What a powerful chapter. You masterfully wove Clark's isolation throughout, whether or not he was physically alone.
He had to acknowledge that was true, but staying ambiguous and hiding in the shadows was too deeply ingrained in him. Coming clean, in a direct, straight-forward, manner wasn’t something that he was comfortable with. It went against his very nature.
Clark in any universe seems to have varying degrees of this self-protection reflex,and in this one it has been the way he's survived being enslaved by a madman. I can see him not only hiding in the shadows when he's out on "errands," but also hiding in the penthouse to not draw Lex's attention and ire.
Glad to see he is reaching out tentatively, trying to explain what even he finds inexplicable. I'm still hoping there's light at the end of this dark tunnel, or maybe cell is a better term, for all.
The chapter starting and ending with him alone in the cell really emphasized his separation from people and brought him full circle.
Once again, looking forward to your next post, whenever it is.
And Happy New Year!
