He barely recognized the voice coming from his throat as his own. "Sixty." He hadn't meant to say that. Why had he said that? It must be that he wanted an even more thorough revenge, was willing to pay for it. Plans started in his mind, new plans based on the new situation.
Ransom bit his lower lip. "All right. Here's the account number."
Lex stepped back and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "This will work here, won't it?"
"It should."
"Greta? Lex Luthor. Liquidiate the AlTech stocks. What will that bring?"
"Twenty point six."
"Half the WestCorp holdings. How much?"
"Seventeen point four."
He thought for a few moments. What else was at its likely peak or under-performing and unlikely to rebound? "One-third of the precious metals stocks."
More sound of keys. "Four point three."
"The Treasury bonds."
"The ones that have matured, six point nine. The ones that haven't, eight point five."
"Just the ones that have matured. Take those, plus enough from the cash reserves to total sixty, and transfer the amount to this account. Immediately." He read the number.
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you, Greta."
He hung up and looked back at Ransom and at Clark. Why in God's name am I doing this, he paused to wonder. "I assume that you can check the validity of the transfer."
Ransom pulled his own phone and dialed. "Has it gone through? Good," and hanging up, gestured to Clark. "All yours."
He entered a code into the lock and opened the door. Clark came out, slowly, as if not certain that it weren't a trick or a dream. Lex took a quick step towards him as he stopped, shaking. "I don't think he'll be able to walk all the way out." Clark seemed ready to fall to the floor and Lex put a hand under his elbow.
"We use a chair to transport it." He went out and Clark sagged against Lex, closing his eyes. Grimly, Lex admired the thoroughness of their preparations. Clark was genuinely cold and almost skin and bones. Ransom returned with a wheelchair and Lex noticed that it had cuffs at the ankles, wrists, and neck, each with a green piece of meteor embedded. He frowned to himself as Clark appeared to be waiting for Ransom to pull them into place. Why continue the pretense now that the price was paid? For the first moment, he felt a doubt that it was a pretense. The acting, the setup all seemed too complete, too well-placed. As Ransom started to push the chair, he could see Clark seem to relax a bit, as though he'd realized that the cuffs wouldn't be used.
Ransom muttered, "We might be stopped on the way out. Act bored, a bit irritated by bureaucracy if we are. You're here from the Centers for Disease Control. And be careful not to touch it."
Lex smiled calmly, enjoying Ransom's agitation. He let his eyes occasionally rest on Clark, but casually, as though Clark were just another object in the halls.
"Ransom? Where are you taking him?" A man in a dark suit looked puzzled as he came out of a corridor. Interesting, Lex noted, this one calls Clark "him."
"Lab sixteen. Dr. Parker is here from the CDC."
"The CDC?" He turned to Lex and shook hands. "Frank Pederman. I didn't know you Bug Boys were in on this."
Lex nodded. "They briefed us Friday. There've been some interesting possibilities. Good and bad, unfortunately. We need to take a look."
The man looked at Clark for a long moment before turning his attention back to Lex. "One thing. He's not human, that much we know, but...he reacts as though he were."
"Even though it's not a duck, it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck. Quite a reversal." Lex chuckled. "I don't plan to treat him...any differently from the way you have."
"I was afraid of that." The other man looked again at Clark, seemed ready to say something, and then walked down the corridor.
"Quickly. He'll probably tell other people."
Despite Ransom's increasing agitation, they made it outside without any futher questioning, though there were a few puzzled glances. "I don't think the chair will help much on the ground. I'll help you carry him back to your helicopter."
"I can walk," Clark protested, adding, as both men looked at him, "if you help me."
"We'll see if it's any faster." As they supported most of his weight, Clark half-walked, half-stumbled the rest of the way to the clearing.
Ransom bit his lower lip. "All right. Here's the account number."
Lex stepped back and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "This will work here, won't it?"
"It should."
"Greta? Lex Luthor. Liquidiate the AlTech stocks. What will that bring?"
"Twenty point six."
"Half the WestCorp holdings. How much?"
"Seventeen point four."
He thought for a few moments. What else was at its likely peak or under-performing and unlikely to rebound? "One-third of the precious metals stocks."
More sound of keys. "Four point three."
"The Treasury bonds."
"The ones that have matured, six point nine. The ones that haven't, eight point five."
"Just the ones that have matured. Take those, plus enough from the cash reserves to total sixty, and transfer the amount to this account. Immediately." He read the number.
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you, Greta."
He hung up and looked back at Ransom and at Clark. Why in God's name am I doing this, he paused to wonder. "I assume that you can check the validity of the transfer."
Ransom pulled his own phone and dialed. "Has it gone through? Good," and hanging up, gestured to Clark. "All yours."
He entered a code into the lock and opened the door. Clark came out, slowly, as if not certain that it weren't a trick or a dream. Lex took a quick step towards him as he stopped, shaking. "I don't think he'll be able to walk all the way out." Clark seemed ready to fall to the floor and Lex put a hand under his elbow.
"We use a chair to transport it." He went out and Clark sagged against Lex, closing his eyes. Grimly, Lex admired the thoroughness of their preparations. Clark was genuinely cold and almost skin and bones. Ransom returned with a wheelchair and Lex noticed that it had cuffs at the ankles, wrists, and neck, each with a green piece of meteor embedded. He frowned to himself as Clark appeared to be waiting for Ransom to pull them into place. Why continue the pretense now that the price was paid? For the first moment, he felt a doubt that it was a pretense. The acting, the setup all seemed too complete, too well-placed. As Ransom started to push the chair, he could see Clark seem to relax a bit, as though he'd realized that the cuffs wouldn't be used.
Ransom muttered, "We might be stopped on the way out. Act bored, a bit irritated by bureaucracy if we are. You're here from the Centers for Disease Control. And be careful not to touch it."
Lex smiled calmly, enjoying Ransom's agitation. He let his eyes occasionally rest on Clark, but casually, as though Clark were just another object in the halls.
"Ransom? Where are you taking him?" A man in a dark suit looked puzzled as he came out of a corridor. Interesting, Lex noted, this one calls Clark "him."
"Lab sixteen. Dr. Parker is here from the CDC."
"The CDC?" He turned to Lex and shook hands. "Frank Pederman. I didn't know you Bug Boys were in on this."
Lex nodded. "They briefed us Friday. There've been some interesting possibilities. Good and bad, unfortunately. We need to take a look."
The man looked at Clark for a long moment before turning his attention back to Lex. "One thing. He's not human, that much we know, but...he reacts as though he were."
"Even though it's not a duck, it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck. Quite a reversal." Lex chuckled. "I don't plan to treat him...any differently from the way you have."
"I was afraid of that." The other man looked again at Clark, seemed ready to say something, and then walked down the corridor.
"Quickly. He'll probably tell other people."
Despite Ransom's increasing agitation, they made it outside without any futher questioning, though there were a few puzzled glances. "I don't think the chair will help much on the ground. I'll help you carry him back to your helicopter."
"I can walk," Clark protested, adding, as both men looked at him, "if you help me."
"We'll see if it's any faster." As they supported most of his weight, Clark half-walked, half-stumbled the rest of the way to the clearing.