The Double K Farm for At Risk Youth - How it Starts

[stands_for_hope]

It had been a hard year for the Kents.

The loss of a father, a husband, had hollowed out mother and son, though thankfully they'd managed to make due on the farm between the both of them. But that was just the financial parts. The farm felt empty without Jonathon Kent, their home felt empty, and Clark...

Clark was so angry with everyone, with everything. It wasn't fair.

He could do so many things, so many things, but he hadn't been able to do anything when his father's heart had given out. He hadn't been able to do anything when Jonathon Kent had dropped dead in a field while Clark was at school. He'd just been there to get pulled into the office, take the phonecall from his mother.

It was doubly hard to go through his days now. Before, there'd been a bit of a barrier between the people who liked to tease him; Jonathon Kent had been respected and folks had looked out for Clark because of it. They still looked for him, but now it was more about sympathy and less of a willingness to put themselves between him and trouble.

That's why he was here. Twelve years old, pushed against a chain link fence, holding onto the fence pole for their sake as much as his own. Anger boiled up inside him, anger enough to make his eyes start to lighten to red, anger enough to make him want to do things he couldn't do, shouldn't do. Because people were mean and cruel and they picked on weakness like a pack of jackals, even if the weakness was feigned.

I can't do it. I can't hurt anyone.

It was like a screen door trying to hold back a tidal wave. He was shaking and his eyes were so hot. He just hoped he could hold on long enough for them to get bored. Long enough for someone to wander by. He just had to hold on.

Comments

[longdaysknight]

"With some practice, I bet you could fly," Meghan suggested. "Ahdri could help you with that."

Ahdri was already slightly off the floor again. "I would be glad to."

Michael had settled an arm around Martha's shoulders, smiling at the entire sight. His boy looked happy right where he was - and that was the most important thing in the world to him.

[stands_for_hope]

"That'd be amazing," Clark said honestly before bouncing a little on the balls of his feet. Then he could take Mike flying.

[longdaysknight]

Mike felt much the same. "Wouldn't it be awesome if you could fly? Think about all the stuff you could see."

Chuckling, Michael started ushering them outside. "Come on. Benchmarks are better taken outside the house."

[stands_for_hope]

Martha ushered Bucky with them as Clark gave Mike one last squeeze an wnt to follow the FLAG agents.

"Okay... how do we test stuff?"

[longdaysknight]

Mike fell back to stand with Bucky, but then came Neala with the case she'd brought in - and without anyone going over to the van, the back doors opened and more cases came floating out. Still in midair, they opened and equipment came levitating out, setting itself up. There was a series of computers, cameras, all of which were laid out in a knowing pattern. Ahdri seemed to be the culprit, hands extended as they were, gesturing here and there.

"The cameras are very sensitive," Meghan said as she booted up one of the computers. "They'll sense the passage of anything in front of them and take a picture. Others are video cameras. What we'll do is Emin will run out to a specific location, place a marker, and then you'll run out to get it on our mark, and bring it back - all as fast as you can. Simple!"

[stands_for_hope]

Clark nodded.

"And I should go as fast as I can?" he asked with slightly wide eyes. It was a strange idea in some ways. So much of his life was holding back.

[longdaysknight]

"Yep. As fast as you can. We'll do it as many times as you need to until you're sure you've reached your top speed. What do you think, Emin - five miles?"

Emin nodded. "Five miles out and back, so a ten mile round trip. I'll mark the location and the path, then Ahdri can show you so you can follow it." He was starting to stretch, to limber up to do his part.

[stands_for_hope]

Clark nodded.

"Lead the way. I'll follow. I can see you when you're fast."

[longdaysknight]

"All right. Then let's find our route and our waypoint," he agreed and, after stretching his shoulders, he nodded forward. "Ready. Set. Go." And with the word 'go' he set off at his top speed, the land blurring around him, he was listening to something, though, as he ran, making sure he only went five miles out.

[stands_for_hope]

Clark followed along, enjoying the feel of running. It wasn't often he got to run like this, really stretch his muscles at all.

[longdaysknight]

And Emin whispered, "Turn in three, two, one--" And on one, he turned, skidded, and started running back. Eventually, someone would wonder about the dirt streaks in the middle of their field, but that was eventually.

[stands_for_hope]

And Clark turned to follow him, letting his legs warm up for the speed.

[longdaysknight]

When they stopped back at the farm, Emin turned to scoop him up. "Good work, Clark! I think you're gonna be faster than me when we measure!"

[stands_for_hope]

Clark giggled as he was scooped and hugged Ermin carefully from his arms.

[longdaysknight]

Meghan was grinning. "Both of you guys are really fast - so you think you can run it by yourself a few times, Clark?" She was bouncing with excitement. The one thing that had changed during their trip was a line drawn on the ground with a chalk-line. "Starting from this line and going to the mark where you two turned - it's a ten mile round trip."

Bucky was grinning, and so was Mike. "Should we get pom-poms?"

[stands_for_hope]

Clark nodded and gave Meghan a firm nod before turning to Bucky and Mike. He blushed a little at the mention of pom poms but he none-the-less set himself down to start running just behind the chalk line.

"Tell me when to go."

[longdaysknight]

There was a click as Meghan started the recording and then she said, "As fast as you can, whenever you're ready." The cameras would be there, waiting to record his departure and his arrival.

[stands_for_hope]

It was almost surreal to watch, like a flip book more than anything. Clark's face set and then he flickered. He kept flickering, clouds of dust rising along the path almost continually, more and more and more solid until the only thing that seemed to be changing was his face, looking more and more determined.

Until finally, he disappeared... only to come falling back to earth in a solid landing as he breathed in and out, huffing a little.

"That's it. That's as fast as I can go right now."

[longdaysknight]

Mike was there instantly, hugging him and grinning. "That was so awesome."

"Wow," Meghan echoed. "Let me see what kind of calculation I can get."

And Emin crouched by him, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "You blew me out of the water. Good work!"

[stands_for_hope]

He leaned over into Mike, cuddling up a little, soaking in the affection as sure as sunlight. Emin got the brightest smile, but he was curling into Mike.

"I had to jump 'cause I was going so fast. I didn't want to dig up the ground."

[longdaysknight]

"You did really great," Mike smiled from where he was holding Clark, and Meghan nodded her agreement.

"We might have to get Kitt to help with these calculations," she said.

Bucky peered down the row that Clark had made, the dust slowly dispersing. "I wondered if you'd flied. You were so fast, we couldn't even really see you move!"

[stands_for_hope]

"I dunno," he admitted, with a scratch behind one ear. "I was just trying to go as fast as I could."

[longdaysknight]

"You were definitely fast," Emin smiled. "Faster than I am-- Hey, if I can run across water, I bet you can, too - we might have to try that out sometime."

[stands_for_hope]

Clark was mostly hugging Mike but he nodded. That sounded fun!

"What's next?"

[longdaysknight]

"Well, ya mentioned a school bus," Neala said, "so finding a way to measure your strength here might be a little difficult. Unless we can use something with a weight we know and calculate it with time?"

Meghan pursed her lips thoughtfully before suggesting, "Well, there's the van..."