jor-El had shown him during his training.
"They have Katherine," Victor said as the words caught up with him. "I need to save her!"
"We will," Clark promised, stopping him from rushing off. "But we can't rush in. We need to be smart about this Victor. If we don't, Katherine could end up dead and you back at SynTechnics."
"Okay…okay," Victor said, giving in after seeing the logic of Clark's arguments. "So what do you suggest?"
"Well first, take off your shirt," Clark said and Victor looked at him in surprise. "Just trust me."
After a moment of hesitation, Victor complied, removing his shirt. Using his X-Ray Vision, Clark located the piece of machinery from before. Narrowing his eyes, he shot out a low powered heat vision. Victor grunted as it hit him but, almost as soon as it happened, it was over.
"I deep fried it; they won't be able to contact you again. Now, let's go get Katherine," Clark said.
SynTechnics
Later that night
"Who are you? What do you want?" the terrified Katherine asked as Kreig stood over her while she sat in a chair.
"You unfortunately are a means to an end. Once we get what we want, you're free to go," Kreig said calmly.
"I don't understand," Katherine said in confusion.
Before Krieg could respond, the door to the room opened. Kreig turned around and Katherine's jaw dropped as Victor walked in, escorted by two security guards.
"Victor?" she breathed.
"Katherine," Victor said his mouth suddenly dry. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this."
"Please escort Mr. Stone to the lab," Kreig told the guards.
However, before they could move, the doors burst open and Clark sped in. Appearing as only a blink and you miss it blur, Clark shoved the guards and Kreig, sending them flying. Katherine looked at Clark in shock as the three men hit the floor, dazed.
"Get her out of here, I'll meet you outside," Victor ordered.
Nodding, Clark grabbed Katherine and sped out as Victor raced out of the room.
Knowing he didn't have a lot of time, Victor raced through the building, climbing up the stairs onto the roof. Jumping down, he landed on his feet, his weight combined with the momentum of the fall causing several cracks to appear in the concrete. Clark then sped back, grabbed Victor and sped off before the security guards could arrive.
Luthor Mansion, next day
Morning
Lionel was walking down the hall when Tess rounded the corner. No doubt coming from the library, Lionel noted.
"Tess," he greeted politely.
"Mr. Luthor," she replied in kind.
"Please, call me Lionel. I take it you're here on business," Lionel said casually.
"Just typical business at Luthor Corp," Tess said with such ease that part of Lionel was proud.
"Involving Victor Stone?" Lionel smiled when Tess stiffened, staring at him in surprise. "I may have been out of the game Tess, but there is little that goes on in my own house that I don't know about. I didn't know Lex dabbled in human experimentation."
"Lex was simply trying to save a man's life," Tess said defensively.
"I'm sure that's what he told you, I'm sure that's even how he justified it to himself. My son has always seen himself as a white knight, but he's a wolf in sheep's clothing," Lionel looked at Tess grimly and she was struck by the dark look in his eyes. "Everyone close to Lex ends up hurt, dead or worse. My son may present himself as a savior Tess, but he's far too much like me to be one. Get out before you suffer the same fate as everyone else drawn into the Luthor family web."
Lionel then walked passed Tess, leaving her to reflect on his words of wisdom.
Metropolis
Afternoon
Clark stood on a rooftop, looking down on the city with a reflective look. Hearing the door open behind him, Clark didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"I presume Mr. Stone is long gone?" Lionel asked as he walked up beside Clark.
"I got them out of Metropolis first thing this morning," Clark said, not turning away from the city. "I've been up here every day since I've been back. But it's not until now that I finally get it."
"Get what?" Lionel asked curiously and Clark was silent for a moment.
"Seeing Victor and Katherine, how much Victor was willing to sacrifice himself for her…I realize I took the easy way out," Clark finally admitted. "It was…easier to deal with Alicia's death by cutting myself off from humanity."
"Trust me Kal-El, there is nothing about choosing to turn your back on your past, on what made you who you are, that is easy," Lionel told him.
"Maybe not, but it certainly made it harder to let go of Alicia. And I think that's part of why I did it. That pain was the only thing I had left of her. Even now…I still feel it, the pain," Clark said and it was silent between them. "I try to fill the void by listening to the people down there, people who are connecting in ways I can't. But what's the point if I'm not even living?"
"None," Lionel said honestly. "You may have been born of Krypton, but you were raised here. You may be angry with Martha and Jonathan, but you can't forget the lessons they taught you. It was easy for Lex to see me as the enemy, but it's different for you. You grew up in a loving home, you idolized your parents. They made a mistake, they're not perfect, but that doesn't mean you should write them off, any more than you should turn your back on the human race. We are flawed, we are capable of greatness. But we are also capable of great evil. You have to accept the good along with the bad. The girl you lost, Alicia, she had good and bad in her, did she not?"
"Yeah," Clark muttered.
"And you were able to love her not in spite of it, but because of it. Just as you had to accept the best and worst of her, you must also accept the best and worst of humanity. Your strength comes not from shutting out your human upbringing, but embracing it," Lionel advised him.
"Maybe," Clark said lowly. "But I don't think I'm ready to forgive them. Or see them."
"I don't expect you to. What happened…it will take time to forgive," Lionel acknowledged. "But there are some that need no forgiveness. Some you haven't been able to shut out, are there not?"
Clark took a deep breath, knowing who Lionel was talking about.
Metropolis General
Not long after
"You got lucky Ms. Lane," the doctor said as he explained the situation to Chloe and Lois. "You didn't suffer any lasting damage. We'd like to keep you for a few more hours, but then you're free to go."
"Whatever gets me out of here faster," Lois said with an eye roll.
"I'm sorry, she hates hospitals," Chloe apologized and the doctor laughed.
"I know the type. Just be back here by three to fill out some paperwork and your cousin can go home by four," the doctor told her.
"Okay. I've have to go turn in an article for work, but I'll see you later," Chloe told Lois, who nodded.
"Go kick some ass Chlo'," Lois called out as Chloe moved towards the door.
Chloe waved before exiting the room. Walking out of view of the window, Chloe paused, letting out a heavy breath. All things considered, it could have been a lot worse.
"How is she?"
Startled by the sound of the voice, Chloe looked up to see Clark standing a few feet away from her. Long gone was the blue shirt and red jacket, replaced by a black t-shirt and matching jeans.
"Clark," Chloe breathed as she stared at her best friend who she thought she'd never see again.
"Hey Chloe," Clark greeted awkwardly.
Hope Clark knowing about the speaker makes sense.
Clark is starting to remembrance his humanity, little by little. No matter how hard he tries to shut it out, ultimately, he's still Clark and wouldn't be able to do it for too long. I think, after seeing Victor's situation, that Clark would be at least ready to listen to the idea of reclaiming his life as Clark Kent.