A/N: Once again, I truly appreciate all the feedback. For those that would like, I'm posting this little poll… Do you think I'm following the "Rocky Horror" line too closely? Am I negatively affecting our beloved "Smallville" characters? I'd really like to know, so I ask you to please review and let me know. Thank you.

Chapter 6

The crowd of townsfolk applauded as Lionel left and quickly dispersed themselves. Apparently everyone but Pete and Chloe knew where to go. Lex and Lois closed in quickly on the teens and started removing their clothes. Lana sauntered up to them. "Slowly, slowly. It's too nice a job to rush!"

Pete starts blushing. "Chloe!" he pled, obviously hoping she would say he could run out of the room.

Chloe wasn't any less embarrassed, but she definitely wasn't going to show it. "It's alright, Pete. If we play along now, we'll find out what's going on. Think of the article I could write!" She turned to Lana, who had been staring at her matching underwear. Apparently, Lana hadn't though Chloe owned anything as nice as these. She decided to be annoyingly chipper. "Hi! My name is Chloe Sullivan and this is my best friend, Pete Ross. You are…?"

Lana just smiled at her condescendingly. "You're very lucky to be invited up to Lionel's private zoo. Some people would give their right arm for the privilege." Lex herded them toward the lift and opened the cage door.

"Some people like you maybe…" Chloe sneered.

Lana tossed her hair in derision. "Ha! I've seen it!"

At the door of the elevator, Chloe balked slightly. Here she was, only in her underwear and shoes, and Pete looked like he was going to die from embarrassment. Why couldn't they have at least given them something else to wear? Lex was waiting semi-patiently within so the two girls just shoved the teens inside, effectively wiping out Chloe's hesitation.

While trapped in such a confined space, Pete finally roused himself to ask Lois "Is… Is Lionel your boyfriend?" Uncontrolled laughter rang out and Chloe had to restrain herself from smacking each and every one of them. How could they ridicule her best friend?

Lex managed to get himself under control first. "My father is not dating nor do I think he ever will. We are simply game pieces to him."

Pete just looked at his feet and whispered, "Oh." Chloe could tell that he wasn't going to say another word... just in case.

Thankfully, the lift ride didn't take too long. Chloe silently fumed. Did they have to be so snotty about it? Like Pete was supposed to know anything about their creepy host! He was only trying to be polite and they mocked and ridiculed him. She could feel her face flushing as she became more and more angry. As the lift ground to a halt, she was raring for a fight.

Curiosity led Chloe to look closely at their newest surroundings. Nothing in this house was normal so, if nothing else,this was bound to be amusing. They were in a large round room with a curtained stage on one side and a ramp with all of the Smallville residents lined along the railing. A large tank was at one end with a blurry form possibly floating in it. She shook her head and wondered briefly if she was imagining the green glow coming from said tank. She wished she could see into it, but an iridescent satin covering was laying over it… just transparent enough to hint at some weird content, but too opaque to actually show what it was. A fixture was suspended over the tank with lots of knobs and nozzles.

The wall under the railing was filled with so muchinstrumentation that Chloe wondered if it was possible that some of them might be useless. To the right of those was a big metal door. Chloe thought it looked rather secure like it was keeping something trapped behind it. The stage had a podium with a speaker. There were also some weights and gymnastic equipment hanging about which Chloe thought was even odder. From her brief glimpse of Lionel, she knew the weights couldn't possibly be for him.

Thinking of the devil, Chloe and Pete watched Lionel saunter their way, draped in a green doctor's smock. Lex shuffled over to him with some champagne. Chloe thought that Lex would have preferred to take a large swig himself rather than turning it over, but Lionel's severe look brought him back into resentful line. Lex tried to saunter off as soon as he could get away as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"Lana, Lois, go and help Lex," Lionel purred. The trio moves behind the tank. "I'll welcome… ah…" he held out an insistent hand.

Chloe shrugged and strode forward. There was something about this man... she felt odd..."Hey there. I'm Chloe Sullivan and this is my best friend, Rete Poss."

Pete nudged her irritably. "Pete Ross."

Chloe blushed hotly. "Pete Ross."

Lionel bowed over Chloe's hand, placing a kiss on it. Chloe couldn't seem to decide whether to blush more or tug her hand away and wipe it on Pete. He was slobbering all over her! "Buenos Dias!" He circled around them and Chloe could feel his gaze looking them up and down. "And what charming underclothes you both have." Chloe fought the impulse to move her hands to cover herself. Lex handed his father two white jackets who handedthem in turn to Pete. "But you can put these on if they'll make you feel less... vulnerable. We don't often get strangers here… let alone help them out of a sticky situation…"

That was the absolute last straw for Chloe. "Excuse me? All we wanted to do was use your phone. You wouldn't think that was too tough a request, but hey whatever, right?"

"Chloe, lay off!" Pete murmured, tugging on her arm.

"Lay off?" Chloe shook him off while staring at him incredulously. Suddenly, she realized that the room had gone deathly silent. Everyone seemed to be staring at Lionel. She wondered if she had maybe laid it on too thick.

Lionel smiled and Chloe shuddered. If there was ever a more predatory smile in the history of mankind, she had yet to see it. "How snarky you are, Chloe. Such a perfect specimen of the journalist on the trail of a story. So… persistent." Laughter was heard and Chloe could feel her temper rising again. "You must be awfully proud of her, Pete."

Pete smiled, obviously relieved that the critical moment had passed. "Actually, I am."

Frank looked at her expectantly. "Do you have any tattoos, my dear?"

"Like I'd tell you!" she fumed. This was just going from bad to worse!

A delicate shrug lifted the man's shoulders. "As you will. What about you?" he asked Pete, who just stood there gaping.

Chloe blessed whatever powers might be looking after them when Lex came up and interrupted the exceedingly uncomfortable interrogation. "It's all ready, Dad. We're waiting for you to hurry it along!"

Lionel nodded and drained his glass. Lex had his hand out expectantly, but Lionel just smashed it against the metal part of the wall. Pete flinched, but Chloe had been expecting something so obviously flamboyant from the billionaire. He sauntered to the podium and made a showy turn towards his audience. "Tonight, my larger than life Smallvillians…" Polite laughter rippled through the room and Chloe rolled her eyes. Oh, so now he thought he was a budding comedian? "Tonight you are to witness a breakthrough in scientific and alien research. Fame, more fortune and a hefty pharmaceutical contract is to be mine!"

Everyone applauded, including Pete. She nudged him sharply in the side and he subsided. "Sorry," he muttered, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. "I just got caught up in the moment." Merely grunting in response, Chloe was appalled and looked around her in disbelief. Sure, the meteor shower was catastrophic and more mutants had been created out of its 20 minute descent than could ever be justified by human evolution, but aliens? The crowd settled down as Lionel appeared ready to continue.

"It was strange how it happened. One of those fantastic quirks of fate, really. All the pieces seemed to fit into place. The answer had been here all the time. It took a small accident to make it happen. An Accident!" Lana and Lois echoed him softly from either side of him. Chloe rolled her eyes, but wondered what else she'd been expecting from such a melodramatic bunch. "That's how I discovered his secret. That elusive ingredient… The reason for all the strange occurrences that have been happening in our beloved small town!" He spread his arms expansively, obviously trying to enfold all into a symbolic embrace. Everyone else applauded wildly. Chloe could tell he was just trying to enfold everyone into his schemes and nefarious plans.

Lionel moved to the tank, caressing it lovingly. "You see, Pete and Chloe, you are indeed fortunate. For tonight is the night that my beautiful discovery is destined to be revealed!"

Everyone applauded and Lois and Lana theatrically removed the cover from the tank. Chloe gasped. This wasn't just some experiment! It was a person! Chloe was horrified. She wondered if it was dead because she didn't see any tubes coming out that might have helped the person breathe. She thought it might even be struggling, but had no way to tell for sure. Lionel hovered over the tank and began barking orders to Lex who was at the console wall.

"Throw open the switches on the sonic oscillator! And step up the reactor power input three… more… points!" Pete was fascinated with the switching, but Chloe was watching the now obviously green radioactive liquid slowly being drained from the tank. The person was now obviously struggling and Chloe couldn't understand how the person was still alive. Lex twirled a wheel and Lionel just about moaned in his excitement. He started twisting open each fixture on the chandelier-type apparatus and different colored liquids began pouring into the tank.

Pete suddenly realized that this was more than just your every day experiment. "Chloe…"

She turned and looked at him briefly. His eyes were as round as saucers and she couldn't blame him. She was totally freaked out as well. "It's alright, Pete." She grabbed his hand and they stared transfixed at what was happening before them.

The figure began to move with more strength as the liquid saturated what was now apparent as bandages, effectively washing off the green liquid. Lionel climbed a ladder, breathlessly awaiting what was coming next. Lex climbed the other, his eyes narrowed but still obviously excited. The form sat up with a moan and levered himself standing with both arms outstretched. Lex reached over and pulled off the bandage covering his head.

Chloe gasped again. The face was absolutely beautiful. The full dark hair and the piercing blue eyes that seemed so innocent were set with a face that was so the male version ofclassical beauty that a tear almost came to her eye. How could they possibly have tortured this person so? She was barely aware that Lex had returned to the control panel.

Suddenly, Clark grabbed the chandelier and Lex started winding the wheel, raising him to a level above all heads. He swung above them while the music swelled. Chloe could only hope that his voice would do justice to his looks. "The Sword of Dad, Jor-El, is hangin' over my head. And I've got the feelin' he's been tryin' to pull on my thread! Oh, woe is me. My life is a misery! Oh, can't you see that I'm at the start of a pretty big downer?"

Lionel crossed to Lex in a huff and kicked him hard in the ribs. After another resentful glare at his father, Lex began to twist the wheel in the other way, slowly lowering Clark to the ground. Lionel climbed up the ladder into the tank and watched as Lois and Lana carefully started taking the bandages off of his arms and legs.

Clark was singing the song pleadingly to the captive audience, but they didn't seem to care that he was in distress. "I woke up this morning with a start when I fell on the bed."

While the Smallvillians didn't care about his plight, they were encouraged to begin singing with him. "What are you? Nine?"

"And left from my dreaming was a feeling of un-seeable lead."

"That's quite a sign!"

"My high is low. I float up with no place to go. And all I know is I'm at the start of a pretty big downer!"

Lionel threw his arms around Clark's neck, screaming "Clarky!" and Clark spun away. Chloe didn't blame him. Lana and Lois managed to hang onto the last part of the bandage just before he moved.

"Sha la la la, what a huge climb!"

While twirling with the bandage, Clark continues to sing. "Oh, no no no!"

"Sha la la la. You wanna' dime?"

"No, no, no, no!"

"Sha la la la. You ain't no… You ain't no… mime!"

Clark was finally unbandaged, left with a pair of red and blue briefs that didn't leave much to the imagination. All Chloe could do was stare. She may have intellectually wanted to do something, but couldn't seem to do anything to help him… Her mind was numb because he was perfect… Just the man she'd always dreamed of finding. She was glued to the spot. Lionel climbed on Lex's shoulders and came towards the boy, still screaming "Clarky!"

Clark started running around the room, up into the audience section. Lex tripped and threw his father to the floor who started pounding it in a childish fit. Clark tried to appeal to his audience. "The sword of Dad, Jor-El is hangin' over my head!"

"You're gonna' pine!"

"And I've got the feelin' he's been tryin' to pull on my thread!"

"You wanna' whine?"

"Oh, woe is me! I must be a mystery! You just can't see that I'm at the start of a pretty big downer!"

"Clarky!" was heard and Lionel began chasing Clark around the room.

"Sha la la la. That ain't no crime!"

"Oh, no, no, no!"

"Sha la la la. There ain't no time!"

"No, no, no, no!"

"Sha la la la. You ain't so fine! We need some wine! Sha la la la. We want a lime!"

"No, no, no, no!"

"Sha la la la. That's a bad rhyme!"

"No, no, no, no!"

"Sha la la la. That ain't no… That ain't no crime! Sha la la!"

Clark climbed back up the ladder to the tank nearest the stage and Lionel was in a heap below it. Lex looked at Clark from behind the tank while Lana and Lois stared at him from the opposite end. Lionel was obviously pissed. Chloe wondered what he was going to do… and if she could do anything to stop him.

A/N: So it is finally up and running. As with anything, we all have excuses, but mine is that my computer has a weird virus so I've had to use other computers to finalize this chapter. It may be a little while, but I really appreciate your patience and your review.

The Tribble Master: Number 1, love your name. Number 2, I'm glad that you're reviewing my stuff as I've reviewed yours. I hope that you have been enjoying my stuff!

snowbunny3: I know. Lionel Luthor in that outfit was enough to make me want to gouge out my own eyes... But it had to be done. :D I hope you enjoy this next installment. (P.S. Isn't Clark in bikini briefs enough to make up for the Lionel image?)

markmark261: You know, I've seen a couple of productions of Rocky and I never realized that Dr. Scott and Eddie were the same person playing two separate characters. However, Jonathan will not appear as young Eddie. I have another character in mind. You're hint is to remember that Columbia was in love with Eddie...

It's been really rough trying to decide what is too close to the Rocky theme and what is better closer to Smallville. At least I stopped (or mostly, I think) making it seem like Chloe and Pete have no idea who these people are... :D