When Dealing With Devils
By TwinEnigma
Warnings: slight spoilers for Dark Angel Season 2+
Sandeman immediately dislikes Lex Luthor.
The businessman carries himself like a well-groomed shark and when he smiles, Sandeman half-expects to see rows of razor sharp teeth.
"You're a difficult man to track down," Luthor says.
Difficult, perhaps, for most men, but Lex Luthor is not most men. Few, even among the Conclave, have the resources this man has at his disposal.
Sandeman frowns, trying to ignore this latest interruption to his work. Bad enough that he's already been forced into cutting deals to keep Manticore running. "I'm not fond of unnecessary distractions. What do you want?"
"Straightforward, I like that," Luthor says. "Well then, let me get right to the point: you've got some very powerful enemies, Mr. Sandeman. My associates and I could help you with that."
"In exchange for my assistance, no doubt," Sandeman remarks dryly. He's no fool. He knows this little song and dance all too well. There's a catch. There's always a catch.
"I see we understand each other." Luthor's smile doesn't slip.
"Perfectly," Sandeman responds. "And what would you have me do?"
"Why, we want you to continue your work, of course," Luthor says, in a tone that on anyone else would be perfectly innocent; on this businessman, however, the effect was nothing less than absolutely predatory. "My associates and I are very impressed with your transgenic work. It's quite fascinating. In fact, we'd like to commission you to do a few custom orders off your X-5 template. I understand it's the top of the line."
"And in return, you'll protect me," Sandeman states, closing his eyes for a moment.
"Naturally," Luthor says. "I'll even let you use my Cadmus facilities to continue your research afterwards."
He bites down on the urge to ask when the inevitable requests for little favors will start.
"Think about it."
The door hisses open and Sandeman listens quietly as the businessman's footsteps disappear into the hallway beyond, cutting off abruptly as the door hisses shut once more. He opens his eyes and lets out a deep breath, one he didn't know he'd been holding.
There's a business card on his worktable, blank save for a single phone number.
Sandeman knows a man like Lex Luthor can't want anything good and that these custom jobs he wants are probably intended for far darker purposes. He's known men like this all his life and he knows all too well what they are capable of, but right now his back is to the wall. If he wants to survive long enough to achieve his goal with the X-5 series, he must be willing to acquiesce to fools blinded by their greed for power this one final time.
Besides, he notes with a grim smile, it's not as if he can't program them with a few little surprises of his own.
There is, as Luthor should have well known, always a catch.
AN: Just a little thing that I'd jotted down to keep from going spare. It might turn into something more, it might not - we'll see.