Yesterday's Tomorrow (Part 24/25)
Title: Yesterday's Tomorrow
Author: hoperoy
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex, Clark/other
Rating: NC-17
Length: 5,902
Spoilers: Vessel
Warnings: Violence, non-con, character death
Disclaimer: I can only wish that they were mine. Sadly, that is not the case.
Notes: Part 24/25
Summary: Sometimes the best men don't always win, and even heroes fail. AU after Vessel. What if Clark didn't defeat Zod?
Thanks, danceswithgary!
Previous Part
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The darkest hour has only sixty minutes. ~Morris Mandel
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After meeting with Zod, Lex had considered going straight to insert the crystals into their respective areas of the ground, but on his way back from the Arctic he decided he'd go see if Clark was up yet. Maybe they could even have breakfast, he thought with a smirk, remembering the previous night.
Expecting Clark to be in their room, he was a little surprised when he wasn't. The bed was still warm, though, and so Clark had to have recently vacated the premises.
A quick scan of the fortress showed Lex that Clark wasn't there, and he found himself getting worried. Most likely, he reasoned, Clark had just gone off for a walk, but with Clark's talent for getting in trouble, Lex needed to be sure.
He was aware that Clark would be angry at him for using the tracking device to find out his location. In fact, Lex admitted to himself, he probably had a right to be.
He couldn't have cared less.
Lex approached the main computer of the fortress and easily inserted a crystal. For a moment there was nothing, and then a blue light began to emanate from the piece of technology, bathing Lex in its glow.
Lex jumped back when an automated voice, its tone mechanical and stony, said, "State your request."
"I'd like Clark's coordinates," he told it, hoping it knew what he meant. He really didn't want to go through a description of Clark with an AI.
Luckily for him, it seemed to. "Searching for coordinates," it announced.
Lex stepped back and simply looked at the computer for a few moments while it searched for Clark. Clark's people really had been truly amazing, he reflected. The things they'd accomplished had been so far ahead of Earth, so advanced.
And yet they'd destroyed themselves.
"Tracking system was deactivated early this morning," the fortress announced, and Lex could swear the thing sounded almost mocking.
"What?" he asked, stepping back into the blue light. Clark was smart--he knew that--but he'd left no code with which the bracelet could be disabled. He should have been the only one who could deactivate it. Surely Clark couldn't have found a way to bypass *that*?
A hologram popped up in front of Lex, depicting Clark in a ray of shimmering blue light. Clark had been in the lab, Lex realized, and apparently he'd found the chemical Lex had been toying with. Lex could only watch, anger and a little bit of unease bubbling inside of him, as Clark pulled the chemical from its clear container. For a moment, he just looked at it before tentatively picking it up.
"Damn, Clark, don't," he hissed, well aware that Clark couldn't hear him.
It might have been one of the worst things ever, just standing there and watching as Clark dropped some of the liquid to the floor, staring intently until a small piece of Kryptonian technology grew up from the floor. He wanted to be able to grab Clark's wrist and pull him away from it, tell him it would end up getting him hurt, but this Clark was just a hologram, and Lex couldn't stop him.
Clark picked up the small piece of metal and crystal, studying it for a moment. After some intense scrutiny, he raised it to his bracelet, shoving into the slot that opened for it.
Lex could only watch as light emanated from the bracelet, its brilliance projecting from the hologram to dance on the walls of the room Lex was in. Clark continued to watch, his lips moving, saying words that Lex couldn't hear.
Once the light died down, Lex observed as Clark watched the bracelet fall from his wrist, a smile accompanied by a determined look blooming on his face. And then Clark was simply gone, having run out of the room.
The hologram shut off, but Lex had enough information to understand what had happened. Clark, being an intelligent young man, had remembered Lex's experiment and had used it to benefit himself. Given that, as well as the determined look on Clark's face, Lex could guess fairly easily where Clark had gone. Of course, he was aware that if Clark got there and was able to free his friends then he'd disappear before Lex could even begin to track him. That didn't leave Lex with a very wide time-frame.
The world flew by in its customary blur as Lex sped from the fortress. It appeared as a continuing line of color, the earthen tones of wooded land eventually changing to white as he reached the Arctic.
Snow crunched under his expensive shoes as Lex approached the fortress, not sure that he wanted to simply rush in. In spite of everything that had happened, Zod was still in authority over him, and it might do more harm than good to provoke him to anger.
Lex encountered no one when he walked into the fortress, making his way to the main room. The only reminders of the people who had been in the room when he'd visited not long before were the table of ice and an empty cup.
There was no Zod, no Lana, and definitely no Clark.
Lex, not about to make the mistake of assuming that Clark wasn't there simply because he wasn't in the main room, began to scan the fortress. It still amazed him to see the layers of wall peel away under his vision, showing him the rooms behind them.
Clark wasn't in the room that they'd shared when staying here, nor was he in Lana's room. In fact, since the girls were gone, it was doubtful that Lana even had her own room anymore. Lex continued to scan the walls, his penetrating stare finally reaching Zod's bedroom.
He'd never felt more horrible in his life.
Clark's skeleton, easy to make out with its nearly flawless form, was struggling to lift itself off the bed. Letting his vision focus a bit more, so that he could see Clark's skin and muscles, he saw the evidence of damage from what he knew must have been downright hell for Clark.
A torrent of emotions consumed him as he watched Zod on top of Lana, Clark lying beside them in obvious pain. Part of him wanted to say that this had been Clark's fault--a result of his foolish messiah complex. But, in some ways, Lex was more than aware that he'd had a part in this. Clark had, and probably always would, love his friends more than himself. Lex had taken Clark completely away from that, and now they were both reaping the consequences.
Lex still couldn't help the anger that he felt at Clark for doing this. If Clark would just learn to talk to him about what was bothering most--something he'd never learned to do--then things would go more smoothly. But Clark had always hidden what hurt the most, bottling it up inside until it threatened to destroy him.
Nevertheless, it would take a lot more than anger at Clark for Lex to want to leave him in Zod's control for even a moment longer. Hurrying, he raced into Zod's room.
Seeing things close up was even worse than in x-ray vision. Blood--possibly Clark's--was all over the sheets. It actually probably was Clark's, he realized, as he saw the small rivulets of the substance on Clark's side, a little cum mixed with it. The room reeked, and if Lex had ever doubted that fear had a smell, he banished that doubt now.
"Interesting thing, really," Lex found himself saying, watching Clark fight to sit up, "but I could have sworn that, while you got Lana, I got him." He paused slightly, a little pleased at the relief that flooded Clark's face when he spoke. "What's he doing in your bed?" he added quietly, his voice walking a knife's edge of being threatening. At this moment, he wanted to kill Zod for what he'd done to Clark.
Eventually, he knew he would.
Zod got up, pulling his pants back on. "Lex Luthor," he greeted, keeping his voice casual and unconcerned. "If you can't keep him out of my way then I'll find uses for him."
Smug was the only way Lex could describe Zod's face. In short, he was telling Lex that if he couldn't control Clark then the boy was going to get the life kicked out of him. Zod still desired Clark, and Lex knew that; this was just a warning, however brutal of one it might have been. It hadn't been a warning for Clark, either, but for him.
Clark was in a position where he wasn't able to see him, and Lex watched as he shifted, seeming as though he really wanted to see Lex, to know that he was there. Clark, it seemed, was actually happy to have been found.
And considering the state he was in, Lex couldn't blame him.
"I don't think that will be a problem anymore," Lex said smoothly in reply to Zod's words. He could feel his anger bubbling up, threatening to explode, and so, wanting to avoid a scene, he said, "If you're done, then I'll take him and go."
He would deal with this later, after he'd taken care of Clark.
The shock on Clark's face was obvious, and Lex couldn't help the bitter pity that welled up inside him. What had Clark expected him to do? He might have had power, but for now Zod was still over him. If Zod wanted to keep Clark then he most likely could. Picking a fight with Zod was not in his best interest--nor was it in Clark's. The day would come when he'd seek retribution for what had been done here, but today was not that day.
Clark's skin was warm to the touch, even if he was shaking. Despite knowing that Zod was watching, Lex couldn't help running a hand down Clark's thighs to touch the blood and quickly assess the damage. While Lana looked horrified, Clark didn't flinch or fight him at all.
Clark's eyes fluttered closed when Lex found his discarded boxers and put them back on him. "Help me a little, Clark," he murmured as he positioned his hands around Clark's waist, lifting him. He could have lifted Clark easily, but he was already degraded enough, and he was fairly sure that Clark would want to try to save face in front of Lana.
Clark finally stood, even if Lex had to keep Clark's arm over his shoulder and his own arm around Clark's waist.
"Clark!" Lana cried out from behind them.
Clark froze, and Lex would have loved to put a bullet in her head right then. Couldn't she have thought of someone other than herself? Clark was in need of help right now, and all she could fathom was her own rescue.
"He's not in a state to be very conversational right now, Lana," he said bitterly, barely able to keep the loathing in his voice to a minimum.
"Don't leave her," Clark murmured, fighting against him briefly.
"She's not mine to take, Clark," Lex informed Clark as he all but dragged him out of the room.
Clark wouldn't stop looking over his shoulder at her until Lex hauled him out of her sight. Even then he was still tense and clearly wanted to go back for her. Clark would never learn that he couldn't save everyone, Lex supposed.
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Clark felt the mattress molding to is back as he was laid down on warm sheets. His head still rang from Zod's blow, and even as he fought hard to remain lucid he felt himself slipping away.
"You didn't learn the first time, Clark?" he heard Lex say darkly. Oh. Lex was mad. That probably wasn't good.
He'd intended to respond with a witty reply, perhaps along the lines of telling Lex to go to hell, though that never happened. It was probably because, somewhere between his mind and his vocal cords, the message morphed to a whimper, leaving him feeling humiliated.
Lex's soft sigh reached his ears as the pounding in his skull became worse. Everything was painful, and he could smell his own blood. He didn't like the smell of his blood, and just wanted to be clean. "Get it off, please," he muttered.
"Get what off, Clark?" Lex's suddenly surprisingly gentle voice asked, his hand smoothing back Clark's hair. The cut had healed--Clark could feel it--though the headache was still there.
"The blood."
There was too much blood. Blood from all the people that had been killed, and possibly his own--it had to go. He just wanted to stop smelling it. Why wouldn't it leave him alone?
He heard himself moan, and after a brief period when Lex's hand left him, he felt a warm cloth cleaning his forehead. "It's a wonder you stayed conscious long enough for me to get there," Lex's voice rumbled from above him.
Yes, it really was a wonder, and one that he didn't care to contemplate at that moment. He just wanted the smell to go away and for his head to stop spinning, because he wanted to be able to think clearly. He wanted to tell Lex how angry he was that he'd left Lana with Zod, because Lex was supposed to *love* Lana.
Or was that right?
Did Lex love Lana? And where was he? Zod, he remembered Zod, but he wasn't quite sure what was going on. He knew that he had the facts in his head, but they were all jumbled and thinking really hurt. He didn't want to think.
The last thing he remembered was Lex yelling at him to stay the hell awake.
He didn't listen.
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The next day was a blur for Clark. It was just people standing over him, careful touches to his head, some mumbled words, and a very intense headache. Soft sheets were constantly around him, and he was fairly sure that Lex might have climbed into bed and held him a few times, especially after cleaning him up.
Clark could remember that.
The gentle touches to his abused hole, the blood being washed off his thighs--he remembered everything about that. He thought he might have cried, but he couldn't remember really. One thing he was sure of was that Lex had been the only one who cleaned him up *there*, because he remembered Lex's soft voice accompanying the touches, as if he was reassuring Clark that Lex was the only one who was touching him like that.
Clark was thankful, because he didn't think he could have handled anyone else doing so.
When the fog around his brain finally began to clear, Clark found that he was drifting in a semi-conscious state of sleep. Trying to break himself out of it by moving, he discovered that he had been asleep with his head in someone's lap, said person sitting against the head of the bed.
Lex looked almost innocent when he was asleep, and Clark had to wonder how he could look like that and still be so ruthless in his waking hours. When Clark finally shifted a little, he realized that Lex's hand was resting in his hair, Lex having presumably fallen asleep while carding through the thick locks.
Lex, it seemed, wasn't the heaviest of sleepers, because as soon as Clark began to sit up, he awoke. "Morning," Clark said with a lopsided grin. As he continued to sit up, he winced, the tail end of a headache catching him by surprise.
Lex didn't smile back, though he did look a bit relieved. "Actually, it's nearly six in the evening."
"Oh," Clark replied slowly, not quite sure what else to say.
"You've been out for nearly two days, Clark," Lex said quietly, his jaw muscles clenching. The deadly calm of his voice let Clark know that Lex was less than happy.
"Wow," he murmured, succeeding at last in sitting up.
He almost wished he'd stayed down, as Lex sat there, looking at him with a kind of intimidating scrutiny. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?" Lex asked after a few moment's pause.
Clark swallowed hard. He didn't want to draw the battle lines just yet, because his head still felt kind of funny. He didn't think he'd even have a chance at outsmarting Lex when thinking hurt so much.
"Not much worse than what did happen, I guess," he replied, careful to keep the snap out of his tone. Making Lex angry wasn't a good move right now. He'd seen the look Lex was currently displaying when he'd been about to destroy a business competitor. Yes, Lex was very, very displeased with him, and that, coupled with worry, was a recipe for disaster
"You think making you take it up the ass was the worst he could do? Clark, there's so many other things he might have done. You could even have gotten yourself killed."
Clark shivered, because though he'd never known much about gay sex before Lex and Zod, his mind was already running wild with the possibilities. Worse than what had happened was... pretty bad.
Clark rolled over, realizing for the first time that he only had on a pair of sweatpants. He was thankful for that, as he didn't ever want to see the clothes he'd been wearing in Zod's room ever again. He hoped Lex burned them.
"Stay in bed," Lex snapped at him as Clark went to make a move to get out of bed. "Your concussion was bad, and just because you heal fast--even given that the injury was inflicted by someone of your own strength--doesn't mean it's gone yet."
Clark nodded and slipped back under the covers. Staying in bed didn't sound so bad anyway.
Lex didn't say anything else for a while, but only went over to their bags, unpacking silently. Clark watched him do so, observing as his clothing was transferred from the bags to the shelves built into the wall. Lex's muscles were tense as he unpacked; everything was coiled so tightly that he was practically giving off an aura of stress.
Eventually the silence grew too grating on Clark's nerves, and he burst out, "You know I had to try, Lex."
Lex's shoulders stiffened and he paused in his packing. "I do know that, Clark, but I still wish you hadn't." His voice was so serious, but almost...understanding. Clark supposed that shouldn't surprise him, as Lex defined headstrong.
Even so, it wasn't really the answer Clark had expected, and for a moment he was dumbstruck. "I still can't just leave them with Zod and the others."
"You don't get a choice," Lex answered him, still turned away. Slowly, as if he were tired, he turned to face Clark. His face was set in something resembling frustration and fortitude, though he only stood there looking at Clark.
"I've always got a choice."
"One of the definitions of insanity is doing the same thing again and again expecting different results," he told Clark, raising an eyebrow.
Clark swallowed hard and felt some of the blood drain from his face. What had happened was not an experience he wanted to repeat--not ever. "I'll try something different."
"And do what?" Lex asked frankly. "What will you do, Clark? You can't beat him, and I think you know that. He's got too much power right now, and you've just got too little. It's not fun for you--I get that, but I'm asking you to try using a little self-preservation. He'll get what's coming to him, eventually. I promise."
Clark sighed bitterly. "And who's ever going to stand up against him? Non, Ursa, Nam-Ek and Ayethr are all loyal to him, and even you follow him. You may not do it because you're actually loyal, but you still do what he says."
"For now," Lex agreed. "I know a good opportunity when I see it. I also know when I'd be better off letting something alone for the time being, which is a talent I'm trying to instill in you." Sighing, he paused, looking tired. When he spoke again, his tone was serious and full of fatigue, probably brought on from trying for so long to make Clark understand. "Clark, there's nothing you can do. Even if you were able to beat Zod, you wouldn't beat everyone else. It's a losing battle."
"You wouldn't turn against me," Clark pointed out seriously. He actually didn't know that, but it was a question he was dying to have answered.
"I'd stop you," Lex said sadly. "See, I don't love many things in this world, Clark, but those that I do love, I want, and I will have all of them. I love power--I think you knew that. And I also think you didn't need to hear me say it again for you to know that I love *you*, even if your version of love is a little different than mine. But, either way, I'll get both things I want, even if it means that I've got to fight even you to keep them."
Clark felt the hair on his arms rise at Lex's declaration. What a way to declare love, he thought, feeling very strange.
That, Clark supposed, truly was how Lex loved. When he loved something, he took it and didn't let it go. It was his, no one else's, and nothing--not even the thing itself--was going to take it away.
"Do you really love me or are you just obsessed and possessive?" Clark asked, the words feeling sour on his tongue.
"I love you," Lex said easily. "First and foremost, I love you, but my obsession and possessiveness stem from that. You know that, and I think you also know that because of those feelings, Zod isn't just going to walk free for what he did to you."
Abandoning his sorting of clothing, Lex climbed back onto the bed with Clark. "I've never cared about anyone as much as I care about--love, whatever--you, but I will get what I want. I've had the world handed to me on a silver platter, and I'm not giving it up, even to make you happy."
Finished speaking, Lex leaned in and kissed him, running his tongue tenderly along Clark's lower lip, almost as if he were trying to soften his words. Clark opened for him out of habit and even need, but his head was spinning with what Lex had just told him. He wasn't escaping this life, he realized as he kissed Lex. Lex wasn't going to let him go.
Lex abruptly pulled away, leaving Clark sitting on the bed, rather aroused and even more embarrassed. "You have got a concussion; we're not doing this right now."
Clark swallowed the desire to tell Lex *I'm fine, let's have sex please* and instead sat back against the pillows. He must have moved just right, because as he did so he winced at the pain between his legs.
His face must have revealed that pain, because Lex sighed and said, "You were pretty messed up, Clark. He wasn't careful at all this time."
Yeah, like Clark had needed to be told that. He'd been the one who had experienced it, after all. The ripping pain, the smell of blood and fear--it was never going to be erased from his memory. "No kidding," he muttered.
"Then you know you can't try this again. If you want to see Lana, Chloe, or Lois then I'll take you with me when I need to go to one of the fortresses."
"I can't just abandon them," he pointed out. "Damn, Lex, I got them into this, and I can't leave them to dig their way out alone!"
Lex sighed, pushing Clark back so that he was lying on the bed. Once he had him there, he slipped in behind him, running his hand casually down Clark's neck and back. Just touching--exploring, even, and maybe a little bit of comfort, too. Clark shivered under the attention, but he found himself leaning into it, even as he blushed at his actions.
"This isn't your fault, Clark. You couldn't help what you were born as--whom you were born to."
"I wanted to be human," he muttered sadly, closing his eyes again.
"Do you now?" Lex asked.
Clark shrugged and pulled a blanket around him. "Now? I don't know anymore. Humans are so frail, and it scares me. Just one accident and it's all over. That's what I've put my faith in--people that can perish with one screech of tires or one small bullet. I don't know what to think anymore."
"It's interesting," Lex said contemplatively. "When you're human you think nothing can touch you, but when, as I did, you become something more than human you discover just how vulnerable you really were."
Clark nodded, letting his eyes drift closed. He was still so tired, and his head continued to throb slightly. Just to sleep, dreamless and uninterrupted, was no longer a luxury that belonged to him.
Lex's touch slowed, gentling him down into a relaxed state. He'd never had someone just touch him like Lex did. Lex was always touching him--hungrily, gently, casually. At first it had unnerved him a bit, but now he found he liked it. It was a solid presence, and somehow it made it so much easier for Clark to push away the reasons why doing this was wrong. It reassured him and it let him know someone cared.
At the moment, with his world turned upside down, that was something he desperately wanted.
He'd been so set against this at first--so sure that it was wrong. But now, with his mother dead and his friends gone, he wasn't sure what was really wrong anymore. Did the circumstances change the absolutes? Could he even find the will to care if they didn't?
Clark swallowed down his questions as he leaned into Lex's touch to his hair. He still hurt, and the petting felt very nice, especially compared to what Zod had done. As soon as he thought that, Clark felt a rush of emotion for Lex. Lex wouldn't ever hurt him like Zod had--he'd taken care of him when he'd needed it, and he was continuing to do so now.
"Feels nice," he muttered.
"Good," Lex murmured back from above him. "I want it to."
"You make me feel safe, even if what you do scares me sometimes," he added, though he was so close to sleep that he didn't really think about how embarrassed he'd be in the morning to have admitted that.
"You're safe with me, Clark; I promise."
There was such sincerity in that voice and it made Clark relax. Lex wasn't lying right then--he'd take care of Clark. It might not make sense, but his life had never made sense, Clark thought blurrily. Maybe this was just another step in a long line of abnormalities. It didn't look as though anything was going to get any more normal any time soon, either.
As he finally slipped off to sleep, Clark found himself thinking that maybe the only thing he could do was accept it.
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Lex had left once Clark was asleep, sure that he wouldn't wake up for a few hours. It wasn't as though it mattered anyway, because even if he did, Lex was fairly certain that Clark would stay in the room. In the event that he didn't, Lex had put his bracelet back on him and had programmed it to keep him out of the lab as well. It was just a precaution, as Clark could seriously hurt himself out in the world with a concussion and a messiah complex.
The Arctic fortress loomed into view, and Lex narrowed his eyes as he looked at it. He might recognize that Zod was still the supreme ruler, but he'd be damned if anyone would be allowed to really hurt Clark. What had been done to Clark had been malevolent and malicious, done to teach a cruel lesson, and Lex wasn't willing to let it go.
Upon reaching the fortress, Lex stormed through its doors, his eyes searching. Zod wasn't at the main computer, but a scan of the fortress quickly showed him that he was in what seemed to be the fortress's version of a lab.
It didn't take Lex more than half a second to super-speed to it, and then he simply opened the door and strode inside. Asking permission for entrance was far beneath this situation, and it would have been nothing but an act--a *useless* act.
Lex didn't have time for something like that.
"I want to know why you did that to him," Lex demanded as soon as he was in the room.
Zod, who had been studying some sort of greenish-blue plasma, turned away from it to face Lex. The way his lips just barely turned upward at the corners infuriated Lex. He'd always seen Zod as somewhat of a cold, unfeeling monster, but now that opinion was intensifying.
"Surely you aren't truly wondering why anyone would want his body? After all, you take him to bed night after night," Zod pointed out smugly.
Lex seriously wanted to wipe that smirk from Zod's face. "He did what comes naturally to him: he tried to rescue people."
Zod laughed. "So then teach him not to."
Lex couldn't hide his displeasure. "Maybe that's not something I want him to learn." Clark should never learn not to help people. He might have to understand that it wasn't always going to be allowed, but Lex didn't ever want him at the point where he just didn't care anymore. If that happened, Clark would be nothing but an empty shell.
"Then teach him to control it. His actions are not to be permitted. He came here and attempted to steal away my slave, and so he paid for it."
"You *raped* him," Lex pointed out, just barely able to hide the anger in his voice. "His legs had blood all over them."
Zod gave him a very devil-be-damned look. "Then perhaps he will have learned, and he will not repeat this particular indiscretion."
Lex felt his anger bubble over. "You think this is how he should learn things? He's not a dog that needs to be trained--Clark is an adult male Kryptonian, and cruelty like this should never be used to teach him what to do or not to do!"
"If you keep him with you, you may do with him as you wish, but the moment he crosses me, I will deal with him as *I* see fit," Zod informed him callously, looking too much as though he'd enjoy the opportunity. He casually turned away from Lex as he went to collect his lab equipment, adding, "I expect that you will have your duties fufiled by tomorrow night at the latest. Indeed, you are very lucky that I tolerated you taking time off to care for the wounds of someone who deserved what he received."
Lex could practically feel steam coming out his ears, but years of living with Lionel had conditioned him in such a way that he was able to hide it. Zod would get what was coming to him, but Lex wasn't foolish enough to act on his emotions when the time wasn't opportune. "I'll get it done," he said firmly, keeping his voice emotionless.
Zod nodded. "Good."
Not waiting for anything else, simply because he wasn't sure he could take it, Lex hurried from the room. He couldn't get out of there fast enough, or more specifically out of Zod's presence. He'd always known that Zod was a merciless man, but this went even beyond his limits of cruel acts.
Zod was his leader for the time being, but he was no friend of Lex's.
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Lana found that she was often cold now. Zod had supposedly adjusted the temperature more to her tolerance, but she still shivered at night, even under the covers. Perhaps it truly was the cold, or maybe it was simply Zod's presence, but either way it was affecting her sleep.
Sleeping with Zod was horrid, even more so now that she'd seen Clark being brutally abused. She wasn't sure what was worse: Zod's abuse, or Lex's obvious control over Clark.
Lex, she knew from experience, was not the nicest person. He always had his own agenda, and others either learned to fit it, were forced to do so, or were discarded. Clark, she was certain, would be one of the first two.
Lex had never touched her like he'd touched Clark when he was checking for injuries. He'd been so careful, almost tentative, and Clark had just kept his legs open and *let* him. It didn't take someone with a degree to know that Clark, no matter what he told himself, had come to trust Lex.
Trusting Lex Luthor was a dangerous thing.
Lana shifted and tried to pull the covers closer around her. Zod would most likely come to bed in a few minutes, and she shivered at the implications. She almost wished that she would get pregnant just to gain a reprieve.
But, just as much as she considered it, she feared that possibility. How could she love a child that was a part of Zod? And if it grew evil, would she have the will to kill it if she got the chance? And what would become of her if she ever conceived? Would Zod kill her once she gave birth?
Lana tried to swallow down her fears, at least for the moment. She'd already conceded to the point that things were never going to be normal again. From her last allowed conversation with Chloe and Lois she was aware that they shared that opinion.
Clark's life, if anything, had remained the most normal. He was with Lex, who he had known for years. From the way Lex had touched him, had spoken to him, had even *looked* at him, Lana knew that Clark wasn't being abused. Manipulated, maybe, but Lex wasn't hurting him. She wasn't sure whether to be angry at her old friend for allowing that or to be happy that he wasn't being roughly treated.
She wondered if Clark had accepted the state of the world yet. A part of her still hoped he had not, because she was very much aware that he was Earth's last hope. At the same time, he wasn't really much of a hope. Clark couldn't fight six people with strength equal or greater than his and hope to win.
Still waiting for Zod, Lana laid her head on the pillow. Surely he wouldn't be angry if she just tried to sleep a little. Slipping her bare feet further under the covers so that they curled in the hem of her night clothing, she closed her eyes and tried to settle herself enough to sleep.
Next Part
Author: hoperoy
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex, Clark/other
Rating: NC-17
Length: 5,902
Spoilers: Vessel
Warnings: Violence, non-con, character death
Disclaimer: I can only wish that they were mine. Sadly, that is not the case.
Notes: Part 24/25
Summary: Sometimes the best men don't always win, and even heroes fail. AU after Vessel. What if Clark didn't defeat Zod?
Thanks, danceswithgary!
Previous Part
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The darkest hour has only sixty minutes. ~Morris Mandel
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After meeting with Zod, Lex had considered going straight to insert the crystals into their respective areas of the ground, but on his way back from the Arctic he decided he'd go see if Clark was up yet. Maybe they could even have breakfast, he thought with a smirk, remembering the previous night.
Expecting Clark to be in their room, he was a little surprised when he wasn't. The bed was still warm, though, and so Clark had to have recently vacated the premises.
A quick scan of the fortress showed Lex that Clark wasn't there, and he found himself getting worried. Most likely, he reasoned, Clark had just gone off for a walk, but with Clark's talent for getting in trouble, Lex needed to be sure.
He was aware that Clark would be angry at him for using the tracking device to find out his location. In fact, Lex admitted to himself, he probably had a right to be.
He couldn't have cared less.
Lex approached the main computer of the fortress and easily inserted a crystal. For a moment there was nothing, and then a blue light began to emanate from the piece of technology, bathing Lex in its glow.
Lex jumped back when an automated voice, its tone mechanical and stony, said, "State your request."
"I'd like Clark's coordinates," he told it, hoping it knew what he meant. He really didn't want to go through a description of Clark with an AI.
Luckily for him, it seemed to. "Searching for coordinates," it announced.
Lex stepped back and simply looked at the computer for a few moments while it searched for Clark. Clark's people really had been truly amazing, he reflected. The things they'd accomplished had been so far ahead of Earth, so advanced.
And yet they'd destroyed themselves.
"Tracking system was deactivated early this morning," the fortress announced, and Lex could swear the thing sounded almost mocking.
"What?" he asked, stepping back into the blue light. Clark was smart--he knew that--but he'd left no code with which the bracelet could be disabled. He should have been the only one who could deactivate it. Surely Clark couldn't have found a way to bypass *that*?
A hologram popped up in front of Lex, depicting Clark in a ray of shimmering blue light. Clark had been in the lab, Lex realized, and apparently he'd found the chemical Lex had been toying with. Lex could only watch, anger and a little bit of unease bubbling inside of him, as Clark pulled the chemical from its clear container. For a moment, he just looked at it before tentatively picking it up.
"Damn, Clark, don't," he hissed, well aware that Clark couldn't hear him.
It might have been one of the worst things ever, just standing there and watching as Clark dropped some of the liquid to the floor, staring intently until a small piece of Kryptonian technology grew up from the floor. He wanted to be able to grab Clark's wrist and pull him away from it, tell him it would end up getting him hurt, but this Clark was just a hologram, and Lex couldn't stop him.
Clark picked up the small piece of metal and crystal, studying it for a moment. After some intense scrutiny, he raised it to his bracelet, shoving into the slot that opened for it.
Lex could only watch as light emanated from the bracelet, its brilliance projecting from the hologram to dance on the walls of the room Lex was in. Clark continued to watch, his lips moving, saying words that Lex couldn't hear.
Once the light died down, Lex observed as Clark watched the bracelet fall from his wrist, a smile accompanied by a determined look blooming on his face. And then Clark was simply gone, having run out of the room.
The hologram shut off, but Lex had enough information to understand what had happened. Clark, being an intelligent young man, had remembered Lex's experiment and had used it to benefit himself. Given that, as well as the determined look on Clark's face, Lex could guess fairly easily where Clark had gone. Of course, he was aware that if Clark got there and was able to free his friends then he'd disappear before Lex could even begin to track him. That didn't leave Lex with a very wide time-frame.
The world flew by in its customary blur as Lex sped from the fortress. It appeared as a continuing line of color, the earthen tones of wooded land eventually changing to white as he reached the Arctic.
Snow crunched under his expensive shoes as Lex approached the fortress, not sure that he wanted to simply rush in. In spite of everything that had happened, Zod was still in authority over him, and it might do more harm than good to provoke him to anger.
Lex encountered no one when he walked into the fortress, making his way to the main room. The only reminders of the people who had been in the room when he'd visited not long before were the table of ice and an empty cup.
There was no Zod, no Lana, and definitely no Clark.
Lex, not about to make the mistake of assuming that Clark wasn't there simply because he wasn't in the main room, began to scan the fortress. It still amazed him to see the layers of wall peel away under his vision, showing him the rooms behind them.
Clark wasn't in the room that they'd shared when staying here, nor was he in Lana's room. In fact, since the girls were gone, it was doubtful that Lana even had her own room anymore. Lex continued to scan the walls, his penetrating stare finally reaching Zod's bedroom.
He'd never felt more horrible in his life.
Clark's skeleton, easy to make out with its nearly flawless form, was struggling to lift itself off the bed. Letting his vision focus a bit more, so that he could see Clark's skin and muscles, he saw the evidence of damage from what he knew must have been downright hell for Clark.
A torrent of emotions consumed him as he watched Zod on top of Lana, Clark lying beside them in obvious pain. Part of him wanted to say that this had been Clark's fault--a result of his foolish messiah complex. But, in some ways, Lex was more than aware that he'd had a part in this. Clark had, and probably always would, love his friends more than himself. Lex had taken Clark completely away from that, and now they were both reaping the consequences.
Lex still couldn't help the anger that he felt at Clark for doing this. If Clark would just learn to talk to him about what was bothering most--something he'd never learned to do--then things would go more smoothly. But Clark had always hidden what hurt the most, bottling it up inside until it threatened to destroy him.
Nevertheless, it would take a lot more than anger at Clark for Lex to want to leave him in Zod's control for even a moment longer. Hurrying, he raced into Zod's room.
Seeing things close up was even worse than in x-ray vision. Blood--possibly Clark's--was all over the sheets. It actually probably was Clark's, he realized, as he saw the small rivulets of the substance on Clark's side, a little cum mixed with it. The room reeked, and if Lex had ever doubted that fear had a smell, he banished that doubt now.
"Interesting thing, really," Lex found himself saying, watching Clark fight to sit up, "but I could have sworn that, while you got Lana, I got him." He paused slightly, a little pleased at the relief that flooded Clark's face when he spoke. "What's he doing in your bed?" he added quietly, his voice walking a knife's edge of being threatening. At this moment, he wanted to kill Zod for what he'd done to Clark.
Eventually, he knew he would.
Zod got up, pulling his pants back on. "Lex Luthor," he greeted, keeping his voice casual and unconcerned. "If you can't keep him out of my way then I'll find uses for him."
Smug was the only way Lex could describe Zod's face. In short, he was telling Lex that if he couldn't control Clark then the boy was going to get the life kicked out of him. Zod still desired Clark, and Lex knew that; this was just a warning, however brutal of one it might have been. It hadn't been a warning for Clark, either, but for him.
Clark was in a position where he wasn't able to see him, and Lex watched as he shifted, seeming as though he really wanted to see Lex, to know that he was there. Clark, it seemed, was actually happy to have been found.
And considering the state he was in, Lex couldn't blame him.
"I don't think that will be a problem anymore," Lex said smoothly in reply to Zod's words. He could feel his anger bubbling up, threatening to explode, and so, wanting to avoid a scene, he said, "If you're done, then I'll take him and go."
He would deal with this later, after he'd taken care of Clark.
The shock on Clark's face was obvious, and Lex couldn't help the bitter pity that welled up inside him. What had Clark expected him to do? He might have had power, but for now Zod was still over him. If Zod wanted to keep Clark then he most likely could. Picking a fight with Zod was not in his best interest--nor was it in Clark's. The day would come when he'd seek retribution for what had been done here, but today was not that day.
Clark's skin was warm to the touch, even if he was shaking. Despite knowing that Zod was watching, Lex couldn't help running a hand down Clark's thighs to touch the blood and quickly assess the damage. While Lana looked horrified, Clark didn't flinch or fight him at all.
Clark's eyes fluttered closed when Lex found his discarded boxers and put them back on him. "Help me a little, Clark," he murmured as he positioned his hands around Clark's waist, lifting him. He could have lifted Clark easily, but he was already degraded enough, and he was fairly sure that Clark would want to try to save face in front of Lana.
Clark finally stood, even if Lex had to keep Clark's arm over his shoulder and his own arm around Clark's waist.
"Clark!" Lana cried out from behind them.
Clark froze, and Lex would have loved to put a bullet in her head right then. Couldn't she have thought of someone other than herself? Clark was in need of help right now, and all she could fathom was her own rescue.
"He's not in a state to be very conversational right now, Lana," he said bitterly, barely able to keep the loathing in his voice to a minimum.
"Don't leave her," Clark murmured, fighting against him briefly.
"She's not mine to take, Clark," Lex informed Clark as he all but dragged him out of the room.
Clark wouldn't stop looking over his shoulder at her until Lex hauled him out of her sight. Even then he was still tense and clearly wanted to go back for her. Clark would never learn that he couldn't save everyone, Lex supposed.
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Clark felt the mattress molding to is back as he was laid down on warm sheets. His head still rang from Zod's blow, and even as he fought hard to remain lucid he felt himself slipping away.
"You didn't learn the first time, Clark?" he heard Lex say darkly. Oh. Lex was mad. That probably wasn't good.
He'd intended to respond with a witty reply, perhaps along the lines of telling Lex to go to hell, though that never happened. It was probably because, somewhere between his mind and his vocal cords, the message morphed to a whimper, leaving him feeling humiliated.
Lex's soft sigh reached his ears as the pounding in his skull became worse. Everything was painful, and he could smell his own blood. He didn't like the smell of his blood, and just wanted to be clean. "Get it off, please," he muttered.
"Get what off, Clark?" Lex's suddenly surprisingly gentle voice asked, his hand smoothing back Clark's hair. The cut had healed--Clark could feel it--though the headache was still there.
"The blood."
There was too much blood. Blood from all the people that had been killed, and possibly his own--it had to go. He just wanted to stop smelling it. Why wouldn't it leave him alone?
He heard himself moan, and after a brief period when Lex's hand left him, he felt a warm cloth cleaning his forehead. "It's a wonder you stayed conscious long enough for me to get there," Lex's voice rumbled from above him.
Yes, it really was a wonder, and one that he didn't care to contemplate at that moment. He just wanted the smell to go away and for his head to stop spinning, because he wanted to be able to think clearly. He wanted to tell Lex how angry he was that he'd left Lana with Zod, because Lex was supposed to *love* Lana.
Or was that right?
Did Lex love Lana? And where was he? Zod, he remembered Zod, but he wasn't quite sure what was going on. He knew that he had the facts in his head, but they were all jumbled and thinking really hurt. He didn't want to think.
The last thing he remembered was Lex yelling at him to stay the hell awake.
He didn't listen.
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The next day was a blur for Clark. It was just people standing over him, careful touches to his head, some mumbled words, and a very intense headache. Soft sheets were constantly around him, and he was fairly sure that Lex might have climbed into bed and held him a few times, especially after cleaning him up.
Clark could remember that.
The gentle touches to his abused hole, the blood being washed off his thighs--he remembered everything about that. He thought he might have cried, but he couldn't remember really. One thing he was sure of was that Lex had been the only one who cleaned him up *there*, because he remembered Lex's soft voice accompanying the touches, as if he was reassuring Clark that Lex was the only one who was touching him like that.
Clark was thankful, because he didn't think he could have handled anyone else doing so.
When the fog around his brain finally began to clear, Clark found that he was drifting in a semi-conscious state of sleep. Trying to break himself out of it by moving, he discovered that he had been asleep with his head in someone's lap, said person sitting against the head of the bed.
Lex looked almost innocent when he was asleep, and Clark had to wonder how he could look like that and still be so ruthless in his waking hours. When Clark finally shifted a little, he realized that Lex's hand was resting in his hair, Lex having presumably fallen asleep while carding through the thick locks.
Lex, it seemed, wasn't the heaviest of sleepers, because as soon as Clark began to sit up, he awoke. "Morning," Clark said with a lopsided grin. As he continued to sit up, he winced, the tail end of a headache catching him by surprise.
Lex didn't smile back, though he did look a bit relieved. "Actually, it's nearly six in the evening."
"Oh," Clark replied slowly, not quite sure what else to say.
"You've been out for nearly two days, Clark," Lex said quietly, his jaw muscles clenching. The deadly calm of his voice let Clark know that Lex was less than happy.
"Wow," he murmured, succeeding at last in sitting up.
He almost wished he'd stayed down, as Lex sat there, looking at him with a kind of intimidating scrutiny. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?" Lex asked after a few moment's pause.
Clark swallowed hard. He didn't want to draw the battle lines just yet, because his head still felt kind of funny. He didn't think he'd even have a chance at outsmarting Lex when thinking hurt so much.
"Not much worse than what did happen, I guess," he replied, careful to keep the snap out of his tone. Making Lex angry wasn't a good move right now. He'd seen the look Lex was currently displaying when he'd been about to destroy a business competitor. Yes, Lex was very, very displeased with him, and that, coupled with worry, was a recipe for disaster
"You think making you take it up the ass was the worst he could do? Clark, there's so many other things he might have done. You could even have gotten yourself killed."
Clark shivered, because though he'd never known much about gay sex before Lex and Zod, his mind was already running wild with the possibilities. Worse than what had happened was... pretty bad.
Clark rolled over, realizing for the first time that he only had on a pair of sweatpants. He was thankful for that, as he didn't ever want to see the clothes he'd been wearing in Zod's room ever again. He hoped Lex burned them.
"Stay in bed," Lex snapped at him as Clark went to make a move to get out of bed. "Your concussion was bad, and just because you heal fast--even given that the injury was inflicted by someone of your own strength--doesn't mean it's gone yet."
Clark nodded and slipped back under the covers. Staying in bed didn't sound so bad anyway.
Lex didn't say anything else for a while, but only went over to their bags, unpacking silently. Clark watched him do so, observing as his clothing was transferred from the bags to the shelves built into the wall. Lex's muscles were tense as he unpacked; everything was coiled so tightly that he was practically giving off an aura of stress.
Eventually the silence grew too grating on Clark's nerves, and he burst out, "You know I had to try, Lex."
Lex's shoulders stiffened and he paused in his packing. "I do know that, Clark, but I still wish you hadn't." His voice was so serious, but almost...understanding. Clark supposed that shouldn't surprise him, as Lex defined headstrong.
Even so, it wasn't really the answer Clark had expected, and for a moment he was dumbstruck. "I still can't just leave them with Zod and the others."
"You don't get a choice," Lex answered him, still turned away. Slowly, as if he were tired, he turned to face Clark. His face was set in something resembling frustration and fortitude, though he only stood there looking at Clark.
"I've always got a choice."
"One of the definitions of insanity is doing the same thing again and again expecting different results," he told Clark, raising an eyebrow.
Clark swallowed hard and felt some of the blood drain from his face. What had happened was not an experience he wanted to repeat--not ever. "I'll try something different."
"And do what?" Lex asked frankly. "What will you do, Clark? You can't beat him, and I think you know that. He's got too much power right now, and you've just got too little. It's not fun for you--I get that, but I'm asking you to try using a little self-preservation. He'll get what's coming to him, eventually. I promise."
Clark sighed bitterly. "And who's ever going to stand up against him? Non, Ursa, Nam-Ek and Ayethr are all loyal to him, and even you follow him. You may not do it because you're actually loyal, but you still do what he says."
"For now," Lex agreed. "I know a good opportunity when I see it. I also know when I'd be better off letting something alone for the time being, which is a talent I'm trying to instill in you." Sighing, he paused, looking tired. When he spoke again, his tone was serious and full of fatigue, probably brought on from trying for so long to make Clark understand. "Clark, there's nothing you can do. Even if you were able to beat Zod, you wouldn't beat everyone else. It's a losing battle."
"You wouldn't turn against me," Clark pointed out seriously. He actually didn't know that, but it was a question he was dying to have answered.
"I'd stop you," Lex said sadly. "See, I don't love many things in this world, Clark, but those that I do love, I want, and I will have all of them. I love power--I think you knew that. And I also think you didn't need to hear me say it again for you to know that I love *you*, even if your version of love is a little different than mine. But, either way, I'll get both things I want, even if it means that I've got to fight even you to keep them."
Clark felt the hair on his arms rise at Lex's declaration. What a way to declare love, he thought, feeling very strange.
That, Clark supposed, truly was how Lex loved. When he loved something, he took it and didn't let it go. It was his, no one else's, and nothing--not even the thing itself--was going to take it away.
"Do you really love me or are you just obsessed and possessive?" Clark asked, the words feeling sour on his tongue.
"I love you," Lex said easily. "First and foremost, I love you, but my obsession and possessiveness stem from that. You know that, and I think you also know that because of those feelings, Zod isn't just going to walk free for what he did to you."
Abandoning his sorting of clothing, Lex climbed back onto the bed with Clark. "I've never cared about anyone as much as I care about--love, whatever--you, but I will get what I want. I've had the world handed to me on a silver platter, and I'm not giving it up, even to make you happy."
Finished speaking, Lex leaned in and kissed him, running his tongue tenderly along Clark's lower lip, almost as if he were trying to soften his words. Clark opened for him out of habit and even need, but his head was spinning with what Lex had just told him. He wasn't escaping this life, he realized as he kissed Lex. Lex wasn't going to let him go.
Lex abruptly pulled away, leaving Clark sitting on the bed, rather aroused and even more embarrassed. "You have got a concussion; we're not doing this right now."
Clark swallowed the desire to tell Lex *I'm fine, let's have sex please* and instead sat back against the pillows. He must have moved just right, because as he did so he winced at the pain between his legs.
His face must have revealed that pain, because Lex sighed and said, "You were pretty messed up, Clark. He wasn't careful at all this time."
Yeah, like Clark had needed to be told that. He'd been the one who had experienced it, after all. The ripping pain, the smell of blood and fear--it was never going to be erased from his memory. "No kidding," he muttered.
"Then you know you can't try this again. If you want to see Lana, Chloe, or Lois then I'll take you with me when I need to go to one of the fortresses."
"I can't just abandon them," he pointed out. "Damn, Lex, I got them into this, and I can't leave them to dig their way out alone!"
Lex sighed, pushing Clark back so that he was lying on the bed. Once he had him there, he slipped in behind him, running his hand casually down Clark's neck and back. Just touching--exploring, even, and maybe a little bit of comfort, too. Clark shivered under the attention, but he found himself leaning into it, even as he blushed at his actions.
"This isn't your fault, Clark. You couldn't help what you were born as--whom you were born to."
"I wanted to be human," he muttered sadly, closing his eyes again.
"Do you now?" Lex asked.
Clark shrugged and pulled a blanket around him. "Now? I don't know anymore. Humans are so frail, and it scares me. Just one accident and it's all over. That's what I've put my faith in--people that can perish with one screech of tires or one small bullet. I don't know what to think anymore."
"It's interesting," Lex said contemplatively. "When you're human you think nothing can touch you, but when, as I did, you become something more than human you discover just how vulnerable you really were."
Clark nodded, letting his eyes drift closed. He was still so tired, and his head continued to throb slightly. Just to sleep, dreamless and uninterrupted, was no longer a luxury that belonged to him.
Lex's touch slowed, gentling him down into a relaxed state. He'd never had someone just touch him like Lex did. Lex was always touching him--hungrily, gently, casually. At first it had unnerved him a bit, but now he found he liked it. It was a solid presence, and somehow it made it so much easier for Clark to push away the reasons why doing this was wrong. It reassured him and it let him know someone cared.
At the moment, with his world turned upside down, that was something he desperately wanted.
He'd been so set against this at first--so sure that it was wrong. But now, with his mother dead and his friends gone, he wasn't sure what was really wrong anymore. Did the circumstances change the absolutes? Could he even find the will to care if they didn't?
Clark swallowed down his questions as he leaned into Lex's touch to his hair. He still hurt, and the petting felt very nice, especially compared to what Zod had done. As soon as he thought that, Clark felt a rush of emotion for Lex. Lex wouldn't ever hurt him like Zod had--he'd taken care of him when he'd needed it, and he was continuing to do so now.
"Feels nice," he muttered.
"Good," Lex murmured back from above him. "I want it to."
"You make me feel safe, even if what you do scares me sometimes," he added, though he was so close to sleep that he didn't really think about how embarrassed he'd be in the morning to have admitted that.
"You're safe with me, Clark; I promise."
There was such sincerity in that voice and it made Clark relax. Lex wasn't lying right then--he'd take care of Clark. It might not make sense, but his life had never made sense, Clark thought blurrily. Maybe this was just another step in a long line of abnormalities. It didn't look as though anything was going to get any more normal any time soon, either.
As he finally slipped off to sleep, Clark found himself thinking that maybe the only thing he could do was accept it.
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Lex had left once Clark was asleep, sure that he wouldn't wake up for a few hours. It wasn't as though it mattered anyway, because even if he did, Lex was fairly certain that Clark would stay in the room. In the event that he didn't, Lex had put his bracelet back on him and had programmed it to keep him out of the lab as well. It was just a precaution, as Clark could seriously hurt himself out in the world with a concussion and a messiah complex.
The Arctic fortress loomed into view, and Lex narrowed his eyes as he looked at it. He might recognize that Zod was still the supreme ruler, but he'd be damned if anyone would be allowed to really hurt Clark. What had been done to Clark had been malevolent and malicious, done to teach a cruel lesson, and Lex wasn't willing to let it go.
Upon reaching the fortress, Lex stormed through its doors, his eyes searching. Zod wasn't at the main computer, but a scan of the fortress quickly showed him that he was in what seemed to be the fortress's version of a lab.
It didn't take Lex more than half a second to super-speed to it, and then he simply opened the door and strode inside. Asking permission for entrance was far beneath this situation, and it would have been nothing but an act--a *useless* act.
Lex didn't have time for something like that.
"I want to know why you did that to him," Lex demanded as soon as he was in the room.
Zod, who had been studying some sort of greenish-blue plasma, turned away from it to face Lex. The way his lips just barely turned upward at the corners infuriated Lex. He'd always seen Zod as somewhat of a cold, unfeeling monster, but now that opinion was intensifying.
"Surely you aren't truly wondering why anyone would want his body? After all, you take him to bed night after night," Zod pointed out smugly.
Lex seriously wanted to wipe that smirk from Zod's face. "He did what comes naturally to him: he tried to rescue people."
Zod laughed. "So then teach him not to."
Lex couldn't hide his displeasure. "Maybe that's not something I want him to learn." Clark should never learn not to help people. He might have to understand that it wasn't always going to be allowed, but Lex didn't ever want him at the point where he just didn't care anymore. If that happened, Clark would be nothing but an empty shell.
"Then teach him to control it. His actions are not to be permitted. He came here and attempted to steal away my slave, and so he paid for it."
"You *raped* him," Lex pointed out, just barely able to hide the anger in his voice. "His legs had blood all over them."
Zod gave him a very devil-be-damned look. "Then perhaps he will have learned, and he will not repeat this particular indiscretion."
Lex felt his anger bubble over. "You think this is how he should learn things? He's not a dog that needs to be trained--Clark is an adult male Kryptonian, and cruelty like this should never be used to teach him what to do or not to do!"
"If you keep him with you, you may do with him as you wish, but the moment he crosses me, I will deal with him as *I* see fit," Zod informed him callously, looking too much as though he'd enjoy the opportunity. He casually turned away from Lex as he went to collect his lab equipment, adding, "I expect that you will have your duties fufiled by tomorrow night at the latest. Indeed, you are very lucky that I tolerated you taking time off to care for the wounds of someone who deserved what he received."
Lex could practically feel steam coming out his ears, but years of living with Lionel had conditioned him in such a way that he was able to hide it. Zod would get what was coming to him, but Lex wasn't foolish enough to act on his emotions when the time wasn't opportune. "I'll get it done," he said firmly, keeping his voice emotionless.
Zod nodded. "Good."
Not waiting for anything else, simply because he wasn't sure he could take it, Lex hurried from the room. He couldn't get out of there fast enough, or more specifically out of Zod's presence. He'd always known that Zod was a merciless man, but this went even beyond his limits of cruel acts.
Zod was his leader for the time being, but he was no friend of Lex's.
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Lana found that she was often cold now. Zod had supposedly adjusted the temperature more to her tolerance, but she still shivered at night, even under the covers. Perhaps it truly was the cold, or maybe it was simply Zod's presence, but either way it was affecting her sleep.
Sleeping with Zod was horrid, even more so now that she'd seen Clark being brutally abused. She wasn't sure what was worse: Zod's abuse, or Lex's obvious control over Clark.
Lex, she knew from experience, was not the nicest person. He always had his own agenda, and others either learned to fit it, were forced to do so, or were discarded. Clark, she was certain, would be one of the first two.
Lex had never touched her like he'd touched Clark when he was checking for injuries. He'd been so careful, almost tentative, and Clark had just kept his legs open and *let* him. It didn't take someone with a degree to know that Clark, no matter what he told himself, had come to trust Lex.
Trusting Lex Luthor was a dangerous thing.
Lana shifted and tried to pull the covers closer around her. Zod would most likely come to bed in a few minutes, and she shivered at the implications. She almost wished that she would get pregnant just to gain a reprieve.
But, just as much as she considered it, she feared that possibility. How could she love a child that was a part of Zod? And if it grew evil, would she have the will to kill it if she got the chance? And what would become of her if she ever conceived? Would Zod kill her once she gave birth?
Lana tried to swallow down her fears, at least for the moment. She'd already conceded to the point that things were never going to be normal again. From her last allowed conversation with Chloe and Lois she was aware that they shared that opinion.
Clark's life, if anything, had remained the most normal. He was with Lex, who he had known for years. From the way Lex had touched him, had spoken to him, had even *looked* at him, Lana knew that Clark wasn't being abused. Manipulated, maybe, but Lex wasn't hurting him. She wasn't sure whether to be angry at her old friend for allowing that or to be happy that he wasn't being roughly treated.
She wondered if Clark had accepted the state of the world yet. A part of her still hoped he had not, because she was very much aware that he was Earth's last hope. At the same time, he wasn't really much of a hope. Clark couldn't fight six people with strength equal or greater than his and hope to win.
Still waiting for Zod, Lana laid her head on the pillow. Surely he wouldn't be angry if she just tried to sleep a little. Slipping her bare feet further under the covers so that they curled in the hem of her night clothing, she closed her eyes and tried to settle herself enough to sleep.
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