Resurrection Part 5

At the Torch Office…

"Teleportation. That's a new one."

Chloe was still amazed at what she had just witnessed. After living in Smallville for four years, Chloe thought she was used to the strange and bizarre by now. But witnessing the extraordinary firsthand still managed to rattle her. Alicia, one moment, had been in Clark's arms on the bathroom floor. The next, she and him had vanished. Once they were back in the Torch office, Lana explained how Alicia had the ability to teleport.

"Yeah. And she finds it real handy to pop up in unexpected places."

"Like Clark's bedroom?"

"And the back seat of my car," Lana huffed. "Chloe, she actually threatened me. I wouldn't be surprised if Alicia was the one who drugged me."

Chloe leaned back in her chair. "Do you remember what it was like? Being under the drug's influence?"

"Not really. But I do remember a vague feeling of words just being pulled out of me."

"Like no matter how much you didn't want to say something, you did anyway?"

"I guess. Why?"

Chloe frowned. "I had a similar experience. It was the morning of Clark and Alicia's little bedroom adventure. She was asking me about Clark's old girlfriends, and, at the expense of my dignity, I shared my feelings toward Clark. Or, past feelings, that is. You know, Alicia did give me a coffee that day. Was she there at the Talon?"

"Yep; glued to Clark's hip as usual. But why would Alicia drug us? And how did she get it?"

"Lana, remember how I explained my whole deal with Lionel about spying on Clark? The only way Alicia could have gotten that report was if she's working for Lionel herself."

"Couldn't she have just stolen it?"

"But that only further proves my point. Why would she be looking for something like that? And how would she know Lionel had it? Not to mention, I never wrote my name at the top of that report. It was a serious document, not a high school paper. She must have added that herself."

"As much as I hate to defend her, Alicia's mom does work for Luthor Corp. Maybe she overheard her mom talking about something."

"That's another thing that doesn't make sense." Chloe raised a finger. "Mrs. Baker didn't work for Luthor Corp until last summer. Recruited directly from an IT service desk at a retail shop. That's a career Hail Mary if there ever was one. And there's this."

Chloe pulled out a yearbook, opened to Alicia's picture. The girl on the page had darker hair than Alicia's current color. Her skin had traces of acne, the hair was frizzy, and she wore glasses.

"Ok? Alicia had a glow up before starting Smallville High. Not a crime. What's your theory?"

"My theory is Lionel somehow discovered Alicia's powers and recruited her to get close to Clark. Essentially pimping her out."

"That's creepy."

Chloe nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it. But it makes sense. Ever since Alicia came to Smallville, she's been relentlessly pursuing Clark."

"Chloe," Lana sighed, "it could just be Alicia really likes him. For all his faults, Clark's a good guy."

"Granted. But you can't deny Alicia's been strategically alienating him from us," Chloe pointed out.

Lana frowned in thought. She really like the idea Alicia was behind everything. But when she brought it up to Clark, he denied Alicia's involvement keeping him from visiting her in the hospital. Clark seemed to think Lana herself had something to do with it. And Chloe had been investigating him behind his back.

"As much as I want to, we can't blame Alicia for Clark being mad at us."

"Clark's mad at you, too?" Pete said, coming into the office.

"Yeah. Wait, what's he mad at you for?"

"Nothing I'm proud to admit. Let's just say I was a bit more brutally honest than I should have been."

Lana and Chloe shared a look. "Pete, there's evidence Lana got hit with a truth serum. I'm pretty sure I got dosed, too. Any chance she gave you something?"

"Nope." Pete shook his head. "Our fight happened the morning after I came back from my little getaway. She wasn't even in the room."

"Regardless, it still leaves the question of 'why'. Why is Lionel so obsessed with Clark?"

"We are so stupid!" Lana exclaimed.
"Lana?"

"It's so obvious: Clark has powers." Lana stated.

"What? No! That's impossible." Pete stuttered. "We would have known."

"That makes so much sense," Chloe agreed. "Think about it, Pete. Clark's been there for multiple rescues. He's always mysteriously leaving. That means Lionel sent Alicia to get close to Clark, gain his trust, and solve the mystery that is Clark Kent. Or, if that didn't work, just spy on him. With her powers, it would have been a piece of cake."

Lana's phone rang, stopping Pete from responding. "Excuse me."

"Chloe, listen to me: Clark is as normal as they come," Pete insisted as Lana left. "I got eyes. And from what I can see, Alicia's just really into Clark."

"Well, it's all just a theory at this point. There's no proof."

Not until I get to talk with Adam.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

I am so stupid! Lana thought as she walked into the hallway.

Alicia had hypothetically used the drug on Chloe to ask about Clark's old girlfriends. What had Lana been talking about in the Talon under the serum's influence? Her true feelings regarding the meteor rocks and those infected by them. Lana's memory might be faulty about that time, but she remembered the devasting look on Clark's face when Lana expressed her frustration towards Seth. Clark had even tried defending him.

And that was because Clark was one of them.

Lana's mind drifted back to an old memory. She remembered being caught up in the tornado. Through it all, she had seen Clark hold her tight, protecting her from the flying debris.

"Everything will be fine. You're going to be okay," Clark had whispered in her ear. Or so she had imagined.

After the catastrophe, when Lana asked how Clark had found her, he just brushed it away; claiming he had been lucky finding her by the side of the road. That her vision of him must have just been a hallucination.

"Hello?" Lana said, finally answering her phone.

"Lana Lang? This is Nurse Halifax from Smallville Medical Center. We have a Jane Doe here who claims to know you. The name she's given for herself doesn't match any records. We're hoping you can come down to confirm an identity."

"Of course. I'll help in whatever way I can. Who does she say she is?"

"Emily Dinsmore."

At Metropolis University…

Dr. Teng was beside herself. Lionel Luthor had been most displeased when she was obligated to inform him of the subject's escape. Already the Luthor security team was on the case to recapture the subjects discreetly. This was unlike earlier in the year when only a handful had escaped by chance during the Metropolis blackout. This time, they were exhibiting resistance to being recaptured. Despite having increased strength and speed, they were still susceptible to bullet wounds. But that was to be avoided at all costs. With only a few drops of the mysterious blood sample left, the subjects' blood was already being looked at as another suitable source. It was a diluted source, but it was the next viable option for Lionel Luthor's desired results.

That meant Dr. Teng's task was to find a way to neutralize the subjects.

"Dr. Teng?"

The doctor looked up from her microscope to see a stranger standing in her doorway.

"Office hours don't begin until five."

"I'm not a student, doctor. I'm Lex Luthor."

Son of Lionel Luthor. Dr. Teng knew Lex had nothing to do with her contract with his father. She made sure to her outward appearance neutral. "Is that supposed to impress me? Even the chancellor makes an appointment before he interrupts my work."

"Does that work involve blood platelets of unknown origin?"

"You watch too many sci-fi movies."

"No. I've just been fascinated with the mysteries of hematology for quite some time."

"Mr. Luthor, the amount of money your family funnels into this university does not grant you the right to come in here and interrogate me."

"I'll be sure to call next time. Wouldn't want to interrupt genius." The young Luthor left her back to her research.

Dr. Teng sighed. Lionel was not going to be pleased at this new development.

At the Torch Office…

Chloe tapped her foot impatiently as the phone rang.

"Bobby here."

"Bobby. I'm trying to visit Adam Knight. According to paperwork, he's a regular patient, but I keep getting blocked from scheduling a visit. I really got to talk with him."

"Got my hands full, Sullivan. In case you forgot, there's a zombie apocalypse upon us."

"Come on," Chloe pleaded. "I'll drive to Metropolis myself and bring you back any culinary delight of your choice."

Clark barged into the Torch office; Van two steps behind him. Without a word or even a smile, Clark booted up the computer with determination. Van seated himself at Chloe's desk.

"Just think about it. Got to go. Hi?" Chloe questioned, taking in the events unfolding before her. The two boys completely ignored her. "Clark, what's going on?"

"Van poisoned Alicia," Clark said without looking up. "He's only going to hand over the antidote if we do what he says."

"And that would be?"

"Special Torch edition," Van explained. "Shouldn't take that long to get out. All the articles are coming from the Torch archives. Oh, and the list of freak names." Van placed a piece of paper in front of Clark. "Don't even think about keeping your girlfriends name off of it. If I find one name missing, they go to the top of the list. And you know which one I mean."

Van tapped Clark on the shoulder before retaking his seat at Chloe's desk. Chloe watched silently as Clark went about formatting the articles from Van's list with intense focus.

"Clark, you can't do that. Van having it is one thing; the whole town is another."

"Alicia will die if I don't."

Chloe glanced over the list of articles Van gave. It included "Mutant Capital of the World" and "Smallville: America's Strangest Town." These were articles she had written over the years to share the truth about the meteor shower.

Under current circumstances, it felt so wrong.

"Van, why are you doing this?"

"Well, Chloe, I think the shooter believes people have a right to know the truth. Just like you do, Chloe. Or did."

Chloe gulped. That was what she had believed. But not like this.

"If you print this list, there's no telling how people will react. I could even be wrong with some of these names. I mean, Karen Gallagher? So, computer monitors crash in her presence. That's a hunch; not proof. Or are you really ok with ruining her life? And Lex? What harm can he do with a heightened white blood cell count?"

"What they do with their powers is not the issue." Van said.

"Then what is?"

"They're a disease on this town. Every last one of them," Van spat.

"Just because one of them killed your dad?" Clark said, his eyes never leaving the monitor.

"My dad was a sacrifice in this war. His death exposed these freaks for what they are. What they all are: dangerous. My dad's a hero."

"Why not just shoot Alicia like the others then?" Chloe asked.

"Well, hypothetically speaking, I guess it was to confirm what Lana said. Wouldn't want an innocent person being killed."

"Alicia is innocent," Clark insisted. "She hasn't harmed anyone."

"Yet."

"And will you really hand over the antidote after all this?" Chloe asked.

"Of course," Van seemed insulted.

"Why? I mean, if you're just going to kill her later?"

"Think about it. It's just like Lana's been saying; regular people wait in fear, not knowing how or when these freaks are going to attack them. But now, the tide has turned. Now the freak gets to be afraid. Knowing there's a bullet out there with her name on it, but not knowing when it'll happen. That's justice."

"That's misplaced revenge," Clark said.

Chloe backed up to the outlet. There wasn't much she could do to stop them from hijacking her computers, but if she stopped the power...

"I wouldn't do that." Van pulled out a handheld gun. "Look, Chloe, if any of those people are normal, they got nothing to fear."

"Yeah, well, as much as I support printed media, why not just do another broadcast? Why hijack my paper?"

"Bad timing. Satellites have been unreliable and will be over the next couples of days. Something about a solar flare. Haven't you noticed?"

"Wait, what?" That got Clark's attention enough to look up from the computer. "No, seriously, repeat that."

"What? A solar flare's been causing everything from power surges to dead air." Van shrugged as he left to retrieve the printed editions.

Clark rested his head in hands, leaning on the desk. He looked utterly broken.

"Don't worry, Clark. She's going to be just fine." Chloe tried to reassure her friend. Regardless of how she felt towards Alicia, she couldn't bear to see Clark like this.

"Thanks. Hey, Chloe. Earlier, with Lana, thanks for having my back."

"I know that was a difficult assignment. I meant what I said; you did a good job."

The heartfelt moment was interrupted by a group of students coming into the office.

"Is the paper ready?" Gabriel Duncan asked.

"Hot off the press," Van said, coming in with a cart full of stacked papers.

"Gabriel, what are doing here?" Chloe questioned.

Gabriel shrugged. "We're all here cause we got emails asking for help to protect the citizens of Smallville against the mutants. Didn't recognize the account."

"Don't do this," Chloe pleaded to deaf ears as the student's grabbed stacks of newspapers. She watched helplessly as her beautiful paper was used for nefarious reasons.

"Oh, no you don't." Clark grabbed Van by the shirt as he seemed to try and leave. "We're getting that antidote to Alicia. Now."

"Okay, okay. Calm down. There's plenty of time." Van glanced over his shoulder as they left.

"Smile, Chloe. The Torch is going residential."