Clex Fanfic: Gravity, Chapter 8
Aug. 30th, 2011 03:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
babydee1Some more Clex in the house. :-)
Title: Gravity
Author: BabyDee
Pairing: Clex
Rating: NC-17, this chapter PG13
Warnings: None for this chapter
Timeline: Season 9 (Saviour and beyond)
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: Clark’s thinks his relationship with Lex is keeping him grounded – and not in a good way.
Feedback: …makes the world go round :-)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 8
If looks could kill, then he would have been dead the second he walked into the Watchtower.
Fortunately for Lex, he had been dealing with dirty looks from the moment his father had found him in the cornfield with his hair scattered around him in bizarre, red clumps. The steely glares from Chloe, Oliver, and the rest of the assembled team did nothing to upset him, especially since Clark was there to give him moral support.
“I know I’m not liked by all of you here,” he said bluntly. “I’ve done things to a lot of you that I shouldn’t have, and for that I’m deeply sorry. But there are bigger things going on in the world that you all need to be aware of, and I urge you to listen to me.”
“Just say what you have to say,” AC grated. “And let us decide whether or not you’re worth listening to or not.”
“Very well,” Lex replied. “A few years ago, Clark tackled a Kryptonian enemy named Zod. Some of you may remember; riots broke out around the world, global computer systems failed and the power grids shut down.”
“I remember. They were taken over by a binary code that even I couldn’t recognise,” Victor confirmed.
Lex nodded. “That was Zod, and he had plans of world domination,” he answered. “We defeated him, but he’s found a way to return – and this time, he’s brought his own army of Kandorians with him, and his vision for earth and its inhabitants hasn’t changed.
“Zod’s intends to build two towers in the centre of Metropolis to harness the sun’s rays,” he declared. “The towers will convert its energy to transmissions conveyed under Krypton’s red sun and give the Kandorians powers akin to Clark’s.”
“You’ve got it wrong, Lex,” Oliver said in clipped tones. “I’ve heard about the towers, they’re just fancy solar panels meant to generate electricity at cheaper rates, a philanthropic addition to the city. The project just got approval from City Hall.”
Lex snorted. “Hate to disappoint you, Oliver, but that’s just a front.”
“I’m afraid Lex is right,” said Tess as she walked into the room. “The Towers’ true purpose is to convert the sun’s rays to empower the Kryptonians, just as Lex said.”
“And how do you know this?” Oliver challenged.
Tess lowered her gaze. “I…gained access to Lois’s submerged memories, the ones she blocked out in the days she disappeared while she was wearing the Legion Ring,” she admitted. “She ended up a year into the future. In that future, Zod tricks us all; he assumes global power and herds humans up in what can only be described as concentration camps.”
Oliver paled. “My God,” he whispered hoarsely. The rest of the assembled group looked just as horrified at the prospect.
Tess swallowed and continued. “Because the sun is now emitting red rays, Clark has no powers and is a prisoner of war,” she said. “There is a small resistance group in the future spearheaded by Chloe and Oliver, but for the most part…we’re all slaves.”
Dinah sighed deeply. “What are we going to do?” she asked.
“Zod has been trying to find something called the Book of Rao, I think that might be a vital piece of their puzzle,” Tess responded.
“Hmm…I don’t know if this is what you’re after, but there’s a Kryptonian doohickey hidden in a wall at the Kent farm,” Chloe offered.
Clark stared at her. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”
She shrugged. “You haven’t been in a very chatty mood lately.”
Lex chuckled, and Clark lowered his gaze. “I’ve read about the Book of Rao in the Kawatche caves,” Clark said, returning to the issue at hand. “And this is something that could actually work in our favour.”
Chloe frowned. “How so?”
“Because it’s a portal that will send the Kandorians to another plane of existence,” he explained. “Somewhere from where they can never return.”
Lex shook his head vehemently. “You don’t want to do that, Clark,” he said. “The Book of Rao opens a portal, yes – but it also creates a balance so that if something goes in, something else has the opportunity to come out, which poses an even greater threat than Zod.”
“Another threat?” asked a wide-eyed Bart.
Lex nodded. “Darkseid.”
“Who names these villains?” Chloe grumbled. “Doomsday, Darkseid…”
“The book of Rao is bad news, guys,” Lex insisted. “We can’t afford to take the risk of using it.”
“This is getting more and more hopeless by the second,” Oliver said grimly.
Chloe rolled her eyes. “A little positivity please, Oliver?”
“Lex: you seem to have all the answers,” said Dinah. “What’s the plan?”
“The Phantom Zone,” he answered. “We can send them there. There are enough of them to make a tangible impact on the place, and if they’re lucky, they might even have abilities there. Once they go through the portal, they can never return to earth.”
Clark looked doubtful. “I’m not so sure about that, Lex; I’ve been to the Phantom Zone, and it’s no paradise. I do have another suggestion…”
“Which is…?”
“Assimilation,” Clark said. “If we destroy the technology to build the towers, then they can all live on earth like normal people-”
“It won’t work,” said Zatanna. “It’ll only a matter of time before they realise there’s an alternative way to get their powers.”
“Which is?”
“Steal your blood. All they need is a drop straight into another Kryptonian’s bloodstream, and they can replicate the abilities by passing the blood on.”
“So we’re back to Square One and global enslavement,” Victor said grimly.
“Exactly,” Lex nodded. “I’ve thought this through, and the Phantom Zone is the only way.”
“But we have no way of accessing it; the Phantom Zone crystal’s been destroyed,” Clark pointed out.
“This is where my research facility comes in handy,” Lex quipped. “Gina, in my absence, found a boy with meteor abilities who can replicate and reconstruct all kinds of matter, even alien matter. I had a fragment of the Phantom Zone crystal in my possession at one point, and he’s been able to restore it completely.”
“That sounds positive, but how do you know if it’ll work?” Chloe asked.
“I don’t,” he replied. “And I’m not willing to sacrifice anyone to find out. But it’s physically identical to the previous crystal, so I can only assume it’ll do the same job.”
Everyone nodded grimly.
“Where are the Kandorians now?” asked AC.
“Once we have everything in readiness, I can take you to their hideout,” Tess replied. “But we need to prepare for this in earnest, guys. I’ve seen the future they have planned, and I have no wish to see it again.”
***
The Kandorians didn’t go easy.
It had taken a month of planning and the combined efforts of both the League and Lex’s team meteor infected individuals to effectively wind up all the unwelcome visitors at the pre-agreed spot.
Then came the make or break part of the mission: the crystal. As yet, it was untested; if it failed, they were all as good as dead. Everything hinged on this one moment.
“Clark, now!” Lex yelled.
Quickly Clark hurled the crystal in the direction of the assembled Kandorians, and everyone crossed their fingers and prayed for a miracle.
The object spun and hovered in the air before morphing into a flat sheet of glass.
“It works!” yelled Clark.
“It’s a portal!” yelled an irate Zod. “Run!”
But they were too late. A shaft of light emanated from the floating crystal sheet and absorbed the teeming mass of aliens into its depths. With a roar, Zod flung an object in Clark’s direction before he was also sucked in with the rest of the Kandorians in the Phantom Zone.
As soon as Zod disappeared, the crystal reconstituted itself back to its usual shape and size and fell to the floor with an innocent tinkle.
“We did it,” Oliver said, grinning. “We did it!”
“Thank goodness that’s over,” Chloe breathed. “Well done, Lex. We owe it all to you.”
Lex didn’t answer. He was staring at Clark who was lying prone on the floor, a glowing blue dagger sticking bizarrely out of the left side of his chest.
***
To be continued…
Title: Gravity
Author: BabyDee
Pairing: Clex
Rating: NC-17, this chapter PG13
Warnings: None for this chapter
Timeline: Season 9 (Saviour and beyond)
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: Clark’s thinks his relationship with Lex is keeping him grounded – and not in a good way.
Feedback: …makes the world go round :-)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 8
If looks could kill, then he would have been dead the second he walked into the Watchtower.
Fortunately for Lex, he had been dealing with dirty looks from the moment his father had found him in the cornfield with his hair scattered around him in bizarre, red clumps. The steely glares from Chloe, Oliver, and the rest of the assembled team did nothing to upset him, especially since Clark was there to give him moral support.
“I know I’m not liked by all of you here,” he said bluntly. “I’ve done things to a lot of you that I shouldn’t have, and for that I’m deeply sorry. But there are bigger things going on in the world that you all need to be aware of, and I urge you to listen to me.”
“Just say what you have to say,” AC grated. “And let us decide whether or not you’re worth listening to or not.”
“Very well,” Lex replied. “A few years ago, Clark tackled a Kryptonian enemy named Zod. Some of you may remember; riots broke out around the world, global computer systems failed and the power grids shut down.”
“I remember. They were taken over by a binary code that even I couldn’t recognise,” Victor confirmed.
Lex nodded. “That was Zod, and he had plans of world domination,” he answered. “We defeated him, but he’s found a way to return – and this time, he’s brought his own army of Kandorians with him, and his vision for earth and its inhabitants hasn’t changed.
“Zod’s intends to build two towers in the centre of Metropolis to harness the sun’s rays,” he declared. “The towers will convert its energy to transmissions conveyed under Krypton’s red sun and give the Kandorians powers akin to Clark’s.”
“You’ve got it wrong, Lex,” Oliver said in clipped tones. “I’ve heard about the towers, they’re just fancy solar panels meant to generate electricity at cheaper rates, a philanthropic addition to the city. The project just got approval from City Hall.”
Lex snorted. “Hate to disappoint you, Oliver, but that’s just a front.”
“I’m afraid Lex is right,” said Tess as she walked into the room. “The Towers’ true purpose is to convert the sun’s rays to empower the Kryptonians, just as Lex said.”
“And how do you know this?” Oliver challenged.
Tess lowered her gaze. “I…gained access to Lois’s submerged memories, the ones she blocked out in the days she disappeared while she was wearing the Legion Ring,” she admitted. “She ended up a year into the future. In that future, Zod tricks us all; he assumes global power and herds humans up in what can only be described as concentration camps.”
Oliver paled. “My God,” he whispered hoarsely. The rest of the assembled group looked just as horrified at the prospect.
Tess swallowed and continued. “Because the sun is now emitting red rays, Clark has no powers and is a prisoner of war,” she said. “There is a small resistance group in the future spearheaded by Chloe and Oliver, but for the most part…we’re all slaves.”
Dinah sighed deeply. “What are we going to do?” she asked.
“Zod has been trying to find something called the Book of Rao, I think that might be a vital piece of their puzzle,” Tess responded.
“Hmm…I don’t know if this is what you’re after, but there’s a Kryptonian doohickey hidden in a wall at the Kent farm,” Chloe offered.
Clark stared at her. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”
She shrugged. “You haven’t been in a very chatty mood lately.”
Lex chuckled, and Clark lowered his gaze. “I’ve read about the Book of Rao in the Kawatche caves,” Clark said, returning to the issue at hand. “And this is something that could actually work in our favour.”
Chloe frowned. “How so?”
“Because it’s a portal that will send the Kandorians to another plane of existence,” he explained. “Somewhere from where they can never return.”
Lex shook his head vehemently. “You don’t want to do that, Clark,” he said. “The Book of Rao opens a portal, yes – but it also creates a balance so that if something goes in, something else has the opportunity to come out, which poses an even greater threat than Zod.”
“Another threat?” asked a wide-eyed Bart.
Lex nodded. “Darkseid.”
“Who names these villains?” Chloe grumbled. “Doomsday, Darkseid…”
“The book of Rao is bad news, guys,” Lex insisted. “We can’t afford to take the risk of using it.”
“This is getting more and more hopeless by the second,” Oliver said grimly.
Chloe rolled her eyes. “A little positivity please, Oliver?”
“Lex: you seem to have all the answers,” said Dinah. “What’s the plan?”
“The Phantom Zone,” he answered. “We can send them there. There are enough of them to make a tangible impact on the place, and if they’re lucky, they might even have abilities there. Once they go through the portal, they can never return to earth.”
Clark looked doubtful. “I’m not so sure about that, Lex; I’ve been to the Phantom Zone, and it’s no paradise. I do have another suggestion…”
“Which is…?”
“Assimilation,” Clark said. “If we destroy the technology to build the towers, then they can all live on earth like normal people-”
“It won’t work,” said Zatanna. “It’ll only a matter of time before they realise there’s an alternative way to get their powers.”
“Which is?”
“Steal your blood. All they need is a drop straight into another Kryptonian’s bloodstream, and they can replicate the abilities by passing the blood on.”
“So we’re back to Square One and global enslavement,” Victor said grimly.
“Exactly,” Lex nodded. “I’ve thought this through, and the Phantom Zone is the only way.”
“But we have no way of accessing it; the Phantom Zone crystal’s been destroyed,” Clark pointed out.
“This is where my research facility comes in handy,” Lex quipped. “Gina, in my absence, found a boy with meteor abilities who can replicate and reconstruct all kinds of matter, even alien matter. I had a fragment of the Phantom Zone crystal in my possession at one point, and he’s been able to restore it completely.”
“That sounds positive, but how do you know if it’ll work?” Chloe asked.
“I don’t,” he replied. “And I’m not willing to sacrifice anyone to find out. But it’s physically identical to the previous crystal, so I can only assume it’ll do the same job.”
Everyone nodded grimly.
“Where are the Kandorians now?” asked AC.
“Once we have everything in readiness, I can take you to their hideout,” Tess replied. “But we need to prepare for this in earnest, guys. I’ve seen the future they have planned, and I have no wish to see it again.”
***
The Kandorians didn’t go easy.
It had taken a month of planning and the combined efforts of both the League and Lex’s team meteor infected individuals to effectively wind up all the unwelcome visitors at the pre-agreed spot.
Then came the make or break part of the mission: the crystal. As yet, it was untested; if it failed, they were all as good as dead. Everything hinged on this one moment.
“Clark, now!” Lex yelled.
Quickly Clark hurled the crystal in the direction of the assembled Kandorians, and everyone crossed their fingers and prayed for a miracle.
The object spun and hovered in the air before morphing into a flat sheet of glass.
“It works!” yelled Clark.
“It’s a portal!” yelled an irate Zod. “Run!”
But they were too late. A shaft of light emanated from the floating crystal sheet and absorbed the teeming mass of aliens into its depths. With a roar, Zod flung an object in Clark’s direction before he was also sucked in with the rest of the Kandorians in the Phantom Zone.
As soon as Zod disappeared, the crystal reconstituted itself back to its usual shape and size and fell to the floor with an innocent tinkle.
“We did it,” Oliver said, grinning. “We did it!”
“Thank goodness that’s over,” Chloe breathed. “Well done, Lex. We owe it all to you.”
Lex didn’t answer. He was staring at Clark who was lying prone on the floor, a glowing blue dagger sticking bizarrely out of the left side of his chest.
***
To be continued…
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-08-30 08:10 am (UTC)Can't wait for more!
I wouldn't be able to speak either if I saw that!
no subject
Date: 2011-08-30 09:08 am (UTC)Glad you like, Jan. Thanks for commenting! :-)
no subject
Date: 2011-08-30 03:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-30 04:01 pm (UTC)I'm always terrified when I update this story, because
(1) I always feel I can never quite capture Lex as well as I ought to, and
(2) Writing the whole Clex dynamic is pretty much out of my comfort zone
But comments like this are why this story keeps getting longer and longer, despite my best efforts to keep it short! :-P
Thanks so much for your encouragement, Megamom! *hugs*
no subject
Date: 2012-01-04 02:27 pm (UTC)