The Black Coats
Written By: The Ascended Ancient
Chapter IV: "Discovery"

Around midnight, on the outskirts of Smallville, a blue Mazda pulls up in front of the military compound. The door opens, and Joshua Hammond walks out of it. He approaches the guards, and they salute him.

Josh walks through the maze of temporary buildings that had been set up only a few nights ago until he reaches the command center. As he enters the heart of the compound, everyone stands up and salutes him.

"At ease," Josh tells them. From one end of the room, Major Jeremy Woodward approaches him.

"Colonel Hammond," Woodward greets. "Did you learn anything of value from Miss Sullivan?"

"Of course," Hammond replies. "She is, after all, the foremost expert on the weirdness of Smallville. Did you learn anything from Lex Luthor?"

"Not really," Jeremy admits. "He wasn't the most cooperative person."

"We'll need to take a more direct approach with him later," Josh tells his comrade.

"Yeah, well, let's worry about the job tomorrow," Jeremy says with a lecherous grin. "Right now I want some details."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Josh says with mock-indignation.

"Yeah right," Woodward scoffs. "You honestly tryin' to tell me that you didn't get laid tonight?"

"I honestly didn't get laid tonight, Jer," the colonel tells him.

"Damn, man, this chick must be one tough cookie." Jeremy shakes his head. "Did she at least put out anything?"

"Oh, she put out quite a bit." The two men laugh.

"So, how long do you think she can hold onto her pants?" Jeremy asks, still trying to compose himself.

"Oh, one more day, maybe two." They both break out laughing again. Josh tries to say something, but he's laughing too hard. A few moments later he composes himself.

"I-I need to get some sleep, man," Josh tells his second-in-command. "So do all of you. Switch over to the beta shift."

"Yes, sir." Major Woodward salutes his superior. Then Josh walks out of the room.

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In his quarters, Josh reaches under his bunk and pulls out an ornately decorated box. He opens the box and pulls out an old piece of rolled-up parchment. Josh unrolls the parchment and stares intently at it.

It's a map. A really, really old map. What's unique about it, however, is that the map is covered in Kryptonian symbols. Josh brings the map over to a larger topographical map of Smallville. He studies both maps intently.

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Later that night, Joshua Hammond drives up to an empty field. He gets out of his car with a shovel, walks out a few feet, and starts to dig. He digs for half an hour before finally hitting something solid. He scrapes away at the dirt, revealing a large stone slab buried many feet underground.

Josh reaches down and runs his hand over a section of the slab, brushing dirt out of a rectangular grove in it. The colonel pulls out a knife and slides it into the grove. He applies pressure, and the rectangular section of the stone slab breaks free. Josh reaches down into the hole he just opened and pulls out an oddly shaped clear crystal. A frightening smile breaks out over the colonel's face as he studies what he has just unearthed. Then he puts it in his pocket and pulls himself out of the hole.

End of Chapter IV

Author's Note: Well, wasn't that a short yet interesting chapter? So, will Josh get Chloe to sleep with him? What are these "Black Coats" doing in Smallville? And when will they learn Clark's secret? The answers are coming, I promise. Coming soon: "Suspicions", Chapter V of The Black Coats.

Additional Note: If at all possible, I'd like some constructive criticism in the reviews that you, my loyal readers, are leaving. I just wanna know how you're viewing the story. Don't worry, I won't hold back chapters if you don't. I'd just appreciate it.