tushanshu | four : write me a beacon so i know the way [text]

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four : write me a beacon so i know the way [text]

is anyone else not having all fun and games?

[60% encrypted to Lex Luthor, Clark Kent (the elder), Bruce Banner]
[Hayley turns the video on, looking less than thrilled with life. Mostly, she seems exhausted and done with this place. Still, with her usual dry curiosity, she holds up a piece of green rock (looking roughly like this) to display to the businessman, the journalist, and the scientist.]

Do you know what this is? It's totally different from everything else here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well... it is a meteor, and meteors are rocks by definition. But yes, it's actually a mineral. Can't you see how it's all crystallized? There were wedding rings made out of it in my world. It's not as dangerous when it's smaller.

And it gives a really pretty glow under the right light.

[A deathly glow, as far as he's concerned. He knows there's already Kryptonite on the turtle, Bruce latches onto it like a kid would to a candy and he's seen the lead compartment in Red Robin's belt... he knows what lead means in these cases.

But knowing she'd just found it so easily makes him panic a little inside, something he's really trying to hide from her. For whatever reason ('we're friends') he doesn't think Lex would hurt Clark Kent unless he had to, but Superman... Luthors and Kal-Els can't work together. Ever. It's a universal constant.]

It's fine if you don't have lead around, really. I'm just overly fond of taking unnecessary precautions. [And mostly he was saying it for himself.]

100% individual filter (thx Batman)

Hayley, that rock is called Kryptonite. I saw you talking to Luthor- to Lex...[The question hangs in the air. 'Did you give it to him?']

[Hayley listens as he describes it, glancing off screen and then back again.]

Your world? If it exists in your world, it probably exists in mine too. Everything else seems pretty similar.

[When he changes the filter and mentions Lex, she shifts uncomfortably, then matches.]

encrypted 100%

Uh.. That's totally not good enough, Clark. Why did you just raise the encryption and why does it matter?

[A beat.] And why would people make wedding rings out of it if it's radioactive?

[Hayley is smart, probably smart enough to mean trouble in the future... but right now it means Clark can't give her part of the truth and expect her to go with it.]

The fact that it's radioactive wasn't well-known, and it was only radioactive to humans in extreme cases anyway. In my world... [He hesitates for a second, but no half-truths. Hayley would notice if he was hiding something, and he was actually hiding far too much to risk her suspecting.]

In my world Lex had a ring made out of Kryptonite. Eventually he had to have the hand cut off. He was- well, LexCorp worked a lot with Kryptonite, and we had reasons to believe not everything they did was clean job. I know this Lex is... I know he's not the Luthor I knew but I thought it would be better not to risk it.

Why would a radioactive rock mean amputation? [She thinks of radiation like x-rays and the whole idea of it having any kind of severe impact in small amounts makes no sense to her. Besides, he said it was only dangerous in extreme cases. She doesn't understand the big deal.]

And do you really think the Lex here, without any kind of.. corporation or whatever. Do you really think that he's going to be all shady and dirty with one tiny piece of meteorite?

It gave him cancer, but he was... very private about it. Which is why not many people knew Kryptonite could be radioactive. I told you all I know about that particular incident.

[But not everything he knows about Kryptonite in general.]

I don't know, Hayley. I have no idea what this Lex is capable off, but I don't want to risk giving him too much leverage. And this is not something to play around- it's a meteorite, Hayley. From space. It's an alien rock from an alien planet.

It's not something to take lightly.

[Hayley frowns, then gives an intentionally dismissive shrug, trying to hide the fact that she's actually unsure of the action.]

I already gave it to him, Clark. You can stop trying to convince me. If you're really worried about him, you should tell him this stuff.

[Kal has complete, perfect control of his body and muscles. It's more self-control after years of having to control his powers than anything that comes from his alien genes, but still it's been really useful in the past.

Right now, he couldn't control the way his face shifts into absolute panic for less than a second. Then he's back to the concerned face of a reporter.]

Well, if you're already gave it to him... I'll talk to him about it. Thank you for adding me to this post Hayley.

[Hayley's expression shifts to something more neutral. The panic concerns her but, more so, not understanding why he's panicked has her doubting just how close they really are.]

Are you angry?

Of course not. Why would I be? You did what you thought was right, I'd probably have done the same in your situation.

It's just really hard to... let go of my prejudices. [He shakes his had slightly] I'm sorry, I get the feeling I'm confusing you with all this. I have no right to put you in the middle of Lex and I.

I don't care that you put me in the middle, Clark. I care that I get the feeling that Lex is more willing to tell me things than you are.

[She's oblivious to the Superman thing, but his concern solely for Lex's hand seem overblown.It feels like there has to be more to it, that it killed his childhood best friend or something and he's just totally unwilling to open up to her.]

[A grunt as he reaches to massage his temples. 'That's what Luthor does' he wants to yell. 'He picks the right information to give you, he tells you what you want to hear and eventually you're eating from his hand'. But that wouldn't be fair because Hayley is smart enough to not fall for that, and Lex isn't Luthor.

He wants to believe he isn't.

He sighs. And then a question he already knows the answer to:]

Do you know who Superman is?

Edited 2013-09-03 20:50 (UTC)

[Hayley looks confused, because it's so far from the reply she expects.]

Uh.. Yeah. I mean, who doesn't? What does he have to do with any of this?

The mineral you're holding, the Kryptonite... it's the only thing on Earth that can hurt him. And Luthor was- he was obsessed with hurting him, back at home. Killing him even. It kind of became his goal.

Superman is here, on the turtle as well. And I didn't want to give this Lex the means to hurt him.

[She frowns, genuinely frustrated with the information.]

I know he's here, Clark. Why didn't you tell me that first? And how do you even-- [Hayley shakes her head and continues, angrier than before.]

You realize I gave it to Lex, right? Like, I can't get it back. It's too late. And now Superman might be in danger and-- oh my god, what if it hurts Jor-El too? And it's totally my fault, because I gave it to him.

[A beat.] It's your fault too, you know. If either of them get hurt. I didn't know, but you did.

[A small twitch of his lips and the corner of his eyes, the only real sign that if it wasn't Hayley saying what she just said, he'd outright be angry. But he still speaks as calmly as if nothing life-changing were really happening. It's hard to keep the Superman voice out of this situation, but he can't risk that with Hayley.

She's too smart.]

First, if Lex does end up using the Kryptonite it won't be your fault. It will be Lex's fault. You just gave him back something that was his to begin with.

Second, it's not up to me to reveal Superman's weaknesses. It never was. They are commonly known back at home, but that doesn't mean he wants to share them in this place. Even Lois didn't publish it at first, and you can't imagine the lengths she goes to get a scoop. Can't you understand the amount of trust I'm putting in you by sharing the one thing that can harm Superman?

Third, this might be a good encryption, but I wouldn't be surprised if Lex eventually managed to crack it. And fourth... [He looks away for a second, opening his mouth as he looks for the right words. Finally he looks back at the screen, back to Hayley.] I feel I'm already influencing you too much when it comes to Lex.

If he's to start afresh, me going around telling people like you what Luthor in my world did... it isn't exactly going to make things easier for him.

Edited 2013-09-09 09:11 (UTC)

[Hayley's frown deepens as she listens to him. At the end, after a beat, she shrugs it off and returns to a dismissive, sarcastic, and flippant tone.]

You're right. Telling me about Superman is totally a gesture of trust, because I can just like, walk out to the market and buy more kryptonite to go attack him with for all my plans of world domination.

[A beat.]

Don't worry about it, Clark. You're really not influencing me as much as you think you are.

[Clark just... looks at her for a moment, as if processing what she's just said. He's actually trying to hold back what he wants to say and biting the inside of his cheek.]

Are you done taking everything I say the worst possible way or will this keep going for a little longer? I know you're able to understand I didn't mean any of what I said that way.

I don't think you're even really listening to yourself.

I am. I am telling you what you asked: what the Kryptonite does, and why I was so adamant to try to keep Lex out of it. And you're acting like I personally offended you because I wanted to keep Superman's weakness a secret.

[She seems skeptical, though it's more likely an act than sincere.] I'm not offended. You want to protect an untouchable superhero after the fact, then that's cool.

Is there anything else you want to tell me now that it doesn't matter?

Hayley, it's the only thing that can harm him. The only thing. Can't you imagine how many people would want to get their hands on Kryptonite just to be able to claim they were the ones to hurt Superman?

To kill Superman?

[Hayley rolls her eyes, but her tone is more genuine when she speaks again.] It's important, I know. I'm not going to tell anyone.

But, I mean, you realize that you not wanting to tell anyone is why Lex has it now? The one guy who might actually want to hurt him?

[He makes a face] I know, and I will apologize to Superman for that one. It's just hard to draw the line on when it's worth it to share that kind of information.

Back at home it was public knowledge, along with a lot of other things about Superman. But Lex doesn't seem to know all the things Luthor did and I don't want to be the one to give him the piece of information that makes him snap into who he was back at home, if that makes sense.

Oh, it totally makes sense. You don't trust anyone here, including me. Except Lois, obviously. Which is great. You two are good together. [All her observations seem sincere, good and bad.]

So why don't you go back and update her on the situation so that maybe she can figure out what to do about it and I'll go back to doing business with Lex and pretending you're the good old American, country boy sweetheart that everyone thinks you are.

If you think telling me I trust my wife's intelligence and common sense and making fun of my heritage will be an insult to me you really don't know me as well as I thought you did, Hayley.

And I'm not going to apologize for not sharing information that could hurt a good friend of the family with a teenager I've met months ago and is already working for Lex Luthor.

four : write me a beacon so i know the way [text]

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