SV fic post: A Young Kryptonian Part 17

[roxy]

Title: A Young Kryptonian's Travels Or, Tripping The Light Fantastic
Fandom: SV
Pairing: Kal-El/Lex
Rating: PG
Summary: Our only point here is to have fun! No message, no moral--enjoy! This is part 16, because the last part should have been 15. :)

The Previous Parts are here, thunderstruck that their Little Mother has called on them to perform the Previous Dance again.

*Lex, Lex, Lex, My Lex…*

*Oh, fuck yeah, mine, you're mine—Kal…Kal? What the hell…*

*Oh dear—oh dear--*">


Part Eight: That light might not be the dawn…

They fell apart in a tumble of wet and sticky limbs, Lex looking at Kal in shock. "What the fuck just happened—who was that? How did that—am I going crazy?"

Lex looked so terrified, Kal's heart broke for him. "No, no, you're not—I'm so sorry—it was me!" *what the phrack happened?* he shrieked inside.

*I—I—oh dear—I peeked, and, and—he latched on, or I projected—he *heard* me. US!* Kal detected the panic in the supposedly devoid of emotion voice.

"How is that possible?" Kal yelped, and Lex yelled. "What, how is what possible?" and Kal yelled "not you," and Lex looked around wildly, yelled back, "then who?" and Kal pointed at his head and said, "Him"! and Lex scrambled off the bed.

"Oh my god—you're hearing voices too? You're insane? We're both insane!"

*Innty—fix this!*

*Oh dear--* and a bolt of static crashed through Kal/Lex's brain and Lex fell forward into a blinding white--nothingness.

*Who are you? What have you done to me, to Kal?* Lex felt his head move, his hands move but there was nothing to touch and nothing to see—no smell, no sound until--

*We are—* and a cascade of images flooded Lex's mind, memories he never had, tastes and smells and experiences not his. Against the thick blank nothing, cites rose and fell, worlds grew, flew apart, stars burned and burned out. Great ships, machines, armadas, heroes, flew through the eternal night and brought life, death, enlightenment, safety, slavery, to every corner of the galaxy. People, of a dizzying variety, lived and died and shared their treasures, loved…love…he loved every one of them, their differences, their beautiful otherness…and interwoven in the story, a cool intelligence, a silent, secret observer. The cities shrank, became smaller and smaller, became a street, houses, one house, a garden, and in that garden beautiful people walked. There was love there, Mother, Father. Lex felt warm feminine arms hold him, soft lips touch his cheeks and a song, his nose prickled with a spicy warm scent…he felt arms thick with muscle lift him high, and set him on broad shoulders. A deep and serious voice talking—instructing…

There was school and festival and tests and fear and worry and then happiness…freedom.

There was love everywhere, all around him and a…a…what the hell?

Lex pulled out of the grip of memory like pulling out of taffy, groaned. His head was splitting, and a single memory filled his mind. "A cat…a what…a—whoa. Oh my…"

*You know, you really didn’t have to show him that…and how does this fall under the category 'fix'?*

"Oh my god, is it really possible to *do* that?"

*Okay, you really didn't have to show him…well, that was pretty interesting, I remember what he could do with the little suckers—*

"Kal!!"

*Kal…*

"What the fuck *are* you? I mean—what the fuck are you? What's a Krypton—oh. Oh, Kal." Lex's fear faded as another captured memory floated free. "You're alone." Lex put a hand out to Kal. "I'm so sorry."

Kal smiled sadly and shrugged. "Well. I'm used to it now. Somewhat."

Lex nodded, full of sympathy, feeling what it was like to be the last of his species. Another thought rolled through his poor overstressed mind. "Wait a minute--" he gasped. "—you rule the galaxy!" He vacillated between outrage and even more outrage. "You *own* everything out there!"

"Lex—I do *not!*"

Lex relaxed a fraction. "I know, not you personally…"

Kal nodded, and said, "My Uncles does." He said it in a tone other people would use to say, "We have a puppy."

At Kal's words, more images tumbled and leapt in Lex's head. He fell against the bed, looking up at Kal in not quite awe, but close. He said, "I've been screwing the nephew of the Emperor of the…worlds. You people, you conquered everything…" He shot upright again, and glared at Kal. "What would have happened if we'd gone out there, past our little huddle of planets?" he asked.

"You would have been found." He smiled, as if he offered Lex a treat. "You would have joined the Worlds. You see how that would have been a good thing, don't you?" Kal said in a puzzled tone. Lex's expression was not one of unbridled joy.

"No! What is the good of being conquered by them—you—them!"

Kal held up placating hands. "No, no, My Lex. The people are happy to be one with us. They love us; they need the guidance we give." He looked slightly doubtful as he went on. "They—they do love us, don't they? They celebrate the Emperor, they--" He recalled some of the looks, the whispers he'd heard on his journey, and yes, some of the looks could have been interpreted as resentment. It was possible that…he'd been ignorant of the true nature of some of the behavior he'd observed. He was trying to process the disturbing new information when Lex broke in on his thoughts.

"Happy? How the fuck can you ignore those torture chambers they call Hells, testing people to death, the loss of Free Will?" Lex shouted.

Kal cringed a bit against Lex's outburst. "But—they live as we do, Lex. Their lives are no different than ours. I was tested to find out if I was worthy too. Only those that meet Rao's guidelines live. It's…it's the way it is. But only Kryptonians need pass—your people would never have had to take the tests."

"Oh my god, that's what that was…" Lex went pale as the sheets.

"We allow them their gods, their language, their customs. We just ask that they swear fealty to us, and help to run the empire. Everyone contributes to the Empire—money, food, goods, lives…it's all to the good. It really is, Lex. People are prosperous and happy and safe."

Lex stared in growing horror. "Oh Kal. Oh Kal. You might hate me but—I'm so fucking thankful your people are dead."

Kal gasped and flew to his feet, his face white as if Lex had struck him. "You don’t understand."

Lex peered at Kal as if he could see into his head. He said, "You, AI, explain to him. You must know Earth's history. Are you blocking him? Show him—Rome, Persia, England…show him what it means. To conquer."

Kal jerked, and gasped, his eyes going in and out of focus. "But it's not like that! *We're* not like that. We only want good for our people, all of them."

Lex nodded. "I know, I know. He wrapped arms around Kal, and whispered into his neck. "I believe you, Kal, I believe in you."

****
Kal lay on the wonderful large bed next to Lex, eyes closed, just enjoying the sound of his breathing, the hypnotic thump-thump of his heartbeat…or tried to. A certain Artificial Intelligence refused to keep it's thoughts to itself….

*That has never happened before. I'm not sure how, but the minute I attempted to reach out, he grabbed me. Pulled me in. I've never felt that before.*

Kal smiled. *He's special. He's much more advanced than the average human.*

*He's more than special. He's also different from the humans we've encountered so far. He's. Well, slightly more like a Kryptonian. I suspect he's been altered by the pieces of the Home World.*

*Oh…but that's positive, isn’t it? That's good for him and for me. That's why we were meant to find each other.* He rolled to his side, and gazed at Lex's sleep softened face. His breath, deep and even, flowed against Kal's cheek and his fingers were curled loosely around Kal's. Kal wanted to wake him up and kiss him, but he contented himself with lightly stroking his thin ginger brows, his warm smooth scalp. *Rao loves him, I can tell.* He laid his hand on Lex's chest and felt the steady beat throb against his palm. *Miraculous….*

The AI was silent for a long time before speaking again. *This concerns me. What of other people who've come in contact with the meteorites?*

*What about them? They'll enjoy the same enhancements that My Lex has. Where's the difficulty? Where's the problem?*

*I don’t know, Kal-El …Somehow, I'm certain that it's not that simple.*

Kal shrugged, and curled around Lex, enjoying the feel of the luxurious fabric sliding over him, but more importantly, warm skin against skin. *We'll think about it tomorrow, all right?*

*****

"First, let me make this clear—there will be no reading of my mind. Ever."

"Lex! Don’t be silly. We didn’t read your mind. We were sharing information, that's all. Some how, you slipped into our information loop. What you saw was not my mind, it was Intty—the interface's memory of my memories, not my actual memories. So you see, that's not reading minds!"

Lex looked confused. "So…I didn’t read your mind, I read information about you the AI held? But there was emotion…and I felt something in my head, something…poking me."

"Truly, Lex, there is no need to fear, mind reading is a children's fable." Kal smiled fondly and patted Lex's arm. "So…is there breakfast? Shall I make some? I've learned to make hen's ova very tasty and edible. They are absolutely inedible until cooked." He made a face in disgusted reminiscence. "Truly inedible. I'd rather eat fireworm larva all day…"

Lex stopped and stared. "Fireworm…actually I have a cook, thank God." He rose out of the covers like a god rising from clouds in the heaven, at least to Kal's eyes. "You'll meet my mother this morning—we have breakfast together most days."

"Your mother?" Kal's eyebrows rose almost to his hairline.

"Ah, Pamela. She's not my birth mother. She raised me after my parents died. We run LuthorCorp together. It was my dad's company."

"Oh. I hope she likes me. I know I have a tendency to make an odd first impression."

"Odd first impression?" Lex smiled, and flushed slightly. "Well, perhaps. It would help if you showered and dressed, don't you think?"

Kal leaped off the bed. "I like the way I smell, but you may be right. Your Pamela might not be as enthralled with your scent as I am."

"Shower! Now!"

He dodged the pillow Lex threw and dashed towards the bathroom, and Lex clearly heard his gasp of pleasure. "Finally! A real cleansing room! Is there a—oh, Lex…."

Lex came in to the room, treated to the sight of Kal bending over, examining the spa tub. It took a moment before he was actually able to breathe, and to swallow.

"Oh, this is lovely." He looked up at Lex, who discovered he'd not yet relearned the art of talking. "This is almost like the tub we have—had—at home." The delighted smile on his face dimmed. He sighed and said, "Sometimes, it's easier when things are odd and alien. It's when there are similarities that I feel the…the gap inside."

Lex sat on the edge of the sunken tub with Kal, and stroked his arm. Kal captured Lex's fingers and squeezed lightly. "Lex, finding you was the most incredible gift I've ever received. I'm happy to meet your mother, and to have met your aunt and uncle. You have a very fine family." He paused, and lifted a gentle hand to cup Lex's cheek. "I thought I'd lost anything that held meaning for me, until Rao gave me a reason to look to the future."

Lex blinked hard, and covered Kal's fingers with his own. "Kal…Kal…I should tell Cook there'll be three for breakfast."

Kal grinned, bright again. "Please let her know that one of the three is very, very, *very* hungry?"

TBC!!!!!!

part 18

Comments

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Oh, good! I'm glad that accidental hookup worked! :)

they are in love, aren't they? It's so going to be tested! *evolgrin*