Patti rubbed her forehead with one hand, looking over the strewn read-outs lying across the dark table. Her team was in the security room in Metropolis. Half of them anyway, her, her husband, and Sam. And things did not look good. Clark Kent had been off the farm for almost 48 hours, and they had not been able to determine where he had gone. He had dropped off the map once outside Smallville, and they hadn't caught sight of him until he was within 50 miles of town, late Sunday night.
"Do you have any idea, any at all?" The man asking was sitting on a chair, looking at the screens. He was easily in his late fifties, gray thinning hair almost gone, leaving him bald. He was a small man, very thin, and effeminate in his mannerisms. He pulled out a cigarette from an antique silver case, lit it with a snap of a lighter, slender fingers fluttering like birds. His sharp, bird-like eyes glared at the Smallville Kent team through the smoke.
"No." Her husband calmly replied. "We have no idea where he went Friday night. He changed into new clothes right before he left- we didn't have a tracker installed. The car was Lex Luthor's, and it took us two hours before anyone at the house would speak with us." He shook his head. "They wouldn't give us the whole story- and we received no support."
"And this is an excuse?" The thin, pale hands smoothed designer clothes, flashing an expensive watch.
Patti laid a warning hand near her husband's on the table. He couldn't yell. "Yes." He ground out. "You've tied our hands, and then you expect us to be able to perform? We're not allowed to monitor the boy once he crosses the gates into Luthor grounds. We don't get any reports from Lex Luthor's teams- they could have mapped this whole trip out in the dinning room, and the other security team wouldn't have bothered to tell us! And Lex's car- excuse me, Lex Luthor's car- should have been tapped, traced, and monitored every foot of the way- but no one will tell us where he went!"
A brief flutter of fingers, flicking ash in the dark room. "Actually, they lost him as well." Their supervisor paused. "It appears that the young Mr. Luthor removed the tracking device immediately before give the car to the Kent boy. And, as soon as the young Kent left the Smallville area, he killed the electrical system, turning off the secondary back-up systems. Coupled with the fact that the odometer was disconnected- they lost him. And they don't know where he went."
"They lost him?" Patti incredulously asked, then clamped her mouth shut.
"Indeed. This whole thing has been a monumental screw-up." Another deep drag on the thin stick of tobacco. "And I have to figure out what to do. Mr. Luthor, our dear boss, will want a full report of his son's activities when he returns from his honeymoon in a week. And what am I suppose to tell him? Hum? That two of the best funded, best trained, and best equipped teams in the country couldn't track one teen-aged boy in a hotrod?"
"I'm sorry sir."
"That won't save you." A soft sigh. "That won't save the other team. And… it won't save me." A sharp gesture, and their boss was explaining, in a deadly calm voice, "No, you see, not only do I have to assign blame for this horrible mess, I have to answer for it. After all, nothing ever goes wrong at LuthorCorp." He paused, "and our perfect record must not be sullied."
They shivered. "Of course not, sir."
"Of course." The man glared, "so, in all our interests, you have two days. Work with the team at the mansion. I'm authorizing full disclosure for Lex Luthor's activities for the last two weeks. And you will find out what little Luthor is up to."
////
"This would be easier," Sam replied as he paged through yet another report on the Kent family farm, trying to find a pattern, "if we could just ask Lex Luthor what is he up to."
The guy from the mansion, one of the operatives assigned to Lex Luthor, laughed. "As if that would work. John, what do you think?"
His partner mumbled. "Last resort, but…"
////
It was dark tonight, and raining. Lex pulled slowly past the Kent farm, pausing at the mailbox. A figure in black walked in front of his car, opened the door, and slid into the seat. Lex grinned at Clark, dripping on his upholstery, pulling the black plastic poncho over his head. Good thing Lex had brought his SUV.
"Wet tonight." Clark said.
"Yes."
"Mom made me some hot chocolate. The farmboy held up the thermos. "Want some?"
"In a little bit. Thanks for coming."
"Sure. Where we going?" Clark asked.
"Well, since watching the stars is not an option tonight, I'd thought we might just go watch the rain. I wanted to talk to you about your future. And…"
"And?"
Lex fiddled with the slip of paper that he had found in his pocket, before handing it over to Clark. Its message was simple: 'Please stay at your car tonight. We need to talk. –John Whetcob.' The man who had been following him. The young man frowned, rubbing the back of his smooth head. Beside him, Clark sat very still, before handing the paper back.
"And…" Lex added, "another business proposition for your father. His produce still has my cook in raptures. I was thinking about- ah. Here. Let's step out to talk." They were by the old Jackson farm. Lionel Luthor had left the old barn still standing, but the fields around planted with LuthorCorp test crops. Lex and Clark met here sometimes, but rarely stayed close to the old abandoned barn. Lex didn't like the old wooden structure with its rotting beams. It wasn't like his father to keep anything like that standing, not when he had the house and the other sheds torn down for cropland. He didn't like to think of why his father had kept the structure that Jackson had died in.
Clark sighed, dragging the poncho over his head again. They exited the car, squishy mud beneath their feet. Lex popped a large umbrella over his head, watching Clark carefully scan the area with that wonderful vision of his. Clark turned toward him, looking Lex Luthor up and down. Clark shook his head, frowning as he pointed to the umbrella. Crap. It was bugged- and he really wanted to stay dry tonight.
"Clark, let's stand in the barn." The roof, despite its holes, should keep them dry. Did you bring a flashlight?"
"Yeah."
It was dusty in here. Lex shook out the umbrella before closing it and propping it next to the door. The rain would mask their voices. Clark was looking around, hopefully checking the place out. Half the roof was caved in, the timbers a mix of trickling rainwater and dust. Lex removed his coat, hanging it on a peg. He walked away from the door, heading for the other wall.
"Your father-" Lex began, "do you think he'd take me up on an offer to market his produce to the up-scale restaurants in Metropolis? He could charge top-dollar, and with a larger variety of buyers, he'd be more assured of-"
Clark laughed, "You mean to tell me that LuthorCorp wants to start selling organic produce?"
Lex waved a hand, sweeping his flashlight beam around. "Done some research, some of the other agricultural chemical companies have developed 'all natural' product lines for use on organic farms. Some organic certifications allow that. I think that if LuthorCorp wants to develop a more environmentally friendly reputation, we need to follow suit. It's not exactly a high-profit market, but-"
"Did your father-"
"Not yet." Lex sighed, "I haven't sent it. It's not finished, I wanted them to go over my changes." He gave Clark a small smile. "But I refuse to think negative thoughts."
Clark smiled back. "Yeah." He looked up. "He's coming."
"Get out your flashlight, Clark. Look normal. And just stand behind me. And agree with anything I say, I may have to fake him out." Lex replied, watching the headlights sweep the cracks in the barn wall.
"And if he tries to shoot you?" Clark whispered.
Lex wasn't surprised that Clark asked, stranger things had happened to them. "Knock him out, I'll deal with it." Lex couldn't ask Clark to kill him.
They didn't have to wait long, before the older man tripped into the barn, mopping his head and swearing at the weather. "Damn rain!"
"Indeed." Lex softly said. "And what brings you out in it?"
The older man shook his head at Lex. "You. You're little stunt last weekend. Or his." He gestured at Clark. "Your father's going to be furious at you."
"Perhaps." Lex coolly replied.
"Probably." The man growled.
"And why do you care?" Lex asked, looking casual.
John Whetcob glared. "I'll be honest. It'll cut down time. We lost you, we don't know where you went- and if your father doesn't get a full report when he returns, our jobs are on the line, maybe even our lives."
"And this concerns me how?" Lex's voice was sheer boredom. Years of social circles filled with jaded supper-rich had given Lex plenty of practice. Lex absently noticed that Clark didn't flinch or fidget behind him. Good.
The man sighed. "Because the next team will probably not put up with everything we've put up with. You know that your father could order full-time bodyguards to openly watch your every move. Which would probably cramp your style."
"Are you threatening me?" Lex was cold.
"No." The man snapped, and strangely enough, Lex believed him. "I'm just telling you what will happen. We… need to know."
"Does your team know you're here?"
"Yes."
Lex nodded. "Very well. You can say that I sent Clark to Gotham to visit a legal firm. I had some questions concerning my legal rights to my inheritance."
"He won't believe that."
Lex glared. "Actually, he will. I am expecting a little sister… or brother soon. I have every reason to be concerned."
The older man glared. "That's it?"
"I'll provide you with parts of some of my research that I did before my consultation."
"I don't think-"
"You'll get no more from me." Lex glared, "It's more than you deserve."
"Sir-"
"Leave." Lex ground out. And watched the man turn on one furious heel and stalk out.
////
Lex sat on the balcony of his mansion, overlooking the moonlit fields. He could see the Kent farm over the gentle hills, the pale splash of the lone light shinning over the yard. It was faint, barely glowing. He smiled, glancing at the faint lights shinning in his other neighbor's yards. Lex forced himself to concentrate on how nice it was to think that they were finally becoming neighbors, not just irate farmers hating the manor's very existence. Lex sipped at his drink, nibbled on the midnight snack the cook had left for him. Shivered, and pulled his coat tighter around himself.
Somehow, it was always colder at night.
Lex snorted to himself in humor at that mundane thought- of course it was colder. The sun hadn't been warming the ground or the atmosphere for a good six hours, and radiant heat had shed a fair amount of the heat the soil had picked up. Not to mention- the scientist in him wouldn't shut up.
But the mental babble quieted the worried whispers that kept sneaking into his thoughts. 'What if Bruce Wayne turned right around and told your father?' 'What if Lionel's men figured it out and told him?' 'And who can trust lawyers anyway?'
His Hotmail account had received the final copy of the 'special report' yesterday- and Clark had watched the halls while he had printed it on the Torch's printer. Clark had joked about paying for the paper, and Lex had only replied, 'I bought the computer, call it fair.'
It made heavy reading, and Lex had poured over every word. And then signed the bottom, and sent it to Metropolis, straight to his father's desk.
It was out of his hands. Two weeks of planning, sneaking around, and risking his father's wraith for his chance at freedom.
His only hope was that his father read it once, maybe twice, and signed the thing without thinking of the long-term consequences. That he didn't think about how giving Lex his freedom was more of a risk to LuthorCorp's wealth than anything else on the planet.
But his father always did under-estimate him.
////