A/N: I'm writing out a lot of canonical events here, just adding Lex's internal thoughts (plus a few changes). I'm not thrilled about that, because I prefer to just briefly summarize canonical events, and I don't think any amount of internal monologue, no matter how well done, can really add to Michael Rosenbaum's amazing performance in this episode. But, well, the pacing in this chapter was garbage until I went ahead and wrote out all of the events. Then it became really long and I made it two chapters, not that that part matters. I guess the important thing is, I like how it turned out. I think, and hope, that you will, too.

TL;DR, the next two chapters contain a smaller percentage of actually original content than my usual fare. Sorry not sorry.

Chapter 9 - Hostage

Lex's legs felt like wet concrete as he walked to his death.

He tried to swallow against the dryness in his throat, but he couldn't. His arms felt like electricity was coursing through them and tingling in his fingers. The bulletproof vest was thick and awkward and not very comforting—it wouldn't protect him against the explosion that would ensue if Earl fired the gun.

But he kept his head raised and his pace steady. If the fear of pain or death took root in him, he might try to run, and he couldn't do that. He could panic later, if he made it out of this alive. For now, he had to be strong and convincing. Those kids' lives depended on it.

In some ways, he felt ready to die. He'd suffered far more than enough for one lifetime, and he was ready for it to be over. But in others, he desperately wanted more time. Time to contribute to the world; time to become great; time to prove he was a better man than his father.

Of course, dying to save a room full of kids wasn't a bad way to do that.

Lex walked into the room with the hostages, his hands raised halfway. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck, and he wondered how obvious it was that his hands were shaking.

Earl scrutinized him. "What kind of man sends is own kid to do his dirty work?"

"I'm not doing anybody's dirty work, Earl. This is my plant." Lex glanced down at Lana, who sat on the floor, cradling the quarterback in her arms. "How is he?"

"He needs a doctor," she said.

Lex looked back up at Earl. "What are we gonna do about these kids, Earl?"

Earl looked down and winced. "I never meant to hurt anybody. I tried talking to your father, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"I know the feeling." Lex finally managed to swallow, and he took off his bulletproof vest—he hoped Earl would take it as a show of good faith, even though he wasn't really any safer with it on. "Earl, you say that everybody's been lying to you. I'm gonna tell you the truth. My father doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about anybody in this room. Because if we all die, his P.R. firm will spin it, his insurance company will pay out, and you, Earl, will go down as the bad guy."

Earl shook his head. "I'm not the bad guy. I'm just trying to get better."

Lex forced his voice to stay soft and gentle. "How are you gonna get better by killing a bunch of kids?" He took a step forward, the most difficult step he'd ever taken. "If you let everybody go, I'll take you to Level 3."

Earl raised the gun and pointed it. "You stop lying."

"Let them go, and I'll show you where it is." Lex was sure his heart had never pounded harder in his life than it did now. "Earl, trust me. I'm a man of my word."

An agonizing pause, and then Earl whispered, "Get out."

Lex's breath caught. He'd done it. The kids would be safe.

Earl whirled around suddenly, shouting at the kids. "Get out! Get out! Everybody, get out!"

Lex loosened his tie and tugged at his collar as they went. As soon as they were gone, he was going to have to tell the truth. He sat on a bench facing away from Earl, and he wondered how much it would hurt to die.

"Alright, I've done my part," Earl said. "Now it's time for you to do yours."

Lex couldn't even bring himself to turn around and look Earl in the face. Adrenaline was past tingling in his limbs—it was burning. His arms and legs were numb. "Earl, there is no Level 3. It's all in your head."

The back of Lex's head exploded with pain. He shouted and dropped to the ground, gripping his head, but Earl grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to his feet, yelling at him. Lex barely heard the words. In that moment, there was nothing but the excruciating fire where Earl had hit him.

A voice over the intercom: "Earl, I found Level 3! They built a wall in front of the elevator, but it's still here."

Earl dragged Lex over to the intercom. "Stop playing with me!"

For just a moment, Lex was aware of his surroundings again. That was Clark's voice on the internet. How had Clark known to come? More importantly, could he survive an explosion? Lex didn't want to find out. "Get out of the building, Clark!"

Earl shoved Lex away. Lex hit the floor, and the pain in his head redoubled.

Earl yanked Lex to his feet by his arm, then walked him down the halls of the plant by the back of his shirt. Lex didn't try to pull his arm away to escape, but he did try to pull it away a couple of times to grip at the back of his head, which throbbed so fiercely he could hardly think about anything else.

They arrived at a wall that had apparently caved in—Lex wondered if Clark had punched it out—revealing an elevator. There were only two buttons in the elevator—until Earl touched the space beneath the button for level 2, and a 3 lit up.

The pain in Lex's head died suddenly.

They arrived at Level 3—an empty warehouse with a catwalk extended over it—and Earl shoved Lex to the floor. He landed hard on his hands and knees, but he didn't care about that.

Level 3 was here. His dad knew about it.

And he'd let Lex walk to his death.

Lex was vaguely aware that Earl was still yelling at him, that he was still trapped with an angry gunman in a building filling with gas, but none of it mattered in the slightest about that. His dad had lied to him and let him go into this building to die. Now he didn't even care if he did die—he cared that his father didn't care.

Lex had known that he was going to be punished for allowing the media circus at the plant, but death seemed like a steep price to pay. He knew his dad had hated him since Julian died, and probably before that. He just didn't realize how much.

Or maybe it wasn't about Lex—maybe it was about keeping Level 3 quiet. It didn't surprise Lex that his father had been willing to let his son die to protect that secret, but he'd been willing to risk the lives of a room full of kids, too. This was a new low for him.

Earl paced on the catwalk over the warehouse. "I told you it was here. Huh? Where is . . . where is everything? There used to be . . . there was a field of corn. With sprayers all over it. And every night, they'd spray this green mist on it. What have you done with it?"

Green mist—could it have to do with the meteor rocks? Lex didn't like the sound of that, considering he was still counting on Clark to save him. "I don't know. They lied to me, too, Earl. I had no idea this was here."

"Earl."

Clark had arrived. Lex let his breath out. He was going to live. Unless . . . unless Clark thought Lex had known about Level 3 all along.

"Let's go back upstairs and talk about this," Clark said.

"It's all gone, Clark," Earl said. "How am I gonna get better if I don't know what poisoned me?"

"I didn't know about this place, Clark," Lex said, desperate. "You've got to believe me."

"I believe you, Lex."

"He's lying! He's just like his father!"

Earl's hand began to shake, and Clark ran forward at his top speed and tapped him on the forehead. Earl collapsed onto the catwalk, and Clark took a step back, grimacing.

Lex's voice caught in his throat as he looked from Earl to Clark, and for a moment, he couldn't speak. Then he straightened up. "You okay?"

"Yeah. But that hurt," Clark said. "I think Earl was infected with meteor rocks. I think there's still trace amounts in his skin."

Lex nodded slowly. "What are you going to tell him when he wakes up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he just saw you run at top speed."

"He probably won't remember the last thing he saw before he passed out. But even if he does, everyone already thinks he's crazy. They won't believe him."

Lex clenched his teeth—something about that answer made him uncomfortable, but he didn't want to think about it too deeply right now. Right now, he just wanted to focus on the fact that he was alive.

Lex looked up at Clark. "Thanks," he said.

Clark nodded. "You, too."