Fic: Something in the Air - Part Four
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
The Daily Planet continued
“I’m standing in the middle of Main Street,” Clark says over the phone, “and it’s completely deserted.”
“In the middle of the day?” Chloe asks. “That is weird.”
“That’s not the weird part,” Clark says. “Every third car is bouncing up and down and the windows are all foggy. What is going on?”
“Do you see Jimmy’s car anywhere?”
“Yeah,” he says. “It’s parked by the Talon, but it’s not bouncing or foggy.” Then Clark screams, “No. No!”
Chloe jumps up from her chair. “What happened?”
“I just saw Principal Reynolds and Mrs. Fordman going at it in a store window.”
“Hmm.” She sits back down and pulls up the National Weather Forecast website on her computer. “Maybe love is in the air.”
“Something’s definitely in the air,” he says. “I can smell it. It’s a sweet, earthy scent. And there’s like a purple haze hanging over everything.”
“Purple haze?” Chloe laughs. “’Scuse me while I kiss the sky.”
“You’re going to kiss a guy?” Clark asks. “Has it reached Metropolis? Is it affecting you too?”
“The sky, Clark. I’m going to kiss the sky,” she carefully enunciates.
“You can’t kiss the sky, Chloe,” he says. “It’s not actually solid.”
“No,” she tries to explain. “’Scuse me while I kiss the sky. You know, Purple Haze? Jimi Hendrix?”
“You’re going to kiss Jimi Hendrix? Isn’t he dead?”
“Forget about it.”
“So, what do you think’s happening?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” Chloe says, wracking her brain. “Maybe it’s another mishap at the Luthorcorp plant. Remember when they released that gas that made us all hallucinate our worst nightmares? It could be like that, but this time it’s not a scare toxin, it’s a love potion.”
“That might explain it,” Clark says.
“Is it affecting you?”
“Well, if it’s a scare toxin making us hallucinate our worst nightmares,” he says, “then, yes, it’s definitely affecting me. But if it’s some sort of love potion then I have to say no. I’m immune.”
Chloe can’t explain why, but hearing that news disappoints her.
“Maybe I should go see Lex and make him stop this,” Clark says.
“No!” Chloe jumps up from her seat again. Lex is one of the people who called her. She’s not sure, but she thinks right before he hung up she heard Martha Kent’s voice in the background. That’s something Clark does not need to see. “If Lex could have stopped this he would have by now. It’s up to you and me to figure out a way to get the love potion out of the air.”
“How are we going to do that?”
“I have an idea.” Chloe grabs her purse. “I’m coming.”
“You’re what?!”
“I’m on my way.”
“Oh, that’s different.”
“I’ll meet you in Smallville in an hour and a half,” she says as she makes her way towards the door.
“You can’t come to Smallville, Chloe,” he says quickly. “If you succumb to the gas before I reach you, you could… you know… with someone else.”
Chloe stops walking. “Are you worried that the gas might affect me or that it might affect me when you’re not around?”
The phone line is quiet for a moment.
“I’m worried… I won’t get to…” he clears his throat. “You can’t come to Smallville.”
“Alright, I won’t,” she says. “I’ll meet you halfway between here and there. It works better for my plan anyway.”
“You going to fill me in on this plan?” he asks.
“I will when I see you,” she says. Then she flips her phone shut.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back at the Luthor Mansion…
“Lex!”
“Mrs. Kent!”
“Lex!”
“Mrs. Kent!”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And at the Talon…
“Jimmy, ever had a Hot Carl?”
“No. What’s that?”
“I’ll show you. But first let me ask; are you eating enough fiber?”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Over at the Kent Farm…
Pete rings the doorbell again. No one seems to be home. He knows he should have called ahead, but he wanted this to be a surprise. It’s been years since he’s seen Clark and he was hoping to see the look of shock and delight on his best friend’s face.
Well, he can find out where Clark is without ruining the surprise.
He pulls out his phone and dials.
“What now?” Chloe says. She sounds distracted.
“Hey, Chloe, it’s Pete,” he says.
“Oh, hey.” There’s a tinge of relief in her voice. “What’s up?”
“I’m in Smallville today and--”
“Oh God, Pete,” she groans. “I like you as a friend, okay? Just a friend.”
“Thanks,” he says a bit confused. “I consider you a good friend too. Anyway, I’m at the Kent farm looking for Clark--”
“Stay away from him!” she cries. “Hasn’t he been traumatized enough already?”
“I guess.” Now Pete’s more than just a bit confused.
“You have to get out of Smallville right away,” she says, “before you do something you’ll regret.”
“What am I going to regret?”
“Stay away from Clark,” she warns and then she hangs up.
Pete slips his cell phone back into his pocket. Something weird is going on with Chloe, but he can’t figure out what.
He looks around the farm. Memories come flooding into his mind. Over there is where he and Clark used to play basketball. And there’s the spot Clark revealed his powers to Pete. It’s good to be back.
He takes a deep breath, inhaling the fresh country air.
For some reason he’s feeling kind of restless. He’d like to… meet someone right now. Anyone, really. He wouldn’t mind meeting Chloe. He’d meet her until her eyes rolled back into her head.
He looks up at the barn loft window just in time to see a blonde head duck out of sight.
Hmm. Long blonde hair. Whoever she is, Pete wouldn’t mind meeting her.
(tbc)
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven
Part Eight
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
The Daily Planet continued
“I’m standing in the middle of Main Street,” Clark says over the phone, “and it’s completely deserted.”
“In the middle of the day?” Chloe asks. “That is weird.”
“That’s not the weird part,” Clark says. “Every third car is bouncing up and down and the windows are all foggy. What is going on?”
“Do you see Jimmy’s car anywhere?”
“Yeah,” he says. “It’s parked by the Talon, but it’s not bouncing or foggy.” Then Clark screams, “No. No!”
Chloe jumps up from her chair. “What happened?”
“I just saw Principal Reynolds and Mrs. Fordman going at it in a store window.”
“Hmm.” She sits back down and pulls up the National Weather Forecast website on her computer. “Maybe love is in the air.”
“Something’s definitely in the air,” he says. “I can smell it. It’s a sweet, earthy scent. And there’s like a purple haze hanging over everything.”
“Purple haze?” Chloe laughs. “’Scuse me while I kiss the sky.”
“You’re going to kiss a guy?” Clark asks. “Has it reached Metropolis? Is it affecting you too?”
“The sky, Clark. I’m going to kiss the sky,” she carefully enunciates.
“You can’t kiss the sky, Chloe,” he says. “It’s not actually solid.”
“No,” she tries to explain. “’Scuse me while I kiss the sky. You know, Purple Haze? Jimi Hendrix?”
“You’re going to kiss Jimi Hendrix? Isn’t he dead?”
“Forget about it.”
“So, what do you think’s happening?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” Chloe says, wracking her brain. “Maybe it’s another mishap at the Luthorcorp plant. Remember when they released that gas that made us all hallucinate our worst nightmares? It could be like that, but this time it’s not a scare toxin, it’s a love potion.”
“That might explain it,” Clark says.
“Is it affecting you?”
“Well, if it’s a scare toxin making us hallucinate our worst nightmares,” he says, “then, yes, it’s definitely affecting me. But if it’s some sort of love potion then I have to say no. I’m immune.”
Chloe can’t explain why, but hearing that news disappoints her.
“Maybe I should go see Lex and make him stop this,” Clark says.
“No!” Chloe jumps up from her seat again. Lex is one of the people who called her. She’s not sure, but she thinks right before he hung up she heard Martha Kent’s voice in the background. That’s something Clark does not need to see. “If Lex could have stopped this he would have by now. It’s up to you and me to figure out a way to get the love potion out of the air.”
“How are we going to do that?”
“I have an idea.” Chloe grabs her purse. “I’m coming.”
“You’re what?!”
“I’m on my way.”
“Oh, that’s different.”
“I’ll meet you in Smallville in an hour and a half,” she says as she makes her way towards the door.
“You can’t come to Smallville, Chloe,” he says quickly. “If you succumb to the gas before I reach you, you could… you know… with someone else.”
Chloe stops walking. “Are you worried that the gas might affect me or that it might affect me when you’re not around?”
The phone line is quiet for a moment.
“I’m worried… I won’t get to…” he clears his throat. “You can’t come to Smallville.”
“Alright, I won’t,” she says. “I’ll meet you halfway between here and there. It works better for my plan anyway.”
“You going to fill me in on this plan?” he asks.
“I will when I see you,” she says. Then she flips her phone shut.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back at the Luthor Mansion…
“Lex!”
“Mrs. Kent!”
“Lex!”
“Mrs. Kent!”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And at the Talon…
“Jimmy, ever had a Hot Carl?”
“No. What’s that?”
“I’ll show you. But first let me ask; are you eating enough fiber?”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Over at the Kent Farm…
Pete rings the doorbell again. No one seems to be home. He knows he should have called ahead, but he wanted this to be a surprise. It’s been years since he’s seen Clark and he was hoping to see the look of shock and delight on his best friend’s face.
Well, he can find out where Clark is without ruining the surprise.
He pulls out his phone and dials.
“What now?” Chloe says. She sounds distracted.
“Hey, Chloe, it’s Pete,” he says.
“Oh, hey.” There’s a tinge of relief in her voice. “What’s up?”
“I’m in Smallville today and--”
“Oh God, Pete,” she groans. “I like you as a friend, okay? Just a friend.”
“Thanks,” he says a bit confused. “I consider you a good friend too. Anyway, I’m at the Kent farm looking for Clark--”
“Stay away from him!” she cries. “Hasn’t he been traumatized enough already?”
“I guess.” Now Pete’s more than just a bit confused.
“You have to get out of Smallville right away,” she says, “before you do something you’ll regret.”
“What am I going to regret?”
“Stay away from Clark,” she warns and then she hangs up.
Pete slips his cell phone back into his pocket. Something weird is going on with Chloe, but he can’t figure out what.
He looks around the farm. Memories come flooding into his mind. Over there is where he and Clark used to play basketball. And there’s the spot Clark revealed his powers to Pete. It’s good to be back.
He takes a deep breath, inhaling the fresh country air.
For some reason he’s feeling kind of restless. He’d like to… meet someone right now. Anyone, really. He wouldn’t mind meeting Chloe. He’d meet her until her eyes rolled back into her head.
He looks up at the barn loft window just in time to see a blonde head duck out of sight.
Hmm. Long blonde hair. Whoever she is, Pete wouldn’t mind meeting her.
(tbc)
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven
Part Eight