Chapter 40 - Rebel

Clark knew better than to think he was off the hook entirely for the lies. He might not have officially been grounded, but he was still in trouble—there was a solemnness in the way his parents spoke to him, and he felt the need to do extra chores each day to satisfy his dad's annoyance. His parents' lectures had also left him feeling incredibly ashamed for lying, and that guilt weighed heavily on him for days after their conversation.

Still, he still couldn't shake the fact that he'd gotten lucky. The pain of having his fingers broken haunted his nightmares for a couple of nights, but he wasn't actually injured, and neither was anyone else. And even though Clark was feeling guilty for his lies, he could tell his dad was feeling guilty for the way he'd handled the situation, too.

Meanwhile, being tethered wasn't as bad as he had feared. Sure, there was an awkward tension if it was his dad who picked up on the phone on the days he was going to the mansion, but it was almost always his mom, anyway. Being tethered forced him to plan out his day in advance, which helped him to be on time for things. In some ways, it actually gave him a little more freedom, because his parents really didn't mind where he was or what he did as long as he let them know—he never had to wonder whether they would be okay with where he was, and he didn't have to sneak around or lie or worry about being caught. He was getting used to lying, with the sheer amount he had to do it to conceal his powers, but he hated the fact that he was getting used to it. Being expected to be completely transparent and honest with his parents didn't feel like a punishment. It felt good.

The one thing that didn't feel good was the fact that he wasn't allowed into the experiment room without a parent.

The problem wasn't that he and Lex would do anything that would worry his parents. It had been a long time since they'd actually tested any meteor rock on Clark. The bigger problem was that his parents just didn't have the time to come babysit. So most days, when Clark went over to the mansion, they just weren't allowed to use the experiment room at all. That would have been okay, except that they didn't just use the experiment room for running tests on Clark—they used it for all of their meteor rock tests and discussions. Lex ended up having to put any data or scans he wanted to discuss with Clark on a flash drive, and they'd crowd around Lex's laptop in his study.

Clark gave it two weeks before he asked for some leniency on that part of the rules. His dad shut that one down before he could even begin to make an argument, and his mom didn't say anything to help either of their cases.

Frustrated, Clark went to Lex for advice on how to persuade them—Lex was usually good for that—but he just told Clark that it wasn't worth trying to shorten the length of time it would take to rebuild his parents' trust. Clark couldn't argue with that.

As disappointing as it was to have to take some time away from running experiments on Clark's powers, Lex didn't mind the extra time to focus on work and on the cure for the meteor mutations. He still thought there might be clues in Clark's biology, but it was also hard to make use of any data he collected without anyone to talk to about it. And there was no way he was going to bring anyone else in on Clark's secret. Even if Clark was okay with it, Lex wasn't. It wasn't safe.

But a couple of weeks after the incident with Clark's parents, Lex could tell that Clark was getting impatient to continue learning about himself. And being at the mansion only seemed to remind him that he couldn't do what he really wanted to be doing.

One afternoon, when Lex sat working at his desk while Clark swiveled back and forth in his chair, staring at his homework instead of getting started on it, Lex looked up and cleared his throat. "Clark, as much as I enjoy having you here, you don't have to always come here twice a week," Lex said. Early in their friendship, it would have hurt to speak those words. Now, Lex felt secure that their friendship would last for the long haul. He wanted what was best for both of them, even if that meant they didn't see each other quite as often. "How are your friends at school doing?"

Clark put down his pencil. "Pete's always wanting to talk bad about you. Lana's still upset with me for stuff I did while I was wearing that ring, and Chloe's kind of taking her side."

"I'm sorry, Clark. I didn't realize." Lex swallowed. "You're welcome here as often as you like, of course."

"I barely remember any of it. I mean, I remember it, but when I think about it, it's like I'm watching someone else do it, you know? But my friends are really upset with me, it's like they can't get past it."

"Look at it from their perspective, Clark. They saw a side of you they've never seen, and it really hurt Lana, and you can't tell them why it happened. That's a little scary for anyone."

Clark winced. "What if that is the real me? What if the meteor rock just . . . brought out a part of me I'd been suppressing?"

Lex raised his eyebrows. "Well, there's one way to find out."

The next Monday, Clark arrived at the mansion with Martha, who had brought a book with her. Lex escorted them both down into the experiment room.

"Mrs. Kent, I'm going to be running tests with Clark in the meteor rock cell," Lex said. "It might be a little cramped in there—"

"Oh, it's okay. I can wait out here."

Lex and Clark exchanged a shrug, and they both went into the cell.

"That was easier than I expected," Lex said.

"Yeah. My mom's not really worried I'm going to let you hurt me, she's just here to make my dad feel better." Clark braced a hand against the wall. "Ah, still getting used to this room."

"It's not hurting you, is it? I can have a contractor in here to adjust the concentration—"

"No, it doesn't hurt. It's just weird, feeling weak."

Lex smirked. "You mean the way the rest of us feel all the time?"

"Very funny." Clark paced from one side of the little cell to the other a couple of times, as if getting used to the way his legs worked without super strength. "I'm having second thoughts about this, Lex. I hurt people the last time I was near that ring."

"I'll be right here the whole time."

"I don't want to hurt you."

Lex fished under his shirt collar for the pendant Clark had given him—still empty, though Clark didn't know it. "That's what this is for."

Clark shifted his weight and nodded. "Okay."

Lex took out a lead box in which he'd placed Clark's class ring. He assumed that encasing the red meteor rock in lead would protect Clark from the effects, just like it did with green meteor rocks. It seemed to be working so far; Clark hadn't shown any signs of being affected mentally. He held the box out to Clark and opened it, revealing the ring. "Clark, will you humor me?"

The effect was immediate. Clark almost didn't even look like himself. He snorted and said, "How long you spend coming up with that one?"

Lex gave a hesitant smile, though his heart pounded. Clark was unpredictable in this state. "Mind if I take a blood sample while you're being affected?"

Clark scoffed. "Yeah, I mind. You know I hate needles. Why don't you just take one of the samples you have and hold it near the red meteor rock while it's under a microscope?"

"I guess I can do that." Lex should have known Clark wouldn't be cooperative. On some level, he was surprised by how well Clark was cooperating as it was. He supposed that even Clark-plus-red-meteor-rock wanted to know things about himself.

"Not sure how my blood's gonna change, though. Wouldn't you rather do a brain scan?"

"That equipment won't fit in this room. And I'm not letting you out of here with that ring."

"You're a coward, you know that? I'd have expected more from a Luthor."

Lex's brow furrowed. It hurt to hear, but this was actually the conversation they needed to have, the exact data he was looking to collect. "Is that what you really think of me?"

"You have any idea how bored I get listening to you complain about your father?"

That one stung. Lex didn't let it get to him.

"Honestly, Lex, my old man is bad enough. If mine was as bad as yours, I'd've wasted him a long time ago."

"You love your dad, Clark."

Clark scoffed. "He's not even my real father, and he thinks he can boss me around the farm. Use me, use my powers. Mom's just as bad as he is."

Lex nodded slowly. "This isn't you, Clark. Not even close. But red meteor rock does remove your filters. Anything negative you think, about anything or anyone, even if it's just a fleeting hint of resentment, you say it aloud. Any impulse you have, you act on."

"I figure, what's the point in holding back? You've got to embrace life, Lex. Anything else is just limiting you."

"Uh huh." Lex wondered if it was only negative thoughts that would get past Clark's filter. "Clark, what do you think of Lana?"

"Lana." A dreamy smile spread across his face.

Then his eyes glowed red, and the next thing Lex knew, the wall behind him was on fire.

A/N: I'm not putting this on hiatus, but it's very likely the next couple of updates will be late/delayed as I prepare for my debut novel release in June. Apologies in advance!