Martha Kent sat on the sofa sitting uncomfortably upright and gazing at the television set. It was turned on to some reality show, but she had no actual interest in the contestants or the show itself. She didn't know why she couldn't just get up and turn it off, but she had a feeling her thoughts were keeping her anchored down. She was afraid if she did anything, she would collapse and start sobbing.
"Mom?" Oh no, now she was starting to hallucinate. She could swear that she just heard her son behind her. Clark? Maybe... maybe it was he. "Mom?"
"Clark! You're home!" greeted Martha. She leapt from the sofa and rushed over to give Clark a big hug. "What happened? Are you all right? You must be hungry!"
Clark grinned, "I'm fine, mom. Everything's fine."
"Well, did you get the plant to cure the police? You're not hurt, are you?"
"Mom – I'm fine. We found out it was called Wolfsbane, but the Wayne company wouldn't let us take any with us, so we had to go to Scotland. I saved them some time by running ahead and getting some Wolfsbane and bringing it back to the helicopter. When they came for the chopper, they found it inside and decided to go home. I just hitched a ride underneath."
"Clark, that's wonderful. But I think right now, you should be telling everyone you're home. We all missed you."
Clark nodded, but an expression of worry conquered his face. "Oh man, how long have I been out of school??"
"Over a week. Principal Reynolds isn't happy," informed Martha.
Clark hugged his mom, kissed her on the cheek, and ran out the door.
8
"Dad? Dad, is that you?" asked Lex weakly.
Lionel smiled, his face illuminated by the light coming in through the stained glass window. "Yes, son, it's me. Are you all right?"
Lex was lying in his bed. It was early morning. "Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I just had too much Scotch last night. God, I'm tired..."
Lionel's face was neutral. "Scotch?"
"My Achilles' heel, so to speak. How was Ireland?" groaned Lex as he got up. He needed to cut down on the alcohol. "Your assistant told me that's where you went. Any truth in that?"
"Yes, it was a retrieval mission. I had to collect some Wolfsbane that could cure the local police."
"Dad, that sounds mighty... generous of you. What happened to your strict businessman ways?"
Lionel just kept smiling.
8
"Mr. Luthor! I wasn't expecting you so soon," said Dr. Teng as Lionel Luthor walked into the Metron Lab. "We're still on schedule with the blood sample you provided us."
"Forget that for the moment. Did you receive the plant I sent you? The Wolfsbane?" asked Lionel.
Dr. Teng paused for a moment. She was Asian, about five and a half feet, attractive features, but had a cold no-nonsense stare. She'd been working for Lionel for a while now. "Yes, I did. I extracted the chemicals you requested from it. I have a sample here. Why couldn't you just get one from Smallville General Hospital?"
"I didn't want them to suspect anything." Lionel sat on a chair beside a cluttered desk, rolling up his sleeves as he did. The Metron Lab building was big, but the interior was more of a maze. It appeared closed down, but Lionel insured that the experiments continued under the guise of an abandoned building. Dr. Teng really wasn't any better at keeping her desks clean that Dr. Hamilton had been, though. Lionel looked at Dr. Teng. "Do it."
Dr. Teng nodded. She crossed the room and picked up a syringe and vial from her desk. She tested it, and then returned to Lionel's side. "You sure you don't want a test subject to take it first?"
Lionel shook his head. "I'd prefer I test it now."
Teng injected Lionel with the serum she'd extracted from the Wolfsbane. She shook her head and almost chuckled. "You said in the e-mail that the Wolfsbane couldn't be used to heal anything other than wolf bites, what makes you think...?"
"That information was given to me from a werewolf – he was insane. Or there may be some truth in what he said. No doubt that the Wayne Enterprise scientist are trying to mix in other chemicals with this serum. Maybe in its purest and rawest form... maybe then it can cure me."
"If you say so. Shall I return to the other project in case this fails?"
Lionel nodded, rolled down his sleeves, and walked out.
8
Lionel's office at LuthorCorp had remained unchanged. Papers neatly stacked on according sides on his desk. His laptop folded down. Beams of sunlight came in from the huge window behind his desk. Clark glanced over at one wall, which had concealed a giant vault that he'd discovered on a mission to rescue his mother last year. Was it still there? He'd destroyed the door earlier in the year while on a red kryptonite high.
Clark flashed on his x-ray vision. Yes, the vault was still there, but two items from last year were missing: the octagonal-shaped key to the spaceship and the refined bars of kryptonite. Also missing was the sample of his blood that he stole a while back (on his red kryptonite high).
The door to the office hissed open and in stepped Lionel Luthor. "Clark? What are you doing here? How'd you get past security?"
Clark looked at him in confusion, hoping that that would stop him from asking any more questions. It worked.
"Never mind, just tell me what you're here for. Can I do something for you?"
Clark nodded. "Umm... well, it's about my absence... from school."
"Oh, yes, don't worry about it, Clark. I spoke with Principal Reynolds a little earlier. You're excused." Lionel walked to his desk and sat down, opening his laptop as he did. Clark was a little confused as he stood a meter away, contemplating what exactly to do next.
"Well, that's... thank you, Mr. Luthor," was all Clark could say.
"You saved me in Ireland numerous times. It's the least I could do. Ah, there is one intriguing thing. I checked the airport records – you never got on the plane to Metropolis. How'd you get home?"
Clark shifted his feet. "It was an open-ended ticket. I left later... I don't remember on which flight, though."
"Why would you do that?"
Clark shrugged. "I'll just leave. You look like you have work to do."
"All right, Clark. Tell your mother I say hello."
Clark nodded and left.
8
As Clark ran back home to Smallville, he couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something or someone.
Then it hit him. Edward!
"Mom?" Oh no, now she was starting to hallucinate. She could swear that she just heard her son behind her. Clark? Maybe... maybe it was he. "Mom?"
"Clark! You're home!" greeted Martha. She leapt from the sofa and rushed over to give Clark a big hug. "What happened? Are you all right? You must be hungry!"
Clark grinned, "I'm fine, mom. Everything's fine."
"Well, did you get the plant to cure the police? You're not hurt, are you?"
"Mom – I'm fine. We found out it was called Wolfsbane, but the Wayne company wouldn't let us take any with us, so we had to go to Scotland. I saved them some time by running ahead and getting some Wolfsbane and bringing it back to the helicopter. When they came for the chopper, they found it inside and decided to go home. I just hitched a ride underneath."
"Clark, that's wonderful. But I think right now, you should be telling everyone you're home. We all missed you."
Clark nodded, but an expression of worry conquered his face. "Oh man, how long have I been out of school??"
"Over a week. Principal Reynolds isn't happy," informed Martha.
Clark hugged his mom, kissed her on the cheek, and ran out the door.
8
"Dad? Dad, is that you?" asked Lex weakly.
Lionel smiled, his face illuminated by the light coming in through the stained glass window. "Yes, son, it's me. Are you all right?"
Lex was lying in his bed. It was early morning. "Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I just had too much Scotch last night. God, I'm tired..."
Lionel's face was neutral. "Scotch?"
"My Achilles' heel, so to speak. How was Ireland?" groaned Lex as he got up. He needed to cut down on the alcohol. "Your assistant told me that's where you went. Any truth in that?"
"Yes, it was a retrieval mission. I had to collect some Wolfsbane that could cure the local police."
"Dad, that sounds mighty... generous of you. What happened to your strict businessman ways?"
Lionel just kept smiling.
8
"Mr. Luthor! I wasn't expecting you so soon," said Dr. Teng as Lionel Luthor walked into the Metron Lab. "We're still on schedule with the blood sample you provided us."
"Forget that for the moment. Did you receive the plant I sent you? The Wolfsbane?" asked Lionel.
Dr. Teng paused for a moment. She was Asian, about five and a half feet, attractive features, but had a cold no-nonsense stare. She'd been working for Lionel for a while now. "Yes, I did. I extracted the chemicals you requested from it. I have a sample here. Why couldn't you just get one from Smallville General Hospital?"
"I didn't want them to suspect anything." Lionel sat on a chair beside a cluttered desk, rolling up his sleeves as he did. The Metron Lab building was big, but the interior was more of a maze. It appeared closed down, but Lionel insured that the experiments continued under the guise of an abandoned building. Dr. Teng really wasn't any better at keeping her desks clean that Dr. Hamilton had been, though. Lionel looked at Dr. Teng. "Do it."
Dr. Teng nodded. She crossed the room and picked up a syringe and vial from her desk. She tested it, and then returned to Lionel's side. "You sure you don't want a test subject to take it first?"
Lionel shook his head. "I'd prefer I test it now."
Teng injected Lionel with the serum she'd extracted from the Wolfsbane. She shook her head and almost chuckled. "You said in the e-mail that the Wolfsbane couldn't be used to heal anything other than wolf bites, what makes you think...?"
"That information was given to me from a werewolf – he was insane. Or there may be some truth in what he said. No doubt that the Wayne Enterprise scientist are trying to mix in other chemicals with this serum. Maybe in its purest and rawest form... maybe then it can cure me."
"If you say so. Shall I return to the other project in case this fails?"
Lionel nodded, rolled down his sleeves, and walked out.
8
Lionel's office at LuthorCorp had remained unchanged. Papers neatly stacked on according sides on his desk. His laptop folded down. Beams of sunlight came in from the huge window behind his desk. Clark glanced over at one wall, which had concealed a giant vault that he'd discovered on a mission to rescue his mother last year. Was it still there? He'd destroyed the door earlier in the year while on a red kryptonite high.
Clark flashed on his x-ray vision. Yes, the vault was still there, but two items from last year were missing: the octagonal-shaped key to the spaceship and the refined bars of kryptonite. Also missing was the sample of his blood that he stole a while back (on his red kryptonite high).
The door to the office hissed open and in stepped Lionel Luthor. "Clark? What are you doing here? How'd you get past security?"
Clark looked at him in confusion, hoping that that would stop him from asking any more questions. It worked.
"Never mind, just tell me what you're here for. Can I do something for you?"
Clark nodded. "Umm... well, it's about my absence... from school."
"Oh, yes, don't worry about it, Clark. I spoke with Principal Reynolds a little earlier. You're excused." Lionel walked to his desk and sat down, opening his laptop as he did. Clark was a little confused as he stood a meter away, contemplating what exactly to do next.
"Well, that's... thank you, Mr. Luthor," was all Clark could say.
"You saved me in Ireland numerous times. It's the least I could do. Ah, there is one intriguing thing. I checked the airport records – you never got on the plane to Metropolis. How'd you get home?"
Clark shifted his feet. "It was an open-ended ticket. I left later... I don't remember on which flight, though."
"Why would you do that?"
Clark shrugged. "I'll just leave. You look like you have work to do."
"All right, Clark. Tell your mother I say hello."
Clark nodded and left.
8
As Clark ran back home to Smallville, he couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something or someone.
Then it hit him. Edward!