Memories of the Disappeared

One late night in a residential neighborhood of Metropolis, a jogger heard the sound of glass being broken from above. He looked up across the street to see a man jumping from a third story window of a brick apartment building holding what appeared to be an unconscious blond woman in his arms. The man had just landed on his feet on the sidewalk below and bent his knees from the impact when the apartment from whence he came exploded in a red and yellow fireball that temporarily caused the observer to take his eyes off the pair. By the time he looked back, both the man and the women were gone.

"Hey, Lex," said Clark, already dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt, as he flipped over the chocolate chip pancakes. The plate next to the frying pan already had half a dozen pancakes on them.

"You should've woke me up," he said.

"You need the sleep."

"Decided where you want to go for vacation?" said Lex as he kissed the back of Clark's neck and caressed his arm with the back of his knuckles before standing next to him.

Clark flipped the pancakes out of the frying pan then spooned more batter into the frying pan. "I don't know. I haven't been to all the places that you have."

"Hmmm, it's been a while since I've been to London or Bangkok," said Lex. "Oh, by the way, Julian's going with a couple of his friends to Gotham for a comic book convention during spring break so it would be just the two of us."

"Just the two of us?" he said, flashing him a smile. "Sure he'll be OK?"

"They're being accompanied by Mrs. Singh, Jeremy's mother. Besides, I have a friend in Gotham if he needs to contact someone." Lex picked up a pancake from the pile in the dish and took a bite out of it.

"Hey, " said Clark. "I'm not done cooking yet."

Lex just smiled, ate the rest of the pancake and began setting the table.

"Hi, guys," yawned Julian in his light blue pajamas as he walked into the kitchen, eyes half-closed and his short red hair sticking up this way and that. In his hands was the day's newspaper.

"Hey, sleepyhead," said Clark. All three of them moving into a new and larger apartment and forming a new life together had been pretty rough but a routine had finally settled over the household. It was a routine that had taken careful negotiation by Clark. grudging acceptance by Julian and firm rule setting by Lex. It was a routine that had slowly given rise to affection between all three of them.

"I got the newspaper," said Julian as he tossed it unto the breakfast table. He took off the rubber band and took the section with the funnies for himself.

Lex put down the last fork and picked up the front section. He saw the headline "Explosion in the Sunset District" and the picture of a gaping hole in the side of a burning building. He quickly skimmed through the article then said, "I think you better read this, Clark."

Clark frowned, flipped the pancakes then shut off the heat and walked over. "What is it?"

"Just read it," Lex said, holding out the front section to Clark.

Clark took a second to skim the article then said, "Chloe!"

"What's up?" said Julian, looking up from the newspaper.

"A friend of Clark's missing. We're thinking about getting involved."

Julian perked up. "Need any help?"

Lex thought for a moment. "If we need some computer help, sure. But we just got the news ourselves and we haven't even formed a plan."

"Um, OK," he said. He stood up and walked over to the plate with all the pancakes and popped one in his mouth. "Mmm." With his mouth partially filled with food, he said, "Lex, he cooks a lot better than your previous boyfriends."

"Julian!"

Clark sighed.

"What? It was a compliment."

"Not impossible," said Darren as he took photos of the burned walls and ceilings. "There's bound to be chemical traces of the explosive. However, I doubt she's going to get any of her deposit back."

"I wish someone had noticed who had come to the apartment after she came in last night. I wonder if it's linked with the other killings," said Officer Noma, then he saw a shadow on the floor. He frowned in puzzlement and looked up to see who was casting it. He relaxed when he saw who it was. "Hey, it's Superman," he said as he noticed the superhero hovering near the hole in the wall.

Darren looked up and smiled. "So, you're the one everybody talks about!" He had often heard from his buddies about seeing the guy, but this was his first time.

"Hello, officers. I see that you're investigating last night's explosion."

"Yeah, we are. Do you have anything for us?" said Benjamin.

"Sorry, no. I was wondering if I could help with the investigation?"

Meanwhile, Lex watched the scene from across the street with a pair of binoculars and a smile. I told you that things would be a lot easier with the suit on. Perhaps Maggie Sawyer would've actually told us something useful down at the station, he thought. Well, maybe not.

Fifteen minutes later, Clark flew off a short distance, changed back into his street clothes, walked back to the car and got in. "Well, the cops confirmed that this wasn't merely a gas leak explosion. There was a bomb involved in this. Unfortunately, they have to go to the lab to figure out what was used. Also, the heat and the fire was so intense that everything is pretty much charred. If her computer and backup drive were there, they would be useless. I asked them if they had any idea why someone would want to try to kill her. They don't really know."

"She must've been digging into something big if someone was willing to go this far to destroy any and all evidence,." Lex frowned. "Is there anybody that would have an idea what she was up to?"

"Maybe the editor of the Metropolis Journal knows what she was working on."

"You mean Carrie Castle?"

Clark noticed the sour expression on Lex's face. "What did she do to you?"

"Years ago, she wrote an article about me after I was disinherited, full of wild speculation and snark about what I must've done to piss off my father that much. I heard that after she wrote it and had it published, she smoked a cigarette from the satisfaction."

Clark raised an eyebrow. "Lex . . ."

"It was a long time ago and we need to talk to her. I'll be polite but nothing more, however."

"Of course."

Lex gave her a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Nice to see you, too, Ms. Castle. My associate and I came here regarding Ms. Chloe Sullivan. She's a friend of ours and we're here to ask for your help in finding her."

"Why don't you ask the police? I've already given a thorough interview with them."

"Of course, the police don't want to comment on an ongoing investigation. However, I'd say that we're in a better position to find leads than they are."

Carrie looked at them for a second then said, "Sit down."

They both sat down in the chairs in front of her desk. "Now, I'm only talking to you because I want my star reporter back and I've seen your work concerning Luthercorp," she said.

"Go on."

"She was investigating if there were any connections between several killings in the past six months. Three of the victims were a reporter from the Inquisitor named Roger Nixon, a cop with a bad reputation named Sam Phelan and a woman named Jane James. All of them were found in either their homes or hotel rooms with a bullet to the back of the head. Thing is that none of these incidents showed any sign of a struggle. Besides her usual assignments, she was working on a pet project of her own. She was investigating Summerholt Neurological Institute. The last thing I heard was that she might have found a connection between the killings and that institution."

"Did she tell you what she had found?" said Clark.

She shook her head. "She didn't tell me much more than what I've already told you. She said she wanted to check out a few more leads."

"Could you show us her desk?" said Clark.

"If you're looking for her computer, the cops took it this morning. From what I heard, there wasn't much information in it regarding any of those cases. They also took all the papers in her desk as well."

"She doesn't have a partner?" said Lex.

"Nope, she's a lone operator. She does have connections that I know about. Perhaps you should talk to them . . . I even know where you can find the eyewitness to the explosion." She hastily wrote down the names and phone numbers of contacts on a three by five card and handed it to him. "And if anybody asks, we didn't have this conversation."

"As you wish," said Lex, a little sarcasm creeping into his voice. "Thanks for your help."

After they got into the elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor, Clark gave Lex's hand a little squeeze and gave him a little secret smile. Lex smiled back before the doors opened.

After walking out of the Metropolis Journal, Lex took out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Julian? It's me. Could you do me a favor and find out all the information you can about Summerholt Neurological Institute? Thanks. Yes, we'll be back for dinner. Bye."

"Well, even though he couldn't give us much of a description, I'd guess that the jumper was trying to save her life and knew that a bomb was in the apartment. If he didn't know the bomb was going to go off within seconds, he would've walked out the apartment door. After all, jumping from three stories up even late at night in a residential neighborhood is going to attract attention. If he wanted her to die, he would've left her there inside the apartment. I'd say that the probability is high that she was alive at the time of the incident and is alive right now."

"Doesn't mean that his intentions were pure."

"No, but it suggests that perhaps she's not on the run alone. That the man could jump three stories while holding an adult woman and run away in the twinkling of an eye . . . that's interesting. Unless we're dealing with someone with your level of superpowers, I figure that while adrenaline besides anything else that may be in his system and training might get him through the first few moments, any injuries he incurred would eventually catch up to him. There's someone I know who takes care of things like that."

"A source?"

"An old acquaintance. His name is Toby Howser. He used to be a doctor. Now he's a freelancer who'll sew you up for a hefty fee if you don't want to go to the hospital emergency room for any reason. I have a hunch that the jumper wasn't supposed to save Chloe and that he's not going to go to the people he usually deals with to fix him up."

"How do you know him?"

"I've told you that I've led a pretty wild life when I was younger. He's one of the people I met."

"One of these days, you should tell me about it."

Lex paused. "I don't know, there are things I'd rather not dredge up."

"Long time, no see, Lex." said Toby Howser as he opened the door to his cottage. His cottage was on the border of a section of Metropolis near the freeway that was a mixture of warehouses, work-live spaces and light industry.

"Hi, Toby," said Lex as he stepped into the cottage. "I hope I'm not interrupting a life-saving operation." He noted that the man's beard and hair had gotten grayer but he hadn't changed that much.

"No clients today. You don't look hurt." Toby said as he closed the door.

"I'm not. I was just wondering if you've seen a friend of mine."

"Come on, Lex . . . You know that one of my many services is confidentiality."

Lex held up five hundred dollar bills. "I'm willing to pay for a waiver. She's in danger and I'm trying to help her. Her name is Chloe Sullivan." Lex showed Toby a picture of Chloe.

Toby glanced at the picture then said, "Yeah, I've seen her. She wasn't hurt. Maybe a few bruises here and there, but nothing a few bandages and some ibuprofen couldn't handle. She said that one of her sources had highly recommended me."

"Was there a man with her?"

"Yeah, there was. He was tall, blond, built . . . He had a bit of a fever so I gave him something to bring down his temperature and some cold packs. His feet and his calves were a bit black and blue but there wasn't anything broken. I gave him something stronger for that."

"Know where they went?"

"Sorry, no. Still, I don't think they could've gone too far. They came here by foot and I doubt they'd risk public transportation if someone wanted them that bad."

"Did it look like she was accompanying him under any type of duress?"

Toby shook his head. "No, she actually helped dragged him in here. She was more worried about him than she was about herself."

"Thanks, Toby. You've been most informative." Lex handed Toby the money and left the cottage.

"Keep in touch," said Toby as he closed the door.

"That's what it looks like." Lex was driving them towards the center of Metropolis.

"Finally, some good news," sighed Clark. Then an idea struck him. "Could we turn left here? There's a place I want to check out. It's just a hunch. Just go straight for a few blocks."

After a few minutes, Clark said while pointing at the left side of the road, " See that blue apartment building. Park across the street from it. "

Once parked, Lex said, "What's there?"

"One of Chloe's cousins lives in that apartment building." He got out and ran across the street and stood in front of the door, knocking on it. "Lucy?" When there was no response, he used his X-ray vision, and saw only the disordered mess that the renowned conceptual artist usually left her apartment. There were no signs of anybody or that anybody had recently been there.

He shook his head and walked back to Lex. He got back in the car and said, "I don't see anybody in there. I thought that if they were on the run together, she might be staying there since Lucy went to Gotham with her exhibition for the week."

"It was a good idea."

"Still, it wasn't the right idea," Clark sighed.

"Look, we've already done a lot of work. Let's have a quick lunch."

"But . . ."

"I insist. Realistically, I don't think we're going to be able to solve this in one day. And we're not going to help things if we're running on empty. I've already got Julian looking up information about Summerholt and I'm sure he'll find hundreds of pages about everything connected to it. We can't really help Chloe unless we know what she's up against and why this happened. And for it's worth, the police are also working on it."

"A short lunch."

"Fine."

Clark said, "She was one of my best friends during high school and college. As the high school newspaper editor, she was the one who got me interested in journalism in the first place. Without her, I don't think you and I would've . . . Well, we would've met but our relationship wouldn't have been the same. She pushed me when I needed pushing. She stood by me during some really rough times back then; I want to do the same for her. Even though we haven't kept in touch as much as I've liked, she means a lot to me."

"We'll find her, Clark," Lex said, taking Clark's hand in his and using his thumb to caress the back of Clark's hand..

It was times like these that he'd realize how glad he was that he had met Lex. It's not like he ever really forgot, it's just that moments like these made him grateful that he had someone by his side who made even the worst moments more bearable, someone to help him keep on going. "Lex . . .thanks."

"Nothing to thank me for," said Lex before giving Clark's hand a final squeeze and concentrating on his meal.

"I just have to check to see if she's in there or not."

"Ah," said Lex. "Are you going to sneak in?"

Clark gave him a sheepish grin. "I don't need to sneak in."

"You don't?" Lex looked intrigued.

"I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, lets put it that way."

After getting out of the car and changing into his suit, he flew around the institution while using his X-ray vision, careful to do it fast enough that nobody could see it, even a knowing and observing fellow reporter. After a few minutes, he went into an alley, changed back into his street clothes and got into the car, saying, "No sign of her in there, but I did see a lot of patients that looked like they were being sedated or restrained."

"I thought it was a research center, not an asylum," said Lex.

"Maybe that's why Chloe started investigating."

"Hi, Chad."

The coroner frowned, stopped writing and looked up. "Clark Kent?"

Lex blinked and turned to Clark. "You know him on a first name basis?"

The short, dark man with spiky black hair massaged the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Well, I used to know Chloe and Clark back in Smallville when I worked weekends for the local Medical Examiner. Talked to them about quite a few cases."

"You heard about what happened to her, right?"

"Of course. She gave me strict instructions that if anything were to happen to her and you came here asking about her, to give you this." Chad reached into his desk and took out a couple discs. "This is her backup copy of the information she had including pictures and my reports on the victims we think were connected by the same killer."

Lex raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you're willing to give out the information so freely, not that I'm complaining."

Clark scowled at Lex.

Chad sighed, sagging his shoulders. "You see, she was one of the few people who was aware of how weird things were around Smallville, especially the things that kept coming into my workplace. It's good to be able to really talk about what's going on and not be asked if I was huffing too much hair spray or getting high off smoking some of my eyeliner. And honestly, a good chunk of the police force in Metropolis isn't really all that much better than the one in Smallville. When it comes down to figuring what happened, I'd rather put money on you two than some of the guys working the streets." His expression turned grim with his eyebrows furrowed and his lips in a colorless flat line.. "Sam Phelan wasn't the only `rogue' cop on the force. Rumors are that Internal Affairs have been pretty busy these past couple years." He handed the discs to Clark. "Now go and find her. This is all I have for you." He looked rueful.

"Thanks, Chad. You've already helped a lot."

As Clark and Lex walked down the hallway, Clark said, "I guess she figured we'd come here if something happened to her, if she . . ."

They didn't say anything until they reached their car.

"Call the usual suspects," said Lex, referring to a short list of places that delivered good tasting food for the times when none of them were in the mood to cook.

"Pizza, it is," said Julian. He hit the speed dial and ordered a deep dish spinach mushroom special that would be delivered to them in about half an hour.

"So, what have you got for us?" said Clark.

Julian looked quite proud of himself as he gave each of them an inch thick sheaf of paper. "Summerholt Neurological Institute is a privately funded research facility. It's not a hospital or treatment center per se though it does have test subjects. If someone happens to have a condition that's of interest of one of the researchers, they will take the occasional patient for experimental treatment. I managed to get a list of people who work there. I've even got their home addresses and made profiles about them . . ."

"Good work, Julian. Hmm, Dr. Garner . . . Dr. Hamilton?" said Lex.

"You recognize that name?"

"Yes, Dr. Hamilton used to work for father years ago but he was later dismissed because he was completely obsessed with the meteorites that fell around Smallville. Instead of working on the project he was assigned, he diverted resources and personnel for his own private obsession. He had quite the reputation in academic circles and not a good one. People who worked with him at the laboratories found him bad-tempered and completely unreasonable. People quit rather than work with him."

The phone rang. Julian picked it up and said, "Hello?" Then he put his hand over the mouthpiece and yelled, "Lex, it's for you!"

Lex got up and took the phone from him. "Hello?"

A woman's voice hissed. "Listen, Lex! I called to warn you."

"Ms. Castle?"

"Just this afternoon, one of my own reporters tried to sneak up on me and kill me with a pair of scissors. I don't like it when people stand behind me so I was starting to turn around to tell him to cut it out when he got me right on the shoulder blade. I managed to get my purse and got out my mace. I used the entire thing on him, then I kicked him in the nuts so hard he fell on the floor. After I called security and 911, Donald woke up and acted as if he had forgotten everything that just happened."

"Except of course the pain in his genitals," said Lex.

Carrie snapped, "It's not funny, Lex."

"I apologize. Go on."

"Right now, Donald's been taken in for questioning. They'll probably test to see if he's been taking anything. But I know this guy, he's clean. Something must've messed with his mind to make him do this."

"Where are you right now?" said Lex.

"I'm calling from the hospital. The doctors just stitched up my shoulder and gave me some painkillers. If whoever is behind Chloe's disappearance wants me dead because they think I know what she knew and if they have any idea that you're doing any digging . . . you might be next."

"Thanks for the warning, Ms. Castle. Take care of yourself."

"You too." she said. There was a click as she hung up.

Lex hung up the phone.

"What's wrong, Lex?"

"Carrie Castle's been attacked."

"What?"

Lex gave them an abbreviated version of what happened.

Clark set his mouth in a straight line. "That just means that we have to work harder and faster on this. Let's see what're on those disks that Chad gave us." Lex popped one of the disks into his laptop.

"Could I see?" said Julian.

Lex and Clark looked at each other. Lex said, "Actually, there are autopsy pictures on this disk. They'll look a lot like what you saw in Level 3. I don't think you want to see them. Remember the nightmares you had? And . . ."

Seeing the look of frustration on Julian's face, Clark said, "Julian, this is stuff even I don't like to look at. I'm only doing it because I'm worried about my friend."

Julian was about to argue with him when there was a buzz from the intercom. Julian walked over and pushed the button. "Hello?"

"Zachary's Pizza! Spinach mushroom special?"

"I'll be right down," said Julian.

Lex sighed.

Dinner was a quiet affair with Julian taking three slices and a plate into his room with him and shutting the door right after he brought the pizza up. Clark was about to knock on his door to talk when Lex stayed his hand and shook his hand. "I'll talk to him tomorrow," said Lex quietly as he pulled Clark back to the table. "Sometimes it's better to leave him alone for a little bit until he feels like talking."

Roger Nixon of The Inquisitor had been investigating the doctors of Summerholt Neurological Institute as well, though his line of research had been more sensationalistic. He had been trying to find out whether the members were part of some secret society bent on mind control with barely veiled hints of perverse sexual practices. Again, because of the scathing way he wrote about various powerful members of society ranging from politicians at City Hall to CEOs of the multinational corporations to heads of organized crime families, the sheer number of suspects had made looking for the killer murky at best.

As for Jane James, she had given guardianship of her nephew Ryan James to the Institute due to his unusual medical condition. She had a change of heart and tried to get him back ever since he called her, begging for help. She had gone to Chloe to see if she'd write an article on her behalf because the contract she had signed giving guardianship to the Institute was proving harder to break than she had anticipated.

There were other victims including former patients, who had complained of their treatment at the hands of the researchers but were silenced. The only real connections between all the victims were the fact that they all were in a position to hurt the Institution, especially one Dr. Garner and that they had all been shot a point blank range with no sign of struggle.

"Why didn't I know about this?" said Clark quietly, almost in a whisper. Julian had gone to sleep hours ago and he didn't want to disturb him.

Lex thought for a second. "They were all in their homes or their hotel rooms where it's supposed to be safe. The killer was a professional, probably used a silencer. I don't know what he used but he made it so that they couldn't defend themselves or cry out for help. The police haven't pieces this much together and during the time of the murders, we were working nonstop on what was going on with Luthercorp. It's not your fault, Clark."

"And why did I have to sleep in on the night Chloe . . ."

"Clark, you'd been out every single night watching over this city for two weeks in a row. You needed to rest. It's not your fault. It's just bad luck. You can't do everything. You, Chloe, me, and even someone like Roger Nixon knows that it's not always the safest thing in the world to be a reporter but we chose to do this anyway. For example, Chloe could've chosen not to pursue this . . ." Lex got up, went to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup.

Clark snorted at that. "There's no way even Superman could've made her stop."

Lex flashed a smile at him, put his cup of coffee down on the table, and walked behind Clark. Putting his hands on Clark's shoulders, he bent down and murmured in his ear, ."But she chose to do this because she felt it was the right thing to do. You're not the only one fighting for truth and justice. It's not all about you, Clark. The last time I checked, your name wasn't Atlas."

"Atlas? Greek mythology again?" said Clark, remembering the mythological figure who literally had the weight of the world on his back.

"Of course." Lex straightened up and yawned. "It's been a long day. It's two in the morning. We know basically what's going on but I don't think the answer to the question of her location is here." He tapped the pile of papers on the table.

"So what do we do instead?"

"We go to sleep and recharge our batteries. The brain sometimes comes up with solutions while we sleep. The chemist Kekule cracked the secret of the structure of benzene in a dream. Maybe something will come to you."

Clark was about to argue but then saw how tired Lex looked. Sometimes, I forget that not everybody can just keep on going. He's also right that while we know why Chloe disappeared, the answer to where she disappeared to isn't there, he thought. "Yeah, you're right."

"The answer is right in front of you. You have to really look at it."

"But I don't get it."

"You're not supposed to get it," she said. "It's by my cousin."

Clark opened his eyes, turned on the light and sat up in bed. I think I know where she is, he thought. Lex slowly opened his eyes, looking slightly irritable. "What's going on, Clark?" Lex yawned. "The sun isn't even up yet."

"I've just thought of something. Lucy Lane . . ."

"We already checked her apartment."

"I know that but Chloe once showed me her cousin Lucy's studio near the freeway that's simply for painting. It's not meant for living in but I wouldn't put it past Chloe to hide there. It's not that far from where Toby saw them."

"I'll go with you. Just give me a . . ."

"No, I'd like to go by myself. She might not be there and I'll have gotten you up for nothing." Clark leaned over and gave him a kiss on the lips then gave him a second longer one. "I'll call you once I find out anything."

He heard her quietly walk towards the door. "Get in quick!" she said as she opened up the door.

He slipped into the studio and saw the man sitting on the ground with a gun in his lap.

"Oh, my God, Whitney?" said Clark.

The blond man gave him a weak smile. "Clark, it's been a while." The man was simply a wan and tired shadow of the golden football star he had been in high school with his hair a mess and his face that hadn't been shaved for two days. He was lean with eyes that were full of weariness. Even his skin had lost some of the luster it once had.

"Now before you let loose a barrage of questions, just let him tell you everything from the very beginning," said Chloe.

Clark hesitated then sat near him. The situation had become as bizarre as the odd sculptures of abstract shapes that surrounded them. The paintings on the walls hinted of disturbing holocausts in reds and greens. The only light in the art studio was a few candles in the middle of the room.

"I'm afraid that if I turn on the lights, someone will notice that someone's here," explained Chloe.

"I'm fine," said Clark. "Tell me what's going on, Whitney."

"You remember that I joined the Marines, right?"

"Yeah, I remember," said Clark.

"After basic training, I was sent to Indonesia to help with the fight against terrorism. During one mission, Nate and I got cut off from the rest of the group. So, we tried to go to the nearest base. While we were heading back, he stepped on a land mine. I was right behind him. He took most of the impact but some of the shrapnel buried itself in my leg. I really thought I was going to die. All I could do was just lie there and just think about what just happened. Luckily, some guys from the base managed to find me. I suffered major nerve damage. I mean, it sent spikes of pain just to walk and it was pretty stiff. I couldn't shake off the nightmares I had of seeing Nate blown apart right in front of me. So I ended up getting discharged."

"You didn't go home." It wasn't a question.

"How could I? I couldn't even work there anymore so I sold the store. Mom died while I was overseas so there wasn't anything left for me there. I got the `Dear John' tape Lana sent me so I knew that she wouldn't be there for me. So, I decided to stay in Metropolis and live on disability. I was a mess. I used more painkillers than I should have just to make things bearable. Drank a lot of booze, too. I know mixing painkillers and booze could kill me but at that point I didn't care."

"So, I was at the VA hospital when I heard from one of the other patients about this experimental program at the Summerholt Neurological Institute. Something about genetically engineered stem cells and psychotherapy. Well, I signed up. You can't believe how happy I was when my leg started to heal. I expected months of painful recovery with terrible side effects but within days I could feel the difference. I had lost a lot of muscle but after just a week, it was just like my other leg. Even the scars had disappeared. My entire body felt like it was brand new. Even the doctor in charge of the project, Dr. Hamilton, said that I had responded like nobody else had to the injections. "

"Then what happened?"

"What's when Dr. Garner got involved . . . Said he could do something about those nightmares of mine. I was totally happy with the idea until I started to notice that I was missing time . . . I'd come to and realize I couldn't remember what I'd been doing for the last couple hours. It scared me so that I mentioned it to him. He said that they were momentary side effects and that eventually it should wear off. The dreams were gone so I didn't want to think about it until . . .I started noticing that the same day I'd have the blackouts would be the same day someone would be killed. It scared me that maybe the therapy was unleashing some sort of horrible post-traumatic stress disorder. But who could I tell? I was beginning to think the doctor was causing this to happen. I couldn't go to the police because they'd probably think I was some sort of nut or believe me and send me to jail. I tried to deny it until I started to have flashbacks of what happened . . . But I didn't manage to break the compulsion until they sent me after Chloe . . ."

Chloe said, "I was at my house, downloading my e-mail from work. The next thing I know Whitney's trying to shake me awake."

"E-mail?" said Clark.

"Julian, stop," he said as he felt a sharp pain.

"Yes, Chad gave me the disks. They're with Lex right now."

"Oh, thank God," said Chloe. "Everything else I had was in the apartment."

"How about I get Lex to drive you to the police station?"

"You didn't drive here?"

Ah, damn, he thought. "No, I took the subway and hiked here. I mean the subway does run twenty-four hours a day." Oh, good, Clark, he thought. Braaaavooooo.

"Gee, Clark, the Metropolis subway at this hour and this area, you're nuts."

"Kinda like the guy who jumped out of a building from three stories up right before it explodes."

"OK, you've got a point," Whitney said, finally relaxed enough to smile. That smile took so much of the worry and the years that had passed since he left Smallville away from his face that he looked for a moment like the high school senior who had thought that the future could only get better.

Chloe frowned and put her hand on Whitney's shoulder. "The thing I'm worried about is that you're going to end up the scapegoat. How do we know that the doctors haven't destroyed all the evidence already."

Whitney sighed. "I don't care as long as you're safe and the murders stop. I should've stepped forward a long time ago."

"Damn it, Whitney. If you go to jail and they don't, they'll just get someone else to do their dirty work! I didn't put in all this work just so you could get into trouble while they get off scott-free!"

Whitney said, "Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for everything you've done for me." He reached out and touched her cheek.

Ah, so that's why . . . thought Clark as he saw the way they were looking at each other. It wasn't quite love but it was compassion, tenderness and faith. He suddenly felt a little embarrassed and looked down on the ground.

"Lex?" said Julian, sitting up, looking very dazed and confused. "What ha . . .Oh, my God, your arm! Who?"

"You don't remember?"

"Lex? Why is there blood all over my hand? Lex?"

"Julian."

"Where's Clark?"

"Clark went out to look for Chloe a while ago. Julian . . ."

"What happened?"

"You don't remember?" said Lex, motioning towards the knife tipped with red across the kitchen floor from them. "Coming towards me . . ."

"I . . . I stabbed you? Lex?" Julian began to cry.

"Come on, Julian. You've seen me hurt much worse than this. Tell me what you were doing right before you woke up . . ."

"I was trying to hack into Summerholt's restricted files."

"Why?"

"I was thinking that I could do the same thing I did with dad's company, maybe find out where she was. Lex . . ."

Lex rolled up his sleeve. The cut had already scabbed over. "It's already starting to heal." He stood up, took off his shirt and threw it in the trash, went to the sink and washed away the blood, leaving a thin red line on his arm. "Julian."

"Yeah, Lex," said Julian in a small, almost scared voice, as he got to his feet and stood a few feet away from his brother.

"You don't have to impress us. We're already impressed. What you googled today helped us a lot. Perhaps I shouldn't have gotten you involved."

"But I want to help!"

"I know you do." Lex took a paper towel and dried his arm before stuff that into the garbage as well. "Did I ever tell you what happened at Club Zero?"

"I remember that you got stabbed. You had to stay at home for a few days."

"Yeah . . . Remember my friend Amanda?"

"Barely. You went to school with her, right? I haven't seen her in a long time."

"She had a fianc named Jude that was cheating on her. I had seen him cheat on her so many times that I decided to show her. I took her there and we caught him partying with a couple of girls when he had told her he was unavailable. She got angry and walked off so I thought she had left the club, that she was going to go home. He and I got into a fight. That's when he stabbed me. Things really got of hand after that. She took Max's gun and shot Jude. A few years later, I heard she killed herself."

"Oh, God, Lex."

"Julian, I don't blame you for what just happened. I know how good intentions can go bad. I just don't want you to get hurt because I want something. Promise me, you won't hack into company databases anymore."

"I won't," said Julian dully.

"I've got a theory about what happened in Carrie Castle's office. Now, why don't you show me your computer."

"Them?"

"Yeah, them. It's OK, he's a friend."

"That's good, Clark. I think I found out why Donald attacked Carrie."

"Really, why?"

"Someone probably sent him an e-mail telling him to do so."

"That's what Chloe was . . . Wait a second, were you attacked? Are you hurt?"

Lex paused slightly before saying, "I'm fine. I'll explain later. What are we going to do now?"

"I need you to drive over here, pick them up and drive them to the police station. Take the disks with you. We have to get the police to search that place. Are you sure you're all right?" Lex always pauses a little before fibbing, he thought.

"I'll be right there. What are you going to do?" Lex said, emphasizing the word `you.'

"Making sure there's something left to search."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes. I'll be in the BMW. Just be careful, Clark."

"I promise. Talk to you later," he said,.before clicking off the cell phone.

However, there was still one problem. Clark had checked his home address before coming here and had repeated scanned the institute. Dr. Garner was missing and hadn't left any sign of where he had gone.

"Great car, Lex," said Whitney, sitting in the backseat of the BMW. Chloe was sitting in the back, looking pensively out the window while Julian was sitting quietly, up front with Lex, who was driving. "It'll be good to get a shave and a shower," he sighed as he felt the stubble on his face. He glanced over at Chloe. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I'm just hoping the next time I see you, you're not behind a few inches of glass wearing a prison uniform."

"Chloe, I'm just glad that this is over. And my priority right now is to spill my guts so they can go to jail. If I'm going to jail, so are they. I don't know much about investigative reporting but I'm sure you've got enough proof to put them away. Besides, when you visit me in jail, you can always give me a cake with a file in it."

Chloe laughed at that.

"Hah, made you laugh," he said.

As they rolled to a stop at a stoplight, Whitney noticed something out of the corner of his eye. No fucking way, he thought. He turned and looked. Dr. Garner was driving next to them in a beat-up Honda Accord. Whitney turned to Lex and said, "That's Dr. Garner! Shit, the light's turning green."

Lex pulled extremely fast then stopped right in front of Dr. Garner's car. Dr. Garner jumped out of the car, holding a briefcase, and yelled, "What the hell do you think . . ." He shut up quickly when he saw Whitney get out of the back seat and come towards him. Dr. Garner ran towards the nearest street corner, nearly getting run over in the process with Whitney coming fast on his heels.

"Get back here!"roared Whitney.

Dr. Garner hurled the briefcase at Whitney's head. Whitney ducked with the briefcase flying a few inches above his head. Dr. Garner was reaching under his jacket when Whitney delivered a karate-style kick to the man's wrist, breaking it and causing him to drop the .38 caliber semiautomatic. Then he delivered a right upper cut that knocked the researcher off his feet, causing him to fall over plastic recycling garbage bin. Whitney stood over the man when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Whitney, don't. The cops are coming " said Chloe as there was the sound of police sirens.

"What's going on here?" said Officer Sawyer as she got out of her police car and started walking towards the pair standing over the man scowling on the ground.

"It's a very long story."

Maggie Sawyer turned at the sound of the voice and saw Lex walking towards her. "Oh, no, not you again."

"It's always a pleasure to see you, Officer Sawyer," said Lex.

The reporter from the Metropolis Journal, Chloe Sullivan, and Whitney Fordman, a former patient of the Institute, were set to be the star witnesses of the prosecution. Much to the consternation of many involved, Dr. Garner and Dr. Hamilton were allowed to cop pleas of twenty years to life due to the unusual nature of the crimes of which they were accused. However, this did nothing to stop the deluge of suits and class actions law suits against the Institute and the doctors personally. The Summerholt Neurological Institute as a research center was abandoned and the building would be sold to pay off the various claims against it.

Their research was reviled as dangerous quackery by the medical establishment and all their work was put into the rubbish bin of medical history. The patients were either returned home or sent to other medical clinics where they could truly receive the care they needed.

"Are you all ready for Warrior Con?" said Lex, referring to the convention devoted strictly to Warrior Angel and all the spin-off series connected to the Warrior Angel universe. He and Julian were standing in front of their apartment building. Julian was wearing a backpack and carrying a tote bag in one hand. Lex was holding a suitcase as well.

"Pretty much. I'm going to get autographs from the writer of the "Rift" series and ask questions of the producers of the upcoming Warrior Angel movie."

"Make sure you get my copy signed, too."

"Well, duh!"

"Tell me all about it when you get back."

"Sure you won't come?"

"No, Clark has someplace else in mind. Besides, you're going with your friends, you should have fun with them."

"OK . . . Anyway, does Clark want anything?"

"If you want to get him something, I'm sure he'll like it very much."

"Mmm."

A van drove up and stopped in front of them. "Julian," said a kid in the front passenger seat.

"Hey, Jeremy!" said Julian.

The driver of the car got out and opened the back door. Julian hopped in then gave Lex a last wave. Jeremy's mother turned to Lex and said, "I'll drop him off here at three next Sunday."

"Thanks," said Lex. "Keep an eye on him."

"I will," she said before shutting the door and driving off.

A few seconds later, Clark ran up to him and said, "I'm sorry I missed seeing Julian off. I just totally lost track of time and then . . . well, you know."

"Helping a little lady across the street?"

"More like preventing a robbery."

"Well, Julian didn't seem to mind. He can be quite grownup when he wants to be. So, how are Chloe and Whitney doing?"

"Chloe says that she's found something new to investigate. She doesn't want to tell me what it is yet but promises that it'll blow the roof off the government. As for Whitney, he's been doing some construction work and sharing an apartment with Chloe while he's waiting to see if he can get into University of Metropolis. Mind you, I've got a feeling that even if he gets in, he might end up staying there instead of moving into the dorms."

"Interesting . . . Clark, you're not going to feel guilty about taking a vacation, are you?"

Clark sighed. "What you said about Atlas . . .it was true. Life's been really hectic with the investigation of Luthercorp, moving in with you guys and now this. The both of us deserve a break and this is about as quiet as Metropolis is ever going to be. And I really want to show you something you've never seen before."

Lex's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Now . . . when are we going to this Fortress of Solitude you've been telling me about?"

"Once you get a good grip on your suitcase."

A fraction of section later, Lex Luthor was swept off his feet.