Superman For Sale, Part 2
Sorry, this took so long. Had sorta painted myself into a corner literarily and getting myself out of that took longer than I had thought it would.
Let me know what ya think...
Title: Superman for Sale
Author: D.M. Wyatt
Pairing: Clark/Other (implied), Clark/Lex
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Physical and Emotional TC, graphic descriptions of adult sexual content, BD/SM, future fic, post rift
Spoilers: None
Short summary: This is from Clark's POV and starts soon after Clark originally disappeared and takes us up through Lex's conference call with Clark's captor that ended the previous update.
(Find Part 1 HERE).
2 of about 15...
~6 days earlier~
Clark woke with a huge headache. He didn't often have headaches and this one was a whopper. It felt like his whole head was throbbing, keeping time with his heart beat. The light was dim and he couldn't understand where he was at first.
It was then he remembered the bank robbery...
Or rather, he remembered the staged bank robbery.
He had finally realized that the money hadn't been the real goal way too late.
Once the men he'd been chasing had him where they wanted him, they pulled the lead covers off of their kryptonite gel canons and surrounded him in the air. Thanks to the pain and weakness the exposure to kryptonite caused, he had nearly fallen from the air right then and there, so he had been lucky to have missed getting shot by their gel canons for as long as he did.
With his flight ability nearly gone, he had desperately tried to get far enough away from the kryptonite to escape the effects it had on him. He would gain some ground, recovering partly, only to be surrounded again. Their bikes were just too fast and maneuverable and, even though they kept missing, they shot too much kryptonite through the air near him.
The sky seemed full of the gel at times and it was only chance that allowed Clark to dodge the squirts of sticky stuff. However, his luck had finally run out when one of them had managed to hit his cape... The gel stuck, despite the cape's almost magically stain resistant fabric.
He gasped with the pain and nearly fell from the effects of the kryptonite but managed to stay aloft, if only barely. He reached into his suit and managed to unhook the cape and drop it before his ability to fly totally left him. However, as the cape fluttered free of his body some of the gel had rubbed off onto his legs.
It felt like acid, it burned so badly, and he could barely fly. Despite a real loss of speed and height, Clark had somehow managed to continue to dodge the jets of liquid pain, but he felt it was only a matter of time before they succeeded. He had avoided several more arcing ropes of gel shot from the canons, but one of the men managed to hit Clark in the back with a squirt of the neon green goo.
In agony and barely conscious, Clark fell. It seemed to take forever to fall the several hundred feet to the ground. He landed hard, but barely registered the shock on his body. Woozy from the concussion and in pain, his vision narrowed and dimmed, he could only moan and look on as the rocket powered cycles landed all around him.
He had been dazed enough that he'd had trouble concentrating on what was going on, but he'd been aware enough to be alarmed when one of the men dismounted and pulled his gel canon from his bike. He could barely move, but Clark managed to roll over. He didn't know what these men wanted with him but he didn't want to wait around to find out, he had to try to get away. The man gave Clark a smug look as he easily pushed him over onto his back with his booted foot.
"No, you don't. Superman... the bounty on your head is going to make us all very rich men." Clark could do nothing as the man smiled, lifted the weapon and pointed it at Clark.
When the gel hit Clark square in the chest, the agony pushed him into oblivion.
Clark sighed at the memory...
He lay in a large bed next to a large open window. A soft, warm breeze made the curtains billow gracefully into the large room.
Clark raised his eyebrows in surprise when he looked around the room. He was actually not restrained at all. Clark pushed the covers off, surprised he wore only pajama bottoms, and sat up. He realized that someone had bathed him and washed his hair since he had to brush a very Clark-like stray curl out his eyes. He took stock of his physical condition and frowned.
He felt... weird.
Clark wasn't sure he could really describe it, it was almost like he had bugs crawling all over his body, but there wasn't anything there. He focused and x-rayed himself. There was nothing touching his skin aside from the pajama bottoms and the bed he sat on.
The sensation didn't really hurt but it was bothersome. He rubbed at his skin in an attempt to alleviate the irritating feeling, but it was like an itch that he couldn't scratch. Clark couldn't understand what was going on because there was no apparent source for it. Clearly, kryptonite wasn't a factor since there was no pain and he didn't feel weak and nauseous. Unable to do a thing to stop the prickling sensation, he decided to ignore it and turned his attention back to the room he was in. Being totally unrestrained perplexed him.
He'd been kidnapped yet they put him in a room that was surprisingly free of kryptonite and he lay in a bed next to an open window. It would be so easy to just fly away. Confused by that, he just shrugged and focused. He wanted to see if he could find his suit before he left. Even though it would be missing the cape, the suit was a big enough hassle to make he didn't want to lose one if he could avoid it.
The house was a big one, a mansion really, and the rooms around him were filled with costly things. He rubbed his skin, trying to absent-mindedly relieve the prickly sensation he was feeling, as he visually searched the house.
Two women were walking up the stairs toward the room he was in. One carried his uniform in her hand, the other carried his boots, and they held each other's free hands. The men who had captured him were just leaving the building and one of them carried a large briefcase. He checked. It was filled with money.
It must be the payoff for bringing him to her.
Clark's anger built up and he wanted to find some answers about why she'd brought him here, why she was paying out lots of cash for him. She was coming up, no doubt, to tell him her plans and why she went to so much trouble and expense to have him captured.
He sighed. Clark really hated it when the bad guys 'monologued' him.
It was so... trite, but he decided to wait to see what she had to say anyway.
He stood facing the expensive solid mahogany door and put on a very Supermanly scowl. The biggest thing that ruined the look was his un-gelled hair getting into his eyes. Annoyed by the absence of Superman's trademark coiffure, Clark again brushed a stray curl out of his eyes and crossed his arms over his bare chest.
The two women hugged and kissed in a very intimate fashion. Clark arched his eyebrow, surprised by that. The women stepped into the room. The one holding his uniform came in first with the other woman right behind her. The first woman smiled when she saw him standing there.
"Did you sleep well, my pet?" She stopped just inside the door and gently held the suit in front of her.
Clark arched an eyebrow. "My Pet? I am not your pet, besides I don't think I was so much asleep as unconscious." He scowled at her. "Who are you?"
"You can call me 'Mistress'."
Clark almost snorted, that was so over the top, but managed to keep his derision to again arching an eyebrow. "Okay, Mistress... can you tell me why you had me kidnapped and brought here?"
"You are here to serve me, my pet. That is all that need concern you."
Clark was skeptical. "You didn't go to the trouble of capturing me just to make me your house boy." He looked significantly at the second woman, who shrank under his gaze. "I don't appear to be your type, so you must want something more."
"From you? I want nothing except obedience, my pet. From Lex Luthor, I will want a great deal." She held up the stone and caressed it softly with her thumb. The prickling sensation across Clark's skin became stronger; almost painful. "And I expect he will gladly pay any price I set to get hold of this stone."
Clark didn't know what the rock had to do with anything, or why it seemed to make the strange sensations on his skin feel worse, but he knew Lex wouldn't pay to free him. It was absolutely ridiculous for her to even think that. "Le..." His voice cracked and he was glad. He had been about to call Lex 'Lex'... He wouldn't want her to realize that he actually had been friends with Lex once, even though they'd since become enemies.
Clark cleared his throat and dropped his voice down into a more Supermanly tone. "Luthor would never ransom me. He's probably glad you've taken me out of his way."
She smiled. "Oh, but I won't ask him for ransom. I'm selling you to him."
Clark blinked.
"Selling me?"
She smiled up at Clark. "Yes, I imagine he would pay almost anything to have you under his control as I do."
Clark's anger became mere annoyance. This woman was clearly insane. Clark wasn't under her control. There wasn't any kryptonite anywhere nearby. He sniffed, no longer wanting to hide his derision. "You should get professional help..."
In the blink of an eye, Clark had taken his suit and boots and dressed, leaving the pajama bottoms he'd been wearing in shreds on the floor. She didn't seem at all surprised by his sudden change of apparel and she smiled up at him.
He didn't care how much damage he did, it served her right for kidnapping him even though she was obviously deluded. So, with an effort of his will, Clark shifted his gravitational field and flew straight up, punching through the roof.
To say he was surprised when he didn't get very far would be a huge understatement.
Clark stopped still in the air as if he'd run to the end of a rope tied around his waist. It was like he was tethered to the house, but there was nothing visible holding him in place. He could feel a phantom rope tighten around his waist and even felt the tug of the line that kept him from flying away, but there was nothing to grab; nothing to break. Frustrated by this, Clark screamed as he flew as hard he could against the invisible tether but it did him absolutely no good.
He looked down at the women below him and they looked up at him smugly. Determined to break whatever it was that kept him from flying away, Clark applied even more effort to flying away but it was useless. He didn't move a single inch further away from the house.
The woman who'd spoke watched him for several minutes, apparently not at all concerned about his attempt to leave. "I would come back into the house if I were you, my pet."
Getting tired from his exertions, Clark spoke between gasps as he still continued to struggle against the invisible restraint. "What is this?"
The woman smiled and held up the stone. "Magic, my pet."
"I am not your pet." Clark fought harder to pull against the phantom rope that held him. His captor frowned at him, held up the stone, and Clark's head exploded with pain. So surprised by the unexpected pain, Clark suddenly was in complete agony, he forgot to keep flying. He dropped back to the floor at his captor's feet.
He was confused by what was going on, there was no apparent source for the agony. Only kryptonite had ever been this painful, but he didn't feel weak or nauseous at all and that somehow that made it worse. He was healthy, but in torment. She looked down haughtily at him as he gasped on the floor. He asked in between hitches in his breath, "What're... doing... to me?"
"I'm making a point. You don't do what I ask, you feel pain." She touched the stone again and the pain disappeared. Clark breathed in deeply, finally able to catch his breath and he looked up at her; his anger growing. "You will learn to obey me, my pet. I can guarantee it."
Clark grimaced and moved to stand but she shook her head. He frowned.
"No, my pet. You will always be on your knees when I'm around. You're very tall and I'm very short. I do not like looking up to give you instructions... Besides, it underscores your new role here."
Clark's voice dropped and he growled at her, "I bow to no one." Slowly and deliberately, he stood.
She frowned up at him but he didn't wait to see what she'd do next because he sped from the room. Clark thought that he might have more leverage on the ground and might have better luck breaking the magical restraint. He ran down the steps and headed toward the front door. Clark knew he'd soon reach the limits of the spell and he was right. He didn't even make it outside before he hit the end of the invisible rope. He stopped dead in the middle of the mansion's foyer.
He pulled as hard as he could against the restraint but it was no use. It didn't matter how hard he pulled, he even cracked the hardwood floorboards under his feet, and he still didn't budge one micron closer to the door and freedom. He screamed in frustration as he heard her voice in his head as if she were standing next to him.
"Stop testing the limits of the spell, my pet. There is no escape."
"I won't just sit still and let you treat me like this!" Clark tried even harder, breaking several of the floor boards as he tried to pull his way through the door that was so tantalizingly close, yet so far away.
He heard footsteps coming down the steps. He braced himself for more pain and she didn't surprise him.
The pain hit him like a ton of bricks but he ignored it as best he could and continued pulling against the magical tether that kept him where he didn't want to be. He faltered a bit when the pain got worse and he was having trouble breathing, but he wasn't going to let a little pain keep him from trying to escape.
He was surprised when the magical tether suddenly lengthened. He wasn't free, but he was closer to the door by several feet. He felt gratified by that. It looked like he could free himself by sheer brute force so he kept on pulling.
The pain disappeared unexpectedly, but what happened next surprised him almost more than anything else ever had. He dropped to the floor as if he'd been a puppet whose strings had been cut.
His arms and legs had just stopped working. He landed on his side, one arm caught beneath him, and he tried to roll over so he could sit up or stand, but he couldn't.
Confused at not being able to move, he tried hard to "tell" his arms and legs to move but they wouldn't budge... Strange, but he wasn't sure he was doing it right. It was as if he couldn't remember how.
He looked up at her as she approached and he was thoroughly perplexed.
Her face had an odd look to it as she held one hand toward Clark. A halo of dark green energy encircled her hand and a strand of it stretched to his body and wrapped around him in its eerie light.
She smiled, but it was a strained, her face tense, her voice flat, "Forgotten how to move, my pet?"
Shocked at how right she was, Clark wanted to deny it but somehow couldn't. His head refused to shake and his voice somehow couldn't form the words he wanted to say to her. He could only sigh deeply in protest when she knelt down next to him and pushed him over onto his back.
"You've got a much higher tolerance for pain than most... The torment I was putting you through has made other men sob like babies and promise to do anything I want if only I'd stop the pain, but not you." She smiled again as she softly brushed dark curls from Clark's eyes. "Forgive me for making you forget how to move. I had to stop you, my pet. I can't have you ruining my house." She sighed softly as Clark could only look on, completely powerless to do anything.
"I think I'm going to have to rethink the sorcery that binds you to me and to this stone...." She gently cupped his cheek in her hand. Clark couldn't move away from her touch, but he grimaced and looked up at her. She looked tired, as if the magic she was wielding over him was a difficult to sustain.
"But I'm going to need something from you, my pet. A deeper binding spell will require use of your true name." Clark felt something slip into place inside his head and his voiceless sigh became a moan. He remembered how to talk. "What's your name?"
Clark was confused. "I'm Superman."
She frowned and leaned in closer to Clark. "No, I need you to say your name, not what the newspapers call you. So, I ask again: What is your name?" Her hand felt warm against his cheek and Clark felt strangely impelled to tell her, but he managed to just give his birth name instead.
He spoke in a soft whisper, "I'm Kal-El of Krypton..."
She looked at him, perplexed. "That is the name your parents gave you at birth, isn't it? But there is no power in those words. It's not how you think of yourself so it's not your True Name." She again rubbed his cheek and the urge to comply with her demands got stronger. "What is your name?"
He didn't want to reveal his name to her but still he replied softly, "Clark Jerome Kent."
She smiled broadly and when she repeated the words of his name, using the exact same intonation and tone he did. "Clark Jerome Kent..." Clark could feel the power in his name when she spoke it. Powered by her magic, the sounds and power of his name reverberated throughout the room.
She smiled down at him. "That is your True Name. Thank you, my pet, speaking that will give the spell I will weave over you more power."
She looked up as the other woman approached. "He's going to sleep now and I will need him moved back upstairs."
Clark wanted to protest that he wasn't tired, but his eyes became heavy and started to drift closed as his breathing deepened. He was falling asleep even though he wasn't the least bit tired. Confused again, Clark's eyes fluttered open and he looked up at her.
"I'm not sleepy..."
"Sleep anyway, my pet. It will give me time to rest and collect a few things I need for my new magical weaving without worrying about you trying to escape again."
Clark's eyes again closed and he could do nothing to stop the sleep that overcame him.
~:::~
When Clark woke next, he was in a dark room he hadn't seen before. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten there.
He had a vague sense of something being wrong but couldn't remember what.
He felt that there was somewhere else he needed to be, but he couldn't remember where. Clark sat up and looked around, confused.
A woman he vaguely remembered seeing before sat in a chair next to the bed he was on. He looked at her, confused at why she was there and why he couldn't remember her, but she smiled warmly at him.
"How are you feeling, my pet?"
Clark thought for a moment. His face screwed up in confusion. "I feel a little bit fuzzy, mistress..."
Her smile broadened for reasons Clark didn't understand, but she pointed to the floor at her feet. "You'll feel better over here, kneeling at my feet, my pet."
Clark scowled. He didn't see how that could be. Something about it felt... off. However, he wanted to feel better. He listened to her heart, it was steady. She was telling the truth so he climbed out of bed and knelt at her feet as she'd requested.
And he did feel better sitting at her feet. However, there was a part of him that was saying how wrong it was too. He ignored that because it felt good to be next to his mistress so he leaned his head into her fingers as she caressed his hair.
"Very good, my pet. See how good that feels?" She continued to caress his hair as she spoke again. "Now that you've been tamed, I have some things I need you to do and tomorrow, I have a phone call I need to make."
~:::~
The rest of that day, and a better part of the next, had been spent doing as she wanted him to do.
The tasks she set to him weren't difficult tasks, but he felt so much better after pleasing her. When he thought about why he was there doing her bidding, it bothered him but then she'd distract him with petty pleasures like something tasty to eat which she'd feed to him from her hand. Or she would give him a gentle touch or a warm smile.
When that didn't help when he got distracted or hesitated, the pain would remind him that he needed to obey quickly to make her happy.
He fixed some broken floor boards and patched a hole someone had made in the roof. He vaguely remembered seeing them before but couldn't imagine who would damage his mistress' house on purpose.
The time came for his mistress to make her call and she needed him to just kneel at her feet for reasons Clark didn't understand. He was glad that made her happy, however, so he eagerly knelt at her feet as his mistress' companion set up the video conference camera.
At least he was happy until he learned who she was calling and why.
Clark's anger cut through the fog she'd cast across his mind and he remembered how he'd come to be there what his mistress' goals were in kidnapping him. However, the pain she was now capable of causing him was far worse than it had been.
As Clark lay panting at her feet, the pain made breathing difficult, she explained, "Knowing your True Name gives me extra power over you, my pet... It made the spells I wove much, much more powerful. The pain I can give you profoundly worse than I'd been able to do before."
Clark had difficulty looking at her through his agony dimmed eyes. "Le.... Luthor won't pay a single dime for me."
"I think you're wrong, my pet, but the only way you're going to find out will be if you sit here at my feet. Only then will the pain stop."
Clark had to get the pain to stop, he couldn't think but he couldn't move without causing more pain. He groaned in agony as the pain that was already more than he could stand grew worse. The pain pushed him close to unconsciousness and Clark welcomed the coming oblivion. However, she must have sensed how close he was to passing out because the pain changed. It didn't stop or lessen, but the dark that had been pressing in on his vision retreated.
The strain of her controlling the spell showed in her voice and on her face. "Oh, I can't have you passing out. I need you awake and clearly under my power."
Clark managed to speak through clenched teeth. "I'm not completely in your power, or you wouldn't need to work so hard."
"True, my pet, but what he doesn't know will help me in my negotiations." She clenched her own teeth and, through an effort of her will, the pain got even worse, but the black still eluded Clark.
He had to get the pain to stop. Clark couldn't think and he was even having problems seeing. The torment was more than he could stand.
He cried out in defeat as he pushed up to kneel at her feet. The pain abated somewhat and Clark sighed in relief, finally able to take a deep breath.
"Place your head against my knee, my pet."
Clark did as she ordered and the pain further receded but wasn't quite gone. "I thought you said..."
"That's to help you stay focused on obeying me while I talk to Luthor." Her voice again became stern and the pain flared up. "Remember to call me 'mistress,' my pet, or the pain will come back even worse than before."
Clark nodded, in pure misery. Then she placed the call.
~:::~
"Mr. Luthor, I'm so pleased you took my call." As she talked, she caressed Clark's hair.
Clark's heart skipped a beat when he heard the angry voice of his enemy, his former friend. "I'm a busy man. Let's get to it. What is it that you want to sell me?"
She continued in her deep, throaty voice. "Just something that you've lost and I've found."
"Something you stole, you mean. There is only one thing that I'm missing that I want back. Is it something that wears a lot of primary colors? Is that what you're talking about?"
Clark didn't look up at her, but he could hear the smile in her voice.
"I'll show you exactly what I'm talking about." Clark could hear the video camera's lens motors whirr as the camera zoomed back, no doubt to show Lex Clark sitting at her feet.
She continued -- the gloat apparent in her voice. "I was right that you might want to buy this. Is this valuable to you?"
Lex tried to sound casual, but Clark could tell he was indeed interested. "He's a royal pain in my ass. He has cost me a fortune this fiscal year alone, so you've actually done me a favor. I'm glad that the alien is finally out of the skies, but why would I want to pay you for him? As far as I'm concerned, you can keep him."
Clark looked up at the witch when she held up a large sign that read 'Superman for Sale'.
"If you don't want to buy him, I'm sure I could find someone else who would. I might even put him up on eBay." She leaned forward. "His new owners might want to cause you even more problems than he has. You have even more enemies than he does." She dropped the sign and reached into her pocket. Clark couldn't stop a flinch when he saw what she had in her hand, but said nothing. Lex stayed silent.
She held up the stone. "I'm not sure anyone else would find this as valuable as you would."
Clark noticed the stone had a reddish brown stain on it that looked like dried blood. He frowned and his eyes flicked over at the monitor where he could see Lex intensely staring into the camera. Clark looked back to the stone in the woman's hand. Lex was clearly intrigued.
He asked, trying to sound disinterested. "What is that?"
"It's just a way to control the uncontrollable." She leaned over and whispered into Clark's ear. "Kiss my feet, my pet." Clark hesitated, unwilling to bend himself to her will anymore than he already had. He didn't want to do that in front of Lex, anyway, and she gently rubbed the stone with her fingers. The effect of that was instantaneous. Clark was thrown into complete agony.
"My pet, why do you make it so hard on yourself? You know that doing as I bid is the only way to avoid the pain... Don't you?"
Clark growled his response through clenched teeth, "Yes... mistress." She again stroked the stone softly and pain got much worse and centered on his stomach. He cried out and fell forward onto the floor, his hands wrapped across his abdomen. His chest heaved and his body trembled with the pain.
"You know to make the pain stop, my pet, you have to do as I've commanded. I don't understand why you hesitate..." Gasping for breath, Clark looked back at Lex on the monitor. His former friend looked fascinated by the ease with which she put him into so much pain.
His captor followed Clark's gaze. "Oh, I see... you don't want your greatest enemy to see you serve another; to be humiliated in front of him." She touched the stone again and Clark gasped with yet another increase in pain. "However, I need a demonstration of my power over you, my pet. Do it or the pain will just continue to get worse."
Clark whispered a pained "Yes, mistress." Shaking with the effort, Clark managed to get up on all fours and he pressed his lips against her foot. As soon as he did, the pain finally stopped. He panted for air, recovering from the pain.
She spoke again, "Kneel at my feet as you had been doing, my pet." This time Clark didn't need to be told twice. He quickly pushed up and knelt at her feet, again placing his head against her knee. He briefly looked at Lex before he turned his face away, grateful for the curls that blocked his enemy from seeing the shame of defeat reflected in his eyes.
The woman now sounded smug. "I think having Superman willingly at your beck and call would be something a man of your tastes would pay a lot of money for. Am I right?"
Lex replied in a very cold, and a very business like, manner. Of course she was right. "How much?"
"That will be something I want to negotiate with you in person about."
"Just tell me when and where, but be sure to bring him with you."
~:::~
Lex watched Clark with fascination as he talked to his enemy's captor on the meeting arrangements. After Superman again knelt at her feet and placed his head onto her knee, Clark's body finally relaxed, now free of pain.
She softly brushed the curls from Clark's eyes. Lex could see now that his eyes had glazed over and his face had an oddly contented look. Lex realized that Clark must be under some sort of spell. That made sense. Even ensorcelled, no one could easily make Superman do what he didn't want to do. Clark was extremely bullheaded.
As he talked to her, working out the logistics of where they'd meet and to what numbered account to pay the agreed upon amount, Lex's anger built.
The fact that this nameless woman humiliated and controlled Clark when he could not infuriated him. It incensed him more than anything Superman had ever done.
Lex would see her beg for her life before ended it. He would humiliate her far worse than what she'd done to Clark.
The thought gave him a peace of mind he hadn't had since his enemy was stolen from him.
The tension evaporated from Lex's body and he sat back and smiled at her as she continued to caress Clark's hair. As soon as their video conference call ended, he immediately clicked on the intercom.
"Mercy! Get in here... I have work for you to do."
Continued here...
Let me know what ya think...
Title: Superman for Sale
Author: D.M. Wyatt
Pairing: Clark/Other (implied), Clark/Lex
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Physical and Emotional TC, graphic descriptions of adult sexual content, BD/SM, future fic, post rift
Spoilers: None
Short summary: This is from Clark's POV and starts soon after Clark originally disappeared and takes us up through Lex's conference call with Clark's captor that ended the previous update.
(Find Part 1 HERE).
2 of about 15...
~6 days earlier~
Clark woke with a huge headache. He didn't often have headaches and this one was a whopper. It felt like his whole head was throbbing, keeping time with his heart beat. The light was dim and he couldn't understand where he was at first.
It was then he remembered the bank robbery...
Or rather, he remembered the staged bank robbery.
He had finally realized that the money hadn't been the real goal way too late.
Once the men he'd been chasing had him where they wanted him, they pulled the lead covers off of their kryptonite gel canons and surrounded him in the air. Thanks to the pain and weakness the exposure to kryptonite caused, he had nearly fallen from the air right then and there, so he had been lucky to have missed getting shot by their gel canons for as long as he did.
With his flight ability nearly gone, he had desperately tried to get far enough away from the kryptonite to escape the effects it had on him. He would gain some ground, recovering partly, only to be surrounded again. Their bikes were just too fast and maneuverable and, even though they kept missing, they shot too much kryptonite through the air near him.
The sky seemed full of the gel at times and it was only chance that allowed Clark to dodge the squirts of sticky stuff. However, his luck had finally run out when one of them had managed to hit his cape... The gel stuck, despite the cape's almost magically stain resistant fabric.
He gasped with the pain and nearly fell from the effects of the kryptonite but managed to stay aloft, if only barely. He reached into his suit and managed to unhook the cape and drop it before his ability to fly totally left him. However, as the cape fluttered free of his body some of the gel had rubbed off onto his legs.
It felt like acid, it burned so badly, and he could barely fly. Despite a real loss of speed and height, Clark had somehow managed to continue to dodge the jets of liquid pain, but he felt it was only a matter of time before they succeeded. He had avoided several more arcing ropes of gel shot from the canons, but one of the men managed to hit Clark in the back with a squirt of the neon green goo.
In agony and barely conscious, Clark fell. It seemed to take forever to fall the several hundred feet to the ground. He landed hard, but barely registered the shock on his body. Woozy from the concussion and in pain, his vision narrowed and dimmed, he could only moan and look on as the rocket powered cycles landed all around him.
He had been dazed enough that he'd had trouble concentrating on what was going on, but he'd been aware enough to be alarmed when one of the men dismounted and pulled his gel canon from his bike. He could barely move, but Clark managed to roll over. He didn't know what these men wanted with him but he didn't want to wait around to find out, he had to try to get away. The man gave Clark a smug look as he easily pushed him over onto his back with his booted foot.
"No, you don't. Superman... the bounty on your head is going to make us all very rich men." Clark could do nothing as the man smiled, lifted the weapon and pointed it at Clark.
When the gel hit Clark square in the chest, the agony pushed him into oblivion.
Clark sighed at the memory...
He lay in a large bed next to a large open window. A soft, warm breeze made the curtains billow gracefully into the large room.
Clark raised his eyebrows in surprise when he looked around the room. He was actually not restrained at all. Clark pushed the covers off, surprised he wore only pajama bottoms, and sat up. He realized that someone had bathed him and washed his hair since he had to brush a very Clark-like stray curl out his eyes. He took stock of his physical condition and frowned.
He felt... weird.
Clark wasn't sure he could really describe it, it was almost like he had bugs crawling all over his body, but there wasn't anything there. He focused and x-rayed himself. There was nothing touching his skin aside from the pajama bottoms and the bed he sat on.
The sensation didn't really hurt but it was bothersome. He rubbed at his skin in an attempt to alleviate the irritating feeling, but it was like an itch that he couldn't scratch. Clark couldn't understand what was going on because there was no apparent source for it. Clearly, kryptonite wasn't a factor since there was no pain and he didn't feel weak and nauseous. Unable to do a thing to stop the prickling sensation, he decided to ignore it and turned his attention back to the room he was in. Being totally unrestrained perplexed him.
He'd been kidnapped yet they put him in a room that was surprisingly free of kryptonite and he lay in a bed next to an open window. It would be so easy to just fly away. Confused by that, he just shrugged and focused. He wanted to see if he could find his suit before he left. Even though it would be missing the cape, the suit was a big enough hassle to make he didn't want to lose one if he could avoid it.
The house was a big one, a mansion really, and the rooms around him were filled with costly things. He rubbed his skin, trying to absent-mindedly relieve the prickly sensation he was feeling, as he visually searched the house.
Two women were walking up the stairs toward the room he was in. One carried his uniform in her hand, the other carried his boots, and they held each other's free hands. The men who had captured him were just leaving the building and one of them carried a large briefcase. He checked. It was filled with money.
It must be the payoff for bringing him to her.
Clark's anger built up and he wanted to find some answers about why she'd brought him here, why she was paying out lots of cash for him. She was coming up, no doubt, to tell him her plans and why she went to so much trouble and expense to have him captured.
He sighed. Clark really hated it when the bad guys 'monologued' him.
It was so... trite, but he decided to wait to see what she had to say anyway.
He stood facing the expensive solid mahogany door and put on a very Supermanly scowl. The biggest thing that ruined the look was his un-gelled hair getting into his eyes. Annoyed by the absence of Superman's trademark coiffure, Clark again brushed a stray curl out of his eyes and crossed his arms over his bare chest.
The two women hugged and kissed in a very intimate fashion. Clark arched his eyebrow, surprised by that. The women stepped into the room. The one holding his uniform came in first with the other woman right behind her. The first woman smiled when she saw him standing there.
"Did you sleep well, my pet?" She stopped just inside the door and gently held the suit in front of her.
Clark arched an eyebrow. "My Pet? I am not your pet, besides I don't think I was so much asleep as unconscious." He scowled at her. "Who are you?"
"You can call me 'Mistress'."
Clark almost snorted, that was so over the top, but managed to keep his derision to again arching an eyebrow. "Okay, Mistress... can you tell me why you had me kidnapped and brought here?"
"You are here to serve me, my pet. That is all that need concern you."
Clark was skeptical. "You didn't go to the trouble of capturing me just to make me your house boy." He looked significantly at the second woman, who shrank under his gaze. "I don't appear to be your type, so you must want something more."
"From you? I want nothing except obedience, my pet. From Lex Luthor, I will want a great deal." She held up the stone and caressed it softly with her thumb. The prickling sensation across Clark's skin became stronger; almost painful. "And I expect he will gladly pay any price I set to get hold of this stone."
Clark didn't know what the rock had to do with anything, or why it seemed to make the strange sensations on his skin feel worse, but he knew Lex wouldn't pay to free him. It was absolutely ridiculous for her to even think that. "Le..." His voice cracked and he was glad. He had been about to call Lex 'Lex'... He wouldn't want her to realize that he actually had been friends with Lex once, even though they'd since become enemies.
Clark cleared his throat and dropped his voice down into a more Supermanly tone. "Luthor would never ransom me. He's probably glad you've taken me out of his way."
She smiled. "Oh, but I won't ask him for ransom. I'm selling you to him."
Clark blinked.
"Selling me?"
She smiled up at Clark. "Yes, I imagine he would pay almost anything to have you under his control as I do."
Clark's anger became mere annoyance. This woman was clearly insane. Clark wasn't under her control. There wasn't any kryptonite anywhere nearby. He sniffed, no longer wanting to hide his derision. "You should get professional help..."
In the blink of an eye, Clark had taken his suit and boots and dressed, leaving the pajama bottoms he'd been wearing in shreds on the floor. She didn't seem at all surprised by his sudden change of apparel and she smiled up at him.
He didn't care how much damage he did, it served her right for kidnapping him even though she was obviously deluded. So, with an effort of his will, Clark shifted his gravitational field and flew straight up, punching through the roof.
To say he was surprised when he didn't get very far would be a huge understatement.
Clark stopped still in the air as if he'd run to the end of a rope tied around his waist. It was like he was tethered to the house, but there was nothing visible holding him in place. He could feel a phantom rope tighten around his waist and even felt the tug of the line that kept him from flying away, but there was nothing to grab; nothing to break. Frustrated by this, Clark screamed as he flew as hard he could against the invisible tether but it did him absolutely no good.
He looked down at the women below him and they looked up at him smugly. Determined to break whatever it was that kept him from flying away, Clark applied even more effort to flying away but it was useless. He didn't move a single inch further away from the house.
The woman who'd spoke watched him for several minutes, apparently not at all concerned about his attempt to leave. "I would come back into the house if I were you, my pet."
Getting tired from his exertions, Clark spoke between gasps as he still continued to struggle against the invisible restraint. "What is this?"
The woman smiled and held up the stone. "Magic, my pet."
"I am not your pet." Clark fought harder to pull against the phantom rope that held him. His captor frowned at him, held up the stone, and Clark's head exploded with pain. So surprised by the unexpected pain, Clark suddenly was in complete agony, he forgot to keep flying. He dropped back to the floor at his captor's feet.
He was confused by what was going on, there was no apparent source for the agony. Only kryptonite had ever been this painful, but he didn't feel weak or nauseous at all and that somehow that made it worse. He was healthy, but in torment. She looked down haughtily at him as he gasped on the floor. He asked in between hitches in his breath, "What're... doing... to me?"
"I'm making a point. You don't do what I ask, you feel pain." She touched the stone again and the pain disappeared. Clark breathed in deeply, finally able to catch his breath and he looked up at her; his anger growing. "You will learn to obey me, my pet. I can guarantee it."
Clark grimaced and moved to stand but she shook her head. He frowned.
"No, my pet. You will always be on your knees when I'm around. You're very tall and I'm very short. I do not like looking up to give you instructions... Besides, it underscores your new role here."
Clark's voice dropped and he growled at her, "I bow to no one." Slowly and deliberately, he stood.
She frowned up at him but he didn't wait to see what she'd do next because he sped from the room. Clark thought that he might have more leverage on the ground and might have better luck breaking the magical restraint. He ran down the steps and headed toward the front door. Clark knew he'd soon reach the limits of the spell and he was right. He didn't even make it outside before he hit the end of the invisible rope. He stopped dead in the middle of the mansion's foyer.
He pulled as hard as he could against the restraint but it was no use. It didn't matter how hard he pulled, he even cracked the hardwood floorboards under his feet, and he still didn't budge one micron closer to the door and freedom. He screamed in frustration as he heard her voice in his head as if she were standing next to him.
"Stop testing the limits of the spell, my pet. There is no escape."
"I won't just sit still and let you treat me like this!" Clark tried even harder, breaking several of the floor boards as he tried to pull his way through the door that was so tantalizingly close, yet so far away.
He heard footsteps coming down the steps. He braced himself for more pain and she didn't surprise him.
The pain hit him like a ton of bricks but he ignored it as best he could and continued pulling against the magical tether that kept him where he didn't want to be. He faltered a bit when the pain got worse and he was having trouble breathing, but he wasn't going to let a little pain keep him from trying to escape.
He was surprised when the magical tether suddenly lengthened. He wasn't free, but he was closer to the door by several feet. He felt gratified by that. It looked like he could free himself by sheer brute force so he kept on pulling.
The pain disappeared unexpectedly, but what happened next surprised him almost more than anything else ever had. He dropped to the floor as if he'd been a puppet whose strings had been cut.
His arms and legs had just stopped working. He landed on his side, one arm caught beneath him, and he tried to roll over so he could sit up or stand, but he couldn't.
Confused at not being able to move, he tried hard to "tell" his arms and legs to move but they wouldn't budge... Strange, but he wasn't sure he was doing it right. It was as if he couldn't remember how.
He looked up at her as she approached and he was thoroughly perplexed.
Her face had an odd look to it as she held one hand toward Clark. A halo of dark green energy encircled her hand and a strand of it stretched to his body and wrapped around him in its eerie light.
She smiled, but it was a strained, her face tense, her voice flat, "Forgotten how to move, my pet?"
Shocked at how right she was, Clark wanted to deny it but somehow couldn't. His head refused to shake and his voice somehow couldn't form the words he wanted to say to her. He could only sigh deeply in protest when she knelt down next to him and pushed him over onto his back.
"You've got a much higher tolerance for pain than most... The torment I was putting you through has made other men sob like babies and promise to do anything I want if only I'd stop the pain, but not you." She smiled again as she softly brushed dark curls from Clark's eyes. "Forgive me for making you forget how to move. I had to stop you, my pet. I can't have you ruining my house." She sighed softly as Clark could only look on, completely powerless to do anything.
"I think I'm going to have to rethink the sorcery that binds you to me and to this stone...." She gently cupped his cheek in her hand. Clark couldn't move away from her touch, but he grimaced and looked up at her. She looked tired, as if the magic she was wielding over him was a difficult to sustain.
"But I'm going to need something from you, my pet. A deeper binding spell will require use of your true name." Clark felt something slip into place inside his head and his voiceless sigh became a moan. He remembered how to talk. "What's your name?"
Clark was confused. "I'm Superman."
She frowned and leaned in closer to Clark. "No, I need you to say your name, not what the newspapers call you. So, I ask again: What is your name?" Her hand felt warm against his cheek and Clark felt strangely impelled to tell her, but he managed to just give his birth name instead.
He spoke in a soft whisper, "I'm Kal-El of Krypton..."
She looked at him, perplexed. "That is the name your parents gave you at birth, isn't it? But there is no power in those words. It's not how you think of yourself so it's not your True Name." She again rubbed his cheek and the urge to comply with her demands got stronger. "What is your name?"
He didn't want to reveal his name to her but still he replied softly, "Clark Jerome Kent."
She smiled broadly and when she repeated the words of his name, using the exact same intonation and tone he did. "Clark Jerome Kent..." Clark could feel the power in his name when she spoke it. Powered by her magic, the sounds and power of his name reverberated throughout the room.
She smiled down at him. "That is your True Name. Thank you, my pet, speaking that will give the spell I will weave over you more power."
She looked up as the other woman approached. "He's going to sleep now and I will need him moved back upstairs."
Clark wanted to protest that he wasn't tired, but his eyes became heavy and started to drift closed as his breathing deepened. He was falling asleep even though he wasn't the least bit tired. Confused again, Clark's eyes fluttered open and he looked up at her.
"I'm not sleepy..."
"Sleep anyway, my pet. It will give me time to rest and collect a few things I need for my new magical weaving without worrying about you trying to escape again."
Clark's eyes again closed and he could do nothing to stop the sleep that overcame him.
~:::~
When Clark woke next, he was in a dark room he hadn't seen before. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten there.
He had a vague sense of something being wrong but couldn't remember what.
He felt that there was somewhere else he needed to be, but he couldn't remember where. Clark sat up and looked around, confused.
A woman he vaguely remembered seeing before sat in a chair next to the bed he was on. He looked at her, confused at why she was there and why he couldn't remember her, but she smiled warmly at him.
"How are you feeling, my pet?"
Clark thought for a moment. His face screwed up in confusion. "I feel a little bit fuzzy, mistress..."
Her smile broadened for reasons Clark didn't understand, but she pointed to the floor at her feet. "You'll feel better over here, kneeling at my feet, my pet."
Clark scowled. He didn't see how that could be. Something about it felt... off. However, he wanted to feel better. He listened to her heart, it was steady. She was telling the truth so he climbed out of bed and knelt at her feet as she'd requested.
And he did feel better sitting at her feet. However, there was a part of him that was saying how wrong it was too. He ignored that because it felt good to be next to his mistress so he leaned his head into her fingers as she caressed his hair.
"Very good, my pet. See how good that feels?" She continued to caress his hair as she spoke again. "Now that you've been tamed, I have some things I need you to do and tomorrow, I have a phone call I need to make."
~:::~
The rest of that day, and a better part of the next, had been spent doing as she wanted him to do.
The tasks she set to him weren't difficult tasks, but he felt so much better after pleasing her. When he thought about why he was there doing her bidding, it bothered him but then she'd distract him with petty pleasures like something tasty to eat which she'd feed to him from her hand. Or she would give him a gentle touch or a warm smile.
When that didn't help when he got distracted or hesitated, the pain would remind him that he needed to obey quickly to make her happy.
He fixed some broken floor boards and patched a hole someone had made in the roof. He vaguely remembered seeing them before but couldn't imagine who would damage his mistress' house on purpose.
The time came for his mistress to make her call and she needed him to just kneel at her feet for reasons Clark didn't understand. He was glad that made her happy, however, so he eagerly knelt at her feet as his mistress' companion set up the video conference camera.
At least he was happy until he learned who she was calling and why.
Clark's anger cut through the fog she'd cast across his mind and he remembered how he'd come to be there what his mistress' goals were in kidnapping him. However, the pain she was now capable of causing him was far worse than it had been.
As Clark lay panting at her feet, the pain made breathing difficult, she explained, "Knowing your True Name gives me extra power over you, my pet... It made the spells I wove much, much more powerful. The pain I can give you profoundly worse than I'd been able to do before."
Clark had difficulty looking at her through his agony dimmed eyes. "Le.... Luthor won't pay a single dime for me."
"I think you're wrong, my pet, but the only way you're going to find out will be if you sit here at my feet. Only then will the pain stop."
Clark had to get the pain to stop, he couldn't think but he couldn't move without causing more pain. He groaned in agony as the pain that was already more than he could stand grew worse. The pain pushed him close to unconsciousness and Clark welcomed the coming oblivion. However, she must have sensed how close he was to passing out because the pain changed. It didn't stop or lessen, but the dark that had been pressing in on his vision retreated.
The strain of her controlling the spell showed in her voice and on her face. "Oh, I can't have you passing out. I need you awake and clearly under my power."
Clark managed to speak through clenched teeth. "I'm not completely in your power, or you wouldn't need to work so hard."
"True, my pet, but what he doesn't know will help me in my negotiations." She clenched her own teeth and, through an effort of her will, the pain got even worse, but the black still eluded Clark.
He had to get the pain to stop. Clark couldn't think and he was even having problems seeing. The torment was more than he could stand.
He cried out in defeat as he pushed up to kneel at her feet. The pain abated somewhat and Clark sighed in relief, finally able to take a deep breath.
"Place your head against my knee, my pet."
Clark did as she ordered and the pain further receded but wasn't quite gone. "I thought you said..."
"That's to help you stay focused on obeying me while I talk to Luthor." Her voice again became stern and the pain flared up. "Remember to call me 'mistress,' my pet, or the pain will come back even worse than before."
Clark nodded, in pure misery. Then she placed the call.
~:::~
"Mr. Luthor, I'm so pleased you took my call." As she talked, she caressed Clark's hair.
Clark's heart skipped a beat when he heard the angry voice of his enemy, his former friend. "I'm a busy man. Let's get to it. What is it that you want to sell me?"
She continued in her deep, throaty voice. "Just something that you've lost and I've found."
"Something you stole, you mean. There is only one thing that I'm missing that I want back. Is it something that wears a lot of primary colors? Is that what you're talking about?"
Clark didn't look up at her, but he could hear the smile in her voice.
"I'll show you exactly what I'm talking about." Clark could hear the video camera's lens motors whirr as the camera zoomed back, no doubt to show Lex Clark sitting at her feet.
She continued -- the gloat apparent in her voice. "I was right that you might want to buy this. Is this valuable to you?"
Lex tried to sound casual, but Clark could tell he was indeed interested. "He's a royal pain in my ass. He has cost me a fortune this fiscal year alone, so you've actually done me a favor. I'm glad that the alien is finally out of the skies, but why would I want to pay you for him? As far as I'm concerned, you can keep him."
Clark looked up at the witch when she held up a large sign that read 'Superman for Sale'.
"If you don't want to buy him, I'm sure I could find someone else who would. I might even put him up on eBay." She leaned forward. "His new owners might want to cause you even more problems than he has. You have even more enemies than he does." She dropped the sign and reached into her pocket. Clark couldn't stop a flinch when he saw what she had in her hand, but said nothing. Lex stayed silent.
She held up the stone. "I'm not sure anyone else would find this as valuable as you would."
Clark noticed the stone had a reddish brown stain on it that looked like dried blood. He frowned and his eyes flicked over at the monitor where he could see Lex intensely staring into the camera. Clark looked back to the stone in the woman's hand. Lex was clearly intrigued.
He asked, trying to sound disinterested. "What is that?"
"It's just a way to control the uncontrollable." She leaned over and whispered into Clark's ear. "Kiss my feet, my pet." Clark hesitated, unwilling to bend himself to her will anymore than he already had. He didn't want to do that in front of Lex, anyway, and she gently rubbed the stone with her fingers. The effect of that was instantaneous. Clark was thrown into complete agony.
"My pet, why do you make it so hard on yourself? You know that doing as I bid is the only way to avoid the pain... Don't you?"
Clark growled his response through clenched teeth, "Yes... mistress." She again stroked the stone softly and pain got much worse and centered on his stomach. He cried out and fell forward onto the floor, his hands wrapped across his abdomen. His chest heaved and his body trembled with the pain.
"You know to make the pain stop, my pet, you have to do as I've commanded. I don't understand why you hesitate..." Gasping for breath, Clark looked back at Lex on the monitor. His former friend looked fascinated by the ease with which she put him into so much pain.
His captor followed Clark's gaze. "Oh, I see... you don't want your greatest enemy to see you serve another; to be humiliated in front of him." She touched the stone again and Clark gasped with yet another increase in pain. "However, I need a demonstration of my power over you, my pet. Do it or the pain will just continue to get worse."
Clark whispered a pained "Yes, mistress." Shaking with the effort, Clark managed to get up on all fours and he pressed his lips against her foot. As soon as he did, the pain finally stopped. He panted for air, recovering from the pain.
She spoke again, "Kneel at my feet as you had been doing, my pet." This time Clark didn't need to be told twice. He quickly pushed up and knelt at her feet, again placing his head against her knee. He briefly looked at Lex before he turned his face away, grateful for the curls that blocked his enemy from seeing the shame of defeat reflected in his eyes.
The woman now sounded smug. "I think having Superman willingly at your beck and call would be something a man of your tastes would pay a lot of money for. Am I right?"
Lex replied in a very cold, and a very business like, manner. Of course she was right. "How much?"
"That will be something I want to negotiate with you in person about."
"Just tell me when and where, but be sure to bring him with you."
~:::~
Lex watched Clark with fascination as he talked to his enemy's captor on the meeting arrangements. After Superman again knelt at her feet and placed his head onto her knee, Clark's body finally relaxed, now free of pain.
She softly brushed the curls from Clark's eyes. Lex could see now that his eyes had glazed over and his face had an oddly contented look. Lex realized that Clark must be under some sort of spell. That made sense. Even ensorcelled, no one could easily make Superman do what he didn't want to do. Clark was extremely bullheaded.
As he talked to her, working out the logistics of where they'd meet and to what numbered account to pay the agreed upon amount, Lex's anger built.
The fact that this nameless woman humiliated and controlled Clark when he could not infuriated him. It incensed him more than anything Superman had ever done.
Lex would see her beg for her life before ended it. He would humiliate her far worse than what she'd done to Clark.
The thought gave him a peace of mind he hadn't had since his enemy was stolen from him.
The tension evaporated from Lex's body and he sat back and smiled at her as she continued to caress Clark's hair. As soon as their video conference call ended, he immediately clicked on the intercom.
"Mercy! Get in here... I have work for you to do."
Continued here...