Many wires were connected to Clark and for hours, he was poked and prodded at in the garage by many machines. Jeremiah Danvers kept attaching some state of the art equipment to him, and ran tests on DNA samples on the spot. He couldn't remove Clark's hair no matter how hard he tried. It made Clark a little cramped in the garage, but he got through it. Hoping that through these hours of testing, some results would come. However as Jeremiah started taking a lot of interest in the latest tests on his computer, Clark had to ask something.
"Anything you found yet Doctor?" Clark wondered. Jeremiah finally noticed his inquiry. "Yeah, I think I finally found the beginning to a breakthrough."
He had wondered what Jeremiah had meant by that. "So we can finally start testing how to control my abilities?" Clark asked impatiently.
"Not quite" Jeremiah informed. "In order to do so, I have to show the data currently being processed. To do that, you need a comparison. Me." Jeremiah explained. Clark wished for him to continue and looked to the screen in front of the doctor.
"See, my skin was able to be studied through skin abrasion." Jeremiah explained as he gestured to a thin patch of removed skin on his arm. "I added the results on micro-particle scans inside the skin cells themselves. Pretty normal stuff. Ultraviolet rays damage our skin slightly everyday after too much exposure. Minimally, but still." Jeremiah added. Clark had nodded, trying to keep up the best he could. "So if this was your results, what were mine?" Clark questioned.
Jeremiah loaded in a new window with the results on the computer. It grew to its full size and gave an entirely different picture to Jeremiah's which was already quite worrying.
"As you probably already know, getting a skin sample from you was quite hard to do. You're about fifteen now, right? How do you plan on shaving in the future?" Jeremiah trailed on. "I'd like to handle this thing one step at a time if you don't mind." Clark suggested. "Right, right. Anyway, the results were processed through a scan done close up on the microscopic level instead. Much harder to get than deeper in like I wished, but you are made of thick skin Kent." Jeremiah continued further into his findings. Looking deeper into the screen's results, clicking on specific elements. "What I have found wasn't even possible by genetic splicing or selective cloning. No being in our world has come close to this level of solar absorbtion. You are a one of a kind being, Clark. It's no wonder you have these mystery gifts." Jeremiah concluded.
Clark couldn't understand what these results truly revealed. If he wasn't even possible on this planet then what was he? He had to dig deeper. "There could be a connection. A few days ago, I found someone who had powers spliced into them because of some experiments done at LutherCorp. This could be the bridge to what I am. What my family is." Clark reasoned.
Jeremiah realized what was really happening. "Clark, I know you want my expertise in biology, but if you just want it to reinforce your own answers, you aren't going to find that here." Jeremiah reasoned. Clark didn't want to admit it, but Jeremiah was right. He wasn't going to get anywhere feeling conflicted for an answer that might not be his own. They went back to the tests at hand. The start of which was his most recent change he had experienced. Heat blasting from his eyes into beams of flame.
"So this one showed up when you stood up to your middle school bully, right?" Jeremiah asked as he set up more wires, and this time had plating set up around the garage. "What I would give to be in the same position back when I was younger. There was this one kid who-" Jeremiah began to trail off, but Clark didn't feel he wanted to trail down that road due to the death of Kenny. "Actually he died afterwards. Not really an exciting moment for me." Clark revealed to Dr. Danvers. "Oh. Well, not to worry. With the shielding I set up, the only thing you should be burning is that target there." Jeremiah gestured over to a medium sized styrofoam head. Clark readied himself even with all of the monitoring equipment set on top of him, making it hard to see. He wore some kind of helmet with blue lights surrounding his viewpoint, and only a small slit in the center to peer out of. It was a little uncomfortable to wear, but Clark could feel the conditions from the farm attack start to be recreated. He was sweltering inside the helmet. Wishing to take it off, but it was tightly wrapped on.
"Just look towards the target, Clark. We aren't going to get anything if this lab blows up." Jeremiah warned as he attempted to pinpoint his monitors on Clark's sudden burst of power. Heat levels were rising fast. Jeremiah had his face locked in amazement when he saw no sign of burning across Clark's eyes or even his own head. He should have been melted by then, but Jeremiah was about to if he didn't do something. He grabbed gloves and charged forward.
Clark tried to hold himself up, but the blast kept tiring him with a powerful push to the ground. He tried to hold his footing. The heat was projecting towards the ceiling, but Clark couldn't move the blast any further. Jeremiah quickly came in behind to turn Clark forwards to the actual target. Clark moved with him and pushed the beam releasing from his eyes at the target. He kept it fixed to the target and Jeremiah rushed back to his monitors. Now that the situation was more or less under control, he could get proper results. Clark felt the visor on him start to cool. The beams had diminished after a few minutes as Jeremiah continued turning a dial close to the monitor. Clark quickly removed the visor when he started feeling his eyes freezing up. He looked around, assessing the full scope of the garage. Jeremiah was still intent on studying the data though.
"What did you find from that?" Clark asked while rubbing his eyes. Jeremiah had started once again loading in results he could give to the boy while he sat next to him.
"Probably some drywall." Jeremiah jokingly responded. Clark partially winced. "Yeah, sorry about that." Clark said.
"It's no problem, really. I knew this wouldn't be without some risks" Jeremiah assured. "Plus the results are⦠worth it." Jeremiah trailed on as he found what he was looking for; enlarging them for both their benefit.
"What is it?" Clark asked. When he moved the chair towards the monitor, Jeremiah turned to the boy.
"My initial results weren't proven wrong. In fact this expansion is more incredible than I had initially thought." Jeremiah's excitement was boosting him clearly, but Clark wasn't feeling the same way on his end of the discovery. This was making him nervous of what it would end up meaning. "See my theories from what your parents told me was a case of genetic engineering. It was the most logical possibility. Someone completely made from scratch would explain the lack of surgical marks." Jeremiah had moved the screen over one of his heat signatures. "However this has shown me what these abilities are. They all stem from a self sustaining defense system within your body that was all natural. A channel of solar energy similar to plant life that feeds you as it also charges you." Jeremiah now had to give the big piece of news and he swiped to it on the monitor. An x-ray of Clark's body. "The point of this, Clark. This is beyond alterations to your cellular structure. You are a completely different species not discovered to this planet." Jeremiah concluded.
"So you are saying that I'm not even human?" Clark was blown away from this. His world changed in ways he wasn't thinking he would face. Though while he was broken that such a secret was kept from him, he remembered one thing. The shed on the farm. The glowing light. He saw it glowing and yet his parents just told him that all that gathered there was old scrap. Something was happening and it clearly had to do with him not being human. Only question was why?
Jeremiah was looking through notes he was taking throughout their tests. Still in a frenzy of excitement from the results. "Do you realize what that means, Clark? You aren't of this world. There is huge untapped potential by how much your family wants to study. This could just be the beginning if we just-" Jeremiah in his ramble didn't see that Clark was gone from the lab and the front door was heard closing in the next room.
As the duo continued sweltering in the basement level of the locked room, Lana checked to hear commotion on the other side of the door in front. The guards saw the bodies upstairs and came to check on the door. Both Lana and Lex were out of time.
Lex continued shifting through notes until he found something. A hidden blueprint, and a list. One included a partial mapping of the underground tunnels that Milton was chased down in. Another was a list of shell companies used for their delivery divisions to travel from Metropolis to Smallville. One such company arranged Lex's move. A Keystone based delivery business called HudHauls. It all made sense. Lionel has had previous dealings there. He was bringing something over. Lex just needed to figure out what.
Lana returned from the stairs. She tried to get a read on what they were saying, but everything was kept minimal in conversation. Though she did tell Lex the good news. "The guards are getting a cleanup crew and some more hands to open the door. We better get out soon. You have what you need?" Lana asked. Lex was taking pictures of the documents. "Best I can." Lex responded. He put the phone in his pocket. "It'll have to do." Lana reminded him.
Lex readied the blow torch, but it still was out of juice. Lex curses in response, and Lana felt the frustration of being trapped as well. "Well how are we getting out of here now? They're busting down the doors any minute!" Lana questioned as she pointed to the door. It was slowly getting its hinges busted on the other end.
"I'm figuring it out. Don't rush me! I don't see you coming up with any good ideas." Lex retaliated. Lana pushed away in anger. She started pacing around the room, brainstorming while Lex did the same. The guards were still pounding the door.
It was getting hard to think. The sweltering heat down in this basement level made it hard for them to come up with a plan. However that was what caused Lana to have a spark of one. Wherever there was heat, there must be power. Lana looked towards where it got hotter for a closer look. A generator was found in the corner of the room. Lana had a possible idea for how to charge the torch.
"Help me plug this in." Lana requested as she tossed him the cord for his blow torch. Lex got back to his feet while holding the cord. He was confused on the latest developments. "Where are you planning on charging this? It's solar powered and it's out of juice in the middle of the night." Lex continued on as bewildered to their escape as the duo was before. Lana pointed to the generator as the next part of her plan continued.
"Your dad made a one of a kind solar generator to power this building. Of course we can charge this." Lana explained. She got to plugging as Lex examined the generator. "How do you know this will have enough power to get us out?" Lex asked as he made contact with the warm exterior of the housing. He saw that it was losing out on power from the cloaking. Though he didn't know how much it absorbed.
"When we first came through the woods, I saw that this place was made to take in the sun's rays directly when it rises in the morning. A pretty clever place to build a solar powered building. It takes up a lot more charge this way and it's receiving light directly." Lana explains further as she makes the final touches on the blow torch.
The door was dented. The guards seemed to have switched from trying to break the lock to breaking the door in its entirety. Lana connected the cables of the generator, and powered up the torch. Lex had his hand on the trigger for the single moment it's charged. It gave a green indicator once it was at a full charge. Which was when Lex aimed and fired straight at the wall. The full blast from the overloaded weapon blacked out the room. An explosion blinded them from their sight temporarily with it's overwhelming fury. The light being drained from it aside from a flicker coming from the generator.
Their window came when the smoke clouded the area from the carnage of their blast. They climbed out of the wreckage left of the window. Lana and Lex ran as fast as they could to avoid being caught by the guards. Instantly, they all breached through the door as soon as the explosion was heard.
"Better make for the woods. Double back for our supplies in the back." Lana said exasperatingly. The two of them started making the turn in that direction, but hid in the trees once some flashlights started wavering towards their positions. Lex waited until the guards were out of sight before he stopped holding his breath.
"I'm thankful for your help, Lana, but you don't have to be that devoted to assisting. I can get our supplies on my own. There's nothing you brought that could tie you to the scene. Unless security thinks I have a stomach that can carry 40 cakes, we're good." Lex assured as they both chuckled from the shared humor of their stakeout.
"Alright, I'll head back home." Lana said as she started feeling the pain of exhaustion reach her from this endeavor. "You still sending your part of the deal?" Lana added questioningly. She had to make sure Lex kept his word. As much as she was fine making sure Lionel Luthor got his just desserts, she needed what Lex promised in return. Either for closure or just for some hope.
"Got them here. Never knew if this would go sideways so I kept this on me to hand it to you if we ever split up in far more desperate circumstances." Lex explained as he gave a file up to Lana. "What is it for?" Lex added. Lana retorted back in turn. "How about yours?"
"I just want to see justice done. Too many people suffer under my father's boots. I've seen way too many deaths caused because consequence never came to my family for having power beyond measure." Lex declared. He spoke from his heart for the first time since moving to Smallville. Having an outspoken word with purpose. "Hopefully these photos will provide that. Evidence for the Sheriff maybe. I haven't thought too far ahead." Lex admitted.
"I hope it works out." Lana assures as she tucked the file away and walked off. "Let's never do this again, okay? Or if there is a next time, I pick the place we get ourselves in danger. Less chance of dying." Lana joked while trailing off into the distance. Lex chuckled behind her as he continued his search for their lost items.
