Chapter 4
Pete walked into the Torch office carefully, his head first and he glanced around, smiled in relief when he saw it was only Clark and then entered, still looking around. "He's not here," Clark provided helpfully.
"Thank god. And despite my relief it was you and not the Demon of Depression, you're using my computer and Chloe'll have a fit if she sees you on it."
Clark raised his eyebrows at this. "I didn't think Chloe was in a fit-throwing mood."
"Oh, I'm sure she's recovered from her latest Stan encounter. I did. I think." Pete looked slightly uncertain at this. "So, what're you researching?"
"The usual: any existance of possible Luthorcorp projects involving the use of Kryptonite, this time to affect the mood."
Now it was Pete's turn to raise his eyebrows. "You're not saying that Stan's moodiness is Kryptonite induced, are you?"
Clark shrugged. "I haven't decided yet but I can't rule it out. Remembering all the other crazy things this stuff caused..."
"It doesn't seem all that far fetched," Pete concluded and sat down. "Of course. So what's your theory?"
"I have two, actually. One is that Stan's father was infected with Kryptonite while working for Luthercorp and then passed it on to Stan at home, who then got it and the other is that the meteor srike did it when--"
"He was in a really bad mood and caused the bad mood to stick," Chloe said from the door.
"Chloe," Clark said in surprise. Had she heard? "I didn't see you there."
"I just got here and trust me, I've been doing the same research you have."
Clark nodded, relieved she hadn't seemed to hear him telling Pete about the Kryptonite. "And what did you decide?"
"Well, firstly, I found out he was caught in the meteor strike and was released from the hospital the next day. Secondly, I think not only is he in a permanantly bad mood but he is also able to spread this bad mood to others when he comes in contact with them."
"Hmm...that would explain the low sales in the school store," Pete said thoughtfully.
Chloe nodded. "And also why anyone who comes near him ends up in a bad mood. Did you visit him like we told you to, Clark?"
Clark hesitated. The real answer was yes b ut if he said that, he'd also haveto say he hadn't fel depressed afterwards. Confused, yes, concerned, certainly. But depressed? No, not as such. "Yes," he said slowly, "I visited him but I can't say I spent 30 minutes there either."
Chloe grinned. "I told you he was hardcore." Clark felt a rush of relief and Pete smiled.
"The question now is," Clark went on, "what to do now that we know the why?"
Chloe and Pete were silent. "We could just leave him alone," Pete suggested timidly. "I mean, it's not like he's bothered anyone or anything. As long as he's left alone, he'll just wallow in his own misery."
Clark frowned. "That doesn't sound kind. Besides, he's now writing articles for the paper. I think that affects people.
Chloe looked uncomfortable. "Look, it's not like I want him working at the Torch but I needed someone to and since you quit..."
"You thought you didn't have any choice," Clark finished for her and she nodded. "And now I'm even more shorthanded than before, here, look at this." She pulled out a copy of the Smallville Ledger and handed it to Clark and Pete. Clark peered at it curiously. "Remember Amy Witherspoon?" Chloe asked him and he saw the headline: SMALLVILLE TEEN FOUND DEAD AT COMPUTER
"Whoa, that's messed up," Pete said, "I saw her yesterday and she looked fine. People don't just drop dead like that." He noticed the looks on Clark and Chloe's faces and amended, "Okay, so maybe in Smallville they do but still....it doesn't say what she died of."
"I'm calling it SDS," Chloe told him.
"Sudden death syndrome?" Clark guessed.
"No, sudden depression syndrome," Chloe corrected, pulling another sheet of paper out of her bag. "Look at this. I printed it out of her computer this morning before school. It's what she was working on before she died." Pete took it.
"Ah, an article for the paper, now that's understandable," he said smiling. Chloe glared at him. "That's not it. See the last line here? It starts out 'The end of year bar-b-que was expected...' then breaks off into all sorts of random letters."
Clark nodded, examening it. "They're 'xvcmnfd kjklt ,m dmg,aljd.' Then it just keeps on repeating."
"Yeah, see?" They didn't and Chloe blew out a burst of air in frustration. "She didn't just DIE, guys!" The two of them stared at her like her hair was made out thousands of tiny Rosy O'Donnells shouting at them. She sighed. "Can't you see what this means? She didn't drop dead, she was DESPAIRED to death."
A look of fear crossed Pete's face. "You mean Stan? No way, man, that can't be. Maybe she seized and her hands just started typing random letters on the--"
"No." Chloe stopped him mid-thread spinning. "These are the exact keys that are hit when a person bangs her head against the keyboard. Judging from the number of repititions, she did it around 4 times before coming to a rest."
"And you know this how?" Clark asked skeptically. She gave him a tired look. "Long years of practice," Chloe explained patiently. "And that's not the only sign that points to Stan. I asked him to stop by Amy's last night and make sure she was still planning on turning that article into me if it wasn't that much of a bother."
"And he went?"
"Yep, after about five minutes of complaining how everyone always asked him if it wasn't a bother but it always was and how he was being used only as a gopher and no one cares, misery, despair, the pointlessness of it all. You know the drill." They did.
Pete collapsed in his chair. "I guess that cancels out my idea of leaving him alone as a harmless point of despair. He's killed someone. We can't just let him get away with that."
"You're right. We can't." Clark agreed and the three of them exchanged significant looks.
Pete walked into the Torch office carefully, his head first and he glanced around, smiled in relief when he saw it was only Clark and then entered, still looking around. "He's not here," Clark provided helpfully.
"Thank god. And despite my relief it was you and not the Demon of Depression, you're using my computer and Chloe'll have a fit if she sees you on it."
Clark raised his eyebrows at this. "I didn't think Chloe was in a fit-throwing mood."
"Oh, I'm sure she's recovered from her latest Stan encounter. I did. I think." Pete looked slightly uncertain at this. "So, what're you researching?"
"The usual: any existance of possible Luthorcorp projects involving the use of Kryptonite, this time to affect the mood."
Now it was Pete's turn to raise his eyebrows. "You're not saying that Stan's moodiness is Kryptonite induced, are you?"
Clark shrugged. "I haven't decided yet but I can't rule it out. Remembering all the other crazy things this stuff caused..."
"It doesn't seem all that far fetched," Pete concluded and sat down. "Of course. So what's your theory?"
"I have two, actually. One is that Stan's father was infected with Kryptonite while working for Luthercorp and then passed it on to Stan at home, who then got it and the other is that the meteor srike did it when--"
"He was in a really bad mood and caused the bad mood to stick," Chloe said from the door.
"Chloe," Clark said in surprise. Had she heard? "I didn't see you there."
"I just got here and trust me, I've been doing the same research you have."
Clark nodded, relieved she hadn't seemed to hear him telling Pete about the Kryptonite. "And what did you decide?"
"Well, firstly, I found out he was caught in the meteor strike and was released from the hospital the next day. Secondly, I think not only is he in a permanantly bad mood but he is also able to spread this bad mood to others when he comes in contact with them."
"Hmm...that would explain the low sales in the school store," Pete said thoughtfully.
Chloe nodded. "And also why anyone who comes near him ends up in a bad mood. Did you visit him like we told you to, Clark?"
Clark hesitated. The real answer was yes b ut if he said that, he'd also haveto say he hadn't fel depressed afterwards. Confused, yes, concerned, certainly. But depressed? No, not as such. "Yes," he said slowly, "I visited him but I can't say I spent 30 minutes there either."
Chloe grinned. "I told you he was hardcore." Clark felt a rush of relief and Pete smiled.
"The question now is," Clark went on, "what to do now that we know the why?"
Chloe and Pete were silent. "We could just leave him alone," Pete suggested timidly. "I mean, it's not like he's bothered anyone or anything. As long as he's left alone, he'll just wallow in his own misery."
Clark frowned. "That doesn't sound kind. Besides, he's now writing articles for the paper. I think that affects people.
Chloe looked uncomfortable. "Look, it's not like I want him working at the Torch but I needed someone to and since you quit..."
"You thought you didn't have any choice," Clark finished for her and she nodded. "And now I'm even more shorthanded than before, here, look at this." She pulled out a copy of the Smallville Ledger and handed it to Clark and Pete. Clark peered at it curiously. "Remember Amy Witherspoon?" Chloe asked him and he saw the headline: SMALLVILLE TEEN FOUND DEAD AT COMPUTER
"Whoa, that's messed up," Pete said, "I saw her yesterday and she looked fine. People don't just drop dead like that." He noticed the looks on Clark and Chloe's faces and amended, "Okay, so maybe in Smallville they do but still....it doesn't say what she died of."
"I'm calling it SDS," Chloe told him.
"Sudden death syndrome?" Clark guessed.
"No, sudden depression syndrome," Chloe corrected, pulling another sheet of paper out of her bag. "Look at this. I printed it out of her computer this morning before school. It's what she was working on before she died." Pete took it.
"Ah, an article for the paper, now that's understandable," he said smiling. Chloe glared at him. "That's not it. See the last line here? It starts out 'The end of year bar-b-que was expected...' then breaks off into all sorts of random letters."
Clark nodded, examening it. "They're 'xvcmnfd kjklt ,m dmg,aljd.' Then it just keeps on repeating."
"Yeah, see?" They didn't and Chloe blew out a burst of air in frustration. "She didn't just DIE, guys!" The two of them stared at her like her hair was made out thousands of tiny Rosy O'Donnells shouting at them. She sighed. "Can't you see what this means? She didn't drop dead, she was DESPAIRED to death."
A look of fear crossed Pete's face. "You mean Stan? No way, man, that can't be. Maybe she seized and her hands just started typing random letters on the--"
"No." Chloe stopped him mid-thread spinning. "These are the exact keys that are hit when a person bangs her head against the keyboard. Judging from the number of repititions, she did it around 4 times before coming to a rest."
"And you know this how?" Clark asked skeptically. She gave him a tired look. "Long years of practice," Chloe explained patiently. "And that's not the only sign that points to Stan. I asked him to stop by Amy's last night and make sure she was still planning on turning that article into me if it wasn't that much of a bother."
"And he went?"
"Yep, after about five minutes of complaining how everyone always asked him if it wasn't a bother but it always was and how he was being used only as a gopher and no one cares, misery, despair, the pointlessness of it all. You know the drill." They did.
Pete collapsed in his chair. "I guess that cancels out my idea of leaving him alone as a harmless point of despair. He's killed someone. We can't just let him get away with that."
"You're right. We can't." Clark agreed and the three of them exchanged significant looks.
