For the Love of Flight
Introduction
Clark and Lana were at the Talon after closing, working on their homework together. Clark was helping Lana with her math assignment for that night.
"…and number 12? This assignment is terrible, I mean, we only learned how to do it today!" Lana said, exasperated.
'That's OK, sometimes even I don't—" Clark said, stopping suddenly and listening carefully. His super-human hearing had kicked in and he sensed something was wrong. As if it were in his head, he heard the squeal of tires on pavement and a woman's scream.
"Clark? What is it, what's wrong?" Lana asked, clearly not able to hear the frightened person herself, but seeing the sudden concern on her friend's face.
"Lana, I'm sorry, I have to go!" Clark said hastily, getting up to leave.
"Clark, what's going on?" Lana now demanded, confused by his sudden change in composure.
"I'll explain later," Clark said, dashing out the door, leaving the girl of his dreams behind. Lana followed, hoping to get an explanation right away for his rushed exit that seemed to have no excuse. When she reached the front of the small café and ran outside only a few seconds later, no one was there. Clark was gone.
"Clark?" Lana called, looking around. He tended to do this so often, she should be used to it by now, she thought to herself. Sighing, she went back inside the little coffeehouse to see that Clark had forgotten his books—a perfect excuse to approach him tomorrow at school to make him explain what had happened.
Meanwhile, Clark raced through the small town, using his super-speed and hearing to detect the origin of the sound. As he grew closer, he realized he was nearing the Smallville Dam, an all too likely place for an accident. He stopped, and looked around in the darkness, considering whether to use his x-ray vision to identify where the panicky driver and car was. As he was attempting to locate the vehicle, he heard a crash that made his heart jump, knowing exactly what it was without seeing the commotion. He looked over at the edge of the dam to see a convertible Mustang taking flight. He knew there was nothing he could do now, but super-speed towards the car, hoping to be able to reach it before it dropped to the other side of the dam.
When he arrived on the pavement grazed in long black streaks, Clark realized he was too late. He could only stand there, helpless—something someone like Clark Kent wasn't used to, and blaming himself for the deaths of the two people he was about to witness.
As he watched, feeling responsible and wondering what else there was he could do, he heard something: the sound of ripping fabric—normal, for a car crash, he thought, but was still unprepared for what happened next. The teen wouldn't have had to use his x-ray vision in the dark to see a person, or what he assumed was a person, open a great pair of feathered wings, and lift themselves out of the death-trap and, just as quickly, extend three, thick, long blades from between the fingers of their fist and use them to slash through the seatbelt of the driver. Concealing the talons just as swiftly as they were revealed, the winged-wonder grabbed the panicky woman in arms that could oppose Clark's, and pull her to safety into the air.
The two hung in the sky, the wings making massive strokes in the air to stay upright with the added weight of another body, Clark still stunned by the sight he barely believed he was witnessing.
Boy, will Chloe love to hear about this, Clark thought. As he did so, he vaguely saw the face of a young woman, her long hair streaming down between the wings, where he half expected to see the head of gigantic bird. Seeing him there, her eyes grew wide with fear, knowing that he knew her astonishing secret, but only Clark could hear her silent gasp. Before he got a distinct look, she turned away quickly, and flew away into the night with her companion, as their forgotten car fell to the ground below with a fiery crash.
