"You're supposed to tell us when you're going to be in our jurisdiction," the Police Chief said from behind his desk.
Rhone looked at him with disdain, "Why? So you and the rest of your little department could take a few weeks of paid vacation and let me handle everything?"
"It was just a coincidence that you happened to be at the Savings and Loan today…" he began.
Rhone stood and leaned over the desk at him. She didn't like the way that she was being treated around here. There were certain protocols that police forces were to adhere to when someone like her made himself or herself known and they had not followed them. Every police force knew of the existence of people like her, sometimes they even worked together. "You're right; I didn't come here to fight your battles for you. It was a coincidence that I was there. That is why I didn't bother to notify you of my presence. Besides, it's not like I have to," she said still looking at him.
"We enforce the law around here, Rhone…" the chief began.
Is that what they call this, she thought dryly? She moved quickly, grabbed his collar with her left hand, and effortlessly pulled him up to make him level with her eyes. A look of terror was etched into his face – someone like her could get rid of him – without a trace and with minimal effort. With her right hand she pulled out the ID that she had flashed at the officers outside of the bank. "See this?" she asked in a low growl, "This means that the law doesn't apply to me. It means I do whatever I want, whenever I want, to whomever I want. And from this point forward, you and the rest of the people on this poor excuse for a police force will address me respectfully and correctly – as Sir." She released him roughly and walked out the door.
Lex had been sitting at this table for more than forty-five minutes. He had been listening to Clark, on his cell phone in the corner, quietly and hurriedly run through the tale of the robbery to his parents. Well, at least he knew that he wasn't delusional. They both had seen and heard the same things.
The door to the Talon opened and Pete and Chloe walked in. Lex looked up expectantly and heard Clark behind him, "…They're here. I have to go. …I love you too. Thanks, Mom."
Lex looked at the table in front of him for a moment; he wondered if his father knew what had happened to him today – if he even cared. A small part of Lex wanted him to. But a large part told him not to care, that Lionel didn't. And it would bring questions as to why he was there with Rhone in the first place.
Lex had regained his cool composure when Chloe and Pete sat in front of him. Clark came up from behind and sat beside him.
"Sorry, I had to call my Dad at Pete's," Chloe started, "I didn't think that he would ever let me off the phone."
"Or my parents let me leave the house again – ever," Pete said dryly. He put his backpack on the table and opened it. Everyone at the table was watching him. He pulled out a thin magazine and started leafing through it.
Lex looked at what Pete was holding. It said "Hand To Hand Monthly." He had never heard of it. From the looks of it, not many people had.
"About four years ago, one of my pack rat brothers was in some martial arts phase," Pete began.
Lex wondered why someone would have a shitty magazine from four years ago, but realized his invitation to this little meeting was only by the good graces of Clark and kept his comment to himself.
"There's this – underground fighting ring in Metropolis. Beat the hell out of each other for a lot of money, hardly any rules. Being killed in the ring is considered a typical job hazard. High stakes gambling by the people that can get in to watch," Pete said still going through the magazine.
"Are you saying that Rhone is somehow involved in this?" Clark asked doubtfully.
"No," Pete paused as he stopped flipping magazine pages, "at least, not anymore." Pete set the magazine down on the table and pointed to a very small article on a near back page.
Instinctively, everyone leaned forward slightly, looking at the magazine. Chloe began reading the article quietly aloud, "Underground Rumors. Inside sources tell Hand to Hand Monthly that Metropolis' underground fighting ring supposedly suffered a different kind of blow in this month's tournament. Last month's crowd favorite and undefeated one time champion was absent from the once a month tourney. Barely suffering a scratch, the champ won the only competition she ever entered. Rhone Chade, we hardly knew ye."
The three teens looked at one another. They looked to Lex, who was still staring at the magazine on the table. None of them could pinpoint the emotion that he was displaying. If Clark had to guess, it would have been disbelief.
"Well, there is no guarantee that this is even the same person," Chloe said. Chloe needed some better information than that if she was going to write a halfway decent story. Suddenly, a thought came to her – an expose about this underground fight thingy.
Clark agreed, "Yeah, it is more than possible for two people to have the same name." These words were spoken in an attempt to – comfort? – Lex. At least get rid of that unreadable look that had found its way to the billionaire's face. He wondered why Rhone failed to mention this when she was at his house and they were talking about their – abilities. But she said she had only had the relic for two years, this article was from four years ago.
Lex moved and picked up the magazine. He read the small article for himself. He didn't really know what he was feeling. This wasn't that big of a deal – it was different, but not some horrible crime against humanity. He… He… He just wished that she had told him.
Lex wondered why she felt the need to hide something like this. Maybe it was because she had a professional career now. Yeah. Maybe she thought he would have considered her less qualified to do her job. This wasn't exactly something that you pad a resume with.
"Is this the only article?" Lex asked Pete. He rarely spoke to Pete directly because of the past – unpleasantness.
"I remember some kind of follow up article somewhere. It said she had disappeared off the face of the earth, no one could find her – like she never even existed. But…" Pete trailed off.
"But what?" Chloe asked, always inquisitive.
On this rare occasion, Pete looked directly at Lex, "No one ever uses their real name when they enter those things." Pete didn't know why, but he was willing to forget the cream corn factory and the fact that he had been holding a Clark-stealer grudge against Lex for some time. Maybe if Lex had someone new to invest his free time in, Pete would get Clark back.
Lex got up from the table, still holding the magazine. He glanced at each of them but held a gaze on Pete.
Pete gestured with his head to the magazine in a silent "keep it."
Lex nodded. He turned without a word.
"Bye, Lex," Clark said after him.
Lex slightly raised the hand with the magazine in a gesture of goodbye as he walked away, never coming close to turning around.
Lex looked across the massive table in his dining room as he absently raised his fork to his mouth. He checked his watch again – 5:32. She wasn't coming. He had told Mark to put a hold on dinner because he had a few things to do before he ate. Somehow he doubted that staring out the window and waiting for a car to pull up your driveway actually counted as having something to do.
He had gone to the Smallville Hotel after he left the Talon, but she wasn't there. The man at the desk said that he hadn't seen her either. He actually went up to her room and knocked anyway.
He looked to the chair she had sat in the two previous nights. It was empty.
…It was so quiet. How had he grown so accustomed to that dinnertime conversation in just two days? Maybe it was because it was just talk. It was talk about anything, no ulterior motives about business or anything like that. Maybe it was the way she asked questions about him – and genuinely listened to the answers. Maybe because, for the first time, he asked her those same kinds of questions and really cared what she said in reply. Maybe it was because he…
He shook his head and began to eat again, occasionally allowing himself to gaze at her empty chair. God, it's quiet, he thought to himself.