But you ... oh no!" Clark said.
"What is it now?" Lana sighed.
"Didn't you see who just went in?"
"No, I was having a stupid argument with you, Clark. Who was it?"
"Serena. Serena Salmon."
"No! Really?" Lana said. She peered inside with her X-ray vision. "I can't see inside."
"It must be lined with lead. That must be why I wasn't affected by the kryptonite until I was inside."
"Possibly." Lana had turned her attention to the salesman and used her super-vision to look at his records. "She paid $5,000. Well, she's never been lacking for money."
"A super Serena!" Clark shook his head. "And me, without my powers!"
"Stop worrying, Clark. We don't know that she'll get any powers. Oh, and I'm sure she doesn't carry any grudges, Clark. Not everyone's like you. It's almost a year since you broke up with her. I'm sure it's just your own ego that makes you think she has any interest in you at all."
"I don't know about that. She ... oh, she's coming out."
"I know. I could hear that little 'ding' sound from here, even if you can't," Lana teased. "Wow. Look at her!"
Clark squinted. "I can't really tell what changed. Is she taller?"
Lana was staring at the most magnificent female she had ever seen, far more beautiful than anyone should could have imagined could exist. Serena had always been pretty -- Clark never had an interest in any girl who was less than 9.5 out of 10 -- but her personality had always managed to overcome her other attractions to ensure she never stayed with any boy longer than a few weeks. Lana focused her super-vision more closely on her, trying to find some flaw in her complexion, some irregularity in her build, some sign of weakness in the way she stood, but there was nothing. What was clear was that Serena was also taller, having grown from 5'7" to 6'1", and far stronger, with a body that was solid and muscular without being bulky, and clearly more muscular, both proportionately and absolutely than Lana. At least Lana had all of Clark's powers!
As Lana looked at her, Serena turned, as if she could sense Lana's attention, and was that Clark standing next to her? Were THEY together again? Something was different about the way they were together. And she felt different herself too. She knew she was bigger and stronger. She had expected nothing less for her money. But there was definitely something more, something she hadn't expected, and something that she felt would help her get what she wanted.
Serena was not stupid, but she was short-tempered, greedy, envious, proud, lazy, moody, dismissive, boastful and insensitive, and with a father wealthy enough to spoil her and smart enough to keep her at least a thousand miles away at all times, she always had the means to satisfy her baser desires, and the blindness not to have any others ... with one exception. From the very start, she sensed there was something about Clark that made him special, something that she didn't have herself. For the month they had dated she felt she was getting close to understanding what it was, not, of course so that she could know him better, but so she could find out how to get it. And then he broke up with her. Not only broke up with her, but kept her at such a distance that she felt unfulfilled for the first time in her life. And she had then vowed she would find some way to get him back. Both to possess him, and to get her revenge.
She wanted to be next to him, to show him the new Serena. And before she knew quite how she had moved so quickly, she was.
"Clark! And Lana too!" she sneered, looking down at the petite dark-haired girl. Ignoring her she looked at Clark, eye to eye in height. "I see you both went through too. I guess $40 doesn't buy nearly as much as five grand!" she said, looking them over. "You look almost the same, and so does the little girl there. But look at me. And I feel positively super too!"
Lana and Clark looked at each other, but it was hard for Clark to look away from the magnificent Serena.
"Um, wh-what do you mean by that?" Clark said.
Serena moved closer to Clark, shoving Lana out of the way with her hip. "I'll have to show you what I mean," she said, touching his chest. "For one thing, I'm as big as you are now, and don't you think I'm at least twice as pretty as before?"
Lana was steaming with anger. "Who you do think you're pushing around?" she said, although having to crane her head up to see Serena made her words seem almost child-like. She hadn't used her super-strength ... yet, but she couldn't let Serena have her way. Not with her, or with Clark.
She pushed back, using just a bit of her strength, and Serena stood firm, as if she hadn't even noticed. Lana pushed harder, quickly ramping up to using her full strength, but it made no difference. Serena was still there, and still acting as though Lana were no stronger than Clark.
"Who said you could touch me?" Serena said scornfully. She brought her arm around to push Lana away, and on contact, Lana flew into the air, through the top of the mall and disappeared into the sky.
"You've got my powers!" Clark said and then shut his lips.
"How -- " Serena was saying at the same time, unconcerned about Lana's fate but intensely curious about her own obviously incredible strength, but then, hearing Clark, she put her hands on his shoulders. "What? What did you say? What powers?"
"I ... I didn't say --
"Oh you surely did!" Serena replied, picking him up as though he were just a feather. Clark struggled in her arms, as ineffectively as he had against Lana. But Serena noticed a difference. "Your powers? You're much weaker than she was! But you both went through the machine before me. Did it give Lana your powers? But then it gave them to me too! And made me even more powerful than it made her!" She smiled. "I think there is more to this! And you're just the one to tell me."
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