'And I nearly died… Clark?

'Clark!'

'Hmm?'

'I nearly died. You haven't been listening to a word I've said,' complained Chloe, 'have you?'

Clark began to focus on the real world. He and Chloe were sitting in the Talon, but for a moment he felt like he'd been somewhere else. His head felt fuzzy, as if his brains had been replaced with cotton wool. To cover his befuddlement he decided to ask what the music was that was playing over the PA.

'It's "Everything", by Lifehouse,' replied Chloe, irritably. 'Honestly, Clark. They play it in here like three times a week. What's wrong with you?'

'Sorry, Chloe,' apologised Clark, and smiled faintly. His head was beginning to clear, but he still felt odd. He began to wonder if someone had walked past with some meteor rocks. This happened occasionally, and was a hazard of living in Smallville. But this felt different. There was no pain or lethargy, just a kind of numbness and haziness. He chose to dismiss it as one of the symptoms of adolescence. Besides, the sensation was dissipating now. 'What were you talking about?'

'Just how I nearly died – when the Daily Planet called me up and asked… Oh, never mind. You're clearly not listening.' Chloe rolled her eyes and got up. 'I'll go tell Pete. I'm sure he'll be interested.' And with that she left, but with a mocking grin on her face.

Clark turned to watch her go. He knew she wasn't mad at him. She just liked to be listened to.

'Hey, Clark,' Lana had appeared next to him with a pair of coffee cups. Clark reflected that Lana would not have left like Chloe did, but that was what he liked about Chloe – she kept him on his toes.

'Hi, Lana,' he replied, and noticed she was looking out the window at Chloe's departure. 'You know how Chloe likes an audience,' he explained. 'I stopped listening for a couple of seconds.' He raised his hands in mock resignation.

'Of course. I'm sure she'll forgive you in time,' Lana grinned and nodded. She paused, and then looked down before saying, 'How's it going with you two, anyway?'

Clark looked directly at her and said, 'Better than I could have hoped for. We…'

But at that moment everyone was interrupted by a loud crash. A man had just thrown open the door forcibly and was striding up to the counter.

'Drinks, my friends, are on me!' He shouted.

Lana got up from the table.

'I'd better go see to this gentleman,' she said, and walked up to the counter.

The stranger pulled out a wodge of bills and slapped it down on the counter top.

'Drinks all round, please,' he demanded. 'I've just had a lucky encounter with a horse and I'm feeling remarkably generous.'

'Certainly, sir,' Lana replied, smiling. 'You're in luck. We also accept generous tips.'

Clark got up to leave. Caffeine didn't affect him much, but it was still possible to drink too much coffee. He waved goodbye to Lana and stepped out into the street…

…And walked straight into a worried looking man dressed in overalls.

'Hey, sorry kid,' the man said. 'Didn't see you there.' He contrived to look less worried, which involved stretching his face into a rictus of a grin. 'By the way,' he added. 'What day is it today?'

'Saturday,' replied Clark, a little disoriented.

'Saturday the what?'

'The third.'

'Ah, right… That makes perfect sense,' agreed the stranger, his expression clearly indicating that it did not. He thanked Clark and wandered off, looking around as if the entire world had turned itself upside down.

*          *          *

Lex walked out of the bank carrying a briefcase. He was uncomfortable walking around in the open with it, but he'd had to stop at the bank on his way home from the plant and didn't want to risk leaving it in the car. He looked around before fumbling in his pocket for the car keys. A man was approaching him purposefully.

'Hey, man,' the stranger said, holding up a cigarette. 'Got a light?'

Lex relaxed a little.

'Sorry, no,' he replied. 'I don't smoke.'

'Damn,' said the man, and punched him in the eye.

Lex staggered backwards, thinking that this was a rather extreme reaction to being denied a match, when another gentleman pushed him from behind and grabbed the suitcase. He recovered his balance to see both men running away in opposite directions, both carrying identical briefcases, and both wearing identical clothes. He gave chase to one briefly before giving up. Shit. They must have planned that attack. The second man had obviously been carrying another briefcase and had given it to the first man during the struggle to confuse Lex. But how could they possibly have known? Even Lex himself had not known that he would be going to the bank with that particular, vital briefcase until a few minutes before leaving the plant.

It was a mystery, and a remarkably annoying one at that. Damn it.

He threw himself into his car and floored the throttle, doing a handbrake turn in the middle of the road just for the sheer frustrated hell of it.

*          *          *