|6|

"Grant Myron. He's a former Wayne Tech employee and a certified mensa-member. Got fired over a patent infringement two years ago. He was off the grid until he started searching out sources of red sun energy three months ago."

Lex smirked at Rickard. "Red sun energy. It's not like I've made it easy for the average evil genius to get their hands on kryptonite these days."

"Speaking of that, sir, Myron showed up on our radar when he tried to purchase kryptonite almost eight months ago. We fund the duplication of his name in the database and tracked him down again. He's been a busy guy ever since."

"What else have you got on him?"

"A home address in Gotham and a vehicle registered in his name. A few reports form former co-workers that he's not entirely stable. There's no medical evidence to back that up. I've got a team on route to his apartment and another searching through traffic cam images with their attention focused on any traceable points surrounding the area where we lost Superman's signal."

"Good. Send Mercy in." Nodding at the dismissal, Rickard dropped a copy of the report on the hotel room's coffee table and strode out the door. Mercy appeared a few seconds later, and Lex pushed the folder at her.

"Put that in the safe and arrange for the car; we're making a house call." He glanced up when Mercy didn't move right away. "Something wrong?"

"I know you hate him, Lex, but I don't understand why. What the point of all this is."

Storm coloured eyes fixed on her. "You saw the damage to Gotham City after Poison Ivy gained control over his mind last year. She used her abilities to turn him into a weapon of mass destruction. I've seen it for myself the things he is capable of when under the influence of someone else. He's too dangerous to be left uncontrolled. Tell me, what is there to understand?"

"I've been with you for a long time and until you started making plays against him, Superman left you alone. What set this all off? And don't tell me it's just because he took out a few buildings on the whim of a psycho plant chick."

"You're overstepping your place, Ms. Graves."

Mercy rolled her eyes. "I overstep my bounds all the time; you haven't fired me yet despite your daily threats. It's because of that time we fucked, isn't it?" She grinned playfully. "You don't want to fire me because you think I'll put out again some day. Or make a fuss in the press."

Lex rose and slid around the coffee table to stand in front of her. "Mercy." One hand moved to her hip, thumb brushing the smooth skin peeking between her shirt and skirt. "If I wanted to fuck you again, I'd have had you over my desk a long time ago."

"Lex," she said, breathe ghosting across the skin exposed by the open collar of his black dress shirt. "If I thought you'd actually get me over your desk again, I'd have walked out the first time you threatened to fire me." She laughed lightly, letting her tongue slide across her lips inches from his face. "The car is already standing by."

Lex was smirking as she walked away, but the cockiness slipped from his expression once she was out of sight. Mercy raised a valid point; why was he determined to see Superman – Clark – dead? He told himself it was because Clark was too powerful, held too much potential for danger if pulled under by the wrong influences. He'd seen glimpses of it himself; a cocky, Armani-clad teenager striding into the mansion, hypnotized and at the mercy of a women Lex himself had hired, a string of unexplained crimes in Metropolis when he'd been stranded and Clark considered missing.

Lex knew there was more to it than that, however, and he knew that the only other person who'd get to hear the reasons would be Clark.

o o o o

When the room finally plunged into darkness unknown hours later, bringing the first relief he'd had from the light's sapping of his strength, Clark lay still on the floor and tried to listen for sounds from the other side of the door. Hearing nothing for some time, Clark struggled to his feet as his aching body protested the movement. The door swung open as he supported himself against the far wall, and a blinding light poured in from the room beyond. Startled, Clark was left squinting in an effort to see the backlit person now filling the opening.

A low, familiar voice sent chills running down his spine.

"Hello, Clark."

The shadowed man raised an arm and Clark felt the sting of a dart sinking into the flesh over his heart. The room swam around him as his vision clouded, black pushing in at the edges until there was nothing left but the faint impact of his body hitting the floor.

Lex stood over Clark's limp form for several seconds before returning to the main room. "Transport him back to the penthouse and see that he's cleaned up," he ordered the two men stationed on the far side of the outer room. "That sedative will only keep him out long enough to get him there. As for him," he jerked his chin at the body on the floor. "Leave Mr. Myron where he is. He'll make an excellent message for the Justice League when they finally figure out where their missing comrade was being held."

o

He was warm, comfortable. Dressed. These are the things Clark registered as he struggled back to consciousness. He opened his eyes to a white ceiling above and the softness of a mattress at his back. Shifting up slightly, Clark found himself in a spacious, sparsely furnished bedroom. The walls seemed to shimmer faintly as he turned his head to look around. The mattress he lay on was set atop a short, dark wood platform pushed three feet away from the wall.

"I trust you're comfortable, Clark," Lex questioned from the open doorway to Clark's left.

"How did you-" Clark aborted his attempt to sit up when a wave of dizziness made his head spin.

"Your kidnapper was sloppy. It wasn't that hard to find you once I knew where to start looking."

"I don't feel so good," he murmured more to himself than in response to Lex.

"Kryptonite dust mixed into the paint," Lex offered. He unfurled his body, straightening and stepping fully inside. "The walls underneath are lead, by the way. Soundproofed as well."

Clark fought back a shiver as the door closed with a heavy thud. "You saved me from one prison and put me in another. Why?" Drawing in a deep breath, Clark worked through the wooziness until he was sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows on his thighs and hands hanging limply between his knees.

"Grant Myron was using you to get to Bruce Wayne. He would have killed you if I hadn't stepped in. I couldn't let that happen, Clark. I hope you understand."

"So what, now you're going to keep me locked away in here like some sort of pet?"

Lex's laughter was lined with mirth. "Superman for a pet? Tempting, but not the purpose of my actions. You'll make a much better trophy, Clark."

"You've been coming after me for years, but you've never gone face-to-face with me before. What changed?"

Lex drew closer until he was standing a foot from the edge of the bed, forcing Clark to angle his head up sharply. "This time I'm coming after you as well, Clark, not just Superman. I think that deserves a more hands on approach. Wouldn't you agree?"

"How long have you known?"

"Since the beginning."

Clark looked resigned. "I should have known that."

"Are you sure you didn't?" Lex's tone sharpened. "You're smarter than you let on. I doubt you never at least suspected."

"A few times," Clark said quietly after a pause. "I'm not up for your games, Lex. If you plan to kill me, go ahead and try."

"You've been incapacitated, you're weak. Killing you now would be too easy."

Clark mustered up a brittle laugh. "You can't do it."

Lex closed the distance between them in a single stride, digging his fingers into the cotton of Clark's t-shirt and hauling him upright. Clark groaned as he was twisted and driven back against the wall, the jarring impact sending a wave of pain rushing through him.

"I thought you learned a long time ago not to underestimate me, Clark."

"Prove me wrong," he grunted.

"You want to die that bad," Lex snarled, shaking Clark hard enough to bounce his head off the wall. "I wasted years on you. Trying to be your friend, trying to be someone you could trust. You took everything and gave nothing. You turned on me more times than I can count. I tried to be good for you, Clark. I tried to be someone you could love."

It took a moment for the heated words to catch up with Lex, and Clark could pinpoint the moment of realization in his stormy eyes. His fists unclenched and Clark sagged against the wall as nausea roiled through him.

"I was never going to be good enough for you, Clark. When Superman appeared in Metropolis," he began slowly, resignation flashing in his eyes. "When he showed up, I knew that it was over. There was no chance to be anything to you but an enemy, and I'm as much to blame for that as you are. All of this," he waved his hand around Clark's prison. "I hope it was worth the pain to see me fall from your grace."

"Lex-"

"You're not going to walk out of here alive."

"You don't mean that." He struggled not to let his words sound like a question.

"You made me who I am! I loved you, and you let me become this."

"I'm not that powerful," Clark whispered. "No one has that power but you."

"You look like shit, Clark. Get some rest."

Clark gaped as the older man turned and stalked from the room, leaving him seated on the edge of the bed alone, locked in his windowless cell. As the swung closed, he caught the sound of a nearby television broadcasting the news.

"Speculation continues as to Superman's whereabouts. Last spotted in Gotham City seven days ago, he-''

That was all he heard before the heavy thud of the soundproof door shutting cut the broadcast off.

Clark forced himself out of bed and began to pace the circumference of the room, staying well back from the walls. There were no objects that might have been utilized as an effective weapon, and the only furniture save the bed was a heavy armchair and a small desk with a task chair. Each item was placed three feet away from the faintly shimmering walls. Soft cover books were stacked on the corner of the desk; some Clark remembered reading in high school and university, others that he counted among his favourites. Books that Lex couldn't have possibly known he liked unless he'd been watching him for far longer than he'd ever thought.

The walls made him hurt, even from a distance, so after exploring as best he could, Clark dragged the armchair into the centre of the room and propped his feet up on the edge of the bed with a book in hand. Lex found him in that same position several hours later when he entered carrying a tray laden with food and a bottle of wine tucked up under one arm.

"I'm glad to see you're making yourself comfortable."

Clark snapped the book shut and put his feet back on the floor fighting off the exhaustion seeping through his body. "You haven't given me many options." He glared as Lex set everything on the desk, left, and returned shortly with two intricately carved mahogany trays and two wine glasses. He pulled the desk chair over and settled in next to Clark after distributing the dishes between them and pouring two drinks.

"You're kidding, right?"

"There are things I plan to discuss with you. I'd prefer if it were a civil conversation."

"Civil? You're holding me captive. Talk all you want, Lex. Don't expect me to listen."

Lex ignored the comment and began to eat, looking pointedly at Clark when his dinner went untouched.

"You need to eat."

"Why, so you can kill me with a full stomach?"

"Better to die of starvation? Your kidnapper held you without food or water. An IV got some fluids back into your system while you were unconscious, but even out cold and severely weakened you resisted a feeding tube." He broke eye contact long enough to take a sip of his drink before gesturing at the cooling plate in front of Clark. "If you plan to stay conscious much longer, you'll need that. Just eat."

Clark could feel his hunger and knew Lex was right.

"The news said I've been gone a week." He picked up the fork and hesitated before swirling long strings of spaghetti onto the utensil and bringing it up to his mouth, pausing while he waited for Lex to respond.

"The revenge-bent cyber geek had you for the better part of five days. You've been unconscious since I brought you here. The drugs I used knocked you unconscious for a few hours, and after that I suspect it was sheer exhaustion that kept you out."

Taste exploded across his palette, and Clark had to force himself not to inhale everything all at once. Despite his thirst, he did not reach for the wine. Lex didn't initiate further conversation as they ate, but he did frown slightly at Clark's still full glass. Wordlessly he gathered the empty plates and carried them from the room, returning to toss a sealed water bottle on the bed and to pick up the empty trays.

"I thought you wanted to talk."

"After you've gotten some proper sleep." He was gone a moment later.

Each meal over the next four days was the same. Lex would sit next to him while they ate in terse silence. The fifth day brought a change over breakfast.

"Why didn't you tell me what you are?"

Clark took him time answering. "Why didn't you prove yourself trustworthy?" There was no response from Lex.

o

Lunch arrived with another question asked as if hours hadn't separated one conversation from the next. "What do you mean by that?"

"What were you expecting when you hurt the people I love? When you hurt me? Lex, you have me locked away in a kryptonite cell with the threat of death hanging over my head. I think I was right not to share my secret with you."

o

Dinner brought with it an argument. "Every time I made an effort, you flung accusations. What did you expect to happen? I could have been a better man, Clark. For you, I would have been better."

"You should have been better for yourself, not for me! Not for anyone else. Why don't you get that?" Clark's rage bubbled up and out of him, anger he wasn't aware he'd still been holding on to. "You said you loved me? That's bullshit. You may have loved the idea of me but it was nothing more than that. I wanted you to be good, Lex. I wanted us to be good. Together. You talk about love, but you don't even know what it means. I loved you, and you betrayed me over and over again." Clark dragged in a ragged breath. "Get out."

Lex dropped his fork with a clatter as he stood and paced away. "Chloe is close to tracking you down," he spoke up from the doorway. "I expect she'll turn up sometime tomorrow. Maybe even tonight."

"Will she find a body, Lex?" He rose, turning to face Lex's retreating back. "Or will you have gotten rid of the evidence by then?"

Clark's reflexes were shot and Lex's sudden burst of movement left him with no time to block or brace for the blow that sent him staggering back over the forgotten dinner trays to land in a heap on the floor. Lex had him by the front of his t-shirt an instant later, lifting and pushing him back so that Clark's head smacked heavily off the wall.

"You think you're so much better than me," Lex snarled. He pulled Clark forward only to thrust him against the wall again. "But this ends now."

"Let me go."

Lex's arm came up to press his full weight against Clark's throat, cutting off his air. "Whether Chloe finds you alive or dead remains to be seen, but either way you need to shut your fucking mouth." The pressure eased off a bit and Clark was forced roughly around, face pressed into the poisonous surface as his hands scrabbled to free himself from Lex's hold. Lex grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head back before slamming it forward, stunning him.

"Behave," he whispered hoarsely.

o o o o

"He's not here anymore. The area is clear."

At Bruce's declaration, Chloe was out of the van and running into the old house they'd traced Clark back to. She froze in the entryway, taking in the sight of utter destruction. Oliver was sifting through a pile of shattered electronic equipment while Bart stood just inside a small room at the far end of the space. Victor Stone and Bruce were crouched in front of something she couldn't yet see.

"Oh," she whispered as they rose and shifted away. "That's- he's the guy who-"

Bruce nodded grimly. "He's a former employee. I suspect this was-" he paused, swallowed once before continuing. "I suspect that this was revenge. He wanted money from me because he was fired for illegal activities. He took the company to court, claiming he'd been wrongfully let go, but we had proof and the case was dismissed. It looks like his neck has been snapped."

"You guys should come take a look at this," Bart called out. "Red lights up top." He pointed his flashlight on the ground. "Blood on the ground."

"Red sun energy," Oliver volunteered. "It saps his strength, takes away his abilities. Makes him almost human."

"Where did he go?"

"Lex Luthor and his men cleared out of Gotham a few hours ago," Victor supplied. "And all the data o the machines out there was been wiped. My money would be on him having Clark."

"Then I guess we're heading back to Metropolis," Oliver announced.

o o o o

Chloe didn't pause to check the caller ID when her cell rang, answering with a distracted 'hello' as her eyes continued to scan the satellite data of Clark's last known location, looking for a way to trace Lex's movements back to Metropolis. There was a clicking sound in her ear that indicated the call was being switched to a secure line.

"Lex commissioned a rather substantial renovation on his penthouse recently," Oliver reported. "The floor below his had to undergo massive restructuring to accommodate the additional weight of the lead used in construction."

"Hide him in plain sight."

"Bruce and I will be there to pick you up in twenty minutes. Victor and Bart are already on their way to meet us at my penthouse. If Lex has him locked up, it won't be a simple case of break in and retrieve."

"And that's being optimistic about it. See you soon." Chloe punched the end button and tapped her pen thoughtfully on her desk for a moment. Quickly making the last of her notes, Chloe saved her data, shut down the computer, and went in search of the one person she knew could get them into LuthorCorp.

"Hey, Lois," she said a couple minutes later.

Lois glanced up to find Chloe shifting nervously in front of her desk. "I know that look," she said in lieu of a greeting.

"I need your LuthorCorp ID card."

"Why?"

"I'll explain later. I'm kind of on a time crunch here."

Lois stopped proofing her article and pushed back from the desk, looking inquisitively at Chloe. "What's going on, cuz? You usually stay away from the physical B&E where LuthorCorp is concerned."

"I'm sorry, but I can't go into it right now. Can I use your card or not?"

"Does this have anything to do with where Clark disappeared to?"

"No."

If Lois was taken aback by her tone, she gave no indication. "Anything I can help with? Lois didn't miss the shade of fear colouring Chloe's eyes as she shook her head no. She reached for her purse without further hesitation and dug the card out, handing it over. "Be careful."

Chloe's hand fisted around the small plastic card hard enough to turn dig harsh red lines into her palm. "I will. Thanks, Lo. I'll get this back to you."

"Whatever's going on, Chloe, it better be worth the risk."

"It is." Chloe smiled tightly and practically ran for the stairs. Lois shook her head slightly and shifted back to her article.

"We can go in through the roof," Oliver was saying as Chloe climbed into the back of Oliver's car

"He's got sensors up there," Chloe interjected. "And I've got us a way into the building." She held up the badge and grinned. "Lois always has the best access cards. Think you two can modify this to give us entry to the penthouse?"

Bruce took the card from her and nodded grimly. "That shouldn't be a problem."