Episode 4: Hereafter

The morning sun shines through the woods in several places, and we see a young man, Jordan Cross, in his sweatsuit, running on a trail. Eventually, he catches up with his group from Smallville High, also running for gym class. Lana and Pete head the group, and they watch him as he catches up and runs past them. Led by Jordan, the group comes off the wooded trail and back onto the school grounds. They cross first the track, then the football field where the cheerleaders practice. Jordan focuses on one cheerleader specifically: Megan Calder, who doesn't notice him as she cheers. He stops once he gets to the other side of the track, where the gym teacher, Mr. Altman, is waiting. The group trails behind Jordan, who quickly steps out of the way as the group gets to the track. "Good run, everybody. Don't forget to stretch it out." Mr. Altman says before he starts to walk away. Lana walks toward him. "Mr. Altman. I, uh, I wanted to come by. If there's anything I can do..." she says before Mr. Altman interrupts her, "Well, there's nothing that any of us can do now," he says with a poignant look on his face. "She really loved this time of year," he says before he walks away.

Lana runs over to a table beside the bleachers before catching her breath and wiping her face. The table has a water cooler and plastic cups on it. Jordan walks over to get a drink. Lana spots him and comments on his running, "You were really focused out there. Speaking as one of the dozens you passed." She laughs. "I'm Lana." "Jordan Cross. I just started here a couple days ago," he responds. They both reach for a plastic cup, and their hands touch each other. There's a flash of light, and Jordan sees a vision of an old Lana with long gray hair wearing her kryptonite necklace, lying in a bed with an old man standing next to her. She looks up at the man holding her hand and closes her eyes as the man puts her hand down at her side. The clear stone shines in Jordan's mind as he slowly looks at Lana, then snaps back to reality just as the cup of water they both reached for spills off the table. "Sorry," Jordan says, out of breath. Lana, unaffected, responds, "No, it's okay. There's a lot more where that came from." Jordan walks away without saying anything, leaving Lana a little confused. As Jordan gets to the track, Altman walks up to him. "Hey, nice job out there today. When are you gonna join the-" Altman places a hand on Jordan's shoulder, and he sees another vision. Altman is standing in the middle of the road with his eyes closed and his arms outstretched as a car heads straight for him and hits him, sending him rolling up onto the hood. The impact cracks the windshield, and Altman rolls over the top of the car and then hits the ground where he lies still with his eyes open, clearly dead. Another flash, and he's back in reality. "-team?" the coach finishes. Jordan pulls away from Altman's touch, touching the side of his head. "You all right?" Altman asks just before Jordan runs away.

At the end of the school day, Jordan walks out the front doors as Clark comes outside after him. "Jordan," he says, getting the young man's attention. "The totally overwhelmed look gave you away. I'm Clark." Clark says, offering his hand. Jordan doesn't shake it and instead puts his hands in his pockets as they walk toward the parking lot. "Right. The mentor guy. Hi." he surmises. "Hey, we were supposed to meet in the gymnasium. They said you bolted. Is everything okay?" Clark asks. "I'm still trying to get used to all these people. I was homeschooled up until now," he tells Clark. "Well, allow me to be your lifeline. All new students are assigned a mentor, most importantly because they come with a map. Let me give you a lay of the land." Clark pulls a map out of his pocket, but Jordan cuts him off, "Would you mind if I check with my dad?" Clark looks out into the parking lot where Jordan's father gets out of his truck, waving at Jordan. "Sure." Jordan goes to his father, and Clark stays behind. "It happened again, didn't it?" Jordan's dad asks. Jordan nods in response. "Jordan, I know how much you want this to work, but I still think it's a mistake." Jordan's dad says as his son looks away unhappily. He then notices Mr. Altman walking away from the school just as a car comes speeding around the corner. "No...Not today." Altman sees the car coming closer, and Jordan starts running toward him. "Don't be today." the boy pleaded. "Jordan!" screamed Mr. Cross as he grabs Jordan, stopping him. Altman runs out into the road in front of the oncoming car, closing his eyes and spreading his arms exactly like in Jordan's vision. Clark sees this and super speeds out into the road, tackling Altman out of the way. They both fall to the ground as the car comes to a screeching halt. "Mr. Altman, are you okay?" he asked. Altman looks at him before breaking down, "Why did you stop me? I just-I just want to be with my little girl." He says, crying. "My daughter is dead, and it is my fault." Clark looks down at Altman pityingly as he continues to sob. Jordan comes running toward them, and Clark turns around. Clark and Jordan make eye contact, Clark appearing confused while Jordan, completely stunned.

*SOMEBODY SAAAAAAAAAAVVVEEEE MEEE*

Later that day, Lana and her friend Megan from the cheerleading squad walk down the hall together. Lana sees Clark sitting in the lobby. "Megan, could you go and ask the nurse if Mr. Altman's ready for visitors?" she asks. Megan nods and goes into the nearby nurse's station. Clark stands when he sees Lana and the two walk towards each other. "How's Mr. Altman?" Lana asks him. "He's pretty heavily sedated. They want to keep him here until they can do a full psych evaluation." Clark says, looking down before continuing. "I didn't know you, and Megan knew Mr. Altman so well." Lana glances through the window of the nurse's station where Megan is talking to a nurse. "It's, uh, really through his daughter. We were all on the cheerleading squad together back in junior high. Mr. Altman was never the same after she got hurt." Lana tells him. "I remember, she was hit by a car," Clark finishes. "Yeah, walking home from our end-of-season party. The doctors said that there was no chance for recovery, but, um... But Mr. Altman kept hoping for a miracle." Lana said sadly. "It sounds like that never came," Clark supplied. "He took her off life support last month," Lana reveals to him, lowering her voice to a near whisper. Clark looks stricken, taking in the information, "I wouldn't wish that decision on anyone. It's hard when you blame yourself for everything that happened," he says. Lana looked away in response, "I'd better go," she tells him before walking away as Clark watches her seriously.

In the ER, Megan stands over Mr. Altman, who is unconscious in his hospital bed. "If I could change that night, I would. I don't even remember why Julia and I were fighting." Megan says, crying. Lana walks in, hearing what Megan said. "Megan, don't do this," she says in an attempt to console her friend. "Julia left that night because she was mad at me. If I had just stopped her..." Megan tells her. Lana puts a hand on Megan's shoulder, "I wish I'd gone after her too, but you know, neither of us could have known what was going to happen. You can't keep blaming yourself," she tells her. Megan gazes at Mr. Altman, "I should've told him then." she says, her voice full of remorse. "He's under sedation, Megan. I'm not sure he's even hearing you. Come on. Let's go." she tells her. Megan turns to Mr. Altman as she leaves, "I'm so sorry." Megan leaves the room. Lana follows her, taking one more look back at Mr. Altman as she gets to the door and leaves. In the hospital bed, Mr. Altman opens his eyes, and he looks at the doorway coldly, having heard everything.

The next day, at Smallville High, Jordan walks down the stairs in between classes. The hallways, full of students. He weaves through them cautiously, dodging several people on his way down. Just as Jordan is about to reach the bottom of the stairs, a hand reaches out and touches his shoulder. A bright light flashes as Jordan sees a series of visions:

A young man he makes out to be Clark is surrounded by doctors and nurses, flatlining in a hospital bed. The vision shifts to Clark getting injected with a glowing green liquid and falling to the floor. Next, a man in a green hood fires an arrow at Clark, going straight through his heart. After that, Clark lays in a rainy street, with a blue, glowing knife in his chest, a woman screaming his name over him. Then Clark bleeding out from a wound in his stomach in an old colonial settlement. And finally, a red cape billowing in the wind. The cape flows out of the way as the view hurtles through space at a god-like speed, through thick clouds and flashes of bright light until finally the clouds part as a light, bright as the sun, shines blindingly. Jordan snaps back to reality and turns around with a startled look on his face, seeing Clark's hand on his shoulder. "Hey. Jordan, it's just me," Clark says.

Jordan, shaken, replies, "Yeah. Hi." 'What was that?' he thought, 'What the hell is this guy?' "I just want to apologize for dropping mentor ball yesterday." Clark apologizes. "Mr. Altman's lucky you were there. I just wish my dad hadn't seen it." Jordan says, deciding to put his thoughts on the back burner before he continues down the stairs. Clark follows after him, "Just be sure to tell him that Smallville High is rarely that exciting. Trust me, my parents wrote the book on being overprotective. You'll be just fine." Clark says, reaching out to pat Jordan on the shoulder, but Jordan flinches away from Clark's touch. "You all right?" Clark asks, confused. "Yeah. I just don't like being touched." Jordan quickly tells him. "Fair enough," Clark replies. Just then, a student walks by, accidentally bumping into Jordan. There's a bright flash, and Jordan grabs his head.

Then a young woman accidentally bumps into Jordan, causing the same reaction. A third student bumps into him, and he starts panting, out of breath. Clark watches all of this unfold, confused. Jordan realizes Clark is staring and clutches his notebook to his chest tightly. "What?" Jordan asks. "Nothing. You just had that, uh, look yesterday just before Mr. Altman jumped in front of the car. It's almost like you knew he was gonna do something." Clark says, suspicious. "I-I need some air," Jordan says uneasily before walking away. Clark takes a few steps after him before stopping and watching Jordan go with concern.

That night, outside the Talon, Lana puts chairs onto the tables as the last two employees close up for the night. The girls leave, and Lana starts walking to the bar. She stops when she hears a muffled scream and a thud. As the screams get louder, Lana looks up at the room rented to Adam. The thudding continues as she runs up the stairs, stopping outside the door to listen. Adam screams again as she goes inside. "AAAAHH! It hurts! Burns!" he screams. Lana finds Adam thrashing around on his bed, having a nightmare. Lana rushes to his side, "Adam, are you all right? Wake up!" she pleads. Adam's arms flail, knocking a lamp off his bedside table as he continues to scream, "AAH!" Lana continues trying to wake him, "Adam, wake u-!" "AAAHHH!" Adam screams as he accidentally kicks Lana in the stomach full force, sending her into the wall and falling to the floor.

Adam sits up in bed with a jolt, finally waking up, out of breath with his face and bare chest shimmering with sweat. He notices Lana on the floor as she gets up slowly. "Lana. What happened? You okay?" he asks as he rushes to her side. "I'm fine. You were having a king-sized nightmare." Lana answers, out of breath, holding her stomach. "I guess," he says, getting out of the bed and going to the sink to splash water on his face. "Do you want to talk about it?" Lana offers. "To be honest, no, not really," he tells her. They look at each other intensely for a moment as Adam breathes heavily, struggling to catch his breath. "I'll put some clothes on, clean up this mess," Adam says, walking away, leaving Lana stunned.

Over at the Torch, Clark sits at his desk, printing an article, when Pete and Chloe enter smiling. "Clark, we've been looking all over for you," Pete tells him, then turning to Chloe. "Look who gets to do the honors." "What's going on?" Clark asks. "You ready to hear the latest news about Lana's houseguest?" Chloe asks. "Actually, no," Clark tells them. "'No' as in you're not interested?" Pete asks, confused. "No. 'No' as in it is none of my business. Lana and I reset our relationship to friendship status. I'm not gonna blow it by getting between her and Adam." Clark clarifies. "Wow. Clark's taking one for the team." Pete says, looking toward Chloe. "From now on, consider me an Adam-free zone," Clark says. "Okay, now that we can scratch gossip off the discussion list, what's next on the agenda?" Chloe asks. Clark leans over the desk, ready to discuss his own topic. "What have you guys heard about that new kid? Jordan Cross?" Clark brings up. "You mean Mr. 'Pathologically Afraid of Human Contact'?" Pete responds. "I guess he made quite a first impression," Clark said, "Look, this is gonna sound crazy, but I think he had a premonition about Mr. Altman." "And what made you take that leap?" Chloe asks. "Let's call it a gut feeling," Clark tells her. "Well, maybe that's the same thing that Jordan had," Pete interjects. "What do you mean?" Clark asks. "Some people believe that premonitions are just heightened intuition," Chloe informs him. "Yeah, maybe he overheard something or saw a look in Altman's eyes," Pete said. "Yeah, but still, given your track record with Wall of Weirdness, I think we should look into it," Chloe says. "Thanks," Clark says, pleased. "No thanks required. It's kind of fun being Woodward to your Bernstein again." Chloe answers. The two smile at each other as Chloe sits down at her desk.

At the mansion, Lex is in his study working when he hears a knock at the door. He looks at the monitor to see who it is. "Lana, come in," he says. "Your message said it was important. Something wrong?" Lana asks, walking through the door. "I was hoping you could tell me. I understand there was an incident at the Talon last night. Apparently, some neighbors heard your tenant screaming?" he asks. "I think 'incident' is a pretty strong word. Adam had a bad dream. That's all. It's no big deal." Lana retorts. "And if it had been the first time, I'd probably agree with you," Lex told her. "What do you mean?" Lana asks as Lex holds up a file. "For one, I can read an invoice," Lex says as he stands up and walks around the desk, reading from the file. "Let's see. Charges for repairing broken windows, replacing furniture. All in the last week. There a reason why you didn't tell me?" he asks. "Maybe because I thought you'd jump to conclusions." she retorts. "Okay, but you have to admit, Adam's behavior is unusual," Lex says as he walks closer to Lana, as his voice grows softer, "And when you're on the rebound, it's easy to let your emotions outweigh your common sense." "Look, this isn't personal. Adam's been a real help around the Talon. Putting up with his nightmares is a small price to pay." Lana tells him. "Look, it's your call. But at the very least, you should be asking yourself, 'how much do you really know about your new friend?'" Lex says before he goes back to his desk as Lana stands there with a troubled look on her face.

As Chloe walks down the hall of Smallville High, she enters an empty classroom and stops at the door when she sees Adam seated with his back to her, slightly hunched over and unaware that he is being watched. Chloe watches Adam suspiciously as he stands up and throws something in the garbage can. He then pulls his sleeve down and leaves the room through the other door. Once he's gone, she approaches the garbage can, pulls out a handkerchief, and reaches in to pick up what Adam left. She picks it up, and her face turns to curious shock as it's revealed to be a syringe. "Whoa..." she exclaims.

Chloe rushes over to the Torch and finds Clark sitting there, working on the computer. Clark looks up from the computer to see his friend. "Chloe, I think I found something," Clark tells her. "Yeah? You and me both," she says, putting her bag down and taking off her coat. "I just had a mega "Real World" moment with Adam-" "Chloe, I already said, I don't want to get involved with Lana and Adam." "And I respect that Clark, but this is serious," she says, holding up the empty syringe. "Woah. Is that a needle?" Clark says in response. "Yeah, I saw him inject himself with something. Clark, I think Adam might be an addict." Clark stares pensively at the syringe before looking away, remembering his stance. "Chloe, Lana can take care of herself, she's been training with Lex ever since he got back. There isn't much I can do without Lana getting upset. So I suggest you take it and confront Lana about it." Chloe stood there in shock. "Are-Are you sure?" "Chloe," Clark says with a stern look. "Okay, got it. Take the syringe to Lex. Anyway, looks like you're hammering away at the Jordan story." she says, quickly changing the subject.

"Yeah, I pulled this off the Ledger database. Look at this newspaper article..." he says, moving over to give her reading space before continuing. "Apparently, when Jordan was six, he went ballistic outside of a roller coaster, screaming someone was going to die. His dad pulled him away, but when they restarted the ride, one of the cars broke loose," he said. "Killing the woman standing in line with him." Chloe finished. Clark nods, "Mr. Altman wasn't Jordan's first premonition." he says. "All right, well, cue the spooky music... because Jordan was born on the day of the meteor shower," she says while handing Clark a file. "I took a quick trip to the courthouse and asked them to pull up anything pertaining to Cross," she says. "According to this, Jordan's mom died, shortly after he was born... as a result of a direct hit from a meteor?" he says, reading the file. "As one life ends, another begins," Chloe states. "Well, that must be the connection," Clark says. "Yeah, mix that with the meteor rocks, and you could be entering John Edward territory." Chloe deduces. Just then, the two hear a disturbance outside the Torch office. They look out the door, seeing students shouting and running outside to see what's going on. "This can't be good," Chloe says. They then hear Jordan screaming. "That's Jordan," Clark exclaims as he rushes outside.

Outside the school, Jordan and Megan are surrounded by students as Clark arrives. Megan is trying to run away, but Jordan keeps blocking her path. "Stop it!" she yells at him. "You don't understand! I'm trying to help you!" he pleads. "Go away!" she screams once more. "Megan, stop! Please! I'm just asking you to let me walk you home. You don't understand! It's not what you think!" he says. "Leave me alone!" she yells, finally able to run away. Clark goes to Jordan. "Jordan, what's going on?" he asks. "I have to help her!" he says with a look of desperation in his eye. "Why? Calm down! What's gonna happen to Megan?" Clark asks. Jordan looks at Clark with absolute terror, "She's going to die, Clark! Don't you understand? She's going to die." he says before running after Megan in the direction she went. Clark stays where he is, unsure of what to do.

Jordan runs along the Smallville High track on his way to the wooded path leading away from school. Clark super speeds up behind him, catching up. "Jordan, hold up!" he shouts, grabbing the boy's attention. Jordan stops and turns around. "My father was right, Clark! This was a mistake. I should've never come to school." Jordan yells. "Jordan, I believe you. You saw something when you touched Megan, didn't you?" Clark pieces together. "I don't know what you're talking about," Jordan says in denial. "Like a premonition?" Clark pushes the issue. "I don't know what you're talking about!" Jordan screams. "I know about the roller coaster," Clark reveals to Jordan. Jordan's eyes shift. "When you touched Megan, what'd you see?" Clark asks him. Jordan hesitated before slowly speaking, "I saw fire... smoke. Megan was screaming. She couldn't breathe. Clark, I had to warn her." Clark thinks for a moment before speaking. "Maybe we still can."

Clark and Jordan walk down a quiet street together. "Megan's house is just around the corner. These visions, when they hit, what are they like?" Clark asks. "It's hard to describe. It's like a curtain's being pulled back just long enough for me to see the moment they die." Jordan answers. "Have you ever been able to stop one of these visions from coming true?" Clark suggests. "Never. My dad and I did everything we could. We called the police, the paramedics, begged people to take us seriously, but no matter what we did, the visions always came true." Jordan admitted. "And that's how you knew Mr. Altman was going to kill himself." Clark pieced together.

"Except he survived. Because of you. How did you do it?" Jordan said, mystified. "When you grabbed me in the hallway, I had a vision of you too. Well, multiple visions, that's never happened before. It was weird." Clark suddenly grew nervous at this, "What do you mean? What'd you see?" he asks. It's like you don't have an end like other people. It's like you can come back from death, and I think, live forever." Jordan described with a hopeful look in his eye. This has the opposite effect on Clark, startling him. "Come on, Jordan. You're wrong," he says. "No. Maybe that's why you were able to save Mr. Altman," Jordan says as they stop walking. "Nobody's ever been able to stop one of the deaths before. Maybe you can do it again for Megan," he suggests. Just then, they hear a police radio and realize they are standing outside Megan's house. Sheriff Adams is on the front lawn consulting with Megan's mother and another police officer. "Excuse me." Sheriff Adams says to the mother before walking to Clark. "Mr. Kent. Why am I not surprised?" she says. "Sheriff, what's happening?" Clark asks. "We just found Megan Calder's car abandoned off the main highway. There were signs of a struggle." She says before looking at Jordan. "Are you Jordan Cross?" she asks. Jordan nods in response. "I was told you got into an argument with Miss Calder today?" Jordan looks at Clark, terrified. "I was there, Sheriff. It wasn't a big deal. Besides, Jordan's been with me this whole time." Clark interjects. "I got a missing girl, Mr. Kent. That makes everything a big deal." Adams tells Clark, then turns to Jordan and tells him, "We better talk."

Over at the Talon, Lana serves coffee to some customers as Chloe enters. "I think it's a little early for your second triple cap, isn't it?" Lana says as she laughs a bit before noticing Chloe's face. "Um, actually, I, uh, came to talk to you about something. Is-is Adam around?" Chloe asks as she stutters with nervousness. Lana stops at a table and unloads a tray, and turns to Chloe. "I don't know. I haven't seen him in a while... You okay?" she asks. "Well, I'm just ... I'm having one of those 'it sucks to be a reporter' days," Chloe tells her, as Lana looks at her inquiringly, before continuing, "I know you and Adam have been spending a lot of time together, but..." Lana's face grows worried as she asks, "Chloe, what's wrong?" Chloe pauses, and she frowns, about to tell Lana her findings.

The sounds of a beautiful classical piece emanate from on the grand piano in Lex's mansion as he enters the room carrying a file. "They say music hath charms to soothe the savage beast," he says as he walks to the piano, revealing that Adam is the one playing. "Don't count on it. You play?" Adam asks. Lex shakes his head, "I never really had the patience for it." he says. "My parents would have killed for a piano like this." Adam says while he stops playing, "I wound up learning on a secondhand junker." He continues before standing up as Lex sits down at the piano bench, placing his file on the piano as he speaks. "It doesn't seem to have hurt your playing. That's one of Rachmaninoff's most complicated pieces," he says. "You didn't ask me here to discuss music theory." Adam inquires. "No," Lex responds, "I thought we should meet." "If it's about the lamp, I'll replace it," Adam says.

"Actually, it's your behavior that concerns me, Adam. Lana's a friend." Lex tells him. "For what it's worth, we both care about Lana," Adam says, walking around to the other end of the piano as Lex slides the file across the top. Adam catches it and opens it. "What is this?" he asks. "Your colorful past," Lex replies snarkily. "These are my school records. They're supposed to be sealed." Adams says as he slides the file back to Lex. "I'm not sure why you'd care. They're exemplary. Straight A's across the board." Lex comments. "I was always a good student." Adam retorts. "I actually spoke with your teachers. I believe the phrases they used were 'a fine pupil' and 'a joy to teach.'" Lex tells him. "It's nice to be appreciated," Adam replies. "The strange thing is they all said it, word for word, almost as if they were told what to say," Lex says with feigned curiosity, a devilish smile appearing on his face, knowing he cornered the young man. Adam doesn't respond, looking away. "Don't worry, Adam. I'll keep checking. We all have black marks somewhere in our past." Lex walks away, and Adam looks at him angrily.

Clark and Jordan are still in front of Megan's house when Jordan's dad drives up in his truck and gets out, running to Jordan. "Jordan!" he exclaims, "Are you all right?" "I had another vision. I thought I could help." Jordan admitted. Mr. Cross glances at Clark nervously, worried that Jordan's speaking so freely about his abilities. "It's okay. Clark knows." Jordan tells him. "Wait for me in the truck." Mr. Cross tells his son. "Dad, please," Jordan says, pleading with his father. "Jordan." Mr. Cross says, his voice gaining a warning edge. Jordan walks to the truck, leaving Mr. Cross and Clark alone. Mr. Cross starts to pass Clark and walks toward Sheriff Adams. "Excuse me," he says to Clark. "Mr. Cross. Jordan really wants to make a go of it at school. Will you just give him one more chance?" Clark says, trying to reason with him. "I really appreciate all you've done, Clark, but Jordan is... special. If he's at home, at least I can try to protect him," he responds as he glances at the truck. His eyes slowly widen as he sees Jordan's backpack on the hood and Jordan gone. "Oh, my God... Jordan!" Mr. Cross screams as he runs into the road, looking around and shouting for his son, "Jordan!"

At Smallville High, Lana puts things away in her locker as Adam walks up behind her. "I got your message. In case you didn't notice, school's out," he says. "I was at the Torch doing some research," Lana tells him as the two begin walking down the hall together. Lana grows nervous before asking, "Adam, there's...there's no easy way to ask this, but somebody found your needle in the trash today." "Technically, that's not a question," he tells her in his usual playful manner. Lana then stops walking and faces him with a pressing look on her face. "Look, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Are you diabetic? On some sort of medication?" she asks him. "Was that the research you were doing? I mean, that would explain it, right? Except diabetics are supposed to leave their syringes with the school nurse." he debunks. "Believe me, I'm not trying to accuse you of anything," she attempts to reassure him. "Yes, you are. You think I'm on drugs. The truth is you don't trust me. Never have." Adam says before angrily walking away as Lana follows him. "Adam, that's not fair. You said you'd always be honest with me. Why can't you be honest now?" she asks him. Adam stops walking and turns to face her, "Look, Lana, I want this to work, but if you're not sure, just say the word, and I'm gone." He waits a few moments before turning away again and leaving, but Lana hesitates before following him.

At the end of the other hall, Jordan turns the corner just as Adam does, and the two bump into each other. Jordan sees a vision, then doubles over, gasping. Adam stops and turns around to see what happened as he meets Jordan's eyes which hold looks of terror, shock, and wonder. Without saying a word, Adam keeps walking away, and Lana turns the corner calling out to Adam before noticing Jordan on the floor breathing heavily. "Jordan. Are you okay?" she asks him. "I'm fine," he tells her as he leans on a wall. "What are you doing here," she asks him. "I'm hiding from my father. I think he wants to pull me out of school," he confesses.

Lana stands before him, "Well, running away won't fix anything," she says as she touches Jordan's shoulder, and he is thrust into another vision. He sees Lana's face, twisted in excruciating pain, and a flaming photograph of three young girls in cheerleading outfits. The photo is one of many of the same young girl, set up like a shrine as the whole thing burns. Lana seems trapped in the middle of the fire as she screams in pain before being engulfed in flaming rubble. Jordan pulls away from Lana and holds his head. "Jordan, what is it?" she asks. The confused young prophet mutters to himself, "It's changed," trying to figure out what's going on. He then turns to Lana, and with an urgent look on his face and tone in his voice, he asks, "Lana, please don't leave here." "What's going on," she asks him. "I can't explain it. Something awful is about to happen. We have to go find Clark." he tells her. "Clark?" Lana asks in confusion. Just as Jordan turns to go when a figure dressed in all black and wearing a ski mask suddenly turns the corner and punches Jordan in the face, knocking him to the ground. "What are you doing?!" Lana shouts at the attacker. "This is for my daughter," the attacker says before lunging at Lana with a chloroform handkerchief, covering her nose and mouth forcefully. Lana fights back, punching and kicking, but it's futile as her swings become less powerful, and she loses consciousness.

Over at the Talon, a knock is heard on Adam's door with no answer, our favorite intrepid reporter stealthily breaks in. "Adam? Hello?" Chloe quietly calls out. She closes the door behind her and turns on a flashlight. Chloe starts to look through the room, shining the flashlight over Adam's bed and then his bookshelf. She then sees something shining on the floor beneath the bed, and Chloe gets down on her knees and tilts her head to look and sees that it is an unlabeled medicinal vial filled with a clear liquid and picks it up. When Chloe sits up, a dark figure is standing behind her.

"Last I heard, breaking and entering were still against the law," Lex stated, startling Chloe as she jumps up and turns around, sneakily hiding the vial she found behind her back. "I could say the same thing to you," Chloe rebuttals. Lex walks closer to Chloe, "Except I own the place. I take it you have some concerns about Lana's new friend." he implores. "I think that's pretty obvious," she retorts before walking past Lex to the other side of the room, slipping the vial into her purse. "So what caused you to go all Cloak and Dagger?" she asks. "Rachmaninoff," Lex replies, picking up a slide picture and looking at it. "When Adam came to see me earlier today, he was playing one of his most difficult pieces," he said as he turned to Chloe. "Is that a crime?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "No, but it is weird. He had no CDs, sheet music. Not even a radio." he says, handing the slide to Chloe. "And according to his transcripts, he never took a single music class." he finished. "So computers, kickboxing, and master pianist. Wow, Adam's a regular renaissance man," she comments. "Like you said, it isn't a crime," Lex says. "Though it's certainly piqued your interest," she says in a questioning tone. "Seems to have also done the same for you," Lex counters, smiling slightly. "Lock up when you're done," he says as he tosses her the apartment key and walks toward the door.

Chloe squints at Lex, realizing that she is being given permission to stay. "Oh, and Chloe, I'd advise you to be a bit more stealthy when hiding stolen items. When you're ready to have it tested, my door's open. If you want, we can decipher the enigma of Adam together." he finishes before leaving. Chloe's eyes go wide, realizing he knew all along and was shocked by what an opportunity she was just given. Chloe pulls the vial out of her purse and looks at it closely.

Over at the Kent farm that same night, Clark rummages through a tool chest in the loft as Jonathan walks up the steps. "Clark? Clark, you've looked for Jordan all over town. I think it's time you call it a night." Jonathan tells his son. "Dad, I was supposed to help him fit in. Instead, I take him to a crime scene, putting him on Sheriff's radar." Clark tells him, with waves of guilt in his voice. "That is not your fault," Jonathan says in an attempt to console his son. "Well, he was much better off before he met me," Clark says as he starts to walk away. Jonathan follows him, trying to talk to him, "Clark, if Jordan ran away, it's because the kid probably felt like there wasn't anybody to talk to at home," "His dad seemed like a good man," Clark rebutted. "I'm sure he is. And I'm also sure he feels like he's doing the best thing for Jordan." He says as he places a hand on Clark's shoulder. "Look, when... when your son has a gift, your first temptation is to hide him away, to shelter him from everything." Clark looks at his father, responding, "You didn't." "Well, I sure as hell wanted to. But, your mother convinced me that you needed to experience the whole world. Not just this farm. Ultimately she was right. So Jordan will come home. But not until he's good and ready, okay?" Clark nods in response, "Yeah." "Alright, why don't you come inside, grab a bite to eat," Jonathan asks. "I'll be there in a second," Clark says. "Okay," Jonathan says as he walks down the steps.

Clark walks back to the chest and shoulders his backpack to leave the loft when suddenly Jordan jumps out in front of him from a hiding place. "Clark!" he exclaims with a look of sheer terror. "Jordan? What happened to you!?" Clark asks him. "I was in the school with Lana when someone attacked us! I think they took her!" "Who took her?" "I don't know. I didn't see him!" Jordan says as Clark turns to run out as Jordan stops him. "Clark, I had another vision of Lana," he says. Clark turns to face the young clairvoyant, "What do you mean, 'another'?" he asks. "I'm not sure. Like it was different from the first one. The other day, she touched my hand on the track, and everything was alright. She was peaceful, she was old, it was her time." "So, what? You're saying it's changed?" "She was trapped in a fire just like Megan!" "Okay, okay, calm down. What else did you see?" "I saw, uhm... stuff... on the floor. Photos were burning. Lana and Megan were in one of them, but they were younger. They were in cheerleading outfits." Jordan says.

Clark takes off his backpack and opens it, pulling out a newspaper and handing it to Jordan. "Is this the girl?" He asks as he shows Jordan Julia Altman's obituary. "Mr. Altman's daughter," Jordan says in realization. "When I saved him, I changed everything. Even what's supposed to happen to Lana." Clark says as he has a sudden realization and is suddenly afraid. "Okay, did you see anything that might tell us where she is?" Clark asks. "Uh, there was... there was an old sign inside, it said... it said 'Wandering Hills'" "I know where that is," Clark says as he starts to leave as Jordan stops him again. "Clark, take me with you." No way. We just got you back." Clark tells him. "I've seen the house. Maybe I can help you find it. Please." Jordan pleads. Clark pauses shortly, thinking over his decisions, sighing before he responds, "First sign of trouble, you back off, okay?" Jordan nods in response. "Alright, let's go," Clark says as they both walk out of the barn.

Mr. Altman is in the basement of an old house as he carries gas cans in each hand. He sets the cans down next to Lana, whose hands are tied to a beam behind her. Megan is across the room from Lana, also restrained to a beam surrounded by gas cans. "Mr. Altman, why are you doing this?" Lana asks, her voice full of fear. "Please, you don't have to do this!" Megan pleads. Altman looks over towards the two, with a neutral face, "You're gonna pay for what you did to Julia." he calmly tells them. "What are you talking about?" Lana asks. Altman turns towards her, "I heard you at the hospital. Megan had a fight with her, and you let her leave. You should've been looking out for her!" he says, getting angrier. "We didn't cause the accident." Lana tries to explain, struggling against her bindings. "You might as well have! My little girl was out there all alone because of you!" Altman screams at her. "It wasn't our fault!" Megan says, crying as Altman picks up another gas can and starts pouring it all over a shrine to Julia against the wall, covered with pictures of Julia. "For years, I blamed myself for not being there." Altman starts. "Mr. Altman, this is not the way." Lana pleads with her captor. "But now I know I wasn't responsible. You two killed her," Altman states with venom in his voice. "No, we didn't..." Megan frantically says. He takes a lighter out of his pocket and lights the flame. Lana struggles against the ropes binding her to the beam. "Please, no!" Megan screams in absolute terror. Altman tosses the lighter at the shrine, and it bursts into flames immediately. "Oh, no! No!" Megan and Lana scream as the fire spreads from the shrine to the wall behind it. Altman kneels down slowly, almost ceremonially, in front of the shrine as the fire swallows the pictures of Julia. The picture of Lana, Megan, and Julia as little girls in the cheerleading outfits catches fire as Altman closes his eyes.

Outside the house, Clark and Jordan drive up to see smoke and flame rising from the windows. "Clark, look!" Jordan says, pointing out the smoke. Clark stops the truck. "Jordan, stay in the car," he says. "But he has Lana and Megan. You're going to need some help!" the young clairvoyant protests. "Stay in the car, Jordan," Clark repeats before he gets out of the car and speeds to the house, bursting the basement door, throwing it off the hinges. He scans the house using his x-ray vision, seeing three bodies below him and making his way to the basement. He sees Megan and Lana tied to the beams, unconscious, as the fire consumes the room quickly. Clark rushes to Lana and lifts her head. "Lana?!" Clark calls out as he looks over to see her slumped over, barely conscious. "Lana," Clark says as Lana softly opens her eyes. "Save Megan," she weakly replied before slipping back into unconsciousness. Just then, Altman comes up behind Clark and grabs him by the back of his shirt, ready to throw him. "GET OUT!" he shouts at Clark. Clark merely turns and backhands Altman hard, sending him flying into the wall. Clark kneels back down to help Lana as Jordan comes in. "Jordan!" he exclaims, "What are you doing?! Get out of here!" Jordan turns towards Clark, kneeling down to undo Megan's bindings, "I'll get Megan!" he yells.

Altman slowly makes his way out of the wall, covered in blood and dust, before he falls to his knees and crawls toward the shrine. "Mr. Altman! You have to get out of her. Come on!" Clark says, making his way to the coach. Altman doesn't turn back but yells, "You stay away from me! I just want to be with my girl!" Just then, Jordan frees Megan and stands her up, giving her to Clark and Lana. "Come on. Come on, let's go!" Clark tells the two, guiding them outside. Jordan starts to follow before turning back and seeing Altman crying at his daughter's burning shrine, the flames nearing him. "Coach? We've got to get out of here!" Jordan says, running to the man about to help him up. Altman jerks his head up in a violent manner, a wild look in his eyes as he lunges at and grabs Jordan, shaking him. There is a series of bright flashes as Altman's touch causes Jordan to have several visions. "You!" Altman screams, "It's your fault!"

Outside, Clark looks around, realizing Jordan isn't with them. "Where's Jordan?" he asks. "I didn't see him come out with us," Lana tells him. Clark looks back at the door to the house where the fire is getting higher and higher. He springs into action, running back toward the house. "Clark!" Lana calls after him. Run! Lana and Megan run away as Clark goes back inside. He finds Jordan unconscious on the floor and runs to him. Clark throws Jordan over his shoulder and looks around for Altman. "Mr. Altman! Coach Altman! You got to get out of here!" he shouts as he runs from the house with Jordan over his shoulder. Clark puts Jordan down on the ground at the edge of the yard and covers him just as the house explodes, sending fire and debris shooting in every direction, engulfing Clark and Jordan.

As the smoke and flames clear, Clark sits up with his face smudged with black, and his jacket ends burnt, but Jordan is unburned. "Hey Jordan!" he cries, shaking Jordan's shoulders and feeling his neck for a pulse to get a response as Lana and Megan run toward him. "Clark! Clark, are you okay?" Lana asks. Megan looks towards Jordan, noticing his still body, "Oh, my God, is he alright?" "He's not breathing," Clark tells her. as he starts giving Jordan chest compressions. "Come on, Jordan. You can't die on me." Clark says as Lana and Megan watch fearfully until finally, Jordan starts to choke and sits up as the three sigh in relief. "Clark-" he begins. "It's okay. You're all right." Clark says as he puts a hand on top of Jordan's. Jordan flinches, expecting another vision, but nothing happens. He looks up at Clark questioningly. "You're gonna be okay," Clark reassures him.

Lex works in his study on his laptop when Lana enters, and he quickly closes the laptop. "Hello? Lex?" Lana asks. "Lana. How you feeling?" "Between the fire and my leg, I've seen enough hospitals to last a lifetime," Lana says jokingly. Lex laughs lightly, "Have a seat." "Thanks," she says as she sits. "Lex, I think you were right about taking a closer look at Adam," Lana admits. "Why the sudden change of heart?" he asks. "Chloe caught him using some sort of drug at school, and when I confronted him about it, he almost lost it," Lana tells him. "Lana, I've had people assume the worst about me all my life. Trust me, it's hard to respond when people always jump to the wrong conclusions." "Lex, the last time we talked, I was under the impression that you'd be happier if I kicked him out." "True, but then again, it's not my choice to make. But I've had a chance to ask a few questions." Lex said before pausing to let it sink in. He continued, "With the help of our favorite intrepid reporter, we learned that Adam hasn't been healing as well as his doctors had hoped. Apparently, he's part of a clinical medical trial testing a new drug." "Okay, that might explain the needle. It doesn't explain why he was hiding it. I'm just beginning to wonder who I let into my life." "Who knows? But I suggest you trust your instincts." "Thanks, Lex. I'll take it under consideration," she tells him. Lex smiles as Lana gets up from her seat and leaves the room. Lex reopens his laptop with a file labeled 'Knight, Adam' on the screen with a picture of Adam and a list of his personal information. Lex studies the screen when Chloe walks in, "Hey Lex, found anything on our resident lab rat?" "Quite a bit Chloe, this file is quite the read." Chloe smiles snarkily, "Alright then, lets find out who this guy really is."

The next day, at Jordan's house, Clark and Jordan walk in, coming back from school. "I promise your second week of school will be easier," Clark tells him. "The paramedics said if you hadn't given me CPR, I'd be... dead," Jordan says. "But you're not," Clark responds as they go into the living room. Jordan pauses before talking again, "I saw her, Clark." "Who?" "My Mom, at that moment, right before you pulled me back," Jordan says as his face turns awestruck at the memory. "She was beautiful. I tried to run to her... but couldn't." "Maybe it just wasn't your time," Clark suggests. "And when I woke up, she was gone," Jordan tells him. "And the visions?" Clark asks. "Maybe I was destined to lose them when I met you," Jordan tells him, laughing a little as Lana walks in. "Mind if I interrupt?" she asks, "Jordan, I brought your homework."

Clark looks from Lana to Jordan. "Why do I get the feeling you've replaced me as your mentor?" he asks. "I've offered to help Jordan get back on his feet, and he is going to help me become faster on mine," Lana tells him with a smile on her face. Clark smiles and laughs towards Jordan, "I think you're getting the hang of this high school thing" Jordan smiles in response, a little embarrassed. Clark turns to Lana, "How are you doing?" Lana smiles half-heartedly, "I know that look. You sure you're okay?" he pushes. "Yeah, I'm fine, Clark," Lana says quietly. Clark looks back to Jordan, "I'll see you tomorrow." Jordan nods. With another look at Lana, Clark leaves. Lana turns to Jordan, "So, we've got a lot of work to do." she says as she and Jordan sit on the couch, and Lana takes a binder out of her book bag. Jordan, awkwardly, looks at her as if he wants to say something.

"What's wrong?" she asks. Jordan hesitantly tells her, "Lana, it's about your friend, the one in the hall? Adam." Lana turns to Jordan with a curious look on her face, giving him her attention. "He's from Oklahoma, right?" Jordan asks. "I don't know. He's never really said anything. Jordan, what's going on?" "I think something bad happened to him." " Well, that makes sense. He's been in the hospital. He was pretty seriously injured a few months ago." Jordan nervously pauses, "This is going to sound really strange, but... I think it's worse than that. I don't think he was just hurt. I think he died." Jordan finishes. Lana is startled as her eyes lower as she ponders Jordan's claim.

That night, at the Kent Farm, Martha pulls a sheet of cookies out of the oven. She carries them over to the counter, where Clark is seated with a glass of milk. "You're awfully quiet today," she notes. "Having someone definitively tell you you can change destiny is a lot to handle," he tells her. "Jordan's visions really struck a chord," Martha says as she goes to the cupboard and gets a plate. "Or just brought up questions I had all along," he replies, "Mom, by helping Mr. Altman, I put three other lives in jeopardy." "But you were there for them." she retorts. "If it wasn't for me, he would've never had the chance to hurt anyone." Martha puts the cookies on the plate before turning to her son, "Clark, what's this really about?" Clark looks up at her, "I'm just wondering if that's why I was really sent here. To change destiny. What if I make a wrong choice and I'm not there to make it right?" he asks. "It's a huge responsibility. You have to concentrate on the good that you do. Think of all the people you've saved. Your dad, me, and Lex. He's turned out to be an amazing friend, almost like another member of this family. Sweetheart, you just have to do the best you can. You can't save everybody." Clark nods.

Martha picks up the plate of cookies, "Well, I'm gonna take some of these out to Lex and your dad. "I'll do it." Clark offers as he stands up and puts on his coat. "Well, could you please make sure that at least a couple of them make it to the barn?" Martha asks, teasing her son. Clark smiles, "I promise nothing, but I will try." "Thank you. Clark" "Thanks, Mom." Clarks says warmly. As he goes, she smiles after him proudly. As Clark enters the barn, eating one of the cookies from the plate he is carrying. He hears the table saw loudly whirring as he looks for his dad but doesn't see him anywhere. Clark yells over the noise, "Dad?" Clark goes to the table saw and sees a board fall off. Jonathan isn't there. He goes to the saw and turns it off, causing the noise to die down. Lex's voice calls out, "-ARK! CLARK! HELP!" Clark quickly rushes to the other side of the saw and sees Jonathan sprawled on the floor and Lex over his body. Clark drops the plate of cookies, and it shatters on the ground as he kneels to Jonathan's side. "Dad... Dad!" he exclaims. "Lex, what happened?" "I don't know, we were doing work, and as I was coming back from fixing the fence, I found him collapsed on the floor," Lex tells him. They turn Jonathan over on his back, his face sprinkled with sawdust twisting in pain, groaning. "Dad?" Clark asks. "Not now! Not yet," he responds as though he's talking to someone else. He turns to Clark and says, "I love you, son." then to Lex, "Lex, you've come so far, and I'm proud to call you one of my family. You two take care of each other and Martha." before he grunts in pain, faints, and goes completely limp. "Dad?!" "Jonathan?!" The two look up at each other. Lex speaks first, "Clark, super speed him to the hospital. I'll get your Mom." Clark nods in response before rushing out of the barn with his father in tow.

Chapter 4 End