Chapter 7- Mistakes we all make
A/N- hope this is better than the Emma chapter.
Lionel Luthor paced restlessly in his cell. Suddenly he heard the sound of footsteps casually approaching him from the darkness. The footsteps ceased as their owner stopped just outside of the ring of light cast by the small incandescent bulb of his cell.
"Mr. Luthor, I trust that you are comfortable," a well-enunciated, slightly accented voice addressed him. Lionel strained against the metal bars and peered into the darkness toward the voice deciding that the accent was British. He could barely make out its owner's tousle-haired silhouette against the darkness.
"Who are you?" Lionel demanded. "Why have you taken me captive? What do you want?"
The man chuckled. "So many questions. I have one for you. Where is Lex Luthor?"
Lionel internally blanched at the mention of his son's name then tightened his grasp on the bars as he glared toward the voice in anger. "I have no idea, and that is none of your business," he growled, wondering why they were interested in him and Lex.
"Wrong answer," the voice replied pleasantly. Lionel cried out as a strong electrical current ran through the bars that he had been grasping. After about 10 seconds, the pain stopped. Gasping, Lionel slid down to the floor, his long hair plastered to his sweaty face. He hastily rolled away from the bars and stared at the faceless menace out there in the dark.
"You must be hungry and thirsty," the voice continued, "so please indulge in the specialties of the house." A small square in the floor lifted, exposing a panel that held a steaming plate of food with place setting. The aroma of a steak filled the cell. Lionel's mouth watered but as he looked more closely, he thought he saw the grains of rice moving. Revulsed, Lionel covered his mouth and turned away from the abomination. He stared out toward his captor.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Lionel asked quietly. "And what do you want with us?"
The faceless man sighed heavily in the darkness. "No sense of adventure," he lamented.
"Come," he said softly to the darkness. A little girl approached Lionel's cell.
"Emily!" Lionel half-whispered.
"Why did you stop visiting me, Mr. Luthor? I thought you were my friend," the little clone-girl said plaintively. Lionel backed away from the bars.
"She is the result of genetic experimentation funded by Luthorcorp, isn't she?" the man in the shadows asked.
"I know nothing about the experimentation," Lionel replied doggedly.
"Come now, you will need a much better explanation than that for the Tribunal in order to clear the activities of LuthorCorp's employees. As its head, you are considered responsible for all its activities. As your defense, I need to understand your operations fully."
"What's the Tribunal?" Lionel asked.
"I'm glad you asked," the man in the darkness replied. "The Tribunal is an elite body of powerful individuals who monitor world-wide activities for abnormalities. Their mission is to ferret out the truth and punish those greedy individuals who are promoting abnormalities in the worldwide culture for their own profit.
"Whose truth are they trying to measure the rest of the world against? Theirs?" Lionel interrupted defiantly. He started and ducked as a bolt of electricity jumped from one bar across his cell to another bar.
"You will not interrupt me again, Mr. Luthor." The voice warned, then continued in a more pleasant tone. "The Tribunal has noticed the unusually high occurrence of New Mutancies in this area. It is the theory of the Tribunal that LuthorCorp is producing its own brand of New Mutants. We have found that LuthorCorp possesses a large amount of Meteor Rock and has assigned projects to various parties. One project resulted in this highly talented child here. Another instance that flagged our attention was the arrest of three high school young men who had been processing the rock into an inhalant for greater physical abilities. What other projects do you have out there? The woman, Desire, who initially married your son, Lex then tried to murder him? Hm. That sounds like a typical assignment, Lionel - something right up your alley. And what about your son? Isn't he also a mutated product of the meteor rock that you so carefully collect and store?"
"You've got it all wrong!" Lionel protested. "Lex was mutated because of exposure to the meteor radiation as a child. He simply lost his hair. I don't experiment on children."
The man in the darkness paused. "Uh huh. So you do experiments. And what of Emily? So you're saying that your son doesn't read minds or has acquired genius mental capacity? Then why is he CEO of LexCorp at such a young age?"
Lionel sighed. His 'defense' was good. "Wealth has its privileges," he answered in a resigned tone, hoping to placate his adversary.
"Do you know any of the following individuals: Adam Kane, Emma DeLauro, Jesse Kilmartin, Shalimar Fox, or Brennan Mulray?" the voice asked suddenly, sharply.
Lionel thought for a moment. "Fox. Name sounds familiar; I may have some business connections with a fellow named Nicholas Fox, but I don't know any Shalimar Fox. Should I know these people?"
"These people are considered felons, outlaws. They are being hunted down for immediate sentencing. Association with any of them will involve you in their sentence as well. You would do well to report any knowledge of them up front. Perhaps the Tribunal will be lenient with you if you could help… bring them to justice."
"I don't know of them but I have resources. I could be of assistance," Lionel replied, interested in a chance to redeem himself.
"The Tribunal has unlimited resources, Mr. Luthor. Surrender your contact lists to the Tribunal. That is probably the only thing of value you might have," the stranger said.
"Come Emily," the man in the darkness said without answering Lionel's question. The child stared at Lionel a moment longer and vanished. "Nicely done," Lionel could hear the man tell the child as their footsteps receded into the outer darkness leaving Lionel alone again.
Lionel's eyes hardened. He didn't like the attitude of the stranger. He would bide his time though and eventually have his way. If he could just bargain his way out of this cell.
"If I let you know where my son is, would you let me go?" Lionel shouted after the retreating stranger.
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The next morning, Chloe and Lana walked down the corridors of Smallville hospital.
"You sure this is ok?" Lana asked Chloe shyly, wearing a slightly oversized lab coat. Chloe, likewise wearing a lab coat nodded and winked.
"We're only looking for the tractor accident patient they admitted yesterday. If he's able to talk, maybe we can get a good story for the newspaper." Chloe was sparkling with excitement.
risk but maybe not," Chloe said, nodding toward an open door. They could see an IV hookup and an occupied bed. "Follow me," she hissed at Lana.
"Excuse me," Chloe said, brandishing her clipboard. "Is there anything we can get for you to make your stay more comfortable?" she asked with a charming smile that froze on her face when an elderly woman peered out of the covers and smiled at the young ladies.
"Oh yes, thank you so much for stopping by. Could you refresh the water for me please? And pull that quilt up on me a little more. You're not here to draw my blood again are you?"
"Oh no," Lana stammered nervously. "We're aides, hospital aides," she lied nervously.
"Can you stay awhile and visit?" the woman asked.
"Of course," Chloe replied sitting down next to her. "What's your full name, Mrs…."
"Eleanor Tabias," the woman replied. "I had a little girl who looked like you once. But that was a long time ago, before the war. I lived through the Great Depression, you know….." Lana looked down to hide her amused impatience as Chloe looked bemusedly at the woman and began to take notes.
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Adam, Shalimar, Clark and Lex sat at the breakfast table at the Luthor mansion. Emma was still sleeping. "Where's Frank?" Shalimar asked.
"Oh, he said something about stopping by to visit Brennan, give him the shock of his life" Lex replied.
Shalimar bristled. "When?" she demanded.
"Oh he left with Helen about a fifteen minutes ago. Is there something wrong?" Lex answered.
Adam activated his comm.-link. "Jesse, you may want to know that an old friend of ours is headed in to visit Brennan. Could be a thorny situation."
"I understand, Adam." Jesse's voice replied.
"Hey Adam," Brennan's voice came through Adam's comm.-link. "Thanks. I owe you."
"Just keep as quiet as possible and let your body regenerate," the scientist told him. "Out."
Lex watched the conversation with fascination. "Cool rings," he commented matter-of-factly. "Government issue?"
"You might say that," Adam replied. "Shalimar, you'll have to stay here in case our friends at the Tribunal decide to visit Mr. Luthor. I'll go check on Emma."
The beautiful blond pouted momentarily. She looked at Clark. "You hanging around here or do your folks need you at the farm?" she asked. Clark smiled impishly at the blond feral and gave her a meaningful look. Shalimar considered the look for a moment and nodded. Clark had already gone to the farm, did his chores and returned at super speed, just like he had brought Brennan to the hospital yesterday.
"I'm all set," Clark replied. "You want me around, Lex?" he asked his friend.
Lex raised an eyebrow and nodded at his tall, dark-haired friend. "I just hope I'm not going to be followed by the group of you all day, I've got work to do," he replied as he picked up the phone. "Got a broken package for you to pick up near the Kent residence," he said to the person on the other end. "It's very fragile. See what broke it and put it away for Mr. Mac." Lex glanced up at Adam who had just returned. "She's all set. My people will move the craft to a safe place and check it out. I'll bring you there later."
Adam nodded his thanks and looked at Shalimar questioningly. She nodded silently and the two walked out of the room to speak privately.
"That's Clark Kent," Shalimar said, anticipating Adam's question. Knowing that the place was bugged. she whispered, "He's a new Mutant with enhanced vision, strength and speed. He saved Brennan's life and got me out of the wreckage." Adam suddenly had that determined, fascinated look that usually meant that he found a research subject. "Adam, do you think Brennan will be safe?" Shalimar placed a hand on Adam's arm. "Frank should be there any moment now."
"Frank seemed to be uncharacteristically considerate of you and Emma," Adam replied.
"Just before you and Dr. Bryce arrived, Frank mentioned something about us being the lesser of 2 evils, that Eckhart was back," Shalimar added. Adam nodded thoughtfully. The man had fled Genomex a couple years ago. Seeing them must have given him cause to rethink his offer to join the underground, Adam thought. Still, he was concerned about the bad feeling between Frank and Brennan.
"Strange people," Lex commented to Clark. "Do you think they're really associated with the government?"
Clark smiled and shrugged. "They could be."
Lex grimaced. "They came here to warn Dad and me about… the Tribunal? Don't you think a personal visit to a couple strangers is a little much? They could have just called."
Clark gave Lex a sidewise glance. "Despite their misfortunes, they seem to be highly trained people. I would take Adam's claims about the Tribunal seriously. Perhaps they can help us find your father and to keep you from being abducted."
Lex snorted in derision. "Yeah." He said skeptically.
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Back at Strongville Hospital, Chloe and Lana left the room. Mrs. Tabias smiled and called goodbye after them. "I really enjoyed your company. Please do come by again."
"I just might do that," Chloe replied. "She has a fascinating story," she said to Lana, who looked at her friend and shrugged. The two trudged up the hall a ways. Hearing a male voice, they stopped and listened. "That way," Chloe pointed. Their shoes clacked loudly on the fresh waxed tiled floor. Lana knocked tentatively on a door.
"Come in," a male voice answered. Hearts beating fast with anticipation, Lana pushed the door open followed by Chloe. Brennan was sitting up on the bed, bandage covering the wound on his bare chest. Jesse sat at the side of the bed, pushing a chess piece across the table between them.
"Hi," Jesse said politely. Brennan looked up from the game. "Hi," he said in a friendly manner.
"We don't want to take much of your time, but are you the accident victim?" Chloe asked eagerly, blushing at the sight of the two good looking guys.
"Hm." Jesse glanced down at their fancy dress shoes and he grinned at Brennan. "If they have to ask, they don't work here."
"Um, you don't seem to be dressed for the job," Brennan replied, rearranging himself on the bed. "OK, so who are you really?" Brennan asked Chloe. "You look a little too young to be nurses or lab techs."
"We're hospital aides. And we're not young," Chloe said somewhat indignantly, wishing that she didn't blush so easily.
"Yeah?" Jesse said skeptically. Lana smiled timidly at the blue-eyed man, thinking he was really cute. "We met most of the staff during our stay here." The blond man continued. "So what do you do besides running around the hospital in dress shoes and oversized lab coats?" .
Lana looked over to Chloe for help. Chloe nodded then blushed as Brennan carefully flexed his arms, testing to see if the bandaging would hold. Angry at herself for her reaction to the dark-haired man, she looked down at the clipboard and composed herself. "I'm a reporter. I manage the newspaper for Smallville High," she said.
"And I manage the Talon, it's a coffee shop in town," Lana added.
Jesse and Brennan exchanged amused glances. "Boy, I could use a good cup of coffee about now," Jesse said, stifling a yawn.
Brennan grinned at the girls. "Next time you want to pose as hospital aides," he pointed at their feet, "you might want to wear different shoes and maybe pretend to wear some kind of ID." Chloe and Lana looked at their dress shoes.
"OK," Chloe replied. "Now may I ask you some questions? I understand that you were in an accident earlier yesterday. Can you give us some details?"
Brennan stared thoughtfully at Chloe for a moment. "Uh, no." he replied.
Jesse studied the blond and asked, "why would you want to know about a patient's accident? Do you work for an insurance company on the side?"
"Oh." Chloe's face lit up with understanding. "I'm sorry. Just wanted an interesting story. Thought the tractor accident would be a good front page."
Brennan and Jesse exchanged looks. "I think you have the wrong room. The tractor guy is down the hall a few doors," Jesse informed her.
"Oh." Chloe looked crestfallen. "I'm sorry for bothering you. But what happened to you? You don't look like you're from around here." She stopped as she noticed that the dark eyed man was looking past her to the door with a guarded look.
"I think you ladies should be leaving now," Jesse said softly.
Frank Thorne stood in the doorway with an interested, indulgent look on his face. "Business trip gone bad?" he asked.
Brennan glared at the grinning man as Jesse positioned himself between the TeleKinetic and the Elemental.
"Adam said you were coming," Jesse said quietly.
Lana and Chloe stood uncertainly at the side of the room where the curtains were drawn. Suddenly Dr. Bryce was shoved into the room, knocking Frank Thorne off balance toward Brennan's bed. Frank whirled around to see who had pushed the doctor into him. Jesse and Brennan tensed for action. Lana gave a little shriek as a soldier dressed in black, armed with a gun slid in through the window next to her. Three more soldiers followed Dr. Helen Bryce into Brennan's room.
"What's going on here?" Brennan shouted. "Who are you?"
One of the men in black held a taser out at Brennan. "No talking. You will all be coming with us or these young ladies get hurt. Lana and Chloe huddled against each other with terror written on their faces. Helen Bryce stepped close to them to calm them. Jesse and Thorne stood by frustrated, not willing to show their powers in the midst of this group, not willing for anyone to get injured.
"Luthor's fiancé, Mulray, Kilmartin and Thorne. Won't the boss be pleased." The spokesman said with a sneer.
The black uniformed men dispersed around them. Brennan lay gasping on the bed, a quick movement had apparently opened the wound again, rendering him helpless. Jesse and Frank whirled, facing a soldier who waved a taser at them and tried to attack them. Too late they heard Dr Bryce shout out a warning, then they heard a loud snap. The world turned into darkness as metal controlling rods were inserted into their skulls, delivered by gun.
"What about them?" a man asked, waving a gun toward Chloe and Lana.
"Bring them along. We wouldn't want to leave anyone out." The leader replied. A soldier pulled the curtain to the side, revealing the open window, leading into the back of a transport.
"Ladies first." He said.
