Chapter 66 - Cracking

Lex hung up the phone for what must have been the fiftieth time today, hanging his head. He was so tired. Tired of skirting apologies in the most diplomatic ways he could; tired of making promises he knew he couldn't keep as long as his father was still trying to sabotage himself; tired of healing people whose respect he'd worked hard to earn inform him that he no longer had it. The worst part was the hurt in their voices. They sounded so betrayed.

Clark was supposed to be coming by later this evening. Lex would have been more certain that Clark would continue to back him if it weren't for the fact that Lana had been badly injured, and Nell had been livid. That had been one of the worse phone conversations he'd had all day.

The door to his study swung opened, but it wasn't Clark. It was Pamela. "Hope I'm not interrupting," she said.

"You are. It's quite welcome."

She smiled gently and came over to his desk, sitting across from him and putting a hand out. He placed his hand in hers. "You're sure there's nothing I can do to help?" she asked.

He squeezed her hand. "Stay healthy. I can't lose anyone else."

She kissed the back of his hand. "I'll do my best."

His phone began to buzz again, and he almost let it go. Almost. He checked the caller ID to see who it was.

It was his head scientist.

"Excuse me," he said to Pamela. He picked up the phone, leaning back in his chair. "Dr. Teng."

"Good news, Mr. Luthor."

He sat up straight. "What do you have for me?"

"We've synthesized the compound. There's a sample waiting for you in the lab."

Finally. This would be a huge step toward curing Pamela—Lex almost had a hard time containing his excitement. "Can you meet me at the mansion?"

"Easier if you come here."

He glanced up at the clock. "First thing in the morning," he said.

"See you then."

He hung up, then he stood and swept Pamela into his arms.

She gasped in surprise, then embraced him in return. "What's this?"

"There's a prototype ready."

"The switching drug?"

"Yes."

She pulled away, frowning. "Lex . . . I have a bad feeling about this."

"I'm not asking you to take it."

"I still don't understand how this is going to help."

"If we can study the effects of the switch, there's a strong potential we can learn how to undo the effects altogether."

"Who are you going to test it on?"

"A volunteer." There were no shortage of meteor mutants in Smallville. Any of them who didn't already have homicidal tendencies was in danger of dying of cancer. Ryan would have been a great candidate; Lex wasn't going to pressure him into it, though.

"And if something goes wrong?"

"It won't. In a controlled environment, with lots of help from Belle Reve, they'll be contained for long enough for us to develop the full cure."

"I mean, what if the drug doesn't work? Or if it hurts them?"

Lex swallowed hard. In any drug trial, there would be some inherent risk, but he'd worked hard with the team to minimize the risks with this particular compound. It shouldn't hurt anyone who took it, other than the natural consequences of the switched gene. "I'm confident it'll be safe."

"Then you'd let me take it?"

He glared at her. "Don't even joke about that."

"Admit it. You're nervous."

"Whoever takes it is volunteering to be locked up at Belle Reve for months. I'm not putting you through that."

She kept quiet after that, but he could tell this conversation wasn't over.

His phone started to buzz again. He checked the caller ID—Gabe Sullivan. "Gotta take this," he said.

She nodded and left him to his work.

Clark went over to the mansion after school the day after the explosions at the plant. He would have come sooner, but he knew his parents weren't going to be thrilled about him going to visit the man responsible for so many injuries. They still weren't quite over the incident with the soda.

The study reeked of alcohol, worse than it ever had. Lex lay on his back on one of the sofas, his phone buzzing.

Clark came over and looked at the phone. "It's ringing."

"I hear." Lex didn't move.

"Ah. Do you want to . . ."

"Do me a favor. Crush it."

Clark raised his eyebrows. "Your phone?"

"Yeah. With your fist."

"Lex, are you feeling alright?"

"Come on." He sat up a little. "You know you want to."

Clark frowned, picked up the phone hesitantly, and applied a little pressure to the sides. The screen cracked.

Lex smiled. "Like that. Keep going."

Clark squeezed a little harder, and the phone caved in, a shower of glass and plastic dropping to the floor, leaving behind the bent metal casing.

"Thanks." Lex lay back on the couch again.

"Wasn't that, like, a thousand dollars?"

"Best thousand dollars I ever lost."

"Lex, what's going on?"

"It's been ringing off the hook since the accident. This'll buy me a break, at least for a few hours."

Clark sat across from him, on the other couch. "You know I believe you."

Lex slowly pulled himself to sit up, rubbing the side of his face. "Believe what?"

"You didn't mean for any of this to happen. Your father got involved, he sabotaged you somehow."

"I just wish I knew how he was doing it. It'll be easier for him now, you know. There aren't a lot of people left on my side."

"Well, there are still people who don't think any of this is your fault. Like me. And . . ." He wanted to say his parents, but he wasn't sure about that at the moment. "Ryan, and Pamela."

"I know."

"And Ryan's someone you should really listen to, he reads minds and all—"

Lex jumped up from the couch. "I know, Clark!"

Clark blinked. Lex didn't usually snap that way. "Lex . . ."

Lex hung his head, pacing. "I'm sorry, it's just . . . It might as well be my fault. I'm the one who made him angry with me, and if I can't stop him—"

"Didn't Pamela say you're supposed to forgive yourself?"

"Yeah, and how the hell am I supposed to do that, Clark? People are getting hurt on my watch. My plant is my responsibility. Their blood is on my hands."

Clark clenched his teeth. "I'm going to fix this."

"How?"

"I dunno." He stood up. "But I'm not letting anyone else get hurt."

Lex gave Clark a curious look, but Clark didn't want to share his plan just yet. Not until he knew for sure that it was going to work. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it already.

Lex didn't know how his father kept getting into the mansion or the plant to sabotage things. But Clark had an idea of how he could find out.

They'd had the secret weapon they needed all along.