CHAPTER 3

It was just a few minutes before Lex Luthor was due to arrive at the Daily Planet building to pick up Investigative Reporter Chloe Sullivan. Apart from her, Clark Kent had also stayed behind, under the pretence of wanting to see his old best friend after a long time apart. His real reason for staying was his distrust of this man, especially around Chloe. Clark knew only too well how Lex treated women and reporters, neither of which were pleasant, and with Chloe being both female and a journalist, Clark wasn't taking any chances.

The rest of the staff had long since left the building, all except for these two reporters and a few security staff. One of these staff appeared as the elevator doors opened and caught both Clark and Chloe's attention.

"Who's there?" called the man, older than both the reporters by at least ten years, he carried a pistol in his hand.

"Oh, it's okay Steve, it's just me and Clark" Chloe smiled to him and he lowered the gun.

"What are you doing here at this time of night?" he asked.

"I finally got my interview with Lex Luthor" the blonde happily told him and Clark rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm.

"Congratulations, Chloe" the security guard faked a smile "but unfortunately, it's not going to happen" he said, an evil undertone to his voice as he brought the gun back up and aimed it at the young woman.

"Oh my God" she gasped and Clark instinctively stepped nearer to her.

"Steve, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to have to kill you" the man by the elevator let out a laugh somewhere between nervous and manic.

"Steve, no, you can't do this..." Chloe tried to reason with him, daring to step forward.

"Shut up!" he screamed in frustration picking up the nearest object, a coffee mug, and throwing it at her. It glanced off the side of her head knocking her unconscious before shattering into several pieces on the hard floor.

"Chloe!" Clark called to her as she hit the ground too. He glanced between Steve's shaking hand, gripping the gun and Chloe's still form on the ground just feet from him. The man seemed to panic as soon as Clark tried to move.

"Oh God, It wasn't supposed to be like this, you weren't supposed to be here" he rambled "I was just going to come in, take the money and go, you weren't supposed to be here..."

Thinking Steve was too wrapped up in his own guilty panic, Clark stepped toward his friend.

"Leave her, don't you dare move" the maniac yelled, steadying the gun with two hands and pointing it directly at Clark's head. He knew no bullet could harm him, but if the shaking man missed he could harm Chloe.

"Steve, come on, you don't want to do this" Clark tried it reason with the man, but he was completely unhinged, and making no sense at all.

"Don't tell me what I want! I have to do this, I don't have a choice, I owe money, they'll kill me if I don't pay!" he yelled, waving the weapon madly.

"Who do you owe money to?" Clark asked him, but it was almost as if Steve didn't even understand the question.

"Him, he'll kill me, if I don't pay, I have to get the money" he repeated, and Clark watched as the elevator doors opened again revealing Lex Luthor.

"What the hell?!" the billionaire exclaimed on seeing the madman just a few feet in front of him.

"Lex, watch out, he's got a gun" Clark yelled as Steve spun round and pointed the pistol at the bald man. Lex instinctively backed up a step or two and put his hands up.

"I can shoot you too" Steve warned "Now get over there with your friend" he said, twitching the gun round toward Clark. Lex did as he was told, afraid for his life. As he reached Clark's side he whispered to him.

"Clark, what is going on? Where's Chloe?"

The younger man tipped his head a little, toward where Chloe lay, still motionless.

"He knocked her out, but I think she's okay. He won't let me near her"

"What does he want?" Lex hissed out of one side of his mouth. The gunman was so panicked, talking to himself again, he didn't even notice the conversation between two of his hostages.

"Money, but there isn't any here, I think he's delusional" Clark explained.

"Well, if this is about money then maybe I can help" the older man thought aloud.

"Excuse me?" he called to the frantic man, getting his attention immediately "Look, I can give you money as much as you want, just let me and my friends go, okay?" It might have been okay if he hadn't have made the big mistake of stepping toward Steve.

"Don't come near me! Don't move" he yelled madly, but Lex wasn't discouraged.

"Come on, I can help you" he told the man but he was beyond help.

"No!" the sound of the crazed security guards screaming voice was only drowned out but the crack of the gun as a bullet was realised toward the billionaire in it's line of fire. Clark saw the bullet leave the gun, almost in slow motion and he dived on top of Lex bringing him down to the ground in one swift movement. The bullet was deflected by the steel-like surface that was Clark's body, his back to be precise.

"No!" the madman screamed again, realising he had actually shot someone, and not realising he had done no harm. Before Clark and Lex had even turned around, another shot was fired and Steve was dead.

"Clark, are you okay?" the young Luthor checked as they picked themselves up off the floor.

"I'm fine, you?" he checked, he didn't like the man anymore but he didn't want him dead or even injured so mindlessly.

"Yeah" Lex confirmed he was okay "How come you're not bleeding?" he asked, a dubious look on his face. He was certain that if he himself had not been hit by the bullet then Clark must have been.

"He missed" the reporter told him, nervous that Lex might see through the lie. For a moment neither man moved and Clark held his breath until Lex looked away again.

"Well, he was obviously better at close range" the bald man said, gesturing towards the man by the elevators, a bullet hole right through his skull.

"You check on Chloe, I'll get Steve" said Clark, knowing that Lex would not help the man even if he could. Forgiveness, understanding and helpfulness were not in the Luthor dictionary, he was sure. As Clark had expected, however, Steve was dead anyway.

"Chloe, are you okay?" said Lex as the blonde woman stirred.

"Clark?" she blinked, trying to focus on the figure leaning over her.

"No, its me, Lex" he told her, trying to help her to her feet. There was a small cut on the side of her head and some blood, but she seemed more or less okay "You feeling all right?" he checked, noticing at this completely inappropriate time that how ever she felt, she certainly looked good. The years had been good to Miss Sullivan, there was no denying that.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay" she told him, putting one hand to her head and steadying herself on the mans arm with the other "My head hurts" she said, unnecessarily.

"Looks like our meting is going to have to wait again" Mr Luthor smirked as he lowered the reporter into a chair and she laughed despite all that had happened.

"Maybe I'm just destined not to interview you" she suggested.

"I don't believe in maybes, Miss Sullivan" he told her, seriously and she shot him a look when she heard her full name, "Chloe" he corrected himself, "And I promise you, we will meet again very soon"

Clark watched the scene play out in front of him. He didn't like the way Lex looked at Chloe or the way she smiled as he spoke to her. He would have to do something about it, but for now Clark Kent had a bigger problem. Lex knew that that bullet bounced off of him, that was obvious and if he knew that, then he knew that Clark was Superman.

TBC