Legacy Part 2

Pete's attention was on a girl, and it wasn't on one of the bikini hotties playing volleyball nearby. This girl had worn a soccer uniform to the beach; she sat in the middle of the sand, staring off into the distance. Pete could have sworn he'd seen her somewhere before, but he couldn't figure out where.

"Hey." Pete said walking over.

"Sun's not warm enough," the girl complained, her gaze never shifting. "All your effort's going into those beach babes."

"Who are you?"

"Every time." The girl sighed. "Sarah. Sarah Conroy. Come on, Petey. You promised."

Pete turned his head to see what Sarah was staring at. In the distance, stretched over the ocean was a bridge. A car driving at full speed swerved and went over the edge. As the vehicle sank into the water, the bridge repaired itself as another car met the same fate. On a loop, the car drove across the bridge and crashed over the railing.

"Find me."

Sarah turned her head so she was now facing Pete straight on. Her entire body was bloody and bruised. She had a black eye, a busted lip, and her soccer uniform was covered in dried blood.

Pete gasped and slowly realized that he was in his bed. All of it had been a dream.

This can't be a coincidence. Pete rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He had several dreams by now with the mystery girl. Pete frowned as he tried to remember her name.

One thing was for certain; whoever this girl was, she was asking for Pete's help.

At the Sullivan household…

Ooh, that stings! Chloe inhaled sharply as she sterilized the recent cut on her upper thigh. Lana unexpectedly walked into the bathroom before she could hide the incision.

"Chloe," Lana gasped, "what happened?"

"War wound," Chloe huffed as she pulled down the hem of her PJ bottoms. "Don't you knock?"

"Sorry," Lana mumbled. "You're usually out by now."

After reassuring Lana she was fine, Chloe left to quickly change for school and went downstairs for breakfast and the news. The cover story for The Inquisitor read: Smallville Shooter Confirmed Local Teen. The writer for the article was none other than Clark Kent, and Chloe couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. If things were normal between them, Chloe would have picked up a coffee for Clark to congratulate him. Sadly, their relationship was strained ever since Clark discovered her deal with Lionel.

Clark thought she had betrayed him. And she had. At the time, Chloe thought it was a game she could handle. She had known that Lionel was a dangerous man with unlimited resources at his disposal along with a crooked moral code. Chloe thought she was going in with her eyes wide open. But she had overestimated her prowess and Lionel's desire to uncover the secret Clark Kent hid so well.

In the process, Chloe had lost everything. Her dad was now unemployed and blacklisted. Chloe's career was over before it began, and she had lost a dear friend. Lionel's offer had the slightest chance of being restored with his request for Clark's blood. But now, the deal was officially over as Lionel had sufficient proof Clark was just an ordinary farm boy.

And that's all Lionel will ever know, Chloe thought glancing in the direction of her cut. Her thigh was the perfect place to hide the wound. It had hurt; she had to make sure to go deep enough to soak the napkin. There was no reason Lionel should ever get his hands on Clark's actual blood. Bobby had gotten a few seconds of footage documenting Clark's injury during the scuffle on Main Street, providing Chloe the perfect proof she upheld her side of the bargain. The napkin that held Clark's real blood had been burned along with the paper towels Chloe had used to clean her bumper.

"What, no rushing out the door today?" Lana said as she came down.

"Thought I'd slow down."

Normally Chloe would pick up a coffee at the Talon on her way to school since she now had her own transportation and was not stuck riding the bus. But now, money was tighter than ever. Chloe knew Lionel would ensure she'd never get a job at The Daily Planet, let alone The Inquisitor or any other reputable newspaper. Chloe would need to become a professional snitch like Bobby just to eat.

"Do you mind giving me a ride to the Talon? My treat." At Chloe's raised eyebrows, Lana continued, "I work the morning shift and I'm scared to go."

"Yeah, who knows what Smallville will look like today."

Chloe got up from the table and the two girls got into Chloe's vehicle. In the passenger seat, Lana picked up the newspaper.

"Clark was right." Lana sighed. "I shouldn't be that surprised, should I?"

"That is an annoying habit of his." Chloe agreed.

"What do you think about the article about Main Street's miraculous restoration? That sounds like a thing Clark would do if he had powers, doesn't it?"

Chloe laughed. "I can see that. Leave it to Clark Kent to use superpowers to clean up the streets. You know, if he does have superspeed, it would explain all the times he missed the bus and still got there before us." Chloe shook her head. "But witnesses said cars were lifted. That means enhanced strength."

"Can't people have more than one?"

"It's possible. Greg did; all his abilities were connected to bugs."

"Think Clark can fly?"

The two girls debated during the car ride about what powers Clark could have. They became quiet as they approached Main Street. It was clean as the newspaper reported; no one could tell a small battle had occurred.

Main Street was eerily empty, and there was no morning rush inside the Talon. Only a few tables of older people were at tables as they sipped coffee and read the newspaper. One of the patrons was Perry White. His appearance alone was enough to make Lana's blood boil, but the morning staff were huddled around another table laughing and drinking their own coffees.

"Oh, come on," Lana muttered, marching behind the counter.

Chloe went over to Perry's table and took a seat. Mr. White was reading Van's special Torch edition.

"If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them."

Perry looked up from the newspaper with surprise. "And why would you do that? Most people here don't want to talk about this."

"Because you were once the kind of reporter I would like to be," Chloe shared.

"You know, the only thing that's worse than never landing that story of a lifetime?" Perry pulled a flask from his inside jacket pocket and leaned back in the chair. As Chloe shook her head to the question he poured the flask's contents into the coffee cup. "Having it and being afraid to write it."

"Perry 'The Pitbull' White backing off a story? That's hard to believe."

"Lionel Luthor can be remarkably persuasive."

Lionel. Chloe flinched at the name. "Are you saying he had something to do with your career slide?"

"Let's just say not everyone respects good investigative journalism. Especially when it treads on the toes of the rich and vengeful." Perry wiggled his eyebrows.

Chloe gulped. Here was a top notch reporter doomed to spend the rest of his days working for the cheap show X Styles; a fate worse than death. Here was living proof that her life was officially over.

And Chloe hadn't even graduated yet.

"What was the story?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Let me guess: it involved a tenement fire, an insurance payout, an awe-inspiring rise above the odds with a connection to an infamous mob boss?"

Perry White stared at Chloe glassy eyed, open-mouthed in surprise. The moment was interrupted as Lana placed a to-go cup in front of Chloe and a sign in front of Perry.

"We reserve the right to deny service to anyone," Perry read.

"I think you'll be more comfortable at the Wild Coyote," Lana said firmly and then walked away.

Perry sighed as he gathered his things.

"Mr. White," Chloe said as she got to her feet, "I'd like to buy you breakfast. I think we have a lot to talk about."

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Lana surveyed her empty coffee shop. Her first priority had been to fix Chloe her usual. Then, she had made sure to get Perry White out of her sanctuary and checked on the other customers. Now, Lana marched over to the table where her employees were loafing.

"I know it's slow, but you guys need to at least look busy."

"We're not working," Jenny Bernice declared, crossing her arms. "We're on strike. I'm not working for one of those freaks."

"What?"

"Lex is one of them." Haley Timmonds tapped the infamous Torch edition.

Lana had only glanced at it; she had read the articles when they appeared in their first editions. Most of her attention had been on the "Freak List" where Lana had seen Lex's name. But that had to be a mistake; nothing more than an unproven hunch Chloe had.

"Lex is not a freak. He is not dangerous. Lex would never harm anyone."

"Didn't he cause the accident that broke your leg? Come on, Lana. It's like you've been saying this whole time: the freaks are dangerous," Jenny insisted.

Lana fumed as she clenched her fists. She was tired of everyone misunderstanding her.

"Listen up; I am not paying you to just sit around. You either get to work right now or pay for your drinks and get out."

Lana turned and saw Clark and Alicia walking outside. Her stomach twisted as she realized their first choice in getting coffee was the competition and not the Talon. However, the cart was not currently open; their hours were inconsistent in the morning.

"Clark," Lana said, rushing outside.

"Hi, Lana." Clark said, turning around. Alicia immediately wrapped herself around Clark's arm, frowning in Lana's direction.

"The stands closed, but I can make something for you guys. It'll just take a second; there's no line. And it'll be on the house. Again, Alicia, I'm so sorry."

Clark seemed like he was ready to say something, but Alicia interrupted, "No. We need to go."

Both disappeared in a flash of green mist leaving Lana alone on the sidewalk.