Chapter 15
A dark figure strode around an outcropping of rocks at the top of the mountain. Below was a ski hill, but it was of no consequence. "Is this the place?" he asked.
"It is," a voice echoed in his head.
He climbed up onto a large rock and scanned the impression with his eyes. He could barely make out where something had landed, its destruction having been crudely covered from the rock that had broken from impact. "It has moved on it seems."
"No, it lingers."
"The impression is almost unnoticeable. It looks like it covered its tracks." He looked more closely, but couldn't see anything that would suggest it was still there.
"It's not covering its tracks; it's covering its presence. It is there," the voice reiterated.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"I have seen it come to pass."
"How?" he reverberated, but aloud. Waiting for an answer, he felt the mental connection sever. Sighing, he pulled his leather jacket around him tighter. Crouching down onto a large boulder, he spied the resort lodge at the bottom of the mountain. He sent out his mind in search of any lingering thoughts of the criminal. He closed his eyes as he concentrated harder. Invading others thoughts without permission was something he rarely did, but it was no time for dealing with morality. The escapee wasn't awake, or it was blocking him. He didn't know how much he could trust the voice's words either. He had only met the man once, and it hadn't been a joyous event. Trusting him that the prisoner was still on the mountain took a leap of his faith.
"Wake up," he said softly, trying desperately to coax the being from its hibernation. His eyes suddenly snapped open as he recognized something. His vision locked onto a black spot by the lodge. "Kal-El," he whispered softly to himself.
-
Lois watched Clark disappear out the door, his large form barely visible through the foggy windows as she noticed his back arch and stretch. "Do you think he's actually talking to his mom?" she asked, her eyes going suddenly to her cousin.
Chloe frowned. "Does Clark know any phone numbers other than ours and home?"
Lois laughed at her comment. It was true; Clark didn't know many people save them. That or he was hiding a whole new side of him. She put her eyes back to her plate as she hastily began to devour her food. She was surprised at the hunger she possessed, but as usual she was never one to turn down food. It was only a few minutes before Clark came back in. His deep set frown piqued her curiosity. "Something wrong, Smallville?"
Clark slipped his phone back into his pocket and sat back down. Still frowning, he paused and looked over to Lois. "There's no answer."
"She's probably at the capital working," Lois offered, sticking another piece of chicken in her mouth.
He shrugged, but it didn't help. Worrying about his mother when he was away had become a bad habit, and he knew he she was fine, but he was always worrisome.
Seeing Clark's mood dampen some more, Lois snaked her left hand out and squeezed his right. When he smiled at her, she smirked and nodded. Sometimes all a person needed was contact and warmth. Since learning about the truth, his heritage and his abilities, she had become much more understanding of him as a person. He was insecure about so much, yet he possessed a definitive nature that could rear itself should he push away his doubts. She could see behind him to the true man he would become. Clark was a special man on more than one level, and it would only be a matter of time before it came out into the open.
Slipping his hand to his fork, he stopped suddenly. Something was drawing him, but it wasn't a pull, more of a gentle prodding. A faint echo appeared, but instead of the peripheral sound that normally came with his heightened hearing, it appeared directly in his head. "Hello?" he asked, confused about where it was coming from.
"Something wrong Clark?" Chloe asked, her eyes drifting to her large friend, who was frowning deeply. He was unresponsive though, his eyes long and lost. "Clark."
"Ignore her, Kal-El. Outside now. Don't ask questions. It's best we talk in person."
Clark wanted desperately to yell at the presence in his mind, but he spoke softly. "How do I know I can trust you?"
Lois heard his soft words and turned herself towards him. The look in his eyes signaled trouble, but she couldn't see anything when she followed his gaze. In fact, he was looking at Jimmy, who was stuffing his face eagerly.
"You do not need to speak aloud. Just will me your words, I established the link."
"Smallville?" Lois asked softly, touching his arm. It didn't bring him out of his stare, a stare that Jimmy had finally noticed.
"Something wrong C.K?"
Unsure of what to do, knowing he couldn't possibly explain what was happening, he got up and said. "I have to get some fresh air. The eggs aren't sitting right." He brushed aside any questions as he slipped out the door and walked a few feet into the snow. "Where are you?" he asked aloud, not bothering to try and speak through the strange link. "I ask again, Can I trust you?"
"Yes. I am your friend Kal-El."
"Where are you?" he asked warily, his eyes darting left and right.
"Look up."
He did, his eyes drifting up the ski lift and towards the top of the large mountain. With wide eyes, he focused in on the black object that was almost transparent in the clouds. Realization came to him a second later as he saw the man grin. "It's you."
"Who were you expecting, the cookie monster?"
He almost chuckled, almost. Looking back to the lodge, he saw three faces staring at him through the window. With a tilt of his head, he motioned for Chloe to distract Jimmy. When the photographer's vision was elsewhere, he took off in a blinding wind.
"Who are you?" He asked, almost spitting out the words as he came to sliding halt in front of the dark skinned man. He had met the stranger before, and he knew he owed the man his life.
"A friend. We've met before." The man slipped his hands out of his pockets and let them rest at his side.
"I remember." Clark said, his eyes squinting. "I never got the chance to thank you." He didn't know whether or not to try and shake the man's hand, but it seemed appropriate. "Clark," he introduced himself, sticking his hand out, only hesitating slightly.
"John." He shook the young man's hand strongly, squeezing it rather hard.
Clark shook his hand free and rubbed it with his other. "That's a strong grip you have there." When the man didn't respond, he continued. "Who are you, really? You seem to know my real name, but the only people I've met who know it, don't end up being people at all."
"I know," John said, slipping his hands back in his pockets. "They turn out to be phantoms. Rather nasty lot they are." He tried to grin, but he failed. Humanity was never his forte.
Clark didn't know what to do. On one hand, the man had saved his life, but on another hand he was always skeptical. "Where are you from?"
"I told you that already, Kal-El. Sorry, we're on earth, Clark."
His mind connected the dots. "Mars," Clark said softly. When the dark figure nodded, his eyes grew large. "I'm guessing you're name isn't exactly John?"
The man finally grinned. "A disguise, just like my appearance."
"Disguise?" Clark asked, his eyes narrowing again. "If you disguise yourself, what should make me trust you?"
"Trust me; you would be frightened by my native body. I come from Mars, remember?"
Clark was about to say something else, but he stopped himself suddenly. "Wait!" he exclaimed. "You said Phantom's. I remember some of the things you said when the phantom Hudson had control of my mind. How do you know about these phantoms?"
John stepped away from the young man and looked towards the sun. "When you released Zod, you got yourself trapped in the Phantom Zone, but you escaped, but with it you unleashed some very nasty enemies of yours."
"How do you know about all this?" Clark asked, his eyebrows going high onto his forehead.
"I have been watching."
Clark almost felt offended, but he continued to question the man. "What do you mean you've been watching?" He wasn't about to reveal his powers, even if the man who had saved him from the dream world seemed to know who he really was.
John grinned tightly.
Clark frowned at the man's grin, but suddenly he was gone. "Where did you go?" he asked.
"I'm right in front of you." He slowly allowed his body to become visible again. When the young man's eyes widened drastically, he said. "I am not without my own abilities." He turned his eyes to the ski hill.
"What sort of abilities?"
With his eyes still on lodge, he shrugged. "Very similar to yours, my friend."
"We're fiends now?" Clark asked in confusion. The man was strange, but being from Mars probably had something to do with it.
"I hope so, Clark. We'd be horrible enemies." He turned to face the young man again. The confused look he was getting told him he needed to elaborate. "At your age, you would put up a mighty fight, but I am tested. It would be a lengthy battle, but I would emerge victorious in the end."
Clark shook his head in confusion. He was normally a person to put things in perspective, but the man from Mars, in front of him, was more perplexing than anything he had ever encountered. Fed up, he said. "Just tell me everything. I hate asking questions, and somehow I get the feeling that you know more about all this than I do."
"Ah, the impatience of human nature." John exclaimed, turning to Clark with another grin. When he was received with a deep glare, he nodded. "True, I know far more about this than you do." He walked past the young man and looked at the faint depression in the mountain. "You've set loose some of the most dangerous criminals in the known Universe. Now you have to put them away, yet you have seemingly forgotten your obligation to this world. You cannot substitute your duty to be go running after a married woman." He knew it would strike a chord, but he certainly didn't expect such an icy response.
"How do you know about Lana?" Clark almost yelled, but he kept his voice low and menacing.
"Like I said, Clark, I have been watching you, very closely."
Clark walked around the figure in front of him. "John is it?" he asked, trying to size up the man from Mars. When the man nodded, he squinted even harder. "You've been watching without my knowledge. You've showed me how, but let me ask you. Why, and for how long?"
John gave a curt response. "I needed to know if it was true. And since Zod was released." He turned and stared at the young man.
The Martian had been watching him since last fall? Clark shook his head in wonder. "What is this needing to know the truth all about?" He would keep his personal evasion at bay for the moment. It was something he could bring up later; first he needed to know more about what the man was doing.
"Virgil Swan," John said suddenly. When Clark's eyes went wide, he grinned and nodded. "A man you've met, but one I've never had the pleasure of having done so. Remarkable man from what I've heard." The young man looked speechless, so he continued forward. "The message he decrypted from the distant stars, I received them as well."
"And it took you this long to get here?" Clark asked.
"Yes, but I was unpleasantly occupied at the time. I did not return to my homeland until almost a year ago. That's when I found the message."
"What message?"
John stared pointedly at the young man. "This is Jor-El of Krypton. I send my only son. Yes, that's vague, but now is not the time to be going into depth."
Clark ran a hand through his hair. The man even knew his father's name. It took a lot for him to trust others, but this man from Mars had saved his life, and had already shown his knowledge. "Fine, I believe that you know a lot, but what in world are you doing here?"
"Here?" John almost laughed at the irony. The brief time he had spent among the human civilization had allowed some of their tendencies to rub off on him. "There are two answers to that question. First, I'm here because it is about time that we had a proper introduction. Secondly, you are standing upon the mountain where the last Phantom is, or was."
"What?" Clark asked in surprised, his eyes scanning everything in a hurry. "It's here?"
"I think so, but I'm not entirely sure. I began to think it had simply landed and covered its tracks, but something points to the fact that it may be in the mountain still."
"In the mountain?"
"Yes Clark, in the mountain."
"Well, I can take a peek for you," Clark said suddenly looking down towards the snow.
"No!" John yelled, running over and lifting the young man's head from the ground with both his hands on each side of his head. "Do not do that. We have no idea what or who this last Phantom is, and I have no idea what its capabilities are. For all we know it could be lying dormant until it senses you or it could have moved on. I know you want to look, but you must understand. Using your vision may trigger something, and we couldn't risk it."
Clark ripped his face out of the man's grasp. He sensed the strength in the hands that had gripped his face. They held something he didn't, confidence. It was strange, he had never been able to read complete strangers, but by the simplest touch he could tell that the man had not been lying when he said he could destroy him if they were enemies. "It can't be a coincidence that I'm here." He put a finger to his forehead. "Something must have drawn me here." It was getting more confusing.
John sat down on an exposed boulder. "I don't think so. I haven't been watching you lately and I was incredibly surprised to find you here. On a certain level I think it's not a coincidence, but I'm going to believe it one until I find more evidence to overturn that theory."
"So what are we going to do?" Clark asked, now more worried about the last Phantom Zone escapee rather than the man in front of him.
"We?" John chuckled. "We are not going to do anything at the moment. I will take a look around town; do some more digging into whether or not there is actually something in the mountain. It might take some time. How long are you here for?"
"Until Saturday."
"Six days," John echoed, whistling softly. "It might be enough time. By then I might have the information I need before we do anything."
Clark put up his hand suddenly. "Wait. You said no us, but now you say we. What are you trying to say?"
John looked up at Clark from his sitting position. "I will gather the information, but when it comes down to getting rid of the prisoner, we do it together. Something tells me this is no dumb criminal we're dealing with. We must be cautious."
"You sound like a general." Clark laughed as he thought suddenly about Lois's father. His grin disappeared quickly as he thought more about it. The general was going to flip when he heard about him and Lois. He had gotten the distinct impression her father didn't like him very much. There was something about their little game of chopper tag a few years back that he was sure the General knew something about. It scared him, not only for the fact that he was hiding a massive secret, but the fact Lois had a lot of her father in her. If Sam was worse than Lois when he got mad, he knew he was a lot of trouble, abilities or not.
"Ah, Miss Lane. I was wondering how long it would take before you said something on the subject."
"How?" Clark asked in shock.
"When I was talking in our mind, you were sending out wave after wave of thoughts about the girl. You love her, and I think she'll keep you occupied while I snoop around."
"The mind thing," Clark said. "What is that? Can you talk to me from anywhere?"
"Anywhere, yes, but I will not talk to you again unless I have permission to enter your mind. At the most extreme times I will break that moral line. I have done so twice today, and I will refrain from doing so as much as possible in the future."
Clark nodded. "You're welcome to speak to me anytime, but I would appreciate a hello first. You really frightened me while I was sitting down to eat."
John took his hands out of his pockets and rested them on his knees. "Once again I apologize for that, but I saw it as necessary." He paused for a second as he picked up a handful of snow and shook the flakes free from his hand. "Those who are with you, do they know who you really are?"
"Just two of them," Clark responded.
"Is Lois one of them?"
"Yes, but she only found out last night."
Nodding, John stood up and brushed the rest of the snow on his hand off on his pants. "The other one I know, she found you after you escaped from Hudson's grip." When Clark nodded, he walked close to the large piece of rock that jutted out raggedly from the mounting top. "No matter how much you trust them, to them, this little talk never happened."
"I won't start lying to them."
"You will Kal-El. My presence here should not be compromised in any way. With them being here and another Phantom close by, they are already in danger. Things must appear normal should we find what we're looking for. Humans can only handle so much truth."
"What do I do then? Even if I don't know much about you, you have my trust for the moment. But let me tell you, my trust has been waning of late."
"That's good. Trust should only be given to those who earn it. I won't pretend like I didn't help you destroy the last phantom, but my trust should never be in doubt. I know that sounds like an attempt to pull you into a false sense of security, but like I've said before. Trust in yourself, you know what's right."
Clark stood stunned by the man's words. He was right of course. Deep down he knew he could trust the man from another planet. It was a strange feeling of right, as if there was no hesitation at all. There was some doubt about whether or not something so strong in nature could exist, but the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced. "How do you know so much about me?"
John was surprised at the sudden question. It was something he was prepared for, but at the moment he faltered a step. "Well, my friend, the message from the stars was fairly blunt, but I understood where it came from. I do know that you're the last of your kind, but from watching and listening to you over the past six months, I have made a lot of observations."
"And they are?"
"Do you want to know?"
"Yes," Clark answered with a nod. He had the feeling they weren't going to be pleasant words, but still, he needed to know.
"You are being held back from your destiny because you have allowed human emotions to rule you."
Clark didn't like hearing that. "What about you? Have you not allowed human emotions affect you?"
"To a degree, but I did not grow up here. You did. You lack your Kryptonian wisdom, but it is not too late yet. I have many things to teach you before you are ready for your training."
Still astounded by the wealth of knowledge that John had on him, he shook his head in wonder. "I get the feeling you know me better than I know myself."
"I used to think I did, Kal-El, but now that you've past this infatuation of yours that had been clouding your mind, you see more clearly. I can perceive a hint of confidence that comes from the way you stand. It wasn't there four months ago. You used to slouch and second guess yourself, but you've seemingly taken my advice. You don't hesitate, you do what you feel is right."
"Is it all because I couldn't get over Lana?" Clark asked, feeling ashamed of himself.
"A lot of it is, but Lois adds to it. She is the antidote to your doubts. She cleanses your mind of the horrible nightmares you have witnessed and experienced. She's the one you'r-." He paused suddenly, realizing he had almost slipped.
"The one I what?"
"Not important." John waved away the comment as if it was nothing. "I'll say just this: Any time you begin doubting yourself, all you need to do is talk to her."
"How do you know all this?" Clarke asked in complete confusion, finally giving up in defeat.
"Like I said, I have linked with your mind. Your powerful emotions and thoughts concerning her send me many signals; I know it without a shadow of a doubt."
"I'm not entirely comfortable with you inside my head. Ever since Hudson I've been extra careful." Clark walked to the edge of the cliff as the two of them stared down to the ski hill.
"Like I said before, I will ask you before I do. A simple yes or no is all you need to say. We are a very patient species by nature, and I can wait until we meet in person."
"If it's really important, we can use your mind trick to talk, but should you just wish to speak to me, but say something small and I'll meet you back up here." There was something incredibly unsettling about having someone else read his thoughts. It stretched beyond personal restrictions, and he didn't want it to happen again unless it was completely necessary.
John nodded and looked over at his young friend. "We will meet here if I find anything. Until then, we never met, and that's the way it must stay for the time being. I won't offer up any excuses for your friends, seeing how you've been doing that for so long you've become quite good at it."
Clark snorted at the Martian's attempt at humor. "It's getting harder and harder. Having a woman who sees right through me is more difficult than you could imagine."
John slowly lifted himself into the air chuckled. "I understand Kal-El, but I since you have never been around my species, I can't expect you to understand what I mean."
"I'm not even going to bother asking," Clark said.
"Good idea." John became transparent against the white clouds and blue sky. "I will inform you when we need to speak again. For the time being I have places to be."
Clark focused his vision to try and pick up the invisible Martian. He felt pride pump into his chest as he saw a faint wavering outline of a body form. It was suddenly much bigger than his human form, but there was no color. All he could see was lines and light. "You said something about my destiny. What is it?"
John shook his head, not sure if Clark could see him or not. "I know your destiny, yes, but I cannot tell you. That is not my place."
"It's my father's, isn't it?"
"How am I to know? I read minds of living things, not computers consoles."
Clark heard the soft faint sound of chuckling as he grinned. A fine joke it had been. True, his father was essentially a computer. This man John certainly wouldn't have the ability to read a computer. He sighed too, his eyes lingering on the sky. Something told him he had made not only a powerful ally, much like Oliver and Bart, but this one understood him. It was weirdly reassuring to know that there was another being from another planet that he could learn from. The sudden urge to accept his destiny, whatever it may be, overcame him. But deep down, much like John had said, he looked and knew he wasn't ready. It fascinated him at how much easier and simpler things were when he just looked within himself. For so long he had been letting others make his decisions, but everything he needed was already in place. Well, not everything, he needed Lois. Her love seemed like the last piece of the puzzle
He went back down towards the lodge, knowing that their innocent ski trip wasn't going to be the relaxing vacation it had seemed only hours ago. It was always one thing or another, and his happiness was always placed on the backburner. He sighed heavily as he continued onwards.
-
Lois waited impatiently for Clark to come back. Panic was close to setting in, but she held herself strong by the reassuring glances that her cousin was giving her. Jimmy was prattling on about something she wasn't paying attention to. Chloe seemed interested in her boyfriend's words, but she knew her cousin had dealt with Clark's disappearing acts for longer than she had. No matter how invincible he was, there was still a feeling of fear that would always grip her. She loved him too much to possibly lose him, and in the end that was what scared her, not the fact that he was gone at the moment. Handling his disappearing acts was something she would learn to accept, but the idea of losing him forever made her want to cry.
By Clark's strange behavior before he left, she figured he had gone to save someone, but once twenty minutes had passed, she let worry settle in. Now it had almost been three quarters of an hour. She was close to walking outside, when suddenly Clark came striding through the door. His face was clouded in concentration, but once his eyes caught hers, his face lit up in a grand smile.
Clark sat down next to Lois again, his hand instinctively squeezing hers underneath the table.
Lois leaned over and kissed him, but she lifted her up to his right ear after. "Where did you go?"
"Someone needed saving," he replied, lying right to her face. He hated doing it, but when it came to their safety, there was no hesitation. His obligation to keep them from harm was more important than morality. After opening to her the night before, he felt as if he was betraying her in every single way, but he mentally told himself over and over again that he was doing the right thing. Lois seemed to understand and nod. She quickly gave him another peck on the lips as he gave her a weak smile.
Lois looked back to her plate as she continued to hold onto his hand. He was lying to her, she could see right through him. It worried her, but most of all she was upset because he wasn't willing to tell her the truth. She tossed those thoughts aside though. She would ask him again later, when they weren't in such a public place. Maybe he would tell her the truth then, but something was making the hairs on the back of her neck stand upright. A cold chill ran down her back as she squeezed his hand suddenly.
"Are you okay?" Clark asked softly, leaning over to her.
"I'm fine," she lied, putting on her best fake smile. Doubt was creeping in, and she hated it.