Devil's Due

By Shaman

Lucas Luthor sat in a large overstuffed chair, his hands folded under his chin as he contemplated his future.  Just six months ago he had been living in a townhouse in Edge City courtesy of his trusting brother, and now he stood on the threshold of a whole new life . . . a life filled with billions of dollars, fast cars, women, and all the material goods that he had ever desired while he had been living in foster care.  He had tasted that life briefly while he had lived in the Luthor mansion, and had never forgotten its sweetness.  He now craved it like an addict craved his fix and over the past six months, had found a way to get it back.  He would return to his father's good graces, keep Lex close to him as he had been, and then destroy them both with one fell swoop.
With both his old man and Lex out of the way, Luthorcorp and it's billions of dollars of corporate profit would be his alone. 

After Lex and Lucas had conspired together to expose their father's lies, Lucas had agreed to let himself fall under his enigmatic half-brother's protection.  That meant he was safe from Lionel's wrath and revenge, while at the same time Lucas could form his plan without the old man's knowledge.  While he hadn't spent a lot of time with Lionel Luthor, Lucas was pretty sure he knew how his father's mind worked.  And Lex, who didn't share their father's degree of ruthlessness but was certainly a formidable rival, had revealed to Lucas a weakness that would be the key to his downfall. 

First, however, he had to obtain that key.  Lucas knew he'd be risking his life by taking the one thing on earth that Lex loved and giving it over to the person that he hated and feared the most.  If his plan went badly, he knew that Lex would kill him for the transgression.  He didn't doubt that and it didn't frighten him.  In a way, it was exciting . . . if he came out ahead of the game, he'd inherit billions.  If he lost, he'd lose everything, including his life. Lucas grinned widely and glanced down at the black and white survaillance photo on the table in front of him.  It showed a smiling raven-haired boy of perhaps sixteen or seventeen years of age.  Even without the benefit of color, the youth's face spoke of vitality and innocence, and his smile was almost shy.  Everything about his expression belied the fact that the boy was startlingly handsome . . .even beautiful.  Lucas felt his cock twitch, and his grin widened.  Not only would he have what Lex treasured . . . he would have it first. 
              
                              **********************

"Clark?  Clark, are you up?  Come on or you'll miss your bus!" 

"I'm up, mom!"  Clark called back as he slipped a white tee shirt over his head and pulled on a red and blue flannel overshirt to cover it up.  He buttoned it halfway and yawned as he slipped his feet into his work boots.  As he laced them up, his mother called to him from the bottom of the stairs. 

"Clark, your father and I are going into town!  Your breakfast is on the table, but don't forget to sweep the barn aisle before you leave!  Have a good day, sweetie!" 

"Thanks, mom!"  He called back, and shook his head ruefully.  Did anyone but his folks actually say 'Have A Good Day' anymore?  He made a mental note to teach them both some more up-to-date phrases as he raced downstairs to eat before the bus came.  Not that it mattered much if he missed the bus.  He could easily outrun it and make it to school a good twenty minutes before it arrived at Smallville High.  Not only did he enjoy the run, he also enjoyed the looks on Pete and Chloe's faces when they arrived at school and found him waiting there after having supposedly missed the bus five miles back.  Grinning at the memory of the times that he'd done that, Clark quickly ate his eggs and bacon and chased it down with a few gulps of orange juice from the pitcher in the fridge.  Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, Clark jogged outside to sweep the barn aisle before the bus arrived. 
He stepped into the warm, hay-sweet walkway and grabbed the broom from the corner, hesitating a moment to tighten the handle as it wobbled in its base.  The broom had seen better days, and Clark carefully twisted the handle clockwise. 

"C'mon."  He grumbled as the threads of the worn-out handle refused to catch in the faded and scratched plastic base.  "Jeez, I have to tell dad we need a new b-"

The word was cut off with a startled intake of air as a strong arm wrapped around Clark's neck and tightened like the coils of a large snake.  Clark reacted quickly, twisting his body to throw off his attacker.  At the same moment, he felt a pain in the back of his neck, like something impossibly sharp had pierced the skin on the nape of his neck just below his hairline.  He cried out in pain and surprise and a moment later a strange, floating sensation filled his body.  His feet shuffled against the wooden slats of the barn floor and then splayed outwards as he lost his balance and fell heavily to his knees.  His hands opened and closed helplessly.  His looked up, his green eyes already growing glassy and clouded, and saw the shape of a man standing in front of him.  The face was a black blur, and it took Clark's muddled mind a few moments to realize that the man wore a ski mask.  Only the eyes, dark blue and glittering, could be seen. 

"Hnuh?"  He mumbled through lips that felt numb and useless, and the form kicked its right foot out to sweep Clark to the ground.  Clark fell like a lightning-struck tree, landing heavily on his side.  A small cloud of grain dust puffed up around his body briefly, and then settled again.  The figure grinned, his teeth bright in the midst of the black mask. 

"Don't worry, sweetheart."  He said in a low, smirking voice.  "You'll have another chance to be on your knees for me again soon."

Lionel Luthor hung up the phone at his office at Luthorcorp, his face a mask of barely restrained surprise and anger.  He sat up straight in his high-backed leather chair and steepled his hands in front of him on the desk as his mind raced furiously.  What was he doing here and what could he possibly want, considering their last meeting and how they'd left things? 

The door to his office swept open, and Lucas strolled in as if he owned the building instead of his billionare father.  Lionel leaned back in his chair and gave his son a smile. 

"When my secretary told me that my youngest son was here to see me, I could hardly believe it." 

"In the flesh, dad."  Lucas smiled back, and cocked his head at his father.  "Is that all the welcome I get after six months?" 

"Well forgive me, son, if I haven't overwhemled you with phone calls and letters, but I understood you were under Lex's . . . protection."  The last wrod dripped with insinuation, and Lucas smiled a little. 

"Considering that Lex and I exposed you for the two-faced weasel that you are, I'd say that was a wise choice on my part."

"Careful, Lucas."  The smile fell away from Lionel's wolfish features.  "Lex isn't here to protect you right now." 

"As much as I'd like to stand here and listen to your cliched threats, I don't have all day, dad.  I came here to offer you a business proposition."  Lucas said as he began to pace back and forth in front of the desk slowly.  

"Business proposition?"  Lionel echoed.  "That's intriguing, son, but I can't imagine that I'd want anything that you might have in your possession." 

"I wouldn't be so quick to say that if I were you."  Lucas replied, and removed a buff-colored manilla folder from his black leather jacket.  He tossed it on Lionel's desk, who smiled up at him expectantly. 

"What's this?  Some pathetic attempt to blackmail me, perhaps?" 

"Trust me, dad."  Lucas smiled.  "You'll want to check out what's in that folder."

"Lucas, Lucas."  Lionel sighed as he picked up the folder and slit open the seal with a letter opener.  "What does Lucas have for me that could possibly . . . "  Lionel trailed off as he pulled a thin stack of glossy colored eight by ten photos from the envelope.  He flipped through them, unable to hide his surprise, his disbelief . . . his hunger.  He felt himself stir beneath his Armani slacks and shifted uneasily in his chair.  "Where-"  He began hoarsely, and then cleared his throat.  "Lucas, where did you get these photos?" 

"Took them myself.  About a half an hour ago."  Lucas said as he examined his perfectly manicured fingernails.  His half-brother was very generous.  "But since you're not interested in anything that I might have in my posession . . . "  Lucas looked at his father, his eyebrows raised inquiringly.  Lionel cleared his throat again.

"All right Lucas, you have my full attention.  You're telling me that you have this, "  Lionel waved the photos at him, "in your possession as we speak?" 

"As we speak." 

"All right.  Why?" 

"Come on, dad."  Lucas smirked, sounding eerily similar to his honey-voiced older brother.  "I'm not blind, like you pretended to be the last time I was here.  I know about your curiosity with Clark Kent.  It's one of the few things that you and Lex have in common."  Lucas licked his lips.  "You and Lex both know that Clark is hiding something . . . Lex thinks he can gain Clark's trust and hopes that eventually the boy will confide in him.  I, however, believe that the more direct approach you would take would bear quicker fruit."  He grinned at his father's hungry expression.  "Suppose I told you that I know Clark Kent's secrets.  Suppose that I'd be willing to share them with you.  What's that worth to you, dad?" 

"You know . . . . how . . . ?  How do you know, Lucas?  Tell me."  Lionel almost whispered.  Lucas took a few steps and leaned on his father's expensive oak desk. 

"I had the help of  some people I knew in Edge City, and of course there was Lex's money." 

"Lex!  He would never agree to something like this.  He adores the boy, he'd never allow him to be hurt." 

"Oh, he doesn't know that he's been funding my little pet project.  I told him that I've been doing some heavy investing with the allowance he's been giving me.  He's generous, actually . . . generous and pretty trusting considering that I tried to bilk him out of everything he owned six months ago."  Lucas laughed merrily.  "I told him I've been investing in some dot com projects that look promising, but haven't seen any returns yet.  He even offered to give me some stock tips.  I'm sure they were fantastic tips and would have worked great . . . had I invested anything in the market.  But I didn't of course.  I used the money he was giving me to find out everything I could about Clark.  I had people search his house while The Kents were gone.  I had him and his parents investigated, right down to if they prefer coffee or tea.  Turns out it's both.  As fascinating as that is, I'm sure you'll find this even more worth your while."  Lucas held up another manilla envelope and then held it close to his chest as Lionel reached for it. 

"First, you listen to my proposal."  He told his father, who leaned back in his chair once more. 

"Your proposal.  All right Lucas, I'm listening.  What is it that you want?" 

"I want what's owed to me.  What's due to any Luthor.  I'm tired of living on my brother's good graces . . . I want my own fortune, and you're just the man to give it to me." 

Lionel shook his head slowly.  "I believe we went over this the last time you were in Smallville, Lucas.  I will not allow you to kill Lex, nor will I have him killed." 

"I'm not asking you to kill him."  Lucas replied as he paced back and forth in front of Lionel's desk.  "You don't need to kill him . . . I just want him gone.  Out of Smallville, out of Metropolis, out of our lives."  Lucas leaned forward again, bracing his hands on the desk.  "Exile him, dad.  Exile him and leave him peniless.  Leave him without so much as a dime so that he can never bother us again.  Let me take his place . . . give me a second chance, and I'll prove to you that I can be the kind of son that you want." 

Lionel sat silent for many minutes, stroking his short beard in contemplation. 

"It's a small price to pay for the peace offering I have waiting for you in Edge City, dad."  Lucas tapped the photos on Lionel's desk blotter, and Lionel looked at them again.  Each photo featured a bound, blindfolded and mostly nude Clark Kent.  He lay spread-eagled on some kind of padded contraption that looked like a modified weight-training machine.  His wrists and ankles were bound to the metal frame with thick leather cuffs, and a third leather strap ran just under Clark's nipples, securing him to the padding.  Lionel chuckled and looked up at Lucas. 

"Let's go pay young Mr. Kent a visit, son." 

                        **********************************

Clark's consciousness returned slowly, like fog lifting from a dewy Kansas morning.  He moaned in pain as he tried to force his eyes open, only to discover that they were covered with a thick cloth.   The tendons in his neck felt like they were filled with broken glass, and he winced as he remembered what had happened in the barn. 

"Where am I?"  He asked himself aloud as he tried to move his arms and legs and found them tightly secured.  He tugged at the bonds hard enough to break them, but they refused to budge.  He squirmed like a fly caught in a spider's web, and felt panic trying to settle in his chest as he realized that his powers were gone.  They were gone, and he was helpless.  The metal framework he was secured to began to rock and shake as he fought his bonds.  He pulled hard at the metal cuffs that secured his hands above his head. 

"Someone help me!  Let me loose!" 

A door nearby opened and closed, and then rivers of ice seemed to form in Clark's bloodstream as a familiar voice broke the room's silence. 

"Oh, son.  He's . . . exquisite." 

Lionel Luthor.  And . . . son?  Could Lex possibly be a part of this  . . . whatever it was? 

"I told you it was a small price to pay."  Another voice answered, and Clark struggled a little.  No, not Lex.  The voice was sharp-edged and aggresive, not like Lex's smooth, even lilt. 

Lucas. 

Footsteps echoed across concrete, and Clark blinked as the blindfold was yanked away and harsh bright light assaulted his eyes.  A big hand cupped his chin and brought his head up sharply.  Clark blinked again, and looked up into the cold blue eyes of Lucas Luthor.  The older boy grinned. 

"Long time no see, Clark." 

"What do you want with me?"  Clark asked, trying to keep his voice from trembling.  Luthors, like dogs and other large carniverous animals, could smell fear. 

"A couple of things, Clark, since you asked.   First of all, you can explain about this . . . "  Lucas walked over to the opposite corner and yanked a green tarp aside to reveal the small metallic spacecraft that Jonathan Kent had so carefully hidden in his storm cellar. 

"And then maybe you can explain about this."  Lucas walked back over to him and pulled the envelope he'd offered his father back at his office.  He ripped it open and held up photo after photo in front of Clark's face, each of them showing Clark performing amazing feats of strength- sinking fence posts into concrete with his bare hands, moving and lifting a downed tree on his parent's property and most amazing of all, him lifting his father's tractor with one hand while Jonathan Kent hunkered underneath it with a wrench in his hand.  All taken without Clark's knowledge.  He closed his eyes briefly in sorrow and regret, and Lionel snatched the photos from his son's hand, his eyes wide and sparkling. 

"My God.  my God, Lucas . . . ."  He stared at the photos, and then at Clark as if he were some exotic and impossibly rare breed of animal.  He took a few steps toward Clark, who tried not to struggle as he approached. 

"It all makes sense now . . . . everything.  Everything I've ever wondered about . . . my God, if only Lex . . . "  His eyes roved up and down Clark's body, and he chuckled softly. 

"I used to wonder if you were perhaps one of those that the meteor shower transformed, but no.  No."  Lionel shook his head and reached out to touch Clark's face as the teenager gazed at him with wide, frightened eyes. 

"You're not even human . . . are you." 

"Mr. Luthor, I . . . whatever you and Lucas think, it's not true!"  Clark pleaded, and Lucas let out a short bark of laughter as he held up the photos. 

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that what we think is right on the money, sweetheart." 

Clark looked up at him sharply, and Lucas tossed the photos on a nearby table.  Now that his vision had cleared, Clark could see that they were in a big warehouse or sub-basement of some kind.  Empty wooden pallets and stacks of cardboard boxes lined the moisture-stained concrete walls.  Clark saw only one door, directly across from him.  Lucas stepped in front of him, blocking that view.

"Time for the truth, Clark."  He said softly.  "You can start by answering my father's question."

"Wait just a moment, Lucas." Lionel interrupted.  He glanced at the photos.  "If this is true, if Clark Kent is capable of such feats of strength, how did you manage to bring him here?  How are you able to hold him here with just these straps?"  Lionel fingered the cuffs with a puzzled frown. 

"Clark?  Care to field that question?"  Lucas asked as he reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a long slim metallic case.  He pulled it open to reveal a hypodermic needle, the length of which began to glow a bright emrald green.  Clark groaned and gritted his teeth against the nausea that gripped his guts.  Lionel watched in amazement as the veins in Clark's hands and feet stood out in a blackish-green relief against his skin.  Lucas grinned. 

"This is how I drugged you, Clark.  One of my surveillance people people was watching the day you and your dad were out pulling up stumps in your back pasture and you came across some big chunks of meteor rock.  He said you fell like a tree and seemed to lose all of your strength."  Lucas pulled the needle from the case and twirled it between his fingers. 

"Your powers are like armor, Clark . . . but once you find a way to pierce that armor-"  Lucas turned and plunged the needle into Clark's neck, just under his left ear.  Clark screamed in agony and his body bucked in the metal frame in which he was secured. 

"-you're just like anyone else." 

Clark stared up at Lucas with wide, pain-filled eyes and felt his muscles turn to jelly as the drug took affect on him.  Lucas turned to Lionel. 

"Another result of Lex's generosity.  I was able to pay some people in an Edge City lab to make me several dozen of these."  He held up the empty needle. 

"The drug itself is a simple muscle relaxer.  As long as I give him regular doses, we'll be able to stunt his powers and keep him under control." 

Lionel hesitated, and then patted his son's shoulder.  "Well done, Lucas.  I must admit that I'm impressed.  You've accomplished something that Lex, in his emotional weakness, has been unable to do for over a year.  I've always known that Clark Kent was a very special young man, but you've been able to finally prove my theory."  Lionel reached out and stroked Clark's cheek in a gentle caress. 

"We made a deal, dad."  Lucas reminded his father as the older man stared at Clark with bright, predatory eyes. 

"Don't worry, son.  I fully intend to honor our bargain, especially in light of your . . . gift."  Lionel turned to his son.  "Of course, I have to first show Lex what he's lost before he joins the ranks of this country's many homeless."  The predatory grin returned.  "Prepare an extra needle, Lucas, while I make a phone call."  Lionel pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket and walked away to make his call.  Clark struggled weakly. 

"No!  Lucas, no!  Don't you dare hurt Lex!  He doesn't have anything to do with what I am!" 

"That's just the thing, Clark.  Lex has everything to do with what you are.  Without you, he'd be just another spoiled billionare's son.  You're his greatest treasure, Clark, and he doesn't even know it." 

"Lionel won't let you hurt Lex!  He'll turn on you the minute he gets the chance!  He tried to kill you the last time you used Lex as a bargaining chip, remember?  You'd be dead right now if Lex hadn't loaded those guns with blanks!" 

Lionel snapped his cell phone shut and strode across the room where Clark lay trapped and struck him hard across the face.  "You'll want to shut your mouth, boy, or I may just change my mind about letting you live after Lex is gone."  Lionel picked up the blindfold Lucas had pulled off of their captive eariler and shoved it into Clark's mouth.  Ignoring the boy's muffled cries, he tied the black cloth tightly in the back of Clark's head, making sure the cloth trapped his tongue.  Clark squirmed, and Lionel stepped back to watch.  "You were there watching that day, weren't you.  It was you who melted that hole in the ceiling grate."  He chuckled and ran a finger along Clark's jawline.  "Oh Clark . . . your parents should never have tried to hide your abilities from me.  It would have been so much easier if you had been truthful with me and with Lex . . . now he'll have to find out the hard way that his dearest friend has lied to him since the day he met you.  He'll be betrayed and sent into exile, and the one person who might have been able to save him will have himself betrayed him as well.  I won't be at all surprised if he begs for death when we're through with him." 

Clark shook his head, pleading with Lionel with frightened green eyes.  The older man smiled and touched Clark's dark hair. 

"I can hardly wait." 

Lex snapped his laptop shut as his cell phone rang out the first few notes of Motzart's Fifth Symphony.  He scooped it up with one hand as he sipped a chilled bottle of Ty Nant water with the other.  "Lex Luthor."  

"Lex!"  Lionel's voice was full of good humor.  "Good to hear your voice, son." 

"Hi, dad.  What do you want because I'm very busy and I don't have time to play games."
"I hardly called to 'play games,' son.  I called because I have some new information on the symbols in the Kiwatche caves and I thought you might be interested." 

Lex paused and then switched the cell phone to his other ear.  "Why would I be interested?"

"The caves are under your generous protection, Lex, and since you were interested enough in the symbols to have the cave declared off-limits to any kind of development, I thought you might want to hear what I have to say, but if not then I'll bid you good day."  There was a brief pause, the kind of pause that would have gone unnoticed by anyone but Lex.  He knew his father was giving him the chance to rise to the bait.  Lex sighed and set down his bottle of water. 

"All right dad.  What is it you've found out?  It might be something I can pass on to my linguists." 

"I can't tell you over the phone.  Come to my office, and I'll tell you everything.  I'll expect you in one hour."  Lionel hung up, and Lex's jaw set in irritation.  He hated to let Lionel call the shots, but if his father really did have new information that would help Lex solve the mysteries of the Kiwatche cave symbols, then Lex would be happy to let his father think he was in charge for a few hours.  Lex drained the remains of the Ty-Nant and tossed it into the glass recycling bin that sat next to the garage as he headed for his silver Porsche.  He was on his way to Metropolis moments later, the early morning sun shining down on the sleek black ribbon of highway between Smallville and the city.

                                                                        * * * *

Lucas sat beside the metal frame that held his captive still and idly twirled one of the kryptonite needles between two fingers as he watched Clark squirm.  He'd been watching the boy struggle now for nearly half an hour, and Lucas found it highly arousing.  He set the needle aside and touched himself lightly through the tight black jeans he wore.  Lionel, pacing nearby as he waited for Lex's arrival per his arrangement, froze and watched his son as he stood and faced the trapped teenager. 

"Tell me something, Clark."  Lucas smiled engagingly.  "You and Lex have a very special relationship, don't you?" 

"We . . . we're friends."  Clark ventured, unsure of what Lucas wanted him to say.  Lucas chuckled low in his throat.

"Of course you are.  Good friends.  I know, I sensed that the last time I was in Smallville.  Tell me though . . . are you aware at all that Lex wishes he could be more than friends with you?" 

Lionel blinked, and then a grin spread across his face as he watched Clark Kent's green eyes widen.  His eyes were no doubt his best facial feature.  They were large, expressive, and fringed with sooty long lashes that would be the envy of any woman.  As for Lucas's comment it was hardly shocking . . . Lionel had known about Lex's tastes for some time.  After all, hadn't he helped form them? 

"I- I don't understand."  Clark replied, and Lucas chuckled again as he reached out and stroked Clark's cheek. 

"Of course you don't, poor kid.  After all, you were raised by two Christian people who would never discuss with you something so . . . seamy."  Lucas leaned in close to Clark until their lips were practically touching.  Clark swallowed hard, and Lucas brushed his cheek against Clark's as he whispered in the boy's ear. 

"What I mean, Clark, is that Lex wishes he could fuck you." 

Clark's whole body jerked as Lucas's breath tickled his ear and at the impact of the words.  Lucas backed off a bit, grinning, and Clark gazed at him with disbelief. 

"That's right, sweetie.  Lex has wanted you in that way since the day you met, and he's been grooming you every day since then, hoping you'd read his signals and respond in kind.  You mean you never noticed?  Or maybe you just never saw it.  Maybe you thought he'd befriended you for other reasons.  But then after all, it's not everyday that a billionare's son makes friends with the son of a poor organic farmer.  Is it, Clark?"

"I saved his life.  He's . . . he was grateful."  Clark said softly, trying to pull away from Lucas.  The older boy was much too close.  Of course it was useless, he could barely move. 

"Oh yes, he's grateful.  Who wouldn't be?  Right?"  Lucas glanced at his father for affirmation, and Lionel nodded, a mock-thoughtful expression on his face.  Lucas reached up and stroked Clark's cheek with two fingers.  Clark flinched. 

"I'm grateful too, Clark.  I'm grateful that I have you in this position, and that I'm going to be able to take the one thing in the world that Lex most wants."  His hand slid down Clark's face, his neck, and then blazed a trail over his chest and dipped down between his legs.  Clark inhaled sharply with disbelief and outrage as Lucas's hand cupped him through his boxers.  His hips bucked up almost of their own accord, and Lucas grinned. 

"Are you a virgin, Clark?  Oh, but of course you are . . . your parents would have raised you with strong morals, after all."  The hand started to massage and squeeze him, and Clark gritted his teeth as his body responded even as his mind screamed with protest.  From the corner Lionel continued to watch this most interesting turn of events.  Lucas apparently shared his half-brother's tastes, at least to some extent . . . and his father's as well. 

"Stop . . . stop, Lucas, please!"  Clark cried, and Lucas nuzzled Clark's chest with his lips and tounge.  He found a tawny nipple, tight and salty with fear, and closed his lips over it as his tounge flickered against it repeatedly.  Clark thrashed and moaned, and Lucas finally pulled away.  He licked his lips and gave Clark a final squeeze before letting his hand drop. 

"I'm going to enjoy making you cry out, Clark. I'm sure Lex will enjoy it too . . . once he gets used to the idea that I'm going to be the one to take your cherry, not him." 

"I'm not going to let you hurt him!"  Clark cried, and Lucas picked up the needle he'd laid aside earlier.  Clark struggled as Lucas slid the needle into the inner elbow of his right forearm and depressed the plunger.  Clark shouted with pain and anger, his green eyes blazing.  Lucas grinned arrogantly, a shadow of his half-brother's face lurking within that grin. 

"Would you kill me if I let you loose right now, Clark?  Would you squeeze the life out of me?  Snap my spine?  Toss me out the window?  Have you ever killed anyone with those powers of yours? Hmm?"  Lucas cocked his head inquiringly and Clark looked away, his eyes fluttering closed as the drug took effect on him.  He heard Lionel chuckle from the other side of the room, and began to pray that his parents had somehow found out he'd never made it to school.  Maybe his dad would notice that there had been a struggle in the barn, unless Lucas had the forethought to tidy up after himself.  Clark didn't doubt it; Lucas was a Luthor after all, and Luthors didn't leave loose ends dangling.  He also prayed that Lex would sense a trap before it was too late. 

Please Lex . . . please . . . Clark prayed silently before the dark curtain of unconsciousness fell over him once again, stealing his thoughts. 

Lionel watched the boy's head drop forward as he lost consciousness, and then turned to Lucas. 

"You seem to be full of suprises, Lucas.  How long have you harbored a taste for both sexes?" 

Lucas shrugged.  "Awhile.  Probably not as long as Lex, though." 

"Yes, well, Lex . . . he has always had rather eclectic tastes." 

Lucas stared at his father from across the room, his gaze curious. 

"What about you dad?  Do you have eclectic tastes as well?" 

Lionel chuckled.  "Surely you've heard the expression, 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.'  In this case it seems to be true of both of my . . . apples." 

Lucas laughed aloud at his father's words.  "Oh man, I can't wait to see the look on Lex's face!" 
Lionel glanced at his watch.  "I don't think you'll have to wait much longer." 

As if on cue, the basement door banged open and two of Lionel's bodyguards lunged into the room, dragging Lex with them.  The young billionare took in the scene all at once, and his blue-gray eyes narrowed as he continued to struggle. 

"Lucas?  Dad?  What the hell is this?  What's going on?"  Lex snapped as the two men sat him down hard in an old wooden chair in the corner and proceeded to bind him to it with thick nylon rope.  Lex fought as they tied his hands behind him and bound his ankles to the thick legs of the chair.  Lucas strode across the room and stood over his half brother as he waved the bodyguards away.  They were paid well for their work and their silence with cash from Lionel's wallet before they left the room.  Lex glared up at Lucas with fury. 

"What is this?  What are you doing to Clark?" 

"It's all right, Lex."  Lucas glanced back at Lionel and grinned.  "I can imagine your surprise when you were led into your father's office and were ambushed by his bodyguards instead of meeting with him like you expected.  Am I right?"

"What are you doing here with him, Lucas?  And what have you done to Clark?"  Lex looked over at his young friend, gagged and bound to a metal frame.  He appeared to be either asleep or unconscious. 

"Well Lex . . . dad knew you wouldn't come down to Edge City simply by invitation, because you have an incredibly suspicious nature."  Lucas shrugged, and Lex looked over at Lionel with disbelief as his father crossed the room to stand beside Lucas. 

"The cave symbols-"

"A necessary lie, Lex.  I hope my security men weren't too rough with you.  Now, as to why you're here . . . "  Lionel glanced over at Clark, and Lex repressed a shudder when he saw the expressionon his old man's face.  It was one he had seen before, when he had been closer to Clark's age.  An invisible cold finger pressed into Lex's lower belly, and suddenly he was very afraid for Clark. 

"It appears that Lucas has been able to accomplish something that has eluded you for over a year now.  Would you like to hear about it?"  Lionel asked as he put a hand on Lucas's shoulder.  When Lex didn't reply, Lionel went on anyway. 

"Using certain monetary means at his disposal, and with cleverness and drive, Lucas here has manged to unlock the secret that is Clark Kent." 

Lex's eyes widened as he looked up at his half-brother, and then fury swept through him.  He jerked hard against the ropes. 

"You little prick!  You used money that I gave you to investigate Clark?  I told you that you and his family were strictly off limits!" 

"I know what you told me, Lex, but after I spent some time with Clark and drew my own conclusions about him, I had to know the rest of his story.  So you see, I didn't lie to you.  I was investing the money that you gave me.  I invested it in private detectives, surveilliance equipment . . . and these."  Lucas opened the case that contained the custom-made hypodermic needles, and Lex looked up at him with apprehension. 

"Drugs, Lucas?"  He asked, and Lucas smiled as he set the case down. 

"Not for me, Lex.  I'm much too fond of my self-control to indulge. No . . . they're for Clark.  They're the only way I can keep him here."  Lucas pulled one of the needles from the slim leather case and walked over to Clark with it.  The boy began to stir and moan as he appraoched, and Lex watched with disbelief and shock as the veins in Clark's hands and wrists stood out in a blackish-green relief when Lucas glided the flat edge of the needle over his skin. 

"See this, Lex?  This is just one aspect of Clark's secret.  The needle tips are made from sterilzed meteor rock.  They're the only way to pierce Clark's skin.  By that I mean you can't pierce it any other way.  Not with knives, bullets, fire, or anything else on this planet.  Just the meteor rocks.  Just being near them makes him very ill.  Want to know why that is, Lex?" 

Lex did want to know.  His whole body ached to know the secret that Clark had been hiding for so long . . . but he didn't want to find out like this.  He'd hoped that in time Clark would have shared that secret with him, allowing Lex to be honest with him in return.  Forcing Clark like this, destroying his trust; Lex knew that the fragile bridge he'd been building with Clark was now in shambles.  He glared up at Lucas, wanting nothing more than to wipe that arrogant smirk off his face. 

"I suspect that I already know, but suppose you tell me anyway, Lucas."  He said smoothly, hiding his anger.  Lucas only grinned. 

"I expect that you think like dad did, that maybe Clark was transformed by the meteor shower and was somehow mutated, like Tina Greer or one of the other countless mutations that have been recorded since the meteors hit."  Lucas gazed at Lex's bald head pointedly.  "It would make sense . . . . after all, some of those affected have been known to have certain powers."  Lucas touched the needle to Clark's skin again and the boy moaned, his eyelids fluttering open to reveal bright green eyes that gleamed with pain. 

"Welcome back, Clark!"  Lucas said brightly.  "Your timing is perfect!  I was just explaining to Lex here how you do all the amazing things that you can do."  Lucas tapped the file of photos that sat on the table with the case of needles.  Clark's eyes widened and Lucas smiled engagingly.  "Would you like to take it from here, Clark, or shall I tell him the whole story?" 

Clark looked down at Lex, and for several seconds they locked eyes.  Furious bright blue met pain-hazed, sorrowful green, and Clark finally looked away. 

"Clark."  Lex said firmly.  It was a plea disguised as a command.  "Look at me." 

"Don't mind him, Lex.  I think he's just too ashamed of what he is to tell you the truth."  Lucas picked up the file and flipped it open.  He pulled the photos out and showed them to Lex one by one.  Lex's eyes widened with every photo, and when Lucas finally put them back into the folder, Lex could no longer hide his emotions.  He looked up at Clark in amazement, but the younger boy only continued to stare at the floor. 

"That day on the bridge."  Lex whispered.  "I did hit you." 

"You hit him, but you didn't hurt him.  I have to admit, Lex, your hypothesis about that day was dead on. Clark did save you, but I imagine it was quite different from the story he told you."  Lucas smiled at Clark and pushed a lock of curly black hair away from his face.  "I saw the police photos of your Porsche.  It looks like someone peeled the roof back like the lid on a can of tuna." 

Lex closed his eyes briefly.  All the times he had asked Clark to be honest about that day on the bridge, all of the excuses and lies Clark had told him; his secretive nature, all of the unexplained events and circumstances that had always surrounded his friend were suddenly lit by a bright white light.  His source of power wasn't meteor rock, however, because it obviously caused him pain . . . . but if he wasn't a meteor mutation, then what was he?  He looked up at Clark again and suddenly two pieces of the puzzle that had refused to fit together over the past year and a half slid together and clicked into place.  Clark seemed to sense that mental click and looked up again to meet Lex's eyes.  They were wide with disbelief and betrayal. 

"You came with the meteor shower.  They concealed you.  Didn't they." 

Clark swallowed hard and nodded just the slightest bit.  Lex fought back the unexpected tears that came to his eyes. 

"Clark.  Oh Clark, why didn't you-" 

"Why didn't he tell you?"  Lucas interrupted, making his half-brother glare up at him angrily.  "Isn't it obvious, Lex?  He didn't tell you because you're a Luthor, and his father told him that Luthors couldn't be trusted." 

"That's not true!"  Clark spoke up suddenly, straining against his bonds.  "That's not true, Lex, please . . . you have to believe me." 

"Believe you?"  Lex's tone was incredulous.  "You've been purposely deceiving me for over a year and now you want me to believe you?" 

Lucas shook his head in mock pity.  "Believe me Lex, I didn't want to do this, but I thought you should know the truth about Clark before you leave Smallville." 

Lex's head came up sharply.  "What are you talking about, Lucas, I'm not leaving Smallville." 

"Yes you are . . . . you just don't know it yet.  Right dad?" 

"I'm afraid Lucas is right, son."  Lionel said as stepped forward and put a hand on Lucas's shoulder.  "As I've told you many times, Smallville was your test.  Instead of achieving the goals I set for you, you instead became obsessed with this unusual young man and his secrets.  I'm sorry, Lex, very sorry, but I'm afraid you've failed."  He squeezed Lucas's shoulder with affection.  "Now your role falls to Lucas, especially in light of his most amazing discoveries concerning Clark Kent." 

Lex glared up at his father.  "So what are you going to do dad, let him kill me?" 

"No Lex, of course not.  I could never kill my own child.  No . . . but upon Lucas's request, you will be sent away to a distant city and there left penniless.  Your fortune and inheritance now belong to Lucas, and in that cirmustance he becomes my heir." 

Lex looked up at Lucas, and his eyes narrowed slightly.  Lucas saw murderous intent in the bright depths, and was suddenly relieved that his half-brother was restrained.  Only when that gaze shifted to Clark did they soften slightly. 

"And Clark?  What do you plan to do with him?  Have your lab roaches dissect him?  Use him?  Exploit him?" 

Lucas's grin became predatory and hungry, and in that moment he looked exactly like his father. 

"Maybe all of those things.  But I told dad that there's no way you would simply accept your new desinty, that before we sent you into exile, we had to shatter you, both physically and spiritually.  Dad said that probably wasn't possible, that you were much stronger than you appeared, but . . ."  Lucas reached out and slid his hand up Clark's chest.  He toyed idly with a nipple until it hardened and strained against his fingertips, and Lex thrashed against the ropes that held him to the chair, understanding all at once what Lucas intended.  Lucas only smiled. 

"I know exactly what will break you." 

Clark's body bucked in the metal frame as Lucas reached up to stroke and fondle his other nipple, and his head thrashed from side to side.  His belly tightened as the ministrations went straight to his groin, and he whined through clenched teeth as he fought his body's baser instincts. 

"Stop!"  He cried, and Lucas's right hand slid down to cup him through his boxers.  He could feel the boy hardening through the soft cotton, and squeezed him gently. 

"He's a virgin, Lex.  Sweet and innocent and completely untouched.  I doubt that he's even fooled around with a girl, much less with an experienced bisexual such as yourself."  Lucas grinned up at Clark and flickered his tongue around the boy's ear.  "Am I right, Clark?  Have you ever been with anyone?  Have you ever gotten a blow job . . . . or maybe given one?" 

"Let me go!"  Clark cried, his hips twitching helplessly as he tried to avoid Lucas's stroking fingers.  The older boy chuckled and slipped his fingers inside the waistband of Clark's boxers.  Clark shuddered at the contact and the frame shook with his struggles as Lucas slid them down his lean thighs.  The cuffs that locked Clark's knees to the frame prevented them from being pulled down any further, but Lucas had already exposed the helpless teenager to Lionel and Lex's eyes.  Clark closed his eyes tightly as Lucas cupped his chin tightly and began to kiss him.  His tongue forced it's way past Clark's full lips and tasted him for nearly a minute as he rubbed his own Armani-clad groin against Clark's bare skin.  The boy whined and groaned in protest, and Lex began to struggle. 

"Stop it, Lucas!  Get off of him!  Leave him alone, you little bastard!" 

Lucas backed away slowly, sucking Clark's lower lip and releasing it with a muted popping sound.  Clark was breathing hard and Lionel was staring, apparently impressed and amazed, at the boy's erection.  His cock was long and thick, standing at attention from the soft whorl of black curls at the junction of the boy's thighs.  The hair looked soft and downy, unlike the coarse pubic hair of a human male.  Lionel chuckled as he watched the rigid shaft of flesh jerk and twitch.  

"The girl who takes that on would do well to take stock in a reputable lubricant company."   He observed, and Lucas grinned. 

"I don't know dad . . . I'm guessing that Lex was working on the circumstance that it wouldn't be a woman taking that on."  He smiled down at Lex, who was trying not to stare at Clark's naked form.  He'd dreamed about the day Clark would stand nude before him, but the dream was nothing like this.  This was all about pain and fear and power, and Lex feared that his half-brother and father would destroy Clark's mind before destroying his body.  He jerked against the ropes that bound him to the chair, and Lucas turned to look at him.  "I'm not stupid, Lex.  I saw how you looked at him, the look in your eyes when you spoke to him . . . like a lovesick puppy.  Well now its too late, Lex.  I'm taking everything you own.  Everything . . . and I'm going to start with Clark Kent.  Don't worry though, I'm not so cruel that I wouldn't at least let you watch so that you can see what it would have been like." 

"No!"  Lex shouted, and Lionel pulled a chair over to where Lex sat helpless.  He set the chair down gracefully next to Lex and sat down as if he were at a business meeting instead of preparing to watch the sodomizing of a helpless teenaged boy.  His expression was eager, even hopeful, and Lex turned his head to glare at him. 

"Dad you have to stop this.  Do you really think I'm going to let you and Lucas send me away?  It doesn't matter if you leave me without a dime, it doesn't matter how far away you send me . . . . if you do this, you'll both be very sorry.  If you hurt Clark, there won't be anywhere on this entire planet for either of you to hide." 

Lionel smiled fondly at Lex and patted his knee.  "If you'd only been more vigilant in pursuing your goals, Lex, then Lucas would have never outdone you.  You had so much potential, yet you never lived up to it because you were too busy cultivating a relationship with this boy.  You also must know that if things had come to such a pass, he would never have accepted you.  You're a Luthor, after all.  He would have rejected you, because he is good.  Luthors have rarely known the side of good, son.  You should have accepted your destiny.  Now it's too late.  But don't worry, I'll see to it that you have some pleasure before your exile." 

Lex tried to pull away as Lionel unzipped his son's expensive gray slacks and pulled out his penis.  Lex was already half-hard from being forced to watch Lucas and Clark, and Lionel gripped him firmly with his right hand.  Lex cried out in protest, his body bending double as far as the ropes would allow, and Clark's eyes widened in complete disbelief as he watched Lionel Luthor begin to masturbate his own son.  He had sometimes wondered if Lionel had abused Lex when he was a child, but never in his deepest darkest thoughts had he imagined anything like what he was seeing now.  His stomach clenced sickly as he watched Lex struggle for control. 

"Leave him alone!"  He shouted, only to have Lucas strike him hard across the side of his head.  Clark saw bright orange spots that seemed to explode in front of his eyes for a moment before he was able to refocus his vision.  He glared at Lucas, who unlocked the cuffs at Clark's knees and ankles.  He shoved Clark's thighs apart and spread them wide, angling the boy's knees back toward his head.  He then pulled a thin rod from one of the frame's supports and tipped Clark's body back at an angle.  That accomplished, he slid the rod back into place, locking the frame in position, and then cuffed Clark's ankles tightly to the metal.  Lex closed his eyes in misery.  Clark, in his innocence, undoubtedly had no idea what Lucas was preparing him for or for what lay ahead.  Clark's head turned and their eyes met.  Clark read the pity and helpleness in his best friend's eyes and in turn, Lex watched as fear leapt into Clark's wide green eyes as he read the expression on Lex's face.  He struggled a little, and Lucas's hands dropped to his belt.  Both it and Lucas's tight black slacks hit the floor a moment later, followed by his coat and shirt.  He was now dressed only in a pair of blue designer briefs, and he reached out with one slim hand.  Clark squirmed and tried to back away, but he was trapped.  Lucas smiled slightly as his index finger began to gently trace up and down between Clark's buttocks, from the start below the small of his back all the way to where it met his scrotum.  The frame clanged repeatedly as Clark tried to bring his thighs together to protect himself, but to no avail.  His knees were cuffed tightly, both his genitals and his buttocks in the older boy's possession. 

"Don't worry Clark."  Lucas whispered as he stood between the boy's thighs.  "I know you're a virgin, so we'll take it nice and slow, I promise." 

"Don't touch me!  Please!"  Clark cried, and Lucas closed his eyes briefly as the boy's words made his own erection jerk.  He held himself tightly in check, however, and slid his finger further between Clark's asscheeks.  He found the boy's tight virgin hole, and pressed against it experimentally.  Clark yelled in panic and the frame clanged again.  Lucas removed his finger and brought it to his lips, tasting it with the tip of his tongue.  His eyes never left Lex's, who was fighting his father's expert ministrations. 

"He tastes good, Lex.  Clean and untouched.  Too bad you'll never find out."  He grinned and walked over to a nearby folding table, where several tubes of lubricant lay.  Lucas picked one up and tossed it to himself playfully from hand to hand as he considered what was to be done to the boy first.  Behind him, Lex grunted softly as his father brought him to the edge, but didn't allow him to come. 

"Be patient, son."  Lionel chuckled as he squeezed his own erection through his slacks.  He watched Lucas with bright eyes, eager for his turn with the Kent boy. 

"No . . . no . . . "  Clark groaned as Lucas spun the cap off of the tube of lubricant and squeezed some into his hand.  He whistled softly as he slathered Clark's cock with it, almost finger painting with the stuff as he swiped his index finger down and coated Clark's tight virgin hole.  It twitched closed with a frightened spasm, and Lucas leaned over to touch his tongue to the head of the boy's penis.  He tongued the slit gently, making sure he was in full view of Lex and his father.  Clark cried out again and his head thrashed back and forth, his breath coming in high, helpless gasps as Lucas swirled his tongue around the head of his cock until it pulsed and dripped several shiny drops of pre-seminal fluid.  Lucas licked these up as well, delicate as a cat at a saucer of cream, and paused to smile up at Lex. 

"Can't you just imagine how he's going to look when he comes, Lex?  He's so damn beatiful isn't he . . . I bet you used to beat off thinking about him, didn't you.  What did you think of, Lex?  Sucking him off?  Making him suck you?  Fucking his ass while he cried and yelled out your name?  Come on, Lex, enlighten us." 

"I'm going to kill you."  Lex panted as his father swirled his thumb around the head of his penis.  Lex clenched his teeth.  "I don't care how long it takes, or whether or not we share the same blood." 

"What's wrong Lex?  Don't want to admit it in front of Clark?  Afraid of what he'll think of you?"  Lucas leaned down again and swallowed half of Clark's erection, making the boy's hips buck up in a frenzy of pleasure and horror.  He banged his dark head against the metal frame, trying to escape into unconsciousness.  Lionel rose from his chair and put his hands on both sides of Clark's head, holding him still.  Clark looked up into Lionel's eyes, and the older man smiled gently as tears of fright spilled from the youth's innocent green eyes. 

"Shhhh."  He soothed, stroking Clark's dark hair.  "Don't be afraid, Clark.  Once Lex is gone, Lucas and I will take good care of you.  You'll have the best of everything . . . . except your freedom, of course."  He curled a thick raven lock around his finger and toyed with it idly as he watched his younger son suck on the boy's erection.  "So beautiful . . . I never really realized it before." 

"Please . . . . please let me go."  Clark pleaded softly and Lucas swallowed more of the boy, relaxing his throat and taking in as much as he could.  Lionel watched, impressed, and his right hand released Clark's head to slide down his chest and flick his fingers against the boy's tight, coffee-colored nipples.  Clark twisted this way and that, his muscles bunching and and straining wildly as he tried to free himself. 

"Hang on, Clark.  Hang on, its going to be okay."  Lex whispered softly as the exhausted teenager finally stopped struggling and gave into his tormentors.  He lay quiet, quivering and choking back sobs as Lucas sucked him and Lionel toyed with his nipples.  They pebbled under the older man's thick fingers until they ached, and Clark turned his weary gaze to his best friend.  He pleaded silently with Lex, his hips twitching up and down in rhythm with Lucas's sucking mouth.  Lex swallowed hard. 

"It'll be okay."  He whispered, and Clark closed his eyes as if too exhausted to reply.  A moment later they sprang open, wide and amazed, as his hips bucked up hard.  He cried out, and Lucas swallowed the boy's virgin load eagerly as Lionel continued to stimulate his nipples.  Lucas drew back slowly, sucking Clark clean as he withdrew, and straightened up with a satisfied smile.  He reached for the valise of needles, and Lex thrashed against his restraints. 

"Stop, Lucas!  Can't you see that hurts him?" 

"Better he hurts for a few seconds than I let him get his strength back.  He'd tear us and this place apart."  Lucas replied, and injected Clark with more of the muscle relaxer, just below the first injection sight, under his left ear.  Clark wept, but silently.  Lionel wiped the boy's tears away and pushed his hair away from his forehead. 

"Save your strength, son.  You're going to need it."  He told Clark earnestly, and then turned to Lucas.  "I want him first, Lucas.  You're obviously a novice, and I won't have him ruined." 

Lucas laughed as if Lionel had told him a good joke.  "I don't think so, dad.  That was hardly our agreement.  Besides . . . I want Lex to know that I'm done taking sloppy seconds." 

"Lucas, you are sloppy seconds."  Lex said softly but savagely, and Lucas lashed out hard with his right hand, catching Lex backhand across the mouth.  Lex rolled with the blow, but he still tasted blood on his lips as Lucas glared at him. 

"You just remember that when I'm living in the mansion and you're waiting for your next meal in a soup kitchen!"  He snapped, and Lex shook his head slowly. 

"You're a fool to think that our father would ever allow you to become his heir.  He'll use you as long as you have Clark in your possession, and then he'll get rid of you.  Only this time, he'll make quite sure that you'll never come back." 

"We've made a deal."  Lucas said firmly, glancing at his father.  "Haven't we, dad." 

"Indeed we have."  Lionel replied, his hands still stroking over Clark's body.  "I've also arranged for a team of lab technicians to come and take some samples from our special young man here, so we can decide how to proceed." 

"Not until I'm done with him."  Lucas declared.  "I was the one who found out his secret, so he belongs to me!" 

"I don't belong to any of you!"  Clark shouted suddenly, and began to struggle in the metal frame.  "I'm not property!" 

"I'm afraid you are, Clark."  Lucas replied, turning to Clark to give him his full attention.  "After all, you're certainly not human are you?  Your so-called parents have done their best to hide you from the world because they knew that if you were found out, you'd be taken away and studied, maybe even dissected.  That's the kind of thing they do to animals, Clark.  Not people.  I'm the one who went to such lengths to find out what you really are, so you belong to me."  Lucas's dark gaze swept over the group with an air of arrogance.  "And no one had better forget that." 

"All right son, all right."  Lionel chuckled.  "There's no need to become aggressive.  Come over here with me, and we'll discuss the details of the specimen draws.  Just to make sure they're up to your specifications."  Lionel led Lucas away to the other side of the room, and the two bent their heads together and spoke in voices too low for Lex to hear.  He sat very still, straining to catch even a few words, but the two men were conversing in whispers.  Lex sighed and sat back in his chair, methodically yanking on the ropes that bound his wrists, trying to work them free.  When he finally paused to rest, he saw Clark watching him.  The green eyes were weary and frightened, but Lex saw a glimmer of hope there as well as he watched Lex work the ropes.  After a moment Clark looked away, and Lex sighed deeply. 

"Clark . . . why didn't you tell me?"  He asked at last, and the younger boy shook his head a little. 

"What was I supposed to say, Lex?  Was I supposed to just blurt it out while we were playing pool?  'Oh by the way Lex, I'm not a human being.  I'm from another planet.'  You would have been on the phone to Bell Reve before I even finished talking." 

"Clark."  Lex closed his eyes briefly.  "You're my best friend.  I would have listened . . . you should have told me, been honest with me from the start!  Why did you keep lying to me?  Were you afraid that if you told me, I'd try to exploit you or turn you over to the authorities?" 

"I wanted to tell you, Lex.  I swear I did."  Clark replied in a small, beaten voice.  "Please . . . believe me." 

"Have you told anyone else?"  Lex asked, and Clark swallowed hard. 

"Pete knows.  I kind of had to tell him after he found the ship."  Clark pulled against the cuffs that secured his hands and feet to the metal frame.  "Lex please, you can't let Lucas and your dad do this.  I can't become some kind of lab specimen . . . I know you're angry at me for not being honest with you, but you have to believe me when I say that I've always wanted to tell you the truth!  it's just- your dad."  He said softly, and Lex's blue eyes sparked with anger. 

"So you didn't even trust me to protect you from my father.  You thought maybe I'd try to sell you off to gain his favor?  Like Lucas is doing right now?"  He asked bitterly.  Clark shook his head. 

"No, Lex!  That's not why!  Keeping my secret from other people isn't easy, and I didn't want to burden you!" 

"If you had just told me the truth, my father and Lucas would never have gotten to you.  I would have protected you, Clark, and now its too late.  Lucas has convinced my father to send me into permanant exile, and after that they'll tuck you away in some remote corner of the world where you will be their property.  No one will ever see you again." 

"You can't let that happen."  Clark pleaded softly, and then flinched back as Lionel and Lucas approached once more.  Lucas grinned at his captives. 

"You boys having a nice talk?"  He asked brightly, pushing down his blue briefs and kicking them aside.  Lex read his half-brother's intent clearly in the mad glee that danced in his eyes, and he shook his head slightly. 

"Don't."  He said softly, and Lucas grinned again. 

"You forget, Lex, that you're not the one in charge anymore."  He turned to the metal frame in which Clark was secured and slid the rod from it's holes again, tipping the frame back until Clark was almost completely horizontal.  After securing the frame once more, Lucas chuckled and reached down to stroke Clark's dark hair. 

"Recognize the frame, Lex?  its the weight training machine you bought for me . . . . with a few modifications made, of course.  I didn't want to have to go screwing around with a bunch of rope or chain.  You should be pleased, its working out even better than I thought it would."  The hand stroking Clark's hair suddenly turned into twisting, yanking fingers, and Clark cried out softly as Lucas forced him to turn his head toward Lex.  Lucas took another step forward until his half-hard penis was brushing against Clark's lips.  Clark tried to turn his head, but Lucas held him tightly. 

"Come o