Clark paced, back and forth, forth and back, a look of total concentration slathered across his face as he seemed to search the very air in front of him for the answer to whatever question was zooming across his mind. In fact, Chloe was certain that he had all together forgotten she was even there, four feet away. Not that it bothered her. She too was off in her own dimension at the moment, a million questions racing through her stream of thoughts, each demanding her undivided attention. 'What the hell is going on here?' was the one that got it, and if Clark wasn't so out of it, she might have asked him. He looked dazed, though, and she noticed his eyes seemed a little glazed over, and it looked as though he were wearing a hole in the forest floor...literally. 'Not a good time,' she decided. 'Wait until he talks first.'
Clark apparently wasn't as far gone as Chloe had surmised, however, as all it took to snap him out of his mindset was the pulling of a trigger, twice, in quick succession. Turning, he glared through the trees and forest in the direction of the sound, looking through it all to see two bullets, aimed straight at him, peeling through the air.
Now moving faster than the bullets, instinct took over as he braced himself to catch them, not stealing a good glance at them until they had entered the clearing. It became obvious that they were, in fact, not bullets, but tranqs, and even worse, they emitted a soft, pale green light from their tips. A light he was not eager to expose to his outstreched hand. Comprehension dawning on him, Clark forced himself to twist out their path, but by that time, even Clark could have moved fast enough to fall free of them.
Diving toward Chloe, the first of the bullets almost grazed his side, the point just baring miss him as it flew into a tree a few feet back. The second hit its mark, right in his abdoman and releasing its venom into his already crawling skin. Jerked back into reality, Clark slammed into the ground in front of Chloe. Managing a quick, "Get out of here, now," he struggled with staying awake. "My truck..." he whispered, zonking out, leaving a stunned Chloe behind.
As stunned as she was, Chloe was nobody's fool. Though a Metropolis girl at heart, she'd lived in Smallville long enough to know that if anyone, especially Clark, gave her that kind of warning, leaving might be the only way to get out alive. Stiffling a scream that died in her throat, she hit the ground, barracading herself behind Clark's body. Franticlly picking through his pockets, she grabbed his keys. 'Guess he wasn't kidding about that guy following us,' she mused, pausing for a moment, wondering if she really should leaving Clark alone with whoever had knocked him out.
The splitering wood and bullet holes in the tree behind her made up her mind for her.
Pulling back his gun and stowing himself behind a tree, the man silently cursed himself with every swear in the book. He'd underestimated Kent, and now he was starting to wonder if the one elephant tranq he'd gotten in the boy would hold him for long. 'Damn,' he thought, racing full throttle for his truck. The last thing he needed right now was for that reporter, Sullivan, getting his plate number. Even worse, now Clark knew he was coming. 'How the hell did the kid manage to jump like that before the bullet even got there?' he wondered, swiping the plates off the truck, grabbing his gun and camera and stalking off into the woods.
'Damn.'
Thoughts? Feelings? Rant on.
Clark apparently wasn't as far gone as Chloe had surmised, however, as all it took to snap him out of his mindset was the pulling of a trigger, twice, in quick succession. Turning, he glared through the trees and forest in the direction of the sound, looking through it all to see two bullets, aimed straight at him, peeling through the air.
Now moving faster than the bullets, instinct took over as he braced himself to catch them, not stealing a good glance at them until they had entered the clearing. It became obvious that they were, in fact, not bullets, but tranqs, and even worse, they emitted a soft, pale green light from their tips. A light he was not eager to expose to his outstreched hand. Comprehension dawning on him, Clark forced himself to twist out their path, but by that time, even Clark could have moved fast enough to fall free of them.
Diving toward Chloe, the first of the bullets almost grazed his side, the point just baring miss him as it flew into a tree a few feet back. The second hit its mark, right in his abdoman and releasing its venom into his already crawling skin. Jerked back into reality, Clark slammed into the ground in front of Chloe. Managing a quick, "Get out of here, now," he struggled with staying awake. "My truck..." he whispered, zonking out, leaving a stunned Chloe behind.
As stunned as she was, Chloe was nobody's fool. Though a Metropolis girl at heart, she'd lived in Smallville long enough to know that if anyone, especially Clark, gave her that kind of warning, leaving might be the only way to get out alive. Stiffling a scream that died in her throat, she hit the ground, barracading herself behind Clark's body. Franticlly picking through his pockets, she grabbed his keys. 'Guess he wasn't kidding about that guy following us,' she mused, pausing for a moment, wondering if she really should leaving Clark alone with whoever had knocked him out.
The splitering wood and bullet holes in the tree behind her made up her mind for her.
Pulling back his gun and stowing himself behind a tree, the man silently cursed himself with every swear in the book. He'd underestimated Kent, and now he was starting to wonder if the one elephant tranq he'd gotten in the boy would hold him for long. 'Damn,' he thought, racing full throttle for his truck. The last thing he needed right now was for that reporter, Sullivan, getting his plate number. Even worse, now Clark knew he was coming. 'How the hell did the kid manage to jump like that before the bullet even got there?' he wondered, swiping the plates off the truck, grabbing his gun and camera and stalking off into the woods.
'Damn.'
Thoughts? Feelings? Rant on.