Chapter 6
A storm was sweeping across town. Thunder rattled every window in the mansion and lightning electrified the pitch-black sky. Lex was dreaming. He dreamt that he was asleep. He could feel a cool rush of wind wisp across his face. A wave of refreshment blew over him, and he awoke. It felt like he was being sucked back into his chair. He couldn't move. He struggled even to breathe. He looked around him in terror – thick wires hung down from everywhere. Then everything about him twisted into green, and he jolted forward in bed, soaked in a cold sweat. "Lex?" Katie whispered sleepily with concern, "Lex, what's wrong?" He was breathing so heavily that he couldn't speak. "Lex," Katie stroked his wet face, "what happened?" He managed a couple of words between gasps. "D.B. Cooper." He turned his head slowly and gazed out of the long glass window beside his bed. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky in a blinding flash. A large stone stood outside. On it was inscribed "Lex Luthor." Lionel Luthor stood towering above it, his stern expression illuminated by the static light of the tempestuous night sky. Lex whipped his head quickly in the other direction, toward Katie. "What did you see, Lex?" she asked, the worry resounding in her voice. "Lex, talk to me..." He laid back down and wrapped his arms around her. "Nothing," he said, searching her eyes, "it was just a bad dream." Katie grasped his warm face in her hands, and they kissed. She stroked his arms. "It's over," she told him, "you're safe now." She softly kissed his eyelids. "Sleep." Her eyes closed, included comfortably in his embrace. Lex lay still awake.
When Katie awoke early that morning, Lex was already at work in his office. She dressed herself and prepared to leave. As she walked from the bedroom, she called, "Lex? I'm leaving for work...where are you?" "In here," she heard him call back. She walked into his office. He was on the phone when she entered, but he quickly ended the conversation when he saw her emerge into the doorway. "Can we talk?" he asked as he hung up the phone. "Of course we can," she assured him, smiling, as she walked toward him. He stood, his hands in his pockets. "I didn't sleep last night," he told her. "Because of the nightmares?" she asked. "Yes," he answered. "Well, what do you remember?" she asked him again. "My father!" he said as he poured a glass of brandy. "My father standing over my grave..." He downed the drink. "Oh, Lex," Katie told him, rubbing her hands up and down the back of his arms, "your father loves you. He would never do anything to hurt you." Lex rolled his eyes. "Look," Katie continued, "he may not be very good at showing it, but if only you could have seen him looking down at you through that hospital window...he looked at you like he was afraid that was the last time he would ever see you." Lex turned away from her and stared at a stained glass window, his back towards her. "I've had these flashbacks," he said, "these memories...only I can't remember them now. Most of them, anyway. And the worst part is, I don't understand why. I can't think, I can only feel – I can't remember, but I can...I can feel the pain from those memories." Katie heard his voice begin to tremble. Tears rose in his eyes, forming puddles of water held inside his lower lids. He turned to Katie, his voice shaking with frustration. "My body aches so much that I feel like I'm about to break, and I don't even know what's causing it..." Katie fought to hold back her own tears. She felt the pain, the anger that haunted Lex. She knew the frustration and confusion that created it. She wanted to make all of his agony go away. But that was impossible – the hurt ran too deep, and the sword that had caused it was now buried deep underground. Lex continued, "But every time I picture my father, this searing pain runs through every vein in my body – it's like this...this electricity of hatred rushing through me. It must mean something..." "Why do you think it means something, Lex?" asked Katie eagerly, her eyes narrow, concentrating on his every word. Lex blinked in an attempt to suck the tears back into his eyes, pulling himself together. He looked up at her finally, his eyes cleared, trying his best to grin. "I have a gut instinct," he said. "And what do you plan to do about that?" she asked. "I plan to follow it," he confidently told her. She touched his chest softly. "Lex, you can't spend your entire future staring at your past." "Right now, I don't really have a choice," he said. "You always have a choice, Lex," she assured him as she leaned to kiss him on the cheeck. "You can be what you want to be, or you can be what everyone else thinks you already are." He looked her in the eye. "Now," she began, "I'm going to be late." She kissed him again. "Be careful, Lex..." "Bye," he said. Katie turned around and walked out the door. She was headed for Metropolis.
A storm was sweeping across town. Thunder rattled every window in the mansion and lightning electrified the pitch-black sky. Lex was dreaming. He dreamt that he was asleep. He could feel a cool rush of wind wisp across his face. A wave of refreshment blew over him, and he awoke. It felt like he was being sucked back into his chair. He couldn't move. He struggled even to breathe. He looked around him in terror – thick wires hung down from everywhere. Then everything about him twisted into green, and he jolted forward in bed, soaked in a cold sweat. "Lex?" Katie whispered sleepily with concern, "Lex, what's wrong?" He was breathing so heavily that he couldn't speak. "Lex," Katie stroked his wet face, "what happened?" He managed a couple of words between gasps. "D.B. Cooper." He turned his head slowly and gazed out of the long glass window beside his bed. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky in a blinding flash. A large stone stood outside. On it was inscribed "Lex Luthor." Lionel Luthor stood towering above it, his stern expression illuminated by the static light of the tempestuous night sky. Lex whipped his head quickly in the other direction, toward Katie. "What did you see, Lex?" she asked, the worry resounding in her voice. "Lex, talk to me..." He laid back down and wrapped his arms around her. "Nothing," he said, searching her eyes, "it was just a bad dream." Katie grasped his warm face in her hands, and they kissed. She stroked his arms. "It's over," she told him, "you're safe now." She softly kissed his eyelids. "Sleep." Her eyes closed, included comfortably in his embrace. Lex lay still awake.
When Katie awoke early that morning, Lex was already at work in his office. She dressed herself and prepared to leave. As she walked from the bedroom, she called, "Lex? I'm leaving for work...where are you?" "In here," she heard him call back. She walked into his office. He was on the phone when she entered, but he quickly ended the conversation when he saw her emerge into the doorway. "Can we talk?" he asked as he hung up the phone. "Of course we can," she assured him, smiling, as she walked toward him. He stood, his hands in his pockets. "I didn't sleep last night," he told her. "Because of the nightmares?" she asked. "Yes," he answered. "Well, what do you remember?" she asked him again. "My father!" he said as he poured a glass of brandy. "My father standing over my grave..." He downed the drink. "Oh, Lex," Katie told him, rubbing her hands up and down the back of his arms, "your father loves you. He would never do anything to hurt you." Lex rolled his eyes. "Look," Katie continued, "he may not be very good at showing it, but if only you could have seen him looking down at you through that hospital window...he looked at you like he was afraid that was the last time he would ever see you." Lex turned away from her and stared at a stained glass window, his back towards her. "I've had these flashbacks," he said, "these memories...only I can't remember them now. Most of them, anyway. And the worst part is, I don't understand why. I can't think, I can only feel – I can't remember, but I can...I can feel the pain from those memories." Katie heard his voice begin to tremble. Tears rose in his eyes, forming puddles of water held inside his lower lids. He turned to Katie, his voice shaking with frustration. "My body aches so much that I feel like I'm about to break, and I don't even know what's causing it..." Katie fought to hold back her own tears. She felt the pain, the anger that haunted Lex. She knew the frustration and confusion that created it. She wanted to make all of his agony go away. But that was impossible – the hurt ran too deep, and the sword that had caused it was now buried deep underground. Lex continued, "But every time I picture my father, this searing pain runs through every vein in my body – it's like this...this electricity of hatred rushing through me. It must mean something..." "Why do you think it means something, Lex?" asked Katie eagerly, her eyes narrow, concentrating on his every word. Lex blinked in an attempt to suck the tears back into his eyes, pulling himself together. He looked up at her finally, his eyes cleared, trying his best to grin. "I have a gut instinct," he said. "And what do you plan to do about that?" she asked. "I plan to follow it," he confidently told her. She touched his chest softly. "Lex, you can't spend your entire future staring at your past." "Right now, I don't really have a choice," he said. "You always have a choice, Lex," she assured him as she leaned to kiss him on the cheeck. "You can be what you want to be, or you can be what everyone else thinks you already are." He looked her in the eye. "Now," she began, "I'm going to be late." She kissed him again. "Be careful, Lex..." "Bye," he said. Katie turned around and walked out the door. She was headed for Metropolis.