SMALLVILLE-"FEAR"
Writer's Note: While I'm not yet finished the next act to my story "Flux", I still wanted to post something to mark the 20th Anniversary of Smallville. The following story was written as the 7th 'episode' of a 22 episode alternate Season 8 fanfic season on Kryptonsite that was started shortly after "Arctic" aired. Some of it therefore predated the airing of Season 8. The original idea for "Fear" was started in 2008 by yaseen101 but had been left unfinished. Looking back, it was hard to tell where exactly he was going with it, so we decided to redo the story, with some basic elements as the same, and other scenes and ideas being drastically different.
The story is written by me in 2010 based on discussions I had with sil3nt, one of our other writers in 2009 (we did a story outline). Elements of the new plot are vaguely inspired by the Justice League episode, "Only A Dream".
Since this had to be rewritten and finished after our Season 8 fanfic had ended, there is in-joke references and parallels to the real Season 8. The internal continuity to our Season 8 Fanfic has not been retconned. It was my idea to delay Clark's intro to Daily Planet. My 'co-showrunner' SuperShazam! had introduced John Corben as Lois partner in his 2008 stories well before the real Smallville had in Season 9. This story references his apparent death and Lois return to the basement as the indirect fallout from that event.
I only wrote or co-wrote 7 of the 22 stories in that alternate Season 8, so I would feel weird about posting all of them here. This is one of personal favorites of any I wrote (there were some stinkers too!). If you enjoy this and would like to read stories for the rest of the Season 8 fanfic (especially those stories not written by me), DM me
TEASER
FADE IN
John felt disorientated and woozy. Flashes of images bombarded him. The image of a door—a scientist in a white lab coat-an oddly shaped machine. The scientist's words seemed to echo and almost ring in his ears. "John, I'm ready to take the experiment to the next level." Time seemed to jump again as John was enveloped in bright green currents of energy-he felt paralyzed. The next moment, it was like his nerves were on fire, as an energy surge pulsated through his body. He awoke, confused, in a cold sweat, screaming out.
A Good Samaritan, an off-duty doctor rushed into the dark, dank alley as he heard John's screams—wearing a blue hoodie over his lighter blue scrubs. Briefly noting the man's weather-beatened face and orange jumpsuit, the doctor knew the man was not supposed to be there, but he had to help nonetheless. "Hey, are you okay," the man reached out, feeling John's pulse. It was racing as he writhed on the ground, still reeling from his nightmare. "I'm going to get you to a hospital, hang in there."
The sound of police sirens in the distance startled John. The doctor's face became pale as he caught John's now forceful gaze. A look of pure horror washed over the doctor's face and moments later he collapsed onto the ground.
Now acutely aware of his surroundings, John had a feeling that what had just transpired was somehow his doing. The fright, the desperation, the survival instinct had kicked in. As the sirens drew closer, he had to act fast. He couldn't walk around in an orange jumpsuit. He noted the blue outfit the doctor was wearing. 'It will have to do,' he thought as he pulled the man's body deeper into the alley and out of sight.
Penny tossed and turned in her bed. Feeling a cold chill run up her spine and shoulders, she attempted to pull the covers tightly over her white lace night gown. She stirred as a gust of wind blew open the windows near her bed.
The woman glanced at the time on her clock—it was 4:04 AM. She got up and closed the windows, making sure the lock was secure. As she began to turn back towards her bed, she saw something in the shadows. Brushing a wisp of jet black hair out of her eyes and peach skin, she froze, trying to make out whatever was in the shadows. "Who's there?"
"Hello Penny," the voice answered. A hooded figure emerged from the shadows and into the moonlight lit room. "Don't you recognize me?"
"John, is that you?" Penny asked. "How…how did you get in here?" she added scared.
"Is that how you greet your husband?" he questioned her, evading the question.
"Ex-husband," she corrected. "I'm calling the police," Penny continued, picking up the phone on her night stand.
"I think you'll find that's quite impossible," John commented coolly, as Penny tried in vain to dial out.
Penny repeatedly pressed down the receiver button to try to get a dial tone, but to no avail. She looked in confusion as the time seemed to stop at 4:04 am. "What did you do?"
"Nothing that you didn't do to yourself," John cryptically replied. "You abandoned me when I needed you most, and now I have the power to make sure you will be alone forever."
"Something's happened to you, John and I'll do anything I can do to help you," she replied desperately, shaking.
"It's too late for that," he shot back. "You know the thing about fear is you can learn to control it…," John began as he approached her.
She stumbled back onto the bed to try get away as he seemed to transform before her eyes.
Cast partially in shadow, John's hoodie had magically become a blue cloak, his face turning pale. Stepping back into the moonlight, his face had now transformed into a skull as he finished, "or it can consume you."
Penny was now completely paralyzed with fear, unable to speak.
"I used to think I was the man of your dreams, Penny," John explained. "But now I realize I have a different destiny…to punish all those who wronged me."
"So I guess I will have to settle for being the man of your nightmares," he finished coldly.
Penny screamed out at the top of her lungs, but no one could hear her. She was huddled alone on her bed, catatonic…for she was not a prisoner in her own home but a prisoner of her own dreams.
ACT BREAK
