Chapter 5

Clark struggles in the grip of the nightmare...Seeing the streets below him fires blooming taking on the shape of people running as if trying to escape their firery fate. Other horrific sights appear on the streets below. Sound used as a weapon which causes the victim to explode in great bloody and gory chunks. Gunfire erupting as the gang members try to defend themselves. He needs to stop this madness, but as he descends to the street below he is stopped far short of his goal.

A darkness far denser and darker than the night wraps around him. Trying to fly out of this weird darkness proves futile, it envelopes him and constricts him. The darkness calls out to him in his mind. "Superman...I have come for you. I am Scrios the bringer of night and terror, now also am I the destroyer of Superman!"

Superman struggles violently against this new foe, but the darkness envelopes him like a shroud. Relentless...suffocating him, draining his solar reserves.

What manner of creature is this? Trying to burn his way out of the darkness with his heat vision, but to no avail. The creature, Scrios, seeming to feed off his energy expenditures, becoming stronger. Superman glimpses the horrific view below him with despair, unable to stop what is happening. Seemingly unable to save himself....Losing consciousness....Superman tumbles through the sky to smash into the ground leaving a crater in the road, but still not free from the grip of Scrios.

Gasping and crying out in fear and pain, Clark regains consciousness in Smallville General Hospital's Emergency Room. Martha Kent standing guard over her son making sure he gets the best of care.

Clark gasps for breath as his pulse rate starts to slow. The nightmare or memory fresh in his mind. Which is it a memory of two nights ago, or a nightmare brought on by the grisly story told by Captain Sawyer? His mother grips his hand tightly, her face worried.

"Hi, Mom, what happened?" Giving his mother's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Oh, Honey, I found you unconscious in your truck. I drove you here to the hospital. They are trying to figure out what is wrong.

For the first time Clark takes a good look at himself. Looking down he sees that he has been hooked up to the vital signs monitor taking his respirations, BP, O2 saturation rate, he has on a heart monitor, and they were even able to start an IV on him. I guess that I still haven't been able to extend my aura any, so they were able to start that. I just hope they don't get too involved in any blood work. Clark's blood for all intensive purposes resembles human blood until you start looking into DNA sequencing. So looking for an elevated white blood count should be ok.

His mother still talking, but Clark missed most of what she was saying tries to focus on her words. "They want to do a MRI scan of your head to make sure everything is OK. You did lose consciousness so they are trying hard to find out why, and why you have been so tired. Oh, Honey, you had me so worried." Hugging Clark the best she could while he was lying in bed.

"I am sorry to have worried you, Mom, I don't know what is wrong with me. I don't even remember parking the truck." Trying to hug her back to reassure her. "I am sure I will be just fine, maybe I am just a little run down been pushing myself too hard or something. I am sure it isn't anything serious." Trying to sound more convincing than he felt, giving his mother a reassuring smile.

A nurse comes in the enclosure interrupting their quiet conversation. "Mr. Kent? I am here to take you for your MRI. You are Mr. Kent right?" Reading the patient ID bracelet on his wrist.

The nurse smiles sweetly at him. "The test is painless, and only takes a few minutes. We just want to find the cause of your loss of consciousness. I will take you in your bed so you don't have to get up."

Thoughts whirl in his head as he is being taken down the hall. Am I losing my mind? The dreams seem so real....more real than this now. If I hadn't been able to talk to Jor-El, I would think I were delusional. I did talk to Jor-El, right? That wasn't another delusion was it? I just have to hang on to the belief that I am Superman, and try to get my powers back. I just hope I get my powers back before they put me in an insane asylum. The lights overhead have a lulling effect on Clark...his eyelids droop.