Announcement

**protector91** · 09-09-2010, 03:33 PM

A/N: Ok so I�m finally back with this story. Here�s how things are going to go with this story. I am not going to rewrite every episode of season 1. Some episodes will either be skipped over, but referenced and some will be rewritten with the basic plot of the episode still standing, but with changes made to them. Two of those episodes will be �Obscura� and �Tempest�. Enjoy!

Clark super sped back to the Kent farm in under a few seconds. He noticed that the lights weren�t on and figured his parents were probably asleep. He slowly opened the back door and quietly started to sneak over to the stairs when the lights clicked on.

�Going somewhere?� His mom asked sitting at the kitchen table.

�Why don�t you take a seat,� Jonathan said pointing at the empty chair. Clark jumped into the chair and took a sigh.

�We haven�t heard from you all day Clark. We were beginning to get worried,� Martha said.

�You want to tell us where you�ve been all night?� Jonathan asked his son.

�You know how Smallville High has that Scarecrow tradition?� Clark asked his parents.

�Yeah; it�s been going on since I went there,� Jonathan responded.

�Well I was selected,� Clark honestly answered them.

�Hold on son,� Jonathan said. �Even if you were selected you could�ve cut yourself free no problem.�

�I know it�s just that; you know how I always get sick whenever I�m around Lana�s necklace? Whitney was wearing it when he jumped me and he put it around my neck. If Lex hadn�t found me and untied me I�d still be stuck in that field,� Clark revealed. He decided for now to keep quiet about the octagon he found on Whitney.

�What was Lex Luthor doing out there?� Jonathan asked now curious.

�I was in the field next to the Luthor Corp plant. He must�ve seen Whitney leaving the field and decided to check it out,� he explained hoping they�d drop the subject before he had to reveal any more information.

�Is there anything else you haven�t told us Clark?� Jonathan asked him.

�No; nothing at all,� Clark lied. The last thing he needed to do was to tell them that some familiar object fell into the wrong hands and about the disastrous results that followed. Jonathan didn�t look like he believed Clark, but he didn�t push the matter. Taking his silence as a �you can go� Clark got up and left.
Once Clark was safely out of earshot Jonathan said to Martha, �Do you get the feeling we didn�t get the full story?�

�Yes, but let�s look at it this way. What�s the worst thing that could�ve possibly happened? It�s Clark after all.�
_

Smallville High � The Next day

Rudy Jones sat at one of the desks in one of them many classrooms absentmindedly spinning the octagonal disk on top of it. He really wasn�t sure what to do with it. He�d never seen anything like the small symbols on it, but honestly speaking, who was he going to show this to?

�Rudy?�

�Mr. Kent,� Rudy said grabbing and pocketing the disk before he could see him. �Is there something I can do for you?� He asked.

�No; this is where my first class is actually. What are you doing here?� Clark asked the janitor.

�Prolonging the task of cleaning up the mess in the science lab caused by that mini earth quake or who knows what,� he answered heading out the door.

�Rudy always looks so depressed,� Clark thought. �Then again working two janitorial shifts at both a high school and the Luthor Corp. plant could do that to anyone. Clark�s cell phone buzzed and he checked the text message he received.

Meet at the Torch after class. You aren�t going to believe this!

- Chloe

�You got a message too huh,� Clark�s best friend Pete said from behind Clark.

�Hi Pete,� Clark greeted.

�Where were you last night Clark? You missed some pretty strange and entertaining stuff at the dance.�

�Like what?� Clark asked feigning ignorance of the events he knows all too well.

�First, one of the cheerleaders stole Rudy�s master keys and locked herself in the bathroom after her boyfriend dumped her. The other girls made a pathetic attempt to calm her down; it was hilarious man. But the strangest thing that happened though was that there was some kind of mini earth quake or something like that; I�m not sure. It was over after a few minutes. I, Chloe, and Lana went inside to look for Whitney when we noticed he wasn�t outside. We found the jock lying on the floor.�

�How is he?� Clark asked hoping that he wasn�t hurt from the fight.

�He has one maybe two broken ribs, but he won�t show that he�s in pain; after all he is the captain of the football team. Speaking of football I wonder what poor sucker the football team chose to be the Scarecrow.� Clark didn�t respond to Pete�s comment and just took his seat. He never wanted to be reminded of being the scarecrow ever again.

The rest of the day flew by faster than a speeding bullet. Clark exited his last class with the disk still on his mind. He was beginning to wonder if he should�ve told his parents about it now. After all he has no idea what even happened to the thing. Any one of his classmates could�ve taken it by now and for all he knows it could�ve attached itself to them. As he looked up he saw one of the students bump into a girl and made her drop all her books. The girl knelt down to pick them up and Clark jogged over to help her.

�Let me help you with those,� Clark offered.

�Thanks,� the girl responded. They both reached for the last book and grabbed it at the same time. Clark and the girl looked up at each other and Clark was at a loss for words. She was probably the most beautiful girl Clark had ever seen. She was even prettier than Lana. Clark heard the girl laugh a little and he realized how stupid he must look staring at her. Clark cleared his throat and held out his hand. �I�m Clark; Clark Kent.� The girl took his hand and shook it.

�Nice to meet you. My name is Tess Mercer.�

�I haven�t seen you around school before,� Clark said as they stood up.

�Just moved here,� Tess said to him. Clark was about to continue when his cell buzzed again and he saw Chloe left him a message asking him where he was.

�Well I have to be somewhere now. It was nice meeting you Tess. Hope you like Smallville. Maybe I�ll see you around,� Clark said to her and then ran off for the Torch.

Tess smiled. �I think I�m going to like it here.�
_

�What took you so long?� Chloe asked Clark as he entered the Torch.

�Just helping out a new student,� Clark answered as he took a seat next to Pete.

�You mean Tess Mercer?� Chloe asked him.

�Yeah; how did you know about her?�

�I met her first period. She seems nice, but on to more important matters. You guys are never going to believe this.�

�What? Did the cheerleaders all die a fiery and slow death like you�ve always secretly wanted them to?� Pete jokingly asked.

�Very funny, Pete� she said with an eye roll. �Anyway I�ve done it. I�ve actually done it.�

�Done what?� Clark asked.

�Don�t leave us in suspense,� Pete added.

�I�ve got evidence of the appearance of a meteor freak at this very school!� She exclaimed in quick excitement. Clark swallowed thickly; was his identity blown?

�What evidence Chloe?� Pete asked. Chloe directed their view towards her computer where a picture of a blur was on her screen. �Chloe; you do realize that blur could be anything? It could be well� well��

�Well what?� Chloe asked putting her hands on her hips.

�Well� anything but a bird or a plane at least,� he said. �Who was using the camera that night anyway?�

�Sorry Pete. Protected source,� Chloe told him.

�He�s right Chloe you can�t be certain that this was a meteor freak.� Clark said to her.

�You got a better suggestion?�

�Well. No,� Clark answered. �You aren�t thinking of running this in the Torch are you though? I mean how are you going to run this by the principal?�

�I already did and you know what he said?� Clark felt very nervous now. �He said absolutely not.� Chloe revealed. Clark silently thanked Principal Kwan in his mind.

�However, he did say to me that if I managed to find better evidence he�d be fine with me printing the story. That�s what I�m going to do boys and you�re going to help me.�

�I don�t think the principal was being serious Chloe. He might�ve said that just to get you off his back about the story,� Clark suggested.

�Well he made a mistake presenting me with a challenge Clark. By the time you, me, and Pete are done investigating we�re going to find out who this guy is,� Chloe said putting her hands on Clark and Pete�s shoulders.

A/N: Three guesses as to who got that shot of Clark at the homecoming dance. My updates for this story aren�t going to be fast I can tell you that much. I know how I want to carry out the major parts of the story. Getting to said major parts is the problem. See ya!

**dotsie23** · 09-09-2010, 03:48 PM

One of my guesses would be Jimmy Olsen or Olson? I'm dying to read more of this story! It's gotta lot of mystery which I love!

**protector91** · 09-09-2010, 04:01 PM

Thanks dotsie. Your review will definetly get me to update the story quicker. I just need to get my ideas in order first. Were you surprised that the girl Clark was talking to was Tess of all people?

**dotsie23** · 09-09-2010, 04:03 PM

Originally posted by protector91

Thanks dotsie. Your review will definetly get me to update the story quicker. I just need to get my ideas in order first. Were you surprised that the girl Clark was talking to was Tess of all people?

That was a BIG surprise! I knew it wasn't Chloe because Clark had just talked to her and at first I thought it was going to be someone like that psycho Prom Queen who died and took over the other kid's bodies! or Zatanna!

**protector91** · 09-10-2010, 03:33 PM

Glad I surprised you. Next chapter should be up either late tonight or sometime tommorow afternoon. It takes place during Hot Head. I would very much like to cut ahead to Obscura and Tempest, which are the most important parts of my story thus far, but alas I need to build up certain events.

**dotsie23** · 09-10-2010, 06:25 PM

Originally posted by protector91

Glad I surprised you. Next chapter should be up either late tonight or sometime tommorow afternoon. It takes place during Hot Head. I would very much like to cut ahead to Obscura and Tempest, which are the most important parts of my story thus far, but alas I need to build up certain events.

I'm looking forward to the Hot Head chapter! A lot of the first season episodes are my favorites!

**protector91** · 09-10-2010, 07:05 PM

A/N: Here are the other episodes that I’m going to put my own spin on as well. They are Hothead (this chapter), Leech, Jitters, Rogue, and Nicodemus in addition to Obscura and Tempest; maybe a few others. We’ll see. Starting next chapter with Jitters I will be writing at least two chapters for each episode. Tempest might get more; four at the most. Lex will appear next chapter.
Clark stood outside of Lana’s door; Lead box with her necklace tucked under his shoulder. Taking a deep breath he opened the box and pulled out the necklace. The feeling of it against his skin burned. Clark fought back against the pain and hung the necklace on the door knob before knocking and super speeding away before he wound up fainting on Lana’s front porch.

“Hello?” Lana asked stepping onto the front porch. She stopped when she saw her necklace. Whitney told her that he lost it somewhere in the corn field. She had been tempted to go into the field and find it, but it looks like someone found it for her. But who is the question? Clark came to mind, but if he did why didn’t he stay around to give it to her?

“Who’s at the door Lana?” Her Aunt Nell asked from inside the house as she reached for her necklace.

“No one Aunt Nell,” Lana called back. Her head turned, Lana didn’t notice that her necklace started to glow as she reached for it. When Lana turned her head back to her necklace the glow had died out.
_

The Torch: a few days later

“Good morning Chloe. How’s it going?”

“Jimmy Olson. Just the guy I wanted to see,” Chloe said as Jimmy slid into one of the chairs.

“Let me guess. You require my ace photography skills once again. Am I right?” Jimmy guessed.

“That is correct Jimmy. You remember those photo’s you took the night of homecoming?”

“Do I ever. Some of my best work I might say,” Jimmy cockily said eliciting a giggle from the
reporter.

“Thank you Mr. Full of himself,” Chloe said. “Anyway this shot here is what caught my attention the most,” Chloe said showing him the blur again.

“Chloe; what’s so good about an unidentifiable blur on the shot?” Jimmy asked.

“Jimmy this ‘blur’ is a meteor freak that can run super fast. We actually have one in our school!” Chloe once again exclaimed in excitement.

“Assuming this is true, what do you need me for?” He asked her.

“I’m going to find out who this guy is if it’s the last thing I do and you along with Clark and Pete are going to help me do it,” Chloe told him. “I have the story all typed out. I just need to get proof of the meteor freak’s existence for dear old Principal Kwan and I can run the story.

“When is that man going to learn to never challenge Chloe to find out the truth?” Jimmy thought.

“So do you know where to even begin the search for this guy?” Jimmy asked.

“I was figuring that maybe it could be one of the football players. With speed like that they could easily cheat their way onto the team,” Chloe said as she got off her desk and walked into the hallway.

“Speaking of cheating,” Jimmy said running after her, “I heard some players on the team got busted for it.”

“Yep; and I’m the one that wrote the story covering it.”

“I can only wonder how hot headed Coach Arnold is going to react.” Jimmy said.

“Maybe if he stares at them hard enough they’ll all burst into flames,” Chloe joked.
_

Coach Arnold had the guilty football players lined up on the field. Despite the fact that it was a rather cold morning the Coach barely registered the temperature. He in fact felt hot as opposed to cold. “Well, well, well. I’ve seen some pretty stupid things in m life, but this without a doubt takes the cake. Not only were you guys stupid enough to get caught cheating on that test, but one of you was even dumb enough to rat me out!” He shouted at all of them. Some of the players jumped a little as the field heated up from Coach Arnold’s anger. “So who was it? Who told Principal Kwan that it was me that provided you with the answers to the test!?” None of the players came forward. As a matter of fact some took a few steps away from him. “Well if that’s how it’s gonna be,” the Coach started.

“Wait,” one of the players said stepping forward.

“Trevor; should’ve known,” the Coach said. “The rest of you are free to go. Get out of my sight this instant,” he ordered them. The players made no argument and raced off as fast as their feet would carry them. “You,” the Coach said turning to Trevor. “Who else did you tell about me?” He asked.

“No one,” Trevor said.

“Liar!” H shouted grabbing Trevor’s arm. Trevor could feel his skin burning and fought his urge to scream. “Tell me who else you told or I’ll burn it off!” He threatened causing Trevor’s arm to burn even more.

“Sullivan! Chloe Sullivan!” Tyler shouted at his coach. Coach Arnold relinquished his hold on Trevor’s arm. Trevor lay on the ground feeling like his arm just went through a furnace.

“Sullivan; Of course she’s the one you told,” He said to Trevor.
_

“Clark! Pete! Over here!” Chloe shouted to her friends. They spotted her and walked in her direction.

“What’s up Chloe? Who are you?” Pete asked Jimmy.

“Olson. James Olson,” Jimmy introduced himself. “Old friend of Chloe’s. Transferred here a few weeks ago.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Clark Kent,” Clark said shaking his hand. Pete did the same.

“Wait a minute. James? Since when has it been James?” Chloe asked him.

“Well that is part of my name; James Bartholomew Olson.”

“I thought you legal name was…”

“Chloe for the last time that’s what my dad wanted to name me, but my mom won out in the end. Can we please stop talking about that?”

“Ok. No problem. Anyway I was just discussing with Jimmy here about people that could be the meteor freak on campus.”

“She thinks it’s a member of the football team,” Jimmy said.

“What makes you think that?” Clark asked her.

“Hey Sullivan!” Chloe heard someone shout her name. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw a football soaring directly at her face. Clark stretched out his hand and caught the ball only an inch away from her face.

“Those are some amazing reflexes CK,” Jimmy said to Clark.

“Yeah; amazing,” Chloe said still a little shocked that Clark caught that ball with so little space between her face and it. Clark tossed the ball back at the football player. He caught it, but the impact of the ball hitting him, while not large was still enough to knock some of the wind out of the guy. Coach Arnold saw this and immediately walked to Clark.

“Impressive throw Kent. Technique could use a little work, but you’ve got a lot of power.”

“Must’ve come from all those years of working on the farm,” Clark said trying to dismiss the subject.

“Well why aren’t you out on our field?” Coach Arnold asked stepping in Clark’s path so he couldn’t make a break for it.

“Well my dad needs me on the farm,” Clark began.

“Your dad would be the last person I’d expect to not want you playing ball. He was a legend back in the day Clark.”

“Thanks, but.”

“Kent,” he interrupted. “Do you really want to spend the rest of your days milking cows and bailing hay?”

“The team could really use the help at this point Clark,” Lana said appearing on the scene. Clark took a few steps back to avoid the feeling from Lana’s necklace. “With some of the best players getting suspended and Whitney still recovering from what happened during homecoming.” Clark looked from the Coach to Lana and sighed. What’s the worst that could happen?

“Ok. I’m in.” Clark said. Upon telling this news to his parents his dad was less than enthusiastic about it. The following day when Clark went to practice his dad came to make sure Clark didn’t hurt anyone. Clark was the last to leave the locker room following practice. Coach Arnold seemed pleased with Clark’s performance out there. He had used his powers, though not so much that he didn’t draw too much attention to himself. He exited the locker room and began to jog down to some a bonfire being made out at the field. Clark questioned why they were making one in the first place. The most common answer he got was that it was an in-joke at the coach’s hot temper. Clark wasn’t going to argue with that.

“You weren’t bad out on the field,” Tess said standing just outside the locker room.

“Tess. What’re you doing here?” Clark asked.

“Waiting for you to come out,” she answered. “I wanted to talk with you some more,” Tess said.

“You’re kind of the only person that talks to me around here at the moment,” she said with her head down a little.

“No one talks to you,” Clark said.

“Well people do… sort of. Most of the guys that talk to me are just interested in dating me and at least half the girls want me dead considering that most of those boys are their boyfriends,” Tess said with a small laugh.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Clark asked. “Why did I ask her that? It’s known of my business,” he thought.

“I had one, but I duped him a week before I moved. He had a drinking problem in addition to an affinity for arrows,” Tess answered Clark. “He didn’t really take it well, but that’s all in the past now.

“Well if you want I can introduce you to some of my friends,” Clark offered. “They’re nice people. I should warn you that my friend Chloe is currently on the hunt for her next story and will drag anyone she knows along for the ride,” Clark joked.

“Chloe Sullivan?” Tess asked.

“Yeah, do you know her?”

“I ran into her on my first day. You and she are probably the only actual friends I have here right now.”

“We’re friends?” Clark asked.

“Well I’d like to be yours,” Tess said facing Clark. He smiled.

“I’d like to be yours too Tess,” Clark replied.
_
The Torch

“Clark couldn’t be the meteor freak. Could he?” Chloe wondered pacing around the room. “I mean sure he caught the football at just the right time, but maybe that was just luck on his part.” As Chloe continued to ponder the situation part of the Torch caught fire. Chloe backed away from the flames, which were growing by the minute. Chloe ran to the window and opened it, but realized jumping wasn’t an option. She saw Clark and Tess just outside and called out to them.

“Did you hear something?” Tess asked Clark.

“Yeah; it sounded like Chloe.”

“Clark!” Clark’s head shot toward the school and saw Chloe screaming with a giant fire increasing from behind her.

“I’ll call 911!” Tess informed Clark pulling out her cell phone. Realizing that they’d never make it in time, Clark sprinted towards the Torch. Once inside the school he entered super speed mode. Clark knocked open the door and when he did the flames all died down.

“Clark!” Chloe shouted flinging herself into his arms. Clark held her as Chloe breathed heavily from her near death experience. “Man he got up her fast. A little too fast,” she thought. “What if Clark really was the one Jimmy got a picture of?”

A/N: Better watch your back Clark. Chloe’s suspicious now and there seems to be something up with Lana as well. At least Clark’s made a new friend. Review if you like the story. I might include some of the end of Hot Head next chapter, but the majority of it will be Jitters. See ya!

**protector91** · 09-11-2010, 04:19 PM

Chloe was once again pacing around the now restored� sort of� Torch. The more she thought about it the more she wondered if Clark was the one she was trying to expose. He somehow caught that football a mere couple of inches from her face and he managed to reach the flaming Torch faster than she thought. But if he was the meteor freak from the homecoming dance then why hasn�t he gone psycho or anything? In the past several weeks she�d met other freaks such as shape shifting Tina Greer, body heat draining Sean Kelvin, and fat sucking vampire Jodi Melville. All of them had been rather decent people until the meteors came and then they just snapped. Tina suddenly wanted to live Lana�s life (literally), Sean Kelvin couldn�t stay warm and resorted to draining heat from anything he could get his hands on; even people.

Jodi was the sweetest of them all, but her powers caused her to lose more body fat than she could handle forcing her to suck the fat out of living human beings. She almost sank her teeth into Pete if it hadn�t been for Clark. Clark; he always had a habit of showing up at just the right moment at just the right time. With speed like that it�d be easy to show up in the nick of time. But it�s not like she can just go question Clark about this power of his. He�d probably just deny knowing how she feels about the meteor infected. Chloe decided to quit deliberating about this for the moment. She picked up her back pack and headed off for the bus. After a long school week she was just going to spend this weekend laying spread eagled on her comfy bed.

�Hey Chloe!� Pete called her over.

�Hey Pete.� She said standing by her friends as they waited for the bus.

�So Clark here was just telling me about his plans for the weekend. Tell her Clark,� Pete said with an eager smile on his face. Clark sighed and rolled his eyes a little.

�I was just telling Pete here that with my parents out of town I was thinking of inviting a small number of people over,� Clark explained.

�Did I hear right? Is Clark Kent, the ultimate goody two shoes, actually thinking about throwing a party?� Chloe asked with a smirk.

�Hey I resent that. I am not a goody two shoes,� Clark declared. Pete and Chloe both raised their eyebrows at his declaration. �Well I�m not.�

�Clark there is an extraordinarily long list of all the times you could�ve done something wild and rebellious and each time you�ve always been the good guy. This might enhance your rep at School a little,� Pete said as the bus showed up.

�Whatever; just remember the key word is �small�.�
_

�I am so dead,� Clark said to himself. There were some many people here that some actually had to party outside.

�Great party Clark!� Pete shouted to his best friend over the loud music.

�I don�t even know half the people here!� Clark shouted back.

�Oh. I may have invited a few more people over and they probably invited their friends and so on,� Pete admitted.

�Pete! They are making a huge mess! Do you know how long this will take to clean up!?� Clark knew he could have it all cleaned up in a flash, but he wanted to make a point to his friend.

�Don�t worry man! Your parents won�t be home till Monday. I�ll help you fix the place up tomorrow. I�ll even get Chloe and Jimmy to help out. And hey at least Lana came so it�s not a total disaster. Where is she anyway?�

�Whitney showed up and they went to talk in the barn.�

�Whitney�s here? Who the hell invited him?�

�I don�t know.�

�Well don�t sweat it Clark. Maybe they�re having a lovers spat. Now if you�ll excuse me,� and Pete disappeared into the crowd. Clark slumped into the couch as the partiers continued to ravage and his house. One guy slipped into the couch as well and he didn�t look to good.

�Are you ok?� Clark asked the guy.

�I�m not feeling too hot. Oh man,� He put his hands to his mouth and was about to throw up on the floor when someone put a bowl in his hands and he threw up in that.

�You�re welcome,� Tess said to Clark when the guy got up and left.

�Thanks for the save. I wouldn�t want to be cleaning that up,� Clark said.

�Anytime. I gotta say that I�m surprised that you�re the one throwing this party Clark.�

�You�re the tenth person tonight to tell me that,� Clark sighed.

�Clark. I haven�t known you for long, but from what I�ve seen you�re wound up way too tight. Sometimes you just need to relax and have some fun in your life. You know what they say. �All work and no play makes Jack and dull boy.�

�Tess,� Clark began.

�Not another word Clark,� Tess said placing a finger over his lips to silence him. �Just enjoy life for once.� Clark slowly started to smile and nodded his head. That is until the fireworks started to go off just outside. Clark�s head whipped around and he ran over to the window. �The fireworks might just be a tad bit much Clark,� Tess said looking over his shoulder.

�They weren�t my idea,� Clark said to her and ran outside.

�Is this cool or what Clark!?� Pete said to Clark.

�Why don�t you just call the cops now Pete,� Clark said to him. How could Pete do something like this?

�Sorry Clark. I can�t take the credit for this,� Pete revealed.

�If you didn�t do this than who did?�

�I did,� Lex answered. Clark saw his other friend walking over to him and Pete. �A party like this can be a make or break reputation. I wanted to make sure yours was a hit.�

�Thanks Lex, but what about?�

�Oh don�t worry about the cops. It�s all taken care of-Tess?� Lex said noticing her behind Clark.

�Hi Lex,� Tess said walking out from behind Clark�s back.

�What�re you doing here?� Lex asked her.

�Clark invited me,� she said pointing to him.

�You two know each other?� Clark asked looking from Lex to Tess.

�Yeah. I live at the Luthor mansion,� Tess answered. �Lex�s father Lionel is my legal guardian,� she answered.

�You mean your parents are?�

�Yes,� she cut him off.

�I-I�m sorry Tess,� Clark said not knowing any other words to say but those.

�Don�t be,� Tess said. �It�s all in the past.�
_
The Barn

�So,� Whitney said to his girlfriend.

�So,� Lana repeated not knowing what to say to Whitney.

�So you want to tell me why you didn�t tell me you�d be coming here?� Whitney ultimately asked.

�I don�t have to let you know where I am every minute of every day Whitney,� Lana answered. �Clark invited me and I accepted. What�s your deal with him anyway? First you make him the scarecrow and now you seem to have a problem with me being in the same vicinity as him.�

�It�s�complicated Lana,� Whitney said.

�Well I may be your girlfriend Whitney, but that does not mean that I can�t spend time with other people. I have a life outside of you,� she said arms crossed. Whitney opened his mouth, but no words came out. He couldn�t think of anything else to say. Luckily for him he didn�t need to because he heard something in the barn.

�Who�s there?� He called out. He heard the noise again. �Show yourself!� Still nothing, but the noise. �Stay here Lana. I�m going to go get Kent,� he said and rand down the stairs and out the barn. Lana leaned against the railing of the loft while keeping an eye out for whatever was inside the barn. As she waited she felt a small stab of pain run through her head. Lana closed her eyes and rubbed her temples slightly and the pain subsided.

�Where did that come from?� She wondered.

�Lana!� She heard Clark this time. He and Whitney ascended the staircase; Clark had a flashlight and Whitney was holding onto a pitch fork.

�The noise came from there,� Whitney pointed out. The three of them walked slowly over to where they saw someone hiding under a blanket. The person shook violently and then the shaking died down. They inched closer and closer and then Clark yanked the blanket off and Whitney raised the pitchfork.

�Wait!� Clark stopped Whitney from stabbing down. �Earl Jenkins?� Clark asked.
He nodded. �I need to see your father. He�s the only one I can trust,� Earl said. He was covered from head to toe in sweat and looked like he was five seconds away from a nervous breakdown. Clark tried to help him up, but felt the sick feeling he got from when he was near meteor rocks. He looked at Lana and saw she wasn�t wearing her necklace. Then where was he feeling the pain from?

�Let me help you up,� Lana offered. She reached toward Earl, but when her hand came into contact with his arm it felt like it was on fire. Lana flinched backward just as Earl entered into another violent spasm.

�Whitney,� Clark said.

�Way ahead of you Kent,� Whitney said dialing 911 on his cell phone. Lana looked down at her hand. The burning sensation had gone away, but what had caused it?
_

The following morning

�Last night could�ve gone better,� Clark thought. The only bright spot the entire party was Tess until she had to leave that is. She was acting differently after she ran into Lex. Clark decided to think about that later. Right now he had a giant mess to clean up. Clark sighed. �If I must,� he said and entered super speed clean mode. He swept up the floors, put the chairs back in the proper places, bagged up all the garbage, unclogged the kitchen sink, disposed of the few broken dishes, put the unbroken dishes in the dishwasher, checked to make sure no one let any of the animals loose form the barn, and sped back into the house.

�That�s a minute and a half of my life I�m never getting back,� he thought. Satisfied that his work was done Clark grabbed an apple and placed it in the bowl with the rest of the fruits. �And best of all my parents will never know.� The sound of clapping reached Clark�s ears and he froze in place. He slowly turned around and saw his mom and dad at the staircase; his mom holding a plunger. �You�re home early,� he said nervously.

�We called six times last night and spoke with six different people. None of whom knew who you were,� Martha said; disappointment evident in her voice.

�I�d ask what went on here last night, but it�s pretty obvious,� Jonathan said.

�I invited some friends over and it kind of got out of hand,� Clark confessed.

�Parties always get out of hand son,� Jonathan sighed. �Is there anything else we need to know about?�

�Yes actually. You guys aren�t going to believe this, but I found Earl Jenkins hiding in
the barn.�
_

The hospital

�How is he?� Jonathan asked the doctor.

�Better than he was last night. His tremors were so violent that we had to sedate him before he hurt himself or someone else.

�Do you know how this could�ve happened?�

�He claims that the Luthor Corp. plant is responsible for it. He�s been rambling on about some place called Level 3. Nobody knows what he�s talking about.�

�My class is going on a field trip to the plant later today,� Clark said. �Maybe I can talk to Lex and see if he knows anything.�
Earl listened intently to their conversation; the sedation having worn off just a while back. He was going to find out what happened to him if it was the last thing he did.
_

The Luthor Mansion

Tess sat cross legged on her bed in the mansion just staring at an old photo she had of her mother. She missed her every minute of every day. It hurt to even think back to that day when she found out she was dead. Tess felt one tear roll down her cheek and wiped it away when she heard someone knock at her door. �Come in,� she said putting the picture away.

�Tess. Are you ready for school?� Lionel asked entering her room.

�Yes Mr. Luthor,� Tess replied.

�Tess we�ve been through this. To you I�m always Lionel,� he said in that fatherly tone of his. Tess gave him a half smile. �I hope you�re ready to see one of my many places of business,� Lionel said to her.

�I must admit. I am pretty curios as to what goes on in there,� Tess said jumping off her bed.

�Believe me Tess. Sometime even I can�t believe what goes on behind those walls,� he said leading her out the door.

A/N: Lionel is Tess� legal guardian!? Yeah nothing suspicious about that. And what seems to be going on with Lana? Keep reading for the answers.

**dotsie23** · 09-11-2010, 10:37 PM

^^^ This makes me wonder how did Tess end up being in Lionel's care? and what about Lex!?!

**protector91** · 09-12-2010, 07:05 AM

Lex will appear more starting with the next chapter.

**protector91** · 09-20-2010, 06:27 PM

I'll have the next chapter posted by the end of this week dotsie in case you were wondering. Also the chapter follwoing 'Jitters' will be a merging of the episodes 'Rogue' and 'Nicodemus'.

**protector91** · 09-22-2010, 05:56 PM

A/N: Like I said the chapter following this one will be a mix of both �Rogue� and �Nicodemus�. I�m going to try to make those chapters as different from the originals as possible so this story won�t get boring; after those two episodes I will do �Leech�. I know that �Leech� comes before �Nicodemus�, but hey this is fan fiction. The basic plots of �Rogue� and �Nicodemus� will still be intact to an extent.
Earl could feel the jitters starting up again. He had escaped from the hospital and was now sneaking through the halls of the Luthor Corp. Plant heading for the elevator where they kept level 3. That�s where his problems started and he was convinced it�s where they could all end. Earl, however, was in for a rude awakening when he reached the room that housed the elevator to take down to level three.

�Where is it? Where�s the elevator!?� He shouted in frustration. Earl was growing increasingly desperate.

�What are you doing here?� He heard one of the plant�s security members ask him. Earl felt a tremor coming just as the man grabbed his arm to turn him around. The guard was dead in an instant. Earl let out an angered growl and grabbed the man�s gun. He was going to find out whatever happened to level 3 if it was the last thing he did.
_

Meanwhile Clark and the rest of his classmates� bus pulled up to the Plant. Upon entering the building they were greeted by Chloe�s father, Gabe Sullivan. The tour was boring for the most part. Clark noticed that nearly no one seemed to be actually paying attention to what Gabe was saying. Chloe had one of those �I love you, but I�m five seconds away from screaming� looks. Whitney had his gaze directed at the floor. Lana kept playing with her necklace. Pete seemed to be muttering the lyrics to �Save Me�. Jimmy was looking at every square inch of the hallway and every now and then he�d rise up his hands and realize that he doesn�t have his camera with him. Last but not least Tess just seemed real distant like she had her mind on other things. As they rounded another corner Earl suddenly appeared from out of nowhere with a gun in his hands. He grabbed Gabe�s neck and pointed the gun straight at his head.

�Take me to level 3,� he said. He didn�t shout it, but his tone made it clear that he wasn�t in the mood to be messed with.

�What are you talking about?� Gabe asked him trying to keep a cool head.

�You know damn well what I�m talking about. Perhaps you need a little something to help refresh your memory.� Earl looked up at the students and aimed his gun at the ceiling. He fired a single shot. �That�s your only warning shot,� he warned him. �Unless any of you are faster than the speed of light I suggest you all come with me.�

�What about security?� Chloe asked him. �I think they�re gonna notice that an entire field trip of students suddenly went missing.�

�They�re detained with a wild goose chase I sent them on,� Earl said. �Now come on!� This time he shouted. The students didn�t need to be told twice and followed Earl; all of them except Clark. He had been at the back of the group and he was sure Earl hadn�t seen him. It was time to get to the bottom of this Level 3 mystery once and for all. Once the coast was clear Clark super sped off. Meanwhile Lana started to feel light headed once again. What was wrong with her? These headaches just started to randomly appear with no explanation.

�Are you alright Lana?� Whitney asked noticing her rubbing her forehead.

�I�m good,� she half-lied. The pain had once again gone away, but she was still frightened as to what was causing it. Earl led everyone to what appeared to be the central control room for the plant. He forced everyone to sit down in a corner and forced Gabe into a chair. His eyes traveled back over to the students every few minutes to make sure they weren�t going to try anything stupid.

�No one tries to be a hero and we all go home happy,� he threatened. Earl then grabbed one of the phones in the room and proceeded to call the police and inform them of the situation at hand. �This�ll get Luthor�s attention,� he said and proceeded to wait for the cops while still interrogating Gabe about Level 3, which he claimed every time to have no knowledge of.

�Chloe,� Jimmy whispered to her.

�Yeah,� she said not taking her eyes of her father.

�Have you seen CK?�
Chloe looked throughout the group and didn�t see him anywhere. Chloe hoped she was right about Clark for their sakes at this point. Wherever he disappeared to she hoped he was thinking of a way of getting them out of this mess.
_

�Come on! There has to be something around here,� Clark thought as he checked out the main office. This was the fourth area of the building he�d been through. He wasn�t sure how much time he was going to have before Earl would wind up hurting someone. He shut the file cabinet and walked over to the desk. �Yes!� Clark thought. He found the blue prints for the plant. He quickly went over it and saw that it was true. There really wasn�t a level 3. How was he going to break that to Earl without him going off on someone? Only one way to find out. Clark rolled up the blueprint and started to walk out when he knocked over one of the files. He picked it up and put it back on the desk without looking at it and ran out the door. Had Clark actually paid attention to the file he might have been intrigued by what it was called:

Project Mercer

_

What was going on inside of the Plant was relatively tame and orderly compared to what was going on outside. The police and SWAT team had arrived on the scene in record time and the families of all the hostages were swarming outside the fence. The sound of an approaching vehicle made them all move out of the way allowing Lex Luthor to drive in through the gates.

�Lex!� Lex heard Jonathan Kent yell. He saw him and Martha standing just outside the gate. �Let them through,� he said to one of the officers and then left his car to meet up with his dad and the members of the SWAT team. The officer nodded and walked over to the gate.

�Good to see you Mr. and Mrs. Kent. I only wish it were under better circumstances,� Deputy Michael Birtigo said to the two of them. Michael had shortly been employed following the arrest of Tina Greer.

�Nice to see you too Deputy,� Martha Kent said. �Do you know what�s going on in there?�

�All we know is that some nut is holding the kids hostage. He says he wants to talk with Lionel or Lex. Both of them are here now so the SWAT team is going to wait it out before they take any action. Personally I think we need to get inside before that fruit cake kills anybody,� Michael said.

_
Back Inside

The phone started to ring and Gabe answered it. �It�s Lionel Luthor,� he told Earl.

�Speaker,� Earl said to him. Gabe did as he was told and switched the phone to speaker mode. �Mr. Luthor. Glad to see I�ve got your attention,� Earl said. The conversation didn�t go well for the most part. Lionel and Lex both denied the existence of level 3, which only made Earl even madder.

�They�re telling the truth.� Earl looked away from the phone at the sound of Clark�s voice. He was on the other side of the room with the blueprints tucked underneath his arm. �I found these blueprints. There is no level 3.� Clark walked closer to Earl and tossed them over to him. Earl glared at Clark and went over the prints.

�Every night I go to level 2 and I take the elevator down to level 3!� He shouted.

�You�re just like everybody else,� he said to Clark. �Now sit down!� He ordered. Clark backed away from Earl and sat down next to his fellow classmates. He looked at his hands and saw that the veins weren�t green.

�So much for Clark speeding in and saving the day,� Chloe thought.

�We need to do something,� she heard Whitney say.

�Don�t try to be a hero,� Chloe thought knowing that Whitney was going to wind up hurt if he tried something.

�Two of us can take him. How about it Clark?� He asked. Clark looked at Earl and back at his hands.

�I can�t,� Clark said.
Lana looked at Clark and said, �It�s ok.� Whitney looked at the two and Chloe thought she saw a spark of jealousy in his eyes as he slowly stood up and began to sneak towards Earl. He was close enough to ambush Earl when he suddenly turned around. Whitney made a quick grab for the gun, but Earl side-stepped him surprisingly fast and punched him in the face. Whitey fell down and went for another run when Earl started to tremor again and grabbed onto a valve to hold himself steady. The valve didn�t hold and he yanked the thing from the wall and hit Whitney in his right shoulder with incredible force. Whitney thought he heard every bone in his shoulder break as he slid down to the floor. Despite the agonizing pain he tried to get up prompting Earl to point his gun at him. Just as he pulled the trigger Clark punched Earl�s wrist directing the gun away from Whitney. Fighting back against the burning sensation he felt in his body Clark made an attempt to take the gun away from Earl. Earl had another tremor attack and smacked the gun against Clark�s chin launching him back.

�Clark!� Tess cried out and ran to his aid. Pete and Jimmy ran over to Whitney and helped him back to the rest of the group.

�See what you�ve made me do,� Earl whispered and then stared at the camera. �See what you�ve made me do,� he repeated and then shot the camera out so the SWAT team couldn�t see inside anymore.
_

�What was that kid thinking?� Lionel asked.

�That�s the thing. He wasn�t thinking,� Jonathan answered. �And if you guys don�t do something soon more of the kids are going to try to take matters into their own
hands.�

�If we don�t do something soon they won�t have a chance to try again,� Lex said.

�What are you talking about?� Martha asked.

�He ripped off the gas valve and now the pressure is going to continue to rise until� well you get the idea.�

�Well what are you guys waiting for? One of you has to do something,� Martha said to the SWAT team. She knew Clark could survive a lot of things, but she didn�t know if he could survive this.

�Looks like someone already has done something,� Jonathan said.

�What are you talking about?� Lex asked and then noticed that Deputy Birtigo was missing.
_

Michael was tired of those guys waiting. Action needed to be taken if they were going to rescue the kids from that nut job so when they weren�t looking he managed to find a way to sneak inside the plant. Michael broke into a run as he headed for the room the kids were in; he rounded a corner and ran into someone else.

�Freeze! Police!� Michael shouted mainly out of reflex.

�Don�t shoot! I work here!� Rudy quickly said; hands raised.

�What are you still doing here? The entire staff was ordered to evacuate,� Michael said holstering his gun.

�I had the misfortune of running into Earl when he first entered the plant. He knocked me out cold. I regained consciousness only a few minutes ago.� Michael noticed that part of Rudy�s forehead was bleeding providing some evidence to his story.

�Well get out of here. I�m going to stop that man,� Michael said already starting to walk past him.

�Hold on there. You walk into that room and that guys going to shoot first and ask questions later,� Rudy said to stop him.

�You got any better ideas?�

�Yes as a matter of fact.�
_

Earl was pacing around the room again as the gas pressure continued to rise. Whitney was still in a large amount of pain and needed a doctor. Clark knew that he needed to do something, but he couldn�t without exposing himself. As time continued to pass by the door on the kids� side of the room started to slowly open.

�Who�s there?� Earl asked pointing his gun again.

�You can relax, Earl. It�s just me,� Rudy said slowly stepping forward with his hands up.

�Rudy. What are you doing here?�

�I�m just here to talk,� he said not putting down his hands. �You and I both know that you don�t want to hurt anybody,� he said.

�How do you know that?�

�I just do,� he said while the door on the other side of the room slowly opened up. Michael stepped in and held up a hand so the students would keep quiet. �I know you want help Earl, but holding these kids captive isn�t going to do that. And even if this level 3 does exist is finding a cure worth losing your freedom because once you step outside these doors the cops are going to arrest you; maybe even shoot you and not give it a second thought. Now tell me Earl; is it worth it?� For a moment Earl looked like he was considering what Rudy said, but the moment soon passed.

�If there�s one thing I�ve learned from working with you Rudy, it�s that you�d never have the guts to waltz in here alone.� And with that Earl spun around and fired his gun. Michael dove out of harm�s way behind a few desks. He couldn�t risk firing his gun for fear of hitting the kids. Earl fired a few more bullets and the next thing he knew he was being tackled to the floor by Jimmy. Earl shoved Jimmy off him and aimed his weapon, but Rudy stepped in the path of the bullet and was hit in the shoulder. Michael jumped out of his hiding spot and rushed Earl knocking them both to the floor. Upon hitting it Earl�s gun went off and a stray bullet soared at the group of students. They all threw themselves down to the floor to avoid the bullet, but none of them felt it pierce their skin. Chloe opened her eyes and saw the part of the wall that the bullet hit. Just under that spot was Clark, who was covering Tess Mercer.

�Add another point to the �Clark Kent might be the meteor freak� scoreboard,� she thought. Lana saw Clark covering Tess and she couldn�t help, but feel a slight twinge of jealousy in her stomach, which she didn�t understand.

�Are you ok?� Clark asked Tess.

�Yeah. Thanks to you it seems,� she said with a smile. Another shot rang out prompting the students to hit the floor again. Earl had stolen Michael�s gun and they were now fighting for control of it.

�Stop! That�s enough!� Lex yelled. Earl and Michael stopped fighting for the gun and looked at him.

�Lex. Lionel�s sending his own kid to do his dirty work. That�s low even for him.�

�My father didn�t send me Earl. I came here on my own. Let the kids go and I�ll take you to level 3.�

Earl�s eyes narrowed. �How do I know you�re telling the truth?�

�You don�t, but you won�t get answers by continuing to hold everyone captive. Earl looked at Lex and then the students. �Everyone out,� he said to them. The students got up and raced for the exits. Clark ran to Rudy�s side and helped him up to his feet.

�Are you ok Rudy?� He asked him.

�It�ll take a lot more than a bullet to the shoulder to take this guy down,� he said as they ran out of the room.

�Now; let�s talk,� Earl said once everyone was out of the room.
_

�Pete; take Rudy,� Clark said handing the janitor off to his friend.

�Clark what are you doing?� Pete asked, but Clark was already racing back inside. Pete tried to go after him, but the doors to the plant sealed shut. Clark super sped to where he saw the elevator on the blueprints and saw no trace of it. He X-rayed the wall and saw a wall had been built over it. Wasting no time he demolished the wall and then ran for the nearest intercom.

�Earl? Are you there? It�s Clark.�

�Get out of here Clark!� He heard Lex yell.

�Earl; the elevator is still here. They just built a wall over it.�

�Stop lying Clark,� Earl said.

�It�s really here. Don�t you want to see it?�

�You better not be lying Clark,� Earl said. Clark waited a few minutes then super sped back to the control room. He grabbed the spot where the valve was and started to turn it in order to make the gas pressure go down. Once they reached safe levels he super sped again back to the elevator. He pressed the button to summon the elevator back up and stepped inside. He saw there was only two buttons.

�I wonder,� Clark thought and pressed the spot underneath the second button. It lit up and the elevator went down. Clark exited it and saw Lex and Earl standing on the railing.

�Clark you have to believe me. I didn�t know this was down here,� Lex said to Clark hoping he�d believe him.

�Don�t listen to him Clark. Lying is all the Luthors ever do. They�ve even moved everything that was down here. I can never be helped now,� he said and his tremors started back up. Earl grabbed the railing and his tremors caused the whole thing to start to fall down. Clark ran forward and caught Lex while Earl hung on to Lex�s legs. Clark felt the burning sensation in his body again, but he couldn�t let go. Fighting with every last ounce of strength he had Clark dragged both men back up. The entire structure began to collapse and the three ran back to the elevator making inside as the whole thing fell to the floor below.

�Clark. How did you manage to pull us both up?� Lex curiously asked.

�It must�ve been a surge of adrenaline,� Clark replied.

�Adrenaline� right,� Lex thought. Clark had always been a mystery to him and that miraculous rescue only added to it. �You�re hiding something,� he thought. Once they three of them made it back outside Clark was thrown into a death hug by his parents while Earl was sent back to the hospital. Rudy was also sent to the hospital to treat his gun shot wound. Lex and Lionel had a few choice words to say to one another about level 3, but Lionel soon closed the matter.

�Had to go back and be the hero, huh Clark?� Tess asked him.

�I�m no hero,� Clark replied to her. �I just didn�t want to leave Lex behind.�

�You�ve got guts though Kent. I�ll give you that,� Michael said joining the conversation. �Most people wouldn�t go back into a hazardous building like you did.�

�Thanks Deputy Birtigo,� Clark thanked.

�You�re welcome. Now if you�ll excuse me I have to go and explain my �actions� to the SWAT team,� he said putting air quotes around actions.

�Does anything normal ever happen in this town?� Tess asked Clark.

�Normal and Smallville go together like water and oil,� Chloe joked getting a laugh from the rest of the group.
_

A few days later

Lex read the front page of the newspaper and tossed it off his desk. The page read:

Man who took hostages at the Luthor plant found dead in his hospital bed

Lex�s phone started to ring and he answered it. �Hello? Yes I read the paper. I don�t care if he was a security risk. Next time don�t do anything without my orders. Is that understood? Good,� Lex hung up the phone just as someone knocked at the door. �Come In,� Lex said to the person knocking at the door. The door opened slightly and Rudy popped his head into the office.

�You wanted to see me Mr. Luthor?� He asked.

�Ah, Rudy. Come in. Come in,� Lex said. Rudy fully stepped inside the office and shut the door behind him with his good arm; his other one in a sling. �Please take a seat.� Rudy sat in the chair just in front of Lex. �I must say Rudy that when that Earl broke in here and took the students hostage I wasn�t expecting you to try anything. However, you surprised not only me, but everyone else when you tried to stop him without endangering the kids� lives.�

�I know a lot of those teenagers from my other job back at the High School. Just didn�t want to see any of them hurt,� Rudy said wondering where this is going.

�Well if there�s anything I can do for you Rudy; anything at all just name it.�

�There is something actually,� Rudy said reaching into his pocket. �I found this a while back at Smallville High, but I have no idea what it is. This may sound crazy, but I don�t think this thing is of Earth,� he said placing the octagon on Lex�s desk. �Maybe you could take a look at it,� Rudy suggested already starting to head out the door. Just before he left he stopped and said, �Oh and I�d like a raise. A big one,� and he exited Lex�s office. Lex curiously overlooked the octagonal disk. The small symbols etched on it catching his attention the most.

A/N: Michael Birtigo first appeared in �Obscura�, FYI. So what will Lex do with the octagon? Who was he talking with over the phone? What is Project Mercer? Chloe is still suspicious of Clark and now it looks like Lana may be starting to get jealous of Clark�s friendship with Tess. And there will also be repercussions from Whitney�s injury this chapter though I won�t say how. You�ll just have to read on. Hope you liked this part. See ya!

**protector91** · 10-03-2010, 06:11 AM

A/N: Like I said last chapter, I�m going to change things up a bit plot wise with Rogue and Nicodemus. Try to at least. Enjoy!
Clark felt intensely out of place. He knew just about absolutely nobody here. If Lex hadn�t asked him to come to this little event he�d be back at the farm milking cows or bailing hay or doing something in his comfort zone. And yet here he was in Metropolis trying to act normal� at least as normal as he could be anyway.

�Well don�t you look stressed out,� Tess said appearing at his side.

�Just a tad out of my element,� Clark half laughed.

�Smile you two,� Jimmy said jumping in front of them and snapping a photo before they could stop him. �If only you two could see your faces right now. But wait. Once I develop these photos I can show you,� Jimmy chuckled.

�Jimmy; you aren�t actually planning on,� Clark started.

�Only kidding C.K. I wasn�t hired to snap embarrassing photos. So let�s try again. Smile,� he said raising up his camera. Clark smiled and put his arm around Tess� waist while she smiled and put her�s around Clark�s shoulder. Jimmy snapped the photo and then headed off to take more photos of the event.

�Wondered who Jimmy meant by �they�,� Clark thought out loud while moving his hand from Tess� waist.

�Lex paid him $100 bucks to take pictures of this event. Lionel wanted someone more professional, but I showed some of Jimmy�s work to Lex and he thought he wasn�t too bad,� Tess explained.

�Speaking of Lex, where is he? Never did get a chance to thank him for inviting me.�
�He�s probably trying to avoid Jimmy at all costs for all we know,� Chloe said walking up to Clark and Tess. �He�s been snapping photos of virtually everything in sight. Nothing has gone unsnapped. He�s taken a picture of everything and everyone in here. No matter what they were doing. All he needs now is a crime in progress,� Chloe joked.

�Someone stop him!� The three friends heard somebody scream. Clark saw a man was plowing through the crowd in an attempt to escape the building. Clark was about to step in when someone dove out of the crowd and tackled the man to the floor.

�You know the drill. You have the right to remain silent and all that junk,� Deputy Birtigo said to the guy already snapping the hand cuffs on him. Jimmy ran over to the scene and snapped a photo of Birtigo making his arrest. He gave Jimmy a 'put that camera down' look before turning his attention back ot the thief. �I believe that this is yours,� he said handing a purse to a woman who stopped in front of the deputy.

�Thank you sir,� she said.

�Anytime Ms.,� he replied.

�Ok what seems to be the trouble here?� Another woman asked entering the scene.

�Just a routine arrest, Maggie,� Michael said to the police Lieutenant.

�It�s Margaret, Birtigo,� she said to the deputy. �And last I checked this isn�t Smallville so if you�d just kindly hand the dirt bag over to me, I�ll be on my way.�

�I got to him first that makes it my arrest,� Michael said.

�Listen Andy Griffith,� Maggie began, but then her police radio went off.

�This is Maggie, I mean Lieutenant Sawyer,� she corrected herself. �Understood. I�m on my way,� she said. �Bank�s being robbed. The arrest is all yours Mayberry,� she said to him and ran out of the building. Michael balled up his fists; he was every bit the cop that Maggie was yet every time he tries to make some sort of arrest while in Metropolis she always shows up to take the credit. Just because she was some big shot cop didn�t give her the right to be so� he couldn�t think of the right words, but it wasn�t anything good.

�That woman really boils my blood, Clark�Clark?� Michael looked up and saw Clark was gone.
�That�s funny. He was just here a second ago,� Tess said looking around for him.

�I have a bet on where he�s probably gone,� Chloe thought. She still had no concrete proof that Clark was the meteor freak, but as the weeks continued to go on by she just became more and more suspicious of him. The mysterious rescues. Always showing up at the right time, or disappearing when trouble started. Still, a part of her didn�t want to believe that it was Clark. But at the same time another part did.
_
Meanwhile
�Remember. None of you move and none of you gets hurt,� the bank robber said to the innocent bystanders all forced to the floor. �You guys want to hurry up with that money? I�d like to not be here when the cops show up,� he said to his partners looting the vault. As they continued their little withdrawal Clark appeared just outside the bank. He x-rayed it and saw five armed men and at least 10 people being held hostage. Hopefully he could get in and out without anyone getting hurt or getting seen. So taking a deep breath Clark sped into the bank and punched the first robber trying to hold back as much of his strength so that he wouldn�t kill him.

�What the Hell was that!?� One of the robbers shouted. They all dropped the money they were loading and pointed their guns in every direction, but saw nothing. Clark sped into the scene again taking out another robber.

�Show yourself!� One of them yelled and then before Clark could stop him he started to fire his gun. The world slowed down for Clark as the bullets went flying. He saw two of the bullets going for two hostages on opposite sides of the room and ran faster than he thought he could. He put a hand in front of the first bullet deflecting it (more like breaking it. It still left a mark on his hand) and then sprinted towards the other side of the room. He dove and caught the bullet before it could hit the other hostage. Clark hit the ground and almost fell out of his super speed mode. He managed to hold onto it and took down the third and fourth robber before speeding back out of the building again into an alleyway.

He was about to speed back in for the fifth man when he heard the sound of police sirens approaching the bank. He saw Lieutenant Sawyer stepping out of her car along with a group of officers. Deciding not to stick around Clark sped off. Maggie and her partners raced into the bank expecting to see the robbers; they did, but were shocked, to say the least, that they were all unconscious.

�Looks like somebody beat you to it Lieutenant,� Sam Phelan said stepping into the bank.

�Phelan? What are you doing here?� Maggie asked not particularly thrilled to see him.

�Last I checked it was my job to help capture criminals,� he said to her in a sarcastic manner.

�Ignoring that,� Maggie said and walked over to one of the robbers. �Let�s see what we have here,� she said and took off his mask. �What the�?�

�What is it Lieutenant?� One of the other officers asked.

�This guy�s a cop,� she answered recognizing his face. �Check the others,� she said to them. They nodded and unmasked the other robbers.

�All cops, Lieutenant.�

�Damn it,� she muttered. The last thing Maggie needed to deal with was dirty cops.

�We�re there any others?� She asked a hostage.

�There was one more. He must�ve gotten away.�

�Who did this? Who stopped these guys?� She asked curious as to who could�ve done this.

�I don�t know. I didn�t see his face. It was all a blur.� Maggie questioned the other hostages about what they saw and she received the same response from all of them. Deciding this was a lost cause she and the other officers arrested the crooked cops and took them to jail. She had of course heard the rumors about people with special powers, but that�s all they were to her; rumors. She wasn�t going to believe that there was someone out there that was faster than a speeding bullet.
_

Phelan let tonight�s events play back in his head as he drove back to the station. He couldn�t believe his luck tonight. This robbery set up by him and his partners was supposed to go by smoothly and then some force literally appears out of nowhere and wrecks the whole thing. It was fortunate for him that he ran for it after the second man was taken down for two reasons. One, he�d be arrested. Luckily for him if his partners tried to rat him out no one would believe them since they had no way to link him to the crime. But most of all he wouldn�t have seen the person who took down his crew. He was running into the alley when he felt that gust of wind. The kid couldn�t have been any older than 15 years old. Whoever he was he was going to learn what happens when you mess with Sam Phelan.

A/N: Sorry. I couldn�t resist the �it was all a blur line�. Next chapter begins the merging of Rogue and Nicodemus. Maggie will play a big part in this section of the story. See ya then!

**protector91** · 10-04-2010, 01:32 PM

Lieutenant Maggie Sawyer was in one of her moods. Everyone could tell and they were all wise to keep their distance from her. Not only did she discover that there were dirty cops in the force, but those same cops refused to rat out their fifth member, which aggravated her to no end. They were going to find out the hard way what happens when you present Margaret Sawyer with a challenge. She was going to find out who the other dirty cop was if it was the last thing she did. That�s why she was ordering back ground checks on virtually everyone in the station.

This news would normally make any cop with something to hide sweat; but not Phelan. He smiled at the thought that no matter how far Margaret searched she was never going to dig up anything on him. He�d made sure of it. It paid to have friends in very high places.
_

Meanwhile just outside of Smallville, Deputy Birtigo had to pull over his police car after it got a flat.

�I hate this job,� he muttered to himself as he fixed his car. �I hate that freaking big shot, Sawyer,� he seethed. One day he was going to give her a piece of his mind. He stopped trying to put in a new tire for a second to take in a few breaths. He then turned to his right and saw the weirdest thing. A strange plant; upon closer inspection the plant sprayed some kind of substance into his face.
_

The next morning

Lana walked into her Aunt Nell�s flower shop half asleep. She had a nasty head ache all night long. She wasn't sure where they were coming from. They've been happening off and on ever since homecoming. Her relationship issues with Whitney weren�t helping matters either. He�s been rather cold and distant since the incident at the Luthor Corp plant. That shoulder injury had cost him his scholarship and he blamed the whole thing on Clark for not backing him up. Lana didn�t understand why he disliked him so much. It�s not like he ever did anything to him. Clark; he�s probably been the only good thing in Lana�s life these past few weeks. She�d begun to see him differently as of late, but she wasn�t sure how he saw her. Especially given how much time he�d been spending with Tess. She wondered what was going on between the two of them.

�Good morning Lana,� Nell greeted her.

�Morning Aunt Nell,� Lana said giving her aunt a hug. �So why did you need to see me before I went to School?� She asked.

�Something interesting that I found,� she said and then directed Lana�s gaze towards a flower she had never seen before. �I just found it out in the woods. I�ve never seen anything like it. Thought you might want a look,� she said with her back turned to Lana for a second. Lana looked at the flower curiously. It definitely wasn�t anything she had seen before, but it did look very interesting. Suddenly something shot out of the flower into Lana�s face. She coughed a few times, which got Nell�s attention.

�Lana! Are you alright?� She asked. Lana shook her head a bit then faced Nell.

�Sorry,� she said. �I�m alright now.�

�You sure?� She asked sounding concerned.

�Yes. In fact, I�ve never felt better. I have to now or I�ll be late for school,� Lana said and headed out the door before Nell could question her any further.
_

Tess had tried to sleep as late as possible, but she unfortunately had school to attend. She had spent the better part of last night at Lex�s event for that Alexander the Great chest plate. She also spent the other part of her night thinking about Clark. He wasn�t like the other guys at School. She could just be herself around him. She wondered just how he truly felt about her, but had a feeling that if she ever questioned him about it he�d probably just say that he thought of her as a good friend and that he�d like things to remain that way. She put that out of her mind for now and opened the door to Lex�s study.

�Good morning, Lex,� she said to him. Lex closed down his computer and gave Tess a smile. He could use a distraction from all the failed tests at determining what the octagonal disk that Rudy gave him was. It was driving him nuts.

�Hello, Tess,� he said to her. �What can I do for you?�

Tess laughed slightly. �It�s Monday. You were supposed to give me a lift to school. Remember?� Lex slapped his forehead.

�I�m sorry Tess. I had completely forgotten,� he confessed. He was about to get up and go get his keys when the doors to the study suddenly swung open.

�Looks like I caught you at just the right time Lex,� Sam Phelan said.

�This won�t take long Tess. Get your stuff and wait for me at the car,� he said to her.

Tess obeyed and left the men to their conversation. Once Tess left the study and grabbed her backpack she decided to take a little look around the mansion. She�d only been her for a short time and hadn�t seen many sections of it. Tess walked to the back and saw a greenhouse. She stepped inside and saw the most peculiar thing; a flower she had never seen before. She got closer to it and then the thing sprayed her with something. Tess coughed and then felt a strange sensation take over her body. She wasn�t sure what it was, but she liked it.
_

�So, to what do I owe this visit, Phelan?� Lex asked the corrupt cop.

�I�m just making sure that you kept your end of the deal concerning what went down at club zero that night,� Sam said to him.

�You must�ve done something pretty low to come to me to ensure that your record is clean,� Lex said to him.

�Let�s just say there is a very stubborn cop on the force,� Phelan said exiting the study.
_

Mysterious hero halts bank robbery. Police Lieutenant Maggie Sawyer has no comment on the issue at this time.

Chloe laughed as she read the online news article from the Daily Planet. If there was one thing police hated more than failing to stop a crime it�s not being the ones to stop it. It was near the end of the day and mostly everyone had left the high school. Today was weird even for Smallville. Lana had seemingly been switched with a parallel soft core version of herself. It was freaky to say the least.

�Hi Chloe,� Clark said walking into the Torch.

�Hey Clark. Did you hear the news? A robbery was stopped at the bank in Metropolis,� she said.

�So?� Clark asked trying not to look suspicious.

�So, all the hostages claimed that something faster than light blurred into the scene and took out all of the robbers,� She said. �It might�ve been our meteor freak.�

�Blurred? Couldn�t you have come up with a better word than that?� Clark asked her.

�You�ve got a better name?� Chloe asked.

�Yeah, but it�s taken,� Clark joked.

Chloe giggled at his comment. �Oddly enough the robbery was stopped the same night we were all in Metropolis. Where did you disappear to that night anyway?� She asked.

�Oh� I just needed some air,� he said after a slight hesitation.

�Right and Smallville is a normal quiet town,� she thought.

�What�s with the weird looking flower?� Clark asked pointing to the flower on her desk to change the subject.

�It was left for me,� she answered.

�How do you know it was left for you?� He asked. Chloe held up a piece of paper to his eyes.

To the master of the weird and unexplained.

Love,

Your admirer

�You have an admirer?� Clark asked.

�You don�t think I wrote this to myself do you Clark?� She said in a fake insulted tone.

�No, no. Of course not,� he said to her. �Who do you think sent it?�

�Good question,� Chloe answered. In the back of her mind she was hoping it might be Clark, but the odds of that actually happening were pretty slim. �Whoever brought it accidently left behind a receipt from the flower shop. I could just ask Nell who bought it, but she�d probably give me the customer privacy excuse,� Chloe sighed. �I�ll be right back. Can you watch the Torch for a few minutes? Thanks bye,� Chloe said before Clark could even answer her. Clark sighed and looked the flower over more. It was certainly strange.

�Hello Clark,� Tess greeted. Clark turned around and saw Tess leaning on the door frame. Clark swallowed thickly. Tess had a different, almost lustful look in her eyes.

�Hi Tess,� he stammered. �What do you want?� He asked.

�You know what I want,� Tess said getting very close to Clark until there was literally no space between them. Clark could feel the heat rising between them and started to get nervous.

�Something wrong Clark?� Tess asked running a hand down his arm.

�Um, Tess,� Clark stammered and took a step back. He wound up falling into the chair behind him. Tess stepped forward and straddled Clark with that look still in her eyes.

�What are you doing?� He choked out.

�You know what your problem is Clark?� She asked him. �Like I told you before, you�re wound up way too tight,� she whispered this time making Clark�s pulse race a bit. She started kissing his neck and Clark felt his eyes start to shut from the feeling. �You need to learn to relax and just forget about inhibitions,� she said sliding her hands underneath his shirt and running them all over his chest. Clark felt his hand move their way to the back of Tess� shirt and slid one underneath it while the other squeezed her a**. Tess� breathing quickened especially when Clark started kissing her neck. Tess unbuttoned part of Clark�s shirt and started to assault his chest with her lips while Clark buried his face in her hair. Tess pushed Clark back down and stared intently into his eyes; running a hand over his lips, which Clark kissed. �Kiss me,� she whispered. Clark simply nodded and they leaned into each other when he stopped only a couple of inches from her mouth just to tease her. He could feel both their pulses racing at the same speed. Just when they were about to close the gap someone cleared their throat very loudly snapping Clark out of his stupor. He quickly pulled back and gently moved Tess off of him.

�I�m not interrupting anything am I?� Lana asked standing just outside the Torch glaring at Tess.

�Actually you were,� Tess said returning Lana�s stare. As they stared at each other Clark made a break for it nearly super speeding out of the Torch. What the Hell had come over him? He�d never acted that way with� well anybody in his entire life. And what was up with Tess. She was definitely acting more different than usual.
_

�I�d ask what you were doing, but it was pretty obvious,� Lana said stepping into the room.

�Why do you care? Last I checked you already had a boyfriend Lana.�

�He stopped being my boyfriend months ago. I was just too� I don�t know reserved, to do anything about it,� Lana said getting in Tess� face.

�You can forget about Clark, Lana. And I suggest that you get out of my face before I do something you might not like.�

�Like what?� Lana asked not sounding the least bit threatened.

�This,� Tess said and roughly shoved Lana. Lana�s eyes narrowed and she threw out a punch. Tess caught Lana�s wrist and started to squeeze it.

�Tess, stop it. For pete�s sake you�re gonna break it!� She shouted. Tess smirked, twisted Lana�s arm around her back and pinned her to the table.

�Not so tough are you?� Tess chuckled. �I�m going to say this only one time Lana. Don�t mess with me if you know what�s good for you,� and with that Tess released Lana�s arm and exited the Torch. She wasn�t sure where that sudden burst of strength had come from, but quite honestly she didn�t care.

Lana couldn�t believe that Tess almost broke off her arm. How the heck did she do that? As Lana thought about this she bumped into Whitney.

�We need to talk,� he said to her.

�Whatever it is Whitney, I�m not interested,� she said trying to side step him. Whitney grabbed her with his good arm to keep her from leaving.

�What�s going on with you and Clark?� He asked her.

�Please, not this again!� Lana shouted at him. �I am so tired of your paranoid fixation with me and Clark!�

�Why shouldn�t I!? You�re my girlfriend for crying out loud!� He yelled at her.

�Correction; I WAS your girlfriend,� she said and shoved Whitney out of her way and into the Torch. Whitney felt his rage reach a boiling point and slammed his fist on the table almost hitting the flower Chloe left there. He looked at the odd plant and received its weird toxin in the face. Whitney fell back coughing and banged his head against the wall. He slid down and fell unconscious.

A/N: I know it's kind of convenient how everyone got infected, but hey it's Smallville. Hope the story isn't moving too slowly for everyone.

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