“Oh my god,” gushed Chloe, “I am so loving this!” She took another bite of her cotton candy and beamed at Clark and Pete.
“Who’d believe it,” Pete remarked, “Cynical, worldly reporter turns into five year old at circus.” He dug his hands into his pockets and watched Chloe devour the rest of the cotton candy.
“Yeah I know,” Clark replied. “Hey, isn’t some of that mine?” he asked Chloe as he watched her eat.
“Forget it, Kent,” she said between bites. “This is all mine, go buy your own.”
“I’d do what she says,” Pete remarked. “Reach for it now and you’ll probably lose a finger.”
Clark nodded and laughed. “I’m gonna remember this next time you want help with your homework, Chloe,” he promised her. She ignored him and continued eating. All around them calliope music played loudly and the citizens of Smallville walked past enjoying the sights and sounds of the circus. Game and food stalls had been set up to form a long corridor in the field outside of town, and since that morning, Clark, Chloe, and Pete had walked up and down it, trying to sample everything that the circus had to offer.
“So what’s next?” Clark asked his friends. “Ring toss; funhouse; or does someone want to try and greet the clowns again?” he asked glancing at Chloe as Pete doubled over laughing.
She frowned at him and looked away huffily, her short blond hair fluffing out as she did. “That clown jumped out at me in a deliberate attempt to scare. He should be fired and stripped of his clown college degree.”
“If you say so, Chloe,” Pete said. “Meanwhile,” he pointed, his eyes lighting up, “I found what I want to try next.”
Clark turned around and saw a strength tester set up to the side. One of the football players from school swung a mallet at the base and sent the small weight up to the bell. It clanged loudly as Chloe and Pete cheered him. “You don’t really want to try that?” Clark asked in dismay.
“Are you kidding? I’ve been working out, you know. Might as well put it to good use,” Pete laughed and ran to be next in line.
“Come on, Clark,” Chloe grabbed his arm. “You’re a big, strong farm boy, I’m sure you can show all of them up.” She pulled him towards the machine.
The trouble was, of course, that Clark could have shown them up. He could clang that bell without even using the hammer. He could probably even pick up the entire machine and send it flying. Ever since his parents had found him on the day of the meteor crash, he had been stronger than other children. As he’d gotten older, his power had kept on growing. He could bend steel in his bare hands, see through walls, move faster than the eye could see, and as he had learned the hard way, bullets simply bounced off him. But with all those powers and abilities, there was one thing he couldn’t do; be normal. His parents had warned him about using his powers recklessly, and he had learned through some painful experiences that they were right. If he did reveal his super strength in even something as harmless as this, there would always be people who would want to use him, or his powers, for their own ends. It hurt to keep his abilities bottled up, to stand still when others played football and ran freely. It hurt even more to keep it from his friends. But he’d promised himself and his parents that he would keep the secret safe and a Kent always kept his word.
“You go ahead and try, Pete,” Clark said, rubbing his shoulder. “I think I threw my shoulder out when I had to fight that clown off for Chloe.” Chloe hit him lightly in the arm and then clapped for Pete.
“Go Pete!” she yelled. “Show that bell what you’re made of!” Clark whistled for him and clapped as well. Pete smiled and took the mallet from the attendant. He hefted it a few times and then took his stance in front of the machine. He stared at the bell at the top and then looked down at the lever he had to hit. Pete concentrated, raised the mallet, and swung. He hit the lever squarely and the weight jumped up the pole. It rose to within a foot of the bell and then stopped and came back down. Pete watched it dejectedly as it fell back on the lever.
“Aww, too bad, Pete,” Chloe said. Pete shrugged and gave the mallet back.
“You almost had it,” Clark comforted him. Chloe nodded in agreement.
“I wouldn’t worry too much, Pete,” a new voice said. They turned around to see Lex Luthor looking surprisingly low-key in a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt. “These things are rigged anyways so only a few people win.”
“Hey, Lex,” Clark said and shook his hand. “I didn’t think you’d make it.”
“What can I say?” Lex replied, “I’ve never been to a circus so I guess the child in me just came out.”
“I think we know how that is,” Pete said and glanced at Chloe.
“So what’s with the outfit?” Chloe asked him curiously. She pointed at his jeans and t-shirt with the stick from her cotton candy. “This if the first time that I’ve seen you not wearing something from Armani.”
Lex smiled. “I’m incognito. Thought I’d give myself a day off from my father’s company and I hoped that no one would recognize me.”
“Not much chance of that happening,” Clark smiled and glanced at Lex’s bald head.
Running his hand over his scalp, Lex shrugged. “I guess you’re right,” he remarked.
“Hey, you!” the attendant said. They turned to see him standing angrily by the machine. He had the mallet over his shoulder and was glaring at Lex. “Are you Lex Luthor?”
“Yes, I am,” Lex said evenly.
“Well, if the big shot CEO thinks the game is rigged, then why don’t you come up here and prove it?” the attendant asked him. He offered the mallet to Lex and waited. Lex looked surprised for a moment, then smiled and grabbed the mallet. Pete, Clark, and Chloe cheered him on as he stepped up to the machine. Lex swung the mallet experimentally, and then readied himself in front of the lever. He brought the mallet back and then swung it fiercely. The weight sprang up the pole and the rung the bell loudly. Clark and the others cheered him loudly as Lex gave the mallet back to the fuming attendant.
“Next time, Pete, don’t hold anything back,” Lex said rubbing his shoulder idly. “When you have to do something, you’ve got to give it everything you have.”
“Easy, Lex, this isn’t the boardroom,” Chloe said.
“Right,” he laughed. Lex turned around, looking at all the booths and people walking by. “You know, this really isn’t that bad,” he commented. “Not that I’m going to run off and join the circus, but it’s nice.” He was silent for a moment, then shrugged and turned back to Clark. “I guess I’ll leave you all to your fun. If I leave the desk for more than a few hours, my dad starts making takeover bids for the plant. Even if it is still his.”
“Are you sure you have to?” Clark asked. “You could come with us for a while; we were going to meet my parents at the escape artist show.”
“I don’t know if you’re parents would be that happy to see me,” Lex said. “I think this is more of a family day, Clark.”
“Come on,” Clark smiled. “They’ve gotten used to you by now.” Chloe and Pete smiled and looked away.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re a terrible liar, Clark?” Lex asked. Then he shook his head and laughed. “All right, only for a little while though. But if you’re dad starts talking about any shady motives I might have for coming to the circus, you’re really going to see an escape artist at work,” he promised.
The escape artist show was held in a tent at the end of the row of stalls. Large boards painted with nooses and handcuffs were set up outside, and a girl was standing on a podium just outside the entrance. She was very pretty, with short dark hair that stopped just above her shoulders. Calling to the people walking by, she held a variety of handcuffs in her hands, and challenged anyone to come up and use them to hold her. A set of older boys stepped out of the crowd and eagerly grabbed handcuffs and leg irons from the pile at her feet. They fastened three sets of cuffs to her wrists and a set of irons to her feet. Then they wrapped her in chains for good measure and secured it with a padlock. She smiled and with a shake of her shoulders, the chains fell off of her in a clatter of metal. Twisting her arms around, she removed a pin from the back of her costume and had the locks undone on the cuffs and irons in moments. Smiling to the crowd, she bowed and everyone applauded. One of the boys started to say something, but she yelled over him, “If anyone wants to say these are trick cuffs or irons, I’ll lock you up and give you this pin so you can prove it to everyone. Otherwise,” she said, spinning a handcuff around one finger, “I suggest you step inside and enjoy the show.”
“Want to take that bet, Lex?” Pete asked.
“I never argue with a woman with handcuffs,” Lex remarked.
The inside of the tent had been converted into a small theater. Wooden benches were set up in rows with a raised platform in the back as the stage. A small sign at the base of the platform read, Bernard Mellivicent: Master of the Escape, and showed a man wearing a straightjacket. A variety of chains, boxes, and other apparatus littered the stage, and in one corner stood a large tank filled with water. A screen with stars, planets, and comets stood in the other end of the stage. As the tent started to fill up with people, the excitement built steadily. “Are they really going to do that water box trick?” Pete asked, staring at the tank on stage.
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“How do you get out of that?” Chloe asked.
Clark smiled and turned to her. “Magic of course,” he said. Chloe rolled her eyes and laughed at him.
“Hi guys,” Martha Kent said from behind them. She sat down in the row of seats behind them and smiled at them. Jonathon followed her somewhat reluctantly.
“Chloe, Pete,” he greeted. “Lex,” he said evenly. Lex smiled sarcastically and nodded back to him. “Good to see you guys didn’t get lost on the way here.”
“Distracted you mean,” Martha added. “I can’t remember the last time a circus stopped in Smallville. There’s so much out there we almost forgot about you kids entirely.”
“Your mother had a little too much fun on the Merry Go Round,” Jonathon said as he leaned over to Clark. Clark had to muffle a laugh as his mother turned red.
“What’s so wrong with enjoying yourself, huh?” Chloe asked everyone. Martha smiled and put her arm around Chloe.
“That’s right; we girls have to stick together! Especially when some people, who shall remain nameless, refuse to have a good time every once in a while,” she said pointedly.
Jonathon coughed and asked, “When’s this show supposed to start anyways?”
“Should be any minute now,” Clark said. Almost on cue the tent flap in the back swung open and two men entered. The first wore a simple white shirt under an elaborate overcoat. It was a deep blue and resembled an old parade uniform, complete with cuffs and trimmings. His hair was gray, but he still seemed very fit and there was a lively glint in his eyes. The other was much younger, maybe a few years older than Clark. He was tall, over six feet, with dark hair and blue eyes. He wore a close fitting outfit and stayed behind the first man. For some reason, Clark felt a mental tug as he saw him. The young man seemed almost familiar to him.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls,” the first man started, “Welcome to the show of shows.” He stood at the end of the stage and held his arms out to them. “What you are about to see, is my life’s work and passion. My family’s obsession and heritage,” he cried, and he turned slightly as the girl from outside the tent stepped on stage. She walked by him and smiled brightly, which he returned. “But you didn’t come to see any of that,” the man suddenly added. He lowered his arms and stepped back. “No, you came to see someone break out of cuffs, escape the fate that catches hold when the tumblers fall and the key turns. To see the secrets that criminals would pay anything for. I tell you truly, we use no trick cuffs or locks here.” He smiled again in a more playful manner. “Of course, there maybe some sleight of hand performed today, but without it where would the fun be?” The audience chuckled and he smiled with them.
“My name is Bernard Mellivicent and these are my assistants, Tom and Gail. I leave it to you to figure out which one is my daughter,” he remarked, evoking another chuckle. Gail laughed brightly and half curtsied to the audience. Tom didn’t crack a smile. He waited like a statue by the cuffs and chains, staring out over the audience. “Let’s begin with something simple then,” Bernard said and Tom sprang to action. He picked up two pairs of handcuffs and stepped over to Bernard. As he stepped out of the back of the stage, Clark had to blink when he saw how developed he was. Tom looked like he had been chiseled out of stone.
“Now the handcuff is the most basic of all prisons in this world,” Bernard said as Tom snapped a pair of cuffs on his wrists. As Tom bent down to fasten the second pair to Bernard’s feet, he continued, “With a simple metal click, it holds our criminals tightly bound and keeps them docile.” Tom stood up and Bernard handed back the pair of cuffs that had been on his wrists. Clark started as he realized he had missed the man remove them entirely. Bernard bent down and with a flip of his wrists; the cuffs on his feet fell to the floor. Then he straightened and put his arms behind his back as Tom snapped the first pair back on them. Then he bent down and reattached the second pair to Bernard’s feet. As the cuffs locked, the first pair hit the ground behind Bernard and Tom picked them up without missing a beat. Not even bothering to reach down this time, Bernard bent his feet at an angle and snapped them together. The cuffs fell off easily. Tom retrieved these and Bernard looked out over the crowd. “After all,” he commented, “Who can break free of them?”
Clark stared in shock for a moment, and then found himself applauding wildly. Everyone around him followed as well. Chloe put her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. Bernard bowed slightly and then put his arms up and waved the applause away. “In case any of you were wondering, that was no trick. A trick means you fool someone. That right there was skill, something honed through discipline, knowledge, and endless practice. And if any of you don’t believe me, you can come up and try the cuffs for yourself. Or on second thought, don’t. I just remembered; we lost that key.”
The show continued, and each escape seemed more incredible than the last. Bernard allowed the audience to shackle him with chains and irons. He had a pair of local deputies put Gail in the most elaborate restraints the Smallville Police had. Then Tom was put in the best straightjacket that the local hospital had to offer. Each escaped in less than a minute’s time. As Clark and his friends watched, the trio escaped from every conceivable form of cage or lock known to man. But throughout the show, Clark could not stop glancing at the assistant, Tom. While Bernard and Gail would laugh and joke with the audience, Tom never said a word. He didn’t laugh or smile, just did any task Bernard gave him quickly and flawlessly. It was unnerving, Clark thought, and little frightening how cold he seemed.
“That guy’s not much of a performer, huh Lex?” Clark whispered to him as Tom escaped from an intricate series of chains and padlocks on stage. When Lex didn’t say anything, Clark nudged him and glanced over. Lex was staring at the stage with a look of puzzlement. “Are you alright, Lex?” Clark asked quietly.
Lex blinked suddenly, as if he had just now noticed Clark. “Sorry, yeah, I’m fine,” he said quickly. Clark watched him turn back to the stage with a confused look on his face. “Everything’s fine,” Lex repeated absently, rubbing his chin in deep thought. Clark was about to say something when Bernard called out over the audience.
“Now I’m sure you’ve all been wondering when I’m going to get to that oversized fish tank in the corner,” he said, gesturing to the tank of water. At his cue Tom and Gail rolled it onto center stage and Bernard stepped in front of it. The tank was eight feet tall and set on a trolley. The outside walls were covered with locks and chains and inside water joshed around from the motion. Tom stepped behind the tank and wheeled over a small ladder to it, while Gail brought out the straightjacket that Tom had worn earlier. “Made famous by Houdini, this trick takes all of an artist’s skill, strength, and mental fortitude. One mistake can be fatal,” he said in almost a whisper, and then his voice broke into a laugh, “so of course I’m not going to do it.”
He gestured to Tom who stared back at the audience stoically. Gail helped him into the straightjacket as her father continued. “Tom is the youngest person in America to ever attempt this trick, and I stress attempt because this is his first try. We’ll give him five minutes to escape and if he can’t, well,” Bernard shrugged. “I suppose there might not be a second attempt.” With his sharp vision, Clark could see Gail smile at this comment, but Tom hardly blinked. He didn’t seem to be concerned at all as Gail tightened the straps holding him.
When everything was as tight as she could make it, Gail brought out a black hood and after turning it inside out to show the crowd it was empty, put it over Tom’s head. Then she guided him to the ladder and with her father’s help, climbed up the ladder with him. She positioned Tom to sit down over the tank’s edge with his feet in the water. “At the next signal from Gail,” Bernard said to the crowd, “Tom will be locked into place and we’ll start the clock. In five minutes time we’ll pull back the screen and see if we’ll have to set another place at supper again or not.” There was some nervous laughter from the audience as everyone stared on stage.
“Are you ready, Tom?” Bernard asked. Tom nodded firmly and Gail clapped his shoulders three times. On the third one, Tom jumped into the water and quickly upended himself so that his feet were sticking up. With startling strength for such a small girl, Gail reached into the water and pulled his legs up until she could lock them into place in the cover of the tank. Tom hung in the tank, motionless, as she finished locking his legs into place. The locks left his knees and feet out of the water, but the rest of his body was submerged was submerged. As she climbed down the ladder, Bernard carefully moved the screen into place. Gail emerged from behind the screen and moved a large timer’s clock out into the open. The hands were frozen at sixty.
“Now when this clock has come around five times,” Bernard said, “we’ll remove the screen and see how Tom’s done. Don’t worry; I have complete faith in the boy. He’s a bit foolhardy, but he’s learned from the most gifted mind in the business, my own. My mind is like a razor, not a single detail escapes my eye,” he boasted. Gail coughed politely from the side and Bernard turned to her in impatience. “What is it, girl?” She prodded the clock with her foot and Bernard stared at her for a moment. “Oh that’s right,” he said suddenly, and walked over to hit a button on the top of the clock. The clock started and Bernard turned sheepishly to the audience and shrugged.
As the seconds ticked by slowly, everyone in the audience waited anxiously. Pete kept staring at the clock on stage, then checking his wrist watch every few seconds. Chloe had her fingers wrapped around the bottom of her chair as she waited nervously. Clark was a bundle of impatience as he watched the hand of the clock move slowly. Even Lex seemed nervous, sitting forwards in his chair and staring at the screen. The only people who didn’t seem concerned were Bernard and Gail on stage. Bernard watched the clock calmly, while Gail sat on the edge of the table and toyed with a length of chain. Neither of them looked at the screen at all as the minutes ticked by.
Even with his remarkable hearing, Clark couldn’t hear anything coming from behind the screen. He expected, at the least, to hear the water in the cage churning about, but there was nothing. As two minutes passed by on the clock, Clark finally had enough and focused his x-ray vision on the screen. As he squinted, the colors of the world fell away to harsh black and whites, and Clark could see through the screen to inside the cage. He went cold as he saw Tom’s skeleton hanging motionless inside the cage. Clark blinked and checked again, but there was no change. Tom’s arms were still folded up in the straightjacket; he hadn’t even removed it. Clark started to sweat as he realized he had to do something or Tom would drown. He might have passed out moments ago, or just after the screen was in place, but there was still three minutes left to go. How could he warn everyone and not reveal how he knew? He turned to Lex and said, “Maybe he won’t get out in time. Shouldn’t we check or something?”
“Worried, Clark?” Lex smiled back. “Don’t worry, they’re professionals.”
“Right,” Clark said helplessly. Chloe smiled at him and patted his arm comfortingly. Clark thought about turning around to tell his parents, but there was no way he could tell them in this crowd without someone overhearing. And besides, he realized; what could they do?
“Two minutes left to go,” Bernard called out from the stage. Clark stared through the screen again, hoping for some sign of movement, but Tom still hung motionless. He didn’t have a choice, Clark realized, he’d have to run on stage, knock aside the screen, and be back in his seat before anyone could see him. He didn’t know if he was that fast yet, but maybe he could make it. It was a tremendous risk, but what else could he do?
Just as Clark was ready to spring out of his seat, Gail dropped the chain she was holding. It hit the stage with a loud clatter that made everyone jump in the audience. She smiled, embarrassed, and picked it up quickly. No one but Clark could see it, but that noise had suddenly galvanized Tom. Clark watched in amazement as he struggled upside down in the cage. Then to his greater astonishment, Tom’s arms were free and he reached up to the tank’s ceiling. He hadn’t been passed out, Clark realized, he’d been waiting in the tank all this time.
Not even bothering with the locks on his feet, Tom pushed up on the ceiling and Clark could only stare as it opened easily. Tom pushed himself out of the ceiling hatch and onto the ledge of the tank. Steadying himself with one hand, he made a sweeping gesture over his face and then put his hand down. Clark could just barely see the outline of the mask fall to the ground. “One minute to go,” Bernard said suddenly, tearing Clark’s attention away. He sat back in his seat, confused and almost a bit disappointed. They’d built the trick up to be so dangerous, and then it turned out to be nothing more than just that, a trick. Tom had gotten out of the case in less than a minute, but had waited for three minutes before he’d started. Clark had to wonder, why would anyone do something like that?
“Isn’t this exciting?” Chloe asked him quickly, glancing back at the stage as she did.
“Yeah, sure,” Clark mumbled as the last few seconds ticked off the clock.
“Time!” Bernard shouted to everyone. Gail jumped off the table and started towards the screen, but it was pushed aside before she could reach it. Tom, soaked to the bone, guided the screen towards the back of the stage, and then turned the audience. Everyone stared as he stood there, dripping wet and waiting expectantly. Finally, someone in the back started to clap and it swept through the audience, building to a roaring applause. Tom endured it for a moment, then frowned slightly and backed up, looking away. Before he could escape however, Gail grabbed his hand and marched him to center-stage. She guided him through a stiff bow and then turned and curtsied to her father. Bernard smiled and stood behind them, gesturing over the audience. All three bowed one last time and then they walked out behind the curtains.
“Now that was something,” Pete said, gathering up his coat.
Martha smiled back in agreement and nodded. “I haven’t seen anything like that since I was a kid.”
“We used to get traveling shows like that out here,” Jonathon said. “I must have seen every one of them, but that was definitely the best.”
Chloe smiled and turned to Clark. “What did you think?” she asked him.
“I guess you could say, I was kind of surprised by it,” Clark remarked. His mother rolled her eyes and groaned.
“The Kent understatement strikes again,” she said. Jonathon laughed and put his arm around her. Together they walked out of the tent, followed by Chloe and Pete. Clark started to follow them when he glanced back and saw Lex still standing by his seat.
“Coming, Lex?” he asked. Lex turned and shook his head.
“Not this time,” he said, looking back at the curtain in the back. “I’ve got something to check out first, but I’ll catch up.”
“Okay,” Clark said, a little disappointed. “I guess I’ll see you later then.” Lex nodded as Clark followed everyone out. Then, weaving his way through the last of the exiting people, Lex made his way to the back of the tent. He stepped through the curtains and outside into a sectioned off portion of grass outside the tent. Open trunks were spread around along with a bench and a folding chair. The remains of a sandwich and a coke were on a rickety table at the end of the area. A young man knelt beside it, drying himself off with a towel. Lex watched him for a moment and then smiled broadly.
“Hello Bruce,” he said quietly.