Notes: AU! My lovely beta is svmaria who wants me to add to this universe! ((hugs)) Written for the CLFF Wave #17 - Professions - Computers.


Lex Luthor looked down at his watch, already unimpressed by this year's computer expo. As usual, his brother Julian was eager to touch and see everything that the tacky booths offered. But Lex loved his brother deeply. The death of their father shortly after his birth had left Lex as head of the family. He took the responsibility very seriously and had wielded the small fortune left to him into a respectable up and coming Computer Company that was only rivaled by Microsoft. They had tapped into selective customers by making their products appealing to the women consumers, on the advice of their mother.

"Come on, Lex." Julian wined. "I want to look around. Don't you?" It was a rhetorical question and they both knew it. Lex was usually very bored by these affairs and too well spotted. As a result, he tended to be targeted by those in the know. His lack of hair, thanks to a freak meteor shower, which ultimately killed Lionel Luthor, made him very easy to spot in a crowd. Whenever possible, Lex liked to sit it out and get some lackey to look things over.

But this year, in order to please his mother, his brother was now in charge of the R & D department. So this year, he had Julian tagging along. He felt a twitch of guilt at his lack of enthusiasm, but decided to ease it by giving Julian free reign. "Alright Julian, meet me back here in two hours. Mother is expecting us for lunch."

"Yes!" Julian punched the air and zipped off into the crowd until all Lex could see was the tell tale flaming red hair, a trait of their mother.

An hour later and Julian was weighed down with business cards, brochures, and DVD's. He was starting to think he'd never be able to impress Lex when he spotted a booth in the far corner. A woman with red hair, which reminded him of his mother, was trying to ply potential customers with homemade apple pie as some technical situation was resolved. Julian edged closer.

"Oh please, Clark will have it all set up in just a moment," the woman pleaded to the last of the vanishing curious. "Isn't that right dear?" she asked with concern and giving a kick under the table.

"Yes, mom, all ready!" Julian almost rolled his eyes. This guy brought geek to a whole new level, coming to a computer trade show with your mother? And Julian thought that Lex was a nerd! He too, was about to walk away when the aforementioned Clark suddenly appeared from under the table. Julian gasped. The guy was gorgeous! He had to be a few inches over six foot, with beautiful green eyes that shifted to blue in the light. He was tan and built like he worked out. In fact, this Clark was just Lex's type and Lex hadn't had a date in years. Maybe…

"Hi, what did you bring to the show?" Julian asked stepping up to the table.

The woman beamed at him and shoved a piece of pie into his hands. "Please, it‘s on the house. If you'd like to sit down, right here my son has an incredible item to show you!"

Julian's nose caught a whiff of the pie and he was hooked. He eagerly took a bite, closed his eyes and almost swooned. Maybe if the computer company didn't work out, he and Lex could get exclusive rights on this woman's baking and she could be the next Mrs. Smith! The woman, who introduced herself as Martha, ushered him into a seat behind a curtain. This was a tad unusual, Julian thought, but maybe the guy was worried about someone stealing his idea.

Clark cleared his throat. "What I am about to show you is unique in the realms of Artificial Intelligence." Julian tried not to appear too bored. But he almost had to laugh as he realized Clark was so beset with stage fright that he was reading off of index cards. His face was flushed with excitement and his smile was lighting up the small space. Julian knew for certain that Clark and Lex had to meet. Clark continued and Julian caught some of it but when the holographic emitters came on line and a woman appeared in perfect 3-dimensional clarity, he put his plate down.

"This is incredible," Julian walked around the display that shone up from a simple laptop.

Clark and Martha smiled at each other, then at him. "Ask it a question," Clark urged.

Julian felt devilish and asked, "How are you?"

He almost fell over when it replied. "I am fine. It is good nice of you to ask. I advise you to get a drink of water, you appear pale."

"Clark," Julian breathed. "Is this totally interactive?"

"Yes, it is, with a capacity to learn from its programming." Clark appeared to be floating, but Julian chalked it up to his imagination.

"Who else knows about this?" Julian asked eagerly.

Martha frowned. "Just you, we had a crisis on the farm and couldn't –"

"That's wonderful!" Julian wanted to punch the air but managed to refrain himself. At the fallen faces, he hastily amended," I mean, it's not wonderful that you had a bad morning, but you mean to tell me that only I've seen this? So, outside of your family, only I've gotten to see your AI?"

"Uh…" Clark looked at his mother for help. She took his hand and nodded.

"How would you like to come to work for me?" Julian held out a business card to Clark. Looking down at the card and feeling his mother looking on, he read, "LLJ Computer Corp." He almost dropped the card.

"M-mom…I read about this company on the internet, it's one of the fastest growing tech companies in the world," Clark whispered.

"That's us! I'm the "J"…that stands for Julian. My brother Lex is one of the other initials and our mother Lillian. Some people think we're connected to that singer, but we aren't," Julian chuckled. "Anyway, I want you to come to work for me in the research and development department and we can market your idea properly! What do you say Clark? Have we got a deal?"

Clark looked at his mother with wide eyes. Martha stepped in front of her son. "How would you like another piece of pie while we discuss salary?"

Julian just made it in time to meet back with his brother. He was so excited over Clark's invention he had completely forgotten about playing matchmaker.


Clark Kent emerged from the elevator bright and early Monday morning, with a LLJ ID badge already fastened to his plain blue sports coat. Julian was in the center of a group of people and appeared to be having and impromptu meeting. Clark rushed forward, looking at his watch and hoping he wasn't late on his first day. He couldn't afford to lose this opportunity. They had to mortgage the farm after his father passed away and they were having one creditor after another appear at their door. Clark sunk every penny into this idea, after all, he had the Kryptonian knowledge in his head, why not put it to the betterment of mankind? And if the advance paycheck was any indication, this job would literally save them from losing the farm.

Julian's face broke into a huge grin as he saw Clark and jumped down from the desk he'd been standing on. "Everyone, this is Clark. I want you to give him everything he needs. Let me know when you've got it up and running!" he looked at his watch. "Lex is going to kill me! Gotta go!" and just like that Julian had fled the scene leaving Clark alone in a sea of strangers who were all looking at him as if he was the Second Coming. He gulped.


"You're late," Lex snapped tapping his watch from where he sat at the end of the conference table.

Julian rolled his eyes. "It's only us," he shook his head. "You're such a drama queen."

"I am not a –" Lex began.

"Boys," Lillian Luthor smiled at her two sons from behind her cup of coffee. "Let's get the meeting underway. Lex you go first."

"Mom! That's not fair! Lex always gets to go first!" Julian whined.

Lex grinned at his brother. "Seniority, deal with it. Now…" Lex took out a large stack of papers and the meeting was underway.

After 30 minutes they were just about to turn to Julian for news from his department when a great commotion rose in the hall. "What's going on?" Lex demanded with a slight panicked sound in his voice. Julian leapt for the door, while Lillian gathered her things, seeing the meeting was effectively over. Her sons barely noticed as she headed back to her own office. Lex finally grabbed the arm of one of the employees rushing by for some answers.

"Oh, Mr. Luthor, its all over the building! I've got to see it. Everyone wants to see it. You can ask it anything at all and –"

"It answers you?" Julian finished excitedly.

"Why yes! But how did you-" Before she could finish, Julian had grabbed his brothers arm to lead him down to his department, via the executive elevator.

Lex sagged against the wall in shock as the doors closed, "What the fuck is going on Julian!?"

"You've got to see it to believe it. I found this guy at the Expo and he's developed this new AI system…" Julian went on excitedly, while Lex's attention was captured by the view from the glass elevator. It appeared every employee in the building had stopped working and they were all rushing to the R & D department. His mind boggled at what this could mean in terms of the main consumer market. Julian grabbed him again, hauling him to the center of the department, "CLARK!" Julian yelled above the din.

The department was packed and frankly, Lex was wondering how much weight the floor could hold. It was creaking ominously and it was a new building! Julian began to bark out orders to seal off the department. Lex had to join in to make everyone return to their stations. They had to promise to broadcast it via the network meeting room the company had on their in house website. Lex was stunned at the demand, but gave in when it seemed to work to disperse the crowd. At long last it was just Julian, he and …

At last, he turned to Julian for some answers, but it was as if his entire world had dropped out from beneath him. In front of him stood the most gorgeous man he'd ever seen in his life. Unable to stop himself, he looked at the man from the feet all the way to the top. If this is what the employees were rushing to see, he could see the attraction!

Julian punched him in the arm, with a huge smile on his face after seeing the blatant eye-fuck his brother had given Clark. "Hey Lex, I'd like you to meet Clark Kent . Clark, my brother, Lex Luthor, he's the one that signs the paychecks."


Clark smiled at Lex broadly and Lex felt his knees go weak. He started to pray to every god he knew that this man was gay and single, screw the no-relationships at work policy. He'd wrote that one, so he could rewrite it too! "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lex." Clark politely held out his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," Lex purred taking Clark‘s ' blush as answer to question number one.

"Lex, I'd like you to meet –" Julian was cut off by Clark, who filled in, "El."

"El?" Julian gave Clark a strange look and then shrugged, "Who cares what its name is? Look what it can do!"

"It looks like a standard holographic emitter program," Lex said softly, not wanting to hurt Clark's feelings. She was, however, a very pretty woman with dark hair and large green eyes.

Clark smiled. "El, I'd like you to meet Lex Luthor."

The hologram bowed at slightly. "Greetings, Lex Luthor, I am El. The others had many questions. Do you also seek answers?"

Lex walked around the hologram. "Who played Han Solo in the Star Wars films?"

"Harrison Ford," El smiled at Lex. "Is there anything else?"

"When did the earth form?" Lex asked next.

"According to modern religious texts or scientific data? Or, if you prefer, I can give you data extrapolated from the works of several of your greatest minds."

Lex frowned. "What's the color of my boxers?"

"You are not wearing boxers," El replied without missing a beat.

"Okay, I'm impressed." Lex admitted.

Catching the smile on Clark's face, Lex asked smugly, "If I ask Clark out on a date, what will he say?"

"He will say 'yes'." El said quickly.

"How do you know?" Lex asked curiously, while enjoying the flush on Clark's face.

"His heartbeat and blood pressure spiked significantly when he first saw you, heard of your lack of undergarments and your last question. I recommend Anthony's Grotto on 5th street. It's his favorite." El winked at Lex.

Julian smiled as he watched them go. He had a feeling his mother and Martha would be very happy.

He turned back to El, who smiled knowledgeably. "They won't be the only ones. Theirs was a destiny written in the stars."

"Or at least binary code," Julian mused.

The end