CHANGE OF PACE
Part 3
Facing Lex By Annie
Rated: R Summary: Lex and Spike actually meet. Disclaimer: Still don't own any of them, but a girl can dream, can't she? Feedback: crehnert@ptd.net
Facing Lex
Armed with some unexpected, entirely surprising information, I thought I might have a bit of ammunition to use, if Lex Luthor was less than enthusiastic about my future unchipping. After all, he would benefit, too. His scientists could examine the damned chip, make a few more, and sell them for lots of money. A last sip of coffee and a quick glance in the mirror told me Farmboy was getting ready to leave. Luthor would probably be out the door right behind him. I threw a few bills on the counter, tilted my head in farewell to Miss Sugar in the Raw behind the counter, and headed out the door to hightail it to the car. I would simply lay in wait, like the predator I knew I was, and follow Luthor home.
As I passed their table on my way to the door, Luthor glanced up at me disinterestedly, then turned his attention back to his youthful companion. It had been a look of dismissal if I ever saw one. He was too wrapped up in his present company to spare a moment for anyone else. But he had looked me right in the eye, and I had never seen a shade of blue-gray quite like his eyes. I found myself wondering in the back of my mind if that was why he was wearing the purple shirt, to complement the eyes. Most men couldn't pull it off. He wouldn't be wearing it to advertise the fact that he wanted to shag the big meaty morsel sitting there with him. Purple being the color of royalty, I figured that was the real reason. His family was as close to royalty as anyone could get here in the colonies.
The car was several blocks back, so I jogged through the dark and nearly deserted streets to get there and back to the Talon before Luthor left. I parked a block and a half behind him, and then settled down to wait. It didn't take long. Sure enough, Farmboy came out and took off in a red truck, driving past me. Luthor left the coffee shop almost immediately after, heading in the other direction. I followed at a discreet distance until I saw him pull off the highway and head up a wooded road. I pulled way off the road and decided to walk from there. One fuck of a long driveway, and as soon as I saw the house, if you can call it that, I stopped in my tracks. Huge bloody castle, looking like it had been picked up and teleported magically from some ancient time to this little spot on the map. I didn't see the silver Ferrari, but I assumed, rightly, that there was a big garage somewhere. I was almost at the front door, getting ready to just knock and request admittance, when I heard the swish of metal cutting a swath in the air near me. I froze. Just in time.
The sword had stopped exactly at my throat, and though it wouldn't kill me unless he took off my whole head, I didn't want to get off on the wrong foot. I raised my hands to show I was without weapons and therefore harmless (horrible degrading word, harmless).
"Hold on there, Mate," I tried to sound my friendliest. "I just want to knock on the bloody door!"
Luthor stepped up from beside me. I had no idea where he had actually come from, or where he had been hiding. I had been so engrossed in planning my spiel, I hadn't had my sensors out.
"Hold on, yourself, Mate," he warned calmly. "Why are you here? This is private property, and I know you don't have an appointment."
"I'll make one," I offered brightly. "Say, ten minutes from now? Give me time to collect my thoughts. Give you time to sheath the big letter opener."
"I'm not sheathing anything just yet. LuthorCorp is in the book. Call my secretary."
I smiled just a bit. "You don't want your secretary to know about this, I'd wager. Not when you hear what I'm going to do for you."
He turned again to face me more directly, the subtle lights on the grounds glinting in those eyes, not as disinterested now as they were fifteen minutes ago.
"What could you possibly do for me that I don't have two thousand or so employees to do already?"
"It's a bit easier to talk when I don't have Excaliber at my throat," I replied.
He smiled coolly and brought the sword down to rest along his side. "Talk."
I looked around carefully. "Here?"
He nodded. "Here is fine. There's no one around to listen."
I shrugged. "All right then, if that's how you want it. In a nutshell, I read about all your scientific study with brain control. Someone put a chip in my head so I can't hurt anyone, not even to defend myself. I want you to make your scientists take it out."
Luthor's expression never changed. I could have been giving him tomorrow's weather forecast, or the gambling odds on Friday night's high school football game. I probably could have told him Little Miss Talon was giving the team head behind the counter next to the espresso machine and I don't think he would have so much as blinked.
"And I would do this, exactly why?" he asked curiously.
I leaned forward just the slightest, conspiratorially. "I can do things for you. Things you can't even imagine."
"I can imagine a lot. I already have a lot. What I can't imagine is what you think I need from you."
"Immortality."
Even that didn't throw him. He was studying my face intently, uncomfortably. I kept thinking of the way he looked at Farmboy back in the coffee shop, and I hoped he wasn't going to try any of that with me. Neither the old Spike nor the new Spike would put up with that bloody nonsense. I saw the decision in his eyes even before he spoke.
"I'll talk. Mostly because I want to figure out just what kind of scam you're running here. You come back here tomorrow, maybe, around 4."
I hesitated. It would probably be sunny as hell in the corn fields of America tomorrow.
"Can we make it a bit later? I have other kittens to fry tomorrow afternoon," I told him.
He nodded. "Okay, 8 then. Final offer."
"Eight it is," I agreed. And then he was gone. Turned on his heel and went into the huge house, closing the door firmly behind him. (Shades of closed doors in the Hellmouth.)
I was at the front door again promptly at 8 the next evening. A servant ushered me in and led me around a maze of stone rooms and hallways, filled with antiques and what were probably priceless paintings and tapestries. He opened the office door for me, motioning me in, and disappeared down the hall.
Luthor was sitting behind his desk, using a laptop, but he closed it abruptly when he saw me and stood.
"Ah, Mr...?"
"Spike will do." I said, stepping toward the desk and the chair in front of it.
"Yes, Spike," he repeated. "Hostile 17, I presume?"
Facing Lex By Annie
Rated: R Summary: Lex and Spike actually meet. Disclaimer: Still don't own any of them, but a girl can dream, can't she? Feedback: crehnert@ptd.net
Facing Lex
Armed with some unexpected, entirely surprising information, I thought I might have a bit of ammunition to use, if Lex Luthor was less than enthusiastic about my future unchipping. After all, he would benefit, too. His scientists could examine the damned chip, make a few more, and sell them for lots of money. A last sip of coffee and a quick glance in the mirror told me Farmboy was getting ready to leave. Luthor would probably be out the door right behind him. I threw a few bills on the counter, tilted my head in farewell to Miss Sugar in the Raw behind the counter, and headed out the door to hightail it to the car. I would simply lay in wait, like the predator I knew I was, and follow Luthor home.
As I passed their table on my way to the door, Luthor glanced up at me disinterestedly, then turned his attention back to his youthful companion. It had been a look of dismissal if I ever saw one. He was too wrapped up in his present company to spare a moment for anyone else. But he had looked me right in the eye, and I had never seen a shade of blue-gray quite like his eyes. I found myself wondering in the back of my mind if that was why he was wearing the purple shirt, to complement the eyes. Most men couldn't pull it off. He wouldn't be wearing it to advertise the fact that he wanted to shag the big meaty morsel sitting there with him. Purple being the color of royalty, I figured that was the real reason. His family was as close to royalty as anyone could get here in the colonies.
The car was several blocks back, so I jogged through the dark and nearly deserted streets to get there and back to the Talon before Luthor left. I parked a block and a half behind him, and then settled down to wait. It didn't take long. Sure enough, Farmboy came out and took off in a red truck, driving past me. Luthor left the coffee shop almost immediately after, heading in the other direction. I followed at a discreet distance until I saw him pull off the highway and head up a wooded road. I pulled way off the road and decided to walk from there. One fuck of a long driveway, and as soon as I saw the house, if you can call it that, I stopped in my tracks. Huge bloody castle, looking like it had been picked up and teleported magically from some ancient time to this little spot on the map. I didn't see the silver Ferrari, but I assumed, rightly, that there was a big garage somewhere. I was almost at the front door, getting ready to just knock and request admittance, when I heard the swish of metal cutting a swath in the air near me. I froze. Just in time.
The sword had stopped exactly at my throat, and though it wouldn't kill me unless he took off my whole head, I didn't want to get off on the wrong foot. I raised my hands to show I was without weapons and therefore harmless (horrible degrading word, harmless).
"Hold on there, Mate," I tried to sound my friendliest. "I just want to knock on the bloody door!"
Luthor stepped up from beside me. I had no idea where he had actually come from, or where he had been hiding. I had been so engrossed in planning my spiel, I hadn't had my sensors out.
"Hold on, yourself, Mate," he warned calmly. "Why are you here? This is private property, and I know you don't have an appointment."
"I'll make one," I offered brightly. "Say, ten minutes from now? Give me time to collect my thoughts. Give you time to sheath the big letter opener."
"I'm not sheathing anything just yet. LuthorCorp is in the book. Call my secretary."
I smiled just a bit. "You don't want your secretary to know about this, I'd wager. Not when you hear what I'm going to do for you."
He turned again to face me more directly, the subtle lights on the grounds glinting in those eyes, not as disinterested now as they were fifteen minutes ago.
"What could you possibly do for me that I don't have two thousand or so employees to do already?"
"It's a bit easier to talk when I don't have Excaliber at my throat," I replied.
He smiled coolly and brought the sword down to rest along his side. "Talk."
I looked around carefully. "Here?"
He nodded. "Here is fine. There's no one around to listen."
I shrugged. "All right then, if that's how you want it. In a nutshell, I read about all your scientific study with brain control. Someone put a chip in my head so I can't hurt anyone, not even to defend myself. I want you to make your scientists take it out."
Luthor's expression never changed. I could have been giving him tomorrow's weather forecast, or the gambling odds on Friday night's high school football game. I probably could have told him Little Miss Talon was giving the team head behind the counter next to the espresso machine and I don't think he would have so much as blinked.
"And I would do this, exactly why?" he asked curiously.
I leaned forward just the slightest, conspiratorially. "I can do things for you. Things you can't even imagine."
"I can imagine a lot. I already have a lot. What I can't imagine is what you think I need from you."
"Immortality."
Even that didn't throw him. He was studying my face intently, uncomfortably. I kept thinking of the way he looked at Farmboy back in the coffee shop, and I hoped he wasn't going to try any of that with me. Neither the old Spike nor the new Spike would put up with that bloody nonsense. I saw the decision in his eyes even before he spoke.
"I'll talk. Mostly because I want to figure out just what kind of scam you're running here. You come back here tomorrow, maybe, around 4."
I hesitated. It would probably be sunny as hell in the corn fields of America tomorrow.
"Can we make it a bit later? I have other kittens to fry tomorrow afternoon," I told him.
He nodded. "Okay, 8 then. Final offer."
"Eight it is," I agreed. And then he was gone. Turned on his heel and went into the huge house, closing the door firmly behind him. (Shades of closed doors in the Hellmouth.)
I was at the front door again promptly at 8 the next evening. A servant ushered me in and led me around a maze of stone rooms and hallways, filled with antiques and what were probably priceless paintings and tapestries. He opened the office door for me, motioning me in, and disappeared down the hall.
Luthor was sitting behind his desk, using a laptop, but he closed it abruptly when he saw me and stood.
"Ah, Mr...?"
"Spike will do." I said, stepping toward the desk and the chair in front of it.
"Yes, Spike," he repeated. "Hostile 17, I presume?"