An Odd Place to Find Oneself

Chapter 13: Worry

Clark didn't really understand what he had done, much less how he did it. He didn't even know if it would actually help or if it would make things worse.

All he knew was that feeling of being exposed.

Before he could even form any conscious thoughts, he knew he was in trouble. Lois had asked Jimmy if he had contacted Superman. The answer would probably be "Yes". Then the next question to be answered was if he had succeeded, and the answer would be "No". Then the question would be "Why".

And before he could even think these thoughts explicitly, Clark knew that the moment that question was asked, his head would be filled with the answer. The problem was, he didn't have his head at the moment. He only had Jimmy's head.

And he didn't want Jimmy's head to be filled with the answer.

Where could he run? He couldn't go anywhere. But somehow he did.

He had no idea where he was headed. He had no idea how he could be headed anywhere. But he just had to run away.

And now, here he was.

It was a dark place. It was thick darkness that was impossible to see through. It was tangible darkness, a dense substance that seemed to press around him relatively gently, but also quite closely. It was something like soaking wet woolen blankets draped all around him.

Somehow, he felt that the substance surrounding him was chunks and pieces of different things held together by a some kind of dark goo, and that these things were quite complex and intricate and would have been fascinating if he was able to, well, see them.

He could also tell that everything around him was very much Jimmy's. He could feel Jimmy in every single piece of…whatever it was that was surrounding him. He couldn't really see anything, but he could nonetheless tell that everything encapsulating him smacked of Jimmy.

It didn't exactly feel like a safe place. He could tell he was actually extremely deep in the very place he wanted to escape from – Jimmy's mind. But for some reason, Clark suspected that it was a little safer than being "out in the open", wherever that was, and that was as good as he could hope for, really.

Clark sighed and sat down, settling himself into his surroundings.

What do I do?

He put his head in his hands.

It was hopeless. He couldn't escape. He couldn't get out of Jimmy's mind. And he knew that, as long as he was here, he couldn't be sure that the truth wouldn't slip out from the corner of Jimmy's brain that he was occupying at the moment and spread out to the rest of it.

It hadn't happened yet, but somehow, he knew it was always a possibility. He just did. He expected the only reason it hadn't "gotten out" yet was because he hadn't actively been thinking of it very much, and for a lot of the time he was tucked away in a place in a place in Jimmy's mind that was apparently far away from his conscious thought, and he suspected that he was in such a place now.

This was as safe as he could be. But was it perfectly safe? Definitely not. And he strongly suspected that, now that Jimmy knew he was here, he was less safe than he was before.

More importantly, he couldn't stay tucked away in this dark corner of Jimmy's mind. He had to get out. He and Lois and Jimmy had to find a way to get everyone back into their respective heads. He needed to help them. And here he was, probably making them waste their precious time wondering where the heck he had gone.

What was he going to do? Stay here and wait until they found a solution? What if they didn't? What if they did but he didn't even know it and ended up stuck here forever?

It would be insane to stay here.

But his secret identity was in danger.

What was he supposed to do?

Oh, cripes. I'm late. Great, Jimmy thought as he walked straight into the middle of a gathering of Daily Planet reporters that the Chief was talking to.

But to his surprise, Perry neither ignored nor snapped at him, and most of the reporters turned to look at Jimmy. "Finally, Olsen, you're here!" Perry said, sounding more relieved than angry.

He took a breath. "Jimmy, we were just discussing what happened to Clark and Lois…and the fact that the only lead we have is, well, what happened to you, and the fact that your appointments with Professor Hamilton could lead us to more information."

Jimmy's face went white and he swallowed. They were probably right, of course. He should probably be eager to try to get to the bottom of what was happening.

But he couldn't deny he was, well, afraid of Professor Hamilton. Heck, he was even more afraid now that he knew Lois and Clark were in his head. What if…what if Professor Hamilton ended up…doing something to them?

Oh, Jimmy… Lois said. She sighed. Don't worry about us.

Why not? Jimmy whined in reply. We have no idea what Professor Hamilton's going to do. And anyway, you…you can't speak for Clark. Jimmy shuffled his feet awkwardly.

"Do you know when your next appointment is, Jimmy?" a senior reporter next to Jimmy asked him, cutting through his (and Lois') thoughts.

"Uhmmm…" Jimmy said. He pulled a pocket calendar out of his pocket and flipped through it. "I don't think we scheduled – "

Just then, Jimmy heard some steps coming towards him. As he glanced toward the direction they were coming from, his eyeballs exploded out of their sockets. "Professor Hamilton?!"

Emil smiled in that strange and off-putting way he always did – or at least, for as long as Jimmy had been meeting with him. "I hope this isn't a bad time!"