Chapter Fifteen
Lex brought the car to a stop at the intersection. As he waited for a delivery truck to lumber by, he cast a sideways glance towards his passenger.
Chris sat stiffly in his seat, hands resting palms-up on his thighs. And he was staring at those hands like they were snakes, and he expected them to rear up and strike him without warning.
As the truck passed, Lex pulled out into the intersection. While part of him focused on the road ahead, the rest tried to put what happened into perspective.
After Chris healed his arm—that thought still made Lex shake his head in wonder—Lex's mind had been filled with questions. (How had he done it? What, exactly, had he done? How was it possible? Had Chris been affected by the meteors somehow?) But, before he could ask those questions, he'd realized they were being watched. Three teens stood in the mouth of the alley, staring at the spectacle of Lex Luthor and a stranger crouching near the wall. Soon, two more passers-by joined the first group, curious about what had grabbed their attention.
Realizing they should leave the scene immediately—and before anyone noticed his ripped and bloody shirt sleeve—Lex pulled Chris to his feet and steered him towards the car. And it wasn't hard to do. Chris seemed more stunned by the events than Lex was. Which was odd, since Lex would have guessed Chris was used to the unusual. As used to it as one Clark Kent.
Now here they were, driving nowhere in particular. And Lex still had those questions.
"From your reaction," he began, "I take it what happened back there was…out of the ordinary for you."
There was a long pause. Finally, Chris glanced towards him, a wry smile twisting his lips. "Uh, yeah?" Chris said with a wry smile. "You could say that." And he looked down at his hands once again.
"So, you've never…healed anyone before?" Lex asked, determined to get him to elaborate.
"No, I've never healed anyone before," Chris said. Then, he mumbled, "Wrong brother."
"Brother?" Lex asked, intrigued by the notion that there were two of them. "He can do what you did?"
Chris glanced at him, seeming surprised Lex had heard. And maybe kicking himself for saying it out loud. "Yeah, my brother can heal. Which is kind of ironic, since Wyatt isn't really the Florence Nightingale type." And there was a bitter twist to his smile.
Mention of a brother sent Lex's quick mind back to their first meeting. It was something Chris had said.
It kinda runs in the family.
"Is this one of the abilities that runs in your family?" Lex asked now, echoing those words. At Chris's questioning look, Lex shrugged. "You mentioned it the other day."
Chris hesitated for a moment, shoulders stiffening slightly. "My father can do it," he finally admitted. "Heal. But I never could." There was a sadness to the words, a wistfulness in his voice. Perhaps because this brother shared something with their father that Chris didn't. At least, not before now.
"The ability you used to find Tracy Newbern," Lex prodded. "You got that from your father too?"
"Oh, no way." Chris grinned, whatever melancholy he'd been feeling gone in a flash. "That I got from my mother's side. My aunt can do something like that. Not exactly the same, but close."
Lex's brow peaked in fascination. "Sounds like you have an interesting family."
"You have no idea."
Eyes on the road ahead, Lex frowned thoughtfully. A family of individuals with special abilities? It sounded…intriguing.
"Where are we going?" Chris asked, craning his neck to look at the passing landmarks.
""Nowhere, really," Lex said. "We just needed to get out of there before we drew an even bigger crowd. Plus, I wanted a chance to talk to you."
Chris shook his head. "Look, I know I must have freaked you out back there. I freaked me out. And I don't blame you for having questions. But there's not much more to say. I can do some things other people can't. And a power I didn't have before picked today to come online. And, all things considered"—he nodded towards Lex's bloodied sleeve—"the timing couldn't have been better."
Lex smiled. "On that, I definitely agree." He glanced at Chris's head. "By the way, how are you feeling? Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor?"
"I'm fine. Really." Chris assured him. "And thanks for helping me out back there."
"No problem. And thank you for saving me from a trip to the ER."
"Don't mention it."
After that, the two lapsed into a comfortable silence. Lex was surprised at himself, actually. He'd imagined a similar scenario countless times, but with Clark sitting there instead of Chris. That Clark would finally admit that there was something different about him. And Lex would bombard him with questions, wanting to know everything there was to know, to have all the answers laid out before him.
Now, for example, Lex knew there was more to Chris's story than he was telling. And it was a story Lex wanted to know. But the fact that Chris had been as honest as he had been, that he'd admitted that he wasn't exactly normal…Well, Lex found it oddly gratifying. Where secrets would have filled him with the burning desire to know more, to dig for whatever was being hidden from him, the truth—even a fraction of it—left him feeling content. For the moment.
Although, Lex did wonder, briefly, if Chris would consent to being examined by a few of the scientists on Lex's payroll, men who were paid to be discreet. The prospect of reading that report, and all it might reveal, filled Lex with a thrill of excitement. But, really, it was just a notion. He wouldn't seriously consider asking his passenger such a thing. Well, maybe he did seriously consider it for a second. But he quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. After all, Lex knew where to draw the line between scientific curiosity, and budding friendship.
Still, it would definitely be interesting.
"Here we are," Lex said as he pulled up outside the Kent house.
"Thanks." Opening the passenger door, Chris carefully got out of the car. He made sure to keep his arms down at his side, his hands relaxed. At the moment, he didn't know what to expect of himself. This dimension was really messing with his powers. Screwing with those he'd had for as long as he could remember. Awakening some he'd never demonstrated before.
It was weird. All his life, Chris had wanted to be able to heal. The fact that he couldn't always made him feel like he'd let Leo down somehow. And it didn't matter that nobody expected him to be able to do it. That, as a rule, healing was a power half-whitelighters just didn't have. Well, except for Wyatt. But big brother was special, wasn't he, being "twice blessed" and all that crap.
But, right now, the fact that he'd been able to heal Lex's arm was freaking Chris out. It made him wonder what other powers might decide to pop up. And going through the list of the abilities his ancestors had was making him nervous. Hadn't one of his line been able to shoot fire from her hands? If that dormant power decided to activate, things could get real messy real fast.
As Chris turned to thank Lex again, the door to the house opened, and Clark came hurrying out.
"Chris. Lex," he began, eyes darting nervously between the two of them. "What's going on?"
"Hello, Clark," Lex said. Hands in his pockets, he leaned against his sleek sports car. "And the answer to your question is a little…complicated."
A puzzled frown crinkling his brow, Clark turned towards Chris. "Where have you been? Mom told me you, um, left without telling her where you were going."
Chris winced, a spark of guilt zinging through him. He hadn't meant to be gone so long. He thought he'd just orb to whoever needed rescuing, save them, and be back at the farm before Martha could start to worry. Of course, he should be used to things not working out the way he intended by now.
"Sorry," he said. "Something came up."
"Oh," Clark said, his eyes filled with questions. It was obvious he wanted to know what happened, but didn't want to ask anything too revealing in front of Lex.
"Lex!" Clark exclaimed, his eyes wide with worry as he stared at Lex's shirt sleeve. "What happened?"
"Well, that's one of the complications," Lex said with a sardonic smile. "Although, I think Chris can explain it better than I could."
Chris took a deep breath and started to explain. But that's when a huge wave of exhaustion crashed over him. It was like his body suddenly realized he had barely slept last night, done half a day's worth of chores, been attacked by a mugger, slammed into a wall, and knocked unconscious. As he became hyper-aware of all of his aches and pains, standing any longer than he absolutely had to seemed like a really bad idea.
Shoulders slumping wearily, he staggered passed Clark. "I'll explain later. After I sleep for a couple of hours. Or days."
He'd almost made it to the house when he remembered the pen in his pocket. Taking it out, he turned.
"Where did you get this?" he asked Clark.
"Huh?" Clark took a quick step back, startled to have a pen suddenly thrust into his face. "Uh, I don't know. I just…No, wait." He frowned thoughtfully. "I think I got it at school. Yeah. It was lying on the floor in the hall, and I just picked it up. Since it hardly seemed worth a trip to the lost and found, I kept it. Why?"
"No reason," Chris sighed. Tucking the pen into Clark's shirt pocket, he turned and continued towards the house, mind filled with visions of collapsing onto his bed.
Puzzled, Clark stared as the screen door slammed shut. "Huh?" he said again, completely at a loss.
"If I had to hazard a guess," Lex began, coming to stand beside Clark. "I'd say that pen belonged to the young man I found Chris fighting with in the alley outside the Talon."
"What?!" Clark said, unable to hide his alarm.
"From what Chris told me, it was a mugger. And a relatively new one. In fact, I'd say he was about your age."
Clark frowned, trying to adjust to the idea of a mugger being in Smallville. Of course, crime wasn't unheard of here, small town or not. Still, a mugger?
"Apparently," Lex continued, "the felon-go-be was in that alley, trying to build up enough courage to do the deed—and waiting for the right victim to pass by. Chris must've touched the pen you found, felt what its owner was going to do, and gone there to stop him."
For a moment, Clark was startled to hear Lex talk about Chris's abilities so casually. Then, he remembered Lex had been there when Chris found Tracy Newbern. He already knew Chris could do this, so no harm done, right?
"What happened?" Again, his eyes went to the sleeve of Lex's shirt. The slash could have been made by a knife. And, if Lex had been cut, it would explain the blood soaked into the fabric. Only, where was the wound?
Lex opened his mouth as if to explain. Then, he frowned. "Actually, I think the rest is up to Chris to tell you, if he wants to. Suffice it to say, he was a little shaken up by the experience. Although, physically, he should be fine after a little rest."
Clark cast a worried frown towards the house. Was Chris okay? And why hadn't he waited for Clark to get home before running—or orbing—into trouble?
"Well, I have to go," Lex said. "I'm supposed to be at the Talon looking over the repairs."
"Okay, Lex. I'll see you later."
Opening the car door, Lex paused. "By the way, Clark. If you get to school on Monday morning, and see a fellow student with a black eye, a busted lip, and maybe a slight limp…"
Clark nodded in understanding. "I'll keep an eye out."
As Lex drove away, Clark started towards the house, determined to find out exactly what had happened.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
