This week will go down in the Lex Luthor history books as the week from hell.

Trust me.

It started at the Talon. I had stopped by to see how the renovations were coming along. Lana was handling almost everything, to her credit, but I still had a financial interest in the place.

Okay, I knew Clark would be there.

I did not however expect Kasitch to be there. And yet there he was, beside my car, a nervous wreck. He claimed to have seen Jude. That Jude was following him, stalking him. We both knew that was impossible. But my assurances did nothing to calm him down. Kasitch is a strong man though, strong mind, strong willed. Just seeing him this freaked made me, well, freaked. He said this man, who I knew couldn't have been Jude, wanted answers, wanted the truth.

I wanted to talk more, but this wasn't the time or the place. Clark was approaching the Talon. I felt the need to protect Clark from knowing my past. So I sent Kasitch to my apartment in Metropolis and told him to wait there until he heard from me.

I walked over to Clark as if nothing was going on, trying to shake the images of the past. But that didn't last long.

When we entered the Talon, Lana informed me a gentleman was just in to see her about the assistant manager position, claiming to be an old friend of mine. Warned her to not be involved with me. The friends name? Jude Royce.

The name on the application taunted me. I tried to remain calm. Lana told me he had just left, so I ran outside to see if the man was still around. Clark followed me and asked me who Jude was. I basically blew him off. I feel bad about it now, but I had to get out of there. Whoever this person was, it wasn't Jude. And this was a cruel joke they were playing. Leaving wasn't going to be easy, as I started my car, the radio began blasting club music, with a woman screaming in the background.

More images from the past.

Somehow Clark knew it wasn't my stereo, but a cd player under my dash that was responsible for the obnoxious sound level. Once disconnected, Clark gave me that look. The concerned look. I couldn't face him now. I was too busy facing the past.

On my way back to the mansion, I left a message for Kasitch on his cell phone with the address to my apartment in Metropolis. Another phone call to my head of security. Look into Jude Royce's family, and track down Amanda Rothman.

And then I took a bath. A long, hot, much needed bath.

Later that evening I received a phone call to return to the Talon. The contractor had finished with his estimate and wanted to speak with me. When I pulled up, the last thing I wanted to see was Clark and Lana together.

The three of us entered the Talon, only to find the contractor out cold on the floor, and a gift that had been left for me. There was an envelope addressed to me. I opened the envelope, read what was enclosed, and immediately folded the piece of paper and put it in my pocket. Then I opened the box, and was taken aback by what was inside.

Kasitchs' hand.

Lana called the police, I told them what I knew. I was as brief as possible, all I wanted was to get out of there. I apologized to both Clark and Lana. Lana was understandably upset, as she walked away from me after making some snide comment.

I wanted to leave. But a small part of me needed Clark's comfort. His understanding. Clark had questions, I tried to answer them as best I could without telling him too much of my past. I recognized the hand from the pinky ring. Clark asked if Jude could've done this. I finally told him the truth. Jude Royce was dead. And had been for three years.

I wasn't able to get any sleep. I decided to blow off some steam in the gym while my head of security gave me an update. Kasitch had never made it to the apartment. Royce was an only child. And there was no trace of Amanda.

The images continued to haunt me. That night at Club Zero. Amanda Rothman crying over the body of her fiance. The crowd of onlookers. The music still blasting, the strobe lights still blinding. The pain in my chest from the stab wound Jude Royce had given me. Kasitch trying to get control of the situation, and Sam Phelan had taken care of everything else. The details, the cover up, everything.

That's what my father paid him to do. And then my father took care of him.

I was kindly brought back to reality from the feel of the gun at the base of my neck. When I turned around, I saw Jude Royce. Well, someone that looked like Jude Royce. He demanded answers.

And then a yell from Clark distracted me. When I turned back around, 'Jude' was gone. I remained calm, not wanting to alarm Clark. The imposter had obviously been scared off by Clark, so there was no reason to make mention of it, no reason to get Clark involved.

It seems Clark did a little digging. Found out what happened three years ago at Club Zero. To his credit, he didn't flinch as he confronted me with what he'd found out. Kasitch had killed Jude Royce, but how was I involved? I asked him, for the sake of our friendship, to let it go.

I took a shower, a sad attempt at trying to wash the fear off my body. I decided to visit the plant, but that didn't help take my mind of the situation. I couldn't help but wonder what this madman was going to do next.

I didn't have to wait long to find out.

As I pulled up to the Kent farm, I already knew what had happened. A set up, someone's attempt at making me look bad. Chemicals from LuthorCorp had been dumped near the Kent farm, killing the Kents entire herd. Approaching them with a knot in my stomach, trying to apologize, offering to pay for their livestock, it was all for nothing. I would forever be my father's son in Mr. Kent's eyes. I'd expected his anger towards me, but given the recent days events, it hurt more than I care to admit.

But not as much as the pain in Clark's eyes.

He asked me if this was related to Club Zero. I couldn't avoid him anymore, not with him looking at me that way. I told him the truth, and he demanded I talk to the police and tell them everything I know. And then he walked away from me to rejoin his family.

The sheriff then informed me that the CEP representative needed to speak with me. Why not, my day couldn't get any fucking worse.

Wrong again.

There was no CEP representative. It was the imposter of Jude Royce. I remember making my way towards the sheriff, and then feeling a sharp pain in my stomach. Everything went black after that.

I woke up dizzy, unable to move my arms or legs, and with an extremely bad headache. Then I realized what was wrong. I was hanging upside down, in a straightjacket, in the dark.

It's not like a Luthor to admit fear, but since I've already done so, I'll say it again.

I was fucking scared.

I struggled, yelled for help, did everything I could to break free. My efforts were useless. I was getting more and more frustrated, and my head was killing me. I think I passed out a few times. Drifting in and out of consciousness. Images of that night in Club Zero haunting me. Flashes of Clark bursting in and rescuing me, as he always does. Only each time I woke up, I was still chained up and tied up.

That voice was there again. Asking me for the truth about Club Zero. I gave him the truth. At least Phelan's version of the truth.

I thought of Amanda. I had sworn to protect her. I would died to protect her. As long as she lived, I'd protect her.

I was barely able to make out the silhouette of 'Royces' body. I saw the gun come up to my head. I heard the gunshot. I closed my eyes, and silently thanked Clark. I knew he'd find me.

When I opened my eyes, I didn't see Clark. I thought I was going crazy, seeing the contractor from the Talon in front of me. He pushed some remote control in his hand, and the music and lights came on. Club Zero. I was back at Club Zero.

He shot the chains that my legs were attached to and I fell to the ground. As I laid on the ground trying to breath, the man filled in the missing pieces. He was Amanda's brother. 'Royce' was a look-a-like he had hired.

Amanda was dead.

Her brother was here for revenge. Amanda had committed suicide a year ago. After I cut her out of my life, for her own protection, she changed. Fell into depression. Her brother blamed me.

Amanda was dead. Her brother deserved the truth. I owed him that much.

I had invited Amanda out to celebrate her engagement. Jude, her fiance, was attending a business meeting out of town she said, but she wanted to let lose a little. I took her to Club Zero, a place I'd been several times before. Kasitch was the regular bouncer. Slip him a hundred dollar bill and your in. Slip him another, you get access to the V.I.P. room.

Truth was, I knew Jude wasn't out of town. I knew Amanda wouldn't believe me, that she had to see for herself. I cared for Amanda like a sister, so when she got engaged, I had Jude checked out. I knew him from the club scene, knew he was a regular player.

I also knew he'd be at Club Zero.

Amanda saw him in the arms of two women and ran from the room. I went after her, Jude came after me. A fight ensued. Kasitch jumped in the middle to break us up. Jude managed to reach over Kasitch and stab me in the chest, knocking over Kasitch in the process. The next thing I heard was the gunshot.

When Kasitch fell, his gun slid across the floor. As Jude came after me again, Amanda had picked up the gun, and shot him.

Amanda's brother didn't believe me. He refused to believe his sister could do such a thing. I tried to reason with him. The last thing I remember is him telling me, 'you can't escape your past.' I heard the gunshot, and everything went black.

I heard Clark screaming my name. For a minute I thought it was another hallucination. But it wasn't, he was there. I yelled for him to look out, that there was a man with a gun. Clark motioned over his shoulder and I saw Amanda's brother laying on the second floor, out cold.

Clark undid the straps of the straightjacket and helped me up. I was still weak and dizzy from being upside down for so long. I remember asking him how he found me, to which he gave another one of those Clark Kent lines, 'with a little help from my friends.'

I must have passed out again, because I woke up in the mansion with Clark. I asked him what happened, how I got here. He told me I did indeed pass out again, and he decided to bring me home, knowing how much I hated hospitals. He assured me that I was all right, no bullet holes or broken bones.

Not sure how he knew that.

I kept my distance from Clark for the next few days. I think I needed some time to deal with the past, and I think he needed some time to deal with my past. The only time I heard from him was when he called to see if I was attending the Talon's grand opening. I promised to be there.

When I saw him at the Talon that evening, I told him I had the feeling he was avoiding me. He wanted the missing pieces to the story. I gave it to him.

My father never would've helped Amanda, even at my request. But if I lead everyone to believe I had shot Royce, I knew my father would take care of it. It was all to protect Amanda I explained to him. He asked me one more time if that was the complete story. The truth. And I told him.

I would do anything to protect my friends.

I left him with that thought and returned to the mansion. Before crawling into bed, I opened the nightstand and took out the piece of paper. It was the letter that was left for me at the Talon with Kasitch's hand. Those two words haunting me, reminding me of a lost friend. Of a night gone all wrong. A piece of paper that said simply:

Zero Consequences.

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