Sins of the Fathers
Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville. I don't own Clark or Lex… Man, this is depressing. Property of DC Comics and the WB, etc etc. This story is AU after Promise, with hints of changes before that. You might also recognize certain plot points from a certain comic book storyline… But this story is independent from them, I just stole the idea. This is my first fic in this fandom, so please R&R!
Prologue:
Smallville- June 21st, 2009
"You're telling me that there's nothing? No security footage, no fingerprints, nothing?"
"Mr. Luthor, sir…" Charles Martin, head of security for Lex Luthor for less than seventy-two hours, knew he was going to be fired before three days became four. "It can't be explained. All that comes up from the hall cameras are blurs, and the cameras in the lab were completely fried."
"Blurs. Fired cameras. It's a million dollar system, Martin, for that wing alone!"
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Luthor."
"Sorry. Millions of dollars, an entire wing of my lab, years of research…" Lex took a drink of scotch. "Get out."
Martin took a breath and left. As soon as the door closed behind him, Lex's tumbler smashed against the wood, and the sound of shattering glass filled the room.
"Damn it!"
Lex raised a shaking hand, ran it over his head. He grabbed a botto of Ty Nant, took a long drink, and sat down in his desk chair to watch the blurs from the hallway.
No matter how much he slowed the tape down, he couldn't see more than a reddish blur, vaguely man-shaped, but really just a blur. He took another drink of his water.
His study door squeaked, and the sound of shoes crunching on glass roused Lex from his viewing. He looked up and offered a small smile. "Lana."
Lana smiled back and said quietly, "Julian will be walking around soon enough. You should be careful of glass."
It was a good day. Lex could tell. Only on good days was Lana coherent enough to worry about her son. "I'll have someone get it right away."
Lana took a step toward the glass herself and Lex was on his feet before he'd even decided, consciously, to move. He grabbed her hands, smoothing his hands over hers. "Let someone else get it, Lana."
She jerked away. "What you think I'll hurt myself?"
Her words hung heavy in the air. Lex reminded himself that on good days, Lana was often angry. "I don't want you to cut yourself."
"No more scars for the Luthor bride?" she snapped and held up her arms. Her loose sleeves fluttered and dipped down to her elbows, exposing smooth skin, marred only by twin vertical lines on either arm, jagged and white.
"No more scars for you, Lana," he said gently, but the care had left his voice. His mind was back on the lab beneath the dam. How in the world had someone gotten in…
Lana remained in the room for a few more minutes. Lex waited until she was gone, then swept up the mess himself, and dropped it into the wastebasket. A piece of glass nicked his hand. Lex stared as the blood welled up, marveling at the things blood could do.
A smile crossed his face briefly as he restarted the security tape. If he was right—which he always was— the color of that red blur was the same color as the jacket Clark Kent had been wearing when he had confronted Lex that very day about various and sundry misdeeds.
"Getting sloppy, Clark," he whispered to the screen. No doubt in a few days, there would be a new arrival at the Kent household— and really what could Lex do about it? The lab itself wasn't supposed to exist, and the experiments conducted there were highly illegal. He couldn't very well call the police.
Lex chuckled when e looked down at his desk calendar. He appreciated irony above all things, since loyalty could never be counted on.
"Happy Father's Day, Clark," he said, and snapped the lid of the laptop shut.