By Kal-El
Part 2
Disclaimer: Clark, Chloe, Lex, Lana, Pete, Whitney, Martha and Jonathan are property of DC Comics and the WB. 'Superman' and all related characters are property of DC Comics. I don't owe them.
Category: Clark/Chloe
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Takes place after 'X-Ray'
Lex Luthor walked into the Smallville records office, looking for something.
He went up to the front desk.
CLERK: Hey, Mr. Luthor. What can I do for you?
LEX: Morning, Fred. I want to look up information on the Sullivan family. Within one year after this paper was published.
Lex threw a copy of the ‘Daily Planet’ on the table. The headline read ‘child dies in cross-fire’ on it.
FRED: Why the Sullivan’s?
LEX: Mr. Sullivan works at my plant. I’m just curious about his background, is all.
FRED: Sure, Lex. I’ll see what I can do.
Fred left, and Lex smiled to himself.
*****
Cut back to the Kent farm. Clark is in the kitchen with his parents, pacing back and forth.
CLARK: I hurt her, dad. I hurt my best friend.
JONATHAN: It wasn’t on purpose, Clark. You know that.
Clark stopped and looked at his parents.
CLARK: That’s the whole problem, don’t you see. I mean, I couldn’t control my own strength. In the past I’ve been able to turn this strength ‘on’ and ‘off’, and decide how strong I was going to be at any given moment. What if I’m losing that control? I could be a threat to everyone I care about.
Jonathan gives his wife a worried look. Then he stands up.
JONATHAN: You are not a threat, Clark. That much I’m sure of. You just…you’re growing up, I guess. When people grow up, they get stronger.
It doesn’t help much. Clark becomes more and more agitated by the moment.
CLARK: How much stronger, dad? How much? First I’m seeing through walls, then I’m floating off the bed? What if it’s not finished yet? What if there’s no limit?
JONATHAN: Clark?
CLARK: What if there’s no limit, dad? What if I keep getting stronger and stronger until I’m too strong to be around normal people?
Then, with a blur of speed and a gust of wind, Clark uses his super speed to run out the door.
Silently, his parents hug.
*****
Clark races at top speed through the dead of night. The corn parts as he runs through it, almost invisible.
Once he’s at least a mile away from the farm, he stops and falls to his knees. Breathing heavily.
VOICE: Can you get me another package of peanuts?
Clark looks around, trying to find out where the voice is coming from.
CLARK: Who said that?
VOICE: You know, the salty kind. Actually, bring me two, ok? You like peanuts, honey?
WOMAN’S VOICE: Just get them, please. Is that too much trouble?
SECOND VOICE: Not at all, m’am.
Clark stood there for a moment, perplexed.
Then he looked up.
Flying overhead was a plane.
CLARK: That’s crazy. I couldn’t have…
Clark tried to focus on the plane, to see what airline it was. No particular reason, just simple curiosity.
However, something strange happened. Suddenly, the plane looked to him as if it were almost on top of him. When in truth, it was hundreds of miles up.
Clark focused his eyes even closer. Using his X-Ray vision, he looked through the bottom of the plane. Inside, he saw a flight attendant bring two passengers a handful of peanut bags.
WOMAN: Thank you.
It was the exact same voice as before.
Clark could hear her.
He could hear someone, inside an airplane, hundreds of miles up. And it sounded as if they were right next to him.
Panic hit Clark. He looked up to the heavens and screamed at the top of his lungs…
CLARK: What…is…HAPPENING TO ME!?!
*****
Cut to the next day. Clark walks into the cafeteria, where he runs into Pete. Pete slaps him on the back.
PETE: Hey, Clark. Any luck on the Lana front yet? Or are you still…?
CLARK: Huh? I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.
Pete rolls his eyes.
PETE: What? I was talking about Lana Lang, and you didn’t notice? Is this the real Clark Kent I’m talking to?
CLARK: Just…never mind about Lana right now, ok?
Pete fakes having a heart attack.
PETE: Ok, who’s the space alien?
CLARK: (surprised)What?
PETE: The one who’s posing as my pal, here.
Clark sighs.
CLARK: Where’s Chloe?
PETE: Chloe?
CLARK: Yeah. Blonde girl. About this tall. Maybe you’ve seen her?
PETE: Not so far today. Why?
CLARK: It’s just that I…I hurt her yesterday. By accident. We were working on our assignment, started goofing off, and I accidentally hurt her. I just need to apologize.
PETE: Yeah. I think I saw Lex looking for her?
Clark froze.
CLARK: Lex? Why would Lex be looking for her?
PETE: I don’t know. Maybe ask her out or something. Maybe ask about the wall…
CLARK: (nervous)Ask her out? Why would he do that? I mean, he’s Lex…why would he ever do something like that?
Pete looks at him confused. Then, slowly, a grin appeared on his face.
PETE: Oh my god. I see what’s happening here.
Clark looks confused.
CLARK: What do you mean?
PETE: Wanting to apologize for a small mistake. Getting jealous…
CLARK: Jealous of what?
PETE: You my friend are suffering from ‘Dawson Syndrome’.
Clark chuckles in surprise.
CLARK: Come again.
PETE: You watch ‘Dawson’s Creek’, right?
Clark cautiously looks over his shoulder.
CLARK: (whispering)Would you keep your voice down, will you? I don’t want to be next year’s ‘Scarecrow’ too.
Pete laughs.
PETE: In laymen’s terms, it means that a guy starts to see his ‘girl friend’ as more than just a friend. Sure, you’re…
CLARK: Wait…wait a second…I…I am not in love with Chloe.
PETE: Not yet, anyway.
CLARK: Not ever. I mean, she’s just…
PETE: ‘Your best friend’, Clark? Saying that would be symptom number three.
CLARK: You’re crazy, you know that Ross?
Clark starts walking the other way. Pete follows close behind.
PETE: Deny it all you want, Mr. Kent. But I know what I know. And you’re just acting way beyond ‘concerned’ right now.
Clark took a deep breath.
CLARK: I have a lot on my mind right now.
Just then, Clark whipped sweat off his forehead.
CLARK: What is with this heat? I thought for sure the freak heat wave would be done by now.
*****
Cut to several miles away, to a local LuthorCorp plant. This wasn’t the fertilizer plant, which Lex ran. No, it was a research lab, closed down a few years back.
The sign on the door said ‘Alternative Energy Research’, which had been what the plant was used for.
However, it seemed like ‘closed down’ was too strong a term.
Inside was a large, cylinder-shaped room. In the center was something that looked like a satellite dish, surrounded by dozens of glass cylinders, glowing with energy. It was facing upward, towards an open skylight.
At a control booth at the edge of a room was a scientist in a lab coat. He looked to be in his late twenties/early thirties.
He jumped in surprise when he heard footsteps coming towards him.
SCIENTIST: Oh! You startled me, Mr. Luthor.
Lex’s father, Lionel, entered the booth.
LIONEL: I don’t pay you to be startled, Hamilton, I pay you for results. And these aren’t fast enough.
HAMILTON: Sir, I apologize. But you specifications…I’m not quite comfortable with the results.
LIONEL: And why is that?
HAMILTON: The sun…it’s reacting badly to the…
LIONEL: So we have a few extra days of heat. That’s not a concern. Personally, I rather enjoy it as opposed to the snow we’d have otherwise.
Hamilton took a deep breath.
HAMILTON: The intake has sped up, just as you wanted it to. But the storage space cannot handle it. It’s just too much energy.
LIONEL: Then make the storage space BIGGER, Professor.
HAMILTON: It will take time…
Lionel cut him off.
LIONEL: You have three days.
With that, Lionel Luthor left the booth.
Professor Hamilton just looked back up towards the skylight…worried.
HAMILTON: What have you done this time, Hamilton? What sort of devil are you dealing with?
Then he went back to his work.
*****
Cut back to Smallville High. Chloe is on her way outside, when Clark runs up to her.
CLARK: Chloe? Hey, Chloe, wait up!
CHLOE: Am I glad to see you.
CLARK: Listen, I wanted to apologize for yesterday. If I hurt you, then I apologize.
Chloe smiles at him.
CHLOE: It’s ok, really. I’m a big girl, and nothing’s broken. And besides, you can make up for it.
Clark becomes curious.
CLARK: What do you mean?
CHLOE: I got a call yesterday. An anonymous call from someone inside LuthorCorp.
CLARK: (surprised)Really?
CHLOE: What would you say if I told you that this heat wave may not be natural?
CLARK: And you think Lex is responsible for it?
CHLOE: Before you say anything, I don’t think the guy’s a young ‘Blowfeld’, Clark. But his dad…him I’m not sure of. Anyway, I want you to come with me to meet this guy tonight.
CLARK: Hey, it beats meteor-spawned monsters, right?
Clark grinned at her. She smiled back.
Then Lex arrived behind them.
LEX: Ms. Sullivan. Just the person I wanted to see. Hey Clark.
CLARK: Hey.
CHLOE: And what do I owe the honor of the esteemed Lex Luthor’s company for.
Lex grinned.
LEX: I want in.
CHLOE: In?
LEX: Yeah. In your little ‘Scooby Gang’ here.
CHLOE: (sarcastically)Hmm…let me think. No.
She turns to walk away, but Lex stops her.
LEX: Hey. Hold on…why not?
CHLOE: Look, Clark has told me that he trusts you. But, I hate to break it to you, but Clark trusts everyone. For all I know, you’ve got a million skeletons in your closet…literally.
LEX: Yeah, well, I’m not the only one you know.
Chloe gave him a cold stare.
CHLOE: I wouldn’t insinuate things like that if I were you, Luthor. You don’t know anything about me.
Lex grinned.
LEX: I wouldn’t be so sure of that.
Chloe sighed again.
CHLOE: I’ve had enough of this.
She turned and walked away.
CLARK: Sorry, Lex. You tried.
Lex paused for a moment, before calling out to Chloe.
LEX: What’s your hurry, Miss Lane?
The second she heard that, Chloe froze in place. Her eyes held a look of panic.
Next: Did Lex just call Chloe ‘Miss Lane’? What gives? Clark tries to find out, and the answer shocks him. All the while, his powers are growing more and more out of control.
Plus, Clark and Chloe meet the mysterious ‘informant’.