Velocity Part 4
At the Smallville Sherriff Office…
Clark couldn't believe he had forgotten about the Smallville Shooter's identity: Van McNulty. After Van had been forced to take his mask off at Belle Reve, Clark's attention went to Lex and how Clark had failed his friend. And then he had gotten distracted by Pete's disappearance.
But now, before anything else, Clark had to tell the sherriff what he knew. It would do no good to just confront Van. Clark had to go to the proper authorities so Van would be legally arrested. He would just hand Sherriff Adams the stun gun, and she would be able to use her resources to link it back to Van.
"Sherriff Adams?" Clark asked as he entered the office.
"Mr. Kent. What can I do for you?" The Sherriff asked behind her desk.
"I have some information about the Smallville Shooter." Clark pulled out the stun gun. "This belongs to him."
"Uh huh." Sherriff Adams slowly nodded. "You seem real sure about that, Mr. Kent. I wonder why that is?"
"I found it outside the Melville house after Jodi's death."
"And you've been hanging on to it this entire time? That's what we call obstruction of justice, Mr. Kent."
"I didn't know what it was at first," Clark tried to explain. "But after I discovered it was military issue, I realized it had to belong to him."
"Well, you're right about it being military, Mr. Kent. Mr. McNulty," the Sherriff called to the back, "a moment, please?"
Clark was surprised to see Van come from the back room.
"Is this one of the items you reported stolen?"
"Yes," Van nodded. "I remember my dad showing that to me."
Van reached out his hand to take it, but the Sherriff pulled it away. "Sorry, son. This is now part of an ongoing investigation. And you," Sherriff Adams pointed her finger at Clark's face, "you see anything that could be evidence, you leave it on the ground, you hear?"
"Yes, ma'am," Clark mumbled as the Sherriff went to the back room with the newly acquired evidence.
"Stolen, huh?" Clark asked Van once they were alone.
"Yeah. It was really weird. Someone broke into my house and stole a bunch of my dad's army equipment over the summer. I filed a report and so far, that's the only thing that's been found. Thank you, Clark."
"A robbery. That's pretty convenient."
"It happens. What can I say?"
Clark took a step forward. "I'll tell you what I'm going to say. I'm going to…"
"What?" Van advanced so he and Clark were face to face. "Give a hot tip to the Sherriff? Funny, I could do the same thing about you."
"Gentlemen, this is my office, not a public forum," Sherriff Adams entered the room again. "Run along home now."
At the Sullivan house…
Chloe fumbled for her keys to enter her house. It had been a long day. She had tried to calm Clark's fears about Pete's disappearance, but she was just as concerned. Chloe thought she knew what was going on. With Pete's sudden change in attitude, his aversion to the washing machine, and sleeping in the Torch office, Chloe had thought she was correct in assuming Pete's parents were in the middle of a divorce.
Chloe remembered those days when her parents were splitting. She had hid in the garage, wanting nothing more than to hop in the car and drive to the end of the road. But she didn't have her drivers' license yet.
Pete rushing off without telling anyone was suspicious. Chloe wondered if Lionel was behind the abduction. He was obsessed with Clark Kent, and Pete Ross was Clark's longest friend. Would Lionel stoop to abducting a minor to reach his goal?
It's plausible, Chloe thought to herself as she finally managed to unlock the door. Her first stop was the kitchen. During Lex's stay at Belle Reve, her father had been working late. And with Lana just returning from the hospital, she wanted to be the one who got dinner started. Instead, her nose was assaulted by the smell of oregano and garlic.
"Dad?" Chloe was surprised to see her father standing in front of the stove.
"Hi, sweetie." Her father gave a tired grin.
"Why are you home so early?"
"Well, you know it takes several hours to make the perfect chicken alfredo."
"Dad!?"
Her father sighed. He motioned for Chloe to sit at the kitchen table. "I was fired today."
Chloe felt the blood drain from her face. "No!"
"It's all right," her father waved it away.
"Did they tell you why?" Chloe asked, although she already knew the answer.
"No. But, don't you worry; everything is going to be fine. We'll be all right. Just last week, I had three recruiters reach out to me. There could have been some better timing with your college years fast approaching and Lana's hospital bills, but, it is what it is."
"Dad, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Chloe found she couldn't fight back the tears that came.
Her dad reached across the table to take hold of her hand. "Honestly, I'm looking forward to a vacation. I might give myself a small break before I start applying for jobs."
Chloe gulped down her tears as her father returned to the stove. She knew there would be no job, not now or in a week for her father.
Chloe wiped her eyes and made her way outside to make a phone call. Her stomach sank as she dialed the phone number for Lionel Luthor. Normally he would pick up, but this time the phone kept ringing.
You've been fired, was the message Lionel was trying to get across.
And Chloe's one and only ally had forgotten he was on her team.
At the Talon…
Lana numbly walked into the Talon. She wasn't scheduled to return to work until tomorrow, but Lana was anxious to resume her normal life. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed.
Alicia Baker was a meteor freak. And Clark seemed perfectly at ease with her powers. Lana's mind tried to grasp exactly what Alicia's powers were and if they were having any affect on Clark and why he seemed to be avoiding her.
The Talon's ambience was more chaotic than normal as someone was shouting at the front of the line.
"I just ordered a small latte!"
The screaming girl was Megan. Tears were coming down her face as she clutched a receipt in her hand.
"What seems to be the trouble?" Lana asked as she walked up.
"She charged me eighty dollars. I just ordered a small latte."
Lana turned her attention to the barista behind the counter. "What? She owes us money for all the free drinks she got while being the swim captain. Which, she only got by cheating. Pay up."
"Well, that's not going to happen cause I just got fired from Fordman's due to a pile of complaints about me being a 'violent presence'."
"I will cancel this transaction," Lana spoke calmly as she took her place behind the register. When Megan's order came up, Lana handed it to her. "On the house."
"Thanks," Megan sniffed.
"I'm sorry to hear about you losing your job."
"Yeah, well, why not? I already lost my boyfriend, my reputation, my athletic prospects…"
"Can you blame people for being angry about that?" Lana asked gently.
"Excuse me?"
"Megan, everyone you raced was playing at a disadvantage to you."
Megan shoved the coffee back across the counter. "Keep it. Just keep it."
At the Metropolis Secret Lab…
"Anything?" Lionel asked Dr. Garner. He peered over the youngest Ross boy strapped to a table. A metal helmet was locked onto the boy's head, with two glowing green vials on either side.
"Not yet, Mr. Luthor," the doctor said.
"Good. That means the boy is hiding something." Lionel nodded in approval.
"Not necessarily," Dr. Garner explained. "We still haven't quite figured out the timing just yet. For all we know, Sarah just initiated the dream sequence and is only beginning her questioning. It could be several hours or days before Pete talks."
"He looks green."
Lionel wanted to jump at the sudden intrusion. But he kept his body composed as he had slightly become used to Alicia's sudden appearances.
"Why'd you abduct Pete anyway?" The blonde continued talking. "Why not just kidnap Clark and go to the source?"
"Clark Kent is my probable Golden Goose. The source I have been searching for. I must tread very carefully so he doesn't fly away. Besides, if he's capable of what I think he is, I need to be certain of how to contain him."
"So you kidnap his best friend. Great idea. Boys are known for staying up all night and sharing their deepest, darkest secrets. What color do you think they painted their nails?"
Lionel sighed. "What do I owe your visit? Do you have an update for me?"
"You could say that." Alicia giggled and bit her lip.
"Do you mean…"
"Yeah." Alicia grinned and leaned closer. "I know everything."