Chapter 12: Inside a Living Hell
Part 1
Alicia wakes inside her small room, the sun hidden behind many clouds. Her baby has continued to warm her body, and she holds her thin blanket up to her chin, the morning air cutting through it like paper. The door opens, and a chinese woman walks in, noticing her, and she sits on the bed. Alicia moves to the corner of the room, and the doctor starts to take notes.
"How are you today, Alicia?" The doctor states.
Alicia stares at the doctor, and doesn't reply. The doctor continues to write, and suddenly stops. She watches Alicia, and then takes off her glasses.
"How are you, Alicia? Any weird symptoms today?" The doctor asks.
Alicia stays quiet, and the doctor pulls out the small metal box. She opens it, the meteor rock glowing brightly. Alicia cries out in pain, and the doctor closes the box immedietly.
"Are you ready to answer my questions?" The doctor asks.
"Yes...please don't open that box again..." Alicia says, tears falling down her eyes.
"If you answer my questions, I won't open it."
"Okay..."
"Alright. How are you feeling today Alicia? Any weird symptoms?"
"No weird symptoms. And for how I feel? How would you feel if you were locked up like a cage animal?"
"Oh, cage animal is hardly what you are. You are indeed special, and so is that baby of yours. Now, have you been eating regularly?"
"Eating? That sh!t you call food? Hell no, it's probably contaminated with a drug or something."
"Believe me, it isn't. The last thing we need is you, or your baby, to be hurt."
"Then why do you have me locked up like this? Why can't I go home? I want to see Clark." Alicia pleads. tears washing over her dried tearstains from the night before.
"Well, that's classified information. And Clark is closer than you think."
"He's here! Why are you doing this!" Alicia screams, anger infuriating her.
In a fit of rage, a stream of super heated fire explodes from Alicia's eyes. In superspeed, the doctor covers her face with her arm, the fire igniting the bed. the fire disappears, and Alicia stares in shock at what happened. The doctor's lab coat is completely scorched, but her skin isn't burned. The doctor continues to write notes, the noteboard partly melted.
"I say that is a drastic symptom. Anything else you'd like to add, Alicia?"
Alicia shakes her head, and the doctor stands up, and walks toward the door. She turns her face towards Alicia, and smiles.
"I'll send some food down for you. We'll talk about anymore emerging abilities later today."
The doctor closes the door behind her, locking it in place. After waiting a while, Alicia concentrates on the door, the heat vision streaming from her eyes. It slams into the door, and she concentrates deeply, the heat vision hitting harder. The door doesn't budge, and the fire disappears.
I'll find you Clark. I swear to God, I'll find you. No matter what it takes, I'll find you.
Clark's body is thrown into an empty room, the kryptonite thrown in after him. His body slams against the back wall, and he falls to the ground, face first into the cement. The meteor rock falls 3 feet away from him, glowing steadily. Clark awakes from unconsiousness, and looks at the meteor rock. With all his strength, he knocks the meteor rock away from him, rolling under his cot. The eerie glow stops, and most of his strength returns. He stands up, his knees shaking under his weight, and he walks over to the door. The doorknob glows green, and Clark falls to his knees.
Damn, a kryptonite doorknob...what won't these a$$holes think of? Clark thinks.
The door opens, and Lionel Luthor, the Satan of Metropolis, walks in. Clark falls back, and crawls back to the wall. The sickening queasiness from the Kryptonite does not ceaser, as Lionel picks up the meteor rock that Clark threw under the cot. It glows green, hungriliy waiting to devour the essence that is Clark Kent. His veins pulsate, sending red green poisoned blood throughout his system.
"Hello Clark. Long time, no see." Lionel states, sending an icy shiver down his spine.
"What do you want, Luthor?" Clark asks, afraid of the answer.
"I'm glad you asked Clark. Seems that you have some secrets that were found out by me."
"Secrets? What secrets?"
"Well, that you have super powers, and that you're an alien from a distant world."
"An alien? I knew you were insane, Lionel, but that is just hilarious."
"We'll see who's laughing when I dissect Alicia to see what makes her, and that abomination of hers tick."
"Leave Alicia alone! She did nothing to you!"
"Then offer the answers to my questions, Clark."
"...Fine...what do you want to know?"
Lionel smirks, and Clark awaits Lionel's question.
"What planet are you from?"
Clark doesn't answer, and Lionel holds the meteor rock ahead of him, the poisonous radiation seeping into Clark's body.
"Remember Clark, Alicia's waiting. You wouldn't want her to get hurt from those meteor rocks, woud you?" Lionel says with a sneer.
"...no..."
"Then answer my questions."
"It...was called...Krypton. It was an ice planet."
"Was an ice planet?"
"Yes...it was destroyed."
"How?"
"I don't...know"
Lionel smirks, and looks at the meteor rock in his hand.
"So...you came in a spaceship?"
"Yes..."
"During the meteor shower, am I correct?"
"Yes..." Clark says, still watching Lionel, and the meteor rock.
"Well, it seems I need some of your precious blood, Clark. So, stay still, it will all be over soon."
The door opens, and two doctors walk in, pulling a large machine. Clark watches, as they move to the corner of the room, occupied by Clark. He tries to fight them back as they grab his left arm, but the meteor rock weakens him. He watches helplessly as the needle is plunged into his skin. His precious blood trickling up through the blood tube, and enters the heart of the machine. They continue to draw blood, and it's effect hits Clark like a tidal wave. his vision starts to blur, and Lionel takes notice.
"That's enough...for now."
As instructed, the doctors pull out the needle, not caring if it breaks, and they push the blood machine away, leaving Clark and Lionel alone, the meteor still in his hand.
"When...do I get...to see Alicia?"
Lionel stares at the pitiful excuse for an alien, and smirks.
"Never."
With that, Lionel leaves the room, but leaves the meteor rock on the ground, for Clark to enjoy. Clark is alone in this room. No, this isn't a room. A room has comfortable furniture. a large window. No, this is a cell. A cell for an animal. For once, Clark wishes he had the power to shrink himself, so he can slide under the door, but he knows he can't. The Kryptonite continues to suck the life from Clark, and glows, happy to be given this offer of a Kryptonian in it's presence. He thinks only of Alicia, of her beautiful face, her shining smile, and the thought of them being together. Gathering all the strength he could muster, Clark kicks the meteor rock away from him, it rolls to the opposite end of the cell.
The glow from the green jewels stop, and relief fills Clark. His blood vessels let go of the tension in his body, and right before he falls into a deep sleep, he has one thought.
I have to find a way to get out of here. I have to find Alicia.
At the same time, Chloe enters the remains of the Torch, shocked by what she sees. Two of the five computers have been destroyed, one by fire, and the other one is lying on the ground, smashed to pieces. She notices the message on the wall, and tears fill her eyes as she reads over it again and again.
How could he do this? I only wanted to find out why Lionel was so interested in Clark...
Tears fall down Chloe's cheeks, and she runs out of the office, straight into Lois. Lois holds her, comforting her little cousin, confused for why she came flying out of the Torch, until she sees the message written on the wall, for what looks like was burned into it.
"Who did this, Chloe?"
"It was... Clark. I did this, getting Alicia kidnapped. He thought he could trust me with his secret, but I failed him, and it put Alicia in danger. I was pressured from the Daily Planet offer, and I just went with it."
"It wasn't your fault. Clark's just-"
"Just what! A freak! Is that what you were going to say!" Chloe yells, grabbing the attention of some early students, who shrug it off, and go about their business.
"That wasn't what I was going to say." Lois says, but Chloe walks off, hot tears of sadness and anger cloud her judgement.
