Chapter 6

(Clark is sitting in the reception area of the hospital.  His hands are clasped together uneasily.  He looks up as the doctor approaches with Lana in a wheel chair.  Lana's head is lolled back, her mouth slightly open.  Her eyes stare blankly at the ceiling above.  Clark stands to meet them.)

Doctor: "Please sign here, Mr. Kent."

(Clark signs the paper and hands it back to the doctor.)

Doctor: "Do you know where the building is located?"

Clark: "I've been there before.  Doctor... do you think she's going to be alright?"

Doctor: "It's hard to tell.  I've only seen one case like this before, and he was shipped off to Metropolis General before I had a chance to really have a look at him.  But don't worry; I'm sure she'll be just fine."

(He looks down at his watch.)

Doctor: "You better be going; you wouldn't want to be late."

Clark (Smiling faintly): "Thanks."

Doctor: "My pleasure."

(Clark turns and wheels Lana out of the hospital and to his truck.  He opens the passenger side door and carefully picks her up, setting her down inside.  He gently closes the door and goes around to the other side, putting the wheel chair in the bed of the truck as he does.  He climbs into the cab and looks over at Lana.  Her eyes stare blankly at him.  Clark reaches out and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear.  Lana shivers slightly as he does.  Clark starts the car and backs out.  As they pull out of the parking lot, the camera slowly pans out and moves upward, now showing a shot of the distant Metropolis.  The sun is low in the sky and illuminates the buildings with an eerie halo.  The camera is now flying through the buildings of Metropolis, and night has fallen.  The busy lights of cars bustling through traffic can be seen below.  The camera falls out of the sky on Clark's red truck pulling into the parking garage of Metropolis General.  As the truck disappears, the camera moves up and around the building, entering through a glass window.  It passes through two heavy metal doors and enters the elevator behind.  Clark is standing nervously behind Lana in her wheelchair.  The elevator dings, and they exit.  Lana is slouched forward, one arm dangling off the edge of the wheel chair.)

Receptionist: "Name and reason for being here, please."

Clark: "Clark Kent, with Lana Lang for an MRI."

Receptionist: "Dr. Eisenstein will be with you momentarily.  You may take a seat, Mr. Kent."

Clark: "Thanks."

(Clark wheels Lana over to one of the chairs and sits down.  Clark sits, staring at her.  An image of Jor-El flashes across the screen, and his words can be heard.)

Jor-El: "I did nothing; it was you who brought her here.  Her human mind could not handle this world."

Clark (Whispering): "I did this to you...  Lana, please... wake up..."

(Lana doesn't move.  Clark reaches out and brushes her cheek with the tips of his fingers.  Again, she seems to shiver.  Clark takes a deep breath.)

Receptionist: "Mr. Kent?  Dr. Eisenstein will see you and Ms. Lang now."

(Clark drops his hand from Lana and looks at her for several moments more before standing.  He wheels her through a door, following the receptionist.  She leads him past several more doors and into a dark room.  She flips on the lights.  A large tubular machine sits in the middle of the room and what appears to be a bed protrudes out of one end of it.  The room is bare, save for another door and a window looking in on the room from a workstation.)

Receptionist: "Dr. Eisenstein will be with you in several minutes.  Please undress her and put her in this.  Lay her on the bed, head facing the unit."

(She hands Clark a gown and exits.  Clark looks down at it, unbelievingly, then looks at Lana.  His face remains serious, and he doesn't smile.  He gets down on his knees in front of her.  Several minutes later, Lana is in the gown.  Clark gently sets her down on the bed and steps back.  He looks down at her clothing, now held in his hands.  It is roughly folded.  Clark looks up and turns as Dr. Eisenstein enters the room.)

Dr. Eisenstein: "Hello.  Mr. Kent, I presume?"

Clark (Shaking his hand): "Hi."

Dr. Eisenstein (Looking past Clark at Lana): "And this must be Ms. Lang."

(Dr. Eisenstein steps past Clark to Lana.  He turns her head to the side and carefully removes an earring.)

Dr. Eisenstein (Holding it up for Clark to see): "Wouldn't want that in there, now would we?  Do you know if she has any more metallic objects on her?"

(Turning her head the other way, he removes the adjacent earring.)

Clark (Looking over at Lana): "Not that I know of."

Dr. Eisenstein: "Well, we better check."

(Clark focuses his vision and scans up and down Lana.  He briefly sees the soft beating of her heart.)

Clark: "She doesn't have any more metal on her, Doctor."

Dr. Eisenstein (Looking over at Clark): "Well alright, then.  Come, let's begin."

(He sets Lana's head back upright and walks to the door next to the window.  Pulling out a key, he unlocks the door and enters.  Clark closely follows behind him.  Dr. Eisenstein sits down in front of the computer and turns it on.  As he waits for it to start up, he flips several switches beside him.  Several things happen, one being Lana is slowly moved into the giant superconductor and another being a light turns on inside the machine.)

Dr. Eisenstein (Mumbling to himself): "As to why I was ordered to do a full body scan instead of just getting imaging of the head, I don't know."

Clark: "What?"

Dr. Eisenstein: "Oh, nothing, nothing."

(Dr. Eisenstein begins typing commands to the computer.  He pauses and sits back in his chair as a prompt appears on the screen, reading 'Initializing...'  Reaching around behind the computer, he pulls out what looks like a microphone and hands it to Clark.  He flips another switch.)

Dr. Eisenstein (Smiling): "Just in case you want to be of moral support to her."

(Clark smiles in spite of himself.)

Clark (Speaking in the microphone): "Hey Lana."

Dr. Eisenstein: "That's a good boy."

(The 'Initializing...' message changes to 'Ready'.) 

Dr. Eisenstein: "Looks like we're good to go.  Would you like to do the honors?"

(Clark nods.)

Dr. Eisenstein: "Simply press 'Enter'."

(Clark reaches over and presses the button.  Repetitiously and in quick succession, they can hear 'dadada, thump-thump-thump, dadada, and thump-thump-thump.'  On the screen, an image slowly builds itself.)

Dr. Eisenstein: "Alright.  We have the first level done now, which we can look at while it compiles the others.  This is simply of bone.  As you can see, there are no irregularities from what they should be."

(He zooms in on her leg.)

Dr. Eisenstein: "Did she sustain an injury in this leg relatively recently?"

(Clark nods and looks on heavily interested.)

Dr. Eisenstein: "Alright, the next level is ready now.  This is the 'muscle' layer."

(Clark watches him scroll down the length of Lana's body on the screen.)

Dr. Eisenstein: "Alright, everything is complete.  Let's have a look at her brain, now."

(An image of Lana's brain flashes onto the screen.  It is marked by several colors.  Dr. Eisenstein studies it for several seconds.) 

Dr. Eisenstein: "Interesting...  This is quite contrary to the prognosis I received from Doctor Lee... It appears there has been a complete normalization of her higher brain functions...  Her cerebral cortex seems to be in perfect working order...  I don't know what to make of it.  I'm going to go speak with our other neurologist; Dr. Marcus has seen a condition like this once before.  Hopefully, he will be able to give a more thorough examination than I."

Clark: "Thank you, doctor."

Dr. Eisenstein: "I'll be right back, then.  Don't touch anything."

(The doctor exits, leaving Clark alone with a thin sheet of Plexiglas between himself and Lana.  Clark focuses his hearing.  He hears a slight rush of air as Lana inhales.  As she exhales, Clark can faintly hear her say 'ccclllaarrrkkk...'  She inhales and exhales.  Again, Clark can faintly hear her say 'ccclllaarrrkkk...'  Clark picks up the microphone.)

Clark: "Lana?"

Lana: "Ccclllaarrrkkk..."

Clark: "Lana!"

(Clark waits for her to respond, but she doesn't.  Her breathing continues as Clark looks on.  The door Dr. Eisenstein exited out of opens, and he comes back, followed by Dr. Marcus.  Clark stands.)

Dr. Marcus (Shaking Clark's hand): "Hello."

(Dr. Marcus walks past Clark and looks at the screen.  He scratches his chin as he does.)

Dr. Marcus (Speaking softly to his self): "It's almost exactly the same..."

Clark: "Exactly the same as what?"

Dr. Marcus (Looking up): "Several months ago, I had a patient that exhibited the same neural patterns, except she appears to be in the stage which occurred after several days in the other patient.  Here, look."

(He points to her medulla oblongata.)

Dr. Marcus: "Do you see the slight striations?"

Dr. Eisenstein: "I didn't notice those before."

Dr. Marcus: "Nor did I, with my last patient, until they became much more... prominent..."

Clark: "What happened to your last patient?"

Dr. Marcus: "Mr. Walden exhibited certain characteristics not normally found..."

Clark: "Dr. Walden, the linguist?"

Dr. Marcus: "Yes, yes.  Wait, you must be Mr. Kent?"

(Clark nods.)

Dr. Marcus: "You were the one that found him, in the Kawatchi caves, then?"

(Clark nods again.)

Dr. Marcus: "Did you find this young woman there as well?"

(He looks over at Lana, nervous.)

Dr. Marcus: "Let us hope she does not exhibit the same characteristics as Mr. Walden when she awakens..."

Clark: "I don't think we have to worry about that, doctor."

Dr. Marcus: "I certainly hope you are right, Mr. Kent."

(He looks back over at Clark.)

Dr. Marcus: "She should be fine, don't worry.  If she follows the same route as Mr. Walden, she will awaken quite promptly.  As to the state she will be in when she does, I don't know."

(He looks over at Dr. Eisenstein.)

Dr. Marcus: "What do you think, Ryan?"

Dr. Eisenstein: "I see no reason why they cannot go."

Dr. Marcus: "Nor do I.  Although, Mr. Kent, if anything comes up, please,"

(He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a business card.)

Dr. Marcus: "Call me."

(Clark takes the card and puts it in his pocket.  Dr. Eisenstein pats Clark on the arm as he exits the room.)

Dr. Eisenstein: "I'll be back in several minutes.  You may clothe her again."

(He reaches down and flips a switch; Lana slowly emerges from the tubular machine.  Dr. Eisenstein exits the room and Clark walks back to her.  He approaches Lana, her clothes in hand.  He stops next to her.  Her eyes are open.  They are cloudy and her pupils are obscured.  She is covered in sweat.  Clark reaches for her shoulder to set her up, but as he does, her hand shoots out and grabs his.)

Lana (Starring directly into Clark's eyes): "Clark!  Don't leave me, DON'T LEAVE ME!"

Clark (Trying to restrain her): "Lana!"

Lana (Slowly settling back down): "Don't... leave... me..."

(Her eyes close as she lies back down.  Her breathing returns to normal.  Clark takes a step back, stunned at what just happened and out of breath.  To his astonishment, Lana's eyes flutter open.  She slowly sits up and looks down at herself.  She looks at her hands, and then looks over at Clark.  Her pupils are back to normal.)

Lana: "Clark?"

Clark: "Lana!"

(Clark quickly embraces her.  She hesitates, and then hugs him back.  A look of confusion settles into her eyes, and she stares at the camera.)