Chapter Four: Balance
Kara cupped her hand underneath her chin. If anything else, she enjoyed a puzzle which needed to be solved, and what was going on with Kal-El, Clark, was rather puzzling, to say the least. The fact she had a four-year gap which some damage had already been done frustrated her. Whatever Jor-El did, his attempts to prepare Kal-El for the young man's destiny really did him no favors.
The most amusing thing, at least in Kara's mind, was the training Jor-El did, was perfectly acceptable, but it was only perfectly acceptable if Clark had been born through traditional Kryptonian manners, and had been genetically engineered to be a soldier. Even though their greatest soldiers had not been engineered for that particular purpose, funnily enough.
'Yeah, that's just how it works,' Kara thought.
Kara found herself in the cold and desolate Fortress while her cousin rested from the scans. It took a lot out of it, and it took a lot out of her. She had been mentally taxed, trying to figure out what to do, where to go, and how to get certain things done. The Kryptonian survivor surrounded herself with a load of crystals from her ship, and a few from the Fortress.
Everything considered, Kara had her work cut out for her.
'I'm going to have to start from the top,' Kara thought. She made a couple of mental notes. 'He's not going to like this. Rao be damned, I'm not going to like this either. Damn you, Jor-El, why did you have to make your Artificial Intelligence so…..'
Words failed Kara. She had to rig a couple of crystals together. Thankfully, she learned how to do such a thing a long time ago.
One thing she never could do was locate Lara's artificial construct which had been buried deep in the Fortress. Frustration rose in Kara's mind. It had to be somewhere, and yet, despite all odds, Lara was absolutely nowhere at all. Kara's frustration reached a new fever pitch.
'At least I know Jor-El didn't delete her, otherwise there would be a backup program,' Kara thought. 'And she could be salvageable, given some time….time which I don't have to be perfectly honest with you.'
Clark joined her, entering the central room of the Fortress. Kara got up from her work to face him the second he approached her. She tried to get him to sit down, but he remained standing, about as frustrating as you would expect.
'Like his mother in that respect,' Kara thought. She mentally trailed off. 'Well, better make sure he's doing okay.'
Kara drew from her thoughts and turned completely towards Clark.
"How are you feeling?" Kara asked him.
She half expected some retort about how he was found, and Kara knew without a shadow of a doubt how someone who had gone through the scanning process Clark had gone through would be less than fine.
"Like my head got stomped in," Clark said. He rubbed the side of it. "Those mental scans, I don't know what to tell you….."
Kara raised a hand and smiled, stopping Clark. She could tell his mind was abuzz.
"I'm going to be perfectly blunt with you," Kara said. "You've suffered some minor neurological damage when your ship crashed on Earth."
"You mean there's something wrong with me, isn't there?" Clark asked. He let out one of those sighs.
Kara motioned for him to sit down, and so he did right in front of her. She reached in and put a hand on the top of his, trying to offer some comfort in a situation where there was scarcely any to be given.
"Yes, there's….a few things wrong with you," Kara said. "None of them your fault….and none of them really anyone's fault, I'm not going to even blame Jor-El for this one."
It could have been worse, but Kara also liked to think things could have been better.
Clark raised an eyebrow and almost could have snorted in response. Kara's eyes fixated him on and he knew it was time to keep his mouth firmly shut, and let her continue to speak.
"We were going into uncharted waters when you had been brought from Krypton," Kara said. "People had traveled to Earth before, but they were through portals….which had been destroyed prior to Krypton's explosion."
Clark took a moment to look at Kara and all he could do was nod. It made more than perfect sense a sufficiently advanced society would have sufficient amount of technology which would be beyond what the people of Earth were capable of.
For some reason, his mind became cleaerer of thought.
"So, they were destroyed," Clark said. "And they sent me in that little escape pod….."
"It's a wonder it made its destination," Kara said. "Have to give Jor-El credit, if he wasn't crafty enough to make it work, you would have ended somewhere else."
Clark only could nod. He would have to give Jor-El about that much credit.
"Brilliant man, but a bad sense of judgment," Kara said. "But, that's over now, and we have to focus on your training….when you think you're ready for it."
Clark thought about it. There was a small part of him who thought he had been training pretty much his entire life, and everything he fought would prepare him. Kara looked at him with a knowing smile, almost as if she caught on to his thoughts.
"In a way, you have," Kara agreed. "What I want to do is unlock more parts of your Kryptonian instincts, which will hopefully not compromise your human values…and it will undo some of the damage which has been caused."
Kara took a moment. She really wished Krypton had not been so blinded with their pursuits of science and logic. It had been an all-consuming endeavor.
"If you're ready, we can do this now," Kara said. She paused. "Only if you're ready."
Clark really didn't have any choice other than being ready.
"Do what needs to be done," Clark said. "If you think this will help…"
"It won't just help you, it's going to help many others," Kara said. "I'm not going to lie to you, Kal. Your human upbringing and your Kryptonian instincts will be a challenge, but I think…we can balance them, given time. You just have to have faith, and trust this will work."
"You haven't steered me wrong just yet," Clark said. "So, with this be about as bad as the memory scan?"
Kara gave a half shrug. She honestly thought Clark asked a pretty good question.
"It might hurt a bit more," Kara said. "You're going to need this, though, and…..I want to offer you one more piece of advice before we decide to do this."
Clark raised an eyebrow, wondering what she had in mind.
"Stop, fighting your biological impulses," she said sternly. "It's unhealthy for you. If something was bound to happen, it's going to happen, and never fight it, ever."
Clark wondered what she was talking about. He opened his mouth, and Kara shot forward, catching his lips in an intense kiss. He almost pushed away, but Kara held his face in place. He returned the kiss, their tongues maneuvering together.
Kara made sure to hold Clark's face into place. He was reluctant at first, but the more Kara held onto him, the more the kiss increased.
"I just want what's best for my baby cousin," Kara said, pulling away. "And I want to help him….so, are you ready to begin?"
Clark almost chuckled at Kara acting like kissing him and practically shoving her tongue down his throat was the most natural thing in the world. On the one hand, she was his cousin, but on the other hand, she was beautiful, and obviously wasn't going to take no for an answer. And it didn't seem to matter, given the not so subtle hints she had dropped.
'Well, things are going to be interesting,' Clark thought.
Chloe had a lot on her mind lately, and not just because of the voices in her head. She decided it would be best to share this fact with Clark, as she was handling a Kryptonian artifact before the voices stopped. And she figured it would not be best to ignore her.
She walked her way to the recently rebuilt Kent Farmhouse. Chloe knocked on the door and waited for an answer. Only a few seconds paused before Martha opened the door and invited Chloe in.
"Come on," Martha said. "Chloe, it's good to see you…come in, have a cup of coffee."
Chloe smiled, she didn't really mind if she did, to be honest. She walked over towards the table and parked herself down in front of it, taking the cup of coffee and the slice of pie Martha offered her.
"How are you doing, Mrs. Kent?" Chloe asked.
"Well the last couple of weeks have been rough," Martha said. "And too many people are still recovering from the latest meteor shower."
Chloe wondered how many people even thought about a second meteor shower. Martha saw the look in Chloe's face.
"It's a good thing there were meteor shower drills, even though a lot of people saw them a waste of tax dollars," Martha said. "I don't think anyone expected a second meteor shower, after the first one."
"I guess lightning can strike twice," Chloe said. "Or at least meteor showers…"
Chloe trailed off. Martha responded with a tap on her hand.
"I've learned living in Smallville for as long as I have anything is possible," Martha said. She took a moment to drink her coffee and just reflect on life and the challenges it had brought her and her family as of late. "You just have to roll with the punches, see where it brings you."
"I understand," Chloe said. She looked around as if hoping for Clark just to rush in here, faster than a speeding bullet. "So, where's Clark?"
"He's off with Kara," Martha said, almost looking off to the side.
Chloe took a moment to close her eyes. She knew she shouldn't be feeling a twinge of jealousy that Kara and Clark had spent so much time together. Then again, something had been pushing her more and had brought up feelings Chloe swore until she was blue in the face she had buried.
'No, let's not go down that road of drama again,' Chloe thought.
"So, he is," Chloe said, remaining a bit calm. "What do you think of Kara?"
Martha surveyed Chloe thoughtfully over the cup of tea.
"Well, at first I had my misgivings," Martha admitted. "We haven't had good luck with Kryptonian survivors other than Clark."
Chloe tried not to snort because it was quite unladylike. Martha's commentary regarding the survivors of Krypton had been more than spot on, though.
"Still, she's been a help, and I think she's good for Clark," Martha said. "I just hope he…."
"He's not going to forget you if that's what you're thinking," Chloe said. "I'm not going to allow him to, and I'm sure I can enlist Lois's help to double team him."
Martha smiled, almost despite herself. She would have felt sorry for her son if he had been put in that position. Chloe and Lois could be very forceful on their own, but together, well Clark might not have a hope.
"I know he won't, it's just….he's getting to that age where he's growing up, and growing beyond us," Martha said. "I knew it would happen, we all knew what happened. He couldn't be that adorable little child we found crashed in the middle of a cornfield."
"Everything changes," Chloe said.
'And yet, everything remains the same.'
The two women drank their coffee at the table. Chloe wrestled with another question she had to ask and to be honest, it was a bit of a personal one. She didn't want to ask it, but at the same time, she really did have to ask it.
"So, how's Mr. Kent holding up?" Chloe asked.
"He's been keeping busy," Martha said. "There's always a lot to do and…..well, I'm not sure if he…..well I'm not sure if he trusts Kara, given what happened the last time a girl named Kara showed up at our doorstep."
Clark may have mentioned that was a Jor-El plot. Chloe had a couple of misgivings which had been pushed into her mind.
'You can trust her.'
The voices in her head that was a problem Chloe was going to have to address. She thought, perhaps like a fool, they would go away.
"Thanks for the coffee, and the pie, Mrs. Kent," Chloe said, rising up to her feet and offering a smile. "Tell, Clark if he wants to talk to me, he knows where to find me."
"Oh, I'll tell you stopped by," Chloe said.
Chloe rose up to her feet and almost went out of the door. She ran headlong to one Lana Lang who stepped back.
"Hey, Lana, what's up?" Chloe asked.
"Just…looking for Clark," Lana said, half distracted. "Guess, he's not here, and that's the reason why you're…..here…."
Lana trailed off and Chloe gave the other girl a smile.
"Pretty much," Chloe said.
"I…want to see what happens between Clark and me," Lana said. She shuffled her feet for a moment. "I'm just….terrified something's going to happen…..it always does…which drives us further apart."
"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.
Lana almost rolled her eyes in response. She kept her expression a bit neutral after the initial eye roll.
"Come on, Chloe, you know our lives are about as filled with drama as your average teenage sitcom," Lana said.
"Really?" Chloe dryly stated. "I hadn't really noticed."
Lana almost smiled at the blasé way Chloe fired off this response.
"Just….I don't know," Lana said. "Clark has a bad habit of not opening up, and I'm afraid…that's going to ruin things again."
Lana might have been Chloe's friend, but there were sometimes where she didn't do the logical thing, and it caused problems.
"Maybe, Clark isn't the only one who needs to open up," Chloe said. "I'll talk to you later, Lana, I have to get going."
Lana had been left standing behind Chloe, a bit confused, and a bit more bewildered than normal. She wondered what her status with Clark was, and she really wondered why Chloe had been so blunt with her.
'Maybe I do have some issues to work out,' Lana thought. 'I mean, I did spend the last year possessed…..oh well, I'll figure it out, soon enough.'
Young Lana Lang had been left with a lot to think about, and she doubted the thoughts would fade any time soon.
The black ship which landed offered Lex another mystery. As if there had not been enough in Smallville, but regardless, Lex's confidence was as such he would be able to piece together all of the mysteries surrounding the ship.
Lex decided to give his men very detailed orders to ensure everything would come off without a hitch.
"Make sure no one who isn't authorized walks down this hallway," Lex said. He gave this particular directive to a rather brutish looking security guard. "Don't shoot to kill, but, do make sure they live long enough to tell me why."
Lex had been one step ahead of the military, and several government agencies who would cut off their right arm to get the rights to the ship. But, they couldn't have the rights to the ship. They were the property of one man, the one, and only Lex Luthor.
The doors to the main lab in the facility had been opened. Several scientists moved around and studied the ship from every single angle. Some angles offered more insight.
"Have you been able to find a way inside, yet?" Lex asked.
"No, sir," one of the scientists said. "There's no hatches, no knobs, not even a button. There isn't even a crack which we can pry the ship open with…."
"Maybe if we can use explosives…"
Lex held up one hand to cut that particular train of thought off at the pass.
"No," Lex said. He spoke in such a firm voice the scientists looked at him. "I refuse to allow such a magnificent ship get damaged. Do you understand me?"
The scientists all answered with their nods. Lex pretty much had them right where he wanted them, and since he controlled the project.
Lex reached behind his ear and scratched it, deep in thought. No way inside of this ship, and thus no way to pierce the wonders of the universe.
'There has to be a way to breach the ship's opening,' Lex thought.
He had spent a fair amount of time trying to breach through the wonders of the universe to no avail. Then again, he had not figured out the enigma which was Clark Kent, despite numerous years of research and attempts to give him the opportunity.
'What are you hiding, Clark?' Lex thought.
Lex's thoughts about Clark had brought his thoughts to another individual who had been right near the ship, according to the people from LuthorCorp who had been on site. Already, a plan formed in Lex's devious mind.
'Lana had been at ground zero when the ship dropped down,' Lex thought. He scratched underneath his chin. 'Well, there's something to do, to talk to her…to see what she knows, or what she might have seen.'
Lex needed to be delicate with this one. If he startled Lana so much, she might mention something to Chloe, who would obviously bring up something to Clark. And Clark was the last person Lex wanted to be involved in this particular situation for the moment.
Delicate was the nature of this operation, and Lex had very little margin for error. One slip up and a lot of work would be dismissed.
Kara dropped down from the sky with Clark in her arms. Clark looked a bit annoyed with the process, with Kara having him in her arms, carrying her baby cousin, well like a baby.
The flight thing was getting to be a stumbling block for Clark. Kara had what she thought was an interesting way to train him. If she gave him the proper incentive to fly, he would fly, but she also wanted him to do everything at his own pace. Even though she was four years behind, rushing Clark would put them an even further step back.
"This is humiliating," Clark mumbled to himself. Kara smiled and placed a hand on her cousin's shoulder.
"Well, consider it an incentive," Kara said. "You've grounded yourself, which is not a bad thing, but not a good thing in the case of flying."
Kara and Clark made their way to the Kent Farmhouse where Jonathan and Martha were in the process of having a discussion about something. It was almost tempting to listen in a bit closely, but both of them reigned themselves in, not using their super hearing.
Rather, Clark leaned forward and knocked on the door. He didn't have to wait too long before his mother's warm voice told him to come in.
Jonathan looked up and he had a smile on his face when seeing Clark and Kara. Both of them nodded in response.
"Clark, it's good to see you, I thought you had decided to leave town," Jonathan said. Martha looked at her husband. "Which is your right as an adult, but still...I would have hoped you wouldn't have left without saying goodbye."
"Hello, Kara, it's nice to see you," Martha said.
"It's nice to see you as well, Mrs. Kent, you too as well, Mr. Kent," Kara said. "We've just been discussing options with Clark's training."
There was a sense between both of them something was going on. Clark tried to appease this situation as best as he could.
"What's the damage?" Jonathan asked.
"None right now, because Kara fixed it," Clark said. He put his hands on the top of his head. "Jor-El….made some questionable decisions."
"Yes, we agree on that," Jonathan said. "So, are you leaving?"
"Actually, I can't," Clark said. "There's a lot of mess to clean up with the meteor fallout. If this is anything like the first meteor shower, there's going to be people infected. And not all of those people would be good upstanding people."
Jonathan thought he could count the meteor mutants who were decent people one hand.
"It's my responsibility to clean up the mess I caused," Clark said.
"Just remember, son, there are some things which are beyond even your control," Jonathan said. He hated as much as Clark did when things had gotten out of control, but he just rolled with the punches. "You can't save everyone."
Clark knew his father didn't discourage what needed to be done, as much as make him realize there were some things out of control.
"No, but I can't stop trying," Clark told his father. Jonathan blinked and responded with a swift nod.
Kara turned towards the Kents and looked at them with the most honest look possible.
"Thank you for taking in my cousin," Kara said. "It means a lot to me someone was there for him when I couldn't be."
"Most decent people would have been," Martha said. "And we do have the sense he found us, and wouldn't be taking no for an answer."
Kara thought Martha's assessment was not far from the truth.
"Chloe and Lana were both by here earlier," Martha said. "They both wanted to talk to you."
Clark smiled and nodded.
"Thanks for telling me," Clark said.
"And someone dropped this off on the porch," Jonathan said.
An envelope set on the table in front of them. Clark did not open the envelope right away, rather he scanned the inside of it to see if it had been booby-trapped with Kryptonite. The lack of lead lining around the envelope made it clear something was going on.
Clark opened up the envelope and dropped the pictures down on the table. Kara's mouth opened when she recognized the ship, or rather the symbols on them.
"These symbols, they are the mark of the BrainInactive Construct, Brainiac," Kara said. The Kents all looked at her and she figured some explanation was in order. "They were passed off of one of my mother's creations, Indigo."
"There's going to be trouble," Jonathan muttered.
"Putting it mildly," Kara said, running her hands through her hair and sighing. Her fingertips brushed against her scalp. "He brought about the end of Krypton, the cleansing of it for his master, and now he's made it to Earth, he could finish the job he started."
"You mean he's after Clark?" Martha asked.
"He won't get me," Clark said.
"The Disciples of Zod are just a harbinger what he has planned," Kara said. "Where's the ship located?"
Clark noticed the envelope had a LuthorCorp letterhead on it. Why would someone be sending him confidential information from LuthorCorp? Who inside LuthorCorp would be an ally to him at this time?
Who would risk the wrath of either Luthor to warn him? Actually, Lex might not have known the danger he was in. The young man's curiosity proved to be a problem.
So many questions, not enough answers, and a whole lot of problems.
Kara was deep in thought. There were a couple of problems. If Brainiac already left the ship, they were working with a rather useless vessel.
"He must have left by now ,which leaves the ship empty," Kara said.
"Do you think he could have left clues behind?" Clark asked.
Clark wondered if he was really going to break into a LuthorCorp facility. He had to for answers.
The door opened and Lois Lane walked in to prevent any further conversation from happening.
"Hey, Smallville," Lois said. She decided to step in and invite herself to dinner. "Kara, good to see you see you again, you too Mr. and Mrs. Kent."
Kara smiled at the brazen manner of this particular woman. It amused her to no degree. Lara wanted her son to have several wives, a collective of them.
Convincing him would be a challenge, but it would save a whole lot of heartache in the end. And it would be beneficial for him to have a support network with what is to come.
And given Brainiac was here, more challenges than ever before would be to come.
Chapter Five: Genesis Protocol Part One
Clark had a pretty good idea something rotten was going down in the state of LuthorCorp. Always, it seemed like there was a Luthor who was behind pretty much everything. It was something which was about as common as the sun coming up in the morning. Every time Clark turned around and noticed some kind of problem with LuthorCorp.
Half of the time, though, the intent might not have been malicious, and the other half of the time it was very malicious. Clark got straight to work, doing his research about as much as he potentially could. He had some ideas and knew one thing above all else. He had no choice, he needed to get inside of that facility right now.
Chloe stood next to him, frowning deeply at the explanation. She would have liked to think she was surprised.
"So, are you trying to say Lex has gotten his hands on the alien ship which crashed down underneath Lana's nose?" Chloe asked them both. Clark answered with one of the swiftest nods possible. To say Chloe looked disturbed about the possibilities would be putting things very mildly indeed. She took a second to consider what they said. "You know how his curiosity is."
"Yes," Clark said.
Chloe reached over and took a large drink from the cup of coffee in front of her face. She soaked in all of the thoughts which entered her mind. All of them were dreadful, and underlined a lot of the danger involved.
A shudder spread through Chloe's body and both of the Kryptonians turned their attention back towards her.
"You're thinking what we're thinking, aren't you?" Clark asked.
"What happens if he opens the ship?" Chloe asked. "That's what worries me, a lot."
All three of them looked on. Kara took a moment to try and take the situation in.
'It can't happen,' she thought.
"Opening the ship is the worst of our problems, trust me," Kara said. Chloe and Clark turned towards her, both of them offering questioning looks. "The person who occupied the ship, he's dangerous. The ship could have been rigged."
Kara took in a deep breath, and added, almost as an afterthought to her other words.
"And no one is going to open that ship unless he wants it to," Kara said. "And if he wants the ship opened, things are going to go from pretty bad, to really worse. It's not going to be pretty, not at all."
"So, I noticed," Clark muttered, more to himself than to Kara. He turned his attention towards Chloe. "So, I've done some research on the symbols."
Chloe almost looked up in surprise at Clark's revelation.
"You've done some research?" Chloe asked. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Clark Kent?"
"Hey," Clark said, in a half hurt voice. He could see the wide grin spreading over Chloe's face, as she teased him. "I'm perfectly capable of doing my own research, you know."
Chloe almost felt bad because of the look on Clark's face. She didn't want to imply he was incapable, it was just, him doing research felt so weird to her. Almost like Chloe took a side long trip and landed on some kind of Bizarre mirror universe.
"Just kidding, I swear," Chloe said. Clark smiled at her. "Actually, the moment to mentioned a couple of things, I've been doing some research as well…just on a hunch I had."
Clark knew about Chloe's hunches and her instincts. To say they were pretty much on the mark, at least most of the time would have been spot on if he was perfectly honest.
'I have a very bad feeling about this,' Clark thought.
Regardless, Clark shook off the bad feelings and turned back towards Chloe.
"So, you've been doing some research?" Clark asked. "What have you found?"
Chloe took a moment to put her thoughts together and decided to share what she found to the two Kryptonian survivors.
"Well, there's been…..a small slab with similar symbols which was found about three years ago," Chloe said. Kara and Clark both looked at her. Chloe reached into her folder and looked out a printout. "There have been scientists who have been trying, pretty much in vain, to uncover what was on that particular slab."
Clark decided to go for broke with his latest theory.
"The scientists who found the symbol?" Clark asked. Chloe's full attention was on him. "His name wouldn't happen to have been Milton Fine, would it?"
Chloe frowned. So he did do his research, she was a bit impressed. She shouldn't be, though, given how Clark could be fully capable of performing certain tasks when he really wanted to. It was just sometimes he needed the proper motivation to get things done.
"Funnily enough, his name would be Milton Fine," Chloe said. She flipped through her notes. "He leads a team of people, and….well he's a bit of an enigma."
"What makes him so strange?" Kara asked.
"He disappeared about eighteen months ago, which was about eighteen months after the discovery of this," Clark remarked. Chloe answered with a brief nod, confirming Clark's thoughts.
"Yes, he did….well up until about three weeks ago, when he reappeared underneath mysterious circumstances," Chloe said. "He claims he was away from a trip for his health."
Three weeks ago, around the time the meteor shower happened, Clark made a mental note. Actually could have been within a few days of said meteor shower happening. Maybe, Clark was doing his best to put two and two together, and was coming up with five, but there was something really rotten going on here, he could not place.
"Did he give any excuses?" Clark asked.
Chloe wasted little time answering. "It says he was away for health reasons."
"So, he claims he was away on a trip for his health, does he?" Clark asked.
"Well, it does make sense," Chloe said. "And he's wasting no time, he's been criticizing the Luthors for their business practices, and the fact they're keeping secrets….a bit of an irony, wouldn't you say?"
Clark thought that would be rich, if their theory was correct.
"Yeah, I'd say," Clark said. "Still, tracking him down would be a good start, wouldn't it?"
Chloe was about ready to agree with him about tracking Fine down. Something else hit her, though, some kind of strong feeling which she couldn't shake off. She didn't know, she had a very bad idea about all of this. And that very bad feeling was getting worse the longer she tried to hold it into her.
"Something wrong?" Clark asked her.
"No," Chloe said. "It's just…..be careful….just something about his mysterious disappearance and reappearance unsettles me a lot. I don't know…just is pretty rotten."
Clark thought there was something else on Chloe's mind. The look on her face showed Clark some kind of internal conflict going on in her head.
"You know you can tell me if there's something bothering you?" Clark asked.
Chloe took a moment to shake off these cobwebs.
"Thanks, Clark, it's just been a busy….last couple of months," Chloe said. "A lot to take in, and then there's college right around the corner. You know, just have to keep busy to keep from going insane."
Kara could tell there was something else though just by looking from her eyes. She reached a hand underneath the table and touched it to Clark's, offering him a brief warning, not to intervene in this particular situation.
"So, is there anything else, you found?" Kara asked.
"Well," Chloe said. She reached underneath the table and pulled it out to set it down. "There is this one thing….this writing…..I tried to blow it up as much as I can."
She dropped the piece of paper upon the table and in front of Clark and Kara. Clark's lips curled into a very obvious frown, and he understood in an instant what he was dealing with.
"It's…..Kryptonian," Clark said. "For Genesis."
To say Kara had been disturbed would be understating a few things greatly. Her heart started racing. She turned around and wrapped a hand around Clark's wrist.
"Clark, we need to go back to the Fortress, to check on something."
The two almost bolted, leaving a very confused Chloe sitting there. The term Genesis did unsettle her, though, just a small little bit.
'It can't be what I think it is,' she thought.
The two of them returned to the Fortress. Clark wondered what the hell Kara was thinking about the moment they touched down. He followed behind him, nerves going through the roof. He had always seen her rather reserved, at least for the most part. The only other thing she lost it before now was when she was dealing with Jor-El. Clark didn't understand what was going on here, the only thing he did, was he didn't like it.
Everything happened so fast, Clark didn't have a chance to logically ask any questions. He could hear Kara's heart beating pretty fast when the two of them flew all the way to the Arctic.
"Kara?" Clark asked. She only barely acknowledged him, almost slipping into some kind of trance or something. "Kara? KARA!"
Kara almost spun around. Clark caught her around the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. Kara began to breathe in and breathe out heavily.
"What?" Kara asked him, a bit shortly.
Clark stepped back and waved his hand. She looked at him, calming down.
"Sorry," Kara murmured.
Clark accepted her apology because they needed to get to the bottom of this and not waste time being upset with each other.
"You've gone all weird back there," Clark said. "You said we needed to get back to the Fortress, and here we are. Do you think you could explain what's going on here?"
Kara took a moment to step inside the Fortress, and she walked forward. She sank down onto one of the blocks of ice furniture and took in a deep breath. She motioned for Clark to sit down right across from her in a moment.
"Sorry, it's just….sins from Krypton's past coming back to haunt us," Kara said. "I know how dangerous Brainiac is but….if he's been here for a long time, then he's had more time to prepare than we think he had. And more time to prepare than we had"
The revelation struck Clark with all of the subtle force of another meteor shower.
"You think he's arrived on Earth before the meteor shower?" Clark asked.
Kara responded with a stiff nod. She knew what the menace which destroyed Krypton was capable of. The fact the Council took her mother's work and turned it around such made Kara a bit agitated. She had no idea what happened to Indigo, the prototype for Brainiac. But she knew she enjoyed the prototype better than the original.
"I know he has, and that means really bad news for both of us, and especially for Earth," Kara said. "And yes, before you ask, I know what Genesis means."
Clark was about ready to ask her what it meant. Kara raised a hand and prevented him from talking. She breathed in as fast as she could, taking in as many breaths per second as she can.
"Okay, now, I'm calm," Kara said. "The Genesis Protocol was the last ditch plan of my mother's to save Krypton. She wanted to find another planet, transport all of the Kryptonians into the Phantom Zone, sending one person ahead, and having them open a portal which would bring them all to the new planet. And yes, Earth was one of the planets they thought about."
Clark knew of a couple of logical flaws with this statement.
"Isn't it dangerous to do that?" Clark asked. "Didn't you say there were prisoners in the Phantom Zone?"
Kara answered with a nod and attempted to figure out how to use the Fortress to stop Brainiac.
'It might be a lot easier if Lara was here,' Kara thought. 'Reinstalling Jor-El's personality matrix is too risky.'
"Yes, yes, I did," Kara said. "It might have been dangerous, but it was some desperate times. It didn't really matter anyway, because even though she gave the plan, and even though her findings matched up with Jor-El's the Council disregarded it because Brainiac didn't think anything was wrong."
Clark took a moment to process all of this information. He looked in Kara's bright blue eyes, so intense right now.
"He had no idea the planet was dying?" Clark asked.
"Oh, he had an idea, but….by that point, he had been corrupted, and made his own plans to evacuate the planet," Kara said. "If he learned of Jor-El's plans to send you to Earth, well, he may be here to finish what he started."
Clark understood now what she meant. It was very hard to come to terms with all of this.
"It didn't matter anyway, no matter what, because I'm not sure if the plan would have worked," Kara said. "They believed Brainiac over some of the most prominent scientists in Krypton's time."
Clark sensed the frustration in Kara's mind. Hell, he would have been frustrated if he had to deal with a group of people who thought they knew everything, and refused to listen to reason.
"We're going to need to get the ship away from Lex," Clark said. Kara blinked at the firmness of his words. "Don't you agree it holds vital clues to what Brainiac is doing?"
Kara nodded, she most certainly didn't disagree.
"There's just a problem," Kara said. "I'm not sure if you saw the ship, but it's several times bigger than yours. It's even bigger than mine...so where are we going to put it?"
Clark considered what Kara said. Yes, that was a problem. One they would have to solve sooner rather than later.
"Let's worry about getting the ship away from Lex first," Clark said.
"Not to mention the fact the ship must have all sorts of defensive protocols to prevent theft," Kara said, brushing off Clark's words like they were nothing.
Clark wondered if Kara heard a word he said. He figured not, wishful thinking aside.
"There could be some very interesting resources on the ship, though," Kara said. "Brainiac could have traveled the universe in the years since the demise of Krypton."
"Could there be information that Jor-El didn't even uncover in there?" Clark asked. "That might not be in the Fortress database?"
Kara responded with a nod and a smile. She thought there was a pretty good chance there would be, even beyond what had been corrected.
"So, I guess your plan is the best plan we have," Kara said.
"Right," Clark said.
"So, what do we do?" Kara asked. "How do we get inside of the LuthorCorp Facility? Did our friend even tell us what facility it's been in? Can we even trust they're not pulling our legs?"
Clark thought these questions were completely valid, and he had no idea what to do. It was worth the risk, especially with the alternative being leaving this particular information in the hands of a Luthor who was desperate to gain it at all costs.
"It's not going to be easy," Clark said. "If Lex finds out, he'll have the ship moved. And that's if he doesn't find out it hasn't been compromised all ready."
Lana Lang thought her curiosity was pretty strong, almost to the point where it got her in a whole lot of trouble. No one had stronger curiosity though then the man who invited her to meet with him. The one and only Lex Luthor, who had last put her on a helicopter to get out of town when the meteors started falling.
This was a done after Lana, who had been possessed by one of her ancestors, had killed a woman. Granted the woman in question was more of a scheming, manipulative bitch than anything, but still.
She didn't remember it, only waking up with the blood on her hands. Hell, most of the last year had been a blur. The more Lana learned, the less she understood.
Regardless, Lex insisted she had arrived, and she figured she owed him a thank you for trying to help her. She didn't know what he was going on about, saying he found something she might find interesting.
Two of Lex's security guards escorted Lana up the hallway, and around the corner. The moment the two of them escorted her on in the office, they went their separate ways. One stopped and turned towards Lana.
"Mr. Luthor will be here to meet you in a second," the security guard responded.
Lana only answered with a nod, and the guards moved. She could see Lex's desk, neat and orderly. There was nothing of interest on the desk, not she would dare rifle through the personal belongings of a man of the stature of Lex Luthor.
"Good afternoon, Lana," Lex said. He stepped into the office. "How are you holding up?"
Lana answered his curiosity question with a slight smile and reclined back on the chair he had offered her in his office.
"I'm doing fine," Lana said. Lex nodded and responded with a swift smile directed towards her. "It's been a rough last couple of weeks, but…..I'm ready to move on."
Lex answered with a smile. The searching look in Lex's eyes made Lana wonder about what he was up to.
'Being possessed has made you paranoid,' Lana thought.
"Yes, I'm glad you recovered from what happened," Lex said. He did admire Lana for her resiliency, even if it would have left more than a few very obvious cracks in her psyche. "And you were right there when the ship came down, weren't you?"
"Yes," Lana said.
Lex slipped into the conversation he intended to have this entire time.
"The ship, it's a fascinating marvel, wouldn't you agree?" Lex asked a second later. He could see Lana who looked in straight in the eye. "It's remarkable when you really think about it. The secrets it must hold."
"I'm more worried about what came out of the ship, then the ship itself," Lana said.
Lex surveyed Lana over the other side of the desk and responded with a nod. It would be borderline difficult to open it up.
"And the two invaders just vanished as quickly as they appeared," Lex said. "Curious to see how something like that happens?"
"Yes, pretty weird," Lana said. "Even for Smallville."
"Yes," Lex said without skipping a beat. "Indeed."
He decided to switch gears.
"So, how is Clark doing?" Lex asked her.
Lana raised an eyebrow. It almost seemed like Lex now decided to go fishing for information. She didn't really know what to make of what he was saying.
"Oh, he's doing pretty well, as far as I know," Lana said.
"It's nice to see he's found biological family," Lex said. "The timing is convenient, but hey, I'm sure Clark's happy he's finally getting some answers to where he came from."
Lex casually dropping information like this to Lana made her wonder about his intentions. As far as she knew, and Lana could be mistaken, Lex and Clark didn't really talk that much these days.
"How did you know about that?" Lana asked. She responded, in a half joking, half serious manner. "You aren't stalking Clark, are you?"
"No, nothing of the sort," Lex said. "I just like keeping tabs on my friends, given there are so few….I like to look out for their best interests. I'd like to know more about his cousin though…what her intentions truly are. I'd watch out for her, Lana."
Lana frowned, wondering where Lex was going out. She thought Kara was fine, even if it was a bit odd she just popped up out of nowhere. Still, her intentions seemed pure, even though Lana wondered what made her not find Clark right away.
"You came across the ship," Lex said. "If you'd like, I would be happy to let you get a chance to take a look at it. See what the inner workings are like. Maybe together, we can penetrate the secrets of the universe, together."
Lana was rather curious about the point, she wasn't going to lie. Lex smiled, having reeled her in a little bit.
"Oh, and you shouldn't tell Clark about this," Lex said. "Not that we couldn't trust him, it's his new companion which is too much of a wild card."
Lana shifted, she was a bit uncomfortable about keeping secrets given how they blew up in her face in the past.
"Just think," Lex said. "This can really help all of mankind, they could open the door open for curing diseases, and just making the world a much better place."
Lex's phone rang on his desk.
"Do you think you can….."
"No problem," Lana said, scrambling outside of the office so Lex could have his private phone conversation in peac.
Something about this entire mess put Lana on the edge. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was about this mess which made her so edgy, though.
"Yes?" Lex asked.
"Mr. Luthor, you're a very hard man to get ahold of," the slick voice of one Dr. Milton Fine said over the phone.
Lex's tone shifted a few degrees colder when talking to the man on the other end of the phone.
"Yes, well, you've been very busy as of late, trying to discredit the Luthor name," Lex said. "What can I do for you?"
"You know I have a reputation to uphold, and there would be a lot of people questioning why I decided to work with you," Fine said. "You know all about appearances, and how they have to be kept up."
"Yes, I'm aware," Lex said, his voice flat and calm as it could potentially get.
Fine let things sink in for a couple of moments before responding and talking to Lex more.
"Keep a closer eye on the ship, and also on your father," Fine said. "You realize, Lionel could cause difficulties for both of us."
Lex could have laughed. Fine didn't really familiarize himself with current events.
"You do realize my father is just talking nonsense these days when he isn't drooling," Lex said. "I have…..taken the liberty of putting him away. He would have done the same for me, for my own good. He's a very sick man, ever since he touched that stone."
"Keep monitoring him," Fine warned Lex.
Lana stood outside of the office, trying not to listen in, but finding herself curious about the snatches of conversation which floated past her ear. She couldn't help to think there was some really weird game of power she was involved in, and she was merely a pawn.
The footsteps approached which Lana took it as a cue to step back and act like she hadn't just been eavesdropping on Lex's private phone conversation.
"Sorry about that," Lex said when opening his office door. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Do give what I said some thought, though."
Lana nodded in response. Whatever Lex was up to, it wasn't like she was going to find out any time soon.
Clark Kent made his way past the side entrance, which was the least secure point of the facility. A security guard dozed off against the wall. Kara took a step behind him, and needless to say, the Kryptonian survivor was on edge. Both of them were, come to think of it.
They moved deep inside without even the most token amount of resistance. Kara twitched and looked over her shoulder to stare at Clark.
"So, there's no security?" Kara asked.
Clark spent some time searching around the lab and turned back towards Kara.
"Be careful," Clark said.
He half expected the lab to be combing with researchers. Other than the one man working in his office, overlooking the ship, there was no people around. Kara and Clark locked eyes. They both had the same thought in their minds.
'Let's do this.'
Kara disappeared into a flash of light, prodded the back of the man's neck with a nerve pinch and rendered him unconscious in the blink of an eye.
She returned back to her position on the ground, and both of them stared at the ship. It just sat in the middle of the room, almost as if waited for them. This made matters worse, if at all possible.
"I'll go first," Clark told her. "Back me up in case things get bad."
Kara turned around and watched the door. The lack of security again put her on wit's end.
Clark approached the ship, and suddenly, it flashed away from him. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared in bright, blinding silver light. The act caused both Kryptonians to stand there, flummoxed for a moment.
"Must be some side of security protocol," Kara muttered.
Clark's eye twitched for a couple of seconds before he shook his head. Something funny flashed over his body.
"He has to be somewhere," Clark said. The hairs prickled on the back of his neck and again, not for the first time, he had a pretty bad feeling about it.
Clark took a staggering step back. He felt extremely light headed and the light headed feeling was worse.
"Clark," Kara said, catching him before he fell over. "Are you there?"
Kara struggled to hold Clark up, so he didn't fall down onto the ground.
"Kal, Clark, please, say something," Kara said.
The lack of response rose Kara's adrenaline and made her very nervous. He hands shook, barely able to hold Clark.
"I feel, strange," Clark said. He was a little light headed, and Kara struggled to hold him up.
"We're heading back to the Fortress," Kara said. "Just keep your head up, and hang on."
The two of them bolted out of the facility almost as quickly as they arrived. Kara didn't know what that flash of silver light was, all she knew was it caused Kal-El to be affected, and it worried her, extremely.
The doors swung open a split second after they cleared the area and Lex approached the ship. He noticed it sitting in the center of the room, just waiting to be analyzed. He frowned when skimming his eyes over the side of the ship. The symbols on the ship were blinking different colors, something Lex didn't notice before.
He opened his mouth wide and raised a hand. Lex touched the surface of the ship. No longer cool to the touch, but it felt warm as if the ship had been activated.
Lex turned over towards the three security guards who escorted him. He cleared his throat to get their attention.
"Yes, Mr. Luthor?"
"Make sure you search the premises," Lex said. "Someone has been here."
Maybe one of the research scientists found a way to activate the ship. The symbols finally started to calm down and rested in their normally static gray color.
'Very curious.'
Chapter Six: Genesis Protocol Part Two
Silver lights and numerous bright flashes rocked the mind of Clark. He could feel everything, countless thoughts pounding in the back of his head. Numerous whispers which stated there was something really bad happening around him.
Clark Kent felt a tiny bit delirious and the delirium got even worse the further he departed from the LuthorCorp sight. Kara flew him back pretty quickly, in a blink of an eye. She set him down on the examining table with the young man shaking.
It was a rather terrifying state to see him like this. Something inside that ship reacted to his Kryptonian biology. It caused her only mild tingles. Kara could only begin to guess what it meant.
Kara took one long look at him and could tell by the bloodshot, slightly glazed over look coming from his eyes, something was very wrong. She just didn't know what it was. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to affect her, and in fact, it had been geared mostly towards him.
'I don't understand it,' Kara thought. 'Maybe it may be because I spent sixteen years on Krypton, and he didn't. I was more used to some of the elements.'
One look at the sweat soaked forehead of Clark made Kara put her attention back on him.
"Just hang on, I'll figure out what's wrong," Kara said.
"What's wrong with me?" Clark demanded. He went from hot to cold and the throbbing which entered the back of his head grew in increased prominence. He wanted to scream because of the agonizing feeling entering the back of his head.
"I don't know, I'm sorry, but….I just don't know," Kara said. It took her a couple of moments to return to the test. She blocked the worry out of her mind.
The first scan didn't pick up anything wrong. Kara didn't believe those initial scans, though, she knew deep down there was something deeply wrong. Her cousin yelled out something, and sometimes his words didn't make sense. It was almost like he was trying to get out some strangled thoughts.
"Lex….he set me up!" Clark yelled. "After all, we've been through, he still set me up….I should have left him to drown, it would have served him right! He can't have….he just keeps sticking his nose in people's business, in my business. My secrets aren't his to learn, why just can't he….."
Clark descended back into a random, incoherent babbling. Kara bit down on her lip. This was one of the cases where she really wished Lara's AI had not been purged from the system. She would have been extremely useful right now. Kara clutched her hands around the edge of the Fortress's main console and continued to get to work.
'Damn, this is…..let's see, there's got to be something here, just think, think, think harder,' she thought to herself.
The scan had to be deepened further inside Clark's mind, beyond the conscious, deep inside the subconscious. Clark continued his babbling and was getting very agitated. His inability to sit still also made Kara a bit more nervous.
'He won't allow me to help him,' Clark thought.
"Kal-El, please sit still!" Kara yelled a bit more shorter than she wanted to. She didn't want to have to knock him out.
Clark managed to calm down long enough for Kara to get back to work. She still was able to feel those piercing eyes locked onto the back of her neck, giving her a pretty intense stare down. Kara didn't really let it bother her, at least she really didn't let it bother her too much.
"Find out please, I'm not sure…..I'm not sure what's going on," Clark managed, taking in a deep breath. I just feel…..I can't explain it…..but…something is wrong."
Kara imagined something was wrong. She tapped into the scan and frowned. She located something, lingering around the back of Clark's neck. She punched it up on the screen to get a better look.
"Nanites, you've been infected with nanites from the light on the ship," Kara said.
Clark focused his thoughts on the facts and nothing but, instead of the paranoid delusions popping through his head.
"What…is there any way to purge them?" Clark asked. "Why are they making me so…..you're holding back something, aren't you?"
Clark's accusatory tone hit Kara with all of the subtle force of the punch to the stomach. Kara managed not to waver, at least not to her credit. She peered forth into the eyes one her cousin.
"I think he created synthetic silver Kryptonite," Kara informed him. "It's…."
"How many forms of Kryptonite are there?" Clark asked. His heart started to beat at a rapid fire rate, sounding off like a gunshot in the back of his chest. "And why didn't I know about this?"
Kara sighed. There had been oversights to be honest. Different chemical radiations in the planet caused different forms, some rarer than others. Green was the most abundant, with red the second most abundant. Gold had been the rarest, and yet also the most dangerous.
"Way too many apparently, although it's very rare," Kara said. "It causes paranoia and delusions, causes the person involved to lose all sense of reality."
This very notion snapped Clark back into life. He took in a deep breath and looked at Kara. Their eyes met each other, as he was almost pleading for her to do something.
"What do we do?" Clark asked Kara. He took in a deeper breath looking back to her. "There has to be a way to get rid of this…infection, isn't there?"
Kara heard the desperation in the voice of her cousin. She didn't know what to do. She had a couple of choices in mind, and she wasn't sure if they would really work.
"Maybe if I consult Jor-El….."
Clark rose up on the table. Kara got a look at his red face and bloodshot eyes. His fingers twitched when he looked back at her. The fire in his eyes made Kara step back, opening her mouth wide in fear.
"Oh, it's about him isn't it, he's just…he's just biding his time, waiting to test me isn't he?" Clark asked. "It's always Jor-El, likely it's one of his tests, it's always one of his tests. For my oh so important destiny, and I'm sure there are other people in on it….maybe you're in on it as well."
"Kal-El what are you talking about?" Kara asked even though she knew completely what he was implying.
"Maybe you're one of his tests as well!" Clark yelled. He grew completely agitated. Everyone around him was always conspiring to keep him down, hell, Lana, Chloe, Lex, they might have been all in on this for all he knew. Hell, he couldn't even trust his parents. "It would be just like Jor-El, to send someone here, where I think I could trust them."
Kara tried to bite her tongue.
"You can trust me!" Kara yelled. "I wouldn't…"
Clark's angry eyes made Kara almost drop her head. She knew paranoia had hit him, but thanks to his father, he had some trust issues.
"You could be in on this, just like the rest of them, just like….."
Kara did something which wouldn't have exactly helped with the trust issues. She rushed across the Fortress and nailed Clark in the side of the face. One punch dropped him down onto the ground. Before he could wake up, she secured him to the medical table.
"I know you don't mean anything you said," Kara said. "But, I need you to trust me, and….I'll find out how to fix what is messing with your mind."
Kara saw the Silver Kryptonite shards attached themselves to the base of Clark's brain, which did not bode well for her. She would not have been able to remove them without killing them.
'Maybe there's another way,' she thought, seeing Clark stir. 'Not sure how long that's going to hold, though.'
A few thoughts entered Kara's mind. She wondered if the plan would work.
Chloe paced around, thinking she might have worn out a hole in the rug she was walking around. She just was worried something happened to Clark and Kara. They were going off to check out something regarding the alien ship which crashed. The ship which now happened to be in the possession of one Lex Luthor, which didn't shock Chloe in any way whatsoever.
'Always a Luthor,' Chloe thought to herself, half amused by the thought. 'That's one thing which is about as clear as the sun rising in the morning. It's always one of them.'
Last she heard, Lionel had been sent away for reasons of his health. Chloe wasn't sure she bought it, something seedier was afoot there. Still, Lex had managed to bury the real reason for his father's absence, maybe out of concern it would agitate certain parties.
And maybe out of some tiny shred of respect, if such a thing existed in the house of Luthor. Chloe tried to figure out the high level chess game the Luthors played and she realized they were way in over their heads.
Regardless, Chloe turned her attention back towards Clark. She admired the new ambition he showed, but she didn't know how long it would last. Regardless, Kara had been there as an encouraging influence on him and had connected with him in a way she hadn't managed to connect on.
'It's really frustrating how I haven't been able to penetrate his thick skull,' Chloe thought to herself, almost amused at this particular fact. 'Maybe I needed a chisel.'
'Oh, you've been there for him for years, don't forget how that's appreciated.'
Chloe always thought about engaging the voice which randomly popped inside of her head. Something held herself back, though. Maybe it had to do with the fact by engaging the voice inside of her head, it would be a confirmation of her own madness. Call it a crazy hunch, call it whatever, but that's how Chloe figured things would work in a situation like this.
A phone ringing prevented her from spending another moment of her life thinking about it. Chloe spent very little time debating on whether to answer the phone, she needed something to keep her mind off of the madness after all.
"Chloe?" Lana asked.
"Yeah, I'm here," Chloe said. "What do you need?"
"I just got back from meeting with Lex," Lana said. "And he's been acting….a bit off."
Chloe tried to hold back the obvious sarcastic response, and try and be a bit smoother in getting to the facts of the matter. The fact Lana opened up in such of a way threw her for a loop.
'Wonder if I took a headlong trip into Bizarro World,' Chloe thought to herself. 'Guess the situation must be serious.'
Curiosity got the better of her to be honest.
"What do you mean?" Chloe said.
"He seems to know about Kara first of all, almost like someone tipped him off about her," Lana said.
Chloe took a moment to sigh. Always trying to find out information which he shouldn't.
"He always knows about things he shouldn't, and yet, has never been able to figure out what's underneath his nose," Chloe said, almost smugly at the fact he still hadn't figured out the secret of Clark Kent.
Granted, she had to have it practically shoved underneath her nose by Alicia, so Chloe shouldn't have been one to cast stones. She did have all of the pieces for years, but there had been a very obvious blind spot which prevented her from putting together.
She returned to her research while Lana explained the meeting.
"He wants my help to research the ship for some reason," Lana said. "It's...I don't know, it's not like I'm an expert on alien ships. I don't know what help I could give him."
"Maybe he wants to know everything you've seen," Chloe said. "Maybe…..actually, you were there when those alien invaders came out of the ship, weren't you?"
The sigh indicated Lana had been trying to forget this particular point.
"Sorry," Chloe said.
"Yes, thank you for reminding me," Lana said.
Chloe didn't mean any ill-will with reminding Lana of a potentially traumatic event.
"He wants the ship open," Chloe said. "And he thinks you might have seen something which could help him open up the ship."
"I didn't see how they opened the ship!" Lana yelled. She took a deep breath, calming down. "It landed...I was shocked, and the next thing I knew….two alien invaders came out of the ship, just like that."
Chloe could understand how something like that would happen in a blink of an eye.
"He's also talking to someone on the phone, a….Doctor Fine I think he was," Lana said.
'Bingo,' Chloe thought to herself. Something was adding up there.
Chloe tried not betray her happiness of having clear information, finally. It was about time something happened.
"So, what did Doctor Fine have to say?" Chloe asked.
"Well, I don't know."
Chloe was afraid of that.
"He tried to get me out of there in a real hurry," Lana continued. "It's almost like he didn't want anyone to know the two of them were talking, or something."
"Maybe it was because he didn't want anyone to know about it," Chloe said.
Chloe absent-mindedly worked on the computer, tracking down a lead. One of her sources in Gotham City came through with something. She had just dug up something very interesting, a lab Fine owned which had been shut down under mysterious circumstances and abandoned. No one was there.
Well, no one on record yet. To be honest, the critical comments made by one Milton Fine regarding the Luthors piqued Chloe's interest. Now, the fact he was actually talking to Lex.
"Lana, I'll call you back later," Chloe said. "I'm actually waiting for Clark to call me back about something."
"Oh, right," Lana said. She sounded a bit put off but managed to retain her good spirits. "I'll talk to you later."
Chloe hated lying, but, she had gotten so good at it over the years. She found something very interesting she could take a look at. Did she wish she had Clark for back up when she went there? Yes, you better believe it, but still, she could hardly wait to go there.
It wouldn't be the first time she took a really restless risk.
'What's the worst that can happen?'
Clark woke up from his very groggy state. He couldn't believe Kara knocked him out, but a small, ever-shrinking sliver of himself was very glad she managed to do so. He looked up to see Kara standing at his bedside. She was holding something wrapped in a box inside her hand.
"What are you doing?" Clark demanded. His breathing grew heavier when locking his eyes on his cousin. "What do you have in your hand?"
Kara honestly hoped this idea would work. If not, they were pretty much screwed, and not in a good way.
"The answer to our problems, I hope," Kara said. She leaned towards Clark and touched a finger to his lips. He stared back at her, looking frustrated. "The silver Kryptonite nano-bots are inflaming your brain."
Clark looked towards her. He realized she had a point. He didn't have to like it, but she had a point. He nodded slowly and swiftly. The paranoid thoughts threatened to resurface about how everyone was out to get him.
Kara was glad she had been able to get through Clark, at least in this particular regard. She decided to press forward, striking while the iron was hot.
"While you've been taking a nap," Kara said. She allowed pause for Clark to glare at her at her choice of terminology. "I've been skimming through the database at the Fortress."
Clark looked up at her. His heart almost constrained. He was pretty sure the rapid, irregular heartbeats were not healthy, even for a Kryptonian such as himself.
"What did you find?" Clark growled.
He wished to break free and smash something, smash this entire Fortress even. He had a feeling if he destroyed the Fortress, it would cause his problems.
"Well," Kara said. "This is a theory, but I think the malady can be cured by a stronger, more potent source of energy. And I just happen to have the solution to our problems right here."
Clark wondered exactly what she meant by solving the problem. He eyed the mysterious black box in her hand with a bit of suspicion. The box opened up and Clark came face to face with a very familiar looking red rock. His gasp grew even more obvious when looking down at the ring.
'You've got to be kidding me!'
"That's your solution?" Clark asked. He tried to keep his gaze steady when directed towards Kara. "Your solution is to douse me with Red Kryptonite?"
Kara shook her head. Now he mentioned it, it didn't sound like a good idea. But it was a last ditch effort to try and help him in any way she could.
"I know it's…insane," Kara said. "But….."
Clark almost snapped his way out of the restraints. A second attempt, there was no almost about it, he did snap himself out of his restraints. Thankfully, though, he made no motion to attach Kara. Rather he sat on the edge of the operating table, taking a deep and very calm breath.
"You realize the Red Kryptonite….it removes my inhibitions….and I'm holding myself back from doing something I regret right now," Clark said. He drew in his deeper breath. "And...I might end up strangling you because of the Silver Kryptonite. I hope you know that."
Kara didn't even bat an eyelash because of his comment.
"Yes, I'm aware," Kara said. "And it's a risk I'm willing to take, especially if it means purging your system. And…if I'm right, there are other emotions more ingrained in you which are going to be…stronger than your paranoia. We're just going to need the Red Kryptonite to get it out."
Their eyes met together. Kara rested the hand which was not holding the box on top of Clark's hand. A second passed when the two of them shared a long look.
"I know this is the worst thing to say, especially when you've been gripped with paranoia," Kara said. She continued to meet Clark's eyes. "But, I really, and truthfully need you to trust me this time."
Clark's hand ensnared Kara's for a moment. He gave it a firm squeeze and extended his finger.
"I didn't really want to do this under these circumstances," Kara murmured to herself.
She slipped the Red Kryptonite ring on Clark's finger. Ten of the longest seconds of her life passed when Clark's eyes flashed over. The red energy coursed through his body and started to replace his paranoid emotions with slightly different ones.
'Waiting is always the hardest part.'
Kara waited for to see what he would do. Waited to see whether or not he would jump her, or strangle her. Every second seemed like an eternity, hammering out the time on the clock.
Clark looked at Kara, eyes glowing.
"I've wanted to do this for a very long time."
Clark grabbed Kara and pulled her into a rough kiss, forcing his tongue into her mouth with sexual aggression. Kara could take his lust fueled actions, though. Her tongue pushed against his, and the two battled for domination.
He lifted Kara up into the air and hurled her down onto the operating table. Kara landed firmly on the operating table and Clark jumped on top of her, pinning her down on the table. Kara squirmed underneath him and Clark leaned down, kissing her on the side of the neck.
"Now that I have you, I'm not letting you go," Clark said. He ripped off Kara's top to reveal her firm breast in a lacy red bra.
Kara looked up at him, with a smirk in response.
"Less talking, more action."
'That it, Kal, let's sweat it out.'
Clark pulled off more of Kara's body. Her round breasts popped out. Clark wrapped his hands around them and squeezed them. The more she moaned, the more he squeezed them, before leaning down and kissing the side of her neck.
"KAL!" Kara yelled at the top of her lungs.
She could feel his hot mouth working some real magic on the side of her neck. Every nip on the side of the blonde's neck was rough, and it made her really hot for him.
"You like that, don't you?" he growled. Clark kept kissing down the side of her neck and working his way down her body. He put his hand between her legs and tore off her bottoms as well, revealing her wet panties. "You've been wanting this for a long time."
Clark's hand rubbed Kara's dripping hot pussy. The beautiful blonde squirmed underneath his fingers, body heating up with an unlimited amount of lust. She could barely hold herself back. The excitement caused her body to burn up something fierce.
"Yes, baby, I've wanted this for so long."
Clark rammed three fingers into Kara's dripping wet pussy and jackhammered them inside. He was relieved to see someone who could take everything he had, without him being able to hold back. Finally, he could let loose.
"The fact you're my cousin, and I'm feeling this, this is all your fault," Clark said. He drilled those fingers into her pussy for a little bit longer before pulling them out. "Here, taste these?"
Clark shoved his cum soaked fingers into Kara's mouth. She took them into her mouth without warning and sucked on them like she would if Clark shoved his cock into her mouth.
Speaking of which, Clark's pants grew a fair bit constricted. He closed his eyes and tried to keep himself from busting out of his pants, which was easier said than done from this particular angle. Clark reached over and ripped off his pants.
"This is what you want, isn't it?"
Clark's cock sprung out and smacked Kara in the face. She watched as the thick, veiny, perfection came out. She got a nice long look at all twelve inches of thick meat. She looked up towards him, licking her lips.
"You need my cock inside of you, don't you?" Clark asked her. Kara nodded, biting down on her lip with a sultry expression on her face. "You'd die without me shoving my cock inside you, and fucking your pretty little brains out."
Kara grew hotter at the thought of being underneath him. His length sliding in between her legs and stretching out her body on it, the thought of which enticed Kara a whole lot.
"Yes," Kara said, her voice breathy and needy. "I want your cock inside me. I want you to shove me down on the bed and fuck me cross-eyed. Please, Kal, please….please baby cousin, let me show you how much I love you."
Kara grabbed Clark's cock as she said this and pumped it. She bent down to kiss the tip of his cock and started to do things Clark never even dreamed of happening with her tongue and mouth. All this did was inflame his lust for her.
Clark pulled away from her and pushed her back onto the table. He reached down and grabbed her hips, pushing her thighs apart. Her wet pussy shined in the light for him. She looked so tight and so inviting. With his cock properly lubricated with her saliva, Clark knew exactly what he wanted to do.
"You've been asking for this the entire time, since we met," Clark said. "You've been bending over in front of me, thinking I wouldn't notice."
"No, I hoped you would notice," Kara said. "What are you doing to do about it?"
Clark mounted his cousin and rammed his cock into her hard while grabbing both hands full of her hair. He rammed down into her tight pussy and viciously slammed his cock into her body.
Kara was kind of glad this first encounter was without any inhibitions, because it would have been very awkward otherwise. Clark's own primal instincts lead him through pounding her pussy. Every time his cock pushed into her from above, Kara could feel a jolt.
Clark buried his frustration and his cock inside his cousin's wet quim. Kara felt so good, and Clark didn't waste any time fucking her. All of the women around him were attractive, and if he had a chance, he would take them as well. But, good old Clark Kent would never do that.
"You're cumming already?" Clark asked, almost amused at the fact her pussy clamped around his thick throbbing cock when he buried it inside her.
"Yes," Kara said. "I told you I was hot for you."
Her legs ensnared Clark's body and encouraged him to fuck her. He placed a hand on the side of Kara's leg and started to run it up and down her leg. Clark continued the thick and heavy pounding of his cousin's perfect pussy. Each time his cock rammed into her, he could feel her close in around him. Clark's hard penis shoved further into her hot body.
"You're making me cum so hard."
Clark's entire cock had been surrounded by a type of warmth he never experienced before. He worked his cousin to another orgasm. His balls slapped against her. He stroked her legs and then moved up to fondle her breasts.
Kara's hands reached up to encourage Clark to take the plunge. He dove face first into between Kara's generous tit flesh and began to motherboard her. She ran her hands through his hair at the continuous fucking.
"Yes, you make me so hot, my little cousin grew up so strong, and big, you're making me so happy," Kara said. She ran her hands down Clark's strong and muscular back when he continued to pound her. "You're going to make me cum so hard…..so….hard...SO FUCKING HARD!"
Clark tightened his grip on her hips when pounding away at her. He continued to suck her breasts which caused the volume of cum burning through his balls to increase. He needed to ram his cock into this pussy in the worst way possible.
Kara's hips jumped up to meet Clark's hard thrusts. Her entire body lit up with increasing pleasure. She knew the end would be cumming sooner rather than later.
"Don't hold back," Kara said. "Shoot your big load inside me Kal-El….if you pull out, I'll be upset."
Clark had no intention of pulling out of her. He continued to ride Kara. Her multiple orgasms shooting over his cock gave him a feeling he never thought he could have. The warmth of her seat slid over him.
Kara took note of his balls slapping against her thighs every time he came up and brought himself down. The intense pounding sped up, and Kara could only raise her hips to meet Clark's incoming thrusts several times. She pushed those nails into the side of his neck and continued to encourage him to drive all the way down inside of her.
"Getting so close," Kara murmured. "I can feel it? Can you feel it?"
Clark felt it already. He just hung onto Kara and rode out her slick walls. They hugged his cock and made the ability to shoot his cum into her so much better.
The two cousins screamed when Clark buried his cock into Kara one more time and began to fire a never ending stream of cum inside of Kara. She milked him, squeezing his cock hard.
"Damn, you really wanted my cum," Clark said. He leaned down and pushed his mouth against Kara's ear, sucking on her ear lobe.
"More than life itself," Kara encouraged him.
The fluids spilled into Kara's dripping hot center. Clark rode her all the way to the conclusion and pulled out of her.
The moment she flipped over to present her sweet, round ass, Clark's rod hardened again. Her thighs spread in the most inviting way possible.
Clark Kent, Kal-El, no matter who was in the driver's seat, would be foolish not to take the invitation. So he rammed his cock deep inside Kara, stretching out her warm pussy on his throbbing hard rod.
Kara set herself in for the long haul, enjoying the pounding of her cousin's cock when it buried itself deep into her insides and stretched her out in different ways.
Several rounds of fevered intercourse passed before the Red Kryptonite ran its course. The solo silver Kryptonite burned out and the scan read as clean. Kara and Clark in the meantime collapsed in a heap of sweat and sexual fluids. Clark wrapped his arms around Kara and placed his hands underneath her breasts.
'Okay, I'm pretty sure that did wonders in curing him,' Kara thought. 'It might have given his immunity a boost.'
She regretted nothing, though. It was only inevitable, and hopefully, with that out of their systems, they could move forward in their relationship.
Kara wasn't going to lie. This little encounter went better than expected.
'It's likely nothing.'
Chloe stepped in front of the office and placed her hand on the doorknob. She turned it and much to her surprise, the office door clicked open.
'Okay, that was much too easy.'
Chloe walked into the office and moved her way towards the desk. She took in the contents of this room and realized someone had been in here more recent than about a year ago. There was not a half inch of dust or anything which indicated this place had been unoccupied for quite some time.
'Okay, is there a secret switch around here somewhere?'
Chloe kicked back the rug right next to the desk and got down on her hands and knees, feeling around on the floor. She realized there was nothing here.
Rising to her feet, the inquisitive young woman noticed a box of something set out on the desk. She frowned, wondering what it was. She placed her hands on the box.
Images of crystal towers fell when people screamed in terror. The red sun set on a planet with extraordinary architecture for the last time.
'You need to get out of here, now.'
Chloe didn't hasten to listen to the voice inside of her head. She turned around to go face to the face with one Milton Fine.
"You're in the wrong place at the wrong time, aren't you?" he asked in one of those creepy tones of voice which didn't have the slightest hint of emotion in them. Chloe took a half of a step back, pressed up against the desk.
"I'm….I'm….looking for a friend of mine….."
Chloe's words fell upon deaf ears.
"You're a terrible liar," Fine said. "The shortness of breath, the sweaty palms, the fact you seem to be eying up a convenient exit….all marks of someone who has been caught doing something they shouldn't have been and are somewhere they shouldn't be."
Chloe tried to make a break for it. Fine's hand grabbed her around the shoulder and prevented her from making said break. The moment he laid hands on her, he realized something.
"Something intriguing about you," Fine said. He put pressure on Chloe and her knees buckled, rendering her out for the ten count. "I'm going to have to figure it out later, right now….there are more pressing matters to take care of."
He scooped the woman up off the ground and marched her over. He moved into the next room, into a utility area. He took extra care to secure her.
"I hope you're comfortable because you're going to be here for a long time. At least until I'm ready to take you apart and see what makes you tick."
Fine turned around, well aware the Kryptonian had been poisoned. That particular part of his plan had worked out about as well as could be expected. The other problem was the other Kryptonian was here ahead of schedule.
She could still be an asset, in delivering the son of Jor-El to his master. It would take some swift manipulation on his part.
Fine departed from the office leaving an unconscious Chloe leaned against the wall, secured, with no place to go.
'Chloe, Chloe, it's time to wake up,' the voice told her.
'Just five more minutes,' Chloe mentally mumbled, getting a bit agitated at being roused from such a fitful state of sleep.
'You need to wake up, my son…he could be walking into a trap,' he said.
'Wait, your son?' Chloe asked, snapping back awake at these words. 'You're….just who are you?'
'It's a very long story,' the voice in Chloe's head responded. This caused Chloe's voice to take a dryer inflection.
'Well, I'm very much tied up at the moment, so we've got time to kill,' she thought.
'Very well, my name is Lara.'