The late afternoon light spread across the floor like an uneven golden carpet. The sound of the door opening caught both their attention. Clark walked in with calm steps, his face relaxed but his eyes alert.
Chloe looked up from her notes and tilted her chin.
"Look, Alicia. Clark's about to work his magic."
Alicia gave a faint smile and shifted on the couch, her eyes fixed on him with a trace of curiosity.
Clark didn't answer right away. He set his backpack down beside the chair and regarded them both calmly.
They're getting along better than I expected.
He sat down, leaning his forearms on his knees, his voice low but steady.
"Something's wrong with that field. And it's not subtle."
Alicia leaned forward, interested.
"Wrong like… mind control?"
"Something like that. But not magical, yet. Chemical. I saw the players drinking a greenish water. After that, their level of obedience went up."
Clark crossed his arms, keeping his tone controlled.
"And the strangest part… the cheerleaders were taking notes. Like, response frequency, reaction time. It looked like an experiment. As if they were scientists disguised as cheerleaders."
Chloe let out a "hmpf" and yanked out her phone. She opened her notes app, her fingers flying over the screen.
"Collective conditioning experiment in a sports environment. Chemical substance as catalyst. Groups split between stimulus and response. Perfect."
She jumped to her feet and slapped her hand on the table.
THACK!
"Now we need proof." Chloe looked straight at Clark, her eyes sparking like she'd just activated a war plan.
Clark raised his brows in mild surprise, then smirked slightly.
That's the Chloe I know.
Alicia glanced between them with a half-smile, curling her toes against the carpet.
"You two look like FBI agents. All you're missing is the badge."
"If you've got a good printer, I'm in," Chloe shot back without looking up from the screen.
Clark's eyes flickered. Not from tiredness, but with electricity.
Blue streaks formed at the edges of his vision. The particles in the air seemed to slow down. Alicia's breath froze mid-laugh. Chloe's fingers hovered in place, paused mid-tap on the screen.
Everything stopped.
Speed Force activated.
Clark rose in silence. The creak of the chair was trapped in time.
He moved with absolute fluidity, leaving the room like a ghost.
The school hallway was frozen. Students mid-conversation, footsteps hanging in the air, papers suspended all unmoving.
Clark crossed the building, taking the steps as if he were flying. Out the side door, across the field.
The cooler was still there, tossed beside the bleachers.
The cups had been put back — probably by some programmed student. But the lid was still slightly ajar.
Clark stepped closer, inspecting it. The greenish liquid still pulsed faintly, even motionless.
He carefully opened the compartment. The scent was mild but artificial. The kind designed to seem harmless. He pulled a small vial from his backpack, twisted the cap with a dry click, and tilted the opening over the vibrating liquid.
The substance filled half the vial with ceremonial slowness. Even frozen in time, it quivered in steady pulses, as if alive in another plane. Clark sealed it precisely and put it back with the others.
He stepped away, leaving the cooler behind like a contamination capsule. The players were frozen in random poses — some stretching, others mid-fake laughter. Amanda was still smiling, finger raised, pointing at something she'd never finish saying.
Clark crossed the field in seconds. Cut through the still air of the side hallway, passed the janitor's closet, and reappeared upstairs as if nothing had changed.
The newspaper room was still locked in suspended time.
Alicia was laughing, frozen mid-gesture, eyes half-closed. Chloe's fingers hovered over her phone, the screen lighting the edge of her face.
Clark closed the door behind him. The click of the latch echoed in slow motion, then fell silent.
Speed Force deactivated.
Time snapped back with a sudden pop.
Alicia's laugh burst into the air as if nothing had happened.
Clark moved naturally. His hand reached for the backpack on the floor and carefully pulled out the newly filled vial.
PLOC
The dry clink of glass against the zipper caught their attention before his voice did.
"Hey."
Chloe looked first. Alicia straightened on the couch, eyes narrowing slightly but still smiling.
"What's that?"
Clark held the vial up to eye level. The golden afternoon light passed through the glass, tinting the greenish content with a sickly, pulsing glow.
"Collected straight from the cooler. It's still vibrating, even while standing still."
Chloe took the vial carefully, slowly rotating it to watch the liquid move. The golden light reflected inside the glass, creating uneven halos. The nearly imperceptible smell slipped past the lid, and even so, she instinctively pulled her nose back.
Clark watched from the side, arms crossed, saying nothing. He let the moment unfold, tracking Chloe's micro-reactions with clockwork precision.
Alicia leaned on the couch, trying to get a better look.
"This could be anything… or exactly what we think it is."
Chloe looked from the vial back to Clark.
"I'm taking this to the school lab. The chemistry teacher should have enough reagents for a basic analysis."
"Be careful. If it's what it looks like, someone's going to want it gone."
Alicia rested her elbow on the arm of the couch and her chin in her hand.
"Want me to go with you? I can play the nerd to distract the teacher."
Chloe smirked.
"Thanks, but if we go as a group, it'll draw more attention. I know the way. I'll manage."
Clark didn't say anything. He just nodded.
Chloe opened her backpack, placed the vial inside a plastic pen case, and zipped it shut firmly.
"If I'm quick, I can get some answers today."
She grabbed her jacket from the chair, slipped it on automatically, and shot them both a quick look.
"Don't let anything blow up while I'm gone."
"No promises."
Alicia raised her hand lazily from the couch.
Clark watched the door close behind Chloe. The sound still echoed in his ears when he turned his gaze to Alicia.
She wasn't hiding her curiosity.
"Is she always like that when she's excited about something?"
Clark gave a half-smile and leaned back in his chair.
"When she goes into 'I need answers' mode, it's best to get out of the way."
Alicia let out a short laugh, pulling her phone from her pocket, though she didn't unlock it. She just spun it between her fingers.
"You trust her with this kind of thing?"
Clark turned toward the window. The light was starting to lose its golden hue.
"I do."
He paused a moment before finishing.
"Sometimes more than I trust myself."
Alicia's brows lifted in surprise, but she didn't comment.
She stayed quiet for a few seconds before changing the subject in a more casual tone.
"So… how did you figure out the water was off?"
Clark rested his elbow on his knee and laced his fingers together.
"Doesn't matter how I found out."
Alicia's brows rose at the blunt answer. The faint smile on her face faded slightly. She looked away, as if reading something on the wall beside her.
"Okay. Fine."
Clark noticed the small shift in her expression but didn't correct it.
Talking too much with her now could complicate things. It's still too soon.
He took a deep breath, gazing out the window for a moment.
"But there's something I want to do."
Alicia looked back at him, still a little serious.
"What?"
Clark turned slightly in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I want to introduce you to someone."
"Someone like…?"
"My girlfriend."
Alicia froze for half a second.
Only her eyes moved. Then her mouth caught up with a reply.
"Oh… right. Girlfriend. Like… Chloe?"
Clark let out a short laugh and shook his head.
"No. Diana."
Alicia straightened slowly. Her crossed legs uncrossed. Her shoulders relaxed and then tensed again.
"Diana… the one who lives with you?"
"Yeah."
Here we go.
Alicia nodded slowly. Her eyes weren't blinking as much now.
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