Smallville Virtual (TC) Season Episode 7 – Undertow

"Take heed, all you seamen!" The seagulls cry 'Beware!",

"Set course at your peril, you strong and you brave!

The mermaid is singing, her song of despair!"

- From the margin of a ships log belonging to Captain Nathaniel O. Queen, out of Boston, 1834.

Lori closed the door to her hotel suite behind her with a sigh. It was dark in the room, and Lori could hear the sound of the cars passing on the street below. It was inspiring, and she walked to where her guitar waited, to play a little and think before turning in. Clark Kent and his wonderful farm filled her mind, wonderful thoughts of sunset over the fields and fields of burnished golden corn. Lori had stopped herself from reading his thoughts – she wasn't ready to destroy the illusion of normalcy yet. Plus, there was a large measure of joy just in allowing Clark to slowly reveal himself to her on his own. Seeing Clark in her mind, Lori smiled, hugging her arms around herself. Getting to know him would be a wonderful surprise, just as meeting him had been. Oliver, once again, facilitated a miracle. And it was all happening so fast, Lori could barely catch her breath. It was the stuff of legends, she thought, until a harsh laugh reminded her that she was definitely not alone.

"Have a nice night with the hayseed?" Callista's voice was brutal in the serene darkness. "You aren't fooling anyone, you know."

"I'm not trying to fool anyone." Lori replied, focusing on Callista's shadowy form. "Who made you my conscience? Lex Luthor's smell is still in this room."

"Damage control." Callista turned the light on next to the couch. "Luthor thinks he knows about us, someone planted a camera in the pool area. He's been redirected for the time being, but we aren't going to be able to stay in Metropolis much longer." The dark haired girl softened. "You KNOW who made me do this, Lori. Your mother was very specific."

"We're being too obvious." Lori said, shaking her head. "We have to keep a lower profile."

"Find another hotel with a saline pool, Lorelai, and avoid interviews with nosy humans." Callista retorted, running her hands through her short spiky hair. "Luthor can dig all he wants. When he hits water, he'll stop. I'll make sure of that."

Chloe frowned as she rewound her recorder. After a moment, she hit play, and the voices of Lori and her friends wrapped themselves around her. Working on the interview at Lois' kitchen table, Chloe welcomed the quiet. She did her best thinking alone and felt almost homesick for the primitive confines of the Talon office at Smallville High. There was something she was missing, Chloe thought, raising the volume on her recorder. The voices of the girls in the band were typical female voices, nothing unusual, until Chloe heard what she was listening for. Quickly, she slowed the recorder and then raised the volume. She remembered the moment, because she heard her own voice, laughing a little at the previous comments. It was the bassist that had spoken, a sharp, threatening bark of a syllable that Chloe could not identify. "Has to be nothing." Chloe said aloud, as Lois and Lana came through the door.

"What's nothing?" Lois asked, dropping her bag and keys on the table. Chloe shut off her recorder and shook her head.

"Nothing, just something for an interview I'm working on. How was the play?" She asked, and Lois shrugged. Lana had waved briefly and made her way into the bathroom. The sound of the running water made Chloe think first of Oliver, but then of Morgaine's gurgling laugh. An epiphany taunted Chloe on the edge of her awareness, but it slipped away again, leaving her instead with the image of Oliver and his pride over the new bull calf at the Kents, as if he'd actually given birth to the little creature.

"It was good. I could kill Lucy. She called halfway through the first act and I couldn't get her off the phone until intermission." Lois slid into the chair next to Chloe and looked at her notes. "Syren, huh? I have their cd. You got to interview them today?"

"Um yeah." Chloe bit her lip. "Do you have the cd here? I left my copy in Metropolis."

"Sure." Lois got up again and plucked the jewel case from the shelf. Chloe took it and opened the case, pulling out the liner notes, studying them carefully. "What are you looking for?

"I don't know." Chloe frowned. "I mean, I'll know when I find it. Lois, what do you know about mermaids?"

"Mermaids?" Lois blinked in surprise. "What does anyone know about them? They're just pretty fairy tale characters that sing and fall in love with princes they can't have."

"They lured sailors to their death on sharp rocks with their singing." Lana's voice from the bathroom door made both Chloe and Lois look up. It was obvious she'd been crying. "They could grant wishes and were magical, why?" Distracted from whatever was making her miserable, Lana walked to the table and sat down with her friends.

"This band, Syren. They have a whole mermaid thing going on, part of their whole theme and yet when I went to their show, the audience was mostly female." Chloe looked up. "I'm writing the interview for The Planet, and I'm looking for a hook."

"How about that there isn't an ugly one in the group. I hate show business." Lois looked at the picture on the cd case. "They're all gorgeous."

"All the more reason why I'd have thought more guys would have been there. Their lyrics aren't radically feminist, either. But there were four women for every one guy in the audience the other night." Chloe shrugged, laughing at herself. "I mean, it's not like they're REALLY mermaids, right?" But something clicked into place, and Chloe looked at her watch. Nearly midnight. Clark would still be up. "I have to go."

"Yeah, me too." Lana had risen as well, her face dark and troubled. "Drop me at Lex's?"

"Sure. I'll be back later, Lois." Chloe gestured to the table. "Just leave everything right where it is."

"I'm going to bed." Lois stretched, getting up out of her chair. "Gonna dream of witches and mermaids."

Clark was up in the barn loft, getting ready to get some sleep. He had no great desire to be in the house, even though it was empty. Thinking of Chloe with Oliver was not the easiest thing to do, now that Lori had gone back to Metropolis, Clark sighed, rolling onto his side, thumping the pillow hard. Things didn't need to be this complicated, Clark groaned to himself, closing his eyes. When Lori was around, though, Clark had a very hard time thinking of anything else, and even now he could perfectly visualize her face and hear her voice. There was something about her, Clark smiled, and he was willing to find out what that could be. The house was empty now because Oliver had been called to Metropolis; a potential deal was threatening to fall apart and needed his immediate attention. That had been quite a while ago, but Clark was very surprised to hear a car pull into the yard. He stood up, and looked out the loft window. Chloe stood there, looking up the barn. She was pooled in moonlight, and when she saw him, she waved. Clark always thought of Chloe as pretty, but now, there was something about her, something he had to struggle to define. In the moonlight, looking up at him, Chloe was nearly impossible to resist.

"I'll be right down." Clark said, and Chloe smiled, nodding. She cast a cautious look toward the house, and Clark found himself surprised that Oliver hadn't told her he had gone to Metropolis. The urge to grab her up had vanished with that little unconscious gesture on her part, reminding Clark of her decision. In less than a second, Clark was next to Chloe in the yard. "He's in Metropolis, Chloe."

"Clark." Chloe ignored his comment about Oliver. "How do you feel right now?"

"Fine." He frowned. "Why?"

"Do you feel infatuated, or anything? Any thoughts of Lori?" Chloe peered up into his face searchingly. "Can't stop thinking about her, wanting to kill yourself getting to her?"

"Chloe, what's going on? You were the one that said we were just friends…" He put his hands on her shoulders. "You and Oliver…."

"Not the point." Chloe bit her lip, looking into Clark's eyes. "Answer me."

"About Lori?" Clark asked shyly, and Chloe nodded. "I like her, yes. But I'm not…"

"This isn't eighth grade, Clark, so I'll interpret that as stronger than it sounds." Chloe shook her head, ignoring the unwelcome sting his lukewarm admission caused. "I have a theory."

"Okay." Clark took his hands from her and folded his arms. "What is it?"

"Mermaids." Chloe began, and then paused, waiting for Clark to argue or laugh at her. When he didn't, she continued. "I think you are bewitched or bedazzled, or whatever they do. I think Lori and her whole band are mermaids."

"You think Lori is a mermaid." Clark nodded, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Chloe…"

"I can't believe this." Chloe scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Skepticism from Zaphod Beeblebrox. Wonderful."

Chastened, Clark sighed, regretting ever buying Chloe "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" for her last birthday. "Chloe, it's kind of a wild theory. What proof do you have?"

"None, well, nothing concrete, but Clark, the audience was full of women, no men. I feel strange around them, like I can do anything, everything is fun and everything that mattered before is no big deal. It's like they are sending out a different vibe – empowering women, but they can still enchant men." Chloe looked down. "Except Oliver."

"What?" Clark asked, and Chloe looked up. "What about Oliver?"

"They didn't enchant him. " She bit her lip, thinking.

"No, I think you did a good enough job of that on your own." Clark laughed, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "Maybe you're the mermaid, Chloe." Her hair was soft and silky, and Clark found himself not wanting to stop touching it.

Chloe smiled, pushing his hands away. "Mock me at your peril, Kent. The more I think of it, the more I'm sure I'm right. Wait. Maybe that's it.' She eyed Clark thoughtfully. "Oliver is enchanted with me, you say?"

"Hello..?" Clark laughed. "Were you here today, Chloe?" Feeling embarrassed, he closed his eyes. "Oliver's got it pretty bad."

"You noticed that, huh?" Chloe smiled, teasing. She thought about that for a moment. "What if they lose their ability to enchant someone if their victim has feelings for someone else?"

"Oliver said he and Lori never were an item. He said that he met her when she was young. He'd been in a boat wreck and she'd saved him, jumped off a friend's yacht or something to do it. Maybe she was fifteen or sixteen." Clark told her. He leaned against her car, thinking. "Kind of a mermaid thing to do, though. Saving someone from drowning."

"Right. I was actually thinking it was like you and Lex." Chloe replied. "Except she didn't jump from a friends boat. She was already in the water. God! Oliver, you are a stinker. What a crappy lie."

"Actually." Clark was smiling, making a simple defense of his new friend to his oldest friend with one sentence. "How many crappy lies have you told for me?"

Chloe's cell phone rang before she could answer Clark, but she gave him a remorseful smile. "Hello?"

"Hey Goldilocks, what are you still doing up?" Oliver's voice made Chloe smile wider. "I was planning to ask you if you were dreaming about me."

"Ha." Chloe said, rolling her eyes. "I was talking about you."

"Hmm." Oliver grunted. "Really?"

'Yes, really. Where are you? Clark said you're not here." Chloe asked, and Oliver laughed.

"Oh, man. I hear about things like this all the time and now I'm not around when it happens to me." He groaned mock tragically and Chloe laughed too. "Had a deal almost fall through, had to come up to Metropolis and work it out. I'm on my way back now. Don't be there when I get back, though. Go home."

"Home?" Chloe looked over her shoulder at Clark. "Why?"

"I won't be responsible for what happens to you when I get there. I am only human, you know." Oliver teased. "Besides, it's late."

"I just came by to talk to Clark about something…" Chloe hesitated, wondering if she should ask Oliver, and then decided she would. "About Lori."

"Ah," Chloe heard his tone change, and wished she hadn't said anything at all. "Lori."

"Oliver, it's not what you are thinking…" Chloe began, and Oliver sighed, fatigued.

"No, the deal I had to go back and handle…was about Lori." Oliver looked at the clock in his rental car. "I'm an hour and a half from Smallville. Sit tight with Clark. I want to talk to you both about this." Mercurially, Oliver's tone changed again a comical predatory growl that Chloe couldn't help but laugh at. "So, what ARE you wearing?"

"Oliver…" Chloe grinned. "See you later." She hung up, and caught Clark trying to not eavesdrop. Realizing he'd been caught, Clark straightened up and did his best imitation of Jonathan Kent.

"Chloe, about Oliver…do you really think it's right for him to talk to you that way?" Clark asked, his courage wavering as she fixed him with a hard glare. He swallowed. "Sorry."

"Yes, you should be." Chloe grinned. "Eavesdropping. How rude." Seeing Clark looking uncomfortable was very, very satisfying, Chloe thought. I should have found a boyfriend a long time ago.

"So, um, Oliver wants to talk to us about Lori?" Clark asked. Since he'd been caught, there was no sense hiding what he'd heard. "Is she okay?"

"He said it was a business deal. But you could call her. I can't listen in…" Chloe laughed, biting her lip. She stooped down to pet Shelby, who'd ambled out and sat beside her. "Shelby and I will go visit Oliver's calf."

"Lex!" Lana burst into the study, after seeing the lights on from outside. She looked around the room, and stopped, placing her hands on her hips as Lex emerged from his wine cellar holding a bottle. He smiled warmly, but there was a warning in his voice.

"Well, all that time spent with Clark did rub off a little. You sounded just like him." Lex said, brushing Lana's cheek with a kiss. When she didn't lean into his kiss, Lex stood back, looking surprised. "What did I do now? I promise, I've taken a sabbatical from crushing the economies of third world countries, I don't have the smallest urge to kick any puppies, and I might even help an old lady across the street tomorrow." He walked to the bar and set the bottle down, occupying himself with finding a corkscrew.

"I saw you." Lana said, her words coming in gasps. "I saw you with that woman in the hotel bar tonight."

"What were you doing at the Metropolis Grand?" Lex asked neutrally. "Oh, that's right, girls night out with Lois. How was the play?"

'I don't know, Lex. I didn't really pay attention." Lana retorted, her foot tapping on the floor. "Who was she?"

"She? Oh, you mean Callista?" Lex's tone recalled his father, and it made him wince inside. "Lana." He set the corkscrew down and walked to her, his hands in his pockets. "She's in a band, and I was talking to her about getting her group better management and a contract with a larger record label. There was nothing going on, I promise." But there could be, Lex recognized Zod's voice, dripping sarcasm and bitterness. Such an exotic specimen and so willing..

"Right." Lana nodded, her anger plain in her eyes. "And you were so involved that you didn't hear your phone ring?"

"My phone was on silent. I always put it on silent during meetings." Lex took her hands in his. "Lana? You can't think I'd be interested in anyone else?" Indeed. Zod crooned in Lex's mind, When you are so demanding and insubordinate?

"I know what I saw." Lana looked up at him, curiously. "I'm starting to trust what I see, Lex. It doesn't lie to me."

"After what we have been through together, Lana? I'd never play with your emotions that way." Kill you, maybe, Lex heard Zod's voice say, whispering in his brain. Kill you and then watch your blood drain from your body. "I love you."

"Love me." Lana repeated, seeming to lose her balance. She blinked twice, and then shook her head. "That's the first time you've said it, and I know I should be glad to hear it, Lex, but I have to wonder."

Smart girl…intuition serves her well..Zod said, but Lex pushed the words away just before he could speak them out loud. "Lana. I promise. If it ever comes to us parting ways, it won't be because I've treated you dishonorably." Fool, get a spine. And suddenly, Lex wondered if it wasn't Lionel's voice he had been hearing all along, and not that of the Kryptonian general. It was Lana's reluctant smile that brought him back to himself. "I only hope you can return my feelings one day."

"Lex." Lana sniffed, wiping her eyes. "Of course I love you."

All the same, women. Lex's worst fears were realized as Lionel and Zod's voices combined to create a new voice, the one that would forever replace the bored, elegant drawl of his father, and the coarse, primal speech of Zod. Feed them pretty lines and diamond earrings and they will believe whatever you say. This new voice said, and to Lex's horror it was his own. He pulled Lana to him and hugged her, his heart pounding. He had not said them aloud, but there was no denying he'd thought that, felt that.

"Lex?" Lana asked, looking up at him. "Are you okay?"

"Never better." He smiled, closing his eyes as she rested her head against his chest again. A small, interesting tid-bit of his conversation with Callista floated back to him as he soothed Lana back into the state of calm pleasantness he most appreciated in her. The lead singer, Lori, a stunning red-head, had been seen in the company of one Clark Kent. Clark always had good taste in girls, Lex thought, brushing Lana's eyelids with his lips. But he had opened this chess game aggressively, and now it would be Clark's move.

Oliver pulled into the Kent's yard and saw Chloe and Clark sitting on the porch in the moonlight, talking. Smiling, he saw Chloe laugh at something Clark said, and then realized that Clark was on the phone. Lori. Oliver had long known about Lori's curious effect on people. With little or no effort, she could endear herself to anyone, male or female. If she turned on the charm, men would throw themselves at her feet and women would despise her, but Lori had managed in a very short amount of time to get that under control. The other girls in the band, Syren had also done the same thing, except for Callista. It was because of Callista that Oliver had gone to Metropolis. Several security cameras had been vandalized, jeopardizing the band's place at the Metropolis Grand, as well as a most unwelcome offer to buy the small record label Ollie owned from an anonymous buyer. Most interestingly enough, Oliver had learned that Callista and Lex Luthor had been drinking buddies for the evening. Getting out of the car, Oliver greeted Shelby, and held a hand out to Chloe, who was coming toward him with a smile.

"Oliver." She said sleepily, falling gently against him, allowing him to embrace her. God bless human women, Oliver thought feeling her breathe in his arms. There was definitely something to be said for plain old feminine allure.

"Goldilocks." Oliver kissed the top of Chloe's head. "You're tired. You shouldn't have stayed."

"You asked me to." Chloe looked up. "Clark's talking to Lori now."

"Oh, good." Oliver nodded, yawning himself. "It was band trouble."

"Oh," Chloe said, nodding. She perked up and smiled. "Mermaid trouble."

"What?" Oliver sputtered. "Come on, Chloe…"

"It's true." Her eyes widened, and Chloe shook her head. "Wow, remind me to ask you more questions. You're too easy."

"I didn't say you were right." Oliver said, but he knew he'd been caught. "How long have you known?"

"Tonight, when I was trying to piece together my interview it came to me." Chloe pouted a little. "Sorry, Oliver. I'm best friends with an alien, and I'm a reporter. Did you think it was going to get past me?"

"I was trying so hard to distract you." Oliver kissed her over her protests. "He's on the phone, Chloe. Not paying attention.." The words were spoken softly, his lips barely leaving hers to say them, and Chloe melted against him, smiling. "Distraction is so nice…"

"You're evil, Oliver." Chloe whispered, and Oliver nodded, their faces still close enough to touch.

"Only with you, Goldilocks…"Oliver laughed, pulling her closer. "To the rest of the world, I'm a hero."

Otis replaced the security cameras, whistling in the tuneless way that always denoted his excitement. Being a security guard at the Metropolis Grand had not been his idea; it had been Mr. Luthor's. Four years ago, when Mr. Lionel Luthor had fired almost everyone from the Smallville Luthorcorp plant, young Mr. Luthor had found Otis, promised him work here and there, and eventually helped him get the job at the Metropolis Grand. All the same, Otis thought, tightening the last screw on the camera bracket, it was a great set up. He could find out information on any of the hotel guests if needed, like now. Putting cameras in the less popular saline pool here at the Grand had been his idea. When the first one was destroyed, the head of hotel security had called Otis personally to put in the new ones, authorizing a sleeker, more unobtrusive model.

"There. All done." Otis got down from the ladder and wiped his hands on his neatly pressed uniform pants. Closing the ladder, he took the camera remote from his pocket and turned it on, adjusting the angle until it faced the pool. "Now we just wait for the next Kodak moment." Otis put the remote in his pocket and smiled. Whistling again, he nodded pleasantly to the young woman who had just entered the pool area. "Evening, miss."

"Hello." She was wearing a soft looking robe and a very shy expression. "Is it okay if I use the pool?" Her long dark hair reminded Otis of melted chocolate, and her eyes were wide and soft grey.

"Oh, go ahead, don't mind me.." Otis assured her, picking up the folded ladder. "I'm just going."

"Thank you." She smiled, and Otis felt his heart start to race. "You don't have to rush on my account." She opened her robe, revealing a figure that Otis could not take his eyes from, all the 'naughty bits' as his mother used to call them, covered in an almost modest green bikini. "I don't mind the company." The robe dropped to a nearby chaise lounge.

"Ummm." Otis blushed, feeling the woman's eyes travelling over him. "You visiting Metropolis?"

"Yes." She nodded, her face innocent. "Are you a security guard?"

"I am." Otis puffed up importantly, and the girl smiled, her dark lashes slowly opening and closing over her sparkling grey eyes.

"I love men in uniform," she read his name badge. "Otis. My name is Rowan."

"Rowan…"Otis murmured, watching her lips move. "Beautiful."

"Thank you, Otis." Rowan flicked her eyes up to the expensive new cameras. "Please shut those off. I'm shy."

"Oh, I can't…I could lose my job…you wouldn't want that, would you?" Otis asked, even as his hand closed around the remote control in his pocket. "If you wanted to go out with me, I'd have no way to…."

"Oh, please? It's so late, and no one would know…" Rowan reached out and ran a finger over Otis barrel chest. "Please?"

"Okay.." Otis took the remote from his pocket and powered down the cameras. "Now, when can I see you again?" Otis rubbed his eyes. Never in his life had a woman this beautiful even given him the time of day. But here she was, Rowan, and Otis hung on her every word.

"Tomorrow night?" Rowan smiled warmly, invitingly. "Same time? I'll feel so safe if you were here."

"Right, right. Tomorrow." Otis nodded, moving toward the door. Another young woman entered, her eyes the same gleaming grey, but her hair was shocking purple, and cascaded almost to her waist. She boldly grinned at him, stepping aside as he blundered through the door. "Hello, miss.."

"Hello, Otis." Morgaine replied. "I see you've met my sister."

"Your sister." Otis dropped the ladder with a loud thud, directly on his foot. Ignoring the pain, he stared at her, stammering. "Your father must have gone crazy, trying to keep the guys away."

Morgaine laughed. "Something like that. Otis, if I asked you for the key to this pool, what would you do?" She moved against him, looping one arm around his neck. "So my sister and I could swim completely undisturbed. You understand, don't you?"

He handed her the key. "I understand, Miss. Otis is an understanding guy…"

"Good." Morgaine brushed his cheek with a kiss, pressing her breasts against him, cooing as gently as a dove. "I don't want to keep you, Otis. You have so many other very important things to do, I'm sure."

Otis straightened, a self-important smile stretching across his chubby face. "Right, very important things." He took a step back and picked up the ladder. "Gotta go patrol the hotel gardens. Very important."

"Good." Morgaine folded her arms across her chest, as Rowan watched giggling from the doorway. "Oh, and Otis?"

"Yes, miss?" Otis turned, nearly dropping the ladder again. Her face was expressionless, except for the charming hint of a smile lurking in the corner of her mouth.

"Get that foot checked out right away. I'm sure it's broken." Turning, and favoring him with a clear view of her perfect rear, Morgaine walked away with a casual wave. 'Goodnight, Otis.."

"Night, miss." Otis stumbled down the corridor, struggling with the ladder as his foot began to throb in pain.

"Oh 'Gaine…you are soo bad." Rowan laughed, covering her mouth. "Should I call the others?"

"Hey, we promised Ollie no more funny business with the cameras. He didn't say the security guards were off limits. As long as they're all male, we're fine." Morgaine pulled off the black t-shirt she'd thrown over her bathing suit and dove into the pool. She came back to the surface, smoothing back her long purple hair. "Call the others. We all need a swim before bed." She turned and dove under again, flipping a smooth, dolphin like tail in the air, sending sprinkles of water behind her. Another small camera whirred and clicked in the potted palms as Rowan finished speaking on the house phone and dove into the pool herself. The images were immediately transmitted to Lex Luthor's e-mail, and there they awaited his perusal in the morning. Lex had known what he was doing when he hired Otis, after all.

"Shining Atlantis! What wonders you hold!

Be brave, me hearties, be wise and be bold!

The mermaid is singing of treasures untold…" - carved into a piece of ivory, found in the collection of Lionel Luthor. The reverse shows a mermaid, brushing her hair.