ALL NOVEL Lex Luthor’s Ingenuity
(General P.O.V)
"Hats off to you old friend. Everything has gone on splendidly, just like you said."
Vandal Savage inclined his head at the bald headed man walking beside him. Luthor accepted the compliment graciously while slightly smiling.
"You give me too much credit, Savage. The chips were already in place, it was a simple matter of being the catalyst they needed to fall."
Their feet were quiet on the floor. Both of them walking along a hallway inside the facility, headed to a sublevel that was off limits to the regular employee. Not that there were normal employees here. The facility was one set underneath the Sahara desert and apart from a few important scientists, the upkeep of the place was manned by drones.
The security was top notch. The whole base was powered by alien energy reactors from their outer space connections as the main source of power, paired with LexCorp's own upgraded solar panels for minimal tasks and the maintenance of a cloak around the upper section of the base. Whose sole purpose was to hide any activity from the satellites above. The only way to get in and out of the base was through a boom tube, with the Scientists hired residing in the premise all year round after Luthor 'convinced' them it was better that way.
The pair came upon a huge door and stopped. A light from the security panel scanned Luthor and granted him the access. The door opened with a hiss and they stepped through, arriving inside a chamber that was housing two pods and a middle-aged man, going over some files on the computer.
"Doctor Heinz, how are our two subjects?"
The scientist rounded up at Luthor nervously,
"Mr. Luthor…you're here."
Luthor raised an eyebrow.
"Come now doctor, how man times am I going to tell you to simply call me Lex."
The doctor gulped loudly and threw a glance at the man standing beside Luthor.
"Right…to answer your question sir, the boy has stabilized but the girl… despite possessing the same physical parameters as her twin, the residue energy from the Fatherbox has rejected her. We are thinking of scrapping her from the project."
Savage raised an eyebrow at the Doctor's explanation. If what he said was actually true…then Luthor had clearly outdone himself. Savage tightened the hand behind his palm as he thought of one thing and one thing only. A question. How? How had Luthor done it?
"Mmmh." Luthor hummed.
"I see. How soon can he be made…field ready?"
The aged doctor adjusted his glasses and licked his lips in nervousness.
"I don't think he can. We are not dealing with the soul of Tommy Terror alone anymore sir, whatever this…Fatherbox residue energy is… it has eternally changed him into a vegetative state. The combined trauma of their minds fusing has left him comatose with no signs of awakening."
Luthor stepped up closer to the pod and placed a hand on the metal while closing his eyes. Savage observed the action, content to stay silent, curious on what Luthor's next move would be. Lex closed his eyes and a few seconds later opened them. He turned to the lead scientist, Doctor Heinz and smiled slightly. Just like Luthor thought, the doctor was wrong.
"I believe that will be all doctor, could you excuse us for a minute?"
Doctor Heinz thought about refusing but…ultimately chose to leave. Something told him he was expendable, no matter the cordiality Luthor treated him with. The door closed behind him, leaving Luthor and Savage alone inside the chamber.
Any thoughts of eavesdropping were thrown out of the window when, Doctor Heinz upon leaving the room, came upon her. Mercy Graves. Lex Luthor's personal assistant/bodyguard. He thought of telling her off. Saying all the things he couldn't say to Luthor's face. Telling her of how big a mistake Luthor had done. Heinz was a scientist. That meant he navigated life through logic and reasoning. Supernatural phenomenal were just instances of scientific anomalies that couldn't be explained quickly due to insufficient data. However...that thing inside Tommy Terror. He shuddered. Whatever it was, was nothing good. It felt inky and malicious. God help them all if Luthor wasn't stopped.
Once they were alone, Luthor went towards a button and pressed it, the pod holding Tommy Terror started opening, revealing a shirtless blonde teen who had his eyes closed. Savage cleared his throat slightly. The action made Lex stop and look back at him.
"How did you do it Luthor?"
Savage enquired.
Luthor smiled , the action would have sent a chill through anyone's spine due to how sinister it was, but unfortunately or fortunately, he was dealing with Vandal Savage. Savage had simply seen more terrifying things. But he was wary, wary because Luthor's smile seemed off putting and out of character for him. As if he'd already won.
"The Fatherbox and I possess a… mutual pact of understanding. So when the Maelstrom boy cleansed it, he was merely separating it's core; the soul if you will, from it's inner components."
Luthor turned to Tommy and motioned at him.
"He, was a failsafe incase the Heroes in their infinite wisdom, decided to try and destroy the Fatherbox, at which point, I could direct it here by using the limited control it granted me over it."
Luthor explained, adjusting his tie.
"That explains why you were not at all worried about losing the Fatherbox. You already had a back up plan just incase." Savage hummed. "What would have happened had they decided to secure the Fatherbox in the Watchtower instead of destroying it?"
Luthor chuckled.
"Nothing. That was the original plan at first. You see from inside, we could have remotely used it to access the Justice League's database for information and security measures. Phase one would have been a breeze during that time. It would effectively be our very own Trojan horse."
Savage smiled slightly.
"I see you had accounted for almost everything."
The older man said.
Luthor leaned on the table while keeping an eye on Tommy's condition.
"You are wondering what would have happened, if the Justice League would have tasked someone else to study the Fatherbox. Logic and past actions dictates that they would have gone for Star Labs. The former due to the high level of scientific research and funding it gets and the latter due to the trust the League puts on them. Being a shareholder, I could extract the Fatherbox anytime I wanted."
Vandal Savage was minutely impressed. Then again, Luthor was the most dangerous member of The Light after him. There was a reason, he had prevailed in a city with a being possessing the powers of a god. Prevailed and thrived even. Vandal knew that many of the plans they were going to carry out had been streamlined and made more efficient due to Luthor's efforts. Savage was eager to see what would next come out of Lex's ingenious mind.
"With this, I believe we are ready to plead your case to the rest."
Savage stated, making Lex frown a little.
"Oh please, we both know the only problem is going to be Klarion. I am doubtful he can keep his hatred and resentment for the boy in check, enough to bring him into my fold. The others will see the opportunity presented, I am sure. In any case let's go and get this over with."
Savage turned to the side without commenting and inserted his hand in the pocket of his jacket. Withdrawing it, a Fatherbox was revealed. Instantly the living computer started going haywire. Savage looked at it curiously then turned his attention to Tommy Terror.
"It says he's an abomination."
Luthor smiled and snapped his fingers. A purple aura covered Tommy's body and he snapped his eyes open. The previous blue eyes were now a shade of menacing purple.
"Well then, he'll fit right in with us."
The bald headed genius replied.
A boom tube opened at Savage's behest and they all walked in. The surroundings changed from the drab hallway of the Sahara Cadmus facility into an asian themed, classic environment. The buildings had an ancient feel to them, with statues that depicted mythical creatures like Dragons and phoenixes dotting the area.
A man was seated on a platform constructed to overlook the courtyard. A courtyard that ended on a row of stairs and a bridge that connected the main buildings of the island and the route towards the beach. The man was light-skinned with white hair and dark brown eyes. He was completely bald on the top of his head, and the rest of his hair extended near his shoulders. His white mustache went to his cheeks and under his chin.
He rose upon their arrival, cutting his meditation short and bowed slightly.
"Welcome to Infinity island. The den of the demon's head and sanctuary of those who have pledged their lives to his cause. Follow me, if you please."
With that he turned around and started walking inside the establishment.
"Time has not been kind to you, Sensei."
Savage observed as a way of greeting.
"Alas, such is the way of the world, Immortal. I have no regrets and have accepted my fate."
Sensei replied calmly. Luthor chose to ignore the conversation as he was focused on another matter, the boy behind him, Tommy Terror was an opportunity. A chance. Already an idea was blooming inside his mind. The junior team had more times than not been a thorn on their side. Due to their young age and inexperience when compared to their mentors, some of the light underestimated them. They needed to even out the playing field. Luthor knew of how to do it, It was simply a matter of convincing the rest of the Light to see things his way...and when had he ever failed at that?