A Different Smallville

In the end, Clark was grounded for two weeks due to the stunt with the cave. While Jonathan was still mad for Clark taking such risk, it was more due to his carelessness. Since if Leonardo didn't wake up or existed, then the Key would fall into others hands.

Not to mention this morning, Clark's heat vision suddenly went out of control and burned the word Hope into the barn door. Which happened just a few moments before Chloe drove up the driveway.

'Clark, you should stop pouting.' Leonardo said as he fidgeted with a pair of sunglasses.

'Why am I being punished, while you are suddenly getting along with my parents.' Clark grumbled.

'Well, if you weren't a dum dum and went off putting the key into the wall without preparation or someone to stand guard. Besides having Jonathan slightly annoyed and disappointed, you wouldn't have been grounded.' Leonardo said as he put the sunglasses back.

"Hey, Clark."

Turning his head, Leonardo saw a teenage girl with Asian descent feature while giving a girl next door an innocent feeling. Only Leonardo felt a large dislike for this girl, for the girl who was calling out was Lana Lang. The girl who one moment blames Clark, then the next gives a half hearted reply before moving on like it never happened.

"Lana." Leonardo gave a small nod.

"Out shopping?" She asked with a smile.

"Otherwise, why would I be in a shop?" Leonardo said with a straight face, but laughing on the inside.

Lana looked like she wanted to speak, but seemed unable to for a moment. Then she just began to lightly laugh.

"Well, you got me. So what are you shopping for? I believe your parents were just in town earlier." Lana moved on.

"Some sweets truthfully. Now why are you out wandering the town and not working at the Talon or at home watching a movie with Chloe." Leonardo asked.

Lana seemed to take half a step back as she clearly didn't want to say, not that Leonardo cared to listen. However, Clark was basically begging for her to share. Which only made Leonardo sigh terribly as Lana seemed to reinsert her claws into him and stronger than before.

"Chloe and I are fighting about a snooping incident." Lana said after a moment.

"Did she catch you snooping?" Leonardo asked.

'Impossible, it should be Chloe who did it.' Clark grumbles loudly.

However, Lana's reaction seemed to tell another story as for a brief moment of shock and disbelief overcame her. She hid it behind a smile as she gave out a small laugh trying to make it sound smaller than it was. Almost as if trying to pass off the blame of herself.

"Good guess." Lana admitted.

"Well, I guess it explains why you are out and not hanging with Chloe. Well, good luck trying to patch up your friendship." Leonardo said as he walked away.

"Clark, after all your nosy actions, what gives you the right to criticize me for a small mistake." Lana loudly said, dragging a few other shopper attention.

"Most of my so-called nosy actions are usually done to help you, Lex or Chloe. Usually done for the school newspaper if I recall correctly." Leonardo calmly stated. "Not to mention helping drag you two out of the messes you find yourselves in."

"Our messes, should I mention the incident with Ian where you and Pete used us as bait?" Lana said.

'Ian could make clones of himself and was dating both Lana and Chloe at the same time to help him improve his future. He also murdered the shop teacher, Mr. Franklin and when Pete and I discovered this, he tried to kill us. However when we reported it, he managed to get out of police custody as Chloe testified he was with her at the time.' Clark quickly explained. 'Anyways, long story short, when we tried to warn them, they refused the call and were nearly thrown off the dam.'

'Clark, you know someone with a powerful brain, you sure don't use it much.' Leonardo sighed.

"That was an accident as we didn't expect him to suddenly turn killer on his girlfriends." Leonardo replied to Lana. "Which reminds me, how come everytime I look at a girl, you suddenly become jealous or something magically happens that ruins my chance of getting to know them. In exchange I get a half hearted thanks and get to watch as you swoon over other guys while stringing me along."

Lana turned speechless as a few older women gave her strange or disgusted looks. Clark even felt speechless at Leonardo's accusation of Lana. Yet, he didn't say anything as looking back following Leonardo words, Clark could see where he was coming from. Even still Clark chose to believe in Lana.

"Now if you excuse me, I have some important shopping to do." Leonardo left Lana standing there embarrassed.

Naturally the important shopping was picking up a few bags of his favorite candy. While Leonardo wasn't a big candy eater in his last life, he still enjoyed some every now and then. Such as the orange slices and York candies. Not to mention he is now in a Kryptonian body and doesn't need to worry about them rotting his teeth or getting fat.

--

"Clark Kent?"

The next day while Clark was looking at a few broken down fences, while debating how to go about fixing it without wasting too much. While he leaned against the back of the truck that was loaded up full of fence posts and boards. A fairly young man in his twenties appeared with a postal mail in his hand.

"That's me." Clark said as he took the package and signed. "Kind of strange to appear out here."

Clark was currently towards the middle back of the farm where there isn't a lot of traffic. Hence he found it slightly weird that a mailman would come all the way out to him and deliver mail.

"I was told to deliver it to your hand personally." The man said and began walking away.

Opening the letter, Clark took out a small postcard size paper with a name, address, symbol and message to meet. Which confused him, while Leonardo just glanced at it.

"How do I tell them? He could hold the answers for most of my questions, but my parents probably won't let me meet him." Clark said depressed.

Leonardo just wanted to kick Clark in the head as well, maybe crack up his head to see why his brain is malfunctioning. When he uses the brain it seems to be working fine, but when it comes to thinking with Clark, it seems to be glitching out. For why does Clark need to run off to someone else, when he has the key and the ship that will answer his question.

'Clark, I worry about you sometimes. There is only so much that can be thrown under the teenage umbrella, but this is just tossing your brain out the window.' Leonardo stated. 'You have an A.I version of Jor-El who can answer your questions. Why don't you just ask him?'

'Because I am scared he wants me to be something I am not.' Clark replied.

'Clark, he wants what he considers the best for you, just as Jonathan and Martha. Sure his A.I is a bit strict, but that's because it's a computer without emotions. However, that A.I. also contains a bunch of knowledge and holds answers you apparently are seeking now.' Leonardo replied.

Clark stayed silent for a moment, but still tapped the paper on his finger. Finally after placing the letter in the truck to finish up his work. Clark finally said the choice he made.

'Yes, but I still want to see what this guy has to say.' Clark said.

'Fine, fine. Verifying things isn't a terrible thing, but what he holds might just be more questions.' Leonardo sighed.

'We won't know until we investigate.' Clark nodded. 'Now we need to convince both Dad and Mom.'

In the end, it nearly ended in a shouting match, but in the end Jonathan and Martha allowed it.