Beyond Smallville: Fan Fiction

Splintered

Lana Lang had tossed and turned all night. The dreams, rather the nightmares had returned. A flock of ravens had flown off toward the sunset. Symbolically, Lana assumed that specific dream indicated an end to her problems. Clark had saved her again. Once more she'd cheated death.

First there was the tornado…she'd partially witnessed Clark reaching into the horrible twister and pulling her out. Then, there was the time poor cloned Emily shoved her into the river… and who knew how many other times Clark had saved her directly or indirectly.

Lana's sleep was interrupted by a distinctly feminine voice. "Honey, you're going to be late for school! Lana dear, time to get up!" She slowly flipped over to face the source of the intruding voice. "Just a minute, Mrs. Kent." Lana called through the opening door. "School?"

"What does our neighbor have to do with you getting up for school?" She added. Lana bolted upright. "Huh?" There was a woman sitting on the edge of her bed. She had long black hair, brown eyes, and appeared to be in her late thirties or early forties. Wait a minute, where's Clark? I thought he'd brought me back in time, Lana wondered silently. "Who are you?"

"Don't be silly, honey, I'm your mother!" The woman said kindly as she rubbed Lana's leg. She gasped as her eyes widened. "But…but…" The woman's face turned serious. "No buts, young lady!" The alleged Mrs. Lang said sternly. "I bet you have tests today, don't you?"

Lana gulped. She couldn't bring herself to say 'but you and dad are dead.' She wasn't sure whether she was awake or dreaming. "Where's Clark?" Lana manages to squeak out. "Clark who, honey?" The alleged Laura Lang cocks her head strangely. "Clark Kent." Lana replies.

Tears well up in young Lana's eyes. Something had gone wrong she rationalized. If this is another nightmare, it isn't amusing. She's shocked and confused. A male voice calls into the room. "The Kents don't have any children. I told you about staying up late and watching those creepy movies, young lady!" Lana's jaw drops. "Daddy?" The man peers into her room. "Yeah, pumpkin?"

Lana starts to cry. "Nothing…" The alleged Mrs. Lang puts one hand on Lana's forehead, startling her. "She doesn't have a fever." Laura Lang says with genuine concern. "Aw honey, what's the matter?" Lewis Lang asks as he enters his daughter's room. "Maybe you should stay home from school today, sweetie." Laura offers. "I could have Pete pick up your assignments."

Lana stares at the woman claiming to be her mother. She could see facial resemblances between the two of them. "Pete…?" Lana repeated hoarsely. "Yes, Pete…" Laura smirks. "Aren't you two dating? Mrs. Ross spoke highly of you the other day." Lana wipes the tears from her cheeks. "She said that you were nice and well-mannered." Lewis glanced at his watch.

"Did you want me to call a doctor, honey?" Lana's alleged father asks. Mrs. Lang glances at Lana worriedly. The puzzled girl put up her hands. "No! I'll be fine!" Lana began. "Like you said, I shouldn't have stayed up so late watching TV last night. I'll get up and take a shower."

"Maybe I'll feel better." Lana lied. "Okay dear, as long as you aren't sick." Lewis decided. "You better get a move on, Pete's supposed to pick you up at 7:45. That gives you less than an hour to get ready." Mrs. Lang stood up. "Are you sure you're all right, Lana?"

"Yeah…um…mom…I'll be fine." She replied as Laura Lang kissed her on the forehead. "Okay, your father an I have to finish getting ready for work." The strange woman walked out of Lana's room and closed the door behind her. "Teenagers!" Lana heard Lewis Lang grumble.

"Teenagers?" Lana repeated as she glanced down at her slim and petite body. She took a deep breath and searched the area. It was her old house in Smallville, and her own room just as she'd left it about sixty-five years ago! Clark's scheme had sort of worked, but obviously not correctly.

Lana padded towards the bathroom, and gazed into her vanity mirror. "Good God! I'm sixteen years old again!" Resisting the urge to hurl or faint, Lana dug through her personal items, looking for her cell phone. She hadn't located it yet, and decided to turn on the shower instead.

Lana quickly spun in and out of the shower, literally. Barely any time had passed. She went back to organizing her drawer. She zipped into some clothes and combed out her long chestnut brown hair. She hadn't ever let her hair grow this long before. It was halfway down her back.

Pete was picking her up in … forty minutes? Lana glanced at her alarm clock radio. Only three minutes had passed! "Huh? That's impossible!" She muttered. Lana tried to recall the exact sequence of events from her past. Pete hadn't had a car at this age, she observed. He and Chloe were taking the school bus with Clark. "Where's that damn cell phone?" She grumbled.

Suddenly a loud noise nearly deafened her. "Shheesh!" Lana covered her ears. Since when did we move next to Metropolis International Airport? Maybe they built it out here in the sticks, Lana mused and wanted to walk over to her bedroom window. Instead she slammed into something hard.

Lana smashed into the wall, knocking plaster, old boards, and rusty nails in all directions. I swear I was just across the room near the bathroom…She stepped back from the damage. "Man! I need to be more careful…"Lana spun around as she heard her father open the door.

I don't see him…where? A few moments later Lewis entered her bedroom…he seemed to be moving in slow motion. "Lana are you okay?" She heard the question, but it sounded like an old phonograph record played on the wrong speed. Speed? Lana wondered.

"Honey? Where are you?" Lewis didn't see her. Laura Lang bounded up the stairs and followed her husband into the room. "My god Lewis! Where is she? What was that noise?" Her mother's voice rose in panic. Lana said: "I'm right here!"

She took a moment to glance out the window. "Whoa!" Lana exclaimed as she watched a bird flying by, but its wings were flapping in slow motion. She saw the water droplets hanging in the air…everywhere! The sun's rays divided up the yard like a prison bar grid. "Don't freak…out!"

Suddenly things sped up, and Lana was next to her bed, behind her frantic parents. How'd I get here? Things were slowly starting to add up.

"Mom? Dad?" Lana managed to choke out. Laura Lang nearly jumped. "Honey, are you okay? What happened to the wall?" Her dad was carrying his hair dryer, hence the jet-like noise.

"I'm sorry. It was an accident." Lana thought. At least that much was true. "I'll fix it after school." Maybe Pete had some answers for her. She still hadn't found her cell phone. "Mom, have you seen my phone?" Lana asked, though her voice seemed much higher than usual.

"We talked about that, Lana." Laura said sternly. "I know your friends have them, but your father and I decided that you should get a part time job first to pay for the monthly fees." Lana was too frightened to be angry. "I know you must think that we're mean…" Lewis began.

No. That's fair enough." Lana just wanted to move on. "I should finish getting ready."

Lewis examined the damaged wall and shook his head in disbelief. "How could such a small girl reak so much havoc?" He asked rhetorically.

Laura gestured for her husband to leave, before they got behind in their morning routine. Lana stood by sheepishly. "Please be careful, dear." Laura chided her as she left. Lana nodded. She still had a half an hour before Pete came.

Thankfully, her 'parents' were in a rush and didn't spend too much time gawking at the wall. They had also failed to notice that Lana was uninjured.

I wonder…she concentrated on a potpourri candle that she'd placed on her desk next to the antique personal computer.

In seconds, twin beams of yellow light shot from her eyes, lighting the candle as she thought of Clark and their last romantic encounter.

Unfortunately, Lana also blasted the wall behind the desk. She quickly put out the fire…with her bare hands! She zipped to the window and opened it to let the smoke out. It was official…Lana had somehow acquired Clark's otherworldly powers.

What else was there? He could shoot red laserlike beams from his eyes, was virtually indestructible, possessed hyper speed, and …super hearing.

Lana brushed some hair from across the side of her head, pinning it behind her ear. Suddenly, tons of sound assailed her.

"Aaaaah!" Lana screamed as the myriad of noises jammed together. She took a deep breath, and forced her mind to focus.

She eliminated noise by noise, until she narrowed her hearing, limiting it to the family home. Her 'father' was in the kitchen cutting some toast on a plate.

There was some sizzling as her 'mother' fried a couple of eggs with some bacon. Lana heard the radio in her 'parents' bedroom, and finally the approach of a car on a gravel road.

"Pete!" The car slowed to a stop. Lana grabbed whatever schoolbooks were on her desk and sprinted downstairs.

This time she was able to control her speed effectively. She quickly kissed her 'father' and 'mother', grabbed some pancakes and zipped out the front door.

"Kids!" Lewis smiled as he sipped his coffee. Laura felt that something was wrong. She would sit down with Lana tonight.

Lana made it halfway into her front yard, and looked longingly in the direction of the Kent Farm. Pete got out of the car to open the door for her. She gasped. That wasn't her Pete!

Lana dropped her books in disbelief. "Let's go sunshine!" Pete encouraged her playfully. Lana had no idea who this guy was. He was tall, thin, and had cropped sandy brown hair.

Heavy Metal rock music blared from the large speakers at the rear of the car. Her Pete was short, stocky, and African-American! This imposter appeared to be descended from Europeans.

"No!" Lana yelled. The stress build up was getting to her. "No what? Lana?" Pete gazed at her worriedly. Lana lost it!

She hauled butt in the opposite direction, accidentally popping into hyper speed. Pete scratched his head. From where he stood, Lana had simply disappeared.

Lana cruised down the highway. She was halfway to Metropolis before she realized what she'd done. Her visual acuity had shifted.

She saw bumblebees hovering near flowers, their little translucent wings flapping in slow motion, a flock of ravens appeared to stall in midair, and she saw a large brown red-tailed hawk about to pounce on a baby rabbit, its talons extended in a deadly grasp.

Lana picked up the bunny with one hand as she zipped past the annoyed raptor, robbed of its morning meal. The rabbit appeared to stare at her.

She could hear his little heart beating slowly. She finally slowed to a stop in the middle of Route 6. The bunny's heart beat faster as his ears twitched.

She wasn't alone. "Hello Alice, welcome to Wonderland, and I see you brought your own rabbit." A male voice said from behind her.

Lana whirled to face the man, simultaneously letting the rabbit down. It hopped away nervously. The guy somehow looked familiar. Lana shrieked.

"Dr. Fine!" Immediately, Lana assumed an attack position. "What've you done with Clark?" The being masquerading as Dr. Fine was actually the Brain Interactive Construct, or BRAINIAC, Clark's nemesis from Krypton.

"No, Miss Lang. The question is what've you done with Clark, or should I say, Kal El?" Lana breathed a quick sigh of relief. At least he hadn't found him yet, she reasoned. "What're you talking about?"

She challenged."Oh pu-lease! Did you think that I wouldn't notice you two lovebirds messing with the timeline continuum?" Fine asked sarcastically.

"Your beau is lost somewhere in the many worlds of time itself." Lana growled. "Why should I believe you?"

"I don't care whether you believe me or not." BRAINIAC retorted. "Kal El was never essential to my overall plan. He was merely an annoyance.

Perhaps I should thank you for effectively eliminating his interference." BRAINIAC was rather smug for an artificial intelligence, Lana thought sourly.

A surge of adrenaline suddenly spurred Lana into action. She launched herself at BRAINIAC's throat, and squeezed it with both hands.

 The AI was caught off-guard and she knocked him through several trees and into a rocky hillside. The two of them twisted in midair, before the thunderous impact. "Humans are so predictable." He taunted.

"I have no air within my throat, Miss Lang. Choking me would be ineffective." He commented devoid of emotion. "True, but I feel a lot better about myself." Lana sniped as she punched a hole in the AI's chest.

That action did have some effect. Black goo spread out from the chest cavity as Lana yanked whatever mechanisms were inside to the surface.

BRAINIAC's eyes rolled back in its head as the biomechanical organism convulsed.

Lana was tempted to hurl, but ignored the sticky sick smelling liquid, which poured out of it. BRAINIAC 1.0 rebooted itself immediately. "Damage! Damage! Repair necessary!" Its deep voice grew tinny.

A defense mechanism kicked in, and BRAINIAC 1.0 tossed Lana skyward as it made its escape. The dazed teen flew forty to fifty stories high, before leveling off.

Lana regained her composure, as her eyes flared red. She was effortlessly floating above the foggy glen!

Link to chapter 6