I have to admit, I was surprised. Not because Lex's name had cropped up on the disc, but because it was so obvious. "Don't you think Lex would be a little more cautious than to use his own cell number as a contact line?" I glanced at Clark and raised a brow. "I mean, don't you think he's have an unregistered cell at the very least?"

The idea that Lex might not be so guilty brought obvious signs of relief to Clark's face. "You think this is a set up?" He asked warily.

In truth, I had no clue, but something just seemed off. I pointed to the strange word at the side of the number. "I don't know yet, but this looks interesting. What do you think it could stand for?"

Clark gazed at the word. Mjolnir seemed to stick out from the monitor. It looked like an anagram, but neither of us could crack it. "Try doing a Google search, Chloe."

I nodded and quickly accessed the internet. It was such a strange word I expected a long and arduous hunt before we found anything, but I was wrong. The results were almost instantaneous.

"Mjolnir is Thor's hammer." Clark appeared surprised. "Tell me that's not pushing the obvious too far…"

"Thor's hammer as in Lu 'thor.'" Even I couldn't believe the corny irony. "Clark, no way is that an idea of Lex's. He may have a warped sense of humor, but he's just too sophisticated to play that joke, or to leave his cell number lying around like that."

"So, if it isn't Lex, who's behind White Summit?" Clark was in full investigative swing now that he thought his friend wasn't the guilty party.

I wasn't so convinced that Lex was a good guy, but I had to admit it was looking pretty doubtful that he's instigated Clark's kidnapping. In fact, whoever had taken Clark and the others hadn't appeared to know about his allergies or his gifts- at least not at first. "I'm thinking our bad guy has one major grudge against Lex or Luthorcorp. They also appear to be pretty well off in the cashola department to fund all those labs and secret facilities."

"Lex has way too many enemies to figure this out unless there's more to the disc." Clark spun on his chair absentmindedly. "If our bad guy left behind fake clues, maybe they left real ones too."

"Like what? We've searched every file on the disc." I hit enter and returned to the main menu, but the same options glared at me as before. There was nowhere new to look. "Who would blow up a lab and try to cut in on Lex's experiments for even eviler purposes?"

Clark shot me a look at my 'even eviler' comment, but he didn't argue. Instead, he began wracking his brain for answers. "Who would employ someone like Schenkel? Would it be for revenge, or just plain old industrial espionage?"

I shrugged. "Clark, Lex has so many enemies…heck, it could even be his father!"

"Not quite…"

Clark and I spun around to the door simultaneously. The voice and the attitude were very familiar to us both, but I'd lay a bet neither of us had expected to see the guy here.

Dominic Sanitori smiled at our shocked expressions, and it was then I noted the gun in his hand. He watched my gaze and then peered at Clark. "Don't think of using your gifts if you want Miss Lane and the vet to live."

"You set all this up just to get back at Lex and his family?" I asked incredulously. "How did you fund it? Why now?" A multitude of questions came to mind, not least why Sanitori would be interested in scientific research.

"Let's just say I'm not alone in this venture, but my partner has a mutual interest in seeing Luthorcorp brought down. I had no real interest in the lab side of things, but I didn't appreciate being accused of the attempted murder of Lionel…"

"But your partner obviously has an interest in the scientific side," Clark interjected. "Why take the survivors from the plant?"

Sanitori kept his back to the door and the gun firmly aimed at my heart. It was apparent from the way he nervously watched Clark that he knew he was special. "The explosion was a twofold plan. Firstly, make Luthorcorp look incompetent and liable. Secondly, we aimed to steal the research along with its results. The workers that survived made rather good lab rats, don't you think? And then there was the results Schenkel discovered about you," Our captor smirked at Clark then pretty smugly. "I always wondered why Lex spent so much good money investigating your family. Now I know."

Clark shivered and involuntarily touched his side where he had been injured. I could see he was getting angry, but he kept his temper in check pretty well considering. "Where all those deaths really worth getting payback?"

Sanitori shrugged and glanced briefly over his shoulder. I don't know if he'd heard a noise or if he had other cohorts in the building. Eventually, he settled again and answered. "Oh, there not all dead. The others in the room with you have simply been moved to another more secure facility. In fact, you'll be rejoining them soon. My partner and I couldn't possibly let someone with your uniqueness get away."

"And if I don't go back to that butcher, Schenkel?"

Sanitori pulled out his ace. He had a small, glistening fragment of meteor rock in his pocket just like the guy in the office back at White Summit. Nervously, he edged closer with it. "Oh, you'll come with me, but don't worry; you won't be seeing the good Dr. Schenkel again…"

I grimaced and watched in horror as Clark began to waver on his feet. Our captor wasn't close enough with the rock to bring Clark down, but he was in pain and I knew it. After a few tense moments, Sanitori backed off and left Clark panting. "What did you do to Schenkel," he asked, surprising me. "Did you kill him?"

"My business partner and I don't like incompetent people."

I choked, mockingly. "Isn't that kind of a weird statement considering you were fired from the Luthors for the exact same reason?"

Dominic leered back at me, but didn't take my bait. He gestured with his weapon to the door. "Shall we move outside? Your carriage awaits…" He kept a tight grip on the rock in his pocket, and I knew that for now we had to comply.

I took the lead, trying to keep Clark a safe distance from the deadly emerald meteor fragment. "You do realize whoever your mystery partner is, that they're probably just using you? I mean, from what I can see the person has way more money and influence than you. The word scapegoat comes to mind." I attempted to fish for information as we walked. I don't know what good I thought it would do me at this stage, but you can never have too much knowledge.

Sanitori had apparently already considered my idea. "The thought had crossed my mind," he admitted. "But as long as I see the Luthors go down I'll be happy. I spent years in their employment, grovelling and spending every hour of my life at their beck and call. It's time for them to know what it feels like to be intimidated."

I didn't believe Sanitori and his little consortium could bring down Lex or his father, but for now I shut my mouth. He wasn't going to tell who his partner in crime was just yet, and I had to live with it.

Outside the office I paused. I couldn't see anyone else who might be with 'Domineering Dominic', but poor Herb was out cold on the floor. I guessed our captor had slugged him while we had been looking at the disc.

"He'll live, probably…" Sanitori stepped cold-heartedly over Herb's slumped frame and opened the side cabin door. A black van awaited us with no rear windows. "Which is more than I can say for you," he smirked arrogantly.

I gulped and Clark moved a little closer to me protectively. I don't know what he thought he could do in our current predicament, but the thought was a kind one. "What are you going to do with Chloe once you have me back with the others?" My farmboy was asking questions I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the answers to.

Sanitori slid back a side panel and ushered us in the van. "Oh I think we can find some use for Miss Sullivan. Who knows, she may even be a candidate for her own Wall of Weird when we're through with her."

I climbed inside and felt my stomach wrench at the thought of being some kind of meteor mutant. Clark followed me and put a hand reassuringly on my arm. "Don't worry, Chloe. We'll get out of this somehow," he whispered to me as Sanitori taped his meteor rock to the back panel, incapacitating Clark almost instantly.

I glowered at our kidnapper, but all I got for my trouble was a set of handcuffs slapped tights on my wrists. "Ouch! I can see you enjoy your new job," I felt like kicking him as he exited the rear of the Ford, but that wouldn't get me anywhere and he might shackle my feet too. I decided maybe I could use them to fight with later and backed off. "Are you going to be okay?" I put my attention to Clark who had slithered to the corner farthest away from the now glowing rock.

He nodded half-heartedly. "I'll live…as long as the journey isn't too long." Those green eyes sparkled just for a second, and then he curled into a ball on the cold metal floor.

In an attempt to at least keep Clark awake, I decided to start speculating on our new destination, and just who the mystery person was who might be there to greet us. "Any thoughts on who Sanitori's partner might be, or where we're going?" I shuffled over using my legs and let Clark rest his head on my leg. I thought maybe my body might shield him from some of the effects of the rock too.

Clark shook his head. "I don't know any of Lex's adversaries that well. He keeps his business dealings kind of private…" He grimaced. "Not that my mind is exactly working one hundred percent right now…"

My mind was working, but it wasn't coming up with anything useful. I looked around the sparse van interior, but there was nothing I could use as a weapon, or to try and pick the locks on my cuffs. I looked at Clark hopefully. "I don't suppose your heat vision works while you're sick?"

"Not really," Clark coughed and tried anyway, but all he managed was a squint that looked pretty painful itself. "Maybe if you could get rid of the rock…"

I took a look at where Sanitori had taped it. It was just about as far away from Clark as it was going to get unless I could toss it out the van. How I was supposed to do that when the Ford had no windows was a conundrum I couldn't fathom. Still, seeing as we could be confined for hours I figured it wouldn't hurt to pull off the tape if I could. Maybe if I could hurl the rock as soon as we got out Clark might be strong enough to put up a fight.

I shuffled again until I reached the panel where the glowing menace was secured. It seemed to taunt me as I approached it, and I wondered what the hellish ore was actually made of.

The handcuffs pretty much left me free to tug at the tape, so that wasn't a problem. Although, I broke two nails in the process and Clark heard me cuss just a little bit more than I would have liked him to.

"I see Lois has been teaching you bad habits," he smiled impishly through another obvious burst of pain.

I nodded as I finally pulled the rock from its resting place. "I just hope Lois is okay back there. What if there were more goons we didn't see. They could have…" I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence. Lois was alive. Herb was alive, and somehow we were all going to get out of this mess.

"Chloe," Clark suddenly looked startled. "I think the van's slowing."

I stopped my banter and listened. The engine note had definitely changed to a more subtle hum. To prove we were right, Sanitori tapped on the metal separating the cab from us with the butt of his gun. "It's time to rejoin your fellow freaks in the meteor rock play pen…" he laughed callously, and I knew that if we entered the new facility, we would never come out alive…

TBC...