Episode 13 - "Forgotten" (PG)

Title: Forgotten
Written by: Amber

Notes, disclaimers, etc. in Episode 1

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The screams of his father echo through the room. “Don’t hurt her! It is me you want…leave her be, let her go!”

“Maybe you should have thought of that sooner” A dark man says from the corner, seeming nothing more than a shadow. “Kill her.”

“Mommy!” A child’s scream as he jumps out from his hiding place. Daddy told him to stay put, but they were hurting his Mommy. Cold eyes turn on him, he backs away, uncertain now.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Kill the brat as well”

“Yes sir!” He feels himself being lifted up, and thrown into a wall, instant pain to his head, a flash of green light, and then darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“NOOO!” Tom woke up with a start, covered in sweat. Flipping on a desk lamp, he slowly caught his breath. It was just another nightmare, the third one this week. Glancing at the digital alarm clock on a nightstand next to the hospital like bed he realized it was nearly 7 am, time to get up.

Shuffling across the small dorm size room to the tap in the corner, he filled a glass with water, starting at a knock on the door.

“Yeah?” He wondered what they wanted at this time of the morning. Normally they didn’t bother him until later. He looked up as a guard entered the room.

“You have a visitor.” He glanced at the doorway, still in shadow despite the small amount of light from the lamp. A figure stood there that looked remarkably like the shadows from his dream. He dropped his glass as the man stepped into the room.

“Oh, it’s only you.” Relief was evident in his voice and he chuckled nervously. The dreams were really getting to him.

“Tom, I know you want your freedom, I can give it to you if you help my friend.” The man paused and Tom’s ears perked up.

“What do I have to do?” His voice was wary.

The man’s voice was calm, emotionless. “She needs to forget.” With that, the man set a file on the desk before leaving the room. Tom remained staring after him for a long, long time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chloe listened as Jason explained the latest publicity nightmare that he had barely helped LuthorCorp avoid. Apparently, there were still plenty of businessmen and women opposed to the Luthor business – and just about willing to do anything to destroy it and the man now behind it. Chloe shivered, flashing back for a moment to Lex standing over her in the caves, the look of evil determination on his face. Shivering at the memory, she focused her attention back on Jason, who was watching her with an amused smile.

“I take it you find the idea of a cutthroat business woman nearly getting the best of Lex amusing?” Jason smiled as he watched Chloe laugh then shrug before taking a sip of coffee. He took the moment to admire how pretty she was in the soft afternoon light of the Talon’s front windows.

Chloe blushed lightly under his scrutiny. These “coffee dates” had begun a few weeks ago, ironically in the aftermath of the earthquake. With half the town trying to rebuild and restore, Gabe working non-stop to make repairs to the plant, not to mention Clark’s obsession with helping Lana restore the Talon while Martha remained home on bed rest, no one had noticed how pale and withdrawn Chloe had been.

After escaping the caves, Lex had taken her to the hospital, remaining long enough to make sure she was taken care of before disappearing with the excuse of trying to find out the damage to the plant and the mansion. She hadn’t put up a fight, her emotions too raw from everything she’d experienced.

Jason had been visiting Martha when he’d noticed her sitting in a chair halfway down the hallway. He’d come and talked to her, accepting what she said about being trapped in the caves without probing. She had never been more grateful for his silent support. Especially since Clark had barely noticed her presence, not that she could blame him with his mother in critical condition.

While she and Clark had eventually patched over the repercussions of the earthquake, she’d never told him about her knowledge of the symbols. The time and situation hadn’t been right, and to be honest, she wasn’t sure it ever would be. Which made it all the easier to accept Jason’s offer of coffee to get her mind off things. That coffee had turned into semi-regular events and she found herself looking quite forward to them. She knew she was attracted to Jason, and vice versa, but she wasn’t sure how fast or far she wanted to push things. Thankfully, Jason seemed to understand. Although she had to admit, she hoped he would step things up and ask her out on a real date sometime soon.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bore you.”

She jumped at his words before focusing on him again. “It’s okay, I’m just glad to see you’re enjoying working for Lex. Something tells me it’s a unique experience.” She grinned as he nodded wryly.

“You could say that,” he offered, grinning as she laughed again. Taking a deep breath, he finally found the courage to make the offer he’d been trying to for weeks. “Um, Chloe, you want to catch a movie, maybe dinner, this weekend?”

Chloe swallowed hard, wondering if he’d read her thoughts. Noting his expression was turning sheepish as she remained silent, she quickly smiled and spoke.

“I’d like that. I hear there’s finally tickets available to the final Star Wars movie.”

Jason’s smile brightened. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

Chloe grinned as he stood and gathered his things. “I’ll check into times for Saturday night and call you tomorrow, okay?"

Nodding, she smiled, blushing again as he leaned over and brushed a kiss across her cheek. “Bye, Chloe.”

“Bye, Jason.” She was pleased her voice sounded normal, despite the fluttering in her stomach as she watched him disappear out the door. When the doors had swung shut behind him, she turned back to her coffee, a small smile on her face as she began planning what she would wear to impress him on their first ‘date.’

Across the room, Lana quietly wiped the counter while watching Chloe with slightly sad eyes. She knew her friend and Jason were getting closer, could see it in the way he smiled at Chloe, the way he’d once smiled at her. Despite the initial uncomfortable spark of jealousy, she’d soon realized that it was probably for the best. Both Jason and Chloe deserved some happiness and if they found it together, well she’d just have to learn to live with it.

Not to mention she had more important things to think about, like the direction her relationship with Clark was headed. While they seemed to be on okay ground again, she couldn’t forget the way he’d pushed her away after the earthquake. While he’d apologized and they’d picked up where they’d left off, she couldn’t help but wonder if his feelings for her were changing.

For a moment, she wondered if it would help to go talk to Chloe about things with Clark and Jason. She missed having a girlfriend to talk to. Then again, despite their promise to work on their friendship, she figured it was probably better for them both if Jason and Clark were topics best left alone for the moment.

Lana’s train of thought broke as she watched Chloe stand and walk out of the Talon. Moving over to clear the now vacant table, Lana realized Chloe had left her purse sitting on the bench. Grabbing it, she turned and hurried to the doors, hoping she could catch her friend.

Chloe sighed, breathing deeply as she stepped out into the cool air. Halfway to her car, she frowned as she reached for her purse, which contained her keys, only to find she’d left it inside. Grimacing, she turned to head back into the Talon when someone grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth with a hand.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take everything away and you will forget.” The horse voice whispered in her ear as a hand traveled through her hair and she struggled to scream around the hand.

“Hey, leave her alone!”

Lana had spotted her struggling friend as soon as she’d stepped out the door and began running towards Chloe, her heart in her. Not thinking except to help Chloe, Lana began to swing the purse at the attacker, struggling to drag Chloe away from him.

“No, don’t break the connection!”

Chloe and Lana both heard the frantic, panicked shout through their struggles. But their last memory was of a blinding flash of green and then nothingness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chloe struggled to make sense of her surroundings as her brain began to function again.
Blinking eyelids that seemed far too heavy, she winced and slammed them shut again as the artificial light flooding the room sent a sliver of pain through her body.

“Honey, how are you? What happened? Jonathan found you and Lana in the alley…”

She had a vague sense that she should know the voice, that it was important. Struggling to open her eyes again, she sighed as she slowly let them adjust to the light. When she finally was able to focus, she found herself staring at a middle-aged man with a look of concern on his face. It was obvious he knew who she was, but she couldn’t figure out how. Because try as she might, she couldn’t find any memory of this man in her head.

“Who are you?” Her voice was husky from disuse and she winced as she saw the words register in the look of shock on the man’s face.

“Honey, you don’t recognize me?” Gabe felt a fear unlike any he’d ever felt run through him as he stared into Chloe’s eyes. Eyes that showed not a hint of recognition. Her words had him tightening his grip on her hands, desperate to believe he was dreaming, that his baby girl clearly was still out of it.

“I’m sorry.” Chloe felt bad, but she really couldn’t place him. Come to think of it, her mind couldn’t really place anything at the moment, including how she’d gotten here. Moving her head to observe her surroundings, she realized she must be in a hospital. Which obviously did not bode well.

She jumped as a tall, well built teenager burst into the room. “Lana can’t remember anything!” The boy’s voice was panicked and he wore an expression somewhat similar to the older man sitting at her side. “How’s Chloe?”

“Who’s Chloe?” Her words were instinctive, said before she could think about them. But what registered in her mind was the intense shock that was reflected in both men staring back at her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chloe looked around her curiously as a nurse pushed her wheelchair into the hallway, where her doctor was talking to a group of people, including the man she’d been told was her father. Things had calmed down a bit since the nurse, and Gabe, her father, had informed her that her name was Chloe Sullivan and these were her friends and family. She wanted to trust them, struggled to find the truth in their words, but sadly, she only kept drawing blanks.

The nurse had explained this was normal in such circumstances, although Chloe truly wondered if a simple mugging could create temporary amnesia to the degree she seemed to
have it.

Gabe looked up with a small smile from where he stood with the doctor, Clark, Jason, and Jonathan Kent. Lana sat on a chair a short distance away from them, looking around her in slightly worried confusion. His heart sank a bit at the blank expressions both girls wore on their faces. His gaze then focused on Lex, who was standing a slight ways apart, cell phone to his ear. Once more the bald billionaire was on the phone with the best doctors, arranging for whatever Chloe and Lana might need to recover. Or, worst case scenario, deal with things if they never did. Forcing his fear aside, he turned back to listen to the doctor.

“Neither girl is suffering form any injuries other then minor cuts and bruises.” The doctor kept his words calm, although those listening could hear the confusion behind the words. “Normally, I would hold them overnight for observation, but they seem fine, and hopefully being home will help them regain their memories. It’s normal for people who have suffered a traumatic experience to temporarily forget what happened.”

The doctor sounded like he was trying to convince himself more then the people in the room. Gabe and Jonathan exchanged worried glances.

“But doctor, isn’t it a little strange that both of them have some sort of amnesia?” Gabe couldn’t help the scenarios running through his head – every one dealing with yet another encounter his daughter might have had with what she’d dubbed ‘meteor freaks.’ After years in Smallville, he’d learned to not question such things … at least, not too much.
Jonathan gave him a knowing look as Jason turned when Lex joined them.

“I’ve got the best specialists flying in from Metropolis.” His voice was clam and collected
although if one looked closely, they would see the slight worry hidden deep in his eyes.

“I don’t know if they’ll do any good.” The doctor’s voice drew a frown from Lex but he continued before the younger man could interrupt. “In cases like this, the best thing to do is take the victims to familiar surroundings and hope for the best. I don’t think any doctor will tell you differently.”

Lex’s mouth tightened. “Thank you for your opinion, doctor. But it can’t hurt to have a second opinion.”

The doctor looked ready to respond when Clark jumped in. “Thanks, Doctor, we’ll take them home now and let you know if anything changes."

The doctor nodded as the small group gathered together and headed for the door. He could only hope the two young ladies regained their memories – although, knowing a bit of what they’d both been through in the past few years, he couldn’t help but wonder if remembering would do more harm than good.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jason led Chloe into the Torch office, holding her arm and guiding her slowly so she didn’t bump into anything.

“Jason…it’s okay to let go.” She knew her voice sounded exasperated as she tried to shrug her arm free. “I am not an invalid, I just lost my memory!”

Jason winced but let her arm go. “Sorry, I’m just trying to help.”

Chloe heard the hurt in his voice and tried to soften her next words. She wasn’t sure what was between the two of them, although he’d told her they were just ‘friends.’ But the looks he’d been giving her when he thought she wasn’t looking seemed to imply more. “I know your just trying to help, but I need to do this on my own. Please?”

Jason bit his lip, wanting to insist she let him help but knowing Chloe wouldn’t appreciate it. He was torn, wanting to simply tell her that they’d been on the way to becoming more than just ‘friends’ but knew that now was definitely not the time or the place. He could only imagine how frustrated she must be at being told things she couldn’t remember. He only wished he could help more… but knowing the power of retreat, realized in this case, it might help rather than hurt.

“Alright. I have some work to do anyways. Can you make it home on your own, or do you want me to come back?” He grinned a she sent him an exasperated smile.

“Jason! I’m fine, please don’t worry.”

“Okay, but call me if you need anything?”

She nodded, keeping her smile in place as he walked out of the room. He really was cute and she wouldn’t mind if he was more than just a friend. But she couldn’t deal with that right now. She had too many other things to think about. Or at least, try to think about.

Looking around she tried to find something familiar, something to spark her memory. Jason
and her father had told her this was her ‘domain,’ the one place she’d always felt at home.

The far wall was covered, top to bottom with newspaper articles. Many of the articles had strange pictures of what looked like rocks, or strangely deformed people. Walking closer, she shivered, wondering what such material was doing in the office of a school newspaper?

Not to mention it stood to reason that this collection was something she had chosen to put up, after all this was her office.

“Meteor’s Hit Small Town in Kansas,” she read out loud. “Parasite Causes Teenager’s Adrenaline Rush…Teenager Found Dead, Without Body Fat.” Her voice grew more confused as she continued to read similar headlines. What in the world was all this stuff? And why did she seem to be fascinated enough about it to keep an entire wall of clippings on the strange and bizarre?

Suddenly, a picture caught her eye. Looking closer, she found something strangely compelling about the black symbol that seemed burnt into the side of a barn. Leaning closer, she made out the words “Kent” and “fire” before a blinding pain shot through her head.

~*~*~*~*~

It was dark and musty in the small hiding space. Sounds of a struggle could be heard outside.

“Don’t hurt her, It’s me you want…leave her be, let her go!”

‘Daddy!’ They are hurting him…but he told me to stay put.

“Kill her”

A sharp scream pierced the air.

‘NOOOO!’ “Mommy!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Wow, Chloe thought a few seconds later as the images quit bombarding her mind, that was surreal. It was the closest she had gotten to any sort of memory all day, but it seemed wrong somehow. Why would someone be hurting her or her father? From what Gabe had explained to her, despite occasional scrapes, she’d never been in any serious trouble. Which meant either he wasn’t telling her the truth, or something else was at work here.

Either way, she needed answers.

Flipping open her cell she began to look through the list of numbers stored in its memory.

Sadly, nothing looked familiar although she did recognize Clark and Jason’s names.
Her mind wandered for a moment to Clark. She hadn’t seen much of him in the past few days, he apparently was busy trying to help Lana. She couldn’t remember the brunette either, but when the two had talked briefly outside the hospital, they’d come to the conclusion that whatever had happened, it had affected them both.

That alone made her more suspicious as to what was going on. Two people should NOT be suffering from amnesia from a simple mugging. At least, not such complete amnesia as they seemed to have.

Clark had been sweet, offering to take her on a journey down memory lane, but it had been obvious that he wanted to spend time with the brunette. She looked rather fragile come to think of it, but seemed nice. Clark had told her they were friends, and she’d accepted it as had Lana. But in the back of her mind, something nagged.

Despite not being able to remember things, she found herself doubting if Clark had told them the exact truth. She wasn’t sure why she felt this way, wasn’t sure if she was simply paranoid, but she couldn’t help it. Still, it probably would be helpful to talk to the boy – if she could pull him away from Lana in order to do so.

As her eyes flashed over another number, the name “Lex” appeared. She frowned, remembering him vaguely from the hospital. He was definitely older than she was but had seemed so concerned. Lex had explained that he was her father’s boss, and friends with Clark, Lana and herself, but there was something in his demeanor that told her he wasn’t being truthful either. Again, a conversation with the man, whom she had to admit was rather intriguing, would probably be a good thing. Of course, she’d have to pull him away from his demanding business for that to happen.

If anything, this memory loss had definitely made her more suspicious and far less easy to trust. In fact, come to think about it, the only people she found herself completely trusting in all of this mess … were Gabe and Jason.

And she really didn’t want to talk to either of them at the moment.

Sighing, she bit her lip before punching in a number. A few rings later she smiled as a deep voice muttered a greeting.

“Clark, it’s, um, Chloe.”

The voice turned noticeably warmer. “Chloe, how are you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, I still can’t remember a thing, if you’re asking.” She heard him sigh and quickly continued, not wanting to make him feel bad. “Actually, I was wondering if you had some time today. I’d really like to find out what you know about me.”

Clark stared at the receiver, wondering if there was more to this. Then again, Chloe had been spending her time with Jason the past few days, so it was only natural she would call him when she was ready. Still, he felt slightly uneasy. But telling himself Chloe’s well being was at stake, he agreed.

“Okay, you feel like you can make it to the farm or do you want me to come get you?”
Chloe sighed. “I’d like to say I’ll be fine, but considering Ga—Dad has forbidden me from driving yet, a ride would be appreciated. I’m at the Torch.”

Clark winced at her stumble over her father’s name. He knew Gabe was having a hard time with this as well and he was determined to help Chloe and Lana figure out what had happened.

“Okay, I’ll pick you up in 20 minutes.”

Getting her agreement, he grabbed the keys and yelled to his parents where he was going.
As he drove towards the Torch he tried to piece together what had happened to his friends.

He’d spent the past few days trying to help Lana, although he knew he was more than likely making a fool of himself. He’d finally given into her pleas for some ‘alone time’ and had been punishing himself with chores all afternoon. He wanted desperately to figure out who or what had attacked his friends, because he was as sure as anything that Chloe and Lana had encountered some type of meteor mutant. It was, sadly, the only explanation for similar cases of amnesia. But unfortunately, this had shown him that Chloe really was the brains of their operation – when all of his searches had turned up fruitless.

Wincing at the blank looks in both Lana and Chloe’s eyes as he’d tried to tell them who they were and what they were to each other, he only hoped he could figure things out before it was too late for any of them.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Lana sat in her room above the Talon, trying to sort out everything that had happened in the past few days. It had taken some convincing, but she had finally gotten Clark to realize she had to do this on her own. He meant well, she knew, and his concern was touching, considering he’d told her that they were dating. However, despite his attempts to jog her memory, he still seemed like a stranger to her. She’d found it harder and harder to deal with the pain in his eyes as she’d remained blank and suspected that time away from her would be good for them both.

Alone, she began to look through the things stored in what she’d been told was her apartment. Looking at the paintings on easels in one corner, the fresh flowers on the coffee table, the various prints from Paris on the walls, she wondered if she’d been overseas. Clark hadn’t mentioned it, but the evidence suggested it.

Looking through an old trunk she found sitting in a back corner of the apartment, she’d been pleased to discover some old diaries. They dated back four years to her surprise and she realized that she must have liked writing in them. Wistfully, she wished she could remember. Still, she decided to focus on the most recent from the last year or so figuring that would help her understand the person she had been before the ‘accident.’

To her surprise, they confirmed that she had been to Paris, and apparently, met someone named Jason. Her mind clicked on the face that had been part of the group leaving the hospital. She wondered if this was that Jason, although it sounded from her diaries like they’d been involved and the man she’d seen at the hospital was completely taken with Chloe. The diaries also mentioned Clark quite a bit, although it seemed they hadn’t been together until she’d returned from Paris. They also contained quite a bit about her struggle to find herself and who she was meant to be. Ironic that after all that, she had been granted a ‘clean slate’ if she wanted it. But feeling the emotions conveyed through her words, she wondered if she could start over, despite the memories, painful and pleasant her words evoked.

A knock on the door brought Lana out of her thoughts. She crossed the room and opened the door, eyes widening at the figure staring back at her. She remembered him from the hospital too, but he hadn’t said much to her other than giving her a smile and a promise to help.

“Mr. Luthor,” she was pleased she remembered his name. “What brings you to my doorstep?”

Lex winced at her formal address, but quickly masked it with a smooth expression and a smile. “I just came by to make sure you were doing alright.” He smiled at her as he noted she had more color than the day before. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
She was touched at his concern, wondering why he was doing so much for her and Chloe. She hadn’t found mention of him much in her journal – except for a few lines about some type of court case dealing with his father and Chloe.

“Lana?” Lex grew concerned at her silence and puzzled look.

Hearing the worry in her voice, she quickly tried to placate him. “I’m fine, really…” Her words dropped off as a sharp pain shot through her head.

~*~*~*~*~*~
“Mommy!”

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Kill the brat as well.”

“Yes sir”

The pain from hitting a wall was unbearable, green light, then black.

~*~*~*~*~

“Lana!” Lex barely caught the girl as her knees gave out. Half carrying her towards the sofa, he watched in concern as her eyes focused again and she ran a hand over her temple as if in pain. “You’re not alright.”

“I just had the strangest memory.” Her words were almost detached and Lex headed for the kitchen to get her a glass of water. Returning seconds later, he waited while she took a few sips before speaking.

“What was the memory? It might help to talk about it.” He watched as she crinkled her forehead.

“I’m not sure, it was bits and pieces but it was so clear.” With that, she recounted for him what she could, so lost in the story she failed to register the confusion on his face.

“Lana, I don’t know what that was, but it wasn’t a memory.” Lex’s voice was concerned as he watched her frown at him. “Your parents died when you were a child, during the meteor showers in Smallville. You were raised by your Aunt Nell.”

Lana frowned. None of what he was saying held any familiarity to her. “I can’t remember any of that. All I can see and hear are the images of a terrified child and a terrible pain and a bright green light--”

At the mention of the ‘green light’, Lex paled.

“Mr. Luthor, are you okay?” Lana noted his sudden pallor and wondered if she’d said something wrong. He seemed concerned but there was something about him that set her a little on edge. Then again, she’d found herself more on edge with everyone since she’d lost all memories of them.

“I’m fine, just worried about you and Chloe.” Lex smoothed his features out again, hoping for a calm he was far from feeling.

Lana bit her lip. “I’m going to call Chloe and see if she’s having the same memories. Maybe she knows what is going on.”

Lex looked like he was about to reply when his cell phone rang. Excusing himself, he stepped into the hallway to take the call. Lana resumed her trek to call Chloe. Something was nagging at her and she needed to find out if Chloe felt the same.

~*~*~*~*~

Lex paced the small hallway in front of Lana’s apartment, phone pressed tightly to his ear as he listened to the voice on the other end.

“As you requested, Mr. Luthor, all traces of LuthorCorps connection to Project 22 have been destroyed. Unfortunately, we have not been able to locate the patient.”

Lex tried to keep his voice low, aware of the patrons below. “Then I expect not to hear from you again until you have FOUND him.” The frustration in his voice was evident.

“We are doing all we can but he’s simply disappeared.”

Lex clenched his hand into a fist, barely resisting putting it through the wall. “Then make him appear. This memory loss is more extreme than we were led to believe and now that innocent people have been hurt--”

“Yes sir.”

Lex snapped the phone shut without waiting for more and pinched the bridge of his nose. How had things gotten so far out of hand?

The memory of Chloe’s face in the caves, of her terror of him, now mixed with the completely blank expression he’d noted on her face when he’d come to see her in the hospital.

He leaned against the wall as he remembered the shock on Gabe’s features at hearing the extent of Chloe’s memory loss. He hadn’t meant to have so much erased. All the tests they’d conducted so far had proven beneficial, had proven that only certain memories could be erased but others remain intact.

All he’d wanted to do was to make Chloe forget the prophecy. Not only in hopes of erasing the wariness that sometimes appeared in her eyes when she looked at him, but also in hopes that she would never be put in such a situation again.

Yes, a deeper part of him realized that if only he knew about the symbols, about what they’d meant, the prophecy and its repercussions, it would be easier to control them, to change them. To make them turn out in a way that would benefit, not hurt those he cared about.

But he’d never wanted Chloe to forget her life, only that part of it. And the guilt had been destroying him as he’d desperately searched for answers –which as he’d just learned seemed far from appearing. And when he’d heard that Lana had somehow been affected as well, the guilt had increased.

It was all his fault that Gabe was in hell, Clark was in pain and that Chloe and Lana remembered nothing of their lives. It only made him more determined to do whatever he could to fix this situation and make sure Project 22 never came to light again.

At least not until the bugs were fixed. But to fix them, he had to find the culprit. And when he did, he would not stop until he got some answers. His musings were interrupted as Lana appeared at the door.

“Chloe is having similar flashbacks. She’s with Clark at the Torch trying to figure out what’s going on. I’m going to head down there and see if I can’t help.”

“I can give you a lift Lana, it’s on my way.”

Lana nodded her thanks, reaching in to grab her purse before stepping into the hall, locking the door behind her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Fifteen minutes later Lana, Clark and Chloe were sitting around the Torch office, going over what they were remembering. Both girls were convinced that the memories were real.

“It felt so real, as if I could feel the pain and terror of losing my mother.” Chloe shivered, noting Lana nodding, a pained expression on her face.

“Me too.” Lana bit her lip, trying to reign in her shudders.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Clark offered, his voice concerned as he looked between the two women. “You both lost your mothers when you were very young and despite the fact that we are in Smallville, home of the weird, I don’t remember any of these strange men threatening you. At least, not that you ever told me about.” Clark looked concerned.

“Who says we told you everything?” Lana’s voice was teasing, but tinged with worry.

“You mentioned Smallville being the home to some strange people and events, and looking at this wall,” she gestured towards what Clark had informed her was her own ‘Wall of Weird,’ “I’d have to say that it’s more than likely that we’ve become victims of another meteor freak.”

Lana winced. “It sounds so much like Science fiction. I can’t believe half the stuff you say happened to us over the past few years.”

Clark winced. “Well, you’ve come through it all and you’re going to come through this. All we have to do is figure out whose memories you’re having.” He bit his lip in thought.

“You think whoever did this to us gave us his memories and took away ours?” Chloe knew her voice was doubtful, the explanation sounding strange to her own ears. But one more
look at the wall, the stories she’d found she had written on such things, well, she had to suppose anything was possible. The question was why anyone would want their memories.

“Maybe these repressed memories have something to do with what happened to us or maybe they can help find him.” Lana’s voice was contemplative as Chloe’s eyes lit up.

“I think you have something there, Lana.” Chloe moved over to one of the Torch computers and began to type furiously.

Clark shook his head watching her; Chloe was obviously still Chloe, memory or not. Normally he would ask what she was looking for but right now, he was content to let her work. At least she was doing something familiar – at least to him.

“What are you looking for Chloe?” Lana curiously moved over to stand next to the young woman.

Chloe shook her head. “I don’t know. I checked out some links I have stored on the computer here earlier, and I thought I saw one that had something to do with memory loss.”

Clark frowned. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know why she’d been researching that particular topic. Not that she would most likely remember. Still, it might have something to do with what had happened to both of his friends.

“Aha!” Chloe’s eyes lit up as she clicked through several webpages. “Here we go, an entire article on “memory transfer.” Apparently it’s a process being looked into by the government although it’s still in the experimental stages.”

“You think we’re some kind of test subjects for the government?” Lana’s voice was incredulous as Chloe frowned.

“No, but at least it tells us that such a process is possible. And more than likely if it received this much attention in an article, it sparked the interest of someone out there who might have more unsavory uses for it.”

The pieces were slowly beginning to fit and paint a picture that had Clark even more upset. There was only one person he could think of using such means for a nefarious advantage and sadly, he was right here in Smallville.

“Clark, what’s wrong?” Chloe knew from his expression that something she’d said had struck a chord. She had a bad feeling however, that she wasn’t going to like the response.

“Lionel Luthor."

Lana looked confused. “Lex’s father? The one Chloe helped send to jail?”

Chloe’s head shot up at the words. “What are you talking about, Lana?”

Realizing Chloe had no idea, Lana quickly explained what she’d discovered in her journals.

Both girls turned to a sheepish looking Clark when she’d finished.

“Well, care to enlighten us any more, Clark?” Chloe tapped her foot as the young man sighed.

“It’s a long story, but Lana’s got most of it right. Needless to say,” Clark paused, his eye turning hard, “Lionel has been linked to several dangerous and illegal experiments – experiments Lex says he has no knowledge about and is trying to clean up along with LuthorCorps reputation.”

“So it’s possible there’s some connection to LuthorCorp in all this--” Chloe trailed off with a frown, turning back to her computer.

“What?” Lana leaned over as Chloe clicked on a file labeled “Luthors.” “You have a file on the Luthors?”

Chloe nodded. “I suppose I do. I don’t remember it, but I remember glancing over it when I looked through things earlier.” Opening the folder she began to skim through it.

Clark and Lana looked at each other before turning back to Chloe, who was now muttering under her breath something about breakfast cereal.

“I think I found it.” Her voice startled everyone as they all leaned in to get a look at the screen over Chloe’s shoulder.

“There’s a memo in here on a “Project 22” that looks like it has something to do with a head injury and possible memory loss.” Biting her lip, she read the rest out loud. “Tom Weber apparently borrowed some money from the wrong kind of people years ago and they came after him and his family when he couldn’t pay them back. His son was the only survivor of the attack, after a miraculous recovery from a head injury that included a case of amnesia.”

Clark drew in a deep breath even as Chloe’s voice continued reading.

“Lionel Luthor took care of the custody case for the boy, quoting for the public that “LuthorCorp takes care of its employee’s and their families.” Her words turned bitter as she read the last few sentences.

“What?” Clark knew without asking but needed to hear.

“According to this memo, “Project 22”, does takes care of families very well—or at least orphans. It turns them into lab rats.”

Lana gasped. “Lab rats?”

Chloe nodded. “Apparently the project has something to do with ‘selective memory loss’ and LuthorCorp has been conducting experiments on it ever since Lionel took custody of the child.”

“You mean they were working to deliberately make people lose memories?” Lana sounded shocked although Clark looked resigned.

“It sounds like a bad science fiction novel, but it fits,” Chloe murmured as Clark’s hard voice cut in.

“Ever since Lex took over LuthorCorp, he says he’s found plenty of illegal and experimental projects Lionel involved the company in. So far, it looks like he’s done what he could to stop them in an effort to legitimize LuthorCorp.”

“So what do Chloe and I have to do with this?” Lana’s voice was contemplative. “Could either of us have seen or witnessed something that someone, maybe Lionel, would want us
to forget?”

Chloe felt something twist in her gut, and wished mightily that she knew what. Lana’s words struck a familiar chord and it was driving her nuts that she couldn’t figure out why.

“I don’t know,” Clark’s voice was frustrated. “I’ve had a bad feeing ever since Lex let Lionel move into the mansion after he was released from prison.” At their strange looks, he quickly filled them in on Lex’s plans to keep his ‘enemy’ close.

“After all this time, you think maybe,” Lana’s voice was hesitant as she looked at

Chloe, “maybe Lionel is doing this to get some sort of revenge against you?”

Chloe bit her lip, then frowned. “Maybe, but why drag you into this?”

Both girls went silent as Clark sighed, trying to work out the pieces but getting nowhere.

“This is stupid.” Chloe’s voice brought both Clark and Lana’s gazes to her face. She rose from her chair with a determined look. “Let’s go right to the source and see what Lex can tell us.”

“Good idea. When he dropped me off, he said he was heading home to deal with some
business issues.” Lana grabbed her purse as she spoke and followed Chloe from the room.

Clark lingered a moment, a sliver of doubt growing in his mind. He knew what Lionel Luthor was capable of – even more so now. And knowing how powerful an influence Lionel could have, not to mention Lex’s insatiable curiosity with all things meteor related, Clark couldn’t help but be worried.

~*~*~*~*~

Enrique led them upstairs and into Lex’s study. Chloe was surprised when the butler had greeted her with a “Miss Sullivan,” implying that he knew her, implying she’d been here before. For a moment, she wondered just how close she and Lex Luthor were. Somehow, the thought both terrified and excited her.

“Mr. Luthor will be with you in a moment. He’s finishing up some urgent business. It’s good to see you again, Miss Sullivan.” With that, he disappeared, leaving Chloe staring after him in confusion.

“He saved Lex’s life after Lionel poisoned him and I suspect you got to know him pretty well while you were plotting your plan to disappear and play dead.” The bitterness in Clark’s voice surprised Chloe, and she was about to call him on it when a smooth voice interrupted.

“Clark, Chloe, Lana. I hope you’re feeling better.”

Lex was pleased his voice sounded normal. Considering the yelling he’d been doing with his researchers and private detectives for the past hour, it was remarkable he could maintain a semblance of calm. Then again, from the look in Chloe’s eyes, he had a suspicion that calm was about to fly out the window.

Even without her memories, Chloe Sullivan in fighting form was enough to send even him cowering.

“Lex, do you know anything about a program your father was running? Project 22?” Clark started right in, getting to the point.

Lex’s eyes flashed for a minute, before melting back into the familiar mask. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Clark. My father was running all sorts of experimental projects. I put a stop to as much of it as I could when I took over LuthorCorp.”

Clark looked frustrated. “I know that, but we think you might have overlooked this one, it has something to do with memory transfer.

“Does the name Tom Webber mean anything to you?” Chloe cut through Clark’s ramblings, watching Lex closely for a response. She thought she saw something flash in his eyes, but it was quickly gone and she figured she had imagined it.

Lex was pleased he was so good at controlling his voice and expression. “Not really, but there were many people my father was running tests on, much like Emily and Adam.” He stopped, seeing Chloe and Lana looked confused. Clark’s eyes however flashed in acknowledgement as he continued. “I let them go, offered to help them find housing and jobs,” he paused for a moment. “But I can look into it. What else do you have on the project?”

His mind was running circles trying to figure out how to work damage control but he knew he had to first know what they knew, then he could figure out where to go from there. The only thing that kept him calm was the knowledge that they didn’t seem to suspect him – only Lionel. He pushed away the guilt the thought brought.

Chloe, Lana and Clark brought Lex up to speed on what they’d found and Lex once more marveled at the power of an investigative Chloe. He noticed however that she did not mention where she’d found the memo on Project 22 and he made a mental note to look into it. It could only prove dangerous to her if she ever discovered some of the other things LuthorCorp was involved in.

“Thank you for that, I’ll get to work and see what I can find. My father is still in Metropolis
but I’ll question him as well.”

Clark wondered if that would really happen but kept his remarks neutral. “Thanks Lex, let
us know what you find.” Exchanging goodbyes with a slightly confused looking Lex, Clark led the girls out of the office and down the hall.

“What’s the rush Clark?” Chloe was nearly running to keep up with the boy’s larger strides, Lana hot on their heels.

“There’s something he isn’t telling us, Chloe.” He stopped, weighing his words as they left the house and headed for his truck.

“Why would he lie to us?” Lana again sounded confused.

Clark sighed. “I don’t know if it’s intentional, he might be protecting us, but he’s done it before.”

Chloe’s voice broke in. “Either way, we need to find out what happened to this Tom, since I assume these are his memories we’re getting.” Turning to Lana she continued. “Lana, what do you remember about the place in the memory?"

Lana frowned, thinking. “It was dark, damp and cold, the place smelled musty.”

Chloe nodded. “That fits with my memories, and I think, maybe it was a basement? There were small windows at the top of the room, I think.”

Clark thought for a moment. “The Weber’s murders took place in Smallville right?” Getting nods from Chloe and Lana, Clark continued. “Well, if I remember from past investigative attempts we’ve engaged in,” he shot a look at a clueless Chloe and sighed. “There’s an abandoned LuthorCorp warehouse on the outskirts of town. If you needed a place to hide your family – in plain sight so to speak--”

Chloe’s eyes glowed. “It’s not much, but it’s something. Let’s go check it out.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“This is it, I’m sure of it!” Lana piped up as they walked into the basement of the warehouse. The drive had taken nearly 30 minutes in which they’d tried to piece together what had most likely happened to Tom and why he might want to hurt them. So far, they’d come up with plenty of theories but nothing that seemed to fit.

Clark slipped the crushed lock into his pocket as he ushered the girls around the basement. He figured they didn’t need to know that the place had not exactly been “unlocked” like he’d told them. He tensed as he suddenly felt the hair on his neck stand up.

Chloe and Lana moved a step closer to him as they noticed a shadow moving in the darkness.

“Who’s there?” Chloe kept her voice steady although her insides were shaking.

“What are you doing here? How did you find me?” The voice was broken and gruff although the person it belonged to remained in the shadows.

“Tom?” Clark called softly into the darkness, moving in front of the girls. Chloe ran her hand over the wall, looking for the lights. She clicked them on, blinking as her eyes adjusted.
When they cleared, she found herself staring at a thin, gangly man who looked to be around 30 years old.

“Tom Weber, is that you?” Lana kept her voice gentle as she spoke, sensing that he was skittish.

Clark kept quiet, but made sure to keep himself between the girls and the nervous looking man. He wasn’t sure what to make of the man and after all, he’d most likely hurt them once…

“How do you know my name?” The man backed up against the wall, his voice suddenly sounding childlike. “Did he tell you?”

“Who, Tom?” Chloe voiced softly, keeping still not wanting to frighten him more.

“We don’t want to hurt you Tom, we just want our memories, you still have them right?” Lana asked, suddenly unsure.

“You don’t want them back, your parents died and left you, people abandon you all the time, your life is full of sadness.” There was bitterness in the voice that nearly broke Lana’s heart. Her eyes teared up as Tom pointed to Chloe.

“Why do you want them back? Your mother left you, your friends have hurt you, you worked against them for Lionel Luthor. Your life is full of darkness and pain. I took that away from you. You can start over.” The voice now sounded wistful.

“Shouldn’t we be the ones to decide, Tom?” Chloe insisted although her voice remained soft while her mind reeled at the implications Tom had thrown in her face. When he remained silent, Lana spoke again.

“Tom, we know what happened with your family.” Sensing he was responding, she took a small step forward, motioning for Clark to step back. “I might not remember but I do know I lost my family at a young age and I can only imagine how much that hurt.” Lana’s voice was cajoling.

“How do you know, I took those memories.” His voice was confused.

Lana smiled. “I found journals, read about my past. It seems,” she paused, taking a deep breath. “It seems I let what happened with my parents rule my life, I let it affect who I was. I might not remember those effects but from what I wrote about, I used those thoughts to try and change … to grow into the person I want to be.” She looked sad now. “I really want to get that chance, to remember all of that.”

“The past is better left forgotten,” Tom insisted, his voice firmer. Chloe was about to speak when he suddenly moved. As he tried to run past them and out the door, Clark grabbed him around the shoulders. The man struggled for only a moment before going limp in Clark’s arms, his shoulders shaking as he gave way to sobs.

Clark helped him into a sitting position, Chloe and Lana joining them as Tom cried until there were no more tears. When the man finally stopped, Clark’s voice was low but strong.

“You’re wrong Tom; those who forget their past are doomed to repeat it. Isn’t stealing innocent people’s memories just as bad as what those men did to your parents?” Seeing he was getting through, he pushed on. “You’re ending something you have no right to end.”
Tom hung his head. “I was only trying to help; I didn’t mean to take all of your memory.” He said, looking at Chloe. “Only the bad parts, but when she intervened,” he continued motioning his head toward Lana, “the connection was messed up and I accidentally got both your memories.” His voice shook now. “I was so scared and confused that I didn’t know what to do, and when I realized how sad your lives had been, I figured you would be better off without the memories.”

Chloe swallowed around the lump in her throat. “I’d rather have the pain and the happiness than nothing.”

“Do you think you could give them back, Tom?” Lana asked, her eyes pleading.

Tom sighed, his eyes sad. “You really want them back?” When both girls nodded, he sighed. “Alright, don’t be scared it won’t hurt.”

He walked over to Chloe and gently put his hand on her forehead. There was a flash of green light and Chloe passed out. Tom caught her in his arms, waving off Clark’s concerned words as he gently shook her awake. When her eyes fluttered open there was pure concern in Tom’s voice. “Are you ok?”

Chloe blinked, her mind suddenly clear. She could remember. Everything. And for the first time, she welcomed the painful memories that went along with the pleasant. She smiled. “I’m fine. I remember. Thank you Tom.”

Clark breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Tom repeat the process on Lana. When it was over, Lana too admitting she now remembered everything, he turned to Tom.

“We can get you help--”

Tom cut him off with a raised hand and a bitter voice. “I’ve had help. I don’t want any more. I have to take care of this myself.”

Chloe bit her lip shivering at the menace in his voice. “What can we do to help?”

Tom gave her a sad smile as he rose. “Nothing. Just know that I’m sorry.” With that, he moved quickly up the stairs and disappeared from sight.

“We should really follow, make sure he’s okay-”

“No, Chloe. We can’t do anything more than to hope he gets away and finds some peace.” Clark’s grin sobered. “As long as it’s away from the Luthors, I think he’ll be just fine.”

Chloe nodded although she wasn’t sure why.

“Well, I’m anxious to get back to my life. What’s say we get out of here and back to living?” Lana’s voice brought them to their feet and soon they were headed back to town.

Chloe remained silent, letting Lana and Clark do the talking as she tried to sort out the memories that were suddenly back in her mind. Erin. Lionel. The trial. The caves.

She blinked at the last thought. What did the caves have to do with her memories?
Struggling to find the answer, she found herself thinking back to the time she’d been infected with the parasite that had made her do crazy things.

That had to be it – because she couldn’t remember anything else that would have given her memories of the caves.

A glimmer of a strange symbol came to her mind and she immediately felt her hand go to her neck. She frowned, noting the necklace Clark had given her was gone. Quickly lowering her hand, she made a promise to find it, not wanting the gift to be lost or have Clark thinking she didn’t care enough to keep it.

Her mind quickly turned to other things as Lana drew her into their conversation and she pushed all thoughts of the necklace and the caves to the back of her mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Chloe sat the desk in her bedroom trying to finish up several articles for this weeks edition of the Torch. The damn memory loss had put her behind two days. She heard a light knock on her open door and turned to see her father standing in the doorway.

“Hey, Chloe. Got a few moments to talk about things?”

“Sure, Dad.” Her words were bright although slightly unsure. Despite his worry for her over her memory loss, it had been awhile since he had come and talked to her, he was still upset about Erin. Hopefully, they might be about to work through that.

Gabe nodded, walking over and sitting on the bed, looking slightly nervous. She was about to say something when he spoke.

“Honey, I want to apologize for how I’ve been treating you lately.” He looked pained but continued. “Losing your memory and not recognizing me helped me realize how important you are to me.” He smiled as his daughter stood and walked over to sit beside him. But he still had more to say. “I’m still upset you didn’t tell me about Erin, right away, but I understand you had to know about your mom.”

“Thanks, Dad. And I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark.” Chloe felt her eyes tear as her father slid his arm around her shoulder. She knew it took a lot for him to admit that and after everything they’d been through, what she’d put him through, she couldn’t help but be glad he was finally ready to talk about Erin and all the issues that came along with the subject.

“I’m glad you found her and I’m glad she’s working her problems out.” His voice was softer now as he turned to look directly at her. “I think I was more hurt that you didn’t tell me. I want us to go back to the way things were, when you could tell me anything. I know you’re growing up, but I am still your Dad and I love you very much.”

“I know, Dad,” Chloe whispered into his shoulder as he hugged her tightly. “I love you too.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Chloe was sitting by herself in the corner booth at the Talon later that night, going over a story written by Clark when she felt someone settle down next to her. Looking up, she smiled to find a hesitant looking Jason staring back.

“Hey.” Jason kept his tone light, his expression neutral as he waited to see how Chloe would react to him.

“Hey, Jason,” Chloe responded, giving him her best 100-watt smile. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“So, Clark said you and Lana got your memories back – I’m glad. I missed you.” His voice was almost embarrassed but it made Chloe blush prettily.

“It’s good to be me again – and you know, I seem to remember something about seeing Star Wars with an interested second party.” She bit her lip, not wanting to be so abrupt and wondering what he would think.

Jason’s grin lit up his face. “I didn’t know if you’d remember, if you’d want to remember-”

“Jason,” Chloe reached over and placed her hand on his. “Of course I remember. And while I admit I’m still not sure where we’re going,” she paused as he looked curious, “I know that I would like to see a movie with you and we can see what happens from there.”

Jason felt relief flood his system as he heard the truth in her voice. It wasn’t quite the declaration he’d hoped for, but it was good enough for the moment.

“Okay then, assuming you don’t forget again,” he teased as she blushed redder, “I’ll call you Friday and pick up tickets for Saturday night.”

Chloe nodded almost stupidly as he rose and once more leaned over to brush a kiss across her cheek before heading for the door.

“Jason,” she called as he turned back to look at her. “Feel free to call me before Friday, you know, if your slave driver of a boss doesn’t get himself into any more publicity nightmares.”

His brilliant grin was all the answer she needed as he disappeared out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“What do you mean you gave Chloe all her memories back?” Lex shouted into the phone, pacing his office like a man possessed.

“I hated being your father’s lab rat, Luthor, and I won’t be yours. Nobody deserves to have their memories taken from them. Didn’t you learn that last year?”

Lex closed his eyes, remembering suddenly the painful shock of the electricity, the horrifying process of those lost months returning. He hadn’t even realized how much what he’d done to Chloe and by default, Lana, was exactly like what his father had done to him over a year ago. He’d wanted to help, not hurt, but now, it seemed as if he’d gotten nowhere.

What was he doing?

“Be careful, Mr. Luthor,” The voice on the phone continued, a bitter chuckle echoing through the line. “You wouldn’t want to become your father.”

Lex stared at the receiver as the line went dead. The words rang in his mind, waves of conflicting emotions shooting through him. Sinking into the chair, he buried his head in his hands, trying to sort out his feelings and emotions.

Moments, perhaps hours later he rose from the desk, a grim expression on his face. He was more determined than ever to heed Tom’s words, but he had to know where things stood with Chloe. Had to know if she remembered.

Telling himself this was for her benefit, not his, he grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chloe looked up as she felt someone again move onto the bench across from her. Looking up, expected to see Jason, and her smile faltered a bit when she found herself staring at Lex.

“Lex, this is a surprise, what’s going on?” She knew he’d been busy lately, or at least keeping scarce since she was sure he felt responsible in some way for what happened.

After Tom had disappeared, she and Clark had gone to Lex and explained. Lex had informed them he’d discovered and put a halt to the project.

Still, she wondered.

“Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay, not suffering from memory overload or anything.” He was glad his voice sounded calm.

Chloe’s eyebrow rose. His voice was calm but his eyes were worried. There was more here than he was letting on. “I’m fine … memories intact, the good and bad.”

Lex’s eyes sharpened. “So, remember anything interesting?”

In that moment, Chloe knew Lex in some way had something to do with the situation.

Although what, she wasn’t sure. Vague images haunted her, things she couldn’t quite bring into focus. Somehow, she sensed Lex was involved. Still, at the moment, she thought it best to keep Lex guessing. Why she wasn’t sure. Call it an instinct, but she was listening to it.

“I remember enough, but nothing too shocking.” She kept her voice light. “Why, is there something you don’t want me to remember, Lex?"

Lex’s eyes flashed a moment but he kept his expression calm. Knowing Chloe as he did, he was sure if she remembered the caves and the prophecy she would tell him. It wasn’t like her to keep all the questions and uncertainties inside. But still, there was something there.

Something he’d have to keep an eye on in the future.

Not surprisingly, the idea of keeping an eye on Chloe was not all that unappealing.

Frowning at the thought, he kept his tone light as he answered her question. “Of course not, Chloe. You’ve already seen the Luthors at their worst, nothing left to shock you with.”

Chloe watched him shrewdly. She highly doubted that, but it would be a challenge to find out. One she found herself looking forward to with anticipation.

“Time will tell, Lex.”

They locked gazes for a few moments before Lex gave a cryptic smile and rose. “I’ll be seeing you, Chloe.”

She wondered why the words sent both a shiver of fear and excitement down her spine as she watched him disappear out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
End of Episode 13