Chapter 7
Lionel sat quietly behind his desk at LuthorCorp headquarters, browsing over articles on his laptop. Suddenly the doors to his office burst open, and Katie Grant barged in, out-of-breath and her eyes alight with fire. "Mr. Luthor!" she shouted, "Mr. Luthor, I need to speak with you..." Lionel interrupted her in a fierce tone, "May I ask how you managed to penetrate security, Ms. Grant?" He stood, still behind his desk, as if it were his safety blanket. "Well," Katie answered him, "being the girlfriend of the CEO's son generally comes with special favors." "And why are you here?" he asked her. "I came to talk to you about Lex," she told him. Lionel's eyes glazed over with fear. "Is there a problem with my son, Ms. Grant?" "I don't know, Mr. Luthor...I just don't know. Something happened to him in that corn field..." Lionel gestured for her to sit down. He did the same. "And what makes you say that?" he inquired. "He's been having these visions..." "You mean delusions?" Lionel interrupted, leaning forward, his eyes wide with a frightened worry. "No," she answered, "flashbacks, dreams..." Lionel leaned back in his chair, relieved, his hands folded in his lap. "Dreams of what?" "Of you," she began, "...of you standing over his grave." The fear returned to Lionel's eyes. He kept himself collected, hiding it well. "What before that?" he asked. "The meteor shower, I think...he said he say something fall out of the sky...and I know he saw something at the hospital, but when I asked him about it, he said he couldn't remember..." An icy cold swept over Katie's body. She could hardly breathe. Lionel's eyes were transfixed on her mouth. "He woke up in the middle of the night sweating and scared...all he could say was 'D.B. Cooper'..." "Wait..." Lionel began, "Did you say 'D.B. Cooper'?" Katie was silent. "Ms. Grand, may I ask you something?" She gulped and nodded. "Why did you come to me with this information instead of going to Mr. Kent? I know that Lex would be very disappointed if he knew that you were here talking to me..." "He thinks I'm at work," she told him. "And, besides," she looked down, "Clark and I aren't on the best terms." "And why not?" Lionel asked haughtily. Katie sighed, "He accused me of doing this to Lex." "And did you do this to my son, Ms. Grant?" She grew angry. Her eyes filled with tears. "I love your son, Mr. Luthor!" she screamed, her face beet red, "And he blames you!" "Me?" Lionel chuckled. Then his face grew stern. "Lex is my son, Ms. Grant, and I love him just as much as you do!" Tears streamed down Katie's face. She breathed heavily, struggling to keep herself from exploding to Lionel. She gritted her teeth. "Then why does he feel 'electricity' rush through his body every time he pictures your face?" Lionel looked down, his face wrinkled with a mixture of worry and guilt. Katie walked up to his desk, placed one hand on each corner, and leaned over to look him straight in the eye. He looked up at her. His eyes were pink, his lips pursed. "Mr. Luthor," she continued, "what happened to Lex in that insane asylum?"
Lionel sat quietly behind his desk at LuthorCorp headquarters, browsing over articles on his laptop. Suddenly the doors to his office burst open, and Katie Grant barged in, out-of-breath and her eyes alight with fire. "Mr. Luthor!" she shouted, "Mr. Luthor, I need to speak with you..." Lionel interrupted her in a fierce tone, "May I ask how you managed to penetrate security, Ms. Grant?" He stood, still behind his desk, as if it were his safety blanket. "Well," Katie answered him, "being the girlfriend of the CEO's son generally comes with special favors." "And why are you here?" he asked her. "I came to talk to you about Lex," she told him. Lionel's eyes glazed over with fear. "Is there a problem with my son, Ms. Grant?" "I don't know, Mr. Luthor...I just don't know. Something happened to him in that corn field..." Lionel gestured for her to sit down. He did the same. "And what makes you say that?" he inquired. "He's been having these visions..." "You mean delusions?" Lionel interrupted, leaning forward, his eyes wide with a frightened worry. "No," she answered, "flashbacks, dreams..." Lionel leaned back in his chair, relieved, his hands folded in his lap. "Dreams of what?" "Of you," she began, "...of you standing over his grave." The fear returned to Lionel's eyes. He kept himself collected, hiding it well. "What before that?" he asked. "The meteor shower, I think...he said he say something fall out of the sky...and I know he saw something at the hospital, but when I asked him about it, he said he couldn't remember..." An icy cold swept over Katie's body. She could hardly breathe. Lionel's eyes were transfixed on her mouth. "He woke up in the middle of the night sweating and scared...all he could say was 'D.B. Cooper'..." "Wait..." Lionel began, "Did you say 'D.B. Cooper'?" Katie was silent. "Ms. Grand, may I ask you something?" She gulped and nodded. "Why did you come to me with this information instead of going to Mr. Kent? I know that Lex would be very disappointed if he knew that you were here talking to me..." "He thinks I'm at work," she told him. "And, besides," she looked down, "Clark and I aren't on the best terms." "And why not?" Lionel asked haughtily. Katie sighed, "He accused me of doing this to Lex." "And did you do this to my son, Ms. Grant?" She grew angry. Her eyes filled with tears. "I love your son, Mr. Luthor!" she screamed, her face beet red, "And he blames you!" "Me?" Lionel chuckled. Then his face grew stern. "Lex is my son, Ms. Grant, and I love him just as much as you do!" Tears streamed down Katie's face. She breathed heavily, struggling to keep herself from exploding to Lionel. She gritted her teeth. "Then why does he feel 'electricity' rush through his body every time he pictures your face?" Lionel looked down, his face wrinkled with a mixture of worry and guilt. Katie walked up to his desk, placed one hand on each corner, and leaned over to look him straight in the eye. He looked up at her. His eyes were pink, his lips pursed. "Mr. Luthor," she continued, "what happened to Lex in that insane asylum?"