Disclaimer: All fictional characters and places are property of their respective owners, not mine.
Warnings: Slash, language, and violence.
AU, set at beginning of season 3
Childhood's End
Prologue
"It's confirmed, sir." A middle aged man in a white coat addressed his superior with a subtle sense of accomplishment. "All the markers were there, every single one. It's almost unbelievable.""Not unbelievable doctor, just very unexpected." The doctor's superior looked over the report in question with a sombre appearance to the point of foreboding. "Are you absolutely certain doctor? There can be no room for error in a situation like this."
"I'm certain sir. We re-did each test over a dozen times with different samples and different technicians, re-checked by other personnel and then re-checked and re-tested personally by myself. There has been no error."
His superior gave him a sharp look which seemed to analyze every cell of the scientist looking for a possible deception or ulterior motive, a healthy paranoia that came naturally to him. A trained observer would have recognized it as similar to the leer of a predator stalking a herd of unsuspecting gazelles in the wild. "Tell me doctor, how many of the people assigned to this project were aware of what they were testing for?"
"Well... I was the only one who knew the actual purpose of the investigation, the other technicians were just working by comparing given samples." His superior nodded as if in appreciation as he reabsorbed himself in the report he held in his hand. Slowly walking back behind his desk the man continued to graze over the paper as if in deep thought while he returned to his seat.
"And have you given the news to any of our 'associates' higher-up?" Asking casually as his eyes left the paper to return to the subordinate in front of him, the scientist did not notice his superior opening a drawer in his desk.
"No sir, you're the only one that knows so far. I only finished confirming the results a few minutes ago, I wanted to be sure... like you said, no room for errors."
"Yes, yes... thank you doctor." His superior kept a cold eye-contact with him as he produced a large black pistol equipped with a silencer and shoot the scientist three times in the chest. He placed the weapon back upon the desk, on top of the lab report and slowly removed himself from his chair to inspect the body. He knelt down beside his victim and cocked his head to one side with a small sigh. "I'm sorry doctor, I really am."
Standing up again, he approached his desk and reached for the phone, casually dialing up a series of numbers like he would do countless times each day before waiting for the expected voice on the other end of the line. "This is Lionel Luthor, I need you at my office now, there is something you need to clean up. Also there is a little accident a I need you to arrange at one of my labs for me... yes... yes I'll give you all the necessary details once you arrive, I trust won't have to explain to you the usual level of 'discretion' required... good. I expect to see you in a few minutes." He returned the phone back to its previous position before walking behind his desk to procure another object from the same drawer where he removed the gun. Taking the object in hand, Mr Luthor took the lab report from his desk held at arms length before producing the lighter he had removed from his desk drawer and lit the report over his metal waste bin.
Watching the report slowly burn into thin cracked strips of charcoal, he continued to leer at the revelatory document with a stony sense of dread. "You owe me Mr Kent... more than you could possibly understand."