Lois stared up at the crystalline substance Lex had referred to as ‘Kryptonite’, a cold shiver running through her spine. She felt herself unable to look away through the eerily still yet lifelike clone in the case behind her, that it was watching her.
The reporter was unable to form any more words, not knowing where to start. Lex seemed to take her silence as an invitation to talk more.
“It’s a very special material. You have no idea the lengths we had to go to, to get even just this little bit of it imported.”
He smirked, pressing one of his palms up against the glass, as if lovingly reaching out to his magnum opus. “It’s mere presence alone can almost completely neutralise a Kryptonian. See, something about their alien biology, from our tests, seems to take in and store Solar energy. Earth’s Sun in particular, seems to be the cause of their power. However, from the radiation emitted by even just a little bit of Kryptonite? All that stored up energy dissipates. If one of these clones, or the Invader, or even Superman himself were to cause a threat- Kryptonite would be the way forward, the perfect tool to neutralise them.”
Still sat in his chair at home, which now felt a lot less comfy and warm with the current tense atmosphere, Clark could feel his own panic growing and growing.
He had no idea there was some… Anti-Kryptonian material out there! Many doubts lingered in his brain. Even if Luthor didn’t know his identity, he did know how to beat him, and he knew his own power was from stored up Solar energy, but then… new doubts formed the more he thought about it. Could it run out eventually? Did he need to be out in the sun getting more Vitamin D, as training?! He didn’t know what to think. With all the research on the Phantom Zone Projector, he had thought he knew enough about Kryptonians, and who he was… but clearly he was wrong.
Lois let out a gasp, about to get her breath, but before she could say anything, Lex cut her off once again with his bragging. “Now, stocks of this may be rare, but I and Lexcorp have partnered with a government agency, ARGUS, to get a shipment into Metropolis… one big enough to make something REALLY interesting!” As he proudly proclaimed, Lois stuttered, attempting to get back in control of the situation and into Ace Reporter mode, as she stumbled over her words.
“B-but Mr Luthor, what exactly is the need for so much Kryptonite-” Before she could finish her question, or Lex could begin to respond, the automatic doors swooshed open, the noise causing Lex to instinctively spin around, and Lois to flinch in surprise.
“Mr Luthor, Sir? … There’s something on the news you need to see.”
Lois let out a sigh of relief as her shoulders untensed, seeing it was just a man in a lab coat, not a loose experiment. Lex cocked an eyebrow in confusion, the man simply giving a grave nod, indicating this request really was that important. Lex shrugged a bit, seemingly not against an excuse to leave the situation, and more importantly, dodge the question. He gave a curt nod to Lois, before silently following the employee out of the door. A large man in uniform had also entered through the automatic door, beckoning for Lois to also leave through it.
“Afraid you’re gonna have to be escorted out, Miss Lane."
Clark had scarcely noticed the cold sweat forming on his brow as Lex talked about ARGUS. This would have been good news to him when he first arrived here, the best possible news- Lois’ wire was still on, he had recorded the whole conversation, they both had physical evidence, some real proof to finally draw the connection between Lex and the shadowy clandestine organisation. But in the context, and what he had learnt from his brief misadventure with Task Force X… this was not a good omen at all. Even ARGUS now knew what made him tick… and if they had the resources of Kryptonite necessary to send to Lex, they could even be a larger threat than Lexcorp itself! As he panicked, he barely heard Lois being shepherded out of the lab (in quite a rush, despite her protests) through the mic, turning his head to the rather unimpressive TV set in the corner of the room, the only light in the dark room other than the laptop. As he saw what was on it, new worries overtook his mind as he left the laptop on… standing up from his chair, and walking over to the bathroom door, over the top of which his Superman costume hung. Clark reached his hand out, pulling the blue fabric down into his hands. This was going to be a long night.
It was half past 11 PM by the time the figure clad in that same blue costume descended from the sky down to the street in front of Midvale Orphanage, no longer Clark Kent, but Superman. The scene in front of one of Metropolis’ orphanages was certainly a strange one… the same limousine with blacked out windows that had taken Lex Luthor himself to and from the interview was parked outside, and standing at the bottom of the steps up to the front door was the man himself, surrounded on all sides by reporters and concerned citizens, flashing cameras and microphones pushed through, the mob held back by police officers in bright yellow jackets, clearly denoting their presence. The look on the face of Lexcorp’s CEO was not the kind of expression one would be used to him showing, especially when drawing the attention of a crowd… his brow was furrowed in grave seriousness. It was the sudden impact of Metropolis’ boy in blue crashing into the ground next to Luthor that caused the crowd and police to stop what they were doing and step back, turning around to face the two men, the circle of space carved out around them now even larger. Lex simply turned to face him, both their faces steely cold as the CEO nearly bit his lip, offering a restrained greeting. “Superman…” It seemed that with one wrong step, he could easily fly off the handle.
“Luthor…” The hero responded in a similar way, indicating an equally volatile state as the mutual tension only grew. Mentally, Lex cursed himself. Of course that spandex-clad glory hound had to be there. Although, whether to attempt to fight his battles for him, or look down at his situation… Lex wasn’t sure of the Alien’s intent. Probably enough, since so far this seemed to be nothing but the worst case scenario. Superman simply let out a regretful sigh, continuing as he started to inquire, hoping that his worst fears weren’t correct.
“How many?”
Luthor lowered his head in shame as he recounted the currently known facts, looking down to the cold, wet pavement, the puddles that had been left over by earlier rain fitting for the despair of the current situation.
“Twelve. All taken from their rooms after being put to bed. Three windows and two doors were broken, and the path the intruders took seems rather obvious due to this. In the time taken, it couldn’t have been the work of only one. The staff were too busy attempting to hide the other children to stop the intruders, and they called the Police to the location by 11:15 PM. By the time they arrived, it was already over.”
Clark didn’t know what to say… Lex seemed… legitimately remorseful over this, and had he not been busy helping Lois to try and expose the man, he, SUPERMAN, could have done something to stop this! If he could have heard it, he could have been here in time… No. Either way, Lex was still a threat that had to be deposed, but these children also had to be saved, if it wasn’t already too late. He shook his head, trying to get back into the right frame of mind, and recall what he knew about Midvale Orphanage. He may not have been the World’s Greatest Detective, but they were operating on a time limit, and he had agreed to leave the Gotham Bat to his own devices… and honestly, with the way his life had been going currently, he didn’t know if he could even rely on others. He also, if she was even available… couldn’t get help from Lois right now. But he could do this, and he was a journalist, he- got it. When he had been going through all the public documents of Lexcorp’s spending in his extensive research, trying to pin something on Lex, one of the things Lex had been the complete opposite of interested in hiding was his philanthropy. The Midvale Orphanage was funded nearly entirely on donations, most of which coming from- checkmate. Lex Luthor. Clark could now easily understand why this was so important to the CEO, and the nature of the kidnapping, when linked with this information, made one possibility seem extremely likely. Was the culprit behind this targeting Luthor? The vacuum created by the two men just… standing there opposite each other and thinking, was suddenly broken by the awkward intrusion of a worried Police Captain, holding a walkie talkie in one hand as he approached.
“M-Mr Luthor?” Lex looked up only a slight bit, averting his eyes from the floor, yet not ready to meet the captain’s eyes.
“What’s the information?” He snapped in a tone that couldn’t really be described as irritable, but could be mistaken for such- more raw, and resigned, defeated.
“We’ve already sent out detectives to investigate the possible ways they could have moved the kids out without being seen, and-” He fumbled over his words a little in concern.
“There’s an older train station nearby, right. Not the main one, takes people from the city out to the country and back in. Gonna be shut down for re-structures soon- Smallville line doesn’t even run anymore.” Lex now met the captain’s eyes, possibly due to a small semblance of hope from this information, nodding his head in recognition of the smaller station. “Well, we sent a couple of guys we had nearby out there, and they found a note- well, more like a poster hanging from a wall on the way down to the Smallville line.” He momentarily stopped, not sure if he was ready to deliver the news, or how the CEO would react. “It said… They want you to hand yourself over, Mr Luthor. Specifically, that every hour you remain free from now on… another kid isn’t gonna come back home.”
Another long gap of silence spread throughout the crowd, even Metropolis’ defender frozen, feeling his blood run cold. This couldn’t be allowed to continue… There was no way Lex could hand himself over to the kidnappers, the situation seemed impossible if they couldn’t be located, and if they really had fled out into the country using the subways, tracking them seemed like an impossible feat within an hour… The situation seemed just as dire on Lex’s end. However, in his mind, there was only one solution… he wouldn’t trade the lives of those children for his, no… Today, he was intent on living up to the mantle of ‘Metropolis’ Shining light of hope’ that he had been given, even if the city had abandoned their belief in him, in favour of some alien invader. Today, he would show them. He took a step forward towards the captain, face level to meet his eyes as he wallowed in shame no longer.
“Tell them they have a deal. The children must be released in return.”
The captain blinked in confusion, interjecting at the CEO of Lexcorp’s sudden sacrifice play.
“But sir, we have no way to contact them, but either way we can’t allow them to win-”
That was when Lex felt the firm grip on his right shoulder of the Kryptonian’s outstretched hand. Yet, the force applied felt human, no gesture of power, only sympathy and understanding. Lex turned his head, looking over his shoulder to see Superman behind him.
“Allow me. Seems likely they took the Smallville line out. I can see it and follow it, even when its under the ground.”
The police captain stuttered once again, seemingly baffled by the two titan’s plan, slowly forming before his eyes.
“You gonna need directions? Everything kinda starts to look the same out there-”
Superman shook his head, interjecting.
“No, I’ve been there before. All I need is for your drivers to be able to keep up with me. I’ll try not to go at top speed- but there’s no time to waste here.”
The Captain finally seemed to take that on board, nodding as he tipped his cap to the two out of respect, signaling for some of the other officers to get to their cars, letting out a sigh as he gave an order he never thought he’d have to say.
“No time to waste. Whatever happens- all units, just keep following Superman.”
As the officers began to rush to their parked cars, Lex turned around to the Kryptonian, meeting his eyes as he gave him a nod, some sort of gesture of respect. Clark had no time to be surprised, as Lex quickly stepped aside, opening the door to his own personal limo and getting inside, as Clark focused… letting his feet leave the floor as he ascended back into the air once again, a man on a mission.
Clark plummeted through the air like a missile, a blue blur as his eyes remained glued down to the fields beneath him- sometimes rows upon rows of corn, sometimes a mixture of mud and grass, but the familiar landscape wasn’t what he was focusing on. Underneath all that was a set of worn train tracks, and although they would be invisible to the human eye, Clark could see the white, glowing outline of the tracks, as if the fields had been overlayed on them. Those tracks were what he was following as he shot through the air, arms stretched out in front of him as he clenched his fists, and it was moments like these that he truly felt as if he was doing it- not just hovering, floating, or leaping like he usually felt, but truly flying. However, the sound of the wind passing by overtook his ears, making it harder for him to listen out, even at the speed he was travelling. It was then that he suddenly stopped, as he heard it.
Clunk.
It was a low, metallic sound- like a key slotting in a door, but it was enough for him to instinctively stop hurtling through the air, floating upright as he turned his head from side to side, listening more intently. He heard the same sound, once over again, followed by a low murmuring… it was a mixture of quiet voices, like a whimpering, almost too quiet to hear even for him. But his suspicions were confirmed as he cast his gaze downwards, seeing where he had arrived to. The warehouse seemed abandoned, and in complete disrepair, the small, metal door at the south end of it ajar, still open. A metal sign hung over the top of that door, more accurately, the remains of a sign. Whatever was on it had half rusted over, the other half seemingly scratched out. Either way, he was certain this had to be the place. He stared down at the odd warehouse amongst the mass of fields, surrounded by flat, muddy earth in a square radius around it, as the line of cars arrived down the country road, turning off to the left and entering into the empty lot around the warehouse.
Within minutes, the police cars had set up a line outside, some policemen taking cover behind the vehicles, guns at the ready. Seeing their preparations had only now just caused the reality of the situation to sink in for Clark as he floated above the scene- he was dealing with a hostage situation, so close to his own home town… but that was the least of his worries right now. Lex’s limo had parked the furthest away from the warehouse, positioned behind the police line for safety’s sake, but that clearly wasn’t going to last for long. Lex now wasn’t just wearing his usual suit, but a thick black coat over it, a scarf wrapped around his neck, fluttering in the chaotic winds, his dark attire fitting of the situation as he advanced beyond the police lines, making his way towards the doors. Not just Clark’s eyes were glued to the moving man, but so were those of the officers- guns at the ready, trained towards the door. And then, Lex entered through the doors, swallowed by the dark mouth of the warehouse. They could see him no longer.
Lex looked around, now consumed by the shadowy darkness of the unlit warehouse. There didn’t seem to be much space… cobwebs hung from every corner, and packed, dusty shelves served as makeshift walls, making it almost like a maze, shelves on either side of him. He leaned closer to the one on his right, unnerved by the total silence, eye becoming level with the eye of the figurine that was sat on the shelf. An old wooden doll. In fact, nearly every shelf was lined with… toys. He cast his gaze down the line, dusty and decrepit toys as far as the eyes could see. He blinked in a combination of disbelief and shock. While not scared at first, only vindicated, the strange surroundings were beginning to put a little bit of… worry, planted like a seed in the very back of his brain. It was then that he nearly jumped back up to a resting position, hands behind his back, as a sudden sound echoed out from his side. The dusty, mechanical screeching of an old fashioned speaker turning on. He span around to his side, looking to the shelves on his left, spotting the equipment set up on the middle shelf, one side of an intercom. He didn’t move any closer to it, awaiting the inevitable first proper contact with the fiend behind this.
“Close the door.”
Those were the three words that came from the intercom. The garbled frequency of the device muddled the voice on the other end, but Lex couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows in even more disconcerted confusion- the voice on the other end seemed to be about as dusty and croaky as the toys that surrounded him. Old, and scattered. Nevertheless, Lex wasn’t intent on risking the safety of the children over something so small- he still hadn’t located them. Without hesistation, he steeled his nerves as he took a few steps back, and swung the metal door closed, rusty hinges letting out a hellish creaking sound as it slammed shut. Lex wasn’t exactly sure if this would affect the police’s plans- he didn’t want to risk contacting them to find out, either. Their desynchronization was sure to cause issues. But he was intent on handling this on his own, damnit. If he couldn’t, who could? Certainly not that damn alien. The intercom screeched once again, as that same garbled, world-weary voice croaked out another command, every word seeming to be almost like a struggle.
“Lock it.”
Lex stood still as he comprehended the command. This worried him far more than the prior one, and he was beginning to think that complying was a mistake. He reached down into the pocket of his coat, digging out his phone and bringing it up to his face, the light source very much welcome. Entering the familiar code to unlock it (his father's birth date re-arranged, in fact), he went to his Contacts, expecting to call Mercy before a small spanner in the works, located at the very top left of the screen, caught his eye. ‘No Service’ were the words displayed. Lex muttered a curse under his breath. See, this was why he always hated the countryside. Reluctantly returning his phone into his pocket, although planning on using it later, he turned back around, going over to the lock on the worn metal door. It seemed to be an extremely simple bolt mechanism, like the kind used in toilet cubicles, although slightly more effective. He slid it across, the metal bolt slotting into the hole on the doorframe. He now felt only a slight bit more reassured, as opening the door to escape would only take a little longer, and busting it open from outside would also still be a possibility. Then again, they did have a Kryptonian, so any kind of lock wasn’t going to serve much purpose… he tried to push that thought out of his mind, as Lex Luthor did not intend to let the situation get that dire. The intercom voice began to speak again, for the longest he had heard it yet.
“Luthor. Head of Lexcorp. I remember when I was younger, and the brand was still around. Your father was a much greater man than you, though.”
Lex grit his teeth at that slight, almost instinctively turning his head away from the intercom. The voice seemed to be fittingly accompanied by the mind of some old coot. To think he had the right to compare him to that star-seeking old buffoon…
“Lexcorp’s just another example of these days. Consumerism, ‘s what it is. Nobody appreciates what they’ve got, or what’s real. Everything’s gotta be plastic, and new, and shiny, and fake.”
Even as the impotent rage in the grizzled voice began to rear its ugly head, the same constant tone seeped through the words. Defeat. Complete and utter resignment. It was a feeling Lex Luthor honestly couldn’t say he could empathise with, but the atmosphere made it almost contagious. The warehouse itself, every toy upon its shelves, reeked with the pungent aura of a dream broken thrice over. The feeling of giving up.
“I thought it was just in kids nature, ta be ungrateful ‘nd all. But that’s not just it. I see it in every face, everywhere I go in that damned city. Kids took everything from me. And then you did it too, all over again. And that’s when I realised it… You never really appreciate what you’ve got, till it’s taken from you.”
Luthor turned his gaze back intently to the intercom, the words about him feeling incredibly accusing and pointed. He had no idea who this man even was! … Although, as he let his thoughts linger on it, it was a certainty that he had wronged many, many people he would never remember. That was the nature of his work. Business. But then, the remarks about children, and the final ominous promise, caused him to instinctively yank his phone back out of his pocket, on edge as he turned on the flashlight mode, pointing it around him just to check, only getting a better view of the shelves, the sudden light straining his eyes at first. But he saw nothing new around him… he let out a short, momentary sigh of relief. Even with the newfound knowledge that the mastermind he was up against was some kind of old-timer, the police said one person would be nowhere near enough manpower to have performed the kidnapping. No… he had no time to waste thinking on this. He knew for certain now that he was going to start hurting the children. The intercom seemingly having nothing new to say, Lex wielded his phone’s light like a weapon, as he advanced down the line of shelves.
Superman remained in his position outside, floating outside the makeshift barricade the Police had made. Luckily for them, the media had not been allowed to follow them. Good. He wouldn’t want anyone uninvolved to be here… especially Lois. This was a delicate situation, and one that could easily turn sour. Clark’s family had raised him to be kind of religious, even if they skipped out on the local Church services on Sundays. Recent events… had caused him to re-evaluate his beliefs a bit, in a more logical frame. However, he had still not yet reached a conclusion of his own, so for now, he put his hands together as he remained suspended in the air, offering up a silent prayer for Lex and the children. And it was at that moment, as he let his mind clear and close his eyes, that he heard it. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, a cold shiver heading down his spine as he processed what he had been struggling to hear so long. The sound was incredibly muffled, as if heard through layers of tape. It was a child… screaming.
As Lex reached the end of the row, he shone his light around, spotting only one way to continue- the shelves that lined the walls leading him to turn to the right, doing so, entering into the darkness. His ears were immediately met with a terrible sound, one that he thought may even continue to haunt him… the muffled screams and shouts of the children. He grit his teeth, not wanting to look, but knowing he had to. He slowly raised his phone in morbid anticipation, as he cast light upon the full scene, his gaze taking in a sight that he would never forget. The table was long, and rectangular, the left and right sides stretched out far, and although he assumed a table like that would be of the wooden variety, the white cloth that covered it made it hard to tell, also making it nearly impossible to see directly underneath the table. Three wooden chairs were set up on each side, with one more at the north end farthest away from him, all of them pulled in close to the table… only that one chair empty. Tied in the 6 opposite chairs were six of the children they had been looking for… boys, girls, different ethnicities and races, all strapped and tied to their chairs as they squirmed and shook them, screaming as they attempted to wriggle free. Duct tape was stuck over their mouths, but it seemed to have not yet occured to them that wasting breath would cause them to potentially suffocate. Or, more likely… their immeasurable fear and panic caused them to ignore it. Colourful, childish paper party hats were seated on all their heads, the strap around their chins to hold them in place, one particularly angry boy having caused his to fall off already, landing on the floor behind him. As Lex opened his mouth in shock, unable to make a noise, raising his light further, he saw exactly what they were so afraid of. Standing directly behind the chair containing each child… was a life-size, no, LARGER, larger than your average man, Nutcracker Soldier Doll. The cossack hat, the fluffy hair, face painstakingly painted on, golden, stringy epaulettes on the shoulders, it was all there: but what made them even more odd was their strangely jointed limbs, arms held limply at their sides as a normal doll would, but their hands were far from circular and useless- Lex could make out their masterfully crafted fingers, that seemed capable of being opposable, or moved properly, almost like a human… this allowed them, as they stood at rest, to hold the butt of their guns with one hand, barrel end pointed towards the roof, like an actual military brigade. After all Lex had seen so far, he wouldn’t be surprised if the guns were actually REAL. But the most horrifying part of the advanced ‘wooden’ soldiers was not their masterful structure, or weapons, or even their soulless, painted voids of eyes… no, it was the unhinged open jaws, hanging low, the pit of darkness that was the ‘soldiers’ mouth allowing some of the inner mechanics to be seen, that was the most terrifying. For if the jaws could snap themselves back up using their hinges, as seemed likely… then these things could give one hell of a bite. Lex couldn’t help it as he shivered in freezing fear, the tension finally causing him to break, as he cast his eyes down to the only pulled out chair of the 8, the one on the south end of the table… the one closest to him, left empty and open. For him to sit down and join the party. On the south end of the table also seemed to be a piece of paper laid out, too far away for him to make out the words on, and a sloppily made birthday cake, complete with icing, and twelve glowing, creepily large candles. Lex stuttered out an attempt at defiance.
“You’re making things up if you think this’ll work on me-”
From the chair on the end of the table farthest away from him, the same intercom voice sounded out, croaking and garbled, in its same weary fashion, this time with a more aggressive, forceful, ominous edge and interpretation.
“It’s your party, Mr Luthor. It’d be rude ta leave your guests waiting.”
Lex let out a deep, weary sigh as his shoulders sunk. The kind that sounded just as defeated and done with it all as the old man speaking from who knows where. He sat himself down in the uncomfortable wooden chair, slightly too small for him, as he pulled it in closer to the table, looking down to his lap, unwilling to say a word as the voice continued.
“Good. Now we can both make things up, together. Let’s play pretend, Luthor… and act as if you will make the right decision today.”
"I wander thro' each charter'd street,
Near where the charter'd Thames does flow.
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe."
"London", by William Blake
The reporter was unable to form any more words, not knowing where to start. Lex seemed to take her silence as an invitation to talk more.
“It’s a very special material. You have no idea the lengths we had to go to, to get even just this little bit of it imported.”
He smirked, pressing one of his palms up against the glass, as if lovingly reaching out to his magnum opus. “It’s mere presence alone can almost completely neutralise a Kryptonian. See, something about their alien biology, from our tests, seems to take in and store Solar energy. Earth’s Sun in particular, seems to be the cause of their power. However, from the radiation emitted by even just a little bit of Kryptonite? All that stored up energy dissipates. If one of these clones, or the Invader, or even Superman himself were to cause a threat- Kryptonite would be the way forward, the perfect tool to neutralise them.”
Still sat in his chair at home, which now felt a lot less comfy and warm with the current tense atmosphere, Clark could feel his own panic growing and growing.
He had no idea there was some… Anti-Kryptonian material out there! Many doubts lingered in his brain. Even if Luthor didn’t know his identity, he did know how to beat him, and he knew his own power was from stored up Solar energy, but then… new doubts formed the more he thought about it. Could it run out eventually? Did he need to be out in the sun getting more Vitamin D, as training?! He didn’t know what to think. With all the research on the Phantom Zone Projector, he had thought he knew enough about Kryptonians, and who he was… but clearly he was wrong.
Lois let out a gasp, about to get her breath, but before she could say anything, Lex cut her off once again with his bragging. “Now, stocks of this may be rare, but I and Lexcorp have partnered with a government agency, ARGUS, to get a shipment into Metropolis… one big enough to make something REALLY interesting!” As he proudly proclaimed, Lois stuttered, attempting to get back in control of the situation and into Ace Reporter mode, as she stumbled over her words.
“B-but Mr Luthor, what exactly is the need for so much Kryptonite-” Before she could finish her question, or Lex could begin to respond, the automatic doors swooshed open, the noise causing Lex to instinctively spin around, and Lois to flinch in surprise.
“Mr Luthor, Sir? … There’s something on the news you need to see.”
Lois let out a sigh of relief as her shoulders untensed, seeing it was just a man in a lab coat, not a loose experiment. Lex cocked an eyebrow in confusion, the man simply giving a grave nod, indicating this request really was that important. Lex shrugged a bit, seemingly not against an excuse to leave the situation, and more importantly, dodge the question. He gave a curt nod to Lois, before silently following the employee out of the door. A large man in uniform had also entered through the automatic door, beckoning for Lois to also leave through it.
“Afraid you’re gonna have to be escorted out, Miss Lane."
Clark had scarcely noticed the cold sweat forming on his brow as Lex talked about ARGUS. This would have been good news to him when he first arrived here, the best possible news- Lois’ wire was still on, he had recorded the whole conversation, they both had physical evidence, some real proof to finally draw the connection between Lex and the shadowy clandestine organisation. But in the context, and what he had learnt from his brief misadventure with Task Force X… this was not a good omen at all. Even ARGUS now knew what made him tick… and if they had the resources of Kryptonite necessary to send to Lex, they could even be a larger threat than Lexcorp itself! As he panicked, he barely heard Lois being shepherded out of the lab (in quite a rush, despite her protests) through the mic, turning his head to the rather unimpressive TV set in the corner of the room, the only light in the dark room other than the laptop. As he saw what was on it, new worries overtook his mind as he left the laptop on… standing up from his chair, and walking over to the bathroom door, over the top of which his Superman costume hung. Clark reached his hand out, pulling the blue fabric down into his hands. This was going to be a long night.
It was half past 11 PM by the time the figure clad in that same blue costume descended from the sky down to the street in front of Midvale Orphanage, no longer Clark Kent, but Superman. The scene in front of one of Metropolis’ orphanages was certainly a strange one… the same limousine with blacked out windows that had taken Lex Luthor himself to and from the interview was parked outside, and standing at the bottom of the steps up to the front door was the man himself, surrounded on all sides by reporters and concerned citizens, flashing cameras and microphones pushed through, the mob held back by police officers in bright yellow jackets, clearly denoting their presence. The look on the face of Lexcorp’s CEO was not the kind of expression one would be used to him showing, especially when drawing the attention of a crowd… his brow was furrowed in grave seriousness. It was the sudden impact of Metropolis’ boy in blue crashing into the ground next to Luthor that caused the crowd and police to stop what they were doing and step back, turning around to face the two men, the circle of space carved out around them now even larger. Lex simply turned to face him, both their faces steely cold as the CEO nearly bit his lip, offering a restrained greeting. “Superman…” It seemed that with one wrong step, he could easily fly off the handle.
“Luthor…” The hero responded in a similar way, indicating an equally volatile state as the mutual tension only grew. Mentally, Lex cursed himself. Of course that spandex-clad glory hound had to be there. Although, whether to attempt to fight his battles for him, or look down at his situation… Lex wasn’t sure of the Alien’s intent. Probably enough, since so far this seemed to be nothing but the worst case scenario. Superman simply let out a regretful sigh, continuing as he started to inquire, hoping that his worst fears weren’t correct.
“How many?”
Luthor lowered his head in shame as he recounted the currently known facts, looking down to the cold, wet pavement, the puddles that had been left over by earlier rain fitting for the despair of the current situation.
“Twelve. All taken from their rooms after being put to bed. Three windows and two doors were broken, and the path the intruders took seems rather obvious due to this. In the time taken, it couldn’t have been the work of only one. The staff were too busy attempting to hide the other children to stop the intruders, and they called the Police to the location by 11:15 PM. By the time they arrived, it was already over.”
Clark didn’t know what to say… Lex seemed… legitimately remorseful over this, and had he not been busy helping Lois to try and expose the man, he, SUPERMAN, could have done something to stop this! If he could have heard it, he could have been here in time… No. Either way, Lex was still a threat that had to be deposed, but these children also had to be saved, if it wasn’t already too late. He shook his head, trying to get back into the right frame of mind, and recall what he knew about Midvale Orphanage. He may not have been the World’s Greatest Detective, but they were operating on a time limit, and he had agreed to leave the Gotham Bat to his own devices… and honestly, with the way his life had been going currently, he didn’t know if he could even rely on others. He also, if she was even available… couldn’t get help from Lois right now. But he could do this, and he was a journalist, he- got it. When he had been going through all the public documents of Lexcorp’s spending in his extensive research, trying to pin something on Lex, one of the things Lex had been the complete opposite of interested in hiding was his philanthropy. The Midvale Orphanage was funded nearly entirely on donations, most of which coming from- checkmate. Lex Luthor. Clark could now easily understand why this was so important to the CEO, and the nature of the kidnapping, when linked with this information, made one possibility seem extremely likely. Was the culprit behind this targeting Luthor? The vacuum created by the two men just… standing there opposite each other and thinking, was suddenly broken by the awkward intrusion of a worried Police Captain, holding a walkie talkie in one hand as he approached.
“M-Mr Luthor?” Lex looked up only a slight bit, averting his eyes from the floor, yet not ready to meet the captain’s eyes.
“What’s the information?” He snapped in a tone that couldn’t really be described as irritable, but could be mistaken for such- more raw, and resigned, defeated.
“We’ve already sent out detectives to investigate the possible ways they could have moved the kids out without being seen, and-” He fumbled over his words a little in concern.
“There’s an older train station nearby, right. Not the main one, takes people from the city out to the country and back in. Gonna be shut down for re-structures soon- Smallville line doesn’t even run anymore.” Lex now met the captain’s eyes, possibly due to a small semblance of hope from this information, nodding his head in recognition of the smaller station. “Well, we sent a couple of guys we had nearby out there, and they found a note- well, more like a poster hanging from a wall on the way down to the Smallville line.” He momentarily stopped, not sure if he was ready to deliver the news, or how the CEO would react. “It said… They want you to hand yourself over, Mr Luthor. Specifically, that every hour you remain free from now on… another kid isn’t gonna come back home.”
Another long gap of silence spread throughout the crowd, even Metropolis’ defender frozen, feeling his blood run cold. This couldn’t be allowed to continue… There was no way Lex could hand himself over to the kidnappers, the situation seemed impossible if they couldn’t be located, and if they really had fled out into the country using the subways, tracking them seemed like an impossible feat within an hour… The situation seemed just as dire on Lex’s end. However, in his mind, there was only one solution… he wouldn’t trade the lives of those children for his, no… Today, he was intent on living up to the mantle of ‘Metropolis’ Shining light of hope’ that he had been given, even if the city had abandoned their belief in him, in favour of some alien invader. Today, he would show them. He took a step forward towards the captain, face level to meet his eyes as he wallowed in shame no longer.
“Tell them they have a deal. The children must be released in return.”
The captain blinked in confusion, interjecting at the CEO of Lexcorp’s sudden sacrifice play.
“But sir, we have no way to contact them, but either way we can’t allow them to win-”
That was when Lex felt the firm grip on his right shoulder of the Kryptonian’s outstretched hand. Yet, the force applied felt human, no gesture of power, only sympathy and understanding. Lex turned his head, looking over his shoulder to see Superman behind him.
“Allow me. Seems likely they took the Smallville line out. I can see it and follow it, even when its under the ground.”
The police captain stuttered once again, seemingly baffled by the two titan’s plan, slowly forming before his eyes.
“You gonna need directions? Everything kinda starts to look the same out there-”
Superman shook his head, interjecting.
“No, I’ve been there before. All I need is for your drivers to be able to keep up with me. I’ll try not to go at top speed- but there’s no time to waste here.”
The Captain finally seemed to take that on board, nodding as he tipped his cap to the two out of respect, signaling for some of the other officers to get to their cars, letting out a sigh as he gave an order he never thought he’d have to say.
“No time to waste. Whatever happens- all units, just keep following Superman.”
As the officers began to rush to their parked cars, Lex turned around to the Kryptonian, meeting his eyes as he gave him a nod, some sort of gesture of respect. Clark had no time to be surprised, as Lex quickly stepped aside, opening the door to his own personal limo and getting inside, as Clark focused… letting his feet leave the floor as he ascended back into the air once again, a man on a mission.
Clark plummeted through the air like a missile, a blue blur as his eyes remained glued down to the fields beneath him- sometimes rows upon rows of corn, sometimes a mixture of mud and grass, but the familiar landscape wasn’t what he was focusing on. Underneath all that was a set of worn train tracks, and although they would be invisible to the human eye, Clark could see the white, glowing outline of the tracks, as if the fields had been overlayed on them. Those tracks were what he was following as he shot through the air, arms stretched out in front of him as he clenched his fists, and it was moments like these that he truly felt as if he was doing it- not just hovering, floating, or leaping like he usually felt, but truly flying. However, the sound of the wind passing by overtook his ears, making it harder for him to listen out, even at the speed he was travelling. It was then that he suddenly stopped, as he heard it.
Clunk.
It was a low, metallic sound- like a key slotting in a door, but it was enough for him to instinctively stop hurtling through the air, floating upright as he turned his head from side to side, listening more intently. He heard the same sound, once over again, followed by a low murmuring… it was a mixture of quiet voices, like a whimpering, almost too quiet to hear even for him. But his suspicions were confirmed as he cast his gaze downwards, seeing where he had arrived to. The warehouse seemed abandoned, and in complete disrepair, the small, metal door at the south end of it ajar, still open. A metal sign hung over the top of that door, more accurately, the remains of a sign. Whatever was on it had half rusted over, the other half seemingly scratched out. Either way, he was certain this had to be the place. He stared down at the odd warehouse amongst the mass of fields, surrounded by flat, muddy earth in a square radius around it, as the line of cars arrived down the country road, turning off to the left and entering into the empty lot around the warehouse.
Within minutes, the police cars had set up a line outside, some policemen taking cover behind the vehicles, guns at the ready. Seeing their preparations had only now just caused the reality of the situation to sink in for Clark as he floated above the scene- he was dealing with a hostage situation, so close to his own home town… but that was the least of his worries right now. Lex’s limo had parked the furthest away from the warehouse, positioned behind the police line for safety’s sake, but that clearly wasn’t going to last for long. Lex now wasn’t just wearing his usual suit, but a thick black coat over it, a scarf wrapped around his neck, fluttering in the chaotic winds, his dark attire fitting of the situation as he advanced beyond the police lines, making his way towards the doors. Not just Clark’s eyes were glued to the moving man, but so were those of the officers- guns at the ready, trained towards the door. And then, Lex entered through the doors, swallowed by the dark mouth of the warehouse. They could see him no longer.
Lex looked around, now consumed by the shadowy darkness of the unlit warehouse. There didn’t seem to be much space… cobwebs hung from every corner, and packed, dusty shelves served as makeshift walls, making it almost like a maze, shelves on either side of him. He leaned closer to the one on his right, unnerved by the total silence, eye becoming level with the eye of the figurine that was sat on the shelf. An old wooden doll. In fact, nearly every shelf was lined with… toys. He cast his gaze down the line, dusty and decrepit toys as far as the eyes could see. He blinked in a combination of disbelief and shock. While not scared at first, only vindicated, the strange surroundings were beginning to put a little bit of… worry, planted like a seed in the very back of his brain. It was then that he nearly jumped back up to a resting position, hands behind his back, as a sudden sound echoed out from his side. The dusty, mechanical screeching of an old fashioned speaker turning on. He span around to his side, looking to the shelves on his left, spotting the equipment set up on the middle shelf, one side of an intercom. He didn’t move any closer to it, awaiting the inevitable first proper contact with the fiend behind this.
“Close the door.”
Those were the three words that came from the intercom. The garbled frequency of the device muddled the voice on the other end, but Lex couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows in even more disconcerted confusion- the voice on the other end seemed to be about as dusty and croaky as the toys that surrounded him. Old, and scattered. Nevertheless, Lex wasn’t intent on risking the safety of the children over something so small- he still hadn’t located them. Without hesistation, he steeled his nerves as he took a few steps back, and swung the metal door closed, rusty hinges letting out a hellish creaking sound as it slammed shut. Lex wasn’t exactly sure if this would affect the police’s plans- he didn’t want to risk contacting them to find out, either. Their desynchronization was sure to cause issues. But he was intent on handling this on his own, damnit. If he couldn’t, who could? Certainly not that damn alien. The intercom screeched once again, as that same garbled, world-weary voice croaked out another command, every word seeming to be almost like a struggle.
“Lock it.”
Lex stood still as he comprehended the command. This worried him far more than the prior one, and he was beginning to think that complying was a mistake. He reached down into the pocket of his coat, digging out his phone and bringing it up to his face, the light source very much welcome. Entering the familiar code to unlock it (his father's birth date re-arranged, in fact), he went to his Contacts, expecting to call Mercy before a small spanner in the works, located at the very top left of the screen, caught his eye. ‘No Service’ were the words displayed. Lex muttered a curse under his breath. See, this was why he always hated the countryside. Reluctantly returning his phone into his pocket, although planning on using it later, he turned back around, going over to the lock on the worn metal door. It seemed to be an extremely simple bolt mechanism, like the kind used in toilet cubicles, although slightly more effective. He slid it across, the metal bolt slotting into the hole on the doorframe. He now felt only a slight bit more reassured, as opening the door to escape would only take a little longer, and busting it open from outside would also still be a possibility. Then again, they did have a Kryptonian, so any kind of lock wasn’t going to serve much purpose… he tried to push that thought out of his mind, as Lex Luthor did not intend to let the situation get that dire. The intercom voice began to speak again, for the longest he had heard it yet.
“Luthor. Head of Lexcorp. I remember when I was younger, and the brand was still around. Your father was a much greater man than you, though.”
Lex grit his teeth at that slight, almost instinctively turning his head away from the intercom. The voice seemed to be fittingly accompanied by the mind of some old coot. To think he had the right to compare him to that star-seeking old buffoon…
“Lexcorp’s just another example of these days. Consumerism, ‘s what it is. Nobody appreciates what they’ve got, or what’s real. Everything’s gotta be plastic, and new, and shiny, and fake.”
Even as the impotent rage in the grizzled voice began to rear its ugly head, the same constant tone seeped through the words. Defeat. Complete and utter resignment. It was a feeling Lex Luthor honestly couldn’t say he could empathise with, but the atmosphere made it almost contagious. The warehouse itself, every toy upon its shelves, reeked with the pungent aura of a dream broken thrice over. The feeling of giving up.
“I thought it was just in kids nature, ta be ungrateful ‘nd all. But that’s not just it. I see it in every face, everywhere I go in that damned city. Kids took everything from me. And then you did it too, all over again. And that’s when I realised it… You never really appreciate what you’ve got, till it’s taken from you.”
Luthor turned his gaze back intently to the intercom, the words about him feeling incredibly accusing and pointed. He had no idea who this man even was! … Although, as he let his thoughts linger on it, it was a certainty that he had wronged many, many people he would never remember. That was the nature of his work. Business. But then, the remarks about children, and the final ominous promise, caused him to instinctively yank his phone back out of his pocket, on edge as he turned on the flashlight mode, pointing it around him just to check, only getting a better view of the shelves, the sudden light straining his eyes at first. But he saw nothing new around him… he let out a short, momentary sigh of relief. Even with the newfound knowledge that the mastermind he was up against was some kind of old-timer, the police said one person would be nowhere near enough manpower to have performed the kidnapping. No… he had no time to waste thinking on this. He knew for certain now that he was going to start hurting the children. The intercom seemingly having nothing new to say, Lex wielded his phone’s light like a weapon, as he advanced down the line of shelves.
Superman remained in his position outside, floating outside the makeshift barricade the Police had made. Luckily for them, the media had not been allowed to follow them. Good. He wouldn’t want anyone uninvolved to be here… especially Lois. This was a delicate situation, and one that could easily turn sour. Clark’s family had raised him to be kind of religious, even if they skipped out on the local Church services on Sundays. Recent events… had caused him to re-evaluate his beliefs a bit, in a more logical frame. However, he had still not yet reached a conclusion of his own, so for now, he put his hands together as he remained suspended in the air, offering up a silent prayer for Lex and the children. And it was at that moment, as he let his mind clear and close his eyes, that he heard it. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, a cold shiver heading down his spine as he processed what he had been struggling to hear so long. The sound was incredibly muffled, as if heard through layers of tape. It was a child… screaming.
As Lex reached the end of the row, he shone his light around, spotting only one way to continue- the shelves that lined the walls leading him to turn to the right, doing so, entering into the darkness. His ears were immediately met with a terrible sound, one that he thought may even continue to haunt him… the muffled screams and shouts of the children. He grit his teeth, not wanting to look, but knowing he had to. He slowly raised his phone in morbid anticipation, as he cast light upon the full scene, his gaze taking in a sight that he would never forget. The table was long, and rectangular, the left and right sides stretched out far, and although he assumed a table like that would be of the wooden variety, the white cloth that covered it made it hard to tell, also making it nearly impossible to see directly underneath the table. Three wooden chairs were set up on each side, with one more at the north end farthest away from him, all of them pulled in close to the table… only that one chair empty. Tied in the 6 opposite chairs were six of the children they had been looking for… boys, girls, different ethnicities and races, all strapped and tied to their chairs as they squirmed and shook them, screaming as they attempted to wriggle free. Duct tape was stuck over their mouths, but it seemed to have not yet occured to them that wasting breath would cause them to potentially suffocate. Or, more likely… their immeasurable fear and panic caused them to ignore it. Colourful, childish paper party hats were seated on all their heads, the strap around their chins to hold them in place, one particularly angry boy having caused his to fall off already, landing on the floor behind him. As Lex opened his mouth in shock, unable to make a noise, raising his light further, he saw exactly what they were so afraid of. Standing directly behind the chair containing each child… was a life-size, no, LARGER, larger than your average man, Nutcracker Soldier Doll. The cossack hat, the fluffy hair, face painstakingly painted on, golden, stringy epaulettes on the shoulders, it was all there: but what made them even more odd was their strangely jointed limbs, arms held limply at their sides as a normal doll would, but their hands were far from circular and useless- Lex could make out their masterfully crafted fingers, that seemed capable of being opposable, or moved properly, almost like a human… this allowed them, as they stood at rest, to hold the butt of their guns with one hand, barrel end pointed towards the roof, like an actual military brigade. After all Lex had seen so far, he wouldn’t be surprised if the guns were actually REAL. But the most horrifying part of the advanced ‘wooden’ soldiers was not their masterful structure, or weapons, or even their soulless, painted voids of eyes… no, it was the unhinged open jaws, hanging low, the pit of darkness that was the ‘soldiers’ mouth allowing some of the inner mechanics to be seen, that was the most terrifying. For if the jaws could snap themselves back up using their hinges, as seemed likely… then these things could give one hell of a bite. Lex couldn’t help it as he shivered in freezing fear, the tension finally causing him to break, as he cast his eyes down to the only pulled out chair of the 8, the one on the south end of the table… the one closest to him, left empty and open. For him to sit down and join the party. On the south end of the table also seemed to be a piece of paper laid out, too far away for him to make out the words on, and a sloppily made birthday cake, complete with icing, and twelve glowing, creepily large candles. Lex stuttered out an attempt at defiance.
“You’re making things up if you think this’ll work on me-”
From the chair on the end of the table farthest away from him, the same intercom voice sounded out, croaking and garbled, in its same weary fashion, this time with a more aggressive, forceful, ominous edge and interpretation.
“It’s your party, Mr Luthor. It’d be rude ta leave your guests waiting.”
Lex let out a deep, weary sigh as his shoulders sunk. The kind that sounded just as defeated and done with it all as the old man speaking from who knows where. He sat himself down in the uncomfortable wooden chair, slightly too small for him, as he pulled it in closer to the table, looking down to his lap, unwilling to say a word as the voice continued.
“Good. Now we can both make things up, together. Let’s play pretend, Luthor… and act as if you will make the right decision today.”
"I wander thro' each charter'd street,
Near where the charter'd Thames does flow.
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe."
"London", by William Blake