Chapter Twenty-Four
"And this is Cadmus Labs." Lex said as he ushered Clark inside.
Lex had mixed feelings about doing so. On one hand, he wanted Clark as far away as possible from something that could harm him. But when Lex had asked what Clark wanted to do that day, he requested to see the lab. And Lex had a hard time denying Clark anything.
"If I spent so much time there, maybe something will jog my memory," Clark said as his reasoning.
Lex stayed by his side as he showed him the test labs with the treadmills and the heavy weight machines. He even showed him some rooms where there was other "lab rats" like Byron Moore and Emily Dinsmore. Lex explained the only reason a small child was in the lab because one of the scientists had gone rogue and cloned his dead daughter with Luthor Corp resources. Since it had never been done before, she was only there for observation to ensure nothing went wrong. Not to mention, the little girl was extremely fast and hadn't developed proper discernment yet. Clark recognized Byron and was glad to hear he would be released soon. Luthor Corp was outfitting a house where Byron could live in safety. He still would be unable to step into the sun, but a cure was in the works, and he had been given a scholarship to the college of his choice so he could have a semblance of a life.
"Lex!" Dr. Hamilton shouted advancing on them. "Care to explain why my key card doesn't work for the Hanger?"
"Not now, Hamilton."
"Yes, now. How do you expect me to get any work done?"
"I thought you'd enjoy a challenge."
"A challenge is asking me to create a cathedral with nothing but a paperclip and a battery. You have given me nothing to work with."
"I can go," Clark said.
"No, no. This concerns you, too. Let's go into your office." Dr. Hamilton's office was without windows as this was on an underground level. His wall was decorated with diplomas, and everywhere there were books and sticky notes with scribblings. Lex took a seat at the desk. "Julian, the Hanger is where the spaceship you arrived in has been held. Your key card no longer works, Hamilton, because it has been destroyed. I am sorry, Julian."
"When was this!" Dr. Hamilton was more upset at the explanation.
"Around four months ago."
"No blood," Dr. Hamilton pointed at Clark, "no alien technology. How do you expect me to complete Project Asclepius now!"
"What's Project Asclepius?"
"Project Asclepius is an injection meant to boost the immune system." Lex explained. "To put it plainly, it's a vaccine for the common cold. Dr. Hamilton has been working on this for a decade by analyzing your blood. Lionel wanted to create various vaccines from your blood work. One serum to strengthen the liver; another the heart. This is the way it should be done to increase profits. But at the beginning, Dr. Hamilton found a way to utilize your blood to boost the immune system of a normal human being. Very similar to how I was affected by kryptonite. If that's done, they can withstand the common cold and their organs become more resilient to other diseases. I want to start by making that vaccine available first. Make it so common the poorest man can have the best health."
"My blood can do that?" Clark asked.
"It can."
"It might." Dr. Hamilton insisted. "I have no idea how your…condition affected your blood cells. If there are any changes I would have to start from scratch."
"You are not touching him."
"I'll do it." Clark insisted. "I'll give blood."
"Julian, that is not necessary. My blood can also be used to create this."
"Except one pint of Kryptonian blood is equal to ten thousand doses. One pint of yours is only a thousand. Think of it as a dilution principle. The further away from the source, the weaker it is. Not to mention I have not been able to duplicate the effects of your immunity from kryptonite."
"It sounds like my blood could save thousands of lives. Or, at least, improve them. I have to, Lex. I can't say no. Don't you understand?"
"As long as you're sure."
Clark nodded. "Yes."
Dr. Hamilton muttered "finally" and went about getting a small plastic tube and a box. Clark squirmed when he saw the kryptonite scalpel and other sharp instruments inside. He didn't know the names for them, but they were sharp and all made from kryptonite. Hamilton pricked his finger and took a sample inside the plastic tube. The prick healed immediately as Dr. Hamilton turned his back.
"So, what happened with the ship?" Clark asked, his eyes never leaving the sharp instruments.
"It was a calculated risk. The key had been missing; a substitute was made from green kryptonite. It had the same molecular structure. Things did not go as planned and it exploded." Lex turned all his attention to Clark. "I'm sorry that I failed. You have so little of your Kryptonian heritage. It was done while you were sick. I thought maybe something inside could heal you. I was wrong."
"But why not use blue or red? You knew green hurts me."
"The ship was an inanimate object. I didn't think it would cause an explosion. And I was desperate." Lex explained. Of course, he had known the key would destroy the ship. It was a devastating loss for Luthor Corp and for Clark, but it was necessary. If the AI inside the ship knew what was going on, it might warn Clark and then Lex would lose him.
"Hey, do you know anything about a Jeremy Creek?"
"Yes. He's working a Luthor Corp in our customer service department. He had been in a coma ever since the meteor shower." Lex went on to explain how when Luthor Corp began to collect kryptonite and keep an eye out for those infected, they had taken over care of Jeremy. He had gotten out of control when he woke up, but after being subdued he lost his powers and became a normal person. He was given a job more so that the scientists could keep a close eye on him, but Jeremy was leading a normal life.
"So, what now?" Lex asked as the tour was finished.
"Could I pick out some other shirts? I'd like a few more choices between Warrior Angel and button downs."
It was a reasonable request; a request Lex should have anticipated. He was all smiles and asked the driver to take them to the shopping district of Metropolis. Still, the sentence circled in his head, and a pit started to grow in his stomach.
If only Clark was smiling Lex would be more at ease. He was wearing a more serious expression as he looked over the clothes on display. Lex tried not to get offended. It was most likely overwhelming for Clark to have actual choices and not just have Johnathan Kent's hand-me-down flannels or t-shirts from clearance bins. He steered Clark to try on clothes he never would have before. In the end, they ended up leaving the store with an entire new wardrobe of casual clothes in reds, blues, and greys. The shirts were plain, but expertly cut so they fit his physique perfectly. He then took him to other stores to shop for boots and sneakers. Once they were done, Lex hoped the pit in his stomach would disappear, but it remained. So, Lex took Clark too his tailor to have a new suit made.
"But I have plenty of suits," Clark protested while allowing the tailor to take his measurements.
"Indulge me. I never got to take you shopping for one. And I believe a certain special occasion is coming up. The Smallville Spring Formal where you might just ask to escort a budding reporter to."
"Chloe?" Lex saw Clark blush a little. "I don't know. It didn't go so well the first time."
"There was no first time." Lex heard the harshness in his voice and smiled to cover it up. He took another swig of what was his third glass of champagne. There was nothing to celebrate, but the tailor had nothing stronger to offer. "What I mean is, you have a chance to live out a dream you had."
Lex helped Clark decide on a sapphire blue cloth that would bring out the color of his eyes.
These are Clark's clothes now. Clark has clothes now that he picked out. Clark is happy. Lex repeated over to himself as he asked for another glass of champagne.
Lex made sure he was all smiles as he got through the rest of the day. He took Clark to the Planetarium like he promised and then the best sushi restaurant in Metropolis. Lex focused on Clark trying to describe what he found difficult about reading The Art of War and tried to explain more of the historical context and why the text was still important today. To his relief, Clark seemed interested in what he was saying.
Lex ordered scotch at the restaurant and arriving home he poured himself more. His enhanced immune system made it very difficult for him to experience hangovers. But Lex was not surprised when he experienced a nightmare in the middle of the night of a shadowed form with glowing red eyes choking the life from him.