"Clark, what are you doing here?" asked Lionel once they'd slowed down.

"I'm trying to help you find the plant," replied Clark. "I kind of ran into some trouble on the way."

"I can imagine. How'd you get here, anyway?" interrogated Lionel.

Clark panted, faking exhaustion, "Uh, I snuck onto your helicopter."

"Quite a feat. That many hours without food or... observing other needs – that's quite impressive. You never cease to amaze me, Clark."

Clark shrugged, "I just had to remember to use the restroom before I left."

Willows tapped Lionel on the shoulder. "This may not be the best time but if I don't ask now, I may never get an answer. Just who the hell is this guy?"

"Oh, this is Clark Kent," Lionel paused to catch his breath. "And he's quite a talented young man. You'll like him."

"Looks like a farm boy to me," muttered Willows.

"Smallville is a farm town, Sgt. That is to be expected."

"Whatever. Let's just keep moving. I've lost one good troop today and I am not going to lose another"

The hours past, but the team rarely stopped to take a break. The woods were massive and with no means of transportation or even any sense of direction they soon realized that they were not going anywhere.

The sun began to set, baking the land in with its last glow of sunshine. Night fell and when it did, the crescent moon began to rise, shining its reflected light upon the troops.

Fortunately, they finally arrived at the gates of the town. The sight of armed soldiers alarmed Max. He jumped to his feet, grabbed his shotgun, and stepped out of his guard post, aiming his weapon at Lionel. "What do you folks want?"

Lionel kept a dark tone while talking to Max, "Listen. We're tired, hungry, and we've lost a soldier trying to protect ourselves from the wolves. Please let us inside the town."

"Wolves? Any of you been bitten?"

They all shook their heads, but Max didn't lower his shotgun. "Yeah, right. Like I should believe you."

"There's no full moon tonight. Why should you worry?" asked Clark.

"There are other things that trigger the transformation, chap. What are you Yanks doing in Ireland, anyway?"

Willows stepped forward to speak, "We're looking for a plant that can cure our friends who have been bitten. So far, we've been unlucky."

"Oh, Wolfsbane. You won't find any of that here. At least, not for free. In Scotland they've probably got some owned by locals that'll give you a kilo or two. Who's it for?" asked Max.

"Our friends in America."

"Yeah, well, I'll let you pass this time. But swear to me that neither of the clans are looking for you."

"Clans? What clans?" asked Clark.

"Oh, for Christ's sake, I mean the two clans that are always fightin' each other every night. One clan stands upright on their two legs and the other on all fours. How long have you been here?"

"A couple of days," replied Lionel. "And we swear that we haven't angered either of these clans. Please, allow us to enter. You'll be monetarily rewarded."

That perked Max's attention. "Well, alright then. Go on."

Max trotted back into his security box and punched the bright red button on his control panel. The massive gates began to clank and open, revealing the long, dirt trail that led to the town. Willows led the troops inside.

Lionel strode next to Clark, "It seems we have a new piece of information now. Two clans, both alike in dignity."

"Very poetic. I think the question now is how do we get back to the helicopter. I guess we're going to Scotland?"

Lionel chuckled, "No, I'm going to Scotland. You are going to get back on the first plane I can arrange for you to get on that heads right back to Smallville."

Clark scoffed, "What do you care whether or not I come along? I'm sure it's not concern for safety of my well-being."

"Think of it as a personal favor I owe to your mother, Clark. You don't have to be so skeptical."

"It's hard not to be."

"Mr. Ross!" boomed Principal Reynolds as he stormed down the Smallville High School hallway, clearly showing anger by the way he walked. Pete was almost afraid to look up at him after he stopped to face him. "I wonder if you perhaps knew the whereabouts of a certain Mr. Kent?"

"I, uh, I have no idea where – "

"I called his parents on two separate occasions. The first time, his mother told me he was sick. The second, his father answered and told me that he was with an Uncle Jesse. Perhaps you would like to give me his alibi?"

"Sir, I – " stuttered Pete.

"No need to be shy, Ross. It's a common fact that you are good friends. If he were sick, I'm sure you would know by now and if he were on vacation I bet he would have told you. Which is it?"

People stopped briefly to eavesdrop on the exchange, but Principal Reynolds gave them a cold stare that shooed them away. Pete felt like he could cry, "Sir, as far as I know, he's been going through some problems lately. What with his family losing the tractor and all. It's been really hard on their income. I tried talking to him, but he sort of gave me a cold shoulder and I figured he wanted to be alone."

"Nonsense. The tractor incident was well over a week ago and I saw you and him talking cheerfully, like it was the holidays. Now would you please tell me so I can know what to write down on his suspension slip? He knows perfectly well that unexcused absences will be – "

Pete interrupted, "No, sir, you don't understand. Clark thought his family was doing okay even with the lost tractor, but they just lost some of their cattle too..."

Reynolds sighed, "I see. Well, perhaps talking to Miss Sullivan or Miss Lang will prove to be more successful. Good day, Mr. Ross."

No sooner had Reynolds left the hallway did Chloe sneak up behind him and playfully covered his eyes. "Surprise! I heard my name. What's going on?"

"Ah! Chloe!" said Pete, startled. "I swear, talking to that man is like talking to the Devil or something."

Chloe giggled, "You're the last person who should be talking about devils and bad boys. What about that Bad Pete you've got in yourself? The one you unleashed last year?"

"Hey, you did too. And from what Clark told me, Bad Chloe was quite the devil herself. He describes you as, if possible, even more stunningly beautiful than your usual self," lied Pete. Clark had indeed told him what they'd done under the influence of a strange, alien parasite that they'd found in the Kawatche Caves had invaded their bodies, but hadn't mentioned anything like that, though Pete decided to politely flatter Chloe.

"Really? Hey, no fair! He never told me what I did while that thing was inside of me!"

Pete stuttered, since he also remembered that Clark had told him that he'd accidentally revealed his powers in front of her, upon insistence from Pete. It was better to keep that a secret. "Well, we, um... How's the next issue of the Torch coming along?"

Chloe frowned, but went along. "Fine, but I need something else to fill the front page. Maybe an inside scoop on the disappearance of our favorite farm boy?"

"Clark? Oh, he's, um, visiting his Uncle Jesse."

Chloe gave a half-grin, "Really? Because Ma Kent told me that he was in Metropolis with a friend. There wouldn't be something everyone's hiding from me, is there?"

"No, not from you," gulped Pete. He mentally sighed. He and the Kent's were going to have to agree on a lie.

"Right. Well then, I'll be off to fourth period. See you around, Pete."

"Bye," murmured Pete. To himself, he mumbled, "Man, Clark, get home soon! The lies are killing me."

Deep inside the Luthor Mansion in a room that was rarely opened, Lex sat down in front of a laptop studying a three-dimensional rendition of what Roger Nixon believed to have happened on Loeb Bridge over two years ago. It showed a figure colored in solid red, Clark, being rammed off of a bridge by a solid blue Porsche.

Surrounding Lex were several computer screens and monitors either delving into the car crash incident, or displaying symbols found in the Kawatche Caves. This was his sanctuary.

Lex scrolled his mouse over a document and opened it. It opened up another 3-D scenario like the one he had been looking at seconds ago, except this one showed Clark leaping onto the roof of the car and off back onto the bridge. From there, Clark whirled around and dived into the river after the car.

But for that scenario to work, Clark would have had to know that Lex would hit him, and that was impossible. Lex frowned and closed the window. He rubbed his temples and sat his head on the desk.

He tried and he tried, but he could not close his obsession with finding out what had happened at Loeb Bridge. There was no way Clark could have survived being hit at 60 miles an hour. There was no way. He tried to tell himself that he never did hit Clark and that he was pulled out after Clark jumped in after him, but... it was so unlikely. So mysterious.

He snapped awake and the sound of an incoming e-mail alert emitted from his laptop. He clicked on the mail icon, and opened it. The e-mail was from Anony-Guy, one of his shadier sources. The e-mail was short and came with an attachment. "Found this for ya' ;) : Levitas Project."

Lex clicked on the attachment, which opened up a Microsoft Word document boasting hundreds of figures and notes, ending with a summary of the project.

"The ultimate truth serum – perfect for interrogating prisoners of war. Project abandoned for health concerns," said the last paragraph. A smile appeared on Lex's face. The mystery of Clark Kent would have to wait for another day.