"Just who is your brother?" I eventually dared to ask, trying to stay positive despite wondering how anyone from Fresner's family could possibly know medicine. Knowing our luck it's probably Doc Schenkel himself!
Herb grinned again and I sensed he knew I was casting dispersions on his family name in my head. If he did, he took it in his stride. "No worries, lil missy. We're only half brothers." He laughed then, and I saw Clark look at me in despair. Herb seemed to think the whole situation was funny. After letting us suffer a few seconds more, he jerked a thumb back into the bed of the truck. "See old Orville back there? Well my bro fixed him up real good last fall after an auto accident. Good as new he is…"
Lois groaned as she twisted her head and saw just what 'Orville' was. "My God," she muttered as she saw the shaggy mutt. "Your brother's a second rate vet and you want to let him loose on us!" Her head slumped back onto Clark's shoulder, but I could still hear her mumbling. "I've woken up in a Dr. Doolittle movie and I'm not liking where I've been cast…"
I smiled then, maybe out of relief, maybe because of Lois' warped humor even though she was hurt.
Herb saw the funny side too. "First rate vet, I'll have you know." He winked at me then, and I knew I hadn't been stuck with a deranged hick after all. I still wasn't too keen on being prodded by a vet, but my arm was stinging and I knew I needed stitches. Lois probably was in worse shape than me.
"How far?" I eventually asked, glancing at Clark to make sure the vet idea wasn't freaking him out.
Herb tugged off his peaked cap and mopped his brow with it. Then, he pointed ahead to a gap in the trees. "Zeke has a cabin up here. He likes to stay away from all the hustle and bustle. That's why I figured it'd be the perfect place to bring you folks."
"Thank you for trying to help." Clark hadn't really said a lot until now, but I could see he had been thinking hard about our situation. "Why did you risk yourself back there?" he looked at Fresner with that innocent expression that no one could lie to. "I mean, you could have jumped in your truck and hit reverse when the shooting started. You didn't have to bring us out here."
Herb pulled the truck hard left into a clearing. In the right hand corner, I spotted a modern style log cabin almost hidden by the conifers that surrounded the copse. He pulled the Dodge up to it and killed the ignition before answering. "Because I know murder has been going on around these parts, Boy, and most folks have turned a blind eye." He looked to the truck floor. "I did for awhile, until that young reporter never came back. Then, when your two young lady friends showed I didn't want it to happen to them…"
Clark patted the old man's arm. "You're a good man, Sir…"
"But you charge too much for your rooms," Lois added helpfully from her stupor. "And your truck needs new suspension. It played hell with my ribs…"
Herb chortled at my cousin's cheek. "I guess we better get you inside to see my second rate brother then." He nodded to Clark to bring Lois in, and then scurried from the cab to alert his brother Zeke to our presence.
I hopped out and held the door while Clark gently plucked Lois from the cab. I even felt a slight pang of jealousy as he held her close to his chest and carried her inside. I knew deep down I'd never be with Clark, but it didn't stop a girl from dreaming about being carried off by her hero now did it?
Zeke Fresner's cabin was much nicer than I had anticipated. The front area contained his living quarters and guest room, and the rear was where he did all his real work with the local animals.
The place was fully kitted out for almost any animal emergency, and I guessed it would have to do for us now too.
"Who's first?" Herb's brother looked at me expectantly, and I somehow sensed he thought I was the ring leader of the group. He was younger than Herb, and when he smiled at me I felt myself relax rather than tense. Zeke was definitely good at calming his patients The guy's probably a great horse whisperer.
"I think you should look at Lois first…" I turned just as Clark brought my cousin through, and as soon as he saw her limp in farmboy's arms, Zeke agreed.
"Bring her through here," he motioned to Clark, and then indicated that I should take a seat in his small but comfortable waiting room. I thought it was ironic really. People brought their pets here every day and waited anxiously, and here I was waiting for Lois.
Clark reappeared five minutes later with a blue blanket draped over his shoulders. He took a seat beside me and I could tell he was pretty much exhausted. "He's worried about Lois' broken ribs causing internal damage," he explained. "But he doesn't have an x-ray machine here…"
I sat upright. "But you could…"
Clark grinned. "I already did. She'll be okay, but I can't exactly tell him that," he sighed. "How are you feeling?"
I couldn't lie. It had just been one hell of day and I didn't care to have another like it for a very long time. "I feel like I've lost my best friend, found him again, got slashed, punched…"
Clark held up a huge palm. "I think I get the idea. If it's any consolation, being exposed to meteor rocks all that time wasn't exactly fun either." He shivered at the thought, and I remembered just what he must have been through.
"Do you think the doc here has a computer system for his furry patients?" I perked up and began looking around to find a pc. While Lois was being tended there was no reason why I couldn't be doing a little disc scouring with my blanket clad farmboy. I grabbed it from my purse and wafted it in front of those blue-green dancing orbs of his.
Clark looked past the CD and squinted at the wall. He smiled when he caught me watching him. "The computer is through that door in the office. Maybe you should ask before you just barge in, though." He was just too polite as usual.
I stood up, intent on 'borrowing' the pc anyway when a voice chortled from the doorway. "Zeke won't mind you using his system as long as you leave his private stuff alone." It was Herb and he was looking at me intently. "I hope you find what you're looking for," he said optimistically.
I nodded and grabbed Clark's hand, dragging him into Zeke's office before he could file a protest. I expected Herb to follow and watch over our shoulders, but instead he vanished.
"Just what do you expect to find on that thing?" Clark asked as we both pulled up a seat.
I shrugged and flicked the front button to power up Zeke's system. While it booted I clicked the disc from its sleeve and then popped it into the top drive. "Maybe Schenkel will incriminate his boss on this thing," I said optimistically.
Clark's expression told me he was more than doubtful. "I think all he will have done on there is incriminate me, Chloe," he sighed dolefully and I couldn't help but put my hand on his arm.
"Hey, Smallville," I teased him using the nickname Lois had daubed him with. "Don't you give up on me yet, okay?"
He smiled then, and I clicked the mouse to get the disc to load. The truth was about to out.
Both our eyes veered towards Zeke Fresner's computer screen as information began to scroll across it. Of course, it was totally indecipherable. Schenkel had encrypted his documents like any good scientist would.
"Now what?" I had never felt so frustrated in all my life. I mean, I'm a pretty good hacker myself, and I have a few friends who are even better, but I knew we just weren't good enough for this level.
Clark looked at me in despair. "Don't look at me! I farm vegetables, I don't fish for information!"
"Ha ha," I glared at him then, although I admit I can never stay mad at Clark for long. Luckily, I didn't have too. Herb Fresner reappeared, and with quite a surprise.
"Need some help, lil missy?" Fresner didn't wait for me to scoff at him, but instead ambled into the room still wearing his grease smeared cap. "I'm pretty good at this kind of thing…"
"You're good with decrypting top secret files that are probably military strength encoded?" I let the sarcasm roll off my tongue. "Next you'll be telling me you're not actually a lodge keeper after all."
Herb ignored my incredulous expression and pulled up a third seat. He pushed me politely off the keyboard and began to type almost as fast as Clark could. "Nope, I'm a lodge keeper full time," he mumbled absentmindedly.
When I realized he wasn't even looking at the keyboard I began to take him more seriously. "You know computers?"
Fresner winked. "Never take appearances at face value. A person's attire and the way they talk doesn't necessarily mean you're seeing the whole side to them. Let's just say I've had a career before retiring here."
I shut my mouth then and felt myself blush a bright shade of crimson. Clark saw the funny side and grinned, and I was tempted to punch him. Then, I saw the bruising clearly visible beneath his blanket, and remembered what he'd been through. "Maybe I could clean the two of us up a little while Mr. Fresner works," I offered. "Perhaps we could even borrow you a shirt before Lois gets the hots for you."
This time it was Clark's turn to blush. Revenge was sweet.
Herb let out his now customary chuckle and thumbed back into the waiting room. "I already put one of Zeke's out there for you, boy. Don't think my bro is quite your size, though…"
I dragged Clark back through anyway. When I saw what Herb had left for us I stifled a laugh. He'd never seen how Clark dressed back in Kansas. But, sat innocently on one of the waiting room chairs lay a plaid shirt folded neatly and precisely.
Clark didn't seem to notice that it was funny and quickly tossed off his blanket. He grabbed the shirt and began to tug it on, until I stopped him. "Whoa, don't you think you ought to get cleaned up first?" I pointed to the dried blood and dressing that now hung from his side rather than covered his wound.
"I'm healing," he said matter-of-factly, and to prove it he peeled off the gauze entirely to reveal nothing more than a scratch. "I just feel a little bruised now, but that will soon pass. You look like you need the attention far more." He carried on tussling with the shirt then until he realized it was at least a size too small. "Great…"
I giggled. "You look like the Incredible Hulk when he's about to get angry…"
Clark rolled his eyes at my pun, and then gave in to the fact that the shirt was not going to fasten. Of course, I wasn't about to complain that I was still getting full view of his chest. Oh no, in fact, I even made a mental note to thank Herb for finding such a small shirt.
"Maybe we should put something on your arm until the doc…until Mr. Fresner's brother can look at you." Clark either didn't notice I was staring at him, or he chose to ignore me. What can I say? I'd had a bad day and here he was standing there all dishevelled looking and so…so…
I shook myself. "Just grab something from the doc's exam room and I'll wrap it up while we check out how Herb is doing on Schenkel's code."
Clark looked reluctant to barge in while Lois was still being fixed up, but I shooed him in, mostly because I was hoping for an update on my cousin too. He vanished through the door and I could hear his usual apologies to our newfound vet friend. Sheesh, there goes Mr. Polite again!
Two minutes later he reappeared with a bandage and some antiseptic wipes in his hand.
"Did you find anything out about Lois?" I asked worriedly.
Clark nodded and scooted over to where I was standing. I still couldn't get over his under-sized apparel, but I managed to control my giggling this time while I listened.
"She's asleep. Doc Fresner gave her something to knock her out." Clark followed me back into the office area and continued talking. I noted he now called our vet friend 'Doc' but didn't comment. "He said Lois' so stubborn she'd have caused more damage if he hadn't sedated her, but she'll be okay once she rests up."
I doubted it. If I knew Lois she'd be evil once she awakened. Nothing is worse than my cousin when she's hurting and wanting payback. "I'll bet he had to use a horse sedative to knock her out, if I know Lois," I quipped as I rejoined Herb at the computer screen.
Clark grinned knowingly. He hadn't really seen every side to Lois yet, but he obviously knew her stubborn side by heart. "Find anything, Mr. Fresner?" He asked, pulling his attention from our conversation back to the disc.
Herb sat back on his chair and crossed his hands smugly on his overly-large stomach. "What do you think, boy?" He let his forefingers point to the monitor. "Pretty quick work for an old hick, huh?"
I had to admit I was impressed. Herb had broken the code in less than thirty minutes. "Just who are you really?" I raised a brow and wondered if I shouldn't be afraid of the company I was in again.
Herb shook his head and then rose to leave. "A friend, My Dear…"
I watched him disappear out of the room into his brother's living quarters and shook myself. I had thought Smallville was weird, but Colorado was definitely catching up.
Clark read my thoughts. "You'll be needing two Wall of Weirds if this keeps up!"
"No thanks," I sighed and then winced as I caught my injured arm on the desk. Clark noticed and the 'patch up' kit he'd acquired from Zeke reappeared. "Let me fix that while we work." His voice was suddenly so tender I really couldn't resist. I mean, who could? I held out my forearm and began to access the onscreen files with my good hand while he worked to clean me up.
Finding Schenkel's notes was the easiest part. They were mainly divided into two sections. One about Rich, and one about Clark. It was all fascinating I'm sure to someone with about two million diplomas in biochemistry and lord only knew what, but it was like reading Swahili to me.
Clark seemed to understand more of the scientific stuff than I did, but then I knew all I needed to know. For Clark to stay safe, the disc needed to be destroyed. First things first, though. We still needed to search for clues to Schenkel's boss. Was it really Lex?
"I can't find anything here about who was funding White Summit, or who was giving out the orders to Schenkel," I sighed disappointedly. "There just has to be something I'm missing…"
"What about searching through the file marked useful numbers?" Clark cocked an eyebrow as he finished wrapping my arm.
I wasn't convinced. "Oh, come on, Schenkel is hardly likely to keep his bosses telephone number in plain view!" Clark was obviously having one of his 'dumb' moments, and I just had to call him on it.
Nevertheless, now that he'd suggested the idea, I did feel compelled to check what was really listed in 'Dr. Frankenstein's' telephone directory folder. I clicked on the mouse and waited nervously until a very long list of numbers appeared on screen. Most had no names beside them, only abbreviations. That didn't stop Clark from picking out one right away.
He pointed to the topmost number labelled Mjolnir and I could see his finger shaking as he spoke. "That's Lex's cell phone…"
TBC...
