Jordan couldn't get his view away from this note…
Was it a hoax? A trap? Or maybe the place his brother was hiding from everyone, including him? With his powers gone, there was no chance his parents would allow him to go there!
Otherwise…
His brother would go there for him. With or without powers! And maybe there was a true chance to figure out more. Jordan looked around, thinking about leaving. But suddenly his family came around the corner, approached him, and his father took the keys away from him…
Of course, they mentioned that Jordan took Lois' car. And they guessed that he was on the way to town to see Sarah. Lara's words were harsh and not easy to bear. Clark was worried and listened in. Just to hear him talking to this boy. And the horrific rumor. Clark took Sam and Lois and flew them to the school immediately…
"Jordan… you know I would never hurt your brother or you on purpose!" Clark was on the verge of crying again. "And next time, you ask before you take the car, please! Now that we are here, we can all attend to the meeting. I want to confront those liars with the threads they send to Jonathan. And maybe we can convince the people to help us with the search…"
Jordan hid the note with the address in his pocket again. He goes there! At any cost! Like his brother would do it for him! But for that, he had to get away from here. Sarah would help him…
The Lane-Kents entered the auditorium where a lot of people glared on them like they were attractions. There was whispering again. Jordan was glad that his powers were gone. It meant he couldn't hear the awful stuff. But his father could, and he was visibly upset… some of it was extremely awful…
"Clark don't listen to them! They don't know what they say!" Sam reassured him.
"I know, but it really hurts what the people think about us!" Clark moaned.
They found Lana and Sarah. Kyle and Chrissy joined them, too. Everyone asked for Jonathan. And everyone wished them good luck for their search. Suddenly Detective Palmer approached them… a woman was with him.
"Mr. Kent, Ms. Lane…"
"Detective Palmer?! Is there any information about our son?" Lois asked worried.
"I am not here because of your son! I am here because of the body your other son found in the forest!" the detective said. "But… there is someone who would like to talk to you about Jonathan! This is my wife, Mary!"
The woman greeted them with a serious expression in her face.
"Mary Parker, Rice County child-protection-service!" the woman introduced herself.
"Child-protection?" Clark asked shocked. "Our son is missing, and you call the CPS?"
"Mr. Kent, Ms. Lane, we have to talk!" the woman said with a serious tone… the people looked on them even more.
In Metropolis meanwhile…
Tag Harris walked over a sidewalk on the edge of the Daily-Planet-Plaza and approached a big black SUV with tinted windows. He opened the back door with a bright smile.
"OH… HI! It's so great to see you again! It's been a while…" Tag said loudly for the passing pedestrians to pretend that everything is normal. But in truth it was not normal. Tag entered the SUV through the rear door and closed it quickly. "… aww, sorry… there was a woman glaring on us!"
"It's okay… It's nice to see that your training was a success!"
The SUV was soundproof. The driver at the front couldn't hear them, too while the car starts to move, looking for it's way through the heavy traffic while heading back to the DOD.
"What did you figure out?"
"He is definitely gone! And the suspect believes that it is his fault! Your suspicion was right: He knows about the Kent's family's-secret! But the Kent's doesn't know that he knows!" Tag explained. "Expect Jordan Kent! And Jonathan Kent of course!"
"Any trace of Jonathan Kent?"
"No! Untraceable!" Tag said. "I am honestly very worried, too!"
"The fact that Mr. Tanner knows the secret makes him a risk! And the campaign he has started to find Jonathan Kent could cause some trouble. We have traced him! You placed the bug in his house, as ordered?"
"I did!" Tag responded. Remembering hiding the little object where nobody would find it.
"Good! Private Harris, I know you are on Jonathan Kent's side. And I know you feel loyal towards him! But I need you to go back to Smallville now and report to General Lane. This is an order!"
Tag agreed. The SUV parked in a side-alley, where Tag was able to get out of the vehicle and leave with his superspeed to go back to Smallville unseen…
The woman in the SUV meanwhile, took her phone to make an urgent call…
"It's urgent… The situation just turned more difficult! Timothy Tanner has just turned into a security risk!"
Mentioned Timothy 'Timmy' Tanner, sat with Jonathan's ex-girlfriend Eliza in a crowded mall in a café in the top floor and listened to her story. How she and Jonathan had a great relationship, she ruined by dumping him and starting to date Jimmy Cutter…
"I openly admit I dated a sociopath!" Eliza wailed. "Jonathan was a great boy and I dumped him for a boy who was bullying everything and everyone he could grab and that just for fun. I realized too late how toxic that relationship was. The last time I met Jonathan was on a party I invited him to. He came but he blocked my attempts to rekindle or relationship."
"He told me about you! Was it really necessary to dump him for a bully?" Timmy asked not noticing that a man on the neighboring table discreetly pushed a button on his watch and a tiny little arrow shoot out of it… directly into Timmy's neck…
Timmy felt that sting in his neck and slapped with his hand on it…
"Ouwch… I think a mosquito bit me…"
"Well, after that day, I tried to text him multiple times…" Eliza continued without noticing Timmy's complain. "…of course, I wanted to tell him that I am sorry, but he blocked me off. And then there was the issue with his mom's sickness and how she went after Intergang. And I mean I always looked up to Ms. Lane, because she is a strong woman and… hey… are you okay?"
Eliza could see it, before Timmy realized it. He suddenly felt so sick! He became pale and felt dizzy. A wave of nausea hit him like a tidal wave just a few seconds after that mosquito bite. But Eliza understood it differently.
"Do I bore you with my story?" she asked mad.
"No… ugh… I suddenly feel so… ughh… One second please! I need to go to the restroom!" Timmy said and left to walk to the nearest men's restroom.
He suddenly felt so sick! As if his body was much heavier. And his head start to hurt like it never did before. Like a strong migraine attack. Wondering if there was something in the drink that he was allergic to.
Timmy needed around 30 seconds to the nearest restrooms. It seemed empty. He stumbled against one of the sinks and opened the faucet to pour cold water over his face. He felt that urge to vomit. But more he felt that urgent urge to lay down in his bed and sleep.
"Ugh… what kind… of mosquito…" Timmy wailed when he felt with his hand a little object in his neck. An arrow? Or a tiny nail? "…aww… Jon was right… fucking secret… brings danger…"
With these words, Timmy fainted and smashed on the tiled floor. Just a second before two men left the toilet-cabins to carry the unconscious Timmy away…
"The thread has been neutralized!" one of them said into his radio and so they left with Timmy.
Eliza meanwhile realized that she got ditched…
In Smallville, Jonathan's entire family was forced to talk to this Lady from the CPS while the half town was with them in the school's auditorium. Most wanted to know more about the body Jordan found, while others wanted to know if Jon was this body and if Clark just got rid of this trouble-child? Hearing this let Clark almost loosing control of his emotions.
"Yes… yes, I admit I was not the father to him he needed!" Clark confessed. "I ignored his concerns, I didn't support him when he needed me, and when he told me how much he is struggling I left him alone. He is mad on me, and I take the full blame for it, because I was not the father he needed."
The woman listened closely and made notes.
"But… I never and I mean really never hurt him on purpose. And I would never beat him." Clark continued.
"Mrs. Parker, I know your job proves you every day that even the most respective family can be in truth not what they seem." Lois added. "We… we all made some mistakes. We took all advantage of his patience and his helpfulness too much. He gave up everything for our move here and didn't get anything in return. When he stormed out of the house on Friday… He was so disappointed. He had a very rouge time. Our move, the X-K , wrong friends… our… investigation on Intergang, the horrific events in this town during Morgan Edge's Plans to conquer the world, his inverse doppelganger…"
"His doppelganger? Like from the world with that square sun?" the woman asked shocked.
Lois nodded. She knew that went too far. Some things they never shared with others, to keep their secret safe and to not to raise suspicion.
"Jonathan met his doppelganger from that other world. And it was pretty… disturbing… for him." Clark suddenly remembered how mad and distraught Jon was after that merging attempt and how less he cared. "And… during the Morgan Edge crisis… He got caught in a terrible traffic accident. He broke his arm when they crashed."
"So, your son seemed to be through very terrible stuff. Did he got help? Or did you try to talk to him about it? Because for me that sounds like very traumatic stuff!"
"Well… He was always the easy one. He never complained about anything. He never asked for anything in return." Clark explained. "Speaking it out loud it might sound as if I don't care. But Jonathan is still out there. We found death-threads on his computer. He is alone. He is scared! I can't trust those people anymore. But we need help."
The woman from the CPS looked on Clark. Years of experience made it possible for her to see if someone is lying or trying to fool her. And in Clark's face, she saw true regret and worry. The studied the faces of everyone and mentioned that Jordan was very upset.
"What about you, young man?"
"I… I don't endure this. My brother is out there, and all I do is standing here, doing nothing. When I was in the forest, I was looking for my brother. And when I found this body, my first thought was that it was my brother!" a tear ran down his face. "And just thinking about that the last thing I and my brother were talking before… aww… I need some air!"
Jordan stormed away. It was true: Just thinking about that the last thing they did was fighting before Jon died, was too bad to think about it, or to endure it. But it gave him a chance to leave.
"They are very close! It is hard for him!" Lois explained.
They saw Jordan approaching Sarah, talking to her, and leaving the auditorium with him. Thinking he just needed to talk to a friend.
Detective Parker meanwhile was with Lana, some members of the town-council and other police officers beginning to talk to the people to tell them what they knew about the body. Jordan meanwhile talked to Sarah.
"Do you know this address?" he asked, presenting him the note he got.
"That's in town, why?" she asked back.
"Can you get me there? I explain you everything on the way. I must get away from here!"
Jordan and Sarah left the school, while his parents still had to explain themselves and the detective start to tell the town that the body was much likely, the for eight years missed Eric Summers. While most people asked if it means that the convicted father stays in prison, others suddenly start to ask for the missed Jonathan Kent…
Clark used this opportunity to turn away from the CPS woman and listen to the town and the police. He went closer to the front table to see Detective Parker standing next to Lana and some other city-hall members, police officers and others. Chrissy was sitting in the first row with a lot of other journalists from other papers and from surrounding towns. There was a big screen standing next to the front desk where the police were able to present photos and other visuals like maps.
"… that we are not one hundred percent sure but are sure that the body that was found is Eric Summers, who vanished eight years ago from the house of his foster family. We expect the result of the autopsy tomorrow. But according to first investigation, we assume a homicide!" Detective Parker told.
There was a lot of mumbling and talking among the present people. A photo of the missed boy was shown on the screen.
"He was found by a local teenager, who was in this forest to look for his brother who has been missed since Friday afternoon." Detective Parker continued. "16-years-old Jonathan Kent is missing since Friday."
Suddenly the mumbling stopped, and it was silent. Instead, there was some nasty whispering…
"Maybe he killed him and just returned to the crime-scene after all those years?!" Clark heard a familiar male-voice in the second row saying.
"WHAT?" Clark yelled loudly. Catching the attention of everyone.
He turned around to see that it was Coach Gaines who was spreading that lie.
"YOU? HOW DARE YOU?" Clark continued yelling, now approaching his former 'colleague'.
"What is your problem?" the former football-coach of Jonathan said. Unaware that Clark heard everything.
"You dare to spread lies about my son?"
"I didn't say anything!" the coach ranted and lift from his seat to face Clark directly.
"You always treated my son bad! And now you dare to spread even more rumors about him!" Clark got closer. Grabbing the coach on his jacket.
Suddenly many people around them lift from their chairs, too.
"GET YOUR HANDS AWAY!" the Coach yelled.
"MR. KENT…" now principal Balcomb interfered.
"I don't accept that this man, who never cared for his students health or for their safety, is telling lies about my son!"
"Your son ruined the team!" the coach ranted.
"And the others, who took that stuff?" Clark asked shocked.
"Pah… he just couldn't accept that his brother has more talent than him!"
"THAT'S NOT TRUE…" Clark yelled. Grabbing the coach's jacket again. But thinking about how they fooled: Jordan had powers, no talent!
"MR. KENT, TO MY OFFICE! NOW!" Principal Balcom yelled now and suddenly Detective Parker took Clark by his arm to led him out of the auditorium.
This was extremely embarrassing. When Clark was brought away the people continued whispering…
Jordan and Sarah were in the meantime on the way to the address…
Sarah wanted to know why he didn't fly or run there by himself. And Jordan explained her what happened in the fortress and what Lara said and her conditions to restore his powers.
"You know what: Back when they were out of control, I would have done everything to get rid of these powers. And now, after everything Jon went through and after I am so used to them… she was right: I was never supposed to have powers! I forgot what it means to be normal, and Jon was suffering under them as much as I did. I think he suffered even more."
"You did a lot of good things! Why do you say that?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah… while Jon is the laughingstock of the world. I know that stuff they write on Reddit about Jon. I would freak out if this is about me." Jordan moaned. "But what my grandma said makes sense! She… she read his diaries! She understands him probably better than everyone."
Sarah understood it. She knew about that stuff that was gossiped about but never talked to the boys about what it means for them. She stopped the car and pointed on a house at the end of the street.
"It is the house with the 'For-Sale-sign' in the yard."
"Okay… wait here!" Jordan said, while opening his seatbelt. But Sarah grabbed him by his arm.
"Jordan, I don't like this! You shouldn't go in there alone."
"I have to… Jon would do the same for me!"
"Shouldn't you tell your dad? I mean… It's not my business, but… ehm… you don't have powers anymore…"
"Right now, I don't trust even my dad anymore. Because of him, Jon is… he could…" Jordan's voice began to tremble, and he was upset and scared. Sarah took his hand to comfort him.
"Jordan, everything will be all right!"
"Sarah, my brother is sick! He will die! Unlike mom's cancer, we know that we can safe him, but if we don't find him… I must do this!" Jordan said while he pulled the ELT out of his pocket to leave it in the car. "I don't need Superman for this!"
Jordan left and Sarah took the ELT to study it. Wondering if this is the device, only he and his father can hear but then she focused on Jordan again.
Jordan walked to the house and knocked. According to the sign, nobody was living here. But someone opened him.
"Are you alone?" the boy from before asked. His voice was full of fear.
"Where is my brother?" Jordan asked directly.
"Did anyone follow you?"
"Why? What is going on? Where is my brother?"
"I don't know! Come in!"
The boy was worried and scared. The empty house was perfect for a secret meeting. Jordan didn't want to ask how this boy was able to get in here or why he was so secretive. He only wanted to know where his brother is.
"Listen, Kent… I don't know where your brother is, but I think it might have to do with his investigations!"
"His what?" Jordan was surprised.
"Several weeks before he got caught with those X-K inhalers, I saw him secretly taking photos of the open lockers of the other players. I can't stand them, and I didn't want any trouble with them. So, I ignored it. After your brother got caught with the drugs, I start to believe that there was more about it. And your brother, too. He was looking for proves that other players took it, too!"
Jordan remembered Jon's concerns about Timmy Ryan and how he always changed the topic. Dammed, when Jon told him about it, he began to talk about how he fought their Uncle Tal. Which was very selfish when he thinks about it.
"Jon, was the only one who got ever punished for it!" Jordan remembered.
"And I think he found something. There is a rumor in school. That the Coach and some others knew about the X-K before!"
"Really?" Jordan remembered those other teens talking about it yesterday afternoon.
"I was afraid to tell your brother directly. But I think I know something!" the boy said scared and took his phone out of his pocket to open the photo-gallery. "Around a week ago, my sister was looking through her photo's she took over the year. And she found this one!"
The boy presented him a photo. A very important one…
"Is this authentic? When she took it?" Jordan asked excited.
"About three or four weeks before your brother got expelled!"
"Does my brother know about it?"
"I put him a printed copy into his locker at school. And after that I witnessed him investigating. I mean… your mom is Lois Lane? Isn't he some kind of investigator, too?"
"Normally he should be!" Jordan said. But in truth he knew that their parents were not interested in that. But it would make sense.
"Hey, if this photo gets published, a lot of people will get a lot of trouble… and if it's get revealed that I gave you that photo, they will kill me!"
Jordan saw how scared the other teenager was…
Outside, Sarah observed the house. Suddenly she spotted a dark blur entering the house.
"What the… JORDAN!" she screamed. But Jordan was not able to hear her without powers.
Inside the house, Jordan got more curious.
"Who? Tell me who?"
"I think, your brother got kidnapped because…" the boy began but was not able to finish.
A loud bang occurred, and, in a blur, the other boy vanished out of his view. Jordan knew, if he would still have his powers, he would know what's going on. But everything he saw and heard was a loud bang and suddenly he could feel how he was thrown off his feet and was thrown threw the air. Feeling the strong and hard grip of a pair of hands on his throat while he was smashed against the wall, that crackled.
Jordan could feel how he ran out of air. Unable to breath and unable to move when he was pressed against a wall. Not even able to hear the angry voice yelling directly on him… or hearing what it was yelling…
Sarah meanwhile screamed in fear when she saw that boy crashing through the window and smashing violently on the road in front of that house. Laying there eighter unconscious or even dead in a pool of blood. In fear and out of instinct, Sarah pushed the button on the ELT to activate it…
"MR. KENT… JORDAN IS IN DANGER!" she yelled panicked.
Not far away in school, Clark was still in the principal's office, waiting to get interrogated again, when he heard the ELT and Sarah's panicked voice. The detective, who was now convinced that Clark hides something, was not looking when he speeded out of the office, leaving a stunned Lois and Sam behind.
"Mr. Kent, I am… ehm… Mr. Kent?" Detective Parker turned around and saw that Clark was gone. "Ms. Lane, where is your husband?"
That was going to be hard to explain, Lois realized.
Jordan meanwhile tried to punch the guy, who was trying to strangle him, and was able to defend himself a bit. Suddenly all the training he got from his father and his grandfather was useful even without the powers. One more reason Jonathan should had got it, too. But Jordan was losing consciousness already, before he suddenly felt those hands losing grip around his neck and he fell on the ground.
The moment, Jordan hit the ground, he could feel that several of his bones were broken. The world turned into pitch-black darkness while he saw a red-and-blue blur fighting against the person who attacked him. And Jordan realized that this feeling of being defeated, is what his brother feels all the time…