More than Meets the Eye (R) Update: 5/1/08 (Alternate S7)

[letia84]

First off Clark is just so damn sure Lex and Chloe have nothing in common and that they would never work out. Little does he know that they are just right for each other. I can't wait to see how it plays out once he sees the truth. They are going to get caught I can feel it. Clark is always rushing in without knocking and he is going get and eye full.

Hot damn Chloe tell it like it is. Let all of Lana dirty deeds be laid out in front of her for her to see. I'm ready for her own up to some of that crap. Great update. Keep up the wonderful work on this.

[marcy2401]

First off Clark is just so damn sure Lex and Chloe have nothing in common and that they would never work out. Little does he know that they are just right for each other. I can't wait to see how it plays out once he sees the truth. They are going to get caught I can feel it. Clark is always rushing in without knocking and he is going get and eye full.

Hot damn Chloe tell it like it is. Let all of Lana dirty deeds be laid out in front of her for her to see. I'm ready for her own up to some of that crap. Great update. Keep up the wonderful work on this.

I agree! Finally somebody told Lana off. I just can't wait until everybody finds out about Lex and Chloe. Also I am glade that Chloe is going to put her needs and wants befor Clark. Can't wait for the next Chapter!

[westwingwolf]

AN: This update barely ties to the episode Veritas, in fact it doesn’t at all besides me using the name Veritas. All else never happened in the show. I’m not even sure anything I say about hacking is possible, but for the sake of this update, ignore real life and take the journey with me.



The Plan
Episode: Veritas

The confrontation with Lana had left Chloe feeling uneasy. She had said everything she’d had wanted to say for years. And she hadn’t held back. But for some reason it hadn’t been as satisfying as she thought it would be. Sure Lana had squirmed and couldn’t answer with any logical explanations, but Chloe knew none of it would change Clark’s opinion of Lana. If he couldn’t rely on all the wrongs that Lex had done to Lana, then he still had the old standby of keeping his secret from her drove her to do any and all wrongs.

Still something in Chloe’s gut told her that Lana had been hiding something. She wasn’t sure for how long, maybe just since Lana got back from China. But she was definitely up to something more than just spying on Lex. And whatever it was, the Isis Foundation held the answers.
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Lex’s mood had improved in the weeks since he and Chloe began dating, but he wasn’t so far gone in his love for her that he ignored everything else in his life. Especially because his life was always shadowed by his father’s presence.

Chloe had mentioned that Lionel had held Clark hostage. While this certainly fit with the father he knew before the second meteor shower, it didn’t merge well with the new improved ‘Clark Kent is the son I always wanted and never had’ Lionel Luthor.

And since his shooting, he had begun to remember more instances from his childhood. In particular, his father’s fascination with a subject named Veritas. Near as he could tell, Veritas had been about a prophecy in which a traveler from another planet would come to Earth. Now Lex knew why Lionel was so taken by the caves and those stones. He admitted that the objects had been important to him as well, but that was due to his curious nature. His father, on the hand, apparently had always known what or more appropriately who the artifacts were about.

He had to give credit to the old man. He certainly played the part of the everyday collector with a taste for ancient artifacts to perfection. If Lex didn’t know any better, he’d swear that Lionel’s involvement in the prophecy appeared out of thin air.

Lex didn’t need a giant neon sign to tell him that Clark was indeed the alien in this prophecy. And while he was quite certain that Lionel’s plan involved control of Clark somehow, he just didn’t know how Lionel planned to make it happen.

But he was determined to find out.
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Chloe was walking out of her apartment when she ran into Lex. “Not that I don’t love it when you drop by, but if you called, I could have told you that I was busy tonight.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not here for personal reasons. How important is whatever you are doing tonight?” He took notice of the fact that she was wearing all black and figured she’d probably agree to his plans. Of course the fact that the clothes appeared tight fitting made him want to ditch said plans and start new ones.

Chloe felt silly having to admit that intended to break into Lana’s foundation based solely on a hunch. “I’m not sure. I think Lana’s on a mission to do some damage, but I don’t have any proof. That’s what I was hoping to get.”

Lex believed that Lana wasn’t being entirely generous when she began her latest career, but at the moment Lana’s tactics paled in comparison to Lionel’s. “Well, here’s the world’s easiest question: Are you more afraid of Lionel or Lana?”

Not even bothering to dignify that with a response, she committed herself to Lex’s reason for stopping by. “What did you have planned?”

“I thought we’d team up again for old time’s sake.”
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“So when you said team up, what you really meant is you’d stand by while I did all of the work.” Chloe stated as they entered Lionel’s office.

“I got us into the building, didn’t I?” Lex smirked in arrogance even though he knew Chloe was right.

“Some hardship considering you own the building. Isn’t Lionel going to know you were poking around in his office since you used your code?” Chloe carefully sat down on the edge of Lionel’s chair in front of his computer. She knew it was a childish move, but she didn’t want to have too much of her body pressed anywhere near where Lionel spent his time. She was also weary of using the computer without gloves, not knowing what the man did for personal entertainment.

Lex noticed Chloe’s resistance to use the keyboard and smiled knowing what she was thinking. He wished he could ease her concerns, but the truth was that he didn’t know for sure and wasn’t eager to confirm anything. “Yes, but he always suspects that I’m spying on him so he wouldn’t see it as odd. He’d probably even praise me for it.”

Chloe started an initial scan of the computer’s files to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. She was looking to see if the computer had less space than matched with the space of the files. Essentially she was trying to find the ‘false bottom’ in Lionel’s computer. “Well then why am I bothering to look around on his computer? He can’t be stupid enough to use it for anything important knowing you’re around to monitor his dealings.”

“No, but I know he’s had this computer protected so that any hacking from a remote computer wouldn’t find his secret files, and that I’m not smart enough to know how to find the files on his computer or careless enough to risk hiring someone who could out me.” Lex was sitting on the desk with his back to the door and his feet facing Chloe. His body was turned to peer at the computer and as a result his head was mere inches from hers as she leaned in to look at the monitor. He thought about asking if he was invading her personal space, but opted not to in case she said yes.

“But he doesn’t know that you have me?” She gave him a blinding smile before turning her attention back to the screen.

“No, he doesn’t.” He spoke softly because every fiber of his body was worried that might not be true. Lex had never been certain just how much Lionel believed in Lex’s feelings for Lana. He knew that he and Chloe were careful hiding their relationship but that didn’t assure him that Lionel hadn’t obtained proof. If he did, then now more than ever, Lex needed to stop Lionel’s plans.

It took some time, definitely more than Chloe would have ever had if she attempted to search Lionel’s computer on her own, but she had found a hidden file on the hard drive that was able to be entered by the computer’s owner but never seen by anyone else unless they had been really looking for it.

Within the file contained scans of drawings that Chloe immediately recognized as Kryptonian language, every message that Lionel had ever received from Jor-El. And from what she could gather, Lionel had kept getting these messages long after he had told Clark that they stopped. She knew he’d been lying.

From what she read, Lionel had been able to transcribe the language. If she had to guess, he probably attained the knowledge from Professor Swann because it didn’t appear as if any of the messages were personally for Lionel. Everything was meant for one person only.

“Who’s Kal?” Lex asked. He’d been reading over Chloe’s shoulder and noticed that the name appeared several times. He had a strong guess, but it never hurt to be sure.

“Clark’s birth name.” Chloe stated as if on autopilot and continued to read. The contents were in fact a preparation for what Jor-El wanted Clark to accomplish while on Earth. As scary as the notion was, he wanted Clark to control the world much like Zod had wanted. His intentions were not for Clark to be as hardened as a leader as Zod, but he still wanted him to rule over what he considered a weaker race. Chloe was sick with the idea of what her friend could have become.

Lex felt vindicated with the knowledge that he was right about Naman and Segeth. With an overabundance of power, Naman would be an unstoppable force that could cause trouble for people of Earth.

“Clark wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t let it happen.” Chloe assured Lex. She knew that Clark always seemed to be at odds with his biological father, and she was fairly certain that this could be the reason.

“It seems my father wanted to make sure that it would.” He pointed to a passage that was Lionel’s musings on how to make sure just such an incident occurred and how to control Clark for his own purposes.

The details involved building up Clark’s resistance to green Kryptonite which explained the purpose of the holding device that Kara had destroyed when she rescued Clark. It was built to increase the force of the green meteor rock so that Clark could train in increments for how much green Kryptonite he could tolerate. In addition was another plan to infuse Clark with red Kryptonite so he’d be more willing to ignore his inhibitions. Clark all ready had the power to do whatever he wanted, take away his conscience and his one weakness, and no one would be able to defeat him. As much as Chloe hated Jor-El for his instructions to Clark, she hated him more for entrusting them with Lionel. She considered that even so-called higher intelligent beings made as many bad parenting mistakes as humans.

“But Clark doesn’t trust Lionel anymore. His plan is not going to work.” Chloe was desperate to hold on to the one fringe of hope that she had left. She knew Lionel wasn’t the type to give up, but Clark wouldn’t let anyone control him.

“I doubt Lionel is going to let losing Clark’s trust stop him. But at least we know his strategy. We’ll make sure it never happens. Whether Clark wants it to or not.” He stood up from the desk to allow him some room to pace as he started planning. He was determined not to let anyone with Clark’s capabilities rule over him.

Chloe knew it wasn’t a slip of the tongue when Lex had said ‘Clark.’ Lex believed that there was a point when if Clark ever wanted, he could take over the planet. And Lex had always been a ‘better safe than sorry’ man. Yet, she still hoped that Clark would never let that desire over come him. She knew it was strange thought to be worried, considering she loved a man who wanted nothing more than world domination.

However, the difference being that Lex would never be able to control the entire population. He might be able to rule over it, but as for forcing people to do as he pleased, that would never happen. And she could tell that not even Lex would want that, because he didn’t want to bend to anyone’s will, and having everyone bend to his would be boring. He enjoyed the thrill of a fight. She knew it because he had fallen in love with her and not Lana. He knew the rewards were never as much fun as the chase.

But with Clark, there was a very real chance that his powers would put an end to free will. And with Clark’s personality to have everything be as perfect as possible, if for a moment he thought ruling a broken race was less troublesome than fighting for them, then he’d do so. That is if there weren’t people like her and Lex around to make sure it didn’t happen.

As she was trying to ease her worries by reminding herself that they could stop Lionel and keep a watch on Clark and everything would be fine, she started the shut down procedures of Lionel’s computer. That was when she noticed a slight blip, almost unnoticeable if she had not had the incredible luck to be looking at that exact moment.

Lex was thinking of the best way to confront Lionel. He, of course, wanted to make sure that any projects his father had to ensure another capture of Clark were shut down. He wasn’t entirely sure of just how he could put his father away for good this time, but he would find a way. He turned to face Chloe and noticed that she was back to concentrating on the computer and typing furiously. “What did you find?”

“Someone’s hacked into this file. It appears they’ve set up some kind of Trojan horse for continuous monitoring. And they’ve been doing so for months.” Chloe’s eyes didn’t leave the monitor and she used every bit of knowledge at her disposal to find the source.

Lex raced back behind the desk to watch over Chloe’s shoulder. “That’s not possible. I told you there’s no way it can be done by remote link.”

“Well someone find out how, and I think I might be able track it.” She had to put more effort into it than in any other job she had done. The creator had done an incredible job and almost proved untraceable but Chloe was determined. However all of that didn’t compare to her surprise when she pinpointed the location. “It’s from the Isis Foundation.”

Lex stared at the computer in disbelief. “No! It’s not possible. There is no way that Lana knew how to do that. And I sincerely doubt that anyone at the place knows her real purpose for it, so it’s not like she can hire someone to hack for her.”

“I’d agree but this system is so complicated that it’s not possible someone set her up to take a fall. Lionel couldn’t have hacked into his own computer and back-tracked it to her. And he wouldn’t take a chance that she could find this information. And who besides any of us would even know enough about Clark to do anything with this information?”

Lex relented to Chloe’s reasoning. “Looks like you won’t be giving up your original plans for tonight after all.”
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After a visit to the Isis Foundation and more subsequent hacking, they found that not only had Lana taken Lionel’s plan, but she had begun building the necessary equipment and gathering meteor rocks. It seemed that in a few weeks, the operation would be fully functional.

Lana had also created a personal diary which entailed her plot to use it for the purpose of making Lex and Lionel suffer. Clark would destroy the two of them and then they could make the world a better place all in Lana’s perfect image of how life should be.

Like every instance of the dumb villains who has to describe the genius of their plan before they actually managed to complete said plan, Lana gave away her intentions. She wrote about how she was determined to get what she wanted out of life, but she didn’t know how. Not until she walked into that Chinese bookstore and found a book on the best hacking methods. She found it rather boring and didn’t put a lot of effort into reading it, but she figured she must have been gifted because in almost no time she had hacked into Lionel’s personal files and stealing money out of corporate accounts across the world in order to fund everything. She had to thank that mysterious man who gave her the book, even if it was weird when he touched her and she received a strange jolt. She went on to describe the man as having dark brown hair, strong cheekbones, and sunken eyes. And that he resembled that guy from the vampire show that Chloe loved and said was cute. Lex was not amused by that comment but his only defense was that the actor used a fake British accent. Lana continued to write that she had been interested in sleeping with the man but he seemed adamant to get away once she had the book.

Chloe was certain that Brainiac was the man that Lana met and he had given her the means to retrieve her stolen plan. He must have wanted to make sure that Lionel’s plot happened, but in a way that could easily gain him control.

Lex concluded that it was intelligent on his part. He used the one person who would not only put her own wishes before all others, but was also the one person who Clark would follow blindly. He wouldn’t realize what happened until it was too late and then he wouldn’t care. He also wondered just how far plot to use Lana went back. He had always wondered why that alien who possessed his body had chosen to try to procreate with Lana. He had practically shouted to the entity not to use his body with her.

Chloe and Lex made sure to destroy everything that had to do with Lana’s research. They disconnected the trace to Lionel’s computer, and uploaded viruses on all of Lana’s computers to make them impossible to use. However, they were smart enough to take pictures of everything and make a copy of Lana’s files so Clark could have proof. Lex didn’t believe even that would get Clark to stay away from Lana, so he wanted to make sure that any of her devices were ruined before she had a chance. She might come out of all of this with Clark still on her side, but she wouldn’t be able to fulfill her scheme.

Lex and Chloe discussed how to handle the situation, and agreed that Lex would confront Lionel while Chloe spoke to Clark about Lana.

As she settled down to sleep in Lex’s arms, she thought about the question that Lex had asked earlier in the evening. On her own, Lana wasn’t a threat. But the power she had over Clark, and the decisions he made based on her life could do harm. She just hoped that this time Clark would make the right choice.

TBC

[superag]

This is getting twisted and good. I really am looking forward to knowing what happens and what kind of stomping up and down fit Lana has when she realizes all her info has been compromised. I love it!

[marcy2401]

Brainiac did pick the right person (with no brain cells) to help with his plan. I love your spin on each episode. Look forward to reading more. Great Chapter!

[hfce]

Lord all the twist and turns are great. Typical Barfana only thinking of herself.

[purplemoon123]

I love this story.

Now this is a season 7 I would make sure not to miss. Not the utter crap that is being shown.

Can't wait to see how you fixed the latest craptastic episodes.

Rocio

[GroundedSouls]

I really enjoyed this chapter with the Chlex snooping. I agree Lionel never counted on Lex having Chloe by his side. Now it's easy to see Lionel's interest in Clark more than ever with the fact that he wants him rule like Jorel does and plans on carring out Jorel's plans. I guess he figured he'd end up being in control somewhat as well by being in control of Clark's destiny. Lana's so stupid to think she can out smart a Luthor and a Sullivan there's no possible way. Can't wait to read more! Please update soon.

[SantosJBlack]

I love it WWW... keep it coming *winks*

lol...

[letia84]

I love Chlex team work. Great update.

Of course Lana is out to control Clark. Make him a stepford husband.

Update soon.