The Undoing of Lex Luthor (R) Completed 7/11/08

[showntell]

Just discovered this story, very enthralling...

I'm just intrigued to know what happens next.

[starmoon]

please keep going i can't wait to find out what happens next!!!

[superag]

A/N - I know, I know. It's been ages, for me at least. I could tell you that it was real life but it was actually I had NO idea what to write and was never happy with anything (still not completely happy) with where it was going. But hopefully, my beautiful reviewers (who I LOVE all of you so much) will give me wonderful guidance to help poor Lex and Chloe. Thank you in advance!

Pieces – Chapter 10


Chloe continued reading through the materials in her bag and sat back against the couch. She had analyzed the films to death and couldn’t get anywhere on the film alone. She glanced back up the stairs and sighed. They were in the middle of a fight as far as he was concerned. Looking at the address on one of the folders, she slid her folders of information back into her bag and picked up her wallet. Walking out the front door, she looked around one more time and shut the door behind her.

Lex looked out the window as the car sped out of the driveway and leaned against the window. She hadn’t come up to get any clothes from the room, so she couldn’t go far. He wondered what possibly could have caused them to stray so far. Lex shuffled back over and picked up the picture of the woman he was in bed with. She wasn’t anyone else that he could remember. The background was completely unfamiliar to him. Dark panels and a fire; it wasn’t him. He threw the drawer open and continued through the organized mess finding nothing. Sitting on the bed again, he stared at the picture. Sifting through the mess now scattered on the bed, he pulled out a lighter. Leaning over the bathroom sink, he set the picture on fire and watched as the strange image turned to ash.

Chloe entered one of buildings at a Metropolis address listed on the information she found on the computer drive. Hooking up the small machine to her palm, she punched a couple of buttons and waited for the lock to click. She silently thanked the cheap locksmith friend and realtor friends for the assistance. Pushing the door open, she flipped on a small flashlight and carefully looked around. There were no guards, no lights, no sirens. The building wasn’t even marked anymore as a Luthorcorp facility or warehouse. She flipped on a light and noticed the power had also been cut. Lionel was evidently very interested in taking the projects off the Luthorcorp payroll or at least out of the public eye. She had to admit, Lex had become better at hiding projects in his recent years, but Chloe was fairly certain that Lionel was just moving the projects under his protective custody to do what he wanted with later.

Walking through a small door, she flashed a light across a set of refrigerators. Opening one, she peered at the tiny labels on each of the vials and gasped. Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan, Miora Sullivan, Gabe Sullivan, Julian Luthor, and others. He had collected blood from virtually every person she knew or was acquainted with. The empty vial at the end frightened her. It was empty. Clark Kent. She grabbed the tray of vials and carefully placed them all in her bag. Flipping open the rest of the refrigerators, she noticed the same results of many of Smallville’s meteor infected. Shutting the doors, she turned around into a suit.

“Shit!” she yelped as she dropped her light on the ground as an overhead light came on.

“I was wondering when you were going to do some work for me.” Lionel looked over several folders that had been left on the table just as they were before.

“Me? I’m sure you have plenty of people that could do this kind of work for you. And you didn’t have to scare me. Why didn’t an alarm go off?”

“It did, just not here. I was called about your presence. Clark is on his way.” Lionel shoved his hands in long coat pockets and leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the lab. “Here’s something interesting I found when changing the security on this place.” He handed a folder to Chloe and let her look over the few pages in it. “The only retinal scan for the entry door to this lab, which has one way glass all around, is Lex’s. This was his personal lab.”

Chloe whipped around and stared at Lionel. “I knew he was in business but this?” Chloe leaned against the table of test tubes and gadgets she didn’t understand. She flipped through the different folders still sitting out. They were no one she knew personally, just names of meteor infected that had passed her desk years ago, apparently still of interest to the villain that would be her unreal husband. The chemical bond diagrams that wrapped for pages neatly printed and assembled together along with notes in his handwriting of common bonds adorned pages of each folder.

Chloe knelt down and pulled on the drawer on the edge of the cabinet and shook the handle insistently. Looking back at Lionel, he continued just to watch her silently as if just making sure she didn’t get into something without his permission. She maneuvered around the test tubes and pulled out a small file.

“No, let me.” Lionel signaled for Chloe to get out of the way. Leaning over, he felt under the drawer until she heard something click and watched the drawer slide open.
Looking at Lionel, he nodded, “File cabinets are the cheapest way of securing objects. Remember that.” Standing back, Lionel settled himself into the desk seat as Chloe pulled out the cabinet and examined the rest of the files filed alphabetically. Pulling the first folder, she began flipping. Same information as the others, but for the small letter in the corner of the tags. “N,” simply written next to the name. Dropping the folder, she went to the S section and pulled the folder with her name on it. “M.” Her mother’s, “M,” her father’s, “N.”

“He was cataloging.”

Chloe turned to Lionel and held the folders of her and parents up. “There has to be hundreds of these.”

“Actually,” Lionel walked over and flipped on another light and pointed at a wall. “There a few more than that.” Chloe stared at the wall of files and refrigerators. Walking over, she pulled on another drawer that easily clicked open. The files went on forever.

“Who are all these people? They can’t all be meteor infected?”

“No, from what I gathered is that the generous donation to the hospital the last three years in both Smallville and Metropolis has been paying for more than just the new wings being built.”

Chloe slammed the drawer on the wall and stared back at Lionel. “He’s been collecting for years. You didn’t know any of this?” Chloe was skeptical at best.

“I was informed of the warehouse from an informant at one of Lex’s other labs. He felt no need to keep secrets since his pay was generously increased over Lex’s paycheck, which he hadn’t received in weeks.” Lionel flipped the light over the cabinets off again as Clark arrived. Backing against the edge of the cabinet, he placed a small magnetic object against it.

“Clark,” Chloe sighed as she hugged him lightly. “Have you seen this?”

Clark looked around and scanned the room. “I guess Lex took know thy enemy to a new level. Anything that leads us to the next step of his plans? I heard of the clones that he was planning from Lionel.” Chloe nodded and glanced over her shoulder while pulling a small vial carefully from her bag. Turning back to Lionel, he asked, “Have you found the location of the clones?”

Chloe glared at Lionel and smirked at Clark. “I’m sure he does. Maybe someday he’ll share that information. Oh, by the way, here’s a little present.” Clark stared at the empty vial and shook his head. “Oh, and this one.” Clark took the other vial halfway filled and stared at the label. Lex hadn’t missed a beat. Martha Kent.

Lionel moved closer to the door and pulled another identical small object out of his pocket and slid it under the desk next to the door. “I think we have seen enough here, don’t you think?” Lionel snapped the two out of their deep thoughts. “This lab has no value anymore.” The three silently agreed.

“What can be done though?” Lionel tugged on Chloe’s bag and removed the vials from her bag. “Hey!”

“Patience.” Lionel took the vials and walked back to the two. “Is there anything you want from here besides those?” Chloe glanced at Lionel and flipped on the light to the rest of the file cabinets and retrieved all the files of friends and family. She stuffed the paper files into her bag and scanned the rest of the room. Clark pulled the files on him and his family.

Chloe and Clark stood in the doorway of the laboratory set in the middle of the otherwise empty building. They watched Lionel walk toward the door and stop before pushing the door open. “Clark?”

Clark glanced around once more and nodded, “Chloe’s there nothing else here. I say we just go and find out what Lionel is really up to.”

“I don’t trust him. He’s been yanking on my chain and changing the rules this whole time. You know that.” Chloe held her files in her bag even closer to her body as Lionel closed the door behind and left the two standing in the building. “He’s as dangerous as his son. How do you know that he’s not going to just take up the cause.”

Clark’s head perked up as he listened and covered Chloe’s mouth as she continued to prattle on. Hearing a car door slam and another car start, he peered through the metal outer building and saw her car was moving too. “He just stole your car.”

“It’s his car anyway, the point is….” Clark covered her mouth again. Listening, he heard a countdown start. Clutching the folders under his arm, he grabbed Chloe and whisked her out of the building. Sitting her down next to the cars hundreds of yards from the buildings, Chloe stared at Lionel as he emerged from the limo. “You were going to blow us up? Haven’t you got Clark figured out by now?”

“I had no intention of doing so. The countdown was simply to warn you to get out of the building and I was kind enough to move your vehicle.” Lionel handed her keys back to her and picked up his phone. “Clear.” Looking back at the two, he smiled. “Personally, I need this space for a new set of apartments Luthorcorp is building unless…”

Just then, the explosion sent Chloe hugging the ground and pushed Lionel against the side of the car as Clark fell lightly over Chloe’s body. Raising her head, she watched as the main explosion led to other smaller explosions. Standing up, she dusted herself off as she could feel the heat coming off the fire that now raged in one central location. Lionel handed her and Clark a glass of champagne.

“Cheers.” Chloe and Clark glanced at each other.

“What the hell?” Chloe asked.

“This is supposed to be the undoing of my son. This is a happy occasion. And you were concerned that I would just waltz in take over his projects. This is all to be destroyed and hopefully erased permanently from the earth. Three other warehouses are being demolished, leveled for rebuilding as we speak.” Lionel handed Chloe and Clark the plans.

“What others? The cloning lab?” Clark questioned as Chloe fell silent pondering larger life altering questions.

“No, the other 33.1 facilities that were listed in the facility in Billings. The cloning lab is currently under the highest security known to the planet. I still want to know what was the intention of the lab.” Lionel cracked a shallow smile at Chloe as she shivered, thinking about her own fate.

“But what if Lex’s memory comes back? You keep yanking his dreams out from under him like telling him about the lack of a pregnancy, and you expect for him to just sink further into his little wonderworld?” Chloe questioned Lionel wondering what really would happen. No one had assured them that Lex would never come out of his state. She still worried every day that she would wake up next to a person she didn’t fall asleep with, or better yet never wake up if he killed her first.

“Let me deal with that when it occurs.” Lionel looked at his watch. “Now, shouldn’t you be getting back to your husband?” Chloe cringed and twisted her head with the mention of his existence. Clark squeezed her and kissed the top of her head.

“We’re in the middle of an argument – he won’t care.” Lionel nodded and got into the limo. Lowering the window, he quickly waved and rolled the window up, leaving the two standing in front of her car as the flames died in the distance. Clark looked over his shoulder and shook his head.

“Luthorcorp to the rescue. Already to clean up the mess. Come on – let’s get out of here.” Clark and Chloe got in the car and drove off.

************
Lex sat on the floor in the middle of his office and stared at the piles of papers that surrounded him. He had distinctly remembered that there had to be a safe in the room, but he couldn’t remember how to get to it. Looking at the clock, he realized he had spent hours going through pages upon pages of classic books and file folders to find only two other pictures of the same woman, both curiously used like bookmarks. They looked happy but in unfamiliar places. The lights in the background of the casual picture looked like nothing he remembered being at. The only thing he could make out was the strange Egyptian markings and pink lights. Laying the pictures down, he continued through the files in the desk. Many included items he couldn’t remember the reason they were there. Chloe must have reorganized again.

Pulling the personal file out, he flipped the file open and scattered birth certificates, marriage license, and passport information around. He threw the folder back in the file. Pulling the one labeled letters out, he leaned against the wall and held the top one up to smell. The perfume had since faded from it, but the words were still wonderful, even if it was an simple.

Hey! I got your flowers today. Actually the rest of the women got
your flowers and I got the card. I’d love dinner tonight, but I get to
choose the restaurant this time. And pay. Love you! Chlo

Lex smiled placed the letter back in the folder. Eyeing the rest of the folder, he pulled a distinctly pink colored paper out and stared at the strange handwriting. Lex’s breathing hitched as he read the overly curly script.

Thanks for stopping by yesterday afternoon. I was really stressing
about the new layout of the place. I missed you something terrible while you
were in Paris. I wished we could have gone together, but I understand
work calls. Just don’t forget that there’s more than locking yourself in
your office or going home to a lonely house. Kisses. L


Lex beat his head against the wall and squeezed his eyes together. The confusion that came over him gave him an incredible headache that he couldn’t shake. Crumpling the paper up, he crumpled another white sheet over it and threw it away. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. He cheated on Chloe. It was beyond reason; he couldn’t remember any instance that he had ever met another woman after Chloe and he had gone out. Biting his lip, he stared at the picture of him with the woman and realized the reason for Chloe’s attitude ran much deeper than his accident. He now wondered to himself how many other pieces of his life were lost in his mind’s abyss. He shoved the file back in the drawer and walked into the living room. He stared at the white album with their wedding photo on the front and covered his mouth as a tar tried to escape his eye.

Flipping though the album sitting on the coffee table, he started noticing things were out of place. Wiping his eyes and squinting, he stared at the small crease on his wife’s neck in the picture. Her necklace he gave her at the engagement party was missing. He continued flipping and examined every picture with even more increased scrutiny. Running his hand along the small creases and dark shadows, he shook his head. Places that distinctly should have been lighter on her body with the way the sunlight hit her in the church that day were darkened, smudged it seemed. Ripping the picture out of the album, he went into the game room and looked for the magnifying glass in Chloe’s small desk.

He walked back down the hall and rested on the bottom step of the stairs. He stared at her satchel for work and flipped it over. He scattered the random objects over the floor looking for her glass. She kept it around for research, for snooping. If nothing else, he had learned tricks from watch her work. He prided himself on learning her style of research and finding ways to one up her all along the way. Their first year of marriage it had been almost a game. She would find a tidbit about a project and he would work tirelessly to hide the details. Eventually, she would find out it was ruse. He nodded realizing that irate Chloe was always a turn on for him, unfortunately not today. Picking up the contents, he placed each random object back in her bag stopping at the phone. He opened it up and noticed two text messages. One from the Daily Planet and one from his father.

Clicking through the notice from work, he zeroed on his father’s email. ‘You might be careful of where you stick your nose.’ The time stamp was from just an hour or so ago. Lex flipped the phone closed and shoved it back in her bag. Pulling the pictures out of his pockets, He ran his thumb along the strange darker shadow down to her lower back as he stared at the length of the woman’s hair in the other picture he had found.

His eyes shifted from one picture to the other. Glancing up, he heard the door click and looked up to see Chloe’s eyes lock on his. Chloe eyed the purse with half of the contents still on the floor. Dropping her other bag, she shoved the rest of her contents back in her purse angrily and glanced over at the pictures.

“What are these?” She asked as she ripped the pictures of the strange woman out of his hands and bit her lip, hiding her two-parted anguish, before turning on Lex. Chloe had taken the one of the two in the Talon years ago. Still, she peered at the pictures and back at his face. This could play out interestingly, she thought. Taking a chance, she shook the photos in front of the man still sitting silently on the step, “Who the hell is this?”

Lex watched Chloe’s eyes turn accusing and cold. Nodding his head, he whispered, “I…”

TBC...

[tatie87]

I'm glad u updated this story, I really enjoy it. It feels like you're going towards Lex figuring out the rouse. I think they need to play house a little longer with a little more lust before that bomb is dropped. I hope t he 'baby' aspect isn't done yet. Please update soon again.

[westwingwolf]

So many ways this could go...

Lex could be honest and say he doesn't know for sure. Chloe could accuse him of cheating which would definitely keep her from having to intimate with Lex for a while. Lex could find a way to put this all behind them permanently and forget about it so he could move on to happiness with Chloe. Or he could try to figure out why things don't add up. Then when and if he does discover the truth, he could either keep up the charade to try and screw with the investigation, or use it to discover Clark's secret, or as some form of torture for Chloe, or just because he likes the idea of starting over and persuading Chloe that she needs to continue being in a false marriage with him just for the hell of it. Or Lex could never really remember and Chloe stays in the marriage fearing that a heartbroken Lex would turn evil. I like all of those scenarios, and I'll probably like any scenario that you come up with that I haven't thought of.

And I still don't trust Lionel. Hell, I don't trust Clark either. He had plenty of time to sneak crap into Lex's home. He could be thinking that the sooner Lex's memory comes back, the sooner they could get Chloe out of there. Not at all considering the possibility of Lex getting his memory back and having the chance to harm Chloe before anyone realizes it.

I think it's clever of Chloe to take a defense on the picture. If she saw it and was cool about it, then Lex would definitely know something was up.

[Starangel148]

Great chapter. I love how Chloe's going to turn the game around on Lex and act offended over Lana's picture. Update soon.

[GroundedSouls]

Good save Chloe! Lex is in trouble but when isn't he. I liked how he found all those files and pictures in his office safe. I'm thinking Lionel is evil. Yep Lionel is evil. I'm glad he still doesn't know who %%%% is. I can't wait to read more.

[dagney]

I'm intrigued by this story. I'm always thinking evil Lionel. hmmm Clones, Clones ever where. Did Lionel or Lex have Clones of some of smallville's citizens. Is this Lex a clone Lex and did he live a happy life with clone Chloe? Is he some sort of mix of cells of from a clone that was used as some life saving elixir after the tragic accident? Thanks for the update. Dagney

[purplemoon123]

Well this is just a doozy.

Not trusting Lionel. There's just something shifty about him. Still not trusting Clark. Lionel could be manipulating Clark into deceiving Chloe.

Only Lex had access to the cloning lab??? Does that mean he's the one that actually created said clones???? And of who else did he make clones of????

So it is Lana. bleh. Wonder if Lex is going to continue looking at those pictures of him and Chloe and notice that Chloe's body isn't hers.

Will Lex show Chloe the note he found??? Will Chloe make him squirm??? And use it as an excuse to stop the intimate moments between them?? Or will Lex turn it around and ask what is going on with his father???

Rocio

[lj715]

Glad that you updated but this chapter confused me a bit. Maybe I've read it too late @ night, maybe I'm too tired & couldn;t concentrate on what was going on . Ok, so there's a cloning lab but we're not sure if Lex or Lionel is involved. Lex has found pics but is realizing they aren;t Chloe so he thinks he cheated on her with Lana. Does he still think Chloe is pregnant? Was she ever pregnant. No..right. Help. Ugh.