No Good Deed - August 4th
Twisted Shorts August Fic-a-Day Challenge - Day 4
Title: No Good Deed
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/Smallville
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Smallville people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Athena and Clark save Lex.
Notes: Athena Luthor Part 22 - Links Page
Seasons: S1 “Zero”
Characters: Clark, Athena, Martha, Lex
Word Count: 1235
“What the hell happened?” Athena demanded as she and Lex got out of the car. There were LuthorCorp barrels all around one of the Kent’s back field. Dead cows were strewn all over the field.
“I have no idea,” Lex answered. “This isn’t something I’d ever allow to happen.”
They crossed to the fence where Clark and the Kents were standing.
She headed straight for Clark while Lex tried to talk to the Kents. It lasted only a moment before he joined her and Clark.
“What did they say?” Athena asked.
“They refused monetary compensation,” he answered, his face closed off.
“Lex,” she said in exasperation. “This herd represents years of work. It was a generational herd the Kents have been raising since they settled in this part of the country.”
Clark looked at her in surprise. “How did you know that?”
“Your dad was telling me about it.”
Clark nodded and his gaze returned to Lex. “Does this have anything to do with Club Zero?”
“I think so,” Lex said regretfully.
“You need to tell the authorities everything you know,” Clark said. “This isn’t just about you anymore.”
“What are you two talking about?” Athena said.
“I’ll tell you everything later,” Lex promised. “For right now, I need you to stay with Clark.”
“Lex.”
“Just don’t go anywhere alone. I will call you when it’s safe.” He walked away from her.
88888888
“Okay. So before Lex was sent to Yale something happened at this Club Zero,” Athena clarified. She held the printouts Clark had about the death at Club Zero three years before. A report without a hint of Lex Luthor in them.
“All I could figure out was that Jude Royce died and it was because of the security guard for the club.”
“The one now assumed dead because his severed hand was found a couple days ago at the Talon.”
“Yes,” Clark said. “And someone claiming to be Jude Royce has been seen around town.”
“So this is why father sent him off,” she muttered. “A cover-up to keep Lex’s name out of it…would have cost as much as an Ivy League education.”
“Hey, Clark,” Chloe said as she came up the stairs. “I printed off the pictures I took of the cows…” She paused. “Hi, Athena.”
“Pictures going to run in the Torch?” Athena asked.
“I haven’t decided yet.” Chloe handed the pictures to Clark. “I figured your parents might need these for insurance.”
“Thanks,” Clark said as he shuffled through the pictures. He paused. “It’s the same man.”
He turned the picture around and held up the article printout.
“Jude Royce…” Athena said. “How?”
Chloe grabbed the picture. “The digitals are on my computer, I should be able to get a better read on this license plate.”
“Where?” Clark asked.
“At the Torch.”
“We’ll meet you there,” Clark said. “We’re going to try and reach Lex first.”
Chloe nodded. “I’ll start as soon as I’m there.” She left the loft.
Athena pulled out her phone and called the Mansion. “Yes, is Lex home?”
She looked at Clark and shook her head. “Call me if he comes home.” She hung up. “They haven’t seen him since we left this morning.” She called another number. “His cell is going straight to voicemail. Call me back, Lex.” She tried the plant but no one had seen him.
“Anything?” Clark asked.
“No. Lex would have tried to get to the bottom of the spill on your farm before anything.” She looked at him. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
88888888
Clark skidded to a stop at the corner of an alley in Metropolis and let Athena down.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Just farther than I’m used to going,” he replied.
They could see the police gathered outside of the address Chloe had found for the supposed Jude Royce. A pair of men rolled out a body bag.
“Is it…?” Athena said.
“No. It’s missing a hand.”
“The security guard.”
Clark nodded and waved her to wait as he crossed to the police. They spoke for a moment before he returned to Athena.
“There was no one else in the house,” he said. “But Club Zero closed a few months ago, and it’s in the warehouse district at 78th and Main.”
“I know where that is,” she told him. “Come on.”
They ran through the streets of Metropolis, Clark keeping up easily with her Slayer speed. She turned onto the street where Club Zero’s sign was still displayed, if not lit.
“Do we have a plan?” Clark asked as they slowed to find a way in.
The beats of music permeated the walls.
“No plan,” she said.
Clark pulled her to a stop. “Let me go in first and have a look around.”
Athena nodded. Entering could get Lex harmed. She pulled the door opened and counted to thirty before stepping in.
“Lex!” she called out as she watched him land, restrained in a straightjacket. Clark breezed past her and re-entered behind her.
“Get down,” Lex yelled. “A man with a gun is up there.”
Athena ran to Lex, pressing her hands into the bullet wound in his shoulder.
“The guy is knocked out,” Clark reported. “What happened?”
“I have no idea.” He looked at them. “How did you find me?”
Athena shook her head as she tore at the straightjacket to release him. “Who was that guy?”
“The brother of an old friend,” he said vaguely.
She handed Clark part of the jacket. “Want to tie him up before he wakes?”
“Yeah,” he took it and walked away.
She fished her phone from her pocket and called 9-1-1.
88888888
Athena sat under a tree on the side of the house as Clark approached her. She was staring off at the horizon.
“How are you?” he asked as he sat down next to her.
“A little pissed.”
“What happened?”
“Roy - the guy who arranged all of this. I’ve seen him before.”
Clark looked at her in surprise. “Where?”
“When he tried to kidnap me about six weeks ago.”
“What?”
“I fought him off and had to use Slayer abilities to do it. I hadn’t gotten any information about him or his vehicle. And until yesterday, I hadn’t seen him again. I kept an eye out for missing persons, but nothing that fit.” She sighed. “If I’d been able to get information or reported him to the police, this wouldn’t have happened to Lex.”
“He would have killed you,” Clark reminded her.
“Lex thinks the same thing. That if he had known about me, he would have taken a sister for a sister. I think that was the plan until I proved too hard to get.”
“This isn’t your fault.”
“I know. I just…I could have stopped this.”
“Maybe, but Roy was deranged - no meteor rock powers. He just hated Lex.”
“For protecting his sister.” She leaned back. “Lex didn’t kill Royce. Neither did the security guard. Amanda did…and he protected her. Because he knew Father would cover it up if it was him.”
“Woah.”
“No good deed…” she suggested. “Then again, if he hadn’t covered for her, Roy may still have come after him because she was jailed. He would have thought that Father threw her under the bus to save Lex.”
“There’s no way of knowing.”
Athena nodded. “I know. I just…he was shot.”
Clark put an arm around her shoulder. “He’s alive and it’s healing.”
Title: No Good Deed
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/Smallville
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Smallville people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Athena and Clark save Lex.
Notes: Athena Luthor Part 22 - Links Page
Seasons: S1 “Zero”
Characters: Clark, Athena, Martha, Lex
Word Count: 1235
“What the hell happened?” Athena demanded as she and Lex got out of the car. There were LuthorCorp barrels all around one of the Kent’s back field. Dead cows were strewn all over the field.
“I have no idea,” Lex answered. “This isn’t something I’d ever allow to happen.”
They crossed to the fence where Clark and the Kents were standing.
She headed straight for Clark while Lex tried to talk to the Kents. It lasted only a moment before he joined her and Clark.
“What did they say?” Athena asked.
“They refused monetary compensation,” he answered, his face closed off.
“Lex,” she said in exasperation. “This herd represents years of work. It was a generational herd the Kents have been raising since they settled in this part of the country.”
Clark looked at her in surprise. “How did you know that?”
“Your dad was telling me about it.”
Clark nodded and his gaze returned to Lex. “Does this have anything to do with Club Zero?”
“I think so,” Lex said regretfully.
“You need to tell the authorities everything you know,” Clark said. “This isn’t just about you anymore.”
“What are you two talking about?” Athena said.
“I’ll tell you everything later,” Lex promised. “For right now, I need you to stay with Clark.”
“Lex.”
“Just don’t go anywhere alone. I will call you when it’s safe.” He walked away from her.
88888888
“Okay. So before Lex was sent to Yale something happened at this Club Zero,” Athena clarified. She held the printouts Clark had about the death at Club Zero three years before. A report without a hint of Lex Luthor in them.
“All I could figure out was that Jude Royce died and it was because of the security guard for the club.”
“The one now assumed dead because his severed hand was found a couple days ago at the Talon.”
“Yes,” Clark said. “And someone claiming to be Jude Royce has been seen around town.”
“So this is why father sent him off,” she muttered. “A cover-up to keep Lex’s name out of it…would have cost as much as an Ivy League education.”
“Hey, Clark,” Chloe said as she came up the stairs. “I printed off the pictures I took of the cows…” She paused. “Hi, Athena.”
“Pictures going to run in the Torch?” Athena asked.
“I haven’t decided yet.” Chloe handed the pictures to Clark. “I figured your parents might need these for insurance.”
“Thanks,” Clark said as he shuffled through the pictures. He paused. “It’s the same man.”
He turned the picture around and held up the article printout.
“Jude Royce…” Athena said. “How?”
Chloe grabbed the picture. “The digitals are on my computer, I should be able to get a better read on this license plate.”
“Where?” Clark asked.
“At the Torch.”
“We’ll meet you there,” Clark said. “We’re going to try and reach Lex first.”
Chloe nodded. “I’ll start as soon as I’m there.” She left the loft.
Athena pulled out her phone and called the Mansion. “Yes, is Lex home?”
She looked at Clark and shook her head. “Call me if he comes home.” She hung up. “They haven’t seen him since we left this morning.” She called another number. “His cell is going straight to voicemail. Call me back, Lex.” She tried the plant but no one had seen him.
“Anything?” Clark asked.
“No. Lex would have tried to get to the bottom of the spill on your farm before anything.” She looked at him. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
88888888
Clark skidded to a stop at the corner of an alley in Metropolis and let Athena down.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Just farther than I’m used to going,” he replied.
They could see the police gathered outside of the address Chloe had found for the supposed Jude Royce. A pair of men rolled out a body bag.
“Is it…?” Athena said.
“No. It’s missing a hand.”
“The security guard.”
Clark nodded and waved her to wait as he crossed to the police. They spoke for a moment before he returned to Athena.
“There was no one else in the house,” he said. “But Club Zero closed a few months ago, and it’s in the warehouse district at 78th and Main.”
“I know where that is,” she told him. “Come on.”
They ran through the streets of Metropolis, Clark keeping up easily with her Slayer speed. She turned onto the street where Club Zero’s sign was still displayed, if not lit.
“Do we have a plan?” Clark asked as they slowed to find a way in.
The beats of music permeated the walls.
“No plan,” she said.
Clark pulled her to a stop. “Let me go in first and have a look around.”
Athena nodded. Entering could get Lex harmed. She pulled the door opened and counted to thirty before stepping in.
“Lex!” she called out as she watched him land, restrained in a straightjacket. Clark breezed past her and re-entered behind her.
“Get down,” Lex yelled. “A man with a gun is up there.”
Athena ran to Lex, pressing her hands into the bullet wound in his shoulder.
“The guy is knocked out,” Clark reported. “What happened?”
“I have no idea.” He looked at them. “How did you find me?”
Athena shook her head as she tore at the straightjacket to release him. “Who was that guy?”
“The brother of an old friend,” he said vaguely.
She handed Clark part of the jacket. “Want to tie him up before he wakes?”
“Yeah,” he took it and walked away.
She fished her phone from her pocket and called 9-1-1.
88888888
Athena sat under a tree on the side of the house as Clark approached her. She was staring off at the horizon.
“How are you?” he asked as he sat down next to her.
“A little pissed.”
“What happened?”
“Roy - the guy who arranged all of this. I’ve seen him before.”
Clark looked at her in surprise. “Where?”
“When he tried to kidnap me about six weeks ago.”
“What?”
“I fought him off and had to use Slayer abilities to do it. I hadn’t gotten any information about him or his vehicle. And until yesterday, I hadn’t seen him again. I kept an eye out for missing persons, but nothing that fit.” She sighed. “If I’d been able to get information or reported him to the police, this wouldn’t have happened to Lex.”
“He would have killed you,” Clark reminded her.
“Lex thinks the same thing. That if he had known about me, he would have taken a sister for a sister. I think that was the plan until I proved too hard to get.”
“This isn’t your fault.”
“I know. I just…I could have stopped this.”
“Maybe, but Roy was deranged - no meteor rock powers. He just hated Lex.”
“For protecting his sister.” She leaned back. “Lex didn’t kill Royce. Neither did the security guard. Amanda did…and he protected her. Because he knew Father would cover it up if it was him.”
“Woah.”
“No good deed…” she suggested. “Then again, if he hadn’t covered for her, Roy may still have come after him because she was jailed. He would have thought that Father threw her under the bus to save Lex.”
“There’s no way of knowing.”
Athena nodded. “I know. I just…he was shot.”
Clark put an arm around her shoulder. “He’s alive and it’s healing.”