My Rainbow, Chapter 8

Clark/Chloe, full cast
Season 5, "Reckoning"
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: These characters belong to the CW and DC Comics, not to me.
Read the previous chapter here.
Read the full story starting here.

"Here's what's going to happen." Lex's pleasant tenor voice was still very calm and very quiet. "You're going to resign as state senator due to health issues. You're going to tell the public that you didn't realize how much stress the campaign would put on your heart, but now you realize you simply can't give the people of Kansas the leadership they deserve. And then you're going to recommend to the governor that he appoint me in your place."

Jonathan struggled to breathe. "But..."

"If you don't do this," Lex said, very quietly, "I will tell the papers exactly what Clark is. And I'll be able to prove it, because I can capture Clark, using meteor rocks-- kryptonite, isn't that what he calls it? I'll take him to one of my best-concealed laboratories, and my scientists will expose him to kryptonite radiation so he can be... dissected."

"No." The word was barely audible. Jonathan heard the harsh sound of his own breathing, heard the uneven rush of blood in his ears.

"And if my scientists inadvertently expose Clark to too much radation-- he'll die of it. Accidentally, of course." He looked Jonathan straight in the eyes, as if making certain Jonathan didn't miss the implicit threat. "It will be a long, lingering, unpleasant death, Mr. Kent. Certainly you don't want that for your son."

Jonathan found he couldn't form words. He stared at Lex, feeling every painful thump of his heart.

"Excellent," Lex said, the faintest smile curving his thin lips. "I'm glad we had this discussion. Thank you for taking the time to come see me." He sat back down in his chair, lifted his snifter, and casually sipped his brandy.

Bewildered by Lex's even, courteous tones, Jonathan turned toward the door, feeling as dazed and surreal as if he were trapped in a dream.

"Oh, and one other thing..."

Slowly, Jonathan turned back. Lex offered him a friendly smile.

"My deepest congratulations on winning the race, Mr. Kent."

*****

"All right," Chloe said, fighting to keep her voice steady. She pushed her adversarial tone away, knowing she had to convince Lana she was on her side. "You've given me a lot to think about, Lana. I'll give you a call tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. But you can't tell Clark any of this." Lana looked at her earnestly. "Promise."

Chloe crossed her fingers inside her pocket and tried to sound really earnest. "I promise. We've been friends for a long time, Lana. You can trust me."

... the same way Clark can trust you, she added mentally. Which is to say, not at all.

As far as she was concerned, Lana had given up the right to be trusted the moment she'd gone to Lex and told him all Clark's secrets. Admittedly Chloe herself had some concerns about Clark and his powers, but she intended to discuss her doubts with him, not go off and blab all his secrets to a third party.

Thanks to Lana, Lex Luthor knew all Clark's secrets. That could only mean trouble.

Her mind reeled with everything she'd learned since this morning, but she turned and made her way toward her car, her boots crunching in the snow. Large fluffy flakes began to fall again as she dropped heavily into the driver's seat. She started the little car up, and the wheels spun for a second on the snowy dirt road. Then the car gained purchase, and she pulled out onto Route 40.

She glanced in her rear view mirror, seeing Lana's brake lights headed in the opposite direction, toward the Luthor manor. The idea that Lana had been hanging out with Lex on a regular basis, and was maybe even involved with Lex romantically, made her worry, and not just for Clark.

Lex was dangerous. Lana had absolutely no idea what she was playing with here, and Chloe wished she could save her.

But she could only save one person at a time, and right now Clark had to be her top priority.

The asphalt was slick beneath her tires. She wanted to pull her cell phone out of her pocket and call Clark, to warn him about what was going on, but she didn't quite dare drive one-handed in these conditions. She really needed to get a hands-free cell phone, darn it. She didn't want Lana to see her stop and to guess that she'd immediately called Clark, either. Once Lana's brake lights disappeared in the distance, however, she considered pulling to the side of the road to call Clark.

But before she could act on the impulse, she saw the lights of a truck, just sitting in the middle of an intersection. She braked, skidding just a bit, and frowned as the Beetle slowed.

That looks like the Kents' truck.

Why the Kents' truck would be sitting in the middle of an intersection way out on Route 40, when as far as she knew the Kents were still at the Talon, celebrating Jonathan's victory, she had no idea. But she was pretty sure she recognized the elderly vehicle, so she carefully pulled her car to a stop and got out to investigate.

She walked up to the door, her boots slipping slightly on the icy road, and saw Jonathan Kent slumped over the steering wheel, motionless.

"Oh, my God!" She yanked open the door frantically and felt for his pulse, but she couldn't find it. Genuinely frightened now, she pulled out her cell phone. Her first instinct was to dial 911, but she suddenly remembered that Clark had strange alien powers. Somehow she thought he could get here faster than an ambulance could.

She dialed his number, and his warm, deep voice answered a moment later, barely audible over the sounds of the victory party. "Hey, Chlo, where--"

"I found your dad," she blurted. "He's-- oh, my God, Clark, his heart--"

His voice suddenly went very serious. "Where are you, Chlo?"

"On Route 40, just before the Loeb Bri--"

Her words broke off as headlights suddenly flashed in her eyes. She heard the terrible screech of brakes, saw the lights coming at her impossibly fast, and barely had time to think, OhmyGodohmy--

And then there was only darkness.

Read Chapter 9 here.