Thanatos

Chapter Twelve

"So, we're not actually going to quit our investigation, are we?" Lois asked nervously, sensing Clark's darkened mood as they left the police station in town and headed back to his family's pickup truck, which had been driven back to the station by the deputy's partner after they left the school, as Clark and Lois were both driven into town in the back seat of the police officer's squad car. "Earth to Clark, are you going to talk to me, or am I just talking to hear myself talk?"

"I'm sorry," he replied somberly. "I just want this night to be over, but I have a feeling that it won't be ending any time soon. Of course we're going to continue looking for this woman. We have to. She's only going to kill again."

Lois looked at her friend strangely as she answered, "Okay, doomsayer. Look, I am all for looking into this woman and getting the scoop on this story, but…"

Clark angrily interrupted, "Would you stop talking about this like this is some big story that will get your name plastered on the news?"

"Just chill, would you?" she stated in frustration. "Damn Smallville, I get why Chloe liked you, but I do not understand how she dealt with your sudden mood swings. One minute, your sweet and cutely naïve and the next, you're the incredible hulk, ready to smash everything in sight. I never meant to sound like I was only in this with you for a story to help me get started on my career. I would never do that. I was only going to ask, even if we do manage to track her down, what then? You don't actually expect to do anything yourself, do you?"

"Of… of course not," Clark stuttered in response. And I'm sorry. I really don't mean to be so problematic. You don't deserve that and I have no excuse. All I want is to try to find anything that might help Sheriff Adams and the rest of the police force to find this woman and stop her from hurting anyone else. Chloe would be the first to agree with me."

Lois nodded, then replied, "And as I've already said, I'm on board. So, what now, Banner?"

Clark looked at her mockingly as he asked, "Bruce Banner, really?"

"What, do you not think that a girl reads comic books too?" Lois asked as she saw him looking at her strangely. "Okay, so I don't, or never did, but I do happen to know who the hulk is. My dad liked the old show. When he wasn't busy with being an Army general, he would actually relax a little a long time ago and on rare occasions, we'd watch the show and a few others together."

"That sounds nice," Clark answered and was about to get into the driver's seat of his truck again when he suddenly stopped as he noticed someone watching him and Lois from a distance, then realized who it was. "Uh… listen Lois, I think I'm going to take a walk, to try to clear my head a little. Why don't you take my family's truck and I'll be home in a little while."

She came around to the driver's side as she responded, "Well, if you're going to do that, then I'm going to go take care of a few things myself, that is of course, if you don't mind me taking your truck?"

Clark nodded as he started to walk off, straining his eyes when the woman watching them seemed to disappear into an alleyway, then Lois turned back to ask something more until she discovered he was already gone, having run off in a surprising speed, and she said to herself, "I really wish he would stop running off like that. It's creepy."

Within a few seconds, Clark had run to where he saw the woman standing only a moment ago and suspecting she was hiding, he called out angrily, "I know you're still here! I also know that you must know about me after you attacked my father! Come out and face me!"

"I know more than you might want me to know," Thana replied coolly. "Your father has a lot of secrets."

"Why did you attack him?" Clark asked angrily. "My dad didn't do anything to you. He was only trying to help you."

"He wasn't trying to help me," she answered as she stared at the young man she had seen come to his father's rescue earlier. "He was continuing to help Theresa's husband, despite knowing that he was an evil man. Jonathan knew where Tom was and yet he refused to give him up, so I had to force it from him."

Clark stepped toward her, but stopped himself as he knew it was a bad idea to attack her, so instead he simply continued talking, saying, "You nearly killed him. You would have if I hadn't have come home when I did. You killed others, just as you killed Tom. I know you were wronged, I have an idea what your husband did to you, but…"

The woman angrily interrupted, "I wasn't the one who was wronged, she was and Tom was not my husband. He was hers."

"I don't understand," Clark stated in confusion. "What do you mean she was wronged?"

"I am not Theresa any longer," Thana responded cruelly. "Theresa was weak. I am not. When she was young, Theresa's father used to tell her stories about a very powerful being, a reaper of sorts, whom the Greek called Thanatos. He claimed that this being had the ability to steal the life from any other being, whether it was his or her time to leave this Earth, or not; a child's horror story, or so Theresa thought. Her father believed that Thanatos would one day come for him, but she never believed his stories. Little did she know that Thanatos had already chosen her instead. He chose her so that he could resurrect me through this body. I am here to carry on his work for him until I can find the means to do for him as he has done for me."

At the Kent Farm…

The phone rang as Martha walked into the kitchen to pick it up as she stated, "Hello?"

On the other end of the line, Sheriff Adams replied, "Good evening, Mrs. Kent. I am sorry to call this late, but I wanted to inform you and your husband that I have just spoken with your son and Miss. Lane after a couple of my men picked them up for breaking and entering in the high school to do research. Don't worry, I'm not pressing charges against them. In fact, they helped out in our investigation. They left here a few minutes ago."

"I am grateful, Nancy," Martha answered sincerely. "And I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Clark is used to helping Chloe Sullivan with research after school hours. He's coping, as her death has been hard."

"I can only imagine," the sheriff responded as Martha took a seat on one of the barstools at their kitchen counter. "Actually, the real reason for my call is to check up on your husband. Clark has informed me that he was attacked earlier today. How is he doing?"

The farmer's wife looked toward the stairs as she answered, "Jonathan is doing alright all things considering. He's upstairs sleeping right now, trying to get some rest. He's still recuperating you know, after being in the hospital and all."

Nancy responded, "Yes of course. I will not keep you on any longer then so that you can get back to your evening. Call me if you need anything."

"I will," she replied as she stood again and prepared to hang up the phone. "And thank you again, Nancy. Good bye."

After hanging up the phone, Martha turned and was about to walk upstairs to check on her husband when all of a sudden, the front door was broken in and two men burst inside as Martha screamed. Jonathan came running down the stairs immediately upon hearing his wife cry out, finding her down on the floor after one of the men had struck her hard enough to knock her down, but not unconscious.

"Jonathan!" she cried as the man she loved swiftly ran in front of her to defend her, but was suddenly forced down to the ground as well when one of the men punched him hard in his stomach, then threw him hard into the coffee table, causing it to break. "No! What are you doing? Leave him alone, please! Jonathan!"

One of the men spoke up stating, "I'm afraid I can't do that."

Jonathan struggled to get his breath back as he was forced to his feet while the two men held him between them, then he spoke up pleading, "Please, I don't know what you want and I don't care, but please… don't hurt my wife."

"It isn't your wife that she wants, Jonathan Kent," the other assailant said cruelly, "She wants you."

"No!" Martha cried out again when one of them shoved her husband back against one of the walls, causing him to fall unconscious as he struck the back of his head, then the other lifted him from off the floor and threw him over his shoulder, as if he weighed nothing, to carry him away. "Jonathan!"

Back in the alley in town…

Clark continued to watch her as he asked, "You say that you're not Theresa any longer, so who are you? And how do you plan to resurrect this, Thanatos, whom you believe has granted you this new life?"

The woman still before him answered, "I am Thana and soon, Thanatos will be reborn as I was. You want to help me, or so you claim, but you can't help me. I don't need to be saved as you have the habit of doing for everyone else. I like who I am. Theresa was beaten until she was dead and so I avenged her by killing Tom Callas. The others were simply means to an end."

"And my father?" Clark asked angrily as before.

"Your father will soon be no more so that Thanatos can live as I live," Thana responded coldly.

Clark replied fearfully, "What do you mean? What have you done?"

She laughed cruelly, then answered, "Jonathan Kent defies the God your real father is at every turn and curses his name, yet he continues to breathe freely. I've seen everything. I wanted to kill him, at first, but then I saw his true purpose, to become a vessel for Thanatos, as Theresa was for me."

"Jonathan is my real father, not Jor-El," Clark responded. "Jor-El is no God and I don't care what you saw when you invaded my dad's mind. If you want to use him to try to bring to life this other false God, I will stop you. I won't let you hurt him again. You won't get near him!"

"I don't have to, Kal-El," Thana retorted as Clark stepped forward and tried to grab a hold of her, only to be thrown backward himself as she used the strength that was almost his in equal. "At least not right now. I have help for that. Jonathan is already mine. You are too late to help him now. You are more than human, that much is clear, but you are not the only one with power on your side, boy. So, I suggest you run home and be with the woman you call your mother. She will need you."

As soon as Thana said this, Clark sped off without a second thought, leaving the power hungry woman behind with a smile on her face as he raced off to try to save the man who would soon become hers, once Jonathan was dead and Thanatos was risen.