My first Smallville ficlet--Karloff's POV

[capnzebbie]

Lanning has very generously allowed me to post a ficlet set in her Identical universe. It's set at the same time as It Came Just the Same. Some of the events from that story are shown from Karloff's POV.

Thanks to Lanning for letting me play in her universe and thanks to roxymissrose and garryowen for the encouragement.

I hope you like it! :o)



Just the Same


Merry fucking Christmas, Lex. "Where the hell are they?"

"I’m sorry, Mr. Luthor. We didn’t realize they were missing until…."

"My entire Warrior Angel collection is gone, and no one noticed? Jesus Christ! The action figures alone took up a whole wall! And how the hell did someone manage to get into the climate-controlled vault and make off with hundreds of comic books! What? They drove a fucking truck through the front door and loaded it up while they distracted the full security contingent by pointing and saying, ‘Hey! Look over there!'" I'm screaming now. I'm right up in his face. I leave a little bit of spittle on his cheek but he’s too goddamned scared to wipe it off.

"N-no, sir. We think they may have made more than one trip...."

I'm still in his face, but I'm quiet now. "More than one trip." Incompetent idiots.

He's sweating. He looks straight ahead, not meeting my eyes, and clears his throat. "J-judging by how much is gone, we think it would have to have been about a dozen."

"Someone managed to circumvent your security a dozen times and no one noticed?" I'm beginning to suspect whom. I back off and pour myself a drink. My hands are shaking a little. I'm breathing too fast, too hard. Control. Control. I take a sip, slow my breathing and turn back to him.

"Well, sir, we seem to have had some sort of camera malfunction. A couple of the cameras had a kind of a blur for just a second. We think maybe it was a camera or a tape prob…."

Fuck. The memory of another camera blur flashes through my mind. Clark. Clark taking my things to him. Before I realize it, my glass is flying across the room, smashing into the wall beside him.

"I want those tapes. Now." I look at him. I notice he has a splash of whiskey and a trickle of blood to add to the spittle. That's gotta sting. Still not wiping it off, though. I'm amused. I smile at him. He pales.

"And replace the security cameras. All of them. The whole system. I want everything digital, state of the art." Fucking Clark. "And Mark..." He's not quite pissing himself yet. "Thirteen security breaches would be a very unlucky number for you." Ah. There it is. He's so pale he's nearly invisible.

"Yes sir." He's almost leaning toward the door. "Was there anything else you wanted, Mr. Luthor?"

"No." Yes. "Just bring me the tapes." He exits so quickly he’d probably leave a blur on a videotape.

Yes. I want...I want that unsuitable bastard dead.

I look at my watch. If I leave as soon as that idiot brings me the tapes, I can just make it back to the city in time for the mayor’s Christmas party. Shit, I shouldn't have taken the time to come here, but I wanted....

I had a memory--just a flash--of my...my mother giving me my first Warrior Angel comic book. I don't have many memories of her. It’s almost as if that bastard deliberately kept them from me. And I wanted...I wanted a memory I could touch. But my collection is gone. Just like my memories.

I look at my watch again. My watch. Swiss. The best money can buy. But still, it isn't....

I want my watch back. The one my mother gave me. It’s gone, too.

I want my father...my father’s stinking, whiskey-soaked breath on the back of my neck, words slurring, "You look so much like your mother," his cock pounding into my ass.... No! Not my ass, not this ass! But fuck, it's in this head, in my head.

God, wouldn't you know that memory would be as vivid as a fucking digital video.

I want my fucking father dead.

I want Clark....

I want Clark.

But right now, I just want my fucking comic books back.

end.

Comments

[shattered.livejournal.com]

Yay, you posted fic!

I think the idea of evil!clone!Lex works particularly well with the lovely image of MR as Alexander in Onyx, don't you think?;-)

[capnzebbie.livejournal.com]

I know--it's uncanny some of the things that have happened on the show that parallel Lanning's Identical-verse.

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

I know--it's uncanny some of the things that have happened on the show that parallel Lanning's Identical-verse.

That's so true! I really wondered for a second if they were going to go in that direction--it makes perfect lovley sense to me!

Your story looks beautiful here by the way! *wink*

[capnzebbie.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[justabi.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, you made me feel bad for Carloff. He just wants his comics books. *pets him*

[capnzebbie.livejournal.com]

Thank you! *makes little tick mark* Five readers! *g*

It was very weird being inside Karloff's head--I'm so glad he came off as a bit sympathetic. I'm glad you liked my ficlet!

[(Anonymous)]

This is amazing and utterly in character. I'm so glad Lanning was okay with you posting!

[capnzebbie.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for the great compliment! I appreciate the feedback. :)

[myownghost.livejournal.com]

very belated feedback! i followed a link from bop_radar's journal to your My Secret Love video (which i haven't seen yet, have just downloaded). while it was incoming, i stumbled onto this. it's excellent! i love the Identical universe and am actually rather moved by Karloff's anger and pain. it's good story-telling when a writer makes the reader empathize with a character who could be portrayed as less than human.

[capnzebbie.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback! And feedback is never late! *g* I'm so happy that liked my story, that you were moved by my description of Karloff. I did want to show a sympathetic side of him, and I'm glad that came through for you.

[myownghost.livejournal.com]

oh, it did. the thing about lex is that michael rosenbaum has made him astoundingly sympathetic. i mean, from the beginning (i came in late, via dvd), i keyed into the emotions behind his face, even when he's very still. rosenbaum's a natural-born actor. you've made me wish i could befriend Lex II and save him, which is my constant reaction to Lex Prime on the show! i'm hitting the heart for memories. :)

[capnzebbie.livejournal.com]

MR has completely changed my impressions of Lex Luthor. He has made him a real person instead of a comic book villain.

I still vividly remember the first time I realized what an brilliant actor MR is--I can't remember the episode name, but I remember the scene--it's when Nixon show's Lex the picture of Victoria with Lionel. Before we even see the picture, we can tell that Lex has seen something that makes him want to vomit and cry at the same time, and it's all shown with hardly a change of facial expression by MR. Truly amazing!

With Karloff, we haven't gotten to see his POV in the Identical series, so it was very interesting (and surprising) for me to get inside his head. I wanted to show the cruelty, the craziness, the wicked sense of humor that we sometimes see in Lex Prime, and also the lost little boy inside the villain.

[myownghost.livejournal.com]

yes, and i think you did that very well!

(i love your userpic! *g*)

[capnzebbie.livejournal.com]

Thanks! *snicker* That's one I made myself. We would know that part anywhere, wouldn't we? *g*

[mskatej.livejournal.com]

Holy crap.

Okay, I only just got around to reading this and WOW. I *love* this. I'm still working my way through the identical series so my head is in just the right place for this ficlet. Your characerisation is brilliant. SO believable. It's tricky writing in first person too, but you pulled it off magnificently.

I really really hope to see more SV fic from you. Thank you so much for pimping yourself to me (*g*) because I wouldn't have ever seen this otherwise. And please write more!

[capnzebbie.livejournal.com]

Wow! That's such wonderful feedback! Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed this. It was a good writing experience for me, so I'm glad that it was such a good reading experience for you. :)

I do have some other stories in the works, but, sadly, I've been writing as slowly as I vid lately. This story was an exception--it just sort of jumped into my head. That's the way I used to write, and I'm trying to get back to it. I had a writing trauma a while back, and I've been having a little trouble since then. Getting on LJ started as partly a writing exercise, and it seems to be working out pretty well--as well as being a good place to meet fun people!

Your lovely feedback did make me look at the stories again, and I added a bit to a couple of them, so Yay!

And speaking of writing, btw, I just read your latest stories on SSA, and they were all wonderful! I particularly enjoyed "Too Hot Not to Handle"--Whew! So hot! Also painful and angsty, then ending with hope. You write GREAT pwp, because your porn has just enough plot to touch the heart and mind as well as--well, ya know. *G*