While Clark was scoping out the hallway, Lex had already begun to look for an escape route. He tugged at his friend's arm, pulling Clark from his searching gaze. "The phone cable! It runs all the way down the back of the desk to a socket near the floor. You should be able to climb down it."
Clark scurried to the edge of the desk and peered warily down. Lex was right. The cable had been hidden from view, and would make a great makeshift rope to escape down. "Come on, we can both get down this way."
Lex shook his head and remained seated on the rim of the phone casing. He looked more fatigued with every minute. "I can't climb with my leg." He held tightly onto his thigh, emphasizing just how bad it was.
"Then you can hang on to me. I'm not leaving you here, Lex, so forget that option!" Clark hastened back to the bald businessman and offered an arm. "Come on."
Lex nodded and gave in to the ever- heroic farm boy. He had no real desire to get diced by his father again, but didn't want to see Clark put in that position either by wasting time trying to help him. "Once we get down to the floor I'm going to be a burden. You'll never get out of the building with me tagging along…"
Clark ignored the remark and looked again over the edge of the desk as they reached it. He still hated looking down, even though his fear of heights wasn't what it used to be. "Let's hope the phone is heavy enough not to get dragged across the table with our combined weight." He picked up the thin white cable and tugged on it using a little super-strength. The phone didn't budge. "Time to see how good a climber I am."
Lex smirked and then followed Clark over the thick wooden ledge of the desk, wrapping his arms around his friend in a desperate bear hug. He knew it wasn't going to be easy for the teen to hold on with the extra weight putting untold stress on his arms, but then Lex didn't know just how strong Clark really was.
Halfway down, Clark paused and glanced quickly over his shoulder, his eyes dancing with concern. "Are you alright?"
Lex nodded, "Never better. Now can you just get us down?" He panted out the words, and Clark noted fresh beads of perspiration on his forehead simply from the effort of hanging on.
The teen didn't like the look of his friend, and used his legs to bounce off the side of the wooden desk, letting the cable slip quickly through his hands as he abseiled rapidly to the floor. If Lex asks how my hands aren't burned I'll be in real trouble.
Lex never noticed his friend's miraculous feat. Instead, as soon as Clark's tan boots hit the carpeted floor, he let go of his tenuous hold on the teen and collapsed into a heap. "I can't walk, Clark. I can't even stand…" His head lolled against the desk leg, and it looked like it wouldn't be long before the hurt entrepreneur lost consciousness.
Clark peered worriedly at the door. There was only one way in or out and Lionel was about to come through it. Once he spotted their absence from the table it wouldn't take long to discover them unless they found a suitable shelter. For now, all he could spot was a small crevice between the office printer and the wheeled metal trolley it rested on. Thinking quickly, Clark grabbed Lex's arm and hoisted him over his shoulder in a fireman's lift. Lex groaned but didn't seem to be aware what was going on anymore. He must have lost a lot of blood…
Clark turned his back to the door and supersped to the trolley, grateful that Lex was no longer aware of what was going on. It wasn't a nice sensation to be thankful his friend was hurt, but at least now maybe Clark could use his abilities more easily to save them.
He squeezed hard, pushing his body and Lex's between the gap left by the HP unit and its metal home. Then, just as he thought he'd hidden their presence from view, the office door creaked open.
Clark inhaled and held his breath, hoping that Lex didn't choose the moment to groan or mumble. The teen expected a roar of anger from Lionel followed by the guards with him ransacking the room to find them.
At first there was nothing, and the teen was tempted to turn and try and see what was going on. Finally, the familiar and gut wrenchingly evil voice of Lionel boomed across the room. "Ah, Mr. Kent…just what do you think you're doing?"
Chloe waited another few minutes before she plucked up the courage to approach the pilot again. Murder wasn't something she wanted on her résumé, and it was hard to accept she may have killed him. Now wait, I hit him in self defense! Besides, if we're stuck here forever I won't be needing a résumé!
She kneeled, breathing hard as her heart raced in her chest. "You're too pig-headed to be dead, Richard…"
""How right you are, my dear!" Richard's left arm shot out and caught Chloe's as she attempted to check on him. He yanked her down and she landed face first in the dirt at his side.
"Why you!" Chloe screamed in anger and suddenly wished she'd hit the crazed man even harder instead of not at all. She rolled over and noted blood still dripped from his head, and her temper calmed. He's still dizzy. He can't even stand! "Don't make me hit you again!"
The school reporter jumped back up and brandished her club, slowly circling her prey. He seemed strangely accepting of the fact that she would hit him again, and simply sat on his knees waiting for the blow. When it didn't come, he turned his head wildly about, searching out her position. "Finish me! We're all dead anyway. I don't want to spend my last days, blind and trapped in this God forsaken place!" His yelps seemed almost pitiful and after awhile he began to sob, falling down onto his elbows and burying his face in the soft earth.
Chloe winced and almost felt sorry for him. I have to keep this situation under control. I have to get him secured and in the plane somehow till Clark gets back…If he gets back.
She licked her lips and backed up until she reached the Learjet's steps. She was sure she'd seen a roll of tape in the back earlier, and right now it would be something practical to secure the pilot with. "Now where the heck did I spot it?" Chloe rummaged through a collection of items they'd gathered, keeping a watchful eye on the door and the side window. From what she could see, Richard hadn't moved.
Eventually, she discovered the tape among the food items and rolled her eyes as she recalled who had been given the duty of putting emergency supplies into some kind of order. "Clark, you're a great hero, but a lousy quartermaster!" She smiled as his name conjured up the image of a farm boy grinning goofily, and then she jogged back down to where Richard still lay in some kind of psychotic stupor. "Now we do this the easy way, or the hard way, big boy. Which is it going to be?"
Clark forced his body to turn and face Lionel. He imagined the bearded villain would be leaning down staring at him with his usual malevolent grin, but he was not. Lionel was standing in the doorway, with the two marines waiting in the hall behind him. What was more frightening was that Lionel wasn't looking at Clark at all- at least, not the Clark that was wedged between the office printer.
Clark's mouth opened and he looked up to over a six foot version of himself. He…I can't be here. There was no one in the hall but Lionel and the soldiers when I looked…The teen thought about the situation again and realized that his over-sized counterpart had all the speed he did, and had probably used it to get in the room. So, what is he doing here?
"I was looking for Lex. He told me he'd be here this afternoon…" The huge Clark looked sheepishly at Lionel and then stuffed his hands characteristically in his pockets, "I didn't expect all the soldiers to be here…"
Lionel snorted, "Evidently, young man, or you wouldn't have tried to so flagrantly breach Luthorcorp security!" He turned to the nearest marine, "Which, I might add does not seem to have been improved by the presence of US military forces." The billionaire's eyes narrowed to points and he set his gaze on the teen before him, "Just how did you get in here?"
"The security gate was open. I had no idea something was going on…" Big Clark still didn't look Lionel in the eye, indicating he knew more than he was saying. "Um…maybe I should get back to school. I have a class in thirty minutes. I'll catch up with Lex later."
Lionel thought about it. His deepest instincts told him to hold the teen, but even with Chimera due for another test fire in two days, he really didn't have any grounds without proof the teen had been snooping. "Don't let me catch you here again, Clark, with or without Lex's permission. Or I might have to take measures to insure national security hasn't been breached." He whirled to glare at the marine at the edge of the door, "Escort him to the hallway security scanner!"
The soldier nodded, taking orders from the civilian as if he were the commander in chief. He readied his weapon, signaling to Clark that he better move now or face the consequences. The teen did as he was told, even though he could have taken the soldier before he could have even blinked.
Little Clark watched in mesmerized fascination. Looking upon a towering version of himself was like seeing his own personality in its true light for the first time. He was shy, he was sheepish and he was awkward. Am I really like this? There was little time to wonder now though, because his doppelganger could be their only way out. So far, Lionel had been so busy he hadn't noted his captives had vanished from the table top. That wouldn't last long once the distraction was gone.
Little Clark grabbed Lex and threw him back over his shoulder, hoping his friend didn't grunt at being handled so roughly. Lex remained silent, which was almost as worrying.
"Okay, let's see if my speed can get us out of here…" Heading for the open door like a speeding freight train, Clark zipped between Lionel's highly polished shoes and out into the corridor. He slowed, glancing to his left in time to spot his larger self being shepherded through some kind of metal detector like they used at airports.
It was a risk to take, but little Clark decided to trust his instincts. I have to believe the me of this world is a good person. He cranked back up his speed and rocketed to the scanner just as big Clark was walking through. The scanner beeped and the larger farmboy sighed and handed over the Kent family truck's keys.
Satisfied, the guard on duty nodded and indicated Clark was free to leave the building. He handed the teen back his key fob and reset his scanning device ready for his next person out.
Big Clark pulled a face and decided to head for the nearest exit before the marine changed his mind. He turned a corner in the corridor and then paused as he thought he heard someone whisper his name. The sound was terribly faint, but the young super-teen's ears missed nothing.
"Clark! Down here!" The voice came again, and it was frighteningly familiar. It was the sound of his own voice. He glanced down and had to take a step back in surprise at what he saw. My eyes must be playing tricks on me. Maybe my x-ray vision is glitching somehow…
"Who…what are you?" He finally asked.
Little Clark panicked. Now that he had his doppelganger's attention he had no clue how to explain what was going on. He had to be fast before Lionel began to yell about his prisoners escape. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but I'm really you, and um, this is really Lex. We came here by accident from a different plane of existence and now Lionel wants to use us as guinea pigs!"
Big Clark stooped down and examined the two tiny people before him. Little Clark guessed he was probably using his x-ray vision to check them out. The taller teen eventually shook his head, "This can't be…you can't be real…"
"Look, any second now security alarms are going to scream and this place is going to be locked down tighter than a prison," Little Clark tried to be assertive, "Lionel already cut Lex pretty badly. Do you want his death on your hands? I know you're not that kind of person. Even if you don't believe who and what we are, you won't let us be hurt. It's not in your nature." It was easy to play on a person's conscience when you knew them so well, and the tiny teen played his double like a harp.
Big Clark finally nodded and looked behind him to make sure no one was approaching, "Once I get you out of here I want an explanation…" He scooped up Clark and Lex and gently lowered them into the breast pocket of his red jacket.
The pair landed softly on a handkerchief and felt motion as their new 'ride' began to jog through the corridors to the exit. Little Clark used the brief respite from danger to check on Lex.
He lightly shook his friend's arm, "Lex? Lex, can you hear me?"
Lex squinted and blearily opened his eyes in confusion. He was obviously disorientated, but then who wouldn't be if they woke up in a giant pocket. "What happened? Just how much of this nightmare did I dream?" He gulped and grimaced as Big Clark jarred to a halt, "Where are we?"
"I um…thumbed a ride with a friend." Clark felt himself blush, "Well, with me in fact…"
Lex's moist brow raised in confusion, but he didn't have time to query his young friend's statement. From somewhere outside the huge cloth pouch they inhabited, a yell cut through the air followed by the screech of a blaring klaxon. Luthorcorp security had just gone to the equivalent of a red alert, and it wasn't exactly difficult to fathom out just who they were after.
Big Clark was so close to the main gate he thought about hitting superspeed, but he was unsure if the two tiny people in his pocket could be hurt if the guard opened fire. The smaller version of himself might still be bulletproof, but little Lex was probably not, and he was already injured. I have to get out though!
Before big Clark could think further a gun barrel was shoved harshly into the middle of his spine. He could feel the cold chill of the metal, and knew its owner was poised to fire.
"Hold it right there, Kent…"
The alternate universe Clark held his hands aloft as he was asked, knowing he had just probably gotten himself into something there was no way out of. Lionel will have me and the two in my pocket as lab animal fodder before the day is through…
TBC...
