Chapter Twenty Nine
Lois looked over Clark's shoulder who was also looking over Chloe's shoulder while she tried to decrypt whatever files they had obtained from Lex's computer, "Well?" Lois asked impatiently, "Did you find anything yet?"
"It's going to take me a few days to find anything remote incriminating against Lex." Chloe moved her chair around causing Lois and Clark to jerk up, "But I did find something that might interest your hero buddies." He gives her a confused look, "Corben wasn't the first kryptonite powered person to be transferred out of Belle Reeve. Almost everyone you've ever put in there are now in private facilities all over country."
"Why is Lex Luthor collecting metahumans?"
"I don't know but knowing Lex it can't be good."
Just then the doors opened and Chloe quickly closed all the files as they turned around to see Tess Mercer standing there, "Mr. Luthor would like to see you in his office." She stated directly at Clark.
He looked almost nervous but tried not to show it as he rose up from the chair giving the cousins a look before following the redhead towards the elevator.
Clark cleared his throat before and adjusted his tie before walking off towards the elevator unsure of how to approach the situation given all that's happened lately.
He mulled everything over on the ride up and part of him was torn between trusting his best friend or accusing Lex of something unlike the Lex Luthor he once knew.
The doors slid open and the time had come for Clark to take in a breath and make the journey into the lion's den.
When Lex showed Clark snapshots from the security camera, the kryptonian was surprised to see his own face along with Lois exiting a storage closet the day they broke into Lex's office.
"Imagine my surprise when I see my best friend and his girlfriend sneaking around my building." The snapshots are forgotten on the table while Lex walks back around, "We've always been honest with each other Clark and now I see this" he gestures to the photos, "Do you have any idea how bad this looks?"
"Pretty bad" Lex looks at Clark un-amused by the response which caused the reporter to immediately change expressions, "I can't really explain it."
"What were you looking for?"
Clark looks apprehensive but decides that it was now or never to get the truth, "The day you bought the Daily Planet, the man that attacked Maggie was transferred to an unnamed facility in Montana."
"And you think I have something to do with it."
"You've been campaigning against Superman since he showed up and then suddenly the only person to ever physically harm him suddenly vanishes. I know you Lex and this has your name written all over it."
Lex stared at Clark for a few minutes before smiling, "Well it looks like I can't hide anything from you." He walks around his desk towards the wall that Clark had been drawn to and watched the bald billionaire move aside a painting and enter a code which caused the vault on the other side of the room to open, "I have something to show you."
Clark rises up from the chair and follows him only to back away by the bars of kryptonite littered around the Luthor vault and watched as Lex pulled the kryptonite heart that kept John Corben alive from the shelf and showed it to his friend, "It's amazing how far we've come in the world."
Clark fights off the effects but takes a step back again when Lex gets too closer, "Imagine what this little piece of machinery could do with my intellect. I could finally put an end to that big blue boy scout." He says with venom in his voice when suddenly he notices Clark's pale complexion, "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I just haven't been feeling well for the past couple of days. It might have been something I ate." Clark lied and didn't have to fake the nausea because it felt like his insides were burning."
Lex watched Clark carefully before putting the mechanical back in the vault and the kryptonian let out a sigh of relief when the feelings of kryptonite dissipated, "What did you do to Corben?"
Lex gave him a smirk that reminded him of Lionel, "He won't be hurting anyone anymore especially my goddaughter." Lex presses a button causing the vault doors to close, "I thought you'd be happy to be rid of him."
"I wanted him rotting in a cell in Belle Reeve for the rest of his life not to be experimented on like some kind of animal." He responds almost immediately, "You shouldn't have done anything."
The words had an affect on the corporate giant and immediately tried to hide it from Clark's accusing eyes, "I did what I had to do. I thought you'd understand"
"Understand what? That you took someone's life over a piece of rock that fell from the sky years ago."
"I think we're finished here Clark." Lex pressed a button and a large security guard came in, "Escort Mr. Kent off the premises."
Clark gave Lex a look of disbelief just brushed off the guard's hands, "I can see myself out." He turns and walks away knowing full well that things between him and Lex would never be the same again.
Unknown Location
"Lex Luthor's building an army of super freaks. Why am I not surprised?" Oliver Queen says in his usual sarcastic tone after Clark had relayed all the data to the rest of the team, "I told you not to trust that scumbag."
"That scumbag happens to be my daughter's godfather." Clark responded, "Excuse me for having the benefit of the doubt, unlike some people I like to see the good in people."
"Can we please press pause on this little pissing match?" Diana Prince stated clearly having enough of the constant bickering between Superman and Green Arrow, "If what you say is true and Lex Luthor is stockpiling metahumans then that only means one thing."
"And what's that Princess?" asks Oliver
She gives him a look that would shake any man causing the sarcastic archer to back off, "This is your call Kal. We won't take action without your say in all of this." Oliver was about to say something but a swift nudge to the stomach from Dinah stopped him.
"Lex has been like a brother to me for years. He was there when my daughter was born and I'm not going to turn my back on him now no matter what I find."
"Are you prepared to stand against him if the situation calls for it?" Bruce's voice surprised anyone since he was normally so quiet during these types of meetings or barely there at all.
"Yes"
TBC
I'm sorry if it comes across jumbled. This chapter was a real pain to right, I could figure out how to approach everything that happened but in the end I like the ending with Clark finally realizing who Lex really is and it takes up to that classic hero vs. villain dynamic that we all know and love.
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