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sabinetzinTitle: Ka
Series: K'ex
Summary: Meanwhile, back at the Luthor Mansion.
Fandom: Smallville
Word Count: 558
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Pairing: N/A this installment
A/N: I don't like this chapter, because it's one of those in-between, moving people about chapters, so it feels like there's too much information. Plus, trying to write Martha was much harder than I thought it would be.
Lex jumped out of his chair, heart racing, as the heavy doors to his study swung open.
“Relax, it’s just me,” Lana said, giving him a funny look.
“Sorry,” he replied, smiling at her and taking his hand off the box where he hid his pistol. “It’s just been a,” he swallowed, “a very long day.”
Martha stood at the other side of the room, talking in a hushed voice on her cell phone. Behind her was a large television, apparently just wheeled in for something special. As she talked, Martha flipped back and forth between news channels.
“I keep getting these phone messages,” Lana told him. “Martha, telling me to come here, Jason, asking me where you were, of all people. What’s up?”
Lex scratched the back of his neck. “That’s kind of a long story.”
“Lana, do you know if something’s wrong with Chloe’s phone?” Martha interrupted.
“No, Mrs. Kent,” she replied, now completely lost.
“I was talking to her, and the call dropped.” She hit the send button. “And now it’s going straight to her voicemail.”
“Maybe she ran out of battery?” Lana tried, not knowing where any of this was going. Martha turned back towards the television.
“Lex, what is going on?” she demanded, looking him firmly in the eye.
He started to respond, but he was cut off by a wail from behind them. Martha was staring in horror at the television. Lana didn’t understand for a moment; it was stock footage on CNN, the same stale image of Lex’s father being led into jail, jacket thrown over his head. She gasped as the crawl caught her eye.
INDUSTRIALIST FOUND DEAD… LEAVENWORTH OFFICIALS SAY LUTHOR “UNPOPULAR,” DEATH “UNSURPRISING”… SON LEX LUTHOR UNAVAILABLE FOR COMMENT…
“I’m so sorry,” Lana said, putting a comforting hand onto his arm. She watched Lex’s jaw clench. It almost looked like he was angry. He suddenly broke away from Lana, catching Martha before she collapsed and leading her to the couch. She sobbed raggedly into a pillow.
Lex pressed a button on his intercom. Suddenly the room was filled with functionaries, as if he had a whole office lying in wait. One carried in a large wreath; apparently, they were among the last to know. He ignored them for the moment, sitting down next to Martha. “Mrs. Kent,” Lex said, stroking her hair with a gentleness that surprised Lana, “where is Jonathan?”
“The farm,” she replied, jumping up. “I have to go, he’s probably hurt, Lionel-”
Lex sat her back down. “If he’s hurt, I’ll send doctors to bring him here. You've had a big shock. You shouldn't be driving right now."
“Tell them to hurry,” she pleaded. He nodded at a secretary behind him, who scuttled off.
None of it added up, and Lana was starting to get exasperated. “Lex, what the-”
“Wilson, take Miss Lang home,” he told an imposing security guard. Lana starts to protest, but he raises a hand. “Just long enough to pack some things.” He took Lana by the shoulders and stared into his eyes. “Just trust me. It’s safer if you’re here. I promise I’ll explain everything when you get back.”
She reluctantly agreed, letting Wilson lead her out.
The secretaries and security guards were dispatched one by one. There were funeral arrangements to make, statements to release, stockholders to calm. Lex couldn’t imagine how hard it had been if his father had actually been dead.
He called the last employee, his security chief, over to a corner, out of Martha’s hearing.
“You have the safeguard we discussed in place, Michael?”
“Every point of ingress we could find,” Lex’s security chief said confidently. “Doors, gates, then windows until we ran out of rock.”
“Get more,” Lex told him. He nodded militarily, then took his leave.
Then the room was dead again, just Lex and Martha and CNN.
Lex dropped onto the couch next to Martha, suddenly exhausted. She put her arm around him and cried into his shoulder, while the television blared on.
Series: K'ex
Summary: Meanwhile, back at the Luthor Mansion.
Fandom: Smallville
Word Count: 558
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Pairing: N/A this installment
A/N: I don't like this chapter, because it's one of those in-between, moving people about chapters, so it feels like there's too much information. Plus, trying to write Martha was much harder than I thought it would be.
Lex jumped out of his chair, heart racing, as the heavy doors to his study swung open.
“Relax, it’s just me,” Lana said, giving him a funny look.
“Sorry,” he replied, smiling at her and taking his hand off the box where he hid his pistol. “It’s just been a,” he swallowed, “a very long day.”
Martha stood at the other side of the room, talking in a hushed voice on her cell phone. Behind her was a large television, apparently just wheeled in for something special. As she talked, Martha flipped back and forth between news channels.
“I keep getting these phone messages,” Lana told him. “Martha, telling me to come here, Jason, asking me where you were, of all people. What’s up?”
Lex scratched the back of his neck. “That’s kind of a long story.”
“Lana, do you know if something’s wrong with Chloe’s phone?” Martha interrupted.
“No, Mrs. Kent,” she replied, now completely lost.
“I was talking to her, and the call dropped.” She hit the send button. “And now it’s going straight to her voicemail.”
“Maybe she ran out of battery?” Lana tried, not knowing where any of this was going. Martha turned back towards the television.
“Lex, what is going on?” she demanded, looking him firmly in the eye.
He started to respond, but he was cut off by a wail from behind them. Martha was staring in horror at the television. Lana didn’t understand for a moment; it was stock footage on CNN, the same stale image of Lex’s father being led into jail, jacket thrown over his head. She gasped as the crawl caught her eye.
INDUSTRIALIST FOUND DEAD… LEAVENWORTH OFFICIALS SAY LUTHOR “UNPOPULAR,” DEATH “UNSURPRISING”… SON LEX LUTHOR UNAVAILABLE FOR COMMENT…
“I’m so sorry,” Lana said, putting a comforting hand onto his arm. She watched Lex’s jaw clench. It almost looked like he was angry. He suddenly broke away from Lana, catching Martha before she collapsed and leading her to the couch. She sobbed raggedly into a pillow.
Lex pressed a button on his intercom. Suddenly the room was filled with functionaries, as if he had a whole office lying in wait. One carried in a large wreath; apparently, they were among the last to know. He ignored them for the moment, sitting down next to Martha. “Mrs. Kent,” Lex said, stroking her hair with a gentleness that surprised Lana, “where is Jonathan?”
“The farm,” she replied, jumping up. “I have to go, he’s probably hurt, Lionel-”
Lex sat her back down. “If he’s hurt, I’ll send doctors to bring him here. You've had a big shock. You shouldn't be driving right now."
“Tell them to hurry,” she pleaded. He nodded at a secretary behind him, who scuttled off.
None of it added up, and Lana was starting to get exasperated. “Lex, what the-”
“Wilson, take Miss Lang home,” he told an imposing security guard. Lana starts to protest, but he raises a hand. “Just long enough to pack some things.” He took Lana by the shoulders and stared into his eyes. “Just trust me. It’s safer if you’re here. I promise I’ll explain everything when you get back.”
She reluctantly agreed, letting Wilson lead her out.
The secretaries and security guards were dispatched one by one. There were funeral arrangements to make, statements to release, stockholders to calm. Lex couldn’t imagine how hard it had been if his father had actually been dead.
He called the last employee, his security chief, over to a corner, out of Martha’s hearing.
“You have the safeguard we discussed in place, Michael?”
“Every point of ingress we could find,” Lex’s security chief said confidently. “Doors, gates, then windows until we ran out of rock.”
“Get more,” Lex told him. He nodded militarily, then took his leave.
Then the room was dead again, just Lex and Martha and CNN.
Lex dropped onto the couch next to Martha, suddenly exhausted. She put her arm around him and cried into his shoulder, while the television blared on.
