Somewhere in Metropolis
Clark stirs from dream. He opens his eyes. He tries to move but his body is racked with pain. He remembers that those shards are in his back and he can feel each one of them. A door opens and she comes in, "Oh are we not enjoying the accommodations, Kal?" that last word had venom dripping from it.
The only time that name was used, oh no it's Morgan Edge, and he isn't dead after all.
"Are we in pain, little man?" she asks.
She's relishing in the fact that I am in pain, but why? I don't know her.
As she walks around him, she gives him one good kick to the back, right where a shard is lodged. "Does that hurt?" Clark is groaning in pain and attempts to curl up.
"All these pretty little green rocks? I'll make me a necklace from them." She gives him one last kick.
"Enough Dani, remember Lionel wants him to stay alive and we're not supposed to spill too much blood." A male voice commands her and comes into the room. "I'll bet you just wondering why my little sis is so mad at you. It won't hurt to tell you. You see our dad is dead because of you Kal, or Clark. Your name won't matter for much longer. By the way I'm Damien and you have already met Dani." He points to the young woman. "Dani like to play with her food as it were. She is a little disturbed, so I wouldn't upset her. She is very good at causing pain without spilling too much blood." Damien whispers that last bit in Clark's ear.
So Lionel had Morgan Edge's progeny doing his dirty work. It figures, and explains the meteor rocks. Morgan knew what they did. Clark thoughts spin.
"You know those rocks, could be really pretty if they glowed like that all the time." Dani comments. "I guess daddy actually did know what he was talking about."
Clark attempts to move again. Dani is right there with a kick to the head and he blacks out. She watches as a rivet of blood runs down from the cut.
Clark wakes up. He must have feel asleep. He isn't alone. He realizes Chloe is lying next to him. Oh boy. What happened?
Chloe wakes up. "Hey what are you doing here?" then she realizes that she is up in Clark's loft. Oh boy. She turns and smiles. Well he has his clothes on and I have mine, so what were we doing?
"Do you remember falling asleep? I don't." Clark asks.
"Nope. I do know that if I didn't call my dad, it going to be hell for me at home." Chloe gets her phone and checks the last number dialed. "Okay the last number I dialed was yours." Oh boy.
"Clark are you out here?" Jonathan shouts.
"Yeah, Dad. I'm here." Clark answers. He's mad, talk about hell.
"Is Chloe up there, too." Jonathan asks. "Her dad called this morning when he found she hadn't come home."
"Yes, Mr. Kent. I'm here." Chloe answers. "I'd better call my dad.
"Yes, you should. Go inside the house." Jonathan comments coming up the stairs.
Chloe mouths 'I'm sorry' and leaves.
Sharp intense pain wakes Clark, someone is jabbing a needle in arm. He watches as the tube fills with blood. "I'll take this and test it." Someone in a lab coat says. "If it is what we need, we will be taking the specimen."
"Just so I get my fee." Damien says.
"No more injuries, I may need all of the blood to accomplish what Mr. Luthor wants." The lab coat orders and walks out.
"No more injuries, I don't follow her orders." Dani answers with a kick to Clark's midsection. "Poor little Kal. Why don't you call for your mommy, or for Chloe, that was the dream girl's name wasn't it. Too bad big brother botched that job. I will have to take care of her myself." Dani had a smirk on her face. He was alone again. The pain racked his body.
Back at the FBI offices, JB has found something. "Hey look at this shot, it's from one of the security cams in the Luthor house. It must have been on a different system, cause this one was recording the whole thing." He pulls up the details of what happened. Chloe wants to turn away, but if she sees something it may help. "This is the best shot of the crew, you see him, and them her."
Clair stops and stares coldly. She recognizes the man, his tats she will never forget. "He is one Morgan Edge's men, and that little beauty is Danielle. Dani, his baby girl." Clair wants to get and run, she sits. Count to 10, before you do anything.
"Oh God." Chloe gasps.
"Now we know where to start digging. Let's find them. Where Dani is, Damien is right there with her. Those twins are never apart." Clair announces and the starts typing on the laptop.
"This won't be pretty." JB says to Chloe and heads to Jack's office.
Away from the warehouse and in the lab office where the sample taken from Clark is being tested Lionel paces furiously. "Well?" Lionel Luthor asks the good doctor as she finishes the tests.
"It's the same." Helen answers.
"Yes. I have him." Lionel seems almost gleeful. "Lets get to the warehouse and get my cure back here." Lionel and Helen go outside and get into the truck with several guards. They head over to the warehouse.
Dani is playing kick the Kal. "It's a new game. It just leaves bruises, not cuts. Unfortunately big brother said I couldn't cut you. That's no fun." Dani continues to walk around Clark and he doesn't know when she is going to kick.
It's like painful game of Duck -Duck -Goose with only me as the victim. Clark thinks to himself.
"Leave him alone Dani. They are coming to get him." Damien shouts down to her.
Dani gives one last sharp kick and leaves him alone. "Your lucky day." She smirks
Lara can you hear me? Lara. Clark calls out.
Kal-El, Clark I hear you. Lara comes to his side.
I need help. Please. Clarks pleads
I cannot affect your environment. I can only talk with you. Lara is frightened.
Can you reach my parents? Please. Clarks asks and it's getting harder for Clark to breathe.
This is why you shouldn't meddle in the affairs of the humans. Jor-El shouts.
Please Lara. Clark pleading in agony
Did you know that our home would be his poison? Lara asks.
I suspected, I wasn't sure. Jor-EL comments.
So because he cares for this world and its inhabitants you will let him die. Jor-El you can affect this environment. If you ever loved me you will heal him. Lara begs.
I will find your parents. Lara says as Clark passes out.
Jor-El. Lara pleads.
There is a bright light and flashes, a wave shakes the warehouse and it tumble down. Buildings rattle throughout Metropolis, including the FBI offices. Glass shatters and people are running for cover. Then there is dead silence and a crater where bodies lying around it.
What have you done? Lara looks out at the damage.
Had to eliminate the threats to Kal-El.
What you did is? Lara can't finish what she wants to say. She is gone.
The truck with Helen and Lionel rolls over from the wave. There is a mess of tangled metal and bodies.
Lionel is unconscious. Helen has been impaled. Clark crawls out from the crater. He sees the carnage. He wants to cry, but can't. He sees that there are some people still alive.
I have to help them. Clark decides.
Now do you understand why you should not meddle in their affairs? They will betray and use you. [/font] Jor-El declares.
"I'm not going to stop helping them. So bring it on." Clark yells. Sirens blare and he can hear people needing help. He goes to do what he can.
As he walks away from the crater, it reminds him of the one he made. I will not fail.
A few days later in Clark's loft
"Hey are you feeling better?" Chloe comes up the stairs. Clark is sitting on the couch.
"Yeah, I'm better." Clark answers. Chloe sits next to him.
"I guess we are going to have to talk about things. I'm not good at saying this in person so I wrote it down." She hands him a letter. "I'll go and let you be alone, I'm sure you need to relax. Especially since school starts on Monday." She gets up to leave and Clark is opening the letter and reads it. He gets up and heads down to find her.
"Chloe wait. When did you write this?" Clark asks
"That time you and your mom were sick." Chloe answers him trying not to loose control.
"I didn't know. I mean you said you wanted to be friends, after the tornado or was that you climbing into your shell." Clark asks.
"Oh my, I didn't want to do this." She starts to cry and walks away.
"Chloe, why didn't you tell me?" Clarks says taking her by the shoulders.
"Because you said Lana after I poured my heart out. I just couldn't deal with it. It hurt. Oh I hate this." Chloe tears start falling down out of control.
"She is moving on. I need to move on too. Lana was my first love." Clark finishes. I sound like and after school special. Stop now.
"Are you saying what I think you are?" Chloe asks. Please. Please. Please be saying you want more.
"I'm saying I want to be more than your best friend. If that's something you still want from me." Clark answers. Chloe smiles and she takes his hand in hers. "Let's take it slow."
"I agree, we should take it slow." Chloe says. It was worth the wait.
All of the sudden a violent blow wakes up Clark. I was a dreaming but which part. He attempts to move. His back is on fire from the shards and his muscles ache with pain.
"Wakey Wakey Kal. No time to sleep." Dani voice becomes clear.
Well she's real. I think. Clark tries to clear his head.
"Dani, enough." Damien yells at her. "Lionel wants him alive."
Well I guess he's real, too. Clark thinks.
"No on lets me have any fun. Who were dreaming about Kal? Was it Chloe? I got something real special in mind for her." Dani gives his midsection one last kick. This sends Clark's whole body into a seizure.
"Dani, I said enough" Damien grabs her as drags her away.
I have to get away. She'll kill Chloe. That was Clark's last thought before he passes out.
Back at the FBI building they are narrowing down the list of buildings that Dani and Damien have used. They have recruited Clair's friend 'Voyager" to pull in satellite images of the areas.
"Why aren't going through normal channels?" JB asks.
"Because normal channels take too long." Jack and Clair answer in unison.
"There." Chloe spots the same man with tats, the one in the video.
"We got you. Just you wait." Clair says.
"You and Chloe need to stay here. This is what I do." Jack tells his daughter.
"Dad." Clair is about to protest and sees is futile. "Okay."
"Sit on them JB, I need them both and I will get that boy back. Don't worry Chloe." Jack goes to get the assault teams and SWAT together.
The Calvary
Clark wakes up to the sound of rapid gunfire and it takes him a minute to realize that he is still trapped. What is going on? Are they here to help or am I having another dream. Clark looses consciousness. The FBI teams move in on the building and surround it. Jack decides to take them out.
"Are you sure this isn't personal?" someone asks.
"Do you think they will give up without a fight? Any word on Lionel's whereabouts?" Jack asks.
"Nope." He answers.
Back in the building Damien is getting stuff together. "We have to go. They aren't going to stay out there forever." He turns to Lionel. Why did I agree to help you? "Let's go." Damien goes out the door.
"Get Clark. I am not losing my cure." Lionel commands. The four men look at him and go get the freak. Clark is passed out. He starts to wake up when he feels he is being moved.
"Wake up Kal-El." A voice says. "You must wake up, now."
Clark's eyes open. He attempts to speak but it garbled. Just then a blast open the garage door and SWAT and assault team members storm in. Gunfire blasts from everywhere. Clark has been dumped on the floor. It smashes the shards deeper into his flesh. He looses consciousness again.
Jack and his group move into the area, He sees Lionel and Damien running for a vehicle and chases after. Damien is firing back and Lionel is running to the driver's side, he gets in and takes off. A sharpshooter on the roof of the next building has taken down Damien. He targets the car Lionel is driving and takes out two of the tires. That action makes the car roll and Lionel is thrown from the car and lands in a pile of garbage. He is unconscious when Jack makes his way up to him.
The teams start to sweep the areas. "Keep an eye out for Dani, she'll take you out."
They find all the members of the group and are surprised when they find Helen. She has started a fire to destroy whatever they were doing here.
"Jack, you're just going to love this." One team member says over the com. "We found the missing Dr Bryce."
"Good. Take her into custody." Jack says.
"Hey Jack, the kid's not going make if we don't get him to the hospital now." The medic buzzes on the com-link.
"Get him and go." Jack orders.
Clark starts to wake up. "Hang on kid." The medic tells him.
"No please." If you take me to the hospital, my secret is out. Clark attempts to get up.
"It's okay. We're not going to hurt you." The medic tries to calm him. Clark knows he can't let them. It takes every bit of energy and he pushes the man away.
"Move Kal-El, you must move." He hears that voice again. It seems to give him strength. He moves and also realizes that there are so many men he can't get away. "The water Kal-El, go there." Clark makes a dive. The water is cold and Clark is floating and then he is warm all of the sudden. Then the next moment, someone drags him out of the water. He tries to struggle but the effort is in vain. He is loaded onto a gurney and they 'Care flight' him to the hospital.
Clark wakes up to see the worried faces of his parents. He has an IV in his arm, which he knows isn't good.
He tries to talk. "Mom." It comes out muffled, but she knows what he is saying. Martha walks up to his bedside.
"You had us worried for sure, this time." She smiled trying to cover that they were worried about what the doctors might figure out.
"Home." Clark says. Martha turns to Jonathan.
"We have to take him home." Martha says.
"I will try to convince them." He says walking out the door. If they figure out what is different about Clark. He passes Chloe and Clair in the waiting room. He stops. "Chloe, he's awake if you want to go down to see him." He tells her and heads to the nurse's station. He sees Lex coming up. Lex still has the sling. Jonathan isn't sure what to do.
"How is Clark?" Lex asks. This throws a wrench in the theory.
"He is awake and wants to go home." Jonathan says.
"You aren't sure the doctors will let him go, right?" Lex adds.
"Truthfully, I want to take him home." Jonathan says. Why did I just say that to Lex of all people?
"Then let's go. I want Clark home as well." Lex follows Jonathan.
Chloe knocks and peeks in the room. Clark has only been sick once before that she knows of, and that's when she confessed how she felt to him. Only to hear Lana's name, instead, and she retreated back to shell that time.
"It's okay, Come in Chloe." Martha says.
"Hey." Clark mumbles.
"Hey yourself. You know you scared me." Chloe says.
"Sorry." Clark says.
"No, but you will be." Chloe comes back and tries to smile. She takes his hand.
Jonathan returns and asks Martha to step outside. "They have agreed to release him. Lex pulled some strings. It's scary." He tells her.
"We can get him home and do something. We both know what's wrong with him." Martha says and looks at him. "Let's go home."
The papers signed and loading Clark into the truck, Jonathan and Martha Kent head home. Clair and Chloe follow them.
"Why are they taking home? He is still so sick." Chloe is afraid.
"I think they are taking him home because it what he wants." Clair says. "Just think you can do your best Florence Nightingale." She smiles at Chloe. "He is going to need so serious TLC."
Chloe smiles and thinks he will want Lana to do that.
"Those thought are not going to get you anywhere." Clair tells her.
They arrive at the farm and unload supplies. Jonathan and Martha put Clark on the couch to rest. Chloe is pacing outside. "Do you mind if I suggest something?" Clair asks.
"Go ahead." Jonathan says. I will do anything to get you to leave. I have got to help my son.
"Chloe, why don't you sit with Clark? I need to talk the Kent's." Clair leans out the door. "Let's go outside." They follow her.
"What do you want?" Jonathan is tired and doesn't mince words.
"Virgil had to come clean with me, so I could help. I just wanted you to know. I figure no one else does. Maybe Lionel Luthor, and Lex is suspicious." She goes to the trunk of her car and pulls out a chest. "This is Clark's blood. I switched as much as I could. It wasn't easy." Martha and Jonathan are both shocked and afraid.
"Why?" Martha asks.
"Because, he isn't alone. He is the last of his world. But he isn't alone." Clair waits for the information to process.
"You are?" Jonathan asks and is looking pale.
"My father is human. My mother wasn't. And now you know, too." Clair smiles and waits for them to regain the composure and then asks, "Do you know what's making him sick?"
"Yes. It's the meteors." Martha is glad for any help.
"Then I will get Chloe out of here and safe, and you take care of your son." Clair says. "There will be guards around so all of you be careful." She turns to go get Chloe.
At Metropolis Federal prison, Lionel Luthor is still unconscious and Lex is talking with the doctors. "Will my father regain consciousness?"
"We don't know what caused the state in the first place. We can't see any serious head trauma. All we can do it wait."
Somewhere in Metropolis, Dani is licking her wounds. "I will get all of you." She says to an empty room.
copyrightLanieTrace2004