Two and half hours later, the van pulled up to a chain link fence surrounding an abandoned airport and stopped.
"Always an abandoned complex," Chloe whispered under her breath.
She glanced back at Clark. He was looking much better. His strength was coming back or so told the dents in the van's floor and side. When his knee struck the van's side, it took everything for Dashel to keep it on the road.
"Hope they have showers, because you are definitely starting to stink." Chloe said patting him on the chest.
Pete jumped out and opened the gate. The van and Bug drove through the entrance. Pete closed the gate and got back into the van. Both vehicles pulled up to a large hangar and waited for the oversized door to open. They pulled into the building and drove across the hangar floor toward what looked like offices. The rear doors to the van flew open and a group of five teenagers waited for Pete to give instructions.
"Take him to the West side of the building, open the windows so the sun shines directly on him."
Two of the kids grabbed Clark by the feet as Pete grabbed Clark under the arms. Winces went rippling across the small group upon seeing his condition. They placed him on a make shift gurney- a table with wheels- and pushed him down a corridor past the offices. Chloe scrambled out of the back and started to follow.
Pete caught her arm, "He'll be fine. They know all about him."
"I think I'll stay with him until he wakes up Pete. He can't think he is alone. He's been alone enough." Chloe smiled sadly and ran after the crew pushing the cart.
Pete watched her retreat, and then turned to see Lana and his Chloe walking toward him.
"Here's the Jolly Green Giant," Lana said handing the box to him. "Will he help?" she asked as she looked down the corridor.
"Don't know yet, can't ask him when he's out cold," Pete replied.
"What happened? I thought he recovered quicker than this," Chloe asked.
"He usually does, but the rock was altered by the portal. It intensified his body's reaction," Pete shivered at the memory of his friend's screams.
"Have we heard anything from Lex? You called him right?" Pete looked at Lana.
"Yes," she let a sly smile spread across her face, "He wants to test him. See if he is up to the task. Kal-El acquired another of the stones while you were away."
"On the upside, he hasn't killed anyone recently," Chloe added, "but the day ain't over with yet."
Pete closed his eyes, "Test? He didn't happen to mention what kind of test."
Lana shook her head no, "Should be interesting though. Lex never does anything half-assed.
"I know that's what I'm afraid of." Pete shook his head and started walking towards an office. "We'll talk later after a shower, food and a super powered, flannel wearing hero awakes."
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The first thing Clark noticed was the warmth of the sun on his body. He let a smile creep across his face. This was definitely what the doctor ordered. He stretched his body out full length. His muscles were sore but not on fire anymore. Thankfully, the hot poker had been put away.
The second thing Clark noticed was a voice. It sounded like someone talking underwater, but more importantly, he could hear it.
'OK,' he thought, 'time to try the ol' eyeballs.' Clark opened one eye then the other. Light and color reflected off his retina. He could see; all be it kind of fuzzily. The first image was of a fuzzy, blond, human shape right over him.
"Clark can you hear me? Come on Clark, talk to me!" Chloe could see him stirring. His lack of response was making her more agitated by the minute. Then she saw the teeth flash from his grin.
"Hey Chloe." His voice cracked a little but it was music to his ears and hers. Clark tried to sit up, but stopped when his head swam. He closed his eyes and took a breath.
"Just stay down," Chloe said in her best commanding voice.
Clark did as he was told. He looked around the room, "Why am I on the floor?"
"Well, you destroyed the cot with one of your muscle spasms. The concrete has fared much better." Chloe said as she patted him on the chest. "I suppose you might like to know what is going on and where we are."
"That would be greatly appreciated Chloe." Clark shifted so he could get a better view of her.
"OK, where to even start. We are in an alternate universe; they need your help stopping Kal-El; you had a really, really, bad reaction to a hunk of super-radiated Kryptonite; and we are now in a deserted airport."
Chloe had been waiting for four hours to get that out. She really needed to hear him tell her it was going to be fine. That this was something he had handled before. For him to say anything, but all she got in response was eye blinking and complete silence.
He did not know how or what to answer. This was so far out of his experiences. He could only lie there, blink, and try to wrap his gifted little mind around the situation.
Footsteps outside the little room and a knock at the door broke the silence saving him.
"Come in!" Chloe called.
Pete stuck his head inside the room, "Ahh, good to see you back in the land of the living, man!" Pete stepped into the room with a bundle of clothes. "Thought you might like to change."
Clark sat slowly up on his elbows and looked down at his clothes. As out of focus as everything was, he could see large splotches of red covering his shirt and jeans. His sense of smell kicked in and he got a whiff of the foul stench of vomit. He crinkled up his nose and looked at his friends, "I think your right and I might need a shower too."
"That was my next suggestion," replied Pete.
Alternate Chloe entered shortly after with clothes for Chloe. "Oh good, I was hoping for a change myself." She accepted them gratefully.
The foursome made their way down the corridor to the hangar's locker rooms. They each entered the appropriate room. Clark looked at himself in the mirror and grimaced.
"Pete, I think I'm gonna need steel wool and comet. My blood does not come off with a washcloth and Ivory."
Pete shook his head and snorted, "Only you Clark, only you."
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Chloe decided that a shower never felt as good as this one. Someone had found a bar of Lava. She was using it to scrub Clark's blood off her hands. The soap made her hands red and raw. Luckily for her, most of his blood had ended up on her clothes. Through the noise of water hitting tile, she could hear her alternate talking.
"So how long have you known about wonder boy over there?" Chloe 2 asked hitching her thumb at the wall separating the two baths.
"Only a couple of months. I've had a suspicion for a while that not everything about Clark Kent fits neatly into a box," she laughed as she lathered her hair. "His ex-girlfriend let me in on how out of the box he is. I watched him catch a car in mid-flight as if it was a basketball. Of course, I mistakenly labeled him a meteor freak. I was even smug and self pretentious enough to think I already knew what was going on. Then he dropped the alien bomb. Set me in my place."
Chloe finished up and came out with a towel wrapped around her. She took the borrowed clothes into a changing stall.
"How did you become entangled in this saga?"
"I found out the same way you did from an ex, but she went a little psycho and tried to kill him."
Chloe peeked out of the stall, "You would be surprised how often that happens. For as tasty as he is, his luck with women is appalling. But please continue."
"Well, she left him in his storm cellar with Lana's necklace around his neck. Not a sight I'd like to relive, but not as bad as today. Lucky for him, his ship helped him out by neutralizing the stone. I followed the light and found him. Well the master liar could not deny that hunk of metal in the corner."
After a momentary pause Chloe 2 spoke up again, "I think we need to clarify names you and I. Two Chloes answering yes is going to get old real fast."
"I agree, what do you suggest?" Chloe asked as she pulled on a pair of jeans.
"Well most people call me Sullivan anyway, so that aught to solve our problem.
"That sounds fine by me," Chloe answered.
"With that settled, how about something to eat? All we have is junk food and granola bars."
"I'm not picky. OK stop that, rephrase it. I'll eat almost anything at this point."
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Clark finished up his shower. It had taken him a lot more effort with the Brillo pad and cleanser than he was used to. The shower had really helped him to relax his muscles. He got out and dressed in the jeans and a royal blue t-shirt Pete had brought.
"They're his," Pete stated.
"Thanks," Clark replied. "Pete, why do you need my help?"
"Clark, how did you get away from Kal-El?'
"My mother saved me by using Black K. She place it on my chest, I split into two personas and some how I ended up with the Black Kryptonite. The program was banished."
Pete looked at Clark quizzically, "Program? What do you mean?"
"Well, I think that Kal-El is a program solely to get the three stones. I don't know what would have happened if I had stayed Kal-El. I don't know if I would have reverted after all the stones had been retrieved. I don't even know if another program would have been initiated. I do know my Mom thought the price was too high."
"I have to agree with her," Pete said quietly.
Clark turned to face Pete. "What's happened?" Clark tensed. "Where are his parents?"
Pete broke eye contact, "Dead. Kal-El killed them almost immediately. Your…His Mom confronted him in the cave…not sure of the details but that was where she was found with a scorch mark on her chest."
Clark swallowed and sat down on the dressing bench.
"Dad?"
"Apparently Kal-El was not taking any chances. Your… His Dad got a visit in the hospital." Pete was trying hard not to let his emotions run away with him. Pete blinked a few times as Clark sat stunned.
"Come on, let's go get some food," Pete offered.
Clark nodded absently. Something must have gone terribly wrong for Kal-El to murder the two people he loved more than anything. He had not felt much of anything as Kal-El. The task of retrieving the three elements was the single thought in his mind. His parents were only an annoyance, like gnats in summer. Murderer, this Kal-El was a murderer.
Chloe and Sullivan were waiting outside of the bathrooms. Chloe was about to quip about hoping they had not fallen in when both girls noticed the pensive looks on the guys faces.
"Everything OK?"
"No but it will be," Pete replied. "You guys thinking food?"
"Yep, Chloe replied, "Could have eaten the soap."
They started walking down the corridor to a lounge area. It was a standard break room. A long counter went across the far wall with a sink in the middle and a refrigerator anchoring the end. Pete opened the fridge and gave each person a bottle of water. Sullivan looked in the cupboards and came up with the granola bars.
There were about five tables with four chairs each in the middle of the room. Sitting down at one table, they ate without conversation until the granola was gone.
Pete broke the silence. "Clark what is Black K? Where'd your Mom get it?"
Clark stood up to throw away everyone's wrappers. When he sat back down he answered. "It is the green K after it has been exposed to a tremendous amount of energy. My Mom received it from a Dr. Bridget Crosby, an assistant to Dr. Swann. I never met her though."
Pete once again looked down, "Dr. Swann is also dead and I've never heard of a Dr. Crosby."
Clark put his head down on the table, "This just gets worse and worse." Clark let out a long sigh. "We aren't going to be doing your Clark any favors by freeing him from Kal-El."
Chloe put her hand on Clark's back. "What do you mean?"
Clark gave a weak smile, "He's killed his parents, killed Dr. Swann, and lord knows who else. It seems the Kal-El program has a flaw. I was never homicidal. The really sad thing is Clark can't do anything because he is dormant. It's like being on hold without the hanging up option. When he is finally separated, he will have memories of what Kal did but no context for himself. It's really disconcerting when the memories bleed through. Hopefully he will realize that nothing Kal did was his fault."
Clark pinched his nose and started blinking.
"You OK?" Pete asked.
Clark blinked a couple more times and let a grin spread across his face.
"Like the smiley face underwear Pete."
Pete turned three shades of red, "That's really cold man."
Chloe and Sullivan just giggled, "Don't you even let those peepers loose this way Kent!"
Clark just let the mischievous grin remain.
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A/N: Thank you for the feedback. It really is quite addictive. Please review and tell me what you think.