Clark awoke from a doze filled with pain and heat and fear. His eyelids felt sticky and stiff, and he forced them open with difficulty. His surroundings came into focus slowly, and he realized he was still in the caverns, and enshrouded in some kind of sticky green mass of energy strings. He tried to struggle, but his arms were crossed in front of his chest and bound tightly there. The webbing had no give at all; it was tighter than a sausage casing. His vision was only partially obstructed, for his nose and mouth and eyes had been left mostly unfettered. He gazed down, and saw that he was hanging nearly fifteen feet above the cavern floor.
"Help me." Clark whispered as he spun in slow circles from the long green cable that suspended him from the cave ceiling. He remembered what had happened, and what awaited him in the near future. He had sent his loved ones away, Lana was gone, possibly forever, and he was at the mercy of a predatory, carnivorous she-alien who was going to use his seed to create an entire race of evil super-beings before she devoured him. Jor-El's memories had haunted his uncomfortable doze, and as he slept, he had seen the Torg's true form.
"You are awake…" Domminus returned, her bare feet crunching with each step she took from the dead leaves that covered the cave floor. She snapped her fingers, and the cord that Clark hung from dropped even lower, allowing her to stare the trapped teenager in the face.
"My my Clark what's the matter? Finding your new accommodations less than comfortable?" She glided her nails along the green web, the sound like Velcro opening.
"I . . . I know what you really are." Clark whispered, the cocoon's throbbing glow making him weak and sick.
"Really? And just what am I Clark?" She ran her hands down the cocoon, and despite its tight webbing she could still make out his hard body beneath it.
"You . . . you're a monster. You slaughtered half a generations' worth of my father's people . . . . you and your children." Clark gritted his teeth as Domminus stroked his chest through the webbing. "You mate, and then you eat."
Domminus couldn't help but grin. "Yes Clark I do…and you're next on the menu." She dragged her fingernail down the webbing over his face and kissed him, her tongue sliding through her parted lips to snake in Clark's mouth. She groaned softly as she tasted him, her tongue sliding down his palate before emerging. With that, she resealed the webbing then stepped back.
"I suggest you sleep more, you're going to need it."
Clark glared at her with exhausted, furious eyes. "I'm going to kill you."
Her mouth tightened at that and Domminus raised her head.
"We'll see who kills who Clark." A snap of her fingers and the webbing yanked him back up to suspend in mid air.
"Goodbye Clark." Domminus whispered as she watched the cocoon swing back and forth like a pendulum.
Dusk was giving away to a thick Kansas night when Lex, Caitlin and The Kents returned to the Kent Farm. With instructions to the limo driver to take everyone's things to the mansion, Lex dismissed the limo and watched it pull away as Jonathan ducked into the barn and returned shortly with four heavy-duty flashlights. He handed them out and paused to look at Martha. His lips tightened into a firm line.
"Martha, sweetheart . . . . maybe . . . "
Martha raised an eyebrow as she took a flashlight from her husband.
"Jonathan Kent, if you're thinking I'm just going to sit and at home waiting…" She shook her head, a determined look in her blue eyes.
"I'm going…" She stated, plainly and firmly in a tone that forbade argument as she headed out of the barn, shrugging on a jean jacket over her sweater.
Lex favored Martha with one of his rare grins and Jonathan opened his mouth and then closed it again.
"All right then." He said softly, and turned to Caitlin. "Caitlin, are you sure we'll find Clark in the caves?"
"Not really Mr. Kent, but it seems to make sense." Her eyes averted to Lex a moment and she cleared her throat as she moved closer to the tall man.
"That's where we were led." Caitlin put on her own black leather jacket; she rubbed her arms as if cold but the shiver in her petite form had little to do with the cool autumn air.
"Right." Jonathan said with a hard edge to his voice. "Let's go."
Nudging Lex aside just slightly, he took the lead and headed north through his own fields, where a path through the thin woods would take them to the caves.
"Be careful." He said in a low voice as four broad beams of light bobbed through the field and ended at a slight copse of trees.
"The path narrows and it gets a little spooky at night-" A thin finger poked Jonathan in the back as he spoke and he whirled around, his eyes wide and his hand raised. He grabbed at the finger, and there was a dry cracking sound. Jonathan shined his light on his own fingers, and found himself with a handful of broken branch.
Martha stared at the ground, but she could feel her cheeks growing hot with amusement and was grateful for the darkness. Jonathan threw the twigs down and rubbed his hand on his jacket as he cleared his throat.
"Come on."
Caitlin came after Martha and Lex brought up the rear. He seemed perfectly at ease in eerie darkness and it made Caitlin shudder. She tightened an arm around herself as she walked, and Jor-El's warning played over and over in her mind like a broken record.
The path narrowed even more tightly, and Jonathan felt it steepen. A moment later, the cave entrance loomed before them and Jonathan began to swing his flashlight in all directions.
"Clark?" He called. "Son? Are you down here?"
"What if ... what if he can't answer?" Caitlin asked as she stood beside Clark's father, and her face suddenly grew pale at the prospect of Clark being injured or worse.
"I think we should just go in."
"All right." Jonathan answered softly as Lex came up to stand beside him. He and the young billionaire stepped forward together, unconsciously shielding the two women.
The cave was blacker than the moonless night outside, and Jonathan felt a shudder twist through him at the thought of Clark being trapped here again.
"Clark!" He called out, his voice sharp with worry. "Clark if you're in here son, please answer me!"
Caitlin swallowed hard as she looked around. She shined her light around the painted walls. The beam passed something green dangling from the ceiling, and a gasp tore from her throat.
"Oh God!" She heard herself blurt out.
"What is it?" Jonathan asked, swinging his light around to cross hers. Another flash of green bounced off the light and Jonathan felt his heart all but pause in his chest as he ran the beam up the length of the oblong green cocoon and finally illuminated his son's face, partially covered in green strings. His mouth worked, and Lex's harsh gasp beside him finally broke his paralysis.
"CLARK!" He roared, and a moment later Martha echoed his cry as her beam of light also found its mark.
"Oh my God! Jonathan we have to get him down from there!" Her voice suddenly hoarse with emotion, she looked around in a panic.
"What can we do? How do we get up there?"
"I don't know . . . . " Jonathan's own voice broke with fear as he gazed up at his child. Clark's eyes were closed but his face was taut with pain.
"Maybe I can bring a ladder . . . . "
"Balance me on your shoulders." Caitlin said in a small whisper, her breathing ragged as she stared up at Clark, her pulse hammering in her chest.
"Jonathan please let her try." Martha pleaded as Jonathan opened his mouth to argue. He conceded with a short nod and stooped down so Caitlin could sit on his shoulders. He rose back up with only a slight difficulty, and Lex watched with concern.
"Be careful, Mr. Kent."
"Just keep that light on Clark, Lex." Jonathan replied, and then said to Caitlin, "Stand up, but just be careful. We don't know what that stuff is."
"I'll be careful." Jonathan raised his hands and Caitlin gripped his wrists, using them for balance as first with one leg, then the other she stood up on the tall blond man's shoulders. Her knees felt like Jell-O and she didn't dare look down but this height put her about a foot away from the cocoon. Taking a deep breath she let go of Jonathan's hands and bent her knees then pushed off of the shoulders she stood on and managed to grab the bottom of the pod that housed Clark. The force caused it to swing back and forth like a tire hanging from a tree limb, but it held her weight and with great care Caitlin climbed up it, the webbing like stiff cotton candy between her clenched fingers.
"I'm coming Clark." Caitlin whispered as she made her way up to the head staring through the fibrous substance to see Clark's face. Her legs wrapped around the pod to allow her hands to be free.
"Clark?" She swallowed hard, the paleness of his skin and his twisted expression told her he was in pain.
"Clark!" Caitlin said more firmly, hoping to awaken him.
"Uh?" Clark questioned softly as he raised his head with obvious difficulty. His eyes appeared red and swollen, and tiny green veins were etching their way across the normally clear white corneas.
"Wha . . . " The muted green eyes finally lifted to Caitlin's and seemed to clear slightly. "C-Caitlin?" His voice was rougher than sandpaper.
"Yeah Clark…its me." She tried to smile but it didn't quite touch her eyes.
"I'm not the only one here, so is Lex and your parents. We're going to try and get you out of here."
Caitlin touched his face as best she could, she tried to tear away the webbing but it refused to give.
"Clark what is this? I can't rip it open!"
Clark cried out in pain as she tugged at his prison, his eyes going wide and hurt.
"Oh God! I'm sorry!" Caitlin's eyes grew wet and she cupped his face. "What do I do Clark? How do I get you out of this?"
"I . . . I don't think you can." Clark's breathing was labored, as if he were breathing through broken glass. "Caitlin, get my parents and Lex out of here. Don't . . . don't let them see me."
"They can't see you; I was the only one who could climb up here." Caitlin wiped her face, the tears flowing free as she saw the intense pain that her boyfriend was in.
"There has to be way to get you out of here."
Clark's eyes roved away from hers. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorry, Caitlin. I couldn't stop it." The long sable lashes swept down in agony.
"You have to get out of here. Please, you're in danger. All of you. Caitlin, remember your promise."
"No! No Clark I can't!" She put both hands to his pained face. "I can't leave you like this! I won't leave you like this!"
From the cavern floor, Lex looked up at his friend. His mind spun frantically, and he glanced over at Martha. "We need a plan of action, Mrs. Kent." He said crisply. "This isn't helping, and Clark is obviously ill."
Martha nodded, hearing the two teenagers talking. "Maybe...maybe we should go back to the farm and figure out what to do."
Lex nodded, although he could clearly see the pain in her eyes. Leaving her only son alone in the darkness of these caverns was obviously distressing, but he knew it would be harder to convince Caitlin. Martha leaned over to Jonathan and whispered, and the blond man's face contorted briefly even as he nodded. He, too, understood Lex's urgency. "Caitlin!" He called up to the girl gently.
"Caitlin, we can't just stand here . . . . we need a plan! Come on . . . "He waved at her, motioning for her to get back on his shoulders.
"No!" Caitlin called down to Jonathan, then she shook her head.
"I'm not leaving him!" Her legs began to lose their grip and she tried to get purchase once again, her fingers digging into the cocoon's hull. This made Clark groan and he wiggled, his movements caused Caitlin's legs to lose their grip and she started to slide, her finger catching again at the bottom. She gasped, her legs dangling free, and Caitlin looked down in panic at the distance to the cave floor.
"It's okay honey, I've got you!" Jonathan called as he grabbed her calves and tipped her forward, his hands catching her waist as she slid down and into his arms.
Clark gave a frightened, wavering cry as Jonathan's flashlight tipped down and left him in darkness.
"No! Caitlin . . . . please don't leave me!"
"Clark!" Caitlin fought against Jonathan, as she tried to get back on his shoulders.
"Let me get back up there! Let me stay with him!" She wiggled, shoving her small hands against his chest.
"Listen to me!" Jonathan said firmly, taking her by the shoulders and shaking her a little. "We are going to help Clark. Okay? But first we have to think of a way to get him down from there. The only way we can do that is to leave him there-"
"But…"Caitlin shook her head, her eyes rimmed with tears. "We can't just leave him like this! He's hurting!" She stared up at the cocoon and reached out towards it.
"You guys go make the plan! I'll stay with him until you get back."
A strained creaking noise echoed off the cavern walls, and Clark cried out again. Lex craned his neck, shone his flashlight on Clark's encased form, and saw that he was struggling weakly. His struggles had begun to turn him in slow circles, and Lex could see that each movement caused his friend intense pain. His own stomach clenched. "Your presence here is only making him panic, Caitlin. The best thing we can do now is leave him and let him relax while we think of a plan to free him."
"I'm not going to leave him!" Caitlin's anger renewed she tried to climb back up Jonathan, determined to use him as a human ladder.
The older man's face cringed in irritation as he simply gripped the girl around the waist and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. He knew they had no choice but to leave Clark here and began to make his way to the cave's entrance, ignoring the tears and pleading of the young woman he held captive.
As they emerged back out to the forest, Caitlin broke down. Jonathan slid her down his body, carrying her as she clung to his neck, her tears wetting his skin.
Martha, trudging along beside her husband, cried as well, but silently. Lex followed behind, his face a careful mask of tightly controlled emotion. Inside, he was screaming as the image of his friend turning slowly in that terrible green cocoon burned brightly in his mind.
Once the tired, unhappy group reached the farmhouse, Lex offered the hospitality of the Luthor mansion to Caitlin and the Kents, but was politely refused. Jonathan and Martha, shaken by what they had seen, now needed the comfort and security of the place they had called home for so long. Lex, who didn't want to go back to mansion alone, instead accepted Martha's invitation of a hot cup of coffee and the spare room. They would put their heads together to find a way to free Clark together. Now the four of them sat in The Kents big spacious kitchen, sipping coffee.
"Whatever has Clark trapped in that cave obviously isn't of this world." Lex said, thinking of the parasites that had attacked Chloe and Pete down in those caves several years ago.
"You're probably right about that Lex." Caitlin muttered as she had a sip of the warm coffee. Her hand trembled slightly as she raised the cup to her lips. She closed her eyes at the soothing liquid flooded her mouth and she drank it down, though it did little to ease her troubled mind and tormented heart.
"I think…you'll all have to excuse me. I'm really not very good company right now." She rose out of her chair and went through the living room, then descended the stairs, her footsteps heavy.
Martha watched her leave, her heart aching. "I didn't want to make her leave Clark, but we didn't have choice." She said, and Jonathan stood up.
"I'll go talk to her." He said, and headed for the stairs. Once he was in the upstairs hallway, he saw that only one door, the door to Clark's room, was closed. Jonathan sighed and knocked gently. "Caitlin, can I come in please?"
"It's your house Mr. Kent." The sound of Caitlin's sniffled and thick voice came through the door.
Jonathan pushed the door open and for one awful moment, the presence of his son hit him so hard that he had to steady himself on the doorjamb. A red and blue checked flannel over shirt that Clark had worn the day before was draped over the foot of the bed, and a scatter of CD's covered his desk. His familiar red backpack sat in the corner, and Jonathan cleared his throat loudly before he addressed the miserably huddled figure curled up on Clark's neatly made bed.
"Caitlin . . . . you have to understand why we had to leave Clark behind."
"I know why we left him, but it didn't make it any easier." Caitlin sighed heavily as she wiped her face, her back still turned to the tall man.
"No. It didn't." Jonathan said softly, closing his eyes against the memory of his son crying for help in the darkness. "But we don't know what it is that took him and putting ourselves in danger wouldn't have helped him any."
Caitlin took a shuddering breath, her shoulders slumping. "But the longer he stays there, the more danger Clark is in. We have to find a way to get him out of that cocoon and bring him home."
"We will Caitlin, I swear! If you think I'm just going to stand here let some . . . . thing keep my son prisoner-" Jonathan suddenly broke off with a harsh gasp as something seemed to fill him up from the inside out. The sound made Caitlin turn, and she scrambled off of the bed as Jonathan went pale.
His heart . . . . Caitlin thought with dismay, and she put a hand on his arm. "Mr. Kent? Are you all right?"
Jonathan's throat worked and his eyes slid closed. Caitlin tried to turn him toward the bed so that he wouldn't fall on the floor, but to her amazement, Jonathan didn't fall. He simply stood there, swaying slightly as if he was asleep on his feet.
"Mr. Kent?" She asked as she gripped his arm tighter, then stared up into his face and laid her hand on his cheek.
"Are you all right?" Her hand slid down to his chest over his heart, the thudding against her palm felt strong but fast.
Jonathan opened his eyes as she spoke, and Caitlin backed up with a gasp at what she saw in them. Jonathan Kent was gone, and a stranger stared out of his dark blue eyes. He advanced on her slowly but purposefully, and Caitlin squeaked with fear as her back hit the wall. Jonathan towered over her, and when he spoke next, his voice was deep and rich and full of power.
"I am Jor-El of Krypton."
"Jor…Jor-El?" Caitlin swallowed hard, her light eyes wide as she stared at Clark's biological father channeling through his adopted one.
"What…what are you doing here?" She asked, so stunned she forgot all about Clark's predicament for a moment. Her heart pounded hard out of fear, so hard she felt lightheaded.
"My son did not heed my warning about The Torg, and now his life is in mortal danger." Jonathan's eyes grew brighter as they stared into Caitlin's frightened face.
"Soon The Torg woman will take what she needs from him, and devour him. No human can stop the Torg queen; there is no weapon on earth with which to defeat her."
Caitlin closed her eyes briefly at what Jor-El said, her stomach knotting.
"Then how? How can I possibly defeat her and get Clark out of there?"
"There is a way to defeat The Torg queen. When their kind invaded Krypton, our scientists discovered an ancient cure to both the Torg's venom and a way to destroy them. Both lay in the white crystals that Kryptonian men and women use when they join in a holy bonding."
"Crystals?" Caitlin though a moment about what Clark had told her of his time as Kal-El. She raised her head to stare into Jonathan's face. "Like...like the one Kal-El put in the cave?"
"Yes." Jor-El replied. "However . . . for my son to be freed and the Torg to be destroyed, the crystal must be recovered and wielded by his one true mate."
"You mean…"Caitlin swallowed hard. "You mean me?"
"That remains to be seen. Return to the cave. Retrieve the crystal. If you are truly my son's mate, the crystal's power will destroy Domminus and free him of any of her poisons. Move quickly, earth girl, for my son's time grows short. Soon, Domminus will carry his sons in her belly. After that, there is no hope for the last son of Krypton. Make haste!" A bright light shot from Jonathan's wide eyes, and struck Caitlin in the chest, knocking her against the wall. She shrieked and fell to the floor, and Jonathan crumpled into a heap in front of her as the light faded.
Caitlin's chest burned and her back throbbed where she hit the wall. The beam stunned her a moment but she managed to shake it off and crawl over to the fallen man.
"Mr. Kent?" She asked as she cupped his face and turned his head towards her.
"Mr. Kent?" She said a little firmer this time, lightly patting his cheek.
"Oh my God!" Martha said from the doorway, and then rushed in to kneel by Jonathan's side. "What happened?" At her voice, Jonathan stirred and spoke before his eyes were even open.
"Hurry, Caitlin. Do . . . what . . . . Jor-El said."
"Jor-El?" Martha asked, her lovely face darkening in anger. "What did Jor-El do to him?" Caitlin shook her head.
"You're better off not knowing. I have to go to the cave Martha and bring Clark home. I think it'd be best if you don't mention this to Lex and just…just wait for us." She saw Martha's protest, touched the older woman's arm, and gave it a squeeze.
"Please…"
Martha hesitated, but then the memory of Clark dying a slow death in that green cocoon made her nod. "All right Caitlin. Please, be careful . . . and bring our son home to us."
Caitlin took one last look at both of Clark's parents. Because of her relationship to Clark, she had grown close to them as well. She saw the worry in their faces and tried to make her own expression as reassuring as possible.
"I will… I promise."
Clark awoke to find himself in free fall in the darkness of the caverns. His weak cry echoed off the walls of the cave as the cocoon hit the floor in a controlled landing, and Domminus approached him in a circle of light. She was naked, and the light seemed to emanate from her body itself as she knelt next to him and tore open the cocoon with her long sharp nails.
"It is time again, my love… Time for us to join as one." She then skimmed her gold nails up in chest in a long appreciative sigh.
"Soon…our children will roam this world."
Clark shook his head weakly. "I won't . . . let you." Even as he spoke the words however, he knew there was little he could do to stop her.
Domminus shook her head slowly, her straight hair shifting around her face.
"Fool…the more you say that, the more you make yourself mine." She leaned over then and sniffed the air around his neck then licked at it, savoring the taste of his sweat and fear.
"Delicious Clark… what an exquisite meal you will be when you no longer serve a purpose. I look forward to devouring your flesh."
Clark squeezed his eyes shut and tried to hide away in a tiny corner of his mind as Domminus once again started her ministrations to his body. He trembled when she sank down on him again, but this time it was different. He felt like he was being drained of his very soul, and when The Torg woman's climax began, she sank her nails deep into the flesh of Clark's shoulders. He cried out in pain as he was squeezed hard a dozen times in rapid-fire succession, and sucked dry for the second time in twelve hours. Domminus exhaled in a breathy sigh, and grinned down at her captive.
"There. It is done." She sighed.
"What- what's done?" Clark groaned, and Domminus stroked his sweaty cheek.
"My body has accepted your seed. Once I return to my true form, I will use that seed to bear our children. I can divide my eggs to bear two, four, or even six at one time. Once they come of age, this world will be ours." Domminus leaned down and licked Clark's neck gently.
"I am sorry you will not be here to see it, son of Jor-El."
"No-" Clark gasped, and then pain was bursting through his entire body as Domminus sunk her fangs into the soft skin at the juncture of Clark's neck and shoulder.
Her teeth released a poison into his blood, a slow poison that would begin to break down his tissue from the inside out. In a matter of hours, he would simply liquefy with his skin and bones acting merely as a containment vessel.
Sighing, Domminus released her hold on the teenager and sat back, licking the blood from her lips with relish.
"Soon…it will all be over soon my love."
Clark found that he didn't even have the strength to reply. His breathing slowed and his eyes slid closed. Domminus wrapped him up in the cocoon once more, and hung him up high on the cavern ceiling, out of sight. Once she was done preparing her body to house her children, she would return, eat well, and then rest. The cavern fell into darkness once more as Domminus retreated far into the caverns to return to her true form.
Caitlin had heard every word between Domminus and Clark. Her heart sank as she heard Clark's cries and the creature that inhabited Lana Lang milked another orgasm from him. Her pulse then jumped at the announcement that Domminus could now populate the world with Torg/Kryptonian children.
When it was quiet, the young woman made her way inside the dark cave. Armed with nothing but a flashlight, she carefully turned it on. Wherever Domminus had disappeared to, it wasn't anywhere close. She searched the cave with her flashlight and after several minutes, she finally found Clark, cocooned and tucked away high on the ceiling.
"I'm going to get you down from there Clark, just hold on."
Finding her way around in the darkness, she looked over the symbols that covered the walls.
"Where do I go? How do I get to the crystal?" She said to herself, and then came to a dead stop. Something inside her gave a distinct pull and turning towards it, she saw a familiar shield shape cut out of the closest wall.
"I know that shape…" Reaching out, Caitlin's fingers brushed it and then a gasp tore from her throat when the symbol lit up and the wall next to it shuddered and began to slide back.
A bright blinding light poured out of the opening, strong enough that it lit up the entire cave. She raised her face to it; a strong breeze blew back the ends of her sandy hair as she carefully walked through the open door.
"Jor-El!" Caitlin called out, and then as her eyes adjusted to the change in the light she saw a large stone table, Kryptonian symbols covered it but the clear crystal in the center is what caught her eye.
"This? Is this it?"
The table vibrated slightly, as if in reply, and Caitlin stretched her hand out toward the crystal. Her heart ached with fear.
What if I'm not the one? She thought. What if its not me, and I can't help Clark or destroy that thing that has him trapped? Then what?
She shook the thoughts from her mind as her fingers gently wrapped around the shield-shaped crystal and plucked it from the slot on the table. Caitlin raised it up; the cut of it reminded her of a diamond, with the exception of the black symbols that etched its shining surface.
"I wish I knew what it meant…"
Closing her eyes, she held the crystal in the palm of her hands.
"Help me get him out of this…help me destroy her." She whispered as if in a silent prayer then took a deep breath as she turned and exited the hidden room.
The wall slid closed behind her, and Caitlin swallowed a gasp as something huge and scaly emerged from the recesses of the cave. She slipped into a crevice to avoid being seen, her blue-gray eyes wide with fear as she watched the thing pass. It was six-legged and incredibly fast, its chitinous body covered with black gleaming scales. Its head was oblong with four large shiny eyes that were completely round and pitch black. They reflected the cave's interior like mirrors. The creature had huge mandibles that were covered in more scaly armor, but as Caitlin watched, those mandibles reared and the armor raised up to reveal two long black fangs that glistened with venom. It skittered over to the cave wall, and manipulated the green energy threads that held Clark's cocoon. She lowered him to the floor, and a razor-tipped claw at the end of one of the six legs sliced the cocoon open.
"Oh God…"Caitlin muttered as she watched Clark's body spilled from the slashed pod like water from a bucket. Domminus got closer to him, her fangs dripping, and Caitlin's eyes widened.
"Stop it! Get away from him!" She cried out as she emerged from her hiding place. Still holding the crystal, she raised her arm straight out, her fingers curling around it.
Domminus turned at the cry, a harsh, loud hiss issuing from her mouth. For one paralyzing moment, Caitlin could see her own reflection in each of the alien's four eyes. Then the creature spoke, and Caitlin heard the voice in her head rather than with her ears. "Human!"
The scaly legs scratched and skittered in the dead leaves that covered the cave floor as the creature backed up to stand directly over Clark's prone body, guarding him.
"You will not interfere!"
"I won't let you do this…"Caitlin swallowed hard her throat drying up with fear.
"I won't let you hurt him anymore!" Her gaze then fell to Clark, long scratches covered his chest and legs, his skin had a pale milk hue to it.
"Clark? Clark can you hear me?"
"He has fallen into eternal sleep, child. He breathes, but his body is now little more than a container. Watch as I empty that container, and rid the universe of the ruling line of Krypton, the blood who is responsible for the death of my beloved child, Kal-El!"
"Dead? He's dead?" Caitlin's heart sank into her toes, and a wave of numbing grief washed over her so hard and fast she swayed. Her eyes squeezed shut at the rush of tears that filled them, her extended arm quivering as she lowered it as her breath got stuck in her chest.
"No…no he can't be dead!" She whispered to herself, shaking her head slowly.
"I'm too late." She crossed her arms over her chest hugging herself, the crystal drawn up close to her body. The whispered words of love Clark had said to her when they shared his bed up in the loft . . . the plans they made together…going to college in the fall…all of it disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Another strong jolt of grief rocked her petite frame and she cringed against it. Her knees gave out and she sank partially to the floor, ending up on all fours.
"Oh … God…" Her words came out through gritted teeth, as the pain seemed to linger on and on.
"You are indeed too late, brat! Now go, before I grow curious about the taste of human flesh and you share the fate of the last son of Krypton!"
Caitlin's breathing sped up; the words Jor-El had said swirled in her mind and with them came a sudden peacefulness that encompassed the young woman. She rose to her feet and lifted her chin, a stoic expression on her face as she raised the crystal again. An invisible wind began to blow back the ends of her hair as she stared into Domminus' insect eyes. A droning sound began to echo through the cave, resounding off of the walls as it grew in intensity.
The crystal clenched between Caitlin's fingers began to glow, filling the gloominess of the underground cavern with a blinding intensity.
"Your time has come and gone…you have harmed the man I would call my mate…there can be no mercy…for your reckoning is at hand…" Caitlin's voice didn't have its usual lilt, the tone now sounded thick with a deep baritone.
A beam of pure white energy shot out from the black writing on the crystal, striking Domminus in the chest.
The creature uttered a terrible buzzing shriek as she was struck a direct blow. Her body twitched and writhed, its armor splitting in a thousand different places. The razor-tipped claws struck out, trying to slice into Clark's flesh, but the white mass of energy was quickly overtaking her body much like the green cocoon in which she had held Clark. She shrieked and screamed, flipping over onto her back as her six legs flayed and jerked, sparks flying her claws scraped against her own exoskeleton. The light grew brighter and brighter and the alien creature suddenly split apart, sending a mass of thick liquid spraying onto the cavern floor.
Caitlin watched in horror as six alien embryos jittered briefly beside their dead mother before hissing away into nothing but smoke and liquid. Finally, the light faded, leaving a wide puddle of green liquid on the floor. In the middle of that puddle lay Lana Lang, naked and quite unconscious.
"Gross!" Caitlin went over to where the remains of Domminus lay. She studied the pulsating puddle around Lana, wrinkling her nose. Stepping over it carefully, she crouched down to where Clark lay and tucked a hand under his neck and rested it against her leg.
"Clark?" She asked shakily, stroking his pale face. "Clark can you hear me?"
No answer came and she raised her face to the cavern's ceiling.
"Jor-El! Jor-El what did do I do?" Her fingers touched his neck and felt his pulse, the thudding against her fingers weak and fading with each beat.
"He's dying! What do I do?"
There was no answer except for the slow hiss of alien flesh as it seeped into the cavern floor and the echo of her own words back at her and she closed her eyes, resting her head against Clark's. Caitlin touched Clark's dark hair gently and tears came to her eyes as she watched angry greenish-red streaks make their way down his arms, legs and belly.
"I'm sorry Clark…I'm sorry I came so late, I'm sorry I didn't know what to do."
She cried quietly for long moments before gently laying Clark back down to the cold ground. Her mouth twisted in a grief stricken smile as she stroked her fingers over his face.
"You'll go home now…Back to where you truly belong." Caitlin took a hitching breath.
"There's no more pain or guilt or the heartache of a lost love…" Her red rimmed eyes glanced at Lana a moment, the unconscious young woman's chest rose and fell in deep breaths before Caitlin once more looked down at Clark.
"But…no matter what this world holds for me…You'll always be a part of who I am." She leaned over, the crystal gently touching Clark's chest as she kissed his forehead.
Clark's body arched against her hand and the crystal pressed deep into his chest, which had stopped its weak rise and fall. Caitlin cried out in surprise and fear as the teenager's body arched again and again. The crystal suddenly flooded the cave with that brilliant white light, and Caitlin buried her head in Clark's neck as she held onto his spasming form. The reddish streaks of blood-poisoned flesh began to pulse and then fade as both Clark and Caitlin were bathed in the crystal's light. Suddenly, Jor-El's voice filled the cave.
"You have done well, Caitlin. Domminus is gone, the threat of her children vanquished by the love you have for my son. You truly are his mate. Protect him, cherish him, as you would a rare jewel. He is the last of our kind, and I entrust his heart and soul to you."
The light vanished with a blinding flash, and Caitlin's heart leapt as Clark stirred against her.
"Clark?" Caitlin wiped her eyes, a smile lighting up her features. She placed her hand under his neck and lifted him, holding his head to her chest.
"Can you hear me?" She asked, her fingers gliding down his face.
"Uh . . ." The long dark lashes fluttered and Clark's eyes finally opened. They roved around, unfocused, and then fixed on Caitlin's face.
"Caitlin?" He whispered.
Caitlin nodded. "Yeah...it's going to be all right Clark. Domminus is gone and Lana's going to be okay. She's breathing but unconscious. How are you doing?"
"I . . . I'm not sure. I feel a little weak." Clark struggled into a sitting position and took a mental inventory of himself. He powers were gone, rendered dormant by prolonged exposure to Domminus' kryptonite cocoon. He took a deep breath and got to his feet as Caitlin shrugged off her sweater and handed it to Clark. He eyed it with uncertainty, but then tied it around his waist clout-style. He supposed it was better than walking back to the farmhouse in the nude. He glanced over at Lana.
"What about Lana? I'm not strong enough to carry her and we can't leave her here."
Caitlin looked down at Lana; she watched her breath and a sense of relief hit her. Domminus had used Lana and it nearly cost her everything including her life.
"I can call them; my cell phone is on the car." She left the cave a moment and returned with a t-shirt, that she draped over Lana's naked form.
"This will at least keep her warm until the ambulance arrives."
Clark nodded, his eyes half-open and his breathing labored.
"Caitlin . . . you better . . . . call my dad. I can't walk . . . back . . . " Clark slowly sank to his knees and then to all fours, what little strength he had bleeding from him slowly.
"I didn't walk here Clark, I drove." Caitlin crouched down and took a hold of his arm.
"Come on, we can sit in my car while we wait for help to get here." She held him back up, an arm around his waist as she let him lean on her as they headed to the cave's main entrance.
Clark groaned as Caitlin opened the passenger side door for him and he slumped into the seat, shivering. He wasn't sure if he was cold, or if he was still feeling the after-effects of Domminus' venom. He closed his eyes, and in the distance, a siren began to wail.
Clark swam in and out of a hazy consciousness that never let him quite fully awake for the next three days. He was aware that he was back in his own bedroom, in his own bed, and that occasionally his mom would come in and wipe his face with a cool cloth. She would speak to him soothingly, her voice like the sound of the ocean; soothing, unchanging. At different times he would hear Caitlin, his father, and even Lex . . . they all spoke to him, asking him to wake up. Clark wanted to wake up, but he was trapped in this dozy haze . . . . it held him like Domminus had held him . . . . wrapped in those sticky energy threads that had threatened to drain him of his very life.
"Nnnoo . . . " The sound was pulled from his throat by fear, and his limbs jerked. He felt The Torg's fangs pierce him again and again, her alien body possessing his as she hissed his name over and over . . . . Clark . . . . Clark . . . . Clark . . .
"Clark…" Caitlin dabbed at his forehead as he jerked in the bed. She reached out and snagged his flailing hand, squeezing it with her own.
"It's me Clark…its Caitlin…" She whispered into his ear as his head rolled along his sweat-soaked pillow.
Clark heard Caitlin's voice and latched onto it like a lifeboat, letting it pull him into consciousness. It became clearer and louder, and finally Clark found himself blinking awake. His hand closed around hers, and she squeezed it back reassuringly.
"Hey…" A smile came to her face as she brushed his dark hair away from his forehead.
"How are you feeling?" Caitlin asked gently.
"Cold. Sweaty . . . . a little queasy." He raised his free hand and rubbed at his eyes. They felt gritty, as if they'd been closed for a long time. "What day is this?" He asked hoarsely.
"Wednesday--" Caitlin wet the cloth she had used on Clark's forehead and dipped it into a basin of water. She rung it out and wiped his face again, hoping to help him wake up.
"You've been going in and out of consciousness for the past three days."
"Three days?" Clark asked, and struggled to sit up. He felt as if his bones were made of taffy.
"Yes," Caitlin touched his shoulders and eased him back on the bed. "You've been sick with a fever and all of us have taken turns staying with you during the day and I've been here with you at night."
Everything came back to Clark in a rush of memory and every muscle in his body tensed. He looked up at Caitlin with wide eyes.
"Lana. Is Lana all right?"
"Lana's fine Clark, she's at Smallville Memorial right now." Caitlin reached down and took his hand again, her smile fading.
"Clark…her mark is gone and she doesn't remember anything that happened before Chloe reported her missing."
His eyes closed briefly. "I'm glad she's all right." When his eyes opened again and his gaze found hers, his expression was full of awe and profound affection.
"You killed Domminus. You saved me."
"Thanks to Jor-El." She returned his gaze, her face burned in a blush. "He told me about the crystal."
"But you're the one who had the courage to face Domminus, and to use it on her." Clark took both of her hands in hers and stroked them gently with his long fingers.
"I owe you my life, Caitlin."
Caitlin's expression softened as she leaned over Clark, her cheek pressing to his bare chest. "No you don't. I did it because Jor-El said I was the only one that could." She closed her eyes, the sound of his heart beating under her ear soothing and comforting.
"He told you that?" Clark asked. "He said that no one except you could help me get away from Domminus?" The very sound of the Torg queen's name on his lips made him shudder.
"Jor-El said that only your true mate could use the crystal." Caitlin raised her head, a small smile on her lips and her light eyes shone with pride and affection.
"My true mate." Clark repeated softly, his green eyes bright, and he pulled her forward gently until their lips met. He kissed her gently, and then pulled back with a small, shy grin. "Umm . . . I guess this answers the question of whether or not you'll go to the winter formal with me."
"Well I don't know about that..."Caitlin touched her finger to her cheek pretending to think. "I might have to let one of my other boyfriends know and then I'll have to cancel a few other dates..."
Clark groaned and closed his eyes. "Caitlin, please." He chuckled.
She giggled at that and lowered her head, their noses touching. "Of course I'll go with you Clark." Caitlin said as she gave his lips another kiss.
"Good." He sighed. "That is, if I'm up and around by then. My legs feel like rubber." He massaged them gently through the blankets, and was relieved to at least feel sensation. "Caitlin . . . . my powers are gone."
"I know." Caitlin slid off of Clark and sat back down on the edge of the bed.
"Jor-El said that the kryptonite is in your system. You've been sweating it out at night and you might for a few more days before it's completely gone. He said your powers would come back."
Clark was quiet for a long while, his hands kneading the sore, pliable flesh just above his knees. "Maybe I don't want them back." He said softly.
Watching him, Caitlin began rubbing his legs through the blanket, mindful of some of the healing scratch marks that Domminus had given him.
"I dreamt about Jor-El the night I brought you home. He came to me and told me you would be sick but then your powers would return." She watched his face a moment. "Do you really mean that Clark? Do you really want your powers to stay gone?"
"I don't know." Clark replied softly. "Maybe I'd be better off. Domminus hurt Lana because of me and she might have killed you because you were trying to take me from her." He sighed. "I killed her son. I killed Kal-El, and forcing me to help her take over this planet was my punishment."
"Kal-El?" Caitlin stopped her massage, pulling the blanket up a little higher around Clark's waist. "You mean her and Jor-El?" She shook her head. "No wonder he made you into Kal-El, he wanted you to destroy him and that was the only way."
"And Domminus punished me for it." Clark's eyes grew shadowed with emotion. "She would have killed me if it wasn't for you."
"Clark, it's all right." She reached out and put her hand on his cheek, seeing the turmoil on his face. "She's gone now and she's never going to hurt you again."
"I know." Clark replied, and raised his eyes to hers. "Caitlin?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm feeling sort of sleepy again. Will . . . . will you stay with me? Here?" Clark shifted slightly to make room beside him, his request both hopeful and shy and thus doubly touching.
Without saying a word, Caitlin got up from the bed and walked around it. She stood by the left side of the bed and took off her tennis shoes, then slid into the bed beside Clark. She wrapped an arm around his waist and lowered her head to his chest.
"Does this answer your question?"
"Yeah." The word was a contended sigh, and a moment later Clark drifted off into sleep that was both deep and healing. His arm tightened around Caitlin, and just before he surrendered to slumber, he heard Jor-El's voice in his head.
She belongs to you now, as you do to her. Cherish her, my son, for she is the hope of our people, as you are the hope of hers. You complete each other.
Clark sighed as Caitlin's presence washed away his bad dreams, and he slid into sleep.
She is your one true mate.
END.