fandomcorner | Fic: Against All Odds (6/8)

Title: Against All Odds
Authors:

hils and

lexalicious70
Paring: Clark/Lex with hints of Clark/Rod and Clark/Rod/Lex
Spoilers: None
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Sequel to Highway to Hell and So Long Sylvia. In the aftermath of the alien encounter Lex receives some startling news
WARNING: MPREG!

Previous parts here

Lex cried out in anger and frustration as the beam sucked him directly up into a glass tube, which sealed him inside. He pounded on the thick surface with both fists. "Let me out of here! Let me out!"

Brainiac stepped out of the shadows, a sadistic smile on his face as he rubbed one hand over the glass containing Lex. "If I let you out, do you promise to behave?"

Lex bared his teeth at the thin, lean stranger with the dark hair. "Who the hell are you?"

He shrugged. "Oh, I have many names. But I know all about you, Lex Luthor, and that special baby you're carrying."

Lex's hands went to his swollen belly and he glared at the man. "You're not touching me or my baby."

"Interesting," the other man observed as he circled the glass tube with a predatory smile. "But I think you'll find that baby isn't yours. Who do you think put it there in the first place?"

An A.I. floated over to the thin man and hovered there. "Shall I prepare the human for surgery?"

"In a moment," he said curtly. "We're talking."

The A.I. floated away, and Lex watched it go. "Surgery?"

"You're merely the carrier," Lex's captor explained, sounding almost bored. "Do you really think we'd allow the future ruler of the universe to be raised by you and Kal-El? No, we put that child inside you and now that he's ready we're taking him back."

Lex shook his head numbly. "No . . . you can't do that . . . I won't let you do that!" Lex kicked and pounded at the glass again. "I'll kill you if you touch me!"

"Oh, I don't plan on touching you," he replied with an amused smile. "Not yet, anyway." He motioned to the AI. "Prepare him."

"No!" Lex flattened his palms against the glass tube as the chamber was suddenly flooded with some kind of liquid, and Lex watched in horror as his clothes were melted right off him. He found himself nude, and then the chamber was flooded with a reddish gas that seemed to fill Lex's mind with a thick fog. He groaned and fell to his knees, and the glass tube rose up. Lex stared up at the thin man, but was unable to move. Two other men approached and lifted him up onto a hovering table, and strapped him to it firmly.

"No . . .no . . ." Lex squirmed weakly.

"Interesting," The man said, standing over Lex and looking down at him. "That gas should have knocked you out cold. Clearly, I underestimated your healing abilities." He rubbed his hand over Lex's swollen stomach. "I can only hope the child inherited them."

Lex shuddered in revulsion as the man touched him. "Can't . . . do this . . . baby's mine . . . mine and Clark's . . . "

"Not for much longer. He'll never know who his biological parents are. I shall be both father and mother."

The A.I. sunk a needle into Lex's left inner elbow. "The vessel must be destroyed once we remove the child."

"Of course, but that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun with him first."

"Please . . ." Lex mumbled through numb lips. "Please don't hurt the baby . . .”

"Shh! The baby will be fine, which is more than can be said for you, I'm afraid."

"Clark . . .” Lex mumbled, and then his eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness.

* * *

Rod's tires screamed and his siren wailed as he broke every speed limit driving to Clark's school. Every second wasted could see something terrible happen to Lex, and that was something he just didn't want to think about. He charged into the building, ignoring the shouts for him to stop and frantically checked every classroom looking for Clark

Clark glanced up as his hearing picked up Rod's pounding footsteps, and the sound of Rod calling his name. He rose from his desk and ran out into the hall. "Rod?"

"It's Lex," he wheezed, "they've taken him."

"Taken him! Who?"

"It was a ship. A fucking spaceship! I don't know where it went. Clark, we have to find him but I don't know how."

"Oh, God." Clark's green eyes widened in fear. "A ship? How are we going to find it, Rod?"

"I don't know!" Rod cried, running his hands through his hair in exasperation.

"All right, uh . . .” Clark bit his lower lip. "Maybe . . ." He nodded suddenly and grabbed Rod's hand. "That's it! Come on, we need to get to the caves"

As they got outside Clark did a quick check to make sure no one was looking, then swept Rod up into his arms and ran faster than he had ever gone before. They were at his parent’s house in a couple of seconds and Rod's feet had barely hit the ground when Clark charged up to the cave wall.

"Jor-El!" Clark called. "We need your help! Lex is in danger and so is our baby!"

"Where are we?" Rod asked, putting a hand to his head to quell the dizziness the rush of speed had caused.

The cave wall began to glow, and then a section of it rumbled aside as Jor-El's voice boomed out. "Your mate has been taken by the Brain Interactive Construct. It was he who used the human Rod Hardwick to deliver your seed."

"You have to help us find him!" Clark yelled, the desperation making his voice hoarse. "Please!"

A small triangular key set into a table before them began to glow. "The child must be protected, Kal-El. He is a descendent of Krypton. Take this key, my son. It will enable you to home in on your mate's heartbeat, and transport you to his location."

Clark grabbed the key and held it in his open palm. As it began to glow, Rod staggered over to join him and placed his hand over the key. "I'm coming with you."

Clark didn't have time to answer. The key pulsed bright white and the two of them vanished.

* * *

Lex, half-conscious again through sheer force of will, struggled against the tight metal clamps that had him pinned to the table as the A.I. hovered near his head, and the thin dark-haired man stood at his shoulder on the other side of the table.

"Remarkable," Brainiac said as he watched Lex struggle weakly. "I'm afraid to give you any more drugs in case it harms the baby so this will have to do."

A gleaming metal scalpel seemed to grow directly from the A.I.'s body. "After I remove the child, will you dispose of the vessel yourself?"

"Yes," Brainiac said, brushing a hand over Lex's cheek. "Once I'm done with him."

Lex turned his head at the touch and tried to bite the caressing hand. "Bastard!" He snarled weakly, and then groaned. "Don't do this . . . can't do this . . . don't take my baby . . . "

"My baby," Brainiac corrected. "Now, don't move. You don't want us to hurt the child because of your carelessness do you?"

"Oh, God . . . " Lex groaned, and then squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the cold steel of the scalpel touch his exposed belly.

The A.I. paused. "If he feels the pain of the surgical procedure, he may die of shock."

"Hmm..." Brainiac pondered for a moment. "Yes, you may be right." He reached behind him for a small bottle and splashed some onto a gauze pad. "This should do the trick, at least long enough for us to finish." He pressed the pad over Lex's nose and mouth. "Breathe deep, Lex Luthor. It's for your own good."

"Nnmff!" Lex held his breath and struggled against Brainiac's unyielding hand. The A.I. looked on impassively. "He is strong for a human."

"Why do you think we chose him?" Brainiac asked.

Lex groaned and gulped air helplessly, breathing the vapours of the chloroform as well. His mind fogged over again and his head finally fell limply to one side as he lost consciousness again.

"Do it fast, but carefully, before he wakes up again," Brainiac instructed.

Rod watched through the window as the creepy-looking hovering robot moved closer to Lex, and the scalpel moved close to his belly. He grabbed Clark's arm. "We have to get in there and do something! Look . . . you take out the robot, and I'll take the skinny dude!"

"You get Lex out of there," Clark said grimly. "I'll deal with those two."

"How are we going to get--"

Clark leapt forward and shattered the glass as he charged Brainiac, and Rod shrugged. "In." He finished his sentence before following Clark through the remains of the window.

Brainiac turned and his face twisted with hate when he saw Clark. "Kal-El!"

"Get the hell away from him," Clark growled.

"He carries a child . . . the child who will rule earth and all other planets like it. If you are a good boy, I may leave you your mate's shredded corpse for you bury . . . if you stand back and allow me to take my child."

"Aaaaaaarrrragghhhh!" Rod shouted as he charged the A.I. and leapt up onto its back. He yanked hard at the arm holding the scalpel, forcing it away from Lex's body. The A.I. began to turn and shudder, but Rod held on. He pulled his gun from its holster and began to pistol-whip the A.I.'s head. "Get off of him!! I'll tear your fucking head off and use you for an outdoor planter, you piece of shit!"

The AI’s head exploded in a shower of sparks and it dropped lifelessly to the floor. Rod didn't even pause before moving over to Lex and removing his restraints. "Come on, Lex, wake up."

Lex remained still, and Rod took a deep breath. "All right buddy . . . let’s hope my back doesn't lock up, or this is going to be one sorry rescue." He yanked the clamps open that strapped Lex to the table and lifted Lex carefully. As Clark rushed Brainiac and drove him into the opposite wall, Rod shuffled out of the room with Lex in his arms.

"You're going to be sorry you ever touched Lex," Clark snarled, fuelled only by his rage now. A quick glance over his shoulder told him that Lex was out of immediate danger and that was all that mattered.

Brainiac's arms turned to liquid and then into blackish ropes, which wrapped around Clark's neck. "Wrong, Kal-El. it is you who will be sorry!"

Clark struggled but as his vision started to fade, he realised with dismay that although he had managed to save Lex, his child was going to have to grow up without one of his fathers.

Rod carried Lex down a long corridor until he came to a sealed door. He struck the control panel with his pistol until it sizzled, and the doors slid open. He carried Lex inside and laid him down, and then stripped off his policeman's shirt, revealing a white undershirt underneath. He covered Lex with the shirt.

"Hang on, Lex. It's gonna be okay. I gotta help Clark, I just don't know . . . " Rod leaned against the wall in exhaustion, and in response to his weight, the lights came up in the room. Rod's eyes widened as he looked around at the biggest arsenal he'd ever seen. A wide array of alien weapons hung on the walls and were stacked in corners. A wide grin split Rod's face.

"Now this is more like it." He looked around, and his eyes fell on a tubular weapon that was twice as long as his arm and a sleek, gleaming black. He walked over to it and pulled it down from the wall, and then hefted it up onto his shoulder. It was lightweight, but the small button trigger fit neatly around Rod's thumb. He grinned again.

"Sweet." He settled the weapon more firmly on his shoulder and glanced over at Lex. "Hold down the fort here, buddy . . . I'm gonna go help your babydaddy kick some alien ass."

Rod charged back into the main chamber and almost stopped when he saw Clark semi-conscious and dangling in Brainiac's grip. "Hey!"

Brainiac looked up and his face went almost comically stunned when he saw the puny human. He chuckled. "A Tulurian Electro-plasma canon. You pathetic human . . . you have no idea even how to fire such a weapon!"

Rod shrugged. "You wanna bet on that, pal? I reckon one gun is much the same as another." He looked down and spotted the red button on the side of the weapon. Always a good place to start. He pressed it and aimed the weapon at Brainiac. "Adios, sucker!"

He thumbed the trigger.

The canon went off with a huge roar, flinging Rod backwards and into the wall. He grunted with the impact, but had the grim pleasure of seeing Brainiac flung into the other wall as Clark was thrown free from his grip. When the construct hit the wall he liquefied, oily black tendrils oozing slowly down the wall. Rod struggled to his feet and went to Clark. He figured those ropy strings would try and play humpty-dumpty as soon as they could. "Clark! Come on, we gotta get out of here!"

Clark coughed and blinked as his vision cleared. "Is Lex ok?" He wheezed.

"I've got him tucked away in the weapons room. He's unconscious but he's breathing. Come on, we've got to use that key thing to get back home!" He tugged Clark to his feet.

He turned to find himself face to face with Brainiac. Apparently, it didn't take that long to reassemble himself. "You really are quite a nuisance," he said, as his finger extended into a thin blade. "I shall have to rectify that."

"Go!" Rod shouted to Clark, giving him a shove as he ducked the blade. His right shoulder suddenly ignited with pain as Brainiac impaled it with the blade and lifted him off the ground.

"Pathetic," Brainiac sneered, enjoying the way Rod's face was twisted in pain. "Hardly worth my effort, but I will enjoy seeing you die."

"Yeah?" Rod gritted. "Guess what I'll enjoy, you slimy fucker?"

"What?" Brainiac asked with an amused smile.

Rod reached down with his left hand and pulled his pistol before Brainiac could blink and put a slug through the middle of the construct's brain. As the alien turned to goo and began to shrink and shrivel, Rod stumbled to his feet and clutched his bleeding shoulder. "I'll enjoy the fact that you assumed I was right-handed." Rod shoved his pistol back into its holster and stumbled from the room. "Clark!" He shouted. "Time to blow this place, baby!"

Clark leapt to his feet and hurried over to Rod as he stumbled into the weapon's room. "Rod! Are you ok?"

"What, this?" Rod took his hand from the wound and then winced as it pumped blood. "Just a little going-away love tap from the slime ball in the other room. Come on . . . you've got to blow this ship to keep him from coming back and get us home!"

"I'm on it!" Clark said, already moving. "Stay with Lex, I'll be back in a minute."

"No problem, handsome." Rod gave him a grin and dropped to the floor next to Lex. "It's . . .all good. Whoo!" He shook his head rapidly.

Clark hesitated for a moment, reluctant to leave the two men he cared about most like this, but he knew Rod was right. The ship had to be destroyed. He ran. On a ship this small it wasn't hard to find the main computer system. A quick blast from his heat vision set it into self-destruct mode. There wasn't much time and he ran back to Lex and Rod as fast as he could, pulling the key from his pocket as he moved. "Ok, let's go."

"Gotta pick up Lex for me, Clark . . . can't . . . hold him right now." Rod was sweating visibly now, his white tank stained with blood.

"Just hold on, Rod, ok?" Clark said as he crouched down in front of them. "I can carry you both." He held the key in his palm and placed Lex's limp hand on top of it. "Just hold our hands,” he told Rod.

"Still with you, Clark. Still with you." He grasped both hands and closed his eyes, fighting dizziness.

The key flashed and they were back in the caves.

Rod took two staggering steps and then stumbled to his knees. "Clark . . . get Lex . . . home. Don't worry about me, just get Lex home."

Clark chewed his lip. Lex was still unconscious and he didn't want to leave him here alone, but there was a strong chance that if he did what Rod asked, Rod would bleed to death in the meantime. He took off his jacket and draped it over Lex before pressing a kiss to his cool lips. "I'll be back soon," he whispered. Then he turned to face Rod. "I'm taking you to the hospital before I do anything else."

"No!" Rod groaned. "We can't lose that kid, Clark . . . God knows what might happen." He looked up at Clark, panting hard and then pulled his tank top aside, revealing the wound. "You heat vision. Use it. It'll cauterize the wound and stop the bleeding."

Clark's eyes widened. "Rod, I'm not going to burn you! Besides, you've already lost a lot of blood. You might need a transfusion. I can have you there in a few seconds and Lex will be safe here. Jor-El won't let anything happen to his grandson."

"Promised I'd protect you both. No matter . . . what . . . " Rod's eyes rolled back.

Clark caught him before he hit the floor and pressed a kiss to his head. "And you kept your promise. Thank you." Gathering him up in his arms he ran to the hospital.

Chapter 7