Chapter 4: Meeting Lionel Luther
The next day I wandered around the mansion listening to the MP3 player Watt had given me. It was nice to get lost in the music for once, and it was my music, with no time regression at all. It was the same Breaking Benjamin and Our Last Night that I had been listening to in my reality, before being captured by Zeed, and it was nice. Almost comforting, like a really good blanket. As I wandered, I speculated about who was on "our" side, as Watt had mentioned in his note. Were there other Watchers like Zeed or Watt trying to help? Or were some of the Marvel Universe characters being pulled into the fray. I felt that I was thinking about it too much and making impossible guesses.
In my walk I neared Lex's study when the current song I was listening to ended. In the haze of the muffled noise, I could hear raised voices coming from inside. I stopped just outside the door and took off my headphones to listen a little more carefully. I instantly recognized Lex's voice, but couldn't place the other. It was deeper in tone, and a little more hostile, so it definitely wasn't Clark, or some employee Lex had.
I decided to be brave and knock on the door, and then instantly regretted my decision. The voices dropped, and I heard Lex call out for whoever it was to come in. Taking a big gulp of air, I opened the door more and poked my head inside and came in, closing the door behind me politely.
Inside the study two sets of eyes watched me closely. One set belonged to Lex, and the second set to a man I had not formerly met yet. He was tall, like Lex, with dark long hair and a scruffy face. He was dressed in a business suit and jacket with a red tie, his hands were in his pants pockets. His dark eyes narrowed on me as I stepped further into the room, and I couldn't help but fidget a little.
"Dad, this is Maddie," Lex introduced me, his voice sounded terribly tense. "Maddie, this is my father, Lionel Luthor."
"Oh, hi! It's nice to meet you sir." I held out my right hand, and Lionel begrudgingly shook it, but then didn't let it go.
I furrowed my brow as he turned my wrist to inspect my hand. He switched his grip to firmly holding my fingers, like a gentleman, to get a better look at it He looked at my little hand for a long time; I thought that maybe he was counting every individual stitch around my pseudo-thumb. When he finally did let go of my hand, I pulled it back hesitantly and glanced at Lex, who looked as flustered as I felt.
"So, this is the girl who has halted my son's work at the moment." Lionel said loudly, sneering at me as he did so.
My eyes flicked back to Lex. He rolled his eyes and shook his head at me reassuringly, but I didn't feel any better.
"Lex, I advised you against getting involved in this, the authorities are taking care of the situation. I don't see why you keep ignoring my sage advice." Lionel continued, and I couldn't help but flinch a little.
I was majorly regretting coming into the room.
"Dad there is absolutely no need to be rude to Maddie." Lex came to my aid, striding around his desk to stand between me and Lionel.
Major. Regret.
No one said anything for a few intense minutes. My skin started to prickle and itch from all of the anxious tension. It looked like Lex and his father were having a desperado stare down, and I was caught in the middle of it, even though Lex stood in front of me. Neither of them moved to ease the tension, and I was all about done with it. I decided I needed to push it out.
"I am grateful for everything Lex has done for me. I'm sorry if it's taking him away from his work, but hopefully the police will catch this Prowler soon." I said firmly and a little formally. This was almost as nerve racking as my first interview for the school I taught at.
"And what of your family, Miss Maddie?" Lionel cocked his head to the side, leveling his gaze on me.
I opened my mouth to answer, but stopped when I realized I didn't actually have an answer to that question. Well, not one I could readily give him. I had to be careful not to reveal too much about myself, but at the same time I didn't know what all I could reveal. I knew that for that moment I looked small to Lionel, small and weak. I looked to the floor before looking back at him, catching an arrogantly smug look on his face. It filled me with a familiar sense of bitterness I hadn't felt since my college days.
"She has some amnesia; it's not important right now Dad." Lex stepped back in then. I clenched my jaw tightly. I could feel my body trembling a little, and I greatly disliked it.
"I'll step out now." I said quickly. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Luthor." I gave Lionel a nod in farewell, and hastily left the room.
I didn't fully close the door behind me, but walked down the hall a few steps before leaning against the wall and gasping for air. I had somehow forgotten to breathe while talking to Lionel, and my lungs were desperate for air.
"That was uncalled for Dad." I could hear Lex's voice faintly travel down the hall.
"That girl is bad news, Lex. I suggest you find a solution before it gets out of hand." Lionel barked back. "You can't take care of a child; you are not equipped to be a 'dutiful' guardian. And wasn't there evidence that this Prowler had a partner? What if she is working with him?" The skepticism in Lionel's booming voice stung, and I had to swallow the nervous bile that came up my throat.
"There's nothing 'nefarious' about her, and I think I would be a good guardian, if needed. I'm not planning on adopting her." Lex snapped.
"And what if she has to go into foster care? Would you willingly give her to social services?" Lionel was just full of the pointed questions.
There was silence then, and I waited with bated breath for Lex's answer. I had tiptoed closer to the room, but still far enough away to not be immediately caught eavesdropping. I didn't know why I cared so much. It wouldn't matter if someone from town offered to adopt or house me, or whatever. This was just Zeed's way of punishing me, and I doubt he would let anything too good happen to me. The moment something started to go right he would step in and change it, just to shove my nose into how unfortunate my life was.
"Don't let this girl ruin everything for you Lex. Get back to work and stop trying to be a hero." Lionel ordered sternly.
With that, Lionel Luther had effectively ended the conversation, and I scrambled down the hall and into a sort of sitting room. I put my headphones back on and sat in an armchair just inside, with the door still open. Lionel stomped down the hallway and stopped just in the doorway to glare at me. I pretended to be entranced by my MP3 player and ignored him. When I looked up, he was gone, and I slumped with relief.
I hated to admit it, but Lionel had brought up some major issues with my problem. I really had no idea what sort of "family" I had here in the Smallville universe, and whether or not I really had one. I needed to find out before Lex, so that I was prepared for whatever story Zeed had made for me. I wondered how I could get that information, and greatly wished I could have some way to contact Watt, or anyone on the other side of this strange reality.
I avoided Lex for the majority of the next day. I escaped to my room and hid inside the moderately sized walk-in closet, leaving the door closed so that it looked like I wasn't in the room. I knew that after a while Lex might panic, and I resolved to let myself out before then, but it was nice to be secluded away and by myself in silence for just a little bit.
I was staring at my hands at the moment, specifically at my wrists. One of the physical characteristics of the abilities I had in the MCU were inch-wide bands of blue glow that looked as if they were tattooed into the skin of my wrists. These bands were the indication of my power, and would glow light blue all the time, especially with my power in use. Right then I was missing these blue bands, and the power that they brought with them. I could think of a dozen different ways that my ability to control aura could help me right now. If I had my powers, I could have read Lex and Lionel's auras to gauge what was going on, but I was powerless, and blind. However, there was something that itched in the back of my mind.
It all hovered around the strange dream and vision I had earlier. I could feel the anger and determination radiating from this strange attacker, and the green haze had to be some indication of spirit. Then I thought about Watt's note, and the mention to try anything and everything to make it. What did that exactly mean?
I scowled trying to think why Watt had put that in his note. Did he mean to try and play along with whatever the story was for this reality? Or did he want me just to be comforted by the music in the MP3 player? The note was constantly in my pocket, so I pulled it out once more to see if maybe I could decipher some other meaning out of it.
At first, I couldn't see anything in particular, but then saw something strange in the light of the closet. The ink the note was written in was dark, and so I had assumed it was just a plain black color. However, when I shifted the note in the light, I saw that the ink had a light blue sheen to it. Blue, like my aura. I put the note on the ground next to me and held up my left hand. I closed my eyes and tried to be calm and quiet. I tried remembering what my aura looked like: blue with a hint of a sparkle, cool and refreshing on my hand.
When I opened my eyes, I was a little disappointed to find just my hand. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes again, tightly this time, intent on making something happen. In my head I pictured my aura: the blue misty element like substance with its glittery aspects. I pictured it gathering in my hand in a small, spiraling ball. My fingers curled inward at the sensation of something cool pooling in my palm.
"There you go," a whispered voice said to me. It sounded strangely like Steve Rogers, like he was sitting next to me, encouraging me. "That's all you needed to do, Little Blue."
I opened my eyes once more and gasped. There in my hand was the blue mist ball I had imagined, swirling serenely in my palm. I watched it in wonder, feeling not so entirely alone for once. I smiled and giggled a little to myself, because I could have sworn Seve had actually been sitting next to me, willing my aura to appear so I wasn't disappointed again.
I sighed and then blinked slowly. When I reopened my eyes, the aura was gone, and something else was in my hand: another folded note. Curiosity filled me as I carefully unfolded the note and looked at its contents. In the same blue sheened ink was information.
Mom and Dad. Utah. Vacation to Metropolis. Accident. Disappearance. Passed.
That's all the notes said in the most basic of terms. Was this information I needed to know about my family life in this reality? How did I get it? Did Watt find a way to send this message through my aura? Or was it Steve reaching out in any way possible to help me, like a good, adopted, older brother? I didn't know, but it didn't make me any more confused or upset. On the contrary, I felt emboldened. I may not have had the major offensive part of my powers, but I could still see it, sense it, and maybe even read it. I was also relieved to know that I wasn't entirely alone, like I thought I was. I giggled again, because this was the first time in a long time, I felt that I could be myself in some small way.
I put this new note with the other back in my pocket and gathered up my things. I was done hiding my little closet, and I felt much better. I exited the closet and found Lex standing in the middle of my bedroom, phone in hand. I had stayed hidden for too long, and a look of panic was plastered on his face. I looked at the cell phone in his hand and then back at him.
"You haven't called anyone yet, have you?" I asked timidly as his shoulders slumped with relief at my presence.
"No, thank God!" He said a little too loudly, and I flinched. "Were you in there this whole time? Didn't you hear me calling your name?" He sounded a little exasperated.
I nervously held up the MP3 player and set it on one of the bedside tables. I looked to the floor guiltily. I knew I should have left some sort of clue of where I was; I didn't like Lex feeling as if he could have lost me, or that he failed at protecting me. It all came down to the dependence I had on him as a child, which I wasn't used to. He paced the room a little, taking deep breaths as he gathered up his wits again. I looked a little more closely at him as he did this. Unbeknownst to Lex, I decided to test out my ability to see aura, to see if I could do more than what happened in the closet.
I calmed myself down (and maybe imagined Captain America standing next to me, giving encouragement), I closed my eyes and then opened them again. I concentrated on trying to see Lex's aura swirling around him, colorless since I didn't know what it looked like quite yet. Seconds ticked by and then a swirling mist of orange began to appear around Lex. I couldn't help the excitement building inside me as I watched the patches of sparkling orange show up. I had to stop myself from jumping with joy, so I closed my eyes and cleared my vision
I could still see aura! A giant wave of relieve washed over me just from that fact. It was amazing to know that I could still do something completely amazing. Zeed probably had no idea that I still had this bit of power left within me, and I felt a little proud of that. This was the first instance that I was getting the upper hand. Lex by now had calmed down and was mumbling plans to himself when I went and sat down on the bed, grinning from ear to ear over my invisible victory.
Luthor.
I gasped as white-hot pain seared my mind.
With Luthor. Have to get in. Have to finish the job. Must follow HIS orders!
I gripped the sides of my head with my hands as my sight darkened and then reappeared, but differently. My vision showed me outside the mansion, looking through the same green haze as before. I couldn't tear myself away from what I was seeing. Whoever it was came down the graveled drive of the property, heading straight for the mansion.
"Oh no," I hissed, fighting through the pain. "No, no, no!"
From faraway I could hear Lex asking what was wrong, and if it was happening again. I'm sure he could see the bright green in my eyes, but I couldn't break the connection that had suddenly sparked between me and the Prowler.
Luthor will pay too; pay for taking away my prey.
Desperate, bitter anger. The intense emotion was making me sick.
"Lex, he's outside," I finally managed to spit out. "He's outside!"
I felt hands roughly grab my shoulders and then shake me a little, probably in hopes that the shake would break the random connection. I couldn't hear any words from Lex, only the blistering, angry thoughts of the Smallville Prowler as he made his way down to the house. I blinked profusely, trying to break the connection and see normally again. I soon felt myself lifted up and being carried somewhere, and I panicked before remembering that Lex had been in the room with me before this had happened.
I needed to be free of this strange connection, so as I clung to Lex, I closed my eyes and willed my mind to break free from this stranger. I imagined some sliver of light, or an invisible cord being cut in two. When I opened my eyes again, I could see. I looked up into Lex's face as we walked quickly down the halls.
"We did have a breach and have found a suspect moving towards the front." A security officer told Lex as he joined us in the hallway.
"Have the police been called?" Lex asked.
"Yes sir, and the Panic Room is ready."
"Panic room?" I gulped, but my words went unheard.
My imagination started running wild at that point, conjuring scenarios where the man broke in and found me, finishing whatever he had been ordered to do. Or maybe him finding the Panic Room and creating some way to harm Lex or anyone else in the mansion just to get to me.
Lex looked down at me, uttering reassuring words as he gently set me on my feet in a library. The security officer with us pushed on a shelving unit, and it opened to reveal a small, windowless room behind it. The Panic Room. We rush inside and the door hissed closed behind us. In the bright room there was only me, Lex, and the random security guard, whose name tag read Randall. The room was fairly large, possible as large as my little walk-in closet back in my bedroom. One wall had a row of monitors that had camera views of outside and inside the mansion. Lex and Randall studied them closely, looking for any sign of the unwanted visitor.
I couldn't help but feel entirely useless right then, and I felt guilty for what was happening. I refrained from telling Lex about the Prowler's ramblings about making him pay for taking me in. I kept that information tucked away because I didn't want to add to the chaos ensuing already. I watched Lex closely as he peered at the monitors, and wondered if he was starting to regret becoming my temporary guardian.
I really am acting like some little teenager. I told myself, looking down at my feet. A small, weak teenager. A Mary-Sue, a coward, you know you could do more. My mind started to spiral out of control as my thoughts turned darker and darker. I belittled myself and tore myself down, using a voice I usually called Other. That voice always came out when my depression started to pull
I huddled in a chair conveniently placed in the panic room and covered my eyes with my hands. I couldn't be weak right now; I didn't want Lex to see me like this and judge me harshly, like his father had.
"Lex, I'm so sorry," My voice wavered a little and Lex turned to look at me.
"Maddie it's okay," He rushed and knelt beside me, giving me a serious look.
"This is my fault." Tears rushed my eyes and I closed them to stop the flood from falling down my face.
Lex didn't say anything, and that really pushed the feeling of guilt I had. When I opened my eyes again, my heart sunk when I saw the same green haze, clearing as the Prowler's vision became my own.
"Maddie," I felt Lex grab my arm and squeeze it gently.
I said nothing as I tried to make out where this Prowler was on the grounds. He had approached the side of the house, sticking close to the brick so as to not be caught by a camera. It was useless, though, since we already knew he was there. I knew then that I had to try and help in some way, so I zeroed in on his thoughts. If I could hear his mind, he should be able to hear mine as well.
"Stop," I realized too late that the words came out of my mouth, but couldn't stop. "Stay where you are, and end this." Without being able to actually see Lex, I knew that his eyes were on me, staring hard as I had this one-way conversation.
The attacker stopped moving, and I stiffened, chills ran up my back. He was feeling around in his mind, trying to find where I had broken in, and if he could reach me that way too.
"Stop," I said and transmitted again.
I can't, you got away. I have to fix this. His voice rang in my head painfully, but I gritted my teeth and bore through it.
"Maddie," I could still hear Lex clearly. "Where is he?"
I nodded, giving him a response to let him know that I had heard him. "I won't let you hurt me, or anyone here." I continued to the Prowler.
But I've already hurt people. You can't stop me. A deranged cackled reverberated in my skull, making me flinch.
"I don't care!" I yelled loudly. Lex's grip moved from my arm to my shoulder, trying to get me to calm down. I was starting to visibly shake from the exertion of having this twisted conversation with a madman. I took deep breaths and tried to steady myself as I worked to pinpoint his location.
I managed to swallow the nausea building within me as I plunged deeper into the hellish mind of twisted anger. I pushed further and further until our connection felt like it was on fire. I could feel myself getting hot too, and felt someone, probably Lex, drag a towel or rag of some sort across my forehead. Soon, I could see the silhouette of a man, standing by a fountain, somewhere close to outside my bedroom window. I didn't have time to focus on his features, I only needed to know his exact location.
"South side, outside my room, large fountain." I mumbled, and then repeated it as many times as I could while the connection was firm. When I felt like my brain was going to burst into flames, my vision snapped back to the green haze, and then pushed to black.