The morning air in the Smallville High basement was thick with the scent of old newsprint and the low-frequency hum of a Xerox machine that had seen better decades. Jeremy stood in the doorway of The Torch office, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. One hand was white-knuckled around the jagged green meteor rock he'd scavenged from the junkyard.
He felt the rock's steadying pulse. Without it, the "Static" in his blood felt like a swarm of angry hornets trying to sting their way out of his skin. With it, he was almost human again.
"Chloe?"
Chloe Sullivan looked up from a light table, her blonde hair flipped out in a style that screamed 2001. She blinked, her reporter's brain clearly resetting from whatever headline she was chasing. "Jeremy. The man of the hour. Or the decade, depending on how you count it. What can the fourth estate do for Smallville's favorite time-traveler?"
Jeremy stepped into the room, his eyes scanning the cluttered desks. He played the part of the weary orphan perfectly—shoulders slightly slumped, gaze hesitant. "I wanted to apologize for yesterday. At the truck. I was... out of it. I think the hospital meds were still clearing my system, and I probably seemed like a total freak."
Chloe's expression softened instantly. She hopped off her stool, her skepticism melting into genuine empathy. "Jeremy, forget it. You woke up after twelve years to find out the world traded cassette tapes for Napster and your parents are... well. You're allowed a few 'out of it' moments. Don't sweat it."
"Thanks," Jeremy said, forcing a small, grateful smile. He glanced toward a filing cabinet labeled UNSOLVED. "The truth is, I've been trying to catch up. Lex gave me a computer, and I spent all night looking at archives of the '89 shower. But the official reports... they're useless. They talk about 'atmospheric anomalies' and 'mineral deposits,' but they don't explain why I'm still fourteen."
Chloe's eyes lit up. This was her bait, and she was striking hard. "That's because the authorities in this town are experts at looking the other way, Jeremy. They call them 'meteor rocks' like they're just fancy gravel. But those green stones? They changed everything."
She walked over to a wall covered in clippings, photos, and red string. "I call it the Wall of Weird. Everything the Ledger is too scared to print."
Jeremy stepped closer, his heart hammering. He saw photos of the glowing green fragments—the same kind of rock currently sitting in his pocket. "The rocks," he whispered, leaning in. "What do you know about them? I mean, besides the fact that they fell from the sky."
"I have a theory," Chloe said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I think they're radioactive. Not like a power plant, but something... different. A mutagen. I've been tracking 'anomalies' since I moved here from Metropolis. People who were near the impact sites sometimes... change."
Jeremy felt the weight of the rock in his pocket. "Change how?"
"Physiology, mostly. I've found reports of strange illnesses, unexplained bursts of strength, even things that look like... well, like magic," Chloe said, flipping through a folder. "And you, Jeremy? You're the ultimate 'Exhibit A.' You were at the epicenter. You didn't age. Whatever is in those rocks, it didn't kill you—it preserved you."
"I need to know more about the mineral itself," Jeremy said, his voice steady. "If it's what kept me alive, maybe it's the only thing that can keep me... stable."
Chloe turned back to her cabinet, pulling out a thick, overstuffed manila folder. "If you want the deep dive, I've got it. Chemical analysis from local labs that were 'lost,' stories about the strange green glow in the woods, and even rumors about LuthorCorp buying up every acre of land where a meteor landed."
She slid the folder across the desk. "Knowledge is power, Creek. Just be careful. Some people in this town don't like it when you dig up the rocks—or the secrets buried under them."
"I'll be careful," Jeremy said, picking up the folder. He felt a surge of triumph. He wasn't just a boy in a coma anymore; he was a student of the very thing that had changed him.
As he turned to leave, he saw a shadow in the doorway. Clark Kent was standing there, his face pale and his brow furrowed. The moment Clark got within ten feet of Jeremy, he winced, his hand reaching out to steady himself against the doorframe.
"You okay, Clark?" Chloe asked, concerned.
"Yeah... just another one of those headaches," Clark muttered, his eyes darting to Jeremy's pocket with a look of pained suspicion.
Jeremy tightened his grip on the folder. He had the information he needed, and he had his "anchor." Now, he just needed to find out why the strongest boy in Smallville was so afraid of the very thing that made Jeremy feel whole.