Coping Strategies part 2
This was written for rjchasez's Fading Daylight Chlark-a-thon
Title:Coping Strategies
Author: marikology
Genre: Chlark friendship Angst
Spoilers: Takes place between Prototype and Phantom
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Also, I'm obviously not a doctor (yet), so please take any glaring inaccuracies as "creative license."
Prompt: Chloe starts to think that the insanity that comes from being meteor-infected has started to hit her (whether it's really happening or she's being set-up by someone else like Lex is the author's choice). (a mention of Moira; an allusion to the bombsquad line; and signs that Chloe takes that indicate declining mental health --seeing things that aren't there, forgetting things like in dementia, something of that nature.)
Part 1 is here
******************
Part 2
After Lana’s departure, Clark went over everything he had discovered. Chloe was sincerely impressed with his work as well. She felt such a wave of relief that her unusual behavior could be explained; even if it meant learning that she had once again been subjected to something against her will. The fact that Lana was helping out too touched her deeply. After an emotional day, Chloe felt optimistic for the first time all summer. She decided to run to town to pick up dinner for the Kents as a sign of her gratitude. Clark immediately objected, but Chloe assured him that she’d be fine and would return in 30 minutes, tops.
Clark watched the clock for exactly one hour before he called. “Chloe, where are you? You’ve been gone an hour, I was sure you’d fallen asleep at the wheel and were lying in a ditch somewhere!”
Chloe sighed heavily. “I’m fine, Clark. I- I think I’m lost,” she finished, sounding very defeated.
Clark tried not to sound incredulous, but he couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice. “Lost. In Smallville? From Main Street to the farm?”
“I know, I know, Clark, stop!”
He could hear her beginning to get upset. “Okay, Chloe, calm down. What streets are you near?” She tried to explain the landmarks until she passed a street sign. “All right I know where you are, just pull over, okay?”
Clark appeared next to her. Without him having to ask, she slid over the console into the passenger seat. Clark folded himself into her tiny car and adjusted the seat back at least a foot. He pulled back onto the road and towards the farm.
“We’ll have to microwave dinner because it’s probably cold by now,” she informed him, really just needing to break the tension.
“It’s not important, Chloe. Look, why don’t you stay at our place till Lois gets back? It’s only three days, and we spend all day together anyway, we might as well cut out the middleman. Mom won’t mind.”
“Clark, you don’t have to make up excuses. I know you’re worried about me driving off a cliff or forgetting my name and wandering around like a homeless person, and justifiably so. I’m not going to fight. Just take me by the Talon sometime tonight and I’ll grab a bag and my laptop.”
“Wow. I thought that would be harder!” Clark admitted, chuckling. “You keep me guessing.”
Chloe gave him a smile and a shrug in response.
**************************
Chloe awoke the next morning feeling more aware than she had in days. The past few weeks, she’d awoken to extreme disorientation, not even able to remember how she’d gotten into bed. She was pleased that she actually recalled getting into Clark’s bed the night before. She reported this sense of clarity at the breakfast table. Clark smiled. “It’s this farm-fresh air!” he proclaimed. “’Cures all that ails you!’ That’s what Dad used to say. Hey, let’s go down to Crater Lake today.”
“I’d love to, but a great friend told me that I need to put on my investigative reporter hat. And I feel really good today, so I’m going to get started. I’ve got to make copies of my medical records since February. I’m going to call Lois’ hotel room and ask if she has any useful tidbits. I also need to see what Oliver might want for the investigation if we have to contact him.”
Clark was so immensely relieved to see Chloe acting more like herself, he wasn’t even disappointed.
However, after a whole day of having to entertain himself, he was pleased to see Chloe emerge late that night before bed. She plunked down on Clark’s makeshift “bed,” the living room couch, next to him. He was in his pajamas eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
“So what’d I miss on Judge Judy today?” she asked.
“Oh, this girl was suing her roommate for back rent. She kicked her out after she caught her wearing her underwear and using her toothpaste. And people ask me why I still live at home…” he muttered as he handed her half of his sandwich.
Chloe laughed, “Yeah, underwear, I can share, but my toothpaste is off limits.” She ate her half in three bites. “I think I had a good day today, huh?” she asked her friend.
Clark nodded. “Yeah, just one nap, no weird sudden sleeping, and I only heard you drop the f-bomb once all day!”
Chloe made a face. “I was provoked! My damn i-Tunes froze up three times! I hate that program. Thanks for the sandwich.” Chloe stood to return upstairs, but then she hesitated a moment. “And… this,” she said, vaguely gesturing towards Clark’s mess of pillows and blankets. “Thanks for keeping an eye on me.”
Clark was draining a glass of milk. He put it down and looked her straight in the eye. “You’re welcome,” he simply replied, but Chloe understood the sincerity in his expression.
*******************
Clark awoke the next morning fairly late for him. He was pleased to see Chloe already up and dressed, sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal. Her concentration was on a crossword puzzle, surprisingly, and Clark watched as she stared intently at the little boxes while groping for her cup of coffee. The sun streamed through the windows and Clark thought she looked more alive than he’d seen in a while.
He maneuvered himself around the tiny kitchen fixing his own cereal and coffee. He sat across from her and began to heap spoonful after spoonful of sugar both on the cereal and in the coffee. “You’re up early,” he remarked around a mouthful of rice krispies.
“Yeah, I was just feeling so well-rested for once, I figured I’d try a crossword puzzle. I’m doing pretty well…” She continued to work as Clark crunched his way through his breakfast. “You still want to go to Crater Lake? I hear it’s going to be in the high 90s.”
Nodding, Clark picked up his bowl and drank the milk. Chloe made a face when he used his spoon to scrape the precipitated sugar out of the bottom and ate that, too. “You don’t get tooth decay, do you?” she inquired randomly. This made Clark laugh out loud.
“I don’t know. Are you doing an exposé on alien oral hygiene?” he joked. He gave a half-wave as he disappeared to do his chores. Chloe went back to her puzzle.
However, another long lazy summer day was interrupted when Clark received an unexpected telephone call around noon.
“Hello, Clark. Can you let Martha know that I have some new information on the funding for that project we discussed on Saturday? I didn’t expect to have it sorted out so fast, but one of my accountants came through.” Lana’s lie rolled off her tongue with the smoothness of honey. “Please let her know I’d like to take her out for a late lunch today, I’ll send the location to her PDA.” As soon as he’d confirmed the message, Lana said goodbye and hung up quickly. Clark hurried to tell Chloe. She had been sitting in the barn eating an apple and talking his ear off when he’d super-sped into the house to answer the phone.
“Hey Chloe, great news! Lana’s got some info she’s going to give Mom this afternoon!”
Chloe jumped up. “Clark, that’s great! I knew she’d come through!” They mutually decided to go to the lake to occupy their time before Martha arrived home. Chloe jumped up to help her out of her coat when she heard Martha’s key in the door.
Martha had a serious expression on her face. “I’m glad to see you awake, Chloe. Why don’t you get Clark and I’ll make a pot of tea so we can discuss things.”
They assembled in the kitchen as Martha opened her briefcase. “Lana claims Lex shares all of his passwords as a sign of trust, but he hides the files that he doesn’t want her to see, so that essentially, she wouldn’t know something was there unless she knew exactly what to look for. She told me she did searches for anything she could think to identify Chloe- her height, weight, age in months or days, and finally hit pay dirt.” She then paused and looked at Chloe seriously and with compassion. “Chloe, I’m sorry to say that you and Clark’s suspicions were right. You are being drugged in your own home.”
Chloe nodded. “That explains why I’ve spent two days and nights here and I feel better already.” Martha handed her a blueprint of the Talon apartment.
“Of course, since Lex owns the building, it would be easy to explain why he has blueprints, neither would it raise suspicion if he sent maintenance men to install or maintain something nefarious. Lana found information indicating that it is an airborne toxin from some sort of nebulizer in your ventilation system. It must be very faint; otherwise it would affect the café workers and patrons. Also, it took a full month for it to adversely affect you to the extent that we knew something was wrong.”
As Martha continued, Clark’s anger accelerated. “That bastard. He’s been poisoning you! For what? Just to see how you’d react, like a damn lab rat?!” Clark almost never used profanity, especially around his mother, but he was positively shaking with outrage. “We have to find whatever it is. There’s got to be a way to trace this back to him and make him pay. That’s her home, for pete’s sake!”
Martha knew her son was quickly approaching the point beyond reason. “Clark,” she said sternly. “You’re right, this sort of violation is unthinkable, but the important thing is that we make sure Chloe and Lois’ home is safe enough for them to live in again. You will have to find it tonight, with enough time for the apartment to fumigate before Lois gets back.”
Chloe stood up. “I’m coming, too.” Clark shook his head in disagreement.
“Chloe, you’ve just started acting like yourself again. It’s not safe. The apartment has been empty for two days; whatever’s in the air is probably concentrated by now. And whatever it is, it probably won’t affect me.”
“No, Clark, we’re a team! This is *our* investigation! Every good reporter knows not to go into the scene without backup!”
Clark knew he wasn’t going to win this battle, so they began to plan their approach.
*************
They pulled up to the deserted café shortly after closing. Despite the time he’d spent there with Lana, Clark was always unnerved going into the café after closing, but Chloe had quickly become used to it. She unlocked the side entrance and led the way up the stairs. Clark entered the apartment, leaving the door cracked, and having nothing to do but wait, Chloe sat and listened. “Scan the bedroom vents first,” she suggested.
“Okay,” he called. Only a few minutes later, she heard, “Chloe, I found something! It’s a metal box, about the size of a videotape. It’s in the vent.” Chloe heard the scraping of metal as Clark ripped the vent off. He shed his jacket and reached an arm in, the cool air conditioning blowing gently into his face. “I’m just going to rip it off,” he explained. He realized too late that this action would probably release the full amount of toxin contained within. Three sides of the box came off into his hand with ease, but the back panel detached and remained welded to the vent. To Clark’s horror, a fine green powder blew directly into his face. A split second before he inhaled it, he remembered thinking that it was a good idea reporters never go into a scene without backup.
On the other side of the door, Chloe heard a strange barking sound that she listened to for a full ten seconds before she realized that it was the unfamiliar sound of Clark violently coughing. She heard his body fall and wrenched a disposable dust mask out of her pocket. Snapping it onto her face, she rushed headlong inside. Clark was sitting on the floor, doubled over, coughing his lungs out. A chair was overturned next to him. She pulled something else out of her pocket, a plastic bag, and in one quick motion, swept the remains of the box up and tied it shut. Clark’s coughing continued as he tried to sit up.
“There’s meteor rock, Chloe,” he managed to struggle out. His top half glistened with powder.
“I know, Clark. Take it easy, don’t try to talk,” she soothed, her words slightly muffled by the mask. “We have to get you out of here.” She pulled him to his feet and pushed him towards the door with considerable effort. His coughs were now punctuated with painful-sounding gasps for breath. They stumbled down the stairs with difficulty and out of the café. Chloe was almost doubled over with Clark’ weight draped on her shoulder. He struggled into the passenger seat and dug his keys out of his pocket, stopping several times with wracking coughs. After a particularly violent fit, Clark held up his hand in alarm. Chloe was shocked to see blood on his palm. Wide-eyed, she snatched the keys from him. In a role-reversal of her dinner disaster two days ago, Chloe perched on the edge of the seat and threw Clark’s truck into gear as she sped towards the Kent farm, making the usual five minute drive in about two. She ran to help Clark out and the two stumbled towards the house.
“Mrs. Kent, come quickly, it’s Clark!” Chloe yelled. The two women maneuvered him into the house and towards the couch.
“The toxin had kryptonite in it and he inhaled a faceful trying to get it loose.” She held up the plastic bag, still looped around her wrist.
“Chloe put that out on the porch and help me out, okay? Bring me a wet washcloth.” Grateful for something to do, Chloe disappeared as Clark continued coughing.
She returned to see Martha wrenching Clark’s t-shirt up over his head. Without being asked, she handed off the washcloth and ran to put the shirt on the porch, too. Martha began to wipe his entire face liberally. “Mom, I can’t breathe,” Clark gasped out, holding up his smeared palm. He tried to offer an explanation. “I fell off a chair… I’m coughing up blood,” he rambled unnecessarily. He attempted to lie down but Martha shoved him back up to a sitting position. Clark groaned in response.
“Sweetie, you have to sit up, it’ll help you breathe, and stop trying to talk. Oh, it’s in your hair,” she remarked softly. Chloe gave her a new washcloth as she started wiping down his hair. Clark’s coughing had dissolved into harsh wheezes and his face was scrunched up in discomfort. Chloe stared transfixed at his bare chest as it trembled with erratic, shallow breaths. Martha finished and his head lolled against the back of the couch.
“I landed on my butt,” he whispered hoarsely. “God, my head hurts, my chest hurts, my ass hurts…” he trailed off. Despite herself, Martha smiled.
“He’ll be all right, right, Mrs. Kent?” Chloe asked timidly.
“Probably not completely until dawn,” Martha muttered. It was only 10 o’clock. “Whatever it did to you affected your neurological function, unsurprisingly. Remember Lex’s memory treatment?” She smoothed Clark’s damp hair down. “We’re going to hope that he’s just reacting to the kryptonite and keep a close eye on him tonight,” she finished definitively.
“that crap’s all over the interior…” Clark lamented.
“I know, Sweetheart. We’ll get your truck cleaned up.”
Clark was starting to drift off. “my chest hurts,” he repeated quietly.
“You need to sleep it off. You’ll feel better in the morning. Then you can jump in the shower and you’ll be good as new.” she said softly. Chloe was shifting from foot to foot feeling guilty and useless. “Chloe, why don’t you go get yourself cleaned up. It’ll make you feel better and you’ll be able to help me out a little more,” Martha suggested.
Chloe wanted to dissolve into tears, but she willed herself to get a hold of her emotions for the first time in a month and do something practical. Not even finished toweling off, she called Oliver Queen and reported their findings. He promised send a courier over to pick up the box for analysis, so as soon as she hung up, she got everything ready. By the time she made it back downstairs, Clark had fallen into a restless sleep. Martha had covered him with a blanket and regarded Chloe’s expression of apprehension.
“I know you’re worried, Chloe, but we’ve done all we can at this point. Clark’s pretty tough; I have hope that he’ll come through fine. Why don’t you sit with him while go check out that thing you brought back?” she suggested. Chloe nodded and took her place.
Clark was draped across the couch upright, breathing audibly. Chloe felt so guilty that she could no longer contain the tears she’d been battling all night. “I’m sorry, Clark,” she sniffed. “I should have thought to warn you or something. You have been taking care of me all weekend and now you’re sick because of me,” she cried. “You have to get better, partner, okay? I still need my personal bomb squad.”
Clark stirred and for a second, Chloe had a strange feeling of déjà vu and fully expected him to mutter “Lana” in his sleep. He cleared his throat.
“’m gonna be okay. gotta take one for the team if i’m gonna share that byline, right, ms sullivan?” he murmured.
Chloe broke into a dazzling smile. “Yeah, sure, Mr. Kent,” she said through her tears.
Martha and Chloe took turns watching Clark sleep fitfully all night. As dawn broke, Chloe listlessly watched the pane of sunlight creep across the carpet. Like magic, as soon as it hit Clark’s sleeping form, he sucked in a deep shuddering breath, coughed hard a few times, and sat up awake. He stretched his limbs out and leaned into the sunlight like a plant.
“Feeling better?” she inquired. His eyes still closed, Clark nodded. “Ollie came to pick up the box around four this morning,” she reported. “He said he’d get back to us soon.”
Clark decided to test his legs and stood up shakily. He stumbled to the window and leaned against the sill, practically drinking in the wan, early sunlight. Chloe went to stand beside him. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered. “Your mom is amazing,” she added before she let out a jaw-cracking yawn.
This produced a smile from Clark. “Yeah, she is, isn’t she?” Predictably, he yawned too. “Man, I’m beat,” he admitted as he stumbled back to the couch.
Chloe followed him and settled next to him, leaning her head on his bare shoulder. “Yeah, let’s sleep in just a little longer…” she murmured before drifting off. Clark wasn’t far after her.
****************
Due to the efforts of Oliver Queen’s resources, Chloe and Lois’ apartment was fumigated and tested to reveal no visible traces of any sort of airborne toxin the following day. However, investigation of the device Clark and Chloe found was predictably meeting dead ends. The only definitive connection Chloe could find was an article from 1992 linking the manufacturer to LuthorCorp in a financial document. All other evidence was obtained from documents stolen by Lana, so Clark and Chloe didn’t want to risk using them for their article. Instead of watching daytime judge shows and stuffing their faces, the two spent the summer days researching, documenting and pounded away at their laptops until they were satisfied. Then they promptly and successfully sold the story to the Smallville Ledger.
Clark bounded up the stairs once again and entered the apartment without knocking.
Chloe was standing at the sink and Clark crossed the room with the newspaper in his hand. He was just bursting with pride. “We made the front page!”
Chloe threw up her hands and gave a cry of joy. She ran to hug him and grabbed the paper out of his hand. “Oh let’s see! ‘Talon Residents Subjected to Experimental Toxin’. By Clark Kent and Chloe Sullivan!” she read out loud excitedly. Congratulations, Clark! Your first byline!”
“Well, half of one anyway. I just wish we could have found proof that would bring Lex down.”
“Clark, you’re too idealistic. At least now he knows we aren’t going to just sit down and take it anymore. This sort of publicity is bad, even if we couldn’t completely disclose his involvement. Sullivan and Kent. I think we make an amazing team, huh?”
“Don’t you mean Kent and Sullivan?” he smiled.
Chloe playfully smacked his shoulder with the paper in response.
END
Title:Coping Strategies
Author: marikology
Genre: Chlark friendship Angst
Spoilers: Takes place between Prototype and Phantom
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Also, I'm obviously not a doctor (yet), so please take any glaring inaccuracies as "creative license."
Prompt: Chloe starts to think that the insanity that comes from being meteor-infected has started to hit her (whether it's really happening or she's being set-up by someone else like Lex is the author's choice). (a mention of Moira; an allusion to the bombsquad line; and signs that Chloe takes that indicate declining mental health --seeing things that aren't there, forgetting things like in dementia, something of that nature.)
Part 1 is here
******************
Part 2
After Lana’s departure, Clark went over everything he had discovered. Chloe was sincerely impressed with his work as well. She felt such a wave of relief that her unusual behavior could be explained; even if it meant learning that she had once again been subjected to something against her will. The fact that Lana was helping out too touched her deeply. After an emotional day, Chloe felt optimistic for the first time all summer. She decided to run to town to pick up dinner for the Kents as a sign of her gratitude. Clark immediately objected, but Chloe assured him that she’d be fine and would return in 30 minutes, tops.
Clark watched the clock for exactly one hour before he called. “Chloe, where are you? You’ve been gone an hour, I was sure you’d fallen asleep at the wheel and were lying in a ditch somewhere!”
Chloe sighed heavily. “I’m fine, Clark. I- I think I’m lost,” she finished, sounding very defeated.
Clark tried not to sound incredulous, but he couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice. “Lost. In Smallville? From Main Street to the farm?”
“I know, I know, Clark, stop!”
He could hear her beginning to get upset. “Okay, Chloe, calm down. What streets are you near?” She tried to explain the landmarks until she passed a street sign. “All right I know where you are, just pull over, okay?”
Clark appeared next to her. Without him having to ask, she slid over the console into the passenger seat. Clark folded himself into her tiny car and adjusted the seat back at least a foot. He pulled back onto the road and towards the farm.
“We’ll have to microwave dinner because it’s probably cold by now,” she informed him, really just needing to break the tension.
“It’s not important, Chloe. Look, why don’t you stay at our place till Lois gets back? It’s only three days, and we spend all day together anyway, we might as well cut out the middleman. Mom won’t mind.”
“Clark, you don’t have to make up excuses. I know you’re worried about me driving off a cliff or forgetting my name and wandering around like a homeless person, and justifiably so. I’m not going to fight. Just take me by the Talon sometime tonight and I’ll grab a bag and my laptop.”
“Wow. I thought that would be harder!” Clark admitted, chuckling. “You keep me guessing.”
Chloe gave him a smile and a shrug in response.
**************************
Chloe awoke the next morning feeling more aware than she had in days. The past few weeks, she’d awoken to extreme disorientation, not even able to remember how she’d gotten into bed. She was pleased that she actually recalled getting into Clark’s bed the night before. She reported this sense of clarity at the breakfast table. Clark smiled. “It’s this farm-fresh air!” he proclaimed. “’Cures all that ails you!’ That’s what Dad used to say. Hey, let’s go down to Crater Lake today.”
“I’d love to, but a great friend told me that I need to put on my investigative reporter hat. And I feel really good today, so I’m going to get started. I’ve got to make copies of my medical records since February. I’m going to call Lois’ hotel room and ask if she has any useful tidbits. I also need to see what Oliver might want for the investigation if we have to contact him.”
Clark was so immensely relieved to see Chloe acting more like herself, he wasn’t even disappointed.
However, after a whole day of having to entertain himself, he was pleased to see Chloe emerge late that night before bed. She plunked down on Clark’s makeshift “bed,” the living room couch, next to him. He was in his pajamas eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
“So what’d I miss on Judge Judy today?” she asked.
“Oh, this girl was suing her roommate for back rent. She kicked her out after she caught her wearing her underwear and using her toothpaste. And people ask me why I still live at home…” he muttered as he handed her half of his sandwich.
Chloe laughed, “Yeah, underwear, I can share, but my toothpaste is off limits.” She ate her half in three bites. “I think I had a good day today, huh?” she asked her friend.
Clark nodded. “Yeah, just one nap, no weird sudden sleeping, and I only heard you drop the f-bomb once all day!”
Chloe made a face. “I was provoked! My damn i-Tunes froze up three times! I hate that program. Thanks for the sandwich.” Chloe stood to return upstairs, but then she hesitated a moment. “And… this,” she said, vaguely gesturing towards Clark’s mess of pillows and blankets. “Thanks for keeping an eye on me.”
Clark was draining a glass of milk. He put it down and looked her straight in the eye. “You’re welcome,” he simply replied, but Chloe understood the sincerity in his expression.
*******************
Clark awoke the next morning fairly late for him. He was pleased to see Chloe already up and dressed, sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal. Her concentration was on a crossword puzzle, surprisingly, and Clark watched as she stared intently at the little boxes while groping for her cup of coffee. The sun streamed through the windows and Clark thought she looked more alive than he’d seen in a while.
He maneuvered himself around the tiny kitchen fixing his own cereal and coffee. He sat across from her and began to heap spoonful after spoonful of sugar both on the cereal and in the coffee. “You’re up early,” he remarked around a mouthful of rice krispies.
“Yeah, I was just feeling so well-rested for once, I figured I’d try a crossword puzzle. I’m doing pretty well…” She continued to work as Clark crunched his way through his breakfast. “You still want to go to Crater Lake? I hear it’s going to be in the high 90s.”
Nodding, Clark picked up his bowl and drank the milk. Chloe made a face when he used his spoon to scrape the precipitated sugar out of the bottom and ate that, too. “You don’t get tooth decay, do you?” she inquired randomly. This made Clark laugh out loud.
“I don’t know. Are you doing an exposé on alien oral hygiene?” he joked. He gave a half-wave as he disappeared to do his chores. Chloe went back to her puzzle.
However, another long lazy summer day was interrupted when Clark received an unexpected telephone call around noon.
“Hello, Clark. Can you let Martha know that I have some new information on the funding for that project we discussed on Saturday? I didn’t expect to have it sorted out so fast, but one of my accountants came through.” Lana’s lie rolled off her tongue with the smoothness of honey. “Please let her know I’d like to take her out for a late lunch today, I’ll send the location to her PDA.” As soon as he’d confirmed the message, Lana said goodbye and hung up quickly. Clark hurried to tell Chloe. She had been sitting in the barn eating an apple and talking his ear off when he’d super-sped into the house to answer the phone.
“Hey Chloe, great news! Lana’s got some info she’s going to give Mom this afternoon!”
Chloe jumped up. “Clark, that’s great! I knew she’d come through!” They mutually decided to go to the lake to occupy their time before Martha arrived home. Chloe jumped up to help her out of her coat when she heard Martha’s key in the door.
Martha had a serious expression on her face. “I’m glad to see you awake, Chloe. Why don’t you get Clark and I’ll make a pot of tea so we can discuss things.”
They assembled in the kitchen as Martha opened her briefcase. “Lana claims Lex shares all of his passwords as a sign of trust, but he hides the files that he doesn’t want her to see, so that essentially, she wouldn’t know something was there unless she knew exactly what to look for. She told me she did searches for anything she could think to identify Chloe- her height, weight, age in months or days, and finally hit pay dirt.” She then paused and looked at Chloe seriously and with compassion. “Chloe, I’m sorry to say that you and Clark’s suspicions were right. You are being drugged in your own home.”
Chloe nodded. “That explains why I’ve spent two days and nights here and I feel better already.” Martha handed her a blueprint of the Talon apartment.
“Of course, since Lex owns the building, it would be easy to explain why he has blueprints, neither would it raise suspicion if he sent maintenance men to install or maintain something nefarious. Lana found information indicating that it is an airborne toxin from some sort of nebulizer in your ventilation system. It must be very faint; otherwise it would affect the café workers and patrons. Also, it took a full month for it to adversely affect you to the extent that we knew something was wrong.”
As Martha continued, Clark’s anger accelerated. “That bastard. He’s been poisoning you! For what? Just to see how you’d react, like a damn lab rat?!” Clark almost never used profanity, especially around his mother, but he was positively shaking with outrage. “We have to find whatever it is. There’s got to be a way to trace this back to him and make him pay. That’s her home, for pete’s sake!”
Martha knew her son was quickly approaching the point beyond reason. “Clark,” she said sternly. “You’re right, this sort of violation is unthinkable, but the important thing is that we make sure Chloe and Lois’ home is safe enough for them to live in again. You will have to find it tonight, with enough time for the apartment to fumigate before Lois gets back.”
Chloe stood up. “I’m coming, too.” Clark shook his head in disagreement.
“Chloe, you’ve just started acting like yourself again. It’s not safe. The apartment has been empty for two days; whatever’s in the air is probably concentrated by now. And whatever it is, it probably won’t affect me.”
“No, Clark, we’re a team! This is *our* investigation! Every good reporter knows not to go into the scene without backup!”
Clark knew he wasn’t going to win this battle, so they began to plan their approach.
*************
They pulled up to the deserted café shortly after closing. Despite the time he’d spent there with Lana, Clark was always unnerved going into the café after closing, but Chloe had quickly become used to it. She unlocked the side entrance and led the way up the stairs. Clark entered the apartment, leaving the door cracked, and having nothing to do but wait, Chloe sat and listened. “Scan the bedroom vents first,” she suggested.
“Okay,” he called. Only a few minutes later, she heard, “Chloe, I found something! It’s a metal box, about the size of a videotape. It’s in the vent.” Chloe heard the scraping of metal as Clark ripped the vent off. He shed his jacket and reached an arm in, the cool air conditioning blowing gently into his face. “I’m just going to rip it off,” he explained. He realized too late that this action would probably release the full amount of toxin contained within. Three sides of the box came off into his hand with ease, but the back panel detached and remained welded to the vent. To Clark’s horror, a fine green powder blew directly into his face. A split second before he inhaled it, he remembered thinking that it was a good idea reporters never go into a scene without backup.
On the other side of the door, Chloe heard a strange barking sound that she listened to for a full ten seconds before she realized that it was the unfamiliar sound of Clark violently coughing. She heard his body fall and wrenched a disposable dust mask out of her pocket. Snapping it onto her face, she rushed headlong inside. Clark was sitting on the floor, doubled over, coughing his lungs out. A chair was overturned next to him. She pulled something else out of her pocket, a plastic bag, and in one quick motion, swept the remains of the box up and tied it shut. Clark’s coughing continued as he tried to sit up.
“There’s meteor rock, Chloe,” he managed to struggle out. His top half glistened with powder.
“I know, Clark. Take it easy, don’t try to talk,” she soothed, her words slightly muffled by the mask. “We have to get you out of here.” She pulled him to his feet and pushed him towards the door with considerable effort. His coughs were now punctuated with painful-sounding gasps for breath. They stumbled down the stairs with difficulty and out of the café. Chloe was almost doubled over with Clark’ weight draped on her shoulder. He struggled into the passenger seat and dug his keys out of his pocket, stopping several times with wracking coughs. After a particularly violent fit, Clark held up his hand in alarm. Chloe was shocked to see blood on his palm. Wide-eyed, she snatched the keys from him. In a role-reversal of her dinner disaster two days ago, Chloe perched on the edge of the seat and threw Clark’s truck into gear as she sped towards the Kent farm, making the usual five minute drive in about two. She ran to help Clark out and the two stumbled towards the house.
“Mrs. Kent, come quickly, it’s Clark!” Chloe yelled. The two women maneuvered him into the house and towards the couch.
“The toxin had kryptonite in it and he inhaled a faceful trying to get it loose.” She held up the plastic bag, still looped around her wrist.
“Chloe put that out on the porch and help me out, okay? Bring me a wet washcloth.” Grateful for something to do, Chloe disappeared as Clark continued coughing.
She returned to see Martha wrenching Clark’s t-shirt up over his head. Without being asked, she handed off the washcloth and ran to put the shirt on the porch, too. Martha began to wipe his entire face liberally. “Mom, I can’t breathe,” Clark gasped out, holding up his smeared palm. He tried to offer an explanation. “I fell off a chair… I’m coughing up blood,” he rambled unnecessarily. He attempted to lie down but Martha shoved him back up to a sitting position. Clark groaned in response.
“Sweetie, you have to sit up, it’ll help you breathe, and stop trying to talk. Oh, it’s in your hair,” she remarked softly. Chloe gave her a new washcloth as she started wiping down his hair. Clark’s coughing had dissolved into harsh wheezes and his face was scrunched up in discomfort. Chloe stared transfixed at his bare chest as it trembled with erratic, shallow breaths. Martha finished and his head lolled against the back of the couch.
“I landed on my butt,” he whispered hoarsely. “God, my head hurts, my chest hurts, my ass hurts…” he trailed off. Despite herself, Martha smiled.
“He’ll be all right, right, Mrs. Kent?” Chloe asked timidly.
“Probably not completely until dawn,” Martha muttered. It was only 10 o’clock. “Whatever it did to you affected your neurological function, unsurprisingly. Remember Lex’s memory treatment?” She smoothed Clark’s damp hair down. “We’re going to hope that he’s just reacting to the kryptonite and keep a close eye on him tonight,” she finished definitively.
“that crap’s all over the interior…” Clark lamented.
“I know, Sweetheart. We’ll get your truck cleaned up.”
Clark was starting to drift off. “my chest hurts,” he repeated quietly.
“You need to sleep it off. You’ll feel better in the morning. Then you can jump in the shower and you’ll be good as new.” she said softly. Chloe was shifting from foot to foot feeling guilty and useless. “Chloe, why don’t you go get yourself cleaned up. It’ll make you feel better and you’ll be able to help me out a little more,” Martha suggested.
Chloe wanted to dissolve into tears, but she willed herself to get a hold of her emotions for the first time in a month and do something practical. Not even finished toweling off, she called Oliver Queen and reported their findings. He promised send a courier over to pick up the box for analysis, so as soon as she hung up, she got everything ready. By the time she made it back downstairs, Clark had fallen into a restless sleep. Martha had covered him with a blanket and regarded Chloe’s expression of apprehension.
“I know you’re worried, Chloe, but we’ve done all we can at this point. Clark’s pretty tough; I have hope that he’ll come through fine. Why don’t you sit with him while go check out that thing you brought back?” she suggested. Chloe nodded and took her place.
Clark was draped across the couch upright, breathing audibly. Chloe felt so guilty that she could no longer contain the tears she’d been battling all night. “I’m sorry, Clark,” she sniffed. “I should have thought to warn you or something. You have been taking care of me all weekend and now you’re sick because of me,” she cried. “You have to get better, partner, okay? I still need my personal bomb squad.”
Clark stirred and for a second, Chloe had a strange feeling of déjà vu and fully expected him to mutter “Lana” in his sleep. He cleared his throat.
“’m gonna be okay. gotta take one for the team if i’m gonna share that byline, right, ms sullivan?” he murmured.
Chloe broke into a dazzling smile. “Yeah, sure, Mr. Kent,” she said through her tears.
Martha and Chloe took turns watching Clark sleep fitfully all night. As dawn broke, Chloe listlessly watched the pane of sunlight creep across the carpet. Like magic, as soon as it hit Clark’s sleeping form, he sucked in a deep shuddering breath, coughed hard a few times, and sat up awake. He stretched his limbs out and leaned into the sunlight like a plant.
“Feeling better?” she inquired. His eyes still closed, Clark nodded. “Ollie came to pick up the box around four this morning,” she reported. “He said he’d get back to us soon.”
Clark decided to test his legs and stood up shakily. He stumbled to the window and leaned against the sill, practically drinking in the wan, early sunlight. Chloe went to stand beside him. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered. “Your mom is amazing,” she added before she let out a jaw-cracking yawn.
This produced a smile from Clark. “Yeah, she is, isn’t she?” Predictably, he yawned too. “Man, I’m beat,” he admitted as he stumbled back to the couch.
Chloe followed him and settled next to him, leaning her head on his bare shoulder. “Yeah, let’s sleep in just a little longer…” she murmured before drifting off. Clark wasn’t far after her.
****************
Due to the efforts of Oliver Queen’s resources, Chloe and Lois’ apartment was fumigated and tested to reveal no visible traces of any sort of airborne toxin the following day. However, investigation of the device Clark and Chloe found was predictably meeting dead ends. The only definitive connection Chloe could find was an article from 1992 linking the manufacturer to LuthorCorp in a financial document. All other evidence was obtained from documents stolen by Lana, so Clark and Chloe didn’t want to risk using them for their article. Instead of watching daytime judge shows and stuffing their faces, the two spent the summer days researching, documenting and pounded away at their laptops until they were satisfied. Then they promptly and successfully sold the story to the Smallville Ledger.
Clark bounded up the stairs once again and entered the apartment without knocking.
Chloe was standing at the sink and Clark crossed the room with the newspaper in his hand. He was just bursting with pride. “We made the front page!”
Chloe threw up her hands and gave a cry of joy. She ran to hug him and grabbed the paper out of his hand. “Oh let’s see! ‘Talon Residents Subjected to Experimental Toxin’. By Clark Kent and Chloe Sullivan!” she read out loud excitedly. Congratulations, Clark! Your first byline!”
“Well, half of one anyway. I just wish we could have found proof that would bring Lex down.”
“Clark, you’re too idealistic. At least now he knows we aren’t going to just sit down and take it anymore. This sort of publicity is bad, even if we couldn’t completely disclose his involvement. Sullivan and Kent. I think we make an amazing team, huh?”
“Don’t you mean Kent and Sullivan?” he smiled.
Chloe playfully smacked his shoulder with the paper in response.
END