http://haveatit-reportergirl.blogspot.com/2008/12/three-minutes-chapter-4.html
Chapter 3
(Chloe POV)
It was extremely late and I was somewhat tired. I’ve been researching all I can to get information about the Meteors that landed along with Clark when he came out of the Phantom Zone and I think I might have found something big. I pushed some papers away and took a sip of my tea. Yea that’s right you heard me correct. Tea! Disgusting, sleepy, tea. I went to the doctor last week and she gave me a list of do’s and don’ts and unfortunately caffeine was kinda high on the don’t or frowned upon list. I can still have coffee, I think I’d die without it, but I had to cut down. Thus the tea drinking. It’s almost been two weeks since Thanksgiving and Jimmy and I still haven’t had the talk. When I went to the doctor I found out I was about eight weeks into my pregnancy, so I’m probably closer to ten now. She said the sickness is normal some people just have it worse than other’s but it’s been getting better recently. I’m pretty sure Jimmy’s been avoiding me. He’s taken on a lot more assignments that have kept him busy. If he doesn’t come seek me out soon I’m gonna have to find him. I sighed and leaned back in my chair. Clark needs to here about what I found. I got up and went to the bathroom. On the way back I called Clark. It rang a few times before he answered.
“Hey Chloe…what’s up?”
“Listen Clark I found some stuff that I think you’d be interested in. It’s pretty urgent you think you could…”
Before I finished my sentence Clark was walking down the stairs to the basement. To be honest I wasn’t even shocked he always does this.
“You said it was urgent.”
I nodded
“It is. A Taiwanese cargo ship was found off the coast of Alaska with its entire crew dead of unknown causes. The details are a bit murky, but the manifest says that its last stop was Bellona Island.”
His face tightened a bit.
“Bellona Island They got hit by a meteor the same day I escaped from the Phantom Zone. Where's the ship now?”
I shook my head in affirmation.
“It's being towed to Seattle.”
He started to walk away from me.
“I have to go there.”
I tried to protest. I didn’t want him running off half cocked and getting himself hurt. He’s always in such a rush to save everyone that he never stops to think about himself and what would happen to everyone around him if he were to get hurt or worse. I suppose he thinks it would be selfish to think like that but it’s not. We all need him to be ok just as much as he needs us to be ok.
“Clark, these guys aren’t just meteor freaks. They're from galaxies far, far away. And, more importantly, they can hurt you. You can't go unarmed.”
“I won't. I have the crystal that Raya gave me. I'll use that against them.”
He started to walk off again when my cell started to ring. He was halfway out the door but stopped as he heard me answer it.
“Hey, Lana. Whoa, slow down. Are you all right? Oh, my God. Yeah, of course.”
Lex mysteriously disappearing…something’s up and I bet anything it has to do with Meteor infected people. I mean come on, when doesn’t it? I finished my conversation with her agreeing to look into it and help even though I had a bad feeling about helping Lex. Something tells me I’d be better off leaving him wherever he was so he couldn’t hurt anyone else. But again not my call. You can’t pick and choose who help, even if it is the devil incarnate.
“What happened?”
“Lex just mysteriously disappeared.”
I said it and gave Clark a look. We needed to figure this out and since it involved Lana I’m sure he’d stay and help me out. Apparently Clark Kent still had some mystery left in him because he said the last thing I expected to hear coming from his mouth. Mine yes…his no.
“I have to go to Seattle.”
Huh…did he just really say that? I must be hallucinating.
“Well, Clark, I know that Lex isn't exactly your pick for "man of the year," but you can't just turn your back on him.”
Clark and I both didn’t trust Lex right now but Lana cared about him and was worried. Enough that she actually called me to help look for him despite knowing how I feel about Lex. I don’t think she would have called otherwise.
“Chloe, there's innocent people in danger. I'll be back as soon as I can.”
He practically ran out of there and as I watched him leave reassurance is not something I felt. Which is weird cause well it’s Clark. I couldn’t help feel uneasy about his decision. I really hope that he made his decision based on the good of everyone involved and not just because it’s Lex. I let the thought drift from my mind a few seconds later though. Clark wouldn’t do that I know him. He’s a good man. I went to my desk and packed up all my stuff. I grabbed my laptop and left for Smallville. It was late and I was tired.
By the time I walked into the Talon it was around two in the morning. I lugged my stuff upstairs and went inside. I looked around and Lois was nowhere to be found. I grinned. Not only do I get the bed tonight but also her and Oliver were definitely back on the right track again. And I was glad. They’re really cute together. I changed and laid down. Ahhh sweet rest. Lois’s bed sure was comfortable. That was the last thought before I drifted to sleep.
My ringing cell phone woke me up. I rolled over and groaned. I glanced at the clock and it said seven thirty. Who in their right mind was calling me this freaking early? Whoever it is better have a damn good reason. I rolled over and grabbed my cell phone.
“Hello.”
It was quiet for a couple of seconds and I got frustrated. My tone was irritated.
“Hello”
I was about to hang up when the voice on the other line froze my actions. His voice was tentative and soft.
“Hey there Bright…I mean Chloe.”
All the air rushed out of my lungs and my throat dried up. I had to clear it before I spoke.
“Jimmy…hey…w..what’s up?
“I just…I thought maybe we should…you know talk.”
I was quiet. I hadn’t heard from him since the day before Thanksgiving and to be honest I wanted to yell. I wanted to tell him what a jerk he’s been being and how much I don’t like him right now. But…I couldn’t. If I yelled he’d probably hang up and as much as I want to give him a piece of my mind I need to know what’s going on with us. Is he going to be around for this baby? Or am I gonna become a statistic. Who was I kidding I already was one. I’m twenty and pregnant. I cleared my throat again.
“Well…it’s kinda early Jimmy…but if you wanna talk now…that’d be ok. I would kind of like to do it in person though…”
I let my sentence trail off and I could here him take a deep breath over the phone. He was struggling with something…and I had no clue what.
“Yea…umm I guess…sure that’d be fine. How about we meet up at The Planet at say tenish. That way you have time to get ready and get here.”
“Sure…ok. I’ll see you at ten then Jimmy.”
He mumbled a goodbye and I disconnected the call. I sat there for a minute wondering what prompted his call since he’s been so diligent in his avoidance of me. Whatever it was I was relieved. As strong as I wanted to be, and as put together as I acted, on the inside I have been silently freaking out. Having Mrs. Kent to talk to was great and Clark was wonderful but if I was honest with myself Clark wouldn’t be there forever. He had Zoners and Meteor mutants to stop and people to save. Plus I could tell he was still so in love with Lana. Every once in a while I still caught him moping around his barn thinking about her. I can’t expect him to be there for everything I need because I know that when Lana finally comes to her senses and leaves Lex, Clark will be there waiting for her and they’ll get back together and I doubt he’s gonna want a pregnant best friend hanging all over him. The thought stung a little but to be honest it’s bound to happen. Clark loves her and deep down I know she still loves him. The only reason she’s with Lex is because Clark has been less than honest with her. I looked up and rolled my head around to clear my thoughts. Chloe stop…thinking just makes you more upset. I got out of bed and went into the shower. Today was gonna be another long day. I still had to help Lana with Lex and check in on Clark. I hope he’s ok.
(Clark POV)
Getting to Seattle wasn’t a problem. Looking around the dock I saw the flurry of activity as bodies were being carried in bags to a large tent. Getting them to let me look around was gonna be difficult. I walked a little closer and heard the officer in front of me talking.
“Were all the bodies accounted for?”
I’m guessing the person who answered was the coroner because she was wearing a lab coat and directing where to take the bodies.
“It's kind of hard to tell.”
I walked over to the tent and I saw stacks of full coolers. What is all this? The lady obviously noticed me because she started to speak to me
“ You must be the first-year med student I've been waiting for.”
Apparently it wouldn’t be as hard as I thought .I felt kind of uneasy lying to the lady so I kinda nodded and she spoke again.
“Don't flatline on me now.”
She must have seen the semi queasy look on my face. So I glanced at her and played along.
“What gave me away?”
“The queasy stare that afflicts all newbies their first day on the job. Do you mind?”
I lifted up a bag for her and placed it where she pointed. Oh god…those were human bodies in those bags? How does something like that happen.
“How many are there?”
I shook my head gently. I should have gotten here sooner. Looking around the room. So many people are dead because of me.
“A whole graveyard's worth.”
“How does a body end up in one of those?”
“They have no skeletons, although I don't know how that's anatomically possible.”
Neither did I. But I was gonna find out. I needed to get as much information from her as I could. Who knows when they’d find out I wasn’t really supposed to be here.
“You mean someone cut their bones out?”
“More like ripped them out. Clean fillets, every one of them. I've seen some stuff that would make most people run for the hills, but this -- this is seriously freaky.”
This thing must be stronger than I originally thought. Great that will really help me out.
“All these bodies -- they're from the ship?”
“These last two -- they were dock workers. Whatever was on that ship is on dry land now.”
So whatever was on that ship is now on dry land. I have to get out of here and find out where those dockworkers were located so I could figure out where this thing went. I saw a coroner’s badge sitting on the table near my right. I discreetly grabbed it and walked out the door. I heard her yell out to me as I left.
“Oh, kid, are you puking already?”
Nope I wasn’t. But I had to find out where this thing went. Chloe would be proud of my sneakiness. I smiled for a second before walking over to a police officer.
“Hey, this area's off limits.”
I held up the badge and walked closer.
“Um, I'm with the coroner's office.”
He nodded and waved me over. I stepped closer and started looking around the large crate.
“Better you than me. I heard the bodies are pretty messed up. Anyway, our theory is the perp was hiding out in this container. He somehow busted out of this thing and started his killing spree. It's wild. We thought it was blood, but the guys are saying it's human bone marrow. It's fricking disgusting. Actually, there are a few more remains that need removal. The forensic team is over there waiting for you.”
Disgusting. I can’t imagine the zoner that might have done this. These poor people. They were ripped apart…because of me…I shook my head and realized the officer was waiting for me to say something.
“Thanks.”
He nodded and turned away to talk to someone else.
“Sure.”
I was looking around trying to get some clue as to where this thing could have gone. I sighed. I hope everything with Chloe is going ok I left in a rush. Hopefully she’s having more luck locating Lex than I am finding this thing.
(Chloe POV)
I got to The Planet a little after ten. I walked over to my desk and Jimmy was sitting in a chair facing away from me. I gathered all the courage I had left. Which come on was a lot I have a great gene pool. And headed over to Jimmy. He must have heard my heels because he turned and gave me a once over while I put all my stuff on my desk. I spoke first.
“Hey.”
He was drinking a coffee and fiddling nervously with his thumbs.
“Hey.”
I sat in my seat and got comfortable. If this conversation was going to be like pulling teeth I at least wanted to be comfortable while we yanked.
“So…you wanted to talk?”
He was quiet for a few minutes and moved around in his seat until he was leaning out of it.
“I just…”
He ran his hand through his hair.
“I mean…how did this happen?”
I gave him a sarcastic look and went to speak when he held up his hand and cut me off.
“No I know how this happened. I just mean…we were careful Chloe and we haven’t even…that many times and I just… I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about the whole…”
He stopped made a grimace and his voice came out slightly distasteful even though he tried to hide it.
“Meteor freak thing.”
This got me mad. Who the hell was Jimmy Olsen to be calling me a freak. Granted I use the term liberally when talking about myself and occasionally others but it’s usually to Clark and when I’m trying to make light of the situation. I haven’t thought of these people as freaks since I found out about Clark and thought he was one of them. When I first met Jimmy I thought he was open-minded. He loved that I chased after stories and the lengths I went to, to get my man. He’s alluded to not liking Smallville much in the past because of all the crazy things that happen there but I always assumed it was because he didn’t want me to get hurt. Not because he got “creeped out” by Meteor infected people. I glared in his direction and spoke slowly but deliberately.
“ What are you more upset about Jimmy? The fact that I’m having your baby or that I might have some latent Meteor powers stored in my body? And by the way I prefer to be call Meteor infected”
He sighed and roughly tossed his cup of coffee into the garbage.
“Chloe this isn’t a game.”
I raised a brow in his direction.
“I wasn’t aware I was playing one.”
He stood up and started pacing back and forth.
“Do you even know what’s wrong with you? What kind of powers you have? I mean according to you all the Meteor freaks…”
He looked over at me when I cleared my throat and rolled his eyes.
“Meteor infected people go crazy and hurt people. How do you know that isn’t going to happen to you?”
And right there I knew what was wrong. Jimmy was afraid of me. I wanted to cry. Every fear that has been bubbling inside of me since finding out about my mother’s sickness and my new “not so normal” human status was brought to light and I just wanted to brake down…because I didn’t have an answer for him. I didn’t know what my power was or if I’d even get one. I don’t know if it would make me hurt the people I cared about. I just had to hope that even if it did come that I would be strong enough to hold on to the person I am. Besides not all Meteor infected people were evil. Sure most of the ones we have come in contact with over the years have tried to kill my friends, or me but there have been the occasional ones that helped or didn’t mess with anyone but themselves. I’m a good person and when all is said and done a Meteor power isn’t going to change that. Now I only had to believe that statement. I took a deep breath to control my emotions. I wouldn’t cry in front of him.
“Jimmy…are you…are you afraid of me?”
He looked down and I knew his answer. The expression on his face seemed to be shame. He shuffled his feet and looked up.
“I’m s..sorry Chloe…I just…I can’t help it. I…don’t think having this baby…”
he paused gathering his thoughts I assumed. His voice was firmer now like he just reassured himself of his decision.
“Having it…is not a good idea.”
I stared at him. Because well…what do you say to that? He apparently had his mind maid up but then again so did I. I was having this baby…end of discussion. If he or she has Meteor powers...well that’s just something I’ll deal with when it comes along. But I’ll never love my baby any less because of it. I looked him dead in the eye and my voice was hard.
“I am having this baby Jimmy.”
He just continued as if I didn’t say anything at all. He was pacing around now and his words started flying out fast.
“I mean I don’t even know where we stand after all this…Meteor stuff. I like you Chloe…a lot but I don’t know if I can handle this.”
His voice softened and he turned around to face me.
“I just don’t want to wake up a week, or month…or even a year from now and realize that I can’t handle your new Meteor f…infected status. It would only hurt us that much more in the end. I know me being this…freaked out doesn’t make sense…but I just…your…different now. It might only be biologically but it’s still different. One of the reasons I fell so hard for you Bright eyes is because even though you march to your own drum you’re normal. I figured I’d eventually be able to pull you out of the weirdness that is Smallville…but now…it’s always gonna be there. I don’t want to raise a family around that Chloe.”
At this moment I hate Jimmy Olsen. Ok fine I don’t really hate him, but I feel like I do. He was telling me he didn’t want this baby, but most of all he was saying he didn’t want me. I took a deep breath. Calm down Chloe…you don’t need Jimmy you have Mrs. Kent and when you tell Lois you’ll have her. Plus you have Clark…but for how long? I turned my chair around so I wasn’t facing him. I needed to collect myself so I wouldn’t break in front of him. When I finally spoke to him I didn’t face him and my voice was only above a whisper.
“Fine…You can’t deal with me or this baby, then your right. You shouldn’t be around.”
I slid around to face him.
“I’m the same person Jimmy. But you’re right. I’m glad this happened. Because now I know you and I…big mistake.”
“Chloe..”
I waved him off.
“No. It was. Our relationship was based on a crush from years ago during that internship here. We are both completely different from those fumbling teenagers back then. If you cared about me nearly as much as you say, then this whole thing wouldn’t matter. The fact that I’m…different would be a quark in the relationship instead of the final nail in the coffin.”
He was about to say something when my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and it was Lana. Crap! I really can’t deal with this right now…but I promised Lana I’d help and since Clark wasn’t back yet. I was going to need Jimmy’s help. Here’s a real chance for me to be a mature adult. Wonderful.
“That’s Lana. Listen I know this obviously isn’t the best time for a crisis…with everything else going on but…I promised Lana I’d help her and…I could use help. I’m totally lost on what to think here and that’s unusual for me. Is there anyway we can put our…issues aside just for today so you can help me out?”
He looked surprised and then gave a small grin.
“Sure Chloe. I’m pretty sure I can do that. What do you need?”
I was listening to the voicemail Lana left and I was picking up my purse.
“I’m not really sure yet. Lex disappeared and nobody has any clue what happened to him. I’m gonna go meet Lana at the mansion and take a look at the surveillance footage and then I’ll get back to you.”
He nodded.
“I’ll be here.”
Unfortunately not the way I needed him here. I got up and left to go see Lana.
I got to the mansion and Lana was happy to see me. We were walking into the study when she started talking.
“Thank God someone believes me. You're the first person that doesn't think I belong in Belle Reve.”
I chuckled a little bit at that.
“A lot stranger things have happened in Smallville. Don't worry. We'll find him. So, where exactly was Lex when he vaporized?”
She was walking around the room showing me.
“He was somewhere in the middle of the room, like around here.”
She stopped and pointed.
“You said Lex backs up all of his security footage on the internal server, right?”
I sat down at his desk and opened his computer.
“Yeah, I think so.”
I started typing and hit a roadblock. Of course Lex has his computer password protected. With all the stuff he hides I’m surprised he keeps it unsupervised.
“Okay, we're gonna need a password. You and Lex are close. Are you password close?”
She looked down a minute and I could almost see defeat on her face, mixed in with some hurt.
“No, I guess not.”
She looked thoughtful for a minute.
“Why don't you try "Julian," his brother, or "Lillian," his mom.”
And I was zero for two. Neither worked. His computer beeped twice.
“Ixnay. Okay, how about "Lana"?”
That didn’t work either. How about Satan…I thought to myself.
“No. Do you have anything else?”
She signed, frustrated. And walked away from behind my chair.
“No, I don't know.”
I tried to calm her down the last thing I needed was her freaking out. I was already having a bad day.
“Don't worry, we'll just upload the whole hard drive, and I'll work on it later.”
She stopped pacing and turned to me. She looked nervous.
“Chloe, the way he disappeared --what if... what if Lex is really gone? Forever.”
I walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. I keep forgetting that Lana really cares about Lex. I just can’t understand why. This place just seems so cold to me and to be honest I hate being in Lex’s domain. But non-the less Lana was my friend and she was hurting.
“You can't think that way, Lana. We're gonna get him back.”
“I've had so many doubts about this relationship, so many suspicions. But now that he's gone, none of it matters anymore. I just want to see his face again.”
Hmmm so she has been doubting the billionaire boy wonder. Interesting. Something to think about later on.
“I'll crack this back at the Daily Planet, and either we'll get a week's worth of footage of Lex sipping bourbon and diddling on his computer, or we'll actually hit the jackpot.”
She smiled at me and after I transferred all Lex’s info to my E drive we got up and left. Me heading back to The Daily Planet and Lana going to check on something with Lionel.
When I got back to The Planet it was bustling with activity. I had a few things to get done before I started working on the Lex issue. About an hour or so later while I was copying some paper’s Jimmy found me in the small room.
“Hey…So what did Lana say?”
Straight to business I see. That’s fine with me. I can’t think of anything personal right now because this emotional roller coaster I’m on is pretty unstable. The last thing I need is for it to brake down and me fall off.
“ I copied Lex’s hard drive off his computer so we can start there.”
“I know that "Lex Luthor Lost" is a juicy headline, but tell me again why we're searching for the root of all evil.”
I gave a snort of disgust. I wasn’t doing this for Lex. If he wasn’t dating Lana I’d say let him rot wherever he was. But…this is how friendship goes.
“I'm not doing this for Lex. After talking to Lana, I've got to put my skepticism in check. I mean, she really cares about him.”
Jimmy gave a small chuckle of disbelief.
“Women are such a mystery.”
I didn’t even touch that. We are trying to be mature and work together. I’m gonna keep my mouth shut.
“Finding Lex is a bigger mystery. Where's Clark when we need him?”
Jimmy stopped walking and seemed startled. Great…why oh why did I mention Clark? Can anyone tell me? I must really want a fight today.
“What does Clark have to do with anything? Look, I know that you feel sorry for the guy 'cause he's always flying solo, but honestly, what can that guy do that I can't?”
Some of the good humor was gone from his voice and a shadow fell over his eyes.
Ohh I don’t know…be a better friend…make sure I’m always ok…care about me…be there for me. Not demand I get rid of my child…all in all be a better boyfriend…I mean friend… Obviously I didn’t say any of that. Did I mention that I have to be mature so we can work together and find Lex. To be honest I really didn’t have it in me to fight with him right now. I’m way too drained. I’ll let him have this one.
“You know, you're probably right.”
“He’s not the one who’s helping you out so that you can continue the hunt for a man that nobody misses. Well, maybe except…”
Right then I saw Lana coming down the stairs. I was relieved. I really didn’t wanna be alone with Jimmy anymore.
“Lana!”
He recovered quickly, plastered on a smile and looked over at Lana.
“The hunt for Lex is on. Can I get you anything from the basement buffet?”
She gave a week smile.
“Thank you Jimmy, but I'm okay.”
Jimmy nodded at both of us and walked away. We walked back over to my desk.
“So, I do have some good news. I managed to stumble on the magic password, and it turns out to be none other than the birthday of Miss Lana Lang. I was able to access the surveillance files, and look what I dug up.”
I showed her the footage of Lex disappearing. She squinted at a blur in the middle of the screen.
“There's something there. Can you make it any clearer?”
“I'm doing my best, but I don't have a lot to work with. It's gonna take some time.”
Lana’s cell rings and she answers.
“Hello?”
She paused.
“Who is this?”
I looked at her strange.
“What's wrong?”
She moved away from me and shook her head.
“Um...it's just Lex's security. They want to give me an update.”
She took off as soon as she got off the phone telling me she’d call me if she found anything else out. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. I could really use a nice cold drink…and a comfortable bed. My back was hurting a small amount and I was tired. I slowly rubbed my stomach. I wonder what Clark is up to right now.
(Clark POV)
I was wondering around the docks and stumbled on a hard hat and safety goggles with blood on them. Oh man…this kinda didn’t bode well for who’s ever stuff this was. I listened with my super hearing and heard someone yelling for help.
“Help! Help! Somebody help!”
I super sped to where the voice was coming from. I wasn’t going to let someone else die. I grabbed the man and yelled.
“Run! Go!”
The zoner grabbed me and lifted me up. Oh crap!
“You stole my food!”
I took the crystal Raya gave me and held it to his chest. It had absolutely no effect on him. Uht oh…this really can’t be good.
He grinned and the menace on his face was apparent.
“Nice try, Krypton man.”
“You escaped from the Phantom Zone.”
I was so confused. Why didn’t the crystal work on him?
“But I'm no phantom.”
The zoner lifted me up and tossed me like a piece of freakin meat into a cargo container. Now that kinda hurt. By the time I got myself out of the cargo container I didn’t see the zoner anywhere. Dammit! I have to find it.
As it got later I wondered around the docks some more to try and find the creature that claimed he wasn’t a phantom. I stopped and noticed a fresh blood stain to my left. The zoner then appeared out of nowhere.
“Your blood must make you strong. I should taste it.”
As he spoke to me I saw something rush by us in a flurry. What was that? I left it alone and tried to punch the zoner but he caught my fist in his hand. I grimaced.
“Why are you doing this?”
He bared his teeth and smirked.
“Everyone's got to eat.”
It grabbed me and raised me in the air and for a minute I actually thought I was going to die. Then it started screaming. It let go of me and fell to the ground in pain. I looked over and noticed a strange mark on the thing’s back it was smoking so I assumed it was hot. I heard a sound so I followed it and I then I stepped on something. I looked down and it was an Oreo. I ran out to the docks and saw a man standing there. He saved me. I called out to him.
“Hey! That was you, wasn't it?”
I saw his eyes glow white. He squatted down then took off into the sky, paused for a minute then flew off leaving a streak of red across the sky. Holy crap…and I thought my powers were cool. I shook my head. It was time to go home. I didn’t know who that guy was but at least he stopped the zoner…I’d worry about him later. I just hope that we’re on the same side. I turned around and sped home.
(Chloe POV)
I just parked my car at the Kent farm. I’m gonna kill Clark when I see him. I called him a few times during the day to check up but he never answered. I walked into the loft and glanced around.
“Clark…Clark are you here?”
I guess not. I walked up the stairs and plopped down on the couch. I closed my eyes and relaxed my body. I’ve sure had a long day. We wound up figuring out what happened to Lex. A Meteor mutant, you can bet how Jimmy took that, took him out of the normal frequency or something. Apparently he was being held in a secret lab called 33.1 where Lex experiments on people who infected by Meteor rocks. I wonder if that’s where he took me. I wish I could remember and then again I’m glad I don’t.
Jimmy is the one who figured out how to bring Lex back though so I guess he’s good for something. Something about triangulation. We went to the mansion and the guy who took Lex attacked Lana there. When she disappeared with him Jimmy used some kind of radio wave thing to bring them back into our frequency. If I wasn’t so mad at Jimmy I would actually think what he did was pretty cool. I sighed and opened my eyes. I came here after the whole ordeal because I was feeling extremely uneasy because of Lex. I thought back to what happened after he got back.
Lex and Lana were on the floor and he was kissing her.
“God Lana I love you so much.”
He held his hands against her cheeks and pulled her to him. I was shocked that he sounded more than sincere. She smiled into the kiss and then hugged him.
“I love you to Lex.”
After a couple minutes of intimate moments they got up and looked around. Lex saw the damage done to the room but didn’t seem to care. With an arm around Lana he moved over towards Jimmy and I. When he got in front of Jimmy he held out his hand.
“Thank you for helping me get back. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t figured it out”
Jimmy hesitantly shook his hand and then he glanced in my direction. The smile that broke out on his face brought chills to my spine. He looked at me and though his face was tempered for Lana’s sake his cold eyes bore into me.
“Chloe…how can I repay you for taking care of Lana in my absence?”
My body was rigid and I wanted to run but I stood my ground.
“No need Lex. Lana is like a sister to me. I didn’t look after her for you.”
It came out a tad rudder then I originally planned but oh well. Lana frowned at me and Lex’s smile widened.
“I didn’t think you did Chloe. I didn’t think you did.”
Lana moved away from Lex and went to get him some water. He looked my body over and moved and inch closer. I was tempted to take a step back but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“Chloe you’re looking well, dare I say glowing. What’s your secret?”
I froze. There was absolutely no way he could know…and yet the look he was giving me told me that he definitely new more than he should…
(Clark POV)
I stopped abruptly outside the barn and saw Chloe’s car. I’m glad she’s here. I missed a few calls from her today but I was so busy I didn’t have a chance to answer them. I hope everything was alright. When I got up the stairs I saw her sitting there with a far away look in her eyes. Her heartbeat was slow and when I called her name she didn’t answer me. I walked over and touched her arm and just like that she blinked and was with me again.
“Hey.”
She jumped off the couch and hit me in the arm before wrapping her arms around me in a friendly hug. When she let go she glared softly in my direction. If it wasn’t for the smile on her lips I would have thought she was really mad at me.
“So, what, your cell phone doesn't get reception in Seattle?”
I shrugged. It did I just didn’t have time to answer the call.
“I was preoccupied at the time.”
She nodded and walked around me.
“That's fine, but you were up against an alien from another planet. I was worried.”
I sat down on the edge of the couch and gave her a sheepish smile.
“Sorry.”
“So, the crystal was a success then?”
I shook my head.
“No, it wasn't.”
She looked worried and confused all at once.
“Then did the Zoner just decide to pack up and leave the solar system?”
I had to tell her. I mean she’s Chloe and if I could tell anyone in the world my worries or concerns it was her.
“Someone else killed him -- someone who can do things I could only dream of.”
She was startled by this revelation. Trust me so was I. She sat next to me and turned to face me.
“Whoa. So, this someone -- he's on our side, right?”
“I'm not really sure.”
She looked upset for a minute. I wasn’t sure why.
“Clark, it's me -- your most trusted friend and secret keeper. How about a few details?”
Ahhh I see. She thought I was holding out on her but I honestly didn’t know much more than she did.
“I really don’t know anything else Chloe…just leave it alone…Please…”
She touched my arm and my body immediately relaxed. Her touch seemed to have that effect on me.
“Ook, I understand that you feel like all these psychopathic space invaders are your fault, but you can't keep it all bottled up inside. You feel the need to carry the world on your shoulders, and that's noble. But there are other people out there who want to help you fight the good fight, and you need to let them in. Because sometimes even heroes need to be saved”
I looked over at her and I couldn’t help but stare. Chloe is absolutely amazing. She is the only person I know who puts everyone else before herself and doesn’t ask for a thing in return. Here she is trying to make me feel better when she looks like she’s had one hell of a day. I smiled at her and noticed she looked a bit pale. My smiled faded.
“And the people who are always saving the hero’s…who saves them?”
My tone was light but my eyes were serious and she gave me a tired smile.
“You do Clark.”
I nodded and looked away.
“So how did your day go? Did you guys wind up getting Lex back?”
I heard her heart beat speed up and she looked away from me.
“Umm yea we got him back. Turns out a guy who was infected by Meteor rocks claimed that Lex had been holding him against him will in a facility called 33.1. He had the power to move between frequencies and he took Lex with him. Jimmy managed to bring him back though. So I guess that’s good.”
Hmm so she spoke with Jimmy. I was gonna have to ask her how that went. I was paying close attention to her and if I didn’t know her well I would think that it was just as simple as that. But I knew Chloe better then anyone, or I liked to think I did, and there was something she wasn’t telling me.
“What’s going on Chloe?”
She sighed and got up.
“Nothing…its just…Lex…he said some things…I’m sure it was nothing.”
Lex…After the whole kidnapping thing happened I promised Chloe I would protect her from him and tonight when she needed me I was nowhere to be found. I was really going to have to work on that. My voice was gentle.
“What did he say Chlo?”
She got up and started pacing. She looked torn between crying and screaming. I was following her with my eyes when she stopped abruptly in front of me.
“I think…I think Lex knows…”
My eyebrows drew together in confusion.
“Knows what?”
Her hands were balled into fists and her knuckles were turning white. I was still sitting so I reached out and pulled her towards me so she was between my legs. She released her hands and put them on my legs. I heard her deep intake of breath and then she blew it out calming herself down.
“I think he knows about the baby.”
I looked up at her face and I stopped breathing. How could he know? It’s not possible. If Lex new about the baby…that would mean one of two things. Either he had Chloe under some kind of surveillance or…no…he wouldn’t…he wouldn’t violate someone’s body like that. Not even Lex was inhuman enough to do something like that…was he? I stood up and wrapped my arms around her.
“I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding Chloe. Maybe…maybe you just read to much into what he said.”
She nodded into my chest as I rubbed her back. Her breathing was evening out which was a good sign. Her voice was semi muffled when she spoke but I still heard her.
“Clark…”
“Hmm”
“What if…what if he does know?”
I stiffed but didn’t stop rubbing her back.
“Then we’ll deal with it…together.”
Chapter 3
(Chloe POV)
It was extremely late and I was somewhat tired. I’ve been researching all I can to get information about the Meteors that landed along with Clark when he came out of the Phantom Zone and I think I might have found something big. I pushed some papers away and took a sip of my tea. Yea that’s right you heard me correct. Tea! Disgusting, sleepy, tea. I went to the doctor last week and she gave me a list of do’s and don’ts and unfortunately caffeine was kinda high on the don’t or frowned upon list. I can still have coffee, I think I’d die without it, but I had to cut down. Thus the tea drinking. It’s almost been two weeks since Thanksgiving and Jimmy and I still haven’t had the talk. When I went to the doctor I found out I was about eight weeks into my pregnancy, so I’m probably closer to ten now. She said the sickness is normal some people just have it worse than other’s but it’s been getting better recently. I’m pretty sure Jimmy’s been avoiding me. He’s taken on a lot more assignments that have kept him busy. If he doesn’t come seek me out soon I’m gonna have to find him. I sighed and leaned back in my chair. Clark needs to here about what I found. I got up and went to the bathroom. On the way back I called Clark. It rang a few times before he answered.
“Hey Chloe…what’s up?”
“Listen Clark I found some stuff that I think you’d be interested in. It’s pretty urgent you think you could…”
Before I finished my sentence Clark was walking down the stairs to the basement. To be honest I wasn’t even shocked he always does this.
“You said it was urgent.”
I nodded
“It is. A Taiwanese cargo ship was found off the coast of Alaska with its entire crew dead of unknown causes. The details are a bit murky, but the manifest says that its last stop was Bellona Island.”
His face tightened a bit.
“Bellona Island They got hit by a meteor the same day I escaped from the Phantom Zone. Where's the ship now?”
I shook my head in affirmation.
“It's being towed to Seattle.”
He started to walk away from me.
“I have to go there.”
I tried to protest. I didn’t want him running off half cocked and getting himself hurt. He’s always in such a rush to save everyone that he never stops to think about himself and what would happen to everyone around him if he were to get hurt or worse. I suppose he thinks it would be selfish to think like that but it’s not. We all need him to be ok just as much as he needs us to be ok.
“Clark, these guys aren’t just meteor freaks. They're from galaxies far, far away. And, more importantly, they can hurt you. You can't go unarmed.”
“I won't. I have the crystal that Raya gave me. I'll use that against them.”
He started to walk off again when my cell started to ring. He was halfway out the door but stopped as he heard me answer it.
“Hey, Lana. Whoa, slow down. Are you all right? Oh, my God. Yeah, of course.”
Lex mysteriously disappearing…something’s up and I bet anything it has to do with Meteor infected people. I mean come on, when doesn’t it? I finished my conversation with her agreeing to look into it and help even though I had a bad feeling about helping Lex. Something tells me I’d be better off leaving him wherever he was so he couldn’t hurt anyone else. But again not my call. You can’t pick and choose who help, even if it is the devil incarnate.
“What happened?”
“Lex just mysteriously disappeared.”
I said it and gave Clark a look. We needed to figure this out and since it involved Lana I’m sure he’d stay and help me out. Apparently Clark Kent still had some mystery left in him because he said the last thing I expected to hear coming from his mouth. Mine yes…his no.
“I have to go to Seattle.”
Huh…did he just really say that? I must be hallucinating.
“Well, Clark, I know that Lex isn't exactly your pick for "man of the year," but you can't just turn your back on him.”
Clark and I both didn’t trust Lex right now but Lana cared about him and was worried. Enough that she actually called me to help look for him despite knowing how I feel about Lex. I don’t think she would have called otherwise.
“Chloe, there's innocent people in danger. I'll be back as soon as I can.”
He practically ran out of there and as I watched him leave reassurance is not something I felt. Which is weird cause well it’s Clark. I couldn’t help feel uneasy about his decision. I really hope that he made his decision based on the good of everyone involved and not just because it’s Lex. I let the thought drift from my mind a few seconds later though. Clark wouldn’t do that I know him. He’s a good man. I went to my desk and packed up all my stuff. I grabbed my laptop and left for Smallville. It was late and I was tired.
By the time I walked into the Talon it was around two in the morning. I lugged my stuff upstairs and went inside. I looked around and Lois was nowhere to be found. I grinned. Not only do I get the bed tonight but also her and Oliver were definitely back on the right track again. And I was glad. They’re really cute together. I changed and laid down. Ahhh sweet rest. Lois’s bed sure was comfortable. That was the last thought before I drifted to sleep.
My ringing cell phone woke me up. I rolled over and groaned. I glanced at the clock and it said seven thirty. Who in their right mind was calling me this freaking early? Whoever it is better have a damn good reason. I rolled over and grabbed my cell phone.
“Hello.”
It was quiet for a couple of seconds and I got frustrated. My tone was irritated.
“Hello”
I was about to hang up when the voice on the other line froze my actions. His voice was tentative and soft.
“Hey there Bright…I mean Chloe.”
All the air rushed out of my lungs and my throat dried up. I had to clear it before I spoke.
“Jimmy…hey…w..what’s up?
“I just…I thought maybe we should…you know talk.”
I was quiet. I hadn’t heard from him since the day before Thanksgiving and to be honest I wanted to yell. I wanted to tell him what a jerk he’s been being and how much I don’t like him right now. But…I couldn’t. If I yelled he’d probably hang up and as much as I want to give him a piece of my mind I need to know what’s going on with us. Is he going to be around for this baby? Or am I gonna become a statistic. Who was I kidding I already was one. I’m twenty and pregnant. I cleared my throat again.
“Well…it’s kinda early Jimmy…but if you wanna talk now…that’d be ok. I would kind of like to do it in person though…”
I let my sentence trail off and I could here him take a deep breath over the phone. He was struggling with something…and I had no clue what.
“Yea…umm I guess…sure that’d be fine. How about we meet up at The Planet at say tenish. That way you have time to get ready and get here.”
“Sure…ok. I’ll see you at ten then Jimmy.”
He mumbled a goodbye and I disconnected the call. I sat there for a minute wondering what prompted his call since he’s been so diligent in his avoidance of me. Whatever it was I was relieved. As strong as I wanted to be, and as put together as I acted, on the inside I have been silently freaking out. Having Mrs. Kent to talk to was great and Clark was wonderful but if I was honest with myself Clark wouldn’t be there forever. He had Zoners and Meteor mutants to stop and people to save. Plus I could tell he was still so in love with Lana. Every once in a while I still caught him moping around his barn thinking about her. I can’t expect him to be there for everything I need because I know that when Lana finally comes to her senses and leaves Lex, Clark will be there waiting for her and they’ll get back together and I doubt he’s gonna want a pregnant best friend hanging all over him. The thought stung a little but to be honest it’s bound to happen. Clark loves her and deep down I know she still loves him. The only reason she’s with Lex is because Clark has been less than honest with her. I looked up and rolled my head around to clear my thoughts. Chloe stop…thinking just makes you more upset. I got out of bed and went into the shower. Today was gonna be another long day. I still had to help Lana with Lex and check in on Clark. I hope he’s ok.
(Clark POV)
Getting to Seattle wasn’t a problem. Looking around the dock I saw the flurry of activity as bodies were being carried in bags to a large tent. Getting them to let me look around was gonna be difficult. I walked a little closer and heard the officer in front of me talking.
“Were all the bodies accounted for?”
I’m guessing the person who answered was the coroner because she was wearing a lab coat and directing where to take the bodies.
“It's kind of hard to tell.”
I walked over to the tent and I saw stacks of full coolers. What is all this? The lady obviously noticed me because she started to speak to me
“ You must be the first-year med student I've been waiting for.”
Apparently it wouldn’t be as hard as I thought .I felt kind of uneasy lying to the lady so I kinda nodded and she spoke again.
“Don't flatline on me now.”
She must have seen the semi queasy look on my face. So I glanced at her and played along.
“What gave me away?”
“The queasy stare that afflicts all newbies their first day on the job. Do you mind?”
I lifted up a bag for her and placed it where she pointed. Oh god…those were human bodies in those bags? How does something like that happen.
“How many are there?”
I shook my head gently. I should have gotten here sooner. Looking around the room. So many people are dead because of me.
“A whole graveyard's worth.”
“How does a body end up in one of those?”
“They have no skeletons, although I don't know how that's anatomically possible.”
Neither did I. But I was gonna find out. I needed to get as much information from her as I could. Who knows when they’d find out I wasn’t really supposed to be here.
“You mean someone cut their bones out?”
“More like ripped them out. Clean fillets, every one of them. I've seen some stuff that would make most people run for the hills, but this -- this is seriously freaky.”
This thing must be stronger than I originally thought. Great that will really help me out.
“All these bodies -- they're from the ship?”
“These last two -- they were dock workers. Whatever was on that ship is on dry land now.”
So whatever was on that ship is now on dry land. I have to get out of here and find out where those dockworkers were located so I could figure out where this thing went. I saw a coroner’s badge sitting on the table near my right. I discreetly grabbed it and walked out the door. I heard her yell out to me as I left.
“Oh, kid, are you puking already?”
Nope I wasn’t. But I had to find out where this thing went. Chloe would be proud of my sneakiness. I smiled for a second before walking over to a police officer.
“Hey, this area's off limits.”
I held up the badge and walked closer.
“Um, I'm with the coroner's office.”
He nodded and waved me over. I stepped closer and started looking around the large crate.
“Better you than me. I heard the bodies are pretty messed up. Anyway, our theory is the perp was hiding out in this container. He somehow busted out of this thing and started his killing spree. It's wild. We thought it was blood, but the guys are saying it's human bone marrow. It's fricking disgusting. Actually, there are a few more remains that need removal. The forensic team is over there waiting for you.”
Disgusting. I can’t imagine the zoner that might have done this. These poor people. They were ripped apart…because of me…I shook my head and realized the officer was waiting for me to say something.
“Thanks.”
He nodded and turned away to talk to someone else.
“Sure.”
I was looking around trying to get some clue as to where this thing could have gone. I sighed. I hope everything with Chloe is going ok I left in a rush. Hopefully she’s having more luck locating Lex than I am finding this thing.
(Chloe POV)
I got to The Planet a little after ten. I walked over to my desk and Jimmy was sitting in a chair facing away from me. I gathered all the courage I had left. Which come on was a lot I have a great gene pool. And headed over to Jimmy. He must have heard my heels because he turned and gave me a once over while I put all my stuff on my desk. I spoke first.
“Hey.”
He was drinking a coffee and fiddling nervously with his thumbs.
“Hey.”
I sat in my seat and got comfortable. If this conversation was going to be like pulling teeth I at least wanted to be comfortable while we yanked.
“So…you wanted to talk?”
He was quiet for a few minutes and moved around in his seat until he was leaning out of it.
“I just…”
He ran his hand through his hair.
“I mean…how did this happen?”
I gave him a sarcastic look and went to speak when he held up his hand and cut me off.
“No I know how this happened. I just mean…we were careful Chloe and we haven’t even…that many times and I just… I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about the whole…”
He stopped made a grimace and his voice came out slightly distasteful even though he tried to hide it.
“Meteor freak thing.”
This got me mad. Who the hell was Jimmy Olsen to be calling me a freak. Granted I use the term liberally when talking about myself and occasionally others but it’s usually to Clark and when I’m trying to make light of the situation. I haven’t thought of these people as freaks since I found out about Clark and thought he was one of them. When I first met Jimmy I thought he was open-minded. He loved that I chased after stories and the lengths I went to, to get my man. He’s alluded to not liking Smallville much in the past because of all the crazy things that happen there but I always assumed it was because he didn’t want me to get hurt. Not because he got “creeped out” by Meteor infected people. I glared in his direction and spoke slowly but deliberately.
“ What are you more upset about Jimmy? The fact that I’m having your baby or that I might have some latent Meteor powers stored in my body? And by the way I prefer to be call Meteor infected”
He sighed and roughly tossed his cup of coffee into the garbage.
“Chloe this isn’t a game.”
I raised a brow in his direction.
“I wasn’t aware I was playing one.”
He stood up and started pacing back and forth.
“Do you even know what’s wrong with you? What kind of powers you have? I mean according to you all the Meteor freaks…”
He looked over at me when I cleared my throat and rolled his eyes.
“Meteor infected people go crazy and hurt people. How do you know that isn’t going to happen to you?”
And right there I knew what was wrong. Jimmy was afraid of me. I wanted to cry. Every fear that has been bubbling inside of me since finding out about my mother’s sickness and my new “not so normal” human status was brought to light and I just wanted to brake down…because I didn’t have an answer for him. I didn’t know what my power was or if I’d even get one. I don’t know if it would make me hurt the people I cared about. I just had to hope that even if it did come that I would be strong enough to hold on to the person I am. Besides not all Meteor infected people were evil. Sure most of the ones we have come in contact with over the years have tried to kill my friends, or me but there have been the occasional ones that helped or didn’t mess with anyone but themselves. I’m a good person and when all is said and done a Meteor power isn’t going to change that. Now I only had to believe that statement. I took a deep breath to control my emotions. I wouldn’t cry in front of him.
“Jimmy…are you…are you afraid of me?”
He looked down and I knew his answer. The expression on his face seemed to be shame. He shuffled his feet and looked up.
“I’m s..sorry Chloe…I just…I can’t help it. I…don’t think having this baby…”
he paused gathering his thoughts I assumed. His voice was firmer now like he just reassured himself of his decision.
“Having it…is not a good idea.”
I stared at him. Because well…what do you say to that? He apparently had his mind maid up but then again so did I. I was having this baby…end of discussion. If he or she has Meteor powers...well that’s just something I’ll deal with when it comes along. But I’ll never love my baby any less because of it. I looked him dead in the eye and my voice was hard.
“I am having this baby Jimmy.”
He just continued as if I didn’t say anything at all. He was pacing around now and his words started flying out fast.
“I mean I don’t even know where we stand after all this…Meteor stuff. I like you Chloe…a lot but I don’t know if I can handle this.”
His voice softened and he turned around to face me.
“I just don’t want to wake up a week, or month…or even a year from now and realize that I can’t handle your new Meteor f…infected status. It would only hurt us that much more in the end. I know me being this…freaked out doesn’t make sense…but I just…your…different now. It might only be biologically but it’s still different. One of the reasons I fell so hard for you Bright eyes is because even though you march to your own drum you’re normal. I figured I’d eventually be able to pull you out of the weirdness that is Smallville…but now…it’s always gonna be there. I don’t want to raise a family around that Chloe.”
At this moment I hate Jimmy Olsen. Ok fine I don’t really hate him, but I feel like I do. He was telling me he didn’t want this baby, but most of all he was saying he didn’t want me. I took a deep breath. Calm down Chloe…you don’t need Jimmy you have Mrs. Kent and when you tell Lois you’ll have her. Plus you have Clark…but for how long? I turned my chair around so I wasn’t facing him. I needed to collect myself so I wouldn’t break in front of him. When I finally spoke to him I didn’t face him and my voice was only above a whisper.
“Fine…You can’t deal with me or this baby, then your right. You shouldn’t be around.”
I slid around to face him.
“I’m the same person Jimmy. But you’re right. I’m glad this happened. Because now I know you and I…big mistake.”
“Chloe..”
I waved him off.
“No. It was. Our relationship was based on a crush from years ago during that internship here. We are both completely different from those fumbling teenagers back then. If you cared about me nearly as much as you say, then this whole thing wouldn’t matter. The fact that I’m…different would be a quark in the relationship instead of the final nail in the coffin.”
He was about to say something when my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and it was Lana. Crap! I really can’t deal with this right now…but I promised Lana I’d help and since Clark wasn’t back yet. I was going to need Jimmy’s help. Here’s a real chance for me to be a mature adult. Wonderful.
“That’s Lana. Listen I know this obviously isn’t the best time for a crisis…with everything else going on but…I promised Lana I’d help her and…I could use help. I’m totally lost on what to think here and that’s unusual for me. Is there anyway we can put our…issues aside just for today so you can help me out?”
He looked surprised and then gave a small grin.
“Sure Chloe. I’m pretty sure I can do that. What do you need?”
I was listening to the voicemail Lana left and I was picking up my purse.
“I’m not really sure yet. Lex disappeared and nobody has any clue what happened to him. I’m gonna go meet Lana at the mansion and take a look at the surveillance footage and then I’ll get back to you.”
He nodded.
“I’ll be here.”
Unfortunately not the way I needed him here. I got up and left to go see Lana.
I got to the mansion and Lana was happy to see me. We were walking into the study when she started talking.
“Thank God someone believes me. You're the first person that doesn't think I belong in Belle Reve.”
I chuckled a little bit at that.
“A lot stranger things have happened in Smallville. Don't worry. We'll find him. So, where exactly was Lex when he vaporized?”
She was walking around the room showing me.
“He was somewhere in the middle of the room, like around here.”
She stopped and pointed.
“You said Lex backs up all of his security footage on the internal server, right?”
I sat down at his desk and opened his computer.
“Yeah, I think so.”
I started typing and hit a roadblock. Of course Lex has his computer password protected. With all the stuff he hides I’m surprised he keeps it unsupervised.
“Okay, we're gonna need a password. You and Lex are close. Are you password close?”
She looked down a minute and I could almost see defeat on her face, mixed in with some hurt.
“No, I guess not.”
She looked thoughtful for a minute.
“Why don't you try "Julian," his brother, or "Lillian," his mom.”
And I was zero for two. Neither worked. His computer beeped twice.
“Ixnay. Okay, how about "Lana"?”
That didn’t work either. How about Satan…I thought to myself.
“No. Do you have anything else?”
She signed, frustrated. And walked away from behind my chair.
“No, I don't know.”
I tried to calm her down the last thing I needed was her freaking out. I was already having a bad day.
“Don't worry, we'll just upload the whole hard drive, and I'll work on it later.”
She stopped pacing and turned to me. She looked nervous.
“Chloe, the way he disappeared --what if... what if Lex is really gone? Forever.”
I walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. I keep forgetting that Lana really cares about Lex. I just can’t understand why. This place just seems so cold to me and to be honest I hate being in Lex’s domain. But non-the less Lana was my friend and she was hurting.
“You can't think that way, Lana. We're gonna get him back.”
“I've had so many doubts about this relationship, so many suspicions. But now that he's gone, none of it matters anymore. I just want to see his face again.”
Hmmm so she has been doubting the billionaire boy wonder. Interesting. Something to think about later on.
“I'll crack this back at the Daily Planet, and either we'll get a week's worth of footage of Lex sipping bourbon and diddling on his computer, or we'll actually hit the jackpot.”
She smiled at me and after I transferred all Lex’s info to my E drive we got up and left. Me heading back to The Daily Planet and Lana going to check on something with Lionel.
When I got back to The Planet it was bustling with activity. I had a few things to get done before I started working on the Lex issue. About an hour or so later while I was copying some paper’s Jimmy found me in the small room.
“Hey…So what did Lana say?”
Straight to business I see. That’s fine with me. I can’t think of anything personal right now because this emotional roller coaster I’m on is pretty unstable. The last thing I need is for it to brake down and me fall off.
“ I copied Lex’s hard drive off his computer so we can start there.”
“I know that "Lex Luthor Lost" is a juicy headline, but tell me again why we're searching for the root of all evil.”
I gave a snort of disgust. I wasn’t doing this for Lex. If he wasn’t dating Lana I’d say let him rot wherever he was. But…this is how friendship goes.
“I'm not doing this for Lex. After talking to Lana, I've got to put my skepticism in check. I mean, she really cares about him.”
Jimmy gave a small chuckle of disbelief.
“Women are such a mystery.”
I didn’t even touch that. We are trying to be mature and work together. I’m gonna keep my mouth shut.
“Finding Lex is a bigger mystery. Where's Clark when we need him?”
Jimmy stopped walking and seemed startled. Great…why oh why did I mention Clark? Can anyone tell me? I must really want a fight today.
“What does Clark have to do with anything? Look, I know that you feel sorry for the guy 'cause he's always flying solo, but honestly, what can that guy do that I can't?”
Some of the good humor was gone from his voice and a shadow fell over his eyes.
Ohh I don’t know…be a better friend…make sure I’m always ok…care about me…be there for me. Not demand I get rid of my child…all in all be a better boyfriend…I mean friend… Obviously I didn’t say any of that. Did I mention that I have to be mature so we can work together and find Lex. To be honest I really didn’t have it in me to fight with him right now. I’m way too drained. I’ll let him have this one.
“You know, you're probably right.”
“He’s not the one who’s helping you out so that you can continue the hunt for a man that nobody misses. Well, maybe except…”
Right then I saw Lana coming down the stairs. I was relieved. I really didn’t wanna be alone with Jimmy anymore.
“Lana!”
He recovered quickly, plastered on a smile and looked over at Lana.
“The hunt for Lex is on. Can I get you anything from the basement buffet?”
She gave a week smile.
“Thank you Jimmy, but I'm okay.”
Jimmy nodded at both of us and walked away. We walked back over to my desk.
“So, I do have some good news. I managed to stumble on the magic password, and it turns out to be none other than the birthday of Miss Lana Lang. I was able to access the surveillance files, and look what I dug up.”
I showed her the footage of Lex disappearing. She squinted at a blur in the middle of the screen.
“There's something there. Can you make it any clearer?”
“I'm doing my best, but I don't have a lot to work with. It's gonna take some time.”
Lana’s cell rings and she answers.
“Hello?”
She paused.
“Who is this?”
I looked at her strange.
“What's wrong?”
She moved away from me and shook her head.
“Um...it's just Lex's security. They want to give me an update.”
She took off as soon as she got off the phone telling me she’d call me if she found anything else out. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. I could really use a nice cold drink…and a comfortable bed. My back was hurting a small amount and I was tired. I slowly rubbed my stomach. I wonder what Clark is up to right now.
(Clark POV)
I was wondering around the docks and stumbled on a hard hat and safety goggles with blood on them. Oh man…this kinda didn’t bode well for who’s ever stuff this was. I listened with my super hearing and heard someone yelling for help.
“Help! Help! Somebody help!”
I super sped to where the voice was coming from. I wasn’t going to let someone else die. I grabbed the man and yelled.
“Run! Go!”
The zoner grabbed me and lifted me up. Oh crap!
“You stole my food!”
I took the crystal Raya gave me and held it to his chest. It had absolutely no effect on him. Uht oh…this really can’t be good.
He grinned and the menace on his face was apparent.
“Nice try, Krypton man.”
“You escaped from the Phantom Zone.”
I was so confused. Why didn’t the crystal work on him?
“But I'm no phantom.”
The zoner lifted me up and tossed me like a piece of freakin meat into a cargo container. Now that kinda hurt. By the time I got myself out of the cargo container I didn’t see the zoner anywhere. Dammit! I have to find it.
As it got later I wondered around the docks some more to try and find the creature that claimed he wasn’t a phantom. I stopped and noticed a fresh blood stain to my left. The zoner then appeared out of nowhere.
“Your blood must make you strong. I should taste it.”
As he spoke to me I saw something rush by us in a flurry. What was that? I left it alone and tried to punch the zoner but he caught my fist in his hand. I grimaced.
“Why are you doing this?”
He bared his teeth and smirked.
“Everyone's got to eat.”
It grabbed me and raised me in the air and for a minute I actually thought I was going to die. Then it started screaming. It let go of me and fell to the ground in pain. I looked over and noticed a strange mark on the thing’s back it was smoking so I assumed it was hot. I heard a sound so I followed it and I then I stepped on something. I looked down and it was an Oreo. I ran out to the docks and saw a man standing there. He saved me. I called out to him.
“Hey! That was you, wasn't it?”
I saw his eyes glow white. He squatted down then took off into the sky, paused for a minute then flew off leaving a streak of red across the sky. Holy crap…and I thought my powers were cool. I shook my head. It was time to go home. I didn’t know who that guy was but at least he stopped the zoner…I’d worry about him later. I just hope that we’re on the same side. I turned around and sped home.
(Chloe POV)
I just parked my car at the Kent farm. I’m gonna kill Clark when I see him. I called him a few times during the day to check up but he never answered. I walked into the loft and glanced around.
“Clark…Clark are you here?”
I guess not. I walked up the stairs and plopped down on the couch. I closed my eyes and relaxed my body. I’ve sure had a long day. We wound up figuring out what happened to Lex. A Meteor mutant, you can bet how Jimmy took that, took him out of the normal frequency or something. Apparently he was being held in a secret lab called 33.1 where Lex experiments on people who infected by Meteor rocks. I wonder if that’s where he took me. I wish I could remember and then again I’m glad I don’t.
Jimmy is the one who figured out how to bring Lex back though so I guess he’s good for something. Something about triangulation. We went to the mansion and the guy who took Lex attacked Lana there. When she disappeared with him Jimmy used some kind of radio wave thing to bring them back into our frequency. If I wasn’t so mad at Jimmy I would actually think what he did was pretty cool. I sighed and opened my eyes. I came here after the whole ordeal because I was feeling extremely uneasy because of Lex. I thought back to what happened after he got back.
Lex and Lana were on the floor and he was kissing her.
“God Lana I love you so much.”
He held his hands against her cheeks and pulled her to him. I was shocked that he sounded more than sincere. She smiled into the kiss and then hugged him.
“I love you to Lex.”
After a couple minutes of intimate moments they got up and looked around. Lex saw the damage done to the room but didn’t seem to care. With an arm around Lana he moved over towards Jimmy and I. When he got in front of Jimmy he held out his hand.
“Thank you for helping me get back. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t figured it out”
Jimmy hesitantly shook his hand and then he glanced in my direction. The smile that broke out on his face brought chills to my spine. He looked at me and though his face was tempered for Lana’s sake his cold eyes bore into me.
“Chloe…how can I repay you for taking care of Lana in my absence?”
My body was rigid and I wanted to run but I stood my ground.
“No need Lex. Lana is like a sister to me. I didn’t look after her for you.”
It came out a tad rudder then I originally planned but oh well. Lana frowned at me and Lex’s smile widened.
“I didn’t think you did Chloe. I didn’t think you did.”
Lana moved away from Lex and went to get him some water. He looked my body over and moved and inch closer. I was tempted to take a step back but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“Chloe you’re looking well, dare I say glowing. What’s your secret?”
I froze. There was absolutely no way he could know…and yet the look he was giving me told me that he definitely new more than he should…
(Clark POV)
I stopped abruptly outside the barn and saw Chloe’s car. I’m glad she’s here. I missed a few calls from her today but I was so busy I didn’t have a chance to answer them. I hope everything was alright. When I got up the stairs I saw her sitting there with a far away look in her eyes. Her heartbeat was slow and when I called her name she didn’t answer me. I walked over and touched her arm and just like that she blinked and was with me again.
“Hey.”
She jumped off the couch and hit me in the arm before wrapping her arms around me in a friendly hug. When she let go she glared softly in my direction. If it wasn’t for the smile on her lips I would have thought she was really mad at me.
“So, what, your cell phone doesn't get reception in Seattle?”
I shrugged. It did I just didn’t have time to answer the call.
“I was preoccupied at the time.”
She nodded and walked around me.
“That's fine, but you were up against an alien from another planet. I was worried.”
I sat down on the edge of the couch and gave her a sheepish smile.
“Sorry.”
“So, the crystal was a success then?”
I shook my head.
“No, it wasn't.”
She looked worried and confused all at once.
“Then did the Zoner just decide to pack up and leave the solar system?”
I had to tell her. I mean she’s Chloe and if I could tell anyone in the world my worries or concerns it was her.
“Someone else killed him -- someone who can do things I could only dream of.”
She was startled by this revelation. Trust me so was I. She sat next to me and turned to face me.
“Whoa. So, this someone -- he's on our side, right?”
“I'm not really sure.”
She looked upset for a minute. I wasn’t sure why.
“Clark, it's me -- your most trusted friend and secret keeper. How about a few details?”
Ahhh I see. She thought I was holding out on her but I honestly didn’t know much more than she did.
“I really don’t know anything else Chloe…just leave it alone…Please…”
She touched my arm and my body immediately relaxed. Her touch seemed to have that effect on me.
“Ook, I understand that you feel like all these psychopathic space invaders are your fault, but you can't keep it all bottled up inside. You feel the need to carry the world on your shoulders, and that's noble. But there are other people out there who want to help you fight the good fight, and you need to let them in. Because sometimes even heroes need to be saved”
I looked over at her and I couldn’t help but stare. Chloe is absolutely amazing. She is the only person I know who puts everyone else before herself and doesn’t ask for a thing in return. Here she is trying to make me feel better when she looks like she’s had one hell of a day. I smiled at her and noticed she looked a bit pale. My smiled faded.
“And the people who are always saving the hero’s…who saves them?”
My tone was light but my eyes were serious and she gave me a tired smile.
“You do Clark.”
I nodded and looked away.
“So how did your day go? Did you guys wind up getting Lex back?”
I heard her heart beat speed up and she looked away from me.
“Umm yea we got him back. Turns out a guy who was infected by Meteor rocks claimed that Lex had been holding him against him will in a facility called 33.1. He had the power to move between frequencies and he took Lex with him. Jimmy managed to bring him back though. So I guess that’s good.”
Hmm so she spoke with Jimmy. I was gonna have to ask her how that went. I was paying close attention to her and if I didn’t know her well I would think that it was just as simple as that. But I knew Chloe better then anyone, or I liked to think I did, and there was something she wasn’t telling me.
“What’s going on Chloe?”
She sighed and got up.
“Nothing…its just…Lex…he said some things…I’m sure it was nothing.”
Lex…After the whole kidnapping thing happened I promised Chloe I would protect her from him and tonight when she needed me I was nowhere to be found. I was really going to have to work on that. My voice was gentle.
“What did he say Chlo?”
She got up and started pacing. She looked torn between crying and screaming. I was following her with my eyes when she stopped abruptly in front of me.
“I think…I think Lex knows…”
My eyebrows drew together in confusion.
“Knows what?”
Her hands were balled into fists and her knuckles were turning white. I was still sitting so I reached out and pulled her towards me so she was between my legs. She released her hands and put them on my legs. I heard her deep intake of breath and then she blew it out calming herself down.
“I think he knows about the baby.”
I looked up at her face and I stopped breathing. How could he know? It’s not possible. If Lex new about the baby…that would mean one of two things. Either he had Chloe under some kind of surveillance or…no…he wouldn’t…he wouldn’t violate someone’s body like that. Not even Lex was inhuman enough to do something like that…was he? I stood up and wrapped my arms around her.
“I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding Chloe. Maybe…maybe you just read to much into what he said.”
She nodded into my chest as I rubbed her back. Her breathing was evening out which was a good sign. Her voice was semi muffled when she spoke but I still heard her.
“Clark…”
“Hmm”
“What if…what if he does know?”
I stiffed but didn’t stop rubbing her back.
“Then we’ll deal with it…together.”
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