Thank you to the people who have taken the time to provide comments and reviews for this story. It is nice to get feedback (good or bad).
I will be updating this story a few times between now and the end of the week but after Friday I won't be able to update it again until the end of February as I will be out of the country until then. I will continue to develop the plot while I am away and hopefully finish it up when I get back.
Thanks again and happy reading.
Jonathon sat on the cold cement floor in complete darkness. He had been blindfolded and led to this room by the two men who had forced him into the trunk of the limo. He wasn't sure how long he had been locked up but time seemed to creep by slowly as his worry for Clark increased with every passing moment.
He had spent the first bit of his time, since the door slammed shut and he was alone, tracing every inch of the walls and floor that he was able to reach. His wrists were shackled separately and chained to a heavy metal ring on the cement wall behind him. He could sense that the room was much bigger than he was able to explore but he could not see anything but blackness. There was no windows or lights in the room and the air hung damp and cool around him leading him to believe he was in a room in the basement of the mansion.
He had been down there long enough for his mind to start working in overdrive. His mental balance had shifted from exploring his surroundings and situation for the possibility of escape, to anger and currently fear for his son. Upon discovering there was no way out of his predicament he had wore himself out yelling until he finally slumped down in the corner with his face buried in his hands. His only thoughts now were of Clark and his future. Would Lionel follow through with his threats? When would he come to brag about his intentions? Could the damage be undone? Why did he let his pride get in the way of protecting his son? How long had he been done here? All these questions plagued his thoughts as the darkness and silence entombed him.
What seemed like an eternity passed before the door gave way to a bright light and in entered the one person who would answer his questions.
The lights flickered on dimly as the door shut behind Lionel. Jonathon squinted and raised his hand up attempting to block the intensity of the light until his eyes had adjusted. "What have you done?" he asked, his voice dry and raw from his previous yelling.
"That was going to be my question to you." Lionel informed standing in his suit and tie, looking as if this were nothing more than a business meeting. "What were you thinking? Did you honestly believe for one minute that I would let you deny me without some repercussions? I gave you an opportunity to embrace a very amicable arrangement, which would ensure the continued safety of your son. Seems to me that you don't care about Clark as much as you led others to believe."
"I care for my son more than you are capable of imaging." He rose clumsily to his feet and stepped the few feet forward that his restraints would allow. The chains pulling his arms slightly behind his back as he closed the distance.
"Really? Is that so?" Lionel paused and took a step forward as if mocking Jonathon's inability to move freely.
"Yes it is."
"Oh Jonathon, defiant till the last. That is what attracts me to you and is also what makes me like and dislike you all at the same time."
Jonathon stared at him stunned waiting for something more in the way of an explanation. "You see there is something about you that I find intriguing. I have wondered many times about what it would be like to have you all to myself. I could have taken you at any time by force but that isn't what I want. I want you to come to me willingly." Jonathon snorted in disgust and disbelief as if verifying that would never happen.
"I knew you would never come to me without some incentive so imagine how excited I was to learn of your son's uniqueness. I would never have guessed you to be the type to put his pride ahead of your child's safety." Lionel finished, smiling slightly at Jonathon's flinch indicating his words had hit close to home.
"What do you want?"
"Excuse me?" Lionel tried to look surprised.
"You heard me. What do you want so you will leave Clark alone?"
"Oh Jonathon, I am sorry, but I'm afraid we have gone beyond that point in our arrangement. No, no, there is nothing you can do now to convince me to leave him alone but you can buy the assurance of his safety for short periods of time."
"What the hell did you do? Where is Clark?" Jonathon's anxiety over Clark's safety was over riding his efforts to remain in control of his emotions.
Lionel took out his cell phone and pressed a button then flipped the phone shut. Moments later the door opened and two men entered dragging a near-unconscious Clark between them.
Jonathon's concern increased when he saw the piece of kryptonite embedded in the center of a metal collar that was secured around Clark's neck. "Clark!" He yelled as he struggled, pulling against his chains trying to reach his son.
"Lionel! Let him go! Your killing him!"
"Ah ah ah Jonathon, on the contrary, you are killing him. You could make this all stop, for now atleast, but you haven't yet. Why is that exactly?"
The two men dumped Clark on the floor at his father's feet. "Clark! Oh God Clark! Hang on son." Jonathon blurted out as he knelt down and pulled Clark's upper body onto his lap. His fingers trembled as he searched in vain for the latch to undue the collar. He pried at the collar watching as Clark doubled over in pain again and again. The veins in his neck protruded like green snakes from beneath it and his eyes were wide as he gasped for breath. "Dad. Dad, help me." Hw managed to whisper before he slid into merciful unconsciousness.
"Clark!" Jonathon turned his eyes up to Lionel reflecting complete hatred. "Damn you! Do something!" He seethed. He then looked back to Clark. "Hang on Clark. You hang on." With one hand he wiped the tears away from his cheeks and with the other he assessed Clark's pulse.
Lionel sighed and took out a tiny remote control pad. He pushed a button on the remote and a lead chip was activated on the collar covering the kryptonite completely. The tension in Jonathon's body slipped away almost immediately when he saw Clark's breathing and color return to normal. Along with the tension went his energy. He was exhausted, he couldn't remember ever being that sick with worry. All his worst fears came to the surface and one man brought them all. Jonathon looked up at that man now with a mix of emotions in his eyes, contempt, hatred, and relief but most important to Lionel was surrender.
The silence between them was broken by Clark's recovery, he began to stir and sit up assessing his surroundings. "Dad?" He confirmed what he was seeing was in fact real as he looked between Jonathon and Lionel and at the shackles on Jonathon's wrists.
"It's okay son."
Clark gingerly reached up and felt along the edge of the collar. He vaguely remembered Lionel's men coming to the loft and grabbing him.
"Ingenious isn't it Clark?" Lionel prompted.
"What is going on?" Clark demanded, "You said you would leave my family out of this. You said that-"
"I know what I said Clark but as you can see, things have changed. If you had been honest with me from the start none of this would be happening."
"What? I did what you asked me to do."
Lionel interrupted again. "Oh Clark, so many lies. I wonder, you know, do you ever really know when you are lying any more?"
"Lionel, what the hell is going on here? What are you talking about?" Jonathon demanded confused by the obvious appearance of a side arrangement with Clark.
"Well you see your son and I had a discussion similar to the one I had with you about his future."
Jonathon jumped to his feet and charged at Lionel being stopped short by his chains, "You Bastard! You had better not lay a finger on him!"
"Relax Jonathon. Our agreement wasn't what I had hoped ours would be. I simply wanted Clark's assistance obtaining various items of interest to me."
"What are you talking about.. your arrangement?" Clark questioned.
Lionel continued, ignoring Clark's confusion. "I got the fascinating insight into his physiology from tests that I ran on him. The little tid bit about the meteor rock was provided by Clark himself."
"Clark?" Jonathon looked quizzically at his son.
"Dad, I didn't tell him anything, I swear!"
"You didn't have to tell me anything Clark. I saw you place the meteor rock on the table and the lead cover you taped to your leg when I reviewed the surveillance tapes from our session later that evening."
Clark silently cursed his own stupidity as Lionel proceeded, "The collar is quite remarkable really. With a touch of this button the lead cover retracts, exposing your son to the meteor rock." He explained to Jonathon as he pushed the button and Clark fell forward grasping his throat and straining for breath.
"Clark!"
"With the touch of this button the cover returns." Lionel pushed the button and Clark recovered from his sudden exposure. "It also comes with an added feature." Lionel bragged, unconcerned with the effects on his audience. "If I push this button, the collar emits a laser beam from within that penetrates the meteor rock and sends a concentrated beam of radiation into Clark's throat. This will effectively render him unconscious for varied lengths of time. The strength of the beam can be adjusted higher or lower depending on whether I intend to stun him or kill him. Like this." He finished as he pushed the button.
"No!" Jonathon screamed.
Clark had no time for reaction. The beam penetrated his skin and he was knocked unconscious immediately.
"Clark! Clark!" Jonathon yelled as he shook him fiercely.
"Relax Jonathon, he'll be fine. He will wake up shortly. The effects of the beam are short at low levels but his powers will take a while to return to him." He walked over and grabbed Clark around each wrist dragging him to the opposite wall and chaining him to it.
He was out of breath by the time he returned to the center of the room. "Those chains are uniquely designed as well. Anytime any pressure is applied to them they will emit the same beam. Each time the beam is activated it gets increasingly stronger unless the memory chip inside them is reset. If Clark tries to escape he will be rendered unconscious, if he tries again the same thing will happen. After a few attempts the beam will be strong enough to kill him. That being said," he walked over to a very quiet, exhausted and stunned Jonathon, "I don't think we'll be needing these for now." He reached down and unchained Jonathon's wrists.
Jonathon didn't dare move. He stood holding his breath as Lionel's thumb trailed up his forearm and bicep. He raised his hand and thumbed Jonathon's bottom lip. Jonathon watched unmoving as Lionel leaned in and licked his lips in preparation for the kiss. He felt Jonathon flinch backwards.
"Don't be foolish again." He warned in a heavy whisper. Jonathon strained every muscle in his body to remain still as he watched Lionel's finger hover over a button on the remote control.
"Lionel." Jonathon tried one last time to open the conversation for reasoning.
"Shh." He calmed as he playfully licked at the corner of Jonathon's lips. Gently he kissed him, tongue exploring gingerly. He sighed as he pulled away.
"Just to clear things up here Jonathon. I am not in love with you. I just love the knowledge that I possess total power and control over you."
He stepped back and survived his prize. "That door is locked." He pointed behind him to the door Clark had been dragged through. "But that door," he pointed to a second door, "that door there leads to my bedroom and will be unlocked later tonight. When you are ready, you will come to me."
He turned to leave but changed his mind. He turned back toward Jonathon again, "You try anything, and I mean anything, and Clark will pay for your mistakes. Are we clear?" He watched Jonathon for a sign of understanding. It never came. Jonathon just stared at him processing all the events that had occurred. "Good." With that he turned to leave.