This is an extremely powerful story, well-told and well-structured. The characterizations are excellent, and even the supporting cast is deep. No one-dimensional cardboard cutouts here!
I'm struck by the contrast between Clark in the first few parts (cool, confident, under control, resourceful) and the Clark in Smallville (vulnerable, haunted, beaten, hated, helpless). Lois is her usual bulldozer self, but at least she's trying to understand how Clark got involved with all this garbage.
And I notice you haven't yet identified the murder victims. Hmm, I wonder who they might be? Were I a betting man, I'd wager that we'll be surprised again when their names are revealed.
I feel sorry for Rachel Harris. She has to be feeling a lot of the same things Clark is feeling, along with a deep, abiding sense of betrayal. Whatever happened couldn't have been good for her father's career, and no matter how rebellious she may have been, she obviously loved her dad and blames Clark for part of what happened to him. I get the sense that she doesn't know just how special Clark really is, and I'm not sure she could handle a revelation like that.
And isn't Clark hit pretty hard with this Kryptonite? A small dose usually doesn't lay him low for days as this one seems to have done. Or was it a bigger piece than I thought?
I'd almost forgotten about Trask. The paranoid psychopath is probably the biggest danger to Clark right now, unless it's Lois. We don't know which way she'll jump when she learns the truth, either.
I'm ready for the next part! This gets better every time I see a new post.
