A/N: As it was explained to me, I don't have to do disclaimers for every chapter since I did it for the first one. For those of a legal mind, consider this my disclaimer. :D

Chapter 2

Chloe and Pete entered the Talon. It looked different than normal. It was darker for one and the walls were lined with books. A large globe sat on the counter where the pastries normally were. Martha Kent stood behind the counter, but she was dressed in one of her old suits that she had purchased when she worked for Lionel Luthor.

"What can I do for you two?" Martha asked with a smile.

"Two black coffees to go, please. Thanks, Mrs. Kent!" Chloe chirped. The store was suspiciously empty. When Martha handed the two teens their coffees, Chloe just had to ask, "It seems really dull in here tonight. Is Mr. Kent at your house?"

"He sure is." Martha cocked an eyebrow at them. "You're going to visit him?"

"Do you think he'll mind?" Pete asked. He just prayed that they didn't burst into song again. It had been a very disturbing interlude.

"I doubt it." Martha smiled and shoo'd them on their way. As they walked toward the door, Martha started speaking again. "I would like… if I may… to take you on a strange journey."

Pete looked at Chloe, concern written all over his face. "Um, sure, Mrs. Kent… What did you have in mind?"

Chloe elbowed him in the ribs. Martha Kent wasn't even looking at them. She was looking at some point just to the side of them… where no one else was. She held her fingers to her lips so they could listen to what was coming.

"It seemed a fairly ordinary night when Pete Ross and his best friend Chloe Sullivan (two ordinary non-meteorite infected teens) left Smallville that late April evening to visit farmer Jonathan Kent, once field trip instructor and friend to both. It's true there were dark storm clouds, heavy, black and pendulous, toward which they were driving." Chloe darted toward the window and amazingly, the road to the Kent farm showed all the signs of a huge storm, but the town itself had lovely evening weather.

"It's true also that the spare tire in Chloe's car was badly in need of some air."

"Is that true, Chlo?" Pete asked, edging toward the door. It was getting too creepy for him.

"No. I just checked it last week. We're good!"

Martha continued, oblivious to all side banter. "But they, being normal kids and on a dance night… Well, they weren't going to let a storm spoil the chance of a scoop. A night out… It was a night out they were going to remember for a very long time." Lightning struck outside and Martha slumped briefly against the counter. "Are you two still here?

"We were just leaving, Mrs. Kent," Chloe said hurriedly, pulling Pete out the door.

"What is going on?" Pete looked around. The streets were totally deserted.

"I have no idea, but we do know one thing."

"And what would that be?"

"It's not just us!"

A/N: For those of you concerned with the shortness of this chapter, I want to reassure them. Not all chapters will be this short. I've just tried to break it up into logical (or at least logical to me) sections.

Feetsi, thank you so much! I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this, but with your review, consider it a present. I'm not going to reveal who is going to play what character… Just consider it my evil surprise! (Muh-ha-ha-ha!) Clark's not going to be a boy genius, by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm no certain I'm going to have him be Rocky stupid! No grunts for our boy!