Lex waited, heart pounding, stomach clenching with nausea, for Clark to fall, for himself to become, officially, a murderer, then, in the split second at realizing that he wouldn't, swept Lana behind himself. *Like that'd stop him,* his snide inner commentator remarked, but at least...Lana would know that she meant that much. In the same instant, he realized that Clark had shoved the Kents behind himself.
The two stared at one another for an increasingly awkward moment.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Luthor?" Jonathan broke the silence with an enraged bellow, and this time, when Clark put out an arm, keeping the farmer behind him, Lex wasn't sure why.
"Trying to make sure that at least some of us survive this," Lex snapped back. Both men again looked at Clark, who was looking perplexed and even sad. Lex decided that he could live with that, something he probably couldn't have accomplished with homicidal or determined.
"I...I don't know what I was going to do," he muttered. Lex wished the light were better, since he couldn't really believe that the boy was blushing. "Nothing makes sense any more!" he burst out, bitterly. "I don't know who's lying and who's telling the truth and I..." His voice choked and swinging around, he grabbed Jonathan by the arm. "They said that you...that you gave me to them because you knew I had a duty to serve the country. And...they said that they gave you money for it, and you took it."
Jonathan laughed, shortly, bitterly. "They said that we sold you to them? For one thing, giving you up was the hardest thing we'd ever done. And for another, all you'd have to do is look at the farm to see that we aren't exactly feeding the cows money because we've got too much to spend."
"And you say that you didn't, and...that you loved me like parents...I just don't know who to believe!"
"Believe your heart, Clark," Jonathan answered, steadily.
"That doesn't help much." Lex blinked at Clark's tone. The killing machine was turning into a moody teenager in front of his eyes. "I've got to find out what's *really* happening." In a blur of motion, he was gone.
They heard an angry voice shouting, from the other room, "Clark, come back!"
"He's going to come back here once he realizes Clark isn't likely to obey him right now." Lex definitely felt more comfortable being in charge. "We'd better get out."
"Going past him?" Lana asked, her eyes still skeptical.
"No self-respecting dungeon lacks a secret exit." He just hoped, as he pressed the wall for the hidden latch, that he remembered where it was. Just as he was about to kick the wall in frustration, he found the right spot and a panel slid aside with the requisite creak. He stooped to enter and watched as Lana expertly herded the Kents inside, then helped him push the door back into place. Feeling as unlike Alexander the Great as he ever had, he ushered the oddly assorted group up the winding stone stairs.
The two stared at one another for an increasingly awkward moment.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Luthor?" Jonathan broke the silence with an enraged bellow, and this time, when Clark put out an arm, keeping the farmer behind him, Lex wasn't sure why.
"Trying to make sure that at least some of us survive this," Lex snapped back. Both men again looked at Clark, who was looking perplexed and even sad. Lex decided that he could live with that, something he probably couldn't have accomplished with homicidal or determined.
"I...I don't know what I was going to do," he muttered. Lex wished the light were better, since he couldn't really believe that the boy was blushing. "Nothing makes sense any more!" he burst out, bitterly. "I don't know who's lying and who's telling the truth and I..." His voice choked and swinging around, he grabbed Jonathan by the arm. "They said that you...that you gave me to them because you knew I had a duty to serve the country. And...they said that they gave you money for it, and you took it."
Jonathan laughed, shortly, bitterly. "They said that we sold you to them? For one thing, giving you up was the hardest thing we'd ever done. And for another, all you'd have to do is look at the farm to see that we aren't exactly feeding the cows money because we've got too much to spend."
"And you say that you didn't, and...that you loved me like parents...I just don't know who to believe!"
"Believe your heart, Clark," Jonathan answered, steadily.
"That doesn't help much." Lex blinked at Clark's tone. The killing machine was turning into a moody teenager in front of his eyes. "I've got to find out what's *really* happening." In a blur of motion, he was gone.
They heard an angry voice shouting, from the other room, "Clark, come back!"
"He's going to come back here once he realizes Clark isn't likely to obey him right now." Lex definitely felt more comfortable being in charge. "We'd better get out."
"Going past him?" Lana asked, her eyes still skeptical.
"No self-respecting dungeon lacks a secret exit." He just hoped, as he pressed the wall for the hidden latch, that he remembered where it was. Just as he was about to kick the wall in frustration, he found the right spot and a panel slid aside with the requisite creak. He stooped to enter and watched as Lana expertly herded the Kents inside, then helped him push the door back into place. Feeling as unlike Alexander the Great as he ever had, he ushered the oddly assorted group up the winding stone stairs.
