The door to the Talon opened about an hour later. Rhone could tell that it was a man and a woman by their footsteps. She continued to help Chloe on a specific problem that she had.
Clark stood up, "Hey, Mom, Dad,"
"We figured you could use a ride home, it's almost time for dinner," the man said.
"We don't want to rush you though, we know that chemistry is giving you a hard time," the woman said softly.
"Actually," Clark said, "we're done." A surprised look crossed their faces. "Yeah," he continued with a smile, "we lucked out, a chemist came in for some water and saved us."
"Came in for some H20 and saved you," Rhone corrected. She smiled brightly as she stood to meet the two new comers.
Clark introduced them, "Rhone Chade, this is my Mom and Dad."
Rhone turned to the woman and held out her hand and when taken she said, "It's great to meet you, Mom." She then turned to Jonathon and did the same, addressing him as Dad. She continued, "It is excellent that you take such an active role in Clark's education. He is one of the most well-mannered boys I have ever met."
They both smiled at her. Clark noticed that they didn't correct her when she called them Mom and Dad. She was just one of those people. Chloe and Pete started to clean up their study supplies.
"We appreciate you helping Clark with his chemistry," Martha said with a smile.
"It was a pleasure," she responded, maintaining her smile. She turned to Clark and added, "If you need anymore help with anything, I'll be around for a little while."
"Is there a way for us to get in contact with you?" Clark asked. He realized how odd that sounded
Jonathon added, "We would like to have you for dinner, as a thank you for helping Clark."
"That's unnecessary, I enjoyed helping," Rhone said.
"We wouldn't feel right if you didn't," Martha prodded.
Rhone pulled a card out of one of her cargo pockets and handed it to Clark. It simply said "Rhone Chade" and a cell phone number. "I'm staying at the Smallville Hotel. However, I don't know if I will be able to take you up on your generous offer," Rhone said, "I plan on working the two weeks that I'll be here."
Before either Jonathon or Martha could ask about her reason for being in Smallville, Clark rushed them out. He didn't want his dad to start one of his speeches about Lex or Luthor Corp. Over his shoulder Jonathon asked if Rhone needed a ride to her hotel.
"I have a ride. Thanks, Dad," she held up her skateboard smiling. She called good-bye to them and told them it was nice to meet them. Rhone turned to the three people still left in the Talon, "I must be going, I -- abandoned my co-workers earlier today. It was nice meeting you. I hope to see you around."
There was a chorus of thank yous and goodbyes. Rhone waved and walked out the door. She waived to the Kents one last time as they got into their truck and jumped on her skateboard to head back to the hotel.
"Well, she seems like a nice girl," Martha said with a smile.
Jonathon nodded in agreement as he turned the truck onto the long road that lead to their farm.
"Listen," Clark started. "There is something weird about her," he finished reluctantly.
"What do you mean, Son?" Jonathon asked.
"Well when I looked at her with my X-ray vision, I didn't see through her. It was like she was -- solid," Clark said.
"Are you sure?" Martha asked.
"And that tube she caries around," Clark started.
"The artists' tube?" Martha clarified.
"Yeah, she didn't take it off the whole time she was there. When I used my X-ray ability on that, it was like a machine inside. I couldn't really tell, but there was something else in there too," Clark was thinking about it.
"Not art supplies?" Jonathon inquired.
"No," Clark replied with a half smile.
"Let's just play it by ear for now," Martha offered. She had good feelings about the young woman. Both Jonathon and Clark nodded in agreement.
Rhone ollied up the step to the hotel kicked up her skateboard and walked in. The man behind the desk was on the phone but they smiled and waved to one another. She rode the elevator to the third floor and locked herself in her room. She closed the blinds and started searching everything. It was a habit she picked up in the military, she couldn't help it. She had to search for surveillance objects in an unfamiliar environment where her defenses would be temporarily lowered.
When she was satisfied that the room was safe, she changed into the training outfit she brought. It was beige, not unlike a karate uniform. She sat cross-legged on the floor, slowed her breathing and heart rate. She began to meditate in the way she had learned. Three hours later, she returned her breathing and heart rate to normal and was ready for a new day.
It was 11:00 pm. She didn't have to look at the clock, she just knew. She just knew a lot of things, things she shouldn't know. She knew weirder things than the time. Sometimes she would see things before they happened, it had saved her ass in the field and in combat more than once. And that wasn't the oddest thing that she could tell people, but she never would. Only one person knew the whole truth, the most trusted. None of her men knew, not even Griffin.
"Enough," she said to herself. She grabbed her artist's tube, walked to the window, opened it, and took out the screen. She peered down at the three stories to the ground and at the smooth wall that lead there. Using her magnified night vision, she checked to make sure that no one was watching and jumped out the window.
Lex looked at the wristwatch his mother had given him. It was getting late, but should he bother to try and sleep? He leaned back and looked at his computer monitor. He got up and thought about playing a game of pool but changed his mind; he was tired. He walked through the silent castle slowly, looking at things that he didn't know he had. That sort of thing happens when you live in a castle.
He reached his room and shut the door behind him. He peeled off his cloths and after glancing at his bed, put on a pair of silk black boxer shorts. After brushing his teeth he stepped out of his bathroom but caught movement outside of one of his windows. He quickly walked over too it, but saw nothing. He realized that he must be more tired than he thought; he was on the second floor. Things don't just fly by. He checked to make sure his windows were locked, just in case, and slid between the black Egyptian cotton sheets of his bed.