Chapter Ninety-Four
Alex became hysterical in his stoic way, pacing around and mumbling incoherent sentences no one could understand. Marci called Dr. Klein to sort the matter out, and explained to everyone the doctor wanted to run an experiment on Clark that could help explain Clark's recovery. Johnathan was against it, wanting to get back to his Earth, wife, and new baby. Clark pleaded and his dad relented to at least hear Dr. Klein out. Clark ran to the lab and everyone else took a helicopter.
"The experiment is very simple," Dr. Klein explained. "Clark, you'll stand in that room flooded with LED light and be impacted with projectiles. These sensors we'll put on you will be able to pick up the force of impact. We'll repeat the process after you stay in complete darkness for an hour."
Mr. Kent began to protest when it was revealed the "projectiles" Dr. Klein referred to were bullets from a machine gun. Clark reminded his father he had been shot with something similar before and was only bruised, but Mr. Kent and Alex still winced as they watched the bullets bounce off his body.
"Did you feel any difference between the two times?" Dr. Klein questioned when the experiment was completed.
"Yeah, actually." Clark frowned. "I can't really put my finger on it. I was more…tired? The second time."
"Look at the screen," Dr. Klein turned the monitor around. "It shows the effects from the bullets lasted longer when your exposure to the light was limited."
"What are you getting at?" Alex asked. "What does this have to do with Julian?"
"Lex, are you aware you have black teeth? Anyway, reading through the Veritas files, Dr. Swann discovered Krypton had a red sun. Earth has a yellow sun. Swann and Hamilton theorized the source of Kryptonian powers were derived from solar energy.
"From what you told me about Clark's abduction by Hamilton, his body became so weak he appeared dead. But he regained consciousness when placed in his bedroom where, I assume, he was exposed to sunlight. Yes?
"My theory then, is Clark was able to recover because he received solar energy after his ordeal." Dr. Klein's huge grin slowly faded as the faces around him just continued to stare. "Well, don't you get it?"
"Explain it, doctor."
"According to Hamilton's file, Julian flatlined. Just like Clark did. Unlike Clark, Julian wasn't exposed to sunlight. His body never got the chance to heal itself."
"Yes, well, I don't see how that matters now."
"You still aren't getting it," Dr. Klein sighed. "Look, you preserved Julian's body through cryopreservation. My theory is that if you unfreeze him and we expose his body to a high level of solar energy, Julian may recover."
"Wait…you're saying Julian could still be alive?"
"Mr. Luthor," Dr. Klein was all serious, "there is limited data and a limited test pool. Unless I have permission to run more experiments on Clark…"
"No!" Alex and Mr. Kent cut off Clark's protests. Dr. Klein only nodded in understanding.
"I concede it is possible that Julian is dead. But from Hamilton's notes and Clark's experience, I think it's more likely his body was just weakened to the point he appeared dead. I must warn you, though, if I'm wrong and we unfreeze Julian's body, we will lose…well, the organic matter will begin to, well, fall apart, to put it delicately."
Alex thought of the heart monitor Clark had been hooked up to and how Molly discovered its readings were from a tape. It was possible Hamilton kept silent on the solar power theory. Maybe he thought that if Julian died, all Kryptonian related projects would be canceled, and he'd be let go. At the very least, Hamilton had some revenge on the Luthor family. But then why help him bring Clark over?
Hamilton had been oppressed by the Luthor's for a long time. He waited patiently over the years, gathering intel and putting his intellect to good work. Hamilton had first struck using Julian to kill Lionel. Then he brought in Lucas. Alex could only imagine the doctor thinking Julian's death would be a fatal blow to him. But then, he had discovered what the Eurydice device was truly capable of. Whether Hamilton was intrigued by the other dimension or assumed it would be a place for him to hide out in from the very start was unclear.
"The protocols…" Alex whispered aloud. If Hamilton had known, and Alex hadn't interceded, Julian would be chopped up into tiny pieces by now. His anger for the late doctor came back.
Julian never deserved the life of a lab rat Lionel had assigned him. Even now, his body lay frozen in a lab like an object on a shelf waiting to be studied more. Either Dr. Klein was right, and Julian would wake up, or his brother's body would finally receive the funeral he deserved.
"Do it. Please."
Dr. Klein shook Clark's and Mr. Kent's hands in farewell. Then he was off to make the necessary arrangements for the procedure to wake Julian up.
"Clark, were you conscious at all? When you were in the hospital?" Alex had begun to fear the thought of Julian awake in ice all this time.
"No. When I woke up at home, it was like I woke up from a deep sleep." Clark assured him.
Marci stayed behind to help Dr. Klein; she gave Clark a final hug goodbye. This allowed Clark to ride in the helicopter. The trip was silent; Alex seemed in a daze after hearing the news that Julian could wake up.
They returned to the Luthor Mansion for the final trip to the other side. It made sense as Mr. Kent's truck was parked there on his Earth. As Alex left to get the device, Clark made sure to say goodbye to Benji and Dominic.
"Couldn't help but overhear some interesting conversations. You don't need to explain," Benji assured him. "I'm sure all the answers are above my pay grade."
"Yeah, well, I'm glad I got the chance to say goodbye."
"Before you have some sort of procedure or something?"
Clark nodded. It was the truth; Julian was going to have a procedure. "I probably won't remember you when I get back. If I get back."
"Sadly, I won't be here. I decided to go back home and start my own catering business. But I hope Alex will let me know if you're okay."
"I'll remind him. Good luck." Clark and Benji shook hands and parted ways.
"Some guests arrived for you, sir," Dominic said as he entered the study. He stared intensely at Johnathan. "I put them in the conservatory."
"Thanks, Dominic. I'll be back soon," he told his dad.
In the conservatory, seated together arm in arm on the sofa were the Kents. They looked worn and tired, as they often did after going over their finances. But they looked happy being together.
Mr. Kent got to his feet. "Hello, Julian. I apologize for the late hour, but when we called to schedule an appointment, we were told to come over right away."
"Hi." There was no longing this time when he looked at Mr. Kent. Now he understood the man in front of him wasn't his father. "No problem. What can I help you with?"
"Well, I'm here because I owe you an apology."
"You really don't."
"No, no, I do. You made a heartfelt attempt for us to stay in Smallville, and my pride prevented me from hearing you out completely. Martha briefly looked through your proposal before I eventually, well, I burned it, but she says we should hear you out. That is, if your offer still stands."
"Yeah, definitely." Clark grinned. "I'll go get more copies."
Clark remembered he had printed off extras of his proposals and they were inside Julian's desk. He looked around the room, for what he knew was the last time, and in superspeed time he wrote a note and placed it inside the laptop so Julian would be sure to find it.
"Okay," Clark exhaled in excitement as he handed two copies to the Kents. "I propose that the farm should become a summer camp. This will allow kids from the nearby inner cities a chance to appreciate nature and learn where their food comes from. Each kid will get a garden section they'll be in charge of. They'll pick what's grown, tend it, and harvest it. The kids could even participate in the Smallville County Fairs. Other activities can include horseback riding, nightly campfires with smores, trips to Crater Lake. You'll stay in your house, of course. Dormitories will need to be built to house the kids.
"The camp will only take up a small fraction of your land. Most of it will still function as a farm and Luthor Corp owns a few restaurants in Metropolis. Their produce will come from you exclusively and being affiliated together will help support things financially. I can't really explain it in detail right now, but it's all in there: the budget, blueprints, the schools that are already interested."
"Our farm full of kids?" Johnathan and Martha shared a look.
"I can't think of a better couple to run such a place."
"What farm will it be? I mean, ours was already sold."
"Yeah, well, I actually bought it. I knew how much it meant to you and can't help but feel connected to it."
"Will we have the chance to buy it back?" Mr. Kent asked.
It's yours, Clark wanted to say. But he knew how insulting that would be to Johnathan Kent, no matter which Earth he was from. "Of course."
"We'll think it over and discuss it before we agree to anything."
"Take your time. I gotta say though, that I'll be going away again for a while. I'm not fully…recovered."
"Is it serious?" Martha asked, genuinely concerned.
"I'm not sure what's going to happen," Clark confessed. "If I do make it, I might not remember things again."
"In the meantime, I'll take care of everything," Alex said as he entered the room. "I promise I will see this through. Hope I didn't interrupt."
"No, it's all good."
Clark shook hands with the Kents as they left smiling and holding onto his proposal. He and Alex walked back to the study where his real father was waiting. On the way, Clark got to say goodbye to Dominic, who, like Benji, decided that he didn't need to know the answers.
"I hope everything works out with Julian," Clark said.
"Do you think he'll hate me? When I tell him about what I did?"
"He'll probably be angry at first," Clark answered truthfully. "But I think in time both of you could move on."
"What will you do with the device?" Mr. Kent asked.
"Dismantle it. You have my word. Oh, I got this for you." Alex handed Clark a wrapped bundle. "It's an extra pair of scissors so you can get your hair cut. And a manicure kit along with extra blades for your razor. Invulnerability is no excuse for looking sloppy."
"Thanks. I really appreciate this."
Alex pulled Clark in for a hug. Like so many times before, he ran his fingers through Clark's hair.
"Oh, one more thing." Alex broke away to hand over a flash drive. "It's the formula for Project Asclepius. I figure, it's your blood, so you should have a copy. Courtesy of Miss Griggs, who's helping restore our database."
"Well, thanks, but I wouldn't know how to make it."
Alex shrugged. "You don't have to. But someday maybe you'll have a trusted doctor who could do something with it."
"Time to go, son." Johnathan walked over. "Alex, I do hope Julian will make a full recovery."
"Thank you." Alex motioned for the Kents to stand together.
"Be careful of Lionel," Alex warned.
"We will," Clark promised. "Remember to update Benji. Oh, and maybe check in on the Talon every once in a while."
"I will," Alex assured him.
The device was used and in a flash of light, Clark Kent and his dad were returned to his Earth. But this time, when Alex found himself alone in the room, he didn't feel lonely.
Alex felt hopeful.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Dear Julian,
Welcome back. I hope you're feeling well and made a full recovery. By now, Alex must have told you about what happened. I can relate to the anger and frustration you must be feeling. I felt a lot of it myself when I learned the truth.
The important thing to remember is that Alex cares about you very much. He made some mistakes, but he's trying to improve.
I met some pretty cool people while I was you. If you get the chance to hang out with Jeff Palmer, Chloe Sullivan, Lois Lane, or Marci Grieves, you won't regret it. I'm not sure how you feel about being in charge of a farming summer camp, but the Kents are some of the nicest people in the multiverse. I hope you stop by and say 'hi'.
Sincerely,
Clark Kent
P.S. Sorry I read your diary. I thought I was you.