Chapter 2:

"Lex, I came as soon as I heard. How is he?" Martha asked as she & Clark rushed into the main observation lounge.

"He's in a coma Senator," Lex replied in a blank & toneless voice. "We had Dad Medevac-ed back here from the emergency care unit in Detroit. The neurosurgeon was able to remove the bullet from his brain & the damage to his lung & stomach from the other bullets has been repaired. He says there's a good possibility that my father may never regain consciousness."

"I'm so sorry," Martha said with tears in her eyes.

"It's difficult to believe that someone would leave Lionel in an alley & no one would see anything," Clark commented.

"Mr Luthor?"

"Yes Doctor? If you will excuse me Mrs. Kent, Clark …."

Clark peaked thru the side entrance and was able to see Lionel attached to a respirator with numerous wires and hoses attached to his body.

"Mom, do you think all of Lionel's personal effects are here?"

"I should think so."

"Then there must be something that can explain why Lionel was in Detroit at that time of night & perhaps it may explain why he's been shot."

–

About an hour later, a man in a dark suit asked for Senator Kent & delivered a flat envelope to the Kent family's door.

"Clark, I may have found something that can help determine why Lionel was in Detroit," Martha said hurriedly as she passed a file over to Clark.

"Project Intercept. What is this Mom?"

"It was developed to interrogate terrorists by LuthorCorp for the military. The machine allows someone to gain access inside a person's mind. Lionel spearheaded the project. With my connections in DC, I can find where the prototype is being held in Metropolis & get Lionel there in a matter of hours."

Clark and his mother entered a small lab on the outskirts of Metropolis. The building on the outside looked a wreck with broken windows & loose bricks, but inside was a completely different story. The interior was furnished with the most expensive laboratory equipment available. There were MRI and CAT scanners along with other devices that Clark could not recognize.

"I can do this. I can get into Lionel's mind," Clark said almost too eagerly.

"No. If anyone does this, it will be me."

"Mom, you can't risk..."

"It's not a matter of risk; it's a matter of respect. Everyone deserves their privacy sweetheart, even Lionel. I just want to make sure that privacy is honored."

"But using technology built by Lionel Luthor?"

"We don't have a choice Clark," Martha said with certainty.

"Ma'am, we're ready. Sir could you please step outside," the Doctor advised.

"I'll be waiting for you outside," Clark said as he walked towards his mother, wrapped his arms around her & gave her a big hug.

"Doctor, if Lionel wakes up, he'll never know I was in there, correct?"

"In the most successful cases, the subject never knew they had been infiltrated. Now please listen carefully. The most recent memories will most likely be the first ones that you will see. The deeper you go, the greater the risk. If you begin to show physical distress, you will be pulled from the unit."

"I understand."

"You will see what appears to be a red door. That is your emergency exit. Do not lose sight of that door; it's the only link between Mr. Luthor's subconscious & reality."

"I'm ready."

–

TO BE CONTINUED….