A/N: Sorry for the delay everyone. But to reward your patience, this weekend you get two… two… two updates for the price of one!

Chapter 19

Clark looked at Chloe warily. He knew that she was nowfocusing on the task at hand rather than his apparent rejection, but she seemed worryingly withdrawn from him. However, to brave that conversation now would be to delay their task even further. "How long have you been free, Chloe? What have you discovered?"

Chloe was all business. "I haven't been free long. I didn't have much time between when Lex gave me the tools and it decided to check up on Jor-El's transmission. I only managed to pick the locks maybe five minutes ago."

Clark's mind boggled at all the information she'd just thrown at him. He blurted the first thing that came to him. "You can pick locks?"

Chloe laughed. "Well, it was my first attempt, but I managed it pretty well. After all, I'd done all that research…"

But now Clark was able to really cope with the information that she had given him. "Lex gave you the tools? How? Isn't he under the power of the Transmission? And what do you mean tortured? Who did it? I don't care if they were under the influence, I'm going to rip them limb from limb!" He could feel the rage bubbling to the surface. Normally, he would have kept a stern rein on his anger, but the thought of someone torturing his Chloe was more than he could bear.

He stilled completely when Chloe's hand on his arm brought his attention back to her. She was smiling gently. "Which question would you like me to answer first?" She knew that she had to inject some humor into the situation before Clark totally lost it. She would have been flattered, but knew deep down that Clark would have done that for any of his friends in the same position.

He looked at her and she gasped a little. Never had she seen such anger in his eyes before. She was suddenly glad that she had never made him that mad. He took a number of deep breaths and Chloe could almost see him counting to ten. The silence in the room was deafening but necessary. He shook his head as he finally managed to control his rage and looked at her. "Let's start with the worst first. What do you mean… torture?"

She looked at him with wide eyes. So that's what he wants to hear first, hmmm? she mused. "Well, actually, with that I'll have to answer two questions. Jor-El's blocking bandage is also a communications device and he contacted me to find out what was going on since we hadn't contacted him. The Transmission or whatever detected it and I was brought to a small room for questioning. Lana, Lex and Lois strapped me to a chair and left. A voice seemed to come out of the woodwork to interrogate me. When I didn't answer a question to its satisfaction, I was given a large shock through the straps." She shuddered slightly and Clark drew her into his arms as if he could protect her from even the memory. "I'm okay, Clark. It didn't hurt me as much as I thought it would… or that it thought it would. And I'm sure that none of our friends would have allowed that if they'd been able to withstand the Transmission."

Clark took a couple of deep breaths to control himself. "When?" he managed, but it came out as more of a growl than anything and he shook his head. He had to think straight, but this wasn't going to be as easy as he'd hoped.

"They brought me back to my cell ten minutes ago," she admitted slowly.

She knew he was going to blame himself and was rewarded with her knowledge of Clark. "You mean if I'd gotten here faster? If I'd used my super-speed more…?" His voice was choked with guilt and anger.

Chloe wished she hadn't had to tell him, but she'd sworn that she would never lie to him. "Clark, I'm not sure it would have mattered. You still would have walked into a trap and I wouldn't be free to help you…"

"But Chloe…"

"But nothing, Clark. I know that you did your best to get here and I'm not blaming you for what happened. You had nothing to do with it." She wished that he could get that through his thick skull, for this and for his earlier attack while under red kryptonite. She could see him struggling, but there was nothing he could have done or could do to remove that experience from her. In a perverse way, she was glad it had happened. She now knew her own personal strength and didn't have to worry anymore about being forced to divulge Clark's secret.

As he continued to just look at her hopelessly, she decided to just continue. "I got the tools from Lex after I was able to break the Transmission's hold on him for a bit. I goaded him with his own desire for power and faced him with the artificial attitude of only wanting to put you in power." She smiled at the memory. "It didn't work as long as I'd hoped, but it worked long enough. He snapped out of it, with no memory of his previous actions, and I was able to get a fork and his Swiss Army knife from him. But then…" she shuddered at the memory. "Then the Transmission took him completely over like it had done for Lana and Lois. It was scary to watch."

Clark's jaw firmed. "The Transmission is becoming bolder. It now has the taste for complete control and I can't believe that it would be content now with having me rule the world."

Chloe looked at him in shock. Was he seriously considering that a machine might take over? But it was faceless. Even brainwashed people needed a person to follow. "Clark, be serious. I know for a fact that it can't completely control everyone all the time. It's going to start spreading itself too thin. I really think you're giving it too much credit."

He looked at her, but she could tell that he wasn't feeling swayed by her argument. She started marshalling some reasons, but he shook his head and shrugged. "It doesn't matter right now, Chlo. We just gotta' get rid of it somehow." Chloe thought about it for a minute and Clark looked his fill. He knew that Chloe thought he was free from some mysterious spell that had thrown them together, but he was just cherishing every moment they spent together. Her disappearance this time felt even worse than when she'd possibly been blown up. After all, when that had happened, he'd been in Jor-El's thrall and totally unaware of it. But this time… This time had been different, and it hadn't mattered if she'd been kidnapped or if she'd run from him. Her support had been taken from him when she was the only one he could turn to. He hadn't been sure he was going to make it on his own.

Suddenly, he realized that Chloe had been talking for a bit and focused all his attention on what she was saying rather than his morbid thoughts. "…here. What do you think, Clark?"

Clark blushed hotly. He hadn't caught enough to actually give an intelligent opinion. But he tried to brush it off with "Whatever you think is best is fine, Chlo."

She looked at him with those piercing eyes and heknew that he was well and truly caught. "Clark, you have to start paying attention. We are not in friendly territory here. I said…" She looked at him again and raised an eyebrow. "Are you paying attention?" He just sighed and she smiled. "I said we should search only the rooms that are blocked from your x-ray vision. It would be a waste of time to search the other rooms."

He nodded quickly. "That's what my plan had been when I'd first entered… and all of them are down here."

She looked around. "It makes sense, Clark. Basements tend to be the most secure… or if someone does break-in, it's easier to trap them." She looked a little scared. "Maybe that's the plan… Maybe we should just get out of here…"

Clark was shocked. Chloe wanted to leave? He grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. "Chloe, I won't let anyone hurt you again. I'll bring down this building before I let that happen.

His comment seemed to do the trick because she looked up at him with laughter in her eyes instead of fear. "What are you going to do, Samson? Push the support columns apart?" He was a little confused at the reference, but didn't question his good fortune. "Clark, I'm afraid that they've hidden kryptonite down here… and you know that you wouldn't be up to anything if you're in its vicinity."

Clark smiled and Chloe's heart started beating faster. Goodness, that boy has a killer smile! she thought woozily. "That's why I have my protector with me," he laughed. They allowed themselves to grin at each other for a moment, but the situation was becoming too volatile for them to relax for too long. Clark looked around the room. "Did you find anything in here?"

"You mean besides boxes of dusty old records that should have been scanned into the system by now?" she asked wearily. She shook her head. "There's nothing here and obviously there's no kryptonite in here otherwise you'd have been on the floor long before now."

He looked around and realized that he had put them in an awkward position. If kryptonite had been planted in this building, he would only be a liability. "Maybe I should…"

Chloe's grip on his hand kept him exactly where he had been. "Oh, no. You said you felt safe with your protector and safe you are. You're heavy, but I could move you if I had to." She looked grim and determined. "Instead of yakkin' in here, we really should start the search in earnest. You scan each door we pass and if it's shielded, we'll go in. You can stand at the door and let me know if you feel any weakness or fainting."

Clark was slightly offended. "Chloe, I don't faint."

She rolled her eyes. The egos of guys were so fragile and it was sometimes hard to remember that Clark's ego was even more so. "Fine, Clark. Pass out from the pain. Whatever. But if you're at the door, make an effort to fall outside of the room so I can close it and maybe shield you from the radiation." She looked him square in the eye. "You don't have to prove your bravery to me, Clark. Just be practical too."

He grimaced, but nodded in agreement. Apparently, Chloe had picked up more from her Uncle Sam than she'd ever let on before. She led their mission like a true military leader. He was actually quite impressed with her tactics. They ventured further down the hallway, but each room that was shielded just held more dusty files. And with each room, Chloe's frustration was growing to a boiling point.

Finally, she cracked. "Oh, this is pointless! There's absolutely nothing here! Why did they bring me here?"

Clark was at a loss. It wasn't often that Chloe was so frustrated with a situation that she'd want to give up without finding the answer. But he kind-of agreed with her. From what they'd been able to find currently… or to be more accurate, hadn't been able to find… this was just a regular courthouse. Clark would have thought it would be too dangerous to hold a prisoner in such a building. "I don't know, Chlo. There has to be something…"

But Chloe had hardly been listening to him. Suddenly she burst out, "I know what's bothering me… Where are the double-Ls?"

Clark gaped at her for a moment. "Double-Ls? Excuse me?"

Chloe fluttered her hands at him as she started to pace. "Clark, seriously! Lana Lang, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor." Her eyes narrowed as she thought of their friends. "They were here, Clark. They dragged me back to my cell. But they aren't here now. Why aren't they here now? Why haven't we met any kind of a searching force looking for me? I know that it thought I was totally incapacitated, but it should have known when I opened my door. Something is wrong here."

Clark looked at her thoughtfully. "You know, when I first got here, I got a lot of resistance in the form of a lot of the citizens of Smallville and Granville pressing in on me and then suddenly they melted away to form a path directly to the courthouse. I knew something important was in here because of the crowd, but now…"

Chloe started to gnaw on her fingernails, her face a study of worry. "Clark, we're missing something here. There's some significance to this building being totally empty of anything suspicious besides being the location of my captivity." She rubbed her temple and her eyes brightened as the solution came to her. "Jor-El!"

Clark sighed. "Chloe, I don't think Jor-El could have removed every…"

Chloe smacked him on the shoulder to silence him. He would cause her to lose her epiphany if she wasn't careful. "No, Clark. Jor-El said that if we didn't counteract the transmission soon, the antidote wouldn't be effective." She looked up at him in horror. "Do you think… I mean, is it possible…" She took a deep breath. "Clark, what if they kidnapped me solely to delay us in counteracting the damage?"

Clark's look of horror matched hers. "Chloe, that could mean…"

"That we're too late?" Chloe's hand went back to her mouth as she thought about her answer. "I don't think so, Clark. Otherwise, we would have met some resistance or brainwashed people… and we haven't. So, if it isn't too late, where could they possibly be?"

"Well…" Clark blushed as he began. "When you disappeared and I found the drops of blood, I'd just come back from my survey of town. I decided to tour all the buildings that were shielded from me. I knew that I'd find either you or the Transmission facility in one of them."

"Clark, that was brilliant!" Chloe smiled at him and his blush deepened. It wasn't often that he got her admiring approval on his investigative technique. "Do you have your list?" As he pulled it out of his pocket, he wondered if she'd find his conclusions worthy. He wasn't sure why, but her approval was something that was worth earning whenever he could. Chloe was silent and he could feel himself becoming a bundle of nerves. "We knew about most of these from before, but Clark, this is an admirable list." He smiled and suppressed a sigh of relief. "So, which ones did you manage to search before you found me here?"

Quickly, he ticked off each one. "KROW, the Mansion, the shipping center, the Retirement Center… and we have to talk about that place later… the school, LuthorCorp proper and here."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "And you didn't use your super-speed? Clark, this must have taken forever!"

He looked at her and smiled. "Well, I won't say that I've gotten any sleep, but I did use my powers when I was absolutely positive that no one would see."

"Clark, to be honest, I didn't think you had this amount of logic in you, but this is fantastic!" She looked at the list and missed Clark's blush of pleasure. "So, there are only two more places to check out."

He nodded. "The foundry and the mill." He looked at her with worry and gnawed a little on his lip. "Do you think I should have started there first?"

Chloe looked at the list and map. She shrugged. "I don't know, Clark. You could have, but you wouldn't have had the shelter to check out the other things if you'd made the loop that way." She smiled ruefully. "And besides, don't you know that it's always the last place you look?"

He laughed, as he knew he was supposed to. "So, where should we go next?"

"Well, I don't think we should disrupt your method at this point. The foundry's closest, so let's go there." She looked at her attire in dismay. We may have to stop at my dad's place or a store where we could pick up some shoes for me."

Clark thought about it. "Well, I could always carry you…"

Chloe laughed. "But wouldn't that be too conspicuous?"

He thought about it. "Chlo, I think our cover's already blown. I'm going to super-speed us to the foundry anyway…"

"But then I wouldn't be able tohelp much there… It's not like you could fight with me in your arms… and if they've put anything on the floor in anticipation of my arrival, you wouldn't want to put me down anyway… I really don't want a 'Die Hard' situation here." She flinched a little at the imagined pain.

Clark nodded. "But going to your house would be too obvious and too long. Let's just whip into Fordman's and grab you a pair."

Chloe gasped in teasing surprise. "You'd steal a pair of shoes?"

"Of course not," came the instant response. "We'll grab the shoes and some socks and then leave money on the counter."

Chloe laughed. "Only you, Clark."

"I can't guarantee that they'll be fashionable choices, Chlo. I'm going to have to pick the first ones in your size…"

She rolled her eyes. "Clark…" she said warningly. "We're off to save the world. I don't have to look like I just came off the cover of a magazine…"

He smiled and opened his arms, which she willingly went into. "Hold on tight," he teased.

Chloe smiled and reveled in the feel of his arms around her again. "As if you'd let me fall…" she snarked, but they both knew the truth of that statement deep down in their bones. She just leaned her head against his shoulder as he sped away.

A/N: I cannot express how much your well-wishes and happy joy-joy comments regarding my writing is appreciated. While I would write anyway, this is just the icing on the top that makes me smile. Keep it up!

kezz: You know, I've considered submitting my work to see if I would be acceptable as a Smallville writer. That would be one of my dreams! Of course, I'd need to work faster… but I'd have people to work with… which might be a problem since they seem to have a problem sometimes with consistency… but yeah. One of my dreams is right! But no matter how much we beg, it probably won't happen. (I'm not trying to be pessimistic, but I can tell it's really going that way. ;D)

water-star: Season 5 is doing well, but I always seem to have my issues. Maybe that's because I'm nit-picky, but that's just me. Martha is, of course, fabulous. I won't ruin anything for you, but she gives a performance this season that really shows that she can reach in and rip out your heart if she so chooses. Lana & Clark… well, they're kinda' up in the air. We'll see how that goes. I'm looking forward to a huge break-up scene, but I probably won't get that… That would be too nice. And thank you, as always, for liking my work.

samiosam: Thanks ever so for the review. Clark… Well, it's going to take Clark a bit, but Chloe's strong and she knows what happened isn't necessarily his fault… but Clark's values wouldn't just let him accept her forgiveness without some atonement.

iluvsmallville1: You're always so complementary! How could I help but love you! ;D

markmark261: Can I just express how hard it was/is to write for two characters. That's why I'm enjoying "Sun Goddess" so much. Writing in first person forces me to focus only on the thoughts of one person. It's fantastic! As always, the proofing is much appreciated. It's such a relief to have someone else that notices those things! And I didn't want Clark to fly, number 1 because I wanted to give him a barrier, and number 2 because I felt that he would still be under the geis of his upbringing to not use his powers in public.