I apologize for taking so long with an update. Hopefully the next chapters won't take so long. Thanks for your patience. MLL
Chapter 35: Lana
Lionel was waiting for Chloe in the lobby of the hotel when she arrived promptly at 9 the next morning. Once they were on the way, he could hold his excitement no longer. "I have to know. You've found her, haven't you?"
"Yes. She wants to tell you herself, so I can't say anything except that she wants to go back to the states and take responsibility for her actions."
Lionel nodded. "I always travel with one, so she can talk to my attorney if she has any questions. She's still a Luthor."
"Thanks. I remembered to ask you about it after your plane had taken off," said Chloe gratefully.
The car slowed and stopped. Chloe led him into the lobby where Inge greeted them. She asked him how he preferred his coffee, and excused herself to prepare the coffee tray, nodding to Chloe and reciting her preference perfectly from memory. They were in the lobby only another short minute when the door to the office opened and Lana walked into the room.
"Lionel, thank you for coming. Please, come into my office. I know you must have many questions." She walked toward him, her hand extended, unsure of how he would receive her, and was surprised when he quickly crossed the room and embraced her in a warm hug.
"Lana! I am so relieved to know you are alive and well. After everything you'd been through I was going to offer to send you somewhere safe, and was devastated when I was too late." He pulled away from her so he could look into her eyes, hoping she would read the honesty in his words.
Lana looked up at him, unsure what to make of the greeting. "Well, we have a lot to talk about." She motioned for him to walk with her into the office and Chloe followed them. She again seated them in the more comfortable location away from her desk and Inge closed the doors behind her. "We'll be undisturbed unless I ask for anything." She looked at Lionel and said, "Lionel, I appreciate your willingness to drop everything and come around the world at a moment's notice. I probably should have just returned to the states but I feel more secure here at the moment." She looked over at Chloe. "There are lives at stake. I can risk my safety but not theirs."
"As I told Chloe on the trip over here, I'd suspected that she had found you, and have been anxiously waiting to talk to you. I want you to start at the beginning and tell me everything."
"You'll have to forgive me, but I am still not sure how to take all of this. As far as I knew, you were just as involved in what Lex was doing as he was. How do I know I can truly trust you?" Asked Lana.
Lionel sat for a moment, looking directly at her. "You are right. From your past experience with me, you have every right not to trust me. All I can ask is that you look into your heart and see what it says." He paused, thinking carefully of his words before continuing. "We had a conversation long ago, shortly after you married my son, where you asked me outright where my allegiances lay. I had been asking you to look into certain things for me, even go to dangerous lengths to obtain evidence for me, and yet publicly seem to be in the thick of it with Lex at the same time. Do you remember?" His voice was gentle and reassuring.
"Yes. I was never more confused and frightened."
"Do you remember what I told you?" He asked.
"You said you were working to protect people that I cared about," she answered.
Lionel nodded. "Note that I said YOU and did not refer to myself. The things that Lex was doing could have had repercussions that would have affected many people including Chloe and Clark, and other friends of yours. I don't yet know why you left or what you have been doing, but think back…what were the reasons that drove you? Do my actions make more sense now?"
Lana was silent for a moment and then she sighed. "Yes. What drove me was not just my personal safety, but foremost to protect someone else." She poured more coffee for everyone and sat back. "I don't know how much of his 33.1 operations Lex made you aware of but I am going to tell you what I told Chloe yesterday. I am not flinging accusations, I am merely telling my story." She looked over at Chloe, who smiled at her reassuringly.
She took a deep breath, and for the next hour or so, told Lionel everything from the faked pregnancy to finding the clones and starting the Foundation. Lionel listened without comment, only taking copious notes while she talked. When she finished, he sat back, astounded at what she had accomplished.
"You are quite an amazing young woman, Lana." He sat forward and smiled at her. "I'll start by allaying one of your first concerns. My blood type is O, so according to Chloe's research, there is no way I can be related to her." He looked at Chloe and said, "I could sense your apprehension. I would dearly like a grandchild to dote on, or do whatever it is that grandparents do, but not this way. The child you found is safe from me, Chloe."
He turned to Lana again. "I respect your decision to turn yourself in. Are you really sure you want to come back to the States? From what I see, you've been anonymous for quite a while, and could remain so."
Lana shook her head. "Apparently not anonymous enough. Clark and Chloe found me. It may take a while, but eventually Lex will too. Obviously, there's not enough evidence to prove my death, and he will be released someday and start his own search. I cannot let him realize I took the child. He's bound to have copies of his research somewhere and if he knows that the child is alive and well, he'll pick up where he left off." She sat up very straight and looked absolutely resolute. "I cannot allow that to happen. The only way to protect them is to find a way to hide them but come out of hiding myself."
"You don't have to do that. The evidence has not been found, but could be...I could offer you my protection. You could have a new name, identity, whatever you needed. You don't have to go home if you don't want to," Lionel offered.
Lana was firm. "No, Lionel. I've run from the law long enough. Aren't you trying to change the public perception of your name and company? You believe you have my best interest in mind, but another Luthor trying to evade the law doesn't help change public opinion of the Luthor name, and like it or not, I am a Luthor."
Lionel realized she was right. "You are right, Lana. I apologize." He stood and walked across the room, thinking. "I will support you in whatever decisions you make, but let's get the attorney I brought with me over here so she can talk to you about your options and the best way to come back to the states."
Lana nodded. "Use the phone on my desk. I'll send a car." She left the room make the arrangements while Lionel made his call.
She returned to the room and pulled a large file out of her desk drawer. "This is a set of copies of all of my records for you and the attorney. I want to make this right, but I am at a loss as to how to protect Anne and Rygata. I stole the money I used to start the Foundation and her Trust."
"Well you relax. You haven't stolen anything." Said Lionel.
"I didn't?" Lana was confused.
"No." Lionel motioned for her to be seated again and continued. "When you married Lex, you legally had access to up to half of the estate, and money you used is well within that limit. Your records are detailed, and show that the Foundation was created prior to your "death" and to that end need not be brought up. The attorney will have to verify it, but as far as I am concerned, there is no problem."
Lana immediately brightened. "So they will be safe?"
Chloe had been thinking, and decided it was time to join the conversation. "Well, not entirely. The funds that support them might be safe, but if I could find them, Lex can too. When you return home and he finds out that you are alive, he'll figure out you took her and connect the dots like I did."
Lana looked at Chloe as she realized her friend was right. "I'd better tell her soon, then. They are going to probably have to go into hiding." She turned to Lionel and said, "I think that going into hiding plan you had may have to be put into use after all."
There was a knock on the door and Inge ushered in the latest arrival. She refreshed the coffee tray and excused herself.
Lionel stood and introduced the attorney, Ms. Alexis Bernard, to Chloe and Lana.
"Please, call me Alexis," she said with a smile.
"Alexis is a fine member of my team, Lana, I think you'll like her. Please, begin again, and tell her what you told me," said Lionel.
Chloe stood. "Lana, is there another office where I may make a private phone call?"
"Certainly." She picked up the phone and paged Inge, who entered the room. "Please show Miss Sullivan to one of the conference rooms."
Inge nodded and motioned for Chloe to follow her. As she left, Lana was sitting with Alexis and was handing her the stack of files and nodded at Chloe to let her know she was ok. Chloe smiled and followed Inge to the conference room down the hall. "This room and the phone like are secure. You can be assured of your privacy. Let me know if there is anything you need." Chloe nodded at her and Inge left.
Chloe locked the door and opened her phone, looking for a phone number. She picked up the secure line, and dialed. "Hi. This is Chloe. What are your plans for the next week?..."
Half an hour later, Her phone call finished, she opened the door and found her way back to Inge's desk. "Miss Sullivan," Inge greeted her. "Lana has asked me to show you this menu and have you order something for lunch before you rejoined them."
Her selection made, she quietly entered Lana's office again Lionel motioned for her to join him over by the window. She looked over at Lana, who was listening intently to Alexis, who had the file open all over the table around her. They seemed oblivious to anything else happening in the room.
"Alexis has jumped right in and seems to have a good handle on the situation. She agreed with me right off about the money." He turned from looking out the window and looked at Chloe.
"Good work, by the way. I didn't know you'd find Lana so soon."
"Thanks. We all worked hard on this." She answered. She looked over at Lana, who seemed to look a little more relaxed as she talked to Alexis. "She's going to be okay, isn't she?"
"I'm sure she'll be fine. She is resolute in going home and taking responsibility for her actions surrounding her disappearance. The only thing holding her back is the safety of Rygata and Ms. Johannsen," said Lionel.
Chloe nodded. "Well I think I have an answer to that. I made a phone call and another contact that I have is on the way to offer assistance."
"You are the woman of all answers. Anyone I know?" He asked, and then held up a hand. "On second thought, don't tell me. I think that the less I know, the better."
Chloe looked confused. This man was used to being in charge and knowing everything. "Why do you say that?"
He motioned to the two chairs by Lana's desk and they sat down and told her that he knew that she was the one person on the planet who knew everything about Clark, and suspected she knew a lot about certain activities that had happened around the destruction of the other 33.1 facilities. "Lex is in jail, and no longer has control over Luthorcorp, and I have tried to make sure all of my people are loyal, but one never knows. Rygata's safety of is of utmost importance. The less I know of her whereabouts the safer she'll be. So, it looks like you are the ultimate Secret Keeper."
She nodded. "That sounds reasonable."
They each sat in silence for a few minutes, lost in their own private thoughts, and were soon roused by the arrival of Inge with their lunch selections. They all dove in hungrily.
"Were you able to able to make your call?" Asked Lana, looking at Chloe.
"Yes. I have an idea on how to protect Anne and Rygata," answered Chloe.
Lionel looked at Alexis. "I told her that I'd rather not know where they go if they do indeed go into hiding. The fewer people who know, the safer they'll be."
"Good point," said Alexis. She looked at Lana and back at Lionel. "Everything looks good. Lana can come back to the states and turn herself in for faking her death. ISIS is safe, the money wasn't stolen; and I plan to work with the D.A. to close the proceedings to keep the issue of why she left confidential. The fact that Lex struck her and threatened her is all the public needs to know."
"Alexis isn't sure how long my sentence will be, but I will prepare things here for an extended absence. My staff will be able to run things while I am gone."
"If you think you have everything under control here I'll go back tomorrow and you can fly home when you are ready." He turned to Alexis. "Do you need to stay here or can you come back and smooth her return from Metropolis?"
"I can go back to prepare things and meet Lana at the airport when she lands. I'll contact the D.A.'s office and give him a head's up and hopefully this can be kept as quiet as possible." They talked for a few more minutes and then prepared to leave. Lana escorted them to the lobby and said good-bye to them.
Chloe was waiting for her when she returned to her office. Lana walked over and sat heavily on the sofa next to her. "I don't know about you but I am exhausted." Chloe nodded in agreement and Lana continued. "I do feel better now that I am going home, though. While Lex has done some awful things, he doesn't deserve to be held responsible for something he didn't do."
"Well, as Lionel said, there is a huge lack of evidence which is why he's not been charged with murder, only conspiracy. You don't have to do this, you know. I know you're ok, and can live with that," said Chloe.
Lana shook her head. "I can't live with that any more. It would be so much easier to just run, but I need to remember that I am a Lang and take responsibility for my actions. My aunt raised me better than that. I know Lionel wants to make me happy, and has changed, but I cannot run any more. I'm tired."
Chloe nodded and they sat in silence until it was time for her to leave. They were meeting with Anne that night and they both needed to rest first.