Chapter 4: Homecoming
The next day Pete and Chloe watched in a large crowd as emergency medical personal took a an out of a store on a stretcher. "That's the third guy this week," Pete said.
"And they're all former jocks," Chloe added.
Pete then tapped Chloe on the shoulder and indicated to a strange tall skinny boy around their age. "Who's the weirdo?" Pete asked.
"I don't know, let's check him out." Chloe said. She took out her digital camera and snapped a picture of the boy, then went on their way.
A little later at the Torch off at the high school Chloe opened on old high school yearbook to show a picture of the boy from earlier on a computer screen. "His name is Jeremy Creek," Chloe said. "This is a picture of him twelve years ago," she began then brought her camera picture which looked almost identical, up on a computer screen, "this is one I took four hours ago."
"That's impossible, he'd be like twenty-six." Pete said. "Must be a kid who looks like him."
"My money was on the evil twin theory, till I checked this missing persons." Chloe said then passed Pete a report. "Jeremy disappeared from the state infirmary a few days ago where he'd been in a coma for 12 years. They say he suffered from massive electrolyte imbalance, that's why he hasn't aged a day."
"So you're telling me he just woke up?" Pete asked.
"Well, no, there was a huge electrical storm, and the hospital's generator went down, and when it came back on, Jeremy was gone." Chloe explained.
"The electricity must have charged him up like a Duracell," Pete said. "And now he's back in Smallville, putting former jocks into comas. Why?"
"I don't know, but I found this." Chloe said and passed an article to Pete
"Comatose boy found in field, twenty yards from meteor strike." Pete read aloud.
"The exposure to the blast must have done something to his body," Chloe said.
"It seems we have another addition to the Wall of Weird," Pete said. They then walked into a dark room and Pete flipped on a light to reveal all kinds of newspaper clippings and photographs covering almost an entire wall in the room. "I can't believe this all started out as a scrapbook."
"Every strange, bizarre and unexplained event that's happened in Smallville since the meteor shower." Chloe said while walking along the wall. She gazed at several different articles including an area man that gained finger on left hand - lost one on right, a dredging that revealed bizarre, glow in the dark Geodes and a time magazine with a young girl in a princess outfit crying titled 'Heart Break in the Heart Land. Chloe looked down at he watch and ran out of the room.
"Chloe, what is it?" Pete asked.
"My appointment with Lex," Chloe began. "It starts in five minutes, I almost forgot all about it." She grabbed her jacket and ran to the door. "You can handle this Jeremy story until I get back."
"Yeah, I'll see what I can find out." Pete said.
"Thanks, be back soon." Chloe said and walked out.
Chloe stared in awe as she arrived at a large stone mansion just outside of the main city. "Welcome to stately Luthor Manor," she said to herself. She buzzed at the gate, but no one answered.
Chloe walked inside the mansion and down a deserted hallway, looking around. "Hello?"
She continued looking around then walked to the door of a room, and heard and saw two people fencing. Chloe watched with surprise as a female combatant pinned a man to the wall. In frustration, the man threw his sword across the room, at the wall right next to where Chloe was standing. The sword embedded in the wall by her head and Chloe looked at the sword by her head in shock. The man looked over and took off his mask to reveal himself as Lex. "Chloe?" Lex asked but Chloe just glanced nervously at the sword in the wall by her head. "I didn't see you."
"I...uh... buzzed but no one answered," Chloe said nervously.
Lex walked over to her and grabbed the sword. He pulled it out of the wall while Chloe looked on nervously. "How'd you get through the gate?"
"I kinda squeezed through the bars, being a reporter I do that a lot." Chloe replied with a smile. "If this is a bad time-"
"Oh, no, no. I think Hykia has sufficiently kicked my ass for the day." Lex said and tossed her his mask.
"This is a great place," Chloe said, looking around in Awe as Lex walked past her.
"Yeah? If you're dead and in the market for something to haunt," Lex said.
"I meant, it's roomy." Chloe said quickly and self-consciously. Lex then walked out of the room, into the hallway and Chloe followed.
"It's the Luthor ancestral home, or so my father claims." Lex said. "He had it shipped over from Scotland stone by stone."
"Yeah, I remember trucks rolled through town for weeks but no one ever moved in." Chloe said, still looking around.
Lex stopped as he ascended the staircase to the second floor. He turned back and looked down at Chloe, who had been trailing along behind him but was still on the first floor landing. "My father had no intention of living here, he's never even stepped through the front door."
"Then why'd he ship it over?" Chloe asked.
"Because he could," Lex replied as they both reached the second floor that had a fire blazing in the fireplace. Lex pulled off his white fencing jacket to reveal a black shirt on underneath. As he moved around the room quickly, he removed his fencing uniform and got otherwise organized. Lex crossed the room, threw the fencing jacket and placed a towel around his neck. He went over to a table with beverages and fruit, and with his back to Chloe, started opening a blue bottle of water. "So, what would you like to know?"
"Well first I guess I'd like if you could tell me about the heroic Lex Luthor rescue," Chloe said.
"Ha, I'd hardly call it heroic." Lex said. "I hit someone into a river with my car then pulled him out. I at least owed him that."
"Pete and I understand, but his father doesn't," Chloe said.
"He just doesn't like me, even before the accident," Lex said. "It's ok," he said then reached up and rubbed his bald head. "I've been bald since I was nine." He turned around and looked into a full length mirror. "I'm used to people judging me before they get to know me."
"I don't think it's anything personal, he's just not crazy about your dad." Chloe said.
"Figures the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, understandable." Lex said. "Anything else on your mind?"
"Just to ask about your plans for the plant," Chloe said. "My father has been a LuthorCorp employee for a while, and everyone is a little uneasy about you taking it over. Do you have any major plans for the plant?"
"Expansion," Lex replied. "I am planning on renaming the plant LexCorp in the near future and break out from the LuthorCorp wing. I want to prove to everyone that just because I'm Lionel Luthor's son doesn't mean I am going to be him."
"How is your managing going to be so different from your father's?" Chloe asked.
"Well for one, I treat an employee like a person rather than just a worker," Lex replied. "I believe that living here in Smallville allows me to connect to the regular person as opposed to my father working high at LuthorCorp tower. I'm trying to meet the people of Smallville so I can see them and they can see me as a regular person.
"And how many 'regular people' have you connected with so far?" Chloe asked.
"Pete, and yourself." Lex replied. "Also Mrs. And Mr. Ross, but I wouldn't exactly consider that a successful meeting."
They both had a little laugh then Chloe's cell phone rang. "I'm so sorry Mr. Luthor," Chloe said as she took out her phone.
"Please, Lex." Lex said as Chloe answered the phone.
"Pete?" Chloe asked. "This better be important."
"Well I thought that you'd be interested that Jeremy Creek was chose as the scarecrow twelve years ago," Pete said. "It seems like he's getting revenge on the former jocks that strung him up."
"Good job Pete," Chloe said. "Do you know if they are any more jocks on his hit list, or how he is putting them in comas?"
"It seems to only be those three so I don't know if he has anymore plans," Pete said. "As for the how, I'm still clueless."
"If only we could see their medical records we might get a clue," Chloe said.
"You seem to be having some trouble," Lex said.
"It's a case Pete and I are working on," Chloe began. "It seems this former student of the high school is taking revenge on jocks that picked on him, but we don't know anyway to stop him."
"What is he doing to them?" Lex asked.
"He's putting them into comas, somehow." Chloe replied.
"And their medical records would help?" Lex asked.
"Possibly," Chloe said. "It might at least provide some clue."
"Then I'll get them," Lex said.
"You will?" Chloe asked.
"It wouldn't be too much trouble, I've done a lot worse for a friend." Lex said. "Besides, I can't ruin my new 'hero' rep."
"Well thank you Lex, that would be just great." Chloe said.
"Don't worry about it, I'll contact you when I have them." Lex said. "You and Pete should find this character before he hurts someone else."
"We will," Chloe said. "And thanks again," she said then walked out of the room.
Chloe arrived at the Ross household a later to see Pete answer the door in a tux. He stared at Chloe as she gasped. "Oh my god, I forgot." She said, looking at Pete in his tuxedo.
"You forgot about homecoming?" Pete asked.
"It's just this whole Jeremy thing..." Chloe began then trailed off. "I have my dress at home, just forgot it was tonight."
"Well we can go back to your place and you can get ready," Pete said. "We can enjoy ourselves tonight then continue the investigation tomorrow."
"You don't think he would do anything at homecoming?" Chloe asked.
"Why would he?" Pete asked. "He already got revenge against those jocks that strung him up, the current students never even met the guy."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Chloe said. "Then to my place we go," she said as they got a ride from Mr. Ross.
Pete and Chloe, in a beautiful dark red dress, showed up at their first dance at Smallville High. It was decorated with a few streamers in the hall and a large banner in the gymnasium. Pete and Chloe had a short dance to a song by the band Remy Zero, then walked over to a table to get some punch. "What do you think?" Pete asked.
"Well it certainly tops any dance I've ever been to," Chloe said.
"And now for the naming of the homecoming king and queen," a voice said.
"Oh I wonder who it could be?" Chloe asked sarcastically.
"They are Whitney Foreman and Lana Lang," the voice said as the two walked on stage. Whitney had short blonde hair and was quarterback of the Smallville Crows football team, and Lana had long dark brown hair, pink dress, and was captain of the cheerleaders.
"Whitney and Lana, the usual Smallville royalty." Pete said.
Chloe nodded then her cell phone rang. "Hello?" She answered.
"Hey Chloe, it's Lex. I got the medical records and think I have discovered Jeremy's secret."
"You have?" Chloe asked. "What is it?"
"Well because of his massive electrolyte imbalance, it's my assumption that he may have the ability to manipulate electrical fields around himself, seemingly producing electricity." Lex explained. "Theoretically he could use this ability to alternate the electrical message produced and received by the brain and cause a coma."
"That's amazing, do you know what could stop it?" Chloe asked then paused. "Are you calling from a cell phone."
"Yeah, I'm on my way to your school with my theoretical cure." Lex said. "I'll meet you outside in about five minutes."
"Ok, I'll see you then." Chloe said and hung up the phone.
"What is it?" Pete asked.
"Lex and Jeremy," Chloe replied. "Just follow me," she said then led Pete outside.
Lex drove into the Smallville high parking lot and parked in the back. As he got out of the car he looked up to see Jeremy walked into the parking lot. Lex stared at Jeremy, remembering him from the meteor shower. "It can't be," Lex said. Jeremy looked back at Lex, then continued walked towards the school.
Jeremy stopped at the sprinkler system outside the building and opened it up. "Jeremy, you can't do this." Lex said. "The people in there didn't do anything to you."
"I'm not doing this for me," Jeremy said. "I'm doing this for others like me, it's the only way to help them." Jeremy turned back to the system as Lex broke nearby glass and took out an axe. "Look, I don't have anything against you." Jeremy said to Lex. "You just leave, and I wont have to hurt you."
Chloe and Pete then walked outside to see Lex and Jeremy arguing. Pete ran for Jeremy, but Jeremy shot him with a bolt of electricity and Pete flew back to the wall. Chloe then ran over to help him. "You shouldn't have done that," Lex said.
"That's it," Jeremy said. He raised a hand and electricity built up among his fingers.
"Hey Jeremy !" Chloe yelled. She glanced at Lex then back at Jeremy. "I'm talking to you freak !"
"What did you call me ?" Jeremy yelled. He turned and raised his hand at Chloe as Lex ran behind him and dug the axe into the sprinkler system. Water shot out at Jeremy as electricity flowed through his body. Jeremy then dropped to the ground as Lex stood over him. "Who are you?" Jeremy asked, confused. "Where am I?"
"I'm Lex Luthor, and you're in Smallville." Lex replied.
"I want to go home," Jeremy said. Lex nodded and helped Jeremy to his feet.
Chloe helped Pete up and they walked over. "Good job Lex," Chloe said.
"Thanks," Lex said as he helped Jeremy to his car. "I guess this hero thing is sticking on me."
"Well, it suits you." Chloe said with a smile, and Lex smiled back.
"Well I'm going to give Jeremy a ride home, I'll talk to you guys later." Lex said and got in his car.
"Hurry back," Chloe said, "and I might save you a dance, hero." Lex smiled then started his car and drove out of the parking lot.
A few minutes later while Chloe and Pete talked against the wall, they saw Lex walk into the gymnasium. Pete took a seat and Chloe walked over to Lex, then took his hand. Pete watched from his seat as Chloe and Lex slow danced to Everything by Lifehouse. After a minute Pete got up and pushed his chair back then searched for some drink.