Ghost From the Past
Folc4evernaday
Part 11
***
Five Years Ago…
Lois stalked through the newsroom irritably as she made her way back to her desk. What a waste of time. Clark had been convinced this woman might have a story to tell and had convinced her to look into Helene Morris’ story about her husband turning invisible but all she heard was headlines for the latest Dirt Digger.
“What a waste of time…” Lois muttered as she put her purse and coat down at her desk. “Poor woman. Her husband’s probably got something on the side, walks out on her and she thinks he’s turned invisible.”
“How do you know he isn’t?” Clark asked.
“Clark, are you serious? We’re talking about a figment of somebody’s overactive imagination. Plain and simple.”
“Does everything in life have to have a perfectly reasonable explanation?” He countered.
“Everything,” she said.
“All grounded in clear, scientific reality,” Clark pressed.
“Of course,” Lois shrugged, not sure what he was getting at.
“So, there’s no magic left in the universe?” Clark teased with a grin.
“Well, there’s no werewolves or vampires loose in the city either,” Lois shot back.
Eduardo approached them, “How’d it go?”
“Dead end.” Lois snapped.
Eduardo pointed at the television coverage and shook his head, “Maybe not,”
The television coverage showed Helene Morris in front of her home with a swarm of reporters around her. “He worked day and night to make himself invisible. I guess he finally figured out how. All I want to say is Alan if you’re listening please come home.”
Lois rolled her eyes, “Trying to get her ten minutes of fame I see,”
“Lo-is, I don’t think…” Clark began.
Eduardo shook his head, “From what I gather her nosy next-door neighbor sold the story to the wire services. Pretty crazy story.”
“See?” Clark added.
Lois shook her head, “It doesn’t matter. There’s no story here anyway. There is NO such thing as an invisible man.”
Perry hollered across the newsroom, “Friez! Where’s that piece on Barnes’ escape from prison? You were supposed to have it on my desk an hour ago!”
“Coming, Chief!” Eduardo called.
***
“It’s not even seven yet,” Lois muttered as they stepped out of the cab.
“Well, crime never sleeps.” Clark shrugged, following her into the jewelry store.
“Not sure how this is news…” Lois shook her head as she pulled out her press badge to be let in behind the police tape.
A tall man about six foot with dark hair and glasses approached them. “You two with the Daily Planet?” They nodded and he continued. “Name’s Henderson. Detective Henderson. Friend of Perry White’s. He told me you were working on the piece on the invisible man…”
“Yes, but what does that have to do with…” Lois began.
He gestured for her to follow him through the store and they approached the back store room where the store’s security system and videos were. “Watch.” He instructed The video showed shoppers in the store then it showed the door opening and closing by itself with a gun floating in the air. Gunshots flew around the room and people fell to the ground. The glass in the display cases was smashed by itself and jewelry was taken.
“I don’t believe it….” Lois gasped in shock.
Henderson shook his head, “No prints, no leads, no nothing.”
“What about the witnesses?” Lois asked.
“Witnesses to what? An invisible man? You’ll forgive me if I don’t call in our sketch artist.” Henderson asked. “You saw the tape. We’ve got a warrant out on this Morris guy but we’re not sure how to find him. Do either of you have any information on him?”
Lois and Clark both shook their head. “We spoke with his wife yesterday but from what she was saying he was trying to help people…this seems different.” Clark said.
Lois shook her head, “This is nuts. There has to be some kind of…explanation. There is no such thing as an invisible man…”
Clark pointed at the security guard nursing a cut to the side of his head, “I think the security guard might disagree with you.”
“If you two find anything on this guy let me know,” Henderson handed them his card.
“We will,” Clark nodded. “Thank you, detective. It was nice meeting you.” He watched as Henderson left and followed Lois back into the store. “So, yesterday you were saying something about this being a dead end…”
Lois shook her head. “I’m not convinced. There has to be an explanation. People don’t just turn invisible…”
“At what point are you going to start believing in this?” Clark asked.
“When I don’t see it with my own two eyes.” Lois retorted. “Come on, let’s head over to Helene’s. Maybe she has some leads on Alan Morris.”
***
Lois and Clark cautiously entered the basement laboratory of Alan Morris. Everything was broken and the lights were flickering on and off. Lois looked at Helene who was nursing a bruise on the side of her head, “Helene, when did this happen?”
Helene looked away, shaking her head, “A few hours after the news vans left. I came downstairs and he hit me on the head. I haven’t called the police yet.”
“Are you okay?” Clark asked concerned.
Lois looked at Helene cautiously, “Has your husband ever been violent with you before?”
Helene shook her head, “You think it was Alan.” She adamantly shook her head over and over, “No, never never, never. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. Really, he wouldn’t. If there was a fly in the kitchen, he’d spend half an hour catching it and setting it free.”
Lois looked at her in disbelief. The woman was incredible. She was still defending him. “So, what you’re saying is that some other invisible man…”
“…is impersonating MY invisible man,” Helene finished for her.
***
“I cannot believe she’s still defending him…” Lois muttered as they walked back towards the taxi cab that was waiting for them.
“She said it wasn’t him…” Clark argued.
“He bashes her on the head…” Lois continued.
“But she said it wasn’t him…” Clark countered. “Just because he’s a little eccentric…”
“Eccentric? Try a Taco short of a combo…” Lois retorted.
“Maybe, but he doesn’t sound like the man who’s been terrorizing the city…or at least
emphasize that there is no evidence to suggest Alan Morris is an armed robber. The man was giving money away. Why is he now stealing it?”
“I don’t know,” Lois shook her head. “But you know there’s a possibility that Helene is wrong…”
“Well…”
“After all, nobody really knows anybody…”
“But…”
“We like to think that we do, but we all wear disguises. Don’t you?”
“I…”
“Everyone disguises everything…nobody really knows anyone because everyone knows once you reveal yourself…once you open yourself up…they wind up using it against you…” Lois rambled angrily. The emotions from her parent’s divorce were coming to head.
“But marriage is about sharing everything you have, even when you don’t feel like it.”
“So’s divorce,” Lois said bitterly. “Ask my mother.”
Clark stared at her cautiously and she looked away, not wanting to give into the emotions that were threatening to overtake her. “Lois?”
Lois laughed bitterly, “It’s been twelve years and I guess I still get a bit angry about my parents’ divorce.”
“Sorry,” He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Lois, not everyone has that kind of relationship.”
“You mean where they wind up hating one another…” Lois muttered bitterly. “In my head, I know everything doesn’t end up like they did, but…..I don’t know…” She looked up at him sadly. “Seeing Helene with that bruise just brought a lot back…Sorry for going off like that.”
He cupped her cheek, “It’s understandable.” He leaned in to kiss her. “Come on, let’s head over to Morris’ work and see if we can find anyone that may know something,”
Lois nodded, “Yeah,” She took him by the arm and headed towards the Jeep.
***
The next morning Lois and Clark sat at the conference table with Eduardo, Ralph, Cat, and Claude as Perry went over the status of everyone’s stories. “Friez anything from the Commissioner on the prison break last night?” Perry asked.
“No, but the police aren’t talking right now. I think they know more than they’re letting on,” Eduardo explained.
“Invisible man lets out a whole cell block of prisoners. I wouldn’t want to talk about it either…” Ralph laughed.
“Mayor has everyone on a nine o’clock curfew for now,” Eduardo explained. “If I hear anything new I’ll let you know,”
“Good.” Perry nodded. “Lois, Clark, how are you coming with this invisible man stuff? Anything to it?”
Lois shook her head, “We went to Morris’ work yesterday and no one seemed too concerned when he didn’t show up for work. Didn’t even bother to call him. They just replaced him. You should have seen this place Chief. It was a whole bunch of lab techs in little cubicles. Really impersonal.”
“We dropped the material from his lab off at S.T.A.R. Labs. We should have a report back by this afternoon,” Clark added.
“And the robberies?” Perry prompted.
“Henderson’s stumped,” Clark said. “Invisible robin hood is still out there doing good but there’s also this invisible robber ….breaking into jewelry stores….breaking prisoners out ... Seems like a different guy.”
“Don’t forget that robbery last night,” Ralph added, pulling out a police report. “House of Rare Coins. The owner’s in the hospital from a crushed windpipe.”
“Judas Priest,” Perry muttered. “This just keeps getting better and better.” He shook his head in disgust. “So, we’re assuming there are TWO invisible men out there?”
“Could be more,” Lois said. “All of Alan Morris’ suits were stolen from his lab.”
“Uh-huh,” Perry said. “Well, once you hear from S.T.A.R. Labs we’ll add the sidebar on the ‘invisible suit’ but for now hold off on that just yet. Maybe just a mood piece on the effect of the evil vs. good invisible man? Ask the real invisible man to come in and sort everything out?”
Lois and Clark nodded and Perry then turned to Ralph, “Simms, I want you to work with Friez on this Barnes story and see what you can come up with from your contacts at the Metropolis P.D. Find out why they’re keeping their mouths shut,”
“Got it,” Ralph nodded.
***
Clark held up a report as he approached Lois at her desk, “Report from S.T.A.R. Labs,”
“What’d they find out?” Lois asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
“The material from Alan Morris’ lab is a type of fiber optic. It’s designed to reflect visible light as ultra-violet light,” Clark explained.
“Come again?” Lois asked quizzically, still not understanding what he was saying.
“The ultraviolet…or…UV light is an invisible part of the spectrum,” Clark continued.
“So, you’re saying this….” She held up the report she was reading, “…CAN make someone invisible…?”
Clark nodded, “Think of it as the next stage in stealth technology. If you wore a suit made of this kind of material, you could appear invisible.”
“Of course,” Lois said smugly, “The appearance of invisibility is different from REAL invisibility.”
Clark laughed, “You know Lois it must be tough being right all the time,”
“It is,” she laughed.
Brain approached them with a smile, “Lois, that story you and Clark wrote asking the Invisible Man to turn himself in really paid off,”
“Another one?” Lois grumbled irritably.
“I got the last one,” Clark muttered, turning to the stack of files on his desk.
“Fine,” Lois followed Brian to the elevator where a man in a trench coat, wrapped in gauze with sunglasses stood. “You’ve got to be kidding me,”
“I am the invisible man,” He laughed.
Lois ripped the gauze bandage off his nose and he yelled in pain, “Sorry, buddy. Try central casting!”
***
Present Day…
Martha stared at the coverage of the Nightfall asteroid numbly. Four days. They said they had four days until the asteroid would destroy life as they knew it on Earth. She knew in her heart that if they could get Clark to remember he could possibly stop the asteroid, but how could she get him to save the world when he couldn’t even remember who he was?
***
Lois stepped out into the newsroom, leaving Clark in the conference room. She scanned the room and found Martha sitting with Lucy. “Martha?”
Martha looked at Lois, “How is he?”
Lois shook her head, “He doesn’t remember a lot. He seemed to remember that his parents …. died I guess. I never knew that.” Martha’s eyes widened slightly at the mention of Clark’s birth parents’ death, “I just thought he was adopted. Anyway, I thought maybe it would help if you tried talking to him. Familiar faces seem to help I think.”
Martha nodded, “Sure,” she handed Lois her cell phone. “I’ve been trying to get through to Jonathan and I can’t get through. Could you try and see if you can get him? Let him know what’s going on?”
Lois nodded, “Sure thing.”
***
Five Years Ago…
Lois and Clark stared at the timid middle-aged man sitting across from them skeptically. After dealing with fake invisible men all day Lois had called it a night early, but when she’d arrived home she found Alan Morris—The real invisible man—waiting for her. Seeing a floating head had scared her so he’d quickly changed out of the invisible suit. She’d called Clark for help and now they were trying to figure out what to do.
“I was the invisible Robin Hood, but I’m not the one doing all these bad things. There’s another invisible man out there!” Alan angrily paced in front of them.
Lois glanced at Clark, unsure if Alan was aware of what happened to Helene, “Alan, we believe you.” He visibly sighed in relief. “I just don’t understand ….why you wanted to make yourself invisible. Why did you leave your wife like that?”
“It’s not like that, Ms. Lane,” Alan shook his head. “I was trying to become invisible to become visible again…” At their skeptical look, he continued, “Well, at some point…I’m not exactly sure when…I … Alan Morris …became invisible. I disappeared. I went to work every morning, did the same thing. I drifted apart from my friends. Helene and I stopped talking. I guess, she lost interest in me. I became so invisible in my own life, that I decided to do it for real. I started experimenting.”
Clark lifted up the white fabric of the suit, “Where did you get the idea for the suit?”
“From a fluorescent light bulb,” Alan explained. “A fluorescent light bulb turns invisible light into visible light. I reversed the process. It took me fifteen years to build a working suit,”
Lois looked at the suit, “How come we can see it?”
“Because it hasn’t been activated yet,” Alan explained, handing her the hood, “Go ahead. Try it on,” Lois slipped the hood on and he continued to explain, “There are switches in the interior lining.” He pressed a switch and Clark’s eyebrows raised when her face disappeared. Lois took off the hood and handed it back to him. Alan looked down shamefully, “Someone must have stolen my other suits. I had several backups.”
Clark looked at Lois in concern, realizing Alan didn’t know what had happened. “Alan, have you spoken with your wife recently?”
Alan shook his head, “No, I knew she’d lose it on me, but I was having so much fun helping people. It felt like I was finally making a difference in the world.”
Clark nodded, understanding the man’s need to help others. He had that same need, but unfortunately, he couldn’t just turn invisible…could he? “Alan, somebody broke into your home and…”
Alan’s eyes widened, “Is Helene…?”
Lois calmed his fears, “She’s fine.”
Alan breathed a sigh of relief, “Oh, thank goodness! If anything ever happened to her…” He shook his head, “Will you help me stop whoever’s doing this?”
Lois sighed, “It’s not going to be easy. Invisibility is an incredible advantage,”
“Alan, you can stay at my place until we get all this sorted out,” Clark said. “We’ll do everything we can to help.”
***
Lois groaned in frustration as they poured over the files in front of them as they sat in Clark’s dining room with files all over the table, “This is impossible!”
“Lois, keep your voice down,” Clark admonished, pointing at the sofa bed where Alan was asleep.
“Sorry,” Lois whispered. “I’m just frustrated. These invisible men keep hitting places all over Metropolis and we’re not any closer to finding out who is behind the invisible mask…”
Clark rubbed her shoulders lightly, “We’ll figure it out…”
“Even after eliminating all the armed robbers still in jail or accounted for somewhere else we’ve still got hundreds of suspects…” Lois whined.
“Let’s go over it again,” Clark pulled out his notepad, “First, he robs a jewelry store, then a rare coin shop…”
“Jewels?” Lois guessed, “Precious metals?”
“…but not all precious metals,” Clark reasoned, pulling out the list of items that were stolen from the jewelry store.
“A gold ring with emerald stone, gold chains, a gold brooch, gold coins…” Lois read off the list.
“Gold!” Clark exclaimed. “He steals gold.”
“And what criminal just escaped that was notorious for stealing gold?” Lois asked as she sifted through the list they had compiled with every criminal’s criminal pattern. “Ah-ha! Barnes….That guy that escaped. The one Eduardo was covering…”
Clark nodded, “I’ll give him a call,”
***
It was late at the Daily Planet. Most of the staff was gone but a few reporters, Perry White, and the cleaning crew. Lois and Clark stepped off the elevator and headed toward the conference room where Eduardo had told them to meet him. He was on the phone when they entered the room. He gestured for them to close the door behind them. “Yeah….thanks for your help. Uh-huh, bye,” He hung up the phone and looked up at them in disbelief, “How did a story about an invisible man link back to Golden Boy Barnes?”
Lois shrugged, “Just dumb luck I guess.” She handed him the research they had. “It certainly seems like his ‘MO,’”
Eduardo nodded, “Yeah, and the prisoners that were broken out of that cell block were all a part of Barnes’ gang that was busted on their last job to rob the Metropolis Gold Repository.”
“An invisible gang of criminals,” Clark shook his head. “We’ve got to figure out a way to stop them.”
“Well, they’re bound to strike again,” Eduardo said, handing them the old article he wrote on Barnes’ capture.
“But where?” Clark asked.
Lois held up the article, “Maybe he went to go finish some unfinished business…”
Clark nodded, “We need to warn Henderson. Maybe Alan has a way to make the suits visible?”
“It’s worth a shot,” Eduardo shrugged, “Good luck,”
***
Clark unlocked the apartment and stepped inside, being careful to be as quiet as he could. He motioned for Lois to follow him and he closed the door behind him. “He’s still asleep,”
Lois nodded, “Well, let him be, then. We’ll wait awhile. I don’t know if he can help anyway,”
Clark nodded and headed for the kitchen, “I’ll make some tea,”
“Sounds good,” Lois followed him into the kitchen and watched as he filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove.
“How’s Lucy adjusting?” Clark asked, stirring in tea leaves and some spices she didn’t recognize.
Lois shook her head, “Oh, you know the usual…I don’t understand her sometimes. She keeps going from one major to another…”
Clark laughed, “She’s figuring out where she fits in in the world. I guess it's normal at that age.”
Lois shook her head, “I wish she’d hurry up and figure it out. I’m sick of being the go-between with her and mom.”
“Can your dad help?” Clark asked cautiously.
Lois shook her head, “No, we don’t really talk …. ever since I moved back in with mom when I refused to go to medical school he kinda hasn’t been around…for any of us.”
“I’m sorry,” Clark patted her shoulder.
“It's okay,” Lois smiled back at him, “I’m much happier doing what I love and ….as much as she drives me crazy…I do enjoy having Lucy living with me.” Clark poured the cups of tea and he guided her out to the back balcony and she took a seat in the chair he had out there. She gazed up at the stars and smiled up at him, taking a sip of the tea. “Nice,”
“Lapsang Suchang,” Clark said with a smile, recalling the memory of the first time he’d had it. “My mom used to make me tea with raisin scones when I was feeling bad. Years later, I had them for high tea at the London Savoy but it never tasted as good.”
Lois smiled, “Your parents are really wonderful. I surprised myself and actually enjoyed Smallville.”
“I’m glad,” He said softly. “Mom and dad really like you. I think Pete and Rachel love you too.”
Lois laughed, recalling the torture under the picnic table in front of Pete and Rachel when Lana had been in rare form confronting Rachel. “That was a lot of fun. Pete seems like a lot of fun. I’m sure you guys had a lot of fun growing up together.”
Clark shrugged, taking a seat next to her and looking up at the stars, “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Pete and I used to get into a lot of trouble when we’d play on Wayne Irig’s tractor. One time we were running from him and fell into this huge mud puddle …” He laughed at the memory, “…we were busted before we even got home.” He placed his mug on the side table. She handed him hers to put with it as well and then turned to wrap his arms around her from behind as she leaned back against him.
Lois laughed, “Sounds like you were a bit of a hell raiser when you were younger, Mr. Kent,”
He shrugged, “Not really. Just a bored kid with too much curiosity for his own good.”
Lois looked up at the stars wistfully, “When Lucy and I were little we’d play this game….Invisible or Fly. We’d ask each other what would you rather be able to do? Fly or be invisible?”
Clark looked at her tenderly, “And you chose?”
“Mmmm, Invisible,” She said softly, leaning against him. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head. “I wished I could walk through all those closed doors. I guess I still do.”
Clark smiled, “And what did you think you’d find behind all those closed doors?”
Lois looked back at him with a tender smile, “I don’t know. Something different…wonderful…” She intertwined her fingers with his, leaning back against him, “Something I don’t have…couldn’t have.” She then smiled broadly at him, looking back to meet his eyes, “So, what about you?”
“Huh?” He asked confused.
“Invisible or fly?” She turned in his arms to face him.
He looked up at the stars and smiled broadly, “Fly,”
“Really?” Lois asked, surprised, linking her arms around his neck.
“Yeah,” Clark nodded. “I think it’d be great to be able to fly in the sky…touch the clouds…the stars….”
“That does sound wonderful,” Lois sighed against him. “Listen to us,” she laughed. “Dreaming of being invisible and flying around the world like a bunch of kids.”
He laughed lightly, “Sometimes it’s fun to be a kid…” He leaned in to kiss her.
“Maybe,” she laughed, “but I’m glad I’m not a little kid anymore. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy….this,” she leaned into him, capturing his lips with her own and he groaned against her. “…or this…” she whispered, brushing her lips against his collarbone as she unbuttoned his dress shirt, “…or this…” she whispered inaudibly as she brushed a hand against his inner thigh, feeling the twitch of his hardened muscles pressed against her.
“Lo-is…” He yelped when she reached between their bodies, surprising him. She laughed against him and he tightened his arms around her, “not out here,” He murmured.
“Race ya to the bedroom…” she whispered mischievously, slipping out of his arms and heading to the bedroom.
***
“Great plan,” Clark muttered as the doors to the gold repository safe closed on himself, Lois and Alan.
“Now’s not the time to be a smart ass,” Lois shot back as she paced around the room.
“He said it was airtight,” Alan instructed, “Maybe we need to stop wasting our breath on arguing,”
Lois glared at Alan. It had been a good plan. Put the invisible suits on and sneak into the Gold Repository with the Phosphorous and throw it on them to make the criminals visible to the police. Unfortunately, Alan Morris seemed to be allergic to phosphorous and he sneezed it all over them…. right in front of Barnes and his gang. Now here they were in an airtight safe, praying for a way out.
Clark was fumbling with the keypad on the safe. Alan was sitting on the floor, trying to calm his breathing and she was trying to figure out a plan. She didn’t have her phone. The room was definitely getting harder and harder to breathe in. “Clark…” She mumbled incoherently as she took a seat on the floor.
“Just a sec…” He said as he continued to play with the keypad.
“I can’t breathe….”
That seemed to register with him and he stopped what he was doing and took a seat next to her, “Lois?” He looked at her and Alan for a moment then back at the wall where he had been fumbling with the keypad. She thought she could smell something burning for a moment and felt the air get clearer. “I’m gonna get us out of here. Just give me a minute,” He instructed returning to the keypad.
She nodded, then turned to look at Alan who seemed to look better than he had a minute ago. She took a shallow breath, standing up to examine the door. She noticed a small hole on the metal doors. Had that been there before? “Hey, Clark, look at this…”
Before she could point it out to him the doors opened. She looked at him in surprise. “Finally figured out the code,” He said with a grin. “Let’s get out of here…”
“Wait, what about Barnes?” Lois asked.
He nodded, “I’ll take a look and make sure he’s gone. Stay here.”
Before she could respond he was gone down the hall. Lois rolled her eyes, “If he thinks I’m just going to sit here while he gets to have all the fun he’s out of his mind…” Lois muttered as she looked around the hallway for any sign of Barnes. “Come on, Alan, let’s go…”
“But he just told you…”
“I know what he told me, Alan…” Lois shot back. “Come on!”
***
When she came out the front of the Gold Repository she found Detective Henderson with a swarm of officers that had surrounded the place. Clark was standing with Henderson and had already shed the visible invisible suit. She walked up to him, interrupting “What happened?”
Henderson smiled, “I was just telling your partner Barnes and his gang had come out with guns blazing and we couldn’t see where the shots were coming from. Thankfully when that wind came through it had knocked the bag of phosphorous on them. Strangest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Phosphorous?” Lois asked. “I thought that bag was still inside.”
“I guess not…” Clark shrugged.
Henderson pointed at the two of them and Alan, “You need to get checked out. Make sure that stuff doesn’t have any negative effects…”
“We’ve got to file this the Planet but we’ll get checked out. Promise,” Clark said, walking away.
“Don’t forget,” Henderson warned.
“We won’t,” Lois added, rolling her eyes as they headed to the Jeep. “Let’s get out of here before he tries to tie us to a stretcher.”
“With pleasure,”
***
Present Day…
“So,” Clark began hesitantly. “You’re my…mom?” Martha nodded quietly, unable to speak. “I’m sorry. I just don’t seem to have any memory of you,” He smiled apologetically.
Martha nodded again, but found her voice, “It’s okay. I’m just so…happy you’re okay. You have no idea how long we’ve prayed you’d come home…”
“From what Lois was saying it sounds like I can’t exactly …. go home.” Clark sighed, raking a hand through his hair.
Martha nodded hesitantly. “Well, don’t you worry about that. We’ll figure this out. Are you sure you don’t remember anything about the men that you were running from?”
He shook his head, “No, just a green glowing room. Lois…and I remember dreaming about flying….” He said wistfully. “I guess I must have enjoyed flying….”
Martha nodded. ‘Flying’ What if he started using his powers on accident like he did when he was thirteen? “Have you noticed anything….different?” She gave the signal she and Jonathan had developed when talking about his special abilities.
“Different how?” He asked, confused.
She didn’t want to scare him, but if he accidentally figured out he could fly he could end up scaring himself even worse than when he was a teenager. She had to tell him. “Clark, you know you were adopted, right?” Clark nodded. “We didn’t exactly have a standard adoption.”
“What do you mean?” He asked suspiciously.
Martha looked around the empty conference room, checking to make sure the blinds were closed before she continued. “We found you. We didn’t know where you came from….we decided we didn’t care. We would raise you as our own….”
“So, I’m a foundling?” He asked. He seemed surprised with the word choice he used.
“Yes,” She said tearfully, placing a hand on his. “You were our miracle…but we never told anyone how we found you…” She sighed, taking a deep breath as she continued, “When you got to be a pre-teen you started to have something strange happen …. you….were able to lift tractors on your pinky finger…”
His eyes widened and he pulled away from her as she continued, “What? That’s crazy…This is crazy…”
“You began to have x-ray vision, heat vision, enhanced hearing, the ability to absorb and eat…anything without it hurting you…. “ Martha continued.
Clark paced around the room, shaking his head ‘no’ over and over as he muttered, “This is insane. You’re insane….” He didn’t notice himself floating in the air as he paced around the room.
“….when you tried to get rid of something you’d eaten you had a sort of cold freeze breath…then when you turned eighteen you began to …..” She stopped short when she noticed he was floating a few inches off the floor as he tried to cover his ears to tune out what she was saying to him. “…. fly.”
“Oh, my God!”
Clark and Martha looked towards the conference room door where Lois stood in shock.
***
TBC...
