COTW 53

[serafina20]

The drive home from the Kent farm was a silent one. Mark wouldn't even allow the radio. When Whitney had tried to put it on, Mark had snapped it right off and said he wanted quite.

It felt like they were fighting. Their first fight. And Mark wasn't even angry with him.

Whitney waited to speak until they were back at the apartment. Helen was still out, which was nice. It wasn't that Whitney had anything against her, he just liked having the place to themselves, without her around.

Mark immediately went into the kitchen after tossing his keys on the table. "I'm just going to make a sandwich. Want one?"

"Yeah, sure." He pulled a chair away from the table and awkwardly sat. He couldn't wait until he didn't have to use the crutches anymore. Even a cane would be better. Even though it'd still scream at people to notice his disabilities, at least he wouldn't continually feel as if he had an extra set of limbs hanging around. Limbs that he had little control over. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. Why?" was Mark's clipped response.

"Because you're acting like something's wrong, that's why. Like you're mad."

"I'm not mad," he snapped.

Whitney shrugged. "Well, you're acting like it."

Mark slammed the cupboard. Whirled around, face flushed. "They're going to fucking kill that kid! I don't care if Dr. Sutton is a doctor, Clark belongs in a hospital!"

"Right. And after he gets all better there, they ship him off to wherever the rest were taken to and we never see him again."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look," Whitney sighed. "Smallville is... weird. You know that. You've seen Chloe's articles. You even got a taste of it with Tina. There was something in that meteor shower that changed a lot of people. Scary changes. People get these abilities, either from the original shower or... or I don't know. Later. Somehow. I don't know. All I know is, they get these abilities and hide them until they can't. And once everyone finds out about them, they get taken away and no one hears from them again."

Mark was looking at him, brow furrowed, mouth half open. "You make it sound like a conspiracy."

"I don't know if it is or not. I tend to think more it's parents not wanting to have to deal with their kid being different. God, there was this kid last year, Eric Summers. He suddenly seemed to develop all these powers. He was freakishly strong. His dad was a total bastard to him before, but once that happened...."

"I remember that," Mark said. He sat in a chair across from Whitney. "The Summers moved right after that. And I remember a few times a teacher tried to talk about Eric in the lounge, and his father would shut him down. And that was before the... incident."

Whitney ran his hand through his hair. "He's not the only one. Him. Tina. Greg Arkin. There was this guy, Henry Volk last year? Lived over at the retirement home because he was a bazillion years old, but somehow, he managed to make himself younger. He almost killed this girl who worked at the Beanery. Oh, and Coach Walt! He could make things light on fire. It was freaky. And there was this kid who lived at the mansion. He made himself invisible, and I know he was packed up and sent to some hospital. And the thing is, no one talks about it. No one but Chloe." He scrubbed his hand over his face, because talking about this made him feel antsy. Scared. Because he'd once been one of *them* too, and he was afraid that one day, maybe, it'd come back and he'd be taken away like the rest of them. "Parents don't want to admit there's something wrong. We don't want to admit we're freaks. So no one talks about it. But then there's Clark."

"He's one of them?"

"I don't know. I guess. I know he's strong. And he never gets hurt, like, ever. Well, sometimes, but then he gets better right away. And I know that if there's a problem, if there's a mutant trying to hurt you or if you're in trouble because.... of stuff, he's the one who'll help save you."

Mark studied him for a long, silent moment. Then he let out a sigh. Pressed his hand into the table. "You're speaking from experience. Aren't you?"

It was Whitney's turn to let out a painful sigh. To slid his hand across the table, pressed flat, until his fingers just barely brushed Mark's. "Last winter when Dad was sick I got mixed up in something. You know those tattoos I won't talk about?"

"Yes."

"These guys. They were jocks from school, only older. And they'd all lost their scholarships for one reason or another, couldn't get their lives together. They found out if you melted the meteor rocks and injected them, they did something to you. So you could walk through walls and stuff. They used their ability to steal, and I guess they were getting immune. So they recruited me, only I didn't know what they were doing. Not until they threatened to kill Lex. And Clark showed up and knew it was me, even though my face was covered. Anyway, I went to Clark to help me out, and he did."

"Why haven't you gotten the tattoos removed?" Mark asked. He covered Whitney's hand with his, and Whitney knew Mark wasn't upset or disappointed with him.

The relief made his heart hurt. "Lex offered to pay for it, but then everything with Clark started happening and it sort of... never happened. And I'm kind of afraid. What if exposing it to a laser turns me into a mutant or something?"

"I'll be with you, whatever you decide."

"Thanks." He squeezed Mark's hand. "My point is, I understand why they don't want to take Clark to the hospital. He's really lucky. His dad seems to get that Clark's special, and he's not afraid of it. He's not trying to send Clark away. But if Clark goes to the hospital, they might make him go away."

"Whitney, from what I understand, these kids are only taken away when they become a danger to others."

"Maybe it's because they've never found one of them until they become dangerous," Whitney countered. "But if Clark walks in there with his hundred and seven degree temperature and skin that can't be broken and God knows what else, maybe they'll take him to see what they can do about the others. A sane, helpful mutant to save the dangerous ones." He laughed bitterly and shook his head, not wanting to see the images his mind was conjuring. "Can you imagine Clark in a place like that? Being experimented on, like they did to his brother Ryan? He'd die."

"Well. I think you're underestimating Clark just a bit," Mark said with a wry smile. "He does, too. Clark has a huge reserve of inner strength. He just doesn't see it. You're also underestimating Lex. He'd have Clark out in a heartbeat."

"True." He looked at Mark. He seemed calmer now. More complacent.

Still. It wouldn't hurt to check. "You understand now?" he asked. "Why Clark can't go to the hospital?"

Mark sighed. "Yes. I guess so. I just really hope Dr. Sutton can handle this. I'd hate for something to happen to Clark."

"Yeah," Whitney said, gloom falling over him like a curtain. "Me too."