The moon was out on the perfect night, Lex was in Metropolis, sighing over a last few documents, while Lana was in Smallville. It was girls' night out, well, there wasn't much a pregnant lady and a writer for the Daily Planet could get into in Smallville, which is why they had opted to head to the bowling alley. When was the last time they had gone bowling? It had to be during freshman year of high school.
Lana frowned as she picked up the bowling ball, dropping it immediately. "Yeah, I don't think I'll be doing much bowling." Her baby bump was beginning to grow, and bowling didn't seem like the safest thing to be doing.
"Whose idea was it to go bowling again?" Chloe asked with a smirk on her face.
"Pregnant lady gets what the pregnant lady wants," Lana said, putting on a stoic look before they both burst out laughing. "I'll cheer you on from over here," Lana returned to their seats, beginning to tear into her fries.
"It won't be much of a show," Chloe said as she lifted the ball, taking a stance she stepped towards the pins, releasing the ball. It bounced before rolling right towards the gutter.
"It's your stance," a voice that wasn't Lana interrupted as a young man wearing a uniform of someone who worked in a bowling alley said with a smile on his face. "Let me show you," He didn't wait for Chloe's response as he picked up the ball that had rolled out and placed it in her hand. He took his time slowly fixing her stance. Lana watched on in surprise as he easily flirted with Chloe, who didn't seem to mind the attention. Together they released the ball, Lana almost yelped as the ball began to head towards the gutter before it curved, knocking over almost all of the pins.
"You try it now," the young man said, taking a step back, a smile still on his face.
Chloe seemed almost intrigued by him. Lana knew the look on her face, but it wasn't one of romantic intrigue; it was one that screamed investigative reporter. Whatever Chloe had seen seemed to vanish as she raised the ball one more time, sending it down the aisle. Lana watched as she got a strike.
"Nice job, Chloe!"
Chloe smiled in response before turning back to the young man who was clearly interested in her.
"I can show you more if you give me your number," He said, confidence oozing from his voice.
"I have a boyfriend, thanks for the help though," Lana watched as Chloe's response destroyed his confidence. He excused himself, and Lana turned back to her fries.
Chloe, on the other hand, continued to watch him as he headed towards the exit. It wasn't the rejection that had sent him running for an exit. He was looking around the place before he ran. "I'll be back," Chloe said, following behind him.
Lana stood in confusion, following Chloe's line of sight to the exit door, and she quickly followed after her. The exit door revealed an alley, trash cans to the right, and a parked vehicle to their left. Lana could barely make out the figure of the guy who was hitting on Chloe, being caught off guard as a bag was put over his head and he was pulled into a white van. One second, he was hitting on Chloe, and in the next, he was being kidnapped.
…
"I'm sure the police will handle this, Lana," Lex said as he gripped her hands and led her over to a seat. "The important thing is that you're safe."
"Lex," Lana said softly, wanting to continue the conversation, but Lex shook his head.
"Chloe is a smart girl, she'll have this kid found in the next 24 hours and the kidnappers behind bars, you on the other hand need to think about your safety." Lex smiled seeing her nod, time was moving so fast before they knew it Lana would be having the baby if they wanted to get it done before she was too big for her wedding dress they'd need to get married soon.
"Mr.Luthor," his office door in the mansion opened slowly, revealing his bodyguard. "You have a visitor," Opening the door the rest of the way, he revealed a middle-aged gentleman wearing a long brown coat.
"Ahh, Doctor Bethany, come on in," Lex said with a smile on his face.
Lana stood up awkwardly, about to make her exit, but Lex reached out, grabbing her hand, "This is my fiance miss Lana Lang."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lang," Dr.Bethany said with a smile before turning back to Lex. "Am I early for our meeting?"
"No, you're just in time. Lana, would you like to sit in on it?" Lex asked, looking down at Lana. It was time she was caught up on what he had planned. With the pregnancy and planning the wedding, she was so busy, but he felt that this was important.
"Are you sure?" Lana asked, almost surprised.
"Of course," Lex said, leading her back to her seat.
Dr.Bethany seemed to want to speak up, but Lex waved him off, beckoning for him to take his seat. He did the same, only he sat at the corner of his desk looking down at Dr.Bethany.
"Tell me, Dr.Bethany, how's the progress on identifying and documenting those affected by the meteor showers?"
"It's going well, we've discovered half a dozen living in Smallville alone."
"You've discovered a way to identify them?" Lana asked, interjecting.
"That's the cool thing, Lana, there's a young man named Tobias Rice, he lost his sight in the meteor shower, but he gained the ability to identify others affected by meteors as a result." Tobias had gone to Smallville High, and Lex immediately recognized the recognition in Lana's eyes.
"To what end?" Lana asked. "What's the point of identifying them? Knowing where they are won't stop them if they decide to harm someone."
"I'm opening a rehabilitation center for those affected by the meteor showers. They need to learn how to live with their powers. How to live a normal life, Dr.Bethany lost his wife due to one of these metahumans. We've seen them so many times, and I want to do something to stop them from going down the same path as Jace. With their approval, we'll run tests and find a cure, so that they can truly return to society." Running all of those tests would also increase Lex's knowledge of how the kryptonite bonded to their DNA. He might be able to advance his own powers beyond simply immunity to poison or common ailments. But that wasn't something he would go around telling Lana.
"Even after all the times they attacked you, you're still thinking of helping them?" Lana said in confusion.
"It's what you would do," Lex said, a stoic look on his face.
"There is something else," Dr.Bethany said, a hint of hesitation in his voice. "I may have misplaced key data; if it's made public, it could put both of us in jeopardy."
"You misplaced key data?" Lex asked, confused.
"My laptop was stolen from the hospital," He said, a frown on his face.
"What kind of data are we talking about?" It was Lana who spoke up, but not to help Lex. "You said you were identifying and documenting those affected by the meteor showers. What's jeopardizing about that?"
"Nothing," Bethany said quickly. "I'll find the laptop; none of this will come back towards LuthorCorp, you have my word, Mr.Luthor."
Lex watched as he scurried away, a hint of confusion on his face. Lana was right to ask that question. Looking at her, he could see the anger in her eyes. "You scared him away," Lex said, watching as her anger slowly faded and she cracked a smile.
"I didn't mean to, but he was being so evasive," Lana said sweetly.
Walking over to her, Lex took a seat on the arm of her chair. "Once you have the baby, you should go back to college, even if it's remote learning. You'd be a good ceo," gripping her shoulder, he pulled her into a hug.
"What kind of information do you think he's hiding?" Lana asked, embracing the hug.
"I don't know, but I plan on finding out. I'll need to check on Tobias. I'm not sure the doctor is being as upfront as he claimed to be." Tobias was important; he had the ability to identify the metahumans before they went off the deep end. Those who ended up committing crimes usually ended up dead; it was best if the test subjects were willing.
…
Lex entered Smallville General, heading directly for the elevator. He kept his eyes straight as he exited quickly, entering a room. Inside, a young man sat on a hospital bed, a cane in his hand, red-tinted sunglasses covering his eyes.
"Mr.Luthor," Dr.Bethany called out in surprise as he stood from his desk, walking over to greet Lex.
"Doc," Lex nodded, turning back to Tobias with a smile on his face. "You must be the famous Tobias," Lex reached out, noticing Tobias' hand floating aimlessly. He grabbed it, giving him a firm handshake.
"It's an honor to meet you, Mr.Luthor." His voice seemed to be full of relief.
"Call me Lex," Lex said, smiling. "Now, Tobias, I understand that you hope to receive a cornea transplant to cure your blindness," Lex spoke slowly.
"Being able to return to normal is all I want," Tobias said, nodding.
"Unfortunately, it's not that simple," Lex said, shaking his head. "Even if you get the cornea transplant, it's likely your blindness will remain, alongside your ability."
"Dr.Bethany said you could cure me-" Tobias tightened his grip on his cane, stress in his voice.
"I'll be honest, Tobias, I can't cure you," Lex paused, "Not yet, at least. Your blindness isn't due to your cornea being damaged; it's due to the meteor rocks binding with your DNA in such a specific way that you've lost your ability to see but gained the ability to see others affected by it. If you want to be cured, we have to target the root of the problem."
Silence filled the room, and Lex could see how chaotic Tobias' mind currently was. "The good news is we've already begun researching the meteor rocks, with your help, others like you who have been affected will have the chance to join us in finding a cure. The more samples we have, the better our chances of finding a cure."
"That's why you need me," Tobias said softly as if he understood. Before his eyes flashed towards where Dr.Bethany was standing, something was rising from deep within. "So why have you-"
"I think that's enough, Tobias," Dr.Bethany said quickly, interrupting him, a fake smile appearing on his face. "Lex has taken time out of his schedule to visit you. Now that he's done so, I'm sure he has other things to be doing. You should thank him."
"Actually, I'm here because of you, Dr.Bethany. Now, I believe Tobias was about to say something, something I'd very much like to hear." Lex narrowed his eyes, watching as Dr.Bethany took a step back, a hint of worry on his face as he looked at Tobias.
Silence filled the room as Lex waited patiently for Tobias to continue, but it didn't seem to be fate, as instead, he sighed. "Thank you, Mr.Luthor, I'll do everything I can to help you find a cure."
"I should be thanking you, Tobias," Lex said before turning back to Dr.Bethany. "I think it's best you leave, Smallville Dr.Bethany."
"But Tobias-"
"Tobias will be taken care of. You, on the other hand, seem to have gotten yourself into a bit of trouble. If your actions affect my future plans in any way, you'll wish you'd never been born. To avoid that, I think it's best if you leave. I'm sure you understand."
There was a tense silence as Dr.Bethany's face seemingly went through a plethora of emotions before he finally sighed. "I understand, I'll wrap things up here and head to National City."
Lex nodded, "I'll be in touch, Tobias," Lex said, patting the young man on the shoulder before exiting the room. Lex only hoped Dr.Bethany would follow his orders; if not, he might have to take further action. Making him disappear wouldn't be difficult; he couldn't allow anyone to interfere in his future research. Understanding how the meteor showers affect DNA could potentially allow him to further his own power, which he had dubbed minor immunity. He had been poisoned, attacked, beaten, suffered from malaria that would kill anyone else, and lived. The meteor showers had affected him that day; if he could further that power, who knows how powerful he might become.