Superman for Sale - Chapter 13
I'm thinking one more update after this should see this long WIP finally be completed. I'm glad so many of you have stuck with this story, even with my irregular update postings.
Title: Superman for Sale
Author: D.M. Wyatt
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Rating: Mostly R, some chapters are NC-17
Warnings: Physical and Emotional TC, graphic descriptions of adult sexual content, BD/SM, future fic, post rift
Spoilers: None
Word Count this chapter: 7,060 - both parts (Story, thus far: 59,789)
Short summary of this chapter: Clark spends more time with his mother before heading back to Metropolis to attend Lex's surprising press conference. (cover thanks to danceswithgary)
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven A | Eleven B | Twelve |
Part 13 of possibly 15...
~:::~
After eating way too much of his mom's home cooked breakfast, Clark had touched down at the Planet just before the morning editorial meeting. He was surprised to find Lois waiting for him at the top of the stair well. She looked up at him from under her dark bangs as she leaned against the access panel where he'd hidden his suit.
"You feeling better?"
"Yes, I am. Thanks."
She smiled and let him get to the access panel. "Well, now it's time to get to work. I'm curious what Lex is up to."
Clark scowled at her as he dressed in a flash and slipped his wallet into his suit. "You think he's up to no good?" He put his folded up jeans and flannel shirt into the access panel and shut it.
"Of course, Smallville. What else?"
"I don't know we can assume anything at this point, he's not acting like himself."
"Did he tell you anything Friday night?"
Clark put on his glasses and straightened his tie. "No, he was a bit... testy."
"And drunk."
He didn't understand why he was defending Lex, but he couldn’t help himself, "So what if he was drunk? He's an adult and he wasn't driving."
She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. "Did he tell you anything about the press conference?"
"No, he didn't."
She heaved a big sigh, "That's too bad, but I was surprised you hadn't gone with him to the benefit. Being his new live-in, it would have made sense."
"I wanted to go home to see Mom, besides..." Clark continued lamely, "I hadn't been invited."
"You know, a new romance with a certain investigative reporter softening Lex and making him more like Dr. Phil and less like Dr. Mengele would have been one helluva angle on my story about his inexplicable and very generous philanthropy." Lois arched an eyebrow, "Too bad I couldn't print a word."
Clark scowled as he brushed by her to head downstairs. His only reply to her chuckle was a growl.
~:::~
Like most press conferences, this one also started late. Clark had to fight the urge to fidget as the time dragged on. Lois kept scribbling in her notebook as he chewed on his pencil eraser. Luckily, the air conditioning in the Lexcorp offices seemed to be working and the phantom fingers seemed to be almost non-existent. Lex must not be thinking about Clark at all right now.
Clark found that thought painful, for some reason, but was glad that would mean there wasn't going to be a return of the embarrassment from the last press conference he'd attended. However, he had gotten a few pointed looks from several people he'd remembered seeing at City Hall. Clark decided to act like nothing had happened and just smiled and nodded at them. Several shook their heads sadly and a couple even rolled their eyes as Lois chuckled softly next to him.
Like all Lexcorp buildings, the walls were lined with lead so Clark couldn’t see anything past the conference room the reporters were all jammed into, but that didn't stop him from listening. They were in one of the upper floors near Lex's executive office suite, so they were high up in the building. He concentrated and tried to find Lex, he was curious what the hold up was. The press conference had been supposed to start nearly an hour before.
Lois noticed what he was doing. She whispered quietly next to him, "You hear anything?"
He glared at her for a moment, "Quiet... I'm trying to concentrate." She scowled at him and leaned back and crossed her arms indignantly.
He turned his attention back to trying to listen. Clark found Lex's heartbeat on the same floor, down the hall in his office bathroom. It sounded like he was getting ready to come into the press conference, it sounded like he was washing up. Clark heard sounds of him drying his hands and then pulling on his jacket and straightening his tie.
Mercy and Hope were both there, Clark could hear their heartbeats. Hope whispered, she sounded close to Mercy. "Is he here? I don't see him in the monitor."
Lex sounded annoyed as his walked nearer to the two women. "I can hear you, Hope. No need to whisper."
Hope sounded embarrassed. "Of course not, sir... I'm sorry, sir."
"And he's here."
"I beg pardon, sir, but I don't see him. He's sort of hard to miss, even with the glasses and rumpled suits. He's so big."
"He agreed to be here and he is." Lex's voice got a far away quality and he added quietly, "I can feel him."
Clark only barely managed to suppress a gasp.
Lex could feel him! Clark had guessed right, but how?
Clark was surprised when he heard Lex chuckle and the fingers started their comforting caresses again. "He's even listening. He seemed surprised by what I said."
Clark scowled in Lex's direction. Lex sighed, "I'll talk to you about that later, but after dinner and only once Mrs. O'Hara has left." He turned back toward the two women. "Anyway, I think we've made Clark, and the rest of the fourth estate, wait long enough, don't you ladies?"
The only answer he heard was their lighter footsteps following Lex's out of the door.
~:::~
As the door opened at the end of the long conference room, all the reporters in the room fell completely silent. Lex entered the room followed closely by Hope and Mercy. The photographers' flashes were popping all around Lex and he squinted into the brilliant lights.
Lex crossed to the podium at the end of the small stage and took a sip of water from a glass that had been left there. He frowned, the ice had melted from the heat of the lights.
"I will give a prepared statement and then I will take a few questions." Lex looked at Clark significantly, "I know you all are curious why I've called this press conference, Lexcorp stock even took a hit today in early trading because of market speculation on the nature of my announcement. I hope the market will respond positively to what I'm about to say."
He took another sip of water and looked around the room. "I'm here to announce major changes to several of Lexcorp weapons divisions and subsidiaries."
There were gasps in the room, but Clark's only reaction was to scowl as Lois looked up at him to gauge his reaction.
Lex continued, "In recent years the activities of several of Lexcorp subsidiaries and divisions have come under mounting public scrutiny, mostly thanks to the two primary investigative reporters with The Daily Planet, Miss Lane and Mr. Kent. I see they are both in attendance here this morning..."
Lois sat up straighter as the crowd of reporters turned their attention toward her and Clark. Clark hunched down a little, uncomfortable with the increased scrutiny, as Lex smiled at him and the finger activity increased. Clark glowered in return.
"It's because of some recent events that have made me reexamine some of Lexcorp's businesses. The recent tragedy of the tsunami made me see how people can suffer and underlined the fact that Lexcorp has never tried to help. That's why I helped and sent those ships. I hadn't been seeking notoriety or acclaim, I was doing because it was the right thing to do, so I'm sorry Miss Lane had that article over the weekend.
"Before Luthorcorp had become Lexcorp following my father's death, the company's early work in bio-engineering had been geared toward improving farming yields and improving plant health. For the past decade after my father's death, the emphasis had been more on trying to look for ways to apply what Lexcorp scientists had learned about plants and biology toward weapons research. Our scientists had made great leaps studying mutated genes caused by exposure to meteor rocks, or kryptonite, and applying them to weapons applications. We've not had any get past the prototype stage, but it's probably just as well. The Luthorcorp divisions and subsidiaries that had done the bulk of this research will be either closed or reabsorbed back into other R & D projects run by the main corporation."
Lois, who had been growing more and more indignant, popped up and shouted out a question. "You mean to tell us that you're closing the divisions that you've tried to hide your unethical human experimentation in? Why, Mr. Luthor?"
Lex glared at Lois, "You should say 'alleged' experimentation. The charges were never proven no matter how many of my scientists you tried to turn against me, Miss Lane. However, I should restate that I will gladly answer questions at the end of my prepared comments, Miss Lane, and I will..." His face softened as his gaze switched to Clark. "I have a lot to answer for, I know, but I have more to say first." He took another sip of water as turned his gaze back toward the crowd of reporters. "As I was saying, certain divisions of Lexcorp will be closing, others will be folded back into either other divisions or reabsorbed back into the main corporation. Research that had been on the edge of ethical boundaries will be refocused and redesigned to conform to accepted legal, scientific and medical practices."
Lois just wouldn't let it go, "Luthor, I think we need to hear why. Why the change? You didn't go to bed as Doctor Death and wake up as Marie Curie. What gives?"
Lex sighed but looked at Clark as he answered, "Let's just say that I've had some recent changes in my life that have made me to try harder to be worthy of his affection. In looking at what Lexcorp has done in certain of its businesses, it had been harder and harder for me to look at myself in the mirror, especially when I asked myself 'What would he do'. I know he wouldn't play god with people's lives, so I'm getting out of the business of manipulating people's lives for the fiduciary benefit of Lexcorp's stockholders."
Lois looked at Clark significantly before continuing, "Do you really mean that love made you do it?"
Lex smiled warmly at Lois before he turned his gaze back to Clark. "I need to also thank a certain caped superhero for his part in this. Superman's recent heroism in the wake of the tsunami had a profound affect on me on ways I'm not sure that I can even articulate. His example made me reexamine how I run my business and even live my life. I had an epiphany, thanks to Superman, and I also have fallen in love, thanks to someone else." Lex looked back at Lois before he continued, "So yes, Miss Lane, it is accurate to say 'Love made me do it'."
Time stretched as Clark looked at Lex as he again looked back at him. Lex's eyes softened and there was a hint of smile on his face as Clark looked into his eyes from across the room.
His mom had been right, things had changed.
Lex had really changed.
He was still confused, Lex had still coerced him to stay against his will, but if Lex really loved him, wasn't there a way for them to work past that? Clark felt hopeful as the other reporters all stood, shouted Lex's name, and tried to get his attention. Clark stood and raised his hand, he never shouted (it was rude). He had a question to ask.
However, before Clark could speak, he heard something. He turned toward the sound and realized he had to go. He looked back at Lex as he nodded at him, "Your question-"
Clark shrugged and gave Lex a sad look of apology. He zipped off to the emergency that needed his attention so his question would have to wait.
~:::~
Lex was confused, one moment Clark was there, looking apologetic, and then he was gone. He hoped he covered well as his gaze shifted away from the empty space where Clark had stood to where Lois was. She also looked a bit startled, but shouted Lex's name anyway.
"...Miss Lane?"
"So, who is this mystery man that changed you, Mr. Luthor?"
Lex raised an eyebrow and sneered at Lois. "I didn't realize you worked for The Inquisitor, Miss Lane."
He took a perverse pleasure in seeing her back stiffen as she sniffed indignantly. "I don't work for The Inquisitor-"
Lex couldn't resist interrupting, "Not anymore."
Lois glowered at him before she continued, "You can't drop this nugget and expect a room full of reporters to ignore it. Who is he? Why does having him in your life made you see things so differently?"
He had to think for a moment before he answered, he felt inexplicably anxious. "I can't say who yet. I hadn't planned on bringing him up at all, but I couldn't help it. He's very important to me now, but he is also a very private person..." He paused, unsure what else he was going to say. He wanted to tell the world he loved Clark Kent, but things hadn't been worked out between them yet. He couldn't say anything more until they'd talked.
Lex was about to say that he 'can't say more at this time', but he didn't have the chance. There was the sound of an explosion off in the distance. Every single head whipped around to that direction.
Almost instantly all of the reporters rushed to the window. As he looked on in dismay, Lex realized what he was feeling weren't his feelings, they were Clark's. His worry had turned to fear, but that was laid under a steely resolve. Whatever it was that Clark was facing, he was going to get the better of it.
With Mercy's and Hope's help, Lex pushed through the crowd so he could see out of the window on that side of the building. Lois stood next to him, her face pale.
About three blocks south of the Lexcorp office tower, there was a smoking ruin that used to be, Lex believed, a Mercedes. A huge hulking contraption that looked something like a humongous robotic spider faced off toward the far smaller blue and red clad Superman. The robot had multiple legs, eight like a spider, but unlike a spider it also had two heads, one at each end of its main body.
Clark hovered about 50 feet away from the mechanical monster and it looked like he was yelling at the thing. The thing reared up like a tarantula about to attack its prey and shot two enhanced beams of green light at Superman from the bottom of one of its heads.
Unexpectedly, Clark was knocked from the air. He went off down a side street and Lex couldn't see where he had hit the pavement. The beast of a machine continued its advance toward Lexcorp.
Lex gasped with the sudden pain he felt only a shadow of through his connection with Superman. Overwhelmed by the sensations, he barely registered Lois whisper, her voice hushed and worried, "Oh, God, Clark."
He looked over at her in shock.
"You know?"
She glanced over at him only briefly. She sniffed indignantly and whispered, lying, "Of course, I've always known but I'm surprised you did."
He whispered harshly, "Eye glasses and styling your hair differently isn't a very good disguise."
"Then why have you been trying to capture him? He's your former best friend."
Uncomfortable, he lamely added, "It's complicated."
"Is it complicated enough for you to try and murder him?"
"What do you mean? I haven't tried to murder him, I ransomed him. I wouldn't hurt Clark."
"Why is that monstrosity trying to kill him then?"
"I didn't have anything to do with that."
She snorted, skeptical. "Yeah, right; like I believe that. I don't know how or why you forced him to move in with you, but it's clearly not working out. He's been miserable and is probably thinking of moving back out, so you decide to kill him in a way that would be difficult to be traced back to you."
He looked to where Clark shot back up into the air and zoomed to hang in front of the monstrously huge machine. He hit the huge spider robot with a shot of heat vision. The machine halted in its tracks and one of its legs batted Clark away like it was swatting at a bug with a fly swatter. Lex could feel the pain through his connection with Superman.
"I didn't make that thing, Lois. I wouldn't have, not now. It's why I'm shutting down my weapons divisions. I'm not in the destroying-Superman business anymore, Lois."
"I don't believe you. That thing has Lexcorp technology written all over it."
Alarmed he looked closer at the canons attached to the 'heads' of the thing... Lois was right. They looked like something he might have built. In fact, they looked like his prototype kryptonite electromagnetic pulse beam weapons that he'd only recently developed, like the one he'd wanted to use against Clark all those weeks ago, only bigger.
Lex thought, 'That's impossible, I'd only built a pair of them which were far smaller than that...'
He looked again at the design of the robot itself. It was very similar to something he'd been working on before Clark had moved in. Something that would have eventually been meant to help take Superman down, except his design had only had one 'head' instead of two.
But the designs had never moved into the next stage. He'd never built one, but someone else had. His designs had been stolen, modified and they were using them against Clark.
His fury grew as the thing again hit Clark from the air and continued to advance toward the building he was in. The building that was the center of his empire, where his offices were housed.
Someone had it in for him. No one was safe here.
He looked over to where Mercy and Hope stood as they watched him. "Evacuate the building, that thing is moving this way." The fire alarm started to sound, the loud claxon of it almost deafening.
Lois looked surprised as she yelled above the sound of the alarm, "You really didn't build that thing?"
Lex whispered to her harshly, furious at her and the maniac who threatened Clark, "No, I didn't. If I have my way, it's going to be destroyed before it can hurt the man I love." He yelled to the room, "Everyone needs to leave the building as quickly as possible. That machine is heading this way, it won't be safe here if Superman can't stop it."
Lex ran to the door, barely ahead of the crowd of reporters hot on his trail, as he called out to Mercy and Hope. "Call security and get as many of them as possible out on the street with the heaviest weaponry at their disposal."
~:::~
Continued HERE...
Title: Superman for Sale
Author: D.M. Wyatt
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Rating: Mostly R, some chapters are NC-17
Warnings: Physical and Emotional TC, graphic descriptions of adult sexual content, BD/SM, future fic, post rift
Spoilers: None
Word Count this chapter: 7,060 - both parts (Story, thus far: 59,789)
Short summary of this chapter: Clark spends more time with his mother before heading back to Metropolis to attend Lex's surprising press conference. (cover thanks to danceswithgary)
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven A | Eleven B | Twelve |
Part 13 of possibly 15...
~:::~
After eating way too much of his mom's home cooked breakfast, Clark had touched down at the Planet just before the morning editorial meeting. He was surprised to find Lois waiting for him at the top of the stair well. She looked up at him from under her dark bangs as she leaned against the access panel where he'd hidden his suit.
"You feeling better?"
"Yes, I am. Thanks."
She smiled and let him get to the access panel. "Well, now it's time to get to work. I'm curious what Lex is up to."
Clark scowled at her as he dressed in a flash and slipped his wallet into his suit. "You think he's up to no good?" He put his folded up jeans and flannel shirt into the access panel and shut it.
"Of course, Smallville. What else?"
"I don't know we can assume anything at this point, he's not acting like himself."
"Did he tell you anything Friday night?"
Clark put on his glasses and straightened his tie. "No, he was a bit... testy."
"And drunk."
He didn't understand why he was defending Lex, but he couldn’t help himself, "So what if he was drunk? He's an adult and he wasn't driving."
She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. "Did he tell you anything about the press conference?"
"No, he didn't."
She heaved a big sigh, "That's too bad, but I was surprised you hadn't gone with him to the benefit. Being his new live-in, it would have made sense."
"I wanted to go home to see Mom, besides..." Clark continued lamely, "I hadn't been invited."
"You know, a new romance with a certain investigative reporter softening Lex and making him more like Dr. Phil and less like Dr. Mengele would have been one helluva angle on my story about his inexplicable and very generous philanthropy." Lois arched an eyebrow, "Too bad I couldn't print a word."
Clark scowled as he brushed by her to head downstairs. His only reply to her chuckle was a growl.
~:::~
Like most press conferences, this one also started late. Clark had to fight the urge to fidget as the time dragged on. Lois kept scribbling in her notebook as he chewed on his pencil eraser. Luckily, the air conditioning in the Lexcorp offices seemed to be working and the phantom fingers seemed to be almost non-existent. Lex must not be thinking about Clark at all right now.
Clark found that thought painful, for some reason, but was glad that would mean there wasn't going to be a return of the embarrassment from the last press conference he'd attended. However, he had gotten a few pointed looks from several people he'd remembered seeing at City Hall. Clark decided to act like nothing had happened and just smiled and nodded at them. Several shook their heads sadly and a couple even rolled their eyes as Lois chuckled softly next to him.
Like all Lexcorp buildings, the walls were lined with lead so Clark couldn’t see anything past the conference room the reporters were all jammed into, but that didn't stop him from listening. They were in one of the upper floors near Lex's executive office suite, so they were high up in the building. He concentrated and tried to find Lex, he was curious what the hold up was. The press conference had been supposed to start nearly an hour before.
Lois noticed what he was doing. She whispered quietly next to him, "You hear anything?"
He glared at her for a moment, "Quiet... I'm trying to concentrate." She scowled at him and leaned back and crossed her arms indignantly.
He turned his attention back to trying to listen. Clark found Lex's heartbeat on the same floor, down the hall in his office bathroom. It sounded like he was getting ready to come into the press conference, it sounded like he was washing up. Clark heard sounds of him drying his hands and then pulling on his jacket and straightening his tie.
Mercy and Hope were both there, Clark could hear their heartbeats. Hope whispered, she sounded close to Mercy. "Is he here? I don't see him in the monitor."
Lex sounded annoyed as his walked nearer to the two women. "I can hear you, Hope. No need to whisper."
Hope sounded embarrassed. "Of course not, sir... I'm sorry, sir."
"And he's here."
"I beg pardon, sir, but I don't see him. He's sort of hard to miss, even with the glasses and rumpled suits. He's so big."
"He agreed to be here and he is." Lex's voice got a far away quality and he added quietly, "I can feel him."
Clark only barely managed to suppress a gasp.
Lex could feel him! Clark had guessed right, but how?
Clark was surprised when he heard Lex chuckle and the fingers started their comforting caresses again. "He's even listening. He seemed surprised by what I said."
Clark scowled in Lex's direction. Lex sighed, "I'll talk to you about that later, but after dinner and only once Mrs. O'Hara has left." He turned back toward the two women. "Anyway, I think we've made Clark, and the rest of the fourth estate, wait long enough, don't you ladies?"
The only answer he heard was their lighter footsteps following Lex's out of the door.
~:::~
As the door opened at the end of the long conference room, all the reporters in the room fell completely silent. Lex entered the room followed closely by Hope and Mercy. The photographers' flashes were popping all around Lex and he squinted into the brilliant lights.
Lex crossed to the podium at the end of the small stage and took a sip of water from a glass that had been left there. He frowned, the ice had melted from the heat of the lights.
"I will give a prepared statement and then I will take a few questions." Lex looked at Clark significantly, "I know you all are curious why I've called this press conference, Lexcorp stock even took a hit today in early trading because of market speculation on the nature of my announcement. I hope the market will respond positively to what I'm about to say."
He took another sip of water and looked around the room. "I'm here to announce major changes to several of Lexcorp weapons divisions and subsidiaries."
There were gasps in the room, but Clark's only reaction was to scowl as Lois looked up at him to gauge his reaction.
Lex continued, "In recent years the activities of several of Lexcorp subsidiaries and divisions have come under mounting public scrutiny, mostly thanks to the two primary investigative reporters with The Daily Planet, Miss Lane and Mr. Kent. I see they are both in attendance here this morning..."
Lois sat up straighter as the crowd of reporters turned their attention toward her and Clark. Clark hunched down a little, uncomfortable with the increased scrutiny, as Lex smiled at him and the finger activity increased. Clark glowered in return.
"It's because of some recent events that have made me reexamine some of Lexcorp's businesses. The recent tragedy of the tsunami made me see how people can suffer and underlined the fact that Lexcorp has never tried to help. That's why I helped and sent those ships. I hadn't been seeking notoriety or acclaim, I was doing because it was the right thing to do, so I'm sorry Miss Lane had that article over the weekend.
"Before Luthorcorp had become Lexcorp following my father's death, the company's early work in bio-engineering had been geared toward improving farming yields and improving plant health. For the past decade after my father's death, the emphasis had been more on trying to look for ways to apply what Lexcorp scientists had learned about plants and biology toward weapons research. Our scientists had made great leaps studying mutated genes caused by exposure to meteor rocks, or kryptonite, and applying them to weapons applications. We've not had any get past the prototype stage, but it's probably just as well. The Luthorcorp divisions and subsidiaries that had done the bulk of this research will be either closed or reabsorbed back into other R & D projects run by the main corporation."
Lois, who had been growing more and more indignant, popped up and shouted out a question. "You mean to tell us that you're closing the divisions that you've tried to hide your unethical human experimentation in? Why, Mr. Luthor?"
Lex glared at Lois, "You should say 'alleged' experimentation. The charges were never proven no matter how many of my scientists you tried to turn against me, Miss Lane. However, I should restate that I will gladly answer questions at the end of my prepared comments, Miss Lane, and I will..." His face softened as his gaze switched to Clark. "I have a lot to answer for, I know, but I have more to say first." He took another sip of water as turned his gaze back toward the crowd of reporters. "As I was saying, certain divisions of Lexcorp will be closing, others will be folded back into either other divisions or reabsorbed back into the main corporation. Research that had been on the edge of ethical boundaries will be refocused and redesigned to conform to accepted legal, scientific and medical practices."
Lois just wouldn't let it go, "Luthor, I think we need to hear why. Why the change? You didn't go to bed as Doctor Death and wake up as Marie Curie. What gives?"
Lex sighed but looked at Clark as he answered, "Let's just say that I've had some recent changes in my life that have made me to try harder to be worthy of his affection. In looking at what Lexcorp has done in certain of its businesses, it had been harder and harder for me to look at myself in the mirror, especially when I asked myself 'What would he do'. I know he wouldn't play god with people's lives, so I'm getting out of the business of manipulating people's lives for the fiduciary benefit of Lexcorp's stockholders."
Lois looked at Clark significantly before continuing, "Do you really mean that love made you do it?"
Lex smiled warmly at Lois before he turned his gaze back to Clark. "I need to also thank a certain caped superhero for his part in this. Superman's recent heroism in the wake of the tsunami had a profound affect on me on ways I'm not sure that I can even articulate. His example made me reexamine how I run my business and even live my life. I had an epiphany, thanks to Superman, and I also have fallen in love, thanks to someone else." Lex looked back at Lois before he continued, "So yes, Miss Lane, it is accurate to say 'Love made me do it'."
Time stretched as Clark looked at Lex as he again looked back at him. Lex's eyes softened and there was a hint of smile on his face as Clark looked into his eyes from across the room.
His mom had been right, things had changed.
Lex had really changed.
He was still confused, Lex had still coerced him to stay against his will, but if Lex really loved him, wasn't there a way for them to work past that? Clark felt hopeful as the other reporters all stood, shouted Lex's name, and tried to get his attention. Clark stood and raised his hand, he never shouted (it was rude). He had a question to ask.
However, before Clark could speak, he heard something. He turned toward the sound and realized he had to go. He looked back at Lex as he nodded at him, "Your question-"
Clark shrugged and gave Lex a sad look of apology. He zipped off to the emergency that needed his attention so his question would have to wait.
~:::~
Lex was confused, one moment Clark was there, looking apologetic, and then he was gone. He hoped he covered well as his gaze shifted away from the empty space where Clark had stood to where Lois was. She also looked a bit startled, but shouted Lex's name anyway.
"...Miss Lane?"
"So, who is this mystery man that changed you, Mr. Luthor?"
Lex raised an eyebrow and sneered at Lois. "I didn't realize you worked for The Inquisitor, Miss Lane."
He took a perverse pleasure in seeing her back stiffen as she sniffed indignantly. "I don't work for The Inquisitor-"
Lex couldn't resist interrupting, "Not anymore."
Lois glowered at him before she continued, "You can't drop this nugget and expect a room full of reporters to ignore it. Who is he? Why does having him in your life made you see things so differently?"
He had to think for a moment before he answered, he felt inexplicably anxious. "I can't say who yet. I hadn't planned on bringing him up at all, but I couldn't help it. He's very important to me now, but he is also a very private person..." He paused, unsure what else he was going to say. He wanted to tell the world he loved Clark Kent, but things hadn't been worked out between them yet. He couldn't say anything more until they'd talked.
Lex was about to say that he 'can't say more at this time', but he didn't have the chance. There was the sound of an explosion off in the distance. Every single head whipped around to that direction.
Almost instantly all of the reporters rushed to the window. As he looked on in dismay, Lex realized what he was feeling weren't his feelings, they were Clark's. His worry had turned to fear, but that was laid under a steely resolve. Whatever it was that Clark was facing, he was going to get the better of it.
With Mercy's and Hope's help, Lex pushed through the crowd so he could see out of the window on that side of the building. Lois stood next to him, her face pale.
About three blocks south of the Lexcorp office tower, there was a smoking ruin that used to be, Lex believed, a Mercedes. A huge hulking contraption that looked something like a humongous robotic spider faced off toward the far smaller blue and red clad Superman. The robot had multiple legs, eight like a spider, but unlike a spider it also had two heads, one at each end of its main body.
Clark hovered about 50 feet away from the mechanical monster and it looked like he was yelling at the thing. The thing reared up like a tarantula about to attack its prey and shot two enhanced beams of green light at Superman from the bottom of one of its heads.
Unexpectedly, Clark was knocked from the air. He went off down a side street and Lex couldn't see where he had hit the pavement. The beast of a machine continued its advance toward Lexcorp.
Lex gasped with the sudden pain he felt only a shadow of through his connection with Superman. Overwhelmed by the sensations, he barely registered Lois whisper, her voice hushed and worried, "Oh, God, Clark."
He looked over at her in shock.
"You know?"
She glanced over at him only briefly. She sniffed indignantly and whispered, lying, "Of course, I've always known but I'm surprised you did."
He whispered harshly, "Eye glasses and styling your hair differently isn't a very good disguise."
"Then why have you been trying to capture him? He's your former best friend."
Uncomfortable, he lamely added, "It's complicated."
"Is it complicated enough for you to try and murder him?"
"What do you mean? I haven't tried to murder him, I ransomed him. I wouldn't hurt Clark."
"Why is that monstrosity trying to kill him then?"
"I didn't have anything to do with that."
She snorted, skeptical. "Yeah, right; like I believe that. I don't know how or why you forced him to move in with you, but it's clearly not working out. He's been miserable and is probably thinking of moving back out, so you decide to kill him in a way that would be difficult to be traced back to you."
He looked to where Clark shot back up into the air and zoomed to hang in front of the monstrously huge machine. He hit the huge spider robot with a shot of heat vision. The machine halted in its tracks and one of its legs batted Clark away like it was swatting at a bug with a fly swatter. Lex could feel the pain through his connection with Superman.
"I didn't make that thing, Lois. I wouldn't have, not now. It's why I'm shutting down my weapons divisions. I'm not in the destroying-Superman business anymore, Lois."
"I don't believe you. That thing has Lexcorp technology written all over it."
Alarmed he looked closer at the canons attached to the 'heads' of the thing... Lois was right. They looked like something he might have built. In fact, they looked like his prototype kryptonite electromagnetic pulse beam weapons that he'd only recently developed, like the one he'd wanted to use against Clark all those weeks ago, only bigger.
Lex thought, 'That's impossible, I'd only built a pair of them which were far smaller than that...'
He looked again at the design of the robot itself. It was very similar to something he'd been working on before Clark had moved in. Something that would have eventually been meant to help take Superman down, except his design had only had one 'head' instead of two.
But the designs had never moved into the next stage. He'd never built one, but someone else had. His designs had been stolen, modified and they were using them against Clark.
His fury grew as the thing again hit Clark from the air and continued to advance toward the building he was in. The building that was the center of his empire, where his offices were housed.
Someone had it in for him. No one was safe here.
He looked over to where Mercy and Hope stood as they watched him. "Evacuate the building, that thing is moving this way." The fire alarm started to sound, the loud claxon of it almost deafening.
Lois looked surprised as she yelled above the sound of the alarm, "You really didn't build that thing?"
Lex whispered to her harshly, furious at her and the maniac who threatened Clark, "No, I didn't. If I have my way, it's going to be destroyed before it can hurt the man I love." He yelled to the room, "Everyone needs to leave the building as quickly as possible. That machine is heading this way, it won't be safe here if Superman can't stop it."
Lex ran to the door, barely ahead of the crowd of reporters hot on his trail, as he called out to Mercy and Hope. "Call security and get as many of them as possible out on the street with the heaviest weaponry at their disposal."
~:::~
Continued HERE...