Lex noticed that Clark was shivering again. Odd, that had stopped for a while.
"Wow, you have a change of clothes on your plane."
Lex smiled thinly. "You never know when you might need one. You're too tall still for the suit but the raincoat will cover you up." He raked his eyes up and down Clark's body but Clark seemed oblivious to the appraising glance. Clark stood up and Lex, after seeing how clumsily he still moved, held the coat for him. "If anybody looks closely, they'll probably think you're a flasher but nobody's going to get that close. Until we're inside."
"Hmmm?"
"Toby, of course." Lex let his voice's lightness border on mockery.
"Sorry, I'm...I'm not...I can't think real clearly..." Clark lowered his eyes and looked more wretched than before. One of the crew opened the door and Lex stepped outside, Clark following. Clark clung to the railing on the way down the steps and looked at the small airfield. "Where..."
"Just outside Metropolis."
A limousine pulled up across the tarmac and Lex set a brisk pace to it. When he looked behind, Clark was looking forlorn and Lex called back, "Carry him, would you?" Two men scooped him up by the shoulders and knees. In the car, Clark muttered, "Sorry...I...it's weird, for most of my life, I was stronger than anybody else and now...it's taking some time to get used to it..." As the car started to move, Clark looked at him plaintively. "Can I call my parents now?"
"No."
Clark actually had the audacity to look dubious. "Why not?" No, his look was bordering on petulant.
That was the last straw for Lex. He'd not lost his temper in years but some opportunities are just too good to pass up. "You started this game, Clark, and you just moved your pieces into my territory."
"What?"
"You aren't in control of this situation, Clark, even if my paying sixty million made you think you were. I'm a Luthor, remember? And we're willing to pay a lot for revenge."
"I...I don't get this. You came because...because you...you..."
"Shut up. Don't even dare to say it."
Clark winced and at the helplessness of the gesture, he wondered for a wild moment if Clark's story was true. That would change everything, particularly the target of his revenge. But it would mean...all those ingenuous glances when he probed for the truth, the evasions, even the righteous indignation, had been nothing but lies. Never more so than when Clark had said that he loved him and had shyly made love to him. Either way, Clark was lying to him now or had been before. Nobody did that with inpunity. Look at what had happened to Victoria. And a few dozen others along the way.
"But..."
"What did I tell you about shutting up?" Why were Clark's lips still slightly parted moving barely perceptibly, as though he were mouthing words he had to say, no matter what?
"Wow, you have a change of clothes on your plane."
Lex smiled thinly. "You never know when you might need one. You're too tall still for the suit but the raincoat will cover you up." He raked his eyes up and down Clark's body but Clark seemed oblivious to the appraising glance. Clark stood up and Lex, after seeing how clumsily he still moved, held the coat for him. "If anybody looks closely, they'll probably think you're a flasher but nobody's going to get that close. Until we're inside."
"Hmmm?"
"Toby, of course." Lex let his voice's lightness border on mockery.
"Sorry, I'm...I'm not...I can't think real clearly..." Clark lowered his eyes and looked more wretched than before. One of the crew opened the door and Lex stepped outside, Clark following. Clark clung to the railing on the way down the steps and looked at the small airfield. "Where..."
"Just outside Metropolis."
A limousine pulled up across the tarmac and Lex set a brisk pace to it. When he looked behind, Clark was looking forlorn and Lex called back, "Carry him, would you?" Two men scooped him up by the shoulders and knees. In the car, Clark muttered, "Sorry...I...it's weird, for most of my life, I was stronger than anybody else and now...it's taking some time to get used to it..." As the car started to move, Clark looked at him plaintively. "Can I call my parents now?"
"No."
Clark actually had the audacity to look dubious. "Why not?" No, his look was bordering on petulant.
That was the last straw for Lex. He'd not lost his temper in years but some opportunities are just too good to pass up. "You started this game, Clark, and you just moved your pieces into my territory."
"What?"
"You aren't in control of this situation, Clark, even if my paying sixty million made you think you were. I'm a Luthor, remember? And we're willing to pay a lot for revenge."
"I...I don't get this. You came because...because you...you..."
"Shut up. Don't even dare to say it."
Clark winced and at the helplessness of the gesture, he wondered for a wild moment if Clark's story was true. That would change everything, particularly the target of his revenge. But it would mean...all those ingenuous glances when he probed for the truth, the evasions, even the righteous indignation, had been nothing but lies. Never more so than when Clark had said that he loved him and had shyly made love to him. Either way, Clark was lying to him now or had been before. Nobody did that with inpunity. Look at what had happened to Victoria. And a few dozen others along the way.
"But..."
"What did I tell you about shutting up?" Why were Clark's lips still slightly parted moving barely perceptibly, as though he were mouthing words he had to say, no matter what?