Victor Stone, ex football star and current wanted man of machine by Luthor Corp, leaned back in his chair, eyeing Bart's unconscious form closely. Bart wasn't getting better and Oliver had ran out of options. He wasn't sure what to do now and when Oliver was unsure he got agitated real easy; and if Oliver was agitated then everyone was unhappy. Bart had screwed up thousands of times before, Oliver always coming through for him, and Victor couldn't help thinking that that alone was the reason for Oliver's anxiety. Oliver wasn't used to not being able to save Bart.

Victor narrowed his eyes, staring hard at Bart. It was weird, being up at this late hour, Victor glanced at the bedside clock that read 2:48 A.M. in red blocked letters just to confirm himself, without Bart awake. Bart was so active, so hyper, it just felt wrong without his ever present noise filling the room. Bart shifted uncomfortably, beneath Chloe's thick blankets; he unconsciously pulled the cover closer to his body, shivering slightly. Bart curled slightly, his muscles unconsciously tensing as his body attempted to provide him with heat.

Victor glanced up, away from Bart, when a figure entered the room. He shifted uncomfortably as Lana entered the tense room. "Lana Lang," Victor murmured, rising to his feet.

"It's been a while," Lana commented.

"You're married to Lex Luthor," Victor stated.

Lana nodded. "Yeah," she agreed.

"Do you know what that man is?" Victor asked evenly. "Do you really think you know him? I sure hope not, because if you really know him then you're less of a person I thought you were."

"I don't know Lex," Lana told Victor. "He won't let me know him. I just...I wanted to make sure this kid was alright. Lex did some awful things to him."

"And you didn't stop him," Victor agreed.

"I didn't know," Lana murmured. "Until Bart came back. I didn't know what Lex had done, to Bart, to you. To everybody else. I'm sorry, Victor."

Victor shrugged. "What's done is done," he murmured.

Lana nodded. "What is Clark going to do?" She asked. "What can he do now that Lex can...I don't even know what he calls it."

"Do you know if Luthor can do anything else?" Victor asked. "Anything abnormal?"

Lana shook her head. "No. I don't think he can. His assets are the most human I've ever seen."

Victor nodded. "He's a very corrupted man, Lana Lang. You of all people should know this."

Lana glanced away from Victor's stern face to look at Bart's discomfortingly unpeaceful face. "I want to help Clark," Lana said. "I'll do what I can, Victor. I just want to make, I don't know what. I want to make amends with this. And everything. Everything I refused to see. I want to make it better."

Victor looked away from Lana's face to glance over at Bart's unconscious form once more. "I'll talk to Oliver," he said. "He doesn't want to admit it but we kind of need all the help we can get. We need a doctor, Lana. A good one. We need to know what the hell's wrong with Bart. And this isn't personal, but we need revenge in order to move on. Luthor has gone too long on the outside."

Lana was quiet for a moment and Victor anticipated disagreement, maybe even hostility, but then she nodded. "You should start from the top," she said. "Take down Lionel Luthor and Lex will be in the open. Lex is oblivious to how much Lionel helps him. If you take out Lionel then Lex will finally be alone; he'll finally get what he deserves."

"You want to leave him, don't you?" Victor asked suddenly.

Lana glanced up to Victor's face and he grimaced at what he saw there. In high school, Lana had been so completely different. Here, now, she seemed so burdened with reality, with the awkward and too early responabilities of being an adult; a married woman in today's society. He hated seeing this, especially on someone as scarred already as Lana Lang. "I wanted to leave him," she admitted. "Before the wedding. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into and I wanted to leave him. I saw Clark using his powers and everything just fell into place. I was so mad at myself, for how wellingly blind I was all these years, how I wasted every opportunity with Clark I'd gotten. Everytime Clark would break up, or ditch me, I wanted to believe that it was because he really was a flake and I deserved better. But now I see how Clark was, how he was forced to put so many people in front of himself. He loved me and I ran straight into the arms of his enemy. I wanted to go back to Clark but I couldn't."

"Why not?" Victor asked quietly.

"I was scared of the danger I was putting him into," Lana said. Victor shook his head. "I know. Clark goes through dangers every day probably, but I didn't want to be the cause."

"Luthor threatened him," Victor announced.

"Not Lex," Lana said quickly. "Lex is still unsure of what Clark really is. He doesn't want to come to the conclusion that his best friend has been willingly lying to him for so many years, that even in the beginning their relationship had been tainted, corrupted. But it was Lionel Luthor. And I'm afraid that he does have the power to eliminate Clark and I don't want that to happen. That's why you must go to him first. And then Lex."

Victor nodded. "I'll past it onto to Kent and Oliver."

Lana grinned tiredly. "Thank you Victor. I know you guys won't be able to forgive me, but I am here to help."

"I know that, Lana," Victor said. "Like I said, we need the help."