"Hear something?" The goon messing with the pc had paused now and was peering at his cohort.
"I'm sure it's nothing. You know what our orders were…" Mr. Blonde appeared to wink and then jogged out the double doors to start his chores.
Chloe gawked. That guy had to have heard Clark, and yet he shrugged it off so easily. This is getting weirder by the second.
Clark seemed to agree with her. "W-weird, Chlo…" His back arched in pain, "hurts so much t-though…" After his second bout of rambling he seemed to settle and fall into some kind of coma.
Chloe held his head in her lap and was forced to helplessly wait. It was already dark outside, and she dare not flick on the flashlight to check the time. Somehow she guessed correctly though, that by the time the two men left she'd been hiding with Clark for over two hours.
She inhaled as the truck eventually revved up in the night air, and trundled back down out of site and off the property. "Clark, I have to leave you for a moment now. I have to go outside and try to call for help."
The teen didn't hear her. He simply lay unmoving now, his chest rising so slightly it was hardly moving. Chloe's face contorted in despair, but she pushed away the urge to cry and hurried to get back in the open. I have to get a signal, I have to!
Jogging away from the building, the Torch reporter headed back towards the gate and her little car. She hit redial for 911 the minute her PDA showed a full signal. "Come on, come on…"
Despite the indication she was connected to the network, there was no dial or ring tone. Chloe checked the touch screen device, but it still displayed four bars- in other words a full signal. "What the…" She hit redial again, leaning on her car for support. Still there was nothing, not even a static hiss.
Was there something in the Turner building blocking her call? Chloe turned back and wondered just what it was she had stumbled on. Clark could be dying in there, focus girl!
She bit her lip, and then tried something new, it was a long shot, but anything was better than just standing around. With apprehension she dialled the Kent farm and was rewarded with an instant tone.
After four rings a familiar male voice answered. "Hello, Kent farm…"
Chloe felt euphoric. "Mr. Kent! Clark's sick, you have to come. He looks so ill, and I can't get through for an ambulance…"
Jonathan didn't let her finish. "Calm down, Chloe. Tell me where you are and Martha and I will be right there."
Chloe tried to get a grip and explain things, and when she'd finished she hurriedly told the father not to forget to ring for an ambulance, because Clark looked deathly ill.
Jonathan pulled the family truck up by Chloe's VW not ten minutes after receiving the call. Martha sat anxiously at his side, desperately needing news about their son. Chloe hadn't mentioned meteor rocks on the phone, but Martha hoped that was the explanation for Clark's collapse. Anything else was just unthinkable. What if this has to do with Jor-El?
Both parents followed Chloe inside and found Clark right where she had left him. He still had Chloe's jacket under his head, where she'd placed it again before going for help.
"Jonathan, is he?" Martha stooped down as her husband checked Clark over.
As soon as Jonathan saw the sickly green tinge to his son's veins he knew what the problem was. For Clark to have laid so close to Kryptonite for almost three hours now must have been agonizing. In fact, from his breathing and pulse it had nearly killed him.
"Help me with him, Martha. We have to get him outside." There had been a time when Jonathan could have carried Clark himself, but since his altercation with Jor-El that had all changed.
"Wait! You shouldn't move him. Didn't you call for more help?" Chloe waved her arms up, but both parents chose to ignore her and were attempting to drag Clark through the double doors. After frowning and almost asking if the world had suddenly gone mad, Chloe tried to help them move Clark into the pickup.
Once he was safely inside Martha let his head slump on her shoulder and put a hand protectively around him. Jon jumped in behind the wheel as Chloe looked on incredulous. "You're not taking him to the hospital, are you?"
The word hospital seemed to force a response from Clark, and he moaned and began to stir. Gradually his body was becoming aware that the evil green poison was gone. "Chloe?" He murmured slightly, and then his eyes opened blearily.
"Clark!" Chloe squeezed in beside Martha and pulled the truck door closed as if an eavesdropper might be hiding outside. "Is Clark sick? Does he have some illness that he's been keeping from his friends?" It was the only explanation she could think of.
"He'll be fine…" Martha didn't know what else to say.
"Mrs. Kent, your son's collapsed for no apparent reason, and has been unconscious for over two hours. How can you say he'll be fine?" Chloe hadn't wanted to worry his parents, but now she thought it was time they knew about his other little memory problem. "Clark's been forgetting things too. He sent me roses and didn't even remember he'd done it. This could be serious; he could have a tumor or something!"
"I don't have a tumor, Chloe." Clark managed to sit upright and pull lightly away from his mother's concerned grasp. "And I still didn't send those flowers!"
Chloe huffed but noted that he was at least looking more like his old self. The color had returned to his cheeks and he was coherent. "Clark, I'm not going anywhere till you see a doctor!" Chloe slapped the dash and glared at the Kents, daring them to argue with her.
Martha looked at Jonathan with an exasperated and totally uncertain expression. There was no need for their son to see a physician, and no way to tell Chloe why he didn't.
Jonathan gulped, about to come up with a half truth about allergies, but Clark handled the situation without any parental assistance.
"Chloe, it's not me that needs help." He still felt weak, but that would soon wear off, Chloe had bigger problems, "Back in the Turner building didn't you notice anything?"
The reporter was taken aback, but after careful thought admitted, "Well, I was finding out some pretty interesting things on that computer till you bit the dust back there." She pulled a face, making it clear she wasn't letting his sudden frailty drop.
"Not that," Clark looked at Chloe for the longest time before having to tell her. "I didn't even think about it, but just now it hit me. If that building exploded last night, how come the double doors were still on, there was no damage, and there were things like the pc still left inside?"
"I…I…" It was rare Chloe was ever lost for words. Right now was one of those occasions.
Jonathan and Martha had no clue what the little exchange meant, but they did know they should leave.
Jonathan cranked the truck's engine. "I think Clark's had enough for one night. We should be getting him home. You're welcome to follow, Chloe, because I think you two have a lot to talk about." The farmer raised a brow and Chloe nodded and hopped back out.
"I'll meet you back at the farm." She watched the pickup drive off, sending small dust whirls from its wheels, and then she pressed the remote to open her VW, and climbed in.
So far it had been the weirdest day of her life, and settling into the seat of the little car brought back some degree of normalcy. She sighed and drove off towards Hickory Lane and the Kents home. What is wrong with Clark? She looked in the rear view at the Turner building. And why isn't there some damage, just like Clark said? I know what I saw…at least I think I do…
Chloe didn't reach the Kents until Clark had already been home at least ten minutes. By then most of the ill effects of his ordeal had worn off. That didn't stop both Martha and Jonathan fussing over him in the kitchen.
"Clark, do you think you should go lie down for awhile, Sweetheart?" Martha handed her son a warm drink and wrapped a blanket around his shoulders even though he wasn't cold.
"No, I'm more worried about Chloe than myself." He cupped the mug of cocoa in both hands and looked from his mom to his dad, "I know why I was sick tonight, but Chloe is acting weird. It's like she said. She thinks I sent her roses!"
Jonathan poured out a mug of coffee and pulled up a chair next to his worried son. "You make it sound like a criminal offence, if you had. In my day, it was kind of nice for a guy to send a girl flowers…you should be flattered she thinks it's you." The farmer smiled knowing his son would cringe. Clark was usually a pretty good kid, but so far he had proven he had no aptitude for being a ladies man.
"Dad! I didn't send them, and the florist's records seem to show Chloe sent them to herself…'"
Martha frowned and put a hand on Clark's shoulder. "That doesn't make sense, Honey."
"You're darn right it doesn't!" Chloe breezed in through the open farmhouse door and tossed her purse on the kitchen table. She wasn't exactly angry at Clark or the Kents. In fact she was shaking with fear. "I didn't send those roses, and I think whoever did just followed me."
Instantly Jonathan was back on his feet and putting his hot drink to one side. "Did they turn up the driveway?"
Chloe shook her head and was almost in tears. Of all the cases she'd worked on, she'd never been so afraid. The plucky reporter was used to people not believing her Wall of Weird material, but this time it was going beyond that. Maybe I am nuts! Maybe it's all the pressure of testifying against Lionel at the hearing next week…
"I'd just left the Turner building when I noticed lights in my rear view mirror. At first I didn't think anything, but then the van seemed to be getting closer, and no matter what turn off I took it was always there. I even tried taking different roads, but it was tailing me, I'm sure of it." Chloe took a mug of cocoa Martha offered her gratefully.
"So if they never left you, where are they now?" Clark raised a brow. If Chloe says they're parked up out in Hickory Lane I'll go pay them a visit. If there is really anyone that is…
Chloe looked apologetic. "You won't believe this, but my car stalled and it wouldn't restart. I'm guessing they didn't want to confront me, but just tail me, because they were forced to drive right by…"
"Chloe, your car is almost new. Why would it just stall right at a crucial moment like that?" Martha looked skeptically at her husband. She was no mechanics expert, but it sounded strange and just too convenient. "Are you sure they were following you?"
"Yes!" Chloe almost hissed the word. She hated it when adults always dismissed what she had to say, and normally the Kents weren't like this. "I know what I saw, just like I know I didn't send any flowers to myself." She glared pointedly at Clark and he found he couldn't break her gaze.
Finally he decided to play along. He owed Chloe that much. "If something strange really is going on, it all goes back to Turner Enterprises. You didn't just go there because of that tip off did you? There's more to this…"
Chloe licked her lips, and realized it was time to fess up. Firstly though she had a question of her own. "You're right, I was working on something months ago that turned out to be a dead end. When I got the tip off it was too good to be true." She took a sip of her drink before it got cold, "Before I go into that though, I want to know why you almost died tonight? I mean are you okay now? Could it happen again?" There was love and concern in her eyes, and she put a hand lightly on his forearm to show her deep unease at what had happened earlier to him.
Clark gulped. He had naturally expected this, but even though he and his parents had come up with a likely excuse he hated having to half lie. "Chloe, it's kind of personal. I mean, not something I want anyone to know about." He shot his dad a glance and when Jonathan nodded he reluctantly continued, "I have an allergy…a really bad one. You know like some people are allergic to nuts, or dairy products?"
"Or bee stings?" Chloe knew where her friend was headed, and it did seem a likely story. You could easily die if the allergic reaction was bad enough, she knew that, but what was Clark allergic to? There hadn't been anything she'd seen inside the Turner building. And I sure didn't see him get stung by anything.
"Please don't push this any further, Chloe. I've answered your question." Clark sounded almost forceful, as if there would be no more said about the matter whether Chloe pushed or not. "It's your turn to finish the Turner story."
The reporter sighed. Her tall, gentle, once naive friend was turning into a man and she hadn't even noticed. "Okay, well your not going to believe this, but seeing as you don't believe anything else either I'll give it a try." She inhaled and started from the beginning. "You know how I love weird stories? Well a few months ago I found out that Turner had once been under investigation in the seventies. It was far out, but they'd apparently been experimenting with something called bio-circuitry."
Jonathan raised a brow as he brought out the cookie jar and offered it around. "And just what exactly is bio-circuitry?"
Chloe cringed. "I have no idea," She looked apologetic, but had more to tell. "What I did manage to find out was that there were rumors Turner Enterprises stole the idea from some alien artefact that was supposedly discovered right near Smallville. That's why the plant was built here."
Strange looks passed between all three Kents, but no one spoke out loud. If anything, all eyes seemed to focus more on what Chloe had to say next.
She shrugged. "Of course this was all hearsay, but it seems strange the government suddenly put a stop to Turner's newest project back in the fall of 1975. Maybe they wanted the technology for themselves, or Turner stole it from officialdom in the first place?"
"That sounds like some movie, Chloe, not reality." Martha was having a hard time buying the facts, even though her own adopted son was not exactly from Kansas.
"I know, that's why I eventually dropped the article, but then I got the e-mail. Whoever sent it knew everything I'd discovered and more. I just had to check out that building, and things have been going screwy ever since."
Clark pondered what they'd been told. Chloe could still be under the influence of something she'd inhaled, or, she could be right. What if Turner Enterprises had been up to something? The Kawatche caves seemed to prove that he was not the first alien on earth. Maybe some technology had been discovered worth killing for? Or what if Turner's uncovered something unexpected like some alien virus and that's why the government closed them down originally? What if Chloe's 'love bug' was something contagious or deadly? There were just too many questions, and no real facts.
Clark stood from his chair and paced the kitchen. "If neither of us is going crazy, then we need to start looking for clues." He stopped in front of Chloe, "Did you find anything out from that pc you were trying to reconnect just before I passed out?"
Abruptly Chloe's face lit up. In all the mayhem she'd forgotten all about her little 'hack' but it had been a partially successful one. The program files had been encrypted, and with the limited time she'd had to work, all she'd managed to do was access a project file called 'Babysitter'. The thing was, from the whirling logo on the screen it was obvious Turner's may have restarted their experiments.
"I saw an access page for a project called 'Babysitter'." Chloe beamed triumphantly, "and what's more I'm not a science whiz, but the rotating symbol on the monitor sure looked like strands of some kind of DNA and circuitry entwined together…"
Jonathan set his mug down. "Hence the word bio-circuitry?"
Chloe jumped to her feet with a new sense of purpose. "That's my bet! Turner restarted their failed earlier experiments, and I got too close to the truth!"
Clark thought so too. The question was, had she been targeted for knowing too much, or did too close to the truth mean exposure to something much more sinister? I have to help her either way. We need to solve this before one or both of us really lose our minds.
"I don't think we should go back to that building, so where on earth do we start to solve this?" Clark watched both his parent's faces as they exchanged glances of concern. They really didn't want him involved in anything that could expose him to more Kryptonite, or worse to some aging alien experiment gone awry.
"How about we go over to the Torch and I show you the e-mail? At least you might begin to trust me then." Chloe stood up and found her limbs had finally stopped trembling. Now that Clark was offering help instead of skepticism it was half the battle. He won't let anyone hurt me…at least as long as that allergy doesn't kick in again he won't.
"Sounds good..." Clark waited for his father's response before moving, even though he really felt he owed it to Chloe to help.
Jonathan sighed. "I don't have to tell you, your mother and I don't like this, do I?" The farmer's stern gaze told the teen he needed to be extra careful. "Just call us when you get there, okay?"
Clark nodded, and quickly followed Chloe back out to her car. The moon shone down on its hood, the splash of blood the only dull spot on its glistening paintwork. "Are you sure we should go in this thing? I mean, you said it stalled earlier?"
Chloe huffed and threw in her purse. "I doubt it was the car, more likely me. I was so nervous when I saw that I was being tailed." She hopped behind the wheel and cranked the ignition. The VW roared to life in a millisecond, seemingly proving her theory.
Clark shrugged and joined her inside. Minutes later they were headed back to town as if it was an ordinary Kansas evening. The only tell-tale sign that something was wrong was Chloe's intensely white knuckles as she gripped the steering wheel. Every few seconds the reporter glanced in her mirrors as frayed nerves convinced her they were not alone.
"Chloe, why don't I drive? You're too spooked to be thinking straight." Clark tried to keep his tone light, and shot her his best smile so she didn't take the remark the wrong way.
"I...um…" The reporter's grip appeared to strengthen even more, until no blood flowed into her already tingling fingers. "Clark, there's something behind us. I'm sure I saw a glimpse of a van. It doesn't have any lights on…" She glanced back again, but there was nothing only the dark country lane in view.