Slipping out through the back exit, Clark and Chloe regrouped with Peter outside the Talon. Much to Clark's relief, he was once again fully dressed, though it didn't wipe the smug smirk off his face. They'd been able to put a face to the party crasher thanks to the CCTV footage, but Lois' whereabouts still remained a mystery. A face alone would not be enough to go on, they needed a name and even then, it wouldn't be enough.

"So… What's our next move, Clark?"

"Hmm…" He thought aloud. "I wish I knew."

"Why don't we get back to the Torch? Those DNA results should be in my emails by now." Chloe suggested.

"Alright." He agreed. "Oh, and Peter…"

"Yeah?"

"When we are back in our own bodies, I'm gonna get you." He warned.

"Come on… the real crime here is you hiding beneath your flannel."

"I said we'd need a distraction, not a strip dance!"

"Same difference." Peter shrugged.

"Okay, simmer down, we've got work to do." Chloe cut in before the argument could continue.

"Yeah, we shouldn't waste time." Clark agreed. "So, we head back to the Torch and hopefully get a name, then we can work on tracking them down."

"That's the plan." She confirmed.
____________________________________

"Where is he?" The party crasher asked himself.

Lois watched silently as he paced back and forth, asking himself the same question over and over again. She hadn't answered any of the questions he'd thrown her way, and he'd given up when he realized she would remain resilient.

"I already told you, you're wasting your time; he's not coming."

"You know where he is!" The party crasher accused, locking his eyes on her.

"Yeahhh, considering you've had me tied to this damn chair for over twelve hours, don't you think that sounds a little far fetched?" She retorted. "But if I had to guess, he's probably out trying to impress his high school crush."

"Then perhaps we should call him."

"What?" Lois' eyes widened.

"Have you got a phone?"

"No!" She lied.

"Mind if I search your pockets?"

"Touch me and I'll scream." She threatened.

"You wouldn't have the chance." They hissed.

The party crasher advanced towards her, and despite her threat, they padded her up and down until they reached the lower pocket of her red jacket, and their hand touched upon something hard. Reaching inside, he pulled out her phone and slid his thumb over the surface.

"There's no way that Clark won't come after this." They smirked. "The number?"

Lois raised an eyebrow, with absolutely no intention of answering. A part of her hoped that she had forgotten to save Clark's number, leaving them with no way of contacting him. No matter what they threatened her with, and how mad she was with Clark, she wouldn't give up anything she knew about him. She watched bitterly as he flipped the phone up, revealing the screen and pressed button after button until he stopped.

"I found it anyway." They shrugged. "Now, here's what's going to happen; I'm going to call the number. You're going to scream into the phone, make him believe that you're being hurt. I'm going to give him the address and then hang up."

"And what if I don't do what I'm supposed to?"

"If you fail to play your part, I will make you scream for real."

Lois inhaled a breath, growing intimidated by her captor for the first time since she'd been there. Though she wasn't going to let fear be the thing that caused her to give in. She couldn't work out why they wanted to kill Clark, he was no different to anyone else in the town, apart from his knack for showing up at the right time, but whatever their motive was, it wasn't justified.

"Do your worst." She challenged him.
____________________________________

Clark couldn't stop pacing as Chloe sat down in her chair and logged onto her computer. Peter leaned calmly against the edge of the desk, refusing to allow Clark's anxiousness to increase his own. His own anxiety stemmed more from wanting to get back to his own body so that he could make things right with Gwen.

The computer screen changed from blue to white as Chloe clicked to open her inbox. It made a blinking noise as a fresh email appeared at the top, and upon hearing it, Clark stopped pacing.

"Well?" He prompted.

"Patience, Clark. I'm still reading." She said, not taking her eyes off of the screen.

"Sorry." He muttered.

"Are you always this anxious?" Peter inquired.

"No." Clark answered sharply. "Sometimes."

"Just chill." He told him. "Chances are that this guy is just a nobody and that Lois is just too mad to deal with you."

"Heh, that just goes to show how little you know Smallville." Clark laughed humourlessly.

"Got it!" Chloe exclaimed. "Uhh, okay."

"What? Who is it?"

"It's definitely not Whitney, I can tell you that much. They must have some weird power that conceals their real face on camera." She started.

"Name?"

"Paul Maddick."

"Man, they had cruel parents." Peter commented.

"Great, now we just need to find him." Clark sighed.

As the words left his lips, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket, he retrieved it in a hurry smacked his thumb down on the green button as he noticed Lois' name flash across the screen.

"Thank God you called." He sighed. "I know you're probably avoiding me because you're mad at me but-"

"Clark?... Clark, you need to hang up the phone right now!"

"What?... Lois, it's echoing. Where are you?"

"I can't say, I- OW!"

"Lois?"

"Clark Kent…"

"Who is this?"

"I expected you to have come to me by now, for someone with impeccable timing, you sure have been slow."

"Who is this?" Clark repeated.

"All in good time."

"I'm not playing games."

"And what makes you think I am?" They questioned. "Here's how it's going to go. You're going to come to the basement level at Luthor Corp within the next twenty minutes… if you fail to show up, or if you are even one second late, I will harm your little girlfriend here."

"Put Lois back on the phone." Clark demanded.

"Alright…" They agreed.

"Clark, whatever you do, do not come here!" She yelled down the phone. "He's going to kill you!"

"That's enough!"

"No, wait-"

But the call ended before Clark could finish his sentence. He clenched the phone in his fist, and returned it to his pocket. Twenty minutes was a tight frame without his super speed.

"So… how do you plan on getting there? It's not like you can fly." Chloe inquired.

"Don't worry about that. Thank you, Chloe… but we'll take it from here." Clark dismissed, and pulled Peter from the room.

Peter shrugged his arm free from Clark's grip and stopped in the middle of the hall, once they were far enough from the Torch. He half expected his t-shirt to rip at the sudden movement, but was glad when it remained intact.

"We're wasting time. How can I possibly get there within twenty minutes?" Clark fretted.

"Nineteen and a half now." Peter corrected him.

"Not helping!"

"You didn't let me finish. I can use your speed to get there and you can use my webs… just be careful not to run out, it sounds like there might be a fight."

"What? I can't swing on a web!" Clark protested.

"Well you don't really have a choice right now!" Peter snapped.

"But-"

"Eighteen minutes." He counted. "Seventeen… sixteen… fif-"

"Fine!" Clark cut in. "Go!"

With a last look at Clark, Peter turned and ran down the hall, at first with human speed and then super. Clark followed after, running at a steady pace and as soon as he was out of the high-school, he aimed his wrist and shot a web that latched onto the nearest building across the street. Gripping onto it, he attempted to swing himself up into the air, only to crash land on the ground as the web snapped. He got back up before he'd even landed fully and tried again, to launch himself in the air. This time he managed to swing up off the ground before the web snapped, dropping him in the middle of the road. He scrambled over to the path quickly as a car swerved to avoid hitting him, and cringed as the driver honked angrily.

"This is hopeless. I can't possibly get a good swing going from the ground." He huffed. "I've got to do something, and fast."

Clark continued to look around him, searching for a vantage point. His eyes fell upon the rooftop of the house opposite the school, and he felt as though a light bulb had just been flicked on in his mind. He crept across the freshly cut lawn, freezing momentarily as the smell of grass tickled his nose, and continued over to the side of the house. Placing both hands on the wall, he began to climb up, finding himself able to stick onto the flat surface with ease. He continued to climb until he was standing on the rooftop, and aimed his wrist in the direction of the next building.

"Come on, Clark. It's just the press of a button and then swinging like Tarzan. You can do this. You have to do this… she's going to pay the price if you don't." He encouraged himself.

Then he pressed down hard on the button, shooting a web that latched onto the next building. He backed up a few steps and took a running start before leaping off of the rooftop and swinging forward on the web at full speed. He shot another and let go of the first one, being able to swing through the air with ease.
____________________________________

Peter stopped running as he reached the front of Luthor Corp. With the enhanced hearing, he had been able to find the building with little struggle despite not having been there before. He glanced around for any sign of Clark, but continued around to the back entrance when he found none.

"Move out of the way!"

Peter didn't have time to process as he caught Clark swinging full speed towards him, and dived into the grundon bin just as the latter crash landed in his place. He poked his head out with caution, afraid to see the damage done to his body, and then climbed out of the bin once he saw Clark getting back to his feet.

"Come on, tumbling down the stairs, falling off webs, I don't want my body in pieces when I get it back."

"Quit complaining, we have no time."

"Alright, alright. Calm down, officer Dibbles."

Reaching for the door, Clark looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"You know? The policeman from Top Cat?" Peter answered in a questioning tone, and Clark shook his head. "One of the best cart- oh, never mind."

Clark didn't bother to enquire further on the subject and shouldered the back door open, slipping through and holding it open for Peter behind him. Once they were both inside, he let the door go, and looked down the hall in front of them.

"Come on, I can get us to the basement, but stick with me and don't wander off… I don't want to have to go looking for you."

"I'm not a child!" Peter protested as he followed Clark down the hall and towards the elevators.

"How much time do we have?" He queried.

"Uhhh… precisely one minute." Peter answered, checking his watch.

"We don't have time to wait for the elevator, the stairs will be quicker." Clark stated, and ran towards the staircase.

Peter followed him once more, using the super speed only as Clark swung from a web to the bottom of the stairs. Before he'd even landed, he was yelling down the hall. Peter jumped in front of him as his feet touched the floor, grabbing him by the t-shirt and forcing him to stop moving.

"Let me go, we need to get there before he-"

"I know!" Peter cut in. "But I don't think yelling down the hall and alerting him of our presence is gonna do any good. I know you're anxious to get to Lois, but calm yourself down or else he'll gain the advantage… believe me, I've been there."

"You're right." Clark sighed. "Let's go."

The two of them continued until they reached another door at the end, and Clark gave Peter a look that told him to take the lead. Not realizing his strength, he kicked the door, sending it flying off its hinges. Clark pushed past him into the room, and his eyes widened in alarm then narrowed as he charged across the room and rugby tackled Paul to the ground. The carving knife flew out of his hand and skidded across the floor.

Peter followed Clark's lead and froze as he glanced back and forth between the fist fight happening on the floor, and Lois bound to a rigid wooden chair. Making his mind up, he ran over to Lois and ripped the tape from her mouth.

"Ah, son of a bitch!" She yelped as the tape tore away from her skin.

"Sorry." He muttered, untying the ropes around her ankles and then moving on to the ones around her wrists.

As soon as the ropes loosened, she attempted to stand up but wobbled and ended up sitting back down. Peter's eyes raked over her once, taking note of the few minor injuries on her person, before his attention was caught by Clark shooting a web that trapped Paul against the wall. Moving at super speed, Peter caught him in an iron grip as he broke through the web.

"I thought your webs were supposed to hold out!" Clark exclaimed.

"Yeah, when you use them correctly." Peter yelled as he struggled to keep hold of Paul.

Paul stopped wriggling and smirked. Clark knew exactly what he was thinking but before he could voice it, Paul reached into his pocket and pulled out a green meteor rock. Peter gasped and released Paul from his hold, dropping to his knees and clutching his throat as he felt like he was suffocating. Clark shot another web, grabbing the meteor rock from his hands and throwing it as far away from Peter as possible then shooting another two webs to bind Paul's hands together. Peter got back up and though still dazed from the effects of the meteor, he swung his fist and landed a punch so forceful that Paul was sent crashing into the wall. The two gave each other an affirmative nod and charged towards him as he got back on his feet. Paul whipped out a red meteor rock from his pocket, intending to slip it into Clark's pocket, but the two barrelled into him, causing the rock to fall from his hand.

As soon as it hit the floor, a glowing white light burst from within it, enveloping the three of them just as it had back at Lex's party. Only seconds later it faded away, leaving behind no evidence that it had been there. Completely forgetting about Paul, Clark and Peter stared at each other and grinned.

Clark's attention was brought back to Paul when the latter made a run for the door. Moving at super speed, Clark blocked his exit, and when Paul turned to run again, Peter was standing in his path.

"Oh, Peter… Peter, Peter…" Paul shook his head. "You really thought you could run away from your problems here."

Peter tilted his head and his eyes narrowed in confusion. Paul chuckled, but said nothing. As a smirk twitched at his lip, his shape began to change and both boys stood, ready to act if he made a move. But he didn't. The sudden jerk of Paul's arms made Clark raise his own ready to block an attack. Instead, Paul's body began to convulse. His arms and head jerked violently and his legs visibly shook. He hid his face in his hands until the convulsing stopped, and when he dropped his arms by his side, he no longer looked like Paul Maddick from Clark's senior biology class. Peter's eyes widened, and the colour drained from his face.

"N- no way…" He gulped.

Clark examined the person before him. Less than a second ago, he was certain that it was Paul that he was dealing with. But Paul was no longer the one he was looking at. Whoever he had turned into had hidden themselves behind a mask that looked like a goldfish bowl, fogged with mist that prevented his face from being seen, and wore a green bodysuit with golden chest plates, and red cape draped around his shoulders.

"If you know something that I don't, now would be the time to say it, Peter." Clark muttered.

"This isn't your problem, Clark." Peter responded. "You should- t- take Lois and get out of here…"

"What? No!" He protested. "We're in this fight together."

"I am not playing around… for her sake, take her and go!"

Clark frowned, and his eyes drifted from Paul, over to Lois. Her head hung so that her chin was resting against her chest, and he couldn't tell if she was conscious. He looked back at Peter, raised an eyebrow and then made his way over to Lois. He glanced over his shoulder, watching Peter exchange words with the person that used to be Paul, and then knelt down.

"Lois?" He questioned.

She lifted her head and her eyes opened partially, answering his question about her consciousness. He swallowed, taking note of her minor injuries and the blood that'd dyed part of her light brown hair red.

"I told you not to come." She attempted to laugh.

"Come on, since when would I allow anyone to die by the hands of someone who's got a grudge against me." He half-smiled. "Can you stand?" He asked, and offered out his hand.

Lois took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. She stood steady for a moment, but as she took a step forward, her legs turned to jelly. Clark moved quickly to catch her before she fell and lifted her, bridal style into his arms. He looked back at Peter for confirmation, and headed out through another door as he nodded.

Peter waited until the door slammed shut, and turned his attention back to Paul. He backed up as the latter advanced towards him, trying to think of his next move.

"Mysterio." He announced, as if to convince himself that this was real.

_________________________________________

A/N; I sincerely apologise for the gap between my last update. It's been a crazy week or so, but I'm back on track now and regular updates will be continued. Thank you for reading. 🙂