-Chapter Eleven-

The End of Ken

Ken walked towards them slowly, the very nature of the way he stood there made a small twinge hit Clark's stomach. "Did you really think, that you could escape?" he said to them as he walked toward them. "Or were you just that foolish to believe it?"

"You've lost," Buffy snapped indignantly, "the others have reached the surface. Your operation is finished."

"Really," Ken exclaimed mockingly, "Well, I suppose I'll have to make do with you two. After all your both strong and you'll live for a long time Kal-El. For ever alone, like you want. Not being able to hurt anyone ever again."

Clark felt a small twinge as Ken repeated the things that he had been thinking for the past few months. Ken must have read his mind when he was brought there.

"All through you life. You've brought pain and suffering to the people who love you. Chloe, Pete, your parents... even Lana."

Clark roared in anger and dashed at Ken grabbing him by the throat and slamming him against the wall. "Don't you dare talk about her," Clark growled angrily. Clark felt his arms start to slack and his legs beginning to weaken as a searing pain filled his entire body. Clark gasped in pain as green glow illuminated his face as Ken held up his hand revealing a green meteor rock imbedded in the ring. Clark stepped back weakly.

Clark looked up weakly as Ken held the Kryptonite ring at him. "Get the girl," he shouted at guards. They run past him and dash after Buffy. Clark turns helplessly as he see Buffy taking on at least six of them on her own. "Oh, don't worry about her Kal-El. She'll be fine. They won't kill her. Not right away."

Clark glared at him. He gasped for air as Ken grabbed his throat in a vice like grip and lifted him up into the air so that his legs dangled in the air.

"Oh, and I forget to tell you," Ken said menacingly "The more people here. The stronger I become. And I'm getting a very spicy cocktail from you."

Ken pushed Clark away. Clark flew up into the air, a powerful force hitting against his body as he descended until finally he slammed down on one of the conveyor belt. Clark tried to get up. A searing pain filled him as bits of Kryptonite surrounded him on the conveyor belt. Clark looked over at the flaming furnace which he was slowly moving towards.

Clark tried to roll over. Something grabbed him. Or rather someone. Ken held Clark down against the conveyor belt. "You're not going anywhere, Clark," he spat venomously. "You ruined everything!"

Clark groaned in pain as Ken squeezed against his throat making it hard to breathe. Clark threw punch hitting Ken weakly in the face. Ken lifted Clark up and hit him down to the ground like a mallet hitting a nail.

Clark looked over to Buffy. She was surrounded and taking down the demons all at once. She was in trouble. She needed him. Ken grabbed Clark's shoulder. Clark groaned. He looked up at Ken wide-eyed. He was finished. Ken pushed Clark down making Clark look at his legs.

Without thinking Clark swept Ken's legs away. Ken fell to the ground. Clark rolled off of the conveyor belt, he grabbed a small bar and swung it at Ken. Ken flew across the room crashing against the wall.

Clark turned to where Buffy was and ran towards her. Clark grabbed one of the demons and threw him away. "Having fun?" Clark joked.

"I see you're well again," Buffy replied as she hacked at one of the demons. "Where's Ken?"

"On the other side of the wall," Clark replied as he smacked away three demons with a swing of a large girder.

"Cheater," Buffy chuckled as she snap kicked a demon in the head and stabbed another from behind.

"Your the one with the sword," Clark replied as he pulled two demons towards him and then, flung them across to the furnace.

"I'm gonna need a bigger sword if we're take on all those guys," Buffy cried as more demons started to run at them.

Clark looked up at a large crate over head. Clark squinted his eyes at the rope holding it up. His eyes burnt and two streaks of fire shot at the rope burning it.

The crate fell down as the rope snapped crashing down on the ongoing forces. A purple ooze shot out as the demons exploded.

"Eww," groaned Buffy disgusted. She looked down at the ooze across her clothes. "Do you know how much it is to dry clean?"

"Come lets go," Clark said grabbing hold of her arm and pulling her towards the metal stairwell. The stairs creaked as they dashed up them until finally they made it to the exit. Amber stood by the steel cage door. It began to descend as they ran towards it.

"Hurry up!" Amber shrieked hurriedly.

Clark zoomed towards the cage a red blur following him. He stopped by Amber and held the door up. "You go I'll hold it for as long as I can!" Clark shouted as he held the door up as it began to grind. "Buffy hurry up!"

Buffy dived under the door and began to crawl under it. "Look out!" Clark yelled as Ken grabbed hold of her leg. Clark felt his legs start to slacken as Ken held his Kryptonite ring up at him.

"You ruined everything!" he shrieked.

Buffy scraped at the floor trying to pull away from Ken who's face was now peeling and showing a red scaled figure underneath. Clark's legs were starting to buckle and his arms were starting to get heavy.

"Buffy, I'm not going to be able hold to this for much longer," Clark groaned as he pushed against the pain and weight of the door. His face turned red as he pushed with all his might. Clark looked down his eyes bulging with the strain of the door. He felt the door start to drop as Buffy tried to kick Ken away.

Clark took one hand away from the cage door. The door fell down a bit. Clark pushed it up with all his might. He was going to drop it. "Take my hand," Clark groaned holding out his hand to Buffy. Buffy grasped his hand. Clark pulled hard, his arm suddenly, giving away as the strain became to much.

A high pitched screamed filled the room as the spikes at the end of the cage door fell down on Ken's waist. His eyes watered as the pain filled his body. Clark crawled away fro him weakly as the kryptonite ring still sat around his finger pointed at him. Buffy got up picking up a spade leant against the wall.

"Hey, Ken," Buffy said, "d'you wanna see my impression of Gandhi?"

Ken looked at her his eyes strained by the pain as Buffy slammed the spade down at his head crushing his skull with a loud crack. Blood spurted across the floor as Ken's head collapsed to the floor. Buffy bent down and slipped the ring from Ken's hand and threw it through the cage door so that it fell down the other side of the room.

Clark walked over to her fully recovered now that the Kryptonite is gone. "Gandhi?" Clark asked confused.

"Yeah, well, he was really pissed off," Buffy said realising the weakness of her joke. They turned to the hole above them.

"I'll go first and pull you guys up," Clark said jumping up and climbing through the strange black ooze through the ceiling finding himself in a small altar room. Clark dipped his hand in the ooze grabbed a hand and pulling up to see Amber climbing to of the ooze. She clambered out of the ooze and scurried away.

Clark dipped his hand in the ooze again grasping Buffy's thin hand. He heaved and pulled her up through the ooze. Buffy swung her leg over to the stone floor and clambered out of ooze. Clark helped her up.

"What about the," Amber began, but, was interrupted as concrete covered over the ooze, until finally it was completely solid. Buffy looked at Clark. Clark looked at Buffy.

"Let's get out of here," Buffy said hurriedly.