Part 4 – Residence
Lex was surprised when his phone rang around 10:00. No one usually called him so late. "Hello?"
"Hi, Lex," Lana said.
"Hi, Lana," Lex replied. "I'm surprised that you're calling this late. Is there anything wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong, Lex," Lana replied. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to have a friend staying in the apartment above the Talon."
"Thanks for letting me know," Lex said. "Do you need me to come down there?"
"No, I've still got my keys," Lana said quickly. "I'll talk to you later, Lex."
"Goodnight, Lana," Lex said as he hung up the phone. As he sat back in his chair, Lex reflected on the distinct feeling he was getting that Lana was hiding something from him.
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"Thanks, Nell. Goodnight," Lana said as she pressed the 'end' button on her cellular phone. She turned to Clark and said, "Well, that's settled. I'll be staying at the Talon with you tonight, Clark."
Clark simply nodded as they approached Smallville proper. After turning around and leaving the Kent Farm, he had gradually calmed down. Lana had considered having Clark stay with Lex, but decided against it as it would raise too many questions and probably make Clark uncomfortable. Instead, she decided that Clark should stay in the apartment above the Talon, and, at least for tonight, Lana would stay there too.
Lana parked her car in front of the Talon. She got out and then came around to the passenger side to help Clark. Once again, Lana was disturbed by Clark's emaciated appearance and injuries. She couldn't begin to imagine the depth of the suffering he'd gone through. One thing was for certain: he needed her strength right now.
Lana unlocked the front door and helped Clark inside. Clark managed to stumble into a chair, and Lana flipped on the lights. As they came on, Clark felt a small sense of relief flow through him.
"Trying to score the last box of Jujubes before they close this place down?" Clark asked as he entered the Talon.
Lana laughed and said, "Those things could probably survive a nuclear winter."
Lana noticed that Clark's eyes had glazed over for a moment and she rushed over to him. "Clark, are you alright?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Clark answered. "Lana, can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Lana said.
"Was this place a movie theater at some point?" he asked uncertainly.
Lana's eyes went wide. "How did you...did you remember something?" she asked.
Clark nodded. "We were talking here...only there were all these boxes around. This place was closing," he said.
Lana nodded eagerly. "I guess you're starting to get your memory back," she said with a smile. "Come on, I'll take you upstairs."
Lana and Clark walked upstairs and Lana unlocked the door. As they entered the apartment, Lana unhooked the key from her key ring and put it down on one of the tables. "I'm leaving the key here for you," she explained.
"Aren't you staying tonight?" Clark asked in quaking voice.
"Yes, but I didn't want to forget to do this tomorrow morning," Lana explained. "Just relax, Clark." She gently touched Clark's shoulder, and was pleased when she felt some of the tension leave his body. "Now, you take the bed tonight."
"Lana, are you sure?" Clark asked.
Lana smiled. "I appreciate the chivalry, but the couch in here is too small for you to sleep on. I'll be fine. Besides, I think you're the one that's going to need something soft to sleep on. Speaking of which, I want to check your injuries before you go to sleep."
Clark nodded uncertainly and pulled off his shirt. Lana gasped in shock as she saw the full extent of Clark's injuries. Deep red lines marred his back and torso, some of which seemed to have only stopped bleeding recently. "Oh, Clark..." she said in a choked voice. The injuries were worse that she'd imagined. "You stay right here. I'm going to get a wet cloth and clean you up."
Clark nodded as Lana went to the sink and grabbed a washcloth. As she began to clean his wounds, Clark hissed in slight pain.
Martha wrapped the ice cubes in the wash cloth and gently rubbed Clark's wounds with it. He winced from the contact.
"There, that looks a bit better," Lana said as she finished up, having not noticed that his eyes had glazed over again. She handed Clark his shirt back. "Now, you get some rest, and tomorrow, I'm going to fix you a nice breakfast."
Clark nodded with exhaustion clearly on his face. He stumbled over to the bed and just flopped over on it, landing on his stomach. He mumbled something which sounded like, "'Night, Lana."
Lana smiled and whispered, "Goodnight, Clark." Turning out the light, she felt her way through the room over to the couch, and within minutes she was asleep.
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Clark felt searing waves of pain all over his body. He tried to get away from it, but to no avail. Clark screamed as the pain seemed to intensify. Out of the darkness around him, a voice spoke which chilled him to his bones.
"You will obey me, Kal-El."
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Clark screamed and bolted upright. He was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He jumped as he felt a light touch on his shoulder.
"Clark, are you all right?" Lana asked anxiously. Clark's screaming had woken her up, and she'd immediately rushed over to him.
Clark shook his head. "So much pain...horrible..." he managed to gasp out.
"It's ok, Clark, it was just a nightmare," Lana said soothingly. She slowly put her arms around him, trying to comfort him.
Clark winced at first, but he felt relief as Lana continued to hold him and gently rub his shoulders. Her presence had a calming influence over him, and he was grateful for it.
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Michael walked through the caves, shining his flashlight on the various paintings as he went. Lionel had been right; the paintings were very impressive.
As he rounded a corner, he found the location in the wall where Lionel had said the octagonal keyhole had been. To his surprise, the area surrounding it was pulsing with light.
"What the hell?" he said. Against his better judgment, he reached out and touched the area. Within a second, energy began shooting from the hole into Michael's body. His body convulsed as the energy flow continued.
Finally, the flow stopped, and Michael's arm dropped to his side. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. They glowed briefly before he said, "If you want something done, you have to do it yourself."
TO BE CONTINUED...