Chapter 12
"Before we die, Clark, is there anything you'd like to tell me?" asked Lionel.
"Only that you should appreciate your son more," replied Clark.
"That's it? No dark family secret you want to let me in on?"
"No."
Lionel reached into his coat pocket and felt a package. The silver bullets that Clark had given to him!
"Well, Clark. You may have just saved us again. Toss another grenade and buy me some time," whispered Lionel to Clark.
Clark nodded and carefully leaned down over a police officer. There weren't any flash bang grenades on the body, so he removed the belt, made sure Lionel was preoccupied with whatever he was doing, and threw it at the wolves in front of him. He fired a blast of concentrated heat vision at the belt, causing all of the contents to explode. Lionel whirled around to see what had happened.
"Uh... must have been a real grenade," lied Clark, again. Lionel shook his head and got up, revealing that he still had his handgun. He cocked it and took aim at the nearest wolf.
He fired.
And then everything slowed to a near stop. Clark watched the bullet move quickly through the air heading for its target. He was tempted to melt it with his heat vision, but instead watched helplessly as it continued to travel through the air. Without realizing it, he switched to x-ray vision just as the bullet smashed into the wolf's chest.
The red aura he'd seen before crystallized in a brilliant display, then turned silver before finally disappearing. He snapped out of x-ray vision and watched as the wolf toppled to the ground. He moaned in pain, clawing at empty air. His hair, instead of retracting, grew out to its full length and fell off the body, leaving only a dead human.
All the while, Lionel had his gun aimed at the wolf man, never moving until he saw him motionless. He lowered the weapon and watched the werewolves affectionately caress the human's dead body. Then one snapped its jaws on his head.
The wolves decided to focus their attention on eating the dead body and ignored Clark and Lionel, allowing them to slip away into the night.
* * *
"Smallville's Finest turned into the Smallville's hungriest," pointed out Lionel as he and Clark left the town. "Pathetic."
"Edward must have gotten to them," murmured Clark.
"The boy's going to be facing some serious charges if this ever ends," snapped Lionel. "And he'll have me to answer to. My own son – succumbed to this curse! And you know what, Clark? I'm helpless. I can't stand that."
Clark was shocked. He could swear that what he was listening to was Lionel Luthor (THE Lionel Luthor) breaking down beside him. No longer was he heartless man of infinite power. He was a very, very scared man with his life hanging on a thread and a son out of his control. Clark felt a pang of guilt.
Jonathon Kent hadn't had much control when Clark had stormed off to Metropolis. And like Lex, he was under a powerful influence. Unlike Lex, Clark had consciously made the decision to put on the red kryptonite ring, knowing that his actions would be unpredictable – knowing that he would only end up hurting the ones he loved. Lex didn't want to become a werewolf. Lex didn't want to hurt anyone.
Clark would break Lex's spell if it were the last thing he did.
"Clark? You seem... out of it," observed Lionel.
"I'm just thinking. Don't you want to get your son back?"
"I want my son to get better. No matter what it takes."
* * *
They arrived at the Luthor Mansion just as the sun rose. Lionel thought he had never seen a more beautiful sight, and he'd come to appreciate each dawn much more.
A familiar voice came from behind them. "Y'know, I thought I went to the Talon for some coffee last night, but judging from my shredded clothes, where I woke up, and my headache, not to mention I have no idea what happened since, I have a feeling I winded up at the Wild Coyote for some beers. Can either of you tell me if that's true?"
Lionel looked at him in shock. "Lex?"
"None other," he smiled. His smile broke after a second and he collapsed to his knees, beginning to softly sob. "Oh God, what have I done?"
Lionel shook his head. "What have you become?"
* * *
In Smallville, a dozen police officers vomited at the sight at so many of their friends and coworkers dead. In less than an hour, people would flood the town to perform their early morning errands and this would be what they would see.
Sheriff Adams was the one most upset by realizing what she had done. She couldn't remember what had happened, when she had eaten these people, or why she returned to her old self. She could only remember those last few seconds when she held up her hands after being bit in the leg by that wolf and seeing claws growing out of her fingers.
Deputy Speer walked up to her, a look of despair on his face. "What happened, Sheriff? What happened?"
"We had a bad night, Speer. We had a very bad night."
Speer wiped his eyes and looked at his feet.
"Oh, one more thing, Speer. Remind me to go easier on the Kent boy. He's smarter under all that flannel than I give him credit for."
"Before we die, Clark, is there anything you'd like to tell me?" asked Lionel.
"Only that you should appreciate your son more," replied Clark.
"That's it? No dark family secret you want to let me in on?"
"No."
Lionel reached into his coat pocket and felt a package. The silver bullets that Clark had given to him!
"Well, Clark. You may have just saved us again. Toss another grenade and buy me some time," whispered Lionel to Clark.
Clark nodded and carefully leaned down over a police officer. There weren't any flash bang grenades on the body, so he removed the belt, made sure Lionel was preoccupied with whatever he was doing, and threw it at the wolves in front of him. He fired a blast of concentrated heat vision at the belt, causing all of the contents to explode. Lionel whirled around to see what had happened.
"Uh... must have been a real grenade," lied Clark, again. Lionel shook his head and got up, revealing that he still had his handgun. He cocked it and took aim at the nearest wolf.
He fired.
And then everything slowed to a near stop. Clark watched the bullet move quickly through the air heading for its target. He was tempted to melt it with his heat vision, but instead watched helplessly as it continued to travel through the air. Without realizing it, he switched to x-ray vision just as the bullet smashed into the wolf's chest.
The red aura he'd seen before crystallized in a brilliant display, then turned silver before finally disappearing. He snapped out of x-ray vision and watched as the wolf toppled to the ground. He moaned in pain, clawing at empty air. His hair, instead of retracting, grew out to its full length and fell off the body, leaving only a dead human.
All the while, Lionel had his gun aimed at the wolf man, never moving until he saw him motionless. He lowered the weapon and watched the werewolves affectionately caress the human's dead body. Then one snapped its jaws on his head.
The wolves decided to focus their attention on eating the dead body and ignored Clark and Lionel, allowing them to slip away into the night.
* * *
"Smallville's Finest turned into the Smallville's hungriest," pointed out Lionel as he and Clark left the town. "Pathetic."
"Edward must have gotten to them," murmured Clark.
"The boy's going to be facing some serious charges if this ever ends," snapped Lionel. "And he'll have me to answer to. My own son – succumbed to this curse! And you know what, Clark? I'm helpless. I can't stand that."
Clark was shocked. He could swear that what he was listening to was Lionel Luthor (THE Lionel Luthor) breaking down beside him. No longer was he heartless man of infinite power. He was a very, very scared man with his life hanging on a thread and a son out of his control. Clark felt a pang of guilt.
Jonathon Kent hadn't had much control when Clark had stormed off to Metropolis. And like Lex, he was under a powerful influence. Unlike Lex, Clark had consciously made the decision to put on the red kryptonite ring, knowing that his actions would be unpredictable – knowing that he would only end up hurting the ones he loved. Lex didn't want to become a werewolf. Lex didn't want to hurt anyone.
Clark would break Lex's spell if it were the last thing he did.
"Clark? You seem... out of it," observed Lionel.
"I'm just thinking. Don't you want to get your son back?"
"I want my son to get better. No matter what it takes."
* * *
They arrived at the Luthor Mansion just as the sun rose. Lionel thought he had never seen a more beautiful sight, and he'd come to appreciate each dawn much more.
A familiar voice came from behind them. "Y'know, I thought I went to the Talon for some coffee last night, but judging from my shredded clothes, where I woke up, and my headache, not to mention I have no idea what happened since, I have a feeling I winded up at the Wild Coyote for some beers. Can either of you tell me if that's true?"
Lionel looked at him in shock. "Lex?"
"None other," he smiled. His smile broke after a second and he collapsed to his knees, beginning to softly sob. "Oh God, what have I done?"
Lionel shook his head. "What have you become?"
* * *
In Smallville, a dozen police officers vomited at the sight at so many of their friends and coworkers dead. In less than an hour, people would flood the town to perform their early morning errands and this would be what they would see.
Sheriff Adams was the one most upset by realizing what she had done. She couldn't remember what had happened, when she had eaten these people, or why she returned to her old self. She could only remember those last few seconds when she held up her hands after being bit in the leg by that wolf and seeing claws growing out of her fingers.
Deputy Speer walked up to her, a look of despair on his face. "What happened, Sheriff? What happened?"
"We had a bad night, Speer. We had a very bad night."
Speer wiped his eyes and looked at his feet.
"Oh, one more thing, Speer. Remind me to go easier on the Kent boy. He's smarter under all that flannel than I give him credit for."