Lex, and Lois who was still kneeling with Chloe, both froze. Lois slowly turned her head to look behind her, and when she saw Lionel Luthor, alive and speaking, she fainted. Clark rushed as fast as his legs would take him to Lois's side.
Lex, who also had his back to the side of the room where Lionel made his appearance, was staring at Mason with a look of shocked confusion on his face. Mason stared back at Lex, a smile playing on his lips as he realized he still had a chance to get out of here.
Lex slowly turned his body to face the voice of his father. When Lex came face to face with the bruised and cut Lionel he gave a small laugh of relief.
"Dad," he said quietly. "I was told you were dead?"
"I've been locked down here for six months," Lionel said.
Lex watched his father closely. Something wasn't right. He was different. There was no life in his eyes; he was like a walking, animated, dead man. There was no sarcastic humor, and no inflection in his voice.
"Why would you be locked down here, Dad," Lex asked, with growing suspicion.
Lionel just stared back at Lex, a confused look on his face.
"I don't know," Lionel said, "I don't really remember." Lionel stood in place, trying to form a unique thought, trying to recollect what had brought him down here.
Mason smiled. His work was perfection. Lionel would only know and remember what Mason chose for him to know and remember.
Clark held Lois, her head resting in his lap. Lana stood where she was, her back against the wall. Chloe lay on the floor, her breathing rattling in her chest.
Lois stirred, and as her eyelids fluttered open, she saw Clark's anxious face staring down at her.
"Uh, thanks, Clark," Lois sat up quickly, getting a little light-headed again, but feeling too weird about lying on Clark's lap. She leaned back over Chloe, and seeing that she was still conscious, she turned her attention to the Lionel/Lex scene that was playing out in front of her.
Lex eyed his father, his suspicions growing. He turned to speak to Mason, and as he turned, Mason made his move. He reached in, and with speed he didn't even know he possessed, he grabbed the gun from the waistband of Lex's pants and held it up to Lex's face.
Lex watched Mason grab the gun in slow motion. He made to grab it from him, but was too slow. Lex stumbled as he turned, and when he straightened back up, the gun was in his face. Lex raised his hands in front of him in a defensive posture.
"Easy," Lex said.
"I'm getting out of here, and the rest of you aren't," Mason stated, matter-of-factly. He cocked the gun, then quickly turned and shot Clark in the stomach. Lana screamed, and Lois watched in horror as Clark fell back, a rosette of blood forming on the front of his shirt. Mason was about to take another shot when Lex went for the gun.
Lex grabbed Mason's arm, and the two of them struggled for control of the weapon. Lana crouched next to Clark, who was in shock over being shot. It wasn't as painful as the Kryptonite bullet those years ago, but it was painful enough.
Lois had a firm grip on Chloe's hand, and was dividing her attention between Lex and Mason fighting for the gun, and Lana trying to attend to Clark's bleeding gut.
"What happened?" Chloe asked weakly.
"This guy shot Clark," Lois said in disbelief. Chloe released Lois's hand, and Lois got the message, moving over to Clark's side to help Lana control the bleeding.
Mason and Lex each hand their hands around the gun, and as they struggled with it, it went off again. Lois and Lana both ducked their heads. After the echoes of the gunshot subsuded, the two girls looked around Clark, making sure he wasn't hit again. Lois then moved over to check Chloe.
"Chloe? Chloe! CHLOE!" Lois was nearly hysterical. Chloe's eyes were closed, and she wasn't breathing. Lois had started to perform CPR when she noticed a large pool of blood forming underneath Chloe's body. Lois paused, wide-eyed, and saw it. The gunshot had gone right through Chloe's body cavity. Lois felt like her world was coming to a fast and furious end. The tears she had cried just minutes before were nothing compared to the shocked sobs that racked her small, thin, body. Lois laid her head on Chloe's chest, having one more moment with her cousin, her best friend.
Lana watched Lois's reaction with a heavy heart. She held back as much as she could, but tears streamed down her face as well.
Clark had turned his head and was watching Lois as well, a tear slipping out the corner of his eye. Chloe, he thought with profuse sadness.
Lex and Mason were still fighting, unaware that their struggle had just taken an innocent life. Lex let go with his right hand, and forming a fist, he punched Mason hard in the gut. Mason doubled over from the pain, feeling his broken ribs and losing his breath and his grip on the gun.
"Take the gun from him, Lionel, kill him if you have too," Mason gasped when he was able to catch his breath.
Lionel fought the order; resentment for it evident in his face. But he couldn't stop the programmed part of his brain from obeying. Lionel approached, and reaching out he grabbed Lex by the throat. Lex gasped for air, his eyes wide as his father squeezed his neck. Lex released the gun, and Lionel released Lex from his grip. Lex fell to the floor, coughing and rubbing his neck. He looked up to see his father holding the gun on him. The struggle was very present on Lionel's face.
"I'm sorry, son, I can't stop myself," he said.
Lex glared back at Lionel, all the years of anger, and resentment filling his soul. Lex was not accepting any excuses, and he'd mourned his last for his father. Lex growled like a caged animal let loose by its tormenter. He leapt up and attacked Lionel with fierce rage. The sudden move caught Lionel off guard, and he toppled to the ground, losing his grip of the gun. Lex was on top of his father, punching, and hitting him as hard as he could. Lex thought of nothing but his rage. His rational mind was gone.
Lois and Lana watched in shocked silence. Clark, who felt his gunshot wound healing itself from the inside, lifted his head to see what the commotion was. He saw Lex and Lionel fighting, and he tried to sit up to go help.
"Stay put, Clark," Lois said forcefully, pushing him gently back down on his back. Lois had moved back to Clark's side, determined to protect him. Lana kept pressure applied to his wound as she turned her face away from the fight, wondering how this day had turned from normal, to complete chaos and tragedy.
Lex had bloodied Lionel's face, and almost knocked him unconscious. He reached for the gun, his hands grasping the cold, unfeeling metal of the piece. Lex held the gun to the side of Lionel's head and pulled the trigger. The report of the gunshot pulled Lex from his fit of rage. He looked at his hands with horror as he realized what he'd done.
Lois stared in disbelief at the man she had shared a bed with for two years. She felt the bile threatening to rise in her throat again. Lois would have laughed if this morning she would have been told that by days end she would be confronted with a cyborg, bombs and guns, her cousins death, and her lover killing his father. Lois was at a loss. Her mind threatened to shut down from the preposterousness of the scene before her as she moved her gaze to her cousin's lifeless body.
Lana, who had turned her head away from the fight, winced as the second shot sounded in the room. She hazarded a glance, and when she saw Lex holding the gun, and Lionel's motionless body below him, she too, felt like she would be sick.
Clark was speechless. He knew Lex was capable of many things, but not of this. He looked to Lois, worried for her. This was too much for any person to take.
Suddenly, Lex was in a choke hold, administered by Mason Hines. He pulled Lex up to his feet, and with strong hands, he turned Lex to face Lois, Lana, and Clark. They were all watching him, looks of horror still present on all their faces. Lex focused in on Lois, trying to plead with his eyes, but she wouldn'tmeet his eyes.
"Say goodbye to your friends," Mason instructed Lex, as he forced Lex's hand into the air, aiming the gun at Lana.
The 911 call Lois made had been dispatched to a police unit that was located ten blocks away from Luthorcorp Plaza, and to the closest Emergency Medical Services, also located ten blocks away. The two vehicles met each other, lights flashing and sirens wailing, at the front entrance of Luthorcorp Plaza.
The security guard, who had been so worried when Lex had come in, looked up curiously as the police and paramedics came rushing into the building.
"There was an emergency 911 call made from here, there was an explosion, can you direct us to the laboratories?" one of the police officers asked.
The security guard looked at them incredulously.
"There was no explosion," he said slowly. He checked all the security monitors, there were no problems on any of the screens and no alarms had sounded.
"I think you were pranked," the guard added, shrugging.
The officers exited the building, radioing back to dispatch that all was well at Luthorcorp Plaza.
Meanwhile, downstairs, things were far from well.
Lana was frozen in place, like a deer in headlights. Lex was fighting Mason, but Mason was incredibly strong and Lex was weak from his rage induced adrenaline rush, as well as struggling with emotions from his fight with his father.
"Please, don't," Lex pleaded with Mason.
"Okay, we'll move down the line," Mason responded, tracing the gun to Lois, who had cried herself dry. She sat over Chloe's body, her eyes red, and her face filled with so much sadness. She sat, staring at her hands, not caring about anything that was going on around her.
Lex clenched his jaw in pain, realizing what had happened to Chloe as he watched Lois stare at her cousin.
"Don't do this," he pleaded again.
"They're all going to die, Lex, so you better chose which goes first. I'll make sure you are the last one standing then I'll kill you myself," Mason chuckled evilly.
Clark, who was still playing injured even though his wound had almost completely healed, felt his strength returning to him. From his vantage point lying down, Clark saw that Mason and Lex were standing beneath a section of PVC pipe that hadn't completely detached from the ceiling. Clark hoped his powers were strong enough to assist him now, and he focused, directing a heat beam to the attachment holding the piece of pipe in place. It was enough. The pipe detached from the ceiling and fell, knocking Mason unconscious and Lex forward onto his hands and knees. The gun skittered across the floor, disappearing underneath a large pile of rubble, far from the reach of anyone in the room.
Lana looked from the fallen piece of pipe to Clark as she made the connection. Clark looked up at her. She gave him a weak smile of assurance that she would keep what she knew to herself. Clark made to stand, but Lana stopped him. Clark shook his head as he pulled her hand off his stomach. The wound was gone. Lana's eyes grew wide. She let go of Clark's arm, and he stood, closing his jacket over the hole in his shirt.
Lex had moved next to his father, now truly dead and by Lex's own hand. Lois sat next to Chloe, devastated and not moving or speaking to anyone.
Clark and Lana helped Lex and Lois up the stairwell, then Clark carried Chloe's body up the same stairs. Then Clarkwent back down and retrieved Lila's body. Lana had gone to the atrium, and alerted the security guard of what had taken place. Ten minutes later, the police, and paramedics were back on sight. Chloe and Lila, as well as Katherine, Lionel, and the two nameless men, were taken to the morgue; Lois, Lex, and Lana were taken to the hospital for overnight observation, and Mason was taken into police custody then admitted to the hospital under police watch. Eventually he would be placed in Belle Reve, his ranting about Clark falling on deaf ears.
Clark had been able to convince the paramedics that he was unharmed. There were no visible cuts on his face anymore, and his gunshot wound didn't even leave a scar.