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zelda
26th October 2004, 13:04
I do not own any smallville characters. I make no profit from this.

Chapter 1

"What do you mean he can’t make it?" Lex Luthor growled onto his cell phone. The voice on the other end was John Tyle, his head researcher who was now trying to whine out an explanation.

"Well, sir. McKenzie was on his way when his flight was delayed. He missed his connection."

"Why is this delaying anything?" Lex asked. "The device is designed to be useable by everyday campers not professional explorers, we can find a volunteer anywhere. Why is it that you’ve managed to single-handedly slow down every project I’ve given to you?" His voice took on a deadly softness. There was a pause on the other end.

"I won’t take unnecessary risks with a tracker that might or might not work." John said quietly but firmly. "McKenzie can hide himself in the wild and even get away from a pack of dogs; he is a survival expert and living comfortably in harsh or unfamiliar surroundings is what he does best."

"I need a preliminary test done by the end of the weekend." Lex replied, "I have the prototype and I will run a smaller test on my own." Before Tyle could protest he continued. "I need you to work on the satellite end of it and be ready to be tech support in order to make this work."

"I don’t think this is such a good idea." Tyle said, a whiny edge creeping back into his voice. Lex liked him better when he was standing up for himself. But the more Lex thought about it, the more sense it made for the device to be tested by a layperson.

"Just get the equipment ready, I’ll call you when I’ve got everything set up." He hung up the phone and pulled his porche into an empty spot near the Talon. He looked around him at the people milling about on the sidewalk. It was three-thirty on Friday afternoon and he needed to have his test completed by Monday morning when he had a meeting with the CEO of TELETECH. A man to whom he was going to pitch the idea of a pocket-sized device that allowed a person to be found anywhere within sattelite range. It could be a great tool for inexperienced hikers, explorers venturing into uncertain territory, and could even be carried by children to avoid getting permanantly lost. All he needed was a test subject. He opened the door to the Talon and was nearly run over by Chloe Sullivan, a friend of Clark’s.

She stopped short, her irritated expression changing to chagrin when her abrupt halt caused most of the coffee from her cup to spill down the front of his shirt and pants and onto his shoes.

"Oh." She said, staring down at the creamy mocha splat running off the polished leather and making a dark puddle on the pavement. She looked up and met his gaze. "I’m really sorry, Mr. Luthor." She continued, holding her wet coffee cup gingerly. Lex found himself pulled inside by his jacket lapel and parked near a napkin dispenser. Setting down her now half-empty cup, Chloe pulled a handful of napkins from the dispenser and began to clumsily mop the front of his purple, silk shirt. She only succeeded in depositing little pieces of wet napkin onto the expensive fabric. He hissed slightly as she rubbed the cloth against the skin of his belly that was so recently scalded. She started to dab at the front of his trousers when he caught her wrist in his hand. She looked up in surprise.

"Leave it." He said, leaning forward slightly to lessen the uncomfortable contact of wet shirt on burned skin. He was more than a little irritated now, his plans were not getting off to a healthy start, and now he’d been maimed by a teenager. "I’m fine, really I don’t need you to try to assault me with paper napkins, or get frisky with me in a public place." His words left Chloe slightly confused till she realized where her hands had just been. She pinked slightly and opened her mouth, no sound came out for a few moments. Lex glanced at the flustered young woman.

"S-sorry," she stammered, not used to being speechless. "Send me the cleaning bill." She seemed genuinely contrite so he felt a little guilty for snapping at her over what had obviously been an accident. He was turning into his father already.

"It’s alright." He said with a sigh. "I had to go home and change anyway."

"Why?" Chloe asked automatically. "You looked fine before I assaulted you." She almost kicked herself. She needed to stop saying stupid things like that. But Lex only chuckled. A grin splitting his face and making the lines in his forehead dissappear.

"Thanks." He said, his mood beginning to lighten. Chloe had a direct way of speaking that made him feel a little relieved, even when he was avoiding her probing questions. With her, he didn’t need to stunt his speech to the normal high-school level, even Clark sometimes had trouble with his way of talking. An idea began to form in his head. "May I ask what had you in such a mood that you’d not notice a man in a bright purple shirt?"

"I was supposed to go to Metropolis for the weekend to interview for a paying job for the summer at the Daily Planet but the woman I was supposed to see came down with the flu and I have to re-schedule." Chloe said, letting the disappointment creep back into her voice. She shrugged, "I guess I don’t like having so much free time to myself." Lex raised an eyebrow as his idea turned into a plan. She chewed her bottom lip as she surveyed his ruined clothes. "I really am sorry about your shirt."

"Want to make it up to me and help yourself in the process?" Lex said quickly, before his common sense returned and knocked him to the ground following by repeated kicks to the kidneys for even considering what he was about to do. Chloe stepped back and regarded him suspiciously.

"Exactly what did you want me to do?" She asked, narrowing her pretty green eyes. Lex gave her the most evil grin he could muster and couldn’t resist a small leer.

"You can get lost."

zelda
26th October 2004, 13:06
"Excuse me?" Chloe said, her voice droping a few degrees in temperature. Lex was laughing at her now.

"I can give you exclusive access to some new technology that may be released on the open market in the next year. I need it tested by a layperson this weekend and the original subject can’t make it till tomorrow afternoon due to a missed flight out of Malaysia." Chloe didn’t look angry now, just confused. He continued anyway. "If we make an agreement that you won’t publish anything for a few weeks while I shop the product around, you can have first dibs on official statements; plus," he added with the gestures worthy of an infomercial host, "you’ll have first-hand knowledge of the product."

"What kind of product are we talking about here?" Chloe asked, intrigued. Coffee miraculously forgotten by both, Lex ushered her out to his porche and practically threw her in the front seat in his haste. He drove her to his home, outlining the software and potential uses on the way. He suggested that Chloe agree to keep things quiet till the test was complete. When they reached the mansion, he led her upstairs to his office where he had the prototype. He removed his jacket and slung it over a chair. He also removed the ruined tie and opened a small closet in the corner of the room and took out another shirt, similar to the one he was currently wearing. He lay it on another chair and returned to her side. She wondered if he kept clothes here because it was too long of a walk to go to his rooms and get a clean one.

"All I want you to do is wear the tracker on your belt and turn it on once you get to a spot within 200 miles. Activate the device and then wait or walk around a bit." Lex leaned against his desk casually. I’ll come and find you and we’ll find out how easy it is to use."

"Do you want me to be in the wilderness or the city?" Chloe asked, examining the small box on his desk. He replied that he preferred less-urban areas in order to cut down on interference. She frowned "I’ll definitely get lost with little or no trouble in the wilderness, but you’re hardly a layperson when it comes to technology, wouldn’t the test be less valid with a child prodigy hunting a city girl in the forest?" It was a good point, Lex knew, but he pressed on. "I thought of that, but it will be that much easier to present to this particular CEO who appreciates first hand knowledge of a product. He’ll be impressed that someone who usually spends time in the office went out into the woods to use the product rather than sending someone else to do it."

Chloe nodded in understanding; but she was having a little trouble picturing Lex tracking her through the wilds of….Kansas. Still, it was a great opportunity.

"Okay I’m in." She said, and turned to leave. Halfway down the hall she remembered that her car was parked in downtown Smallville. She returned to his room but didn’t see him immediately. She stepped in a little further and her eye caught movement off to the left. He was shirtless, and if she had arrived a few moments earlier, she’d have seen him without pants as well, she guessed as he whipped a belt around his waist. Chloe opened her mouth to say something but wisely shut it and turned around.

"It’s okay, I’m decent." He said, calmly behind her. She turned to face him.

He walked back toward her, buttoning the clean shirt slowly, allowing her a moment to be unexpectedly distracted by a rather nice set of abdominal muscles.

"Decent. Right." She mumbled.

"I’ll take you back to town now. But first I’ll need you to sign a confidentiality agreement."

She was to report to him the next morning at seven AM to get equipped before going off to be tracked. Lex drove her back to her car and asked her not to mention any possible destinations she might have in mind. He smiled at her warmly and thanked her for helping him, telling her that he would definitely make the trip worth her while. Her father didn’t like the idea at first. He was assured by Lex that they had a highly trained staff and he had already notified all of the necessary authorities. Chloe begged and pleaded with her dad. She explained to him that having the exclusive rights to a story like this could mean the difference between a resume like all the others and a resume that landed a job with a fantastic newspaper.

"Dad, professional reporters would fight for this story." She pleaded, "I’m having it handed to me on a silver platter." Her face fell a little, "Unless I write a really crappy article," she said, self-doubt creeping into her voice, "then it will end up being a wasted opportunity." Gabe Sullivan’s big arm came protectively across his daughter’s shoulders.

"No one can hold a candle to you when it comes to writing, sweetheart. You’ll do a great job on the article."

"Thanks, Dad." She said, hugging him and racing up to her room. Gabe realized he’d been outmaneuvered, but didn’t mind. Chloe had trouble sleeping that night due to her excitement over her coming adventure.

Then next morning found the budding reporter pacing in her room. Chloe checked her reflection in the mirror as she tried to calm her nerves. She’d dressed in jeans and boots, layering t-shirts and sweatshirts before adding her windbreaker and a tucking a pair of gloves in her pocket. Weather could be unpredictable in the early spring and she didn’t want to get caught unprepared. She bid her father goodbye and he wished her luck and told her to call for help if she got into any trouble no matter how important the story was. She drove to Lex’s house without really seeing any of the scenery. After parking, she walked up the front steps and knocked on the massive oak door. It opened a minute later to reveal the boy wonder himself. He was dressed in jeans and a brown wool sweater. Surprisingly, both looked broken in, as if he’d actually worn such casual clothes before. He led her back up to his office where the desk was laden with more equipment.



There was a man sitting behind the desk, working on a laptop computer. He was in his late thirties, attractive with slightly graying dark hair and a frown creasing his forehead. The man introduced himself as Dr. John Tyle and despite his apparent disapproval of the situation, he explained how the tracking hardware worked with definite excitement in his voice. It was similar to a hand held GPS, it sent out a signal directly to the satellites in orbit and was able to pinpoint a person’s location within approximately 100 feet.

The test was an unofficial one so Lex and Tyle were the only people who would be directly in contact with her. Tyle set up his equipment in Lex’s office where he would do the mapping from the satellite once he had a link. "Ready to get wired up?" Lex asked, casting an eye over her outfit and nodding briefly in approval. He attached the tracker to her belt. His fingers brushed her bare skin as he adjusted it to the small of her back; the sensation sent a small shiver through her. She told herself it was just the anticipation of the exclusive interview that made her excited.

The box was larger than a pager, but much smaller than the bulky walkie-talkies worn by cops and firemen. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it was light and didn’t interfere with movement.

"What’s this?" She asked, indicating a small, red button on the side of the device.

"It’s a panic button." Tyle said, not looking up from the screen of Lex’s computer. "If you should fall and hurt yourself or your phone should get lost or broken, or you feel like you are in any kind of danger, press it and it will send out a signal." He came around the side of the desk and reached out, pressing the button. A beeping sound came from the computer immediately. He took her by the wrist and drew her over so she could see a flashing red signal that read: "Emergency Beacon Activated. Subject 001."

"That way if you’re not actively tracking someone it brings attention to that area?" Chloe asked. Lex smiled, Tyle answered in the afirmative. She was bright, he was sure he’d made the right choice. "Once you market them, will the carriers only be tracked if they activate the call button or they are missing?" He nodded. "It’s like OnStar for people." She said with a grin.

"More like Lojack." Lex corrected, smiling back and making a last minute check of the tracker before tugging the parka down over it. "I don’t have to tell you not to mention this to anyone out on the trail do I?" He asked, handing her the pack that held all of her emergency supplies. It was now almost seven thirty and the clock was ticking.

"How much of a headstart will I have?" She asked.

"Two hours." Lex replied. "You can walk, drive, take a dogsled, or a litter caried by slaves if you like." He raised an eyebrow and said mischeviously, "I’ll still track you down."

zelda
26th October 2004, 13:35
Chapter 3

"That sounds lke a challenge." She said softly. "Maybe I’ll hide." His eyes sparkled with excitement.

"That will make it all the more fun when I capture you, my little Red Riding Hood." His voice had lowered to a growl and he reached out a hand to tug at the hood of her bright red parka. "Better not talk to any big, bad wolves out there." Enjoying the mild flirtation, she gave him a sweet smile, turned on her heel and walked out of the room, giving him a jaunty wave over her shoulder. Lex watched her leave, enjoying the view of her wigling backside. He was, after all, human.

"Just remember," Dr. Tyle said, interrupting his thoughts, "we’re on a timetable so make sure you contact me as soon as you find her so we can get an idea how long it may take to get to someone in an emergency. We’ll set up the marker with the coordinates of the tracker, that way we can show the TELETECH group exactly where we found her right from the board room." He glanced up over his glasses, "As soon as you find her, not after any little make-out sessions you decide to have." Lex looked at him curiously.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" He asked incredulously. Few of his employees would dare to speak to him this way. He was used to Dr.Tyle’s odd mood swings, but this was borderline insulting.

"No." The man said. "I did go to college and I know an inuendo when I hear one." Lex ordered him to take a nap in order to be more effective, the man refused saying that coffee would do just fine till the experiment was over, then he grumbled to himself about wolves and little girls in the woods. Lex realized that the man was really concerned with something happening to the young woman. He had been happy to get the man on his staff after the careless way that Dr. Hamilton threw away huma life, but he, himself was not worried. The whole thing would be over in a matter of hours.

"I wasn’t flirting." Lex said and went down to the kitchen to make coffee. He had ordered all of the unneccessary staff out of the house and all necessary staff away from his office wing. He didn’t want any industrial espionage to effect this deal. He took the coffee beans out of the giant chrome freezer and tossed some into the grinder. He’d taken the risk of not doing the trial till right before his pitch in order to avoid any of his competitors getting hold of the details of his company’s newest break-through. He made himself a large sandwich and packed it in a plastic container. He hated squashed bread. Then he took the coffee grounds and began making a pot of coffee. He tossed a couple of pieces of fruit and a granola bar into his pack. He had already readied it, in case of unforseen problems, with a sleeping bag and his own emergency provisions.

Tyle wasn’t the only one who wanted to be prepared. Lex allowed people to see his reckless side, but this was a teenage girl, and he didn’t plan to take and chances. He poured the coffee into a caraffe and some into a stainless steel thermos that he’d bought from L.L. Bean. He liked that store. It could make the most urban-dependant soul feel like Davey Crockett when he started looking through the catalogue. He brought his pack and the caraffe up to the office and forced Tyle to drink a cup. This would be a nice weekend diversion, and he allowed himself to admit that he perversely liked the idea of hunting Chloe Sullivan. It would be a piece of cake.

**

Mitch Lacady hated his job. He figured he had the worst job in the world. He was stuck driving a busload of prisoners from the Wichita Correctional Facility to another maximum security prison further upstate. He was paranoid enough as it was, he didn’t need to have a bunch of hardened criminals watching him from behind the fence erected inside the bus to keep the driver from potential harm at the hands of the murderers and other violent criminals. He was sweating bulletts already and his nervous stomach was acting up. He’d been feeling nauseous all morning. He didn’t talk to the guards if he could help it. He didn’t want to take the chance of one of them turning their attention away from the prisoners at the wrong moment and having a riot on their hands.

The nausea turned into an ache in Mitch’s gut. He ignored it and told himself to calm down and drive. The sooner they got to the new prison, the sooner he’d be ready to leave. He ignored the pain in his gut and the tightness in his chest. He was, after all, only forty years old. He was unable, however, to ignore the shooting pain that suddenly moved up his arm. It caused him to jerk the wheel to the left and into the path of a pick-up truck. He frantically tried to regain control over the bus and over-corrected with his good arm. Hearing the startled shouts of his passengers, he saw the embankment coming up too quickly for him to react. He tried to slam on the brakes, but only succeeded in locking them. His vision started to fade as the bus tilted sideways and rolled over the soft shoulder of the road.

**

Chloe had driven for an hour and a half before she came to one of the roads leading to the parking lots for visitors to Little Cat State Park. It wasn’t very big, she knew, but she could get lost here as easily as in the Sahara. She parked her VW Bug and removed the bright yellow, nylon pack from the passenger seat. She checked her watch, she still had some time to get on the trail before Lex came looking for her. Her stomach fluttered as she thought about their parting conversation. It gave her an odd little thrill to be hunted by a handsom billionaire. It wasn’t every day that a girl had the opportunity to lead a man on such a grand pursuit. She grinned as she slung the pack onto her shoulders and began walking up the nearest trail. Kansas wasn’t made up of many large mountains, but the park offered some dense forests and a few rolling hills to contend with.

There were only two other cars in the parking lot. It wasn’t close enough to summer to have a lot of tourists. And Memorial Day was still over a month away. Not to mention the fact that Chloe was hiking out at almost nine in the morning. There was still a little bit of mist from the April rain that had fallen during the night. She wished that she’d brought her cd player, however she brought only the necessary electrical equipment in order to preserve the study. That strange Dr. Tyle had doubted that it would interfere, but had wanted to err on the side of caution. She whistled to herself and thought about Little Red Riding Hood.

Ms. Red was warned about the wolf before leaving her mother’s house. She must have known she was going to be hunted, just as Chloe was. And no girl with an ounce of brains waould have been fooled by a wolf wearing pajamas. She probably found herself much as Chloe was now, walking into the woods with a bag full of goodies, just waiting for the wolf to show up.

"Tramp." She said out loud. The girl knew what she was getting into. Chloe mentally scolded herself for her flirtations with Lex. It was asking for trouble. He was way out of her league. She had the distinct feeling that he’d merely been humoring her and putting up with her silly demands for interviews before now now. Here she was, alone in the woods, just waiting to be hunted down like some mary janes- wearing, basket-carrying, riding hooded, mega-ho. She chuckled to herself over her rant and quickened her pace. Glanging at her watch, she turned on the tracker. She still had some time before Lex was allowed to come after her, but she didn’t want to get distracted on the trail and forget to activate it.

The bus lay upside down in the ditch, one side of the vehicle was resting against a large tree. One of the guards had managed to crawl free through a window and radio for help before the head wound he’d gained caused him to lose consciousness. He thought he heard a noise off to his left. He tried to pull himself back from the darkness that engulfed him, knowing that the other two guards were stuck inside and that if he was hearing footsteps so close by, it meant trouble.

Lex looked over Dr Tyle’s shoulder, he glanced at his watch, one minute to go. As soon as the timer beeped on the expensive timepiece, Tyle hit a button activating the sattelite’s retreival system. It took only a few moments for the machine orbiting in space to pull up a signal from subject 001. A red blip appeared on the screen. They had a map on the screen that was programmed with coordinates from the satelite. It was of a radius of 200 miles around them. The doctor tapped a few keys and the computer zeroed in on the area where the blip had appeared. The man chuckled.

"She’s in the State Park, Mr. Luthor." He said with a grin. Despite his earlier misgivings, he was fully committed to making this test successful. He handed his employer the hand held reciever that had a smaller screen with a compass-like readout that showed a red blip of its own. It was cruder but still effective if he was unable to remain in contact with the base of operations. It gave basic directions of north, south, east and west. It also gave apporximate distance to the intended target. She was currently about fifty-five miles north-west of the Luthor mansion. He slung his own pack onto his shoulders and headed out the door. He slid behind the driver’s seat of a large pick-up truck and pulled slowly out of his driveway, he would not be able to drive as fast while pulling the load he had hooked onto the bumper of the truck, but he’d get there in plenty of time.

sylvia
26th October 2004, 13:50
Awesome start, I love the premise and this seems like a really lively, interesting fic.


he allowed himself to admit that he perversely liked the idea of hunting Chloe Sullivan.
Loved that^ line especially. :)

More soon!

lexchloe
26th October 2004, 15:31
Great start, although you've spoiled us by giving us three chapters at once. Love the chlex flirtation. Can't wait for more.

hfce
26th October 2004, 18:04
I love this but I am sacred about those prisoners getting to Chloe first before Lex gets to her. eek!!! More please... Oh one more thing you might want to change Chloe's eye color they are green not brown. ;)


Hope :D

buddyfozzy
26th October 2004, 18:07
Great start! Even though you've already posted three chapters, update soon. :yay:

asharnanae
26th October 2004, 18:40
:biggrin: I love this Fic, Always have! Its fantastic, and nive to see it over hear! :blinkkiss:

autumngold
26th October 2004, 19:09
I read this story at Malu's website, but have never gotten the chance to tell you how much I love it!! :wub: Thank you so much for posting it here!! I'm really enjoying the chance to read it again!! Your Chlex flirtation is wonderful!! Post again soon please!! :wub: :chlexsign4: :wub:

zelda
26th October 2004, 19:59
Chapter 4

Chloe had left her digital camera at home and opted, instead, for a small disposable. It was low-tech and wouldn’t interfere with the signal from the satelite. She wanted some photographic evidence of her trip. It might make a nice addition to her article. She was strting to enjoy herself now. The sun was climbing in the sky, and she started to feel warm. By ten, her windbreaker was stored in her pack and the outer-most sweatshirt was tied around her waist. She hadn’t been to this park before, she was not the outdoorsey type, but she was in good enough shape so that a little hike wasn't doing her any harm. She took out her canteen and settled against a rock to have a drink. She waited fr a little while and checked her watch, wondering how close Lex was to her.
A squirrel nibbled an acorn nearby and watched Chloe with suspicion. The reported dug her camera and a granola bar out of the pack. She broke off a piece of the honey-grain flavored treat and tossed it toward her fuzzy, gray companion. The squirrel eyed the proffered food and tossed the acorn, catching the scent of sugar. He crept forward and snatched the morsel, ignoring the clicks of Chloe’s camera. She was unaware of the pair of eyes watching from a short distance away.
Lex was a few miles from the Turn-off to the park when he saw flashing lights. The road was blocked off and there were state police cruisers scattered around. He slowed the truck and saw the wheels of the large bus sticking up in the air. He saw a group of men in prison blues milling around being guarded by the police. He was flagged down by a sheriff carrying a shotgun. Lex identified himself to the man and asked what had happened.
"Bus accident." He said, motionng Lex to the side of the road. "I’ll need to check your vehicle, there is a prisoner not accounted for." He said, seriously. Lex’s blood chilled in his veins. He thought quickly.
"I’m here to get my girlfriend," he said, "she’s in the park hiking alone." He Sheriff turned to him sharply and motioned him out of the cab while another checked behind his seats and the trailer he was pulling. Once satisfied that he was harboring no fugitives, the Sheriff placed a hand on Lex’s shoulder.
"Can you contact her?" He asked.
"I’ll try to get her on her cell, but I don’t know if she’ll get reception." Lex got back into his car and dialed her phone number from his own cell phone. Her voicemail picked up immediately. He guessed that she had either left it behind, or it was turned off. He cursed himself for not thinking of this scenario. He called Dr. Tyle and appriased him of the situation. He checked his hand-held tracker and noted that the blip was less than a mile away. He turned the truck carefully and drove in the opposite direction till he was out of sight of the police. Then he pulled off onto the shoulder. He cursed himself for not bringing his gun before then got out and ran around to the back of the trailer. He lowered the gate, and spoke softly to Merlin, his large chestnut stallion who was stomping impatiently.
Merlin was large and strong. He’d been bred for hard riding, and that was what Lex needed right now. He only hoped he could get to Chloe before anyone else did. He saddled the rangy stallion and fastened his back pack to the back of the saddle, he leapt onto the horse’s back and kicked his mount to a canter and headed into the woods in the direction of the reporter’s signal.
Chloe turned around quickly when she heard approaching footsteps. The man walking toward her was wearing jeans and a denim shirt. She recognized them as prison-issue clothing. She backed away from him and picked up her pack.
"Hi, honey." The man said, with a huge grin. He was tall and lanky with long brown hair pulled into a ponytail. Chloe’s heart thumped against her chest. She turned and ran as fast as her feet would carry her. He had been only fifty feet from her when she’d seen him, and it wasn’t nearly enough of a head start. She reached behind her and felt for the box on the back of her belt. She pressed the panic button at the same moment she felt the man’s heavy body crash into her.
Dr. Tyle was watching the monitor and sweating. Every second that ticked by made him more anxious. Then the moment he feared came. The blip on the screen was temporarily replaced by a blinking message: "Emergency Beacon Activated. Subject 001."
"Shit." He picked up the phone and dialed Lex’s cell phone. When the man answered he babbled out the bad news. His employer was beside himself.
"I’m on the ground with Merlin," he barked, "I’m headed toward her, now, find out what you can from the police scanners about the man who has escaped. She could have pressed it by accident. I don’t want to jump to conclusions yet." He snapped off the phone and tucked it back into his pocket. He had already come to the worst possible conclusion. He couldn’t let anything happen to Chloe. He glanced at the tracker, he was within a half-mile of her, but in the dense foresta person could hide well in 100 square feet. He heard the sound of rushing water in the distance. He still held out the hope that the signal was because she had slipped and fallen and wasn’t in the hands of a potentially violent escapee.
Tyle found out through channels that he’d rather not be caught using, that the escaped prisoner was Danny Feldman, a man convicted of numerous petty crimes in his youth and several violent ones in his twenties. He was currently serving a life term for manslaughter. He reported this to Lex who was not pleased.
Chloe was hauled to her feet by the strange man. He spun her around and slapped her hard across the face.
"Don’t you run away from me, you bitch!" He shouted at her. Then he dragged her down a steep embankment and into a wide but mercifully shallow stream. "Those bastards will have dogs." He snarled, more to himself than to her. He pulled out a pair of police-issue handcuffs and snapped them on her wrists. She winced as the metal dug into her skin. That seemed to please him. He grabbed her hands, now bound in front of her, and pulled her along behind him. She saw the butt of a pistol sticking out of the back of his heans.
"Where are we going?" She asked over the rush of the water. He glanced over his shoulder at her.
"Someplace where we won’t be disturbed. Then he allowed his eyes to travel the length of her body. She shuddered and couldn’t hide an expression of disgust. Then he added, "Someplace where they won’t find you for a while." He sneered at her and dragged her forward. After they walked for about twenty minutes, he turned her around sp that he could paw through the contents of her back pack. He took a swig from her canteen and offered her some. She refused. Then he ate a candy bar in two bites. "So," he asked, in a conversational tone as he pulled out the camera, "what’s a pretty girl like you doing out here alone?"
"What makes you think I’m alone?" She snapped. He paused and she smiled. "My boyfriend and I had plans to meet up near here. I’m surprised he isn’t here by now." For emphasis, she looked around them, curiously, peering into the thick brush that lined parts of the bank.
"You need a new man." The fugitive said, throwing an arm around her shoulders in an affectionate way. He held the camera out in front of them and squeezed her to his side. "Smile, Honey." And he snapped a photo of the two of them as if they were in front of the Grand Canyon. Then he stuck the camera back into the pack, zipped it up and adjusted it on Chloe’s shoulders before letting his fingers slide down her arms in a suggestive way. "No time for that just yet." He whispered in her ear. "Ol’ Danny’s gonna find us a nice private spot to get to know each other a little better." He grabbed her wrists and pulled her along behind him, drawing the pistol from his waistband.

buddyfozzy
26th October 2004, 20:42
You can't just leave it there! Come back!! :ohmy:

hfce
26th October 2004, 22:09
NOOOOOOOOO!!! Dont let him rape Chloe. LEX!!!!! GET TO HER QUICK!!!!!!



Hope :crygreen: :crygreen:

AlabamaWorley
26th October 2004, 22:39
Kickass story! I'm torn between loving the thriller part and lusting the Lex on a hard-riding stud. Come back soon!

chril1
27th October 2004, 01:27
oh i remember this story...i wont give the ending away

lol i know the ending, na na nana na na

love lea
xxx

zelda
27th October 2004, 11:17
The man seemed almost jovial now that he had Chloe in his posession. He still didn’t know about the tracker, he hadn’t bothered to search her, for which she sent up a prayer of thanks. She didn’t want him to touch her again. She hoped Lex was close.

Lex was glad that the river made enough noise to cover Merlin’s footsteps. He tethered the big stallion to a tree above the river and made his way on foot. He’d spotted a flash of yellow through the trees and left the tracker with the saddle. He didn’t need it now that Chloe was in sight. He watched as the man looked into her pack; his jaw tightened with anger when the man put his arms around Chloe and took a photo of them. He wasn’t close enough to see if the man had a gun, but he knew that the police were considering him armed and dangerous. Clark would never forgive him if anything happened to Chloe. But he knew he’d never forgive himself for putting her in danger. He moved closer to the river and saw Feldman pull the pistol that he’d lifted from an injured guard from the back of his jeans. He couldn’t risk an open confrontation, not with Chloe too close to the gun.

The details Lex had received from Tyle were sketchy. Apparently the man had killed his wife and her lover when he’d found them together in a bar. He’d plea-bargained down to a life sentence in order to avoid the death penalty. The man was extremely unstable and had a hair-trigger temper. He hoped Chloe would keep her mouth shut and not enrage the man with her sharp tongue. He kept her in sight and followed them from a distance, moving from the cover of one tree to another. He was glad he’d worn dark colors. The police shouldn’t be far behind him. Lex had the tracker to give him a head start in the right direction. He just hoped he was able to get to Chloe before a mob of well-meaning men jeopardized her safety. Desperate men did desperate things.

Chloe stumbled in the stream and fell forward onto her knees. Her feet were too numb to feel the rocks through her boots. The water was so cold it made her gasp when it soaked her front. Danny grabbed the front of her long-sleeved shirt and pulled her to her feet, over his shoulder, she spotted movement. He didn’t notice her gaze, he was too busy swearing at her. As they walked on, Chloe spared a glance behind her. She saw nothing. Maybe it was her fear playing tricks on her.

"Won’t the police be looking for you?" She asked, trying to stall.

"That’s why you’re here, Honey." He said, giving the cuffs a cruel jerk and making Chloe wince. Her wrists were raw and sore, she’d scraped her palms on a rock when she fell, and now that they were in the cold air, they were freezing fast. "You’ll be my ticket out of here." She wasn’t surprised that he planned to use her as a hostage. He was probably hoping that her "boyfriend" would report her missing. That way the police might exercize more caution when apprehending him. He was looking around them now. "I think we’ll go a little farther before heading north." He said, more to himself than to Chloe. She didn’t reply. She’d caught a familiar sound, faintly, over the rush of the water, but there it was. Hounds.

Instead of making her happy, they filled her with panic.
Danny heard the baying of the hounds in the distance. He snarled and began dragging Chloe toward the opposite bank and a thick clump of bushes. Chloe stumbled and fell, her knee struck a rock and she cried out in pain. Danny rounded on her with a curse and pointed the gun at her.

"Get up!" He snapped, "We’re taking the high road now."Chloe struggled, her hands and legs were numb from cold, but she had enough feeling to get a jolt of pain in her knee when she tried to put weight on her right leg.

"I can’t." She gasped, "My knee." Danny was starting to get nervous. He clipped her on the back of the head with the butt of his gun. She staggered back and saw stars. The blow was enough to put her off balance on her good knee and she fell backward. Her backside landed in a deep hollow and she soaked the rest of her torso to her armpits. She brought a hand up to head and it came away bloody. Danny was standing over her menacingly, then he was standing no more.

Lex launched himself out of the scope of trees where he’d been hiding. He moved low and fast. When he saw Danny hit Chloe with the gun, he leaped at the man. He caught Danny’s hand and knocked it upwards, the rest of his weight hit the taller man at the waist and they both went down. The icy water hit Lex like a punch to the chest. He landed on top of the felon and heard a grunt as the man’s elbw hit a submerged rock and he dropped the pistol. Danny was far from helpless, he plowed his other fist into Lex’s gut. Gagging for breath, he struggled to his feet and kicked the older man in the shoulder. His boots and sweater were heavy with water but he paid no attention and delivered a quick jab to the man’s nose, breaking it.

Danny screamed and gathered himself up to bulldoze into Lex’s midsection. His shoulder was a little off target and the younger man avoided the charge. He sent a punch right on target behind the felon’s ear and sent him headfirst into a sharp boulder. Danny went limp and fell face first into the river. Lex turned him over and checked for a pulse. The man was alive, but unconscious. He left him face-up in the river and turned to Chloe.

The reporter was holding a hand to her head and Lex saw blood seeping out between her fingers. Keeping his eye on Danny Feldman, he crouched, a little out of breath, by Chloe’s side. He helped her to her feet and out of the river. She looked dazed and her pale complexion and slow pulse indicated she might be in some shock. He left her for a moment and waded back intot he river in order to fetch the keys to the handcuffs she was wearing. He found them in one of Feldman’s pockets. He released her from her bonds and helped her to remove the yellow pack. It hadn’t been totally submerged and was nearly water-tight. He removed the solar blanket that had been packed for emergencies, and he guessed that this was definitely an emergency.

Chloe was shivering violently. Her teeth chattered and she didn’t remove her gaze from the river and Feldman. Lex unpacked the first aid kit which was. Thankfully, completely dry on the inside. He opened a gauze pad and pressed it to her scalp and instructed her to hold it in place tightly. He knew that cuts to the face and scalp tended to bleed openly and freely. He gently removed her boots and socks. He rubbed them dry with a chamois cloth. He ignored the cold air on his own wet body, he wasn’t injured, so she took priority.

Kit Merlot
27th October 2004, 13:53
I love this story!! Very action packed--GO LEX :chlexsign2:

hfce
27th October 2004, 15:07
Oh thank God she is ok. Yeah Super lex. :lol:


Hope :D

AlabamaWorley
27th October 2004, 16:08
Awesome! You did a great job making this section very vivid.

santija
27th October 2004, 16:21
okay first saw chapter 4 and ahahahahahah *panicattack*

then read the other chapter and well *sigh*

thank you, now can I have some sweet chlex?

love it by the way

jaded-swan
27th October 2004, 16:56
I love this story! ;) and the fact that lex is being so sweet :wub: please update quickly! And more chlex interaction please!

buddyfozzy
27th October 2004, 17:34
Wow, that was intense! I love this story! :yay: :worship2: :yay:

autumngold
27th October 2004, 18:41
Thank goodness Lex got to Chloe when he did!! I think maybe he should turn that felon back face down in the water!! :biggrin: JK! Great updates!! :wub: :chlexsign4: :wub:

zelda
27th October 2004, 19:20
"Talk to me, Chloe." He said, trying to keep the urgency from his voice. "Did he hurt you?" She nodded. "Did he do anything besides hit you with the gun?" She blinked up at him.

"He slapped me and made me fall a couple of times." Her gaze returned to the river. They could both hear the hounds, they were closer.

"Wait here." Lex said, creeping down to the river and placing the handcuffs back on Feldman’s wrists, locking them behind his back. Then he dropped him back into the river, hoping that the man contracted hypothermia. Then he jogged up the hill to where Merlin was tethered. He grabbed the reins and led the horse back to where Chloe sat. he called Dr. Tyle and told him that he’d found Chloe and that she was safe. He took a signal flare from his own pack and fired it into the air.

Merlin was not the kind of horse who startled easily and just looked skyward with interest. Kneeling beside Chloe again, he helped her to remove most of the sodden shirts she was wearing and put one of his own dry ones on her.

"He’s alive?" Chloe asked, Lex nodded, he could hear shouts coming closer. He tossed the yellow pack near the river bank in order to draw the searchers attention. Though he knew that someone suffering from shock shouldn’t eat or drink anything, he gave her a few sips of the coffe he had in his thermos. For himself, he removed his wet sweater and shirts and donned a fleece from his pack. He put the spare socks on Chloe’s feet and wrapped her in the blanket. Then he scooped her up and slung her into the saddle. She gripped the saddle horn precariously and kept her grip on the make-shift bandage on her head. He left the packs by the river, he did take the tracker and at Chloe’s request, her camera.

Lex swung into the saddle behind her and brought one of her legs over so that she was seated sideways in his lap. He cradled her head against his shoulder and nudged Merlin forward. The big stallion stepped gingerly into the river and crossed near Feldman’s still form. He raised his hand and waved to catch the attention of the first men to come into sight. It was a man in a park ranger’s uniform who had two large hounds scrambling down the hill in front of him on leashes. The man spoke into his radio and three other officers appeared over the hill. The dogs had been leading them to the spot where Feldman and Chloe had entered the river.

One of the men was the Sheriff who had stopped Lex in his truck. For once, Lex was glad he was bald, the man recognized him right away.

"This your girlfriend?" He asked, indicating the blonde bundled in his arms.

"Yeah, Feldman had her when I found her," he said and pointed over his shoulder toward the river, "he was unconscious when I left him, and cuffed." The Sheriff asked for Chloe’s name and scribbled them down. "Is there an ambulance still up there?" Lex asked, shifting so that the man could see the bandage she was holding on her head.

"I’ll radio ahead and they can have someone waiting to direct you." The Sheriff said, pointing up the hill in the direction they’d come. "Just go straight back up the hill and you’ll see more officers." Then he spoke into his radio and announced that two civilians were coming up the hill on horseback, one injured. Lex held Chloe tightly and nudged Merlin into a fast walk up the hill.

"Stay with me, Chloe." He whispered into her hair, kissing her forehead. She mumbled something he couldn’t hear. "What?" He asked.

"Girlfriend?" She said with a pained smile. "It’s a hell of a fist date, Luthor." Lex chuckled at her quip. They were directed to a medic standing near an ambulance. He slid down from Merlin’s back and lifted Chloe with the assistance of many hands. She was helped into the amulance and Lex promised to return. He spoke with the police and gave them a brief synopsis of what had happened. Then he took Merlin back to the trailer and loaded him up before driving back to the ambulance. He promised a full statement once they were at the hospital and followed it back into town. The State Park was in Branton and the nearest hospital was in the next town, Shelton. He called Gabe Sullivan and told him to meet Chloe at the hospital. He assured the man that his daughter was going to be okay. Then he called Tyle and asked him to bring a change of clothes and meet him.

Lex paced in his wet clothes while a state trooper took his statement. He explained how he had used an experimental tracking device to find Chloe and when he’d reached her, he’d seen Feldman slapping her around in the river. He told the trooper that the sound of the river had muffled his approach and he’d watched till he saw a point where he could disarm the man with less risk to Chloe.

"He’d just clocked her in the head with the gun and was screaming at her when I jumped on him. We fought in the river and he hit his head on a rock. Then I took the cuffs off Chloe and put them on Feldman. I left him in the river and tended to her injuries."

"Is that when you shot off the flare?"

"Yes, I had one in my saddle bags. I bandaged up her head and dried off her feet, then I got some spare clothes from the saddle and shot off th flare. I wrapped her up in the blanket and put her on Merlin’s back."

"Then what?"

"I crossed the river and ran into the searchers." He shrugged, "The rest is history." He looked over his shoulder and saw Gabe Sullivan coming through the double doors to the Emergency room. There were a few police officers that reached out to stop him when he started for Lex. He brushed them off and strode over to his employer.

"What the hell happened?" He demanded, "Where’s my daughter?"

"Are you Mr. Sullivan?" Asked one of the doctors that had just come out of Chloe’s room. He nodded and the man smiled warmly at him. Your daughter is going to be fine. There is an officer taking her statement now."

"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" He asked throwing his hands up.

"Apparently there was a bus carrying some prisoners being transferred that had an accident near where your daughter was hiking today." Began the Trooper. "One of the prisoners escaped and ran into the woods. He found her and took her hostage." Gabe Sullivan’s ruddy face went pale. He looked at Lex. He wasn’t happy. The Trooper went on, pointing to Lex. "He’d told us that his girlfriend was missing so we had an idea of where to start looking." Lex held his breath as his foreman turned red, then purple with rage. "Aparently the fugitive got one of the guard’s guns and hit your daughter, she was brought here-"

"Where is she?" Gabe choked out." I want to see my little girl." The doctor ushered him into Chloe’s room.

"I take it you’re not on good terms with your girlfriend’s father?" The Trooper said, sympathertically.

"I’m his boss." Lex said. "And I’m afraid it’s my fault that she was out there in the first place." He walkd to the window and looked in at Gabe Sullivan holding Chloe’s hand.

"Dad, I’m okay." Chloe said , patting her father’s hand comfortingly. "They stitched me up and I don’t even have a concusscion."

"How did this happen?" He asked. His frustration and anger were as evident as his worry. "How does it always happen to you?" He covered his face with his hands and took a few breaths.

"Dad, I could have been anywhere by myself, I wasn’t in an unsafe area of the woods, or even a deserted one." She rolled her eyes, feeling her own kind of frustration. "It was really just bad luck." Her father gave her a sharp look. She didn’t back down. "I was in a public park, I’d have been allowed to go there by myself if I was just taking a walk." She prodded, "having the tracker made it easier for Lex to find us before I was seriously injured."

"An escaped felon took you hostage." Gabe was not being convinced.

"The bus crashed near where I was hiking." She said, "I could have been anywhere and not even alone and the same thing might have happened." She folded her arms across her chest.

"How did the police fnd you?"

"They didn’t, Lex did." Gabe raised an eyebrow. "He tracked me on horseback and snuck up on us in the river. When he got close enough, he disarmed Feldman."

"Why didn’t he wait for the police?"

"He didn’t want to risk a panicked man with a gun. I fell and that’s what set him off. He hit me because I couldn’t walk anymore." Chloe lifted her fingers to her scalp. Her face showed lines of tension. "Daddy I was really scared." A tear slipped out of her eye. "Lex put himself between me and a guy with a gun. He knocked him out and then he took care of me." She leaned forward, taking her father’s hand again. "He saved my life."

"You wouldn’t have been out there if it weren’t for him."

"How do you know?" Chloe’s voice had a slight edge to it." A bus accident can happen anywhere, criminals escape from prisons all over the world. I was lucky that I had technology and a Luthor on my side." Gabe nodded slowly. He handed her a glass of water and the pills that the doctor had given her for the pain in her knee and head. She took them obediently.

"Why did he call you his girlfriend?" He asked. Chloe cocked her head.

"I didn’t know he had till we were riding to the ambulance." She grinned. "Don’t worry, Dad, we’re not going steady. The cops probably just assumed that he wasn’t just hunting any girl on horseback."

Lex, now garbed in the dry clothes that Dr. Tyle had provided, resumed pacing the hallway. He answered a few more police questions but none from the press. He didn’t even tell them what he was doing in the hospital. Gabe Sullivan emerged from his daughter’s room. His face was a stony mask.

"Mr. Sullivan," He began, "I’m so sorry about what happened to Chloe." Gabe held up a hand and Lex stopped talking.

"I know that you didn’t mean for this to happen." He said, with some difficulty, "I would prefer it if you wouldn’t include my daughter in you future experiments, if for no other reason than her extraordinary ability to be in the path of madmen at regular intervals." He placed a hand on his chest. "My heart can’t take losing her."

The younger man dropped his eyes to the floor. He nodded. And unexpectedly, Gabe stretched out his hand. Surprised, Lex took it. "I will always be in your debt for putting your life on the line to get her away from that man."

"The debt is mine." He replied. Gabe nodded, accepting his employer’s apology. Right now, he needed a drink. He headed in the direction of the nurse’s station.

"I’m gonna try to spring her from this joint." He said walking away. "She could probably use some company while she waits."

Lex knocked at Chloe’s door. At her call, he entered. She was sitting up in her bed, putting on a pair of hospital slippers. The staff had given her a pair of scrubs to go home in since her clothes were still wet.

"How’s the head, Red?" He asked, soberly. She smiled goofily at him and shook a small bottle of pills.

"I can see how this Vicodin stuff turns people into addicts." Lex couldn’t help chuckling at that. He gathered her clothes from the floor. Hey." she said with mock consternation in her voice. "Paws off the panties, Woolfie!" She was feeling very giddy. He looked down at the bundle in his arms, right on top were a pair of red, satin, bikinis. He looked away and handed them to her.

"Sorry." He said, embarassed. She took them and he couldn’t resist, "Red, how appropriate," He said with a smile. But riding hoods are out of style now. She gave him a scathing look.

"That basket-carrying tramp got it easy in the story." She said crossly.

"Funny, I’ve always thought the same thing." Lex placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her glazed eyes. "I’m glad you’re okay."

"Thanks to you." She smiled and stood on tiptoe to place a kiss on his cheek. "You were amazing."

"You say that to all the wolves." He said with exaggerated modesty. Her expression was serious.

"I mean it, Lex. He’d have killed me, he told me he wanted to find a place where they wouldn’t find me." A tear rolled down her cheek. He cupped her face in his palm and brushed away the moisture with the pad of his thumb.

"I wouldn’t have let that happen." More tears started to roll down her cheeks and he pulled her into his embrace. "It’s over now. You’re safe with me." And Chloe felt better, because she believed him.


The End

AlabamaWorley
27th October 2004, 19:31
Sweet :blush: Great story!

autumngold
27th October 2004, 19:36
Am I wrong to ask for a sequel to this incredible story? I would love to read another story where Lex's protectiveness of Chloe really makes him her boyfriend!! :biggrin: Please write more Chlex soon!! :wub: :chlexsign2: :wub:

hfce
27th October 2004, 20:38
Oh that was beautiful. :wub:


Hope :D

buddyfozzy
27th October 2004, 23:39
Oh wow, what a great ending. I loved it. :wub:

lexchloe
28th October 2004, 11:08
:wub: :chlexsign3: lovely.

Sab_Luthor
5th November 2004, 19:43
Originally posted by autumngold@Oct 27 2004, 07:36 PM
Am I wrong to ask for a sequel to this incredible story? I would love to read another story where Lex's protectiveness of Chloe really makes him her boyfriend!! :biggrin: Please write more Chlex soon!! :wub: :chlexsign2: :wub:
oh no you're not. i want one too. i think you have more to tell about this story and you have to do a sequel to finish it properly madam.
so come back and give us more
please please please please there i'm the queen at begging for more
so my dear friend more cuz that was very a great fic :biggrin:

Ami Rose
27th November 2004, 05:15
Originally posted by zelda@Oct 27 2004, 10:20 AM
"Girlfriend?" She said with a pained smile. "It’s a hell of a fist date, Luthor."
Now that was cute! Loved it! :devil:

asharnanae
27th November 2004, 16:44
:biggrin: LOVE THIS STORY!!!!!! :blinkkiss: :worship2:

starmoon
12th April 2005, 01:38
great story it keep me on the edge on my seat the whole time.

arkakitty
10th June 2005, 16:48
I love it. :)

ggdoll18
27th June 2005, 07:47
sequel!!! continue please!

Thaís
28th June 2005, 00:25
Awww...
Our Lex Gets all knight like when is our Chloe in danger... And what danger, right??
Who would want to cross paths with a fugitive????
Thank God her saviour was right there, read to the rescue!!!!

txalb
5th November 2005, 18:42
I laughed out loud when Gabe realized that he’d been outmaneuvered by Chloe and didn’t care.

“Ol’ Danny” is just about as creepsome as they come.

I liked the interaction between the characters and hearing Chloe argue to her father that she could be attacked by a psychopath anywhere made me laugh.

I did think it ended a little abruptly, but other than that I really liked the story.

One thing you might consider for your future fics is posting a brief summary at the beginning of the story. Personally I tend to avoid the longer fics that have no summary just because I like to know what I’m getting in to.

Thanks for writing it. I really enjoyed reading this.

txalb

starmoon
18th November 2005, 19:29
great story and i am glad that lex got to chloe in time and i hope someting can form between them in the furture because this just layed the ground work for romance.

Goldielocks
19th November 2005, 00:35
BRILLIANT!

SEQUEL plz SEQUEL plz SEQUEL plz SEQUEL plz SEQUEL plz SEQUEL plz SEQUEL plz SEQUEL plz SEQUEL plz SEQUEL plz SEQUEL plz SEQUEL plz

~*~Tasha~*~
9th June 2006, 23:30
She does always manage to find trouble for herself, doesn't she? {chuckles} Nice story.

Alizaleven
10th June 2006, 00:28
Awww such a cute story, I just read it through a second time and it was amazing!! Thank You :D

Esther25jm
5th July 2006, 04:11
Aww, that was a great story! Love the Red-Riding Hood references and Lex as the Big Bad Wolf. <eg>

jedi
3rd November 2006, 13:57
It's the first Chlex story i read. And i think, it's the reason why i love this pairing so much. This and Reasons Unknown by Perri Smith together made me a rabbit Chlex fun i suppose.

Excellent work, Zelda.

lkedino
4th November 2006, 22:06
I love this story sequel please

reyeslu
27th November 2011, 02:20
Hi, This was such a sweet story. Poor Papa Gabe, Chloe is such a magnet for trouble.

And Lex abs *drool*