Everyone struggled, but they managed to get out of the tunnel. They all gathered by Lex's car afterwards while the Kents got snacks along for everyone. Klingman couldn't stay and was about to leave as soon as the snacks were brought in.
"Hey wait! There's just something I need to ask you." Clark wondered. Still having questions about his mysterious teacher. She looked behind to see him once more, but a little bit away from everyone else who was still pondering this drill attack.
"What is it Mr. Kent? I still have to get back to the school to explain my leave of absence." Victoria explained.
"Don't you sleep?" Clark asked. While not his main priority. Her response after everything that happened was a bit weird to him. "Anyway, I just wanted to ask. What did you say to me back when I was down in the limo?" Clark was curious to get answers. Combined with what Milton's possessor revealed along with what his parents had been hiding, there was something amiss that Clark needed to find out about.
"I never did get to finish my lesson did I?" Klingman reminisced back to the class a few hours ago. Clark nodded in affirmation to that, and wanted to know where this was going. "Al Patih's followers had sought immortality even up to their deaths, and this had been their tradition for years and years. This may have been a myth, and just unproven folktale across Tibet, but those stories were told in lessons universally. Culture, language, and sciences were influenced by the secrets and myths told high on the mountains, Mr. Kent. Secrets uncovered do good as well as damage. Do remember that before you want the answers. Cause we didn't fully know if those devoted followers survived their search." Klingman explained before walking off. Clark wondered what he meant by the damage, and he got nothing of what language Klingman had spoken. Maybe Tibet was a clue, but given how vague she was, there must be something else going on here. Clark just couldn't stand keeping so many secrets and yet having so much of the truth away from him. He felt like he was surrounded by unknowns that haunted him.
Speaking of, he had to see Lex Luthor off. Lex handled well under pressure so he trusted him a bit more than he used to, but not enough to have felt okay with letting him drive Lana back home.
"Sure you can handle the drive back?" Martha asked, trying to make sure Lana made it home with a driver with his head on for the drive. Smallville wasn't always known for that, even if you were less likely to encounter many drivers.
"I can handle it. I may have failed my initial three driving tests, but my dad got me to the fourth. I can take Lana home" Lex explained. He tried to assure the Kents of the safe travels ahead, however lied to fit into the good graces of the Kents, but he hoped they wouldn't notice. He actually only succeeded because his father would have burned him if he didn't.
"My dad isn't going to pick me up any time soon, so this is probably my best option. Thanks for the food though Mr. and Mrs. Kent" Lana assured the Kents. She went into the car's passenger seat once more after she had hugged the Kents goodbye. Lex approached Clark however instead of entering his limo.
"Coming back to look for us after we were stuck down there was foolish, but brave." Lex complimented. Not really sure how to do it given that he never gave one before.
"Did I just get a Lex Luthor compliment? I'm not sure how to take it." Clark teased. However he was impressed with him. He really changed Clark's perspective on who Lex was before moving here to Smallville.
"Yeah, I just wanted you to know that." Lex explained. He started pondering a bit in his own mind about something that bothered him "There's something I still don't get though about what happened down there." Lex started, while he looked around to the distant door to the tunnels above ground. "When we were about to be crushed to death down there, I heard something rip open inside the drill. Whatever happened, it wasn't simply machinery breaking down. Me, Lana, even our stoic teacher. We were all saved by some guardian angel today." Lex mused as he looked directly into Clark's eyes. "Given that you were looking for us when it happened, did you get a look at this... mysterious savior?" Lex asked inquisitively. Clark was uneasy, but made it appear calm headed.
"I think you might have just been wishing for something more out of your near death. It happens Lex." Clark explained. Wishing for him to be off the trail. "You probably just didn't want to die alone." Clark said looking back at the limo.
"Perhaps, and perhaps we'll be seeing each other again." Lex propositioned. Clark noticed himself, and was wondering what he was doing. "You plan on staying at Smallville High?" Clark asked. Lex looked back at the limo as well. "This small town is warming up to me. Plus you being a friend in this place is how you can owe me for helping to save your life." Lex replied arrogantly. He checked the time and went back to the limo. "Got to go bring Lana home, but I'll see you soon, Clark Kent." Lex declared before he exited. He got into the limo and prepared to drive.
Clark looked on and considered Lex's proposition. He'd need time for it of course. He had stuff to work out, and him getting to be closer to his secret was not good either given who Lex was connected to. He just had to figure it out some other time. For now, it was better to wait.
Lex had gotten to Lana's house, parking the car in the driveway. It was a short drive, but given all the running they did in the tunnels, driving was probably the right idea. "Well, here we are as you instructed." Lex joked. "You act like I forced you to drive me somewhere other than your mansions" Lana redirected amusingly. "Quite the opposite. I enjoyed the trip. In fact, I couldn't have imagined doing such an adventure with anyone else. You have been quite entertaining." Lex explained as he looked zealously. Lana was quite taken back by his comment, but wondered what Lex was after. Still, she knew what she was doing. She was becoming attracted to him. She explored everywhere in Smallville since her parents died, but she wanted more. The unknown about Lex was what had attracted her, and she needed to realize that. At least she knew his own magnetism wasn't really bringing her in. She made sure to separate him to what he was formerly to her for now. A rich, partying trust fund kid with no responsibility.
"I'm not in this car for your entertainment Luthor." Lana clarified distantly, now opening the door. She got out of the car, holding onto the door on the way out. "I just need to get home." Lana explained. Lex was surprised. "I-uh, I didn't know." Lana closed the door loudly. Lex opened the window right after. "Sorry I misread things." Lex once again closed it, obscuring his saddened expressions and sighs from view through the one way mirror. He ruffled his hair in confusion before backing out of the driveway, leaving Lana's view as she got inside.
Lana thought she was in the clear from her foster dad. As she prepared to go upstairs to get ready. Making it through the dark house to get up the stairs, but as Lana made the first step, the light turned on in the hallway. Lana turned around startled, but tried to keep some sort of composure.
"You're home." Lana's father said in a frustrated tone. Lana crossed her arms, seeming confident in how she'd explain everything. "I called the school. Turns out there was an emergency that kept everyone held up in the classrooms under lockdown, and you weren't there." His voice buffed, he continued to raise it in the dark room. "Now, where were you?" He questioned angrily. Lana sighed, she was already trying to come up with an excuse. "I-I went underground with my friends. We found an old cellar and figured it would be better than waiting for some killer to break into one of the classrooms." Lana stammered out. She tried to keep the lie believable. Her foster father had gotten closer, appearing more in the dim lights of the hallway.
"You know, I showed up early today. You've always complained that I'm practically a deadbeat, that i'm never here. Well I called in the local base and set up a deal so that I could be HOME, and be here to make dinner, and then I got worried that my daughter might not even be alive and now-" The foster dad was interrupted when Lana got closer to him in anger. "I am not your daughter, Hank!" Lana cried out in the nearly empty house. "A friend of mine nearly died tonight, and you are still not here when I need you, and only tough on me to ignore that." Lana exclaimed. She's been holding back against Hank thus far for years, but she has had enough at this exact moment. She felt it right given all that had happened.
"You're right. I… I haven't been like your parents at all. Your father… he was a dear friend of mine for years. He got me to propose to my wife, Terri, before she died. This world takes people away from the both of us Lana, and we should finally work things out if we are going to face it." Hank trailed off. He felt he had his reasons for being tough before, but knew he had to change to have some change happen between the two of them.
Lana nodded. They both had dinner later before they turned in for the night. Lana talked about half truths of her evening, and had not wished to tell the full story yet.
Clark had gotten inside after everyone left. There were still a few words that made him unsure of everything. '.rroshodh raopp rurrelahs bim' He was still not sure of what it meant. 'Kal-El' was another. He wasn't told everything of where he came from by his adoptive parents though, that's for sure. He looked back at them before turning in, still knowing that he had much more to learn.
Martha looked back at Jonathan knowingly from how Clark looked as he left. Jonathan perplexed as ever. "What?" Jonathan questioned.
"You know what it is. He's still lost." Martha explained. She looked at him and then sat down. Jonathan did the same. "Those marks we saw in his closet, and whatever was in that drill that knew him. They are all connected." Martha summarized. She had tried to figure it out just as Jonathan was thinking of it himself. Jonathan was continuing to guide himself through all the questions until he figured some answer to help.
"You know that scientist from Midvale? The one that helped get us some better pesticides back when we were in the waiting room for Dr. Shuster?" Martha remembered as Jonathan asked the question. "He said his name was Jeremiah, but do you really think one scientist we met 15 years ago is one we should be telling what we were doing since then?" Martha questioned, knowing that Jonathan knew what she was talking about. Jonathan pondered this as well, of telling Jeremiah of Clark's secret.
Jonathan made his choice. "I think we should tell Clark first. Not about everything, but rather what we'll be telling Jeremiah, about Clark's abilities." Jonathan explained. Martha was skeptical. "From what he boasted about in there, he would be able to crack that he's not from this world even faster than we did with a spaceship in front of us." Martha pondered. This was new territory for them both. "We'll handle that when we get to it. These secrets were inevitable to face when we found him. They'll always be ours to bear." Jonathan said knowingly as he and Martha embraced after a long night. They kissed tenderly before turning into bed.
