A/N: Wow! Thanks to everyone who took the time to review. Hope you all like the rest as much. Here's the next chapter. I will try to update regularly.
LaCasta: Without your help this would just be a jumble. Thank you
Chapter 8
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"Clark..." Chloe fell silent as she saw his look of recognition change. Clark's face had been open and affectionate as he looked at her. Then his dark brows swept down in confusion. He looked at their hands and his grip loosened.
"I know you?" he searched her face and seemed to be trying to find the recognition he'd had a moment before. His voice became unsure, hesitant as he searched his memory. "I...I know you." Chloe smiled softly, trying to be encouraging. She wanted him to know her with a desperation she would have scoffed at two days ago. She held his hand a little tighter and his grip on her fingers returned, starting to hurt just a little as he tried to hold on to a fleeting thought. Knowing what she did about him now, she marveled at the fact he'd never hurt any of his friends before. He had always been gentle.
"You remember, I'm Chloe from the Torch. We used to write articles together." She kept her voice soft and encouraging.
"The Torch?"
"Yes, Clark...a school newspaper. I wrote on a computer....you used to borrow it."
"No." Clark looked at her but did not seem to see her any more. His eyes were focused on memories no one else could see. "That's not it." he shook his head slightly as if he could clear his thoughts with the action. "I was afraid of you."
"What?!" Chloe felt a stab of pain and pulled back instinctively but Clark's grip held. Clark squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again slowly.
"No.. I was afraid for you..." His green eyes held remembered fear.
"Clark, what do you remember?" Her relief was a rush of warmth and she actually blushed.
"Cold...night...a windmill...you...you were buried...underground... in a box...?" Clark's voice raised to make it a question, as if disbelieving the fragmented memory. "I... I... It's gone. I can't remember." He returned to looking at the table, pulling his hands into fists, he brought them together on the table and his body tensed as if about to run. His long hair fell forward as he worked to bring the memory back. Clenching his jaw in concentration, his frustration was obvious.
Chloe could not suppress a stab of disappointment. She looked again at Martha who smiled in encouragement and rubbed her hand gently along her son's shoulders. He did not seem to notice.
It had taken a long time to get over her claustrophobia after being buried alive but Chloe remembered the joy of her rescue and the warm solid feel of him in her arms. He had always been their savior in the end. Shivering at the memory, she reached out to touch his cheek, seeing a hollow where the tense muscle joined his jaw line.
Suddenly the loud scrape of a chair drew Chloe's attention away.
"He's mine!" The shout was shrill and close. The source slammed into her side, knocking her off her chair. She hit the floor with a sharp pain, and briefly, Jodi's slight weight pressed her into the cold floor, winding her. Chloe recognized the shout of the guard and the voice of Nora Peel starting to give orders. Her assailant suddenly fell back with a cry of pain. The door to the room burst open and two more guards ran into the room.
Jodi's blue eyes burned with hatred as she clutched at the ankle bracelet in obvious pain. The sound of cries behind her indicated all the bracelets had been activated. The guards rushed to take control. Sean started to giggle with glee, though he also held his ankle in pain. Unable to resist the opportunity, he began taunting Jodi at the top of his voice. "He's yours alright! Got him good don't ya!" His giggle was high pitched. "He won't even look at you, sweetheart! Skin and bones and ugly as..." A guard with thick gloves starting to pull him towards the door clamped a large glove over his mouth and whispered a threat into his ear.
Jodi's shout had already drowned his words. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" She covered her ears to block out his insults and started to rock back and forth, continuing the litany as she did. "Shut up shut up shut up shut up..." Another large guard started to carry Jodi bodily out of the room.
As the noise began to move away, Chloe noticed the much quieter sound of Clark whispering. It was almost a continuous sound. Turning back to Clark, she found he was no longer in his chair but huddled in the corner, clutching his sides as if in pain, his eyes squeezed firmly shut. Looking more closely, his veins seemed to be writhing, standing out with green colouring. She looked again at the guards and noted they had opened those ugly grey lockets to reveal glowing green meteor fragments.
Nora Peel helped Ian to his feet and passed him to a guard. Turning back, she caught Chloe's eye. "So he knows you." Her words were an accusation, blaming Chloe for the current mayhem. "We'll speak when I get back." She followed the guards out to help settle the others.
"Wait. Can't you help him? He looks like he's in pain!" Chloe was appalled at the callous disregard for Clark's apparent suffering when he'd done nothing wrong.
Nora merely looked to Martha. "He'll be fine in a minute. I'll be back soon."
Martha watched the door close and pulled her son into a comforting embrace. They were surprisingly the only ones left in the room. Clark remained tightly curled in on himself though his skin no longer had a green tinge.
"He knew me but he didn't. What has happened to him?"
"His mind has been damaged. We're not sure how much or if he'll ever recover."
"What happened?"
"He lost control when his father was killed. He was breaking through walls and hurting people. Doctor Halton jumped him and injected liquid meteor into his neck and he collapsed. We don't know what damage was done. He didn't wake up for three days and when he did he wasn't able to speak. His recovery has been slow but what I saw today, his response to you..."
The door clicked open and Martha fell silent. The psychiatrist was back.
Nora got right to the point. "So, Miss Fisher, would you care to enlighten me on how you know Clark Kent or will you force us to dig it up ourselves?"
Taking her time to stand up and brush herself off, Chloe stood between Clark and the clinician. "You wouldn't want me to make things easy for you?! Where's the fun in that?"
Nora smiled, obviously recognizing the protective stance. Her eyes held approval. "It's obvious you care for him. I'm sure you want to help him. I want to help him too. Happy memories might help his mind to heal. I'm willing to let you spend time with him but I need to know what your influence will be."
This could work in Chloe's favor but she needed time for the cavalry to arrive. Would they check her phone records and e-mail if they found her apartment? She kept nothing at her student residence and had rented the apartment in her cousin's name. It would take them time to set up something to "wipe out her existence" as Halton had threatened. She didn't plan to be here long if luck held but she did need access to Clark.
"Look, I can keep this information from Halton until tomorrow but I won't let you near Clark again without some background." Nora had crossed her arms. This was obviously as much as she would give.
Rubbing a hand through her hair, Chloe tried for more. "I'll tell you what I can if you tell me what happened to make him like this." Her hand swept out to indicate the still tightly wound alien behind her.
"OK, an equal exchange of information. I will be able to double check your story."
Chloe looked at Martha, "And I yours."
"Let's take him to his room." The three walked him back, and Martha sat on the bed holding his hand and the other two women moved away to talk.
"Tell me about Clark first, please...I knew him in high school and it was purely by accident that I found him here. I never knew his secret."
Nora stopped and looked at the petite blond as if to measure her honesty and caring. Pushing her hands into the pockets of her lab coat, she capitulated.
"Sit down. I'm not sure how long this will take." Chloe took the only chair and Nora started to pace.
"About a month ago, we had a visit from the new Director of the Board here at Cadmus Labs. He arrived unexpectedly and immediately made demands to see the mutants, as if this place was his personal zoo. He was loud and rude and I'd never seen him before. He had an unnatural interest in a recent new transfer to the lab. Desiree Atkins had been moved here from a women's prison and had an interesting link to the Luthor family. That seemed to be his motivation."
Chloe's knuckles went white as she gripped the small table in front of her. "Oh God, it wasn't Lex..?" He couldn't betray Clark that way, could he?
"No, it was Lucas Luthor."
LaCasta: Without your help this would just be a jumble. Thank you
Chapter 8
*******************************************************
"Clark..." Chloe fell silent as she saw his look of recognition change. Clark's face had been open and affectionate as he looked at her. Then his dark brows swept down in confusion. He looked at their hands and his grip loosened.
"I know you?" he searched her face and seemed to be trying to find the recognition he'd had a moment before. His voice became unsure, hesitant as he searched his memory. "I...I know you." Chloe smiled softly, trying to be encouraging. She wanted him to know her with a desperation she would have scoffed at two days ago. She held his hand a little tighter and his grip on her fingers returned, starting to hurt just a little as he tried to hold on to a fleeting thought. Knowing what she did about him now, she marveled at the fact he'd never hurt any of his friends before. He had always been gentle.
"You remember, I'm Chloe from the Torch. We used to write articles together." She kept her voice soft and encouraging.
"The Torch?"
"Yes, Clark...a school newspaper. I wrote on a computer....you used to borrow it."
"No." Clark looked at her but did not seem to see her any more. His eyes were focused on memories no one else could see. "That's not it." he shook his head slightly as if he could clear his thoughts with the action. "I was afraid of you."
"What?!" Chloe felt a stab of pain and pulled back instinctively but Clark's grip held. Clark squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again slowly.
"No.. I was afraid for you..." His green eyes held remembered fear.
"Clark, what do you remember?" Her relief was a rush of warmth and she actually blushed.
"Cold...night...a windmill...you...you were buried...underground... in a box...?" Clark's voice raised to make it a question, as if disbelieving the fragmented memory. "I... I... It's gone. I can't remember." He returned to looking at the table, pulling his hands into fists, he brought them together on the table and his body tensed as if about to run. His long hair fell forward as he worked to bring the memory back. Clenching his jaw in concentration, his frustration was obvious.
Chloe could not suppress a stab of disappointment. She looked again at Martha who smiled in encouragement and rubbed her hand gently along her son's shoulders. He did not seem to notice.
It had taken a long time to get over her claustrophobia after being buried alive but Chloe remembered the joy of her rescue and the warm solid feel of him in her arms. He had always been their savior in the end. Shivering at the memory, she reached out to touch his cheek, seeing a hollow where the tense muscle joined his jaw line.
Suddenly the loud scrape of a chair drew Chloe's attention away.
"He's mine!" The shout was shrill and close. The source slammed into her side, knocking her off her chair. She hit the floor with a sharp pain, and briefly, Jodi's slight weight pressed her into the cold floor, winding her. Chloe recognized the shout of the guard and the voice of Nora Peel starting to give orders. Her assailant suddenly fell back with a cry of pain. The door to the room burst open and two more guards ran into the room.
Jodi's blue eyes burned with hatred as she clutched at the ankle bracelet in obvious pain. The sound of cries behind her indicated all the bracelets had been activated. The guards rushed to take control. Sean started to giggle with glee, though he also held his ankle in pain. Unable to resist the opportunity, he began taunting Jodi at the top of his voice. "He's yours alright! Got him good don't ya!" His giggle was high pitched. "He won't even look at you, sweetheart! Skin and bones and ugly as..." A guard with thick gloves starting to pull him towards the door clamped a large glove over his mouth and whispered a threat into his ear.
Jodi's shout had already drowned his words. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" She covered her ears to block out his insults and started to rock back and forth, continuing the litany as she did. "Shut up shut up shut up shut up..." Another large guard started to carry Jodi bodily out of the room.
As the noise began to move away, Chloe noticed the much quieter sound of Clark whispering. It was almost a continuous sound. Turning back to Clark, she found he was no longer in his chair but huddled in the corner, clutching his sides as if in pain, his eyes squeezed firmly shut. Looking more closely, his veins seemed to be writhing, standing out with green colouring. She looked again at the guards and noted they had opened those ugly grey lockets to reveal glowing green meteor fragments.
Nora Peel helped Ian to his feet and passed him to a guard. Turning back, she caught Chloe's eye. "So he knows you." Her words were an accusation, blaming Chloe for the current mayhem. "We'll speak when I get back." She followed the guards out to help settle the others.
"Wait. Can't you help him? He looks like he's in pain!" Chloe was appalled at the callous disregard for Clark's apparent suffering when he'd done nothing wrong.
Nora merely looked to Martha. "He'll be fine in a minute. I'll be back soon."
Martha watched the door close and pulled her son into a comforting embrace. They were surprisingly the only ones left in the room. Clark remained tightly curled in on himself though his skin no longer had a green tinge.
"He knew me but he didn't. What has happened to him?"
"His mind has been damaged. We're not sure how much or if he'll ever recover."
"What happened?"
"He lost control when his father was killed. He was breaking through walls and hurting people. Doctor Halton jumped him and injected liquid meteor into his neck and he collapsed. We don't know what damage was done. He didn't wake up for three days and when he did he wasn't able to speak. His recovery has been slow but what I saw today, his response to you..."
The door clicked open and Martha fell silent. The psychiatrist was back.
Nora got right to the point. "So, Miss Fisher, would you care to enlighten me on how you know Clark Kent or will you force us to dig it up ourselves?"
Taking her time to stand up and brush herself off, Chloe stood between Clark and the clinician. "You wouldn't want me to make things easy for you?! Where's the fun in that?"
Nora smiled, obviously recognizing the protective stance. Her eyes held approval. "It's obvious you care for him. I'm sure you want to help him. I want to help him too. Happy memories might help his mind to heal. I'm willing to let you spend time with him but I need to know what your influence will be."
This could work in Chloe's favor but she needed time for the cavalry to arrive. Would they check her phone records and e-mail if they found her apartment? She kept nothing at her student residence and had rented the apartment in her cousin's name. It would take them time to set up something to "wipe out her existence" as Halton had threatened. She didn't plan to be here long if luck held but she did need access to Clark.
"Look, I can keep this information from Halton until tomorrow but I won't let you near Clark again without some background." Nora had crossed her arms. This was obviously as much as she would give.
Rubbing a hand through her hair, Chloe tried for more. "I'll tell you what I can if you tell me what happened to make him like this." Her hand swept out to indicate the still tightly wound alien behind her.
"OK, an equal exchange of information. I will be able to double check your story."
Chloe looked at Martha, "And I yours."
"Let's take him to his room." The three walked him back, and Martha sat on the bed holding his hand and the other two women moved away to talk.
"Tell me about Clark first, please...I knew him in high school and it was purely by accident that I found him here. I never knew his secret."
Nora stopped and looked at the petite blond as if to measure her honesty and caring. Pushing her hands into the pockets of her lab coat, she capitulated.
"Sit down. I'm not sure how long this will take." Chloe took the only chair and Nora started to pace.
"About a month ago, we had a visit from the new Director of the Board here at Cadmus Labs. He arrived unexpectedly and immediately made demands to see the mutants, as if this place was his personal zoo. He was loud and rude and I'd never seen him before. He had an unnatural interest in a recent new transfer to the lab. Desiree Atkins had been moved here from a women's prison and had an interesting link to the Luthor family. That seemed to be his motivation."
Chloe's knuckles went white as she gripped the small table in front of her. "Oh God, it wasn't Lex..?" He couldn't betray Clark that way, could he?
"No, it was Lucas Luthor."