Chapter 3

I Don't Remember Falling Asleep Here

Tick-tock, tick-tock… beep…beep…beep… "Lois?"…tick-tock…beep… "Lois can you hear me?"…tick-

Lois shot up in her bed, "Clark!" she shouted. Getting her bearings she realized where she was and who had been calling her name. "Oh hi Mrs. Kent," she said slightly embarrassed. Looking around she saw the clock on the wall ticking and looking down at herself she saw wires attached to her that led back to a heart rate monitor. "I thought that you were…" she let her sentence trail off. Reality flooding back to her she started to remember everything; Chloe, the dam, the caves, Clark.

"How are you feeling?" Mrs. Kent asked concernedly. In her usual nonchalant manner Lois just shrugged it off.

"I'm fine, nothing I can't handle. Are Clark and Chloe ok?" she asked trying to get out of bed but ended up falling back down and wincing in pain.

"Lois, you've got a concussion and three broken ribs, you may think you're fine but you have to rest." Mrs. Kent said kindly. "Chloe's here, it was a bit touch and go for a while because the doctors had no idea what was wrong with her but she seemed to get better by herself. They said her body suffered a huge energy drain so she'll be out for a few days but she should be fine. But I was hoping you could tell me where Clark is."

"You mean Clark isn't here?" she asked. "Oh no Mrs. Kent, Clark's in trouble, the last thing I remember we were in the caves and Clark was being strangled by, well, himself. Only his other self seemed odd, and I had this black meteor rock that Lionel asked me to get, and Clark was asking for it and I went to give it to him, but the odd Clark hit me away, pretty damn hard actually, then I blacked out and now-"

"Whoa Lois, slow down," said Mrs. Kent. She had been in the middle of a meeting with some of the other state senators when she had gotten the call from Lionel saying that Clark was in trouble and that he'd dispatched a helicopter to pick her up. She had gone straight to caves like Lionel had instructed and found an unconscious Lois but no Clark. Now she was worried; Two Clarks, black krytptonite? She was sure it had something to do with the phantoms from the phantom zone and now she had no idea where Clark could be and no way of knowing if he was safe. It was times like these she felt most alone and the loss of her husband weighed most heavily on her heart.

Mrs Kent broke down and began to cry and Lois sat up to comfort her. "I wish Jonathan were here," she sobbed. "And now Clark's gone and I don't know whether he's going to be alright." She continued to sob into Lois's shoulder who, despite feeling very worried about Clark herself, reassured Mrs Kent.

"You've just got to be strong Mrs Kent, there's more to Clark than the plaid wearing farmboy routine." Lois started to think back on all the times Clark had miraculously showed up to save the day. Especially today back in the caves, she was pretty certain the odd Clark called normal Clark Kal-El or Kryptonian or something like that and the strength they had displayed was immense. Yes there was no doubting that Clark Kent was not your typical farmboy and Lois Lane was beginning to wonder about the mystery that was Clark Kent.

Lionel Luthor, leg bandaged and with a slight limp, pushed open the door to Lex's office. His son sat behind his desk pouring himself a brandy. "A little early to be drinking don't you think son?" Lionel commented taking a seat in front of his desk. "I suggest you make the most of it. I'm pretty sure they don't serve brandy in prison. I'm surprised you even got bail."

"There's no evidence it was me. Do you know why?" Lex looked up slowly, eyes focused on his father. "Because I didn't murder my wife!" He shouted slamming his glass on the desk. "I loved Lana, I would never hurt her."

"Yes, that was until you realised that she betrayed you. I forced her to marry you son, she never loved you, she was spying on you. You always did let your emotions get the best of you and now look where it's gotten you."

"Get out." Lex said dangerously. Lionel stood up to leave and started to walk away. He stopped and turned to Lex, "You know it's over Lex. Project Ares is over. The dam was destroyed; the phantom you were tracking has disappeared."

"Yes and I'm supposed to believe it's just a coincidence that at the same time a black meteorite is stolen from my vault and Clark Kent disappears! You've been helping him and plotting against me. You know I'm not paranoid or delusional when it comes to Clark Kent. Who's your real son dad?" Lex questioned. Ignoring the comment Lionel turned on his heels and left as Lex knocked back the rest of his drink.

He felt warmth. A rejuvenating warmth that spread intravenously through his whole body then nothing.

"Awaken Kal-El," a voice sounded. Clark heard it as a vague whisper which gradually got louder as it was spoken again. "Awaken Kal-El." Opening his eyes and taking in his surroundings Clark realised he was in the fortress. The voice of Jor-El was unmistakable but it was the figure that stood aside the crystal console who took Clark by surprise. The Martian Manhunter who Clark had recently found out had been watching him since his arrival on earth. The wound that he had had before was now gone.

"How did I get hear?" he asked. It was Jor-El that replied.

"You are here, for the most part, due to your will. I am proud to call you my son Kal-El." Clark wasn't expecting this sort of response; they were quite possibly the nicest words his biological father had ever said to him. "The semantics of you arrival at this point can be better explained by him." Jor-El said referring to the Martian Manhunter who stepped forward and began to speak.

"I arrived at the cave just as the wraith disappeared into the stone. I would have gotten there sooner but I assumed you would be here at the fortress."

"That was my plan," Clark replied, "but I ran into Lois at the cave."

"That is a good thing; you quite possibly owe her your life." Seeing the question percolating on Clark's lips the Martian Manhunter continued. "You do not need to worry about her, your earth mother arrived shortly after I did so she is safe. But you, you were a different story. Despite your will, your body was not prepared for the battle with or the after effects of the battle with the wraith so you fell into a comatose state. You know your powers on this planet are fuelled by the sun?" Clark nodded, "well the only chance you had of coming out of it was to be refuelled so to speak. So I took you, and the crystal, out of earth's atmosphere. There I threw the crystal off into space and waited until I was confident you would be ok."

"I owe you my life," Clark said meaning every word. There was a long silence and as Clark became more aware of his surroundings and what he had been told, so to he became more aware of the events that led him to where he was now. Lana Lang, the love of his life was dead, murdered by Lex Luthor. After everything they had been through, she finally knew everything about him and they were going to be happy together. Not anymore. Nothing could stop his heart from crumbling within his bullet-proof chest, or his stomach from wrenching, or every fibre of his being despairing. In the presence of both his biological father and his secret protector he fell to his knees as tears came unbidden to his eyes and he wept. Was he not destined to be happy? Was it his fate to be alone? His thoughts now focused on one man, the man who had swept happiness from underneath him, the man who was going pay for what he did. Driven by anger Clark got up to leave.

"Where are you going Kal-El?" his biological father asked.

With tears still wet on his face Clark replied, "I'm going to kill Lex Luthor."

"You have no just reason to kill Lex Luthor my son," Jor-El said.

"Your father's right Kal-El, I will not let you kill him, you are no murderer." The Martian Manhunter added.

Blinded by anger and fuelled by grief Clark shouted, "Do you not get it? HE MURDERED THE WOMAN I LOVE! Who are you to say whether it's just or not?!"

"Because," Jor-El stated simply. "Lana Lang is alive."

AN: PLEASE REVIEW I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! PLEASE!