Chapter Eleven.
Things at the Sullivan household were not quiet. The phone had repeatedly rang with reporters wanting one to one interviews with the home's owner. The police had been by several times that day asking questions. Friends or people that knew Chloe came by to visit her father and to offer him their hopes that she would be found soon, alive and well. But there was only one person that Gabe Sullivan hadn't seen yet and knew that it would be a matter of time when he came to see him.
DING DONG!!
Gabe jumped from his chair at the sound of the door bell. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. 'It had better not be another reporter' Gabe thought as he headed for the door. 'I don't think that I can take another round of questions right now.' When he opened the door he was both surprised and relieved at who he saw.
Clark Kent.
'Oh lord, my head still hurts.' The blonde reporter thought as she suddenly woke up from her sleep. She pulled herself up and briefly glanced around the room. Nothing had changed from the first time since she'd regained consciousness.
With more determination and will, Chloe pulled herself up from the cot and walked back into the bathroom. She could tell the sleep had had a positive effect on her as she did not stumble as badly as before.
She glanced into the mirror at her reflection; nope, the gash hadn't gotten any better but it certainly wasn't any worse. 'Well duh, it won't get better in just a few hours.' Chloe grumbled to herself. She was about to try and clean herself up when she heard a door open and slam shut.
"Hello Miss Sullivan." Chloe swallowed at the voice for she recognized it immediately; it was the same man that had talked to her on the road before she was ambushed. Trembling , she turned around only to be confronted by the man.
He was tall and had a very muscular build, larger than Clark's even. The man reminded Chloe of one of those pro wrestler's she'd seen on tv once. Her exit to the bedroom was blocked and she was stuck inside the tiny bathroom. "What, what do you want?"
"To talk." was his reply, simple, yet authoritive. "I know that you have some information about the alien." He spat the words out at her causing Chloe to recoil slightly. "And I want to know just how much you know." Chloe blinked once but refused to answer him. "How much of a relationship have you built with him?" The man asked. "Is is something of friendship.." Chloe looked at the ground as he spoke. "..., or, something more?" A small smile formed on his face as he saw the answer on hers. That's when he turned around and began heading out or the room.
"Wait, what are you going to do with Clark?" Chloe asked, trying to get big and ugly to give her answers. Before she knew it, the man turned around and back handed Chloe across her left cheek, sending her to the floor.
The man stood over her and cocked his head to the side slightly. "Let's get one thing straight right now, darling." He kneeled over her and placed both of his hands on her shoulders and pulled her up from the floor. "When I talk, you shut up. When I ask questions, you answer them. Got it?" Chloe was breathing hard trying not to cry and shook her head violently. "Good." The man threw her back down and began to walk out of the room but then stopped. "To answer your question though, I'm gonna find him and turn him over to some scientists that'd love to see how your boyfriend ticks." Chloe's mouth dropped but not before big and ugly said one last thing. "And maybe when I'm done with this, 'Clark', as you so eloquently call him, I'll have my way with you." With that, the man slammed the door leaving Chloe to sit on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
"... and that's it Clark. There's been no ransom demand, no nothing." Gabe finished going over the finer details of his daughter's abduction. "I just don't understand it, Clark. Why would someone want to kidnap my baby girl?" Clark shrugged, wishing he had an answer for the elder man.
"Maybe to get to Clark." came a reply from across the room. Both men looked up to see Lex standing in the doorway. "Sorry to barge in on you Gabe. Mind if I come in?" The elder Sullivan nodded. Lex closed the door and headed over to where the two men were sitting. "Clark, after you ran out of the mansion, again." Clark gave him a sheepish smile at the billionaire. "I gave it some thought and I think I might know who's behind Chloe's kidnapping..."
"...Lionel Luthor." Clark finished for him. Lex only nodded to the alien teen as Gabe slumped back into his seat. "But why would anyone want to take her? If they wanted Clark bad enough, why not try and kidnap him directly?" Gabe asked the duo.
"Because it would be kind of hard to take somebody who can pick school buses up over his head." Lex answered. "Why not try with somebody a little easier, say, like Clark's love interest?"
Gabe gritted his teeth and drove his fingers deeper into the chair he was sitting in. "Clark..." The young man looked down at him. "...find my daughter..." Clark nodded. "...and find the one who's responsible for taking her, Lionel or not." Clark nodded again and headed for the door.
Lex placed a hand on Gabe's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll find her." Gabe sniffled a little but shook his head at his boss as he watched the two young men leave his home. Only then did the emotional wall he'd carefully built up finally give way to tears.
Things at the Sullivan household were not quiet. The phone had repeatedly rang with reporters wanting one to one interviews with the home's owner. The police had been by several times that day asking questions. Friends or people that knew Chloe came by to visit her father and to offer him their hopes that she would be found soon, alive and well. But there was only one person that Gabe Sullivan hadn't seen yet and knew that it would be a matter of time when he came to see him.
DING DONG!!
Gabe jumped from his chair at the sound of the door bell. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. 'It had better not be another reporter' Gabe thought as he headed for the door. 'I don't think that I can take another round of questions right now.' When he opened the door he was both surprised and relieved at who he saw.
Clark Kent.
'Oh lord, my head still hurts.' The blonde reporter thought as she suddenly woke up from her sleep. She pulled herself up and briefly glanced around the room. Nothing had changed from the first time since she'd regained consciousness.
With more determination and will, Chloe pulled herself up from the cot and walked back into the bathroom. She could tell the sleep had had a positive effect on her as she did not stumble as badly as before.
She glanced into the mirror at her reflection; nope, the gash hadn't gotten any better but it certainly wasn't any worse. 'Well duh, it won't get better in just a few hours.' Chloe grumbled to herself. She was about to try and clean herself up when she heard a door open and slam shut.
"Hello Miss Sullivan." Chloe swallowed at the voice for she recognized it immediately; it was the same man that had talked to her on the road before she was ambushed. Trembling , she turned around only to be confronted by the man.
He was tall and had a very muscular build, larger than Clark's even. The man reminded Chloe of one of those pro wrestler's she'd seen on tv once. Her exit to the bedroom was blocked and she was stuck inside the tiny bathroom. "What, what do you want?"
"To talk." was his reply, simple, yet authoritive. "I know that you have some information about the alien." He spat the words out at her causing Chloe to recoil slightly. "And I want to know just how much you know." Chloe blinked once but refused to answer him. "How much of a relationship have you built with him?" The man asked. "Is is something of friendship.." Chloe looked at the ground as he spoke. "..., or, something more?" A small smile formed on his face as he saw the answer on hers. That's when he turned around and began heading out or the room.
"Wait, what are you going to do with Clark?" Chloe asked, trying to get big and ugly to give her answers. Before she knew it, the man turned around and back handed Chloe across her left cheek, sending her to the floor.
The man stood over her and cocked his head to the side slightly. "Let's get one thing straight right now, darling." He kneeled over her and placed both of his hands on her shoulders and pulled her up from the floor. "When I talk, you shut up. When I ask questions, you answer them. Got it?" Chloe was breathing hard trying not to cry and shook her head violently. "Good." The man threw her back down and began to walk out of the room but then stopped. "To answer your question though, I'm gonna find him and turn him over to some scientists that'd love to see how your boyfriend ticks." Chloe's mouth dropped but not before big and ugly said one last thing. "And maybe when I'm done with this, 'Clark', as you so eloquently call him, I'll have my way with you." With that, the man slammed the door leaving Chloe to sit on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
"... and that's it Clark. There's been no ransom demand, no nothing." Gabe finished going over the finer details of his daughter's abduction. "I just don't understand it, Clark. Why would someone want to kidnap my baby girl?" Clark shrugged, wishing he had an answer for the elder man.
"Maybe to get to Clark." came a reply from across the room. Both men looked up to see Lex standing in the doorway. "Sorry to barge in on you Gabe. Mind if I come in?" The elder Sullivan nodded. Lex closed the door and headed over to where the two men were sitting. "Clark, after you ran out of the mansion, again." Clark gave him a sheepish smile at the billionaire. "I gave it some thought and I think I might know who's behind Chloe's kidnapping..."
"...Lionel Luthor." Clark finished for him. Lex only nodded to the alien teen as Gabe slumped back into his seat. "But why would anyone want to take her? If they wanted Clark bad enough, why not try and kidnap him directly?" Gabe asked the duo.
"Because it would be kind of hard to take somebody who can pick school buses up over his head." Lex answered. "Why not try with somebody a little easier, say, like Clark's love interest?"
Gabe gritted his teeth and drove his fingers deeper into the chair he was sitting in. "Clark..." The young man looked down at him. "...find my daughter..." Clark nodded. "...and find the one who's responsible for taking her, Lionel or not." Clark nodded again and headed for the door.
Lex placed a hand on Gabe's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll find her." Gabe sniffled a little but shook his head at his boss as he watched the two young men leave his home. Only then did the emotional wall he'd carefully built up finally give way to tears.