Author Notes:
IMPORTANT NOTE – THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN REVISED. I suggest you read it again if you have the chance as it has several areas which affect the next chapter.
It seems that I can't stop the plot bunnies. They do tend to be annoying when you're trying to work on something else. Even so when they come I find myself unable to move forward unless I give it some attention to purge my mind of the thoughts for that particular story. I have recently been reading quite a few Smallville and Stargate SG1 fictions and I found myself thinking about how great a cross over the two would make. I mean really think about it. SG1 deals with alien encounters all the time, they have some of the most powerful enemies imaginable and it would be so easy to bring the two worlds together in a way that creates an amazing story.
With that thought in mind I checked out what was available on for such a crossover and found that there really was very little available. Maybe a dozen or so fictions and almost all of them were a few thousand words long and just plain junk. At any rate I have decided to try my hand at such a story as I have some great ideas floating around my head right now.
One thing I want to make clear to my readers. At this point I am putting all my other stories except for this one and Second Chances on HIATUS. I have enough free time right now that I can write about 1 chapter a week possibly two. This means with me rotating back and forth between these 2 stories I will be able to write a chapter each every week or two.
Couple of things to keep in mind here. First off this is AU obviously and not just because it has the two shows woven together but also because of character personalities and decisions. On the whole I will make the characters stick to their normal personas but I will be make tweaks here and there with some of the key players (i.e. I think I am going to avoid making Lex evil. It will not happen overnight but I always thought that Lex had potential to be truly good and a great asset to Clark if he had the right support).
This story is roughly starts around Smallville Season 5 and Stargate SG1 Season 7. It will take elements from Canon from BOTH stories but for obvious reasons it will diverge in various areas and as the story goes farther along there will be a lot of changes.
Not sure what the Relationships are going to be yet but I can tell you for sure this story will have Clark & Lana together eventually as well as Pete & Chloe. I may or may not do pairings on the Stargate side of things but if I do expect it to be later in the story. Well with all that said I think it's time to get started.
Stargate SG1 – The Last Kryptonian
Chapter One: The Ancients and the Kryptonians
By Cybergades
Colonel O'Neill sat in the briefing room with the rest of SG1 and General Hammond awaiting Daniel's long and likely boring report in which he would drawl on continuously about their upcoming mission to P48-WX9. They had found the gate address weeks earlier by complete and total dumb luck when Sam had fallen through the ground into a hidden cave. The cave itself had seemed to be of no interest at first glance but Sam had decided to check it out while the rest of them worked on figuring a way to get her out of there. She had come across the gate address carved into a wall in the back of the cave and copied it down for no other reason then to add it to their ever growing list of addresses to explore.
At the time it had not seemed important and she along with the rest of the team had been ready to leave. At least they had been ready to leave until Daniel had come down into the cave after hearing about the various drawings on the wall. At that point he had promptly begged Jack to let him take some pictures of the writings so that he could study them back at the base. This of course had taken several hours since Daniel insisted on taking dozens of photos and even went so far as to record the whole scene on his camcorder.
Eventually they had gotten out of there and returned to the gate to wrap up their incredibly boring survey mission. So they had returned to the SGC and entered the address into the computer and forgot about it. The computer would schedule a survey of the planet eventually as it did with all the addresses and they felt no reason to give it any special priority. Now months later the computer had pulled it up to be checked for authenticity and low and behold the address had worked. As is protocol with these sorts of things a M.A.L.P. had been sent through the gate to check the surrounding areas and the planet had been cataloged for exploration at a future date.
Or rather it would have been cataloged for a future date had Daniel not been talking to the general at the time and seen the ruins displayed on the view screen. He had immediately become interested in them noticing that they appeared to be Ancient in origin. That alone would have caught his attention, however what really pushed him over the top and eventually resulted in the General scheduling this briefing for the immediate exploration of the planet was the strange crystalline structures that could be seen surrounding the back side of the complex.
Daniel had immediately asked to get a copy of the video and took off for his lab where he would be able to review the ruins closer. Sure enough hours later he visited General Hammond in his office requesting permission for a survey mission of the planet to review the ruins in greater detail as they had indeed seemed to be Ancient in origin. Jack had thought they were going to get away with sending somebody else when Daniel had pointed out that this was a very unique situation and required their personal attention. He had explained that it was extremely rare for the Ancients to build an outpost so close to another civilization or structure. Every one they had ever come across was isolated from prying eyes where as this one had been built less then a mile from several structures which appeared to be completely made of some type of crystal. That had been the end of it. The General had agreed and they were assigned the mission. So here Jack sat on a Saturday morning instead of sitting on his dock at his cottage fishing like he had planned to do this weekend and needless to say he was not happy.
Seeing that Daniel was about to start talking Jack sat up a little straighter and prepared to listen to what would likely be hours of needless information before going on another boring survey mission where he, Sam, and Teal'c would be bored to tears and Daniel would be like a kid in a candy store.
Daniel stepped to the side of the video screen and began to play the recording of the many video's that had been obtained via the M.A.L.P. on the planet in the last day. When Daniel had gotten approval for the mission he had requested that the M.A.L.P. gather more video of the various structures. Clearing his through slightly to get everybody's attention he began to brief his teammates on the upcoming survey mission.
"As you all know we found the address to this planet months ago on PS8-33M when Sam fell into that cave. At the time we had all assumed it was of no importance and it had been entered into the computer to be checked at a later today. Well that date was yesterday and as you can see what we discovered is quite exciting."
Seeing the blank stares from everybody occupying the briefing room he continued to elaborate. "This footage shows that the gate is located less then a quarter mile from a large complex of sorts which is clearly Ancient in origins based on the writings that you can see on the walls. As best we can tell the planet has been abandoned for ages and based on the wreckage you can see in the surrounding areas it seems that this particular facility fell to some type of disaster."
"However what is really interesting has very little to do with the Ancient structure. As you will remember the cave had been filled with a writing of the likes I had never seen before. I have spent quite some time trying to analyze it but have had no success in deciphering its meaning. What is interesting is that these structures contain the same style of writing as the writing on the cave walls. This is clearly displayed when viewing the video footage from the planet and the photos I took from the caves side by side." Daniel put several of the photos taken from the cave up on the screen which was split to show the video and the photos side by side.
"It's obvious that these structures are man made and yet the material they are made of is unlike anything we have ever seen before. It seems likely that whoever this race is or was is obviously very advanced and was interesting enough to warrant an Ancient outpost to be built right next to these structures, presumably to allow them to actively study the structures and the race that built them."
Jack hated these types of missions. Daniel on the other hand loved them. He had been talking for weeks about how much he was looking forward to exploring the ruins after they had discovered them during one of the many routine M.A.L.P explorations. The ones that had nothing to do with combat or seeking allies or even finding something to help them in their battle with the Goa'uld and the Replicators. These research missions were Daniels thing and they did nothing but drive Jack up the wall.
Daniel looked out across the room and was meet with interested stares from Teal'c and Sam as well as a bored look from Jack. He sighed inwardly as he faced to fact that he would never get any interest out of Jack for this type of mission.
"While all of these things are incredibly important the most interesting thing about this planet is the energy readings the M.A.L.P. Picked up. The main crystalline structure is putting out an incredible amount of energy and yet it does not appear to have any adverse effects. There does not appear to be any radiation of any type coming from the structure. This particular energy source was not present on the initial sweep of the planet. It appears to have activated when the M.A.L.P. entered the structure to get some readings. It then immediately shut down after a brief scan of our M.A.L.P. was completed. General Hammond has granted us 3 days to explore the ruins of the Ancient complex as well as the see if we can find anything of use or interest."
With those words Daniel shut off the footage and took his seat while looking over at Jack. Jack realizing that everybody was looking at him shook his head to clear his thoughts of his lost weekend of fishing and addressed the room. "Well won't this be fun. Saddle up team we leave in twenty minutes."
General Hammond stood above the Gate room looking down at SG1 as they prepared to depart. He had not missed the grumpy look on Jacks face when he had given the mission a go and effectively ruined his weekend of fishing at his cottage. He had almost looked like a little kid grumbling about how unfair it was under his breath. It really was quite funny. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he stepped forward to address the team.
"You have a go SG1. Good luck and stay safe. You're to check in every 24 hours to relay your status." With that the gate roared to life and the dialing sequence began. A moment later there was a loud swooshing sound and the wormhole was connected. He watched as one by one they disappeared through the gate followed by another M.A.L.P. which was carrying a variety of equipment that Dr. Jackson wanted to bring along. A moment later they were traveling millions of light years in a matter of seconds before appearing on the video provided by the M.A.L.P. at the scene.
He watched as Jack approached the M.A.L.P. and began to speak. "All's well in wonderland sir. We'll check-in in 24 hours. SG1 out." With that he turned away and proceeded with the rest of his team towards the ruins. A moment later the gate shut off again like it always did and he turned away from the screen to return to his office where a desk full of paperwork awaited him.
"Alright Danny boy this is your mission so show us your stuff." Said Jack as he leaded up against the M.A.L.P. watching Daniel snapping pictures of the huge complex in front of them. Daniel seemed to snap out of the daze he was in and remember what they were here for because at that moment he turned around and looked at Jack for a moment before taking the lead.
"Right well we only have 3 days and this complex is far too large if the readings are correct for us to cover in that time not to mention the 3 crystalline structures about a mile from here so I suggest we split into two teams to explore. The planet itself appears to be uninhabited so we shouldn't run into any trouble. Since Sam and I are the two that understand this stuff the best I suggest that Teal'c come with me and Jack you go with Sam."
Jack nodded his head in agreement. "Ok agreed. Keep communication open at all times and we report anything of interest. Daniel since you're the expert on Ancients why don't you and Teal'c start exploring the inside of the Ancient complex while Sam and I hike it out to those structures and see if we can't find anything interesting. We'll check back together regardless in 6 hours and bunker down for a meal before setting up camp. Well lets get to it shall we. I'm here instead of at home fishing so I might as well do something useful with my time." With those words Jack and Sam set off towards the tall crystalline structures in the distance while Daniel and Teal'c headed into the Ancient complex. Each team taking the proper recording equipment as well as some sampling kits to be able to do some carbon dating.
Clark Kent sat atop the water tower as he often did looking out over the town of Smallville for what seemed to be the millionth time in his life. The sun was just beginning to show its morning rays over the horizon and Clark had yet to return home to sleep. He had been sitting up here since the previous night when he had gotten into a fight with the love of his life Lana Lang or rather she had gotten into a fight with him.
His heart was in conflict with his mind and he simply didn't know what to do. It had been nearly six months since the night that his father had won the race for senator of Kansas before dieing mere hours later. At first Clark had convinced himself that his father's death had been his fault for going back in time and saving Lana's life but in the months that followed his father's death he had come to believe that this was not the case. It had been his father's time even if he didn't want to believe it and there had been nothing he could have done to stop it. The truth was his father had been having heart problems for quite some time before then and they had just finally caught up to him.
That however was not what his heart was in conflict over. He had been thinking all night about the fight with Lana and he just couldn't shake the feeling that he had truly lost her for good this time. The fight had been vicious on her part. The things she had said had hurt Clark more then she could possibly know but he had not shown it. The worst part was it was all his fault. Everything she had said had at least some truth to it. Yes she had exaggerated a bit but that was to be expected. He knew that she was hurting just like he was. They had shared that night together before his father died and then when he got his powers back he had separated himself from her again.
His refusal to tell her his secret had killed their relationship and that was what was weighing heavily on Clark's heart at the moment. He so wanted to tell her his secret but he couldn't get past the fact that she had died less then 12 hours after he had told her in the past and he knew that bringing her back was a one time deal. If it happened again there would be nothing he could do. He had known her since they were 7 years old although they hadn't spent any time together for several years there only to meet again in high school. Clark had eventually been able to start a friendship with her during his first year at high school. And now it was all gone.
Thinking back on the conversation with Lana for what must have been the hundredth time since it took place Clark tried to see if there was anything else he could have done differently.
START FLASHBACK
Clark stood alone in his loft staring out at the stars with tears in his eyes as he thought about that night 6 months ago. He had finally worked up the courage to tell Lana his secret and had brought her to his fortress of solitude via the caves on the outskirts of Smallville. There he had confessed all and proposed marriage and to his everlasting joy she had thrown herself into his arms and accepted whole heartedly. It had been the happiest moment of his life. It was just unfortunate that less then 12 hours later he would live the worst moment of his life as well.
They had returned just in time to catch the end of the celebration for his father's winning the senator spot for Kansas and then they had kissed and said goodbye for the night. Lana had gone immediately to talk to Lex and then things had gone horribly wrong. They had been involved in a high speed chase with Lex trying to apologize for the way he had acted at the mansion and Lana trying to get away from him without paying attention to the road. She had then been hit by a bus and that was it. Even with all of Clark's powers he couldn't save her.
He had proceeded to go back in time to relive the day only to break things off with her for her own protection. That had been the beginning of the end which was why he was so very surprised to hear her walking up behind him. Clark quickly turned around and smiled sadly at her as she approached.
"Hello Lana. It's nice to see you again. I sort of got the feeling you were avoiding me. I can't say I blame you." said Clark as he looked into her eyes. Lana smiled sadly back at him and he knew right away that things were not going to go well with this little talk of theirs.
"Hello Clark. It's nice to see you too. I have been avoiding you, I just didn't know how to face you and I figured I needed some time away from you to think things through. You know Clark I really do love you. I would like nothing more then for us to start our relationship over again and get back to where we were before." Replied Lana as she continued to stare into his eyes as if she was trying to discern what his thoughts were.
Clark nodded and smiled a genuine smile at her that he knew made her heart melt. "I'd like that Lana. I've missed you so much."
Lana smiled back at Clark hoping that he truly meant that. She had decided already before she came here that this was the last chance she would give Clark Kent. She loved him with all her heart but if he couldn't give her all of his heart then she couldn't be with him and so with that in mind she took a deep breath and stated the question that she knew would either solidify their newfound relationship or end it once and for all.
"Clark you know how much I care for you. You have always been there for me and I want to be there for you but if this relationship is going to work then we both have to be totally honest with each other. I can't have a relationship with somebody who holds back a part of themselves from me. This is the last chance Clark. Please tell me what your secret is. What is it that you find so hard to tell me, that you won't trust me with? Please just tell me this one thing and we can go back to the way we were before." Stated Lana as she felt the tears well up in her eyes and she silently begged him to do this one thing for her.
Her heart fell and the tears fell with it as she saw the sadness fill his eyes and she knew before he even said the words what they would be. She turned her back on him as the words came and she began to walk away.
"I'm sorry Lana but I can't tell you. It's for your own safety. This isn't something you deserve to live with. It will cause you nothing but problems. Please don't turn away from me. I swear that I will always be there for you. This isn't important enough to ruin what we had together." Pleaded Clark even as he knew that his words were a lie. Or at least most of them were. It was for her safety that he kept his secret from her but it was a complete lie that it wasn't important. Even though he knew she accepted him in the past that could have changed now and it was not exactly everyday that you find yourself in a relationship with an alien.
Lana continued to walk away but when she reached the stairs she spun around. She was so very angry at him. He didn't care for her at all and she was going to show him just who he had been screwing with. She walked right up to him and slapped him as hard as she could across the face before yelling at him with all she had. "I hate you Clark Kent. Do you hear me? You never gave a damn about me and I can't believe that I gave myself to you. You make me sick. I wish I had never met you. You have caused me nothing but pain and sorrow and I'm through with it. As far as I'm concerned you never even existed to me. I never want to see your face again. Your nothing but a lying son of a bitch and I can't believe I ever cared about you. You just stay the hell away from me." She had continued ranting at him for another few minutes and then she spun back around on her heals and ran down the stairs and out of the barn before he could even say a thing in response.
END FLASHBACK
It had taken 3 years for Clark to start a relationship with Lana. They had both shown their feelings for each other and he had been sure that they were going to get together. Then he had thrown it all away. It was true and he knew it. It had been his choice. 100 percent his choice and he had forced her away. He hated himself more then he could ever remember and not for the first time he cursed his origins and wished that he had just been a normal every day teenager. They had talked about their feelings and their past and in the end Lana had asked for only one thing and that was the one thing that Clark had been unwilling to give her.
She had wanted the truth. She had wanted to know what his secret was. She had said that no relationship could work out if there were secrets between them and wasn't interested in entering into one if he couldn't trust her. It had been a common bone that they had picked at over the past several years and he had seriously considered telling her again that night but in the end he had decided against it.
He had flashed back to all the problems it had caused Pete and the near death experiences that he had suffered from it. Then he had flashed back to the night he had told her his secret and the way she had died not long after and he just couldn't bring himself to put her in danger. That was when it happened. She had slapped him and told him that she couldn't believe that she meant so little to him that he would refuse to trust her enough to keep his confidence and to just tell her what he was hiding. Then she had dropped the bombshell. She was planning on leaving to go back to Paris. She had intended to stay in Smallville if they got together but now she just didn't see any point.
And so Clark had come to the tower to think. All night he had thought about the years since he learned about his powers and his origins. He had thought about his relationship with Lana and how long he had waited to get together with her. He had thought about the dangers of her knowing his secret and the benefits. It was true that Pete had been in danger because of his secret but truth be told so had Lana just in a different way.
She was his friend and as his friend people would logically think that she would be privy to his secrets. All night he had tried to convince himself that he could let her go and that it would be better for her. But now as he watched the sun peak over the horizon he realized that he had to tell her. He was facing the very real possibility that she would walk out of his life for ever and that included loosing her friendship, something that he didn't think that he could live without.
Sighing inwardly to himself Clark realized that it was time he returned to the farm. His mother would be wondering where he was and he really needed to get some sleep. He had just over a month before the end of school and the date in which Lana would leave for Paris. During that time he would have to find a way to tell her his secret and prey that she would give them another chance.
Clark jumped down from the tower and dropped the 100 or so feet to the ground before landing easily and speeding away towards the farm. Later today when he woke he would go talk to Pete about Lana. If he was going to tell her about his secret he would want Pete's help and he could certainly use some help planning it out.
Daniel walked into a small room in one of the many sub-levels of the Ancient complex he and Teal'c had been exploring today. He and Teal'c had been searching within the ruins for nearly 6 hours now and had found little of interest. He knew that he had less then a half hours before having to meet with Jack and Sam and he was hoping that he would be able to find something of interest before then. If not tomorrow was always another day. Another full day in fact whereas today had been cut short because of their briefing in the morning. They hadn't gotten to actually head out until early afternoon.
The one thing they had been able to discover was that the disaster that hit this complex was a meteor shower. They had come across meteor fragments of all sizes imbedded within the inner walls of the structure. In addition they had discovered extensive interior damage from some of the larger strikes. In some areas whole sections of wall were destroyed leaving the area completely inaccessible to them. The damage to the complex was extensive and they had found themselves climbing over downed columns and through broken walls all day so far. Until now that is. This was the first room that they had come across that wasn't heavily damaged in fact it was in surprisingly good shape.
According to the readings they were getting this whole area was extremely well shielded and surprisingly the shielding was still active. However that was not what Daniel found interesting about this particular room. No in fact what he found interesting was that the room seemed to have power but more then that it appeared to have a fully functional information console. Looking around Daniel was very much aware that this room was heavily fortified compared to the other rooms, which was more then likely why it survived while so much of the rest of the complex lay in ruins? The question is what was so important about this room that required it to be so well fortified and for it to continue to have power while the rest of the complex lay powerless.
As soon as they walked into the room the door slammed shut and a bright light washed over them which Daniel immediately recognized as a scanner. Almost immediately after this started Daniel began to become concerned. The Ancients would not have placed such a device within this room unless it housed something important and if it was that important they would not have wanted intruders. His suspicions were proven true only seconds later as Teal'c was beamed away and placed inside a holding cell which immediately showed up on a view screen on the other side of the room.
"Teal'c can you hear me? Are you alright Teal'c?" Yelled Daniel into his communicator as he watched Teal'c on the video screen across the room. "Yes I am fine Daniel Jackson although I appear to be in some type of holding cell. I am unsure as to where the cell is located however the room does appear to be secure and has a similar structure to the one we just occupied."
Daniel breathed a sigh of relief before replying. "Alright Teal'c I'm going to see if I can find out anything with the console in this room. Contact Jack and fill him in on your status while I see if I can find a way to get you out of there." replied Daniel.
Daniel approached the station on the far side of the room and began to work his way through the security systems to find out exactly what had happened and where Teal'c had been taken. After a few minutes he came across the protocols for the security for the room and realized with a start that they had in fact been very lucky. The system was setup to only allow Ancients to enter this room. Anybody else that entered would immediately be transported to holding cells in a sub-level below them.
This again startled him as he had been sure that they were on the lowest level of the complex. According to the schematic in front of him however the complex had 2 further levels. The first was a prison level of sorts that contained many holding cells for just this purpose. The second was listed as a research bay of sorts that had an incredible amount of security around it. For starters this particular lab was located nearly two miles below the surface of the planet. That was nearly one and a half miles deeper then the prison level which was located directly below the remove he was standing in.
Only Ancients were able to access the bay and according to the readings absolutely no weapons were allowed within the research bay. A slew of other security measures were also included.
He could only assume that since he had once been ascended that the system recognized him as one. If that was true it may also have allowed Jack to enter but it would have certainly refused Sam. Daniel spent the next twenty minutes trying to figure out how to beam Teal'c out of the cell and back to him. The system seemed to accept his input but refused to beam him into this room.
"Teal'c I'm going to have to beam to just outside the room and you'll have to stay there and wait for me. The security for this room is incredible and I can't by pass it. As best I can tell myself and Jack would be the only ones out of our group that could safely access this room and if I read this information correctly it only gets worse from here on in. Hang on I'm going to beam you out now."
A moment later Teal'c found himself standing in the corridor just out side the room he had entered previously staring forward as Daniel approached. "Have you discovered anything of use Daniel Jackson?" Daniel stopped just outside the door and nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, as best I can tell this room is the gateway or access point into a highly secured research lab in a sub level well over a mile below us. It appears to be the only way into this level and the shielding around it makes it impossible to beam in except via this room. I can't find any information on exactly what this lab contains but it's obvious that whatever it is, it was extremely important to the ancients, enough so that they made sure that it would be impossible for anybody other then one of them to enter the lab."
"I think we need to call Sam and Jack so that Jack and I can investigate further. The Ancients would not have had this much security on this lab unless it housed something extremely important to them. Even the ancient data repositories didn't have this kind of security on them. What ever is in here is defiantly worth a look."
"This sounds like a sensible course of action Daniel Jackson; however it is time for our rendezvous with Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. Perhaps we should meet with them and return at a later time." responded Teal'c in his usual bored tone of voice. Daniel nodded his head in agreement and together they made their way back to the front of the complex where they would meet with Jack and Sam.
A few minutes later they met up with Jack and Sam and began to setup camp. It took nearly half an hour to setup camp but when it was finished the group gathered around the fire which was currently covered by several pots in which their dinner was preparing.
Jack assuming that now was as good as any time to go over the days discoveries cleared his through to get the others attention before speaking. "So Danny boy what did you find. Obviously you got Teal'c out of the cell but I would love to know exactly how and why he ended up there in the for place." questioned Jack.
"Teal'c is fine Jack, I was able to access the beaming controls and beam him back to my location. The room appeared to be of great interest but I'm going to need you to come with me if we're to investigate further. The security makes it impossible for anyone who isn't of Ancient origins to enter." Replied Daniel as he relaxed a bit.
"So what exactly is it guarding?" inquired Jack. Daniel paused for only a moment before responding. "Well I can tell you that it's guarding a research lab. I really well secured research lab to be exact. As to what exactly is inside of said lab, I couldn't tell you. The system doesn't make any mention what so ever of what is there. In fact it looks almost as if everything within the lab is separate from the complex itself with the exception of this room. And the only link it has to this room is a transport pad of some sort which beams you between the two locations."
When Jack replied a moment later he was smiling brightly. "That's what I like to hear. First thin in the morning we'll change teams. Teal'c and Sam will go back to the crystal based structures while you and I Danny boy go take a look at this mysterious lab you found. Maybe if we're lucky we'll find some super powerful weapon or the designs for an Ancient space ship or something useful like that. That would be something we can use to beat the crap out of those ugly snake bastards." Said Jack as he moved forward to work on their meal a little more.
Daniel was about to respond but Sam beat him to it this time. "Well sir I'm not sure if it would be something of that nature but it was almost certainly something of great important. If I had to guess I would say it likely has something to do with whatever they discovered while researching those structures. Daniel said himself that they found nothing else of use or interest within the complex. Isn't that a bit strange for what is obviously a research complex that is obviously here to study whatever those structures are. I think it's safe to say they found something big and decided that it needed as much security as they could give it. I'm surprised that the systems are still working after all these years. We know for a fact that the Ancients haven't been around for thousands of years." Said Sam.
Jack frowned likely before smiling again. "Well as long as it's something useful and not something stupid like a new way to make Shepard's pie then I'm happy." Said Jack.
Sam nodded before turning to Teal'c and Daniel to give them an update on what they found. "Well our search was a little more productive then yours apparently. Those structures are incredible. There is practically no damage at all which is really surprising because there are meteors of all sizes surrounding the structures. You can tell that the structures were struck many times by the dents that can be seen but that's all there is in the way of damage with the exception of a single tower from the smallest of the structures which looks like it was struck several times weakening it before it was struck by a large meteor which ripped it off."
"We only searched the main structure today but we found an amazing control center of sorts in the heart of building. That's where the power source was coming from. I was able to study it in detail and it's like nothing I have ever seen before. It has to have at least five times the power as the Zero Point Modules that we use to access the Atlantis gate and the one we found looks like it's barely reached its half way point. It's incredible. There's evidence that the Ancients were researching it as well as there was research equipment through the control centre."
"It was actually quite easy to find that particular room as it was the only thing room that was accessible to us. As far as I can tell the Ancients must have found a way to enter the structure and open the doors to the control center at which point they spent all their time researching that. There were doorways all over the place which were sealed tight and none of the systems seemed to react to me. The other two structures were sealed completely as far as we could tell but we only just walked by them so we might have missed something." said Sam with excitement in her voice.
Jack tuned her out at this point as she and Daniel began to talk excitedly about the possibilities of such a technology and about what might be within the research lab under the Ancient complex.
As far as he was concerned they could talk about this all night. He on the other hand was going to eat dinner and then get some shut eye. Tomorrow he would have to put up with Daniel yapping excitedly in his ear all morning about whatever it was they found and that was not something he was looking forward to.
Clark awoke from his slumber feeling refreshed and eager to set off to talk to Pete. All day while he slept he had dreamed of different ways that he would tell Lana and the future that they would have together. His heart ached at the chance that he might loose her forever if he didn't do this and that was something he just couldn't stand. Shaking of the remnants of sleep Clark jumped up and into the shower to prepare himself for a visit to Pete's place. By the time he exited the shower it was about five o'clock and he quickly got dressed.
He had made it home just in time to eat breakfast and do his chores after which point he went to bed and slept the day away. His Mother wasn't particularly happy about this point but had ignored it because she could tell something had been bothering her son since the night before. She had heard yelling and screaming coming from the barn late the night before and could tell it was Lana.
She had decided to leave Clark to handle it himself. She hadn't been able to hear what was being said but she could guess. She had tried to explain to Clark that if he truly loved Lana then he would have to tell her his secret before they could really be together. She had explained that while there were risks in doing so there were also benefits and she could tell that those benefits would likely out weight the risks.
Clark had refused time and time again saying that she had died once because of knowing his secret and that he couldn't risk that again. In the end she had relented and let him live his own life. It was times like now that she had wished she had pushed him harder. It was tearing him apart and she knew it. He truly loved the girl and for a brief time they had been blissfully happy together while he didn't have his powers. Now they couldn't stand each other or at least Lana couldn't stand Clark and she had the feeling that last night might have been the end of what once was a great friendship and an even better relationship.
Clark bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen to find his mother sitting at the table just getting ready to start eating. And Low and behold there was Pete sitting with them. He smiled brightly and walked over to the table to take his seat. "I'm glad you're here Pete I was just about to call you. I need to talk to you after dinner. I could use some advice."
"Hey Clark you're looking happier then I expected you would be. I saw Lana in town today at the Talon and she had some choice words about you. I heard about your fight last night and I figured you would need somebody to talk to about it." Clark's smile dropped off his face and his mother looked up from her meal to look at him. Clark smiled sadly at his mother and best friend before shaking his head of his thoughts and turning back to Pete.
"You heard what happened I assume Pete." Pete nodded his head and Clark turned to address his mom. "It's not a simple fix any more mom. You were right all along. I should have told her again and just been done with it so that we could be together but instead of deluded myself into thinking it was for her own good that she not know. The fact is I was scared and that was the only thing stopping me. I've come to a decision. Last night's fight made it plainly clear to me that if I don't do something I am going to loose Lana for good. Hell I have as good as lost her already. At this point all I can do is work on getting her back and there is only one way that I can think of that will have any chance at success and that's to tell her the truth.
She was really upset mom. You should have seen her. She wanted to start our relationship up again last night. That was what she came to talk about. The only thing she asked in return from me was that I be honest with her and trust her, to tell her my secret. She said that she couldn't have a relationship with a man that couldn't trust her because secrets only caused problems in the long term and that was what she was looking for, a long term relationship. She loves me mom and I love her but she's made up her mind. We fought about my secret and then slapped me across the face saying that she hated me and that she couldn't stand the fact that I hid something from her."
"The worst part is that as soon as she was finished with that she told me that she's decided to go back to Paris indefinitely. I have about a month to stop her and after that I'm sure that she'll walk out of my life forever if I let her. So I've decided to tell her and hope that she will finally understand just why I held it back from her as long as I did. I'll even beg her if I have to. I don't care about my pride or anything else for that matter any more. All I care about is being able to get her back and go back to the way things were while I didn't have my powers.
I trust her and I know that if I ever want to have anything with her, even just a friendship and most certainly if I want to have a chance at a relationship with her then I have to tell her. Otherwise it will always hang over our heads and she will never forgive me. I have come to the conclusion that despite what happened last time I told her that I will just have to try harder to protect her. She's worth the effort and it's as simple as that. I just need Pete's help on figuring out how to go about telling her again and how to keep her from freaking out when I tell her."
Martha gasped when she heard this and then smiled brightly at her son. "Clark are you sure this is what you want? I know that I have advised you before that if you really loved her then this is what you should do. But remember that there is no going back after this. Once you tell her you can't take it back. I'll support your decision regardless of what it is."
Clark nodded his head furiously before replying. "Yes mom. I thought about this all night last night and most of today while I slept. It may be dangerous for her to know my secret but people will always think that she knows it anyways. She has been my friend for a long time now and that in itself puts her in danger. She deserves to know why she's in danger and I know that I can protect her. Mom I need this. I want her in my life and I don't know if I could stand watching her walk away. Last night really hurt me. I've never felt such pain before in my life and it had nothing to do with her hitting me. It was emotional pain. I was faced with the very real fact that I was about to loose her. I trust her, with my very life if need be. I know she'll keep my secret and I know she'll be able to handle it."
Martha nodded her head slowly. She knew that it was Clark's choice ultimately and it was obvious that he had been thinking about this for a long time. She knew him well enough to know that when he had set his mind to something there was no changing it and this was one of those times. Pete looked over to Clark and smiled. "Well man I have to say it's about bloody time. I always knew you would spill the beans to her one day and frankly I think it's the right choice. Now you can stop pining over her and get down to business. This way I won't have to listen to you whine about her all the time." laughed Pete as he turned back to his meal.
Clark chuckled softly as did his mother. It was true that Pete and mother had been on the receiving end of one of his rants on numerous occasions about how he wished he could be with Lana. It had only been a matter of time. He had loved her since they were 7 years old. Of course he didn't know it was love at the time but now he did.
They continued to eat dinner and talk back and forth about random things such as how things were going with the farm and how Pete's parents were doing. Clark bugged Pete about his crush on Chloe and tried to get him for the millionth time since he found out about it to confess his feelings to her and get it over and done with. And like always he countered with the usual 'I'll tell mine when you tell yours' speech. Of course that didn't work quite as well this time since Clark had already admitted he was going to be telling Lana his secret within the month which he proceeded to point out again to Pete and tell him that it was a deal, he would have to confess soon after Clark had told Lana.
An hour later when dinner was finished and the dishes were done Clark and Pete headed out to the loft to talk about Clark's upcoming unveiling to Lana and to put together some ideas on how to best handle such a thing. They reached the loft out in the barn and Clark sat in the chair by his desk while Pete sat on the couch. "Honestly Clark I think the first thing you need to do is give her a few days or so to cool down. She was pissed today when I saw her and it was obvious she was just as sad as she was angry. I think you need to give her at least the next three days to cool down before you talk to her. This type of secret is going to take a lot out of her. I should know. I felt like I had been hit with a sludge hammer for about the next week after I found out and I hadn't slept with you. My point is she's going to need to be in a stable emotional state to be able to handle it. Dropping it on her now will not go over well."
"With that said it may do us some good if I were to go over there tonight around close and talk to her for a bit. We aren't the best of friends or anything but she still knows that she can talk to me and I might be able to at least start the healing process. Just to let her know just how upset and sorry you are and let her know that I think you're ready to open up to her. I can maybe talk to her a little bit about you and your secret. I won't tell her what it is but I can lay it straight for her and make her understand that the reason you kept it from her was because you were worried about how many problems it would cause for her. Maybe tell her some of my personal experiences about what's happened. I think if I'm truthful and up front with her about this stuff then she'll calm down a lot quicker and she'll be ready to talk to you come later this week."
Clark nodded thoughtfully for a moment before replying. "Yeah I agree with you on all of that Pete. She'll likely take it better if she understands that you know my secret and that it's caused you a lot of problems since finding out. I'd rather give her the chance to walk away before hand if she decides that it's too big a reasonability and not worth the risk. At the same time I want her to understand my reasoning for not telling her before now. So the question is how and where I tell her. She's not going to believe me without a demonstration and I can't just 'accidentally' reveal my powers to her. She'd be mad that I didn't trust her with it. I have to actually come out and tell her to her face. But then I'm going to have to prove it. That's not the type of conversation you want to be having in the middle of the talon or something."
"Another question is do I do it by myself or should I have you there with me to calm her down. What happens if she freaks out on me and runs for it? She could just as easily get totally spooked and run to Lex or the police or something and tell them. The police and most other people would think she was crazy likely but Lex would know otherwise. He would put the pieces together and then I don't know what would happen."
Pete laughed out loud and smiled at Clark. "Those are valid questions and concerns Clark but I think you're over reacting. I don't think Lana will freak out. At least not to the degree you're talking about. Yeah she'll be surprised but keep in mind Clark she already knows that something is going on. As soon as she finds out she is going to put two and two together and understand just how much you have done for everybody. It's probably a good idea for me to be close by at least just incase but other then that I think your fine. As for her revealing your secret I don't think you have to worry about that. Trust me when I say that was the furthest thing from my mind when I found out. With that said If Lex did find out some how I can tell you exactly what would happen. That bastard would cart you off to one of his private testing grounds in a heart beat. Even so I am telling you that Lana is not going to rat you out." Stated Pete.
Clark nodded to the first part but sighed at his words about Lex. "I know you don't like Lex, Pete. But truth be told I think that he can change and that is something I really want to work with him on. Our relationship is strained right now. In fact it is almost non-existent but I still think that there is a good possibility that I can straighten him out." said Clark and then added silently to himself 'Maybe with a little help from Lana.'
"Yeah I know how you feel man and I respect that. But I just don't trust him. Regardless were a little off topic here. Now as for where you tell her I'm not quite sure. I would say you have a few choices. We could do it here at your place. Weather that's in your house or here in the loft would be up to you. I know she feels safe here in the loft. You two have been friends for quite some time and this has always been like a get away for any of us. It's always been a place where we can just sit and relax. However I'm not sure it's the most secure place and with the state of your relationship at this point she might feel a little awkward being on your home turf so to speak. The Talon is another option if we were to do it in the evening and you could talk up in her apartment. Really the best choice is to leave it up to Lana to tell you where she feels safest and tell her that it has to be here or there so that there's nobody around to eavesdrop on the conversation."
Clark nodded thoughtfully again before agreeing. It all made sense and there was a lot of logic in the way Pete laid it out. They continued to talk for several hours before Pete decided to call it a night around nine o'clock promising to stop by the Talon around 11pm so that he could talk with Lana and that he would stop by in the morning to fill him in on how things went. Clark decided to head back into the house and get some more sleep. He wasn't really tired but he needed to be up in the morning to do chores and talk with Pete and there was no way he would do that if he didn't sleep tonight. A few hours later Clark Kent fell into a dream filled sleep while Pete Ross made his way toward the Talon to talk to a certain brown haired heart throb.
Once again the scanner washed over both of Daniel and Jack and as Daniel expected they were both allowed to enter. Walking over to the station again Daniel preceded to power up the underground lab and a few minutes later activated the entrance sequence which beamed them both into the hidden lab.
Jack looked around carefully before laying his eyes on what looked to be a ship of some type. Judging by its size and shape he assumed it was a fighter or bomber of some sort but conceded to himself that for all he knew it was a transport ship. A big smile came across his face at the sight of it and he whistled out load. "Now that is what I'm talking about. Why couldn't you find us more secret rooms with hidden space ships in them Danny boy instead of all this history junk we always find?"
Daniel rolled his eyes at Jacks comment and Jack laughed silently. "For your information Jack that history junk as you so eloquently put it has saved our butts just as many times as the weapons and ships we have found." Daniel shook his head and walked quietly away from where Jack was looking over the ship and trying to find an entrance to get onboard and take a closer look.
He had gone no more then 20 feet from Jack when he stopped in his tracks staring at a stasis chamber in front of him. Directly in front of the chamber was another station and flanking the chamber on either side were 2 view screens both of which were turned on and displaying information that he could only guess at first glance was information on the cellular makeup of the being stored within the chamber and research material about whatever research they were doing.
Taking a few more steps Daniel stepped up to the control panel and began scanning through the material. "This is going to take forever. Most of it is in Ancient and what's not in Ancient is written in the language from the structures out there. It doesn't look like they were able to translate it either. Everything that's in that language is just recordings taken from the facility they gained access to. For once I would love to be able to just have everything in English so I didn't have to spend all day translating It." mumbled Daniel. A second later he jumped back as a female or rather an image of a female appeared in front of the chamber just behind the console. He was just about to try and figure out what happened when it began to speak to Daniel.
"You have activated the virtual interactive research logs for project hope. Please state your inquiry." Daniel stared at the women in front of him for a moment before it hit him. She had just spoken in English instead of Ancient. Daniel stepped forward and asked the first question on his mind. "Why are you speaking English instead of Ancient?" The women paused for barely a moment before answering.
"A request was made for English to be the primary language used within the interface. Would you prefer a different language?" replied the hologram. Daniel shook his head and replied no. he should have known that but no matter. He had to find out what they were doing here. "Explain the operations that took place within this lab." Stated Daniel.
"The scope of that request is extensive and would take many weeks to fulfill. If you wish to continue with this line of questioning please say so. Alternatively you may ask specific questions or the research logs may be displayed for your review in the language of your choice." Responded the image of the women. Daniel thought for a moment. If there was that much information then he would need to be far more specific otherwise they may not find anything of use during there stay here.
"Who is the women in the stasis field and what is her importance?" inquired Daniel. A moment later the women replied. "The woman within the stasis chamber is believed to be from the planet Krypton and was the only remaining inhabitant of the Kryptonian structures located behind this facility. She currently suffers from an unknown illness and was located in the stasis chamber she is currently stored in. What little is known of her and her race was discovered from observing her genetic makeup and exploring the structures she was found in. The ship located within this bay is believed to be hers as well as it was the only ship remaining. To the best of our knowledge her people abandoned this planet long before we discovered it and for whatever reason left her behind. The ship itself was undamaged but nothing is known about it. We were completely unsuccessful in our attempts to open it or learn anything about it what so ever.
"A great deal of time was spent attempting to find a cure for her ailment however none was found. As a result the subject was kept in stasis for study. According to our research and scans of the pilot it is believed that her race posses abilities and strengths far greater then any race we have come across before. Their race would have been a very powerful ally in our fight against the Wraith and the Goa'uld and as such we set forth to find out as much about them as we could."
Daniel stared at both the hologram as well as the women in the chamber for a moment in interest. For her to be of so much interest to the Ancients her race really must have been something else. He was just about to ask another question when he was startled from his thoughts by Jack.
"What are you up to over here Danny boy? Who's this and what's up with the lady in the chamber?" asked Jack. Daniel jumped at the question having not noticed he was there before spinning around. "I'm not sure about a lot yet. This seems to have been a research lab that was dedicated to the research of a race from a planet called Krypton. According to what the computer has told me so far their race was extremely powerful but is believed to have been devastated or destroyed some how as they have abandoned dozens of their outposts through out this galaxy. The women in the chamber is believed to be one of the last remaining living members of her race and for all accounts and purposes she is as good as dead. She won't last more then an hour outside that chamber. According to these notes this was the first time they encountered this race or their technology but in the years that past after wards they have discovered dozens of other instances of their outposts. Usually strongly clocked but now that they had found one that wasn't cloaked they were able to find those that were. According to this though every outpost they found was abandoned. I'm still trying to find out more information." replied Daniel before turning back around and addressing the hologram.
"What makes their race so powerful that they would be of interest to you?" inquired Daniel The hologram waited for a moment and then responded as usual. "The Cellular makeup of the Kryptonian woman shows that they have super heightened senses and powers when within a system with a sun. Our research shows that their genetic makeup reacts to the radiation from a sun. As far as we can tell this reaction differs depending on the type of sun. Based on the information we were able to collect from tests we ran showed that they are at their strongest under a yellow sun and their weakest under a red or green sun. A blue sun would also allow them heightened powers and would range in the middle between a yellow and a red Sun." replied the hologram. Daniel took in the information even though it didn't really answer his question or rather it did answer his question it just didn't give him all the information he was looking for.
"What exactly are the powers that this race posses?" asked Daniel. "When under either a blue or yellow sun the Kryptonian people are imbued with increased strength and speed. In addition they have the heightened sense of hearing and sight. The exact extent of these powers is not known as the subject would not survive long enough outside the chamber to participate in a demonstration. Other enhancements are also likely however we were unable to speculate about what these may be. We were only able to see that certain systems within their bodies were affected when introduced to various types of solar radiation." Commented the computer.
Daniel stared blankly at the interface in front of him for a moment. If even half that information was true then the Ancients had been right to be interested in such an ally. A great number of the systems out there were home to either yellow or blue suns and as such this race would be a powerful ally. The question is was this just hearsay or had they been able to prove any of it.
"Were you ever able to prove any of this information on their powers?" Daniel had his fingers crossed. Even if there was only one of them left he or she could be a powerful ally if any of this was true. "The genetic information we were able to pull proved that all of these things were true. Even in her weakened state the subject was impervious to any of our devices that were trying to penetrate her skin for samples. We were forced to use scanners. The cellular information we retrieved showed that their bodies underwent drastic changes when exposed to the radiation from various stars."
Daniel nodded his head in understanding and looked over at Jack. He had a glint in his eye that showed he was just as interested and was thinking about the benefits of having just such an ally on their side. "You mentioned that they were nearly invincible. Were you able to determine what was causing her illness even if you couldn't fix it?" inquired Daniel with a curious look on his face.
"Detailed scans showed that the alien's body was reacting to a microscopic biological organism which produced a very small amount of radiation. This particular form of radiation appears to have a harmful effect on their race. According to our scans her body's blood stream is saturated with these organisms. At the time of this study we did not have the technology to clean her blood stream."
"It should be noted that her body showed a reduced level of decay when exposed to the radiation of a yellow sun. However nothing was found to suggest that this would be helpful in any way other then prolonging her death. As best we can tell the radiation from this organism when applied from the outside would usually result in a weakened state and extensive pain however extended exposure breaks down their cells resulting in death. Since the source is internal the resulting cellular damage is compounded as it does not need to penetrate their skin." Replied the hologram.
Jack looked over at Daniel and smiled brightly. "Well Danny boy it looks like we may of hit the jackpot here. So the question is how do we find the last surviving member of this super race and get him or her to help us kick some snake ass?" laughed Jack. Daniel rolled his eyes before turning back to the hologram. This line of questioning and many others continued for hours on end through the rest of the day as both Daniel and Jack tried to learn as much as they could about the mysterious race.
Pete pulled up in front of the Talon at ten minutes before 11PM and shut off the truck. The shop would close any minute now and he could already see the last of the waitresses leaving for the night while Lana cleaned up. Getting out of his car Pete walked towards the door and stepped inside.
Lana for her part was busy cleaning up the tables and whipping down the counters with her back to the door when she heard the chime announcing that somebody had just stepped inside. "I'm sorry we're closed for the night." Came her sweet voice from the back of the shop opposite to where Pete was. She had replied without turning around and so she was quite surprised when the reply came.
"That's alright Lana I'm not really here for coffee and muffins tonight. I was hoping I could talk to you for a bit if you have a moment." Replied Pete as he locked the door and took a few more steps into the shop. Lana whirled around with a smile on her face before laughing softly and replying. "Of course Pete you know I always have time for my friends. What I can I do for you tonight?"
Pete smiled and strolled forward to the back of the shop and took a seat at the counter. "Well how about we grab a couple cups of coffee and some muffins and we grab a seat to have a little chat." Said Pete as he continued to smile at her. Lana smiled in return and nodded her head in agreement. "That sounds like a great idea. I could use a break anyways." And with that she went about preparing two coffees and a few muffins for the two of them before following Pete over to one of the booth like tables in the corner.
"So what do you want to talk about Pete?" asked Lana with a smile as she took a sip of her coffee and broke off a small peace of her oatmeal muffin, popping it into her mouth. Pete followed suit and they began conversing casually about the days events and just generally catching up. After a few minutes Pete finished his muffin and was slowly sipping on his coffee when he decided it was time to reveal his true motives for being her tonight.
"I was hoping to talk to you about Clark for a few minutes Lana. Or more specifically about Clark's secret." Said Pete casually. The smile on Lana's face slipped off and a frown replaced it. "I appreciate your trying to help Pete but really I'm done with Clark Kent. He can't seem to trust me with this mysterious secret of his and it constantly drives a wedge between us. If he would just tell me I know we could be together but I've tried everything and he just won't budge. So at the end of the school year I'm going to Paris and I'm going to forget all about Clark Kent and his damn secret." Replied Lana as she took another sip of her coffee.
Pete nodded briefly and smiled knowingly at Lana before leaning back in his seat and staring up at the ceiling with a strange look on his face. "Well Lana that's just it. He does trust you. In fact he trusts you a lot more then he trusts anybody else and I know for a fact he cares for you. It's the very reason that he has been so tight lipped about his secret with you. He didn't want you to have to deal with the consequences of knowing or rather he didn't want to until he found out yesterday that you were going to walk out of his life forever. I had a very interesting conversation with our boy Clark tonight after dinner and he seems to have had a change of heart. That's why I'm here. I told him to give you some time to cool off and that I would talk to you to make sure you understood what you were getting yourself into."
"You know Lana he really loves you and I know that sounds corny and all but it's true. I came here tonight because I want you to understand just what it means to know Clark's secret. I've known for quite some time now and I'm telling you it's not exactly a walk in the park. He wasn't exaggerating when he told you that it's dangerous to know his secret. Even so he has wanted to tell you every day since you two became friends. His parents talked him out of it at least a dozen times a year since he started high school but tonight he put his foot down. He told his mom that he felt you deserved to know and that if he was to have any chance at a future with you that he wanted you to know what you were getting into."
Lana stared at Pete in shook for several minutes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was just too good to be true. Clark had finally decided to come clean with her. He wanted to be with her so he had finally decided to tell her everything. But Pete had said he had wanted to tell her for years. So why hadn't he? What could be so important, so bad that he would be afraid to tell her? What's more, Pete knew. He had known for ages. He didn't seem to mind but it was obvious that he truly believed that whatever this secret was, it was indeed dangerous. She was brought out of her musings by Pete's voice before she could continue that thought.
"Lana, are you there? Hello Earth to Lana Lang this is ground control can you hear us?" laughed Pete as he snapped his fingers in front of her face. Lana jumped slightly and smiled shyly at Pete as her cheeks took on a slightly rosy tint. "Sorry Pete I was in my own little world there. So where do we start. What exactly is this secret that has Clark so spooked and what could possibly be so dangerous about it?" asked Lana
Pete sighed loudly and looked her in the eyes before shaking his head. "Lana first of all it's not my place to tell you his secret but I assure you that Clark wants to tell you. He's made the decision to tell you so now it's up to you. I'm here tonight to give you some insight into just how real the dangers are and to make sure you realize what it means to hold his secret. You need to make the choice to listen to him. Clark wants you to understand what this information is going to do to your life and he wants you to decide if you want to find out what his secret is or if you would rather just call it quits. Now I know this sounds really bloody weird but I'm being straight up with you Lana. I must sound like I'm trying to pimp Clark off to you or something but you know me well enough to know I wouldn't screw around with you. You need to take this seriously. Do you understand?"
Lana nodded and Pete sighed again. This would be the difficult part. "Ok first thing to understand is that this secret is huge Lana. You have to swear to protect it, with your life if needed and trust me when I say it's come to that for me already on two separate occasions. Clark was there both times to save my ass but this just shows you how dangerous it is. If his secret got out Lana it would ruin his life and the life of his mother. Smallville would become one giant freak show and everybody who had ever known Clark in any way, shape, or form would have their lives picked apart to see how they played into his life. It's as simple as that. This whole town would suffer in one way or another and being that are his closet friends you can guarantee that our names would be at the top of the pecking order. I'm not being mellow dramatic here either I'm being serious. He would be on the run for the rest of his life, hunted like a common animal and the rest of us would never get a moments peace again."
Lana stared in shock at his words. She had never considered that it could be this serious. She didn't know what it was yet but it had to be something huge and important if the stakes were this high. Lana nodded her head in a sign to continue and Pete went on. "Alright so as I said you have to keep his secret and it's hard to keep. It's the type of thing that is so big you just wish you could tell somebody, anybody but you can't. The good thing is that you'll have me and Clark to talk to about it if need be. That bad thing is that there are certainly enough people who want to know that once they realize you know they will badger you endlessly about it. At the top of that list are Lex, Chloe and Lionel."
Lana nodded again trying to take all of this in. It sounded so fantastical already and she hadn't even been told what the secret was. It was obvious already though that she was going to have to put a lot on her shoulders if she decided to take this on. Lana gestured for Pete to continue and he did.
"Ok second thing. This has to be done somewhere private. It's not exactly the type of thing that can be done in the middle of the Talon in mid day when there are people all over. So you're going to want to decide on a place where there are no people around and that you are going to feel safe and secure. I'm not going to lie to you Lana. This stuff is almost certainly going to freak you the hell out. I was spooked when I found out and it takes some getting used to. I was his best friend at the time and I nearly ran for the hills when I first figured it all out. All I can say is keep an open mind and whatever you do make sure you remember the years that you have known Clark. Remember all the things he has done for you. He's the same person now as he was back then and he will be the same person after he's told you. Nothing could hurt him more then having you turn your back on him after he tells you. I'll come along wherever you guys decide to do this and will be there for you if you need me. Just try and be considerate of Clark. This is a huge thing for him to tell you." With those final words Pete finished his coffee and leaned back into his seat to wait for Lana to take all this in.
Lana sat on the other side of the table staring blankly at Pete for several minutes while thoughts whirled through her mind about what this all meant. She could tell that at the very least Pete believed every word he was saying and she knew that Clark cared for her a great deal. The question was what was all this about. What could possibly be so big, so important that Clark would have to hide it from the world and that could put Pete in mortal danger not once on two separate occasions.
Did she want to put herself in that position? Thinking back now she could see that Clark would always be there for her. He had saved her on more occasions then she could remember and there were a few times that she suspected he had saved her. He was always there for her when she needed him. Even if it did put her in danger it would allow them to have a relationship hopefully and he would never let anything happen to her anyways so what was the difference. She was in danger now as it was. God knows enough things happened to her anyways. Knowing his secret wasn't going to change that much.
Snapping out of her thoughts she looked Pete in the eye and smiled brightly. "Alright Pete I'm in. I want to take this chance. I want to know what Clark finds so important that he has to hide it from me and the rest of the world. I think I would prefer to do it here though. Let's meet here after I close next Thursday night. That gives me some time to make arrangements to get everybody out of here and make sure I'm ready for this. With that said do you mind if I ask you a couple questions?"
Pete nodded and gestured for her to go ahead. "You know what his secret is already Pete. Do you think it's worth knowing? Is it something bad, something that's going to change my opinion of him?" Pete looked thoughtful for a moment. Probably trying to figure out how to answer without revealing too much Lana realized. She suddenly realized now that she looked back that there were all sorts of occasions where Pete had covered for Clark when strange things happened. Now that she knew he knew what his secret was it all made sense. A moment later he looked back at her and smiled.
"Lana as I said I've known Clarks secret for quite some time now and what I can tell you is that despite all the pain and trouble that it has caused me I would never choose to give that information back if I had the chance. It was worth knowing because it let me see the real Clark. I don't mean to say that he is a different person because he's not but it did allow me to see just how much Clark has to deal with on a daily basis and how hard his life truly is. It gave me a new respect for him and I know that regardless of the problems that his secret causes for me that Clark will always be there to bail me out."
"It really allowed me to talk freely with him too, which is important to me. I see how important it is to him to know that he can sit and talk with me about anything. It takes a lot off his shoulders and it has really strengthened our friendship. With that said, yes it will very likely change your opinion of him. In fact I can almost guarantee it will, but it's not something bad. It's not like he's going to tell you that he's some mass murder or a fugitive from the law or something. It's not that type of secret. It changed my life when I found out and I can safely say it changed his as well. He feels a lot more relaxed around me now and I think that once you know, your relationship with him will take off. You know Lana Clark only found out about this at the start of high school. It changed the way he lived his very life. I can only say that when you finally understand what it is you will find yourself thinking back on your life and all the so called problems you had only to discover just how trivial they were in comparison to the problems he lives with on a daily basis."
Lana nodded thoughtfully before responding. She knew this was the right decision. She could just feel it. She felt jealous of the relationship that Clark and Pete held and she wanted to be that close to Clark as well. In fact she wanted to be closure. She wanted to be the person that Clark could come to about anything and if this was the cost of that relationship then so be it. Setting her shoulders in a determined stance she spoke strongly to Pete.
"Alright Pete I want to talk to Clark. Why don't you two meet me here at the same time next Thursday night? I'll be done clearing by then and we can talk up stairs in my apartment. I'll prepare us something to eat and we can have a light meal while we talk or something. You know I envy you Pete. You've had the type of relationship with Clark for a long time now that I have always wanted. I hope that after Thursday night I'll be able to get that and more from him."
Pete laughed lightly and smiled again to Lana before standing up and heading for the door. "Thanks for the coffee and muffin Lana and trust me. When this is all over I'm sure you'll have your chance at that relationship. I know for a fact that Clark wants it. You're the first person that he has willingly told about this. Even I just stumbled across his secret by chance. He must really care for you to take such a chance." And with that he left the store leaving Lana behind with her thoughts.
"Alright Jack, go ahead. What's your status?" said General George Hammond from his position in the control room of Stargate Command. On the screen in front of him was the image of Jack O'Neal standing in front of the M.A.L.P. for his second daily check in. It was Monday morning now and George was expecting an update on their research into the mysterious new race they had discovered in the secure sub level of the Ancient complex.
"Well general we are still pouring through the records here to try and figure out what else we can find. We found reference to research that the Ancients did on the power device that was located in the Kryptonian structure and Daniel thinks that they may have been trying to figure out a way to duplicate the device. We are going to look into it more today. Daniel seems to think that we should bring the stasis chamber and the ship back with us to the SGC and study it further. If he can find a way to learn their language he might be able to communicate with the women in the chamber. Of course doing so would likely kill her but we might be able to learn a fair bit from her if we took that route. Daniel says that stasis chamber is keeping her alive right now but that we won't be able to put her back in there again until after she kicks the bucket if we bring her out."
"Alright Jack I understand. You have permission to bring both objects back for study. What about the information from the computers. Were you able to back up the research materials?" replied George.
"Yes sir we were able to back up the research material as well as the entire Kryptonian database that the Ancients were able to copy from the structures computer systems. Of course we can't read or understand any of that but at least we have the Ancient information. Daniel was able to find information in the computer system here that showed the areas of interest within the compound. There doesn't seem to be much else of use sir but I would still suggest sending another research team to spend a few weeks looking over the structures and the complex. They may find something else that we over looked." Responded Jack.
George nodded to himself again and then responded to Jack. "Alright Jack you have your orders. We'll expect your return in 24 hours or a check in to request more time. Good luck Jack. Hammond out." And with those words the gate disconnected leaving George standing in the control room staring at the inactive ring.