Chapter Eleven: When The Other Shoe Drops

Clark's jaw was set as he stared down at the console before him. Without saying a word, he collected the crystal, and took a step back, watching as the face of his father, and the crystal console both disappeared back into nothingness.

Sam moved closer to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Clark...I..." She whispered, trying to find something meaningful to say, but not finding anything.

Clark remained silent for a few more seconds, before walking off into the direction to the mess hall. "I have a lunch date to get to..." he said roughly, making his way through the moderately large crowd that had formed to watch the spectacle that just took place.

Clark was sat at a table in the lunch room, quietly munching on a Mars Bar, when he felt a small hand touch his right shoulder. He looked up quickly to find Lana standing there with a tray full of food.

She was staring at him with so much emotion in her eyes, Clark knew that she'd heard about what had happened.

"News travels fast here, huh." He said with a sigh, indicating the seat opposite him.

"Clark..." She began, pausing for a second.

Clark shook his head. "Don't, Lana. It's bad enough receiving pity from the team..." He said to her, before looking at her, and trying to explain how he felt. "Jor-El maybe my Biological Father...But he's no Jonathan Kent. Jonathan Kent is not only my Dad, but he's the most honourable man I know. If I end up being half the man he is, I'll count myself lucky..."

Lana stared back at him for a few seconds, before nodding her head slightly, dropping the subject. "How did you know what to do with the Crystal...?" She asked, before adding, "May I see it?"

Clark nodded, pulling it out from the gap between his torso and his bullet proof vest, before placing it on the table.

Lana reached out for it, but withdrew her hands before she touched it. "Is it ok if I touch it?" She asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, it'll be fine." He said with certainty in his voice.

Her lips curled into a small smile, before picking it up and examining it. She held it at eye level, before saying, "My friend...Chloe Sullivan would probably like to have a look at this..." She said, looking over the top of it. "She's Doctor McKay's assistant...She dabbles in Physics and Ancient...stuff..."

Clark nodded with a smile. "Very articulate of you."

Her nose scrunched up, cutely, as she smiled again. "Yes, well, now you know I have a way with words..."

Clark smiled slightly. "Yeah..." He said quietly, before changing the subject. "So...how did you end up here?" He asked, putting the chocolate wrapper into the bin next to him.

She started moving her beans around the plate with her fork, thinking, before saying, "I grew up with my Aunt Nell in Smallville. A couple of years ago, a man named Carson Beckett came to Smallville to run some tests on patients at the Hospital...a disease outbreak of some kind...Aunt Nell being Aunt Nell, she got to know him, and a year later, they got married." She smiled brightly at the thought. "Me and Carson got on well, and I've always liked to take care of people...so with his help, being a Doctor was a great career choice...

A few months ago, Carson got called to the SGC, but couldn't tell us anything about it because it was confidential...He's been here ever since, and he's been working on getting me in as his assistant, so I could reassure Aunt Nell that he's safe..."

Clark nodded, his fingers tapping silently on the table top.

"What about you?" Lana asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had taken residence over them.

Clark let out a low chuckle, before shaking his head. "I don't even know...Two days ago, Colonel O'Neil showed up at my door with twenty armed Marines. Sam...Carter...said they didn't have any idea about my heritage...But I think O'Neil did...somehow." He said, thinking for a moment, "Otherwise, why the marines?"

Lana's brow creased as she thought about it, but, as she didn't have an answer, she remained silent.

"Kent?"

Clark frowned slightly, pressing his communicator. "Yeah?"

"I think you might want to come and have a look at this..." Carter replied.

"Well...that really depends on what 'this' is..."

Clark heard Sam sigh over the channel. "One of our Search Team's have found another crystal...This one is...slightly different...than the other one."

"Define 'Different'." Clark said, standing up, waiting for a reply.

"It's flashing...Red."