Clark stared down at the list in front of him. He hadn't had any problems gathering the long list of items so far. He had crossed off a number of seemingly innocent items such as documents, artifacts, paintings, swords, now came the hard part. He really didn't think that he could bring himself to deliver another human being to Lionel. He was so torn up about it that he just needed somewhere to go and think. That is what had brought him to his loft in the barn.

He sat on the couch looking around the room feeling comforted by the familiarity. He was careful not to be noticed by the search party members surrounding their make shift headquarters in the driveway. He knew that he would hear someone coming and be gone before they would suspect he had been there if need be.

He rubbed his temples and stared blankly at the coffee table in front of him. He thought about his mom and how worried she must be. Maybe he could catch a glimpse of her while he was there. He toyed with the idea of going to her and telling her that him and his dad were safe. He knew he couldn't tell her where they were without putting her in jeopardy as well but maybe it would ease her worry to know they were safe.

He picked up the paper and read the names again silently. He tried again to convince himself that if these men were on this list it was likely that they had done something to deserve to be there. That thought always ended with the realization that he hadn't done anything to deserve to be in this position and maybe these men didn't either.

Maybe Lionel did just want to talk to them but somehow Clark doubted that. What if he was delivering them to their deaths, he wouldn't be the executioner but he would be the transporter.

What would his father want him to do? He knew the answer to that without too much thought. His father would tell him not to give in to Lionel's demands. He would say that Lionel could do whatever he wanted to him but he wouldn't want another persons blood to be on his son's hands. Clark shook his head at the thought of ending up with his father's blood on his hands.

He left the barn at super speed to be sure that he wasn't spotted. He still hadn't consciously made up his mind as he ran as fast and as hard as he could. The speed served to clear his mind and help him to process his thoughts. Before he was aware that he had even made the decision he was back at the mansion and waiting for Lionel. He had known all along that he was not capable of retrieving the last of the items; now all that was left was to sit and wait for Lionel's wrath.

Clark didn't have to wait too long before the door flew open and Lionel strolled in still wearing his suit from the wedding.

"Well now Clark my sources tell me that you have failed in your little task. You know I do hate it when people attempt to call my bluff. I believe I made myself perfectly clear about what would happen should you choose not to complete your assignment. Unfortunately for your father he will ultimately be the one to pay."

"You set me up." Clark shot out from the opposite end of the room.

Lionel chuckled, "How so?"

"You knew I would never complete that list. You set me up to fail."

"On the contrary son, I merely provided you with an opportunity to prove your worth and protect the ones you love. Seems we need to work on your misguided sense of loyalty. Your father will have you to thank for what comes next. I'll be sure to let him know."

In that instant Clark speed across the floor towards Lionel. He moved so fast that Lionel did not see the attack. Clark grabbed him and threw him against the wall. Before Lionel had a chance to regain his wits and reach for the remote to Clark's collar, Clark had grabbed it from him and crushed it in his hand. He was towering over Lionel who was crumpled in a heap at the base of the wall.

"Where is my father?" Clark shouted in anger.

Lionel started to feed him a sting of lies and Clark wasn't standing for any of it. He reached down and pulled Lionel to his feet. He dragged him across the room to the door and flung it open.

"Show me where he is! Now!" Clark threatened.

"Okay, okay I'll show you." Lionel coward.

Clark held him firmly by the upper sleeve of his jacket, just off the shoulder, as they quickly made their way through the halls of the mansion. Lionel seemed surprisingly compliant, a fact that was lost on Clark as they rounded the corner to a set of bedroom doors.

"In there. He's in there." Lionel offered.

"Open the doors!" Clark shoved him forward towards the doors without letting go of him.

Lionel opened the bedroom doors to reveal an empty room. It was a large room with a double bed and a bathroom off to the side but Clark had no time to notice the layout because of the immediate pain that filtered through his veins as the door opened.

He tried desperately to remain in control of his captive but it wasn't long before Lionel had successfully pried Clark's fingers off his jacket sleeve. Lionel grabbed Clark by the collar and hauled him into the room. Before shutting the door he took advantage of Clark's weakness and delivered a number of squarely placed kicks to his head and stomach. Blood was trickling from Clark's nose and he clutched his stomach, moaning loudly in agony. Lionel reached down and grabbed a hand full of Clark's hair, lifting his head to look directly into his face.

"When are you going to learn that I call the shots around here Your father will pay dearly for your insubordination. One more stunt like that and I will kill him, in cold blood, and I will make you watch every slow, excruciating minute of his death." Lionel pulled his head back even farther as he spoke.

"Beg me to make the pain stop."

"No." Clark moaned.

"Beg me or I will leave you like this for as long as it takes and I will ensure that Lex and your father endure the same pain for the duration that it takes you to beg for a reprieve."

"Please."

"Please what Clark?" Lionel knelt down in front of his face and leaned in closer to hear the words that were muffled by the pain.

"Please make it stop Make the pain stop." Clark sputtered the words through the thick trail of blood flowing from his nose down across his lips.

Lionel dropped Clark's head, which promptly hit the floor with a resounding thump and grabbed Clark's wrists hauling him towards the bed. Once there Lionel placed a set of cuffs around each of Clark's wrists similar to the ones he had been restrained with in the basement. He turned away and headed towards the doors.

"No! Wait!" Clark called after him.

Lionel stopped at the doors and shut them. He turned back to Clark who was no longer in pain and whose injuries were already healed.

"What happened?" Clark asked confused by the events that had just taken place. How could Lionel have activated the collar around his neck without the remote control?

"You see Clark, unlike you, Lex was able to hold up his end of the bargain today and therefore he is to be rewarded. Although after your little stunt I am not too sure that you deserve to be on the receiving end of that reward. But never the less, Lex has requested that you be moved to a room with a bed and a bathroom. So here we are."

"But the kryptonite-?" Clark started his question, running his fingers along the collar at his neck.

"Ahh yes that. Well you see Lex had told me prior to the wedding what he would like, should he be successful today. I called ahead and had my men set up this room with a few added features. One of which are the cuffs on your wrists that are chained to the wall behind the bed. They operate much the same as the restraints that you had on downstairs." Lionel crossed the room to look out the window, "The second is these windows. They are tinted so that you can look out but no one can see in. And the third was to have all access points into and out of the room connected to the activation chip inside your collar. Anytime anyone opens a door or a window into or out of this room the collar will be activated until such time as the access has been closed. Now I realize that without the cuffs you could easily speed through the door or be dragged threw it and then close it while on the outside, that is what the cuffs are for, to prevent that."

"So Lex won this?" Clark sounded confused.

"He won this as his reward for getting married today without incident, yes." Lionel confirmed.

He returned to the door and faced Clark one last time, "Lex may have won you some nicer accommodations with his actions today, but your actions will not go unpunished. Your father will be made to pay for the sins of his son."

Lionel left Clark who was doubled over with pain at the opening of the doors. As he left he smiled to himself at how well this was all working out. Lex would feel that he had gained a minor victory in gaining some comfort for his friend by doing as he was told and in turn it would entice him to continue to do as he was told. By the end of the week Jonathon would be at his beck end call and lastly Clark would believe that his father's change of attitude was a direct result of punishment suffered due to his actions. It wouldn't be long and he would have Clark eating out of his hand with the other two.

Lionel shut and locked the door to the room. He called for two of his security to stand guard over the room and ensure that no one was allowed in and headed off in search of Lex and his new daughter-in-law.