Chapter Four: What's in a Name?

"So you don't remember who you are, where you live or your parents?" Jonathan asked.

Jonathan, Clark, Martha and the girl where seated at the kitchen table early the next morning, eating breakfast.

The girl shook her head. "I remember the city I was in was called Metropolis and that I needed to get to Smallville."

"Why Smallville?" asked Clark. He gulped down the rest of his orange juice then set the empty glass back down on the table.

"I don't know. I remember seeing an advertisement for Smallville's famous corn on a shop window in Metropolis and it seemed the perfect place to come to."

"And you walked all that way?" Martha asked.

"I walked all night before someone gave me a ride. They dropped me off a few miles from here and I walked until I couldn't walk anymore. I must have collapsed."

Clark looked at his parents to see what they were thinking. Jonathan looked suspicious but concerned and Martha's face was full of sympathy. Clark himself was willing to do anything to help this girl but something, he couldn't understand what, was not right.

"There's just one question I would like answered," Clark started. "When I found you out there in that field, you where... uh...sort of vanishing."

The girl's eyebrow went up. "What do you mean 'sort of vanishing'. What are you talking about?"

"Well, I found you lying on the ground. One second you were there, then the next you vanished. Right in front of my eyes." But you where still there...." Clark voice trailed off as the girl looked at him like he was crazy. "It's difficult to explain. It was like you were invisible."

The girl looked down at her plate, deep in thought. "Yes, invisible..." she closed her eyes. "Something's coming back to me..."

*Flashback* A room, brightly lit by overhead lights and filled with surgical tools and computers.

"I'm in a room," the girl said out loud, as she started to remember. "Strapped to a metal chair. The room is filled with medical tools and high tech computers."

*Flashback* A man, dressed in all white, types on one of the computers. Then turns, holding something in his hand.

"There is a man who's dressed in white with 'Staten Labs' stitched on his coat. He's coming towards me holding a needle." The girl's face went white as the memory came back. "I tried to scream but I couldn't because someone was covering my mouth. He came closer and closer." the girl opened her eyes.

Clark, Martha and Jonathan where looking at her in concern. "I tried to get away!" the girl cried out then burst into tears. "But I couldn't. I couldn't get away from him."

Martha immedently went to the girl side and held her in her arms for comfort. "It's all right." Martha said soothingly. "You're safe now." she looked up at her husband and son.

Jonathan motioned to Clark to follow him outside. Clark looked at the weeping girl, then at his mother. "She'll be all right." Martha said.

Clark nodded and followed his father out to the porch. "What do you think?"

Jonathan shook his head. "I don't really know." he ran his hand through his hair. "She's in trouble. That's one thing that is clear in this whole situation. But who's she's in trouble with or why is the unanswered piece of the puzzle."

"She mentioned this guy in her memory had 'Staten Labs' stitched on his coat. Maybe we should look into that." Clark said. He thought about it a moment. "I bet Chloe could help us. You know she has friends everywhere in Metropolis. I'll go over to her house right now."

"Okay. But don't mention this girl or her abilities to Chloe just yet." Jonathan said. "Not until we know more about this 'Staten Labs' and the girl. Understood?"

Clark nodded. "I'll be back before lunch." he raced down the porch steps and super-speeded away.

Jonathan went back into the house to find the girl, who had stopped crying, and Martha seated in the living room. "Are you any better?" he asked.

The girl nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it." Jonathan said. "You were scared. That's understandable. Now, Clark has gone to ask Chloe to get some information on 'Staten Labs'. Do you remember anything else that might be useful?"

The girl shook her head. "No. My mind is still a blank."

"Well, you still don't remember your name." Martha said. "So what are we going to call you for now? We can't keep calling you 'girl' or 'you'."

"Call me whatever you like." the girl said.

"What about..." Martha thought about it a moment. "Annie?"

"Annie." the girl repeated. "Annie." she smiled. "I like that."