I know what you're thinking; have I lost my mind?! This isn't Monday! Haha. Sorry to befuddle you, but someone commented wondering about a special double post in honour of New Years Day. And... while I was busy all New Years, I thought it was a splendid idea. So, Happy New Year readers, I do hope it's a good 365 days for you.

It's so awesome to hear you're all loving it :) You guys rock!

Previously; Lex tested Chloe's meteor powers, then dosed her with a drug (MBN-4) to remove her need to sleep so she could suffer more all alone with her thoughts. He's a cruel cruel man.
Oliver returned unsatisfied from his search for Chloe, but our dear heroine was still thinking of him.

Chapter Thirty-Nine; Punishment

'You could live like a queen by my side, or get tossed out with the rest of the garbage'- Lex Luthor (Season Four, Episode Onyx).

Lex was walking the halls of 33.1 at 8am, Lana still asleep in his bed. He wanted to know if Chloe had cracked yet. Chloe was always strong, but she'd been broken by his father, and the cracks never healed properly, she'd always be easy to break again.

"How is she?" Lex asked, walking with the night guard yet to be relieved of his duty.

"359?" he confirmed and found Lex's nod. "Doesn't seem that affected in all honesty. Most are crawling up the walls their first night on MBN-4, she just laid back and kept busy."

"Did it work?"

"Yeah, she didn't sleep… well, I don't think. But, she spent a lot of time with her eyes closed."

"Hmmm."

"What's so special about her anyway? Bet her meteor cocktail just doesn't respond as well to the drugs." he guessed, no education into the situation other than staff gossip and what he'd heard in halls.

"I want to know what she knows." Lex simply answered.

"Sir." An assistant in a white coat came running behind the two. "Dr Palmer has finished the trial batch, but said you had to approve the test subject."

"Which?" Lex simply questioned, waving off the guard and sending him home and off duty.

"Ummm." The assistant pulled a notepad from his pocket. "It's called TTRX here. I don't have anything else." he answered, ashamed of his lack of knowledge.

"Clear the interview room and prepare a vial for injection." Lex instructed, instantly turning his route from the labs to the cells. The assistant nodded, starting a jog back to fulfil the orders as Lex took the opposite direction.

Chloe was debating over the lyrics to a pop song in her head when she saw the lights come on. She'd discovered one thing about 33.1 during her night's stay; they were underground. The only light was man-made and only ever turned on if someone with a job to do came in. Every cell in the corridor went silent, wondering who the visit would be for. Chloe listened to the shoes walk down and further along the corridor, and then they stopped. 28 steps after the lights came on; she counted. And, that was her cell. She looked up, finding Lex in the window.

"Morning." she spoke up to him, perkily jumping to her feet.

"Morning." he replied, pleasantly surprised.

"I presume you're ready with an answer."

"No. I honestly don't have that answer, but, I had a good night's sleep. I feel fantastic." And she stood, taking the established safety distance from the door for him. Lex narrowed his eyes at her, but opened the door, ready for her to pounce. But she didn't. She smiled at him, taking small steps to exit the cell and fell into place behind Lex.

"The game you're playing; it's obvious Chloe." he spoke, with every intention to offend and get her to drop it. But she just shrugged.

"Where today boss?" she grinned, but the sarcasm of the statement came seeping through. It gave Lex a pleasure to hear.

He nodded his head, indicating she should follow, and she did, falling into step behind him. But clearly Lex knew her too well, he slowed and either walked beside her, or behind her. Never in a vulnerable position.

They stopped by a different room today and Lex scanned them in before pointing at a chair. Chloe froze, her eyes on the equipment hooked up to the chair.

"What is it?"

"It's where you're going to sit." And when she rose her eyes defiantly with a challenge, he responded by holding up the remote to her collar, his thumb poised. Chloe took her seat, allowing the lab techs to come in and secure her. Once her hands were tied down, her ankles locked and her pulse on a screen, Lex took the seat opposite her.

Then there was nothing but the two people on the two chairs. And the injection gun again, this time the cap was filled with a dart holding a purple liquid, well, it looked purple, but she'd bet it had green meteor rocks in it. Didn't everything nasty cooked up by Lex?

Chloe watched with hawk eyes as he lifted the gun, stood and then positioned it to the crease of her elbow.

"Stay still." he joked, knowing she couldn't move anyway and pulled the trigger, the liquid shooting into her arm. She felt the invader inside her, her body fighting it off quickly and alerting her to it. "Now let's start off easy." Lex began.

"What did you do to me?!" she demanded.

"Truth serum." he stated. "Well, the first trial of it. Let me know if you feel any side effects." He grinned sadistically.

"Alright, I'm feeling a great big need to punch someone. I'm channelling to you." she admitted.

"Did you sleep well last night?" he asked.

She wanted to say yes, she wanted to say it was the best night ever. But the words didn't come out. Instead something else slipped her lips.

"No." Just a single word, but it gave her the betrayal of her mind. She tugged against the restraints but it just drew Lex's smile up further.

"Did you feel pain?"

"Yes." Again, she didn't even want to answer, but it slipped free.

"Were you in a good mood this morning?"

"No." He watched her curse silently to herself, her face screwing up in an effort to stay silent and not answer. But the truth slipped free.

"Were you pretending to get something from me?"

Chloe locked her jaw tight, she thought she could avoid it, but it slipped free.

"Yes."

"What was it you wanted Chloe?"

The machine sounding out her pulse was sky rocketing, pounding in her body and ears. "Chloe? What did you want?" he asked again in her silence. She locked down, refusing to answer and winning the war. Lex held the remote for the collar in his hand, his thumb stroking the button and the motion broke her fight. The words tumbled from her grasp.

"Key." she spoke, hating him more.

"The key for your collar?"

"Yes." she answered without a blink. It was strong, and getting stronger. She couldn't even fight that.

"How were you going to do that Chloe?" he asked and she found the fight return again, grabbing the answer before it could slip free. "How?" he prompted and she remained silent. "Tell me Chloe." And he jabbed a finger to the button sending her the shock through her body. The pain spiralled her body and the word launched from her mouth.

"Sex." she shouted, her cries of pain following. And then… everything was quiet, it was gone.

"You were going to sleep with me and steal the key." Not a question, just his smug repetition. He was enjoying this.

"Yes." she answered again without an ounce of fight.

"Well, I hate to disappoint." he joked. "Do you know who Green Arrow is?"

As much as she wanted to hold onto the word, the three letters were flowing from her.

"Yes."

The look on Lex's face was priceless. Like the world had been placed in his hands for his manipulation. He'd won.

"Do you know who the rest of his team are?"

"Yes." She couldn't even stop it. What was happening to the fight she'd had before?!

Lex leant forward.

"I'm going to enjoy this Chloe. Very much so." He told her, then, resting his elbows on his knees, he asked the all-important question. "Who is the Green Arrow?"

Chloe felt the fight return again, and took the name and swallowed it back inside her mind instantly. It was gone, no longer a threat to speak. And Chloe started to figure out the truth to this truth serum. Yes and no were free reign. But anything that required more detail she could fight for. If she wanted it strong enough, she could snatch it back. And that's where his name was.

She lifted her eyes to Lex, her silence filling the room. His smile drooped slightly. "Who is the Green Arrow?!" he asked again, impatient. She caught the words again, locking them back in her mind. She wanted to keep them secret enough that it happened easily. "Tell me Chloe! Who is the Green Arrow?!" he shouted and she snapped the tie to the words again, her own smile growing as his faded.

He took out his rage on her though, jabbing the button and holding it down while she shook, screaming in pain, scraping her nails against the arm of the chair. Her pulse was screaming on the monitor, flashing into areas that would cause immediate action in hospitals. But this wasn't a hospital, this was a prison and when he took his thumb from the button nobody rushed in to see if she lived still. Lex let her shake it off, let her lift her drooping head back to him and he asked one last time. "Who. Is. The. Green Arrow?" calm, collected… fake.

Chloe met his eyes with her defiance, the name securely locked up from the reach of the serum.

Lex stood sharp, the chair sliding across the floor and knocking over with a loud clatter. He set himself from the room and turned to the scientists outside.

"Fix it!" he demanded, his anger overflowing. Then he turned back, grabbing the arm of one of the passing guards. "Have her cleaned and in room 16 in the hour." And then he was gone, storming through the halls.

Chloe was set free from the chair, her limb body half carried by the guards in order to stand again. The lack of sleep and the shocks were really getting to her, she really just wanted to rest; to close her eyes and sleep. But that wouldn't be an option. Maybe just to lie down. The lights clicked on and she felt a familiarity to the corridor, there was her cell, she'd get to lie down. But they didn't stop by her cell, they tugged her onwards.

"Where are we going?" she asked, stumbling over her own feet.

"Luthor wants you cleaned and presented." That was the only information she received. They stopped by the relief room she'd visited several times before during the course of the night. Apparently, prisoners using their cells as toilets created more problems than it solved, and toilets in the cells led to distractions and suicide, so they got the bihourly option of the relief room. Yet each time she refused the shower. The food was limited though, to keep the prisoners weak they only gave the food three times a day, and it was the same thing over and over. How she knew? She'd found a bored night guard who had a huge ego which, if you stroked, he'd be happy to talk. So she'd spent 15 minutes buttering him up and 15 minutes plying him with questions. He refused to answer most, but those about routine he deemed safe to reply to.

Chloe felt herself pushed into the relief room, the smell of bleach hitting her nostrils. Just been cleaned it seemed. How comforting. But the guards didn't turn and stand outside the door. Two came inside with her, she turned back to them.

"He insisted." They spoke and chucked a small bag to her feet. She knelt to open it. Cheap shampoo, cheap body wash… cheap underwear and to finish it off, a pair of cheap grey scrubs to top off her outfit. Just what she wanted.

"You seriously going to get your jollies off watching me shower?!" she hissed.

Neither replied. "Get out." she snapped.

"359, shower, or you will be showered." The words cut off her commands and took another approach for her.

"Leave and I'll be out and ready in 15 minutes. Stay and it will take much longer and Lex will punish you both."

They met each other's gazes and shrugged.

"15 minutes. You better be dressed and ready." And they walked out the door. She knew they would have cameras, but at least she could lie and say they weren't aimed at the shower. Having someone in the room didn't come with a denial option.

She stripped quickly, dove for the shower and rubbed all over with the body wash, not bothering with the shampoo when the wash would do the same job. It smelled as cheap as it looked, an overpowering mint tone that washed away with the water. At least it didn't hang around on her. She tossed the towel around her and quickly redressed in the clean clothes. They felt scratchy and uncomfortable, but the clock was ticking away and she was barely tugging the top of the scrubs over her head as the guards came back in.

The collar sat heavy and dripping on her neck, dragging her energy with each assisted step. She didn't even try to remember the course, she just remembered an elevator and then a fancier floor than the clinical ones on the other level. She didn't even know if she went up or down in the elevator. But she studied the door they stopped by. Big, solid, oak. Private too, no windows. The guard scanned in and shoved her inside the door, letting it close behind and separate her from them.

"Great. Another trip on the mystery tour of Lex's mind." she muttered to herself. The room was lit though, bright. It was large, with carpets and sofas. No windows, just spotlight in the ceiling. She sat herself down on the closest sofa; nothing else to do. No paintings, no locks on the chairs. Just two sofas and a carpet. She rolled her eyes.

"I see you managed to find a shower this time." She whipped around to Lex's voice, not hearing the door open or close, but there he was, standing by the door.

"Thanks Alex." she hissed. "What the hell do you want me for now?"

"Can you lie again?" he asked. She hadn't thought about it.

"Ask me something." she challenged.

"Lie." he instructed instead.

"I really really hate coffee." she spoke, proud of her lie, but ashamed of the words she'd spoken against coffee.

"They said it had a short life."

"So you're treating me a little more like a human now." she noted and stood. "Good to know." She faced him. "What do you want Lex?"

"I still own you. And we still have an agreement." It took her a few seconds, wondering if he wanted her to encrypt something. Her eyes scanned for a computer or laptop, but the meaning sank slowly.

"Are you kidding me?!" she hissed. "You're a sick bastard." She stomped over to the door past him. But it was locked. "Lex, let me out."

"We have an agreement Chloe."

"You have a new girlfriend and are keeping me prisoner. In case you forgot!" she wheeled on him again. "How sick do you need to be that you'll even consider this?"

"Chloe. Shut up and strip."

Chloe watched him pull out the button again. The magic button of pain. He watched fear cross her eyes.

Did he want her? In some ways yes, and some ways no. Yes, she was a lay he could manipulate and take as he wanted, no want to cuddle, no complaint about too fast, no need to care for a number of orgasms. But no, it was more about power over her than desire for her. To show her where her place was, that he could do anything he wanted and she could say nothing about it.

"Lex." Her eyes pleaded to him. He said nothing just stepped closer.

Chloe backed up, until there was nothing but wall. "Lex." she repeated, hoping to find some humanity in those black eyes. There was nothing. "Please."

He came closer, stopping only a short distance from her.

"Kiss me." he instructed. She could see the power high in his eyes. Chloe stayed exactly as she was, refusing the action. Lex shot his eyes down and hers followed, to the remote in his hand, his thumb stretching over the button. What could one kiss hurt?

Chloe pushed herself forward, pressed her lips quick to Lex and returned as she was before.

It was the wrong decisions to make. The grin taking over Lex's lips spoke volumes of how bad her decision was. She should have taken the shock, should have been pained. She'd caved once, and now he knew he could force her hand the same again. She was running scared… and Lex knew it.

"Strip." His next instruction was and Chloe knew she wasn't going to sleep with him like he asked, so she needed to start saying no before things went so far that she didn't have the option of choice.

"What happened to you Lex?" she asked, trying to mentally strengthen herself for the impending shock.

"Everyone has to grow up." Was his only answer.

"Not everyone grows into a monster!" she hissed, stepping to the side, turning them so she could retreat again. But Lex stayed where he was, hands in pockets.

"Maybe I am a monster. But I'm the one holding the power Chloe." He nodded to her, hand waving the remote before her. "Powerful men should be obeyed and feared."

"Or adored and respected." she challenged. "I see which route you chose."

"Despite what preconceptions you have about me, your suffering is of your own design."

"No. My suffering is because you couldn't have your way and like a child you threw a tantrum when your toy didn't behave like you wanted."

"Trust me; if I could buy a replacement for you, I would have by now."

"Bullshit. You were in love with me until Lana came along."

"Your breaks lie deeper than I thought."

"Says the man demanding sex from me!"

"We have an agreement." he returned back to.

"We also had an agreement you wouldn't cage me, but here I am."

"And in that agreement, did it not say you would not cross me, nor sell my information to other parties?" he quizzed. "You broke the rules first Chloe. Remember that. You're here of your own doing."

"You're a bastard! You and your father have kept me locked up to your rules for years! Did you expect blind faith? Did you expect me to turn the other cheek when you crossed line after line?"

"Actually. Yes. The contract gives me all of these."

"Your precious contract kidnapped a child and you're now using for the justification of rape!" she snapped.

"It's always been your choice Chloe. I just encourage you to choose best when you couldn't see for yourself."

"The best?! Is this what you call this?!" she swiped a hand between them. There was silence where his look said everything. It said not to press any further, it said to cave to his wishes or regret it. "What? You want me to forget everything you've done and pretend it's a kinky Friday afternoon at the Luthor mansion?!" Again, silence was her reply, but he walked towards her, eyes telling her to come along willingly.

His hand came to her. "Don't touch me." She yanked back her arm. He grabbed again, more solidly, his face showing the annoyance at the need for a second attempt. "I said not to touch me." She wriggled against his hold. "Damn it Lex, let me go." She tugged again, crashing her body against his then jerking backwards, he held strong. "Let. Me. Go." She kicked free and Lex hit the little black button crashing her to the ground in pained screams.

She cried even after his thumb lifted. "You sick bastard." He shocked her again for the comment, just a small shock but it raided her system as effectively as the last. She lay panting on the carpet, her chest heaving, her eyes crying, her muscles aching. Her screams had faded into an echo now and she lifted open her lids to see the man once more. His eyes were cold, emotionless. Is this what Lana saw? Why did she stay with him? Why was there any interest?

But the Lex above her had reason in his actions now. He wanted to redominate her. He wanted her obedience again. He wanted her back under his thumb by any way possible. Either loving him (his first choice) or fearing him (his forced hand).

"Here's what's going to happen," walking back to sofa's as she stayed on the floor. "Every day, you're going to be showered, and brought to me. Every day until you submit to me, we'll repeat this." He leant forward, his elbows on his knees, his eyes raking her. "And when you do, then we'll talk about improving your living conditions."

"Burn in hell."

"You will lose that iron will, and you will become mine." His voice had no doubt. "I've been soft on you so far, and I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to my father's methods, but sadly they were effective." But he didn't seem saddened any by it.

"I'll die before that happens." Chloe swore, her teeth bared to him, an animal rose in her, prepared to fight to the death. Lex saw the determination, he saw the threats draw out her claws. She'd fight out of sheer stubbornness. Maybe he hadn't broken her as he previously though. Just a moment of her weakness perhaps?

"Change of plans." he announced, standing, crossing to her, then over her form with a large stride, pressing a red button by the door. It was a speaker system.

"Sir." Came through the speaker in the room. Chloe turned, pulling herself onto her feet again as she watched him with curiosity.

"See to it that 359 is transferred to F-wing immediately and permanently."

"Yes Sir." And the interference over the speaker cut off with the release of the button. Lex turned back slowly, with a grin, his hands shoved into the pockets of his suit.

"There are worse things than me Chloe." His eyes cast down to her for a fleeting look. "Let me know when you've changed your mind." And he pressed his hand to the palm scanner.

His back turned and Chloe knew it was a bad decision, but she went with it, running him, slamming a foot into his knee, twisting it out and smashing his face into the control panel with a satisfying crunch. But the guards were on her the second the doors opened, the collared shocked through her, her screams shattering the halls, piercing the silence with the sound of the purest form of torture. She dropped hard, crashing to the floor on her own arm and taking a bruise no doubt. Six guards came into the room. Four for her, Two for Luthor. She had the barest pleasure of seeing his bust lip, seeing him limp into standing. But as she was dragged down the hallway, she heard words pass his lips that doomed her. "Tell them what they need to hear." And Lex turned the opposite way down the corridor, limping discreetly, pressing a hand to his bleeding face, oblivious to the screams of his name, to the curses on his life, to the threats to his manhood.

F-wing was further underground, she noted they went down in the elevator. She noted because there was nothing else to do while the guards locked her limbs, tied her hands and caged her in. They rode for a good minute or two. Down to 14. The doors opened to a clinical chamber, the kind that made her think of the decompression chambers in submarines or spaceships. But the guards lifted her to walking again and strolled right through, scanning their hands as the all access pass into another world. And it was another world. They came through to the top level of a pit. A large ring that circled a pit a few football pitches long. Another chamber sealed off the elevator entrance to below, and she was being pulled towards it. Her eyes scoured the area, to remember everything and anything. Guards were few and far between, except for the four carrying her and the three (or maybe they were scientists, she couldn't tell from this distance) working a computer set up at the other end of the ring. Panic started to rise, what would be worse than Lex? The four guards stopped by the doors to the glass elevator, released her hands and threw her in, sealing the wall behind her. She rubbed her hands, searching for her newest exit plan, but as she slowly turned, she saw what resided in the pit.

Meteor infected. Lots. It was like a private jail in there. Glass doors, every 4 metres, opening to show nothing more than a bed. But the cell mates were crawling the middle of the pit like curious animals, eyes locked on her.

"Meet the latest addition." A voice called and Chloe turned back to see one of her guards with a smile on his face. "359 is the reason you are in here." What? She turned to glare at him, pounded on the glass, but he looked like he heard nothing. "The boss has no need of her anymore. Thought you might enjoy her." And with a sadistic grin, he flashed his eyes at her, putting a hand to the glass she was encased in and lowered his voice for only her. "You better like it rough princess." And the elevator jerked into motion, his other hand hitting the button. Slowly, she descended into the pit of vultures, eyes on her like she was a fresh carcass. Chloe felt her blood race, felt her heart pump a mile and minute and watched through wide eyes as huge men approached the bottom of the elevator with a vengeful smile on their face.

"No. No. it's not true." she cried, but it changed nothing. They still approached, they still looked out for blood. A lot of men, she noted. A whole load of men. Angry, hating, blood pumping with testosterone and who know what kind of meteor powers kind of men. Chloe backed herself against the glass, but all too soon, the motions stopped with an ominous thud and the glass screen between her and the men started to slide open.

-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-

I'll see you Monday :D

As usual, review if the mood grips you. Any writer loves to hear back :)
Xx