Clara Kent Superwoman

Chapter 36: Krypto - Part 4

Clara's ears rang, her head felt as if it was spinning, when she opened her eyes the world moved in a mazy motion. She closed them again, feeling nauseas.

"Clara!"

Someone was calling her name, was it time to wake up?

She tried to move her limbs, but they had a delayed response, as if a connection was loose.

"Clara-Lily, are you alright?" a warm hand touched her face, the voice was closer, but still muffled.

"Honey, open your eyes, can you move?"

"I'm calling an ambulance" said a worried voice, a man.

"Don't, you know we can't do that! Just give her a minute she's had a shock."

The ringing grew dimmer and the world rushed back. Dogs were barking and growling, and a man was yelling.

Dogs...Krypto! Someone was trying to hurt Krypto!

Clara's eyes snapped open to see the hand belonged to her mother, and her Dad was also hovering over her with a deep concerned frown on his forehead. Chloe was standing next to Lex a little way off, a hand firmly gripping his wrist, the connecting limp hand with a Blackberry in it.

Clara tried to rearrange the course of events. Lex had come around to visit, no, she'd invited him to see Krypto. Why? Chloe had found out about Luthor Corp animal experimentation and had wanted to ask Lex what he knew about it. Then Lex had arrived and brought another dog, a Rottweiler. Yes, he'd snuck into Lex's house. Krypto and he seemed to know each other, it was all wagging tails and smelling each other's rear ends when they met again. So they'd theorised they escaped from the same place. They'd stayed in the yard, explaining about Krypto's abilities, when another car had pulled up. There were two guys inside, the passenger stayed seated while the driver got out. Clara has recognised him vaguely, she'd seen him around town, maybe at the grocery store once or twice. The dogs had started barking and growling, Krypto had stood in front of them, blocking his way. The man had started shouting at Lex about someone losing their job and the Rottweiler had jumped to his defence and bitten the newcomer. The man had hit the dog halfway across the yard, and then Clara had sprung to action before Krypto got hurt. She'd run at human speed to tackle him, but he had moved too fast and hit her in the head, and then everything went black.

Clara returned to the present and looked up at the sky, the clouds parted and the cool beams of the winter sun kissed her skin. She started to feel better, warm from the inside and out, and then in a few moments she was ready to get up, as if she'd been recharged.

"I'm fine" she said, standing up and assessing the situation.

"See?" said Chloe who let go of Lex's hand. He watched as the red patch on Clara's cheek which would surely have become a large bruise faded completely in the light of day. The passenger of the car then distracted them by getting out and running towards them.

"Is she alright?! I'm so sorry, we didn't want any of this to happen!"

Lex shook himself and directed his bewilderment and anger towards something else, he grabbed the man by the shirt.

"Who are you?!"

"I'm Josh Greenfield" the man stuttered "I'm sorry...so sorry about all of this! I just...I got fired by your fa..father last year, I was a lab tech. My brother Zack said we should get payback, and lately I've been working as a vet tech at the animal shelter. I'd told Zack about the me...meteor rock giving the test animals abilities at the Luthor labs. We tried it on the stray dogs Einstein and Hercules and it made them smart, smart and strong! We ripped off a load of houses and banks across the state, we almost had enough for a comfortable life. But then the dogs escaped and Zack took the meteor rock himself! He saw you with Hercules and thought hurting you would be the best way to get back at your Dad! But please, he's not in his right mind, the rocks have made him crazy, don't hurt him!"