Chapter 36
Lana looked around the caves. All about there was scaffolding to hold lighting and various monitors and computers, but the most interesting piece of equipment was a large machine that was set up in front of the octagonal slot in the wall. Lana went to examine it closely when suddenly the lights behind her turned on. Lana spun about surprised.
"I'm going to have to put a stop to these unauthorized visits," Lionel Luthor said as he came around the corner.
"Mister Luthor," Lana stammered.
"What are you doing here?" Lionel asked.
"I was just curious," Lana replied.
"I'd suppose so," Lionel agreed with a chuckle that sent shivers down Lana's spine.
"I know you've studied these caves quite extensively Lana," Lionel said. "I'm sure that there are some insights that you can provide me. It would be extremely helpful."
"I don't know anything," Lana lied. "What's with all the machinery?"
"I'm going to unlock the secrets, hidden in these walls," Lionel replied.
"How are you going to do that?" Lana asked.
"I have something nobody else has," Lionel replied, "the key. Once I insert the key into that slot, I'm convinced the answers will be revealed to me."
"What key?" Lana asked.
"Well my son Lex, recently stole an octagonal disk from me," Lionel replied. "However before he did my researchers discovered something unusual about its composition. It was unlike any material found on earth, save one."
Lionel turned around to a metal box and opened it up, "So, I have fashioned my own key."
He showed the key to Lana, "It's identical, in every detail," Lionel said proudly.
It was indeed identical with one exception, this key made Lana feel ill. She backed away from the key.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Lionel asked.
Lionel noticed Lana was starting to look a little ill.
"Lana you don't look well, are you alright?" Lionel asked.
"I'm fine," Lana replied walking back a bit and feeling a bit better. "But you should be careful."
"Lionel Luthor has never gotten anywhere in life by playing it safe," Lionel said smugly.
He closed the box and set it back on the stand it had previously been sitting on.
"I should go," Lana said as she hurriedly made her way out of the caves.
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Lana was standing up in the loft, looking out across the fields watching the sun set. She hoped that this would not be the last sun set she would see in Smallville.
"I figured this is where I'd find you," Jonathon Kent said as he came up the stairs behind his daughter.
"Just watching the sun set," Lana said. "I hope it's not the last one I see from up here."
"It won't be Lana," her father assured her. "Sweetie, it's just another sun down."
As the both watched the sun slowly began to sink below the horizon in a beautiful array of yellows, reds, oranges and magentas. As the sun finally disappeared for the day Jonathon turned to head down out of the loft.
"Come on," he said. "Your mother's got dinner ready."
"I'll be there in a minute," Lana said as she continued to stare out across the fields at the few remaining rays of light that shot up over the horizon.
"Dad," Lana called out.
Her father stopped and turned to look back at his daughter.
"Thanks for always believing in me," Lana said.
"You're welcome," Jonathon replied.
Lana stood there in the loft watching her father leave.
"It is time Sara," a voice said in her head.
Lana whirled around. The ship was still trying to control her destiny.
"Come to me," the voice said once again.
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Lana descended the steps down into the storm cellar. In her mind she was determined not to do whatever her biological father wanted her to do. When she reached the bottom of the stair the ship was hovering with a series of lights around the edges glowing, but it was not giving off much light.
"You will obey me Sara," the ship said.
"You're not my father," Lana stated stubbornly. "I won't let you control me."
The ship turned to point its nose towards her. It began to glow brighter and then it gave off a pulse of energy. Lana was flung roughly up against the corner of the storm cellar ceiling and found herself pinned there. Lana felt a searing pain on her chest. She tore open her shirt to see a mark being burned onto it.
"This is the mark of you ancestors," the ship explained. "You cannot fight it. At the zenith of the star Sol you will begin your journey."
The ship settled back down to the ground and Lana fell from her spot pinned up against the ceiling.
"If you do not, you will hurt the ones you love the most," the ship warned.
Lana was breathing heavily as she stared at the ship, trying to contemplate just what its warning meant. She also looked at the mark that was burned into her chest. It was a figure eight inside the side profile of a diamond. She groaned and lay on her back for a while wondering just what she was going to do.
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The next morning Lana was standing out leaning up against the edge of the loft, just watching cars travel up and down the road and imaging where they were going. Clark was at work at the Talon and her parents had also gone off to town. Lana had called Pete and asked him to come over, she didn't know who else to confide her troubles with, or discuss her plan.
"Hey you wanted to talk to me?" Pete asked.
"Yeah," Lana said.
Lana explained everything that had happened last night, about her biological father and his desire to have her leave Smallville and how she had no choice to obey him. Lana then showed Pete part of the mark to prove that it had all happened as she had explained.
"Does it hurt?" Pete asked.
"No, not now," Lana replied.
"You got any idea what it means?" Pete inquired.
"It's my biological father's way of telling me that I have to do what he wants," Lana said angrily. "I'm afraid by noon, it'll control me."
"Your parents and Clark must be freaked out," Pete said.
"I haven't told them," Lana admitted.
"Why wouldn't you tell them Lana?" Pete asked.
"Because Pete, I know what I have to do," Lana answered. "But they'll never agree with me in a million years. I have to destroy the ship."
"What? Lana no, this thing travelled millions of miles through space, I don't think we can dent it, much less destroy it." Pete argued.
"What if we had a Kryptonite key?" Lana queried.
"Lana this is whacked." Pete said.
"Pete, you know how Kryptonite makes me sick? Well maybe it has a similar effect on the ship. Think about it Pete, I'm from Krypton and so is this ship, and what's the one thing that can kill me?" Lana asked.
"So you're thinkin' that Kryptonite can destroy the ship?" Pete inquired.
Lana responded only by staring back at Pete.
"Lana it's too dangerous," Pete said. "Do you hear me? You've never done this before you don't know what will happen. It could kill you. Besides, where are we gonna get a kryptonite key?"
"Now that, I do know," Lana replied with a smirk on her face.
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Please Read Over:
Well looks like the ship is going to go bye-bye. But just what will happen after the ship explodes? Will Lana run off to metropolis like Clark did? Or will it be something different? And what other situations might occur? The only way to find out the answer to all these questions is to keep reading. And check out the forums.
Just another one of the usual reminders that if you want to talk to me about the story or Smallville in general. Go on IRC to the otherside servers, irc. (Port 7000), irc. (Port 7000), or irc. (Port 6667), then go to channel #smallville. Hope to see some people there. If you're looking for an IRC client I would recommend X-Chat although there are many other options out there. Really, please go there to discuss any questions answers will be a lot more direct. That and it gets kind of boring talking to the same two people all the time, I need fresh opinions. And if that doesn't work for you, look for the Smallville Revised Forum. I hope to see you in one of the two places.