Clark was allowed to see Lana after the doctors had stabalized her some.
He felt it was his fault that Lana was dying, being kept alive only by
machines. He wished he could get inside her mind and tell her to come
back. Was she even dead yet? Can the body go on without the soul? Even
if it could, this was no way to go on. Hooked up to machines, eyes not
even twitching beneath her eyelids.This was no way to live.
Clark took Lana's nimble hand in his large one. Nell had left the room, allowing Clark some time to speak to Lana in private. "I'm so sorry.It's all my fault. Had I been there sooner.Had I taken you to the hospital first instead of the farm." He paused and made a big sigh. His eyes began to water. He glanced upward at the ceiling, hoping the tears would roll back into his eyes. He looked back down at the nearly lifeless Lana. She looked beautiful, even when comatose. He wondered if all dying people looked beautiful before they went. Clark shook his head. "Life is full of 'Had I's' and 'What if's'.Maybe they're all right. Maybe I can't save the world. I sure can't save my friends. I couldn't save you. I couldn't save Lex. I couldn't save Mom. I couldn't save Chloe. Where the heck do I get the idea that I can save the world? Maybe I'm destined to be just the little farm boy that grows into a poor farm man that can't even support his own family and is too stubborn to take charity.like my dad." Clark sighed again. "I doubt I could even do that right. Who'd want to marry a freak from another planet? I probably wouldn't even be able to have kids.And if I could, they'd end up freaks like me. The cycle would keep repeating.Who am I kidding? I haven't a chance here.or anywhere."
Clark paused and remembered what he had learned in Health Class. That sometimes unconscious people can hear-and remember-every word that's said to him. Clark's eyes widened. "Oh, gosh! I can't even keep my secret! I can't do anything right!"
Suddenly, Lana's hospital room door swung open. "Clark! We have a major problem!" It was Chloe, dressed in normal clothes, but with a bandage still wrapped around her head.
Clark's brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"
Chloe had run from the other side of the hospital and was out of breath. "It's the farm.It's on fire."
Nixon had, indeed, set the Kent Farm ablaze, starting with the barn. He had poured gasoline all over the ground, to make sure the fire caught on quickly and burned furiously. First it would be the Kents...Nixon had other plans for carrying out his vendetta against Lex Luthor...
Lex had asked to take Pete's car, for obvious reasons he didn't want to expose to his friends. Pete agreed, only because he and Lex-for once-had the same objective: Helping the Kents. Chloe climbed in with the two men.
The hospital had allowed Martha to be discharged. Lex had called another taxi to pick up the Kents and take them to their humble home.
The two cars were coming up the frontage road and were able to see the flames roaring. What happened next was strange. A bubble of fire managed to detach from the actual flame and just hover around it.
"What's it doing?" Lex asked.
Pete shrugged.
Chloe gave her thoughts. "I think it's...suffocating... itself..."
"Impossible!"
The two cars pulled onto the property a safe distance from the blaze. Everyone exited their vehicles and stood while watching in awe, Chloe snapping pictures.
"Is this our home?" Martha asked, still suffering from amnesia.
A tear seeped from Jonathan's left eye. Generations of devotion...wasted. He nodded. "It was..."
Suddenly, the flames died instantly and miraculously, leaving only the fiery bubble--which disappeared as soon as it seemed the fire was completely extinguished.
Chloe turned to Lex. "I told you it looked like it was suffocating itself."
The whole lot of them stood there, perplexed by the mysterious dying of the fire.
Local authorities soon pulled up. "Where's the fire?"
The group was still silenced by the mystery, then Jon spoke up. "You just missed it..."
Meanwhile, hiding at the edge of the woods nearby the Kent Farm was a small figure, watching. She sighed. Her work was done.
The firemen approached Jonathan, a bit clueless. "Where's the fire?" one asked, taking off his helmet and scratching his head.
Jon looked at the fireman, then at the burnt building and then back the fireman. He shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know...It put itself out or something."
"Fires don't just put themselves out," the fireman responded.
"This one did," Chloe chirped.
The fireman glanced at Chloe. He didn't like kids that told what was or wasn't. He turned back to Jonathan. "Do you know how this might have started? A leaky gas valve...cigarette..."
Jon turned to Lex Luthor and gave him his trademark stare of hatred. "I don't know. Why don't you ask Lex, here. He seems to more about my own home and family than I do."
Lex was a bit annoyed with Mr. Kent's comment, but he could understand his frustration, and Lex did know the reason the fire started.
"It appears when there was a car crash up here Mr. Kent and I had dragged back some oil and gas on our feet and clocthing. A spark at the house must have lit that fire...I cant think of any other explanation..."
Chloe and Zack seemed to buy the story, but Johnathan wasn't.
"How did you know the house was on fire when you were at the hospital Lex?" asked Johnathan
"I got a call from my taxi driver, the one who got picked up by the paramedics after us, he told me what had happened. I got you and came here," Lex lied, trying to keep his face calm and his smile broad.
Jonathan was still skeptical.
"Mr. Kent, I'll be more than happy to lend out a loan to your family," Lex said.
"Damn it, Lex! How many times do I have to tell you I don't want any of your father's blood money building my farm!" John screamed at Lex.
"You don't have to Mr. Kent, because no longer am I an employee of Luthor Corp, and I do not work under my fathers guise. I'm starting my own business, LexCorp. So you don't have to take my father's money-you can take mine," Lex said as Jon looked shocked.
Jonathan wasn't buying any of what Lex said. He may be quitting LuthorCorp, but that wasn't going to erase 21 years of being raised as a Luthor. "Y'know Lex," he said. "I believe your father said the same exact thing years ago. You may be trying to avoid becoming your father, and his father before him, but it's not going to work, Lex. Everytime it's been tried by a Luthor, they always turn out worse than the Luthor before him. Maybe instead of running, you should be standing up for what little good you may still believe in."
Lex was on the verge of an outburst, but he respected Mr. Kent more than to let himself lose control over himself.
"Mr. Kent, I am standing up for what I believe in. I believe that the hard working people of Smallville who worked at my father's plant will find that working for me will be much more worth while, with more benefits, higher salaries and much less stress. The LuthorCorp plant in Smallville is in the process of being bought out by myself. And that's only the beginning.
"Also, Mr. Kent, I also believe in your son, Clark. I'll fight for him any day of the week because he is my friend and I respect him. Just like I respect you and your wife. Now, if you'll exuse me, I have some busniess I need to attend to in Metropolis in order to secure the plant as part of LexCorp."
Lex turned and walked to the taxi cab that had brought the Kents, leaving a still hateful Jonathan Kent.
Clark took Lana's nimble hand in his large one. Nell had left the room, allowing Clark some time to speak to Lana in private. "I'm so sorry.It's all my fault. Had I been there sooner.Had I taken you to the hospital first instead of the farm." He paused and made a big sigh. His eyes began to water. He glanced upward at the ceiling, hoping the tears would roll back into his eyes. He looked back down at the nearly lifeless Lana. She looked beautiful, even when comatose. He wondered if all dying people looked beautiful before they went. Clark shook his head. "Life is full of 'Had I's' and 'What if's'.Maybe they're all right. Maybe I can't save the world. I sure can't save my friends. I couldn't save you. I couldn't save Lex. I couldn't save Mom. I couldn't save Chloe. Where the heck do I get the idea that I can save the world? Maybe I'm destined to be just the little farm boy that grows into a poor farm man that can't even support his own family and is too stubborn to take charity.like my dad." Clark sighed again. "I doubt I could even do that right. Who'd want to marry a freak from another planet? I probably wouldn't even be able to have kids.And if I could, they'd end up freaks like me. The cycle would keep repeating.Who am I kidding? I haven't a chance here.or anywhere."
Clark paused and remembered what he had learned in Health Class. That sometimes unconscious people can hear-and remember-every word that's said to him. Clark's eyes widened. "Oh, gosh! I can't even keep my secret! I can't do anything right!"
Suddenly, Lana's hospital room door swung open. "Clark! We have a major problem!" It was Chloe, dressed in normal clothes, but with a bandage still wrapped around her head.
Clark's brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"
Chloe had run from the other side of the hospital and was out of breath. "It's the farm.It's on fire."
Nixon had, indeed, set the Kent Farm ablaze, starting with the barn. He had poured gasoline all over the ground, to make sure the fire caught on quickly and burned furiously. First it would be the Kents...Nixon had other plans for carrying out his vendetta against Lex Luthor...
Lex had asked to take Pete's car, for obvious reasons he didn't want to expose to his friends. Pete agreed, only because he and Lex-for once-had the same objective: Helping the Kents. Chloe climbed in with the two men.
The hospital had allowed Martha to be discharged. Lex had called another taxi to pick up the Kents and take them to their humble home.
The two cars were coming up the frontage road and were able to see the flames roaring. What happened next was strange. A bubble of fire managed to detach from the actual flame and just hover around it.
"What's it doing?" Lex asked.
Pete shrugged.
Chloe gave her thoughts. "I think it's...suffocating... itself..."
"Impossible!"
The two cars pulled onto the property a safe distance from the blaze. Everyone exited their vehicles and stood while watching in awe, Chloe snapping pictures.
"Is this our home?" Martha asked, still suffering from amnesia.
A tear seeped from Jonathan's left eye. Generations of devotion...wasted. He nodded. "It was..."
Suddenly, the flames died instantly and miraculously, leaving only the fiery bubble--which disappeared as soon as it seemed the fire was completely extinguished.
Chloe turned to Lex. "I told you it looked like it was suffocating itself."
The whole lot of them stood there, perplexed by the mysterious dying of the fire.
Local authorities soon pulled up. "Where's the fire?"
The group was still silenced by the mystery, then Jon spoke up. "You just missed it..."
Meanwhile, hiding at the edge of the woods nearby the Kent Farm was a small figure, watching. She sighed. Her work was done.
The firemen approached Jonathan, a bit clueless. "Where's the fire?" one asked, taking off his helmet and scratching his head.
Jon looked at the fireman, then at the burnt building and then back the fireman. He shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know...It put itself out or something."
"Fires don't just put themselves out," the fireman responded.
"This one did," Chloe chirped.
The fireman glanced at Chloe. He didn't like kids that told what was or wasn't. He turned back to Jonathan. "Do you know how this might have started? A leaky gas valve...cigarette..."
Jon turned to Lex Luthor and gave him his trademark stare of hatred. "I don't know. Why don't you ask Lex, here. He seems to more about my own home and family than I do."
Lex was a bit annoyed with Mr. Kent's comment, but he could understand his frustration, and Lex did know the reason the fire started.
"It appears when there was a car crash up here Mr. Kent and I had dragged back some oil and gas on our feet and clocthing. A spark at the house must have lit that fire...I cant think of any other explanation..."
Chloe and Zack seemed to buy the story, but Johnathan wasn't.
"How did you know the house was on fire when you were at the hospital Lex?" asked Johnathan
"I got a call from my taxi driver, the one who got picked up by the paramedics after us, he told me what had happened. I got you and came here," Lex lied, trying to keep his face calm and his smile broad.
Jonathan was still skeptical.
"Mr. Kent, I'll be more than happy to lend out a loan to your family," Lex said.
"Damn it, Lex! How many times do I have to tell you I don't want any of your father's blood money building my farm!" John screamed at Lex.
"You don't have to Mr. Kent, because no longer am I an employee of Luthor Corp, and I do not work under my fathers guise. I'm starting my own business, LexCorp. So you don't have to take my father's money-you can take mine," Lex said as Jon looked shocked.
Jonathan wasn't buying any of what Lex said. He may be quitting LuthorCorp, but that wasn't going to erase 21 years of being raised as a Luthor. "Y'know Lex," he said. "I believe your father said the same exact thing years ago. You may be trying to avoid becoming your father, and his father before him, but it's not going to work, Lex. Everytime it's been tried by a Luthor, they always turn out worse than the Luthor before him. Maybe instead of running, you should be standing up for what little good you may still believe in."
Lex was on the verge of an outburst, but he respected Mr. Kent more than to let himself lose control over himself.
"Mr. Kent, I am standing up for what I believe in. I believe that the hard working people of Smallville who worked at my father's plant will find that working for me will be much more worth while, with more benefits, higher salaries and much less stress. The LuthorCorp plant in Smallville is in the process of being bought out by myself. And that's only the beginning.
"Also, Mr. Kent, I also believe in your son, Clark. I'll fight for him any day of the week because he is my friend and I respect him. Just like I respect you and your wife. Now, if you'll exuse me, I have some busniess I need to attend to in Metropolis in order to secure the plant as part of LexCorp."
Lex turned and walked to the taxi cab that had brought the Kents, leaving a still hateful Jonathan Kent.