Chapter One

The faint afterthought of sandalwood and the hunger inducing aroma of Chinese food being cooked filled the air rousing Clark from what had been a three day long slumber. Before then he had come to briefly, babbling incoherently about how Lex knew everything and how he didn't want to be a mindless slave or a weapon for Lex to exploit. He took a moment to clear his thoughts as he realised he wasn't lying in the snow but in a homely apartment lying on some strange bed that wasn't his.

A few moments passed and the smell taunting Clark made him realise just how hungry he was. How long had it been since he'd eaten? He wondered before catching his own smell and wondering how long it had been since he'd bathed. He sat up only to feel a sudden thumping in the front of his head. For someone who rarely felt pain, this was definitely the worst he'd been in for a while. He could see little sparkly dots before his eyes and it hurt to have them open.

Suddenly he saw her, the woman who he could only assume this apartment belonged to. Almost instinctually she drew back the curtains that had been wide open which seemed to relieve the pain a little but nowhere near enough. She left the room for a moment and he heard a series of small clanking sounds from the kitchenette before she returned with a glass of water and a small bowl of rice.

Kneeling down in front of him, the strange woman placed a finger over Clark's lips before he could speak and he heard her explain softly. 'You need to drink. You've been in a coma for a little over a month and you're dehydrated.' Well, that had certainly explained the migraine but why was he there and not dead? And if she was speaking to him, why weren't her lips moving? With a knowing smile she tapped her temple to signal that she had thought it before explaining wordlessly that she could read his thoughts as well as send him her own.

Part of Clark wanted to return to sleep, as frightening as it was, all this talk, or rather, thought of telepathy was making him dizzy then handing him the glass in her hand and setting the bowl in the other on the night-stand she gave a short nod and left the room. It puzzled Clark as to why a stranger would help him let alone let him stay in what he could only assume was her guest room but it was kind of nice being looked after. He slowly sipped the water and tried to piece together everything that had happened.

The last thing Clark remembered was Lex intruding on his Fortress of Solitude and raving like a lunatic about how he had loved him like a brother and how that had somehow given him the God given right to control him like a puppet.

He remembered being afraid for his own life but anything after that was a total blank until now with the blinding headache and the mysterious and exceedingly beautiful woman now playing nurse maid.

As Clark finished the glass of water he felt his headache begin to subside and hoping his legs hadn't atrophied, he endeavoured to return the glass to the kitchen. Cautiously he stood up and waited while he regained his balance then stiffly he made his way out of the guest room to an adjoined living area and kitchen where the woman was finishing up placing what he had been able to smell cooking into containers. 'I figured I would keep this for later. I know migraines can sometimes make your appetite go out the window.' Clark nodded, continuing his slow journey to the kitchen and cleaning out the glass before placing it on the rack with the other dishes.

There was something eerily familiar about all of this despite the fact that he had never been there before and they had never really met but still it felt right somehow. Reminded again by the fact that he hadn't bathed, Clark went to ask the woman where the bathroom is only not knowing her name stopped him in his tracks. 'I'm sorry, I don't know your name...' Clark conceded when he finally plucked up the courage to speak. Turning to face him and extending a hand she answered with a sweet smile. 'Mileena... And don't worry about introducing yourself, I know who you are Kal-El.'

Panic struck him at that very moment. How could she possibly know that name. Soon it dawned on him that he had probably thought it at some point and she had read his thoughts. 'Actually I knew before that but you should go and have a shower.' She replied without him even asking. Telepathy was definitely something he would never get used to...

A excruciating scream rang out throughout the vast wasteland that had once been a bastion of beauty and light. Normally this would not be anything out of the ordinary but for the fact that the scream appeared to come completely out of nowhere. A few of the Tarkatan who had camps set up nearby had come out of their hovels to investigate the scream, puzzled when they couldn't find anyone but after three days it ceased.

Almost a week passed when someone noticed a skinless body stumbling about, confused by its current predicament. In that time the strange occurrences in the wasteland had caught the attention of the emperor. He didn't like the growing feeling of unrest within the Tarkatan hordes and certainly didn't want an outsider to ruin the already tenuous truce he had made with them.

Days later a fully formed man appeared, naked and curled into a foetal position in an attempt to stop the pain of literally pulling himself together. His mind raced with memories of the girl he had only known a short time but remembered as if he'd known her his whole life. How could she do that to him after everything he had done for her? He had put her first where the Boy Scout had only thought of himself. He had been there for her when the Boy Scout had been god knows where and yet Lana had been the one to kill him.

He shook as he remembered his flesh being ripped apart by the increase of power and the explosion that followed and the blinding pain that followed. Was he in hell, forced to relive this pain for all eternity? It was then that he saw them, small children with overly large smiles plastered across their faces. As they came closer to him he noticed that they had no lips that he could see and that the "smiles" he saw were large shark like fangs that almost took up their entire faces.

Whether male or female - and through the haze of fear that overtook him it all looked like much of a muchness - all of the children were bald, their eyes small, beady and yellow. They appeared to be covered in small bony spikes that culminated in blades that protruded from their arms.

The children stared at him curiously, one of them picking up a stone and throwing at his head then laughing almost maniacally with a high pitched but raspy cackle when the stone connected. Another child approached him cautiously and jabbed him with one of its blades, surprised when not even a scratch had been made. When the child clamped its fangs around his hand he grabbed it by its throat and lifted it high into the air, staring at it with a bewildered expression before tossing it aside nonchalantly.

He had to find some clothes, not that he really cared about whether he was naked or not but he wasn't really sure he liked the idea of little kids with swords on their arms trying to cut off his manhood. He took off like a shot, speeding through the camp in search of something to wear...

Clark returned to the guest bedroom of the apartment to find his clothes clean and folded neatly on the bed with a post-it note attached written in a bright purple pen. "Had work to do, food in fridge, make yourself at home... Mileena." Sticking the note to the night-stand Clark got dressed before returning to the kitchen. After pouring himself a cup of coffee that he assumed Mileena made while he showered he turned to see Lex staring back at him from the front page of The Daily Planet with the headline "LEX LUTHOR RETURNS" printed above it.

Taking a sip of coffee he sat down in front of the paper and examined the photo. Beaming with what felt to Clark like false pride Lex held a pair of novelty scissors in his hands in front of a red ribbon. In the corner of the photo was a logo that he was sure he had seen before and in that moment it occurred to Clark that Lex had begun to erase everything about his father.

He turned his focus from the picture, unable to look at his former friend's ersatz smile without the overwhelming need to vomit or smash up Mileena's apartment and read the byline. A faint smile crossed his lips as he saw the name printed; Lois Lane. He had to admit, he was proud of his friend and all she had accomplished since becoming a journalist. In the span of a year she had gone from sleazy tabloid trash for the Metropolis Inquisitor to the bullpen of The Daily Planet and doing rather well at it from all accounts.

At times he had to wonder if it had made Chloe jealous to see her cousin do so well at something that since childhood had been her whole world but in the wake of Lex Luthor commandeering he paper, Chloe's interest in journalism had waned considerably. It was almost as if she had realised that it was the search for truth and not necessarily its publication that was important to her and then she had disappeared, taken by Lex's men and hidden in some facility god knows where.

The sobering thought of what Luthor and his scientists were doing to Chloe sank in and his heart broke for her. He wanted to help her but aside from not knowing where she was and not having a clue where to look, he wasn't even sure at this point that he could get to her. The apparent stiffness of his body when he awoke had alerted him to the fact that something wasn't quite right.

It was then that he gave some serious thought to his powers or rather his lack of them. Emptying the cup of coffee he focused his energy and gripped the porcelain tightly, squeezing it to see if it would break. When nothing happened he concentrated on burning it with his heat vision. Had this been punishment from Jor-El for allowing someone like Lex Luthor into the Fortress?

Chloe Sullivan awoke in a familiar position but one that she hadn't remembered fondly. She glanced around at the medical equipment around the room, her hear beginning to race with panic. The last thing she had remembered was Jimmy's sweet but entirely awkward proposal at The Talon and being arrested by people that for all she knew were from the Department of Domestic Security. She had to get out but without Clark around to save her she didn't see any possible way for that to happen. It was then she heard a voice within her mind provide some kind of comfort. 'I can help you but I need your help in return.'

'Who are you?' She asked aloud despite the voice being in her head.

'You know who I am. If you will not help me willingly, I am going to make you. Don't make this harder than it has to be.' Chloe nodded in defeat. If this was the only way she was going to get out then so be it, she only hoped she was making the right choice.

Chloe's eyes drifted closed then reopened seconds later with a now silvery glow. She glanced down at the straps holding her arms in place and focusing all her strength on them she pulled her arms up, freeing herself from the table. She put on a set of scrubs she found while rifling through one of the cupboards and approached the door. As soon as she touched the handle the electronic lock unlocked and despite her better judgement she opened it.

At the end of the hall she spied two guards carrying heavy weaponry and instead of cowering fearfully, she walked right up to them, impaling both on spikes that came out of her fingers. Something wasn't right here. She had passed out from the Brain InterActive Construct's assault on her at The Isis Foundation and aside from ending up in the hospital she had thought nothing of it, assuming that it had been her ability to heal that had saved her. She hadn't counted on the AI wanting to merge with her but that was what was happening now and she wasn't sure, in the midst of being held captive, that she wanted it to stop.

She made her way through the facility, stopping every obstacle that got in her way, finding that she enjoyed the thrill of the kill the more she did it. When she reached the control room Chloe placed her hands on a panel in the wall, an electro-magnetic pulse flowing from her and into the machinery. Sparks flew and lights throughout the facility went out as anything in the building that operated on electricity ceased to work.

Chloe left the control room and took on every guard that came rushing at her before walking out the front door as if nothing had happened and taking off into the night sky...