Chapter 9: Reactions

So this is what if feels like to be less than nothing. Chloe was surprised at how little she felt. Shock was suddenly a wonderful thing. It deadened the pain she knew was lurking in the corners of her mind, waiting to burst forth.

Stiffly she pushed the covers back, but her fingers stopped when they encountered a cool bit of hardness. Lex's ring, she thought absently.

Holding it up the light from the window she was entranced by the colors shifting across the black stone. A bit of beauty that had been owned by the devil, given as a reminder to never trust anyone. Chloe slipped the ring on, though it felt a bit loose. I would remind her of this day. Remind her that once again trusting someone only lead to pain.

She stood naked in the sunlight for a moment, feeling dirty and exposed. She grabbed her clothes and headed for the bathroom. The room was as opulent as the rest of the house. An angled mirror took up half a wall with another one apposing it. Further in a sauna lay amidst a small forest. The toilet was hidden behind another door and a glass-walled tiled shower stood in the corner. The room was done up in dark blues and creamy marble.

Chloe headed for the shower, grabbing a towel from the third cuboard she opened on the way. She dumped it with her clothes on the floor outside the stall and stepped in. The first blast of water was cool, but it quickly heated. She turned the temperature as hot as she could stand and then stood there, letting the water cascade over her body.

It was a long time before she moved again. She grabbed the new brown soap and began lathering her body up. She repeated the process four times before she felt less polluted.

Chloe was not certain how much time has passed since she climbed into the shower, but her skin was bright red and wrinkly. As she dried off she began to feel dry and itchy. She dressed slowly, her eyes avoiding the mirrors.

After dressing she quickly passed through the bedroom, only pausing long enough to grab her purse before moving out into the hall.

Looking dully around Chloe wondered where she could begin looking for that Loui person. Then a movement in the shadows to her left caught her attention.

"Is that Ms. Chloe Sullivan I hear walking down these empty halls?" The older Luther slowly raised himself from the Chippendale chair he occupied in the hall.

"Mr. Luther!" Chloe was shocked out of her numbness for a moment by the sight of the man. She had heard that he had been wounded, but it never occurred to her how a man would look with his eyes cut out.The scarring wasdeeply disturbing, even the memories of the meteor mutant's changes were not as disturbing as this.

Gently taping his cane on the wood floor Lionel Luther closed the gap between himself and the young lady. He felt a bit of pity, knowing Lex was using her to get revenge on that Kent boy. Or maybe just a bit of posessivness. She had been his tool first, after all, and he did not let go of what was his without fighting for it.

I'm getting weak, Lionel thought to himself. I would have been proud of the boy a year ago, but now I've had too much time to think. I never before thought much on those people whose lives I destroyed, never much cared. But it's harder to ignore when I'm right here, right now. Before he could always distance himself with other various workings, but now he had so little to occupy his mind as Lex took more and more away from him. And again, the girl had almost been his once, one of his minions and he felt a bit possessive. She had been his first, not something he wanted to share with his son.

"Come with me, my dear. I would like to talk to you for a bit."

Chloe would have objected, but the man reached out and lightly touched her arm, then slid his hand down to grasp her elbow. She didn't know what to say. This man was Lex's father, and right now there was not anyone in the world she hated more than Lex. Not to mention all she had learned about the man over time.

Lionel felt her hesitation. "I know you have no reason to trust me… rightly so, but Iwant tohelp you."

Chloe shrugged under the blind man's hand, "I'll listen, but I doubt it will come to anything."

Lionel led her off, finding his way to a small parlor down the corridor without a misstep. The room was stunning, with brilliantly lit stained glass windows and dark, soft chairs.

Chloe studied her toes, waiting for the elder Luther to speak. "I thought having the boy become like me was a good thing, but instead I've created a monster. I took a good soul and corrupted it." He sounded both regretful, and strangly impressed at the same time.

Feeling uncomfortable Chloe stared at the man. "Why did Lex do this to me? What does he gain by hurting me?"

"Revenge. Lex wanted revenge on that Kent boy. Right now he can't strike directly at Clark so he went for the next best thing, his friends." Lionel paused. "That's what I would have done."

"So why are you helping me?"

"Because I've become an old man and the closer to death I get, the more I feel my soul. My choices in life guarantees I'm going to hell, but I'd rather not go to the deepest parts of it. This is my chance for a bit of redemption. God knows I sound pathetic, don't I?" Lionel tiredly rubbed his hand over the aching scars. He winced inwardly, realizing he was only exaggerating a bit.

Chloe shivered a little, a part of her suddenly realizing that Lex and Lionel were creatures apart from her. She wanted to leave and never have anything to do with them again. "Mr. Luther, I've been used and abused by you and yours, now I want to leave. Have your saynow before I walk out that door because from here on I will have nothing to do with you or yours."

"Do you really mean that?" Lionel leaned forward, wishing he could see her face as it would make this so much easier. "You do know the only way you'll ever completely escape my son is to cease to exist? As long as Lex knows how to find you, he will use you against Clark." He fell silent, waiting for the girl to absorb his words.

Chloe felt like crying. Yesterday she had thought her life was the worst it could be, that life didn't keep taking without ever giving. It suddenly occurred to her what Mr. Luther had said. It wasn't over. A part of her knew Lionel wanted something more of her, but since she had nothing left to give, she had nothing left to loose.

"So how do I cease to exist to Lex?"

Lionel couldn't help a small, satisfied smile from appearing on his face. "You need to die."

Shock spread through Chloe, completely obliterating the numbness. "WHAT! No way, things are bad, but I will not kill myself because I was used by that bastard."

"The only way to escape us and your life is for Chloe Sullivan to die. I don't mean really, you, silly girl, just an illusion of death. For all those who know you to think you've died."

"You mean something needs to occur that will make Lex and Clark and everyone think I'm dead."

"Smart girl!" Lionel smiled proudly, as if she were a good dog. "I can help you disappear."

Chloe's eyes narrowed. "What makes you think I would accept your help?"

"I messed up with Lex. I wanted him to be me, but he had too much of his mother in him for me to control. So I pushed harder, too hard. Created a monster."

"Yeah, you said that already, but then you were a monster first." Chloe said sarcastically.

"Call me ruthless. Tell me I have no morals. I'm a businessman who plays by his own rules, but I am not amonster. Whatever Lex is becoming is much, much worse that I ever was. I am hoping that if your death comes off as suicide, it might pull Lex back from whatever darkness that is consuming him." Lionel hoped that didn't come across as too dramatic.

Chloe frowned, surprised by Lionel's passion. "But I still have friends…" She trailed off, somehow feeling embarrassed.

"And where were they when you needed them? Not here certainly. I can create a new life for you, a fresh start, with no baggage attached."

With a start Chloe realized Lionel knew what had been happening to her at school. "You were spying on me."

Lionel smiled. "My life became a bit boring when my son took my eyes and my businesses. I've had to keep up with what projects I had left the best I could. You were always one of my favorite projects."

"Project? I was one of your projects?" She asked incredulously.

"One of my most consistently exasperating projects. You never would do what I wanted, but I liked your grit anyway." He paused. "You were spunky and determined, despite loosing everything. Of all the people I've kept up with, you're the only one I think deserves a chance for a new life, one free of us Luthers."

Chloe considered the man silently for a moment and considered her options. She could go back to college, keeping her secrets, pretend nothing would change, and hope Lex left her alone. 'Hah, not likely.'

'Option 2,' Chloe said to herself, 'I could go crying to my friends.' She sighed at herself. 'I can't run to my friends anymore, they can't save me and I am not so weak I can't stand on my own.'

'Option 3: take charge of my life, change universities, ignore Lex, and make new friends. Option 4: let Lionel Luther give me a new life. Gee, what wonderful choices.

"Option four." Chloe spoke so softly Lionel almost didn't catch it.

Lionel leaned forward, clasping his hands over his cane and resting his chin on them. "And what is Option Four?"

"I am willing to hear your proposal. I still make no promises, though." Chloe carefully began to build a wall around her heart, determined that a new life would not be screwed up life her last one.

"Since I already have an idea about how you are going to die, what we need to work on is your new life, starting with a name. Now I was thinking something like Susan or Anasefolise."

Chloe fingered Lex's ring. "I already have one in mind."