Disclaimer: They're definitely not mine.
Dinah laughed nervously. "Chloe? What are you talking about?"
Clark jumped. "Oh. Sorry," he said blushing, "she's just someone from back home. You look just like her..." he let his sentence trail off, remembering that his last words to her had been less than friendly.
"Something wrong?" inquired Dinah, noting his expression.
"It's just... the last time I spoke to her we were having an argument. Now I realize that could have been the last time I'll ever talk to her." He sighed sadly.
"Well..." Oracle pondered, dragging the word out in thought, "Where were you from? Maybe we can get you back there!"
"Oh, uh... Smallville, Kansas!" Clark recalled triumphantly.
Dinah was at the Delphi before Oracle could stop her. "Search," she mumbled out loud, "Smallville, Kansas... Aha! Found it!"
She scanned the information on the screen, mouthing the words as she went.
"Ohhh. Oh, no. Clark, I have some bad news for you." Dinah moaned. Helena jerked her head up curiously upon hearing this, and Oracle wheeled over to the Delphi.
"What is it??" Clark demanded. At the same time, Oracle queried, " how'd you learn to use the Delphi?"
Sighing, Dinah took her time turning to face Clark. "Were cyclones and twisters common in Smallville?"
"Oh, yeah! There was stuff like that all the time! Fact is there was one the day I left. Why?" He asked, suddenly suspicious. "Right before I came here, a friend of mine told me everyone would be fine."
"Um, your friend lied. The town got, like, completely totaled by the cyclone." Helena said after peeking over Dinah's shoulder to read one of the many articles filling the screen.
"What?" Clark was obviously totally bewildered and upset. Meanwhile, Dinah was glaring at Helena for the millionth time since Clark had come.
"But that's okay as long as everyone lived." For some reason, Clark found this reassuring.
"I don't understand. Wasn't Smallville your home?" Oracle cocked her head as she waited for his answer.
"Yeah, and it upsets me that it's gone, but as long as everyone lived, I'll get over it."
"Clark." Dinah stopped him in the middle of his speech. "No one is alive. The cyclone killed everyone." Once Dinah stopped speaking, she turned away from him, her head down and hair covering her face. There was a long pause, in which Clark attempted to process the information. Maybe I was too blunt. I hope I didn't upset him even more.
"You're kidding." Clark's voice cut through the air like a knife. He stomped over to the Delphi system, which Dinah had forgotten to turn off. His eyes zoomed over the text in record time. "This must be a trick! Oh, God, they can't be dead! They can't be!"
Flashback, seven years previously
It was a dark night. The teen walked along the street, searching for her mother and depending on the streetlights to aid her vision. She ignored the man who was carefully scaling up a building a few yards ahead. She thought he was only a tourist, attempting a stupid stunt. But he was more than that.
The scream that pierced the air seemed too familiar to her. Much too familiar. She ran, ran without even realizing that she was running, unaware of where she was going. Falling to her knees, the woman sobbed. " No. Mom, wake up! Please wake up! Oh God! Mom you have to, you have to wake up!" Her sobs escalated as she wailed, "Stop him! Somebody stop him!!"
End Flashback
Helena shook herself. Their reactions were so similar... No. She thought calmly, don't dwell. Right now, we've gotta concentrate on getting this kid out of here. I must remember not to stay in the past. Mom wouldn't want it that way.
Well? I figured I'd put my own spin on things... next few chappies will focus on Clark. And wait till you see how he gets back!!
Dinah laughed nervously. "Chloe? What are you talking about?"
Clark jumped. "Oh. Sorry," he said blushing, "she's just someone from back home. You look just like her..." he let his sentence trail off, remembering that his last words to her had been less than friendly.
"Something wrong?" inquired Dinah, noting his expression.
"It's just... the last time I spoke to her we were having an argument. Now I realize that could have been the last time I'll ever talk to her." He sighed sadly.
"Well..." Oracle pondered, dragging the word out in thought, "Where were you from? Maybe we can get you back there!"
"Oh, uh... Smallville, Kansas!" Clark recalled triumphantly.
Dinah was at the Delphi before Oracle could stop her. "Search," she mumbled out loud, "Smallville, Kansas... Aha! Found it!"
She scanned the information on the screen, mouthing the words as she went.
"Ohhh. Oh, no. Clark, I have some bad news for you." Dinah moaned. Helena jerked her head up curiously upon hearing this, and Oracle wheeled over to the Delphi.
"What is it??" Clark demanded. At the same time, Oracle queried, " how'd you learn to use the Delphi?"
Sighing, Dinah took her time turning to face Clark. "Were cyclones and twisters common in Smallville?"
"Oh, yeah! There was stuff like that all the time! Fact is there was one the day I left. Why?" He asked, suddenly suspicious. "Right before I came here, a friend of mine told me everyone would be fine."
"Um, your friend lied. The town got, like, completely totaled by the cyclone." Helena said after peeking over Dinah's shoulder to read one of the many articles filling the screen.
"What?" Clark was obviously totally bewildered and upset. Meanwhile, Dinah was glaring at Helena for the millionth time since Clark had come.
"But that's okay as long as everyone lived." For some reason, Clark found this reassuring.
"I don't understand. Wasn't Smallville your home?" Oracle cocked her head as she waited for his answer.
"Yeah, and it upsets me that it's gone, but as long as everyone lived, I'll get over it."
"Clark." Dinah stopped him in the middle of his speech. "No one is alive. The cyclone killed everyone." Once Dinah stopped speaking, she turned away from him, her head down and hair covering her face. There was a long pause, in which Clark attempted to process the information. Maybe I was too blunt. I hope I didn't upset him even more.
"You're kidding." Clark's voice cut through the air like a knife. He stomped over to the Delphi system, which Dinah had forgotten to turn off. His eyes zoomed over the text in record time. "This must be a trick! Oh, God, they can't be dead! They can't be!"
Flashback, seven years previously
It was a dark night. The teen walked along the street, searching for her mother and depending on the streetlights to aid her vision. She ignored the man who was carefully scaling up a building a few yards ahead. She thought he was only a tourist, attempting a stupid stunt. But he was more than that.
The scream that pierced the air seemed too familiar to her. Much too familiar. She ran, ran without even realizing that she was running, unaware of where she was going. Falling to her knees, the woman sobbed. " No. Mom, wake up! Please wake up! Oh God! Mom you have to, you have to wake up!" Her sobs escalated as she wailed, "Stop him! Somebody stop him!!"
End Flashback
Helena shook herself. Their reactions were so similar... No. She thought calmly, don't dwell. Right now, we've gotta concentrate on getting this kid out of here. I must remember not to stay in the past. Mom wouldn't want it that way.
Well? I figured I'd put my own spin on things... next few chappies will focus on Clark. And wait till you see how he gets back!!