Sorry about the wait ,folks, butI was on vacation ;)

Clark looked to Chloe as Lex finally let his pounding head droop back down. It looked like this time they really were out of options.

"Well don't look at me!" The reporter chided, "I already did my career move of the day!"

"Is there any way you could talk me through it?" Clark waited for Lex's response, dreading what the answer might be. If he didn't attempt the impossible they would be stuck here, but if Lex agreed to talk him through flying the jet then he would have to face the fact that one wrong move could kill everyone onboard.

Lex wasn't too optimistic anyway. "Clark, do you know how many hours of training it takes before you can get a pilot's license? I can't just show you a few buttons to press like they do in the movies. I doubt we'd even be able to get off the ground."

Chloe huffed. "I'm willing to take the chance rather that be stuck in this whacked out world. Seeing a giant Clark might be fun," she grinned, "But meeting myself or your dad? No thanks. Anyway, doesn't this thing have some kind of auto pilot if you could talk Clark through take off?" If anyone can do this it's Clark. I know he can!

Lex conceded that it did. "I could tell you how to program the system easily enough, but then there would still be landing…I'm not strong enough to help Clark with the controls, and one wrong move putting the landing gear down and we could stall..."

Clark gulped. Chloe was unwittingly talking him out of trying rather than giving him courage that it was possible. Before he could lose anymore confidence he decided to volunteer for the job once and for all. "Lex, you're a good pilot. If you sit next to me you can easily talk me through everything. I know I want to go home, and if everyone else is willing to give this a shot…"

"Do I get any say in the matter, kiddo?" Richard's gruff voice filled the cabin and he didn't sound happy. "Tell me you're not considering this, Luthor?" His blind eyes darted towards Lex even though they saw nothing, "This kid couldn't fly a kite, he's so green. And even if he was a natural genius born to fly, how the hell is he going to pilot us through the hole between the dimensions and still see to land? Look what flying through that thing got me!"

Lex exhaled. Richard had acted like an ass since their impromptu landing, but he did have a point. The generator's effects could easily blind Clark, and then they would surely crash. The millionaire lay back and exhaled, all his false hope suddenly being deflated. "Richard's right. We shouldn't even be considering this."

"But we are, and I still say we should try. Let's take a vote on it!" Chloe shot Clark a glance that dared him not to vote against her and then she raised a hand, "I say we should try getting out of here and let Clark prove he's capable of driving more than just the Kent tractor."

"Chloe!" Clark wasn't sure he liked the comparison, but he raised a hand too, "I don't think we have anything to lose by trying. I did help Lex land the plane…"

Richard scoffed and would have probably tried slugging some sense into the teen had he not still been taped into his seat. "I vote no, but then I suspect my vote doesn't count." He growled.

"Your vote does count. Even asses have the right to an opinion," Lex was beginning to get annoyed by the pilot and his acerbic tone showed it, "However, I vote with the others. A man shouldn't just rest on his laurels and accept his fate. If anything, coming to Smallville has learned me that." Lex looked to Clark, "Make your temporary runway and repairs, and I'll try and do my best to make a pilot out of you when the time comes."

Clark smiled wanly as Lex drifted off to sleep after his last words. His friend would need to rest up while he and Chloe got to work. I still don't know if I can do this! Flying was never my idea of a fun career…

Shortly after Lex had fallen into feverish slumber, Clark got to work on flattening out the earth around the Learjet. With no one to witness his superspeed save Chloe, it didn't take long to get the area looking smoother for take off.

Chloe laughed as Clark used his bare hands to fashion the ground into a runway. "I'll never take your 'farmboy' skills for granted again," she teased.

Clark scowled, but dashed over to her side and wiped some of the dirt from his hand on her cheek, "It's about time you let the inner farmgirl out," He laughed, "I know you want too!"

"Yeah, when hell freezes over!" Chloe sent a punch flying Clark's way and then paused as some noise through the corn caught her attention. She glanced up to see Big Clark drop out of super speed with a grin on his face. "What's so funny?" She quizzed.

"I could um, hear you two bickering a mile away." The tall teen set down an old brown mug full of fuel and then searched under his coat to retrieve a very thin piece of metal.

"If you think she's bad now you should see her in action at the Torch!" Little Clark took the section of metal and carefully laid it down beside the jet. Then, he glanced back up in time to see his larger counterpart stifling a laugh. "Oh, I forgot. You have to put up with her at the school paper too."

This time Chloe did manage a light cuff to her friend's ear. No way was she trying the playful move on the taller version though. "Will you two quit the jovialities and get to work? Or has a girl got to do everything as usual to get any results?"

Little Clark saluted and watched as Chloe stood before the mug pondering how to refuel the plane. Under her breath he could hear her muttering.

"At least the larger version of farm boy is a little more punctual…"

Big Clark heard too and couldn't resist an ear-to-ear smile. "I should be going now," He sighed, "I really want to stay and help with the repairs, but I think I can do more good elsewhere." The teen pulled out a notepad and carefully kneeled so his small friends could see it. "I managed to get in touch with Lex in Metropolis. These are the instructions he gave me. He's been trying to shut down Chimera for week's, and maybe with the overload you arranged he just might be able to do it if I can do as he asks."

"Are you sure you'll be safe?" Chloe gave up on the fuel dilemma and rejoined them, hands on hips. "I mean, surely Lionel's goons are after you by now."

Again, big Clark smiled. "I get the impression you already know I can take care of myself, Chloe." He winked, and Chloe abruptly began to wonder just how many of their conversations he'd been privy to. "I'd like to say I'll catch you later, but in this case I won't. If all goes well you should be home instead." He gave a small wave and then vanished into superspeed, heading back towards Loeb Bridge and Luthorcorp.

"Now what?" Chloe felt like pulling her hair out in exasperation. "Where do we begin with this mess?"

Clark nodded towards the gashes in the jet caused by Richard. "Now we do some welding!"

The teen carefully picked up the fragment of metal and focused his eyes to cut it into sections. With two precise blasts, the piece dropped in two in Clark's hands. To anyone else the pieces would have been far too hot to handle, but to Clark it was no different than handling his mom's red hot baking trays.

Even though Chloe knew about his gifts she still gaped. Clark was indeed a wonder to behold. "Wow, you really are a walking marvel."

Clark wasn't so sure. He checked the holes in the fuselage and tried to guess the size of each patch he would need. Cutting them would simple. Welding them on would be more of an art. "Wait till I've finished before you pile on the praise, okay?" He quipped, searing another small portion of metal into shape and then checking it against the nearest gouge.

The fragment appeared to be just the right size, but was flat whereas the Learjet's frame was not. Clark squinted and blasted the metal again. This time using only enough intensity to heat the metal not cut it. Once it was slightly more pliable, he used his strength to remould the segment into practically the exact contours of the fuselage.

"I don't suppose you ever considered a career at Boeing?" Chloe was totally at ease now with his secret, and Clark seemed to have accepted her knowledge without much difficulty. "You certainly have more skill with airplanes than I do at nursing."

Clark remained silent. He was now x-raying the jet to make sure his heat vision didn't damage anything inside when he tried to 'weld' on the patches. Concentration lines formed on his face as he attempted to spot any possible dangers. Once he was sure everything was clear he placed the patch over the hole and poured on the heat.

At first the teen wavered, feeling sure his fiery beams of energy were too intense, but as he moved further down the patch and the metal began to cool he could see things were looking good.

Chloe applauded. "One down, five to go!" She cheered. "Go Clark!"

Clark nodded but wasn't quite so impressed with his own work, "Please, no more 'cheerleader Chloe,'" He grinned, "I had enough of her when you drank that potion and got devoted to me." He ducked a third punch of the day, "Can you go inside and try and find something to transfer the fuel with? I didn't think before…" He admitted more seriously.

Chloe suspected she was being sent away before she had chance to throw anymore punches, but conceded they may have hit another problem if they couldn't get the liquid out of the mug and into the tanks. "More rummaging through useless items in the hold." She groaned, "I don't suppose Lex will have any piping in with his golf clubs…"

By nightfall Clark had welded all the patches successfully in place and was half believing their version of 'Flight of the Phoenix' might actually work. All that remained now was getting the front wheel fixed and the fuel on board. Lex had suggested they leave the fuel until last in case of any mishaps, and everyone had agreed with his logic- even Richard.

What Clark and Chloe had withheld from the two injured men was exactly how they were going to move the fuel. So far, the best they had come up with was Clark searing off an existing section of pipe to use as a filler, and an empty Tynant bottle to do the moving. Of course it sounded impossible, but at superspeed Clark could make many trips in a second with the water bottle filled with gas.

How the heck do I tell Lex I've done all this if he asks? The teen rubbed a hand ruefully through his hair in contemplation and then glanced down at the front wheel. It was the last job before refuelling and spinning the jet around out of the rut it was in.

The wheel had totally collapsed under the plane, letting the conical nose eat dirt. Clark x-rayed through the fuselage to see the metal undercarriage had snapped under the strain of impact. It was more welding, and a little weight lifting.

With a sigh, he carefully took hold of the nose and pushed upwards until the aircraft levelled out. Keeping it in position with one hand, Clark grabbed the broken section of metal that had the wheel attached and stared at it. "How do I support the plane and hold this in place underneath while I weld it?" He muttered uncertainly.

"I could always help?" Chloe offered to take the undercarriage segment from Clark and almost dropped to the floor when he let her take a little of its weight. "Whoa, maybe not…"

"Think I can superspeed it under, weld it, and be back out before the plane drops?" Clark's cheeky grin appeared and Chloe knew he was teasing.

She faked having to think about it, and looked up to the moonlit sky before replying, "Well, from what I've seen in the past I guess so…" She watched as a blue streak of color zipped under the plane, and for a split second the Learjet appeared to bounce in midair. The next minute Clark was at her side with yet more grease on his hands from the landing gear. "Don't you dare, farmboy!" She pulled back at the thought of him smearing the grunge on her, "One of these days I'm going to actually get you to tell me all about your gifts instead of just witnessing them!"

The now infamous sheepish expression appeared and Clark picked up a piece of cloth to wipe the dirt from his hands. He knew Chloe wanted more of an explanation about his gifts, and he still didn't know where to start. In the end, he chose to step around the subject again until they got home. If we get home…He thought negatively. "There's nothing more to tell, Chloe…"

Chloe sensed his apprehension and wrapped an arm around his. "Come on, let's go get the fuel. Then all we have to do is drag the plane around tomorrow, right?"

Clark inhaled, thankful that Chloe was perceptive enough to pick up on his unease and to change the subject. He tossed the cloth down again and kicked into superspeed, returning with the empty water bottle in hand. "I'll never look at Tynant in quite the same way again," He quipped as he rolled the glass container around in his palm.

"Yeah, well I'll never look at a needle and thread again, period!" Chloe took a last look at the newly repaired undercarriage and then headed for the old brown mug.

There was little she could really do while Clark transferred the fuel, but being close while he finished the task somehow made her feel more useful. Soon, they would learn if all the hard work had paid off.

Chloe watched the morning sun rise from the Learjet hatch and wondered if it would be her last view of it as a little person. Today was the day Clark got to show off his flying skills- or lack of them, and even though he was special, Chloe knew it wasn't going to be easy for him.

As always, she wanted to try and be supportive, but in less than an hour they would need to be readying for take off.

"Something got you worried?" Clark walked up behind the Torch reporter and shot her a pensive glance. He knew full well what was on Chloe's mind. The same thing had robbed him of any kind of sleep all night.

Chloe tried not to let her apprehension show and tossed Clark a piece of muffin she'd originally picked up for herself, "Nah, I was just enjoying the last giant sunrise before I get home. Now eat your breakfast, Lindbergh!"

Somehow Clark didn't feel hungry, but he took the segment of succulent cake anyway. "How's Lex?" He asked worriedly.

Chloe didn't answer right away. Ever since Clark had gotten him back to the jet, Lex had been in and out of consciousness. He was running a fever- probably from an infection in his leg. "He was burning up in the night." She finally admitted, "Do you think he'll still be able to guide you?"

"Just get me into the co-pilot's seat and I'll do the rest." Lex's ever serious voice wafted from inside the cabin and both teen's turned to see the entrepreneur sitting up on his elbows. Perspiration filled his brow and his complexion looked flushed, but he was at least coherent.

Clark checked his watch. "How much time do we need to reach the co-ordinates where the generator will fire?"

Lex tried to rub sweat from his eyes, but struggled until Chloe took a cloth and gave him a hand to sit up. "We need to get moving now, Clark. If we're early we can always circle until Dvorkin fires Chimera. If we're late…"

"If you're too late we all get to crash land back here again." Richard scoffed and Chloe could take his negativity no more.

Lex and Clark watched awestruck as the young blonde grabbed the roll of duck tape and quickly plastered a large piece of it over the grumbling pilot's mouth. She smiled at her handy work and then spun back around to face her two companions. "Well don't just gape at me! Let's get this thing fired up!"

Clark nodded and took one of Lex's arms to help him into the cabin. Chloe took his other arm, and together they virtually carried the millionaire to the co-pilot's seat. He panted from the exertion, but dropped down gratefully when they arrived.

Clark looked to Chloe with a look of dread on his face, but didn't dare tell her how he was feeling. Instead he gestured back to the cabin where Richard was trussed up. "You better buckle up. I'm kind of a learner driver…"

Chloe bit her lip but patted the teen on the shoulder as he helped Lex with his own harness. "You'll do just fine." She winked and then vanished into the rear.

Lex cleared his throat and took his first real glance out of the cockpit. It was only then that he realized just how far the jet had been moved to get it onto the cleared runway. He raised a brow, and looked to his friend questioningly.

Clark waited for the query that would surely come next, but strangely it didn't. Lex either assumed big Clark had helped, or he would have more questions if they made it through the day. "Where do we start?" The teen gulped.

"We fire her up and see just how good our repairs were. I'm still concerned about that fuel line problem we had when we crashed…" Lex let his head drop a second and it was clear he was already struggling. He rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead and then began to weakly toggle switches for the engines ignition systems.

After a heart stopping moment the Learjet's turbines began to hum as they picked up speed. It was music to Clark's ears, because of course he heard every tiny sound it first.

"Now comes the part I need your help with," Lex inhaled and tapped on the throttles. "We need to get the airspeed just right for takeoff, and don't pull her up too fast. We need the right angle of ascent or this won't work." He reeled off a string of number that Clark thought he would never remember once the pressure piled on, but of course he did. Clark had a memory akin to a computer if he utilized it correctly.

Lex watched the teen take in what he was being told and then his voice softened a touch. "There are other things you might need to know, Clark, because I'm not sure I can stay awake the whole trip…"

Clark's eyes widened as he realized the implications. If Lex passed out, he would have sole control of the plane and had no clue how to land it.

Chloe buckled into her seat and suddenly wished she was the one with x-ray vision. She wanted to be up front with Clark to offer her support. And truth be told, if she had to die today, she'd rather it in the lofty teen's company than Richard's.

She shot a glance at the deranged pilot and wondered what he was thinking as the Learjet's engines kicked into life and it began to taxi up the somewhat bumpy airstrip they'd fashioned. Does he know by some sixth sense whether Clark is making the write moves? She reflected. From the look on his face he actually appeared quite terrified. What's going through his mind?

Chloe pushed away the negative vibes and stole a glance from her window. From here she could see some of the patches Clark had applied and the true seriousness of their situation slammed home even harder. Then, slowly, the jet began to accelerate until the engines reached the high pitch whine that said they were ready for takeoff. Make it good, farmboy…

The blonde closed her eyes and held her breath as she felt the familiar sensation in her stomach as the wheels left the ground. Then, as the jet began to ascend even higher there was the groan as the undercarriage started to retract. A vivid image of the broken front wheel wouldn't leave her mind, and Chloe hated herself for thinking bad thoughts. What if it won't go down again? What if Clark's weld doesn't hold and it collapses when we try to land?

She opened her eyes, intent on staying focused, but in the back she felt so useless it was unbearable.

Chloe peered at her safety belt and knew what she had to do. Trying not to fumble too much because her hands were shaking, she unfastened the clip and made her way back towards the cockpit. As she neared the door the plane veered slightly and Chloe was unsure whether they were high enough for turbulence, or if Clark was showing Lex 'how not' to fly a plane. What if I distract them even more?

Chloe pushed on regardless of the thought and quietly slid open the door. At the sound of the latch, Clark briefly took his eyes from the multitude of digital controls and glanced at her in uncertainty. "Chloe, Lex passed out after we took off and I can't get the autopilot to set. I'm going to have to fly the plane through the portal…."

For a second, Chloe remained speechless. It wasn't one of her familiar traits though, and her voice soon returned. "Can you do it?" She meekly whispered, as she saw the white wispy edges of a cloud bank as they entered it.

Clark watched the cloud bank too. The whole cotton wool type appearance mesmerized him as he recalled the time he had flown unaided through similar clouds. If I could do it then, I can do it now…

"Lex showed me the basics before he lost consciousness, and we really don't have time to mull it over." As he spoke, he eased the yoke to his left a little too fast and the Learjet began to veer. He corrected almost immediately and then checked his instruments, "The generator should be fired in less than a minute. Go get in the back, Chloe. Anyone up here with there eyes open might not like the consequences."

Chloe didn't budge. She held tightly to the doorframe as Clark one again corrected his course. "How do you know you'll be impervious to the effects of this thing?" She'd seen Clark blind once before, so she knew it was somehow possible.

Clark had no answer. Lionel was notorious for researching with meteor rocks, and there was no proof Chimera wasn't another such experiment. If so, Clark could be in as much danger from it as the others- maybe even more so. It wasn't something he wanted Chloe dwelling on however. "My abilities will protect me! Now get in the back before it's too late!" If I am blinded, we're all dead…

TBC...