INFACT, Bart did get that Tylenol. Martha had followed Jonathon to the Medical Center and had left the two speedsters at home.
"Atlast." Bart said, popping the pill smoothly in to his mouth and quickly guzzling a glass of water. He wiped some off his lip and rudely burped.
Clark raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and sipped out of his talon coffee. He looked around the house and sighed. Thank goodness the fire hadn't touched the house. About 25 of the grass outside was burnt but Bart had already run to the store to get some grass seeds. They had already been watered, but it might be a while before they got their grass back.
"So, what're we having for dinner?" Clark asked.
Bart produced a bag of Enchiladas. "Straight from Mexico." He said truthfully. He was wasting no time in flaunting his abilities.
Clark shook his head, amused, and bit in to his meal.
"Mmmh," Bart said, licking meat sauce off his fingers.
Clark smiled. Bart slowly began to notice something. He waved at his mouth, gasping as tears began to run out of his mouth. He looked at the Enchilada. There was hot sauce dripping over the sides! He turned to Clark. "You wouldn't!" He said it mock anger.
"Wouldn't what?" Clark asked innocently.
Bart breathed deeply. He got some ice out of the freezer and a pitcher of water. He hastily made himself iced water and drank deeply.
"I'm gonna get you back for that!" Bart yelled playfully.
Clark smiled. "Catch me if you can."
Bart raised an eyebrow, and in an instant, they were gone.
PHILLIP watched the newscast, calmly sipping from a glass of Irish Cream and smoking a cigarette. He savored the rich, creamy taste for a moment and turned back to the six men before him.
They all stood awkwardly and scared, eyes down.
Phillip was a little amused for a second. Then he turned back serious. "Why exactly didn't you go after them?" He asked coolly.
They were silent for a moment.
Phillip instantly appeared before them and slapped one of them. The man stumbled back as blood ran down his cut lip. His eyes turned fiery for a moment before he remembered who he was dealing with. Then, his attitude turned back to passive.
"We thought they were dead." One of the pilots stupidly spoke up. "I assumed that- ''
"Don't tell me you don't know what happens when you assume, soldier."
The pilot cleared his throat. "I make an ass out of-?"
In a moment, a blow from Phillip sent him flying across the room and through the wooden wall. His body bounced with a thud on the other side and then his body lay still, motionless.
The soldiers were all immediately frightened.
"Any other volunteers?" Phillip asked.
They all swallowed and shook their heads.
"Good. Get out."
LANA was still watching. Jason lay motionless, breathing hard.
Lois and Chloe had left about two hours ago. Lana sighed. There was another knock on the door. "C'mon in." Lana said.
Clark entered. "Hey, Lana." He said awkwardly.
This brought a smile to her face.
"Hey, Clark." She said.
"Umm, Lois and Chloe told me about the accident."
"Yeah, like, The whole Talon is leveled."
"I passed by today. Their rebuilding it."
"Lex." Lana acknowledged. "He called me earlier."
"Are you o.k.?"
"A few bruises here and there, but hey, I'm glad I'm alive."
He forced a smile. Then he revealed a small paper bag.
"I ummm, brought you lunch."
THEY ate in the Medical Center's cafeteria. It was a welcoming change for Lana from the terrible hospital food. She eagerly devoured Martha's Chinese rice and Chicken wings, then wiped grease of her lips with a napkin. Clark gawked. Lana smiled uncomfortably.
"Don't act like you've never seen a girl eat before."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
"Oh, ummm, no problem. Thanks for bringing the food, Clark."
Clark nodded, pleased with himself, and bit in to a delicious piece of chicken.
"You know," Lana said between bites, "Your mom should have her own restaurant."
"I know. But I wouldn't want to share her cooking with anybody except for you." Clark said jokingly, but it came out quite another way to Lana.
"I really appreciate this, Clark." She said deeply.
Clark swallowed. "It was nothing."
Lana nodded thankfully.
"Do you want a drink?" Clark asked.
"Oh, sure. Thanks."
Clark nodded. He stood up and made his way to the soda machine. He slipped in $2 and took out two Mountain Dews. Then he made his way back to the table. He landed Lana her Mountain Dew.
She popped it open and gulped some down. "Ahhh!" She said when she was done.
Clark watched her, amused.
PHILLIP was sitting in the café' across the street from the hospital. There was a special bug in the girl's room. There must still be in the cafeteria. When tha hell would they get back to the room? Jesus Christ. Teenagers these days.
He sipped at his vanilla latte and wiped a milk moustache off his upper lip. Then he burped. He removed the earpiece and set it down on the table. This was proving to be pointless. He slammed his fist down again, almost breaking the coffee table in the process. This whole goddamned day was turning in to shit. All of it. The kid had gotten his abilities back. Godamit, this WHOLE plan was turning to shit.
"Hey, Rafferty." Phillip turned to the limo that had just pulled up on the curb. Lex Luthor sat inside, calmly sipping a bottle of Powerade. "Let's have a little talk."
Phillip smiled. "Very well." He backed up so Lex could come out. Together, they walked in to the café and dropped in to seats across from each other. A slim, beautiful young woman walked up to the table.
"Can I take your order?" Lois Lane asked, looking at her pad.
Lex was surprised. "Lois?"
Lois looked up, startled. "Oh," She said dryly, "It's you."
"What are you doing here?" Lex asked, ignoring the obvious distaste in her voice.
"What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Are you always this welcoming to your guests?"
"You're not my guest. You simply want something to drink so I'm here. Get on with it then, Luthor."
Lex nodded. "So courteous you are, Ms. Lane. I'll be sure to mention yours hospitality to the owner."
"Whatever."
"I'm sensing enemnity." Phillip commented.
"Good for you." Lois quipped. She took out a pen. "Now, let me take your order." She smiled sweetly.
"O.k.," Phillip said looking down at the menu, " I'll have a meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, and Hawaiian pancakes."
Lois wrote down the order. She turned to Lex.
Lex smiled. There was silence for a moment.
Lois was pissed off. "Listen, Luthor, Unlike the other pricks around Smallville I really don't give a hot damn that your daddy's a millionaire. Either order, or I'm walking away, understand me?"
Lex smiled. "How did we get off on such a bad foot, Lois?"
"Ms. Lane to you." Lois snapped.
"Ms. Lane? Must we really be so formal?"
"Listen here. We're not buddies, nothing, never going to be. Never have been. So give me your order, or I'll-''
"You'll what?"
Lois groaned. "Whatever. Let's make this easy, Luthor. Give me your order or I'm moving on."
Lex smiled in a flirting manner. "What if I don't want you to move on?"
"What if I really couldn't care less?"
"Alright, Lois, I'll-''
"Ms. Lane, Luthor."
"Very well. Ms. Lane. I'll have a French Vanilla coffee, French toast, and Scrambled eggs. Happy now?" Lois was gone before he could finish his sentence.
Phillip snickered. "Quite a way you have with the ladies, Lex."
"I know, I got it from my father."
"BYE, Lana." Clark said for the last time.
Lana waved at him. "Thanks for coming, Clark. I really enjoyed myself."
"I enjoyed myself too."
Lana nodded. "Bye." And she entered the room and closed the door behind her. Then she leaned back against it, thinking. Clark smiled. Then he made his way off the floor and down two more flights, to where his dad was. Jonathon and Martha were inside, watching a Shark's game.
"Hey, Dad." Clark said entering.
"Hey, son." Jonathon forced a smile.
"How're you doing?' Clark asked, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Oh, I'm great. I can finally move my legs now."
"Great. Who's winning?"
"I don't know," Martha said, "But I'm glad your father has someone else to watch the game with." She kissed Jonathon's cheek and headed out, clapping Clark's shoulder. "I'm going to the cafeteria."
Jonathon and Clark shared a warm smile. They knew how much Martha hated football and it had taken a while before she had finally come around to letting Clark play on his High School Football team.
"So, where's Bart?" Jonathon asked.
"Oh, he's somewhere in Kansas." Clark said truthfully.
Jonathon nodded his head, amused. "I'm assuming he spared little time in using his abilities?"
"No time at all, dad."
Clark grabbed a chair and sat down beside the bed.
"How're the Sharks doing?" Clark asked.
"Oh, they're leading by two touchdowns."
"Really?" Clark stood up happily. "I thought they were going to lose this one!"
"So did I." Jonathon chuckled.
"Oh!" Clark said, bringing out a bottle of Orange Soda. He handed it to Jonathon.
Jonathon rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Clark. I asked for a beer!"
"You know what Mom said." Clark replied, "If she even knew I was giving you this, she'd have my head!"
Jonathon nodded. "Thanks, son."
Clark opened the cap and handed Jonathon the bottle. Jonathon eagerly gulped it down. He sighed happily, then handed the bottle to Clark. Clark went down the hall and dumped the bottle. It wouldn't do to keep proof lying around. After that, he headed back in.
"YOU really, really screwed up, Rafferty." Lex said.
"I know, Mr. Luthor." Rafferty admitted.
"And you tried to kill them! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I didn't try to kill them. The little bastard resisted. You said if anyone got in the way, to kill them."
"No, I said to eliminate the threat, not the person."
"It's kind of hard to do the first without doing the latter."
"Yes, but I paid you extra for that."
"I know, Mr. Luthor. And I'm sorry for that."
"Sorry? Now the kid knows we're after him. And sorry is all you can say?"
"There was really nothing I could do, Mr. Luthor."
Lex shook his head and bit in to his eggs. Phillip watched him nervously.
"Pass the salt." Lex said. Phillip handed it to him and he tapped some lightly in to his food. Then, he bit in to his eggs again.
"Are my services still required, Mr. Luthor?"
"Yes, unfortunately. I need you."
Phillip sighed gladly.
"I'm only letting you away with this one screw up, Phillip. You understand me?"
"Yes, sir."
"And you really messed up the farm, you know?"
"Yes, sir, but it was….." He couldn't tell Lex that Clark had been responsible for the farm fire just yet. He needed to have an upper hand. He had his secrets to keep. He would let Lex Luthor know when he thought it was the right time.
"But?"
"But nothing, sir."
"O.k., Phillip. I don't want this publicized. I want your men all over Smallville looking for Bart Allen. I'll check out the Kent Farm by myself tomorrow."
"Yes, sir."
"Were there any casualties?"
Phillip couldn't talk about his robots either. "No, sir. Some pilots were injured, but nothing big."
"Assuming-and I'm assuming because you don't strike me as very bright- that the pilots were in the plane, how tha hell were they injured?"
"The Bart kid, sir."
"Ahhh, I see."
Phillip sipped his drink nervously.
"This," Lex said, "Is a full scale investigation."
Phillip nodded understandingly. "Yes, sir."
"I don't want anybody to find out about this."
"Yes, sir."
"If there's a leak, I want it plugged."
"Yes, sir."
"If anybody looks like they're about to let it slip, getting rid of them."
"Yes-''
"And stop saying Yes, sir."
With that, Lex was out of his seat and the café. His limo driver opened the door for him and he dropped in to the back seat. The driver made his way to the front of started the ignition. Lex stared at Phillip before his car zoomed off."
Phillip watched him go, then made his way in to an alley. He looked around to make sure no one was watching, then he zipped off.
LOIS had gone after the 2 to remind them they had forgotten the tip, even though it wasn't mandatory. She dropped the mugs that were in her hands as she witnessed the man super speed away. "Mother of God." She breathed out.