Chapter 22

Bugging for Answers

Pete walked outside toward his car. He started to pull out his keys when he noticed a certain bald Luthor leaning against his hood. He stopped in his tracks when Lex looked up at him.

"Hello Pete, good to see that physical therapy worked so well. You can barely notice that limp of yours." Lex said smugly.

"What do you want Lex? Come to kidnap me like you did Chloe?" Pete asked as he made it to his car.

"Ouch, that hurt Pete. I just wanted answers, and I admit, that I went a little too far but-" Lex was cut off by Pete's sudden out lash.

"A little too far? You call kidnapping a person and almost electrocuting them to death a little to far? Come on Lex you can't expect me to trust you much less like you, so why are you here? I mean, you can't erase four years. You just have to face facts, some questions don't have answers. So just get over it. In fact, get lost, you don't belong here, you never have." Pete spat at Lex.

"I don't expect you to like me Pete, especially not now. I just wanted to know where we stood with each other. You know I have to give you your props though," Lex said while patting Pete on the shoulder and planting a bug, "you're a lot braver this year than last."

Pete removed Lex's hand from his shoulder.

"Why would you say that?" Pete asked.

"Well, as I recall last year when someone pressed you for answers about Clark you moved to Wichita. I'm glad that you decided to stick around this time." Lex replied.

Pete scoffed Lex's remark, he knew that Lex was right and he hated that.

"Lex as much as I would love to stick around and get verbally abused I have to go." Pete said as he got into his car putting on his jacket. (This couldn't have pleased Lex more)

Lex backed out of Pete way and let him pass. When he was out of sight Lex couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Pete was the loyal one, yet he had no idea that he was about to betray his best friend.

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"Pete what's wrong?" Clark asked as his friend walked up to stairs fuming.

"Oh well, let me think. Lex decided to have a talk with me and I have a feeling that if I hadn't told him to get lost that he would have tried something." Pete said plopping down on the other side of the couch.

"What did he say?" Clark asked his eyes getting wide.

"Oh, just that my break did me well because I wasn't as stressed out as I was last year. Told me that I was a good "secret keeper after all." Pete said while making air quotes with a defeated tone in his voice.

"Pete, Lex was just trying to get to you. Don't worry about it. You were always a good friend and always will be."

"Like I was whenever you first told me that you weren't exactly human? You know what-"

"Pete! I don't regret having told you my secret. I trust you completely. Don't let Lex get to you. He's only trying to get you stressed so the you might slip about something." Clark interrupted Pete.

"I know it's just that I had so much confidence when I came back then when you told Lana and Chloe the truth I felt even more confident. I mean who could I slip to when everyone in our loop knew the truth? But Lex's just makes it hard. Then a memory came to Pete's mind. "Hey remember when I found your ship and we got into that fight and you superspeeded in front of my car to stop me from leaving?"

"Yeah," Clark said smiling at the memory, "I remember, but that's kinda hard to forget. Hey, what about the time when I had just gotten my x-ray vision and I anciently looked in the girls locker room?"

"Oh yeah! That was hilarious! I was falling to tears when you told me about that! To tell you the truth I kind or envious of you on that one." Pete said smiling broadly.

"We have had some fun times." Clark said remembering.

"Thanks Clark, I almost forgot what it was like just talking to you. But hey I have to be somewhere but I just wanted to tell you about Lex. I hope I never betray you." Pete said while getting up to leave.

"You won't." Clark said simply watching his friend leave. Right then he felt such anger toward Lex. He had no right to be prying into his life.

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We see Lex in his office. He's playing back a recording.

We hear Pete's voice say "Like when you told me that you weren't' exactly human?"

Lex pauses the tape and replays Pete's words.

"Like when you told me that you weren't' exactly human?"

"Like when you told me that you weren't' exactly human?"

"Like when you told me that you weren't' exactly human?"

"Like when you told me that you weren't' exactly human?"

"Like when you told me that you weren't' exactly human?"

"Like when you told me that you weren't' exactly human?"

"Weren't' exactly human?"

"Weren't' exactly human?"

"Weren't' exactly human?"

"Human?"

"Human?"

"Human?"

Disbelief consumes his face. Then an array of emotions wash over it. First disbelief, then shock, anger, disgust, even fear, yet one comes up out on top eradicating all others.

Anger.

We hear Lex say:

"Clark, you have some explaining to do."