~Earlier that day~
Clark was thrilled. For his sixteenth birthday Lex had given him a trip to England! True, Lex had a meeting with some foreign company that had been canceled at the last minute, so it was the extra ticket that went to Clark. But he was still extremely excited. He had never been out of Kansas before, let alone the entire United States. The fall break had just begun and Clark was on his way to London for a whole week. "Life is good," he thought.
Clark stepped out of the London airport and was amazed. There was a cool, humid breeze blowing around him as he took in the sites. He saw tall buildings and small shops. The cars were on the left side of the road. All of the conversations had strong British accents. Clark boarded a double- decker bus heading to southern London, his destination, and climbed up to the top level.
He rode for about half an hour before he came to his stop. Clark hopped off the bus and took in his surroundings. On his left he could see his hotel, generously paid for courtesy of Lex, towering more than twice the height of neighboring buildings. On his right, down a few blocks, he could see Kings Cross Station. Across the street, he could see a night club, which he assumed would be quite a happening place after dark, though it was empty now. Turning to the hotel, Clark headed for the giant front doors. He walked up to the front desk and the clerk greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Good day, sir! How may I help you?" asked the young brunette.
"Hi, a friend of mine made a reservation here for me," Clark began.
"Okay, what is your friend's last name?" she asked.
"Luthor."
"Oh, you know Mr. Luthor! Wonderful," she flagged down a bellboy. "This man will show you to your room, Mister-"
"Kent."
"Mr. Kent. Enjoy your stay, sir!"
Clark followed the man into a fancy elevator, and they rode up to the seventh floor. Stepping out of the elevator, Clark found himself in an elaborate hallway, decked with paintings, two evenly spaced glass tables holding large vases of flowers. He only saw three doors on each side of the long hallway, and the man showed him to the last door on the right. Clark's eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw that the golden letters on the door read, "703 - Presidential Suite."
Clark stepped inside and stopped in his tracks. The bellboy said someone would be right up with his luggage, but Clark barely heard him. The suite was huge; just the bathroom was the size of his living room at home. There was a jacuzzi tub, and a large shower as well. Across from the door, the window covered the wall of a raised platform, about five feet above the rest of the room, making an indoor balcony. There was a large television set in the far corner of the room, with an overstuffed chair and a couch facing it. The bed was nearly as big as his own bedroom, and looked like it would be very comfortable. Next to the door, there was a full-sized refrigerator, not a miniature one that you normally find in hotels.
Clark walked up onto the balcony and looked out the window. He could see tall office buildings, churches, and other smaller buildings in the distance that he assumed to be shops and restaurants. He could see the train station, and the little night club across the street.
There was a knock on his door, and Clark went to answer it. Outside he found another bellboy with his two small suitcases. He thanked him and paid the tip, and carried his luggage over to the large dresser. Knowing that nobody would see him, he used his super speed to unpack his clothes and other items. Once he was settled in, Clark decided to take a nap, as he was tired from the time zone change. He slipped off his pants and shoes and headed over to the huge bed in boxers and a T-shirt. Pulling back the top comforter, he found that there was another blanket underneath. He pulled that back too, and had the same problem. He pulled yet another back and found the top sheet. He pulled that back, and noticed that he held almost six inches of covers in his other hand. Sighing, he grabbed the two top blankets and gave them a hard yank, pulling them both out and leaving him with one blanket and one top sheet. Satisfied, he climbed into the bed, pulled the covers up around him and shut his eyes.
The telephone's loud ring woke Clark up, and it took him a second to figure out where he was. Then he noticed that the phone was ringing on the night stand next to his bed. Reaching over to it, he picked up the receiver and answered with a groggy, "Hello?"
"Good evening, Sir. It is seven o'clock, supper is about to be served in the man dining room," the voice on the other end asked.
"Um..." Clark was still tired, but thought he would rather go out and see if he could find a local restaurant for dinner. "No thank you, I'm gonna go out for din - I mean supper tonight," Clark said.
"Very well, dial 3 for room service or if you need anything," the voice said, and hung up.
Clark set the phone back on its cradle and threw the covers off. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. He got up and decided to take a shower before going out on the town. Grabbing a maroon embroidered towel from the rack, he made for the bathroom.
Shutting off the water, Clark stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He walked over to the large dresser and pulled out a somewhat nice pair of blue jeans, and a red button up shirt. He pulled those on, and went to put on his shoes. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was nearly eight O'clock, and it was dark outside. He looked down out of the window and saw a large crowd of people outside of the little club. He figured he would go there and see what he could find to do.
After waiting in line for fifteen minutes, Clark finally made it up to the door. He guessed the bouncer just thought he looked older, because he waved Clark through. Still surprised that he was allowed in, he walked through the big double doors.
Immediately, loud, booming dance music hit Clark's ears, and flashing strobe lights and colorful disco lights danced before him. He could see that the large dance floor was packed with couples, and the bar along the right-hand wall held people drinking beer and other alcoholic beverages. Thinking that this was definitely not what he had in mind, he turned around, only to find himself face to face with a woman in a ridiculously low-cut red dress. She was wearing a lot of makeup and her blonde hair was streaked with dark red highlights.
"Hello, tall, dark, and handsome," the woman said seductively with her English accent.
"Um - I - I can't - I mean, I have to go," Clark stuttered, trying to make his way past her.
"Oh come on, lets have a bit of fun, shall we?" Clark is still trying to escape. "But I can see that you're not happy with this place, so lets go somewhere else," she said, and starting dragging him to a side door. They exited into an alley, the woman still dragging Clark. Suddenly several dark- clad figures emerged from the shadows. The woman gasped in fear, and Clark managed to edge his way around the approaching men to the opening of the alley. He ushered the lady out of the dark passage, and told her to run. Turning back to the men, the fight began. He fought off the men with ease, even when the last two threatened him with large guns. However, he did not notice the man that had been watching him. He finished the last of them off and looked down at his shirt. He saw that it had been torn in many places by the bullets, and proceeded to rip it off. He turned toward the opening of the alleyway, intending to sneak in the back door of the hotel and get a new shirt, when he saw the old man, who began walking towards Clark with a friendly, knowing smile.
Clark was thrilled. For his sixteenth birthday Lex had given him a trip to England! True, Lex had a meeting with some foreign company that had been canceled at the last minute, so it was the extra ticket that went to Clark. But he was still extremely excited. He had never been out of Kansas before, let alone the entire United States. The fall break had just begun and Clark was on his way to London for a whole week. "Life is good," he thought.
Clark stepped out of the London airport and was amazed. There was a cool, humid breeze blowing around him as he took in the sites. He saw tall buildings and small shops. The cars were on the left side of the road. All of the conversations had strong British accents. Clark boarded a double- decker bus heading to southern London, his destination, and climbed up to the top level.
He rode for about half an hour before he came to his stop. Clark hopped off the bus and took in his surroundings. On his left he could see his hotel, generously paid for courtesy of Lex, towering more than twice the height of neighboring buildings. On his right, down a few blocks, he could see Kings Cross Station. Across the street, he could see a night club, which he assumed would be quite a happening place after dark, though it was empty now. Turning to the hotel, Clark headed for the giant front doors. He walked up to the front desk and the clerk greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Good day, sir! How may I help you?" asked the young brunette.
"Hi, a friend of mine made a reservation here for me," Clark began.
"Okay, what is your friend's last name?" she asked.
"Luthor."
"Oh, you know Mr. Luthor! Wonderful," she flagged down a bellboy. "This man will show you to your room, Mister-"
"Kent."
"Mr. Kent. Enjoy your stay, sir!"
Clark followed the man into a fancy elevator, and they rode up to the seventh floor. Stepping out of the elevator, Clark found himself in an elaborate hallway, decked with paintings, two evenly spaced glass tables holding large vases of flowers. He only saw three doors on each side of the long hallway, and the man showed him to the last door on the right. Clark's eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw that the golden letters on the door read, "703 - Presidential Suite."
Clark stepped inside and stopped in his tracks. The bellboy said someone would be right up with his luggage, but Clark barely heard him. The suite was huge; just the bathroom was the size of his living room at home. There was a jacuzzi tub, and a large shower as well. Across from the door, the window covered the wall of a raised platform, about five feet above the rest of the room, making an indoor balcony. There was a large television set in the far corner of the room, with an overstuffed chair and a couch facing it. The bed was nearly as big as his own bedroom, and looked like it would be very comfortable. Next to the door, there was a full-sized refrigerator, not a miniature one that you normally find in hotels.
Clark walked up onto the balcony and looked out the window. He could see tall office buildings, churches, and other smaller buildings in the distance that he assumed to be shops and restaurants. He could see the train station, and the little night club across the street.
There was a knock on his door, and Clark went to answer it. Outside he found another bellboy with his two small suitcases. He thanked him and paid the tip, and carried his luggage over to the large dresser. Knowing that nobody would see him, he used his super speed to unpack his clothes and other items. Once he was settled in, Clark decided to take a nap, as he was tired from the time zone change. He slipped off his pants and shoes and headed over to the huge bed in boxers and a T-shirt. Pulling back the top comforter, he found that there was another blanket underneath. He pulled that back too, and had the same problem. He pulled yet another back and found the top sheet. He pulled that back, and noticed that he held almost six inches of covers in his other hand. Sighing, he grabbed the two top blankets and gave them a hard yank, pulling them both out and leaving him with one blanket and one top sheet. Satisfied, he climbed into the bed, pulled the covers up around him and shut his eyes.
The telephone's loud ring woke Clark up, and it took him a second to figure out where he was. Then he noticed that the phone was ringing on the night stand next to his bed. Reaching over to it, he picked up the receiver and answered with a groggy, "Hello?"
"Good evening, Sir. It is seven o'clock, supper is about to be served in the man dining room," the voice on the other end asked.
"Um..." Clark was still tired, but thought he would rather go out and see if he could find a local restaurant for dinner. "No thank you, I'm gonna go out for din - I mean supper tonight," Clark said.
"Very well, dial 3 for room service or if you need anything," the voice said, and hung up.
Clark set the phone back on its cradle and threw the covers off. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. He got up and decided to take a shower before going out on the town. Grabbing a maroon embroidered towel from the rack, he made for the bathroom.
Shutting off the water, Clark stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He walked over to the large dresser and pulled out a somewhat nice pair of blue jeans, and a red button up shirt. He pulled those on, and went to put on his shoes. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was nearly eight O'clock, and it was dark outside. He looked down out of the window and saw a large crowd of people outside of the little club. He figured he would go there and see what he could find to do.
After waiting in line for fifteen minutes, Clark finally made it up to the door. He guessed the bouncer just thought he looked older, because he waved Clark through. Still surprised that he was allowed in, he walked through the big double doors.
Immediately, loud, booming dance music hit Clark's ears, and flashing strobe lights and colorful disco lights danced before him. He could see that the large dance floor was packed with couples, and the bar along the right-hand wall held people drinking beer and other alcoholic beverages. Thinking that this was definitely not what he had in mind, he turned around, only to find himself face to face with a woman in a ridiculously low-cut red dress. She was wearing a lot of makeup and her blonde hair was streaked with dark red highlights.
"Hello, tall, dark, and handsome," the woman said seductively with her English accent.
"Um - I - I can't - I mean, I have to go," Clark stuttered, trying to make his way past her.
"Oh come on, lets have a bit of fun, shall we?" Clark is still trying to escape. "But I can see that you're not happy with this place, so lets go somewhere else," she said, and starting dragging him to a side door. They exited into an alley, the woman still dragging Clark. Suddenly several dark- clad figures emerged from the shadows. The woman gasped in fear, and Clark managed to edge his way around the approaching men to the opening of the alley. He ushered the lady out of the dark passage, and told her to run. Turning back to the men, the fight began. He fought off the men with ease, even when the last two threatened him with large guns. However, he did not notice the man that had been watching him. He finished the last of them off and looked down at his shirt. He saw that it had been torn in many places by the bullets, and proceeded to rip it off. He turned toward the opening of the alleyway, intending to sneak in the back door of the hotel and get a new shirt, when he saw the old man, who began walking towards Clark with a friendly, knowing smile.