Notes: 1) Thank you to: my beta, chasethecat; to Astrea9562 for the title and for all of her feedback as I was writing this; and to rose_emily because she asked for Canadian clex. 2) I don't know why I have a penchant for stories where Clark is wild and can't talk. I promise this is my last one. 3) The Gilgamesh quotation is from Stephen Mitchell's version. 4) Sadly, I don't know who did the Neruda translation...

Lex studied the topo map of the landscape he could see from the bushplane. The place was remote and barren, covered in snow so thick it never melted completely. The map showed no inhabited areas. As far as Lex could tell, pine trees and rocks were the only things that lived there.

Yet more than one intrepid camper, logger, or homesteader had sighted the creature. Their descriptions varied. Some said it was a hairy beast, a yeti of North America. Others said it was more like a man, but naked and wild. Lex wondered if living in remote parts of Canada could affect one's mind. As accustomed as he was to paranormal phenomena, he questioned the veracity of the "Bigfoot" claims.

But here he was. Investigating. He had to see for himself. After all, it was only by following the wildest, most unpredictable, and most unsubstantiated leads that he had made his name as an expert on the mythical and unexplained. He had a reputation to uphold.

The pilot shouted something that Lex couldn't hear above the roar of the engine and the howling of the wind. As the plane began to descend, Lex inferred that they had reached their destination.

When the plane landed, the pilot asked, "You sure you're going to be okay out here, Mr. Luthor?"

"I'll be fine," Lex assured.

"I never heard of anyone coming out here alone."

"Well, now you have. Come back for me tomorrow at dusk."

Lex had initially undertaken his expeditions with full crews of experts, scientists, and servants. But doing so had endangered several of his investigations. And none of the others had been as fervent or devoted as Lex. Lex hated anything less than 100%. So he had fired them all.

As the bushplane disappeared, Lex surveyed his surroundings. He'd been let off on a prominent outcrop, one he would be able to locate when it was time to be picked up. The "out" time was short because the conditions were so brutal, and Lex wanted to find a sign that he was on the right track before investing in a real expedition.

Hefting his pack, Lex began his snowshoe-trek across the great white expanse. It was beautiful in an austere way. Silent. Lex's footsteps were the only sound. He couldn't hear any birds. No hawks. No eagles. No ravens. Just stillness all around. Snow and pines. Firs. Ancient stones. This was the creature's country.

From the plane, Lex had thought he'd seen a trail running north-south. He headed in the direction in which he might locate the faint line. It might be caribou and nothing more, but it was worth checking.

The effort of walking in the deep drifts was great, even with snowshoes. Lex began to sweat despite the bitter cold. He unzipped his parka and kept on. After another half hour, he was rewarded by the sight of the trail. Reaching it, he knelt to see if he could make out a footprint. Deep in the V created by the animal (whatever it was), Lex found what he was looking for: a distinctly human print. But what type of creature could walk barefoot in these conditions? Lex judged the creature's weight to be close to 200 pounds. Bipedal. Incredible, Lex thought, as something akin to religious awe overtook him.

The footprints headed north. This was a fresh trail. The creature might be waiting at the end of it. In all of the vague reports, no one had ever claimed an attack. Lex guessed the creature to be unaggressive unless provoked. Nonetheless, he had a can of pepper spray and a stungun handy in case of an incident.

At around 4 p.m., the light began to fade and Lex realized he needed to set up camp before dark. It pained him to quit now, especially since he would need to head back soon after dawn in order to reach the pick-up site. Lex consoled himself with the thought that the pilot could replenish his supplies and bring him back to this location with no trouble. He was already close, and he'd barely begun his search. His sixth sense told him that the creature was nearby. Perhaps it was even cognizant of Lex's presence. The thought sent a shiver up Lex's spine.

Lex hadn't eaten all day. He'd been so bent on making progress. But now he was hungry and tired, limited by his body and the elements. In a perfect world, he wouldn't need food or rest or warmth. In a perfect world, conditions would always be ideal for his undertakings. But the world was flawed.

Lex ate without tasting, then set up his tiny tent and his down mummy sack. His mind was awhirl with activity, but he eventually fell asleep.

In the morning, as he packed up his gear, Lex thought ruefully that he would never catch up with the creature at this rate. What he really needed was the bushplane. He had timed his travels the previous day. He had approximately 8 hours of daylight, and it had taken him six hours to get to this point. That meant he could only walk for another hour or so heading north before he would need to turn back. He wondered if the creature travelled at night. How much ground had he gained while Lex had been sleeping?

As Lex plodded along the creature's trail, his mind began to wander. Lately, these expeditions had become less fulfilling than they'd once been. Now that his father was dead, Lex was left to his own devices. Luthorcorp was in capable hands, and Lex really had no interest in overseeing the company. He'd always pictured these expeditions as a kind of search for meaning and purpose. He wasn't seeking the real Holy Grail, but he wanted to find something that made the search worthwhile.

Discovering real vampires and chupacabras had been exciting. The Jersey Devil had given him a thrill. But, truthfully, there wasn't much left to find. Maybe the fountain of youth, or proof of God. Lex had travelled the world. He'd seen the most beautiful places there were. He'd seen sights to inspire and amaze. But, inside, he felt oddly empty, as if life's true meaning hadn't yet been revealed to him.

Sometimes, when he was taking a break in Metropolis, the hunger would become too terrible to bear. Then Lex would plan a new expedition, and the feeling would lessen. He found himself losing interest in sex. As a teenager, sex had been an addiction; after that, he'd always enjoyed it. He'd never had a shortage of partners, male and female. The last time he'd been home, he'd hooked up with a woman who by anyone's standards was drop dead gorgeous. As he'd fucked her, he'd thought to himself that he should be happy. Anything he wanted was his. This beautiful woman was eager to come home with him, eager to suck his cock, eager to let him do anything he wanted to do. When it was over, he'd dismissed her, feeling like a jerk, but unable to stand the sight or smell of her. The physical part of it had been pleasurable. The rest, unbearable. The next day, Lex had planned this expedition.

Lex had faced many dangers in his years as a scientist of the bizarre and unbelievable. But somehow the solitude, the remoteness, the pure cold of this expedition had appealed to him. He thought of it as his vision quest. Here he was alone in the wilderness. He could turn his back on civilization, and no one would find him. He could lose himself in the snow and the silence.

Lex's watch beeped, alerting him that it was time to turn back. With regret, Lex reversed course, not quite ready to succumb to the unknown.

The creature's path had been very direct. There was no meandering. No stopping. He must have an incredible amount of stamina, Lex thought, as his weary bones trod over his old footsteps. The path would be easy to find again. Lex could only hope that the following day would be more fruitful.

After a long day, Lex spotted the rock outcrop where the pilot was supposed to pick him up. It was still a few miles away, but Lex would reach it before dark. He realized again that he hadn't eaten. He felt faint. There was time enough, so he sat on a rock and opened his pack. Unzipping his parka, he ate the power bar listlessly. After he finished, he opened his fly to relieve himself.

It was then that he heard the noise. A whoosh like a gust of wind. Puzzled, Lex glanced around him. Everything was silent. No branches moved. No birds were in sight. Lex tucked himself back in and scanned once more. A rock. A tree. Another tree. There, in the stand of pines: a dark shadow. Lex squinted and stepped toward the trees. The shadow moved.

Lex's heart rate doubled, and he reached instinctively for the stungun. Slowly, he neared the area, intent upon learning what the shadow was, but afraid of what he might find. As he drew closer, he could see that the creature was upright, standing on two feet. Lex had imagined an ape-like being, but this animal, whatever it was, had hair on its head and face, and none on its body.

The animal had made no move toward Lex, but Lex nonetheless approached with caution, moving with sloth-like slowness. The creature simply watched with wide eyes, sniffing the air, gathering information.

When Lex was six feet away, the creature suddenly leapt toward him, sending him tumbling back onto the snow. Breath knocked out of him, stungun sent asunder, Lex couldn't even defend himself. His heart thudded as the creature pinned him down, sniffing, eyes wild. This is it, thought Lex. I will meet my end here in the wilderness. Oddly, he wasn't upset about it. It was a noble and dramatic end: torn to bits by a Canadian Sasquatch.

The creature didn't tear Lex limb from limb. Nor did he gnash his teeth and bite into Lex's jugular. Instead, he pawed at the layers beneath Lex's parka. The dark purple fleece, the silk long underwear...

"Do you want my coat?" Lex asked, feeling silly as he did so. Perhaps the creature really was cold, even if he could walk around naked in subzero temperatures.

The Sasquatch pawed further, hitching Lex's layers up, baring his pale belly. Lex shivered at the feel of the freezing air on his skin. He waited with bated breath for the creature's next move. It was completely unexpected: he stroked Lex's skin tenderly, moving his hand up underneath the fabric. Lex closed his eyes, shuddering with more than cold.

Then the creature withdrew his hand. Alert, he sniffed the air and listened. A few seconds later, Lex could hear the faint sound of the plane approaching. Looking skyward, the creature seemed to panic. Before Lex could think, he was gone. Not just running, but gone.

Later, in his remote cabin, Lex cursed the pilot's timing. Admittedly, the arrival of the plane could have saved his life, but Lex believed the creature hadn't intended to hurt him. In that moment, there had been a spell between them, binding them together. Lex had felt the thrill of discovery, and a strange high from exposing himself to danger. He wondered if he was the first human the creature had seen up close. The first person the creature had touched. What had brought the creature forth from hiding? Perhaps he had been curious about humans before...

What Lex found most strange was the creature's human appearance. His hair had been wild and unkempt, yet no different from a man who went years without shaving or cutting his hair. There was no hair on the creature's body, save under his arms and at his groin. Lex flushed, remembering. The creature had possessed an impressive penis, even flaccid.

Lex sat at the small desk recording his observations and questions in his journal. A bowl of soup lay forgotten beside him. His keepsake watch ticked softly, marking the passing of time. Outside, the wind howled, and branches tapped the small window beside Lex's chair.

How had the creature disappeared so quickly? How could he survive the cold? Lex would need to capture him in order to test his physiology...

Something occurred to Lex: could there be others like the one he had seen that afternoon? Was there an entire clan of Bigfoots somewhere in the uncharted wilderness?

Lex began to sketch the creature, becoming so lost in his work that he didn't notice the passing of time or the sounds outside. Thus, he nearly shed his skin when the scraping of metal and a gust of cold wind alerted him that the window was being opened. Lex got up from his chair as if he'd been shot from a gun. The chair clattered as it fell over onto its side.

Outside the window, against the pale backdrop of falling snow, was the wild, bearded face of the Bigfoot! He stared hungrily in at Lex and then, forcing the window open further, he climbed inside.

Lex's gaze darted around the room as he tried to recall where he had set his stungun.

"It's okay," he said soothingly. "I won't hurt you."

A blast of cold air made Lex shiver.

"What do you want?" Lex asked, stuttering, trying to calm himself down.

The creature advanced slowly, never taking his eyes off of Lex. He said something, garbled sounds Lex didn't understand, yet Lex felt sure the creature was trying to communicate.

"Are you hungry?" Lex asked, glancing at the bowl of soup on the desk.

The creature made a humming noise and came closer to Lex. Lex watched, paralyzed, as the creature grabbed his fleece and tugged at it.

"Do you want this?"

Gasping for breath in his nervousness, Lex unzipped the jacket and shrugged out of it, offering it to the creature. Instead of taking it, the beast tossed it aside and took hold of Lex's t-shirt. It tore in his hands.

Lex was hyperventilating. He hadn't fainted since the time he'd tried to asphyxiate himself at Club Zero, but he was close now.

Despite his fear, Lex's observational powers were at work. He noted that the creature had green eyes, and that he smelled earthy, like wet leaves. The cold weather must have prevented him from sweating, especially since he wore no clothing.

No clothing, Lex thought, his eyes dropping to the creature's groin. What Lex saw there brought him even closer to fainting. If the creature's penis had been impressive flaccid, it was absolutely stunning erect. Lex's breath caught in his throat. The creature was stroking the bare skin of Lex's chest, and Lex thought he knew what was on the creature's mind. He felt a brief flash of shame at his own arousal, but there was no one there to condemn him. Sex with animals was one thing he had never tried (and had never intended to), but he was quickly revising his sexual limitations.

"Okay," he said, almost to himself. "Okay, okay. Just give me a second."

Lex pulled away and thought frantically. This was an animal. He wanted to do animal things. He wanted to fuck.

"Shit," Lex said aloud, the reality of the situation hitting him.

He didn't have lube. He didn't have condoms. Not that this... animal would put on a condom. Lex couldn't believe how ridiculous his thought process had become. Why was the creature here? Why did it want to have sex with him? Weren't animals straight? He knew not all of them were. Of course not. And why would this one be?

These thoughts ran through Lex's brain pell-mell before he returned to the first thought. Lube. He needed lube. The creature was clutching his arm, sniffing him. He had to do something, think of something, before he ended up with that giant cock in his ass with no lube.

Lex remembered that he'd brought a bottle of aloe gel for windburn. It was in his bag of toiletries, right there on the table.

"Hold on, okay? I'm just... I'm getting some lube."

Not that the creature would understand. Indeed, he seemed to grow impatient with Lex's stalling. He growled deep in his throat and grabbed the waistband of Lex's ski pants.

After several unbearably long seconds of searching, Lex located the bottle of gel and backed toward the bed. The creature followed him, stroking his penis. Lex pushed his pants down over his hips and lay on the bed. It was the work of but a second to pour some of the gel into his palm and insert a finger into his ass.

The creature watched, fascinated, hovering over Lex hungrily. Lex only got two fingers in before the creature pounced on him, trying to push his cock into Lex. Lex raised his knees and took a deep breath, praying that his years of wild, unsafe sex had prepared him for this.

It hurt. Lex almost cried out, but bit his lip so he wouldn't. The creature seemed to sense his pain and stopped his movement. Lex panted, trying to regain equilibrium. The creature reached out and stroked his cheek.

Slowly, the pain receded. Lex enclosed the remainder of the creature's cock in his slick hand, lubing it up, and the creature sank into him completely.

Lex adjusted to the full feeling. It had been a while since he'd done this. It felt good, even though he might be exposing himself to some strange Sasquatch disease. He'd emerged from his club years remarkably unscathed. It would be ironic to get an STI now, on a scientific expedition, in the wilderness, from an animal.

Life didn't get any stranger.

Lex relaxed as the creature began to pump in and out of his body. The sensations were overwhelming, almost too much for Lex to bear. He could feel his erection flagging. He closed his eyes...

He felt filled, body and soul. The experience was magical. It was more than sexual pleasure. Lex couldn't explain it at all, though he supposed it had something to do with the coincidence of discovering a rare, mythical creature while, at the same time, being fucked with abandon.

Lex opened his eyes. The creature was staring at him. Lex couldn't read the expression because the face was so covered in hair. But there was a kind of joy in the green eyes. Lex smiled and tweaked one of the creature's nipples. The gesture caught the creature by surprise, interrupting his rhythm. Lex did it again. The creature moaned, slowing his thrusts.

Lex opened his thighs wider and hooked his feet around the creature's back, spurring him on. He could tell the creature was nearing orgasm. A few more erratic thrusts, and Lex felt warm semen spill into him.

The creature took a few breaths, staring at Lex for a long moment before withdrawing and backing toward the window.

"You don't have to go," Lex said, even though he couldn't imagine post-coital cuddling with a Sasquatch.

The creature paid him no heed, but simply climbed out of the open window and disappeared into the night.

Cold air rushed over Lex's naked body. He felt empty and sad, but consoled himself with the thought that at least he had a sample of the creature's DNA.

Lex raced back to Metropolis with the creature's semen on ice. Once in his laboratory, he began his tests to determine the creature's genetic traits.

What he found was like nothing he'd ever seen before. And Lex had seen a great many strange and inexplicable phenomena.

It was during the forensic PCR that the intercom beeped, alerting him that one of his staff wished to speak with him.

Lex pressed the pink button with his elbow.

"What is it?"

"Sir?" It was Melody, a nervous, young woman whom he had just hired to field calls at the reception desk. "I hope I'm not out of line, but since you're interested in strange things, I thought you might want to see what's on the television right now."

"I'm busy, Melody. Set the DVR."

Lex put the tiny vials in the chambers.

"But, Sir? It's live. It's on the news. You might want to... Oh my God, he's coming this way! Turn on the television!"

Lex sighed. "Fine."

He found the remote and clicked the power button for the small television that stood in the corner of the lab. Immediately, the news came on. The angle was aerial, the coverage rather choppy.

"He's heading north on Commonwealth Avenue, and so far, all attempts to stop him have failed. The police have called in the National Guard..."

The rest of the reporter's words faded out as Lex absorbed the images on the screen. It was the Sasquatch. The creature. The very same creature whose DNA was currently in the thermocycler. There was no mistaking him: naked, with his wild hair flying in the wind.

He appeared to be in some sort of frenzy. He ran through traffic, shoving cars and busses aside, smashing the metal with his bare hands. He glanced about wildly, as if looking for something. At the same time, he fended off bullets, tear gas, and spiked chains. He appeared impervious to every attempt to stop him.

The creature had almost reached Luthorcorp Towers. Lex had a feeling he knew why the Towers were the creature's destination.

When he saw the creature stop and sniff the air before continuing on, he knew he was right. Lex ran for the door of the lab and took the elevator up to the lobby. The moment the elevator doors opened, he knew he was just in time. He could hear Melody shrieking from somewhere behind the desk. The creature had wrenched open the doors of elevator two, and was peering up into the empty shaft. He seemed to sense Lex's presence, however, because he turned quickly, sniffing the air.

Everything froze in that moment, as the creature's eyes met his. Lex was conscious of his own breathing, and of the creaking of metal, bent against its will. He could hear distant sirens, and choppers overhead.

Then the creature was gone. Lex blinked, unwilling to believe his eyes. A split second later, the creature was upon him, grabbing at his white lab coat, pressing up against him, growling and sniffing, biting his neck.

"Not again," Lex said.

Lex put a steadying hand on the creature's arm and spoke as soothingly as he could while holding the creature at bay.

"It's okay. Everything's okay. Just come with me. Come with me."

Lex backed toward elevator one, thankful that he lived in a building with more than one elevator. When the doors opened, the head of security appeared, far from in command.

"I'll take care of this. Take the rest of the day off," Lex ordered.

The watchman gratefully removed his cap and hurried from the elevator car.

The doors shut quietly, and the car began moving toward the penthouse. Lex was amazed. The creature had seemed to understand him on some level, and had entered the elevator without protest. Now that they were alone, though, the creature divested Lex of his clothing, tearing it with his strong hands.

Having survived many similar situations, Lex was able to keep from total panic. He could see the creature's growing erection, and he only hoped they would get to his bedroom in time.

By the time they reached the 80th floor, Lex was completely naked, chanting a string of desperate, It's Okays, rubbing the animal's arm soothingly. The creature had him pressed up against the wall of the elevator, but the bing that announced their arrival seemed to distract him momentarily. Lex took advantage and stepped out of the creature's embrace.

"Come on."

The creature followed him, growling impatiently, jacking his cock with a tight fist.

Thankfully, the door required a retina scan instead of a key because Lex had nothing on his person. It took a moment for the door to open and Lex could feel the creature pressing up behind him, trying to insert the tip of his cock into his ass.

Lex ran -- undignified as that was -- he ran to his bedroom, the creature close on his heels. Lex knew exactly where the lube was. He yanked the drawer of the nightstand open and grabbed the bottle. The creature was already shoving him back onto the bed, perhaps remembering the first time, and recognizing that the bed would be soft.

"Wait!" Lex commanded, pressing his palm against the beast's chest.

The creature seemed to sense Lex's meaning and waited, eyes wide and completely focussed on Lex. He watched as Lex slicked his fingers and plunged first one, then two into his ass.

As last, he could wait no longer and pushed Lex's hand out of the way. Lex quickly grabbed the creature's penis and slicked it with the lube that remained on his fingers. Then the creature's sizable cock was pushing into Lex despite the remaining resistance.

Lex arched up to meet the thrust. Strangely, he had missed it. This feral, unbridled lust, and the raw way in which the animal fucked him. He had thought about it repeatedly. Had even jerked off while remembering it. Was it strange to get off on thinking about sex with a beast? Or, worse, with something completely unknown to science? Whatever the creature was, Lex was certain their copulation was against the law. Especially in Kansas.

He didn't let those thoughts bother him. In spite of the initial pain of the penetration, he was in heaven. The creature's cock stroked all kinds of sensitive places. Lex realized he was making small panting and grunting noises, lost in the intensity of his pleasure. The creature was staring at him, wild and insatiable, thrusting with abandon, hard and fast. The bed was sturdy, and had always held up during Lex's vigorous one-night stands, but now the headboard was slamming into the wall.

Lex wrapped his legs around the creature, determined to hold on. He felt his insides flooded in warmth. The creature relaxed, but Lex tightened his grip. When he felt the creature trying to withdraw, he circled his arms around the strong neck.

"No. I want you to stay this time. Stay." Lex thrust his hips slightly, trying to communicate with his body. "Stay."

The creature smelled funny, and his hair was making Lex itch. He needed to bathe and brush his teeth. Which was ridiculous, Lex realized, because he was an animal, not a human. Not even an animal... Something strange and unknown.

Lex knew the creature had tremendous strength and could escape if he wanted to. Lex hoped he wouldn't want to.

Still feeling the aftershocks of pleasure, yet recovering from the assault, Lex felt his cock begin to harden. He released one of his arms and slid his hand between their bodies so he could stroke his erection. The creature shifted so he could look at what Lex was doing.

"Let me teach you," Lex said, taking one of the creature's hands and placing it on his cock.

The creature said something, those nonsense syllables Lex couldn't understand.

"You have your own language," Lex observed.

The creature squeezed his cock a little too tightly. Lex grimaced.

"No. Like this." He loosened the creature's grip, and moved his hand slowly. With his own hand, he played with the tip of his cock, circling it with his thumb, and rubbing at the moisture seeping from the slit.

The creature had a rhythm now, and the pressure was just right. Lex lay back and relaxed. He wrapped his hand around the creature's hand, just because it turned him on. It all felt so verboten. The creature's impressive cock was still partially buried in his ass, though it had slipped out halfway when the creature had changed positions. Now Lex felt it hardening again. He spread his legs and thrust his hips up, trying to take in a little more. The angle was off, but it was okay because he was getting closer to orgasm, and he didn't really care about anything else. He increased the pace of their movements.

A faint humming drew Lex's gaze to the creature's eyes, which still watched him intently. Lex knew he was anthropomorphizing, but the creature seemed content, even pleased to be here in Lex's luxurious bed on top of purple combed cotton sheets with the Metropolis skyline outside the window.

Lex closed his eyes. He was close. The creature moved his hand faster and faster. Then Lex was exploding, shooting come all over his belly and chest, even his chin. He couldn't remember the last time it had felt that good.

What brought him out of his reverie was the abrupt withdrawal of the creature's penis from his body. Lex felt a moment of panic. Would the creature leave now that their coupling was finished?

Lex opened his eyes, but found that the creature was not across the room, but kneeling between his legs, sniffing curiously.

He's marked me, Lex thought.

Then the creature sniffed the semen coating Lex's abdomen. His wild mane of hair tickled Lex's skin. He licked, testing. He seemed to like the taste and began to lick all of the come off. Lex found this slightly disgusting, but also arousing. He'd just come, but already he ached for more.

When the creature sat up, Lex clambered onto his hands and knees. It was strange that the creature hadn't tried to do it that way in the first place, since that was how animals did it. But, as Lex had discovered, the creature wasn't really an animal. At least he wasn't like any animal Lex had ever seen.

The creature knew exactly what to do. Without wasting a moment, he knelt behind Lex and slid home with one thrust. Lex wouldn't have called it tender, but there was less desperation in the creature's movements. He hovered over Lex, chest to back, skin to skin. It was so wrong, but it felt so right to have this strange being fucking him.

Lex moved in time with the creature, meeting his thrusts, opened wide, careless and unthinking. His insides were slick with come, and the creature's cock slid easily in and out of him. Lex felt so connected, like he belonged, like he was communicating in a way he'd never been able to communicate before. He was fucking a mystery of the universe. He wanted it to go on forever.

Perhaps it was lucky that the creature couldn't go on indefinitely. Lex's ass was slightly sore, and he finally felt sated. When the creature came, Lex collapsed onto the bed and rolled onto his side. He watched as the creature tried to decide what to do.

"Stay," Lex said. He reached a hand out and stroked the creature's muscular thigh.

The creature looked frightened. Lex realized that his day must have been traumatic: following Lex to Kansas, then navigating the city with its buildings and cars and people, all things the creature had never experienced before.

He'd faced it all for Lex. Lex wondered what it was that had drawn the creature to him. Surely, he had encountered other human beings during his lifetime, yet he had seemed to imprint on Lex. Lex knew at that moment that the creature would follow him everywhere. It was both frightening and exhilarating.

Clearly, the creature could not be held by bars or walls. He could only be held by Lex.

Outside, Lex could still hear the helicopters. No doubt there was a manhunt going on. Lex refrained from turning on the television; it might scare the creature even more.

"Stay," he repeated, taking the creature's hand in his. He was the only one who would protect the creature from harm, of that he was sure.

Before Lex could decide upon his next move, his phone rang. It was an internal call. The creature sat bolt upright, startled, scanning the room.

"Sh. It's okay. It's just the phone." Lex laid a hand on the creature's back, and stretched for the phone.

"Yes, Melody."

"Sir, the police are here asking if they can search the premises. I told them I couldn't allow them to do that until I had your permission. They're looking for that man." Melody's voice quaked almost imperceptibly.

"You did the right thing. Don't let them search. Tell them they need a warrant. This is private property."

"Sir, they saw the elevator," Melody whispered.

"They know he was in the lobby, but that's it. Tell them you don't know what happened. Say the man disappeared."

"Yes, Sir."

Lex hung up. His mind moved quickly through the various possibilities. He could attempt to evacuate the creature now via helicopter, but that might increase suspicion, rather than deflect it. On the other hand, it might be wise to take advantage of the confusion and leave now. The police would no doubt stake out the building, and they would see Lex's helicopter take off from the roof.

Lex regarded the strange creature beside him, wondering what he must think of all this.

"They're after you," he said. He reached for the remote. He needed more information.

The television clicked on.

"KABC has a reporter on the scene. Chloe?"

The picture cut from a bland reporter in the newsroom to a bouncy blonde in front of the Luthorcorp Towers.

"Thanks, Jeff. I'm here in front of the Luthorcorp Towers, where this madman was last seen! Police report that he killed several people, and injured others, during his rampage through downtown. This is a fugitive pursuit of a very powerful criminal who seems invulnerable to bullets, tear gas, and tazers. Police are now trying to search the towers--"

Lex clicked the remote again.

"Great." Why was life always so complicated?

The creature was watching him again in that eerily intense way.

"Come with me." Lex took the creature's hand and led him out of the bedroom.

Both Melody and the reporter had called him a man. But they didn't know where he came from, nor what he was. But, if he was an animal, why was he trying to mate with a human? As far as Lex knew, no animal attempted such a thing unless encouraged by twisted queens or porn directors.

The thing Lex was leading toward his bathroom was not a man.

Lex didn't own a razor for obvious reasons, but he found a pair of scissors in the drawer.

"Sit here," he said, indicating the counter.

He pushed the creature gently until his ass was planted firmly on the tile. Then he reached up to cut the creature's beard away.

Only, it didn't work. It was as if the hair were steel wire. It made sense, Lex supposed, given the invulnerability of the creature's skin.

Lex could hear the phone ringing again. He was running out of time and he knew it. How long could he keep the creature concealed? How long could he stall? Even Lex Luthor had to answer to the National Guard.

Lex needed a plan. He couldn't cut the creature's hair to disguise him. He wondered if it would be possible to clothe the creature instead.

"Come with me," Lex said again, and led the creature back toward the bedroom.

The creature would never fit his clothes. Lex had dated an underwear model once, and he'd left some jeans that might be the right size. Lex rooted around in the closet until he found the jeans. Getting them on the creature was another matter entirely.

"Here. Lie down, will you." Lex tugged gently on the creature's arm, leading him toward the bed. The creature went willingly, his cock hardening in anticipation.

He learns fast, Lex thought, regretting that he couldn't take care of that erection. Once he had the creature flat on his back, he started putting the jeans on. He got them all the way up the creature's legs, but then he needed help.

The creature didn't want to give it. He refused to budge. Instead he pulled at the jeans, irritated. They ripped like paper in his hands.

The phone rang again.

"Fuck!" Lex lunged for the phone. "What?"

"Sir? The police have a warrant. What do you want me to do?" Melody sounded genuinely terrified this time.

"Shit."

"Sir?

"Send them to the basement first."

"Okay."

Lex hung up and dialed the lab. He could feel the creature hovering over him, trying to insert his cock again. Lex was between a rock and a hard place.

"Dr. Chang," the voice on the other end announced.

"It's Lex. Listen, the police are on their way down there. I want you to go to my lab and take the samples out of the thermocycler and put them in the security freezer. Do it now."

Lex hung up without waiting for a reply. The creature was inside him, fucking him slowly. Lex hadn't thought it was possible to wish that his partner had less of a libido, but he was wishing it now. He knew there was nothing he could do. The creature was stronger than he was, and he didn't comprehend their situation at all.

At least Lex had a few minutes to think. He pushed back against the creature, speeding up the pace. He had neither the time, nor the physical capability to endure a long fuck.

There was only one thing to do: leave. The creature had already shown, however, that he would not be clothed. He could not be shaved. They would have to make a run for it; Lex would pay the pilot well for his silence. He picked up the phone again.

Getting the creature to the rooftop was no problem at all. He followed Lex like a puppy, tugging at his shirt as if annoyed that it was in his way.

Lex's ass was sore, and he was in no mood for fucking around.

"Not now," he said. "Just come with me, then we can fuck all you want. I promise."

On the roof, the chopper was waiting, rotors spinning, making a terrific noise. The creature hung back near the door, afraid and unwilling to go any farther.

After all he had endured to get to Lex, why would such a simple thing intimidate him.

"It's okay," Lex shouted above the roar. "We're going somewhere safe!"

Lex tried to drag the creature, but he would not budge.

"I don't have time for this. Just come. Trust me."

The creature was still naked, wild, and unkempt.

Several police helicopters circled the building. If they didn't move quickly, they would be spotted. Perhaps they already had been.

Lex's worst fears were confirmed when one of the helicopters dipped lower, and an armed officer leaned out pointing his weapon.

"Fuck."

Going out through the basement tunnels was an impossibility, as was leaving through the ground floor exits. Lex couldn't believe he'd thought they could escape via the helicopter. He stood frozen in the doorway leading from the stairwell to the roof, shielding the creature with his body.

"We have you covered. If you try to kill Mr. Luthor, we will fire on you," a voice boomed from a megaphone in one of the helicopters.

So they thought the creature was holding him hostage. Lex wasn't sure if that was better or worse than if they thought he was trying to aid and abet a fugitive.

Either way, capture by the police or any other government body was unacceptable.

Before he could assess the limited options available to him, Lex was shocked to find the creature's arms around him in a tight grip. This is no time for sex, he thought. But then they were travelling at a dizzying speed, hurtling through the air. Lex's stomach felt as if it was trying to burst forth from his throat. Wind whistled into his ears, and his entire body hurt terribly.

And it was fucking cold.

Lex really regretted the day he had decided to become a scientist, instead of a businessman. He could have been sitting in Kyoto finishing up a meeting, on his way to the bath house for some fun with a few geishas.

Instead...

The projectile motion ceased. Lex felt the molecules of his body trying to regain equilibrium. He felt like he was experiencing the worst hangover of his life.

When his organs stopped lurching in his body, he thought he might be up to opening his eyes. Or maybe not. Despite the warm arms around him, he was freezing cold, and he really didn't want to know where the hell he was. Hadn't they gone off the side of an 80-story building?

He heard the creature's voice speaking in that strange tongue. Well, that was one thing. The creature was still there with him. Lex wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse.

He opened his eyes.

Great. He was in a cave. Somewhere. God knew where. The middle of nowhere. It was fucking cold and he was poorly dressed in a silk shirt and gabardine trousers.

Slowly, the creature released his hold on Lex and stepped away from him.

"Where are we?" Lex walked toward the entrance to the cave.

It was snowy and cold outside. If Lex had had to guess, he would have said they were in Canada, near where he had found the creature. How many minutes had passed since they had been on the roof? Five at most. Had the creature really covered all that distance in such a short time?

Whatever the specifics, the creature had gotten them out of a predicament. Even if the current situation could be classified as worse. And Lex couldn't even communicate with the creature.

The beast approached him and started pulling at his clothes.

"No." Lex jerked away.

The creature growled, his penis already growing erect.

"Don't you ever get tired of it? Is sex all you think about? I'm going to die out here and then you'll be sorry. You won't have anyone to fuck."

The creature embraced him, sniffing his neck. Lex struggled and, amazingly, the creature let go. Lex knew the beast was stronger, and could easily subdue him, yet he seemed to understand Lex's unwillingness. He stroked his cock, still growling, making what sounded like noises of frustration.

Lex glared, hugging himself, trying to hold onto any warmth he could, trying to think of a way out. Without the proper equipment, he would die within a few hours. A slow death. He needed the creature to take him back to civilization. He wondered what the creature would do if he just started walking.

The creature now seemed quite agitated. He paced the cave, jacking his cock. All of a sudden, much to Lex's surprise, fire shot forth from his eyes and charred the rock wall.

"Amazing," Lex murmured in spite of himself.

He hurried over to the spot. The wall was hot. That gave Lex an idea. Scoping out the cave, he didn't see any wood, but there were trees outside. All he had to do was get some branches.

In his excitement, he ran out into the snow, the creature close at his heels. Of course, there was no wood lying about; everything was covered in snow. Lex tugged futilely at a branch.

The creature saw what he was trying to do and pulled the branch down. Lex pulled at another, and the creature tore that one down as well. Soon they had amassed a collection of hefty pine branches. Lex was about to freeze to death, and he headed back into the cave. He knew the branches wouldn't burn as well as dry tinder, but it was better than nothing. He stacked the wood in the back corner of the cave, then pointed to the creature's eyes.

"Do it again."

All he got was a puzzled look. Lex sighed. He pointed at the charred spot on the wall, then at the creature's eyes.

"Light these on fire." He pointed to the branches.

Lex could see the thought beginning to form in the creature's mind. He stared at the pile of wood, a look of concentration taking over his face.

With a flare and the popping sound of pitch catching fire, the branches were lit. Lex huddled close, relieved to have some heat. The creature came and crouched beside him. Something seemed to occur to him, and he rose quickly, disappearing before Lex could utter a sound.

About a minute later, the creature returned with a freshly killed rabbit and tore it limb from limb while Lex looked on in fascination. When the creature offered him half of the dismembered animal, his fascination turned to revulsion.

"It's not cooked!"

The beast gave him a puzzled look, then bit into his half with gusto, blood running down his chin. Lex dry heaved against the wall of the cave.

Unappetizing as it was, Lex was hungry. He had to think of a way to devise a spit. The only other option was to put the meat on the coals to cook slowly. It would make for a dirty meal, but, finally, that was what he did.

The creature watched curiously as Lex went about his preparations.

It was some time before Lex's teeth stopped chattering. The cold was in his bones, deep down. He was tired. Even when the cold had left his body, he wanted nothing more than to curl up and rest.

The floor of the cave was rocky and hard, but Lex had no choice. When he lay down near the fire, the creature pressed up behind him, his cock hardening.

"Is that all you think about?" Lex asked again. He squirmed away while pushing the creature back with his hand.

The creature pressed up against him again.

"No!" Lex said vehemently.

The creature said something in his language, but didn't force the issue.

Lex hadn't thought about it before. Why would an animal have a spoken language? Lex hadn't heard much of it, but he already recognized a few words that had been repeated several times. It was like a human language, not just the simple grunts and whistles of ape species, but spoken words. Perhaps even verbs and nouns. That combined with the creature's inexplicable biology -- his cells were unlike anything Lex had ever encountered -- gave Lex pause. What exactly was he lying beside? What exactly had he let fuck him?

All Lex could think of was the Greek gods. Nothing on earth, nothing known to science, possessed the abilities of this creature. Nothing.

Despite his questions, Lex's scientific fervor was limited. If he'd been properly equipped for being out here, he might have been excited. As it was, he just wanted to go home.

"I said no!" Lex yelled, at the end of his rope, as the creature tried to grab his hand and put it on his cock. They had spent an awkward day together in the cave. Lex had only escape on his mind, and sex was the last thing he wanted.

The creature backed away, and Lex could have sworn there was hurt in his eyes. Then he was gone, in a blur.

Lex cursed himself. It wasn't good to anger the only thing that was keeping you alive. What if the creature never came back? What if he was fed up with Lex's refusals?

Lex stewed. And paced. And tried to think of a way out. And he cursed his 100,000 dollar education for not teaching him what to do when real problems arose. Huddled next to the dying fire, Lex wondered if this was truly his last day on earth.

It was then that he heard a faint tinkling, like crystals, or distant bells. He raised his head and discovered a strange spectacle.

The creature was standing at the entrance to the cave, shaking his head like a dog. It looked as if he had been swimming -- his hair was frozen into icicles, which clattered against one another with every shake. Bits of ice cracked and came loose until, finally, his hair was free of adornment.

When this was done, he straightened up and scanned the cave. His eyes fell upon Lex and he came forward slowly.

"I'm glad you're back," Lex said. His time alone, facing death, had given him some humility. He was shivering, cold and lonely.

The creature knelt and looked at the broken coals. In a flash, he disappeared again. Lex heard the snapping of branches, and knew that the creature was gathering more fuel for the fire.

He was back before Lex could form another thought. The fire was lit, and the creature sat beside him. Lex scooted closer. Though he'd just been out in the cold, the creature radiated heat, and Lex wanted some of it. The blood and stench of death were gone. The creature's skin was clean and radiant. Lex tucked himself under the nearest arm, and the creature pulled him close.

Lex wondered how long his body could take these spells of freezing. Each time, the cold seemed to reach farther into his bones. Being in the creature's embrace was comforting and warm. Lex grew sleepy.

The position had the opposite effect upon the creature, however, and Lex couldn't fail to notice his hardening shaft. The creature growled, low and insistent. Lex wondered how long he could refuse. Would the creature grow impatient and force him? There was no lube. And Lex doubted the creature had the patience to work up to having sex without it.

There were times when Lex hadn't wanted to have sex, but he had anyway. And there had been times he'd wanted to and his partner hadn't. He'd been on both sides. Survival had never been at stake.

Being stranded in the wilderness with no escape, living in a squalid cave... They weren't exactly amorous conditions. But Lex made the best of his circumstances. He leaned over and sucked the head of the creature's cock.

It was unexpected. The creature jerked back in surprise, but Lex moved with him, taking more and more of the shaft into his mouth. The rapid breathing above him conveyed both shock and excitement. There was no resistance. Lex continued to move, employing all of his considerable skill to get the creature off as quickly as possible.

Lex was a scientist, and he never stopped being a scientist. His mind was working overtime as he licked and sucked and scraped with his teeth. He was tasting and feeling and experimenting, testing sensitivity and temperature and flavor.

What he concluded was that the creature's body temperature was above that of a human being. His pleasure threshold seemed equivalent, but he had far more tolerance for pain (such as: being bitten). And when he came, Lex discovered that his semen had a unique flavor, similar in some ways to human semen, but much sweeter, and maybe slightly spicy. His cock, while large, was not as large as the cocks of certain porn stars.

When Lex finally unfurled from his uncomfortable position, the creature was gazing at him raptly, as if he had just performed a miracle.

"Not many deep-throating hookers out here, huh?" Lex said.

The creature growled again, and Lex wondered what he'd have to put up with next. The creature pushed him down to the floor of the cave, sniffing all the while. Sniffing at his armpits and his neck, then finally at his crotch.

Lex was hard, much to his surprise. He'd become aroused while pleasuring the creature. It was like some sort of sick porn flick.

The creature sniffed more intently, pressing his nose into the fabric of Lex's pants.

What the hell, Lex thought. He unfastened his belt and rucked up his shirt. It wasn't like anyone could see him having sex with this strange beast, this Sasquatch from the Yukon. It felt good, and Lex was a hedonist at heart. His zipper came down, and he pushed his pants and boxers over his hips before the creature could tear them. Nothing was worse than being stranded in the wilderness with only the clothes on your back. Except being stranded in the wilderness with no clothes.

The rock beneath him was cool, but not freezing. It was bumpy under his ass.

After some further sniffing, the creature sat back on his heels and regarded Lex's cock with uncertainty.

Lex wasn't really sure he wanted some strange animal trying to go down on him, so he took matters into his own hands, jerking his cock in a familiar rhythm.

The creature simply watched him, mesmerized.

When Lex came, splattering all over his belly, the creature repeated his earlier action and licked the come from Lex's skin. For whatever reason, he seemed to like both the smell and taste of Lex.

"Happy now?" Lex pulled his pants up again, and pulled his shirt down over his stomach. It was chilly without them.

The creature stood gracefully, looking down at Lex like he owned him. Lex sighed. He never should have given in.

It had been three days.

Three days without heat, without a bed, without proper clothing and food. Lex wondered if people were out searching for him. He wondered where they were looking, and if they'd found any evidence. Any at all.

Lex had refused the last few offerings of meat, even though he was starving. And he had refused further sex, even though the creature was clearly horny. It was the only way he could think of to communicate his desire to leave.

The creature said something in his unknown language.

Lex sighed. He had considered trying to teach the creature English, but that would take months, and it wasn't like there were many nouns around. What good would learning pine species be? Lex needed to return to civilization soon. He couldn't afford any long-term investments.

The creature grabbed him and held him in an iron embrace. He'd gotten the idea that Lex liked being held because Lex huddled against him at night for warmth.

Lex didn't want to be held now. He struggled and bit the creature, leaving no mark.

"Let me go," Lex said with gravity, referring to more than the creature's strong grip.

The creature led him to the fire and lifted a piece of cooked meat without flinching. He offered it to Lex, almost pleading with him to eat.

"No." Lex shook his head. He felt like a spoiled child.

Lex wrenched himself away and stomped off to the corner. He huddled against the back wall of the cave, cold but loath to go to the creature for additional warmth. The fire would have to do.

The creature watched him, and finally put the meat back down in the fire. He looked sad and lost, but Lex didn't expect an animal, a wild beast, was capable of feeling remorse for his actions. Nor did the think the creature capable of understanding his plight.

Therefore, he was surprised when, the next morning, the creature gathered him up in his arms, shielding Lex's face with his body, and sped off into the unknown.

It took longer for Lex to recover from the second whirlwind trip. Perhaps his body's reserves had been taxed by his stint in the cave. He was hungry and tired, and even thirsty because drinking snow was hard work.

When he did recover, however, he was alone. He had been dumped unceremoniously on the rooftop of the east Luthorcorp tower, exactly where he'd been when the helicopters had pointed their guns at him.

Slowly, Lex staggered to his feet. He looked around for the creature, but he was nowhere in sight. It wasn't as if civilization had given him much to desire. Lex was apparently the only thing from the real world that he wanted, strange as that seemed.

Lex dusted himself off to no effect. His clothes were ruined.

In a daze, he opened the rooftop door by pressing his thumb to the security pad.

Back in his penthouse, he undressed and got in the shower. The heat made him shiver in unfamiliarity. He just stood there, letting the water fall on him, letting the heat bring him back to consciousness.

He washed. He scrubbed. He brushed his teeth in the shower because he couldn't bear to get out.

It was good to be back.

He couldn't think beyond these small comforts.

After his shower, he dressed in a silk robe and walked barefoot to the kitchen. Much in the refrigerator remained unspoiled.

He ignored the phone when it rang. It was an internal call. No doubt one of his staff had discovered his thumbprint in the system. He didn't want to face them yet.

He poured some grape nuts and had them with soy milk. It was the most comforting thing imaginable.

Nourished, he was ready to begin thinking. The creature had clearly gone back to his home. Lex wasn't ready to give up. After all, the creature was a major discovery in the field of paranormal science. Lex wanted to continue his research, but he needed to be prepared. He needed proper clothes and supplies.

He would go back.

The phone rang again.

"Hi, Melody."

"Sir? Is it really you? I saw your print in the database and I wasn't sure if you were okay and--"

"Melody?"

"Yes, Sir."

"I'm fine."

"Where were you? The police have been searching. I hired several detectives..."

"It doesn't matter where I've been. I want you to call the police. Tell them... Tell them I was heading out on a top secret expedition, and my departure coincided with that other incident."

"But -- "

"Just tell them that."

"They saw you -- "

"They didn't see anything," Lex said firmly.

"What about that man? The crazy one who ruined the elevator? You know I had to have the whole thing replaced."

"You did the right thing. I'm giving you a bonus and a raise."

"But -- "

"I'm sorry, I don't know anything about the man who destroyed the elevator."

"You were with him."

"He was following me. I have no idea where he went."

"This doesn't make sense." Her little voice wavered.

"Melody?"

"Yes, Sir."

"You've done a great job. Now, I need to prepare for the next expedition. I want you to make me an appointment with Dr. Jackson for later today. Call me and let me know when."

"Okay."

"Goodbye." Lex hung up. The conversation had exhausted his resources. He padded to the bedroom and climbed under the sheets.

That's when he saw it. The creature's come. Traces of it here and there.

The sight made Lex inexplicably sad.

Lex had done some research on the various yeti and Bigfoot myths around the world. None, however, matched the description of the creature with whom hed had contact over the last week. Lex concluded that either he had discovered a new type of Bigfoot, or an altogether different animal.

What Lex wouldn't give for a DNA sample from a Nepalese yeti or from a more typical Sasquatch. If only he had something with which to compare the strange semen sample that he currently harbored in his freezer.

Further study of the semen had revealed a unique molecular structure, as well as several unidentifiable chemical elements.

What if the creature was simply a man who had been affected by radiation, or some other unknown force? But where did he come from? And why were there no others like him? Lex had seen the creature's cave, devoid of comforts and tools. There had been no sign of a companion either present or past. Had the creature been alone since birth? His very existence was a complete mystery.

Lex made preparations to return to the area, this time equipped with means of travel, so he might cover more area. He ordered a Snowcat, and plenty of fuel. It would be a few days before everything was ready.

In the meantime, Lex indulged himself in all the physical luxuries money could buy. He turned up the heat, he ate rich foods, and he called a few numbers from his little black book.

His visit with Dr. Jackson had been uneventful. Lex asked to have his blood tested, and it was done. There were no anomalies. No diseases. Everything was normal, except for Lex's white blood cell count, which was off the charts, and had been since his childhood accident. It was strange, actually, that the accident had occurred very near to the site of Lex's current investigation. His father had taken him up north in a bushplane to see a remote gold mine. On the plane ride, Lex had been fearful of their height and speed, and his father had reprimanded him.

Funny how he remembered small things like that.

After they had landed, Lionel had gone to see the mining tunnels with the foreman, and Lex had wandered by himself...

The meteor had affected him in many ways, not only taking his hair, but altering his body chemistry.

Lex reposed in his jacuzzi mulling this over. There was something there, just out of his mind's reach... The meteors had changed him...

Suddenly, Lex leapt from the hot water and pulled on a kimono. Without bothering to change or put on shoes, he hurried down to his lab. Dr. Chang, was reviewing the data from the Loch Ness Monster Lex had tracked earlier in the year.

She looked up in surprise when Lex burst through the door.

"Dr. Chang!"

"Mr. Luthor... Are you all right?"

"Help me. Draw some of my blood, will you. I need a sample right now." He shoved the sleeve of the kimono up over his elbow.

Regarding him strangely, she complied.

"What would you like me to do with it?"

"Give it to me," Lex ordered. Without a word, he strode out of the room and down the hall to his own laboratory.

It took only a few seconds to put a sample of his blood onto a slide and compare it to a slide of the creature's semen. Another odd characteristic of Lex's blood was the structure of the cells. The creature's semen appeared to have similar features.

Lex hypothesized that the creature was, indeed, a real man. Like Lex, he must have been present during the meteor shower, or a similar one. And like Lex, he had been irrevocably altered by his exposure to the meteorites.

Yet Lex did not possess the same characteristics as the creature. He was not immune to cold, nor did he display superhuman strength. A possible explanation was that the creature had been exposed to the meteorites for longer than Lex had.

Lex felt the giddiness that always accompanied a revelation. What he really needed to do was to return to the mine, to the site of the accident. Perhaps he could isolate the element in the meteors that had caused the changes.

Now Lex could hardly wait for his journey to begin. It was frustrating to have to wait for the supplies and the vehicles to be ready.

To pass the time, Lex invited Victoria Hardwick out to dinner. It would be nice to have sex with someone who spoke English, even if she was rather vapid. He liked leggy brunettes, and he hadn't seen Victoria in over a year, not since he'd met her at the Hardwick Industries holiday party.

Dinner was uneventful, and Victoria mocked the gusto with which Lex ate. He hadn't quite gotten over his recent deprivations. But it was all seriousness when they got back to the penthouse. Lex had Victoria's clothes off before they even reached the bedroom.

The thought of fucking her had excited him. Yet when he was inside her, his mind was elsewhere. Her moans and dirty talk were distracting, and he hated women who faked orgasms. Images of the creature kept intruding -- the force of his passion, the way he'd sounded when Lex had touched him, the way he'd felt when he'd held Lex down and carelessly thrust into him. Like an animal.

When Victoria had gone, Lex lay there for a while, not doing anything, his mind a complete blank. A helicopter circled overhead, and Lex idly wondered whom they were pursuing at this late hour. His mind drifted back to the creature. Was he all right? Had he returned to his cave? Lex imagined him sitting on the cold stone, alone and lonely. What a terrible life.

What if he really was a man as Lex now suspected he was? Perhaps the chemicals in the meteorites had altered his speech center, and that was why he spoke so strangely. The more Lex thought about it, the more it made sense.

The creature had a beautiful body, Lex thought. He remembered how it felt to have the creature inside him, big and hot, and pulsing with energy. It had been unlike any experience Lex had ever had. And he'd pretty much done everything there was to do.

Over the next two days, Lex indulged his sexual appetite in the extreme. His random hook-ups had often satisfied him in the past. He'd appreciated not having obligations or expectations. But, this time, each experience left him feeling disappointed. On his last night before departing, he called his favorite escort and had him come to the penthouse. It was one last attempt to get this strange feeling to go away.

On his hands and knees on the floor beside the couch, Lex tried to lose himself in the experience. It felt good to have someone's cock inside him, but he felt oddly detached. He stared out the window into the night as Ricky pumped in and out of him.

There was a sudden thump, and something moved on the balcony outside the window. Ricky was too caught up in his imminent orgasm to notice, but Lex tensed up, alert. It was then that he saw it: the creature. Crouching outside the sliding glass doors. Staring in.

Quickly, Lex straightened up and pushed Ricky away.

"What the fuck?"

"Get dressed. Get out of here. Hurry."

"What did I do?" Ricky demanded.

Lex picked Ricky's clothes up off the floor and shoved the bundle into his arms. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the creature pressing at the glass, pushing.

Just as Lex shoved Ricky out into the corridor, naked and confused, the sliding glass door came crashing in. Lex slammed the door of the penthouse and turned to face the creature.

He was breathing hard, growling, shaking his head. Before Lex could think, he was pinned to the floor, grateful for carpet, and the creature was sniffing him, an expression of consternation on his face. He seemed angry, though it was difficult to distinguish the creature's ordinary aggression from what was happening now.

The creature pawed him, examining every inch of his skin, smelling every part of him. Lex could do nothing but lie back and let it happen. He tried to put himself in the animal's -- in the man's -- mind. He must be jealous. He had marked Lex, and Lex had let someone else touch him. Had let several other people touch him.

Head between Lex's legs, the creature suddenly looked up. Lex shivered. What he saw in the creature's eyes was raw and wild.

"I'm sorry," Lex whispered, reaching out to touch the creature's face.

Then the creature was inside him, and it was lucky Lex had just been fucking someone else, because otherwise it would have hurt more than words.

It felt right, finally. Lex spread his legs, welcoming the creature's cock. He clung to the strong back, his head on the creature's shoulder, his face pressed against the unkempt hair.

After a few minutes, the creature came with a shudder. Lex continued to hold fast, petting the creature's back soothingly. He wondered why the creature had returned. Had he missed Lex? Did he plan to take Lex away again?

The creature rolled off of Lex and stared at him.

"If you're a man, then you can learn to speak English. I think you already understand me a little, don't you?" Lex caressed the creature's foot with his own as he spoke, thinking of how the creature had comprehended his needs and wants in the cave.

It was nice to look at the strange man's body in the light. The sculpted muscles, and golden skin. Lex touched his cock, stroking it lightly.

The creature knelt and picked him up.

"No." Lex struggled. "You're not taking me back there. Not naked."

But the creature was simply looking around, as if deciding something. In a moment, he headed down the hall toward Lex's bedroom. There, in the shadowy darkness, he placed Lex gently on the bed. Lex scooted up and turned on the lamp.

The creature sniffed curiously, then pulled back the blankets and sniffed the sheets. He looked at Lex.

"I've been busy," Lex said, guessing what the creature was smelling. The sheets had been washed, but he knew the creature had a sensitive nose.

The creature sat back on his heels, something like sadness on his face.

Lex didn't know why he felt guilty. It wasn't as if this wild, untamed beastman had any sort of claim to him.

"Are you going to fuck me again?" Lex spread his legs in invitation, and reached down to slide his fingers around in the slick fluid leaking out of him. With his other hand, he jacked his cock.

Instead of getting hard again, as Lex expected he would, the creature bent once more to sniff the sheets.

"They're gone now," Lex said.

The creature just looked at him.

Lex had had a lot of bizarre experiences in his life, but this was perhaps the most strange of all of them.

Slowly, the creature got up and backed away from the bed.

"Where are you going?"

Lex wanted him to stay. To fuck him again. And he hoped to get the creature down to the lab in the morning. His trip could be postponed.

The creature turned and disappeared into the hallway. Lex got up as quickly as he could and ran toward the living room.

But the creature was already gone.

Locating the site of the old mine was not an easy task. The crude, old roads hadn't been maintained, and they were buried in snow. The mining shafts were still there, though, as was the depression left by one of the larger meteor fragments. Lex and his team of scientists were able to unearth several large pieces of meteor rock for further study.

Wandering on the north perimeter of the site, Lex's metal detector beeped. He dug in the deep snow, chipping through layers of ice, until he finally found a small, octagonal disk. He studied it, noting the strange symbols etched on its surface. For some reason, he didn't want to notify the rest of the team of his find. He pocketed the disk after noting its location on his map, and lumbered on through the snow.

The disk puzzled him. Was it related to the meteor shower? More likely, it had been left here by one of the miners. There was something oddly familiar about the symbols. Lex had probably seen them as a child.

Lex sensed movement out of the corner of his eye, and he looked toward a stand of pines about 100 meters away.

There was no mistaking the face that peered hesitantly out at him.

Lex changed his direction, heading toward the creature. He'd had several days to think about the sequence of events at his penthouse. He had to keep reminding himself that the creature was human, not an animal. He was capable of human emotions. It was strange to consider that the creature could feel real emotions toward him, but that, apparently, was the case. He had betrayed the creature's trust by sleeping with other people.

Not that the creature owned him, Lex thought. But, still, he felt some remorse when he remembered the expression on the creature's face.

As he drew nearer to the trees, he glanced back toward the mining site, just to make sure no one was watching him.

In the protection of the pendulous boughs, the creature sat in the snow. He looked terribly forlorn.

"Hi," Lex said quietly.

The creature didn't say anything in his odd language, nor did he leap on Lex. Instead he looked at the ground. Lex recalled that the Inuit had more than twenty words for snow, and wondered if the creature did, too. He wondered what the creature would say if he could express what he was feeling.

Lex felt bulky and clumsy in his big parka and gloves. The creature was so graceful, his naked body perfectly comfortable in the snow.

Lex knelt beside him.

"Have you been following me?" He reached out and touched the creature's hair. He'd been somewhat repulsed by the tangle, thinking it dirty and oily. Before he knew that the creature bathed in the icy lakes somewhere. His hair was remarkably soft, even if not combed.

The creature still refused to look at him.

"I didn't know it would upset you," Lex said, wondering if the knowledge would have stopped him. He was surprised to realize that it might have.

Lex was frustrated. He'd rebuffed the creature's attentions before, but now he missed them. It seemed strange not to be spread out naked on the snow, taking the creature's cock inside him.

Lex took off his gloves and unfastened his parka, then unzipped his fleece. He took the creature's hand and placed it under his shirt, moving it over his chest. As always, he was shocked by the warmth of the creature's skin, its softness.

Cold air rushed into the space under his shirt, and Lex shivered. That got the creature's attention. He pulled his hand away and smoothed Lex's shirt back down before gathering the parka together to cover Lex's body.

"I don't understand how you can survive. Why aren't you cold?"

The creature met his gaze, and Lex held it, afraid to look away. He groped blindly for his zippers, closing up his fleece and parka.

Lex couldn't say anything that would comfort the creature, since they didn't speak the same language. Instead, he relied upon gesture, recalling something his mother used to do. He leaned forward, cupping the side of the creature's head in his hand, and gently kissed the bare forehead.

"You're probably wondering what I'm doing here with all these people," Lex said, talking to the creature as if he understood. He didn't want the creature to run away again. "I'm trying to figure out what made you the way you are. I was affected, too. I was here when the meteors fell."

Lex sat beside the creature, shoulder to shoulder, waiting for the creature to put an arm around him. But the gesture never came. Lex took the disk out of his pocket. "I found this. Do you remember it?"

Lex wasn't looking at the creature's face. He only saw the creature's hand as he reached for the disk. Then he said something in his language. Lex tilted his head up and saw an expression of wonder on the creature's -- the man's -- face.

"You recognize it, don't you?" He wondered what had happened to the man's parents. He must have been just a boy when the meteors fell, the son of a miner, maybe. But why hadn't he been cared for? Why had no one found him?

Suddenly, the creature was scrambling to his feet.

"Don't go," Lex said.

Still clutching the disk, the creature gathered Lex up in his arms, and sped off.

Well, Lex thought, at least I have warm clothes this time... He was prepared to find himself in the cave again.

Indeed, when they came to a stop, and Lex opened his eyes, swaying dizzily, he was in a cave. But it was a different cave, a smaller one. Lex hunched to avoid hitting his head on the rocky ceiling.

Beside them, on the ground, was a strange object. Lex's first thought was that it was a container of some sort, like a safe, or a chest. The metal was smooth, and marked with symbols that matched the disk.

The creature looked at him, excitement plain on his face.

"What is it?" Lex asked, kneeling beside the object. He noticed an octagonal depression on the surface.

The creature knelt beside him and, as if reading Lex's thoughts, placed the metal disk into the depression.

Lex wasn't sure what he expected, but he certainly didn't expect the object to glow. He could feel the heat from the energy and the light it emitted. A panel appeared in the smooth surface of the metal and after a moment, it slid open.

A light display, like a hologram, appeared above the open container, and strange characters like the ones on the disk moved across the display.

Beside him, the creature was speaking, reading the words, and Lex somehow understood him. It was like being in a dream, where suddenly you were given the ability to speak ancient Greek, but when you woke, the ability had been taken away.

"Kal-El, son of Krypton, you are the last of our race. You have been sent far away in the hopes that you will survive to carry on our name."

The display went on to describe the battle that had decimated the planet of Krypton. Images of a man and woman appeared and spoke. They told Kal-El of his destiny: to rule over the people of earth.

Beside Lex, the creature was silent, reaching a hand out to try to touch the images. There were tears in his eyes.

Those were his parents, Lex realized. This was Kal-El. Not the son of a miner. Not a Sasquatch. Not an animal.

An alien.

No one had found him. No one had taken him in, as his parents had hoped.

The hologram showed Jor-El and Lara (Lex understood those were their names) placing a small boy, a toddler, into the metal carrier. His ship.

Then Lex remembered. He had met that boy. Older -- perhaps, because space travel took time -- but the same. When the meteors had come down, there was much confusion. People running, screaming. Lex had been in horrible pain. He remembered opening his eyes to see a small boy, naked and unharmed, walking toward him, kneeling, touching his face before he'd blacked out.

He'd always thought it was an angel.

The hologram went blank and silent.

For a long moment, Lex didn't say anything. Then something occurred to him.

"You remembered me."

The creature -- Kal-El -- stared at him. Lex realized he was speaking in English. Even though he had understood the voice on the hologram, only a few words of the language remained in his brain.

Kal-El looked sad. His gaze returned to the ship, and he touched it, as if hoping for more.

Lex reached out and caressed his face, then, possessed by an unnameable instinct, he gathered Kal-El into his arms. They stayed that way for a long minute, Kal-El's long hair tickling Lex's face. Finally, Lex withdrew, feeling slightly awkward. Kal-El seemed reluctant to part, and he gazed at Lex with longing.

"What's this?" Lex asked, trying to divert Kal-El's attention. He picked up a small, round object from the floor of the ship. It was a golden ball, almost like a rattle. It made tinkling sounds when Lex shook it. "It must be your toy."

Kal-El took the rattle and studied it.

He's an alien, Lex thought, still absorbing the fact. Lex had discovered many unusual things during his tenure as a scientist of the paranormal, but an alien was like the Holy Grail of scientific discoveries. He would have to convince Kal-El to return to the lab with him.

Lex realized that his crew would be wondering where he was if he didn't go back soon. He was loath to leave the ship behind, but, clearly, it was safe in this cave, and Kal-El knew where it was.

The only problem was keeping the alien a secret. Lex had known from the start that he needed to protect the creature -- Kal-El -- from the outside world. That need was even more pressing now.

"Will you take me back to the mines?" Lex asked, gesturing outside. He walked, stooped, to the entrance of the cave, then stepped outside.

When he looked back, he saw Kal-El removing the disk from the ship. The door slid shut, and the ship appeared seamless as it had before. Kal-El emerged from the cave holding both the disk and the golden ball.

"Do you want me to hold onto those for you?" Lex asked, extending his hand. He wanted to study the objects, and, besides, Kal-El had nowhere to keep them safe.

Kal-El placed the objects into Lex's hand. He trusts me, Lex realized, even though I betrayed him.

Lex pocketed his finds, then put his arms around Kal-El's neck. Kal-El seemed to understand, and within moments they were speeding through the cold air.

"Will you come find me later?" Lex asked when Kal-El had set him down in the grove of trees.

Kal-El just looked at him.

"Later," Lex said. "I'll be in the cabin where you first found me. Do you remember?"

This inability to communicate was frustrating, especially since Lex now knew the creature's origins.

Lex had an idea. Reaching under his parka, he removed his watch, the one his mother had given him. He fastened it to Kal-El's wrist.

"That's mine. It's special, so don't let anything happen to it. You'll come find me." Lex was confident that Kal-El would appear later.

Lex backed away slowly. Kal-El made a move to follow him.

"No. Stay." Lex held his hand up, as if talking to a dog.

Kal-El stopped.

Lex plodded through the snow, heading back toward the others. He would send them back to Metropolis to study the rocks. He would tell them he wanted to learn about his own physiology. They didn't need to know anything else.

In his cabin that night, Lex studied the extraterrestrial objects. What did the symbols mean? Perhaps, if he taught Kal-El to speak English, he might be able to translate. The rattle was etched with even more intricate hieroglyphics. If it was a toy, it was an elaborate one. Every square centimeter of space on the orb was covered with tiny symbols. It was unusually heavy for its size. Lex shook it gently, marvelling at the beautiful sounds that came from within. Almost like bells.

As he had anticipated, Kal-El appeared at his window. He made no attempt to let Lex know he was there. It was only by chance that Lex turned and saw the creature's face pressed against the glass.

Instead of letting the creature in through the window, Lex went to the door and opened it. He called out.

"Kal-El."

The alien was at the entrance before the words were completely out of Lex's mouth. The speed at which he was able to travel was simply amazing. Lex pulled Kal-El inside and closed the door.

Kal-El immediately began sniffing him, as if suspicious he had been with another. Or perhaps to reassure himself that Lex still existed. He didn't, however, pull Lex's clothes off to initiate a sexual encounter. Lex wondered if he ever would again, or if Lex's body was now sullied in some way he couldn't understand.

Lex never would have predicted that he could miss the attentions. It was upsetting to think that Kal-El might not want him anymore.

"I sent the meteor rocks back to the lab for testing," Lex said. He'd been afraid to keep them in the cabin in case they were radioactive. "Maybe we can learn something about your planet."

Lex sauntered over to the bed, casually removing his fleece and tossing it over the back of a chair. He sat on the bed and looked at the creature, who was watching him intently. Lex pulled his t-shirt over his head, then checked to see if there was any reaction.

Kal-El looked slightly distressed, but he was getting hard, Lex saw. Lex lay on the bed and lifted his hips to push his pants down. He kicked them onto the floor.

"Please," Lex said softly. "I want to."

Kal-El was stroking his cock, staring at Lex with yearning.

"It's okay." Lex reached for the lube and slicked his fingers.

Before he could even touch himself, Kal-El was beside him, growling deep in his throat.

"Yeah," Lex murmured, reaching for Kal-El's cock.

It was strange, he thought, as Kal-El entered him, how right it felt to be filled this way. There was something forbidden about it, a thrill similar to screwing girls in the coat room during his father's holiday parties. But there was also a way in which Lex felt completed, filled in a way he'd never been before.

The creature -- Kal-El -- still wanted him. Lex relaxed, lying back on the bed, opening himself up to Kal-El's desperate thrusts.

The next day, he would figure out how to get Kal-El to the lab. There were still many questions to answer...

It had taken some effort to convince the creature to stay the night, but Lex had succeeded. They had lain on the small bed, spooned together until morning.

Lex had pondered how to get Kal-El from the provinces to the laboratory in Metropolis. For obvious reasons, the usual methods were impossible. Kal-El would not stand for being caged or clothed, and Lex refused to let others know what he had in his possession. He had no choice but to trust that Kal-El would come to Metropolis by himself.

As they parted ways, Kal-El was anxious and clingy. But he stayed put as Lex climbed into the Land Rover and drove away.

Back in Metropolis, Lex hoped he had done the right thing. There was a chance that the alien wouldn't follow him. As a precaution, Lex had ordered a new mattress and new bedding for the master bedroom. The rest of the house had been meticulously cleaned by the servants, and the smashed sliding glass door had been replaced.

That night, Lex waited on the balcony in the cold. Bundled in a scarf and several sweaters, he waited. And waited.

Finally, when he was about to give up and go inside, he heard a rush of wind, and Kal-El was standing before him, naked and pale in the darkness.

Lex set his bourbon down on the glass patio table and stood quickly. He couldn't explain why he was so overjoyed to see the alien.

"Come in," he said, leading Kal-El by the hand.

Kal-El was hard by the time they got to the bedroom, and Lex had to work quickly to remove his layers. Kal-El sniffed cautiously, remembering, but appeared satisfied that all traces of Lex's other lovers were gone. Thinking back, Lex didn't miss them at all.

When Lex woke, he felt lazy and comfortable. The alien was like an electric blanket, warm and accomodating. With a hard cock. Lex could feel it pressed against his back. He'd have to take care of that. He hoped his body would allow it. Two rounds the previous night had worn him out. He'd never had so much anal sex in his life.

Not that he was complaining.

He had big plans for the day, including brushing the alien's teeth. For someone who had lived like a wild animal, the alien was remarkably clean, but his mouth was another story.

Then they would go down to the lab and Lex could get the data on the meteor rocks...

It was as Lex was formulating these big plans that Kal-El woke with a start. He sat up, glancing around the room.

"It's okay," Lex said, turning over.

Kal-El looked at him, nervousness plain on his face. This had happened the morning at the cabin, too. The alien wasn't used to waking in unfamiliar places, it seemed.

Lex sat up and ran his hands over Kal-El's chest, and down to his erection.

"You have a very nice cock, you know." Lex rubbed the pre-come with his thumb.

Kal-El growled, his morning nervousness replaced by lust. Lex smiled. In some ways, the creature was entirely predictable.

Lex felt like Hercules, faced with twelve impossible tasks, as he forced the alien's jaws open and inserted the toothbrush.

Kal-El made noises of protest, struggling a little.

In the end, though, he was devoted to Lex, and he let Lex have his way. Lex's inner scientist was amazed by the condition of the alien's mouth. Despite a lifetime of neglect, there was no tartar, and no rot. It was as if the alien had teflon teeth. Lex brushed them thoroughly, and did not fail to spend some time on the creature's tongue as well.

Afterwards, he drew a bath, and climbed into the deep tub with Kal-El. He'd had his staff purchase shampoo and conditioner, and he worked first one, then the other, into Kal-El's hair and scalp. Then he combed the strands smooth. Kal-El had submitted, once again with protest.

But when Lex tried to clean his cock, he lay back happily, without objecting. Lex washed under the foreskin, and behind his testicles, probing gently with his fingers. When Kal-El became erect, Lex straddled him, hovering, then settling slowly, letting Kal-El's cock fill him completely.

Kal-El surprised him by not taking control of their coupling. He gazed at Lex as Lex moved up and down, reveling in how fucking Kal-El made him feel. It was strange, but despite the cursory nature of their sessions, despite the lack of making out, and the absence of finesse and technique, Lex was satisfied in ways he'd never been with other partners. There was no fakery in Kal-El's actions, no deceit in his words (as far as Lex knew), and no ulterior motives in his attraction to Lex. He was fully present, focussed on Lex, and, in a way, Lex always knew what he was thinking.

Lex had to admit that the facial hair still weirded him out a little, though he was growing accustomed to it. It was simply so wild, covering all of the alien's face, completely obscuring his mouth and jaw. But the rest of his body was beautiful, muscular and sculpted, like the statue of David. With a bigger cock, Lex thought appreciatively, as he rode Kal-El to orgasm.

Each time they fucked, Kal-El seemed to grow more curious about Lex's body. As they relaxed in the bath, he reached down and stroked Lex's erection, staring at it through the soapy water.

Without warning, he lifted Lex by the hips and sat him on the edge of the tub. He drew close to Lex's cock, studying it, as if it were some strange animal he'd never encountered. Lex held his breath wondering what Kal-El would do. He had to admit, he was a little nervous, even though Kal-El had never really hurt him.

Lex almost laughed when Kal-El mouthed the tip of his cock, more curious than anything. The hair on Kal-El's face tickled his thighs. After a moment, though, Kal-El seemed to get used to the feel of having something in his mouth, and he began to move with more ease. He had only had one blow job to learn from, and it hadn't been Lex's best work -- he'd been in a cold cave, isolated and upset -- but Kal-El had been paying attention, and he performed admirably, making Lex come in a matter of minutes.

Lex suspected he'd been the victim of a few alien tricks. It wasn't humanly possible to move one's tongue that quickly. Lex supposed there were some advantages to having sex with one's alien scientific discoveries.

Kal-El had been nervous in the elevator, perhaps fearing a repeat of his first day in Metropolis. He wore one of Lex's kimonos, sniffing the soft fabric now and then, as if comforted by Lex's scent.

Once in the lab, his nervousness didn't cease. He glanced around warily. There were no windows, and Lex suspected Kal-El felt claustrophobic.

"Sit here," he said, indicating an office chair. He intercommed the other lab.

"Dr. Chang," one of Lex's scientists said over the line.

"It's Lex. Any results on the meteors?"

"The radiation levels are low. Slightly higher than your average city building, but nothing to worry too much about."

"Anything else?"

"I've just begun the trials on the mice, as you suggested."

"Great. Send me a rock through the chute, please," Lex said.

A moment later, a thunk alerted him that something had arrived in the interlab transport chute. Lex took the cannister out of the vent and opened it to remove the rock.

Suddenly, Lex heard a crash behind him. When he turned around, what he saw made his heart clench in his chest.

Kal-El lay on the floor of the lab, writhing, in agony. Lex dropped the cannister and the rock and fell to his knees beside Kal-El.

"Shit! What's happening?"

Kal-El's veins were bulging, glowing green.

"Talk to me! Fuck!"

Lex felt for Kal-El's pulse, whose range was normally between 100 and 150 (250 after sex), and found the rate so elevated that he couldn't even count the beats.

Lex held Kal-El still, trying to keep him from panicking.

"I'm fucking teaching you English, dammit!" Lex frantically, tried to think of what might have brought this on. What if it was an allergic reaction to bagels and cream cheese, which they had eaten for breakfast? Maybe he needed an antihistamine shot. That would calm him down, too.

Lex scrambled to his feet and loaded up a syringe. Then remembered the creature's invulnverability. He would have to try. If it couldn't be injected, it could be ingested.

Lex knelt again, and placed the needle against Kal-El's skin. Amazingly, it went in. Lex depressed the syringe and waited. Nothing happened.

Kal-El was trying to tell him something, trying to indicate something with his eyes. Lex followed the direction of his gaze. There was the tipped-over cannister, and the meteor rock.

Something clicked in Lex's head. The green glow in his veins. It was the same color as the meteor rocks.

In a daze, Lex got to his feet and walked to the counter. He picked up the rock, then turned to face Kal-El.

"Is it this?"

Kal-El winced in pain. Lex took a few steps forward and Kal-El's reaction worsened. Needing no further prompting, Lex dropped the rock into the cannister and sent it to Dr. Chang's lab.

When he turned back, Kal-El was lying still, breathing rapidly, flushed and sweating. Lex knelt beside him, stroking the hair away from his face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I didn't know."

He kissed the moist forehead, regret filling him. He had caused Kal-El pain. Sliding his hands under Kal-El's shoulders, he helped him to sit up.

"Are you all right now?"

He felt for Kal-El's pulse. It was fast, but no faster than after they'd had sex. That was a relief. Lex didn't know what he would have done if Kal-El had died.

"Come on. Let's go back upstairs."

Slowly, Kal-El got up. He seemed normal now that the rock was gone.

As they rode up to the penthouse in the elevator, Lex realized something: he'd been able to pierce Kal-El's skin. The news reports had shown Kal-El invulnerable to bullets. Slamming through the sliding glass door hadn't left a single cut. But when exposed to the meteor rock, his skin had offered no more resistance than Lex's.

The thought should have excited Lex. He now had a way to take blood samples. And a way to control Kal-El, to keep him captive.

The thought should have excited him, but it didn't. It only worried him. What would have happened if he hadn't figured it out? What would happen if someone else learned of Kal-El's abilities and his weakness? What if someone wanted to hurt him?

Lex felt duty-bound to protect his find. That was what he told himself. It had nothing to do with how peaceful Kal-El looked lying in his bed in the sunlight. It had nothing to do with how Kal-El touched him, or how it felt when he was buried inside Lex. It had nothing to do with the overjoyed expression on his face when Lex returned to a room. And it certainly had nothing to do with the fact that he would follow Lex anywhere, or that he trusted Lex with his life.

When Lex woke from his post-coital nap, Kal-El wasn't beside him. Lex sat up, disoriented.

Kal-El was sitting in a corner of the bedroom, holding the golden ball from his ship. His attention was so focussed on the ball that he didn't notice Lex waking.

"What are you doing?" Lex asked, getting up.

"Lex!" Kal-El said, his eyes lighting up.

Lex hadn't wasted any time. After the incident in the lab, he had immediately begun teaching Kal-El English.

Lex crossed the room, still naked, and sat next to Kal-El. Observing the ball, he noted that it had nearly doubled in size. He wondered if it was some sort of egg. Did it need to be incubated?

Kal-El handed the ball to Lex. Lex cradled it gingerly, afraid that he might damage it. It seemed to weigh the same despite its increased size. There was so much about Kal-El that remained a mystery. If the object was an egg, would there be another alien hatching out of it soon? There was one way to find out.

"Let's go back down to the lab," Lex said, standing.

Kal-El suffered himself to be clothed in a kimono. Once Lex was dressed, he led Kal-El to the elevator. As if he knew where they were headed, Kal-El balked outside the elevator doors.

"It's okay. I know now, and I won't hurt you." Lex rubbed Kal-El's back through the dark purple silk.

Kal-El relented and stepped over the crack and into the elevator. When they reached the lab, Lex paged Dr. Chang.

"Yes, Sir."

"I'd like you to take some flakes off of one of the meteor rocks. I'll come get them when you're done."

"Of course, Sir."

Lex hypothesized that tiny amounts of the rock wouldn't harm Kal-El, but might allow Lex to draw blood.

In the meantime, Lex spread gel over part of the golden orb, and placed the ultrasound paddle on the spot. Kal-El watched the proceedings with interest, but didn't appear nervous about Lex's handling of the "egg."

What appeared on the screen was not what Lex expected. There was no fetus. No curled up miniature of Kal-El. Instead, the orb was cluttered with strange crystals. They lacked definite form, and they swayed as Lex moved the ball. He wondered if this was how alien fetuses looked. Or if this was something else entirely. Perhaps studying Kal-El's blood would provide a clue.

Despite his curiosity, Lex vowed not to puncture the egg. He knew nothing about its physiology and didn't want to do irreparable damage.

The intercom buzzed.

"Dr. Luthor, I have the flakes ready for you," Dr. Chang intoned. "Do you want me to send them through the chute?"

"No. I'll come get them."

Lex wanted to see the quantity of flakes in order to avoid a repeat of the earlier meteor trauma.

"Stay here," he told Kal-El, using a hand gesture to indicate what he meant.

"Lex," Kal-El said, worried.

"It's okay. I'll be right back."

Still, Kal-El made an odd sound as Lex left the room.

Lex strode quickly down the corridor to the other lab on the west side of the building. Inside, the noise and smell of mice assaulted his senses. Dr. Chang was conducting trials with a serum made from the meteor rocks.

"The trials are underway, Sir," Dr. Chang informed him. "So far, there have been no fatalities. The mice appear to be doing well. It's too early to say anything more detailed."

"Good. Write up a report at the end of the week. And let me know if you observe anything unusual."

"I will." Dr. Chang handed Lex a vial of meteor flakes. "Is this enough?"

Lex cringed inwardly. It was too much of the rock, but he didn't want to give away his purpose. He would stop in one of the empty labs to transfer a portion of the flakes to a different vial.

"Perfect. Thank you," Lex said.

"What are you doing with them?"

"Just looking at their structure," Lex said, trying to sound casual.

"Oh."

Dr. Chang knew something was afoot. Crystalline structure was not a matter for Dr. Lex Luthor. Lex let it go. His employees were used to the fact that he was somewhat secretive.

Lex headed for the door. He hated being among all those mice.

When he arrived back at his lab with the reduced quantity of meteor flakes, he could hear Kal-El pacing. He opened the door and Kal-El leapt at him, pressing him to the door, sniffing at his neck.

Lex clutched the vial, and let himself be assaulted. It was strangely arousing to be greeted so enthusiastically -- Kal-El had worried about him.

"It's okay," Lex said soothingly. "I'm back. I wouldn't leave you here."

Lex could feel Kal-El getting hard, the silk of the kimono doing nothing to disguise his erection. Stretching as much as he could, Lex set the vial on the counter and opened Kal-El's robe. The creature never seemed to tire of sex. It was incredible. Lex wondered if Kal-El's libido would ever decrease.

Kal-El was pulling at Lex's shirt, growling.

"Not now," Lex said, pushing Kal-El away gently. "We have things to do."

Kal-El looked at him beseechingly.

"You're a horny yeti," Lex said with a smile. "Just give me fifteen minutes, then we can go play."

The truth was, Lex was sore, and needed some recovery time. It had only been two hours since the alien had last fucked him. Lex never would have thought he'd have more sex after his clubbing days. Even back then, his body had sometimes tired of the constant activity.

"Sit here." Lex directed Kal-El to the chair.

He noted that Kal-El was still erect, touching himself. He'd have to be quick.

Lex removed a few flakes from the vial and opened a new syringe. Placing the flakes on Kal-El's skin, Lex inserted the needle and drew some blood. The procedure appeared to have no negative effects upon Kal-El who simply observed with interest, temporarily forgetting about his erection.

When Lex removed the meteor flakes, Kal-El's skin healed immediately. Lex's hypothesis had proved correct. His success gave him another idea. He placed the blood sample in the refrigerator for later study, then found a sharp pair of scissors in a drawer. Carefully, he glued several flakes of the rock to the scissors.

Kal-El came up behind him, peering over his shoulder as he worked. It was distracting having the alien so close, and so warm. But Lex managed to finish his task.

"Sit," he said again, guiding Kal-El to the chair.

Then he began to cut. Very carefully, gathering small bunches of hair, he cut close to the skin. He started with the beard, unable to contain his desire to see the alien's face.

When the first lock came away, Kal-El reached for it, fascinated.

"Hair," Lex said. "I'm going to cut it all off. I hope you don't mind."

Lex retrieved a clean ziplock bag and put the hair inside. As he cut more and more of the hair, he stored it all in the bag for later study.

When one side of Kal-El's face was clear, he reached a hand up and tentatively felt his cheek.

Lex smiled. And kept cutting.

Before too long, Kal-El's face was exposed. All that remained was stubble, what would be a two-day growth on a human. Lex stood back and regarded the alien's face for the first time. He was lovely. His jaw, strong and chiselled. His lips, full and red. Lex had felt those lips around his cock, but had had no idea how beautiful they were.

"Wow," Lex murmured. Even the sexy club boys he'd fucked as a teenager didn't come close to Kal-El. The alien was breathtaking in every way.

Only one thing remained.

Lex had never cut anyone's hair, but the tangle had to go. He wanted to be able to see everything. He cut at random, figuring the shaggy look would suit Kal-El best. Each lock was placed carefully in the plastic bag. Soon, that task, too, was complete.

Kal-El had been transformed.

"Let's go upstairs," Lex said, his mind no longer on scientific pursuits. Kal-El took his outstretched hand and followed him to the elevator.

When Kal-El caught sight of his reflection on the mirrored elevator walls, he pressed his hand against the glass in surprise, touching the image of his face.

"You're gorgeous, you know that?" Lex said. He couldn't stop himself from touching. Cheeks and lips and jaw. It was all so new, so startling.

Kal-El ran a hand through his newly shorn hair. Then he did something he'd never done before: he traced Lex's scalp with tentative fingers.

"Hair," Kal-El said, puzzled.

Lex was incapable of response. No one had ever touched him so tenderly.

When the bell dinged, alerting them that they had reached the penthouse, Lex backed out of the elevator on auto-pilot. The security system scanned his retina, and then they were in the penthouse. Kal-El had already discarded the kimono, and was busy pulling Lex's clothes from his body.

They left a trail of garments in the hall as they headed toward Lex's bed. Lex fell back naked onto the duvet, arousal thrumming through every inch of his body. He didn't know what it was. He'd always enjoyed sex with Kal-El, but, at the moment, he wanted it more than he could express.

Kal-El watched as Lex prepared himself. He knew now to wait. He knew that Lex would tell him when he was ready.

As Lex slid his fingers inside himself, he almost came from the sensation. With his free hand, he touched his cock, massaging it slowly. Through his half-closed eyes, he could see Kal-El, sitting back on his heels, fully erect, completely fixated on the spectacle in front of him. Suddenly, Lex couldn't wait. He couldn't stand it. He jacked his cock with quick motions, going for results. At the same time, he pumped two fingers in and out of his ass. It was too much. His orgasm came in waves, one after another, pulsing through his body.

He didn't have time to recover. No sooner had the last wave passed than Kal-El was entering him, thrusting with abandon, growling, chanting, "Lex, Lex," the first word hed ever learned. And Lex's legs were wrapped around Kal-El, pulling him closer as their bodies moved in tandem. Lex's insides were raw, but he didn't care. Pleasure raced like heroin through his veins as Kal-El continued his frantic motions.

After Kal-El came, they lay in a sweaty, sticky heap on the bed. Panting, but otherwise silent.

Lex could feel Kal-El's stubble rubbing his sensitive skin. He moved his head a little so he could look again at Kal-El's face. He hadn't yet gotten over the wonder of it. The newness of seeing the fine features that had been hidden from him for so long. He traced Kal-El's bottom lip with his finger, then, possessed by a strange impulse, he drew Kal-El closer and kissed him.

Kal-El pulled back in surprise.

"Kiss," Lex said, smiling. Kal-El had a pretty mouth.

Lex did it again, flicking his tongue against Kal-El's lips. Kal-El didn't know how to kiss. Didn't know what kissing was. But Lex would teach him.

Kal-El shifted his weight off of Lex, his spent cock slipping from Lex's tired body. In the afternoon sun, against the deep blue of Lex's sheets, Kal-El was perfect. He stared at Lex, unblinking.

"Kiss," he said, touching his mouth.

Then he pulled Lex closer to rest against his chest. Lex had never been a cuddler. He didn't like what it connoted. Didn't like to give the impression of involvement. He'd always made excuses, or had simply told his partners he had to leave. But Kal-El didn't know what it meant. Lex had let him stay the night. Had let him spoon up against him in sleep.

Lex allowed himself to be enfolded in the strong arms.

It was peaceful there.

Over the course of the next few days, Lex discovered a great many things. Already, the meteor-derived serum was having an effect upon the mice. Dr. Chang noted both increased aggression, and high immune function, though rarely both in the same subject. Wanting to cover all of his bases, Lex sent a team of scientists up to the mine site to search for additional clues, or animals that might have been affected by the rocks.

The other area of discovery was the orb, which had continued to grow. Kal-El seemed increasingly absorbed in the object, and would sit for hours contemplating it. Ever the scientist, Lex hooked Kal-El up to a sensor and found that he radiated a great deal of energy when near the orb. Not surprisingly, the orb shared Kal-Els sensitivity to the meteor rocks. The ultrasound revealed shifts in the crystals when chips of the green rock were placed nearby.

If the orb was indeed an egg, it was the strangest egg Lex had ever seen. Whatever it was, it had a hold on Kal-El, and Lex found himself worrying that the orb was somehow sapping Kal-El's strength. Was it coincidence that it continued to grow the more time Kal-El spent with it?

Yet Kal-El seemed to suffer no ill effects from his obsession. He continued to molest Lex with exhausting frequency, ate six large meals a day, and learned English at an impressive rate.

"What is it?" Lex asked, as he had asked every day for the last few days.

Kal-El regarded the golden orb, which had grown to the size of a basketball. "I don't know," he said. It was his favorite answer to any question.

"Don't you have any idea?"

Kal-El just looked at him blankly.

Lex took the ball from Kal-El's hands and put it in the corner.

"Would you like me to read to you?" Lex asked. He had discovered something Kal-El liked as much as sex and eating.

"Yes," Kal-El nodded enthusiastically.

He got up and climbed under the blankets. Lex discarded his clothes and climbed in beside him, grabbing the book from the nightstand. Kal-El's arm circled around him out of habit. Lex burrowed in and opened the book.

"All through the long night, Gilgamesh wept for his dead friend. At the first glow of dawn, he cried out, 'Enkidu, dear friend, dear brother, you came to Uruk from the wilderness,
your mother was a gazelle, your father
a wild ass, you were raised on the milk of antelope and deer...'"

Lex continued to read as Gilgamesh mourned the loss of his lover. It was a sad story, and his voice faltered a little. Beside him, Kal-El listened attentively, even though there was much he didn't understand. Lex loved that Kal-El would listen for an hour while he read. It had surprised him. At first, he'd thought Kal-El simply liked the sound of his voice, but then it had become clear to him that Kal-El understood some of the words, and felt the emotional current of the story as conveyed by Lex's tone. He was an amazing creature, far more intelligent than Lex had at first suspected.

When Lex closed the book, Kal-El turned to him and said, "Sad."

"Mmm." Lex laid the book aside and wrapped himself around Kal-El's warm body. "It's a classic hero tale. Those are always sad. The hero often loses someone important."

Kal-El's skin begged to be kissed, and Lex worked his way down to a nipple, circling it with his tongue. That was all it took to get Kal-El ready. He wormed his way out from under Lex, growling.

"No. Lie back. I'm going to teach you something."

Lex pushed Kal-El onto the sheets, so his head rested on the pillow. Kal-El watched him with wide eyes, waiting.

"There are other ways to have sex, you know."

"I like sex," Kal-El asserted.

"I know you do." Lex smiled, amused by the words Kal-El had chosen to learn.

Lex smoothed his hands over Kal-El's chest, loving the feel of his skin, so smooth and flawless. He tweaked Kal-El's nipples, watching as they hardened. Lowering his body, he rubbed Kal-El's erection with his own.

"I like you," Kal-El said.

Lex smiled again. He wasn't accustomed to such forthrightness from his lovers.

"What do you like about me?" Lex asked, combing his fingers through the hair under Kal-El's arms. The caress made Kal-El squirm.

Kal-El growled and thrust against Lex. He grasped Lex's hips to lift him into position.

"No. Not yet. Lie still."

Lex knew he couldn't tease for much longer. Kal-El wasn't used to exercising restraint. In fact, Lex was impressed with how well he was doing. He kissed his way down Kal-El's abdomen until he reached the head of his cock, which lay flush against his belly. Lex hadn't done this since the time in the cave. Kal-El had always been so aggressive, pushing Lex into position with no thought for other possibilities.

But Lex would teach him that there were different pleasures to be had. Now that he wasn't freezing and stranded in the wilderness, he could give Kal-El's cock the attention it deserved. He took the head into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it, then used his teeth to scrape against the corona. Out of his sight, he could hear Kal-El making little whimpering noises. Lex stopped what he was doing and looked up, absentmindedly rubbing his thumb against the slit at the tip of Kal-El's cock.

"Do you like that?"

"Yes," Kal-El said. "I like you. Mouth."

"You like my mouth?"

Kal-El nodded vigorously. Lex grinned and returned to his task. He used his teeth a lot more than he usually did, knowing he couldn't hurt Kal-El. He was receiving plenty of positive feedback on the technique. He increased his pace, taking more and more of the shaft into his mouth. All the while, he massaged Kal-El's testicles with his free hand, stroking and teasing the soft skin. When he sensed that Kal-El was getting close, he stopped what he was doing and crawled up so they were face-to-face.

Kal-El thrust against him. "No," he complained.

"Sh. Trust me."

Lex lined up their cocks and began to move. He hadn't touched himself while sucking Kal-El off, but he'd found the act so arousing that he was ready to come. He kissed Kal-El desperately. Their tongues thrashed against each other, teeth clashing, biting. Lex tasted blood, and then he came. He could feel Kal-El's arms wound tightly around him, holding him close, their hips grinding together.

Afterwards, they both lay there. Lex could feel himself sliding around in the wetness and the heat. He felt lazy and sated, and didn't want to get up, not even to wipe himself clean.

"I like that," Kal-El said.

"I thought you might." Lex kissed Kal-El's jaw, which was once again obscured by hair. He hadn't cut it since the first time, and it had grown to just over a quarter inch. Hazily, Lex reminded himself to take Kal-El down to the lab in the morning for a haircut. Lex liked to see the lines of his beautiful face. That was his last thought before he fell asleep.

When Lex woke again, it was morning. He shifted in the sun, comfortable, and reluctant to get out of bed. He tried to sense where Kal-El was -- he could usually feel the heat radiating from his body -- but couldn't. He opened his eyes. When he didn't see Kal-El beside him, he turned over, expecting to find him. But he wasn't there.

Lex sat up. He wasn't panicking, he was just surprised. Since Kal-El had come to the penthouse, they had slept together, and had woken together in the mornings.

Kal-El was not in the corner with his ball.

In fact, the ball wasn't even there.

Lex bolted out of bed and strode out into the hallway. The living room was also empty, as was the kitchen.

"Kal-El?" Lex called, though he knew no one would answer.

His heart raced, and panic tugged at his gut. Many thoughts flew through his mind as he dressed in the nearest clothes. His first impulse was to check the lab, even though a thumbprint was needed in order to use the elevator. It seemed erroneous to think that Kal-El would go down there without him.

Indeed, the lab was empty.

Puzzled, Lex went back upstairs. He examined the sliding glass doors and the balcony. The sliding glass door was unlocked, but closed. Lex thought he'd locked it the day before. It was cold out, and there was no need to have easy access to the balcony.

Trying not to lose it, Lex turned on the television in case there was a report of a strange, naked man terrorizing the city again.

Half an hour of channel surfing revealed nothing but the vapidity of the media.

Lex began to panic. He checked the security logs, but there was nothing unusual in them. The surveillance tapes likewise showed nothing out of the ordinary.

Pacing his living room, Lex tried to think where he would go if he were Kal-El. It was bizarre. Kal-El had seemed so devoted to him. Had followed him around like a dog. Had braved the city, for God's sake. Had travelled hundreds of miles to find him.

Why was he gone?

Even if he had become homesick for his winter wonderland, he would have said goodbye. Or he would have taken Lex with him. Something. He wouldn't just disappear.

What if someone had discovered what Kal-El was? What if they had kidnapped him? But Lex was the only one who knew Kal-El's weakness. There was no surveillance in the lab. Not that he knew of.

The slim chance that he was wrong entered Lex's head. He tore down to the lab, screwdriver in hand. Everything was just where he had left it. The hair samples, the blood, everything. But Lex wasn't convinced. Inch by inch, he went over every surface, unscrewing light fixtures, instrument panels, and cabinet doors. When he was done, the place was a wreck, and no spyware had been found.

Dr. Chang was the prime suspect, if there was one. But Lex found her in the lab tending to the mice, who were exhibiting unusual abilities, such as extremely high success rates in the mazes. Lex nodded distractedly as Dr. Chang raved about her mice.

In the end, Lex had to admit that Kal-El had likely left of his own accord. He hypothesized that his departure had something do do with the golden orb. The ball had been absorbing much of Kal-El's energy and attention over the last few days. Lex had almost been jealous.

Perhaps the orb really was some sort of offspring, and Kal-El had needed to go somewhere to tend to it.

Disheartened, Lex wandered back up to the penthouse. He wasn't hungry, but it was eleven o'clock, around the time when Kal-El needed one of his large meals. Lex idly opened the refrigerator and found it chock full of food. He had given the cook a paid vacation so he and Kal-El would have privacy. He'd never been talented in the kitchen, but Kal-El didn't seem to mind the simple meals he prepared.

A pang hit Lex as he removed a carton of juice from the fridge and poured himself a glass. Kal-El always followed him closely in the kitchen, shadowing him as he prepared their meals. He was endlessly curious, and would take bites of anything Lex set on the counter. Oranges, eggplants, raw pasta, tofu... Some things he had liked, and others he had rejected. He had a fondness for fruit of any type.

Lex missed him just then, as he sipped his juice. There was no one hovering near him, waiting for him to share.

They had only been together for a few days...

Lex chided himself. Kal-El would no doubt be back, and then he could continue his experiments. And even if Kal-El never returned, Lex knew alien life existed. He had hair and blood and semen samples. He still had the disk. He could go back and find the spaceship. His research was not lost.

That night as he lay in bed, Lex felt oddly lonely. At another time in his life, he would have picked up the phone and made a few calls. He knew he could have someone beside him within the hour. But he didn't pick up the phone. Not only did he fear the consequences should Kal-El return, but he also had no desire for the companionship of the people in his little black book.

He curled around the extra pillow, breathing deeply against the fabric. It smelled like Kal-El. Lex hugged the pillow close and tried to sleep.

Two days later, Lex was beside himself. He refused to stand idle any longer. He picked up the phone and arranged for transportation back to Canada.

He would find the ship and bring it back to Metropolis, Lex resolved, as he plodded along on his snowshoes. He'd brought a sled so he could drag the ship back to the mine, the nearest outpost of civilization.

He suspected that the ship wasn't far from the mine. The trip, even at Kal-El speed, had only been a couple of seconds. Lex thought he remembered what the mountain looked like, and he'd seen several likely candidates from the bushplane. The locations were too rocky and uneven for a landing, and the pilot had dropped him off as close to the first site as he could.

Using his GPS, Lex kept track of his position as he ventured farther and farther from the mine and his drop-off point. It was foolish to head out like this, into the unknown, without a specific destination, or any real idea of how long he'd be out in the wilderness. He had packed enough food for two weeks, reasoning that, even with food, he would never survive longer than that in the cold.

The mountain had proven to be the wrong one. From the air, it had looked correct, but now that Lex was slowly circling it, he realized he had been mistaken. The GPS indicated that the second mountain he'd designated from the air was only twenty-two miles northeast of his current position. Two days' journey in the deep snow.

Doggedly, Lex kept on. He rebuked himself for his carelessness. He had never lost one of his discoveries before. The problem was that he had become too emotionally involved in the situation. What scientist had sex with the object of his study? It was an irrelevant question since no one had ever studied a sexy alien with a very attractive cock. At least not to Lex's knowledge.

Lex wished he had been able to calculate Kal-El's exact rate of travel. It would have made his life easier. Could he travel faster than sound? How had Lex even survived the incredible speeds at which Kal-El had run?

As Lex circumnavigated the second mountain, he realized that it, too, was not right. The ship was not there. And Lex had been snowshoeing along for five days.

He thought about how many mountains there were in this region and how alike they all looked. He could be searching forever. He might never find the ship. And what if Kal-El returned to Metropolis to find him gone? What would happen then? Would Kal-El know to come looking for him here?

Would Kal-El ever come back, Lex wondered.

By the end of the week, all the mountains began to look the same. Lex had rarely failed in his life, but each of his failures had been documented in detail by his father. For instance, MIT's rejection of his application for graduate study. Lionel had forced him to go over his application to discover what he had done wrong. He'd had to rewrite the essay to Lionel's satisfaction. The only thing that made the entire process bearable was that his father had refrained from buying him a place in the program. It was a small consolation.

As he plotted his course toward the third mountain, he began to feel like a spiritual seeker on a vision quest. He liked the cold, and the driving wind. When he was out like this, he felt like he had a purpose in life. He was looking for something important. His life had worth. Otherwise, what was he besides a rich freak?

At a certain point, he realized that he'd passed the point of no return. He no longer had enough food for the journey back to the mine.

In his isolation, he'd come to think of this quest as the thing that kept him alive. He knew that if he turned back without finding the ship, he would hate himself for failing. He could hear his father's voice telling him that he couldn't even succeed as a scientist of the ludicrous.

So he went on.

He was terribly cold. No human was meant to live in the elements like this. No human, Lex thought to himself. He was still human, even if the meteors had given him the remarkable ability to heal from any injury. Even if they had given him an immune system of steel.

He was cold, and he thought often of Kal-El. How pleasing it had been to look at his face first thing in the morning, and how he had liked their baths together. He remembered how curious Kal-El had been when Lex first showed him books, and first read to him. It was strange to consider the fact that Kal-El was his latest scientific discovery. Somehow, he had become more than that.

Lex dreaded returning to his empty penthouse. He preferred being in the middle of nowhere, in the wilderness. He wondered if he would die. If anyone would find him.

As the twelfth day passed, his fate became clear. No one could save him. No one was searching.

Lex sat on his sled in the snow and surveyed the contents of his pack.

He was alone. He hadn't yet found what he was looking for, and his supplies were nearly gone. He didn't think this was what his father had in mind when he'd taught Lex about sacrifice and single-mindedness.

All around him, there was silence, echoing silence. Branches bowed down in soft waves, heavy with snow.

Lex was alone. He didn't feel like eating, even though the food was there. The truth was, he'd lost the will to live. His only real, human connection was with an alien who could barely speak, and who had casually killed people in a rampage through the city. That was whom Lex missed the most. An alien. And he hadn't even been able to sustain that relationship.

Alone. As he'd always been. He settled himself against the trunk of a fir tree and waited. For what, he didn't know.

Lex had had quite a few near-death experiences, but they had all been quick, brought on by natural disasters or murderous ex-boyfriends.

Freezing and starving to death were slow processes. Lex had a lot of time to think about his life, and what it had meant. He had time to consider whether he was satisfied with the things he'd done, and with the choices he'd made.

He had tried to diverge from his father's morally ambiguous footsteps, and had chosen his own path. As a scientist, he tried to maintain ethical standards, even when the opportunity to abuse his knowledge arose. Admittedly, though, he had failed on several counts.

In some ways he had unconsciously imitated his father. His father who had never formed loving relationships, not even with Lex's mother. His father who had abused Lex verbally, sometimes physically, and who had never displayed affection. Lex had learned early to protect himself from being hurt, and had adopted his father's errant ways with women. And men.

As Lex pondered the mystery that was his life, he could feel himself growing weaker and weaker. Could feel himself fading into the snow that fell all around him. It was a noble death, dying in pursuit of a scientific breakthrough. On a quest. In the back of his hazy mind, Lex wondered what had become of Kal-El, and if he would be all right. Part of him wondered if Kal-El would miss him, and the other part insisted that he would do no such thing.

Lex didn't believe in heaven. He didn't believe in God or angels. He didn't believe in the afterlife, despite his forays into paranormal phenomena. He believed that his body would simply return to the earth, and his consciousness would return with it.

Thus, when he awoke in a strange, soft bed, he decided he'd have to revise his views. He was in heaven. It was warm, and the light was hazy and diffuse. He was naked and, as he moved, silky fabric rubbed against his skin.

But he felt like hell, and that destroyed the illusion.

He saw Kal-El approaching, a concerned expression on his face. Lex knew it wasn't real, though, because Kal-El was clean shaven, his hair neatly combed and cut. He looked majestic and self-possessed as he sat on the bed beside Lex.

"Kal-El," Lex said, his voice nothing more than a whisper.

Kal-El smiled, but it was a sad smile. He helped Lex to sit up.

"Drink this," he said, bringing a cup to Lex's lips.

Lex drank, thinking he must be in some sort of dream. When he had consumed all of the strange liquid, Kal-El set the cup aside.

"I'm glad to see you," Lex said. "Will you lie down with me?"

"I cannot do that," Kal-El replied stiffly.

Lex was confused by Kal-El's strange demeanor, but the whole experience was so surreal, and he was so tired, that he simply closed his eyes and went back to sleep without giving it another thought.

When he woke again, he was alone, and much more alert. Surveying his surroundings, he saw that he was in a large room unlike any he'd ever seen. All of the walls and furniture were made of metal. The only interruption to the smooth surfaces was a series of instrument panels. Above Lex, a domed glass ceiling held the darkness and the falling snow at bay.

"Kal-El," Lex called out softly. He wasn't scared, but he wanted to see the familiar face of his friend.

Kal-El appeared in a doorway and strode across the room without a sound. He was naked, but still neatly groomed. Lex's watch had not been lost, but adorned Kal-El's wrist, amazingly intact.

"You are awake," Kal-El said. "How do you feel?"

"You speak English now," Lex observed. He was having trouble wrapping his mind around all of this.

"Yes. The A.I. taught me. We are in my fortress."

Lex concentrated his thought processes, trying to make sense of Kal-El's words. "Does this have something to do with the golden ball?"

"Yes. I transformed the ball using the power of my mind. I was supposed to do it when I was a child, but something went wrong, and I did not have the golden ball when I left the ship. The A.I. was supposed to raise me and shelter me as I grew."

Given all he knew about Kal-El -- his amazing abilities and his origins -- Lex shouldn't have been surprised. Yet the entire thing was miraculous. He was lying on a bed inside a strange building created by an alien's mind. He didn't understand how it was possible, but he had learned long ago to stop needing hard evidence of the way things worked.

Kal-El seemed strangely sad, and there was something so different about him. Lex couldn't put his finger on it. He reached out to take Kal-El's hand, intending to pull him into the bed, but Kal-El resisted.

"The A.I. has taught me many things besides English," Kal-El said. He stood up and stepped away from the bed.

"Come lie with me and tell me." Lex missed Kal-El's warm embrace. All during his lonely trek, he'd wished he had Kal-El beside him.

"On my planet, we did not touch. We did not mate the way people do on earth."

"How did your people have children?"

"There were laboratories where children were grown. I was grown in a laboratory. And whe