Chapter Fifteen: Reboot.
Lana's face screwed up in frustration when she tried as she might to lug a heavy box off of the ground. She had no idea if anything practical at all was in these boxes, but it was giving her quite a struggle to hold them up. The fact she had to haul these out of the basement and up a set of stairs was a rather daunting task to be honest, and Lana wasn't a weakling by any means.
The box's heavy weight made it very hard for her to hold it up even longer.
'Figures I should have cracked these open when I was downstairs in the first place, instead of lugging them all the way up the stairs,' Lana thought to herself. Her knees jiggled when she attempted to hold herself up. A deep breath came from her body.
Lana almost had her weight come from underneath her. That would be just her luck. After everything she had narrowly escaped dying from, being crushed by the boxes left behind by the former tenants of the house would be something really awful.
A pair of strong hands reached in and grabbed the boxes to prevent them from falling back, and Lana from falling back. She looked up to see Clark who had balanced at the top of the steps.
Lana took a few seconds to catch her breath and turn towards the man who helped her.
"Oh, hey, Clark," Lana said.
"Chloe said I might find you here," Clark said. "And you know, you should have waited for me to get back in town, I could have helped you lug those boxes up the stairs."
Lana shook her head and smiled, despite the strain. Her muscles ached from making the attempt herself, even though Clark was now helping her.
The two of them working together made this entire endeavor much more manageable.
"I thought a bunch of boxes weren't going to be a problem….little did I know the family who stayed her packed all of their rubbish very tightly," Lana said. "Guess they wanted to be economical or something, with less boxes, and more space but that's hell trying to lift them up the stairs."
She wiped a brow of sweat from her face.
"Are they coming back for anything?" Clark asked.
"Don't really know," Lana said, rolling back her shoulders with a shrug. "Nell said to give them ninety days before pitching anything, but I figure I should move it upstairs into one of the spare bedrooms at least. So it's out of the way…the basement is in need of a cleaning."
Clark joined her all the way downstairs to grab some more boxes. The heavy choking clouds of dust made it very obvious what Lana was talking about. The people who briefly owned the Potter House last, well, they weren't big fans of dusting.
"You should know Lex is asking a lot of questions," Lana said. "And he's well informed a lot of things that he shouldn't be well informed."
"You've been talking to him?" Clark asked in a wary voice.
The sense of weariness in Clark's voice could be very obvious. Lana could see why, and she tried to appease the situation the best she could.
"Well, he's been talking to me, more likely," Lana said in the most delicate manner possible. "He's still extremely obsessed with that alien ship he found."
Clark tried not to hide his intrigue. He knew such curiosity should not be indulged, especially what happened the last time he tried to touch that particular ship. Regardless though, he could not help himself. That alien ship was a piece of Kryptonian history.
"I'm not really sure what to do with all of this space," Lana said.
"Well, if you have many more boxes, I'm sure you have plenty of room to spread them out," Clark said.
The heavy box had been pushed into Clark's grasp while Lana took one of the smaller boxes.
"Guess, I'm going to have to be creative about it," Lana said. "Thank you for helping me clean things out a bit."
Lana took a moment to settle at the top of the stairs.
"There was a clause in the last contract, where the house defaulted back to Nell because the occupants couldn't carry on with the upkeep," Lana said. "So she decided to give it to me, to do with what I wish, as a graduation present."
"Wow, that's pretty generous of her," Clark said.
"Yeah, generous might not be the exact word I use if I were to be perfectly honest," Lana said. "So, I can either sell the house, or fix it up and use it on my own…and I have to deal with the junk the last occupants left behind. Lucky me."
"Well, you have to take the bad with the good."
Lana smiled, and shook her head. Leave it to Clark to come up with a statement like that.
The two descended down the steps and the last set of boxes were on the way. And these looked rather unremarkable so Lana couldn't help, but get those herself.
"Lana, I don't think I've never seen this portrait before," Clark said.
Lana blinked, come to think of it, she had not seen the portrait on the wall either. A beautiful, it not eerie, young woman with haunting green eyes looked forward at her on the wall. Her dark hair hung down towards her back and she dressed in elegant robes.
Clark had to blink twice. He noticed a small symbol on her robes, it was the same one he found in the museum on the tablet.
"She must be another one of my ancestors," Lana said with a shrug. "Hopefully she won't try and possess me from beyond the grave."
Clark turned his attention towards Lana, with a slight little role of his eyes. Lana broke out into the sheepish grin to end all sheepish grins.
"Lana, you know….."
"Oh, that was a bit too soon, wasn't it?" Lana asked.
Clark gave a wordless nod in response. Yes, that was much too soon, and it hit home much too hard. Regardless, he was glad for the most part Lana seemed to be in fairly good spirits, which meant there was hope things would end for the better with her.
The two of them joined at the top of the stairs. Lana frowned, making a decision.
"Thank you for everything, and always being there…even though I can be a pain sometimes," Lana said.
"You're not that bad," Clark said.
"But, I can be," Lana said. "It's just….everything that's happened, it just seems by trying to make sense of it, made it worse."
Clark looked at her, and Lana smiled. It was now or never, and if she didn't take this moment, she might never get another opportunity. Some invisible hand pushed her into Clark's arms.
The two of them engulfed each other in a tender embrace and leaned forward with a kiss towards each other. Clark gripped the back of Lana's head and kissed the hell out of her, surprising her with the forcefulness and passion of the kiss.
Clark had dreamed about one of the scenarios like this. Lana pushed him back against the wall and started to unbutton his shirt, smiling heavily at what she was about ready to do. She slowly worked her way down south towards Clark. She didn't think it would go this far, but Lana was happy it was going that way.
The cell phone started to ring, and Lana had been snapped back into reality. Something stopped her from going even further, and she thanked the phone ringing from snapping her back to life.
"You better get that," Lana said. "Um, I'll see you around Clark."
Clark wondered what that was all about, but he answered the phone. A distorted voice came on through the other line.
"The Time is coming. Lex and the BrainInteractive Construct have made contact. And your joining may lead to your demise."
Now, Clark had ben beyond confused.
The moment Clark received that particular phone call, he was on his way back to the Fortress. He arrived at the edge of the entrance, and no sooner did he arrive, Lara greeted him when stopping off at the Fortress.
Kara walked over towards Clark and immediately, she noticed something was not right. She motioned for him to join them inside of the Fortress, so he did, walking forward with a wordless expression on his face.
"Something happened to put you in such a state," Kara said. "Tell us what it is."
Clark really didn't know how to say it, fascinating, given how straight forward it was.
"I've gotten a really weird phone call," Clark said. "Not sure who…but, they warned me Lex and Brainiac have joined up, and they would have a union which would mean my demise."
Lara closed her eyes. The more she learned about this Lex Luthor character, the less she liked. Lex and her son were friends, but that particular friendship flew off of the rails. Lara strongly considered taking decisive action towards Lex, and he may have to force her hand.
It wasn't exactly what she had to do, as this action would be very final. However, Lara intended to protect her son in any way.
"Are you sure it wasn't Brainiac himself playing mind games?" Kara asked.
Clark paused, he didn't even consider that, but at the same time his gut feeling was that it wasn't Brainiac somehow. He couldn't really explain exactly why be didn't believe the call to be a trick. He just believed it to be real.
"Maybe," Clark said. "I just have a feeling something is happening. There's someone who has been supplying me for information."
"Yes, maybe," Kara agreed. "The last time they supplied you with information, it lead you to the alien ship, and we both remember how well that turned out."
"I don't know," Clark said. He shifted a smile towards her. "I don't think that ended too poorly all things considered."
Kara answered with a very prominent sigh. That really wasn't the point and he knew it. She tried to hold back her own obvious frustration with the situation. Her tone softened ever so slightly.
"Okay, fine, there's someone in LuthorCorp who is genuinely helping you," Kara said. "If there's someone who is in LuthorCorp….then who is it?"
Clark shook his head in negative. He really couldn't answer that question if he was to be honest. He didn't really know too much about the ins and outs of LuthorCorp.
"I doubt it's Lionel because he's currently in a drooling and babbling state, and he wouldn't be fit to tell anyone anything," Clark said.
"We can thank my husband for that one," Lara said while typing on the computer. "And yes, I'm trying to find a way to track Brainiac Prime to the source. But it's not going too well. He's very hidden, and even the power of the Fortress can't find him."
"Is he even on Earth?" Clark asked.
Lara took that particular theory in consideration. She figured Clark might have been onto something with his theory about Brainiac not being on Earth. She shifted to see if the Fortress's relay was powered out.
"There's a way to scan further than Earth, but it's very dangerous," Lara said. "And we don't want to draw any attention unless absolutely necessary."
"So, that's a no go," Clark said.
Clark turned around and decided to walk a little bit away. He made his way into the Fortress. There was still a very bland quality to the Fortress left over from when Jor-El constructed it, even though it looked much better than it really did.
A punching bag dropped from the ceiling. Clark arched his fist back and hammered the bag with all of the force he could master. The bag was created to sustain the heaviest punches which was why it was a bit of surprise when it sent flying.
Kara walked over and put a hand on Clark's shoulder and steered him around.
"Sorry, I'm just frustrated, that's all."
"I know you're worried," Kara said. "We're all worried….especially with Lex being Brainiac's unknowing puppet."
Clark could imagine the look on Lex's face when he realized Brainiac duped him. He figured that would happen just seconds before Brainiac decided Lex outlived his usefulness.
"This Genesis Protocol, it's bad news," Clark said.
"It's a better idea on paper than it is in practice," Kara said. "I won't say it doesn't have merit."
The problem is, for all of the merit the Genesis Protocol had, it also had a number of really bad drawbacks.
"What does Brainiac intend to really do?" Clark asked.
"Serve the whims of his master," Kara said. "The man who reprogrammed him….he was supposed to be an agent to preserve the best interests of Krypton. And in the end….he's fulfilling those objectives in a very twisted way."
"The best interests of Krypton is now the best interests of Zod," Clark said.
Kara sighed. He hit the nail on the head.
"He was warped towards the end," Kara said. "Krypton was doomed for years, no one saw the signs…despite being warned."
People could have been very ignorant when they chose to be, Clark guessed. He turned towards his mother, who tried to feverishly make headway. They were running out of time, which wasn't a good place to be in.
Something had to be done, before it was too late. The problem was where to begin.
Lana had been in a daze ever since making the decision to kiss Clark, one where she almost regretted. She wondered if the fact their relationship failed to make any headway was all on her. Clark had his own issues, and Lana came to accept that even more, for reasons why she couldn't put her finger on.
'Even the most simple things can be the most complicated for you, can't they, Lana Lang?'
But, she wasn't one without issues. Life wasn't exactly perfect for Lana Lang. She looked out, the cup of coffee almost spilling on the table before Chloe reached across the table and grabbed her hand.
"You're kind of spaced out," Chloe said. "It's like your body is in here, but your mind is out there."
Chloe pointed outside the window in the most casual manner possible. Lana returned her gaze towards Chloe and really didn't know what to say. Her throat didn't really work as she wanted it to work these days.
"So, what's up?" Chloe asked. "Because seriously spaced out isn't a really good look on you."
Lana tried not to smile. She had been a bit preoccupied.
"I kissed Clark," Lana said.
A second passed. Chloe wasn't really surprised.
"Oh," Chloe said with a raised eyebrow.
"And then before it could get too far, I pulled back," Lana said. "I just….I don't know why."
"You don't know why you kissed him, or why you pulled back?" Chloe asked.
"Why I kissed him is obvious, but I regretted doing it for some reason," Lana said. "It just seems like every time I get close enough for him, I put some more distance between us."
Chloe tried not to lose her patience with this entire situation. It was a very hard thing not to do. Matters of the heart tended to be extremely frustrated even in the best of times and now, with how agitated Lana was, she would have to jump in here very carefully.
"You're the one putting some distance between yourself and Clark," Chloe said. "Is it because you don't want to get hurt, or you don't want to hurt him?"
Lana pondered Chloe's statement for a few seconds.
"A little bit of both, really," Lana said.
"You know, I think it would be best if we left the high school drama where it belongs," Chloe said. "You want to take charge of your life…do it. If you want to be with Clark, then do it…..but this indecisive act doesn't do anyone any good. It hurts you a lot and it hurts Clark even more."
Lana looked down at the end of Chloe's wagging finger. It was almost like she had been reprimanded and something fierce as well.
"The last thing Clark needs at this point is indecision, and it's the last thing you need," Chloe said. "After last year, you need stability…or you might fall into the wrong crowd. And I don't think you want to be dragged down a dark path again."
Lana had made some rather questionable decisions over the past year, she would be the first to admit that. She had no idea how to go about what she was doing next.
'Should I,' Lana thought.
"I thought you and Clark…well you seemed to be a bit closer together lately," Lana said. "Even more so than usual….so I was wondering, well if the two of you…well you know….."
"Yes, we're sleeping together," Chloe said. "But, you're just fishing for excuses now."
Lana blinked and more confusion just rang through her voice when she managed to muster up the confidence to respond to Chloe.
"If the two of you are together, then that means Clark is off the table, and I'm really sorry," Lana said. "I'm really….."
Chloe reached in and shoved one hand over Lana's mouth. Lana's apologies, as ill-conceived as they were, became muffled underneath Chloe's hand. The dark-haired girl gasped.
"I'm going to remove my hand and when I do, you're going to listen to me very carefully," Chloe said. She shifted her hand away from Lana and allowed her to lean forward. "It's true, I'm with Clark, but so are a couple other girls….Kara and Diana for starters….and we'd happily let you in, if you're fine with sharing him."
Lana wondered how anyone could be fine with this. She pushed her values aside for a moment and thought about this. A man who was able to satisfy most women at the same time, it was exciting to her.
"With everything, Clark needs support, and I think you do," Chloe said. "Besides, it's not like we haven't talked about this…all of those late nights…wondering what would happen if we decided to share Clark."
"Yeah, but we weren't….that was just us up late at night, with a few drinks in us," Lana said. "You were being serious, weren't you?"
Chloe smiled.
"There are things in life worth sharing," Chloe said. "And I think you're being too hard on yourself if you think you're not worthy of this relationship."
Sudden realization hit Lana. Something else hit her, with Chloe leaning in closer towards her and the two girls meeting lip to lip with a kiss.
Being a cheerleader, this wasn't the first time Lana kissed a girl, although the other times had been on a drunken dare. This time it was something she was conscious of and enjoyed. Chloe mapped out a path inside of her mouth and stuck her tongue down her throat.
After the initial shock, Lana returned the kiss. Chloe really knew how to kiss a girl, and Lana had been visited with a very naughty thought, wondering if her and Lois had practiced the act. Granted, Lana never kissed Lois, so she didn't have anything to gauge with.
The two of them parted away, and Chloe smiled.
"We all care for Clark in our own ways," Chloe said. "Someone like him….it's not like men like him drop from the sky every day."
Lana frowned. A theory which she had formed had been somewhat eluded to by Chloe, perhaps accidentally. It would explain so very much about how Clark seemed to be the nexus point of a lot of the weirdness in Smallville.
"Just think about it," Chloe said. "But, remember, either you're in all the way, and out the other way. If you hurt Clark, there will be consequences, and the line forms behind me."
Lana had no intention to doing so, threat or not. Chloe would make her life hell if she did anything wrong, and that was enough to make Lana just woman up and do what needed to be done.
Lex Luthor prided himself of having intellect which had been several shades behind the normal man. He found himself working every part of his brain in an attempt to keep up with Milton Fine.
"Yes, it's very experimental science, but if we can use it properly, it can chance this world," Fine said. "It can bring about a new evolution…this counter agent will do its purpose."
"It can strengthen the immunity of people to be able to sustain more pain and to be able to fight every disease on the planet," Lex said. "And it will replicate counteragents to combat diseases which will be unknown."
"Yes, no longer will any civilizations perish once more," Fine said. "We will lead to a new revolution, the likes of which the world had never seen. But why stop at a few test subjects?"
"I think the proof is right here."
Lex took out the photos of the first round of test subjects. They resembled elderly man who were on the edge of death. They sat on the bed, cross eyed and drooling.
"This was taken yesterday, and by tomorrow, they will be dead," Lex said. "Not everyone can survive the counter agent….but there might be a silver lining to every cloud."
"There were two groups of test subjects," Fine informed him. "This was Group A, but you haven't shown me Group B just yet."
Lex smiled and pulled out another set of pictures.
"These were the second group of test subjects," Lex said. "I think we can both agree they were a bit more successful. They were very tired yesterday, but after being given three square meals, they are on the road to recovery."
Fine looked very pleased at the results of the tests on Group B.
"There are different variables within the test subjects," Fine said.
"Yes," Lex said. "The first group came from outside of Smallville. The second group on the other hand, they lived in Smallville when either the first or second meteor shower occurred."
Lex thought Fine should have been excited by such a variable being unlocked. He just remained as stoic and calm as normal before.
"All men ranged from their mid-twenties and early thirties," Lex said. "As you can see from these pictures, the group of people outside of Smallville aged when they had been ravaged. Their internal organs aren't in good shape either. The second group, after some initial fatigue, they're better."
"So, the meteors are the common link between whether or not someone will survive," Fine said. "Yes, this is most interesting."
Fine took a second to look at Lex. He now knew what a lab rat in a cage felt like when he was being studied for an experiment.
"You were at ground zero during the first meteor shower," Fine said. "And when is the last time you have gotten sick?"
"I can't recall," Lex said.
"This counter agent could evolve you into something else beyond humanity and beyond all comprehension," Fine said. "The two of us will be able to build a brand new world. Why look beyond to the stars when there's a blank slate to be built on?"
Lex had to admit, Fine talked a pretty good game. He paused with a frown and noticed something. He grabbed Lex's arm.
"What the….."
"You've been bugged," Fine said. He pulled a small object off of Lex's cufflink. "Someone has been spying on us…although no longer."
Lex had been caught off guard. He tried to rack his brain to figure out who would have gotten close enough.
"We better find them, before they leak the details of what we're doing," Fine said. "If the details of this counteragent leak out, terrorists could engineer it into a potent weapon and bring about new biological warfare."
Lex now looked over his shoulder.
"We best get on with the next stage of the experiment before this person realizes they've been compromised," Lex said.
Chapter Sixteen: On the Inside.
Lana leaned against the wall of the Potter house. Now that pretty much everything had been cleared out of the basement, it had given her plenty of time to think. She supposed she could back out just about now, but it would be hard to do so right now.
'Really, either you're going to do it now, or you're never going to have a chance to do it again. What's it going to be Lana? Are you woman enough?'
It would be unfair to herself is she backed out right now. But, it would also be unfair to Clark if she didn't give this a chance. She leaned back against the wall and allowed a sigh to pass through her body. They had been doing some kind of dance of drama for about the past five years, and she thought everything was going to work out for the best.
Nothing could be that simple. Lana just resolved to make things a fair bit less complicated. She would give it an honest attempt to make it work. And if it didn't work, at least she knew.
Clark would be arriving any second now. Lana chewed her lip, leaving a slight indent on it. Frustration swam through the eyes of the dark haired woman. She had dreamed of this moment for a very long time, but at the same time, she dreaded what would happen if it went wrong.
'Okay, no problem, you can get through this.'
A knock on the door brought Lana out of her thoughts. Now was the moment, whether do or die. Lana made her way down the landing, managing to gracefully descend the stairs. Every step seemed like an eternity when she descended.
Lana dropped down onto the front steps a second later. She could hear Clark on the other side of the door. Lana's heart started racing to a greater fever pitch. Her palms got sweaty.
'Just do it,' Lana thought.
The voice was pretty forceful and Lana had almost been taken aback. She reached towards the door and swung it open. Clark stood on the other end of the door. Lana sucked her lower lip and frown.
'Just do it,' Lana said, her internal voice more persistent than ever.
"Thanks for coming," Lana said. She gripped Clark by the wrist and caused him to walk inside. "I know you must have a lot on your mind."
"Well, you wanted me here, and here I am," Clark said. "So, what's the deal?"
"It's….well I'm interested in seeing if we can pursue a relationship," Lana said. "But, I know it won't be that simple. Chloe said if I'm not one hundred percent sure, I shouldn't go for it."
Clark frowned. So Chloe said that to her. He had no idea where he stood with Lana right now. They were friends, although Clark had been too busy to figure out what more than friends. They had their ups and downs, with an emotional roller coaster over the years.
Still, maybe there was no time like the present to find out.
"So, Chloe told you not to….."
"She told me not to give you unnecessary grief if I could help it," Lana said. She shifted a precious inch closer to Clark. "And you know something, she's right. I don't want to do that….not if I can help it. I thought we almost figured this out a long time ago."
Clark wondered where this one was going. It was hard to really read the expression on Lana's face right about now. Her frown deepened.
"If you want to look me in the eye, and tell me how this won't work out, fine, I understand," Lana said. She pushed one finger against Clark's lips as if to stop him. "Maybe we were doomed from the start, but…..I'm not willing to give this up as a hopeless thing, just yet."
"I'm not either," Clark said.
At least they were on the same page at this point, that was progress. Lana gained a bit of hope they could do this.
"And even if all of the gods conspire against us, I want to give this a shot," Lana said. She eased closer towards him. "Just one shot, please….."
"Lana, you have to understand something," Clark said. "There's things about me that…"
"Whatever it is, we'll figure it out," Lana said. "There's nothing you can tell me which will make me want you any less."
"I'm not from Earth."
A second passed with Lana looking Clark directly in the eye. She frowned when he said that statement.
"So, did that stop you?" Clark asked. "Hey, Lana, are you still there?"
Lana slowly nodded. Everything was beginning to click in her mind and suddenly, life made so much more sense.
"Okay, that slowed me down just a little bit," Lana said. "But, you know, so much of my life makes a lot of sense right now…..and how you seem to be always in the middle of everything. At first, it seems like rotten luck…"
Lana paused for a second when looking at Clark. Everything clicked in her mind very slowly. She grabbed his hand and escorted him in the direction of her bedroom, never once breaking the momentum of what she was planning to do.
"I came down with the meteor shower," Clark said. "I was found by my parents, or I found them, rather and…."
Lana pressed one finger to Clark's lips. She knew where this was going, and neither wanted to go down this road, the road of self-doubt. She found it best to nip things in the bud.
"I don't blame you for anything," Lana said. "That would be stupid…you were sent here….I'm sure by your birth parents. There's no way you could have known what would happen."
"I'm not sure they intended for half of the planet to come down with me," Clark said. "Your parents…"
Lana sighed, she did miss them. But was she really going to let herself be defined by what happened o that day for the rest of her life?
"That's the past, I prove to move on with the present," Lana said. "I know you're sleeping with Chloe…and I'm sure you're also sleeping with Kara as well. And I'm half sure Lois is going to get in on the fun, once she stops being stubborn."
Clark smiled at the nonchalant way Lana laid down her opinion.
"That might be a long time," Clark said.
"Yes, because you have room to talk," Lana said. She smiled and made sure he was back in her bedroom. "So, are you ready to try this at the least? I'm sure you know what to do…I'm….I'm not sure, but I think it will be fun to try….."
Clark wouldn't have tried this a long time ago. Now he had control over his powers, he could be as gentle or as forceful as he wished, which worked out well for women with varying degrees of durable. Lana moved his hands so they cupped her ass and she leaned in to kiss him on the lips.
Lana slowly worked open the buttons of his shirt and pulled it off to explore Clark's muscular chest. She was getting more and more excited.
Clark's hand moved around and slipped underneath her skirt. Lana shifted her hips to the pleasure, her panties the only barrier for them properly meeting. Not for long, however.
'About time,' Lana thought. 'Thought I was going to grow old waiting. Although, that's as much on me as anyone else.'
Lana bit down on her lip when Clark parted the final barrier leading among them. One of his fingers brushed her. Lana edged closer so he could push a finger inside her deeper.
"You've wanted this, don't you?" Clark asked. "For a long time?"
Lana answered with a swift nod. Clark pushed another finger deeper inside Lana, making her warm up with the pleasure of what she was feeling. He situated two of those fingers deep inside her and pumped her dripping cunt with a few thrusts.
Clark gained momentum when working his fingers in and out of Lana's heated core. He kept working deeper inside of her. She pushed her hips forward towards her. Lana clutched onto his probing fingers and breathed when the pleasure came through her body.
"Yes," Lana said. "Oh, that feels so good!"
Clark smiled. He was glad it did. He pulled his fingers out of her and allowed Lana to slump back against the way. He lifted up the soaked digits and pushed them towards Lana's lips. She sucked her juices from Clark's finger.
Lana smiled and rose back up to kiss Clark one more time. She eased him back to the bed. He sat down and allowed her full access. Lana made quick work of his pants.
"Well, this is nice," Lana said.
A huge meaty cock stuck out for her to play with. Lana gripped it with both hands and stroked it up and down hard. She licked his leg, the taste coming from it made her tingle. She could not wait to have that prime piece of meat inside her.
"Soon enough," Clark said. "Wait until it gets nice and wet."
Lana got to work quickly. She licked him, starting at the head. Lana moved closer down to his base and then worked all over him. She covered his cock with her saliva. Lana rose up, hand wrapped around the base and lips wrapped around him. She looked up at Clark with a smile when working him between those lips.
Clark held Lana's head steady so she could slide him into her mouth. What did not fit into her mouth, Lana pumped him with her hand. She worked his head and shaft. Clark enjoyed the dark haired vixen pushing all the way down on him.
Lana anticipated the eruption which was to come. She slid her hand down the base and squeezed Clark's big swollen balls. She blew him heavily but started to get a bit tired. Clark lasted the distance quite nicely.
Clark's stamina and resistance stretched the fullest. Lana's continuous bobbing up and down made it very hard to hold back. He managed to hold back as much as possible. Hands rested on the back of Lana's head when working further down his thick pole.
"Good, good, keep it up," Clark groaned. "If you need to stop…"
Lana sucked him a few more times and left his cock saturated with her. She pulled up and pulled her skirt off the rest of the way to reveal her swollen pussy lips.
"I want your big cock inside me," Lana said. She pressed the head of him against her lips. Already electricity tingled through Lana's body.
Clark tightened his hold around her. Lana's soft legs found their way wrapped around his hips. She rose up and positioned her dripping slit closer towards the edge of his throbbing manhood. Clark closed his eyes and waited for Lana to lower herself down upon him.
Lana slid down onto him. The first few inches of Clark's cock broke through her walls. Clark pulled her shirt off and then her bra. He rubbed her supple breasts and Lana gasped in response. Another few inches and Lana had been stretched apart.
"I've waited way too long for this!" Lana moaned. She inched down on him. "Just think, I could have had this inside me the whole time….but I just waited…..I waited way too long."
Clark smiled when Lana moved down onto him. She really edged her wet pussy all the way down Clark's hard, throbbing pole. The tightness of her wrapped around him when bouncing up and down on him.
Lana leaned in so Clark could explore her body without restraint. Every inch of her tight body filled with the throbbing hard cock of her lover. She pushed almost up and drove herself down.
Clark watched Lana descend and get about as much of himself inside her as possible. He relaxed her with a smile, running a finger down her leg. Lana locked onto his waist.
"Soooo good!" Lana yelled.
Lana steadied herself down onto him. The first orgasm she felt with Clark's cock inside her was good. She had dreams like this, but reality ended up being better than any single dream. Lana pushed her walls down onto Clark.
Clark wrapped his hands around Lana and pushed her hip down onto him. He leaned in and buried his face in her chest. He only made the juices trickling down her legs flow even further and even faster.
"Don't hold back," Clark said.
Lana was not about to do so. Her walls squeezed him with such passion it was even tighter than ever before. She pumped sticky juices down Clark's probing pole.
She burned with greater anticipation. She kept bouncing higher and higher, to force more of this thick rod inside of her. The coating coming from her pussy made it an easier descent. Every time Lana dropped down, she could feel more of Clark's above-average length inside of her.
It hit her again, another orgasm. Lana heated up from the passion. Clark worked her with his hands and mouth while penetrating her over and over again. Flesh slapped upon flesh.
Clark enjoyed the warmth surrounding Lana when she drove down onto him. Her tanned body pushed down onto him repeatedly to ride out the latest orgasm. Clark just hoped Lana would not burn herself out before it was finished.
"It's fine," Clark informed her. "Just keep riding me. Keep your own pace"
Lana smiled when holding onto him. She buried her face into Clark's shoulder, for a second. Then another orgasm spiraled through her. The passion spiraled out of control the further Lana brought herself down onto Clark. Those thick balls threatened to have their way with her.
Every time Lana came down onto him, her scorching slit massaged his manhood. Clark hung onto her and maneuvered every corner of her body. That firm toned flesh bouncing down on him. Clark squeezed Lana's ass and in response, she clenched down onto him.
"Almost there," Lana murmured hopefully.
Clark picked up the pace as much as he could be allowed. His balls swelled up and would soon deposit their load inside Lana.
"Yes, close, do you think you can hang on for a little bit longer?"
Lana used every amount of energy she possessed to bring herself down onto Clark. Their thighs slapped together when she continued the riding. Clark groped her chest and it only spurred Lana further to go on further. She would make it worth it for him.
She slid down the throbbing hard pole, more juices dripping down Clark when she rose and fell down onto him. The end would be coming soon, Clark could feel it. He held onto Lana when she pushed down and up, driving as much cock into her as she could take.
Lana clutched his arm and moaned out with the latest orgasm struck her hard. Clark pushed into her, balls throbbing.
The two of them met in the middle. The next time Lana came, Clark came along with her. He emptied a sticky load inside Lana.
Lana was so glad she could hang on for a few more minutes, long enough to enjoy Clark spilling his thick seed into her. It invigorated her despite her body being sore.
Clark shook his head. That happened, and boy he didn't regret it happening either. He left Lana to recover from their little encounter. He thought about what else he had to do today, now that he finished doing Lana.
Diana was going to join him back in town after spending some time in Paradise, no doubt fine tuning her skills. Clark smiled and allowed himself to enjoy the fresh air of Smallville. He smelled the home cooking, the corn fields, and just heard the birds chirping. Everything made Clark feel at ease, and everything made him feel at home.
A dull ringing going through his ear caused Clark to pause for a second. The more he stepped forward, the ringing had increased.
Clark wondered where it was coming from. He jumped over the fence and decided to take a closer look.
The ringing brought him in the direction of a park. There were a couple of children who were at play, but for the most part, it was oddly calm. The ringing had gotten more and more intense. Clark stepped forward into the park and wondered where it was coming from.
He came to the conclusion it was only he could hear the ringing. Clark used his X-Ray vision to take a closer look at the ground.
"Are you okay, Mister?"
Clark looked towards a little kid, of about three or four years old, looking at him with the sort of innocent curiosity many children had. They didn't know the troubles in the world.
"I'm looking for my phone, I lost it in the park," Clark said.
The child went back to his play which allowed Clark to continue skimming through the grass in an attempt to find his cell phone. Seconds passed before he scooped up the cell phone in triumph.
Clark held the phone to his ear and the ringing got even more prominent. The only way to stop it is to answer the phone.
"Hello?"
"Good, you've gotten my message," a distorted voice over the end of the phone said. "I don't have much time, the veil has been removed, and it's only a matter of time they're onto me. And that means trouble for both of us."
"Who are you?"
"Not over here, the line is not completely secure," distorted voice on the other end of the phone said. "I've been giving you information, but I'm afraid Lex and Brainiac have found the bugs, and now it's only a matter of time before they trace them back to the source, that being me."
"You?" Clark asked.
"Yes, it's only a matter of time," the distorted voice on the other end of the phone said. "It's important, they're working together, the two of them. I've managed to find out Brainiac intends to enact the Genesis Protocol."
Clark knew only very few people who knew of that, and the fact this person, whoever they were, knew this, put Clark on the edge and made him very suspicious. Perhaps he jumped to conclusions, but Clark wasn't going to take this one without any thought.
"What do you know of the Genesis Protocol?" Clark asked.
A long pause followed, and Clark wondered if he lost the connection to them.
"It doesn't matter, all that matters is, Lex is being used as a puppet for Brainiac," the voice on the other end of the phone said.
Clark tried to lose his patience, especially when there were people close by. He gnashed his teeth in frustrated though and turned around the corner. The phone had a lot of static on it, and he wasn't certain how long it would be before the person on the other end gave up the ghost.
"Are you still there?"
"Yes," Clark answered in his most cool voice.
"Lex is about ready to undergo some kind of change, and I fear it could have some kind of consequences which could doom the world."
It really didn't give Clark all that much to go on, if he was perfectly honest. His frown deepened.
"How about you meet me at the Kawatchee Caves? And I'll give you everything I need to know in person."
"The caves?" Clark asked. "And how I am supposed to trust you?"
A beat followed, and Clark could almost hear the person on the other line drawing their breath in.
"You can't you're just going to have to figure out whether or not you should listen to your gut," his contact said. "If nothing else, you need to understand whether your instincts should be listened to or not."
Curiosity visited Clark in a sudden burst. He figured he should give this person, whoever they were, the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully, it would not end up burning him later on. All he could do was wait and see what was coming around the corner next.
"I'll meet you, in one hour," Clark said. "If this is a double cross…"
"I'll give you a reason to trust me more than my word," the contact said. "And if you decided not to meet you, could you do me a favor and destroy the phone? It really isn't anything extravagant anyway?"
Clark lifted the phone up in the palm of his hand and crushed it beneath his fingers. It did wonders in easing up his burden. He felt a little bit now that he crushed something.
"Mother, there's something," Clark said, switching to the ear piece which connected to the Fortress. "My contact at LuthorCorp will be revealing themselves….whoever it is, Brainiac compromised them."
"Well, don't go into that situation alone," Lara said. "They might be a sleeper for Brainiac, and not even know it."
Clark didn't want to think the worst, but he knew Lara was one hundred percent right. It did seem like something Brainiac would do.
"Well, Lana's finally decided to get a piece of what she's missing," Chloe said. "I never thought there would be too much of a good thing but…"
"She'll get used to it, eventually," Kara said with a smile.
Kara had a sense there was something unsettling going on here. She couldn't really put her finger on what it was, though. Chloe grabbed her by the hand and prevented Kara from walking through a fence.
"Thanks, I…I've been a bit off today," Kara said.
"You okay?" Chloe asked. "No offense, but you're almost walking through fences. You might not get hurt, but I don't think the people here would appreciate the property damage."
"I don't know," Kara said. She did dial back the attempt to walk through the gate. "There's just something which is distracting me. And I don't know what."
Kara cupped her ear and clutched it tight. There was a ringing which escalated through her ear and it was rather hard for her to concentrate no matter what her best efforts were.
"Oh, shit."
Kara jumped up at the conversation. She could see Chloe's eyes follow the image of Milton Fine, Brainiac's human disguise, as he casually stood at the end of the cornfield.
Chloe frowned. Her last encounter with Fine didn't go all too well, and she would have hated to repeat it a second time. Kara crossed the field and edge closer in Fine's general direction.
"Stand back."
Chloe stood about a fraction of a step back. She didn't jump in to assist Kara, not yet anyway. Kara leaned closer towards Fine and used her X-Ray vision. No outline on him which made Kara realize one thing.
"You're a holographic projection," Kara said.
"Very good," Fine said. "Given the results of our last encounter, I think we can both agree it would not be advised for me to be out in the open and put this body in the direct line of fire from a hot-tempered Kryptonian."
Kara clenched her fist so hard knuckles began to turn white. It was very hard to keep calm and not to just punch something. And really, it would just be the air she was punching.
"I don't care what you're going to do, we're going to put an end to you," Kara said. "I'm going to stop you, you're not going to bring Earth down like you've brought Krypton down."
Chloe watched the two of them. Brainiac must have had some pretty long range on his holographic projector given how he must have been an entirely different location. At least, Chloe couldn't tell where he was projecting from.
"Once again, your ignorance appears at the worst possible instant," Brainiac said. "I can assure you, I am not the destroyer of Krypton. I have led to its salvation."
Kara almost shifted her eyes back and clenched her fist. He really was deluded.
"Krypton needed to be purged, and Earth…..will not be squandered by primitive beings," Brainiac said. "Therefore, the Genesis Protocol's next phase will commence. And since I can't thank your mother, I should thank you for her in your stead. This wouldn't have been possible without you."
"I'm going to find you and…"
"Soon, you're going to have to make a decision of where your loyalties truly lie," Brainiac said. "If you will choose to be branded a pariah like your mother, then you will burn like one."
Chloe watched the interplay between the two of them. The burning expression in Kara's eyes made Chloe feel rather fortunate she was not on the wrong side of the girl.
"You speak of what you don't understand."
"But, yet, you don't fully understand it," Brainiac said. "And I could waste time enlightening you, but you will refuse to listen. You cannot deny who you are deep down for too long. You are one of the few abled bodied Kryptonian survivors left….you will be perfect for this new world. If you allow yourself to embrace your true self."
Kara forgot herself for one moment and blasted the ground with heat vision. While Brainiac's hologram flickered out into the distance, the fact she used him for target practice made it feel really good. Her breathing continued to get higher, more prominent.
"Hey."
Chloe placed a hand on Kara's shoulder. She did it in a fairly tentative manner, not wanting to upset anything. Kara turned all the way around to face her.
"I'm fine," Kara answered.
"Really?" Chloe asked. "Okay, I'll believe you, but what exactly was he on about?"
"Just more rhetoric and mind games," Kara said. "He's just trying to screw with my head."
Chloe thought Kara looked very rattled for someone who was just trying to screw with her mind.
"We better find Clark though…because he's pretty much told us it's happening."
Chloe had a feeling Kara swiftly sidestepped the conversation with all the well-practiced sophistication of a politician, but she had a point. They had to find Clark.
"We just had an encounter with Brainiac," Kara said. "He's still planning to enact the Genesis Protocol. Is there any luck on your end in finding out what he's up to?"
"No, not yet, although I'm doubling up my efforts," Lara said. "If there's something out there, I'll find it. Try not to worry."
Kara tried her very hardest not to worry.
"Clark received contact from his person on the inside of LuthorCorp," Lara said. "They want to meet him at the caves, and I was wondering if you wanted to head with them…"
"Is there really any question?" Kara asked. She curled into a smile. "Of course, I'll go there….right away….will he meet me there?"
She needed to have a quick work with Clark anyway. The only thing left was Chloe. Kara wrapped her arm around Chloe's waist.
"Keep an eye on Lana," Kara said. "I wouldn't be surprised if Lex, especially now that he's involved with Brainiac, might use her as a pawn."
Chloe didn't really argue with that one. Lana was the one who came up with the shift. Kara sped Chloe to the front door before going off to meet up with Clark.
In their darkest, most frustrating time, Kara and Clark stood together. The area around the caves had been quiet, which made them think whoever it was, they were already here when they made the call to Clark. Both Kryptonians entered the caves and had a very nerve-racking feeling when they did so.
"I don't like having so many blind spots," Kara said, slightly shuddering.
Clark drew his arm around Kara and pulled her in close. He would have to agree with her. The two Kryptonian survivors stepped inside the cave, their enhanced vision allowing them a quick look around.
One of the keystones of his training was being able to master all of his surroundings. He could hear a heartbeat, faint as it might. Whoever it was tried to keep themselves calm to avoid early detection. Yet, you couldn't completely have a heartbeat stop.
Clark motioned behind him for Kara to keep in the shadows. This person was close by, and Clark would have liked to have an ace up his sleeve should push came to shove.
"Come out," Clark said. "Come out, or I'll drag you out."
A strikingly beautiful redheaded woman attired in a black button up blouse and a black skirt coming down past her knees to show the few hints of stocking clad legs. She wore a pair of boots which were more able for climbing.
"Clark," she said.
Clark looked at the woman for a few seconds. Something about her demeanor indicated familiarity towards him, but Clark had not seen the woman before in his lift.
"Have we met?" Clark asked.
"Not officially," she responded. "It's pretty complicated how we know each other."
"Hmmm," Clark said. "I've heard that a lot."
The redhead woman looked back at him with a shifty smile. She thought this was a fair enough assessment all things considered.
"My name is Tess Mercer," Tess said. "But, that's really not important right now. What's important is what Brainiac is prepping Lex for."
Clark almost stood up straight. Perhaps he had lost all sense, but he was pretty sure being prepped for something was not a good thing. Tess looked at the look on his face and responded with a swift little nod.
"Lex believes Brainiac is working on something which will strengthen the immunity of your average human being, and Lex is an ideal test subject due to his heightened immune system," Tess said. "But he's only being strengthened enough for something dangerous, with Brainiac feeding lies and misinformation to him all of the way."
Clark realized what had been warned about. Only one word went from his mouth.
"Zod."
Tess answered in the form of a firm nod. This put Clark on high alert. How did she know about all of this? How did she know about Zod? Clark was beginning to be bombarded with way too many questions, and not enough answers to be honest.
"Brainiac sees Lex as a means to an end, then," Clark said. "A means to establish his primary directive."
"It begins a series of events which could lead to the ruin of the world," Tess said. "If we can avoid it, that would be great."
Clark moved his fingers up to the bridge of his nose to give a good and solid pinch to it. Something told him there was a lot more to this situation than met the eye.
"It is unfortunate history has a nasty way of repeating itself," Tess said. "Time is persistent, one of the very things we cannot fully control. But given the alternative, not trying is the worst thing."
Everything clicked in Clark's mind. He could hardly believe it, and yet at the same time, it made all of the sense in the world.
"So, you're a time traveler," Clark said.
"In a sense, I am," Tess responded.
Tess thought it would be hard to explain. She walked forward and placed an arm on Clark's. Edging closer towards him, she smiled.
"When I come from, you are a symbol of hope, even when all hope has been lost to the darkness," Tess said. "But, we don't want to even start that road if we can help it."
"So it is beginning."
Tess turned around and came face to face with a familiar face. She smiled.
Kara and Tess went face to face with each other. Tess nodded in recognition, and Kara frowned. Should she know this woman?
"Yes, it is beginning; the road to the end."
Chapter Seventeen: Stand Together.
Anticipation hit one Lex Luthor hard. His new partner, Milton Fine, assured him this would change the world. He would believe it when he saw it and believed everything when he experienced it firsthand. The moment when he received this procedure and only the moment he received this procedure, he would be under the assumption talk would be cheap. Until then, he would only wait, watch, and ponder to see what he would do.
There were many different ways where this could go, and he couldn't wait to see what could be accomplished.
He drummed his fingers against the edge of the chair. Lex leaned back a couple of inches and then bounced up. Patience had been born in him a long time ago. Even the most patient of men suffered for their art under many occasions. Lex shifted his neck a half of an inch back and the frown just deepened. He snapped a gaze back towards the front of the room.
The doors opened and Milton Fine approached him. The man always walked in a slow and meticulous manner with no wasted movement. He stepped even closer towards the man in question. Fine slowly looked up to look Lex directly in the eyes.
"It's time."
"I'm glad," Lex said. "This procedure, I don't want anyone else to be put through it.""
"I beg your pardon?" Fine asked.
Lex thought his point had been made perfectly clear, but maybe it wasn't exactly completely clear. He took a step closer to look into Fine. Those eyes lacked any kind of being, any kind of soul. They unnerved Lex more than they should.
"I don't want anyone else to be put through a procedure I'm not willing and ready to go through on my own," Lex said. "Do you not agree this is fair?"
Several ticks of the clock passed. Fine only walked backward a step and motioned Lex to go through the doorway. For a second, Lex thought he was being ignorance and a full three minutes passed before he said something.
"If you must," Fine said. "The procedure is almost perfected. All it is needed for someone with the strength to survive."
Lex figured he was in a no-lose situation. The procedure would work, and he would experience sensations beyond his wildest imagination. An entire world lingered in front of him, just waiting to be opened up. Lex anticipated what might happen next and excitement just brimmed through him. He could see beyond the wildest dreams of man.
There was another alternative. The other outcome would be where this procedure would not work. Lex put this as far away out of his mind as possible. He was convinced and confident it would work. Regardless, he was in a no-lose situation.
Fine looked towards him, the unasked question of whether or not Lex was sure not being asked.
"Let's do this," Lex said. "You seem to be confident this particular procedure will go through as intended."
"Yes, although there might be some pain when your body assimilates," Fine said.
Fine understood Lex could be perfect. His human mind might be shredded, but it was honestly a small inconvenience Fine would have to deal with.
"Then it's time for me to become something else entirely," Lex said. "Get me ready."
"Remove your shirt and your pants and we can prepare you to become something else," Fine said.
Lex made certain the door had been secured. He most certainly did not want anyone to barge in on this. Especially if there was a chance the experiment could be corrupted. Lex stripped his clothes off and walked over towards the table. The equipment Fine set up most certainly had been set up as state of the art. The man knew what he was doing.
The businessman traced one finger down the edge of the table and the frown deepened. He most certainly had a pretty good idea what was in store for him.
"I've checked into your security," Fine said. "There should be no interruptions."
"Never assume any security to be fool proof," Lex said. He crawled onto the edge of the table and laid back. "It's obvious you know what you're doing, so go ahead and doing it."
"You may feel a slight stinging sensation."
A syringe slipped into Fine's hand. The man walked over and inserted something into the side of Lex's neck. An inflammatory feeling exploded through the body of the bald young man. His hips thrashed, rising and falling in an attempt to get a hold of himself.
"Settle yourself, relax," Fine answered. He stepped back and allowed Lex to thrash in and out. The beeping on the equipment to the side showed Fine so far the procedure was working as intended. "Just block out everything else around you. Take a deep breath and calm down. Just focus on what you're becoming as I prepare you for the next stage."
Another beeping sound not coming from the equipment scanning Lex brought Fine's attention away from the man. It had to do with the security network. Fine frowned. Someone managed to breach the first gates outside. It could pose a problem if they had gotten inside. They positioned themselves in the center of the lab. Fine pressed a couple of buttons to ensure they would be delayed even further.
"Now, it's the moment of truth," Fine said. "Your realization will be at hand."
More chemicals pumped into Lex's body. Fine observed his body changing at the cellular level. He kept thrashing up and down against the straps. Had he not been restrained, this could be a problem. The man's heart started beating even faster, rejecting what his body was becoming.
"Stay with me," Fine said, pressing down onto Lex's temple. "Stay with me, do not fail me, not now, not ever….just keep breathing. Feel the changes, feel your body turning into something else."
A small splatter of blood flew from Lex's mouth when he trashed up and down. His vitals went all over the face before they flat lined for a moment.
Fine stepped back, calm and collected, not certain what would come next to him. A long moment passed as Fine reached over and pressed a button. More energy surrounded Lex. His body gave off a glow which would blind any human.
The machine stood back, barely avoiding the glow from hitting his eyes. He waited and watched, to see if it would work.
"It is time to wake up," Fine said. "Time to be prepared for the true Kryptonian, for my master. It's time, I hope you're ready."
Lex flashed open and nearly shot up out of bed. The straps broke from the bed and flew over. They smashed into the wall and dented it from the force he rocketed them off.
Then, Lex could see beyond the comprehension of mortal man. He could hear, he could smell, and he was certain he could taste and feel beyond what all men were capable of.
"I see everything!"
Tess hoped they would buy her explanation. She could see Kara looking from her to Clark and back again. They were making their way to the facility. They didn't have much time to stop him.
Kara, in particular, was mentally working overtime. She didn't know how, she didn't know why, but there was something about Tess which seemed familiar. There were some scattered thoughts in the back of her mind. Tess explaining she was, at least mentally speaking, from the future, seemed absurd.
Yet, somehow, it made a whole lot of sense. And she didn't know why.
"So, what do you think?" Kara asked.
"I don't know," Clark said. "It makes a lot of sense when you really think about it."
"It makes perfect sense," Tess said. "I know you're wondering if I'm just leading you on. The ship…..I wasn't certain it would do that when provoked. Brainiac is pretty savvy even when you have foreknowledge. He was programmed to adapt, which he received from the source programming."
"Yes, before he got corrupted," Kara said.
Tess turned her attention to Clark, who had been frowning. She could tell right away he was really thinking about it. The three of them crossed over towards the front gate. The lack of physical security guards gave Tess a fair amount of pause.
Something really was really curious about this.
"Security at the first gate shouldn't be too hard," she remarked. She pulled out the key card she borrowed from a catatonic Lionel Luthor and swiped it through the gate entrance.
"It's what's beyond that gate which worries me," Kara said.
Clark noticed Kara remained composed most of the time. Now, something was very different. She was a bit off today, and Clark wondered what was bothering her so much. He turned towards her and was about to answer a question. The question never left his mouth due to the loud whirling echoing above the young man's head. The whirling continued to grow above the young man's head.
Three drones appeared in the sky from a concealed set of bushes. They were armed to fire and ready to go.
Tess touched hands to hips and frowned when looking towards the drones hovering above her head. Clark took a half of a step to Tess's side, locked onto the drones stalking her, and fired a blast of heat vision. The heat vision caught the drone. The drone went up like a Roman candle high across the sky.
Appearances looked to be extremely deceiving when the drone lingered in the sky. It blasted Clark in the chest. Clark cupped his hand and blocked the second blast before jumping high into the air. He put his hand through the drone and ripped out the circuits from one of it.
Kara climbed up to face the drone. The drone fired a missile towards her. Kara lifted a hand to block the attack, spin around, and fire the missile directly back at the offending object. The drone knocked back several feet and crashed down onto the ground with a solid thud.
The Girl of Steel had no time to waste and even fewer chances to wait. Two more hidden drones locked onto her. They fired cables to wrap around Kara by the neck, the arms, and the legs. The wires proved to be hard to break even using her Kryptonian strength.
Must have been Brainiac's input, at least Kara figured.
Tess reached into her pocket and pulled out a portable device. She pushed a couple of buttons on the top of it.
The drones released Kara. Kara dropped down to the ground. Tess turned around and started to press into the security around them. The drones turned their attention towards her and started to fire.
Kara caught the cables from one of the drones and swung it like a baseball bat. The drones crashed together and exploded. She pulled back and realized how much attention it would draw. Kara dropped down onto the ground. Tess walked over to check on her.
"Now we're even," Kara said.
"No, we can never be even after all you've done for me," Tess said. "A lot of it, you don't really remember."
"Should I?" Kara asked.
No time to answer that particular question. Clark hopped on top of one of the drones. The drone sent energy through him and caused him to land on the ground with a huge thump. The Kryptonian survivor dropped firmly to a standing position and ripped a large chunk of rock out of the ground. Clark pushed the rock towards the offending drone to block the laser fire. His muscles rippled the further the rock pushed into the drone's firing sequence.
"Get me inside that terminal right there," Tess said. "I can get the security shot down….at least most of it. Fine's just trying to buy time now."
"Which means the procedure has already begun," Kara said. She dropped down, and then bounced back up. One of the red orbs which fell off the drone launched at the speed of light.
Kara launched a super powered fastball to an army of drones. She wondered how many LuthorCorp had, and they had been weaponized to take down meteor mutants, and likely they could do the same against Kryptonians. Kara found an electrified net almost wrapped around her. She blocked it, hands sizzling before she hurled the net up and ensnared two of the drones.
Clark scooped Tess underneath his arm. "Keep your head down."
Tess didn't have to be told twice what to do. Clark maneuvered them around the drones with Kara providing them further cover. The two of them dropped down and the door pushed open.
"I don't know how much time you have, so you better make it fast.."
Tess had plenty of time to regain her bearings when they were out of the woods. Well, at least when they were out of the woods about this particular thing. She put something down and hooked it into the computer.
"I need to establish a remote link to my hacker, she knows a thing or two about Brainiac's core programming, it's a shame we can't get close enough to shut him down completely," Tess said. "That would require finding the master copy and Brainiac is savvy enough not to put that in any place convenient."
She rifled through her shirt pocket and pulled out a crystal object. Tess pressed it against Clark's palm.
"When you encounter Brainiac, this should do the trick in disrupting him," Tess said. "And when you encounter Lex, do what you have to do to stop him!"
"What are you going to do?" Clark asked.
Tess paused for a minute, biting down on her lip before answering the question.
"I'm going to keep at shutting down everything in the building," Tess said. "And I need to block the satellites from receiving upload links, that's important. So, if I end up dying again…"
Tess forcefully grabbed Clark by the face and planted a kiss on his lips. She had wanted to do a whole lot more, but that would have to wait for a more convenient moment.
Clark pulled back for a second, her brazen move having surprised them. Especially given this was someone who just he just met earlier today.
"You have no idea how long I waited for that," Tess said. "Stop Brainiac, stop Lex, and save the world."
Clark rejoined Kara outside. The remaining drones had been stopped. The two Kryptonian survivors met eye to eye with each other, wondering what their next play was.
"We have a situation," Lara said.
"Yes?" Clark asked.
"There's a weird signal coming up, and it's trying to access several major computer systems around the world," Lara said. "It hasn't locked in, not yet, but it's sending feelings."
"It has to be Brainiac," Kara said.
"Yes, you have to find him," Lara said.
"Tess mentioned he would be in the center of the base," Kara said.
"And then that's where we're going."
Clark turned around and zoomed off with Kara close behind him. Both of them knew what was at stake and they most importantly knew the risks. All risks were worth taking when the world was on the line.
There would be an even greater risk for them doing nothing.
Lex took a moment to just look around the room. He had an entirely new sense of being which could have overwhelmed someone who was of lesser intelligence. Lex prided himself on opening his mind to new experiences and new pleasures. And these new experiences and new pleasures were marvelous as possible.
This particular moment took the cake, though. Lex closed his eyes and it just allowed him to see something on an entirely new level. He opened them back up. Everything was different shapes, different colors, differences which could not be perceived by standard human eyes. He flexed his fingers.
"I can see everything," Lex said. "I can hear everything. I can smell everything."
Lex tilted his head back to take it all in. His fingers touched the air and brushed something in the air. The tingling spread down his extremities and Lex absorbed the world far different than any other human could have done so.
"I can touch everything," Lex said. "I can taste everything."
The young millionaire's lips smacked together several times for emphasis. Fine didn't share his jubilation or even show any amusement. He just nodded in a mechanical manner.
"You were the perfect one to receive this experiment," Fine said. "And despite the fact, you nearly died, so I'm not certain if you have obtained perfection as much as you thought."
"Oh, I disagree," Lex said. "I think we both agree I have gone far beyond perfection. So far beyond perfection."
Lex found it quite peculiar the one thing he could not hear was Milton Fine's heartbeat. He could hear the heartbeats of himself, and several other people down the hallway. Lex frowned, his heart sounded a bit different, stronger even.
It just proved how much he evolved.
"We have a saying you may have heard of," Lex said. He rose to his feet and realized he was hovering above the ground. "Interesting...I feel like I'm lighter than air."
"You are more than that," Fine said. A small amount of emotion crept into the face of the otherwise emotionless man. "You are now faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap entire buildings in one single bound."
"Fascinating," Lex said.
Fine hurled a ball from one part of the lab to the next with a surprising amount of speed and force. Lex sped into position to catch it. It was a catch he could not have made if he was not human.
'Too good to be true,' Fine said. 'The son of Jor-El would have made the ideal vessel, and the perfect revenge. But Lex Luthor will work just fine. Soon the one true Kryptonian will be free, and he will have a body which to rule and bring back Krypton.'
"The Genesis Protocol's first step is a success," Lex said. "You should be congratulated upon that. Not many could have pulled off such a lofty assignment."
"I have you to thank, Mr. Luthor," Fine said. "The two of us should work together in the future. You never know what kind of strides we will make when becoming one."
Lex wondered if he even needed Fine given his own amplifying brain power. Signs he should have seen a long time ago, especially regarding a young farm boy from Kansas, came to light. Lex thought he should have known.
'The secret is right underneath your nose,' Lex said. 'Something else other than meteors fell from the sky on that October afternoon, didn't it?'
Lex ran hands across the top of his head. His own baldness had always been, unfortunately, but it was a gift in some ways. Lex extended his neck towards Fine.
"I believe we can proceed with the next phase of the Genesis Protocol if there is another one," Lex said. "While I doubt you can improve on perfection, there are test subjects ready now I've verified the process works."
Fine nodded in response. The best of them all would be inside Lex. Fine still needed to prepare the other vessels for the General's loyal troops and there was still some work to be done.
"Phase three is upon us," Fine said. "A certain Mr. Kent appears to be overstepping his bounds. Why don't you have a discussion with him?"
Lex sensed Clark approaching closer. A discussion between himself and Clark was long overdue. After all of the lies, all of the deception Clark maliciously did over the years, Lex needed to make him pay, make him kneel, make him see the world through the eyes of someone who was far weaker.
Clark crossed his fingers. They made it down three hallways without any incident. Kara stopped and looked towards Clark.
"Why don't I go around that way, and you go this way?" Kara asked. "We can surround him from two sides."
Kara turned around to look down the tunnel and then disappear, leaving her cousin to go the other way. Clark listened for something. All he heard was the same dull hum which surrounded the building. Brainiac must have been using some kind of frequency to block his super senses which proved to be some pretty bad news.
The only thing Clark could do right now was play this by ear and hope he could find his way around the building. The sound grew even more annoying and even more prominent.
A scream pierced through the air and almost knocked Clark back. Clark staggered for a second.
"Where are you?" Clark asked.
Nothing happened. Clark pushed open the door to the lab. He expected something, perhaps an ambush, or something along those lines. What he got destroyed all of those expectations. Clark stepped into the middle of a dimly lit and very empty room.
The lights all kicked on and Clark stood up straight. A blur zipped in front of him and the moment the blur stopped, Clark could see him. It was Lex, standing right in front of him.
"Hello, Clark," Lex said. "Fancy meeting you here. But, it seems like you're always in a place some humble farm boy shouldn't be."
Clark could see something in Lex's eyes. They were unblinking, and it unnerved Clark greatly.
"You're not well….."
"Thanks for your concern," Lex said. "Allow me to correct you, though. You couldn't be more wrong. I'm very well. I'm very grand. Life is great."
Lex zipped across the room and crushed an iron bar into his hand just to show how well he was.
"I know how you feel when you do it," Lex said. "It feels so good to have this kind of power."
"The human mind can't withstand the kind of power Brainiac gave you," Clark said.
Clark did not want to fight him, even though Tess warned him about the fact it was inevitable he would have to do so. Both of them locked eye to eye.
"Oh, I'm human, therefore I can't withstand your type of power," Lex said. "I see."
For a second, Clark assumed Lex was just going to lash out and take him down.
"I am surprised someone with the power of the god would lower themselves to your level," Lex said. "The values your parents gave you, they must have been strong. They made you a good person, a noble young man. And they also made you afraid of who you are, and what you could really do. And you fear what you're capable of."
Lex stepped closer towards him.
"Deep down, I think I always knew over the past five years," Lex said. "You have the power of a God. Your mind is someone who is more down to Earth and you lack something very vital. The proper perspective on how to use your power. For I've always had a powerful mind, and finally, my body is stronger than ever before."
"You're sick, Lex, you're not strong, you're sick," Clark said.
"Oh, I suppose I'm supposed to see someone who can fix my mind and erase the parts of myself which are inconvenient to you," Lex said. "You and Lionel have much more in common than I thought you did."
Lex drew in a breath and stood to his full height. His gaze went down to Clark, locking eye to eye with him.
"You have three choices," Lex said. "You can either stand beside me, stand aside from me, or be annihilated."
Clark rushed in and tried to nail Lex. Lex caught his arm with one punch and hoisted Clark above his head before hurling him outside.
"I think you may need some fresh air."
Lex hovered above Clark when he laid on a pile of broken glass. Brainiac found a way to strengthen Lex.
'Fine, you want to do this.'
Clark was done playing soft. It was time to get to work. He stared down at Lex and charged at him with Lex doing the same.