CHAPTER FIVE

HOPE

Lex was sitting up and he was watching Kara. He was surrounded by the most amazing underground city, and Kara seemed as if she was at the helm of everything. The people were dressed in desert like rags and leather like artifacts. Weapons and food, and corridors. He hadn't seen any of it. When he tried to get up his legs gave out and in an instant Kara was at his side.

She helped him to the ground, and found he wasn't letting go of her.
She looked at him with a half scolding smile.

"That was it…that was one more time…and…"

She sat down in front of him, took his hand, and squeezed it.

"Where am I?"

She smiled at him, "Hell…or the phantom zone…take your pick."

He looked away. He belonged in hell, she didn't. He did what he thought was right…and yet he felt as if he had betrayed his only family, his only friend.

He hadn't believed in Clark. His final sin. He didn't believe Clark could withstand whatever evil was coming his way. So he took matters in his on hands. "At least this way, he died innocent…"

But then he hadn't died…so maybe Clark hadn't…

A sudden change in his face told Kara that Lex was anxious about something.

"Where did you find me?"

"What difference does it make?"

"Was I alone? Was there any one else, any sign of anyone else…was there?"

"No, Lex…calm down….I found you alone…What is it?"

He turned his head away from her; he didn't want to look at her.

"What is it Lex…what have you done?"

He hesitated and then looked at her and quickly confessed,

"I think I killed Clark…"

Lois was driving to the only place that she could think of. The cave.

She was glad for Shelby's company. She had driven to the neighbors to get him. They didn't understand how she could want a dog so bad, when she kept sneezing every time he came near her. With him beside her, she felt some strange connection to Clark.

Getting out of the car, he fell in pace beside her. When she walked in the cave, she had no idea what she was supposed to do. Bracelet in pocket, and the strange octagon in hand she cautiously made her way to the inside. She looked at the strange drawings on the walls.

Two steps and she found the elusive briefcase; Shelby ran right towards it and started barking at her.

"How the hell?" she looked at Shelby and said… "You want to carry some of this for me?" She picked up the briefcase, and walked in circles and lost track of time, but she was shocked out of her trance when Shelby started barking again. Looking around, it was the wall behind her, and one of the shapes was lit up. She looked at Shelby and muttered "Easy boy." And then touched the symbol. The wall opened, and she walked inside. There it was, the table, she of course had no idea, but there was an empty place glowing and so was the octagon. She knew what to do.

"Here goes nothing…"

Shelby barked as she placed the octagon in the slot, and then the door closed and every thing grew too bright. On the table, a diamond shape crystal was glowing. When she reached out and touched it she was blinded, and cold…she was freezing cold. Out of nowhere, crystal rods started shooting up from the ground all around her. She realized that she was no longer in the cave. Shelby wasn't with her. She was alone, and she was terrified. But her thoughts were interrupted by a booming voice that surrounded her.

"Lo-is…You have come…you must act quickly there is no time left."

It was the voice from her dreams…and it was more frightening in her waking hours.

"I have to help Clark, Do you know Clark? He's…"

"Then you must do as I say…"

"Who are you?" She asked in a mixture of fear and anger.

"I am Jor-el…I am his father."

"It's the pyramid…the one we've been hunting for…Lois has it."

"Ollie, Lois loss the briefcase…She's not here and she's not answering her phone, Ollie I'm scared."

"She has the pyramid?!" Lana interjected. Chloe was on speaker-phone, and Oliver and Lana was still in his jet on the way back from California.

"She could be hurt…"

"She lied to us, what is she doing with the pyramid anyway?" Lana said angrily.

"She lied to you, she has no idea the pyramid could bring Clark back." Chloe shot back

"We should have told her Chloe…"

Ollie interrupted…"She lost it? How did she loose it?"

"She had some sort of blackout…"

"So we have no pyramid, we have no crystal….time is running out Chloe…We have to find her before its too late." Lana said on the verge of tears.

"I've looked everywhere…I don't know where else to look…what else to do."

Ollie didn't want to hear anymore. He wasn't going to be defeated…not this time.
This time, he was going to save Clark.

"We'll find her, and we'll find the pyramid."