Lois and Clark had been at Smallville Medical for the past few hours waiting on any news about Chloe. Lois had taken to pacing the halls like a caged tigress. After her thirteenth pass by she looked down at Clark who was infuriatingly calm. "How can you stand this Smallville?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "There's not much else we can do is there?"

"Not here maybe, but you got me thinking maybe Lex did have something to do with what happened to Chloe. I'm going to go do some snooping around, can you stay here and keep an eye on things for me?"

Clark's first instinct was to tell her to stay at the hospital but he had known Lois for long enough to know she didn't do well waiting around for other people to do things. Instead he reached for his cell phone and handed it to her. "Take this and be careful, Lex is very dangerous, these days."

Lois smirked at him. "I know Clark, but I can be pretty formidable myself."

Clark rolled his eyes. "I'll call you if anything changes."

Inside a room the prone form of Chloe Sullivan lay on a gurney. She had been there for several hours and in that time doctors had run every conceivable test they could think of on her but nothing explained what was wrong with her; or rather what wasn't wrong with her. By all indication Ms. Sullivan was a healthy normal woman of twenty years and nothing could explain why she had failing life signs. They had tried to pump her full of various drugs in order to stabilize her but it seemed that the hospital staff was fighting a losing battle. Suddenly Chloe's heart monitor spiked as her heart rate increased before completely falling off. An alarm sounded and an electronic voice declared over the loudspeakers that a code blue was in progress. Moments later a crash team was in place and a defibrillator was placed on her chest while another tech began C.P.R. They tried for several minutes but we're unable to raise any life signs.

The attending physician looked at his watch and made the grim delivery. "Mark time of death at 3:42 pm."

Clark had heard the code blue and had prayed it wasn't Chloe, he saw the crash team walk out of the room followed shortly by a man wheeling a way a gurney covered by a stark white sheet. With his eyes he could have easily verified if it was Chloe or not but a part of him dreaded what he might see; so he instead made his way to the nurse's station before he could make it though he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw a nurse, in just one glance he knew what she was going to say.

"I'm sorry Mr. Kent but she didn't make it."

Clark closed his eyes and nodded his head.

"Are you her next of kin?"

He tried to keep his breathing level but his eyes were stinging. "No, her cousin would be her next of kin."

"Can you get in contact with them? We need someone to sign papers."

"Sure, sure." His voice had gotten strangely husky.

The nurse reached out and rubbed his arm. "Thank you, and I'm sorry for your loss."

She disappeared and Clark just stood there. Chloe, I'm so sorry I couldn't do more for you. The first tears began to fall, he had seen people die before but Chloe was different…she had always been there for him even when he hadn't known he needed her. Bullets bounced of him and he saved lives but when it counted he couldn't seem to stop death from claiming those closest to him first Alicia Baker, then his father and now Chloe.

What do I tell Lois and Jimmy and everyone else? He made his way to the elevator intending to get some air to clear his head before calling Lois when his ears picked up an odd thumping.

He focused his hearing, tuning out the other outside noise and focusing on the thumping. "Let me out! Help, somebody help me!"

The voice was one he had heard countless times. It was Chloe's.

Not wasting a second Clark's form blurred as he began to run at super speed, using his hearing as a sort of radar Clark ran until he stopped outside the morgue. He heard Chloe's voice coming from one of the cold storage units that bodies were kept in a quick glance with his x-ray vision confirmed that there was movement in one of the drawers. He rushed forward and grasped the small door, his adrenalin was pumping so hard he momentarily forgot about his strength and tore the door off its hinges. He rolled the slab out and there was Chloe, pale but very much alive.

She shivered as she looked up at him. "C-Clark?"

Clark couldn't believe his eyes. "Thank God, you're alive Chloe!"

She looked down and noticed she was naked, save the white sheet. "Why the hell was I in a morgue drawer? And where are my clothes?"

"Uhm Chloe this may sound strange but you were…dead."

"What?"

He gave her a rundown of everything that had transpired since the dam.

Chloe sat up making sure that the sheet covered her still. "I was not dead Clark. There must've been some kind of mistake."

"But-"

She cut across him. "How on Earth could I be talking to you otherwise? Dead people don't just…come back to life."

He could tell she was getting angry. "Chloe…I know it's hard to believe but somehow you came back, maybe you gained meteor powers or-"

She reached down and pulled off a toe tag and after reading it for a moment crumpled it in one hand. Looking back at him, her green eyes sparked. "Let's get a few things straight Clark, I didn't die and I don't have meteor powers."

"I-"

"I don't want to talk about it anymore; can you just get me out of here?"

He looked at her for a moment before conceding that it was a lot for her to take in, he gently picked her up, making sure not to disturb the sheet. Once she was secure he sped off for the Talon. He knew that there would be a lot of questions that needed to be answered about Chloe's miraculous resuscitation and the hospital would want to exam Chloe personally but all that mattered right now was getting her someplace safe.

A few moments later he stopped in the living room of Chloe's apartment. She hoped out of his arms and after securing her sheet disappeared into the bathroom. Clark reached down and picked up the phone and dialed his cellphone, Lois picked up between the first and second ring.

He could her the anxiety in her voice. "What happened Clark, is Chloe okay?"

"It's hard to explain but she's fine, we're back at the Talon, did you find anything out?"

"No, but the Luthor mansion has been torn up, it looks like a monster rampaged through here, the desk is broken in half and there's something that looks like it used to be a gun and-"

The Phantom! I've been so concerned with Chloe that I'd forgotten about him, he obviously wanted Lex for something and he could still be there. If he hurts Lois…

"Lois stay right there, don't move."

"What are you talking about Small-"

There was a whoosh accompanied by a gust of wind behind her. "-ville?"

She turned around a half perturbed half amused look on her face. "I don't think I'm going to get used to that."

Clark observed the room around him, the destruction made it fairly obvious his phantom doppelganger had been present, but what did he want from Lex? Maybe he was holding him hostage hoping that he'd come to his rescue, but that didn't make sense. The phantom had his memories and would know that the days off Clark going out of his way to save Lex were long gone. If he wanted a hostage there was a whole list of better candidates. He felt like he was missing something.

"Hello, Earth to Smallville do you read me?"

Clark realized he had completely missed what Lois had been saying. "I'm sorry but could you repeat that again?"

Lois hefted a sigh. "I asked why did you rush over here so quickly, do you know who did this?"

"Yeah…yeah I think I do, but let's go back to the Talon so I can tell you and Chloe together."

"Okay Smallville, lead on."

Lex pulled his custom built Lamborghini to a stop in front of Reeves Dam, his passenger glanced at him. "They're here?"

Lex nodded. "Yes."

"This better not be a trick Lex or I swear you won't live to regret it."

The Phantom Clark got out the car and Lex followed suit but not before palming the revolver he kept hidden under the seat; it hadn't worked the first time but he'd have the element of surprise on his side this time.

The two men walked into the dam with Lex in the lead, the laboratory they were attempting to reach was on the bottom level of the structure, as they made their way down Lex decided now was a good opportunity to try and learn more about this creature, he might even find a way to force it into doing his own bidding.

"I may have tracked you around the globe, but clearly you're not a native. Where are you from and why did you only replicate Clark?"

The phantom chuckled. "You've got a decision to make, Lex. What's more important? Saving your own skin or solving the mystery of Clark Kent?"

Lex narrowed his eyes. It didn't look like he was going to get much more out of this creature but it had confirmed what he had long suspected…there was something special about Clark Kent and he'd find out what it was if it was the last thing he did.

Back at the Talon Chloe, Lois and Clark we're having a brainstorming session. After the two girls had had a tearful reunion and Clark had brought Chloe up to date with the fact that Lois knew his secret and that there was a zoner on the loose that was masquerading as him.

"How am I supposed to stop someone who has all my powers and none of my weaknesses? When Lionel used kryptonite on him he just got stronger."

"Maybe that's why this thing went after Lex so he could get more of this kryptonite stuff so he could be strong enough to beat you." Lois suggested.

Chloe's eyes went wide. "Lo, you're a genius!" she ran over to her laptop and after a few minutes of furious typing turned it around. "Clark I just hacked into Luthourcorp's shipping database, take a look at this!"

Clark read the screen; for the past few months Lex had large quantities of meteor rock shipped out from a warehouse in Metropolis to Reeves Dam.

"If the phantom threatened Lex into giving him kryptonite I'd bet my last dollar that this is where Lex took him."

"But how am I supposed to stop him?"

Lois came to the rescue again. "Well if what makes you weak makes him strong, maybe it works in reverse to. What makes you strong Clark?"

Chloe answered for him. "Sunlight!" She looked at her cousin in appreciation. "First day on the job and you're already two for two Lo."

To her credit Lois tried not to look too proud.

"Thanks guys you've both been a great help." Clark said, he strode to the window and opened it before launching himself out of it and straight up, a moment later as he sped up he became a red blur and disappeared over the horizon.

Lois rushed over to the window and watched with an awed look on her face. "That is so cool."

Chloe smiled at Lois's excitement. "I know."

Lex stopped outside the lab. "Right through that door."

The phantom moved forward, a kind of glee was painted on its face and in that moment Lex raised his gun and fired. There was a pinging noise and the phantom slowly turned around. Quickly Lex emptied his weapon but the next five bullets had no more effect than the first one had. Shaking its head the phantom backhanded Lex and then pried open the lab door. He stepped through and immediately felt the empowering radiation of kryptonite hit him. Laughing he waded into it and began to absorb its power. Moments later he stood chest heaving and he slowly raised a fist, energy seemed to course through him…he felt unstoppable.

Clark came to a stop and saw the wild eyed phantom and an unconscious Lex and knew he was too late.

"Ahh, the esteemed Clark Kent has finally arrived. Too bad you didn't make it in time to stop me from powering up, in fact let's see just how much more powerful I am than you." Balling his fist the phantom shot forward and hit Clark with a left hook, Clark went flying through several walls before coming to a stop. The phantom smiled and strode over to his opponent confidently.

Clark winced in pain; that punch had knocked him for a loop, but he wasn't down yet. He got back to his feet. "Is that all you got?" he taunted.

The phantom smirked and waggled his finger. "I know what that punch took out of you Kent, you can't bluff me and-" He shot forward again and hit Clark with a lightning fast combination of jabs before punctuating them with another left hook.

He continued the assault while he spoke."-you can't beat me. You're weak Kent, instead of embracing your powers and destiny like you should have, you we're busy making moon eyes at Lana and playing protector for all these other humans." He kicked the downed hero before bending over him.

The phantom then picked up Clark in one hand by the scruff of his shirt. "You could have ruled them, but you wanted to be one of them." He pulled back his fist to deliver the final blow. "Now you can die like one of them."

Reacting with all the speed and power he had left Clark trained his heat vision upward at the ceiling, the concrete was vaporized leaving a huge hole through which sunlight poured in. Almost instantly Clark could feel himself getting stronger as his wounds healed. Cut it a little close there, but I had to make sure he got over confident.

The phantom was writhing in pain and his skin had assumed its cracked metal visage from earlier. Breaking his opponent's grip Clark landed and hit him with an uppercut that sent him up through the hole he had just created. He sucked in a deep breath and launched himself up after his foe. A thousand or so feet up he caught up with the phantom, holding him in a tight grip Clark poured on the speed, the phantom was desperately struggling to break Clark's grip but its strength seemed to be waning. I hope this works otherwise I'm a goner. He pushed himself faster still and a few moments later he had achieved escape velocity. For the first time since the Kal-El intelligence had taken over his mind Clark was in orbit, but he didn't stop there he kept flying, his destination was the sun or as close as he could get to it.

He began to feel dizzy and faint headed; the air in his lungs was starting to run out. Looking at his opponent Clark saw that the phantom had passed out, letting it go he reached into his jacket he pulled out the Crystal of El and pointed at the creature, the crystal glowed blue for a moment before the phantom Clark vanished back into the Phantom Zone. Clark turned around and headed back to Earth as quickly as he could, but his body overtaxed from his fight with the phantom, the amount of energy he had burned pushing himself and the lack of air took their toll and as he passed through the upper atmosphere he blacked out.

When he came to he was several miles over China and glowing hot from re-entry, using everything he had he managed to right himself and change his arc and moments later he was back in control and streaking to Kansas at somewhere near Mach 10. He had beaten the last zoner and he was heading home, despite being more exhausted than he could remember Clark couldn't help but feel an overpowering sense of relief as if a great burden of guilt had been lifted from his shoulders.

Inside a small house in Beijing a woman with short blond hair looked up into the night sky and saw a lone shooting star streak across the ebony night sky. She smiled, the object taking her back to a simpler time in her life. A time growing up among corn and meteor showers, she didn't know it at the time but those had been the best days of her life. Sighing she turned around and looked at her new surroundings, this was her life now thanks to some less than smart choices. She sent a wish upon the shooting star that her friends could forgive her for leaving and that they'd be okay.

She lay down on her bed and thought back to those better times before slowly drifting off to sleep.

That's it for now, I'll be updating this every Friday. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!