Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers: I own none of the characters. They are all owned by various rich folks with more pocket change than I will ever have in my checkbook.
Notes: Thanks in bunches to scifichick774 and Not An Addict for Beta-ing and taking the time to read. The fic jumps back and forth through time. I hope it's not too confusing. My first fic, maybe my last. The muse if fickle.
Pieces
Chloe nervously chewed on her bottom lip while sitting in the plush chair. She was waiting to have an audience with one Lex Luthor. One soon-to-be very pissed Lex Luthor.
She had taken a job with LuthorCorp during her sophomore year in college. After watching Clark declare Journalism as his major, Chloe had decided to try something else. And while she may have lost her drive for the written word, she still had her curiosity and the need to find the truth.
Which was why she was outside of Lex’s office, waiting to be summoned. No one had been happy when she began working for Lionel Luthor. Her ‘friends’ had become even more distant. Her father had tried to change her mind, but she was determined to go through with her decision. And, it had been a wonderful learning experience despite juggling classes, study time, and a job. For a while.
She had started in the Acquisitions Department, watching as the men and women around her brokered deals. It was fast-paced and exciting. Promises were made and quickly broken depending on how badly Lionel wanted something. Buildings, pharmaceuticals, people - it amazed her how easily a person’s loyalty was cast aside in the face of cash. Part of her was sickened, but part of her was also fascinated. She had remained in Acquisitions for a little over a year before moving to Development. LuthorCorp had investments in varied markets, and there was always a team working on making something better, more profitable
It was during this time that Chloe learned about the medical technology department, known simply as MedTech. Sure, she knew it existed, but Lionel had made it impossible for her to have access to it--something about her journalistic tendencies. After graduation, she had taken a full-time job in Development. It was interesting and challenging, and she loved it. Until the report.
Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was almost 5:30. Lorna, or was it Leighanne, gave her a tight smile as she gathered her belongings.
“Is he even here?”
“Yes, Miss Sullivan. I’m sure he’ll be with you shortly. I’ve got to run, but…”
“Wait. You’re leaving? Now? And I’m supposed to just wait?”
“If you want to see him. I told you, Mr. Luthor is a busy man. Have a nice evening.”
‘He’s probably in there playing Tetris, the bastard,’ Chloe thought back to the last time they had seen one another, two months ago at the LuthorCorp New Year’s Eve party. If she tried really hard at night, she could still smell him on her pillows. Chloe shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. Their last encounter hadn’t ended well, and she predicted this one would be the same. ‘Without the fun beforehand.’
“Shut up.”
‘Quit talking out loud.’
At 6:15, just as Chloe was ready to give a hearty, though unsaid, “fuck you” to Lex, the door opened. He glanced at her, raised an eyebrow, and walked back into his office. Rolling her eyes, she got up and entered his office. If she didn’t have such vital information, Chloe would’ve flipped him off and left. But she couldn’t. He had to know. Now.
----------------
Chloe had been running around all day trying to find the health inspection report for the Price Building in Gotham. The city owned it, but Lionel wanted it, and if he had to threaten the mayor with exposing the buried lawsuits for asbestos poisoning, so be it. Marcus told her he had seen something on the fax machine, so Chloe crossed her fingers and went to the copy room.
“Yes!” Chloe picked up the fax from the Gotham Health Department and turned to see what was making that extremely annoying noise.
“Stupid shredder. We can send people into space, but we can’t create a shredder that won’t jam when more than three sheets are put in it.”
Chloe hit the reverse button, and the shredder spewed two partially destroyed sheets upward.
‘And what would these be?’
The top part of the paper was already in teeny pieces, but the bottom was clearly readable.
“…needs to be kept under continual supervision. Subject often becomes disoriented with frequent outbursts. Subject will continue to be kept away from all types of media.
Course of Action: Trial Serum 458 will be given once daily.
Projected Outcome: Subject should cease having memory flashes and become more docile. Implantation of memories will continue.”
“What the hell?” whispered Chloe. Hearing footsteps approaching the door, Chloe quickly shuffled the papers between the fax.
“Was it there?”
“Yeah, it finally came. Well, back to the grindstone. No rest for the weary. Um, other clichés I can’t think of right now.”
Marcus gave her a quick grin and shake of his head before going to the fax machine.
----------
Throwing her bag onto the couch, Chloe approached Lex, who was staring out at the Metropolis skyline.
“Look, Lex, I want to be here about as much as you want me here. But this is important. Let’s just get this over with so we can go back to ignoring one another.”
“Did my father finally kick you out of his bed?”
Several seconds passed as Chloe stared at Lex’s back with a shocked look that quickly turned to irritation and was rapidly approaching full-blown rage. Seconds away from lashing out at him, Chloe managed to rein in her emotions. Screaming obscenities would accomplish nothing. Besides, she could always key one of his cars later.
“Yep. That’s it. Just wanted you to be the first to know.” ‘Asshole.’ “I also thought I’d drop off some information you might want to take a look at.”
Lex flinched imperceptibly when she spoke. He knew he shouldn’t bait her, but just seeing her pissed him off. And aroused him. He could bluff with the best of them; never showed his hand. She was the only one who saw right through him.
“Leave it.”
“Fine. Have a nice night.” ‘Or rot in misery; I don’t care.’ ‘Yes, you do.’ ‘Did I not tell you to shut up?’
Turning slightly, Lex watched as Chloe hastily grabbed her stuff.
‘Just let her go.’
“Just out of curiosity, who’s the better Luthor?”
‘Or dig yourself deeper.’
Flashing Lex a look that would have charred lesser men, Chloe replied, “Lucas,” and walked out.
----------
Chloe tossed and turned all night. It was hard to sleep when your brain was running a marathon. ‘Who’s the Subject? What was that drug? Implanting memories? God, how do you get yourself into these messes?’
Chloe knew Lionel had had shady dealings in the past. She had promised herself from day one that if anything really bad were brought to light, she’d quit immediately. Granted, she wasn’t sure what constituted ‘really bad’, but she figured she’d know it when she saw it. Sitting up in bed, Chloe sighed.
“I think this is really bad.”
A few sentences on a partially destroyed piece of paper didn’t add up to much, but Chloe had always trusted her instincts--for the most part. And they were screaming at her that something wasn’t right.
‘So, do I quit now or...’
A hint of a smile crossed Chloe’s lips. “Not quite yet.”
-----------------
Lex sat at his desk and rubbed his hands over his face. He shouldn’t have said anything. Sure, he’d heard rumors about Chloe and his father, but he hadn’t believed them--mostly.
‘You’re jealous.’
“No, I’m not.”
‘Great. Now I’m talking to myself.’
His last encounter with Chloe hadn’t gone well. He hadn’t seen her since the New Year’s party, though that night was permanently embedded in his brain. The night, not the accusations and insults that followed in the morning.
He finally glanced down at the file folder on his desk. No label.
‘So, what was so important that she’d wait over an hour to give this to me? She could’ve left it with my secretary.’
Opening the folder, Lex began to scan the papers inside.
‘Hmm, guess Dad’s been doing more unethical experiments. Old news, Chloe, you should know that.’
He eyes stopped as he found the name Project Flower Restoration in bold.
“What the hell?”
These were human trials; plus, he had his own labs working on the Nicodemus flower. His frown deepened as he read the photographed medical charts.
ID #: LML01
Location: Site 4682
Subject’s age at trial start date: 31 years old
Medical history: 2 miscarriages, 2 live births (1st son: medically fragile; 2nd son: death in infancy), mildly asthmatic, bone cancer diagnosis at 28 yrs – unresponsive to chemotherapy and radiation treatments; pronounced dead at 18:42 on November 8, 1992. Revived 18:52.
Regimen: After being revived, immediately began injections of Trial Serum 105 (200 cc); 1994: TS 225 (150 cc); 1998: TS 346 (250 cc); [see progression notes in Studies file]; tablet form being considered
More notes followed. Lex felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as his hastily eaten lunch began to make a reappearance.
‘Oh God. He wouldn’t. Except he would.’
Lex began rifling through the papers looking for anything to disprove the thoughts swirling around inside.
Subject had to be restrained when told about son. ~ Visitor has limited contact with subject due to induced stress. ~ First series of implanted memories a success.
Lex got up and shakily began to pour himself a glass of brandy. After downing two glasses in quick succession, he allowed himself to voice the one dream he’d had since he was a child. That dream had now turned into a nightmare.
“She’s alive.”
----------
Getting access to the medical labs hadn’t been easy. She’d had to call in several favors, make more than a few promises, and shell out a lot of cash. From the looks of what she’d already seen, it had been worth any and all sacrifices. Besides, a story without a challenge was like winning before you played the game. Six weeks after beginning her quest, Chloe had gathered most of the information. However, she hadn’t been prepared for what she’d found.
She sat in front of her computer and watched as the images uploaded. She thought she’d seen enough weird happenings in Smallville to make her immune to bizarre occurrences. She’d been wrong. Left alone and separated, the pages she’d seen seemed like any routine medical testing. A few odd events, but that’s why people did research. But together, it was a history of a woman’s life. Subject LML01. Or rather, a shell of a woman who hadn’t been allowed to die naturally--whose body had been saved at the expense of her mind.
She had to tell Lex. She thought about mailing the file anonymously or dropping it off and leaving, but the risk of it getting into another’s hands was too great. She had to see him, even though she had promised herself that she would never willingly do that again.
She glanced down at her chocolate Lab, Bernstein, who was curled up snoring lightly at her feet.
“Suck it up, Sullivan.”
Chloe picked up the phone.
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hmy: ............must form words.......really good. really really good. Must continue...no options....write now. need to know what comes next. 
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