"I spoke to Clark Kent last night," Julia told him afterwards. David had known the name even before meeting him in the Talon, of course. Friend to Lex Luthor and boyfriend of the soon-to-be-dead Alicia Baker.
"What exactly did you tell him?" he'd asked through gritted teeth. He was already seeing a trail leading back to him.
"Just to be careful around her," said Julia, startled slightly by his anger.
By the time he'd entered the lift to level 33.1 later on he'd calmed down. Things might come back to him sure – but more likely they'd lead to Julia. Especially if he helped lead people that way. No-one knew they were an item, after all. Maybe they'd been seen together, but that didn't mean much.
He felt a little bad about having to do it, but she'd left him with no other choice really. It was her hatred of Alicia that had first attracted her to him. His own dislike of meteor freaks had begun in much the same way as hers, when his mother was killed by one of them. He'd enjoyed plotting ways they might get at Alicia, but in his heart he'd known that Julia just couldn't go that extra mile. That had been disappointing to learn; he'd thought he'd finally found someone who could truly understand him.
"Morning Mikhail," he said pleasantly. The youth was lounging lazily around the reception area. Few of the freaks here could leave the place, and only Alicia seemed to be able to come and go without Luthor's permission. It made David even more curious about what Lex was up to. He guessed he'd never know now. A few of the freaks would most certainly be allowed to leave here today. Killing Alicia was good enough reason for that, he felt. "Perhaps you could step into my office for a minute"
Mikhail shook his head, lip curled up in a bitter half-smile.
"Everything is ready. No need for any last minute pep-talks. There could be a problem on your end, though. Mr Luthor is waiting for you. He does not look terribly happy."
Cutting classes was not something Clark was known for, even taking into account the occasional need to rescue someone here and there. Today though, Alicia was his priority. She'd called him and said she needed to talk to him and it couldn't wait. Normally they met up after school. Alicia would wait somewhere nearby, even if it was raining hard, and they'd embrace like they'd been apart for weeks. It must have been terribly lonely for her, he thought. She couldn't go to school, didn't have a job yet, and he was gone all day. He felt bad about leaving her, which was why he didn't hesitate when she needed him.
When he got there, she was trembling slightly.
"Alicia?" he called softly, not wanting to frighten her. She was standing just outside her house, shaking prettily, clearly shaken by something and even so trying not to show it. As he approached she turned to him, falling into his arms, and he held her silently for awhile.
"Come on, let's go inside. It's cold out here," said Clark, though he didn't really feel it himself.
Her mom was out, which saved Clark the embarrassment of her much-too enthusiastic greetings and Alicia the embarrassment of having to explain what was wrong. She sat down while Clark fetched her some tea to warm her up a little.
"I'm sorry," she said, looking a little better while Clark watched her, concerned. "Everything was fine, and then Lana's boyfriend came over."
"Did he threaten you?"
"I guess he just did what he thought was right. It's no big deal. I guess it just got to me, on top of everything else. I'm fine, really," she said, smiling warmly. Clark nodded. He knew at some point he and Alicia would have to talk about what happened to Julia's brother, but he didn't think now was the time. The trouble was, he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He knew it was wrong to blame Alicia; she hadn't been herself, but he still couldn't shake the fact that he was sitting with someone who might be a murderer.
"How about we get away this weekend, just the two of us?" he asked. "We can get away from all the threats and accusations, have a little fun."
"I think that'd be great," said Alicia, sipping her tea.
"So, was that why you called me over? Because of Jason? I'll have a word with him, make sure he doesn't bother you again…"
"No, Clark, it's alright. Actually I called you here because… Lex came over last night."
"What did he want?" asked Clark, narrowing his eyes. Alicia licked her lips nervously, and her teeth bit down on the lower one.
"You have to promise not to tell anyone about this. Not even your parents. Please, it's really important. I need you to protect this like you protected my own secret."
Clark hesitated only a moment.
"I promise."
So she told him, told him about Lex and Level 33.1 and the people inside it (though she named no names, save for David's.) It was one of the only good things about her life lately, and that made it something she wanted to share with Clark completely. He listened, tried to smile at certain points when she got excited, but inside he was worried.
"Lex has been… collecting… people with powers?" he asked, unable to hide the disgust in his voice.
"It isn't like that Clark," said Alicia. He saw her shift defensively in her chair, spilling a little tea on her skirt. "Please, trust me."
Clark shook his head. He thought she misinterpreted the gesture as hurt flashed in her eyes briefly. It wasn't that he didn't trust her exactly; he just couldn't afford to trust her judgement about Lex Luthor. His father had warned him about Lex for years and he hadn't listened. Now he'd tried to warn Alicia, and his own words were falling on deaf ears.
"There's only one way to know for sure. Tell me where this place is, and I'll check it out for myself."
"I can't do that Clark. I can't betray their secret, not even to you. Don't you understand that?"
"Alicia, I gave you my word. All I want is to know you're going to be safe. You've never shut me out before. Please don't start now."
"All right, Clark. But I want you to know that if you break this promise… if you break your promise, I'll never forgive you."
There was no harshness in her voice, but she still looked surprised that she said it. Clark knew she loved him, couldn't imagine living without him, and it surprised her to consider there might be a line they could cross and not get back from.
"I won't let you down," he said, wrapping an arm around her. She was no longer shaking, instead content as she pressed her head against his chest, feeling the beat of a heart that was not human. She told him how to get to Level 33.1, and as she did he wondered if it were a trap laid for him, rather than Alicia.
In truth, he no longer felt certain of anything. And worst of all, he saw that if he wanted to protect Alicia, he might have to risk losing her forever…