Chapter 14 [Luthor Mansion]
[A/N: Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone! Remember, kids and houseguests need respect as Lionel's about to find out...]
Dave set a book down on Lex's desk and tapped his fingers on the polished surface almost expectantly. His eyes drifted around the area confirming the indelible image in his mind. He admittedly admired Lex's collection of scholarly works. Although not sizable in quantity, the younger man certainly knew quality.
The rather large portrait of Lillian above the fireplace reminded him of why.
Auntie, you certainly taught him well. Well enough that the Lie Boy hasn't turned him yet. He smiled warmly at the picture while remembering her manner, disposition and moral backbone. Unbelievable how you could brighten a world. Lex can hopefully do the same with Swann's daughter. One can hope anyhow. He sighed while dealing with the internal rumblings in his stomach. "Yeah, Auntie, I'm still nervous about the kids and their houseguests. I don't like potential crises in my backyard but you know that. I don't have to tell you why either. I…." He stopped himself cold in mid-thought. He felt the all-too familiar numbness flooding over his scalp.
Company, it seemed, had arrived unexpectantly….
…and the Child really hated that….with a passion.
Dave rubbed his forehead. "Like I need this now?" He stepped out into the hallway and shut the doors to the library behind himself firmly. He knew all of the psychic signatures of the mansion's residents. He didn't recognize six of the seven people who were downstairs.
Lionel's stench, however, couldn't be missed…..
Dave's eyes narrowed. Now what? This is his house but he never steps in here unless he's up to something! He rushed around the corner and toward the guest wing. There he peered into the third room on the right. He breathed a sigh of relief as his daughters still slept peacefully there. "Sleep well, Preciouses." He blew them a kiss. Then he locked them in there for their own protection. "No need for them to deal with his crap."
"Excuse me, Professor? Whose 'crap' is that?" Jasmine wondered as she approached him. From her own dealings with him and the others' advice, she exercised caution in doing so. She wiped her face off with a towel and made sure she looked presentable.
"Have a good workout?" he queried.
"Always. You have something on your mind, do you not?" she asked expectantly. She arched an eyebrow curiously at his mood. She knew he read in Lex's study frequently at that hour especially when his wife was at the medical center or her clinic in Granville.
"On your way back from the dojo, did you see anything?" he inquired pointedly. By now he clearly felt the intruders' making their way through the ground floor and toward the main stairs.
"Nothing unusual. Strange though Miss Grace said she'd have my breakfast ready when I went in there. It does seem unusually quiet." She glanced at him; her eyes burrowing into his looking for a reason. She could see where he was going.
A loud bang echoed up the hall.
"By the Prophet! What is that?" she demanded while tensing for trouble.
"Lock yourself in your room, Princess. I'll deal with this," he instructed before ducking into his room. Since he was already in his sweats, he didn't need to change clothes. Instead he hurried across the room and slid the closet door open.
Reaching inside, he produced a rather impressive quiver of arrows and a cobalt colored compound bow. With one movement, he slid the quiver on his back. Then he pocketed several of the small orange balls which sat beside the implements. Finally he hefted his bow and stepped back into the hall. He shut the door silently behind himself and surveyed the area.
All seemed quiet…Too quiet….
He peered around the corner toward the library and frowned.
Four men in suits flanked the door. Each one's dark shades hid the eyes' activity. Each one's right hand had a weapon ready for firing.
One had a scanner of some sort. "HEY! There's someone there! Around the corner!"
"Damn it!" Dave spat on the floor in disgust. Given the hardware, he shouldn't have lingered. Still he knew they'd pursue him back toward Jasmine and his daughters. And that he couldn't allow.
A couple of shots ricocheted off of the wooden fixtures by his head.
"Hey! Come out quietly and we'll let you live!" Scanner offered.
"Like you guys ever would've? RIGHT!" Dave pulled one of the bright orange colored balls from his pocket and pulled the top. Then he flung it into the attackers' midst.
The projectile exploded releasing a green cloud of stinging and numbing herbs. The fumes elicited choked gasps, tearing eyes and a few wild gunshots.
Dave watched the floorshow for a second before releasing eight shafts effectively pinning his attackers to the walls. "Jackasses," he muttered tersely. His eyes glowed as he fought another spasm and a renewed wave of the numbies. "One more on the balcony. Really now?" He slowly eased the door open the rest of the way. Then he fired at the remaining attacker's psychic signature pinning him as well. "Sloppy."
Lionel sat behind the desk fully considering what had just transpired. He sipped from the coffee cup in front of himself. "Always stirring things up, aren't you?"
Zhao stared at Dave as if he'd seen a ghost. "Dubois! You…you…."
"Alive? No thanks to you or your twerps!" Dave uncorked a low level psychic burst knocking the other man out cold. "I'll deal with your crud later. This is between Uncle Lieonel and me." He glared at Lionel. "Like my coffee?"
"Like my library?" The industrialist didn't give an inch. "This is my house."
"Bought with the money stolen from my Dad and others." Dave kept his distance knowing that the industrialist could easily have rigged something closer to the desk. "Should've let us know you were coming. Lex isn't here. Too bad. So sad."
"Dr. Dubois?" Jasmine queried as she walked in the door. Her eyes went wide as she saw him holding his bow at the ready. Even if the weapon wasn't pointed at the Source of All Things Evil in Smallville, the implied threat made her stop. "This is his house!"
"Thank you, Princess," Lionel expressed with a bit of sarcasm. "Nice to see someone has manners."
"Which a not so notable someone bred out of me." Dave chuckled. "I told you to stay in your room, Princess."
"Everything seems under control," she presumed before batting her hand in front of her face. "What is that smell?"
"No time to call the exterminator. Need to deal with an infestation problem. Too bad certain roaches are immune," Dave hissed low. "Call the police. We'll need to clean up the garbage. Even Sheriff Adams can't botch this one."
"They can arrest your freak hide," Lionel inferred.
"Too bad that this is your house. You made your play. You lost. I'm sure Lex will have something to say about that when he gets here," Dave retorted. "Now I know how Zhao and Muirfield found out about me back in the day."
"Yes well…One does need to feed a friend even if what he wants is considered vermin," Lionel retorted fiercely.
"Practicing cannibalism now, Uncle Lieonel?" Dave shook his head. "Come on, Princess. Let's move."
"Move? Where?" she queried.
He could feel the daughters' concerns and fears now that they were fully awake. "Zhao's presence means trouble. They're going to make their way for the Kent Farm and…." He turned to find her gone. "Now what? Where the Hell?"
"Poor boy. Can't even keep the women entertained," Lionel instigated.
"I do well enough with my wife. Thank you. Some other time, Lionel." Dave backed out of the room and rushed for the guest wing. He knew the interlopers by the door would be waking up soon enough. Accordingly he needed to get Karen and Lauren out of their room and on the road ASAP. "Jasmine? Get out here!"
He found both Jasmine's and the twins' rooms empty. Only an open window in the former place signified any kind of presence at all. "Now what? She jump out the window with them?" He snarled.
Footsteps told him that company was coming.
"Great!" He tremored and spasmed anew. Having reached the breaking point, he released a primal scream. Anger twisted his right eye shut. Dark energies sparked in his hands.
"Dubois, you're dead, Freak!" Scanner threatened.
The Child laughed low and sarcastically. "Big Bro ain't 'ere, DUMASS!" He threw another pulse driving the pursuers back. "STOOPIDS!" His open left eye twitched this way and that for a moment. Then he groused, "'EM? 'ERE?" With another Scream, he disappeared in a dark flash of light.
Zhao rushed into the room. He smacked the far wall. "You had him surrounded! How did he escape?"
Scanner shook his head while forcing himself to his feet. "Dubois can teleport, Sir. Now he could be anywhere!"
"Not likely. Check the Kent Farm. He'll seek that out as a refuge," Lionel reminded them.
Zhao got on his cell phone and started barking orders at someone.
David, I'll see you dead yet! Lionel groused to himself.
And the day started oh so well….