The window tapped. Three quick clicks.
Aaron opened his eyes. His room was dark. The clock read 1:47 AM.
He pulled the window up. Clark Kent floated outside. Two stories high. Arms crossed. Grinning.
"Dude. Are you ready?"
Aaron stared at him.
"Clark. Can't you come normally? My parents permit me to go out at night. You could have knocked on the front door."
Clark's grin faded slightly. "Oh. I did not think of that."
"Get down. I will meet you outside."
Clark dropped silently to the ground. Aaron closed the window. Put on his jacket. Walked down the stairs and out the front door like a normal person.
Clark stood on the lawn. "That was less fun."
"It was normal. Learn normal."
---
They moved through the dark streets of Smallville. Past the school. Past the water tower. Into the older residential section where the houses were smaller and the trees were thicker.
"Are you sure this is the house?" Aaron asked.
They stood across the street from a modest two-story home. White paint. Green shutters. Porch light off.
"Yeah. It is Aaron. I remember the address." Clark tapped his head. "I got almost photographic memory now."
"Photographic."
"That's what I said."
Aaron looked at the house. Dark windows. No movement.
"Aaron. Are you sure you can control the situation?"
Aaron flexed his fingers. The blood core pulsed. The serpent stirred.
"Don't worry. This is my first time using this ability. But I know how it works."
"Your first time?"
"Yes."
"That does not make me feel better."
"It should. I am talented."
Clark exhaled. "Let's go."
---
They crossed the street. Aaron tested the side window. Unlocked. He slid it up slowly. No sound. He slipped inside.
Clark followed. His feet were less graceful. A floorboard creaked. They both froze.
On the bed, Lana Lang stirred. Did not wake.
The room was small. Posters on the walls. Cheerleading trophy on the dresser. And there. Around her neck.
A necklace.
The pendant glowed faintly green. Neon green. Jagged crystal. Small but bright. It pulsed with its own light. Radioactive. Alien.
Aaron had seen the meteor rocks before. Scattered across Smallville. Most were harmless. This one was different. He could feel it. Raw. Potent.
He pointed at the necklace. Then at Clark.
You do it.
Clark shook his head. Pointed at Aaron.
No. You do.
A silent argument. Hand gestures. Pointing. Head shaking. Neither willing.
The bed creaked.
Lana Lang's eyes opened.
"What... who are you?"
She opened her mouth to scream.
Aaron moved.
His eyes shifted. The brown irises darkened. Crimson bled into them. Then black patterns swirled across the surface. Black sclera. Crimson iris. Gold pupil. Not human.
The serpent soul pressed forward. Old power. Deep authority.
"Keep the silence," Aaron said. His voice was low. Resonant. "You are sleeping."
Lana's mouth closed. Her eyes went unfocused. Her body relaxed against the pillow.
"Clark. Take the necklace."
Clark stepped forward. Reached for the pendant.
His fingers touched the green crystal.
His knees buckled.
"Aaron. I can't... I can't take it."
His face was pale. Sweat beaded on his forehead. His veins darkened. Visible. Green tinge spreading under his skin.
Aaron grabbed the necklace himself. His fingers closed around the stone. The chain lifted from Lana's neck.
Nothing happened to him. No weakness. No pain.
He pocketed the necklace.
"Let's go."
They slipped back through the window. Into the night.
---
The old warehouse sat at the edge of town. Abandoned. Rusted. A single bulb hung from the ceiling. Clark had rigged it months ago as a hiding spot.
Aaron held the necklace up. The green glow cast strange shadows.
"Stand back," he said.
Clark stepped away. Ten feet. Twenty feet.
"Closer."
Clark stepped closer. Five feet.
His legs trembled. His face went pale again.
"Closer."
"Aaron—"
"Do it."
Clark stepped closer. Three feet. His hand gripped a crate for support. His breathing was rough.
Aaron pocketed the necklace. Clark gasped. The color returned to his face.
"So. This means it is your weakness, Clark."
Clark sat on the crate. Head down. "Yeah."
"This stone. Whatever it is. It hurts you."
Aaron pulled the necklace out again. Studied it. Jagged green crystal. Glowing from within. Faint radiation he could taste in the back of his throat.
"You have to do something. To make this stone not your weakness."
"Like what?"
"Maybe armor. Something that can block the stone's waves. What did you call it?"
"Meteorite radiation."
"Yeah. We need to block meteorite radiation."
Clark looked up. "Do you think this is a piece of the meteorite that fell on Smallville?"
"Maybe. We can't say. But if there are more pieces, and if someone finds out what they do to you..."
Clark nodded slowly. "I know."
Aaron pocketed the necklace. "I will keep this. Study it. Find a way to block it."
"You are not affected?"
"No. Vampire body. Different biology."
Clark almost smiled. "Lucky."
---
They returned home as the sky turned gray. Dawn coming.
Aaron walked through his front door. Normal entrance. No sneaking.
Clark floated up to his bedroom window. Slid it open. Landed softly on the floor.
Footsteps in the hallway.
"Clark? Are you there?"
The door opened. Jonathan Kent stood in the doorway. His eyes were tired. His face was hard.
"Dad. I can explain."
"I heard you leave. Where were you?"
"With Aaron. We had to check something."
"Check what?"
Clark hesitated. "Something important. Something about me."
Jonathan's face softened. Just slightly.
"We will talk about this later. Go to sleep."
"Yes, sir."
---
NEXT DAY
Clark woke to the smell of coffee and something else. New car smell.
He sat up. Blinked. His x-ray vision flickered on. Through the walls. Through the house. Outside.
A brand new truck was parked in the driveway. Red. Gleaming. Expensive.
And beside it. A bald man in an expensive coat. Waiting.
Clark pulled on his clothes. Ran downstairs. Burst through the front door.
Lex Luthor stood beside the truck. Arms open. Smiling.
"Clark Kent. I believe I owe you my life."
---