Chapter Twenty-One - Lex In Sin City
I wake up, my head throbbing, my chest feeling like its burning, stuck in a car trunk, all tied up. As the car lurches into motion I get thrown around. For Ursa, driving a car's just like riding a bike - it's something she's never done before. Something tells me this is going to be a bumpy ride. My head smashes against metal.
Everything goes black again.
The Doctor was now alone in his Tardis, everybody else evacuated. Well, nearly everybody - there were still some passengers only he knew about, safe behind a sturdy door, but he couldn't risk letting them out.
He sat down, clearing his mind. The Tardis would let him know what it wanted, when it was ready. It was just a matter of waiting.
I walk around the rainswept crime-filled streets, keeping myself to myself, when I come across Kadie's Bar. The bouncer seems in no condition to stop me, so I walk right on in. Looking around I see familiar faces: Chloe, Jimmy and Clark. I wonder if Clark's the reason that the bouncer's lying groaning outside.
I'm walking up to Chloe and Jimmy when a big hand grabs me. I turn around to see a big bruiser with a face even a mother would punch. He asks me if I know who killed Goldie. I tell him I've no idea and, after a pause, he lets me go. Poor guy, he must have really loved that dog.
And then I turn to see Clark blocking my path. He looks drunk but I know he can't be. Can he?
"Your lips …" he says, a strange look on his face, "Rose, your lips …"
"What about them?" I ask, getting ready to make a quick exit.
"Nothing," he says, stumbling away. "They're just red. I thought they were pink."
I hobble through the streets, an easy target … or so they think. I keep proving them wrong. All this violence and crime all around me. It sickens me. There's no greater goal in mind, no strategy behind it. It's violence for violence's sake. Still, it gives Ursa a chance to indulge in her more unacceptable hobbies. I had to leave her halfway through her first victim … I just couldn't bear to watch. Here I am, a general, I've seen countless atrocities of war, but the things she does are just something else entirely. Still, nobody's perfect.
It's black, then there's bright lights, and pain, sharp things cutting me, and then it's all dark again, and then I feel a slap and I wake up tied to a chair. Ursa's standing there smiling. I don't know how long I've been out but I notice she's had the time to clean all that white gunk off her costume.
"You hurt my feelings, Lex," she tells me.
"So, you're going to kill me?" I ask, the taste of blood in my mouth.
"You said I didn't have any patience," she continues, avoiding my question, which, knowing her, I've already guessed the answer to anyway.
"Well, attempting to kill Jimmy Olsen in front of everybody wasn't the most covert of operations."
"I've got needs, just like everybody else," she explains. "And please, Lex, don't hurt my feelings again. You know that I'll just hurt you back."
"So, if you're going to kill me, kill me," I say.
She laughs. "Lex, if I'd wanted to kill you, I'd have shot you more than once. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have taken you to that so-called doctor to have the bullet removed."
"I guess I should thank you then."
"Indeed you should," she replies in a pleasantly surprised tone that suggests Clark's not the only Kryptonian who just doesn't get sarcasm. "Actually, Lex, I like you, I like you a lot."
"Well, you've got a funny way of showing it."
Suddenly she pulls out a device from a concealed pocket in that black outfit she wears. It's a cube with a button on top. "Well, you do disappoint me at times. To tell you the truth, Lex, I like my men like I like my cars - black, shiny and responsive when I put my foot down."
"Two out of three ain't -" I start, and then she presses the button and suddenly there's so much pain in my chest that I'm wishing she'd just killed me. Looks like that doctor of hers did more than just take the bullet out.
"I'm in control now, Lex," she explains. "I'm pushing the buttons. Please remember that in future."
And with that she walks off, leaving me there, still fastened to that chair.
A shame really. I'd started to grow to like her. But now she'd made a fatal mistake - she'd made me angry.
Everybody's totally black and white, apart from Clark with his blue jeans and Rose with her red lips. Here we all are, stuck in a bar, when we should be on our way to save Superman. Clark's got so drunk he's fallen asleep, though he keeps mumbling Lana's name. Chloe's feeling sorry for herself, still pining after Clark, still ignoring me. I tell her Clark's a jerk, but she just glares at me, telling me I'm supposed to be Superman's pal. And, if that wasn't bad enough, Rose has finally figured out where we are and, with the aid of four drinks too many, has launched into some bizarre acapella version of "We built Sin City on rock and roll" and looks genuinely surprised that none of us are joining in. The only thing that keeps me vaguely happy is that I know the next reality we're visiting is the next best place to home.
The Tardis had made its decision. The Doctor got up and left it, entering the black and white world outside. It was time to bring everybody back.
The heads in Kadie's bar all turned around as the door opened. "Hello, I'm The Doctor," said The Doctor, barely audibly over the sound of jaws hitting grounds.
As the locals sat there stunned, Chloe, Rose and Jimmy struggled to carry Clark to the door.
"How come you're still in color?" asked Rose.
"I was never good at blending in," confessed The Doctor, helping the others to carry Clark.
Twenty minutes later they arrived back at the Tardis to find Zod and Ursa standing there.
"Back already?" asked The Doctor.
"Yes, I got bored eventually," confessed Ursa. "Things just aren't the same with white blood."
"Ignore Ursa," added Zod. "Always joking."
At which point a naked Lex Luthor came running up towards them (in the process answering a question that Chloe had never had the courage to ask him about his hair loss).
"So, Lex," purred Ursa, looking at his black and white body. "How did you manage to escape?"
"Some people came along," he muttered.
"And they rescued you?" she asked incredulously. "I guess the residents in Sin City aren't all bad."
"Well, they'd come to steal the chair," explained Lex, "but once they'd taken all my belongings they kind of lost interest in me."
"To tell you the truth," started The Doctor, "the less I hear about your exploits here the better. Unfortunately it looks like I'll get to hear it all anyway."
"Why's that?" asked Rose.
"The Tardis can't cope with all of these secrets and lies and pent-up emotions. The only way it'll continue to put up with you is if you're all totally honest."
Lex smiled. Total honesty might keep the Tardis happy, but it could tear the rest of them apart. Still, it didn't matter to Lex, for he'd already formulated a plan several realities ago and if that plan was to be successful, well, honesty wasn't even an option.
