Biological Families
Author: duane at duaneaakre dot com
Disclaimer: As always I own nothing. Well I own a house, two cars, a pair of jetskis, and a lot of other junk, but none of these characters.
Story Rating: R [The story may drift into the HBO range rather than stay in the WB range, so to be on the safe side, I am rating this R.]
Chapter 3
At 3:55 PM, Lionel Luthor exited his helicopter. With the helicopter parked in its usual spot on the small grassy knoll on the east side of the mansion, there was just enough time for a slow, leisurely walk to Lex's study to arrive promptly for the requested 4:00 PM meeting.
Lionel found Lex's response to the morning's announcement of the plant's closing both unexpected and even a little intriguing. He had spent a portion of his time since the events of the morning making inquiries into Lex's activities over the past few days. Who had Lex been in contact with that might have sufficient resources to oust him from his own company? Certainly it couldn't be his board of directors; he always made sure he had the necessary 'dirt' to control everyone before they were allowed on. So who did that leave?
Nothing unusual had shown up in Lex's activities until Friday when he had gone to Metropolis University for a semi-annual briefing on a physics project LuthorCorp was funding, interestingly, a physics project involving meteor rocks. Lex should have been on campus for no more than a couple of hours, but the trail of his activities suddenly got cold and no trace of him could be found until he showed up at his penthouse apartment at 4 AM; a mere two hours after a mysterious explosion destroyed most of the physics building. The fire marshal's report his people had acquired indicated the explosion had originated in the very lab Lex had been visiting twelve hours earlier. What had been going on in that Lab? All records of the project at LuthorCorp had disappeared, the professor in charge of the project had not been seen since the afternoon before the explosion, and Lex's whereabouts were unaccounted for from ten hours before the explosion until two hours after it.
According to the doorman at Lex's apartment building, Lex had arrived at the Penthouse at 4 AM Saturday morning and he had not been alone. He had been accompanied by four people: a woman of about forty, who the doorman had said was extremely striking in appearance, a couple in their mid- twenties, and a teenage girl. The doorman hadn't recognized any of the people with Lex and no names had been mentioned in his presence. Lionel immediately authorized the installation of hidden surveillance cameras in the lobby of the building so in the future he wouldn't be stuck with a second hand description of who was coming and going from Lex's apartment in the city.
Lex and the four people with him had remained sequestered in the apartment until early Sunday afternoon when they had all boarded a limo for the trip to the Luthor estate in Smallville. So, whoever these people were, they were most likely still in Smallville. And the solitary man with the group had not matched the description of the missing physics professor.
As Lionel strode down the hallway leading to Lex's study, he still didn't have a clue what was going on to back up the confident look in Lex's eye when he had issued his warning about forcing Lionel out of his position, if he didn't show up for this meeting. But Lionel knew in his gut that the explosion at the physics lab, the missing professor, and meteor rocks were somehow involved.
Lionel paused for a moment outside the stained glass door leading into the study to gather his thoughts and put on his 'game face'. He had no idea who or what was waiting on the other side of the door, but he had been in similar situations many times before. In all business situations like this, he had found the secret was to never let the other side see your true emotions and always act as though you were the one in the position of authority, whether you really were or not.
Opening the door he strode briskly into the study. His eyes quickly swept across the room from the second story library alcove to the pool table on the far side of the room. Nothing. The room was empty except for Lex sitting behind his desk working at his notebook computer.
Once Lex noticed his father's presence, he lowered the screen of the computer, rose, and walked around the desk to greet his father.
"Father, I'm glad you could make it. Can I fix you a drink?" Lex asked. After shaking his father's hand, he turned and walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself two fingers of his favorite whiskey as he waited his father's reply.
Normally, Lionel would have joined his son for a drink, but in the ten seconds since Lex had risen from his chair he had noticed something alarming about Lex's body language. There was a bounce in his step that wouldn't be there, if his threat of the morning had been just a spur of the moment 'say the first thing that comes into your mind' reaction to the situation. No, Lex's body language was very confident. If Lex was that sure of himself, Lionel was not going to do anything which would dull his thinking. Of course, maybe the whole body language change could be attributed to something simpler like the radical change in Lex's appearance due to the addition of the hair piece. When he had first seen it this morning he had almost reacted in surprise, but had managed keep a straight face and not comment on the change. Even with Lex, especially with Lex, he needed to hide his true emotions. If the hair helped Lex's self-image, so be it. At least, Lionel thought, it is a first class job. He had never seen fake hair that short which looked so real.
"No thanks, Lex. I had something on the ride down here. Now what is this all about? Why did you drag me back down here? I am still very busy tying up the final details of the acquisition of the Italian pharmaceutical company."
"Come on, Dad. Can't we even exchange pleasantries before getting down to business? I am sure you would do that much for anyone else."
Before Lionel could respond, the door to the study opened and a young, dark haired girl walked in. The girl was wearing a red bikini and a very shear white wrap that only seemed to emphasize the small amount of skin the swimsuit was hiding. Based on her wet hair, it was apparent she had come straight from the pool.
The girl walked up to Lex and pulled him into a kiss that went on several seconds longer than was necessary before turning to Lionel.
Reaching out her hand, she said. "Hi, I'm Lana Lang. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."
Lionel's eyes did a quick glance over to Lex who was calmly watching to see his father's response and who didn't seem to be at all disturbed that the front of his purple silk dress shirt was wet from where the girl had pressed her body against his. In the moment it had taken him to glance a Lex, the girl's name registered. So, this was the girl Lex was partnered with in the coffee shop business. He had always wondered why Lex wasted so much time and effort on such a small-time operation, now he knew. The girl was stunning, although she seemed awfully young, even for Lex.
"No, the pleasure is all mine," said Lionel as he shook her still damp hand.
After they broke contact, Lana took a step back. "Don't mind me. Please carry on with your business. I just wanted to be here when the show and the fireworks began. Oh, Lex, where is that first edition Italian copy of Dante Alighieri's 'Commedia'? You know the one that had the passage you wanted me to translate?"
Lionel was so surprised a young girl from Smallville would know medieval Italian, for a moment her comment about upcoming fireworks almost slipped his mind. "You can read medieval Italian?"
Lana grinned. "Oh, I have a real gift for languages. You would be surprised. Plus Dante's works are among the earliest examples of Italian literature still in existence. I mean most of the important writers of that era were still working in Latin, which was only known and understood by the clergy and the upper class. Dante was one of the first to publish historically significant works in Italian rather than Latin so they would be available to the middle and lower classes in addition to the upper class and the clergy."
"You sound like a real fan," remarked Lionel. Thirty seconds in her presence and his opinion of her was already higher than that of any of the other 'friends' of Lex's he had ever met.
Lana grinned. "Yes. He is not considered the greatest literary artist by so many experts without reason. I first read an English translation about three years ago and it got me hooked. I have since read several other translations, my favorite being the one by Longfellow. But none of the English versions I have read to date has ever been able to achieve the 'terza rima' style of rhyming Dante developed specifically for this work, that's why I have been working on my own translation."
"You are doing your own translation?" asked Lionel. This girl was as far as he could imagine from the blonde, 'air head', 'wannabe trophy wife' that Lex use to date.
Lana nodded. "I have the 'Inferno' portion finished, but have barely made a start on 'Purgatorio', and then comes the real challenge, 'Paradiso'. T.S. Eliot called the last canto of 'Paradiso', "the highest point that poetry has ever reached or ever can reach". So the thought of working on that part is very daunting, but I have about 8,000 more lines to complete before I get there. Anyway if you are interested, I could read the part I have completed for you some time. Or perhaps we could discuss some of the philosophical points. Why do you think the 9th and lowest level of hell is reserved for the treacherous?"
Lionel felt a sudden pang in his chest. This was obviously a subtle and not-so-subtle comment on his actions at the plant this morning. This girl looked nothing like her, but why was he suddenly reminded of Lillian, who he hadn't thought about in months, when he looked at her?
As Lionel stood there, for once speechless, Lex stepped in to get this meeting with his father back on track. "Lana, the Divine Comedy is in the display case at the top of the stairs. The key should be in the lock. The page with the passage I am interested in is marked."
Lana nodded to Lex she understood, and headed for the steps leading up to Lex's small private library, where he kept his most important acquisitions. The main library, which contained the more mundane books, was located three doors down the corridor.
As she ascended the stairs, neither man could remove his eyes from her posterior, a very cute little butt that was mostly exposed, as the tiny bikini bottom had ridden up until the suit looked almost like a thong. When she bent from the waist to release the lock on the glass display case, Lex seriously considered kicking his father out of his study so he and Lana could have some uninterrupted fun.
After she retrieved the book, Lana returned to the main level of the study and dropped onto the couch by the fireplace. She sprawled on her stomach near one end of the couch with her legs bent up at the knees. The book was place almost reverentially on the couch before her and then carefully opened to the page Lex had bookmarked.
"Okay, guys, pretend I am not here and get back to whatever it was you were discussing." Then Lana lowered her attention to the book. She had intended to only pretend to look at the book, as once she had identified the passage Lex had marked she could instantly draw on the data Chloe had downloaded into her nanobot memory to perform a translation. But seeing the beautifully handwritten manuscript triggered an echo of some long forgotten memory Chloe had never intended to include. Dante Alighieri had lived his first thirty seven years in Florence before being exiled in 1302 for political reasons. The memory that had been triggered had nothing to do with Dante, but contained a small snippet from a masked ball at Palazzo Medici-Riccardi hosted by an elderly Cosimo de' Medici about one hundred fifty years later. As Lana's mind was sucked into the grandeur of a party that could have only occurred during the peak of the Italian High Renaissance, her words about not being there might as well have been true.
After several seconds of enjoying the view of her prominently displayed ass, Lex coughed subtly to get his father's attention and then moved back over to his desk to get clear of the ultimate distraction that was Lana Lang.
As Lana disappeared from his field of view, it was suddenly like Lionel Luthor's brain switched back on. And the first thing to register was Lana's comment about upcoming fireworks. She obviously knew what was about to happen and suddenly she was the most likely candidate for the teenage girl who had been a member of the group that had spent most of the weekend in Lex's apartment. Not that 'teenage girl' felt like the most appropriate label for her. No, there was something about her which shouted 'much older and more mature than any teenage girl should be' in Lionel's head.
Looking at Lex, Lionel said a single word, "Fireworks?"
Lex almost reached over and toyed with the small, wood and chrome box, which contained the octagonal piece from Clark's ship, as he contemplated his response to Lionel's question. He had completely forgotten about the disk in all of the excitement since his return to Smallville. He definitely needed to remember to return it to Clark soon.
"You really should reconsider your plan to close the plant here in Smallville. I have found the most unique and powerful ally, a person who is more than willing to step in if you don't change your mind."
"Lex . . . Lex . . . I can't imagine who you think you have found who can help you in this misguided attempt to save the plant. No one on the board of directors is going to help you. And besides, the majority of the LuthorCorp stock is held in the family and your share of the stock will remain in the trust fund I control until your twenty fifth birthday."
Suddenly, a female voice Lionel found oddly familiar called out from the doorway. "Family? Now there's a topic I would like to discuss. Lionel, why are you treating our son like this? Can't you see he is truly happy here in Smallville? Happy for the first time in at least ten years?"
Lionel turned in his seat and received the biggest shock in his life. Walking across the room towards him was a woman who was the spitting image of his long-lost wife, Lillian. The vibrant, strikingly beautiful woman she had been before the onset of the long, slow, ultimately fatal illness. The one woman in his long, hard life he had truly loved.
"Lillian," he whispered quickly rising to his feet, as his mind raced to figure out how this was possible.
"Yes, Lionel, it is really me," said the woman as she walked up to him and then pulled his mouth down for a fierce, hungry kiss.
Lionel's first thought on seeing her, well second thought after thinking Lana's comment about fireworks might be the understatement of the year, was about cloning. He had been secretly funding research into human cloning for the past five years. They had had some limited success, but nothing approaching the level required to duplicate his long-dead wife. Had Lex found out about his research and then started a parallel program of his own that had been more successful?
However as soon as the kiss began, Lionel knew in his heart this was no clone, but the real Lillian somehow returned to him. The taste of her mouth, the oh so familiar way her tongue dueled with his, no this was his Lillian.
The kiss went on for many long seconds and Lionel wanted it to go on forever, but eventually he had to pull back, had to ask, "How?"
Slowly Lillian opened her eyes, but did nothing to loosen the tight embrace in which she held him. It had been so long since her body had felt this health and strong in Lionel's presence. She couldn't suppress the brief shudder that passed through her body as her breasts seem to swell and her nipples harden. God, how she had missed him all of those months lying on her deathbed. How could she ever adequately thank Chloe for retrieving her from death and restoring her body? Chloe had said all the thanks she wanted was Lillian's help to see Lex had a happier life. At this moment she fully understood, as only another mother could. As much as she wanted Lionel, it would be on her terms, terms which would put Lex's happiness first.
"How is not important right now," she began as she ran her fingers through Lionel's long, thick hair. It was a little grayer than she remembered, but still magnificent. "What is important is Lex. In the past couple of days I have seen several moments when he has been truly happy. And he has real friends here, something he never had when we were a family back in Metropolis. Why are you trying to take all of that away from him?"
How could he explain to her the goals he had for Lex, Lionel wondered. Ever since he had lost her, he had thrown himself into his work. He had achieved great things already, but time was running short and he needed Lex ready to pick up the reigns. And if Lex was to be successful in his plans, Lex would need to be tough as nails. There would be no time for things like happiness and friends.
One kiss, no matter the great things it promised, was not sufficient to divert Lionel from his path. A little more brusquely than he intended, he said. "I have dreams for Lex and unfortunately they don't allow time for things like happiness or friends."
"You have dreams? What about what Lex wants? Have you ever stopped to ask what his dreams are?"
With those few words Lionel knew there was a gulf between them they might never bridge. Oh, he could feel their bodies reacting and knew they would make love, might even get back together. But Lex was in the center of things and the two of them might never agree on what was right or necessary for him.
"Lex is returning with me to Metropolis and the plant is staying closed. That is my final word."
Lillian shook her head. "Lionel, you should never have locked me away all of those years in the sanatorium without the right paperwork. Now that I am back, I think you might end up in jail on kidnapping or some similar charge."
Lionel stared at her. "Are you crazy? What are you talking about? I saw you die nine years ago in our house in Metropolis."
"Well, you know that and I know that. But obviously I am very much alive now and people don't just come back from the dead. No, everyone, including the cops, will readily believe a story that you faked my death and had me committed to get me out of your way."
Had Lillian faked her own death? Why had she chosen to return at this moment? Wherever she had been and however she had returned, her story would be believed with a little easily fabricated supporting data and given his own well-known ruthless behavior.
"If you want to battle this out in the courts, so be it. But until you win, the plant is staying closed."
The situation was rapidly devolving into a stalemate when the door to the study opened once again and Chloe and Clark walked in.
Chloe took in the room and the situation in a single glance and then walked right over to Lex. When she reached him, she simply said. "Lex, I am very unhappy."
Lionel watched as Lex seemed to pale slightly as though he was intimidated by this blonde girl. He thought only he was able to intimidate Lex and even he seemed to have lost the ability recently. Lionel looked back at the girl and knew he had seen her before. Then it came to him, he had met her at the plant Christmas party two years earlier. She was Gabe Sullivan's daughter. Why would Sullivan's daughter intimidate Lex?
"Chloe, I had no idea until I was standing on the platform this morning what my Father was going to do. Mom and I have been trying to turn this around."
"And have you succeeded?"
Lex let out a sigh and put his hand up and ruffled it through his short hair. "Not yet. It may end up in a court battle and that will take time."
As they were talking Lana had gotten up from the coach and come over to wrap her arm supportively around Lex. Lex and Lionel might have thought her comment about fireworks was about the revelation of Lillian's return, but she and Chloe had had a special little mind-linked chat before they had left school. No, the real fireworks were about to begin.
"Lex, I don't have time for that kind of bullshit. I have things I need to accomplish here in Smallville and I am going to need the help of you, Lana, and Clark. Having the plant close and creating major havoc in the lives of everyone in Smallville is an annoyance I don't need."
Lionel watched Lex stand there at a loss for words. He still didn't understand why Lex was reacting this way to the girl.
Suddenly, Lana spoke about. "What about if we turn Lionel, too? Then we could force him to do our biding. You got to turn Lex and Lillian, let me have him. I really want to drink his blood."
Lionel stared at Lana as she looked back at him with an evil little grin and then slowly licked her lips. He glanced over at Chloe and was shocked to see her eyes had been replaced with pools of crimson blood with small trickles cascading down her cheeks from the corners. When he looked back at Lana, her eyes were the same.
"What?" he mumbled in shock as he started to back away until his back was up against the couch.
"What do you mean, what?" asked Lana as she took a single step towards him. "Haven't you ever heard of vampires and their thralls before?"
She took another step forward and stepped directly into a beam of light that was entering the study through the high chapel style colored glass windows above the second floor library.
Lionel watched as her skin glowed in the orange-tinted light, but she didn't burst into flames or anything. "The sunlight."
Lana briefly turned her head up and looked directly into the sunlight streaming down from above. "A legend we fabricated long ago. True vampires are not affected by sunlight."
Clark had seen Chloe do this eye trick before when they had been back in ancient Rome and realized the girls were playing some game with Lionel's head. "Chloe, isn't there some other solution? Do we really need or want another thrall?"
Lex had been almost as shocked as his father when he first saw Chloe and Lana's eyes, but having some understanding of their abilities, he recovered a lot faster. "Chloe, you didn't let me finish before. I am working on a backup plan to stage an employee buyout of the plant. The only problem is, at first glance, the employees can only come up with twenty five percent of the required funding. If we can get my Mother declared legally alive, she can access her portion of the Luthor fortune to make up the difference."
Chloe appeared to think for a moment and then said, "Lana, wait."
Chloe closed her eyes for about five seconds and when she opened them, they had returned to normal. After a few seconds, Lana followed suit. When she opened her eyes they were normal, but the expression on her face told Lionel she was still ready, maybe even eager, to attack him.
Chloe turned to Lex. "I like that plan, but I'll put up the difference instead. I want you to run it and perhaps we can give the new company a name like LexCorp, as I prefer to stay in the background. Oh, and I have some biotech and nanotech research I would like you to take charge of. Perhaps we can reopen Level 3 to handle it."
Then as if she had just remembered Lionel was still there, Chloe turned and said. "Are you still here, Lionel? I think the rest of this conversation needs to be private. Lex will be in touch with you about the terms of the buyout. Oh, and I wouldn't tell anyone about what you just witnessed. Everyone knows vampires are just a myth and anyone you tell will just think you are crazy. Also, do not even think about fucking with me."
Here Chloe paused and walked over to the liquor cabinet and picked up a white towel. Then she picked up the letter opener from Lex's desk before walking over to Lionel. She spread the towel on the floor in front of him before standing back up. Taking the letter opener in her right hand, she stabbed it hard into her left forearm just below the elbow and ripped it towards her wrist. The cut was at least six inches long and so deep Lionel could see bone and tendons before the wound filled with blood.
No way was the wound faked, thought Lionel, as he watched in horrified fascination. As he watched, it was like movie magic; immediately the ends of the wound started to close and in less than five seconds it looked completely healed except for a coating of blood.
Chloe bent down to retrieve the towel which had a few splotches of blood which had dripped from her arm. Calmly, she used the towel to wipe the remaining blood from her arm.
Looking Lionel in the eye, Chloe said. "Lana and I wouldn't have survived all these centuries, if we were pushovers. Now, from now on, you should consider Smallville my territory. You are welcome to visit Lex and Lillian here at the mansion anytime you want, but if you plan any other activities here; you better fucking well clear them with me first."
Chloe turned to Lillian. "Now, Lillian, if you would be as kind as to see Lionel out, Lex and I have some business to conduct."
Lillian had had no idea of Chloe and Lana's plan when she had entered the room, but when Chloe had first walked past her she had brushed Lillian's arm with her fingers just long enough to activate Lillian's 'bots and pass along the gist of their little plan. Since Lionel had been acting like a royal jerk, Lillian hadn't felt any remorse at the girls playing a little game with his head.
As Lillian took his arm to get him moving from where he still stood frozen against the back of the couch, Lana made one final comment. "Lionel, my medieval Italian skills? I lived it."
The last expression he saw on her face was a combination of hunger and arrogance he had never quite seen before.
As the door to the study closed behind the senior Luthors, Lex and Clark could hardly wait until Lionel was a safe distance down the corridor before simultaneously trying to ask what that had all been about.
Chloe smiled. "We thought Lionel could use a little distraction. Living forever, instant healing, being able to influence the minds of those we infect, reviving the dead, when it comes down to it, Lana and my abilities are not that much different from the legendary vampires. So, we let Lionel think we are vampires and he burns up a lot of time, manpower, and budget researching them. And if his people are really good and dig up information about my former lives, well it just makes the cover story more convincing."
Lana jumped in. "Yeah, and if he does something stupid like come after Chloe or me, it's not like a stake through the heart is going to kill either of us."
Lex just shook his head. "Okay, it seems pretty crazy. But if some of us played Gods in ancient Rome, I guess some of us can be vampires here. I will admit the blood-filled eye trick was very startling."
Lana came back over and put her arms around Lex. "Can you handle sleeping with a monster?" And then she made a little growling sound deep in her throat.
Lex laughed and then pulled her face up for a kiss.
When it became apparent the kiss wasn't going to end any time soon, Chloe interrupted.
"Lex, I think we should work out some of the details of the buyout before we get sidetracked. And I do have some nanotech projects I would like you to start as soon as things settle down."
Only slightly reluctantly did Lex break the kiss. He was definitely eager to see what projects Chloe had in mind.
End of Chapter 3
---------------- Author's Notes
1. A book recommendation - 'Sprezzatura - 50 Ways Italian Genius Shaped the World' by Peter D'Epiro and Mary Pinkowish. This book has short 6-10 page articles on 50 important Italians down through history. The references to Dante and Cosimo de' Medici in this chapter are from this book. A useful book when you want to make historical references by Lex or Lionel (or in my story Lana) seem more real.
2. Next up - The Storm. Of course, in my version things will be twisted around, as usual. Be prepared for cliffhangers. Or not :)
Author: duane at duaneaakre dot com
Disclaimer: As always I own nothing. Well I own a house, two cars, a pair of jetskis, and a lot of other junk, but none of these characters.
Story Rating: R [The story may drift into the HBO range rather than stay in the WB range, so to be on the safe side, I am rating this R.]
Chapter 3
At 3:55 PM, Lionel Luthor exited his helicopter. With the helicopter parked in its usual spot on the small grassy knoll on the east side of the mansion, there was just enough time for a slow, leisurely walk to Lex's study to arrive promptly for the requested 4:00 PM meeting.
Lionel found Lex's response to the morning's announcement of the plant's closing both unexpected and even a little intriguing. He had spent a portion of his time since the events of the morning making inquiries into Lex's activities over the past few days. Who had Lex been in contact with that might have sufficient resources to oust him from his own company? Certainly it couldn't be his board of directors; he always made sure he had the necessary 'dirt' to control everyone before they were allowed on. So who did that leave?
Nothing unusual had shown up in Lex's activities until Friday when he had gone to Metropolis University for a semi-annual briefing on a physics project LuthorCorp was funding, interestingly, a physics project involving meteor rocks. Lex should have been on campus for no more than a couple of hours, but the trail of his activities suddenly got cold and no trace of him could be found until he showed up at his penthouse apartment at 4 AM; a mere two hours after a mysterious explosion destroyed most of the physics building. The fire marshal's report his people had acquired indicated the explosion had originated in the very lab Lex had been visiting twelve hours earlier. What had been going on in that Lab? All records of the project at LuthorCorp had disappeared, the professor in charge of the project had not been seen since the afternoon before the explosion, and Lex's whereabouts were unaccounted for from ten hours before the explosion until two hours after it.
According to the doorman at Lex's apartment building, Lex had arrived at the Penthouse at 4 AM Saturday morning and he had not been alone. He had been accompanied by four people: a woman of about forty, who the doorman had said was extremely striking in appearance, a couple in their mid- twenties, and a teenage girl. The doorman hadn't recognized any of the people with Lex and no names had been mentioned in his presence. Lionel immediately authorized the installation of hidden surveillance cameras in the lobby of the building so in the future he wouldn't be stuck with a second hand description of who was coming and going from Lex's apartment in the city.
Lex and the four people with him had remained sequestered in the apartment until early Sunday afternoon when they had all boarded a limo for the trip to the Luthor estate in Smallville. So, whoever these people were, they were most likely still in Smallville. And the solitary man with the group had not matched the description of the missing physics professor.
As Lionel strode down the hallway leading to Lex's study, he still didn't have a clue what was going on to back up the confident look in Lex's eye when he had issued his warning about forcing Lionel out of his position, if he didn't show up for this meeting. But Lionel knew in his gut that the explosion at the physics lab, the missing professor, and meteor rocks were somehow involved.
Lionel paused for a moment outside the stained glass door leading into the study to gather his thoughts and put on his 'game face'. He had no idea who or what was waiting on the other side of the door, but he had been in similar situations many times before. In all business situations like this, he had found the secret was to never let the other side see your true emotions and always act as though you were the one in the position of authority, whether you really were or not.
Opening the door he strode briskly into the study. His eyes quickly swept across the room from the second story library alcove to the pool table on the far side of the room. Nothing. The room was empty except for Lex sitting behind his desk working at his notebook computer.
Once Lex noticed his father's presence, he lowered the screen of the computer, rose, and walked around the desk to greet his father.
"Father, I'm glad you could make it. Can I fix you a drink?" Lex asked. After shaking his father's hand, he turned and walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself two fingers of his favorite whiskey as he waited his father's reply.
Normally, Lionel would have joined his son for a drink, but in the ten seconds since Lex had risen from his chair he had noticed something alarming about Lex's body language. There was a bounce in his step that wouldn't be there, if his threat of the morning had been just a spur of the moment 'say the first thing that comes into your mind' reaction to the situation. No, Lex's body language was very confident. If Lex was that sure of himself, Lionel was not going to do anything which would dull his thinking. Of course, maybe the whole body language change could be attributed to something simpler like the radical change in Lex's appearance due to the addition of the hair piece. When he had first seen it this morning he had almost reacted in surprise, but had managed keep a straight face and not comment on the change. Even with Lex, especially with Lex, he needed to hide his true emotions. If the hair helped Lex's self-image, so be it. At least, Lionel thought, it is a first class job. He had never seen fake hair that short which looked so real.
"No thanks, Lex. I had something on the ride down here. Now what is this all about? Why did you drag me back down here? I am still very busy tying up the final details of the acquisition of the Italian pharmaceutical company."
"Come on, Dad. Can't we even exchange pleasantries before getting down to business? I am sure you would do that much for anyone else."
Before Lionel could respond, the door to the study opened and a young, dark haired girl walked in. The girl was wearing a red bikini and a very shear white wrap that only seemed to emphasize the small amount of skin the swimsuit was hiding. Based on her wet hair, it was apparent she had come straight from the pool.
The girl walked up to Lex and pulled him into a kiss that went on several seconds longer than was necessary before turning to Lionel.
Reaching out her hand, she said. "Hi, I'm Lana Lang. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."
Lionel's eyes did a quick glance over to Lex who was calmly watching to see his father's response and who didn't seem to be at all disturbed that the front of his purple silk dress shirt was wet from where the girl had pressed her body against his. In the moment it had taken him to glance a Lex, the girl's name registered. So, this was the girl Lex was partnered with in the coffee shop business. He had always wondered why Lex wasted so much time and effort on such a small-time operation, now he knew. The girl was stunning, although she seemed awfully young, even for Lex.
"No, the pleasure is all mine," said Lionel as he shook her still damp hand.
After they broke contact, Lana took a step back. "Don't mind me. Please carry on with your business. I just wanted to be here when the show and the fireworks began. Oh, Lex, where is that first edition Italian copy of Dante Alighieri's 'Commedia'? You know the one that had the passage you wanted me to translate?"
Lionel was so surprised a young girl from Smallville would know medieval Italian, for a moment her comment about upcoming fireworks almost slipped his mind. "You can read medieval Italian?"
Lana grinned. "Oh, I have a real gift for languages. You would be surprised. Plus Dante's works are among the earliest examples of Italian literature still in existence. I mean most of the important writers of that era were still working in Latin, which was only known and understood by the clergy and the upper class. Dante was one of the first to publish historically significant works in Italian rather than Latin so they would be available to the middle and lower classes in addition to the upper class and the clergy."
"You sound like a real fan," remarked Lionel. Thirty seconds in her presence and his opinion of her was already higher than that of any of the other 'friends' of Lex's he had ever met.
Lana grinned. "Yes. He is not considered the greatest literary artist by so many experts without reason. I first read an English translation about three years ago and it got me hooked. I have since read several other translations, my favorite being the one by Longfellow. But none of the English versions I have read to date has ever been able to achieve the 'terza rima' style of rhyming Dante developed specifically for this work, that's why I have been working on my own translation."
"You are doing your own translation?" asked Lionel. This girl was as far as he could imagine from the blonde, 'air head', 'wannabe trophy wife' that Lex use to date.
Lana nodded. "I have the 'Inferno' portion finished, but have barely made a start on 'Purgatorio', and then comes the real challenge, 'Paradiso'. T.S. Eliot called the last canto of 'Paradiso', "the highest point that poetry has ever reached or ever can reach". So the thought of working on that part is very daunting, but I have about 8,000 more lines to complete before I get there. Anyway if you are interested, I could read the part I have completed for you some time. Or perhaps we could discuss some of the philosophical points. Why do you think the 9th and lowest level of hell is reserved for the treacherous?"
Lionel felt a sudden pang in his chest. This was obviously a subtle and not-so-subtle comment on his actions at the plant this morning. This girl looked nothing like her, but why was he suddenly reminded of Lillian, who he hadn't thought about in months, when he looked at her?
As Lionel stood there, for once speechless, Lex stepped in to get this meeting with his father back on track. "Lana, the Divine Comedy is in the display case at the top of the stairs. The key should be in the lock. The page with the passage I am interested in is marked."
Lana nodded to Lex she understood, and headed for the steps leading up to Lex's small private library, where he kept his most important acquisitions. The main library, which contained the more mundane books, was located three doors down the corridor.
As she ascended the stairs, neither man could remove his eyes from her posterior, a very cute little butt that was mostly exposed, as the tiny bikini bottom had ridden up until the suit looked almost like a thong. When she bent from the waist to release the lock on the glass display case, Lex seriously considered kicking his father out of his study so he and Lana could have some uninterrupted fun.
After she retrieved the book, Lana returned to the main level of the study and dropped onto the couch by the fireplace. She sprawled on her stomach near one end of the couch with her legs bent up at the knees. The book was place almost reverentially on the couch before her and then carefully opened to the page Lex had bookmarked.
"Okay, guys, pretend I am not here and get back to whatever it was you were discussing." Then Lana lowered her attention to the book. She had intended to only pretend to look at the book, as once she had identified the passage Lex had marked she could instantly draw on the data Chloe had downloaded into her nanobot memory to perform a translation. But seeing the beautifully handwritten manuscript triggered an echo of some long forgotten memory Chloe had never intended to include. Dante Alighieri had lived his first thirty seven years in Florence before being exiled in 1302 for political reasons. The memory that had been triggered had nothing to do with Dante, but contained a small snippet from a masked ball at Palazzo Medici-Riccardi hosted by an elderly Cosimo de' Medici about one hundred fifty years later. As Lana's mind was sucked into the grandeur of a party that could have only occurred during the peak of the Italian High Renaissance, her words about not being there might as well have been true.
After several seconds of enjoying the view of her prominently displayed ass, Lex coughed subtly to get his father's attention and then moved back over to his desk to get clear of the ultimate distraction that was Lana Lang.
As Lana disappeared from his field of view, it was suddenly like Lionel Luthor's brain switched back on. And the first thing to register was Lana's comment about upcoming fireworks. She obviously knew what was about to happen and suddenly she was the most likely candidate for the teenage girl who had been a member of the group that had spent most of the weekend in Lex's apartment. Not that 'teenage girl' felt like the most appropriate label for her. No, there was something about her which shouted 'much older and more mature than any teenage girl should be' in Lionel's head.
Looking at Lex, Lionel said a single word, "Fireworks?"
Lex almost reached over and toyed with the small, wood and chrome box, which contained the octagonal piece from Clark's ship, as he contemplated his response to Lionel's question. He had completely forgotten about the disk in all of the excitement since his return to Smallville. He definitely needed to remember to return it to Clark soon.
"You really should reconsider your plan to close the plant here in Smallville. I have found the most unique and powerful ally, a person who is more than willing to step in if you don't change your mind."
"Lex . . . Lex . . . I can't imagine who you think you have found who can help you in this misguided attempt to save the plant. No one on the board of directors is going to help you. And besides, the majority of the LuthorCorp stock is held in the family and your share of the stock will remain in the trust fund I control until your twenty fifth birthday."
Suddenly, a female voice Lionel found oddly familiar called out from the doorway. "Family? Now there's a topic I would like to discuss. Lionel, why are you treating our son like this? Can't you see he is truly happy here in Smallville? Happy for the first time in at least ten years?"
Lionel turned in his seat and received the biggest shock in his life. Walking across the room towards him was a woman who was the spitting image of his long-lost wife, Lillian. The vibrant, strikingly beautiful woman she had been before the onset of the long, slow, ultimately fatal illness. The one woman in his long, hard life he had truly loved.
"Lillian," he whispered quickly rising to his feet, as his mind raced to figure out how this was possible.
"Yes, Lionel, it is really me," said the woman as she walked up to him and then pulled his mouth down for a fierce, hungry kiss.
Lionel's first thought on seeing her, well second thought after thinking Lana's comment about fireworks might be the understatement of the year, was about cloning. He had been secretly funding research into human cloning for the past five years. They had had some limited success, but nothing approaching the level required to duplicate his long-dead wife. Had Lex found out about his research and then started a parallel program of his own that had been more successful?
However as soon as the kiss began, Lionel knew in his heart this was no clone, but the real Lillian somehow returned to him. The taste of her mouth, the oh so familiar way her tongue dueled with his, no this was his Lillian.
The kiss went on for many long seconds and Lionel wanted it to go on forever, but eventually he had to pull back, had to ask, "How?"
Slowly Lillian opened her eyes, but did nothing to loosen the tight embrace in which she held him. It had been so long since her body had felt this health and strong in Lionel's presence. She couldn't suppress the brief shudder that passed through her body as her breasts seem to swell and her nipples harden. God, how she had missed him all of those months lying on her deathbed. How could she ever adequately thank Chloe for retrieving her from death and restoring her body? Chloe had said all the thanks she wanted was Lillian's help to see Lex had a happier life. At this moment she fully understood, as only another mother could. As much as she wanted Lionel, it would be on her terms, terms which would put Lex's happiness first.
"How is not important right now," she began as she ran her fingers through Lionel's long, thick hair. It was a little grayer than she remembered, but still magnificent. "What is important is Lex. In the past couple of days I have seen several moments when he has been truly happy. And he has real friends here, something he never had when we were a family back in Metropolis. Why are you trying to take all of that away from him?"
How could he explain to her the goals he had for Lex, Lionel wondered. Ever since he had lost her, he had thrown himself into his work. He had achieved great things already, but time was running short and he needed Lex ready to pick up the reigns. And if Lex was to be successful in his plans, Lex would need to be tough as nails. There would be no time for things like happiness and friends.
One kiss, no matter the great things it promised, was not sufficient to divert Lionel from his path. A little more brusquely than he intended, he said. "I have dreams for Lex and unfortunately they don't allow time for things like happiness or friends."
"You have dreams? What about what Lex wants? Have you ever stopped to ask what his dreams are?"
With those few words Lionel knew there was a gulf between them they might never bridge. Oh, he could feel their bodies reacting and knew they would make love, might even get back together. But Lex was in the center of things and the two of them might never agree on what was right or necessary for him.
"Lex is returning with me to Metropolis and the plant is staying closed. That is my final word."
Lillian shook her head. "Lionel, you should never have locked me away all of those years in the sanatorium without the right paperwork. Now that I am back, I think you might end up in jail on kidnapping or some similar charge."
Lionel stared at her. "Are you crazy? What are you talking about? I saw you die nine years ago in our house in Metropolis."
"Well, you know that and I know that. But obviously I am very much alive now and people don't just come back from the dead. No, everyone, including the cops, will readily believe a story that you faked my death and had me committed to get me out of your way."
Had Lillian faked her own death? Why had she chosen to return at this moment? Wherever she had been and however she had returned, her story would be believed with a little easily fabricated supporting data and given his own well-known ruthless behavior.
"If you want to battle this out in the courts, so be it. But until you win, the plant is staying closed."
The situation was rapidly devolving into a stalemate when the door to the study opened once again and Chloe and Clark walked in.
Chloe took in the room and the situation in a single glance and then walked right over to Lex. When she reached him, she simply said. "Lex, I am very unhappy."
Lionel watched as Lex seemed to pale slightly as though he was intimidated by this blonde girl. He thought only he was able to intimidate Lex and even he seemed to have lost the ability recently. Lionel looked back at the girl and knew he had seen her before. Then it came to him, he had met her at the plant Christmas party two years earlier. She was Gabe Sullivan's daughter. Why would Sullivan's daughter intimidate Lex?
"Chloe, I had no idea until I was standing on the platform this morning what my Father was going to do. Mom and I have been trying to turn this around."
"And have you succeeded?"
Lex let out a sigh and put his hand up and ruffled it through his short hair. "Not yet. It may end up in a court battle and that will take time."
As they were talking Lana had gotten up from the coach and come over to wrap her arm supportively around Lex. Lex and Lionel might have thought her comment about fireworks was about the revelation of Lillian's return, but she and Chloe had had a special little mind-linked chat before they had left school. No, the real fireworks were about to begin.
"Lex, I don't have time for that kind of bullshit. I have things I need to accomplish here in Smallville and I am going to need the help of you, Lana, and Clark. Having the plant close and creating major havoc in the lives of everyone in Smallville is an annoyance I don't need."
Lionel watched Lex stand there at a loss for words. He still didn't understand why Lex was reacting this way to the girl.
Suddenly, Lana spoke about. "What about if we turn Lionel, too? Then we could force him to do our biding. You got to turn Lex and Lillian, let me have him. I really want to drink his blood."
Lionel stared at Lana as she looked back at him with an evil little grin and then slowly licked her lips. He glanced over at Chloe and was shocked to see her eyes had been replaced with pools of crimson blood with small trickles cascading down her cheeks from the corners. When he looked back at Lana, her eyes were the same.
"What?" he mumbled in shock as he started to back away until his back was up against the couch.
"What do you mean, what?" asked Lana as she took a single step towards him. "Haven't you ever heard of vampires and their thralls before?"
She took another step forward and stepped directly into a beam of light that was entering the study through the high chapel style colored glass windows above the second floor library.
Lionel watched as her skin glowed in the orange-tinted light, but she didn't burst into flames or anything. "The sunlight."
Lana briefly turned her head up and looked directly into the sunlight streaming down from above. "A legend we fabricated long ago. True vampires are not affected by sunlight."
Clark had seen Chloe do this eye trick before when they had been back in ancient Rome and realized the girls were playing some game with Lionel's head. "Chloe, isn't there some other solution? Do we really need or want another thrall?"
Lex had been almost as shocked as his father when he first saw Chloe and Lana's eyes, but having some understanding of their abilities, he recovered a lot faster. "Chloe, you didn't let me finish before. I am working on a backup plan to stage an employee buyout of the plant. The only problem is, at first glance, the employees can only come up with twenty five percent of the required funding. If we can get my Mother declared legally alive, she can access her portion of the Luthor fortune to make up the difference."
Chloe appeared to think for a moment and then said, "Lana, wait."
Chloe closed her eyes for about five seconds and when she opened them, they had returned to normal. After a few seconds, Lana followed suit. When she opened her eyes they were normal, but the expression on her face told Lionel she was still ready, maybe even eager, to attack him.
Chloe turned to Lex. "I like that plan, but I'll put up the difference instead. I want you to run it and perhaps we can give the new company a name like LexCorp, as I prefer to stay in the background. Oh, and I have some biotech and nanotech research I would like you to take charge of. Perhaps we can reopen Level 3 to handle it."
Then as if she had just remembered Lionel was still there, Chloe turned and said. "Are you still here, Lionel? I think the rest of this conversation needs to be private. Lex will be in touch with you about the terms of the buyout. Oh, and I wouldn't tell anyone about what you just witnessed. Everyone knows vampires are just a myth and anyone you tell will just think you are crazy. Also, do not even think about fucking with me."
Here Chloe paused and walked over to the liquor cabinet and picked up a white towel. Then she picked up the letter opener from Lex's desk before walking over to Lionel. She spread the towel on the floor in front of him before standing back up. Taking the letter opener in her right hand, she stabbed it hard into her left forearm just below the elbow and ripped it towards her wrist. The cut was at least six inches long and so deep Lionel could see bone and tendons before the wound filled with blood.
No way was the wound faked, thought Lionel, as he watched in horrified fascination. As he watched, it was like movie magic; immediately the ends of the wound started to close and in less than five seconds it looked completely healed except for a coating of blood.
Chloe bent down to retrieve the towel which had a few splotches of blood which had dripped from her arm. Calmly, she used the towel to wipe the remaining blood from her arm.
Looking Lionel in the eye, Chloe said. "Lana and I wouldn't have survived all these centuries, if we were pushovers. Now, from now on, you should consider Smallville my territory. You are welcome to visit Lex and Lillian here at the mansion anytime you want, but if you plan any other activities here; you better fucking well clear them with me first."
Chloe turned to Lillian. "Now, Lillian, if you would be as kind as to see Lionel out, Lex and I have some business to conduct."
Lillian had had no idea of Chloe and Lana's plan when she had entered the room, but when Chloe had first walked past her she had brushed Lillian's arm with her fingers just long enough to activate Lillian's 'bots and pass along the gist of their little plan. Since Lionel had been acting like a royal jerk, Lillian hadn't felt any remorse at the girls playing a little game with his head.
As Lillian took his arm to get him moving from where he still stood frozen against the back of the couch, Lana made one final comment. "Lionel, my medieval Italian skills? I lived it."
The last expression he saw on her face was a combination of hunger and arrogance he had never quite seen before.
As the door to the study closed behind the senior Luthors, Lex and Clark could hardly wait until Lionel was a safe distance down the corridor before simultaneously trying to ask what that had all been about.
Chloe smiled. "We thought Lionel could use a little distraction. Living forever, instant healing, being able to influence the minds of those we infect, reviving the dead, when it comes down to it, Lana and my abilities are not that much different from the legendary vampires. So, we let Lionel think we are vampires and he burns up a lot of time, manpower, and budget researching them. And if his people are really good and dig up information about my former lives, well it just makes the cover story more convincing."
Lana jumped in. "Yeah, and if he does something stupid like come after Chloe or me, it's not like a stake through the heart is going to kill either of us."
Lex just shook his head. "Okay, it seems pretty crazy. But if some of us played Gods in ancient Rome, I guess some of us can be vampires here. I will admit the blood-filled eye trick was very startling."
Lana came back over and put her arms around Lex. "Can you handle sleeping with a monster?" And then she made a little growling sound deep in her throat.
Lex laughed and then pulled her face up for a kiss.
When it became apparent the kiss wasn't going to end any time soon, Chloe interrupted.
"Lex, I think we should work out some of the details of the buyout before we get sidetracked. And I do have some nanotech projects I would like you to start as soon as things settle down."
Only slightly reluctantly did Lex break the kiss. He was definitely eager to see what projects Chloe had in mind.
End of Chapter 3
---------------- Author's Notes
1. A book recommendation - 'Sprezzatura - 50 Ways Italian Genius Shaped the World' by Peter D'Epiro and Mary Pinkowish. This book has short 6-10 page articles on 50 important Italians down through history. The references to Dante and Cosimo de' Medici in this chapter are from this book. A useful book when you want to make historical references by Lex or Lionel (or in my story Lana) seem more real.
2. Next up - The Storm. Of course, in my version things will be twisted around, as usual. Be prepared for cliffhangers. Or not :)