Dream a Good One Tonight
Chapter 1
Lex Luthor was poised in his seat; not because he needed to be in order to maintain some level of control, but instead because his arrogant streak was corroborated by clout to circumvent him from being humble and therefore incapable of slouching. In fact, he considered himself the most powerful man on the planet, if not in the very existence of all life forms. There was a time that such an idea would have been a matter of controversy, a mere hope in a sea of impossibility. Today there was no question as to the truth in such a statement. He fancied the idea that he owned Metropolis, and every other no name town from where he was perched to every stretch of ocean and land. On paper, it may have been true; but only should he put his empire together in such a manner.
"What do you have for me?" He asked in a smooth voice. Under normal conditions, and perhaps in better company, it might seem inviting. But when on the tongue of Lex Luthor, in his natural habitat and highly expensive executive chair, it was hardly something to be considered pleasant. If anything, the more warmth that seemed present acted as a warning to proceed with caution. It was more like the faux praise of a reigning dictator hoping to urge his subjects into submission through manipulation, which for Lex wasn't far from the truth on the dictator front or the manipulation one.
"Numbers." Said the shaky voiced scientist, his eyes turned towards the wall behind Lex as if he was too afraid to look him directly in the eyes. He was visibly trembling as the paper in his hands shook a little bit. The concept made Lex internally sneer and externally smile, pleasantly amused and disgusted by the same weakness.
"Well if I wanted numbers I would have hired an accountant. Instead, I want answers so I hired you." He cooed in a low and dangerous hum. The way he spoke mimicked that of an adult directing to a small child, but in a way that did nothing but cleverly demean the other. He leaned forward, placing his folded hands on top of the ridiculously priced marble desk that he just had to have. The man recoiled and even let out a little chirp of surprise and fear. For it, Lex felt his brow pull together slightly between his eyes. "I'm not hearing anything that sounds remotely like an answer I can use, doctor. What have you been doing all this time?" Lex almost sang his taunt, hoping to further scare the already terrified scientist.
"You also hired for quality over speed and answers don't come overnight. We're scientists, not God. What you're asking for is a miracle." This voice didn't belong to the cowering physician before him, but rather another who appeared from the main double doors that led into Lex's office. This man's posture was not nearly as certain as Lex liked in an opponent, but far from his unsure coworker. He was the one heading the research. Although nerdy and skinny, he had annoying passion when it came to the topic at hand. Lex viewed him the way he view an irksome yet persistent fly. One that wasn't to the point that required termination, or even a second glance, except for when it buzzed too close and a warning swat was delivered before the fly ducked out of dodge. Payton often did just that; he ducked just in time to miss Lex's proverbial hand.
Lex viewed him just the way he did everyone else-lesser. And for Payton's lack of conviction in everything but his research, Lex was probably right. "Dr. Lionel, I was wondering when we might be graced with your presence." Lex's voice perked, but it - like the smooth initial question for Payton's subordinate - was not nearly what it seemed. "Please, if you have the time, do translate for our friend here as I seem to be getting nowhere."
Payton's head swiveled to the timid and still slightly cowering man. "Leave us Dr. Thomas." Payton said with a soft sigh and genuine measure of sympathy to his tone. He waited until the other doctor left before he spoke again, his voice soft still. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know, Lex." Payton paused on his boss's name. It was a point of contention as Lex had insisted on Payton calling him by his given name. Lex knew it made Payton uncomfortable as he had been Mr. Luthor since the day Payton walked through the door, out of respect. When Lex had insisted on shedding the formal surname, Payton had squirmed and refused for a long time. Now it was like a game; Lex got to watch the introverted, yet brilliant, doctor grapple with being forced to call his boss by his informal name. Like they were friends, though Lex would contend that he and Payton were not the sort to be a part of some contrived definition of friendship. One corner of Lex's mouth turned up as his name caught on Payton's voice. He didn't outwardly writhe in his spot now, but he always showed some sign of discomfort and it made Lex feel superior, like he had yet more control over those he paid. "But I need to know what information you're seeking." Payton cleared his throat as he spoke, recovering from the verbal stumble.
"How about a status report Dr. Lionel. Something worth my time." Lex rose from his seat, taking careful stride to one of the decorative paintings in his office as if that caught his attention more than Payton could. His hands slipped behind his back and he glanced at Payton from the corner of his eye. The doctor was momentary silent as he pondered what it was he wanted to convey. Of all the things in his life, his research was the one thing he had confidence about. True, genuine confidence that Lex was happy to harness. "And don't bore me with an artificially inflated outlook of progress you think I want to hear. I want the truth accordingly."
Payton remained stationary but confident as his hands slipped to the pockets of his white lab coat. "Testing shows the same thing we both expected and have seen before. We're not to the point that we can genetically engineer a specimen, but we're down to the core base pairs that build the DNA. It's simply matter of forcing them to undergo natural biological processes; duplicating without completely unraveling the genes we're interested in and thus creating something that will immediately die. We should have access to a full map in the next few weeks, though we'd rather not rush like before. At that point, we can proceed with practical testing and move away from the lab." He said.
"Good. Was that so hard an answer to give?" Lex asked, his eyebrow arched as he had turned to look fully at Payton. "That will be all then. I look forward to the weeks to come. Oh...and one more thing." Lex paused after Payton had already turned to go. The lanky doctor paused and glanced back over his shoulder. "Don't be cautious as I know you're one to do. It serves no one any good. I want the risks-what do we have to lose?" Lex was very clear in his tone and his demeanor; it was assertive. Though the small raise of his voice on the end of his query was a tiny bit too cheerful.
Payton stared back at him with a hard look on his face. "Nothing at all." It was the last warning Lex would give and both men seemed to understand that.
Author's Note :: This story is the conglomerate effort of two authors. Follow us to the madness beyond...we hope you won't be disappointed. Please, if you have a moment stop to let us know what you think. It would be very appreciated.