The Black Coats
Written By: The Ascended Ancient
Chapter XI: "Captivity"

To french-charlotte: For the record, I do have spaces between the scenes. This website, apparently, doesn't like them and edits them out. But, since you brought that to my attention, I've gone back and re-done my spaces so that they won't be taken out.

On the outskirts of Smallville, Clark Kent super-speeds to the base of operations the Internal Threat Control set up several days ago. As he approaches the base he slows down to a normal speed, trying to avoid exposing his powers to the Black Coats. He walks towards the base, and as he does he's approached by two soldiers.

"Mr. Kent," one of them greets. "Come with us." Without another word, the two soldiers lead Clark into the base. They take him through a maze of temporary buildings, finally taking him into one. It's a prison building, with at least a dozen cells in it. The soldiers unlock one and roughly shove Clark inside. Then they close the door and walk away.

Inside his cell, Clark uses his x-ray vision to look around. In all the other cells are at least three or four scientists - and these are pretty small cells for that many people. After a few moments he stops looking around and sits down on a small, metal bench. He hangs his head.

Suddenly, there's a noise at his door. Clark looks up and uses his x-ray vision to see Josh taking off his military jacket and un-holstering his sidearm. The door is then unlocked and the colonel is shoved in. Clark glares at him as the door is locked again.

"What are you doing here?" Clark asks sharply.

"Apparently I'm your new cellmate," Josh replies.

"And, apparently, the guy in charge of the I.T.C.," Clark says.

"Where did you hear that?" Josh asks.

"Around."

"Well, it's not true." Clark just glares at him. "Look, they kidnapped Chloe to get to her father," Hammond explains. "He was asking too many questions. Then they wanted me to help keep the media off their back." He looks down sadly. "They threatened to kill Chloe if I didn't." He looks up at Clark. "I love her, Clark."

"So," Clark says, "I guess prisoners who cooperate here get fancy uniforms and guns, huh?" Josh stares at Clark in disbelief. "I know you're just putting on an act here, colonel! So don't bother pretending to be on my side." Josh continues to stare at Clark for a few moments.

"Fine," he says. "You're right. I am in charge here. Which means I'm the one who decides if your parents live or die." He walks towards the door. "You may be impervious to bullets, but I'm pretty sure they're not." He knocks on the door, and a guard opens it. "There'll be a guard out here at all times. If you decide you want to start cooperating, just give them a call."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Clark?" Lex Luthor calls out as he walks into the Kent barn. "You out here, Clark?" The corporate billionaire walks up the steps to Clark's loft. He looks around and sighs. "Where are you, Clark?" he mutters.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"I'm glad you chose to cooperate," Joshua Hammond tells Clark Kent as he leads him out of the cell building.

"Don't have much choice, do I?" Clark says. Before Josh can respond to that, Clark asks, "So, what do you want from me?"

"Well, for starters, we want a DNA sample," Josh tells him as they walk. "Before coming here to Smallville, my department spent over a month analyzing the DNA of certain individuals currently staying at the Belle Reve Mental Institution. Now, they all had special abilities, but none of them had a hide so thick that a state-of-the-art tranquilizer dart can't penetrate it." The colonel pulls out a cotton swab. "And since your skin is like steel..." He trails off and motions for Clark to open his mouth. Clark does so, and Josh swabs his throat. "There, now," he says. "Let's get this to the lab."

"Is that it?" Clark asks as they start walking again.

"Of course not, Clark," Josh tells him. "Of course not."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Across town, at the Luthor Mansion, Lex Luthor walks into his study to find Major Jeremy Woodward waiting for him.

"Major," Lex greets. "I wasn't expecting you."

"And I wasn't expecting to be deceived, Lex," the major replies. "The documentation you provided on your experiments with the meteor rocks was incomplete."

"And how would you know that?" Lex asks with a smirk as he sits down behind his desk.

"We're the government," the major replies. "It's our business to know."

"Is it also your business to kidnap corporate scientists?" Lex asks. Jeremy looks surprised for a moment. "I'll tell you what," Lex says, "I'll give you complete records of my company's experiments on the meteor rocks if you return my people."

"You're playing a very dangerous game, Lex," Woodward tells him.

"Don't threaten me, major," the young Luthor says coldly. "I know you can't touch me."

"Oh, really?"

"My family has too many influential ties to the government," Lex explains. "Those connections keep me safe."

"They didn't seem to keep your father safe," the major says.

"My father being in jail right now was my doing," Lex tells him. "Without my help the government wouldn't have been able to lay a hand on him." Lex turns on his computer. "Now, if you'll excuse me, major, I have a lot of work to do."

"Of course, Mr. Luthor," the major says before turning and walking out the door.

End of Chapter XI

Author's Note: So, what else does the I.T.C. want from Clark? And is Lex as safe as he thinks? Stay tuned for "Records", Chapter XII of The Black Coats, to find out.