"What are you doing here?" Lex asked, raising an eyebrow.
"This drug you're funding is affecting a friend of mine, I came to talk to," Clark looked down at a piece of paper, "Pamela Black."
"Well, get in line, and you should know the amount of funding I provided Dr.Pamela pales in comparison to the amount that Oliver provided."
"Yeah, that absolves you of all of your crimes, as far as I see it; both you and Oliver are guilty," Clark said stoically.
"Crimes?" Lex laughed. "If providing funds to a world-class doctor is a crime, none of the richest men in the world would be walking free."
"It's not about the money, Lex. You let her test her drug on humans before knowing the drug was safe. That's your crime."
"That's a crime that Pamela Black and Oliver Queen own alone. The samples provided to me are being studied extensively by my team. I can assure you none of them have been used in human testing. It's Oliver's arrogance that made him think giving the drug to Green Arrow was a good idea. Judging by his current complexion, Green Arrow isn't the only one participating in drug trials."
"So you see why it's important that we learn all we can from this doctor," Clark responded. "I've looked into the other victims; this aggression ultimately leads to them turning their anger towards themselves. How much time do we have until Oliver does the same?"
"Well, instead of interrogating me about crimes I have not committed, surely we should be looking for the Doctor?" Lex turned, not waiting for Clark's reply.
Suddenly, there was an awkward silence as they walked down the halls. "I want to apologize," Clark said, causing Lex to smile.
"I'm used to you accusing me of crimes I haven't committed, Clark," Lex said, walking the familiar hall towards the test room they had used during their last visit.
"No, I want to apologize for my actions during your engagement party, no matter how I feel about you and Lana, I crossed a line." Clark almost seemed to stumble over his own words as he croaked out his apology.
"Apology accepted," Lex said, almost laughing.
"Really, that easily?" Clark asked, confused.
"You've lost the most amazing woman in the world. I'd probably take it even further if I were in your shoes. Not to mention it's obvious you were on some kind of drug. I overheard your mom and Chloe talking. Apparently, both you and Lois were roofied at a Valentine's party or something."
"Yeah, at the Valentine's party," Clark said unconvincingly.
"I will say this, though," Lex stopped looking Clark in the eyes. "Right now, you think Lana is the girl you're supposed to spend forever with. Even knowing that she's pregnant with my child, you still believe. You have to get over her, Clark, even if I didn't exist, Lana wouldn't end up with you, Clark. You need to figure out who you are without Lana; maybe then you'll realize you're walking different paths. We may not be friends, Clark," Lex said, looking into Clark's eyes. "But that doesn't make us enemies."
It was hard to prepare someone so stubborn for the future. How long had Clark been asking himself if Lana was the girl for him? How long was he going to pine after a girl who was engaged to another man? Even if Lex didn't end up with Lana in the end, it wouldn't be Clark that did. He knew that his words would likely fall on deaf ears, but he could at least try.
Turning back around, he saw it, the room that Dr.Pamela had led them to. Stepping inside, he flicked the lights on, frowning as he realized it was empty.
"Lex!" It was Clark, turning around, Lex shot out of the room, following the sound of Clark's voice. He found him kneeling next to Dr.Pamela.
"Mr.Luthor," Her voice was soft, her pantsuit was bloody, there were stab wounds all over her, yet she remained strong. Her eyelids flickered open and closed as she looked up at Lex, kneeling down to her. Lex grabbed her hand.
"We're going to get you help," Lex said as he began to reach inside his pocket for his phone, only for her hand to stop him.
"Promise me," She said, slowly taking a second to catch her breath. "That you'll continue the research. It's all I have," Her grip tightened around Lex's wrist as she spoke.
"I promise, your research won't die with you," Lex held her hand tightly as she took her last breath. Lying her head down softly, he turned to Clark, "The attacker passed out in the hallway before you reached me. Did you see him?"
"I saw him," Clark said, nodding.
"The police will want to question him. Can you check on him while I call for help?"
"Sure," Clark said, exiting the room.
Lex reached into his pocket, ignoring the blood on his hands, flipping open his phone, he dialed the number 911. Today would be a long day; getting the research from police custody would be even harder. Looking back at Pamela, he couldn't help but sigh; she had so much ahead of her: a Nobel Peace Prize, fame, wealth. Now it was all gone. Turning his attention back to his phone, he gave the police all the information they needed on the building.
"Lex, he's gone," Clark's voice drew his attention.
"He got away?" Lex asked, confused.
"No, the drug, it made him." There was no need for him to continue his sentence, Lex understood.
"You should leave," Lex said, surprising Clark. "I'll handle the police; you were never here."
"What about Oliver?" Clark asked.
"Just like your mishap on Valentine's Day, he just needs time, Clark." Lex could see that he didn't exactly understand, so he continued. "The drug is addictive, but if you can keep the subject away from the drug, the effects should wear off. Then you'll have to deal with the withdrawals. There hasn't been much research on it, but it's best if the subject is isolated; my guess is they'll need to be chained. The strength the drugs provide means they should be able to break regular chains with ease. After that, it's simply a numbers game: keep them hydrated, and they should live." Lex wasn't exactly sure how bad the withdrawals would be. Oliver hadn't been taking the drug for that long, which meant the effects couldn't be that bad. This wasn't a drug you could compare to drugs like alcohol or cocaine, though; this was a drug that gave people the ability to heal and super strength. Other patients had been provided with the drug regularly; they hadn't been forced to deal with withdrawals. There was also the fact that the subjects tended to lean towards suicide, which further destroyed any hopes for evidence of the effects of withdrawal.
With Clark gone, Lex began to look through the building, finding others that had been taken out by the attacker. It was odd; no matter how he looked at it, this seemed to be like a volcano just waiting to erupt. One must be cautious when working with superpowered beings; if you're not careful, they'll turn all of their anger and aggression towards you. Once that happens, you'll have no one to blame but yourself, a subtle reminder that Lex needed to stay vigilant.
…
Lex sighed as he entered his office. It was dark; most of the lights in the building were turned off. He had spent hours in the police station; it had taken a sizeable donation to convince them that the few samples that hadn't been destroyed by the attacker should leave with Lex. It hadn't been that hard to obtain a pair of handcuffs after they saw the size of the check. He placed the briefcase on his desk as he unlocked the key. He gripped his wrist, feeling weightless after hours of being chained to a briefcase.
"You've must have gone through hell to obtain that briefcase," Lex was quick to react as he heard the weird voice, his hand shot towards his waist as he pulled out his signature silver pistol. Aiming it towards the intruder, he frowned. It was Oliver. More accurately, it was Oliver dressed as the Green Arrow; his signature green leather pants and hooded jacket were a dead giveaway. The bow in his hand was taunt as he looked through the tinted glasses on his face, his voice was disguised through the careful use of a voice modulator.
"Sure, if you mean being forced to write a check to Metropolis P.D," Lex said, gripping his pistol tighter.
"Nah, we both know money means very little to you." A grin appeared on his face, and Lex wondered how no one else had managed to put two and two together. How had Lois kissed this guy's face for months and failed to notice who the Green Arrow was under the mask?
"If you're here for the samples, I'm going to have to disappoint you," Lex said, narrowing his eyes.
"Disappoint me?" Oliver smirked before frowning. "You don't have what it takes to disappoint me. Now, I'm leaving with that briefcase whether you like it or not."
"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" Lex paused, "Oliver!"
"What are you-"
"I grew up with you, idiot. Did you really think I wouldn't be able to recognize your chin?" Lex shook his head. "Not to mention you return after five years and Starling City's nightlife experiences a different kind of Oliver Queen, Green Arrow."
"You really are too smart for your own good, Lex." Oliver shook his head as the voice modulator vanished. "That's even more reason why you should know you can't stop me. Even if a bullet from your gun hits me, I'll heal, and while you're dealing with my arrow lodged in your shoulder, I'll walk away with the briefcase." There was the same confidence in his voice that he would have just before he egged Lex on at Excelsior or beat him at chess when they were kids.
"Let's see if you can heal from a headshot," Lex said, his own confidence leaking through his voice.
Then there was silence as a good old fashion mexican standoff took place, one man fueled by drugs held a bow and arrow in hand, his aim impeccable. The other stood with a silver pistol in hand; his confidence wasn't from his aim but from his Kryptonian genes that were activating due to the adrenaline he was currently feeling.
There was no telling what set them off; was it the reflection of the moon hitting the glass or the sound of their own breathing? As their respective weapons went off, a third party suddenly appeared, moving faster than Oliver could see; there was Clark. Lex remained still as he saw the intruder. Clark seemed worried as he entered the room, spotting them both and the weapons they had fired. Clark was moving even faster than Lex could; he could only barely see what he was doing, but he had no way of reacting. The arrow that Oliver shot was the first thing that Clark focused on, moving its trajectory, and he sent it flying into the wall to Lex's left. Moving towards Lex, he frowned as he saw the pistol in his hand, only to be surprised when he saw that it wasn't a bullet that left the weapon. It was a tranquilizer, and it wasn't headed for Oliver's head but his neck. Sending it flying away, he moved towards Lex. He seemed so careful as he pushed Lex towards the side of his desk. Turning to Oliver, he grabbed him, vanishing as things returned to normal in the room. Lex crashed into his desk as he heard the arrow crash into the wall behind him.
Standing up, he wiped himself off as he walked over towards the arrow, removing it from the wall. Oliver wasn't a threat, but every chance he had to see Clark in action was a moment to learn. These powers weren't something he was born with; he wasn't as careful as Clark. His powers weren't as reactive, he needed to see a true kryptoninan an action and Clark just may be the strongest one in all of existence. Walking back over to the briefcase, he placed it inside of his safe, he'd keep the promise he made to Pamela. Not only because he was a man of his word, but because it aligned with his objective. This drug was a lifesaving measure. What would happen if Lana or his child were put in danger one day and he couldn't be there to protect them? The drug needed to be safer, though, right now it was a once every bluemoon kind of drug. How effective would it be if the side effects were limited or taken care of completely?
It'd have to wait, though; he already had so much he was working on his plate was beginning to get heavy. Maybe it was time he called in Tess; Lena was too young to be of help, but Tess had already graduated from college. Last he had heard from her, she was an agent of Checkmate, run by Amanda Waller. He'd invested enough into her; it was time she began to pay him back.
"B2 remind me to call my sister," Lex said as he closed the safe completely.
[Reminder to call Tess Mercer set] His iPod dinged as B2 replied. Now it was time to head home to his fiancée and unborn child.