Smallville: Annual

Chapter 30

4/17/05 - 11:00AM  - Smallville, KS

After almost three hours of watching those recordings Clark looked horrified.  After the first transmissions were so hopeful and now they had become as twisted as Diana said that they would become.  Hardcastle had used the truth against them and now was threatening him, his family and friends. The room was so silent that if a pin dropped right then and there it would make an earth shattering sound. 

But it was Clark who decided to break it. "I'm going out there."

"No, Clark!"  said several voices in the room.

"You can't go out there!"  screamed Martha.

"He wants you dead!" said Jonathan.

"And he's threatening to kill you all, worse he's going to occupy Smallville with an army.  I can't do that to you or to the people in this town."

"You must live Kal-El!"  said Diana.

"How? You heard what he said."

"He must be stopped."

"Can I stop him?"

"He's extremely powerful and you aren't ready to face him.  I can do it."

"No.  He'll come after my parents."

"He won't if all that's left of him is a torso.  If we could find a way to weaken him."

"That EMP you tried barely fazed him.  Try that again and you'd be destroying a town full of innocents."

        Diana stood there at a loss for words.  It appeared Hardcastle was going to win.  If she knocked out Clark right now then drag him somewhere safe then maybe she could fight.  But then the Kents or Chloe would be back were they were and there would be nothing she could do to stop their arrests and potentially their deaths.  Martha Kent was still alive in her time, Chloe had several years to go and Jonathan Kent less than a year.  Still one day without the people Clark needed to shape his life would be catastrophic.  Unless.

"Hardcastle used the past against the people, maybe if I used that against him he would have less support and give you some time.  Particularly if I do something he wouldn't expect."

"What is that?  Even more importantly how could you use the past against him he's already shown it?"

"My phone has regained access to my computer again.  If I can access it and show the people what type of person you really are then I can be able to have the support of the people."

"What are you going to show them?"

"Hope, Kal-El. Hope. Plus If I send someone to help you fight him.  Someone you can trust."

"He warned you not to be there with me."

"I wasn't talking about me.  Hopefully I can be able to get him here within the hour.  In the meantime...  You go out there at noon."

"No!" screamed Martha again.

"We can't let him do this." said Jonathan

"Mr. and Mrs. Kent you son is almost a grown man, he has done things and WILL continue to do extraordinary things.  I'm asking you to have faith in him.  Hardcastle is a man of full of hate and bitterness.  But he lacks true conviction and he will lose.  If you want this to truly be over I ask you not just to believe in me, but to believe in him."

Clark looked into his parents eyes for a moment as they enveloped him in a deep embrace, even Chloe joined in with them.

"You come back, son." said Jonathan.  "Come back to us when this is over!"