Chapter 9
Power
Disclaimer: I own neither Danny Phantom nor Smallville
Lex Luthor sighed as he took a sip of scotch. His team of political advisors were pounding him with advice left right and centre. Unfortunately at the moment he was about tied in the polls with Jonathan Kent. This was too close for comfort to Lex. Then again, there was the fact that Lex had millions of dollars at bank set aside for the campaign while the Kents... well by now they would be digging at the bottom of their savings well.
It was early in January. Lex had been shot on Christmas Eve. The bullet had wedged itself into his spinal cord, almost leaving him paralysed. While he was recovering (and he was loathe to admit that the only reason that he could walk was due to his father toying with his life) he had had a bizarre near death experience.
Lex reflected on his memories of the day, drifting in and out of consciousness as the doctors struggled to keep him alive. It seemed that his mother Lilith, whom he lost when he was just twelve, had shown him the perfect world. Clark and he were good friends; Clark had married Chloe and both of them were successful in life. Lex had a son; a beautiful brunette son called Alex. But best of all he was married to Lana, the most enchanting and beautiful woman he had ever met. Clark was happy with it; Lex had married Lana with his blessings.
In that world Lex had been truly happy; a privilege that had been denied to him for as long as he could remember. Everything was peaceful; it seemed the world shone with a warm golden glow, embracing him in a glorious comforting hug. But then in an instant everything changed.
It seemed that in order to have that perfect life, to lead his happily ever after, Lex had sacrificed his wealth. That was a startling revelation, but manageable. He had watched as Lana gave birth to their second child, a beautiful baby girl. Lex had joined his wife and daughter smiling and laughing at the end of a perfect Christmas Eve.
Then a nurse had forced Lex out of the room. Something had gone wrong and Lana was haemorrhaging, Lana was dying. He'd raced to ask his father for help, to do anything to save his wife and the mother of Lionel's grandchildren. But he had refused. In that world he'd led the perfect life, but lost the only woman who had ever truly loved him.
It was that that had steeled Lex's resolve. He wanted to be happy, and the only way to ensure that he could be happy was to have unlimited access to money and power. Now, nothing mattered more to him than winning the election so he could secure his future. The power would allow him to make sure that no matter what he could control everything in his life. Nobody would die because he couldn't pay to save them.
Lex had even gone so far as to hire a bounty hunter in the form of Griff. He was renowned through the underworld for disrupting the popular opinion of public personalities. It didn't matter who it was or how big they were, Griff could always manage to bring them down. Griff had promised to find something so incriminating that the name Jonathan Kent would be blown out of the water come Election Day. Even if he had to fabricate it.
A strange smile crossed Lex's lips as he listened to his PR men prattle off to him about what needed to be done and where he needed to be next. He had ten minutes scheduled with some students visiting from Central Kansas University and then he had to take a helicopter to Metropolis. He had a dinner meeting with Mr Vlad Masters. Strange that the CEO and founder of the powerful company VladCo had taken an interest in him now, but he was not going to turn away such a powerful man. Lex's smile broadened. It wouldn't be too long and every element in his life would be his to control.
There was a knock on the door. It seemed the students had arrived. Lex stood as he was introduced to the group "Students for Lex Luthor". Pride swelled within him. It seemed he could make a difference in the world after all. This initiative was not one that he had instigated, but demonstrated his growing support and power base. Here he was, Lex Luthor, soon to be state Senator for Kansas and he had managed it all on his own. Finally he was free of his father's long and oppressive shadow. Finally he was proving to the world that he was a power to be reckoned with.
Lex straightened his suit jacket as he stepped away from his desk. The students filed in, most donning t-shirts with his face on, but the three in front were dressed in neat professional business outfits. They looked like they'd fit right in at LuthorCorp, and clearly were the type to set their goals and surpass them. Noting this he geared himself up for what was to be an inspiring speech. "Thucydides said "we are either kings among men, or the pawns of kings." The fact that you're here demonstrates that you strive to be the former."
Lex took to pacing powerfully in front of the young adults, his countenance pervading authority "The youth vote is stronger than we had ever imagined and I have you to thank for that. But we cannot afford to be complacent. Great leaders are forged from those who see beyond the boundaries. Who go beyond the extra mile. They go the extra ten. Defeat is not an option." Lex stopped, and pride swelled in his chest at the confident applause that the students initiated. Yes, defeat was not an option. He was going to make sure that no matter what this was a race that he would win.
The young blonde woman was the only one who had the courage to talk to him. In a strong voice, perhaps a bit presumptuous she introduced herself as Samantha Drake. Lex smiled and played the role of the public face, accepting a photo op with her. Surprisingly she had done her homework and knew the history of a painting he had acquired after one of his most successful mergers; the Metrotech Deal. That was one of his proudest moments. The fact that she had taken to wearing his name in the place of a crucifix was slightly unsettling. But Samantha was nothing more than a pawn in this game of power. Lex would encourage her to stand ahead of her own group, but ultimately she was nothing more than another vote; hardly worthy of much attention.
It was with no disappointment that he left her and her group, already heading off for his helicopter. As he walked through the hallways his phone rang. It was Griff. It seemed that after fourteen days of digging he had finally unearthed something for Lex. It was a small diversion, but he would meet with him in Metropolis before he headed to the meeting with Vlad Masters. Powerful though the man may be, this was likely just a bid for power on his part. Running for the senate seat had attracted Lex much attention from other businessmen who all wanted to ascertain more power over their own respective empires. Idly Lex mused over the benefits of pulling the strings for all of them.
He jumped into his helicopter. Within half an hour he'd be in Metropolis. This was the benefit of air travel; it cut the travel time in half. He reviewed some of the documents in his lap for a while before electing to look out the window. It was many years ago that he'd been that little boy too scared to open his eyes as he soared through the skies. Now he gazed down upon the darkened landscape with lustful eyes. Someday, somehow all this would be this. Then nobody could take his loved ones from him. Then he'd be able to make sure that he could keep the world firmly in his control.
The grey cornfields eventually gave way to the tall apartments and skyscrapers of the Metropolis skyline. He smiled as he saw the familiar structure of LuthorCorp's Metropolis office emerge from between the skyscrapers. The golden globe on the roof of the Daily Planet seemed to rest just on top of his company from this angle. There was something almost poetic about the picture, as if it was his destiny to hold the world in his hands.
His helicopter landed and he took a lift down to the bottom of the building. It was only a short drive in his black Porsche, the one that he left at LuthorCorp for situations like this. Lex drove to the meeting point. It was in the warehouse district, so very few people were around to see the Senate Candidate involved in a back alley deal. He pulled his car up under the train overpass, his shoes splashing in the shallow puddles that lay scattered on the ground as he stepped out of the car. The only light came from a lone public telephone that broke the darkness of the vacant space.
Lex made his way over, footsteps echoing loudly across the open street. A faint mist steamed up from a nearby sewer drain but otherwise the cold January night was still. He waited for five minutes before he heard the soft echoing footfalls of another person coming up to him. From behind the mist a man appeared. He was of average height, but Lex could make out no further detail as the man wore a thick black trench coat and his face was concealed in shadow and mist.
"He won't come." The man's voice was deep, but held the subtle interference of artificial modification. Lex only picked it up due to his many dealings with various parts of the Metropolis underworld. Lex was confused. How could this stranger even know why he was here in the first place? This was not Griff, he was taller than this man, but Griff ought not to have told anyone about their meeting.
"Your bounty hunter was bought out. The price of political warfare, the prize goes to the highest bidder. In this case; someone close to you." So Griff had sold Lex's evidence to someone else? Lex sucked his teeth in frustration. Griff had better have hidden himself deep. Now there was nowhere in the criminal underworld that would save him from Lex's attention. If Lex found him there would be nowhere that was safe.
A train passed overhead, the loud roar of the engine shattering the silence. Lex looked up at the train for just a moment, but when he turned back the man in the trench coat was gone. He had vanished into the night leaving nothing but the mist, swirling in the air like some misbegotten wraith.
Lex mentally cursed, two weeks of waiting wasted for someone else to go and buy his prize from under him. This just proved that the only key to happiness is power. He settled back into his car, driving steadily towards Tortellini's where he was meeting Vladimir Masters. He drove his silver Porsche to the doors and was escorted inside while the concierge parked his car.
Lex found himself in a large private room at the restaurant. The room was fairly dark; the corners were all in shadow. The rich red tablecloth was reflected in the decor and accentuated by the two dark leather lounges that sat in front of the lit fireplace. For a moment Lex believed himself to be alone in the room when an elder gentleman stepped from a shadowy corner.
"Ah, Mr Luthor" the elder gentleman came to stand just by the flickering fire. His dark grey suit was expertly tailored and bespoke dignified authority. His silver-grey hair was pulled back into a crisp ponytail, making him look cultured and refined. Vlad masters was only slightly younger than Lex's father but something in his icy eyes told Lex that this man was not one to be trifled with. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person." His velvety voice dripped with silent power.
With a fluid motion Masters moved his hand from behind his back, offering it to Lex. Lex shook the offered hand and graciously replied "The pleasure is all mine." The two of them sat to a quiet, albeit indulgent meal, making small talk about artworks and entertainments. Both knew that it was impolite to talk business over a meal. It transpired that Masters had a deep interest in the Green Bay Packers. Lex had never really followed football but did go out of his way to watch the Metropolis Bulldogs whenever they played their home field.
Eventually the two of them left the table, taking a seat opposite each other in the two darkened leather chairs. The waiter brought them each a coffee and a plate of profiteroles was placed on the heavy cedar table between them. They sat quietly for a few minutes, taking the occasional sip from their coffee mug. A log shifted in the fire and Lex was musing over various ways the upcoming conversation could play out.
"To business, then?" Vlad queried with an airy tone.
For the most part Lex Luthor was a man who prided himself for his patience. It was this that had allowed him to become such a successful businessman without his father's guidance. He could initiate a game of wits that would not see its way into fruition for years. This was why all of his business ventures and mergers had been successful. Yet with Masters present he was determined to get to the bottom of things quickly. The eccentric billionaire had no prior interest in the dealings of LuthorCorp; VladCo was one of the few true rivals to the company that he had been unable to buy out in any way.
Understanding this, it was with a deceitfully pleasant smile that Lex replied "To business." His voice was airy and distant; an appropriate tone for the conversation with the elder billionaire. He took a sip on his coffee and studied Masters as he mimicked the motion. Masters placed the cup down so that the handle was precisely forty five degrees from the edge of the table.
Lex observed as Vlad smiled. "Alexander" he began, Lex inwardly bristled at the use of his full name. Truly he had outgrown it the day he found out his mother had died. "I believe that I have a proposition for you that will provide mutual benefit and yield exorbitant returns for both of us." Somehow the man made Lex feel off-balance. There was something commanding in his voice, threatening. Lex was determined to wield his own power, and if necessary he would prove to be the superior of the two, just like every other businessman he had ever interacted with. That said, he was happy to listen to the man for now.
"So you are proposing a merger of some kind?" Lex asked for clarification, careful not to convey his own opinions of such a venture. Masters, however, smiled and shook his head.
"By no means" he replied with a frustratingly superior conviction. "Integration of our two companies would be to our detriment at this point in time. At the moment our business goals move our companies in different directions. Perhaps in future we could reconsider, but at the moment such a merger would cause conflict and ultimately reduce profitable returns. No, I merely seek to assist you with your first public entry into the political foray." Lex was taken by surprise. He had no idea that Masters was even remotely interested in Government affairs. However he was from Wisconsin and the concerns of Kansas were very different to the problems faced by the Wisconsin Senator.
"What interest does a gentleman such as yourself have in the politics of Kansas? Surely a man from Wisconsin with such a public profile has little need to involve himself in the political affairs of another state." Lex commented. This was quickly becoming a battle of wits, one which Lex was not positive of where he actually stood.
"My interest is purely professional" Came the reply with apparent candour "your candidacy here, as successful as it has been, thus far proves that there is a need for opinions such as yours and mine in the current political environment. Benefits from your office would reflect positively on other states and will ensure that the voices of those who make the biggest economical decisions are heard. After all, Corporations such as ours employ thousands and it is in the public's best interests if their CEO's are able to keep them employed."
"I seek only to assist in your campaign, bolster support, and rally the troops if you will. I am sure the open support of a man in my position will aid your campaign to no end." Lex took a minute to study the man. This was a very generous offer, disproportionally so in fact. It sounded like Vlad wanted to support his campaign on the off chance that it would someday make life easier in his own state.
Ultimately it seemed that Masters was just asking permission to openly support Lex in his campaign. Really, Lex would gain far more out of this than Masters could. There had to be something more. Masters probably just wanted to pull some political strings and have easier connections to the Government. It was hardly as though Masters was some diabolical criminal mastermind after all. Lex wanted to be cautious in involving himself with the man, but saw no real harm that could come from accepting his support.
Lex graciously accepted, but did not miss the sadistic elation that crossed through Vlad's eyes. That was a look that he'd seen in his father's eyes just before he sprung a trap on Lex. However something told Lex that he was not the target of Vlad's machinations. For now he would let Vlad support him, he was sure to be able to sway the votes of some of LuthorCorp's business rivals, after all if the CEO of VladCo was backing him, other businessmen would likely follow suit. Their meeting ended on a positive note, and Lex headed back to the Mansion.
As he settled in to sleep he could not help but smile. While Griff had failed him he had made a powerful ally. He was one step closer to his Senate seat. He was one step closer to attaining ultimate power over his life.
Line Break
Danny sat in the loft thinking. It was Friday, and the end of his first week back at school after the winter break and it had been one of the worst weeks he'd ever had to face as Fenton. The week before break had been the midyear exams. He'd just answered the questions not even realising that they were on content that he hadn't been taught yet. Somehow he'd ended up taking the midyear tests for the Seniors, and he'd managed to pass them all with flying colours. Actually, the lowest mark he'd gotten was a 78% in Calculus.
The problem was that now all the teachers were on his case, demanding to know how he'd managed to pass. It was impossible for him to have cheated since he had taken exams that he hadn't expected to take. If he'd simply swiped an answer key he would have realised that he was taking the wrong exams when the answers didn't match the questions or just failed outright. So the teachers were all debating what to do with him.
This morning he had been called into the principal's office. He had sat outside the office staring at a picture of Clark holding a football trophy glinting on the small mantle in the reception area. After ten minutes he'd been called into the room only to find Aunt Martha already there. She sent him a small encouraging smile as he quietly took a seat beside her.
"Daniel" the elderly man said. The top of his head was brushed with silver grey strands and his face crinkled with worry lines. Mr Jobson seemed a kind man, albeit strict. "Your Aunt and I have been having a rather enlightening conversation and would like your opinion on the matter." Danny wasn't sure of what to think. As far as he could see this could either go really badly or he could get off with just a slap on the wrist.
"Sir?" Danny asked curiously, knowing that saying anything more was unnecessary.
"See Daniel, the results from your examinations were outstanding. Too outstanding really. You should have told us that you needed advance placement courses when you transferred in." Mr Jobson said with a smile.
"Sir?" Danny was taken off balance, this wasn't one of the outcome's he'd expected at all. He'd expected being expelled for cheating or something in a similar vein. Of course he would never cheat, but all his experiences in life told him that people would always look to see the worst in him.
Aunt Martha smiled at him and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. Mr Jobson stood up from his desk and walked over to a filing cabinet and pulled out a thick Manilla folder. "With your track record I must admit we had not expected very much of you. Your freshman year you barely managed a passing C grade with all the classes you missed. When we saw the same pattern of behaviour here the teachers were all concerned. And then you performed so excellently in the exams."
"Tell me, Daniel, is the reason you skip so many classes because you are bored, you already know the content and so feel frustrated having to sit through it being presented again?" Mr Jobson asked. That was... unexpected. Danny blinked his confusion but couldn't find the right words to say. Of course the reason he skipped classes was that he had to stop ghosts all the time, but if you didn't know that... Danny was actually glad that the principal had come to that conclusion; at least he wasn't being made out to be some troublesome deviant.
"Well sir..." Danny began, but petered out when he realised he had no idea how to respond. Fortunately Aunt Martha took over. Thank goodness for her degree in Law. "Danny spends as much of his time studying as he can. He's always been a smart child, but was rarely given an opportunity to shine. I am sure anything you can do to further encourage him will be greatly appreciated."
Mr Jobson smiled warmly and took a seat again. "You are quite right Martha. Daniel, given how well you did on the Senior exams your teachers and I feel that we would be holding you back if things were to continue as they are. Your Aunt has agreed to this course of action and we hope you will find it to your taste too. On Monday I would like you to join the Senior classes; you could graduate this spring instead of wasting a year covering content you have already proven you know. What do you think?"
Danny was shocked, but he couldn't help but think that maybe this was for the best. If he was able to finish school early then he could invest more time into being Phantom. Although, what would that do to the bully situation here? He'd have to find some way to reduce it before he left, but otherwise it was a tempting offer. Before he realised it he had accepted, and the principal positively beamed at him.
He was issued a stack of exercise books from the Senior repertoire and was sent home to get a head start. Thus he found himself sitting on the barn roof trying to catch up with the shock lag. While the air was cool and crisp the winter sun shone on his back. He was enjoying the gentle warmth as he gazed over the fields. He was going to graduate school a year early. Did that mean he should be looking into Colleges now? No. Danny decided that he was going to use this head start to develop his skills as Phantom. While he had improved a lot since he was just fourteen there was still a lot he needed to do to keep everyone safe from the invading ghosts.
Danny lay back on the roof to stare up at the sky, enjoying the light wind as it brushed across his face. He heard a truck pull up in the driveway and sat up watching as the people climbed out and started unloading a whole heap of stuff. Bookshelves, a desk, and a lamp; all were ridiculously high-end. There was no way the Kents would have ordered this so why was it here? Danny saw Peter Sosnik, Uncle Kent's campaign manager climb out of his tiny Elantra. Danny climbed over the back of the roof, away from prying eyes before jumping off and doubling back towards the house.
He came into a flurry of activity five people were busy rearranging the living room into some executive office. The large oak desk sat in the middle of the room and was rapidly being surrounded by other rich furniture. But that didn't reflect anything about Uncle Jon. Who was going to vote for this picture, he'd look like another Lex. People were more likely to vote Lex if this was the angle Sosnik used. Better the evil you know than the evil you don't as they say.
Before Danny knew what was happening he was swept upstairs to put a suit on. Sosnik had leapt at the idea of involving Danny in the family portraits since it showed that Jon would look out for anyone. Clark the "Golden Arm of Kansas" and the poor orphaned nephew were a draw card as far as Sosnik saw it. Danny sighed as he buttoned up his white top. A woman had shoved it at him and ordered him to put the suit on. Nimbly he pulled on the green tie he'd been issued before picking up the black jacket. Shaking his head in silent frustration he did up the middle button on his jacket and looked in the mirror.
There was no way he wanted anyone to see him like this. Sure he looked neat and tidy, but he looked like some executive's son. He looked like... like Vlad's perfect half-ghost son apprentice. If there was any way out of this he would take it. There was no way on Earth or the Realms of the Ghost Zone that he wanted Vlad to catch sight of him like this. Someone knocked on the door. Danny flickered out of visibility just as the door opened.
"Danny, you ready?" Clark peeked his head around the door, but Danny stayed silent. The week had been taxing enough and he really wasn't up to this, leaving aside the fact that this ploy was not the right image for Uncle Jon. Danny flinched as Clark intensified his gaze before giving him a big poke in the side.
"Hey, no fair using x-ray vision" Danny scowled at Clark.
Clark raised an eyebrow at him "Coming from you? Not so convincing." Clark stood awkwardly for a minute, obviously uncomfortable in his suit. The two of them stood next to each other, two blue eyed boys dressed in ridiculously formal business suits with matching green ties. Their eyes met sceptically through the mirror.
"There is no way this is going to work, you know that right?" Danny commented. Clark nodded sadly. The two of them headed downstairs behind Aunt Martha. She was wearing a neat green two piece suit. The colour didn't suit her at all, and if anything she looked more uncomfortable in it than Danny and Clark combined.
The three of them made their way towards the living room, shifting uncomfortably in their clothes. The woman who had shoved this – costume – on Danny was brushing down the suit, before she turned the brush on Martha. Danny took a deep calming breath; this was taking a large toll on his concentration.
"Wow" Jon's warm voice broke the silence, but Aunt Martha slumped. "It's not exactly us." She said. It was then that Danny noticed that Lois was there. She was looking sceptically at Sosnik, but it was Clark, blunt as ever that actually asked "Are you even sure this guy even knows what he's doing?"
Uncle Jon reassured them that Sosnik helped the previous senator win five elections. Somehow that wasn't reassuring for Danny. In fact he seemed to be guiding them in the opposite direction to what Jon had originally wanted to go.
"Really?" Lois interrupted, "Because I think he's turning you into another Lex Luthor." Within a minute she was snapping at Sosnik in her cheerfully sarcastic way "I was just wondering if you've ever met the Kents. See, the reason someone is going to vote for Mr Kent is that they relate to him. And who is gonna believe that he supports local farmers when he looks like some business blowhard who's gonna buy them out?"
Sosnik replied "Yeah, well it's called bridging the demo gap sweetheart."
Danny was proud of Lois, she took a situation, found her stance and didn't back down. In the meantime Jon had been reading the paper, a more and more annoyed expression crossing his face with every word he read. "Now wait a minute, it says here that Jonathan Kent is quoted as saying that "it is possible to serve corporate interest and maintain the public welfare" I never said that!"
"I did" Sosnik said. And from the look in Uncle Jon's eye he was in a very precarious position. "See this whole John-boy thing you have going on – don't get me wrong you're very good at it – you may win with the cowpokes, but there's a whole pool of voters that are more comfortable sipping Latte's than they are with digging post holes." Forget post holes, Sosnik had just dug his grave hole as far as Jon was concerned. From here there was only one option. Jon fired Sosnik, and in a move from leftfield appointed Lois as his campaign manager.
The phone started ringing and Uncle Jon went to get it. Danny watched him go out of the room, but was stunned by the abrupt change in his aura. Suddenly it became dark, edged with worry and anger. He wished he'd listened in on the phone conversation. Jon came back in the room with a cheery smile that it seemed that only Danny saw through. Lois still stood blinking by the desk as Sosnik's crew packed everything up. It was only when the crew was gone that Lois managed to say anything.
"Mr Kent, Surely there's someone better than me." She stammered, still bewildered.
Jon smiled indulgently back at her, a trace of his usual positivity coming back into his aura. "Lois, you'll do fine" Lois took a deep breath, looked Jon in the eye and nodded firmly. She flicked through the blue file in her hands for a minute before guiding the lot of them into the Kitchen for a strategy meeting.
A rally had been arranged for Sunday, and Lois believed that it should go ahead. She looked over the pages of statistics studiously and then stood up. "Alright" Lois commanded in a voice that left no room for discussion. "Here's how we're going to play it. I am going to arrange a photographer; I'll need a photo of you Mr Kent, in your best suit. He was right in as far as bridging that demo gap goes. But the family photo is going to be out in the yard. Tonight, I'm going to redesign your campaign posters. The ones he made don't suit your style at all. By tomorrow you'll have an all new campaign ready to roll." She finished with a smile.
Four minutes later she was on the phone, she actually managed to arrange a photographer to come out the next day. How she was able to do it that fast without any powers; meteor, Kryptonian or ghost was beyond Danny, but he was enthused by her competency. She pulled the file back together and then looked to the family. "Mr Kent, I'd like you and Mrs Kent well rested for tomorrow. If you haven't started you need to start writing your speech for the rally. Smallville, you go and do... whatever it is you do on Friday nights, just make sure you're back here by morning. Tonight would be better. Casper, you're coming with me."
So the four of them split up, Danny was guided to Lois' red car, and despite his protests could not get any hint off Lois as to her plans or why she wanted him with her. The drive into Smallville was fairly silent and Danny felt awkward sitting next to the bossy nineteen year old. She parked her car outside the Talon and then guided him up to her apartment.
Line Break
Lois watched Danny as he came up into the apartment. There was no doubt in her mind that he was a strange kid. When he'd realised that he was getting nothing out of her as they drove into town he'd just sat silently, almost perfectly still. He'd gone to push the door open instead of pulling it as he opened the door to the Talon for her, but had cased out the place as soon as he'd set foot inside. Probably the only reason Lois had noticed was her years as an army brat. That was a behaviour her Dad had picked up around the time he'd earned his first Star.
But that was not the reason she'd brought him here. Chloe had told her of his fantastic organisational skill. She'd explained that he'd managed to index all the addresses for deliveries and sort relevant presents for the Toys-For-Tots drive at Christmas in just under an hour. It was this skill that Lois needed now. Not to mention she'd sneaked a glance at his sketchbook and had plans for utilising that particular skill. She guided Danny over to the couch, noting that he observed every single aspect of her open plan apartment before taking a seat.
Lois picked up her phone and made another quick call to the printers. She was able to convince them to give her a great deal if she printed four thousand of the largest poster size. That would be a great start, if she had the poster to start with. That, she hoped was where Danny came in. "Casper" she said, enjoying the slight flicker of irritation at the nickname. If she persisted long enough it was going to become a term of endearment. "I know you're probably a bit lost in this campaign, but I'd really like your help. See, Sosnik's plan was not the right image for Mr Kent. But at the moment we haven't got a good poster up and running. I'd like to have at least two by the end of the week"
She pulled out the black spiral bound book that she'd borrowed off the Kents' kitchen bench that afternoon and showed it to him. He made to grab it but she pulled it away. "That's my..." Danny began, but Lois interrupted him. "Sketchbook? Yes. Sorry for borrowing it, but you have talent Casper." Lois flicked through to the page she wanted. It was a picture of Mr Kent leaning against a fence post. While it was not coloured in it looked so lifelike you could almost hear his laughter as he smiled proudly over his fields. There was a moment of beauty captured here, so much more real than anything a photographer could capture.
"I'd like your help with the first of the campaign posters. If you can manage half the life you did in this sketch we'll be at an amazing advantage." The boy grumbled, but it turned out it didn't take too much to convince Danny to draw. She watched enraptured as a wonderful image came to life before her. It was Mr Kent, but he bore a sincere smile, the delicate shading in his eyes seemed to sparkle on the page. The top of his favourite jacket could be seen, but somehow the image made it look classy. Danny got all the details right, down to the slight crinkling around his eyes as Mr Kent smiled.
Lois looked over at the clock. It had taken Danny only fifteen minutes to render this perfect masterpiece of almost living art. She smiled; this was a talent that few possessed. Idly she wondered why he'd never thought to sell his pictures. They were amazing quality. As she'd flicked through the book she saw pictures of various people, some were coloured others simply shaded.
There were some pictures of what could only be ghosts. One or two had been seen here, there was one that looked like a farmer except for the fact that his skin was green and his eyes shone an odd shade of blue. He wore an odd chain of corn cobs around his neck and the caption in Danny's book read the Corn Ghost. There was a very detailed sketch of the plant ghost that had attacked the town all those months ago. A small blonde haired figure stood before the ghost, a tiny silver device in her hands.
There were many other ghosts; probably that Danny had only come across in Amity Park. There were detailed renderings of scenes around Smallville; the Talon, the fields, the Kent Farm, the school, there was even an odd rendering of the Loeb Bridge, almost from an aerial angle. But most amazing were the people. There was a detailed picture of the people that worked in the Talon, teachers from school. There was a picture of two blonde haired and blue eyed football types back to back. One wore the Smallville Jacket and the other wore the Casper high one. There were three of AC, one where he held a trident and was surrounded by fish as he floated underwater, it somehow suited him.
Pages were dedicated to the Kents, smiling as a family, Clark throwing hay bales, Martha as she pulled a tray from the oven, Jon laughing. There were pictures of Chloe, absently sucking on a pen as she thought of a story and one where she confidently held a gun like a kick-ass spy. There were some of Lana, a cheeky smile as she snuck up on Clark and the sweet innocence as she rode her horse. There were some of Lois, and she blushed at the beauty with which he'd drawn her. There was no way she came off like that.
But the most interesting ones were the fully coloured drawings of people she'd never met. A pair of people, one large and clad in an orange hazmat suit, the other small and thin wearing bright blue. The pair were almost always together. There was one of the orange man happily gorging himself on a plate of fudge, and there was one of the blue one expertly wielding a bo-staff. There was an orange haired girl, usually with arms wrapped around a book. A dark skinned technophile padding away at his PDA. But most lovingly drawn was the girl. Porcelain skin, dark hair tied loosely back to frame her heart shaped face and the most elegant amethyst eyes. Lois had been amazed at the image of her twirling happily under a moonlit sky.
That one picture had nearly brought Lois to tears. There was something in the sketch, an undefinable feeling of love and loss that told Lois that Danny had loved this girl, that she had been lost to him the day the meteor struck his house. Lois was moved by the powerful emotions conveyed by that one sketch, but felt helpless to do anything about it. And whenever Lois felt helpless she always found a different perspective and went barrelling on ahead. That's why she'd asked Danny to do the sketch. His amazing talent could be put to use, and also she wanted to start getting coverage by tomorrow afternoon.
The two of them spent a while deciding on the final layout for the poster, eventually deciding on a background of the American flag in pastel in the background with the campaign slogan in red down the bottom. Lois found herself quite liking the younger boy's company. He was shy and clumsy, but knew where to speak up and was particularly polite. Danny even went down and got Lois her favourite cup of coffee even without her ordering it. She usually had to remind Clark what she liked.
It only took them an hour and they finished the first poster. As they were heading out the door Danny asked for the sketchbook back, Lois had continued browsing through it while he was drawing. With a flush of embarrassment she handed it back to him and he hugged it tightly to his chest for a moment before he carefully put it in his backpack, Lois hadn't even realised he'd brought it with him. The two of them drove to the printer and after a five minute argument with the shop clerk the posters were being printed en masse.
They walked around town as they waited; occasionally Danny would look at a stranger with an odd questioning gaze, like he knew something more about them, but Lois didn't think to ask what. They were chatting, Danny was actually a pretty good sounding board for her plans, he was able to help her refine them and somehow managed to keep better track of all the different days and deadlines that she proposed. Somehow walking around with him she felt like nothing in the world could hurt her. Whomever Danny ended up with, she was going to be a very lucky girl. There was just something about Danny.
They collected the posters, Lois had to admit they looked really good, and she hadn't even needed to employ a graphical designer for them. The overall effect was one of sun kissed welcoming. Tomorrow she'd drive into Metropolis to get some coverage going at the universities after the photo shoot at the Farm. She'd also pull a couple of contacts in and fax the poster to some of her connections to get the campaign rolling in the other cities in Kansas. She felt a little overwhelmed, she couldn't believe Mr Kent had put so much trust in her, but she was determined not to let him down.
Line Break
Clark was exhausted. Today had passed by in a blur. First thing in the morning they'd gotten a call from the school. It turned out that Danny was going to be skipped into Senior year so he could graduate early. Then they'd had to do a photo shoot with Sosnik, who'd been fired. But now he'd have to put up with Lois running the campaign, he was tired just thinking about that. Lois tended to be very demanding when she got her mind set on something.
So he'd gone to Lana's dorm at the Uni to calm down, but they'd ended up having a big blowout; Lana wanted to be closer to him, but Clark didn't want to risk hurting her with his powers. And then to protect his secret he'd gone on the defensive and accused her of obsessing over astronomy. He was at a loss for what to do. He knew that he had some control over his abilities, it wasn't like he'd hurt people whenever he shook their hand, but there was still something holding Clark back. He wasn't ready to tell her his secret, he wasn't sure that she'd accept him and that was slowly destroying their relationship.
He drove the truck up to the Talon to pick his Mom and Danny up. Danny had spent the rest of the Day with Lois, helping her adjust to the new responsibility that his Dad had given her. Martha had gone to finish her shift at the Talon, seeing as she was manager. Clark noticed a big campaign poster on the billboard outside the Talon. Vaguely he recognised the style as one of Danny's drawings. He was glad that his cousin was so supportive of his father, even when Clark had doubted the rationality of the decision Danny had been there for his father.
Clark reflected on that. There were so many little things that Danny did just to make their lives easier. He'd encouraged his father to pursue this, and had explained that Jon was one of the few people that could make a real positive difference in the world given the chance. Really, it was Clark's Mom who was against the campaign, ever protective and wanting to keep Clark's – and Danny's – secrets safe. But in a way Danny was right, this was Clark's Dad's real opportunity to do great things for the world and Clark was not going to take that away from him.
Clark collected the two of them and they got in the truck. Danny was looking confusedly at his Mom who seemed to have a great deal on her mind.
"What's wrong?" Clark asked, looking away from the road for just a moment. His Mom blinked for a moment shaking her head back to the present.
"Nothing" she said with a weak smile "Just, a lot on my mind. I worry for your Father, for you, for Danny. What are we going to do when this is all over?" She shook her head once more "this campaign, I'm not sure how we can make it through alright, that's all." Clark sighed, he knew that this was going to be tough, they still had weeks to go and their coffers were already running low. But this was for his Dad, so Clark was going to be as supportive as possible.
Clark's eyes flicked to the rear-view mirror. Danny had been silent the whole trip, while not particularly unusual but he was usually more animated when he'd spent time with one of Clark's friends. Clark was alarmed to watch the colour drain out of Danny's face as he pulled into their driveway.
"Clark, hurry up." Danny demanded, his eyes widening in alarm. Clark watched as they flickered between ghostly green and ice blue. Clark was puzzled, what was wrong? Clark pulled the truck up next to the fence but before he could ask Danny was out and running towards the barn. Clark ran behind him, a blur in the night air. It took about twenty seconds for his Mom to arrive behind them.
Shelby was barking, looking up to something in the rafters. Clark saw Danny frozen, looking up at the same spot. Clark walked forward to try and calm Shelby down when he heard his Mom gasp. He turned around, hanging from the rafters upside down and unconscious was his Dad. Words painted in dripping red warned him to "drop out while you still can" it took only a second, but Danny made a weak noise before floating up and phasing Clark's Dad back down to the ground.
"How long has he been up there?" Clark heard his mom ask, her voice completely panicked. Danny had his eyes closed as he lowered Clark's Dad to the ground; he created a pillow of soft snow and covered it with his shirt before laying Jon's head down on it. Danny quickly took his pulse and checked his breathing. "37 minutes and 46 seconds" he said before blinking his green eyes open. "He'll be fine, but we need to get him to a hospital to be sure." Clark wanted to ask how Danny knew that, but there were more pressing matters at hand.
Clark quickly ran back to the house, grabbing the first blanket to come to hand and loaded his Dad in the back of the truck as they drove to the ER. Absently he realised it was the red one he'd borrowed from the Far Frozen all those months ago. They got him to the hospital and the doctors gave him a thorough examination. While they agreed that he'd be alright they wanted to keep him in overnight for observation.
Clark went out to the waiting room where he saw Danny was seated, hunched over his knees as he stared at the floor. He had thrown his shirt back on as they left the barn, but it looked thin when everyone else was donning thick jackets and jumpers. "Hey" Clark said, laying a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. He heard Danny's muffled voice ask "How's Uncle Jon going?" in a strangely empty tone.
"He's fine, thanks to you. Who knows how long he could have been left there hanging if you hadn't taken us there straight away." Clark replied, but Danny just groaned again. "Not soon enough."
Clark was puzzled Danny had saved his Dad's life, Clark would be eternally grateful, so what was he beating himself up about. "What's wrong" Clark queried cautiously. Danny looked up at him, his blue eyes dull and empty. They looked dead.
"If I had been there sooner, had been there at all... this wouldn't have happened. Your Dad knew something like this would happen. Someone's been calling him, making him stress, and he kept it from you, from all of us. But I knew. I should have stayed with him." Danny trailed off, his eyes landing back on the floor as he slumped over himself again.
"You couldn't have known something like this was going to happen, and you were able to save him just in time. That's what matters here." Clark watched as the boy slowly shook his head; gaze still firmly on the floor.
"You don't get it. I failed, I should have been there. I failed to protect him and he could have ended up dead, and it would be all my fault for not saving him." Something was nagging at the back of Clark's mind. There had to be an explanation for Danny's dark mood. He'd saved the day and yet he was beating himself up for not doing it sooner. It was deep, bordering on fixation, obsession. Obsession...
"Ghosts are obsessive by nature" Clark recalled the day that Danny had revealed his secret to them. There were so many ways that his cousin acted human that it was easy to forget that he was anything different to a human with weird abilities. But he wasn't, he'd said it himself that his psyche was not human, closer to a ghost's. "He'd asked me to act against my obsession, and ghosts just can't do that." Danny had said that all those months ago, but Clark had never thought to ask what it meant if they were forced to.
"Every fibre of my being is oriented for the sole purpose of protection." And suddenly it clicked. Danny was blaming himself for not saving Clark's Dad, but it ran deeper than that. Whenever Clark himself failed at saving people he'd beat himself up about it, but he knew there was nothing he could do to change it. For Danny, whose entire being was oriented around saving people... he'd be destroying himself inside, feeling completely lost right now. And Clark was at a loss to imagine how to help. Clark was glad that the room was empty as Danny faded slightly, he tried to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder but it slipped through. Clark was saddened at the reminder that his cousin was, to his own mind, just a ghost.
Clark stood up; probably the only person who could bring Danny out of this was Clark's Dad. So he went to the hospital room where his Dad was resting. He was walking down the long corridor when Lois and his Mom stepped out of the elevator together. Lois was alarmed to hear that this had happened and had rushed to the hospital as soon as she found out. She had cancelled the photo shoot tomorrow to give his Dad the opportunity to recover a bit, and had rescheduled the rally for next week to make sure that he was okay.
When the three of them got to Clark's Dad's room he was already up, putting his brown plaid shirt back on. "I can't let them stop me" he said, and Clark immediately thought of what Danny had said, his Dad really had known that something like this was going to happen. Lois left to put the rally back on for tomorrow. But Clark and his mom stayed behind, concerned for this new development.
"I thought the doctor said he was going to keep you overnight." His mom said, fearful anger crossing her tearful voice. But his Dad just said that "they'd have exactly what they want" Darn it! Sometimes Clark's Dad was just too stubborn for his own good. He had a heart condition that needed to be taken care of, and all this stress couldn't be doing him any good at all.
"It's not the first time they've called, is it Dad?" Clark asked, knowing that his fears would only be confirmed. But that left nothing to the disappointment in his Mom's voice, or the betrayal in her eyes when she asked how he could have kept this from them. Saying they were supposed to be in this as a family.
"Are we?" his Dad demanded. "You were never happy about me running and now you just want me to quit." Clark flinched, he'd never heard his Dad talk to his Mom like that, so accusing.
It was heartbreaking to hear his Mom say "Maybe you're willing to risk your life over this, but don't think I'm willing to stand by and watch." She stormed off, blinking away the tears that had sprung to her eyes and leaving Clark alone in the room with his Dad.
"Do as I say, not as I do, huh, Dad?" Clark asked disappointed in his father. Usually he was the pillar of strength in the family, the most rational voice and the guiding hand. However lately he'd been more irrational. He needed to take the time to recover and he'd always encouraged Clark to think things through carefully.
"Look" his Dad said, meeting his eyes with his own brand of fiery defiance. "I never taught you to buckle under pressure. Especially not from Lex Luthor"
"You think Lex is behind this? You think he'd go this far?"
"There's no limit to what Lex Luthor would do, son." Clark's Dad stated as if it were the absolute truth. Clark left the room as his Dad moved to pick up the rest of his belongings. He walked down the hall towards the waiting room. He noted that his Mom was giving Danny a comforting hug; at least she was able to encourage him into tangibility. He was going to walk over to them when Lex Luthor rounded a corner.
"Clark" he said "I heard what happened." In that moment all of Clark's suspicions rolled through his mind. He wished he knew the truth for certain as Lex asked if his Dad was okay.
"Trust me Lex" Clark replied "this is as close to my father as you wanna get right now."
Lex looked at Clark with sadness and understanding in his eyes, but Clark was no longer sure of how much was an act anymore. "He thinks I was behind it?" Les asked with a hint of betrayal in his eyes. That crushed Clark. Lex had once been a friend, but on a basic human level he hated to think of anyone as capable of harming another person the way his Dad had been punished.
"What do you expect him to believe?" Clark asked trying to keep his own betrayal out of his voice.
"The truth" Lex implored "I issued a press release denouncing the attack and offered a reward for any information leading to the assailants' capture. I need you to believe me." But there was something in Lex's eyes that made it impossible, he wanted too, but there was too much water under the bridge, too many lies between them for Clark to take Lex's word at face value. He didn't miss the disappointment in Lex's eyes as he stalked off.
"Lex why is the state Senate seat so important to you?" Clark asked, hoping that for once Lex could be honest with him.
"It's a stepping stone." Clark curious as to what, there wasn't much bigger than the state Government. "It's like Apollo asking Icarus why he's building wings. You have everything you've ever wanted here Clark, I'm sorry if I'm still searching." Clark was mildly offended, he was happy here, but there was so much that he wanted to change in his life. So much he'd do over if given half a chance.
"What if you don't win?" Clark asked, knowing full well of Lex's obsessive nature. "What if you get to the Capitol and you haven't found what you're looking for?"
Lex replied with a cavalier attitude "Well there's always the Whitehouse." Clark blinked, a wave of disappointment raced through him. Where was the old Lex, the one who'd stayed three days on the Farm doing the worst jobs without complaint? The Lex who'd given up going back to Metropolis to stay in the humble town of Smallville? The Lex who had earned his friendship for looking out for the lesser man?
"Look" Lex continued "I promise you we're going to find out who did this to your father." Clark just nodded, watching his retreating back. There was a sort of shallowness in that statement, while it was sincere it didn't feel as though Lex had the same motivations as he used to.
Clark walked over to the waiting room where Danny and his Mom were still talking. Three minutes later they were joined by his Dad who had signed himself out. Danny sent him an apologetic look before the four of them headed out to the truck. Clark drove and his Mom insisted that Jon wrapped himself in the blanket while they drove; which his Dad grudgingly obliged to. Danny didn't join them in the drive home. He said he was going to do a patrol and probably wouldn't be back to the farm until late.
As he drove Clark couldn't help but wonder how things had gotten so out of control so quickly. It seemed it only took one thing like his Dad getting hurt to send everything spiralling downwards. His Dad was being strong, he'd carry on with the rally, with the whole campaign even if it killed him, and at this rate it just might. Clark frowned as he pulled the car up to their darkened home. It was going to be a difficult couple of days.
Line Break
Phantom flew over Smallville, still feeling weak from having failed to protect his Uncle. He should have been there; he had known that something was wrong at lunchtime. Why hadn't he stayed with Jon instead of going out and having fun with Lois? He should know better than that. He should have at least left a duplicate but stupidly didn't think to do it. The only thing he was glad for was that the assailants had left it so late to attack him. If Jon had been there much longer the blood pooling to his brain would have killed him.
Phantom opened a portal to force the Corn Ghost back into the Zone one more time. So far tonight he'd only been bothered by the Corn Ghost, one ecto-pus and three ghost cows. There was nothing really to distract him from his failure. He heard the screeching of brakes down below and was able to save a man from driving drunk into a ditch. He felt a small bit of strength coming back as he fulfilled his purpose, but was still berating himself for not being there for his Uncle. As the first rays of sunrise peeked over the horizon he flew back towards the Farm.
Saturday passed in a blur. Lois dragged him out of the house to help her with the campaign, but he was too dazed to be much company. He was able to put the posters up where she'd sent him and was polite to her. But really he still felt ill. He didn't think he'd ever felt so weakened for failing in his obsession before. Was this how the other ghosts felt when they couldn't fulfil their obsessions? He'd seen the ghosts as they powered down in defeat, but he'd never imagined that this weakness came with it, they always bounced back so fast.
He fought off a few ghosts while he was out with Lois, still thinking depressively. Eventually he came to the conclusion that it had to be different, a defeat was a defeat, but failing in your obsession was akin to being tied up and unable to do anything. Only the latter caused such physical distress. A defeat left you with only the wounds of battle to deal with. He took another late patrol, barely realising that he hadn't slept since Friday morning. Eventually he went home, feeling tired and he settled in for four hours sleep before the rally in the morning.
It came soon enough, and he allowed himself to be swept up in the flurry of preparation. At the moment he couldn't muster up the energy to put in the act as Fenton, just relying on his instincts to get him through. It was a half hour drive into town, but they eventually got to the Town Hall where the rally was being held. Lois had arranged it marvellously; the room was decked in red, white and blue, a true symbol of patriotism. There were hundreds of people here, a surge of support for Mr Kent.
Aunt Martha stood smiling at the front of the crowd, smiling supportively as Mr Kent took to the stage. Clark was being secretive, but something told Danny that something was wrong. There was a feeling of danger in the air that told Danny something was going to go badly. He'd taken to patrolling the area around the stage, trying to find the source of the disturbance. In a corner of his mind he noted that Clark was walking around upstairs, and he sensed two people up in the projection/lighting room. He was tempted to investigate, but Clark was already walking in that direction.
From the wings he could see his Uncle standing proudly as he made his speech. He came to the conclusion; there was a roar of applause so loud that Danny almost missed it. There was a loud bang and Danny saw in slow motion the large bullet as it flew through the air towards Mr Kent. There was no time, he was too weak to run, but his brain – or was it his core? – was screaming protect! Protect! PROTECT! All he could see was the air in front of his Uncle as the bullet closed in.
He closed his eyed, wishing desperately that there was any way to get there in time. He heard the whistle of the bullet as it approached and felt himself fading into darkness with a curious swirling of green.
Line Break - Saturday
Clark sighed as he sat in his bedroom. His Dad had thrown himself into his farm chores as soon as he'd gotten out of bed this morning, going through them with frustrated dedication. His Mom had gone off early to the Talon saying she had some things she needed to think over, and Danny had been dragged off by Lois first thing. His eyes seemed vacant, and he wasn't even bothering to act clumsy like he usually did around anyone outside the family.
Clark mulled things over for a long while before deciding on a course of action. He pulled up the phone record and was able to find the number that his Dad had labelled as a wrong number. That in mind, he drove into Metropolis to call in Chloe's help. He wanted to be sure that Lex was behind this, and the easiest way to be sure was to enlist the help of his ridiculously clever and tech-savvy friend.
Chloe was sceptical that Lex would go that far on Clark's Dad, and to be honest so was Clark. But he still wanted to get to the bottom of this. Chloe pulled up the search, but while they were waiting she offered her own opinion on a related matter. "You know it's not like your dad to keep something like this a secret."
"Yeah, it's like he's turned into a whole different person, like he's got something to prove to everyone." Clark commented.
"Or maybe just his son." Chloe replied, her tone dark. Clark was confused, why would his Dad running for Senate have anything to do with proving something to him? Before he could ask Chloe continued "Think about it Clark, it must be hard being the role model for a guy who pulls people out of a burning building and stops nuclear missiles all between chores and dinner. Now Danny's around, so there's probably something approaching normality, but he's needed to be your role model for so long and only now has he been given a chance."
"No one's expecting him to do that" Clark argued, but if Chloe was right...
"True," she commented "But it's not gonna stop him from trying." Just then the computer pinged, drawing their conversation back to the attack. "Alright, the call was made from..." Chloe said, trailing the mouse across the screen to pull up the right information "The Students for Lex Luthor office at CKU?" Well that was an unexpected development. Chloe and he shared a significant look before Clark raced to CKU. Whatever was going on he was going to find out what.
He arrived at the office barely five minutes later, and was overwhelmed by the room. The whole place was a tribute to Lex, posters adorned all the walls, photos and paintings of Lex sat on every free shelf. There were boxes of buttons and ribbons on the shelves, and stacks of pamphlets and posters ready to be handed out. But most offensive thing in the room was the scent of blood, of recent death. Clark walked in and investigated, looking for any sign of what was wrong.
He found two corpses laying side by side, a picture of Lex Luthor covering their faces. They had both been tied up, as if they hadn't been dead when whomever had done this had left. The only clue was a lock of blonde hair that had been carefully placed on each of their chests. Disgusted, Clark turned away. He still hadn't found what he came for, but he suspected that whoever did this was also to blame for his Dad being strung up in the barn. He continued looking, he found a sheet of paper listing the members of the Club, and top of the list was a girl called Samantha Drake.
Rummaging further he found a picture of a pretty blonde girl standing next to Lex at the manor, a razor sat beside it and the blonde girl had the same shade hair as the hair on the two corpses. Clark's heart stilled at what he saw next. It was one of his Dad's campaign posters; it looked like it had been scrunched up and unfolded. But worse still the face had been scratched out. He was obviously dealing with a psychopath.
He called Lois and she said she'd increase the security for the morning. Clark wanted to make sure his Dad would be safe, and at the moment the stakes seemed too high. He sped back home and settled into bed at midnight, resigning himself to a fitful sleep. There was no sign of Danny around either, but that wasn't too unusual. Clark decided not to tell him about Samantha Drake, he really didn't want to put Danny under any more stress than he already was.
Morning came all too soon. Clark got up and pulled his dress top on. He wanted to look neat, but not like an executive for today. He got to the Town Hall in good time, and immediately went on his own patrol. As people filed in a tumultuous roar of support for his Dad built. Clark was proud that his father had been able to build so much support, but concerned for his safety. He watched as his Dad came on stage amongst a sea of confetti and applause. His brilliant smile lit the room, and all eyes were on him.
"And Now," An announcer called over the Audio system "Your next State Senator, Mr Jonathan Kent." His Dad smiled and waved widely at the crowd. He sent a small smile down into the crowd at Martha, and Clark knew she'd smiled back by the glitter that jumped into his Dad's eyes. He proudly surveyed the whole audience as he stood behind the podium.
"Thankyou" He said, raising his hands to quieten the audience. "Thank you all very much for coming out here. I'm sure many of you have much more important things to do tonight than come out and listen to some farmer talk about the importance of corn subsidies." This inspired a slight chuckle from the audience.
"When I told my family that I had indeed decided to run against Lex Luthor, I don't think they really understood why I want to run. Or why this is so very important to me. But the truth is actually... it's actually very simple. The courage to help all Kansans, whether they're rich or whether they're poor. And do my very best to put the heart back in the heartland."
A riotous applause broke out, loud whistles echoing through the noisy hall. Clark watched as his Dad smiled, banners were waved brandishing his name, and a pool of red white and blue balloons spilled down from the roof. Clark smiled from his vantage point.
Then everything changed. A bang roared over the crowd and Clark watched in slow motion as a two inch bullet clawed its way through the air right at his dad. He was running, but he wasn't sure he was going to make it in time. He sped towards the podium, leaping towards the stage. Then in the air a fine green mist began to form. It swirled out, gentle spirals of soft green solidifying in the air in front of his Dad. The world was frozen in front of him, but still the spirals emerged. It reminded Clark of Alicia Baker, she could teleport herself in a similar mist, but she had died last year. Suddenly, in front of his Dad was Danny, Clark watched as the bullet slammed into his chest, lodging itself somewhere near his heart. In the frozen world Clark charged towards his cousin and sped him off the stage.
Clark was barely aware of the screaming crowd and the security as his parents were taken into safety. All he cared about was getting Danny to safety. The boy groaned in his arms as Clark lowered him to the floor backstage. He'd hidden him in an area that nobody could find unless they knew exactly where to go. He wanted to take care of Danny, but he knew the shooter took priority.
He raced up towards the lighting room and found Lois tackling a bald girl to the floor. Clark recognised her as Samantha Drake "Left it a little late there Smallville" She commented "Don't worry; I've got it under control. Missy here wanted to frame me for murder." She sent Clark a cheerfully malicious grin that once more made Clark glad he wasn't on Lois' bad side. Samantha Drake was taken into custody for attempted murder, murder and assault. That done he raced backstage to get back to Danny, only to find him pointedly absent. There was no trace of him ever having been there.
He made his way through the crowd trying to find sign of his parents or Danny. He needed to tell them what had happened. Clark met up with his Dad who wanted to thank him for stopping the bullet.
"It wasn't me Dad, it was Danny. He's been shot and now I can't find him." Clark watched as his Dad visibly paled, a frown crossing his otherwise cheerful countenance. The two of them made their way over to the Truck, hoping that Martha would find her way there.
What he didn't expect was Danny and his Mom to come down the Town Hall steps together. Danny was wearing a top that definitely was not the same one he'd been wearing earlier, but was smiling broadly. Clark watched as he smiled and then tripped on the bottom step, falling once more into his clumsy facade as if nothing had happened. Clark noted that his hand seemed to be fastened around something in the air as the two of them came up to the Truck.
Clark watched as his parents gave each other a warm hug, the surrounding photographers and paparazzi drinking it in. His Dad looked concernedly at Danny who gave the broadest smile and an almost imperceptible head shake, but it was enough for them to realise that he was fine for now. The four of them piled into the Truck, Lois was coming round the house later, but for now they were going to spend time as a family.
Clark stared at his cousin as he opened his hand, a bloodstained dress shirt came into visibility and Clark blanched as he looked at it. "Not here, when we get home. With paparazzi around you never know who's listening, and I know you want to congratulate your Dad privately." Something about his tone told Clark that Danny suspected the car had been bugged. So he had to hold his questions until they got home.
"Thanks for getting me out of there Clark" Danny said as soon as they got through the door as cheerfully as if nothing had happened. He made his way to the laundry and chucked his shirt into the wash pile. He went and sat on the sofa in the living room and the rest of the family followed suit.
"Getting you out of there? What happened?" Clark's mom asked alarmed.
"Danny caught the bullet that the psycho shot at Dad." Clark explained his gaze never leaving his cousin. He'd been shot, and yet he was sitting here cheerful as anything. Actually he looked a lot better than he had this morning. Clark's mind was boggling at the sheer absurdity of the conversation. "You said you were bulletproof, but I saw the bullet go in."
"I never said I was bulletproof, I said I could survive them. And I can." Clark watched Danny wave his hands in the air for emphasis. "See, survived"
"You were shot?" Clark's mom barked disbelievingly. Danny just sighed and shook his head resignedly. Then he reached his hand into his chest and pulled out a bronze coloured bullet. It sat two inches long in his hand.
"Yes, but I'm fine." Danny replied, Clark stared back disbelievingly at him and Danny scowled back. "Look, I'm sorry I scared you, but really, Clark catches bullets on his chest and he survives them. I bleed a tiny bit when I get shot but it's not that different. Really. A human bullet doesn't do much. It's all healed up now anyway."
Clark stared at the bullet at the table disbelievingly. He may say that but Clark was worried. Danny shook his head at Clark and slipped his hand into his trouser pocket. Clark watched as Danny pulled out a pocket knife. In a quick motion he had slit straight across his wrist. The three Kents gasped at this behaviour, but couldn't help but watch as the blood pooled for a moment, tiny flecks of green glowing in the dimming room before the flesh knitted itself back together. The whole thing had barely lasted thirty seconds.
"I'm fine, human weapons can't hurt me. They can't end – kill – me, the longest I've had to worry about a wound from a human weapon was two days and that's when I was fourteen. I'm fine." Clark struggled to take this information, there was a cognitive dissonance between the living kid in front of him and the ghost he professed to be, even with his powers.
But there was something more that Clark wanted to know, that weird green mist. "How did you even get there? You didn't run; I'd have seen you." Danny smiled again; he did seem to be getting on a lot better now than he was yesterday. Clark gulped as he realised why, Danny had protected his Dad by taking the bullet. This was all about his obsession, even if he hadn't realised it himself.
"I teleported. Best explanation I've got. That's a power I want to use again, I'll need to practice. But the situation called for it, so..." he trailed off happily, much more energetic than he had been since Friday. Lois came in then, and the conversation was closed. Clark's Dad seemed happy as he set off to work, and Lois was happy on the whole with how his speech had gone. The whole thing had pushed his Dad ten points up in the polls. Clark smiled; things seemed to be settling back to normal. All he needed to do was sort things out with Lana.
Line Break
Martha was conflicted. She'd been running the balances and there was no way they could make it through this financially. They'd inherited a bit when the Fenton's had passed on, but most of that inheritance was passed in trust to Danny for when he turned eighteen. They couldn't afford to keep Jon in the campaign. But after his speech Martha finally saw why he needed to run, why Kansas deserved to have Jon as tits Senator.
So Martha did the one thing she'd promised herself she'd not do. Jon would be unhappy with her for this, but it needed to be done. Martha called Lionel Luthor.
"Lionel" She said as the phone picked up.
"Martha" he sounded very happy to hear from her. She tried not to read too much into it. She was doing this for Jonathan. Jonathan who'd accepted help from so many other benefactors. Lionel had just offered to help, and at this point Martha was willing to accept all the help she could get.
"Lionel, it's about the offer of assistance you made earlier. I'd like to talk." There was a moment of silence, and half of her hoped that he'd refuse. But then his voice came back, a deep velvety baritone.
"I'm always here for you Martha."
AN: Danny can finally teleport, Lois is picking up on the weirdness of Danny, and Martha is finally on board with the election. But what is she doing with Lionel? And why is Danny acting so ghostly?
Tell me what you think.
Till next time
Bluerose