Smallville Virtual Summer Season Episode One: Weapon
Title: Weapon
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: adwilliams03@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Spoilers: Up through and including Vessel.
Rating: PG-13 for violence and a tiny bit of language.
Author’s Note: Special thanks to Tracy for the idea behind the Zod/Lana stuff.
Smallville Virtual Summer Season Episode 1: Weapon
There was chaos on Earth.
There’d been trials and tribulations before, but not recently, and not of the mass quantity it was experiencing now.
Clark could feel it despite his imprisonment. It tormented him in a way he’d never felt before, fear and guilt warring with his anger. His desperation to be free, to return and save those in trouble was overwhelming. And yet it was impossible. He had no way to escape the Phantom Zone that held him captive.
It was more effective in stopping him than green Kryptonite.
Despite his distance from Earth, and the noisy, violent uproar, he heard one familiar, terrified scream and he slammed his hands against the prism. “Chloe!” he screamed.
* * *
Chloe screamed as the two men dragged her out of the backseat of the Luthor limo through the window, glass ripping her coat and piercing her skin. They threw her onto the ground, kneeling above her with vicious, nearly inhuman smiles.
When one of them pulled out a knife, she drew her legs up and kicked at him, sending the blade to the cement several feet away.
“Bitch,” he growled, moving to straddle her.
The other man slapped her across her face and yanked her arms above her head.
Her heart pounded furiously in her chest and she screamed again, struggling in an attempt to free herself to no avail.
Oh, God. They were going to rape and kill her in the middle of the chaotic streets of Metropolis, just outside the Daily Planet. And there wasn’t anyone who was going to help her. Everyone else was looting, fighting, or trying to find a way to escape the madness.
She would never see her dad or Lois or Clark again.
Just as that thought settled upon her, the man on top of her reached down and yanked her coat open, smirking and placing his hands on her breasts.
Chloe cringed, closing her eyes against the hot tears that suddenly filled them.
And then…the weight from on top of her body was gone.
She was no longer on the ground. It felt like she was…flying?
“Clark,” she whispered, winding her arms around him tightly and trying to suppress the sob that was building in her throat. He’d come back for her. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in the middle of a field.
“Hey, Chloe.”
Her eyes widened and she looked up to see not Clark Kent, as she’d expected, but another familiar face. Stunned, she stared at him in disbelief. “Bart?” she whispered.
He smiled. “Clark called me. He wanted me to make sure you were safe. I had a hell of a time finding you. Are you all right?” His eyes were worried, his gaze dropping to her ripped jacket and shirt.
Self-consciously, she pulled her jacket shut around her, feeling dazed and a bit nauseous.
“We should get you somewhere else.” Bart glanced around. “The Kent house isn’t far from here. Is that okay?”
Nodding wordlessly, she swallowed hard as he again picked her up and super-sped her away.
* * *
In the body of Lex Luthor, Zod stood at the top of LuthorCorp, smiling as he looked down upon the city, upon the pathetic, useless panicking humans. In such a small manner of time, the humans had turned on one another, had taken to looting stores and pillaging in the streets. He wouldn’t have to do much work to take over this pathetic planet.
They were doing all the work for him.
And with Kal-El out of the way, no one would be able to stop him from ruling.
He heard the faint movement behind him and turned to see the Lang girl standing there, her arms wrapped around herself. She was frightened, but perhaps not as much as she should’ve been.
His lips curled into a smile as he looked at her. “Sleep well?”
“Not really. It’s kind of hard to sleep with all that noise,” she murmured, moving toward him. She stepped up on the edge of the building beside him, peering down, her raven locks blowing in the cool wind.
Zod watched her, itching to enact his plan on her, but knowing the time wasn’t yet right. Instead, he reached out and slid his hand down her arm, pulling her closer to him. She offered no hesitation, leaning against him and wrapping her arms around his waist.
She was a needy one. That would work to his advantage. It would make it that much easier to awaken her to her true nature. She would bend to his will just like the others and her power would be his.
* * *
With a brilliant flash of light, he arrived on Earth, the chaos all around making him wince. He pushed away all emotion for the time being, focusing instead, on the greatest danger he sense at the moment.
And he took off, flying through the sky at the speed of light until he spotted the LuthorCorp jet above the Arctic. He landed on top of the plane, walking to the front of the cockpit until he was on the windshield, staring in at the pilot.
Brainiac’s eyes widened in surprise and without hesitation, he punched through the glass and yanked the AI from his seat and onto the hood of the jet. “Long time no see,” he said grimly.
“What the hell--”
He pulled a small golden rock from his pocket, holding it up for Brainiac to see.
“NO!” he shouted in protest.
He pressed the rock to his forehead and with a flash of light similar to the one that had brought him to Earth only moments before, Brainiac vanished, dead.
He focused his attention to the plane, running toward the tail end and guiding it to the ground slowly and carefully. He yanked the door open and went inside, stunned at who he spotted there, on the floor of the jet. “Mom?” he whispered.
Drawing in a breath, he quickly moved to her side and lifted her into his arms, pausing to glance at the other person. He had to get his mother to safety first. Without hesitation, he zoomed away, flying toward the nearest hospital. Planting a kiss on his mother’s forehead, he watched as they wheeled her into one of the trauma rooms.
And then he went back to the plane to rescue the other woman, the one he didn’t recognize. He carefully scooped her off the floor, cradling her in his arms and heading for the plane door.
She coughed and turned her head a little, her eyebrows furrowing. “What’s happening?” she whispered in a choked voice.
“You’re safe now,” he told her quietly. “Just keep your eyes shut.”
And without waiting for a response, he headed back to the hospital, not noticing that she was now wide awake and staring at him in shock.
* * *
“Where will we go?” Lana asked, watching as Lex took a long drink of the champagne he’d pulled from his refrigerator.
“Anywhere we want, Love.” He smiled and held a glass out to her and she shook her head in silent refusal.
“But what about everyone else?”
“What about them?” He raised an eyebrow.
She stared at him, feeling uneasy. “They need help, Lex…the people we care about our out there and in trouble.”
He shrugged with one shoulder and took another drink.
Lana watched him, baffled by his apparent apathy. “You’re not acting like yourself.”
“No?”
She drew in a breath, not liking the way he was smirking at her. “Lex, what’s going on?” she asked softly.
“My name isn’t Lex,” he informed her.
“What?”
“My name is Zod,” he said coolly. “And your name isn’t Lana.”
Her eyes were wide and she wrapped her arms around herself, shaking her head. “I have no idea what you’re--”
“Awaken, Isobel,” he murmured, gazing into her eyes. “Awaken now!”
Lana’s eyes rolled to the back of her head, then flashed a brilliant shade of violet before returning to normal. She looked around the penthouse apartment with narrowed eyes, then focused her gaze on his face. “Who the hell are you?” she snarled.
Zod smiled. “Your new master. Bow down and thank me.”
Her eyes narrowed even more and without hesitation she lifted one hand up and threw him across the room effortlessly. “I bow to no one,” Isobel said darkly, glaring down at his surprised face.
“You have more power than I even realized,” he commented, rising to his feet once more. “That will be helpful.”
Isobel continued to glare at him defiantly. “Where are we? And who the hell are you?”
“Relax, Countess, and I’ll explain everything. We’re in Metropolis. Go on, go out and look for yourself.”
Without hesitation, she turned and headed out the patio doors and looked out over the chaotic city. A glimmer of amusement sparked within her and she couldn’t help but smile. “What brought this about?” she murmured, sensing him standing only a few feet from her.
“I did,” he said proudly, smirking.
“You?” she repeated doubtfully. “You’re but a mere human.”
“No. I’m far greater than any human.” He moved to stand beside her, looking down at the people once more. “This body is but my vessel, as is the one you’re in.”
“What are you? A warlock?” She arched an eyebrow, studying him.
Zod threw his head back and laughed. “I’m far more powerful than any simple warlock. I’m far greater than even you, Isobel. I am General Zod! And this--” He motioned to the city. “--is my new home.”
* * *
He paused on the porch of his family’s house. From where he stood, he could hear the muffled sounds of a radio, and the pacing of footsteps. He slowly opened the door and stepped into the living room, spotting Bart as he sat on the sofa, listening to the radio. The pacing was coming from the kitchen, but for the moment, he ignored it. He was in no danger.
“Bart?”
The younger man turned around, a surprised look registering on his face, followed by confusion. “Clark.” He stood up and moved around the sofa, hugging him briefly.
“What are you doing here?” Clark asked, shaking his head.
Bart frowned. “You called me, remember? You asked me to come look after Chloe while you tried to fix whatever’s going on out there.”
He started to reply when he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. His attention immediately refocused on the familiar sight of the pretty blonde and his heart lurched, rendering him speechless.
* * *
“Bart, did you--” Chloe emerged from the kitchen, freezing in her tracks when she spotted Clark a few feet away. Her eyes widened at the sight of the tight blue suit he wore, and at the long red cape that was around his neck. “Clark? Where the hell have you been? And what the hell are you wearing?” she asked, confused.
He opened his mouth to speak, staring at her like he’d never seen her before. “Hello, Lois,” he whispered.
TO BE CONTINUED…