"You forget to tell me about something, Lex? Maybe a new bill that Lana's trying to get passed?" Clark asked, strolling into Lex's office.

Lex looked up from the papers he'd been reading at his desk, studying Clark as if trying to determine whether he was upset or not. "I didn't forget to tell you; I found out earlier and was going to tell you when you woke up and got done with Chloe."

"Well, I'm waiting. Go on and tell me then," he said expectantly, coming to settle on the corner of Lex's desk.

"I think Chloe probably told you."

"All she said was that she was trying to get everyone at my level of criminal status killed." He wasn't sure it was the most subtle move by Lana, but still, it would certainly be effective.

"That's about it, actually," Lex said casually, confirming his statement.

"Can you counter it?"

"I'm trying, but right now my main prerogative is to find out how she's gaining so much power so quickly."

"You already know how," Clark said, finding Lex was dancing around his questions. He definitely disliked it.

"But I don't know with whom."

Clark nodded. "Fair point."

Lex sighed and leaned back in his chair, watching Clark carefully. "She's really got it in for you."

Clark laughed, and it sounded bitter even to his own ears. "She would. I mean, I'm one of the few people left who could inform on exactly what she's done over the years."

"No one would listen to you, though, and I'd think she'd be smart enough to know that."

"There's always the chance, and where there's a chance there's a danger of failure."

He'd known Lana longer and better than Lex, and he knew that was what she was thinking. She'd always been thorough, even in the resistance, and he suspected that this time would be no different. Lana didn't want to leave anything—anything—to chance.

Lex tossed him a file. "Look at it," he commanded, his eyes never leaving Clark's.

Clark cracked the file and opened it. "Where did you get these?" he asked, his throat closing as soon as he saw them, making if very difficult for the words to come out at all.

"I just got it off a security camera while you were napping."

Clark looked back down at the photos in his hand. In them was Lana, her clothing still very much showing that she was with the resistance, but she was talking to a young alien. She was also holding out a stack of photos to him, and they were tipped just enough so that Clark could see what it was. He flipped to the next piece in the file and was unsurprised to see it was a copy of the documents that he supposed Lana had been giving to the alien.

The top one was on Chloe. It was an overall summery of her, down to even her sleeping habits. He turned to the next one. That was off Pete. The last one was of him. Clark closed his eyes and forced himself to breath. It had been such a deliberate betrayal. If he'd ever wanted to extract revenge, it was at that moment in time.

He looked back down at the documents and flipped to the next one. That one and the next few gave details of the others who had been hiding out with them. "She planned this, and right under my nose too."

"It's hard to catch what you don't expect. I've got one more to show you, but I'm hesitant to."

Clark tossed the first file back on the desk. "Why?"

"Because apparently they wanted proof that you were sold off. Same with Chloe and Pete."

There was no decision to make. If he wanted to win then he had to be informed. "Let me see it."

Lex handed him the second folder, but all of his body posture seemed to be telling Clark he wished he didn't have to. Clark was first this time. There were pictures of when he'd been captured, of him holding Chloe. The blood flowing from his wounds was terrible. No wonder he'd had internal injuries.

There were pictures of him off a security camera as he received his brand. Yeah, he'd looked about as terrified as Victoria. The last set of pictures on him was of him in the slave market. There were some of Lex in there as well, especially of when he'd just found Clark. Clark flinched when he saw the ones where Lex had just found him and had been gently stroking his hair and inspecting his brand.

He hadn't thought it could get any worse, at least not until he turned to the next photo. Any lingering doubts he might have had that Pete was dead vanished in that instant. There were photos of his terribly bloody corpse, and had Lana enjoyed that? Had she looked at these photos and laughed?

Chloe was in there as well, and like himself he thought that, judging by those pictures, she should have been dead. She was, if it were possible, more of a mess than him. There was blood everywhere on her, and her hair was clotted with it. What a terrible, deadly mess.

"So that's how you knew what happened to me," he whispered, finally getting to the end and setting the folders down. "The rest you just filled in from rumors," he assumed.

Lex was watching him carefully, like he expected him to loose it at any moment. "Basically."

"Where did you get those?"

"You were an important prisoner, Clark. A very important one, in fact. Under normal circumstances you'd have had a trial much bigger than Victoria, but in this case they thought that it might do more harm then good. They were afraid that it would rally the rebel troops. So, instead, they just tossed you in the slave market but made sure you were as good as dead. A one night stand is an effective means of execution."

Clark swallowed heavily. "So they followed me to make sure I died?"

"Oh, yeah," Lex said with a bitter laugh, standing up and pouring himself some scotch.

"And when they found out that I didn't?"

"They were more than happy with Lana's excuse to come into this mansion and make sure that you weren't a guest of some kind."

"Were they satisfied with what they found?"

"No," Lex replied bluntly, taking a sip. Clark remembered a slight bit hysterically that he'd only become old enough to drink that year. He didn't feel anywhere near that young. His parents should have still been here, should have still been helping him through this. He shouldn't have had to lead all the people that he had.

"They still suspect," Clark admitted candidly.

"And I'm sure Lana's testimony is doing wonders," Lex replied quietly. "It's only a matter of time before they try to have you killed."

Clark sighed. "I'm hoping that I can avoid that."

"Naturally," Lex agreed, tipping his glass slightly. "Until then we keep up the facade. I've got a tip off that they'll be back tonight."

Clark sank down against the desk. "Please tell me you're not sleeping with people in the government as well."

Lex studied him for a moment, but didn't say anything.

"Oh, my gosh, you are," he realized after a moment. "Who?"

Lex smirked a little. "People are the most honest when they're having sex. Haven't you ever heard that?"

"So naturally you've slept your way through half of the daughters of the leaders of the council."

"Saved your life a few times."

"What!"

"C'mon, Clark. Do you think I showed up at that market by chance?"

Clark swallowed. "You knew?"

"I was only surprised to find you in such bad shape. After all, I was already on my way when you got beaten up getting off the truck."

"And the daughter of an alien told you this?"

Lex nodded, seeming very nonchalant about it. "Yes."

"During sex."

"Yes."

"You're unbelievable," Clark exclaimed with a sigh, not sure whether that was a compliment or not. Did everything have to be a dirty deal?

"Haven't you ever done anything to get something, Clark?"

"I've made out with a few girls, but I never went that far. I've done the incognito thing more times than I want to admit, and in some costumes I defintely don't want to admit, but I kept things pretty clean."

"You always were straightforward in your warfare. You never played the element of the mind. But, anyway, tell Chloe what's happening tonight and-"

"Tell me what, Lex?" she asked coolly as she strode into the room.

"There's going to be another raid," Clark said clearly, trying to keep his voice even.

"Another one?" she asked interestedly. "There's been one before?"

"Yes," Lex replied. "You're going to get out of the house tonight, since you technically just disappeared from your compound. Clark, however, is going to play a part again."

"Wait, you've got no record of Chloe as far as the exchange of money?" Clark asked, suddenly very, very interested.

"It was easier to steal a prisoner who had been left to die than one who was being sold," Lex said with a shrug. "There's no record of her at all."

"But there's one of me," Clark noted, letting his head drop as he shook it slowly. "How did I get so lucky?"

"I believe it happened when I told you five years ago that, 'no, Clark, you can't win this war. So, no, you shouldn't have run off and pretty much led the resistance while completely ignoring my advice.'"

"I joined the resistance too, you know," Chloe piped up. "Clark wasn't the only one who made those decisions."

Lex studied her carefully for a moment, almost as if he were seeing what she was really thinking. "But Clark was the one with the abilities."

Clark laughed bitterly. "Not anymore."

"I told someone once that one of the most prominent things I'd learned over the years was that anything lost can be found again. It's entirely possible we might be able to get them back."

Clark noted that Chloe looked mildly impressed at that prospect. He sighed and asked, "But, anyway, what am I doing tonight?"

Lex took from his pocket a plastic card and handed it to Chloe. Chloe looked it over for a moment before looking up at Lex, the shock evident on her face. "That's an ID. It's not fake either."

"You're a registered citizen," Lex said easily, his eyes never leaving her face.

Clark couldn't have been happier for Chloe, but at the same time he couldn't fathom how he'd gotten so unlucky. Just because of one experience—one brand—he was condemned.

"Clark, did you hear me?"

Clark jerked his head up to find Chloe looking at him, her expression one of slight annoyance, while Lex was looking at him with something close to amusement. "I asked if you thought that was alright."

He nodded fervently. "Definitely. There's no way you could be protected better."

She looked over the card again with a long sweeping glance, all the while turning the bit of plastic over between her fingers. "It's a real one?" she asked, still sounding a bit uncertain.

Lex nodded. "Yes, but don't go anywhere that, oh, say, Lana could see you. It may be real but it's not foolproof."

She nodded. "How did you get this?"

He merely laughed a little. "I've got connections at both the top and the bottom. Let's just say that when you offer the manufacturer of these ID's something rather substantial he's more than willing to make an ID for a person who, up until two days ago, didn't legally exist."

"Where do you suggest I go tonight, then?" she questioned. Clark was surprised that she hadn't protested about how Lex had gotten the ID, not because she was so incredibly high-moraled, but because it was Lex, and everything he did was wrong.

"I'd suggest some kind of inconspicuous club. It's amazing the things that you pick up there. You might even find out some stuff I don't know." He gave her a look that actually seemed to show that he was willing to place some trust in her. "You were going to be a reporter, and you never lost that instinct; you'll know what to look for."

She grinned a little, but pocketed the ID and walked out, no doubt off to put on some of the other clothes Lex had left for her. Clark shook his head, feeling nothing but affection. Chloe always had loved to try on clothes.

"I'm sorry, Clark," Lex said suddenly.

He glanced up from where he'd been staring at the floor. "Why?"

"Because I know you're probably thinking on how unfair it is that just by chance you got a brand and she didn't."

"I wouldn't change the way it played out," he said seriously. "Unless of course it meant neither of us had it. But I'd never wish for Chloe to have it and me not to."

Lex smiled softly and murmured, "I know, but it still doesn't really soften the blow of bad luck."

"Wasn't it Machiavelli who compared us to a city with strong walls, and fate to a raging river? The river can hit the city, but if the city is well prepared the river won't destroy it. It might change it, but it won't destroy it."

Lex smiled again. "Since when did you read Machiavelli?"

"You get bored in those hideouts. I had to have something to do late at night."

"Well, you've got something to do late tonight, and it's called helping me pull off a facade seamlessly."

Clark only shook his head in disbelief. Lex didn't really need his help to pull anything off, and if Clark hadn't been around in the first place the impending act wouldn't have been needed.

"I'll see if I'm busy," he replied caustically.

Lex raised an eyebrow slightly. "If you don't, the only thing you'll be busy with is a trial." His voice was light and mocking, showing that he hadn't really taken Clark's 'I'm busy' comment seriously, but he was issuing a warning non-the-less.

"Point taken," Clark muttered softly.

"Follow me," Lex commanded, his grin growing because he realized he'd won a fight that hadn't even been started.

--------------------------

Lex stopped him in front of his bedroom door. "What's up?" Clark inquired, somewhat annoyed at Lex stopping him after he'd made him go there in the first place.

"There's a camera in there," Lex said bluntly.

"What?" Suddenly Lex seemed a whole lot more annoying for not mentioning that tiny detail. "How!"

"They planted it when they thought I was out. They don't know that I do sweeps every night, though. Although, I suppose they will when I stage a meeting tomorrow, instructing how I don't want any of my 'competitors' listening in."

"So basically by tomorrow you're going to get rid of the bugs by pretending that you're doing it for the sake of beating out your competition? You're basically going to make them think you think that some other noble planted the bug?"

"Not basically, Clark—totally. Now, the raiding party will be in around one in the morning. They'll apologize profusely once we put on a brilliant act."

Clark rolled his eyes. "Oh, please, you know I'm going to end up following your lead on whatever stupid act we're going to pull to cover things up."

"Good," Lex said approvingly, smiling so that all his teeth showed. "This could get very, very interesting, very, very fast—just so you know."

"Everything you do tends to do that, Lex," he pointed out. And wasn't that really the truth? It had been what had made his high school years so interesting, after all.

"Try to at least act like this is natural," Lex said softly, suddenly grabbing his shoulder and shoving him up against and then through the door.

Clark barely had time to gain a little balance before Lex shoved him down on the bed. He let out a sharp cry as he hit the mattress, his head bouncing as it hit it. "Lex!" he called out sharply.

"Act like this is natural," Lex whispered into his ear.

Oh, yeah, Lex, natural. How did he know what was natural? He'd never done this before, and somehow he didn't think it was the same as it was with Chloe.

He jerked sharply when Lex's hand lightly touched his back, his thumb rubbing slightly. He downright jumped when Lex reached down and pulled his shirt over his head. "I'm tired," Lex murmured suddenly, but loud enough so that he was clearly audible. "You've already done your job for tonight."

Clark hated it when Lex talked to him like that, even when it was a facade. The coolness of his voice penetrated Clark's being, and he hated it. He didn't like being regarded like an object, but, in this case he understood its necessity.

Lex rolled over slightly, and a sharp tug at the hem of his pajamas told Clark to do the same. Lex's lips brushed his ear in what would seem to the camera like a light kiss, but the whispered, "Try to sleep," told Clark that it was only a cover-up.

Yeah, right...sleep. He let Lex reach and arm around him, holding him slightly. His back was to Lex's chest, and while it made for a slight amount of uncomfortably on Clark's part, it wasn't too bad. In his life he'd done much worse things than simply sleeping—as in the slumber form of the word—with his best friend.

Lex's breath was soft on the back of his neck, and its pattern told Clark that Lex wasn't asleep. He probably wouldn't sleep either, and Clark knew that. Lex was always on his guard, and in this situation sleep just wouldn't work.

He knew Lex didn't mind if he slept, though. In fact, he probably wanted him to, because Clark really couldn't pretend well. And he was tired. Lex would watch out for him until he woke up, he figured. A few minutes later he drifted off, his mind drifting somewhere back in the days of Smallville.