Ch 15 – Interruption
"When my father dies, kings will come to his funeral, but when yours dies, his friends will come."
"Lex, are you okay?" Clark asked warily, walking slowly into the room.
Lex looked up from the papers on his desk and smiled. "Much better than that, actually."
He rose and crossed to the bar. Pouring himself a fifth of scotch, he gently swirled the liquid in the glass before bringing it to his lips. He turned to face Clark, tilting his head to the side.
"Listen and I will tell you a mystery. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. Death, where is thy sting?"
"What?"
Lex inhaled and set the glass down. "There's something cathartic about dying. Preparing yourself to take a final breath, knowing that when you release it, there will be no return. I died, yet I live. I looked into the eyes of death, and delivered my father to Charon; to be rowed across the River Styx."
Clark could almost see the cracks in his friend's psyche. "Maybe you should see…"
Lex looked at him abruptly. "See what? A doctor?" Lex pressed his forefinger to his lips in a secretive gesture. "And if I tell them the truth, what will happen? A full expense-paid trip to a cell of a different sort. I think not. There's a reason for everything that happened, Clark. I was given the power to right a wrong. To restore balance. My father was supposed to die, and like he before me… I erased the transgressions and influence of my father and get to start anew."
Lex picked up his glass again and downed the drink in one draw.
"Do you know where I was when I 'woke' up? An ancient temple in China. He was looking for something. He didn't find it, but I will."
There was nothing he could do here, Clark thought. Maybe it would be best to give Lex some space while he dealt with the death of his father. "I think I should go. I'll see you later, okay?"
Lex chuckled and walked back to his desk. "Thanks for coming by, Clark. And extend my gratitude to your friends as well. The information that they gave you is part of what led me to my path. For a small town farm boy, you certainly have impressive connections."
Clark nodded and turned to exit.
"One more thing," Lex called, his attention back to the papers on his desk. "I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt this time, because that's what friends do. But the next time you insinuate that I need to be locked up, I can't promise that I'll be as forgiving."
Clark glanced at him, but Lex didn't look up.
Once he had exited, Lex smiled to himself.
"Kings and pawns. Emperors and fools," he muttered, closing his eyes and massaging his temples.
"Five minutes. That's all I'm asking for," Jason assured her, his eyes pleading for a chance to explain.
Lana searched his face for a moment before nodding and heading to a table in the corner of The Talon. When they sat down, he reached for her hands, but she pulled away.
"I've tried to give you space. I haven't called. I haven't come by, but I'm not willing to just let this go. You don't have all the information you need. I'm going to tell you everything. I didn't have a chance last time. Just listen to what I have to say, then, whatever you decide… that's what we'll do."
"I don't know Jason. How do I know that you're telling the truth this time?"
"Lana, you have to trust someone. From the looks of it, somebody out there doesn't want it to be me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Someone sent you that photo, Lana, knowing that it would cause problems between us."
Lana frowned. "Who would want to do that?"
"I can only think of one guardian billionaire."
"Lex?" Lana scoffed, unbelievingly. "Why would you think he'd want to mess with us? He's the one that gave you a job after the whole thing at the high school."
Jason rubbed his jaw. "Yeah, well, I was strongly encouraged to resign, only after Lex Luthor heard me telling you that I loved you at the hospital."
Lana frowned. She didn't remember that. "You never said anything. Why would you go and work for him?"
"I needed a job. And I wanted to keep an eye on him. I wanted to make sure that he wasn't trying to hurt you."
"Hurt me? Why would he want to?"
"It's just pulling at straws, Lana. Nothing concrete, but you showing up in Paris and getting that symbol on your back… it's a little too coincidental. He's the one that sent you there."
Lana's eyes grew wide. Not having a coherent response, she just slowly shook her head. Jason caught and held one of her hands, gently brushing his thumb over her knuckles.
"Okay, I said five minutes." He looked directly into her eyes. "And I keep my promises, so I 'm going to go. But I'll be back. Think about it. Lana, I just wanted to protect you."
Releasing her hand, he got up from the table and strode to the door.
Clark entered just in time to see Jason finish speaking to Lana. From the look on her face, it was apparent that she'd been upset by the exchange. He decided to make sure she was okay, and headed in her direction.
Lois took a sip of her coffee and shuddered. Gagging, she tossed the cup into the trash bin next to the vending machine and began rummaging through her bag for change. She would have to settle on a Diet Coke instead.
"You haven't been down to the club in weeks. I hope you haven't been avoiding me."
Lois looked around and smiled. "Hey Tony." She accepted the quarter he held out and dropped it, along with a few other coins, into the slot. "Not at all. I just hadn't expected journalism to be as time-consuming as it is."
Lois had found that everyone outside of Smallville's city limits considered the Meteor Stories to be folklore. Thus, she'd been forced to expand her investigative skills to bring in newsworthy material.
"Even a budding reporter has a few hours to relax now and then," he replied, bending down to retrieve her drink from the machine.
Lois smirked as he handed it to her. "You've never lived on a farm, have you? There's always something to do."
"Hmm," Tony sighed, bracing a hand against the machine so he could lean closer. "I would love to watch you wrangle some cows."
Lois saw his gaze settle on her lips and placed a hand on his chest to halt his advance.
"Whoa there, Big Ben," she laughed. "I don't remember granting you a Visa to enter that territory."
He moved back a little and threw her a disarming grin. "I know, but you can't fault a man for trying. Oh the things you make me do, Lois Lane."
"You're forgiven, Black. We all have our moments of insanity." Without warning, Lois thought of Clark. Laughing, she shook it off.
Tony's eyes narrowed fleetingly before his charismatic smile returned. "So, we're okay? Friends?"
Lois smiled and readjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "Friends. Just… without the benefits." She held up the can. "Thanks, you're my caffeine savior."
Tony watched as she walked away. He wasn't used to people resisting his charms. Lois Lane was unexpectedly resilient to his powers of suggestion.
And powers they were. Tony had realized at a young age that he was able to do special things. It started one day when he was sitting in class, absently rolling a pencil back and forth… without touching it. Then, another day, while taking a test he had totally blown studying for, he caught the glance of one of his friends and got the answer to the first question from her thoughts.
The flashes of perception and suggestion were brief and inconsistent though. He'd never been able to control the when and where. At least, he hadn't been able to control it until he'd moved to Kansas.
Tony considered himself to be an enterprising man. He'd learned that people were willing to pay great amounts of money for the bits of information he was able to glean from the minds of the unsuspecting. That money had funded his immigration and provided financing for his dance club. Money that- it turns out- was limited and didn't grow itself.
There were other projects housed in the basement of his club that would ensure his future.
Out of his pocket, he pulled a small package that resembled those little mint strips that mouthwash companies sold. Flicking open the top he pulled one out and slipped it into his mouth. These little strips didn't combat gingivitis or bad breath. They provided a boost of a totally different kind.
For the average bloke, the strips dissolved into a liquid form of the drug Speed, sublingually absorbed into the blood stream to provide an instant heightened effect. When he had experimented using powdered residue from a certain green rock to cut the chemical compound, the most unexpected thing happened. It gave him control over those fleeting powers.
After a quick flick of his wrist, he turned around and bent to pick up the can that had just fallen into the soda machine's tray. Yes, control was good.
Earlier, when he'd tried to telepathically send Lois an impulse of attraction, the image that she'd returned was one of that farm kid whose house she was staying at. No, Manton Black wasn't used to being resisted. The fact that Lois Lane was able to so as easily as she did made it all the more important to make her submit.
tbc
