Chapter 54:
A sonic boom shook the entirety of Lex Tower as the caped menace flew past, and Lex cursed the hero. He stood up from his desk, distracted now, and craned his neck out on his balcony in effort to get a glimpse of the Man of Inconvenience. What in God's name did he have to take care of so fast that he had to shake the windows every time he—
Lex jumped as a pair of heavy red boots cracked sharply against his balcony. His hand flew to his chest at the start, and he shook away the shock at the man's sudden appearance with a brief shake of his head. "Holy--! You know, you might have more powers than God, but you can't go around scaring people like that."
The hero didn't give him a second glance, instead scanning his office space methodically behind him. Lex glanced over his shoulder with a quizzical look, but found nothing obvious out of place— the papers on the Project K studies sat innocuously on his desk, along with a couple of trinkets from the Bureau 39 box, but nothing that would cast any aspersions on him. His stomach twisted unpleasantly— no good ever came from his interactions with the man of steel. Nigel had said as much, but he was determined to prove him wrong. Lex grinned widely as compensation for his nerves and gestured for his guest to come inside. "Please, do come in, sir. To what do I—"
"Where is she?"
The hero's voice came out more as a growl, paired with long, menacing strides into his office. Lex bounded to catch up to him, not so subtly covering up the papers he'd been reading as the hero’s gaze roamed the space searchingly. Lex frowned at his dark mood and bizarre behavior. "Where is who?"
"You know who," he snapped, his eyes glowing red at him.
Lex choked down the lump of fear in his throat as best he could, eyes level and squared on the superhero's. He straightened the lines of his jacket out deliberately. "I don't know where she is. Lois Lane's daily whereabouts isn't my business, and neither is it yours. I presume you've checked the Daily Planet?"
The way the hero squared his jaw at him angrily sent a chill down his spine.
Lex gagged as Man of Steel’s hand suddenly wrapped around his throat. He gasped for air, struggling against him. He had him pinned against his own desk, the hard mahogany at his back cold and unforgiving. He clawed and scratched at the hand frantically for purchase, to no avail.
"I'll be damned if you think you can pull this on me again."
Black crept in around the edges of his vision, and along with it panic. He flung his arms wide, searching for something, anything, to get the menace off of him.
His face was hard, angry, terrifying as it loomed large over him, his voice a malicious hiss in Lex’s ears. "Lois is not yours."
Lex's hand connected with something hard, and he winced, pulling his limb back to himself. He couldn't fight this. It was the Man of Steel, for the love of God! Lex clenched his eyes shut tightly, bracing for a final blow, not entirely sure what he'd done to deserve this.
A strangled gasp of breath brushed across his cheekbone, and in a flash the hand was gone.
Lex coughed and sputtered as he dragged precious oxygen down into his lungs. A few seconds more, a slight twist, a pound more of pressure, and... He shook himself, opened one eye hesitantly, but the hero was nowhere in sight. A sigh loosed from his chest, and he slowly righted himself on his own two feet.
The alien stood across the room with an expression that looked like he'd been struck across the face. Lex guarded himself once more, drawing himself upright. Man of Steel no more.
He looked like he'd seen a ghost.
Lex followed his gaze to the desk behind him, and caught sight of the overturned metal box and the green crystal shards loose on the surface. He glanced back at the hero, trepidation all over his features.
And finally something clicked.
Luthor made a move for the green rocks, and the man of steel held out a hand for him to stop. Huh. He didn't actually make a move. He held one of the chunks in his hands reverently, heart pounding in his ears as the blood finally started rushing back into place.
"Where... where did you get that?"
Lex snapped his gaze up and scrutinized the hero. He was pale and clammy, and slowly backing away into the sunlight of the balcony. His heart pounded faster. What the hell was this stuff? Lex filled his tone with bravery he didn't feel and took one step towards the man of steel. The hero took two steps back. "I don't think I have to tell you that."
A nasty look crossed his face, but he still didn't make any defensive or offensive moves. The man was faster than a speeding bullet, for Christ's sakes! Why hadn't he just taken him out already?
A bead of sweat ran down the clammy skin at his temple, and the sight of the droplet chased a chill down Lex's spine.
Nigel had been right about two things then. Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive… but the man was not invulnerable.
That changed things.
Lex took another step closer, leaning forward and pointing at him with the crystal. "Why are you here?"
The man of steel shifted his weight on his feet, eyes glued to the green rock in his hands. "Lois— she seems to have gone missing. I thought you might know something about that."
Lex grimaced. She was probably off with Kent somewhere. Either way, it wasn't his fault or his problem. He eyed the hero carefully. "You know, correct me if I’m wrong, but I get the feeling you don't like me very much." He paused to run his hand across his throat soothingly, and examined the man's features as a slight pinch pulled at his face. There was something there, just outside his reach, something he was missing... "But alas, I'll have to be a disappointment today. I don't have the faintest idea where Lois is. But I appreciate the accusation."
"If you touch one hair on her head—"
"Do you honestly think I'd do anything to harm my own girlfriend?"
"Do you honestly still think she's your girlfriend?"
A pit formed in his stomach. He didn't know anything. He couldn't. He was bluffing. "We're done here. If Lois is in trouble, I expect you to find her." Lex hefted the green crystals in his hands, a newfound confidence filling him at the trepidation in the man's eyes. Because he was just a man after all. "But if you ever try to cross me again, I'll end you. Do we have an understanding?"
He steeled his gaze on Lex, sweat beading on his brow. No hint of a smile or amusement. This didn't bode well. Lex swallowed thickly.
He would be screwed if he ever got too far from his rock collection.
After an indeterminable amount of time, the abomination finally spoke. "Fine."
"Good. Now get the hell out of my office."
The hero faltered as he took off, a wobble to his flight before disappearing from view. Lex finally let his shoulders slump as the exhaustion caught up with him. He brought a hand up to gently soothe his neck and walked over to his full length mirror. The marks were already showing signs of bruising. The hero had almost killed him. He wasn't just an inconvenience, he was a downright villain, and nobody knew it.
Lex froze, fingers hovering just above the imprint. Nigel knew.
He looked down at the crystal shard in his other hand. A sense of dread came over him. What the hell was this stuff? He hadn't just been affected by it, he'd been afraid of it. Afraid of the stuff that Harris had said Clark had been obsessed with as a boy.
This was the key. As long as he had this, he had the power.
He had to call Fane.
Lex rushed over to his desk and grabbed his phone, ready to dial, when he noticed the blinking light. His hand hovered over the voicemail button, and curiosity got the better of him. Fane could wait two more minutes. He hit play and the sound of Lois Lane's voice met his ears.
*****LnC*****
Clark landed rockily around the corner of Lex's building, mind spinning and his body aching. He'd tried to cover the toll his pain was taking as best he could, but that had come out of left field. He ran a hand through his hair and fought off the wave of nausea sweeping over him.
Lex had Kryptonite. Lex Luthor had Kryptonite. How the hell did that happen?
This was a nightmare. He couldn't find Lois, nobody believed she was missing, and to top it all off, now he had to deal with his powers weakening because Lex had Kryptonite. He ducked into the alleyway and curled in on himself, the pulsing pressure in his head slowly alleviating with time and distance.
He hadn't thought about that poisonous rock in months. Years, probably. He'd thought he'd gotten it all.
Clark gritted his teeth. He didn't have time for this, but his speed seemed to have abandoned him. He tried to rationalize the situation.
If Lex had Kryptonite, it was for a reason. Nigel didn't know about the stuff yet— that he knew of anyway, or he would have used it on him by now. Lex must have discovered it on his own, recently. Perhaps as insurance against him for when they kidnapped Lois.
He straightened up, smoothing his hair back into its usual style. Nigel had to be hiding Lois somewhere nearby. He'd want to show Lex his prize, and soon.
He didn't have time to waste, but unfortunately for now waiting seemed to be his only course of action. He'd wait for Nigel to show up or for Lex to try to leave, and one way or another, they'd lead him back to Lois. At least until his powers came back.
For now, he'd soak up as much sunlight as he could and ignore the burning sensation it left in his bones.
