SMALLVILLE
“Strangers”
By J. B. Tilton
Email: noazmale@isot.com
Rating: K

* * *

Disclaimer: "Smallville" and all related characters and events are the property of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and The CW, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

* * *

Three strangers arrive in Smallville looking for Clark. Strangers who may not have the best of intentions for the Kryptonian.

* * *

ONE

Two men and a woman walked down the streets of Smallville looking around. They appeared to be no different from any of the other inhabitants of the small town. The first man had short brown hair and was very muscular and well defined. The second man had black hair and although a bit heavier than the first it appeared he, too, kept himself in shape. The woman was several inches shorter than the two men with blond hair that was tied back into a ponytail.

They were dressed as any other people on the street. The only exception was that each was wearing an identical ring. As if they all belonged to the same group or organization. The rings appeared to be made of gold with an “L” inset on the top. As they walked through the streets of Smallville they looked around as if seeing the town for the first time.

“It’s smaller than I expected,” said the black haired man. “I know it’s supposed to be a small town, but I never expected it to be this small.”

“Many of the towns were small ones like this,” said the blond woman, looking at what looked like a small handheld device. “Some of them had even fewer than 1,000 people living in them.”

“That’s small,” said the brown haired man. “But even in a town this small it might be difficult finding him. Are you sure we’ve arrived at the right time? Dr. Becker said he couldn’t be sure how close he could get us. It is possible we’ve arrived too late.”

“I don’t thinks so,” said the woman. She was looking at a newspaper dispenser sitting on the street. “Garth, Rokk, look at the date on this paper. We’re actually a few days early.”

The two men looked at the date displayed on the newspaper.

“Well, we’re in the right place,” said the black haired man. “And if that date is correct, we’ve gotten here in time. Now all we have to do is find him. Any ideas how we do that, Imra?”

Imra stopped and looked up at the top of the building they were standing in front of. A sign on the building read “Talon”.

“Well,” said Imra, consulting the device she was holding, “this appears to be one of the local hangouts. It was an old theater that has been converted into some kind of coffee shop. It appears that most of the denizens come in here from time to time. It’s possible we’ll find him in there.”

“He’s going to be in there just as we show up?” questioned the brown haired man. “That would be a little too convenient.”

“Relax, Garth,” said Imra. “If he’s not in there I’m sure someone will know where he is. According to our information Lex Luthor and Lana Lang own this place. Lana manages the place.”

“Lex Luthor?” questioned Rokk. “He could prove to be a problem.”

“Not likely,” said Imra. “He spends most of his time in Metropolis. Besides, it’s not Luthor we’re concerned with. Come on. Let’s see what we can find out inside the Talon.”

The three entered the building. Even for the afternoon, the Talon seemed to be quite busy. Most people were sitting at tables drinking coffee and chatting. Imra scanned the crowd as if looking for someone. Her gaze fell on a very attractive young woman working behind the counter, chatting with a blond about her age.

“That’s her,” said Imra. “Lana Lang. The one with the dark hair. She’s the one who manages the place.”

:”Who’s the blond?” asked Garth.

“Down boy,” said Imra. Her eyes narrowed slightly for a moment. “Her name is Chloe Sullivan. She and Lana are very good friends. And apparently Chloe helps out here at the Talon when Lana has a very large crowd.”

“I don’t see him anywhere,” said Garth, scanning the crowd. “I told you he wouldn’t be here.”

“Maybe not,” said Imra, “but Lana and Chloe are expecting him. He should be here soon. They’re planning to work on decorations for their upcoming formal. They expect him to be here soon.”

“Then we should wait here for him,” said Rokk. “If we’re to be successful we’ll need to stay close to him until the right moment.”

“Can I help you?” asked a young girl holding a tray.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” said Imra. “We’re new in town. How’s the coffee here?”

“The best in the county,” said the girl, smiling at them.

“Good,” said Imra. “We’ll have three cups. We’ll be over at that table there.”

“Three cups of java coming up,” said the girl as she hurried off to the counter.

“Coffee?” questioned Garth. “Is it very good?”

“I don’t know,” said Imra. “I’m not sure what it is. Apparently it’s a drink that everyone around here drinks. Besides if we’re going to wait for him we’ll need to blend in. We can’t just stand here waiting for him to come in. We’ll have to look like the rest of the patrons.”

They continued to watch the crowd of people as they sat at a table near the back of the Talon. When the waitress had brought them their coffee they all tried it but found it to be bitter and not very appealing. They sat chatting as they waiting for the person they had come here for.

“There he is,” Rokk said suddenly, looking at the front door of the Talon.

Imra and Garth both looked up to see a young man just coming into the building. They instantly recognized him. He just glanced around at the crowd and then headed for the counter where Lana and Chloe still stood chatting.

“That’s him all right,” said Imra. “He’s even more handsome than his picture.”

They all watched as Clark Kent walked over to the counter and began to talk with Lana and Chloe.

TWO

“Well, Phase One is complete,” said Rokk. “What do we do now? We hadn’t expected to be here this early. We’re in Smallville and we’ve found Kal-El. What’s our next step?”

“First we don’t refer to him as Kal-El,” said Imra. “That’s his Kryptonian name. Here he’s known as Clark Kent and there are very few who know who – or what – he really is.”

“You’re right, of course,” said Rokk. “It’s just so strange referring to him as Clark.”

“Just be careful,” said Garth. “A mistake like that could expose him and us. And you know we can’t afford that. I think our best bet is to keep an eye on Clark for the time being. With the three of us one of us can keep an eye on him all the time. That way we can watch him 32 hours a day and be ready when the time is right.”

“Twenty-four hours,” Imra corrected. “Earth has a rotational period of 24 hours, not 32.”

“Of course,” said Garth. “I sometimes forget that not all planets revolve at the same rate.”

“You need to be careful, too,” said Imra. “Anyway, Garth is right. We need to watch Clark all the time. When the time is right whoever is watching him can call the others. I’ll take the first shift. That way I can learn more about what’s going on and maybe narrow down our timeframe a little more. We don’t have a complete timeline. One of you can relieve me in a few hours.”

“What do we do in the mean time?” Rokk asked.

“We mingle,” suggested Garth. “We do have some specifics. We might be able to learn more from the inhabitants of this town.”

“Just be careful,” said Imra. “We can’t afford to expose ourselves. It could cause more problems than we have now.”

As Garth and Rokk left the Talon, Imra settled in and continued to watch Clark, Lana, and Chloe.

* * *

“We should have started the decorations days ago,” said Chloe. “It’s only four days until the Spring Formal and almost nothing has been done.”

“It will be fine,” said Lana. “Clark’s going to help and a lot of the other students have offered to help as well. Besides, we really couldn’t decide on what the decorations would be until a theme had been decided on for the prom. And that wasn’t decided until yesterday.”

“Lana’s right, Chloe,” said Clark. “We’ll get the decorations up in plenty of time. You’ll see. The place will look great.”

“I hope so,” said Chloe. “Remember last year. That was a total fiasco.”

“It was hardly that bad,” said Lana. “The decorations were great.”

“Except the decorations didn’t match the theme,” said Clark. “But I wouldn’t worry, Chloe. We’ll have them done in plenty of time.”

“Okay,” said Chloe, looking at her watch. “Well, I’d better get going. The Torch isn’t going to publish itself.”

“Yeah, I need to get going, too,” said Clark. “My dad wants me to get home early. So we’re going to start decorating the gym tomorrow right?”

“That’s the plan,” said Lana. “Neither of you be late. There’s a lot of work to do and the sooner we get it finished the sooner we can relax.”

“We’ll be there,” said Chloe. “Count on it.”

“You can count on me, too,” said Clark.

Lana just smiled as Chloe and Clark left the Talon. Imra got up from her table and followed them out of the building.

THREE

Imra followed Clark down the street a ways until he came to the family truck. As he got into the truck and began to drive away, she looked around. It would be difficult to follow him since she didn’t have a vehicle. If she were home it would have been a simple matter to follow him. But here in Smallville it would be much too noticeable.

Luckily she didn’t have to worry too much. She knew approximately where the Kent farm was. She took out her handheld device and checked it. The farm was right where she thought it was. It would be easy enough for her to get there. All she had to do was find a nice, lonely, secluded spot where no one would see her.

It was less than half an hour later when Imra peered out from behind a tree at the Kent farm. Clark had pulled in only a few minutes before and was currently talking with his father. Even though they were too far away for her to hear she still had no trouble understanding what they were talking about.

“We need to have the fence repaired before dark,” said Jonathan Kent. “It looks like it’s going to rain and I want the fence up before it does.”

“No problem,” replied Clark. “I’ll have it done in a super jiffy.”

“Don’t get carried away. We may live in the country but there are still people driving around out here. Just be careful that no one sees you. You know how important it is that no one find out about your special gifts.”

“I’m always careful, dad. And I haven’t been seen yet. I’ll be able to see anyone long before they get close enough to see what I’m doing. And I’ll have the tools with me just so it looks good in case anyone does happen to stroll by.”

“Good,” said Jonathan, smiling at his son. “I’ll be in the barn working on the tractor.”

“Again? I thought you just fixed that?”

“It’s an old piece of equipment. It shouldn’t take long. And you mother is fixing lasagna for dinner so don’t be late.”

“I won’t,” promised Clark.

As Jonathan headed into the barn Clark picked up a shovel and a post hole digger and headed around the back of the barn and the fence that waiting to be put in. Imra settled in knowing that at least for a while she wouldn’t have anything to do except watch Clark.

* * *

“I thought you were never going to show up,” said Imra as Garth walked up to her. “It’s nearly dark out.”

“Rokk and I were in the library and sort of lost track of time,” said Garth. “We were going through some recent issues of a newspaper to see if we could learn anything new and sort of lost track of the time.”

“So? What did you learn?”

“Not a lot, I’m afraid. Mostly just local farm news. Nothing that would help us, I’m afraid.”

“What about Rokk? Did he learn anything?”

“Apparently this Chloe runs something called the Torch. It’s the local high school newspaper and a lot of it is devoted to weird occurrences in and around Smallville. And a lot of theories about the connection between those occurrences and meteor rocks.”

“Meteor rocks?” questioned Imra.

“Fragments of kryptonite. It seems she thinks they have a strange affect on humans. And she’s documents some pretty strange things that have happened since they fell to Earth.”

“I didn’t think Kryptonite affected anyone but Clark.”

“Well, they don’t seem to affect everyone. But some people seem to be susceptible to their specific radiation. Only they affect different people in different ways. Querl would have a field day here studying all the possible ramifications of the affects of Kryptonite on humans.”

“Which is one reason we decided not to bring Brainy with us,” replied Imra, just a hint disgust in her voice. “You know how he can get. This is too important for him to go off on one of his tangents.”

“I was just saying he’d find it fascinating, that’s all. Why don’t you go get some rest? I’ll watch Clark for a while and Rokk can relieve me in a few hours. You’re sure he’s still in the house?”

“Positive. He built a fence out behind the barn and then he went in for dinner. He’s been in there with his parents ever since. You have your Omnicom with you?”

“Of course,” replied Garth. “Now go get some rest. If anything happens I’ll let you know right away. But I don’t think we have anything to worry about for right now. Nothing’s going to happen while it’s dark out, you know that.”

“I know. By the way, where is Rokk right now?”

“We rented a room at the local hotel. Since we may be here for a few days we felt it was best if we looked like tourist or something. Besides, we need a place to stay while we’re here. He’s in room 212.”

“Okay, thanks. Keep your eyes open.”

“I will. I promise.”

Imra looked at Garth once and then turned back toward Smallville. As she headed into town, Garth took up a position that would give him a clear view of the house and still be comfortable.

FOUR

The night passed uneventfully and when the sun came up the next morning Rokk was watching the house where Garth had been the night before. Rokk watched as Clark went about his chores before heading off into town. Only Clark was moving so fast that Rokk couldn’t see him most of the time. Rokk just smiled to himself. If the rest of the world knew about Clark’s special abilities he wouldn’t have to hide them all the time. But then he’d probably end up being the subject of some very uncomfortable experiments as well.

According to what he and Garth had found in the library there was no school that week. Apparently the Spring Formal was held at the end of Spring Break so the students had plenty of time to get things ready for the formal. It explained why there were so many students around town instead of in school.

When his chores were finished Clark went into the house for breakfast. Rokk wished he had brought something with him to eat. Sitting there all night had left him famished. After breakfast Clark and Jonathan got into the truck and headed into town. Rokk followed at a discrete distance; close enough to keep them in sight but far enough away so that they wouldn’t see him. Once in town he joined up with Imra and Garth who were at the Talon getting something to eat.

“How did it go?” Garth asked as Rokk ordered something to eat.

“Boring,” said Rokk. “This place is nothing like home. Once it gets dark there’s literally nothing to do. I don’t know why we had to watch him during the night. Nothing is going to happen while it’s dark.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” said Imra. “Remember what Querl said? We have to be here to act when the major event occurs but there could be other events that we may have to handle. And we really have no idea when some of those minor events might happen.”

“Okay, fine,” said Rokk. “Any idea when the major event will occur? Once we handle that we can go home and believe me I’m more than ready to go home. This place is positively primitive.”

“Not yet,” said Imra. “Dr. Becker wasn’t sure exactly when it was going to happen. But he thought it would be within a couple of days. Only I think we got here a few days earlier than we had planned so we’ll just have to wait.”

“We do know it will happen within the next three days,” said Garth. “Dr. Becker and Querl were pretty sure it happened before the Spring Formal but they aren’t sure how long before it. We’ll just have to wait and keep our eyes open. Where’s Clark now?”

Imra looked out the window to the street beyond.

“He and his father are at one of the stores buying some supplies for the farm,” said Imra. “I think they’re going to be there for a while. They seem to have quite a list.”

“You’ll be sure to let us know when the move,” said Garth. It wasn’t a question more than a statement of fact.

“Of course,” said Imra.

Clark and Jonathan spent nearly the next thirty minutes at the store. When they came out they loaded the items into the truck. Afterwards Clark told his father he had to go to the school to hang the decorations for the Spring Formal. When his dad asked how he would get home, Clark joked that he would run home. At a stern look from Jonathan, Clark said he would get Lana or Chloe to give him a ride home. Then he headed for the Talon to meet up with Lana.

Besides Clark, Lana, and Chloe, six other students had showed up to help with the decorations. They spent nearly the entire afternoon working on the decorations for the formal. It was late in the afternoon when they decided to call it a day. By that time they had prepared nearly half the decorations for the formal. Chloe agreed to give Clark a ride home.

As they left the school and headed for Chloe’s car, Clark noticed three figures across the street from the school. They looked to be in their early twenties and Clark found it odd that they would be hanging around the school when school was currently out. As he watched them, they turned and began to walk up the street toward the center of town.

“Chloe, Lana, do either of you recognize any of those people?” Clark asked.

“Can’t say I do,” said Chloe. “Why?”

“They don’t look familiar to me either,” said Lana.

“They were in the Talon yesterday,” replied Clark. “I’ve never seen them in town before and I just find it strange that we’d have tourists here.”

“You have a good memory,” said Chloe. “Maybe they’re just passing through town.”

“Maybe,” said Clark. “I just wondering what they’re doing here, that’s all.”

“They don’t look like they’re hurting anything,” said Lana. “Maybe they’ve never been in a small town before and they’re just looking around.”

“Maybe,” said Clark. “Well, we’d better get going. My parents will be concerned if I’m late.”

As Clark and Chloe got into her car and drove away Imra glanced back at them.

“I told you it would be dangerous to hang around in plain sight,” said Imra. “He saw us and he was questioning Chloe and Lana if they had seen us before. He’s suspicious of us now.”

“We’ll have to be more careful in the future,” said Garth. “I think the time is nearly here. There are only two more days until the formal. It could happen any time.”

“Agreed,” said Rokk. “We’ll need to lay low for the time being. You know how suspicious he can be. And once he gets suspicious of someone he’s not about to let it go. Does he suspect us?”

“Nothing specific,” said Imra. “He’s just curious about who we are and what we’re doing here. Lana has suggested we’re just looking around a small town. She thinks we’re from the big city and have never been in a small town before.”

“We’d better get going,” said Garth. “We don’t want to loose him. We’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t see us again so he doesn’t get suspicious of us any further.”

Together the three turned and began to head for the Kent farm knowing that’s where Clark was heading.

FIVE

The night passed uneventfully, but then none of the three expected anything would happen. As before they took turns watching the Kent farm. So far their trip to Smallville had not netted them anything significant. Still, all they could do was sit and wait until the time was right.

It was the day before the Spring Formal at Smallville High. Garth, Imra, and Rokk became even more intent on watching Clark. They knew with each passing minute the time they were waiting for would come and they didn’t want to miss possibly their only opportunity.

“I wish something would happen all ready,” said Rokk as they sat in the Talon watching Clark and Lana talk at the counter. “All this waiting is getting on my nerves.”

“Easy, Rokk,” said Imra. “It shouldn’t be long now. It has to be some time today. All we have to do is stick close to Clark and eventually . . . .”

Her voice trailed off as she suddenly stared out the window at the street beyond. Nothing seemed amiss. People were going about their business as usual. She glanced over at the counter and saw Clark and Lana talking casually with each other.

“What is it?” Garth asked.

“Something’s happening,” said Imra. “On the outskirts of town. People are frightened. Some of them are heading into town at break neck speeds.”

“This must be it,” said Rokk. “What do we do now?”

“We have to get ready,” said Imra. “Garth you know what to do. You’ll need to be in position. You’re the most important part of the plan. Rokk and I will wait here for Clark. Word should be coming in any minute. You should be able to get out there without being noticed. Everyone will be concentrating on the disaster and shouldn’t notice you.”

“I’m on my way,” said Garth as he got up from table and headed for the front door of the Talon.

“How long do you think it’s going to be?” Rokk asked.

“Dr. Becker said once it started it wouldn’t be long,” said Imra. “We have to stick close to Clark. You know what you have to do so you’ll need to be prepared.”

“I’m ready,” said Rokk.

Just then Chloe came running into the Talon and hurried over to the counter. She nearly ran into the counter and took a moment to catcher her breath.

“Chloe, what is it?” Clark asked. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“Not a ghost, Clark, meteors,” said Chloe between gasps. “There’s another meteor storm heading this way. It’s due to hit any minute.”

“Another one?” questioned Clark. “I thought we were finished with the meteor storms. We have to warn people. They have to get out of town before it’s too late.”

“That’s just it,” said Chloe. “It’s not going to hit town. It’s going to hit in the country north of Smallville.”

“North?” questioned Clark. “Mom, dad. Our farm is north of town.”

“How far out in the country?” Lana asked.

“Just about where Clark’s farm is,” said Chloe. Suddenly there was a gust of wind. Chloe and Lana looked around. “Clark? Clark, where are you?”

“He must have headed out to his farm,” said Lana. “Come on. We’ll take my car. Maybe we can get out there before the meteor storm hits. Strange that Clark didn’t ask for a ride. He can’t possibly be planning to run out to his farm. The meteor storm would be long over before he got halfway there.”

“Let’s hurry,” said Chloe. “With a little luck we’ll catch up with Clark on the way.”

Lana picked up her car keys and she and Chloe headed for her car.

“It’s time,” said Imra. “We need to get going now.”

“Do you think we can beat Clark to his farm?” Rokk asked. “You know how fast he is?”

“He’s not that fast yet,” said Imra. “Come on. There’s no time to loose.”

Imra and Rokk got up and hurried out of the Talon. But instead of heading out the front door behind Lana and Chloe, they headed out the back door. Once outside they looked around the alleyway to make sure they were alone. In the street beyond they saw people starting to rush about. News of the meteor storm must just now be reaching the small town. Everyone seemed intent on the storm and no one was paying attention to the two. Suddenly Rokk and Imra just lifted into the air and began to fly to the north.

* * *

A blur suddenly rushed into the front yard of the Kent farm and just as suddenly stopped. Clark stood where the blur had been only a moment before. He looked around the farm and saw the truck sitting in the driveway where it usually sat. That meant that both of his parents should be home.

“Mom?” he called out. “Dad? Where are you?”

“Clark?” questioned Jonathon Kent coming out of the barn. “What are you doing home, son? I thought you were going to help Lana and Chloe finish the decorations for the Spring Formal?”

“Dad, we have to get out of here,” said Clark as Martha came out of the house.

“Clark, what is it?” Martha asked. “You looked frightened.”

“We have to get out of here,” said Clark. “Chloe showed up at the Talon and told me that there’s another. . . . “

His statement went unfinished as a small meteor streaked out of the sky barely missing his father and slamming into the barn. Jonathon covered his heard with his arms instinctively.

“A meteor storm,” said Clark. “It’s going to hit right here. We have to get away while we still have time.”

“No!”

The three looked over to see Garth drop from the sky and land near them. Only Garth was no longer wearing the non-descript clothes he had been wearing the past few days. He was dressed in a suit that was blue and white and had lightning bolts emblazoned across both breasts. He hurried to them.

“You can’t leave,” said Garth. “It’s too dangerous. There’s no telling where the meteors will strike. Your best chance is to wait it out here. The bulk of the storm will be here any minute. If we wait here we’ll have the best chance of surviving it.”

“Who are you?” demanded Jonathon.

“I’m a friend,” said Garth. “Please, you have to trust me.”

“Why?” Clark asked. “Are you causing this meteor storm?”

“There’s no time for explanations,” said Imra as she and Rokk landed in the yard next to the four. “Garth is right. We don’t have any more time. Please, Kal-El, just trust us. We’re here to help you. We aren’t a threat.”

Clark, Jonathon, and Martha just stared at this strange woman, dressed in a pink and white suit with what looked like a planet with a ring emblazoned on her chest. Next to her stood Rokk, now dressed in a dark blue and white suit. Three strangers who apparently knew Clark’s secret.

SIX

“How do you know that name?” Clark demanded.

“There’s no time,” said Imra, as she glanced up into the sky. Even now they could see dozens of small burning objects streaking out of the sky toward the farm. “We’ll be glad to explain everything once this is over but right now we have to make sure you survive.”

Clark looked at his mom and dad. His invulnerability would probably protect him from the meteors. Aside from kryptonite, there wasn’t much that could cause him any harm. But his adoptive parents were human. Even the smallest fragment of a meteor could be disastrous. He looked at Imra.

“What do we have to do?” he asked hesitantly.

“Stand close to me,” said Garth.

Cautiously Martha and Jonathon moved over and stood next to Garth. Garth just looked at Clark as Imra moved over to stand next to Garth.

“You, too, Clark,” said Imra. “That meteor storm is comprised of kryptonite meteors. They’re just as dangerous to you as they are to anyone else.”

Clark hesitated for a moment and then stepped up next to Garth.

“What about him?” Clark asked looking over at Rokk.

“He’ll be fine,” said Imra, smiling. “He has to be outside to do what he has to do.”

“Outside?” questioned Jonathon. “Outside what?”

In answer to his question Garth raised his hands and lightning suddenly shot from his fingertips. The lightning swirled about them for several moments and then formed a globe around the five individuals, leaving Rokk the only one unprotected by the lightning globe. No sooner had the globe formed than a meteor streaked out of the sky and struck it, bouncing off the globe and falling harmlessly to the ground.

Rokk turned his attention toward the sky. The meteors were now streaking toward the farm and were only seconds from impact. Before Rokk could react one of the meteors struck the truck sitting in the driveway exploding the vehicle on contact.

Rokk extended his hands and suddenly the meteors streaking out of the sky seemed to freeze in mid-flight. They hung suspended in the hair mere feet above the ground. Several larger pieces were directly over the house and barn while some of the smaller ones hung suspended over various parts of the yard. Then, just as suddenly, the meteors reversed direction and streaked upwards away from the ground.

Clark, Jonathon, and Martha watched in amazement as the meteors flew up into the sky and out of sight. As they did, Rokk suddenly lifted off the ground and followed the meteors into the sky until he was nothing more than a tiny speck and finally disappeared altogether. Garth lowered his hands and the lightning globe seemed to vanish into nothing.

“What just happened?” questioned Jonathon, looking at Imra and Garth. “Who are you people?”

“In a moment,” said Imra, looking into the sky where Rokk had vanished. “We have to make sure that Rokk was successful first. Until we do the danger isn’t over.”

Several moments passed as they waited. Waited for what, Clark, Jonathon, nor Martha knew. Suddenly a speck appeared in the sky and rapidly grew larger. Rokk flew to the Earth and gently landed on the ground next to the others.

“It’s done,” said Rokk. “The meteors should fly into the sun where they’ll burn up harmlessly. They won’t be danger to anyone again.”

“Good,” said Imra, turning to the Kents. “Now, it seems we have a promise to keep. I seem to recall promising that we’d explain everything once the danger was past.”

“Yes, you did,” said Jonathon. “Who are you people? How can you do what you do? And how do you know who Clark is?”

“Let’s go in the house,” suggested Garth. “This is going to take a bit of explaining.”

Still not sure if they could trust these three strangers, Clark, Jonathon, and Martha headed for the house, the others close behind.

* * *

“Okay,” said Clark once they were inside, “now, explain what just happened out there. And how do you know the name Kal-El.”

“It’s very simple,” said Imra. “I know you’re Kal-El because you told me. Or rather you will tell me. In the future.”

“You’re from the future?” questioned Martha.

“Yes,” said Garth. “About a thousand years to be precise. We came back to save you.”

“Save us?” questioned Jonathon. “I don’t understand.”

“Let me see if we can explain it,” said Imra. “My name is Imra Ardeen. I’m also known as Saturn Girl. This is Garth Ranzz, also called Lightning Lad. And this is Rokk Krinn, also known as Cosmic Boy. We belong to a group called the Legion of Superheroes in what you would call the 31st century. We’ve banded together to protect our galaxy.”

“Legion of Super Heroes?” questioned Clark. “What does this have to do with saving us?”

“Recently,” said Garth, “one of our benefactors, a Dr. Calvin Becker designed a time travel machine. We were using it to observe things in the past. Well, our past. Your present. We traveled here by means of a time sphere which allows us to move from one era to another.”

“Unfortunately,” continued Rokk, “we didn’t know that the magnetic attraction of our time sphere had altered the course of that meteor storm that just struck the Earth. When we returned to our own time we discovered that the storm had struck your farm, killing all three of you instantly. Because we were in time flux when it happened we were protected from the changes that caused. Catastrophic changes to our time.”

“Changes?” questioned Clark. “I don’t understand. How could us dying cause such a drastic change in the future?”

“We can’t tell you too much,” said Imra. “That could be as disastrous as the meteor swarm. What we can tell you, Kal-El, is that in the future you’ll make a difference in this world. And that will affect other worlds as well.”

“Don’t call me Kal-El,” said Clark. “My name is Clark.”

“Your human name,” said Garth. “Your Kryptonian name is Kal-El. And there will come a day when you will embrace your Kryptonian heritage as willingly as you accept your human heritage. Both will help to make you a great force for good in the future.”

“You’re saying he’s going to live for a thousand years?” questioned Jonathon.

“I can’t answer that,” said Imra. “As we said, we can’t tell you too much for fear of changing our past. But you do come to the 31st century on occasion. That’s where we meet you. And we become good friends.”

Clark just stared at Imra in utter disbelieve. If what she was saying were true, that meant he would eventually be able to break the time barrier. And travel from one time frame to another. The implications of that were almost too staggering to contemplate.

SEVEN

“Come to the future?” questioned Martha. “Are you saying that Clark is going to be able to move through time?”

“On occasion,” said Rokk. “Not often. He explained that it’s very difficult and he only does it when it’s absolutely necessary. But it can be done. Just as we are able to travel back in time to save you.”

“Which,” said Garth, “is why we came here. If it weren’t for us the three of you would never have died. So Imra, Rokk, and I came back to make sure it didn’t happen. You see, in the original history, that meteor storm bypassed the Earth and flew into the sun. When we altered the path of the storm, we changed history.”

“So, how are you able to do what you do?” Clark questioned. “You seem to have powers just as I do.”

“Well, not the same powers,” said Imra. “It’s one of the restrictions for the Legion. We all wear flight rings, which allow us to fly. They also protect us from the vacuum of space, which is how Rokk was able to send the meteor storm into the sun. I come from one of the moons of Saturn. In the future, humans will settle the moon. My people have a natural telepathic ability.”

“I’m from a planet called Winath,” said Garth. “My people have a natural ability to produce electricity similar to lightning, as you have seen. With enough practice, we can learn to control it doing some pretty amazing things.”

“My home world is called Braal,” said Rokk. “My people are a race of magnokineticists: people who can manipulate magnetic fields. That’s how I was able to redirect the meteors back into space. Most meteors are comprised of some type of metal, including kryptonite. It was a simple matter to take control of the meteors and send them flying into the sun.”

“You each have different powers?” questioned Jonathon.

“Everyone in the Legion does,” said Imra. “We handle criminals that the regular law enforcement are unequipped to handle. You’d be surprised how many people there are in the galaxy with special powers.”

“Wow,” said Martha, suddenly yawing. “I’m really tired. And it’s still early.”

“Well, it has been a trying day,” said Imra. “Why don’t you go lie down? We can finish our explanations later.”

“Come on, Martha,” said Jonathon. “I’m kind of tired myself. Maybe a nap is in order.”

“That was strange,” said Clark as his parents headed for their room. “I’ve never known them to take a nap in the afternoon. And not when we had guests.”

“That’s my fault, I’m afraid,” said Imra. “They’ll sleep for a while and when they wake up they won’t even remember we were here. It has to be that way, Clark. We can’t afford what we told them to become known. There’s no telling what information could be used to alter the timeline.”

“What about everyone else?” Clark asked. “You said the meteor storm never happened. Won’t that change the timeline?”

“Not really,” said Garth. “One of Imra’s abilities, along with her telepathy, is the ability to remove certain memories from an individual.”

“You removed my parent’s memories?” Clark asked.

“Only out of necessity,” said Imra. “Trust me, Clark, it’s for the best.”

“Imagine what would happen, Clark,” said Garth, “when they discover your bodies in the burned wreckage of your truck. The three of you were in that truck when the meteor hit it. Your parents were burned beyond recognition but other than the impact from the kryptonite your body didn’t have a mark on it. Even though you had been killed, your secret was still uncovered. Imagine what would have happened to your friends. The government would have suspected everyone of hiding some kind of secret. Imagine what Lana and Chloe would go through. And Pete. Even though he doesn’t live here any more, he was your best friend. Imagine what it would be like for them.”

“I guess I can see your point,” said Clark. “But to erase my parent’s memories.”

“Only the ones pertaining to us,” said Imra. “Trust me, Clark, I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. That information is too dangerous for them to have. It would put them in danger that not even you would be able to protect them from.”

“So what will you do now?” Clark asked.

“We have to return to our own time,” said Rokk. “By preventing your deaths we should have corrected the timeline. Everything should be back to the way it was when we left.”

“What about me?” Clark asked. “I have the same memories my parents have. Or had. Are you going to remove my memories, too?”

“For now, I’m afraid it’s necessary,” said Imra. She passed her hand in front of Clark’s face. “Once we’re gone, you won’t remember we were here. At least not until we finally meet in the future. Sleep now, Kal-El of Krypton. You have a grand future ahead of you.”

Clark dropped his head on the table and was asleep before his head hit the table. Quietly the three time travelers moved out of the farmhouse for their time sphere that lay hidden nearby.

* * *

The time sphere hurtled through the void of the time stream as it sped toward the 31st century. Garth sat at the control panel monitoring the controls as Imra and Rokk waited patiently to return home.

“It’s too bad we couldn’t tell Kal-El about what’s in store for him,” said Rokk. “I remember him telling us once that this was a particularly rough time for him. He had no idea why he had his abilities or what he would do with those abilities. It would have been nice to set his mind at ease and let him know the type of hero he would become.”

“You know that wasn’t possible,” said Imra. “A great deal of the man that he will become will be because of what he goes through during that time. Without it he will never become the man that he does.”

“Including the death of his father?” questioned Rokk.

“Especially the death of his father,” said Garth. “You know it’s going to have a very profound affect on him. I would have liked to warn him, too. But we went back to correct the timeline, not change it further. Unfortunately the bad he goes through is as important as the good. Maybe more so. At least we can rest easy that things will progress as they should now.”

“We’re going to have to be a lot more careful in the future,” said Rokk. “We don’t want a repeat of what we just went through.”

“We’ll be more careful,” said Imra. “At least now we can take precautions in the future. I’ll be glad to get home. Visiting the past is nice but living there for several days is a whole different story. I don’t see how they were able to survive the 21st century. It’s just so primitive.”

“Maybe to us,” said Garth. “I’m sure in a thousand years our time will look very primitive for the people who live there. It’s all a matter of perspective.”

“Still,” said Imra, “taking a shower with water? How primitive is that?’

Garth and Rokk just laughed as they continued to hurtle to their own time.

The End

If you’ve enjoyed this story, you can find more stories at my website, Creative Passions, listed in my bio. You can also post your own stories or other stories if you like to write fan fiction.