Clark and Oliver walked silently down the corridor, their footsteps making no sound on the floor. After waiting almost half an hour for a guard to enter through one of the five entrances, they were finally inside. Clark was apprehensive – he didn't know what to expect from this facility and so his fear for Bart's wellbeing had risen considerably. Oliver walked beside him, his emotions well hidden. Clark knew that he was just as nervous and scared as he was.

They rounded a corner and Clark instantly through his hand out in front of Oliver to stop him. He pushed him backwards, back behind the corner and motioned for him to be quiet. Two guards had been patrolling the corridor, guns slung over their shoulders.

Oliver looked at him questioningly.

"Guards," Clark answered softly.

Oliver nodded and began to reach over his shoulder for an arrow. Clark frowned at him and grabbed his friend's arm. He shook his head and turned to face the wall. His eyes narrowed and he focused on the wall. Within seconds he could see through the brick and mortar and into the room beyond. A body was lying on the bed, motionless.

"He's not down there anyway," Clark whispered.

He pointed in the opposite direction and Oliver moved off. They walked back the way they came and chose a different path. As they passed closed doors, Clark would pause for a second and scan the insides, searching desperately for Bart's familiar bone structure. They were getting nowhere fast until there was a crackle over their earpieces.

"Cyborg to Green Arrow and Boy Scout. We've got what we came for."

Clark glanced at Oliver, who smiled. "Excellent work, now get out of here. Boy Scout and I won't be too much longer. Get back to base and be careful. Green Arrow out."

"We're not leaving until we have Bart," Clark said firmly.

Oliver gave him a funny look and turned away. "Let's hurry up."

As they were walking towards the next corridor, Oliver spotted something out of the corner of his eye. He looked up in time to see Lex Luthor disappear deeper into the facility. The anger and hatred that Oliver had been repressing ever since learning of Bart's kidnapping suddenly boiled up to the surface, burning intensely.

Clark was confused when he saw Oliver's pace suddenly pick up. Shrugging it off, he followed, keeping up with his friend without a trouble. When they stepped into the next corridor, Oliver immediately turned to face left, his gaze scrutinizing the hallway. Clark glanced briefly in that direction but when he didn't see any doors, he turned his attention to the opposite direction. That corridor didn't go very far, a door marking the end only five meters down.

Clark didn't want to raise his hopes that this would be the door, but at the moment he was feeling pretty doubtful and his hope rose within him regardless of his wariness. He squinted at the door and gasped.

"Oliver!" he hissed, grabbing his friend by the arm without moving his eyes from the door.

Oliver clenched his teeth as Clark's fingers dug into his arm. "Losing circulation here Boy Scout! And it's Green Arrow, remember?"

The Krypton ignored him. "Bart's in there."

Oliver stepped up to inspect the door. "Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent positive," he replied.

An awful smile crept across Oliver's face. "Get him out of here; I have something else to take care of first."

Clark was no idiot. "Ollie…"

"Get Bart out of here Clark, you don't know what he's going through right now and it could be getting worse the longer you stand here and talk."

Clark frowned but his heart knew that Oliver was right. He would never forgive himself if something horrible happened to Bart because he'd taken the time to argue with Oliver.

"Don't do anything you'll regret," Clark muttered.

Oliver just grinned and ran off; following the direction he'd seen Lex disappear. Clark sighed as he watched him run but then returned his mind to the task at hand. Rescuing Bart.

***

Bart's breathing was now shallow and frantic. His limbs were becoming lethargic and his head felt clogged. He was becoming terrified that at any second the electrical currents would activate and fry him. He tried to keep pushing his body but after more than a day of nonstop running, without food or drink, he had reached his limit.

His legs slowed and suddenly he tripped, the toe of his shoe getting momentarily caught in the metal mesh of the floor. For a few timeless seconds, all Bart felt was air rushing past him then something hard slammed into his body. He heard plastic breaking and warm strong arms wrap around him protectively.

In the blink of an eye, he was sitting on the ground. His legs felt like they were buzzing, blood pumping through them at accelerated rates. Bart looked up and smiled at his rescuer. Clark Kent wore his usual blue jacket with a red flannel shirt underneath and the ever-present jeans coupled with work boots – an unsurprising clothing choice for the typical farm boy.

Bart opened his mouth to say thanks but a thin trickle of blood slid towards his lip and, distracted, he wiped it away with his shoulder.

"You're welcome," Clark muttered with a smile, knowing what the teen was going to say. "Come on, we have to get out of here. Oliver's gone looking for Lex and I have a bad feeling that he's not going to enjoy Ollie's visit."

Bart nodded as Clark stood and offered him a hand up. Bart gripped his hand and pulled himself up. Almost immediately after releasing the steadying hand, he staggered and nearly fell. Clark caught him around the waist, his eyes filled with concern and a small frown on his lips.

"Are you alright?" Clark asked.

Bart swallowed and nodded. With an immense effort, he got his legs working, forcing them to take one step then another. He felt Clark's protective presence hovering beside him as they made their way out of the room. As he walked, Bart could feel his breathing returning to normal more quickly than he had expected and the strength returned to his legs. That part in his brain that had switched off due to exhaustion was back in business, working as good as new, if not a close semblance to it.

Clark watched him in silence for a few seconds before moving off. Bart followed, distracted by the unfamiliar presence in his mind. That consuming fire of emotions was back and it threatened to engulf him.

"Bart!"

His head shot up, eyes wide in surprise. Clark was staring at him shrewdly.

"What?"

"I said, can you to super speed?" Clark repeated.

Bart thought for a second, the cogs in his mind moving almost as fast as his legs when he ran. Memories flashed through his head, reminding him of the lethargic feeling he'd experienced and the uncharacteristic exhaustion.

"Yeah, but there's something I have to do first," Bart replied.

"Bart, we don't have time…"

Bart glared at his giant friend. "We will make the time."

Clark was taken aback but he didn't show it. While the kid did have tendencies to be impulsive, he had never been aggressive about it. What was so important that he would risk being recaptured, this time taking Clark with him?