They had narrowly escaped being captured on the farm, but they weren’t out of danger yet. Clark clung to the edge of his seat, his mind running just as fast as the car as they tore through the back roads of Smallville. Presently no one had spotted them, but they were driving a stolen LuthorCorps vehicle and there was no telling how many people Lionel had put on their trail. For the last hour, they’d been roaring down all the back roads and short cuts that he could think of, trying to find some way place to stay out of sight. Unfortunately, his memories were of a different Smallville and were prone to be mistaken.
“Not again,” Chloe moaned as they came up on another dead end. The shaded dirt road they’d been traveling on had ended besides a large pond and the ruins of an old mill. “What do we do, head back or try and go around it?”
“There doesn’t look to be much on the other side,” Clark said. “There should have been a bridge here. Or at least, I remember one being here,” he finished.
Chloe nodded and then looked back at him, a touch worried. “How’s Tina doing?” she asked quietly.
Clark hesitated and glanced back quickly. Tina lay on the floor, pale and sweating. Practically as soon as they’d gotten her back in the car, the wound in her shoulder had reopened, spilling blood everywhere. It seemed that she’d been holding it closed with her will alone, at that had already been stretched too far already. It had taken a frighteningly long time to get the bleeding to stop.
In the end, they’d bandaged her shoulder up as best as they could with a first aid kit they’d found in the car, but she had still lost a lot of blood. The bumpy road hadn’t helped any either, making her cry out with pain every time the car hit a bad patch. For a while now, she’d lapsed into unconsciousness, but Clark didn’t know whether that was good or bad. At least she didn’t seem to be in pain anymore, but if she never came out of it…
“I’m not sure how much more she can take,” he said seriously to her. “She was shot and then had to hold herself together until we could all get away. The strain alone had to be incredible.”
“We’re going to have to get her to a hospital, aren’t we?” Chloe commented. Clark nodded grimly. “You realize if we did that, we might as well be handing ourselves over to the Luthors,” she pointed out.
“Maybe we can find a doctor or something. Somebody whose not going to turn us in as soon as we walk in the door.”
Chloe spread her hands out plaintively. “Got any ideas?”
“Keep driving,” he breathed out. “We’ll think of something.” She nodded and put the car in reverse. As they pulled out, Clark moved into the back of the car, stepping over Tina carefully. Whitney was sitting beside her, staring blankly down at her. He obviously hadn’t gotten over the shock of seeing Tina use her powers yet. He didn’t look repelled though, Clark noticed, or worried about her either, he realized as well. He just looked numbed, like it was just too much to take in all at once. Clark knew the feeling.
“Whitney,” he shook his shoulder gently. Whitney stirred and looked at him dully. “We need to find a doctor for Tina,” he explained gently. “Is there anywhere you can think of?”
“Doctor?” he repeated slowly. Something like concern touched his eyes and he looked down at her, and then jerked his eyes away, troubled. “Would they know… I mean… about her… how to…?” he hesitated, casting his eyes around everywhere but at Tina.
“I don’t think it would be that different,” he said it more stiffly than he’d intended. Continuing more gently, he said, “And we don’t have any other choice. Can you think of anyone who could take her?”
“No,” he said quietly. He stared out the window and shook his head again. Clark’s face fell and he sighed.
“Guess we’ll keep driving then,” he muttered. “Maybe we’ll find something.” He started to climb back up into the front when Whitney’s voice stopped him.
“Wait,” he said suddenly. Whitney sat there, his mouth open, thinking intently for a moment and then he nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I might know someone,” he muttered angrily. He flushed and dashed his arm against his eyes quickly. Pushing himself past Clark, he stood behind the driver’s seat and leaned over to Chloe. “Move over,” he told her shortly.
“About time, I’ve been going in circles up here,” she said as she stopped the car. She climbed into the passenger’s seat as Whitney took the wheel.
“You think of something?” Clark asked.
“Someone,” Whitney snapped. He threw the car into gear and it lurched forwards, throwing Chloe into her seat as it took off. She grunted angrily and glared at him, but he hardly seemed to notice. The engine roared to life as he drove the car down the country roads. The car flew around a turn and then another, the wheels kicking up dust clouds behind them.
“Uh, since Clark doesn’t count, and Tina’s out of it, could I ask you as one of the non-invulnerable people in the car to slow the fuck down?!” Chloe yelled, bracing herself against the dashboard.
“Whitney!” Clark yelled.
“Somebody hand me a phone,” Whitney responded. His foot was still pressed down on the accelerator. There was a cell phone resting in a tray on the dashboard. Clark picked it up and handed it to him, but Whitney shrugged it away. “Preferably one not set to a Luthorcorp satellite,” he explained. Clark rolled his eyes irritably and put the phone back. Whitney took his eyes off the road long enough to give him an exasperated look. “Don’t you have one of your own?”
“Yesterday I fell in a lake and got shot at. Today, I got shot at and my home was turned into a war zone. No, I don’t have a phone, thank you very much. What about you?”
“I’ve got three, but I forgot them because I went chasing after someone who decided to put a new doorway in my house and get my girlfriend shot!” Whitney snapped back.
“Here,” Chloe said idly, taking a phone out of her back pocket. She sighed and said, “When did I turn into the grown-up here?” Whitney snatched the phone up and began dialing with one hand. She glanced back at Clark and gave him a half-smile. “Better buckle up,” she said.
Still angry, he muttered, “I’ll be fine.”
“Maybe, you would be, but if we take a sharp turn and you go flying out the window, we’d still need to stop and pick you up again.” Clark stared at her for a moment and then found a seat and buckled in. She smiled at him and turned back around.
“Hello, you know who this is,” Whitney said shortly into the phone. He drove the car around a tight turn, clutching the steering wheel with both hands and then returning the phone to his ear as soon as they were past it. “What? I don’t care if it’s a bad time, we’ve had a bad time; you’ve had nothing!” He fumed and then nodded into the phone as Clark and Chloe stared at him strangely.
“Right, I know,” he nodded. “I know! Don’t- I know! Look, forget about the risks, we have to meet now. I’m bringing everyone in. You’ll see,” he snapped into the phone and shut it quickly. Then he glanced at it for a moment and tossed it out the window without a second thought.
“Hey!” Chloe yelled, starting out of her seat, “that was mine!”
“Can’t be too careful,” Whitney told her. “They could be listening in and trace the call.”
“Be paranoid with your own stuff! I had all my numbers in there!” She stared after the phone and then sat back in a huff. “Asshole,” she muttered.
“Now who’s the adult?” Clark said dryly.
“It’s not paranoia if they’re really after you,” Whitney said grimly. Chloe sniffed and sat back farther in her seat, fuming.
“So who was that?” Clark asked.
“A friend,” Whitney explained. “We’re going to meet him and a few others who might be able to help us.”
“Why would they do that? I mean, we don’t seem to be too popular at the moment.”
“Only with Luthorcorp, and that’s why they’ll help. We’ve worked with them in the past… I mean, Tina and I did,” he hesitated. “They hate the ‘Corps, they despise the company. After we tell them everything, they’ll be falling over each other to help.”
“Everything?” Clark asked.
“Everything,” Whitney nodded. “They need to know,” he said, then he stopped and corrected himself, “well, actually they will know anyways, so it’ll be no good hiding it. There’s not much that goes in Luthorcorp my friend doesn’t know about.”
Clark thought about that as they drove. Whitney took them past the winding back roads of Smallville towards town, but then turned east abruptly. They eventually came to a more industrial section. A few cars drove past them on the road, but not many. The area seemed largely abandoned. Rundown factories and warehouses dotted the road on either side. Clark remembered this part of Smallville as lush fields and farms; it was a shock to see it in this state. “What part of town is this?” he asked quietly.
“The bad part,” Chloe said quietly. “Nobody comes out here anymore, not even the cops. If you don’t want to be found, it’s the perfect place to go. As long as the gangs and squatters don’t get you, that is.”
“Gangs?” Clark stared at her.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
She nodded seriously. “It’s a dump, but a lot of people don’t have anywhere else to go. And like I said, the cops don’t come out here; that’s bound to attract some types of people, you know?”
“We won’t have to worry about that,” Whitney told her. “These people know how to look after themselves.” He pulled the car into a sharp turn and drove towards an abandoned factory. It was a desolate looking place, surrounded by heaps of piled up scrap metal and car frames. A rusted old barbed wire fence surrounded the lot. Parts of the fence had given way and the strands of sharp metal trailed down to twist in the wind. As they passed the fence, one of the doors on the far side of the lot opened up silently and swiftly. Without hesitating, Whitney drove the opening and just as quietly, the doors closed behind them.
They pulled to a stop and Clark opened the door, stepping out quickly. They were in a large, dimly lit room, but beyond that, it was too dark to make out any details. Chloe hopped out beside him and stared around. “Not too homey, is it?” she commented.
“Grab Tina,” Whitney said, climbing out. He pulled open the side door to the car and started to lift her out gently. Chloe turned back to help him.
Clark focused his eyes and stared around with his x-ray vision for a moment. The place seemed to be an old assembly plant. He could see the conveyer belts and machines standing here and there. Everything looked as if it hadn’t been used for a long time though. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the figures he could see crouched behind some of the machines, he’d have thought the place was abandoned. “There are other people in here,” he said quietly.
“I thought that was the point,” a voice said behind them. Clark whirled around as a young man stepped out of the shadows. It took a moment for it to sink in, but then Clark realized that it was Pete standing there. It seemed strange, but he wasn’t very surprised to see him. After the shock of seeing Lana, he seemed to have gone numb to rediscovering his friends.
Pete had changed. He seemed leaner and slightly more serious than he had in Clark’s world, but there was a look of strength about him that Clark had never seen before. Not that Pete had ever struck him as weak, but Clark always remembered him as more happy-go-lucky, fun loving. This Pete didn’t look like he’d had that much to smile about in life.
Somewhat more importantly though, Clark noticed, he was carrying a shotgun in his hands, and he looked like he knew how to use it.
“I got the call,” Pete said, “so you want to explain why it was necessary to steal a ‘Corps’ car and drive it all the way here?”
“This good enough for you, Pete?” Whitney said, lifting Tina out of the car. Pete took one look at her and then spun around quickly.
“Lights!” he yelled, and immediately more than a dozen more lights turned on overhead, temporarily blinding Clark. As he blinked quickly, about twenty people appeared from where they’d been hiding and rushed towards them. Some stopped in front of them, uncertainly holding old rifles or bits of pipes. Most of them were young, no more than a few years older than himself. “We need the stretcher over here,” Pete called out. A young woman appeared, pushing an old stretcher, its wheels screeching in protest. She had long brown hair flowing out behind her and a mousy looking face.
Whitney lay Tina down on it gently and then stepped back anxiously as the young woman bent over her quickly. Pete stepped up to him, glancing at Clark and Chloe quickly. “What happened?” he asked quietly.
“We went out to the Kent farm, the one I told you about,” Whitney explained. “We were just trying to get Clark out when we ran into a bit of trouble: Lionel Luthor himself and half the ‘Corps with him.”
Pete whistled. “And you’d be Clark, right?” he asked shrewdly. Clark nodded. “Why were you even out there in the first place.”
“It’s a long story,” he said carefully.
“Whatever,” Pete said, giving him a look, “I’m still gonna hear it. He glanced at Whitney and then at Tina. “Sarah,” he asked, “how does it look?”
The girl glanced back and shrugged wearily. “She’s been shot, how do you expect it to look?” she asked, tying her hair back in a quick ponytail. “The bullet’s still in her arm, so I’m going to have to dig it out. If you’d gotten me anesthetic, like I’d asked, this would be easier.”
“It was either that or food,” Pete said grimly.
“Mmm,” she shrugged. “At least she’s already passed out then. That should save our eardrums.” She bent back over Tina and probed at the wound for a moment. “Too bad we just can’t ask them for supplies, instead of having to steal everything,” she mumbled. “Well, it’s not too deep; I should be able to get it out. It’s not going to be pretty though.”
“Just take care of it,” Pete told her. Sarah shrugged and began to push Tina back to the rear of the building. Whitney started after her, but Pete took his arm and pulled him back. “Better if you don’t watch,” he told him simply. Whitney looked after Tina and then turned back, looking drained.
“Is she, like, a doctor?” Chloe asked quietly.
Pete glanced at her, amused. “Sarah? No, just the closest thing we have. We stole some pre-med books a while ago; she’s the only one who could make heads or tails of them. She’s not much on the bed-side manner, but she’s gotten pretty good at that sort of thing.” He gave her a half-hearted smile. “She’s had a lot of practice.”
He moved over to Whitney then and put his hand on his shoulder. “Look, why don’t you get some rest. You did good, let Sarah take care of her from here.”
Whitney pushed away from him, looking at him angrily. “I did good? How? What part of that was good?”
“You got away from the ‘Corps with only one person injured,” he pointed out. “That seems like pretty good work to me.”
Whitney stared at him and then turned away. “You don’t know anything,” he said bitterly. He walked back to the car and leaned against it, facing away from them. Pete stared after him.
“Something happened he didn’t expect,” Clark explained quickly. “He just needs some time to think about it.”
“Yeah, okay,” Pete nodded. “Well, while that’s happening, why don’t we start with you two?”
“Us?” Clark asked.
“Mostly you though,” Chloe commented. She sighed. “You know the worst thing about hanging with you, Clark? On the top ten most wanted, you’re like, all of them. I don’t get any recognition at all.”
“She’s right,” Pete agreed. “Oh, I want to talk to General Lane’s niece all right, but you’re something different,” he said, staring hard at Clark. “I’ve never seen them get this worked up over one person. I don’t even get this much attention.”
“Lucky me,” Clark said dryly.
“Look, you got one of my friends shot,” Pete remarked, “humor I don’t need from you. Answers are more like it.”
“That’s complicated,” he said quickly.
“Well, we’ve got the time,” he smiled. Just then an alarm started to ring in the corner of the building. Pete snapped around, staring at it. “Or maybe we don’t,” he muttered. He snatched up his gun and ran started to walk quickly towards the door.
“What is it?” Clark asked, following after him. “What’s happening?”
“Proximity alarm,” Pete said tersely. “We’ve got spotters outside; they ring that if they see anyone coming.” He waved towards the ceiling and immediately someone killed the lights. Everyone melted back into the shadows, hiding once more. Pete walked over to the doors they’d driven in through and stood beside them. Clark followed after him. Someone bumped into him from behind and he turned around, seeing Chloe. She bent over and picked up a length of pipe, hefting it. She saw him looking and smiled quickly, tightening her grip on it. He gave her a reassuring look and turned back.
“It’s only one alarm,” Pete was explaining, “so it’s not a raid. Might just be someone nosing around, or then again, it might not be.” He slid a tiny slot on the wall aside and stared through it. Then he shut it quickly and pried back a hidden panel. Flipping something inside it, he stepped back as the doors swung open noiselessly. A car edged in hurriedly, moving forwards almost before the doors were open wide enough to fit it. Surprisingly, it was a sports-car, sleek, powerful, and expensive looking. Its engine hummed loudly as it parked by the LuthorCorp’s vehicle. The door creaked open and someone stepped out quickly, staring around.
Pete snapped the switch down, closing the doors, and stepped out, his face mottled with rage. “Are you insane?” he almost screamed. “You took that car here! Why didn’t you just send your father a memo about where you were going?”
“With the amount of time I had to get away, I might as well have,” the young man snapped. As the lights flicked on, Clark felt his stomach lurch as he saw him. He was wearing a suit that though badly rumpled, looked like it might have been even more expensive than his car. He was lean, with a kind of hard-edged awareness to him. His wavy red hair stood out starkly against his pale skin.
“Did you think it was easy to make up a sudden excuse and get away?” he snapped, staring at Pete. “Especially with what just happened at the farm. He’s in a rage, I’ve never seen him this mad.” He glanced around wearily, “I don’t know what he’s going to do when he asks for me and doesn’t…” he trailed off, his eyes on Clark.
Clark could only stare back. “Lex?” he asked, stunned.
Lex Luthor seemed frozen for a moment and then snapped his head around to Pete. “You brought it here?!” he yelled. “How on earth did you… God… Where did you find it?”
“Find what?” Pete asked, staring from Clark to Lex. “Wait a minute, what do you mean by ‘it’?”
“Lex, I don’t believe it,” Clark stared. “You’ve got hair, how did that…”
“You speak English?” Lex went pale. “How much do you know about us?” he mumbled. Then he recovered and took a step back, “Are you here for the other one?”
“Other one?” Chloe said, staring at Clark.
“Somebody better start explaining what’s going on,” Pete snapped, holding up his gun quickly. He looked from Lex to Clark, seemingly unsure of who to aim at.
“He’s an alien, Pete,” Lex said quickly. “Just like the one that came down fourteen years ago.”
“Exactly like, actually,” Clark said, recovering. He stared at Lex angrily. “Why is your father so interested in my parent’s farm? What’s he hiding?”
“Fourteen years ago?” Pete repeated. “Wait, the meteor shower?”
“Pete, shoot him now,” Lex said urgently. “He’s dangerous, he can’t be trusted.”
“What about you?” Clark exclaimed. “You’re part of this aren’t you? In this with your father!”
“Pete!” Lex yelled.
“I’m not shooting anyone until I hear the truth about all this,” Pete yelled at him, stepping away. He glared at both Clark and Lex, sizing them both up. He seemed to be unsure on who to start on first.
“You,” he said settling on Clark. “He said you’re an alien? I didn’t hear you deny it.”
Clark hesitated, aware of how many people were staring at him, not the least of all, Whitney. “It’s true,” he finally admitted.
Pete swallowed and glanced at Lex again, and then he looked back at Clark. “It’s true,” he said quietly to himself. “That’s why they’re after you? How? How did they find out?”
“You’ll have to ask Lex that,” Clark said dryly. Lex stared back at him, his face unfathomable.
“Well?” Pete asked after a moment.
Lex sighed and finally said, “Because fourteen years ago, we recovered the first alien to land here.”
Dead silence met his response. Clark had been expecting it, but it still sent a nauseas lurch through his stomach. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Chloe staring at him, looking concerned. Evidently she realized what that meant about his ‘other’ self in this world.
“What have you been doing with him?” he asked.
Lex regarded him coolly. “Studying him,” he replied casually.
“I bet you have,” Chloe snarled suddenly. Lex glanced at her and then away, dismissing her.
“Alright,” Pete said quickly, now looking at Clark with more alarm. “What are you doing here? You come for this other one?” Lex pricked up his ears in interest.
“I’m not saying another word until I know why he’s here,” Clark demanded, pointing at Lex accusingly. He glared at Whitney. “I thought you said these people hated Luthorcorp?”
“I did,” he said, still looking bewildered.
“Then what’s he doing here?”
“Because if you measured out drop for drop every bit of hate for my father in this room,” Lex said quietly, “mine would be an ocean.”
“I called him Clark,” Whitney said. “On the phone before, remember? He’s the one who set this place up, with Pete. He’s been helping us for a long time. Who do you think got me my computers?” he added. Clark could only stare at him, his mind tripping over the phrase; he’s been helping us…
“Lex’s loyalties aren’t in question here,” Pete spoke up suddenly, and then gave Lex a sharp look. “His truthfulness about certain things is another matter.”
“I only told you what was necessary,” Lex started to say, but Pete cut him off with a gesture. He stared thoughtfully at Clark and then looked over at Whitney. He still seemed to be shaken by what he’d heard.
“Whitney, you’ve been helping them, right?” Pete asked. Whitney jumped out of his reverie and stammered for a bit before nodding. “Do you trust them?” Pete asked.
“Pete, you can’t be thinking…” Lex exploded, but Pete glared at him forcefully until Lex snarled, retreating. Clark was a little stunned at that, he’d never know Lex to back down from anyone before, especially not Pete.
Whitney hesitated, glancing at Clark furtively. Then he quiet voice, he said, “I don’t know. I don’t know what to think. First Tina and now this,” he mumbled. “I just don’t know.”
“Well that’s great,” Chloe said dryly. Clark hissed at her to be quiet, but she rolled her eyes and walked back to the car. She leaned against it idly and waited, watching them. “So now what?” she asked.
“I was kinda wondering the same thing,” Pete replied, staring at Clark intently.
Lex came up behind him and whispered close to him. “We have to get him out of here now. He’s nothing but a danger to us. If my father finds him…”
“How’s he going to do that, Lex,” Clark asked, “unless you tell him?” Lex’s face went dark with rage as he stared at him.
“And I’m sure Papa Luthor would love to hear about this place then,” Chloe remarked, smirking. “And about your little affiliation with it.” She laughed. “I guess it’s in your best interests then that we don’t get caught, isn’t it?”
“He’d never believe you,” Lex said, going pale.
“I don’t think it’s a chance you can take, is it?” Clark asked.
Lex stared at him blankly for a moment, seemingly in serious thought. Then finally he grimaced and looked away. “He’s right,” he said shortly.
“We don’t really have to ‘let’ them leave you know,” Pete commented, raising his gun slightly. All around them, the others did the same, staring threateningly at Clark and Chloe.
Clark raised his eyebrows and glanced at Lex. “Do you want to tell him now or wait until he tries to shoot me and let him figure it out for himself?”
“Put the gun away, Pete,” Lex said wearily. “We don’t have anything here that could hurt him.”
“But you said before,” Pete started.
“I know what I said,” Lex snapped, “I wasn’t thinking! Just put it away.”
Pete lowered his gun slowly as did everyone else. “So we’re just going to let them stay then? With all of the ‘Corps tearing the town apart to find them? Not to mention the fact that one of them’s from outer space.”
“I don’t see how we have any other choice,” Lex sighed. “They’d be safer here than out there. And maybe we can keep him from causing any more chaos in the meantime,” he finished snidely. He started to walk away when Clark called after him.
“You still have some explaining to do,” he said. Lex stopped and stared back at him testily. “What happened here fourteen years ago? With your father and the meteor shower?”
“Wouldn’t you know better than anyone else?” he asked. Clark took a step back quickly, stunned, but Lex went on. “It was one of your ships after all.”
“It was the only ship,” Clark replied. Lex blinked and stared back at him.
“I think I’d like to hear about this too,” Pete spoke up. Chloe and Whitney looked up as well.
Lex glanced around at them and then nodded finally. “I suppose there’s no way around it,” he said. Then he fixed Clark with a firm look. “But only if you tell us what you’re doing here. Why now after fourteen years?”
“I’m not too sure of it myself,” Clark admitted, “but I’ll tell you what I can. You just have to believe me,” he sighed.