" Lex, the limo is here come along we don't want to be the last ones there, do we?" Lionel Luthor had appeared at Lex's hotel room door, dressed in a smart, crisp black suit and standing with his usual air of importance.
" Heaven forbid." Was Lex's distracted reply, he quickly exited the file he had been reading on his lap top and reached to the coat stand for his diner jacket, he too was dressed with impeccable taste, donning his usual open shirt suit. " We'd better be going then hadn't we." He moved towards the door, but as he left his father abruptly brought his had to Lex's shoulder stopping him in his tracks.
" I don't know what it is that's bothering you Lex, but maybe you'd like to drop the attitude this evening, an arrogant man never gets far in life." Lex didn't look at his father but silently and relentlessly acknowledged his fathers words and continued to make his way towards the lift. Lionel joined him.
" Now, there will be many people from Luthor Corps there tonight and they'll probably want to know about Luthor waste disposal, just make sure that you tell them business is booming and don't whatever you do Lex mention the letters you've been getting from irritable farmers."
" It was one letter Dad, and why would I tell anyone, think I'd want to make you look bad?" Lex, though he knew his father had many enemies as a result from various business ventures, wouldn't dream of mentioning the letter of complaint, however not to save Lionel, this would have an effect on him as well.
" Yes ok son, you haven't sent any kind of reply, have you."
" No."
" Good, and don't, not yet anyway." As they walked out of the elaborate doors of the hotel, they were met by a sharply dressed limo driver, who after greeting them opened the door and signalled for them to step in.
Twenty minutes later they arrived at the party venue, a building that was part of Luthor Corps and largely used for these types of functions. They were again met at the door by a smart usher dressed in a deep red suit complete with tail coat,
" Mr. Luthor, I have already shown people inside I hope you don't mind."
" Not at all Frederick, come and see me later we'll sort out the extra we discussed." Lionel smiled at the usher with a liking Lex had never seem before.
They made their way into the main room too be greeted by yet more hired help who came complete with a tray of champagne. Lex and his father took a glass each and carried on into the room.
" I shall be over here Lex, greeting the guests, the new executive, Mr. Lowman, will be here shortly, make him welcome and be sure to mention the prosperity of Luthor Corps." Lionel smiled at Lex in an odd sort of way, a way that was meant in a sort of threatening trust. He disappeared into the crowd that has already formed in the hall.
Lex thinking that he could be in other places at this moment in time made his way towards the buffet, he hadn't eaten since that morning as he had been taken in by an ominous e-mail he had received from the professor that was heading his research project.
" We have made a break through,"
The first line in the short message that didn't go into much detail, Lex remembered how his fathers interruption in the hotel had stopped him phoning the professor and finding out more.
He stood and gazed at the elaborate spread no the large buffet table, full of foods from around the globe that he was sure he wouldn't like, he settled on an odd looking prawn cracker type thing, and nibbling slowly made his way through the crowds.
Throughout the evening he was stopped may a time by people he was sure he had never met before but seemed to know him and insisted on every detail of his current business affairs. After an hour or two Lex had become very tired of this and began to make his conversations short and snappy pretending that he had to find his father.
As Lex was wandering aimlessly around staring at the elaborate ceiling covered in chandeliers and detailed patterns, vaguely thinking of getting more champagne, a dark, rugged figure standing in the corner of the room alone, caught his eye. This was a man he was certain that he had never seen around before and something about his appearance made him think that he couldn't be one of his fathers employees. He was quite tall with a rough stubbly face and a mass of straggly dark hair, he was however like everyone else dressed in a diner jacket. But there was something else Lex noticed as he moved further towards him, he was wearing an odd bracelet around his wrist, in the middle of which was a roughly cut but extremely shiny, black-green rock.
Meteor rock! Thought Lex immediately, but even though he was sure that it was the same rock that littered the Smallville land, it looked different, darker, but the luminous green colour still shone through. Though he didn't think the man had seen him staring at him, Lex cautiously made his way through he masses of people to his father who was talking to the new executive,
"Dad can I have a word?" Lionel turned abruptly to his son,
"Lex! You haven't met Mr. Lowman have you? Mr. Lowman this is my son, Lex." Mr. Lowman smiled openly at Lex,
" Ah yes, young Mr. Luthor I've heard so much about you Lex, tell me how do you fid being a part of this phenomenal business!" Lex clenched his teeth at the prospect of having to again talk business,
" Its um a huge inspiration, Dad I need to have a word," Lex urged his father as he flicked his eyes towards the figure who was still propping up the corner of the room.
" Excuse me Mr. Lowman, this wont take a minute, business no doubt." He turned and let himself be lead away by his son.
" Lex what is it, don't you realise the importance of me introducing Mr. Lowman to the rest of the staff?" Lex felt a surge of anger but pushed it to one side,
" That man stood over there in the corner, scruffy sort of looking, who is he? Was he on the invite list?" Lionel squinted at the man Lex was pointing to.
" No I don't know who he is, but that's not really surprising is it, he's probably just the husband or partner of an employee, is this what you dragged me over here for? For goodness sake Lex make yourself useful," he left Lex standing, and staring at the man who now was looking around as if making sure he wasn't being watched. Lex diverted his eyes as the mans gaze swept over to where he was standing. Then as if satisfied he wasn't being watched the man made his way around the side of the hall towards one of the doors that Lex knew led off into small rooms where business meetings often took place. Taking one last look around, the man swept quickly into the first room and closed the door behind him. Who was he?
Lex keeping his eye on the door dashed his way through the crowd with the idea of confrontation in mind. As he neared the room he was stopped in his tracks by the man he recognised as the chairman of Luthor Corps, Mr. Gerry Edwards.
" Lex good to see you, making money by the second no doubt, chip off the old block ay? I trust you are in business at the moment?" Mr. Edwards was a short and extremely well kept man who was noticeably well off.
" Mr. Edwards," Lex was aware that he looked distracted and he glanced wearily at the room the shifty man had entered. " Business is great, um I don't mean to be rude but I have to find my father, we'll have that chat later." he smiled and hurried off towards the room. He reached his hand towards the handle and turned it slowly, before cautiously entering the room himself.
Once inside he glanced around at the minimalist room that only really contained a desk and laptop. It was behind the desk that he saw the man, he snapped the door shut so that he would get his attention. It had the desired effect at the man looked up instantly. Much to Lex's surprise he smiled at him, but not at all in a friendly way,
" Ah Lex Luthor, pleasure to meet you at last," he quickly and swiftly removed a disc from the lap top before closing it, " This has been a long time coming." His eyes flashed dangerously, and he put the disc safely in his breast pocket. Lex had a horrible feeling that this mans strange mood had something to do with his father, and he hadn't forgotten about the meteor bracelet.
" Who are you? And what are you doing here?"
" You don't know who I am? No I didn't think you would, your father made sure of that," his eyes flashed again.
" My father doesn't know you either, I asked him, what do you want?"
" No your father only met me once, before he ruined my life, I bet your just the same aren't you, only out for what you can get? Yes your father is quite the business man isn't he? Showed my dad that didn't he?" Lex was surprised to see the strangers eyes fill with tears and such and uncontrollable anger that he began to shake. He decided not to aggravate him too much and so changed his tactics.
" Quite the contrary, I don't think I'm much like my father at all, is your father an employee?" he guessed right or half right at least.
" Ha! You genuinely don't know do you? He was an employee but not anymore no he's dead! And all because of that man that excuse for a human being your father!" there was a madness in this man eyes that made Lex uncomfortable, " But now, now I have the power to finish him and you, you will end up with nothing, I have found all I need!" he stared at Lex threateningly.
" What do you mean? My father killed him?"
" He took away everything that my father ever cared about his home, job, all because of greed and now he's dead, he lost the will. He wanted to give me something…. something that I could carry on but he died a poor man with nothing and now you are all going to pay!" Lex wasn't shocked any more this sounded exactly like his father, but what had this man found? He again turned his attention to the odd bracelet, the stranger followed his gaze,
" You like it? Something else the Luthor's want, well you cant have it!" He now looked quizzical and menacing daring Lex to try and take his bracelet.
" Where did you get that rock, its meteor isn't it?" The man stared and slowly took a few steps towards Lex,
" You cant have it! What else do your family want from me! My life as well!" This whole situation was becoming very bizarre, what was wrong with him?
" No I don't want it I just……." Lex stopped fast and stared his voice caught in his throat as the stranger now brandished a revolver at him shaking more violently than ever.
" Now who has the power Lex? This rock is the only thing I have it gives more power and control than you or your father will ever have!" No sooner had he said these words than he sped a a phenomenal speed faster than light it would seen toward the window.
" How, how did you…….." Lex held his hands out to the side to show that he surrendered, something that he had always despised doing, another Luthor trate.
" Its all about power Lex," he pointed the weapon straight at Lex indicating that his life aws about to come to an abrupt end.
" The meteor, is that what made you do that………..?" then again as fast as light the rugged man swooped towards Lex and within a second he was inches from his face. Lex gulped and eyed the revolver with a certain amount of fright on his face.
" Got it in one rich boy."
" I'm not like my father," Lex insisted though as he said it he felt a pang of guilt at disowning is father. " Were you doing on the lap top what did….." but Lex was cut short by his fathers arrival followed shortly by several of his considerable well armed body guards.
" Lex step away." Lionel said shortly.
" don't even think about it Lex, remember," he said in little more than a whisper,
"power!"
" Dad just go"
Lionel signalled to his men and they aimed simultaneously at the stranger that had Lex exactly where he wanted him. In a sudden flail of shouts from Lionel and the advances of the body guards a single shot from the shifty mans gun followed his hollow unnerving laugh.
He lay motionless on the floor, blood seeping from his head and the revolver still in his hand. Lex stared for a moment before bending down a d removing the disc form his breast pocket, only for it to be whipped from his hand by his father.
