A/N: Finally, an update! Sorry it's taken this long :( My apologies and thanks to you guys for hanging in there, and I hope you enjoy :D

This chapter's mostly Chloe-Lex-Brainiac, but it's got some major build-up to the final chapters. And don't worry, those will be 100 percent Chlark!

Chapter Nine

Professor Fine's eyes sliced through Chloe with the clinical precision of a scientist dissecting a particularly interesting lab specimen. She clutched her camera tightly to hide the trembling in her hands, and lifted her chin defiantly.

"Well, if it isn't Professor Gadget." Her greeting sounded eerily normal, considering that her throat felt bone-dry and her world had just come crashing down. Meanwhile, staffers in white lab coats brushed past them on their way to other parts of Level 33.1, barely glancing at Fine, Lex, and their new prisoner.

"I've been looking forward to meeting you again," the construct remarked, "ever since our first encounter in Jor-El's Fortress."

Chloe glanced briefly over Fine's shoulder at Lex, who was listening to this exchange with a puzzled frown. Apparently, she thought, Zod's robot hadn't seen fit to fill Lex in on everything.

In spite of the menacing form towering over her, she smiled, remembering the evening she and Clark had shared by the fire after their battle with the alien machine. She'd been warmed by a blanket, a crackling fire, and most of all by Clark's soft voice: "Professor Fine said that human beings were insignificant and couldn't be depended on. He obviously didn't know you very well." Chloe hugged those words to her tightly, thinking longingly of Clark's strong arms.

She turned back to face the construct. "If you remember that, you also remember that Clark and I defeated you."

Fine's face darkened. "Unfortunately for you, Kal-El isn't here now. And, besides—" he continued, sounding almost smug, "—I personally consider it poetic justice that the human who once helped prevent Zod's escape from his prison, will now be the instrument of his release."

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously.

His smirk matched his tone, making Chloe wish that Zod hadn't bothered to program emotions into his robot. She didn't doubt that the General himself had the same charming personality.

"By linking you to the Element, the keystone of the Fortress, Jor-El has given me the perfect weapon to use against his creation," he replied. "Through you, I can unlock the power within that crystal, destroy the Fortress, and welcome the General back to rule this world."

Somehow, she realized, Fine must have found out about her connection to the crystal. Her heart sank, but she decided to give brazen denial a shot. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Did Lana tell you this? Isn't it a step down for you to rely so much on a mere human?"

He dismissed the question with cold amusement. "I didn't need to rely on her. I have many sources."

Bad as this news was, Chloe reflected, there was one bright spot. Apparently the robot didn't suspect that Jor-El had programmed the Element to self-destruct.

A grim idea occurred to her. Would it be possible to command the crystal to speed up the process?

Given the fact that she'd be destroyed along with the crystal, it wasn't the most tempting option, but she had to admit that the list of better ones was shrinking. She hoped she would be brave enough to try it, if need be.

Aloud, she asked, "What if I refuse to do what you want?"

The arrogant smile appeared again. "I anticipated that. In that case, part of my construct is waiting elsewhere in this facility for orders to kill every staff member here."

The thing, in the shape of a man, leered down at her with an air of supreme self-satisfaction. Chloe shuddered inwardly, remembering that the man who had programmed this monster was the would-be future ruler of Earth.

"NO!"

Lex, who up to now had been looking on impassively, leveled a furnace-hot glare at the construct. "Leave my people out of this. Besides," he growled, eyes narrowing to slits, "what proof is there that you could even carry out that threat? I think you're bluffing."

Fine met his eyes calmly. "Try me."

Chloe's eyes slid away from the construct and focused curiously on Clark's former friend. "What's going on here, Lex? You two don't exactly look like buddies."

"I suspect our host is having second thoughts about his destiny as Zod's Vessel," Fine commented, almost genially. "Unfortunately, it's too late for that—isn't it?"

Lex returned the gaze stonily, a slow flush of anger spreading across his pale features.

"I see," Chloe said almost sympathetically. "You're as much a prisoner as I am, aren't you, Lex? I'm sorry."

Lex didn't answer, but Chloe caught a defiant flash in his eyes, gone almost as soon as it came. With an almost visible effort, he settled his face into its usual masklike composure.

"I advise you to cooperate willingly," he told Chloe, in the same cool voice she'd heard him use at press conferences. "If you do, I can promise that you'll be in no danger, and I'll do everything I can to make you comfortable in this facility."

She shook her head. "C'mon, Lex. Face it. Whatever plot you were hatching has backfired on you this time. And even if it hadn't," she added scornfully, "a promise like that doesn't mean much, coming from a guy who's just sold out the entire human race."

Lex's head jerked up, eyes blazing with cold fire. "I didn't have a choice, Lois. And, speaking of selling out, what's your excuse?"

"What do you mean?" she demanded, puzzled.

The steel-blue gaze didn't falter. "How long have you known that Clark is an alien?"

She caught her breath, mentally kicking herself for not anticipating this. "Clark's no threat," she retorted. "He's nothing like Zod and his robot buddy here. You of all people should know that."

Lex's eyes glittered. "Really? I'm having trouble remembering past the night in the barn when he put that dagger to my throat."

"But he didn't hurt you, did he? He couldn't."

The billionaire's face hardened. "Tell me something. Did you have a choice?"

She tilted her head, not sure what Lex was getting at. "Excuse me?"

"When you were linked, or bonded, or connected, to this crystal. Did Clark ask you first? Did you volunteer?" At her sudden hesitation, his lips curled into a knowing smile. "I guess not."

"It's not what you think," she answered, remembering how it had felt to kiss Clark in the Fortress, and leave the earth behind for a while. "Not at all." She met those sad gray eyes and felt, again, a pang of sympathy. "I trust him, Lex. I hope one day you will too."

Fine flicked a dismissive glance at both of them. "Not that it matters, but the truth is, neither of you had a choice. Each of you serves a different Kryptonian master, that's all."

He flung open the paneled double doors. "Now that that's settled, shall we go?"

His tone held the ring of command. Lex said nothing, but Chloe noted the resentful glare he turned on the construct.

Lex took her elbow, pulling her forward, not too forcefully, through the doors and into a softly-lit, carpeted corridor. More doors, all closed, lined the hallway, and she could read names on some of them as they passed by: "Genetics Lab I;" "Radiation Lab;" "Cryogenics."

She took in everything, while keeping her eyes fixed on the construct's stiff-shouldered, retreating form. As they advanced, her forehead began to pulse with a familiar throbbing pain. A faint light in her mind's eye grew slowly until it dazzled her waking vision. She shut her eyes against the brightness, but the glow remained, like an afterimage of the sun.

The crystal must be somewhere near, Chloe realized. They were getting closer to it with each step.

She stumbled over a fold in the carpet, and jumped as a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her up firmly. "Careful!" She had nearly forgotten that Lex still walked beside her, matching her pace.

Chloe blinked, concentrating on shielding herself from the light, and discovered to her relief that it dimmed somewhat. Her vision cleared enough to see her way ahead. She darted a brief glance at her companion, who focused grimly on Fine's distant form.

Lowering her voice to a whisper, she asked, "There must be something we can do. We can't let him win."

Lex's jaw set in a tight line, but he said nothing.

It was Fine, now several paces ahead, who answered Chloe. "I'm afraid the battle's over. And the General is about to win."

He hadn't even bothered to turn around, Chloe thought, remembering ruefully that the construct's hearing was almost as sensitive as Clark's. She rubbed her aching forehead wearily, sighing, before a sudden realization stopped her in her tracks.

Clark could hear her anywhere. Even here.

At Lex's insistent tugging, she moved forward, considering this idea hopefully. All I have to do is keep talking, she told herself. Clark will find me sooner or later.

Then another, more depressing, thought struck her. What if this is a trap for Clark? She hadn't seen any Kryptonite, but then, she didn't know where they were going, either.

Keeping her face carefully expressionless, she watched Fine open a steel-reinforced door at the end of the corridor marked, "Authorized Personnel Only." He gestured for the two of them to enter and as the door shut behind them, he touched a keypad on the wall. A series of clicks engaged the door's lock mechanism.

Chloe's eyes swept the room expectantly, but all she saw was a small, sparsely-furnished cream-colored room fitted with a desk, a long mahogany credenza, and a bookcase. A Table of Periodic Elements decorated one wall. On the desk were papers, a few pens, and Lex's signature purple Fujitsu laptop. The table held a few books and nothing else of interest.

Her gaze returned to Fine, and stopped short. From his jacket pocket, Fine was pulling out a long, sharp, knife. Made of green Kryptonite.

She gasped involuntarily, then closed her mouth firmly. There goes our best option, she reflected, fighting a surge of hopelessness. Calling for Clark was out, at least for now.

"Vessel," Fine ordered. "Bring out the Element."

Wordlessly Lex walked over to the bookcase, shoved aside a few geology treatises, and entered a combination on the safe hidden behind them. He extracted a small black velvet box, and Chloe stared in frozen fascination.

Through the box, as if it were invisible, she saw what appeared to be a long, slender, faceted diamond. In the darkness of its case, it glowed from within, and Chloe thought she could see patterns moving inside it. Everything else around her faded, even the throbbing in her head. She couldn't look away from the endless dance of colors and shapes. Time seemed to stand still.

A sudden flash of movement broke the spell. Lex, in one lightning-quick motion, had seized the crystal and lunged toward Fine, thrusting the shimmering gem close to Fine's chest. The construct, reacting even more quickly, jumped back and narrowed gleaming eyes in Lex's direction.

Chloe watched in horror as Lex froze in mid-lunge, still as a statue except for his eyes. "That was very foolish, Vessel," hissed Fine. "Did you forget so soon that you're under my control? Or did you think your own primitive will was a match for mine? I would keep you like this, but I need to turn my attention to higher matters."

He glanced at the gem sparkling in Lex's motionless hand and met the billionaire's wide gray stare. "Another similar attempt, and your staff will suffer the consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

Chloe shivered sympathetically as Lex's mouth struggled to form words. When he finally spoke, she could barely make out his soft "yesss."

So this was Fine's hold on Lex, she thought sadly, trying her best to keep the pity she felt from showing in her face. She knew that Lex would never forgive her if he saw it.

At a curt nod from Fine, Lex jerked back to life, and almost instantly recovered his composure. He straightened the lapels of his black coat and put the crystal back in its box, aiming an expression of pure hatred toward the smirking construct.

"I wondered why you needed me to steal this," Lex remarked almost conversationally as he set the gem back on its velvet padding. "It's deadly to you, isn't it? Whatever else he was, this 'Jor-El' clearly was an excellent tactician."

Fine ignored him. "You. Keeper."

He was looking at her. Chloe grimaced, fighting the urge to inform the robot that she had not one, but two, names, and neither of them were "Keeper." Remembering the danger to Clark, she kept her lips tightly pressed together.

She considered the situation. Clark couldn't come without endangering himself. Lex's bid for freedom had failed. And if the crystal self-destructed after Zod re-entered the world through Lex, there would be no hope of ever returning him where he belonged.

It left only one option.

He gestured, brandishing the Kryptonite knife. "Make contact. I'll tell you what to say."

Nodding, she reached out slowly for the gem. Lex, she noticed, was watching anxiously, his face bone-white. Under Fine's hawklike scrutiny, the most she dared do was turn her head briefly, and smile tightly. It would soon be over, for both of them.

She could feel the power thrumming inside the crystal now. As her hand inched forward, it blazed into brilliant life, and another world opened up to her. It was hers to explore, to wonder at, to embrace.

To destroy. Her fingers trembled as they grazed the glittering surface.

"General," Fine intoned, lifting the honed green dagger. "I wait for your return, prepared to do battle against your old enemy. The last son of the House of El will perish by your hand."

TBC….