Devils Night
Part 5: The risk-all point
Nobody moved for what felt like an eon.
"You know, I remember you guys being a little harder to shock." Jenny grinned, her cigarette hanging out of the corner of her mouth, "Don't worry: this is only temporary: Chloe had Jor-El pull the same trick he did on Junior over there. Talking of which..."
A bolt of electricity leapt from Jenny's hand and struck Clark. It seemed to cover him, and then faded.
"There: all better." Jenny looked at her old friends, her eyes sad, "Wish I could stick around for a while, but this is a one-time deal: when I'm gone, I'm gone." She smirked, "But there is one thing I can do properly this time. Chloe would probably kick my ass, but..."
The others looked on dumbstruck as Jenny walked over to Shen and kissed her deeply on the lips. It only took the other woman a moment to respond, placing one hand on the back of Jenny's head to pull her closer.
Clark shook his head, surprised to find himself back in control of his own body. He looked round, noticing the looks up amazement on the faces of the Planetary team, before seeing what looked like his girlfriend passionately kissing another woman.
"Relax, kid." The Midnighter appeared behind him, "Chloe's not the one in the driving seat."
Jenny reluctantly broke away from Shen, looking at her former lover, "Goodbye."
Light enveloped Jenny, and she feel to the ground like a puppet with the strings cut.
"Chloe!" Clark was at her side in less than a heartbeat, "Chloe?"
"She's out cold." Hawksmoor looked down at her, "Angie, call the helicopter back: we need to get her to the Metropolis offices, ASAP."
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Far away, on the other side of Smallville, the night was interrupted by a sudden gust of wind. Energy arced across the road as a glowing yellow portal appeared just above the tarmac.
A man, apparently in his mid twenties, stepped out and looked round. He was dressed in blue jeans and a white t-shirt, covered with a black leather bomber jacket. The pack slung across his back looked like it had seen more than one adventure. He stepped away from the portal and ran a hand through his dirty blond hair.
"This is as close as we can get without being detected." A second figure emerged from the portal, "As it is, we risk detection by the Linear Men."
"The words 'Piss-up in a Brewery' spring to mind whenever you mention those twits." The man spoke with a slight London accent, "God, this place is different to how I remember it."
"Are you sure you're ready for this?"
"Jen, I've spent the last ten years preparing for this: I know exactly what I need to do to get the outcome we want."
"Even so, be careful: I'll keep the others distracted as long as I can, but they may try and stop you."
"Let them try: one way or the other, I'm not going back."
"Your parents would be proud."
"Let's home they have the chance."
"Good luck, Jon."
"Yeah, thanks."
The second figure stepped back through the portal and it closed.
"Right then." Jon pulled back the sleeve of his jacket and looked at a strange watch strapped to his wrist, "The motel should be this way..."
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The early morning sunlight was starting to make its way across the Metropolis skyline. Clark sat in silence as it started to move up Chloe's hospital bed, until it illuminated her pale face. The steady bleeping of the equipment surrounding her was some reassurance, as was Dr Spica's assurance that Chloe would wake in her own time.
Jeroen had arrived just after midnight, and confirmed that he could find no trace of either Jenny Sparks or Chloe in the Garden of Ancestral Memory. He didn't seem that sure exactly what that meant, and how it would affect Chloe.
"Clark..." Chloe's voice was soft, barely above a whisper.
"I'm here." Clark lent over the bed, "How do you feel?"
"Worse than I did when I was struck by lightning."
"What do you remember?"
"I remember standing in the caves with your father, talking to Jor-El, but everything after that is a blank."
"So you don't remember kissing Shen?"
"I DID WHAT?" Chloe sat bolt upright.
"Relax: it wasn't you." Clark gently pushed her back down again, "It appears that she was more than friends with your mother."
"Just the sort of thing she'd pull. Can't say I blame her: one last chance to say goodbye..."
"You risked a lot: Jor-El could have done anything..."
"What choice did I have? The others would have stopped you, but someone could have gotten hurt. I don't have enough control over my abilities to do it myself. I didn't want to risk hurting you, so I played the only card I had."
"I suppose I would have done the same thing in the same situation."
"Aren't we a pair?" Chloe smiled, holding Clark's hand, "How long till I'm allowed out?"
"Dr Spica says you should be free to go by this afternoon, but she wants you to stay in metropolis for a few days so she can keep an eye on you, but you'll be ok for school on Monday."
"Joy. So, are you going to stick around?"
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The early morning crowed was finally starting to disperse, leaving the Talon for their respective jobs or school, but Martha didn't notice the stranger until he reached the counter and sat down on one of the stools.
"Can I help you?" She asked with a smile.
"Yeah..." The stranger looked a little shaken for a moment, "I'd love a cup of tea; nasty habit I picked up in London."
"You're not English then? It's just the accent..."
"No. I was born in Metropolis; I just spent most of my life in England. My mother was half English."
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to pry." Martha looked at the newcomer more closely, "Have we met?"
"Not that I remember." He offered his hand, "The names Jon, Jon Clarkson."
To Be Continued…
Have started work on the next chapter already, so it it'll hopefully be up soon. Decided to continue this story rather than write a new instalment, so plot lines have been added ahead of schedule.