Summary: Being forced to revisit his life before Smallville is nothing new to Lex, but this time an unwitting victim is brought along for the ride.
Disclaimer: Last time I checked, these guys still ain't mine!
I also do not own/have not written any of the lyrics or quotes which may appear as credited within this story; intended usage is merely to complement narrative and thematic elements of my original work.
A/N: This takes place shortly after Season 1's finale (which would probably alter something somewhere in the episodes that aired, but it's all good).
IV: Familiar and Unwelcome
The summer bugs rattled noisily from their leafy darkness as Clark idly observed the night outside through his telescope. Panning over to Lana's house, he noticed that she had not returned from her shift at the Talon yet. While it did make him feel just a bit overprotective (assuming he hadn't already ventured into legitimate stalker territory), Clark also couldn't shake the unease that came from double-checking the time on his watch. It didn't take him long to reason that an evening run would give him some exercise as well as some peace of mind.
Arriving at the Talon, Clark found Lex's blue BMW Roadster out front and all of the lights still on inside. Giving the front door a push, he was greeted by a soft acoustic track by Coldplay, and nothing else. He surveyed the otherwise silent surroundings in confusion, thinking Lana must be in the back or out of sight somewhere.
"Lana?"
Clark walked toward the main counter and saw a stack of receipts lying untouched on the countertop. Peering into the back room, he still could find no indication of activity anywhere.
"Lana? Lex?" he called out, making his way back to the front again. It was obvious that the place had been in the middle of closing up—chairs were stacked on some of the outer tables, and most of the dishes were already put away.
Passing one table, however, Clark came upon a folded newspaper. The memory of Lex looking up at him from behind it, along with a ceramic mug that was nowhere to be seen, suddenly made Clark realize it was the same table he had seen Lex at earlier that night. His eyes went back to the counter as if to find someone there who could answer him, and with a mounting sense of panic he rushed back outside.
Turning to look up and down Main Street, Clark could see nothing out of the ordinary. It was a typical late summer evening in Smallville, which meant hardly anyone was around. He rushed back to the alley behind the Talon but found no obvious signs of trouble there, either. He went back inside once more and glanced around in desperation, the voice of Chris Martin singing wistfully over the speakers: "In a bulletproof vest, with all the windows all closed / I'll be doing my best, I'll see you soon / In a telescope lens and when all you want is friends / I'll see you soon..."
»»««
Lana stared at the mug her kidnapper had placed on the table across the room—perhaps the only piece of hard evidence linking him to the scene at the Talon. Having just arrived at their apparent destination, Lana silently assessed the small and rather dingy house. Despite its remote surroundings, Lana decided they must have been on the outskirts of Metropolis, given the distance traveled. Once inside, the kidnapper had made sure Lana's hands were still tightly secured behind her back and then had her sit her against one of the walls.
"I didn't think I was going to need more than one set of handcuffs," he told her with a chuckle. "I'll fix that soon enough, but you just sit tight for now and don't try anything, capeesh?"
Lana looked worriedly at Lex's body across the floor as the man straightened and moved away from her.
"You may actually be in luck in terms of how long Lex leaves you to fend for yourself," he was saying as he positioned Lex against the same wall several feet away. "Little known fact, but Lex is a bit of an all-star when it comes to getting over any kind of hangover, side effect, all those lovely things. I always hated him for it," he added with an almost nostalgic smile.
Lana watched as the man roughly took Lex's limp arms and fastened his wrists into some handcuffs that were attached to the radiator. Lex looked so completely out of it that the image was alternately funny and disconcerting—on the one hand he looked so peacefully asleep, but on the other he looked disturbingly lifeless.
"So what's your name, anyway?" the man asked abruptly.
"Lana," she replied, hoping the detail would add yet another human dimension that might work in her favor.
"Yeah? Can't say I met a 'Lana' before."
"I don't understand why you need me here," she suddenly ventured. "You're going to be in enough trouble as it is just kidnapping Lex..."
"Well that's just it—" he responded. "You are here to keep both me and Lex honest. As long as I get what I want out of this little scenario, there should be no problem. I mean I can only imagine what your boyfriend's reaction would be if he knew Lex was the reason for something terrible happening to you."
At no response from Lana, the man turned back to Lex's peaceful face and shook his head from side to side. "You picked the wrong guy to trust, little lady, I can tell you that."
Lana looked at Lex and was torn between the same feelings of concern and exasperation she had been struggling with ever since the interminable car ride from Smallville.
The man stopped and looked at her with a sickly smile. "I mean I guess the point is pretty glaringly obvious by now, but really it's only a matter of time before a person's association with Lex Luthor bites them in the ass. I'm just surprised it took something like this for it to finally occur to you."
While Lana could point to several telltale Luthoresque experiences that had indeed left their mark on her subconscious, she chose to feign ignorance. "I don't understand," she said flatly.
"There's two kinds of people in this world, Lana: Predators, and Prey. And Lex is a Predator. Always has been, always will be."
Lana frowned uneasily. "And let me guess, I belong to the 'Prey' category."
"Well, if I had to pin you as one or the other I would say so, at least for right now, anyway. You do seem like you have some fight in you, though, I definitely give you that."
The defensive reaction that overcame Lana surprised her—if anything, she should be agreeing with every word that came out of this guy's mouth. Somehow she heard herself daring to challenge his point anyway.
"You realize your analogy's missing one important thing," she told him. "The categories of Predator and Prey aren't mutually exclusive—when it comes to animals, anyway, almost all of them are both."
Her abductor appeared genuinely impressed. "Why, you're absolutely right, Miss Goodall. When it comes to people, though, I still think one or the other dominates. Wouldn't you agree?"
»»««
Lex went on to buy another drink. And another. Calvin, in the meantime, was just trying to keep up with the relaxed yet confident stride, typical of so many of Lex's mannerisms. He glanced around agitatedly as he and Lex moved through the chaotic crowd, dreading the moment they entered a certain cheerless line of vision. Inwardly he wondered whether Lex was genuinely enjoying the club's scene or whether he was just walking around to show Calvin he could—that he refused to be intimidated. It was cool and ballsy in theory and all, but Calvin was not sure just how far he was willing to go to aid his friend in making some self-righteous stand.
They were nearing the central bar again when a strong hand reached out and clamped down on his shoulder. Calvin turned.
"I thought I made myself pretty goddamned clear before," the familiar and unwelcome face snarled, looking at Lex who had now stopped beside Calvin. "I'll make it easy for you, though—Luthor, this is where you and your little hard-of-hearing friend here exit the premises."
Calvin looked at Lex, who was staring at the intimidator impassively. "Don't think so, Merrill," Lex replied. "Thanks for the invitation, though."
"I mean it, Luthor—I don't know what you're trying to pull here exactly but it is not in your best interest, believe me. Now get the fuck out of here or be taken out."
Lex regarded the four guys who had since come up behind Merrill, his expression unchanged. "I'm not going anywhere," he said simply. "If you'd like to settle this outside, though, I'd be all for it."
After a moment's consideration, Merrill smiled menacingly. "Fine. It would be our pleasure." He tilted his head to the thugs behind him. "Wouldn't it, boys?"
Calvin looked at Lex again, who was still not meeting his eyes. Was he delirious? How the fuck were they supposed to overcome five-on-two odds? And still high, no less?
None of that seemed to matter, somehow, as Calvin found himself willingly following Lex and the rest of the people who were about to formally introduce their asses to the pavement.
"I know just the place," Merrill was saying as they entered the suddenly foggy night along Metropolis' shining streets. "No cops around to break it up—at least not in time, anyway."
Feeling like he was going to legitimately hurl, Calvin had to make one last attempt. "Look, guys—"
"Shut it, Calvin," Lex muttered as they continued on.
When they came upon a particularly dark and deserted alley Merrill stopped, raising his hand. "All right, look, I'm going to cut you two a break you really don't deserve and make the odds a bit more manageable." He turned to one of the boys next to him and cocked his head, at which the youth nodded in understanding and took off in the same direction. Calvin glanced at Lex expecting to see some measure of relief but instead saw his friend eying the exchange suspiciously.
Suddenly two of Merrill's remaining crew grabbed Calvin's arms and immobilized him, while Merrill and the other boy turned towards Lex.
"Let me go!" Calvin screamed impotently, watching as Lex sized up his two advancing aggressors. Expecting to see Lex go down immediately, Calvin was shocked to see quite the opposite happen.
As Merrill and his cohort initiated contact, Lex fought against the two like a born street fighter, easily dodging blows while throwing his own punches with a reckless intensity that Calvin did not recognize. Decidedly more familiar was the deliberate and ruthless focus that was visible in Lex's eyes even from where Calvin stood—and yet this, too, was somewhat startling to witness, simply given the unfamiliar context of the situation.
Before long, however, a blow connected with Lex's face so hard it knocked him off balance, and Merrill and his friend seized upon the unexpected opportunity without hesitation.
"Lex!" Calvin yelled as the two descended upon him, raining blows upon Lex's crouching figure. Calvin could only strain futilely against the bodies holding him back, watching helplessly as Lex was swiftly overpowered. Merrill used all of his weight to pin Lex to the ground, then took Lex's face and forcefully scraped it against the street's surface. Lex screamed as the gravel raked across his cheek, and Merrill laughed and delivered another strike to his back. When it was obvious Lex was not getting up anytime soon, Merrill stopped and loomed over him with the other boy.
"Look up, Lex," he said finally. "We have a surprise for you," and he pointed down the alley to where two distant pinpoints of light pierced the damp night air.
Realizing the trap Merrill had set, Calvin's eyes darted between the three and the headlights and began to struggle vigorously. "Jesus, let me go! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Breathing hard, Lex peered slowly around Merrill's leg and saw the car for himself. As he stared at it, he thought he saw the lights begin to move. Was it just his imagination? No... the longer he looked, the more apparent it was that the car was slowly but steadily headed straight for him.
"Get the fuck off of me!" Calvin was screaming from across the way, and Lex looked up at Merrill, who at the moment was eyeing the approaching car himself. The sound of the impending tires against the slick road was enough incentive for Lex, and he kicked out at his aggressors as hard as he could.
The moment took both by surprise, and Merrill's feet went out from under him, falling hard and fast to the pavement beside Lex. Calvin looked in horror at the speeding lights getting bigger by the moment and at the tangle of bodies lying in its path. Merrill's friend had not actually fallen himself, but instead of going for Lex he was trying to help Merrill up. Lex took the moment to scramble to his feet and grab the unsuspecting boy from behind, spinning him out against some nearby trashcans. Calvin wondered why Merrill had not gotten up on his own and then saw the dark blood matting the blond hair at the back of his head.
Lex looked up at the car drawing near and suddenly one of the two restraining Calvin released his hold and jumped across Merrill's fallen body to attack Lex himself. With both pairs struggling on either side of the alley, nobody noticed the car was already upon them until it was too late—nobody except Merrill, who painfully lifted his head at the sound of the screeching brakes only to meet his death with horror-filled eyes.
»»««
Even though Lex had been unconscious for the several hours it took to get to their location, the kidnapper's prediction concerning his relatively quick recovery time turned out to be more accurate than not.
"Well, look who's decided to join us," he murmured, making Lana turn towards Lex herself.
She watched as Lex unsteadily took in his surroundings; when his bleary eyes met hers a look of apparent guilt wrinkled his brow. In realization he turned to look up at his abductor and pulled weakly at his hand restraints under the man's gaze.
"Hello, Lex."
Lex's voice was distant. "Hello, Calvin."
"Glad to see you're among the alive and conscious again, though you have looked better, I must say. Incidentally you might wanna watch out; from what I hear that GHB stuff can get addictive if you're not careful. Oh—but that sort of thing doesn't get in the way of Lex Luthor, I forgot."
"Well I'll take it under advisement anyway, next time I raise one of those tricky caffeinated beverages," Lex managed to mumble sarcastically.
Calvin smiled and began pacing the floor. "I've been filling in your little employee here on some of the more juicy tidbits to your heavily guarded dossier. I think she was quite shocked by it, in all honesty... not that she shouldn't be, of course. It's always difficult to learn something you never knew about somebody you thought you did."
Lex raised his eyebrows musingly. "It certainly is," he intoned.
"You know you weren't exactly hard to find, I have to thank you for that. I mean those flashy cars are just a tad conspicuous in the middle of a town like Smallville, for future reference."
"Duly noted. So where are we now, one of the glorious outposts of Metropolis?"
"Of course, my friend, where else?"
Lex closed his eyes tiredly, as though signaling he was not the least bit interested in engaging in any sort of witty repartee. "What the hell is it you want exactly, Calvin—at least let my friend go, she's got nothing do with whatever your little agenda may be."
"I agree, but unfortunately we all have to take responsibility for our actions, even if that means hurting innocent people in the process. Which seems to happen around you all too often, I might add."
Lex shook his head and met Calvin's gaze again. "I know one thing, at least: if you honestly think you're going to see any kind of gain from this madcap plan of yours, then you really have lost your fucking mind."
Lana looked from Lex to Calvin with wide eyes—apparently Lex was well on his way himself, to be speaking so bluntly to the man who basically held their lives in his hands.
If Calvin was at all enraged, he managed to hide it well. "Oh, I will see something out of this, Lex, and for once you're going to know the true meaning of 'just deserts.'" He looked at the two of them and suddenly the threat in his voice lifted. "I have to go take care of something for now; in the meantime you two just make yourselves at home."
He exited the room and Lana looked over at Lex nervously. "All right Lex, so who is this guy?"
Lex sighed and stared ahead. "His name's Calvin Redgrave; we knew each other back in Metropolis." Suddenly remembering Calvin's words, Lex turned to face her. "What exactly did he tell you while I was out?" he asked.
"Basically that the two of you used to do drugs in Metropolis all the time together—that it was your little bond."
Lex looked down and gave an enigmatic smile. "Yeah... well, unfortunately Calvo's right on that count," he said finally.
"I don't understand how you could do something like that."
"Like what, drugs?"
"Yes, like drugs. It's just... so..."
"Lana, I know you dwell in the microcosm that is Smallville, but believe it or not there's a whole other world just outside the town limits. I'm not saying that I'm proud of it or anything, but that kind of stuff was just part of who I was back then—who I used to be, anyway."
Lana's brow furrowed slightly at the initial hint of condescension. "Well I admit, I don't know that much about you, and I don't assume you had an easy childhood—but I don't know, I guess you just seem like you'd be smarter than that."
He gave a slight shrug, looking off again. "I don't know, what can I tell you."
A heavy silence settled between the two of them, and Lex took the opportunity to try to focus his spinning head and collect his thoughts. At the sound of a muffled yet unmistakable sniff, Lex looked over in dismay to see a single tear rolling down one of Lana's cheeks. "It's all right," he attempted gently.
"Actually it's not all right, Lex, but don't worry about it," Lana replied, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground as she spoke.
Fairly stung, Lex stared at her a moment before turning away. A dark flash of annoyance suddenly overcame him as he realized the familiarity of the situation—the memory of Lana's behavior just moments after he received that lovely personal delivery of Kasitch's hand during the whole Club Zero fiasco came screaming back in Technicolor. He remembered because it was right around the time the Talon was supposed to open, and the way Lana was acting that night any random bystander would have thought she had been sent the damn thing. Lex had tried to apologize to her then, but all she could say in reply was something about being "infamous before we even open the doors." Oh, yeah—like she could have "opened the doors" without his bit of help. Like he had planned the whole ordeal from the start, just so he could screw with her little Lana-centric universe. Forget the fact that somebody was terrorizing him with severed body parts, you know... nothing major.
Almost amused by the absurdity of it all, Lex tried to push away these angry ruminations. Warranted or not, the last thing he should be feeling at this moment was any kind of bitterness or resentment towards the girl he had to focus on protecting from here on out. He knew the only person who could benefit from such a rift between them was Calvin, and Lex was not about to give his old buddy the satisfaction of such a score.
END 4/?
Reading the front page made me feel a lot better. Against that heinous background, my crimes were pale and meaningless. I was a relatively respectable citizen—a multiple felon, perhaps, but certainly not dangerous. And when the Great Scorer came to write against my name, that would surely make a difference.
~ hunter s. thompson, fear and loathing in las vegas
