Chapter 3: Empty
It was all Martha could do, not to completely break down. Although anyone looking at her would think that she had. She was hanging on by a thread. She felt Jonathan's arms wrap around her even more tightly, protecting her and trying to shield life's cruelness away from her. But it was too late. She witnessed her husband beaten and then her son taken away.
Martha just kept thinking about it over and over again. There was no way to block the memories that were so fresh in her mind. So all Martha could was hand on a little bit and cry in her husband's arms.
Lana looked over to Pete and saw that he too was crying. She was shocked and yet touched by his emotion that he was so willing to share. Pete looked over and she saw that he looked like a scared and lost little boy.
"What happened?" Lana whispered to herself. She kept going over the last half hour in her mind.
Pete wiped his tears away. "Swann betrayed Clark that's what." Pete said angrily. His voice cracked when he said the next part. "And I helped."
"What?" Chloe rounded on him.
"I helped Clark get in contact with the creep." Pete said. "We should've known that it was dangerous."
Lana sat back down on the picnic table. She looked around. Pete was beating himself up, Jonathan and Martha were tied up in their own grief and Chloe just stood there, the only one looking sane and keeping her cool.
But when Chloe turned and looked into Lana's eyes, Lana could see her own confusion reflected back at her. Chloe slowly walked over and sat next to Lana.
"Clark's coming back right?" Chloe asked.
"I don't know. I don't even know what happened." Lana said looking around again.
Martha pulled away from Jonathan and made a few uneasy steps toward the house and then she nearly fainter. Jonathan caught her and carried her into the house. Pete followed and then after about five minutes, so did Chloe and Lana.
Chloe stopped outside of the door and grabbed a hold of Lana. "Wait. Let's listen in and see if we can get some answers." Chloe whispered.
Lana nodded in agreements. It was Pete that talked first. "I'm really sorry Mr. And Mrs. Kent." Pete said gruffly.
"It's not your fault Pete. You weren't responsible." Jonathan said.
"I can't believe this happened!" Pete said slamming his fist on the counter. "Clark never gets a break does he?"
"We should have never let him out of our sight." Martha said quietly. "We should have kept him on the farm. Kept him safe and way from the prying eyes of others."
"Martha you know that isn't true." Jonathan reasoned. "He would have run off a long time ago had we done that. We would have alienated him even more than he already is." Jonathan immediately winced and saw his mistake in words.
Martha grew angry. "That is a disgusting word." Martha spat. Tears began to fall all over again. "That stupid disgusting word. It shouldn't count for anything. He is our son. No matter where he is from."
"Martha we knew the dangers of taking him in." Jonathan said with a heavy heart. "Remember when we first adopted him. We were constantly scared that this would happen."
"But it never did." Martha argued. "Till now."
"You know that I will do anything to help." Pete said. "Clark's my brother no matter who he is and no matter what he is."
"Couldn't he just break out?" Martha asked quietly.
Jonathan shook his head sadly. "There is no way. They have meteor rocks." Jonathan said. "It'll drain him completely."
"Do you think they have red meteor rocks?" Pete asked anxiously.
"Probably. If they are going to experiment on him then they probably have been researching him and the different effects." Jonathan replied.
Martha started to cry again. "I don't want Clark to go through all that!" Martha wailed. "He doesn't deserve it. Clark has saved so many lives and touched so many. How could anyone experiment on him? He's a good kid."
"Maybe the ship was right." Jonathan said sitting down. "We are a flawed race. I mean we kill each other over stupid disputes. So why should it be any different with Clark?"
Pete couldn't stand this. "We have to find him before it's too late!" Pete said. "Let's call the cops."
"They would never believe us." Jonathan said. "It's not like we could call them up and say: 'Yes sir a group of a hundred men from the government came here and took our son away to experiment on him. Why would they do that sir? Oh it's because Clark isn't from around here. You see he's an alien that came down the day of the meteor showers.' They would laugh at us and then probably lock me up."
Chloe looked over at Lana bug eyed. Clark's an alien? Chloe mouthed. Lana shrugged her shoulders.
"What are we going to do? We can't go to the authorities but we can't just leave Clark to those bastards!" Pete said angrily. "I'm going to grab my bike and follow those creeps."
"No Pete." Jonathan said clapping him on the shoulder. "Clark would never forgive himself if you got hurt."
"That's Clark's problem!" Pete said. "He always feels guilty. If he had run, he would still be with us."
"But we all know Clark." Martha said with a weak smile. "Thinks of everyone before him and then he still feels that it isn't enough. And it doesn't matter if there is green meteor rocks around or red.he still tries."
Martha got teary eyed again and she got up from the couch. She touched a picture on the mantle of Clark when he was little. Suddenly she spun around. "Where are the girls?" Martha asked quietly.
Pete walked over to the door and spotted them right outside the door listening in. Uh oh. Busted. Chloe thought.
Pete opened the door and held it open for them. Chloe and Lana entered the house, their cheeks burning with guilt and the fact that they were caught.
Jonathan sighed at the girls knowing that they probably heard everything. "Well now that you know about Clark, I think we should talk now." Jonathan said looking over at Martha.
TBC
Sorry for taking so long to do this update. First I finished the chapter and then my computer froze and deleted the story. Then when I rewrote the chapter, Fan Fiction wasn't working. But if you are reading this, well then I think that all the problems have been resolved.
It was all Martha could do, not to completely break down. Although anyone looking at her would think that she had. She was hanging on by a thread. She felt Jonathan's arms wrap around her even more tightly, protecting her and trying to shield life's cruelness away from her. But it was too late. She witnessed her husband beaten and then her son taken away.
Martha just kept thinking about it over and over again. There was no way to block the memories that were so fresh in her mind. So all Martha could was hand on a little bit and cry in her husband's arms.
Lana looked over to Pete and saw that he too was crying. She was shocked and yet touched by his emotion that he was so willing to share. Pete looked over and she saw that he looked like a scared and lost little boy.
"What happened?" Lana whispered to herself. She kept going over the last half hour in her mind.
Pete wiped his tears away. "Swann betrayed Clark that's what." Pete said angrily. His voice cracked when he said the next part. "And I helped."
"What?" Chloe rounded on him.
"I helped Clark get in contact with the creep." Pete said. "We should've known that it was dangerous."
Lana sat back down on the picnic table. She looked around. Pete was beating himself up, Jonathan and Martha were tied up in their own grief and Chloe just stood there, the only one looking sane and keeping her cool.
But when Chloe turned and looked into Lana's eyes, Lana could see her own confusion reflected back at her. Chloe slowly walked over and sat next to Lana.
"Clark's coming back right?" Chloe asked.
"I don't know. I don't even know what happened." Lana said looking around again.
Martha pulled away from Jonathan and made a few uneasy steps toward the house and then she nearly fainter. Jonathan caught her and carried her into the house. Pete followed and then after about five minutes, so did Chloe and Lana.
Chloe stopped outside of the door and grabbed a hold of Lana. "Wait. Let's listen in and see if we can get some answers." Chloe whispered.
Lana nodded in agreements. It was Pete that talked first. "I'm really sorry Mr. And Mrs. Kent." Pete said gruffly.
"It's not your fault Pete. You weren't responsible." Jonathan said.
"I can't believe this happened!" Pete said slamming his fist on the counter. "Clark never gets a break does he?"
"We should have never let him out of our sight." Martha said quietly. "We should have kept him on the farm. Kept him safe and way from the prying eyes of others."
"Martha you know that isn't true." Jonathan reasoned. "He would have run off a long time ago had we done that. We would have alienated him even more than he already is." Jonathan immediately winced and saw his mistake in words.
Martha grew angry. "That is a disgusting word." Martha spat. Tears began to fall all over again. "That stupid disgusting word. It shouldn't count for anything. He is our son. No matter where he is from."
"Martha we knew the dangers of taking him in." Jonathan said with a heavy heart. "Remember when we first adopted him. We were constantly scared that this would happen."
"But it never did." Martha argued. "Till now."
"You know that I will do anything to help." Pete said. "Clark's my brother no matter who he is and no matter what he is."
"Couldn't he just break out?" Martha asked quietly.
Jonathan shook his head sadly. "There is no way. They have meteor rocks." Jonathan said. "It'll drain him completely."
"Do you think they have red meteor rocks?" Pete asked anxiously.
"Probably. If they are going to experiment on him then they probably have been researching him and the different effects." Jonathan replied.
Martha started to cry again. "I don't want Clark to go through all that!" Martha wailed. "He doesn't deserve it. Clark has saved so many lives and touched so many. How could anyone experiment on him? He's a good kid."
"Maybe the ship was right." Jonathan said sitting down. "We are a flawed race. I mean we kill each other over stupid disputes. So why should it be any different with Clark?"
Pete couldn't stand this. "We have to find him before it's too late!" Pete said. "Let's call the cops."
"They would never believe us." Jonathan said. "It's not like we could call them up and say: 'Yes sir a group of a hundred men from the government came here and took our son away to experiment on him. Why would they do that sir? Oh it's because Clark isn't from around here. You see he's an alien that came down the day of the meteor showers.' They would laugh at us and then probably lock me up."
Chloe looked over at Lana bug eyed. Clark's an alien? Chloe mouthed. Lana shrugged her shoulders.
"What are we going to do? We can't go to the authorities but we can't just leave Clark to those bastards!" Pete said angrily. "I'm going to grab my bike and follow those creeps."
"No Pete." Jonathan said clapping him on the shoulder. "Clark would never forgive himself if you got hurt."
"That's Clark's problem!" Pete said. "He always feels guilty. If he had run, he would still be with us."
"But we all know Clark." Martha said with a weak smile. "Thinks of everyone before him and then he still feels that it isn't enough. And it doesn't matter if there is green meteor rocks around or red.he still tries."
Martha got teary eyed again and she got up from the couch. She touched a picture on the mantle of Clark when he was little. Suddenly she spun around. "Where are the girls?" Martha asked quietly.
Pete walked over to the door and spotted them right outside the door listening in. Uh oh. Busted. Chloe thought.
Pete opened the door and held it open for them. Chloe and Lana entered the house, their cheeks burning with guilt and the fact that they were caught.
Jonathan sighed at the girls knowing that they probably heard everything. "Well now that you know about Clark, I think we should talk now." Jonathan said looking over at Martha.
TBC
Sorry for taking so long to do this update. First I finished the chapter and then my computer froze and deleted the story. Then when I rewrote the chapter, Fan Fiction wasn't working. But if you are reading this, well then I think that all the problems have been resolved.