A/N: What is wrong with the PTB? Why are Clark and Lana still together? If he can't be honest with her about his origins and powers, what is their relationship based on? I'd do a spot of Lana bashing, but I guess it's not really her fault… but ooooo! If I get those writers in my clutches…

Chapter 9

Chloe felt as if she was coming to the surface of a deep lake. Her head and body hurt abominably and she was certain that, if she had eaten anything in the last four hours, it was going to make a reappearance. She moaned as every nerve ending seemed to be on fire and she felt a cool cloth being placed on her burning forehead. She forced her eyelids open as she whispered, "Dad?"

The face that greeted her was even more welcome than her father's would have been. Clark smiled down at her and she felt herself responding, although forming a smile hurt almost as much as if she'd just tried to lift a ton of bricks on her own. "How're you feeling, Chloe?"

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "How am I…? Clark, have you ever heard the term 'put through the wringer'? Well, I feel like I've been through that wringer an even dozen times…"

He laughed. She could tell by the lines around his eyes and mouth that he'd been worried and that touched her heart. When the laughter melted away, she was almost afraid of what was going to come out of his mouth. "Chloe, what do you remember?"

She looked at him like he'd just grown another head. "What do I…? Clark, what in the world are you talking about? You just left me at the Talon…"

He started to pace. "Come on, Chloe. I need you to try for me."

Chloe would have laughed at him if he hadn't been so agitated. She closed her eyes and thought back to the morning's events. "Well, we had breakfast with your mom… and went to the Talon. I have no idea what was up with Lois and Lana. You left for Lex's… and… and…" She could feel herself struggling against something… something that didn't want her to remember. "I was going to go and start the search, but I was feeling so tired that I put my head on the table for just a minute." A multitude of images crossed her mind… too quick for her to put them in any sort of context. The next one made her smile. "You were there when I woke up and you were so concerned…" She trailed off as the next images came and she sat bolt upright. She stared at Clark and could feel a blush starting from her toes, even while her head started reeling from the sudden motion. The memories kept coming and she thought she'd die of shame.

Clark tried to stop her from being too embarrassed. "Chloe, it's not your fault. You were under some sort of spell or something. You didn't mean any of it…"

Chloe blushed crimson. If only you knew, Clark. I may not have intended to throw myself at you, but I couldn't fight very hard against something that I've secretly wanted for years… She could feel tears burning at her eyes and angrily brushed them away. This wasn't getting them any closer to an answer. "But why am I normal now? What happened to me?"

"It seems that you were under some sort of post-hypnotic suggestion," a disembodied voice answered her, making her jump. Her head throbbed in response and Clark, noticing her discomfort for once, forced her to sit back down. "And you have recovered because Kal-El brought you here for treatment."

"Who's that?" Chloe whispered, suddenly fearful. She clutched at Clark's hand. She'd had her mind meddled with before, but this felt more immediate somehow. Even when she and Clark had made out while they were under the influence of different substances, she'd still had her own opinions. This made her feel like a puppet on a string.

"My father, Jor-El," Clark answered, "or at least a computer simulation of what he would have sounded like."

"Correct, Kal-El. Miss Sullivan, you are currently blocked from the constant wave of influence that had invaded your mind." The voice paused and Chloe wondered why a computer would have to think about an answer. "Post-hypnotic suggestion is an over-simplification of what we are currently dealing with. A signal is being transmitted that works upon the human subconscious to adjust certain thinking and knowledge. I am unable to determine the exact source of the transmission because it is currently blanketing Smallville with too much of the signal and growing in its influence."

Chloe growled. What did I expect from a Kryptonian machine? she thought angrily. "But you know it originates in Smallville. Do you know when? Why didn't you notice it before? Why didn't you warn Clark before he had to discover it on his own?" She bit out each accusation as if she were spitting out acid.

Clark's eyes widened. "He's not an omniscient machine, Chloe!"

Chloe snorted in derision and forced her way up so she could pace, ignoring the pain in her head. "But he seems to act like one, doesn't he? Always knowing what's best for you and Earth. As if he wasn't an 18-year-dead Kryptonian!"

"Chloe!" Clark gasped.

"It is all right, Kal-El," Jor-El said, and Chloe wondered if it was just her imagination that he sounded weary. "She has valid reasons for questioning my motives and fallacies. Miss Sullivan, one of the reasons that I did not notice the transmission was that I did not realize that there was a threat out there and because I had allowed myself to become wholly engrossed in Kal-El's training. I became aware of the transmission without realizing its true purpose shortly after Kal-El left the Fortress to return to Smallville."

Chloe thought about it. It definitely seemed plausible… and Clark was looking at her in a pleading manner over to the side. She didn't think she was being unreasonable in her anger. This machine seemed to know a whole bunch… and a suspicion crawled into her mind and wouldn't let go. But she couldn't ask Clark where the computer could hear her… She wondered exactly what she should do so that she didn't get affected again… and decided she should just ask. "If I'm going to be any help to Clark in the investigation of this situation, I need to get some sort of immunity. Is that possible?"

Clark smiled. She knew he thought she was mellowing to Jor-El, and that worked for her. "I've been talking with Jor-El and we think there is." Clark came up to her and showed her a small clear disk, about an inch in diameter.

Chloe stared at it. "Clark, I know I've been told I have big eyes, but I'm never going to be able to fit that contact in."

When Clark started laughing, she had a sudden burning desire that he was mortal again so she could kick him right where it counts. As it stood, she could only glare at him without hitting him, but it still sobered him up pretty quickly. "Sorry, Chlo," he muttered and avoided her gaze for a moment. Rather than say anything further, he just stepped right up to her and brushed back her hair. She closed her eyes with the feeling, while a part of her was wondering what he was doing. He touched her temple gently and then stepped back. Chloe stood motionless for a few minutes, almost sighing in ecstasy. The pain… The pain was gone. She looked up at him in wonder. "Jor-El was able to create a patch that blocked out the transmission."

"And your headache is relieved, Miss Sullivan?" Jor-El sounded solicitous and Chloe could only wonder about it. He hadn't been so nice during their first encounter.

"In fact, it's gone. Why is that?" Chloe turned her eyes on Clark, who could only shrug. Chloe had to hide a smile. She really hadn't expected Clark to know the answer. He was just more pleasant to look at and gave her something to focus her attention on while she was waiting for Jor-El to answer her.

"Even within the shielded confines of the Fortress, the transmission was reaching you. Our enemy does not like to give up those it has converted."

Chloe thought about it for a minute. That could be true and her reaction to going into the Fortress had totally not been her… which would make sense if the source of the transmission wasn't Jor-El. However, to gain her and Clark's trust, he could have just cut her out of the transmission and the Band-Aid that Clark had put on her temple was absolutely useless. However, because she didn't want Jor-El to think she suspected him, she answered, "Thanks, Jor-El. It's really blessed relief."

Clark smiled. With the relief from her headache, she wasn't quite so cranky… and that always made him happy. Plus, they had found a way to reverse the effects of the transmission. "Jor-El, how long will it take you to manufacture more of those disks?"

The room echoed in silence, which concerned both teens. When the voice returned, Chloe could tell that he felt distinctly apologetic… or at least was a good faker of the emotion. "Kal-El, I'm afraid that is not the solution."

Clark could feel the excitement of moments before drain into despair. "What do you mean? You fixed Chloe. At least if we put those disks on everyone we could just search for the source at our leisure."

Meanwhile, Chloe had been thinking furiously. When it came to her, it was quite an unwelcome shock. "Clark, there's no way we could have everyone in the world put on those disks. If we cured Smallville, it would seem really odd to see 'Clark Kent for President' signs in Las Vegas, where they've never even heard of you…"

"That would be correct, Miss Sullivan," Jor-El said, approval in his voice. "There is also another reason."

"What could that possibly be?" Clark asked.

"The transmission was a recent infection, if you will, in Miss Sullivan. However, the inhabitants of Smallville have been exposed to it for months now. Only the total cessation of the original transmission and a quick burst of the 'antidote' transmission that I will give you will turn your friends and family back to normal. Until that happens, you will notice an increase of the devotion of those good citizens towards you… Perhaps with frightening results."

A/N: I don't know if I have a bad self-image or what, but I'm totally plotzing that so many people are reading and reviewing my work. Thank you all so much for your efforts on my behalf. Hopefully your hard work and assistance will help me continue to grow and progress as a writer. :D

MarkMark261: I forgot to mention one thing about something in your proofing. Lee was a villain in the second (I think) episode of Season Five. I was actually really into that episode and really liked his character. :D

Good pick up on the flavor. It is a bit of "Nicodemus"… but I totally hadn't realized it. The difference is that it's not necessarily a release of emotion, but more a direct external direction on their behavior.

Thanks for the note of proofing. When comes back online, I'll totally fix it:D OK, it's done! ;D

Joy: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I am trying to go a little ahead, but am trying to eek it out a little. It's better to wait a little than to overload ya'll and then have my story buried:D

Qotie: That's true that I kinda' jumped hard, didn't I? I guess I assumed (and you know what they say when you assume) that it would be "obvious" because of everyone else's behavior. :D

Don't worry about being clueless. In some ways, I'm almost not sure where I'm going with this. In fact, I usually let my characters lead me about by the nose. After all, they know what they should be doing oh so better that I do… :D

(Thanks for the complement though, Chelsea! I'm so glad you're enjoying it and that the characters are behaving like they "should" ;D)

KentCharm: You know, I think in some ways a lot of us feel that way about Lois and Lana… Because Lois has really showed no desire to go into journalism, I think Chloe at least using her name as her pen name would be the most logical conclusion. And we know that no one is safe, so we can only hope.

My prejudice against Lana has been building steadily. I don't like her on-again, off-again attitude toward Clark… and how everyone thinks she's soooooo "beautiful". Grrr… Oh, and don't forget that she gets everything she wants with little to no effort.I want to smack her quite frequently… and smack Clark for still being enamored of her. But then we all know Clark isn't the most observant person in the universe… But as the season continues, I've been becoming more and more crabby about it. I suppose I should try and relax, right? It's just fiction…