Title: The SV-Files, Episode 102
Author: PepperjackCandy
Rating: PG
Category: AU/Futurefic/Science Fiction/Action/Drama
Spoilers for: Nothing. Honest. :whistling: Well, The Mothman Prophecies a little, I guess.

Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics. The X-Files was created by Chris Carter and belongs to 20th Century Fox and Ten Thirteen Productions.

A/N: 1. I'm aiming for 1000-ish words per ep. Longer eps will be, of course, multipart eps. 2. In our reality, the Wichita Watch Factory () was built circa. 1888, but never manufactured any watches. The economic boom that Wichita was experiencing ended, and the company folded. That is, of course, not what happened in the SVF universe.

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We pick up where Episode 1 left off

There was a long silence, during which Clark berated himself for his answer, Why did I tell him I'm gay? Might as well have told him that I resisted her because it's just one of about a zillion bizarre things I'm capable of doing. That's the truth, too.

The look of unease passed from Lex's face, then, and he said, "We should probably get back to what I was going to do yesterday, before Mrs. Rosenberg decided to play her little mind games with her husband and Mr. Drescher."

"Which was?"

Lex took a folder from his desk and handed it to Clark. "A figure resembling the Mothman has been seen in Wichita."

Clark didn't believe it. "The Mothman. Like that movie with Richard Gere."

"Seen it?"

Clark shook his head dismissively.

Lex perched on the edge of his desk and began, "The movie was fictionalized, but it was based on real events. In 1966, the people of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, began to see a creature. A mothman. Seven to nine feet tall, with wings and glowing red eyes. The bridge in town collapsed about a year later, in 1967. The mothman may not have ever been seen again."

"*May* not?"

"Well, there are rumors that it's still around somewhere, but the prevailing theory is that it was predicting the collapse of the bridge and went away after it happened."

"Like the Delphic Oracle? With red eyes and wings?" Clark chuckled.

"Or the force of entropy given humanoid form," Lex countered, "considering the bridge collapsed from metal fatigue."

Clark looked unimpressed.

Lex stood and took the file back from Clark, placing it in his briefcase. Together, they walked from the office. "Anyway, there have been similar sightings in Wichita, and we're being sent to investigate."

"So, you're going to take the Douglas Street Bridge, and I'll take the Lewis Street Bridge and we'll just wait for it to collapse?"

Lex responded with exaggerated patience, "we're going to interview the major witness and see if the Bug Boy has made any specific predictions."

"Bug Boy?"

"Well, he's not as tall as the Mothman, so local cryptozoologists have named him Bug Boy."

Clark wasn't convinced. "Mm-*hmm,*" he responded as they stepped out into the morning sunshine.

***

Two hours later, Lex pulled up to the resident directory of an apartment complex and pressed a couple of buttons.

Clark heard a phone ringing, then a woman's voice answer, "Hello?"

"Ms. Stevens?"

"Yes?"

"This is Lex Luthor and Clark Kent from the KBI. We're here to talk to you about the . . ."

"Just a minute. I'm in 335," she interrupted him.

They heard a buzzing sound and then the security gate slid open.

Lex drove to Building 3 and they walked up the three flights to the third floor, where a young brunette in a fuzzy pink robe waited in the breezeway.

"Ms. Stevens?" Lex asked as they flashed their badges.

She nodded. "Call me Kate."

She ushered them into her apartment and Lex leapt right in with, "It's my understanding that you've seen this Bug Boy around?"

"Well, I don't know if I've seen it around, but I've seen it regularly."

"How do you mean that?"

Kate indicated the large picture window, where the two men could see a large limestone building with a round Queen Anne-style tower at the near end. "It comes out of the old watch factory every night at sunset."

Clark wondered if he could get away with teasing Lex about giant vampire moths, but decided he'd better keep up a professional front in front of the witness.

Later, as they got into Lex's car, Lex said, "I don't want to hear about it."

"What?"

"You were going to make some crack about vampire moths, weren't you."

Not having a response to that besides, Yep. Sure was, Clark got into the car.

They pulled into the vacant employee parking lot of the watch factory. Lex said, "The mothman is an intangible force. We aren't going to find anything."

Clark climbed out of the car. "Okay. You go back to the Wichita field office and I'll call you if I find anything."

Lex sighed and looked at him levelly.

"You're welcome to join me, but I'm going in."

Lex followed, as Clark would have bet he would.

They hadn't been inside the factory long when they heard the rustle of wings, followed by the thump of feet hitting the wooden floor behind them.

They turned around and came face-to-face with a huge moth -- wings, feathery-looking antennae and all.

"Still think it's a psychic entropy force or whatever, Lex?" Clark asked, never taking his eyes from the moth. He tried to judge how quickly he could move without letting his partner know that he was a freak.

As he slowly advanced on the creature, it squeaked and turned its attention toward him, its eyes glowing an unearthly green in the darkness.

"Lex, I --" Clark felt weaker and sicker than he had since he was a child. He wandered over to one side, searching for a safe place to throw up.

As he began to list to one side, the moth creature took off running. Lex followed.

Clark just started getting his strength back as he heard Lex yell, "FBI! Freeze!" Then two shots.

Lex, talking into his cell phone, jogged back a few seconds later, "and I'll need two ambulances. Cancel that. Well, cancel one of the ambulances. The suspect is still down, but Kent's back up."

He hung up and came to Clark's side. "You all right?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"You still look a little green around the gills."

Clark snapped, "I'm fine." He cringed, knowing it was fear of the sudden illness that caused him to be so sharp with his partner.

Lex and Clark returned to where Lex downed the moth creature. The sound of the ambulance siren grew louder as it approached. They turned the final corner to find a large puddle of blood.

The creature was nowhere to be found.

***

"Let me get this straight," Assistant Director Prince leaned forward, peering at the two men through her wire-frame glasses. "It was gone."

"Yes, ma'am." Lex replied solemnly.

"And you've concluded that it's . . . "

"Real."

"A projection of the force of entropy."

The two agents answered at once.

A.D. Prince pinched the bridge of her nose like she was getting a headache, "Thank you, that'll be all."

As they left, Clark heard the sound of A.D. Prince buzzing her secretary for some aspirin.