1: Ignite
Breathe in from the mouth. Breathe out from the nose.
Breath in from the mouth...
Out from the nose.
Thumps from her the soles of her running shoes echoed throughout her body, while the cool breeze of the morning curled around her hurrying form. It was the perfect contrast to the warming muscles in her calves, and the sweat beading on her skin. Music drummed in her ears, and the wire circling her upper arm resisted the swift rhythm of her arms.
Her long hair, pulled back in a high ponytail, bounced in a cheery swing as she kept on.
She wasn't paying mind to anything in particular, more focused on every fall of her foot hitting the pavement beneath her. Fellow pedestrians began to cultivate from the morning hour to start about their days from the entrance of subways and neighboring apartments. She ignored them, her neon green and black uniform were nothing but a blur as she jogged, focused on finishing her chosen route.
Feeling the burn in her lungs becoming unbearable, she slowly came to a stop. Panting, she took a swig of her bottled water, all the while admiring a giant tree blooming with vibrant green leaves nearby. There weren't many trees like that still around in populated areas, much less in big cities like this.
It reminded her of the god tree back...home.
Kagome shook her head with a sigh, cool water soothed her parched throat and as a minute passed, her heart settled. With a soft hum, she pocketed the bottle and twisted her spine in a stretch. A pair of guys sitting down on a bench nearby momentarily caught her eyes for a brief second. However, she quickly averted her eyes when one threw a saucy wink in her direction.
Yeah…no.
Ignoring the cat calling aimed at her person, she took off again.
It didn't take long for her mind to begin to wander, as it always does at each jog.
Years came and went, but none of them passed peacefully for her.
The only thing that stayed consistent was her anger. Her hatred of one foolish man.
Sure, it receded and dulled as time passed, but it was always there. Her constant companion. Just when it seems like she could move on, the heart-destroying anniversary would come and the memories would consume her, reigniting that feeling she had once believed she could never truly feel. This only caused her anger, her hatred to fester, to grow hotter.
She'd never forget that day, even when everyone else did with each passing hour. Even though that day is celebrated each year, those lost were slowly being forgotten.
She refused to let that tragedy to pass without repercussions. She wasn't going to let her family's murderer go without punishment. Without fully knowing the consequences of his actions. Without doing something to prevent another tragedy.
He was a ticking bomb, in her mind.
If he could be controlled once, what's to say he wouldn't be again?
What is to say he wouldn't just snap one day?
Snap under the pressure placed upon him as the Earth's Guardian?
Even an alien-god as he is, he is still a human. Just like the whole rest of them.
And wasn't that a hard pill to swallow…
Kagome's lips curled down into a sneer.
Certainly he couldn't be jailed for what he did—even she was aware he wasn't in his right mind that day...but he was a complete coward, ashamed for his atrocious deeds. He never once apologized. He refused to look at the burnt, mangled bodies of those he had a hand in making. Even though he helped cleaned up the destruction he'd left behind. Even when public outright attacked him, he refused to show up and instead placed in some famous lawyer to apologize on his behalf.
Yet, despite this disrespectful behavior, the public forgave him more and more with each rescue of a kitty stuck in a tree, or helping an old lady cross the street.
It disgusted her!
How could everyone allow themselves to be blinded once more. Brought back under the illusion that this man…no, this monster was infallible?
Justice League certainly gained a tighter control of him, but it wasn't enough.
Not enough in her opinion.
It would never be enough…
There was no one who could outmatch him. Not even the esteemed Wonder Woman herself, with gods at her side, could stop him. Batman could perhaps keep him at bay, but he only had his genius mind to back him up. He could easily be dispatched in a blink of an eye.
He was fast, after all. Faster than the Flash, even.
It took the entirety of the Justice League to stop his rampage, with only a green rock carefully placed squarely at his heart.
The world, no, perhaps the entire universe's strongest man, was barely taken down by a scrambled mess that masqueraded as teamwork.
The world's smartest hero, could do nothing if he couldn't react in time to stop Superman from ripping out his heart.
The Justice League, barely one year since its foundation, learned from that awful day.
They became more prepared. Less careless. Devised more backup plans.
If she were anyone else, that might've settled her, but no.
The world needed someone who could stand against him, should he fall to madness again. Even if it was at the cost of having the rival being a tyrant, it was still better than having another massacre. Still better than seeing another person lose the entirety of their family, like she had.
Justice League didn't have anyone that fit that criteria. Having only Kryptonite as their weapon against him, and their cleverness.
So, the only logical conclusion was to have, or create, someone or something to be his rival in power, perhaps, stronger. With multiple fail safes, of course.
Feeling angry again, Kagome put a brake to her increasingly poisonous thoughts with a shake of her head.
Funny, and her friends in the past had said she was the purest soul they'd ever seen these years ago. To think of what they would say if they saw her now.
Despite everything life has taught her one thing: she was only human.
Like everyone else, she too was bound to be spoiled by the innate nature of humanity. Perhaps, it was indeed for the best that the cursed jewel, Shikon no Tama, was destroyed all of those years ago. Otherwise it surely would've become corrupted in her care as she was today.
Repeating the cycle...
Steady thumps of her footsteps brought her closer to the gate of her apartment building, and with a quick motion, she slid in a card that hang from her waist. The door beeped, and she slipped in through the opening, as she walked away she heard the lock clicking closed behind her. Going through another door to the inside, cool air hit her damp skin. It was relieving from the heat that had built up from her morning jog.
With another swing of her water, she drifted from her original path while fishing out a small key from her card strap. Along the wall next to the entry leading to apartments, were lines of small mailboxes. Coming to a stop in front of one, she wiped some sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand while the other held a key. Inserting the key her mailbox popped pen, and she perked up at the pile of envelopes that met her sight.
Kagome whistled, "Looks like I've struck gold today!"
The stack of mail was thick enough to fill one hand, taking up nearly all of her palm. Most of them were plain white, with fewer in yellow and some with thicker textures that felt uncomfortable on her skin. Kagome thumbed through them, using elbow to knock the box shut with a clang. Alternating between watching where she was going and flipping through the stack, she used her elbow again to press the button to summon the elevator.
Waiting patiently for that familiar ding! she continued her appraising.
Halfway in the pile the ding! startled her, but she quickly bounced inside the awaiting elevator. Absentmindedly pressing the button for her floor, she couldn't stop the widening smile from overtaking her face. There were multiple replies from the labs she has applied to!
So many possible employers to hire her!
With a huff that carried a sense of arrogance, Kagome ignored the rest of what she saw, disinterested in their unread offers. There was only one she really, truly wanted, having her eyes only on the gold among the pennies.
The lift came to a stop at her floor with that obnoxious noise, with her feet were already out of the automatic doors. With a hand already fishing for the appropriate key from the strap, Kagome didn't look up from her mail even as she came to a stop at the door of her apartment.
Swiftly she unlocked the door and slipped in. Relocking the door behind her, she didn't stop the gasp at the letterhead glaring bold on one fancy envelope. The rest of the mail sailed through the air she ripped through the adhesive with a filed thumbnail, and tore the contents out of it.
Blue eyes traced the lines that would determine her fate.
Kagome Higurashi
She skipped over some unnecessary lines.
Miss Higurashi,
We are happy to announce that you've been selected to fill a position here at Cadmus Inc.
We've received thousands of applications, and we are pleased to inform you that out of the thousands of qualified candidates, your credentials stood out.
This job includes a possible starting salary of $XXX,XXX per annum, the specifics will be discussed following your employment.
Please reply to us as soon as possible with your decision on whether you wish to accept this job. The number you can reach us is 555-400-8000*.
Harry Markson
Cadmus' Employment Office
For a moment, Kagome did nothing. Her eyes tracing the words over and over again, as if she couldn't believe what she had just read. As the words began to sink into her mind, she felt a long familiar burning sensation in her eyes. As the first hot tears fell down her cheeks, Kagome's lips curled up into a smile. Almost too sinister for her angelic face, but also too grim to match the cruel nature.
After all this time, she was finally making a step forward. She had finally been accepted by one of the many labs she applied for.
It is moments like this that make everything that I've been through worth it…
"We are so excited to have you on aboard, Ms. Higurashi!" Mr. Markson elated, his thick-rimmed glasses easily displaying the inane eagerness from his cartoonish-looking eyes. His hand was enormously large, engulfing her own, with a carefully tight grip, and Kagome plastered on a smile, not liking the dampness of his skin.
Mr. Markson reminded her of many working men back in Japan, where they dressed nothing but in high-collared suits, comb-back faux hair, sweat, and sake in their hands and in their bellies. Stereotypically overworked, and without desire to ever return to their waiting family. Kagome met many people in her life, but she never expected to meet one that brought her reminiscing about old life in Japan so quickly, however briefly.
Still, Mr. Markson did bother to pronounce her family name correctly, when not very many had, so he deserved some manner of true respect, despite being one of smaller cogs in a much larger machine.
Returning the same strength to the hand shake, Kagome's smile tightened while she relaxed her eyes, to make her expression more real—a psychology trick she learned over time to charm people over, even when she wasn't feeling a thing, "I'm glad to be a part of the greater scheme of things, Mr. Markson."
He guffawed, releasing her hand with glee sparking alive in his rough tone, "Indeed! You showed so much potential that the president himself wanted to personally meet you himself!" Twisting around from his desk, made from some fancy wood Kagome didn't bother to care to know, Mr. Markson gestured her to follow, "Now that you accepted our employment, I was told to bring you to his office!"
Kagome trapped a gasp from leaving her lips. The very president residing over Cadmus and possibly many other high potential industries...? "I..." She gave a look of doubt, "Truly? This is quite a compliment, Mr. Markson." She stepped back, shaking her head, with small corners of her colored lips weighting down on her face, to toy with the man's reaction—another trick she learned as well, "But, wouldn't I be imposing on his time?" Full of confidence with just a touch of uncertainty often made men like him to jump answers she needed.
"Yes, he actually demanded that I take you to him, regardless of your decision!" Boom, there it is. She stopped a goofy grin from growing on her lips like fungus. It always felt grand to know that her hardest efforts had at lasts been rewarded as she deserved. The Cadmus Inc. had no plan to let her go without a fight. That was good, she decided, because it meant she could possibly manipulate Cadmus to suit her needs. Mr. Markson was beginning to look impatient at her idling, "So, shall we go?"
"Oh, yes! I'm sorry, I'm a little surprised that even the president himself wanted to speak with me." Kagome paced evenly toward Mr. Markson, again brimming with the perfected confidence that she was told time and time again was attractive on her person.
Mr. Markson grinned again and led her out of his sparse office, into many turns of endless hallways to the long red velvet and gold-lined lift to the highest floor in the the skyscraper, the level that Mr. Markson himself had to apply some secret codes into the pane full of buttons.
1468. 754. And 52378.
Kagome stopped herself from rolling her eyes, at his lousy attempt to hide his code, and filed the series of numbers away for whenever she may need it. She may never know, after all. Then again, those numbers may get changed. Security was odd like that.
He attempted to make for some small talk, and Kagome simply returned the same friendliness though she didn't spare many facts of herself. She learned that Mr. Markson is married for 20-some years to a wonderful foreign woman, with three prodigies for children he was proud to brag about, and that he was hoping to learn some language soon. For a man who was wasting away his life inside his lonely office, Mr. Markson had led quite a family life Kagome was envious of. A father who honest to god love all of his children and a man who truly love his wife, even when she was stricken with some cancer she was blessedly cured of.
Course she would never have that. Not the family life he was so fortunate to have. Not when Kagome was preparing the very key to prevent the fine boy in blue from destroying the planet she was born and was raised on, the very one she gave up much of herself for.
Still, her respect for Mr. Markson skyrocketed. Not everyday she'd meet a man as genuine as he was. Though he could afford to be a bit more quieter, in the same way the slow lift could afford to be faster.
Ding!
All she saw was a small, lacking room, surrounded in rich brown hues, and a grand-looking set of doors. Kagome blinked, and Mr. Markson pardoned himself to knock on those doors, stepping outside the fancy elevator. She followed his lead closely, absently realized just how quietly the lift had shut without even a click.
"Sir, it is Markson, and Ms. Higurashi is with me." Markson announced, his voice barely didn't wavered at the bellowing pitch he had. Kagome bit in a wince when her ears ached just a tad from his unexpected loudness.
Without prompting or even a breath-light touch, the great doors opened themselves. She half-expected an angelic choir, but she was struck quiet just the same.
The sight opened before her, to the brilliant skyline a silhouette with the dusking sun behind it. The sky was a perfect blend of red and violet, giving away to the awakening moon. She nearly missed that the open sight was simply behind the series of seamless windows. The glass of these windows were so clear that the lights inside didn't reflect off of it.
If it was not for the high head frame and the low sill, she'd wonder if it was a complete open space to outside, vulnerable to weathers and flying pests.
The absolute sparseness of the office failed to hither that sense.
"It's a nice view, isn't it?" A voice wrapped in a cocoon of silky poison interrupted her awe. She jolted, her nerves burned alive with embarrassment and ringing alarms. Kagome blinked at a man, who twisted his hands together under his angular chin and smiled plainly at her. His shiny head was practically glowing from expensive fluorescent lights overhead, dotting among the marble ceiling. He fixed a gaze upon her person, a gaze she wasn't sure of the intention behind them. But the intentions she felt, was far from being pure.
Kagome gripped at her wrist, to force some calm for her pounding heart, when she recognized who this bachelor of the businessman was.
Lex Luthor. The very one who is presiding over his own famous corporation, LexCorp.
Notorious for some shady underhanded so-and-so he had committed, with endless of rumors flying about at his rich leather-clad feet. Luthor's naked head with that arrogance deeply rooted in his body language and those custom-made suits certainly didn't help that stereotypical villainy imagery.
Well, that threw some wrench in her plans, didn't it? She thought, though she should know to expect the unexpected. The identity of the Cadmus Inc.'s president slash CEO was off the record, and only the higher-tiered employees knew who he was, and Kagome decided they had to be gagged to keep Luthor's identity from leaking to the public or risked being fired...or worse. It only made sense, after all.
But no one asked questions, not even the public. A feat she found impressive.
Kagome smiled again, a habit well ingrained within her body now, and released her wrist now that her heart had eased from hammering at her chest, "Yes, it very much is, Mr. Luthor."
Lex chuckled, relaxing his board shoulders against the back of his cushy chair, "Go ahead and take a seat here," he gestured to few empty chairs in front of his very large desk, and Kagome tipped her head, noting the gaping distance in between them, with the short flight of stairs at her feet. "Markson, step outside and wait. I will call you when Ms. Higurashi is ready to depart."
Mr. Markson cleared his throat, and Kagome didn't fail to miss that flash of nervousness in his eyes, "Yes sir." He simply said, and pivoted at his feet, without much of a glance in her direction. The doors closed, blasting cool air at her back and gashing the bottom of her knee-length skirt and her jacket.
Without another word Kagome stepped down and closed the distance in between them that she was hoping to keep.
A fragrance of faint cologne impacted her nose and she nearly had to sigh at Luthor's subtle arrogance. Kagome was sad to say that she was familiar with the brand, it was one of those the world's most expensive perfumes. While trying not to shake her head at Luthor's ego he stood up, with a greasy smirk, "Ms. Higurashi."
Lex Luthor most certainly did his best to subtly, subtly announced to the entire earth's population that he got power and money, and Kagome had to be impressed with his elegance with the shows he placed on. "Sir," she tipped her head to give her respect, if it was for nothing more than the power he wielded tightly in his grasp.
He gave her his hand, at which she gingerly accepted, "As you're aware, I am Lex Luthor, it's an absolute pleasure and an honor to meet such a promising individual." Lex shook her slim hand, his grip much firmer than Mr. Markson, at which Kagome almost winced at but returned it such the same.
Kagome lifted the corners of her lips again, "It is an honor, Mr. Luthor."
He chuckled, finally releasing his hold, "Let sit down now, would you like something to drink?" With practiced grace she slid in in the chosen chair that felt entirely like it was swallowing her whole with just how large it was. It wasn't comfortable, but she will make do.
"Um, water would be appreciated." Kagome found herself thirsty, in spite of the warning bells in her head. She knew better than to trust someone as shady as Luthor, but...she'd be no better, wouldn't she?
Luthor fished a water bottle from under his desk, a mini fridge for easy access she assumed, and gifted it to Kagome, "Here you are." He took his seat once she accepted his kindness, and idly commented, "It's good to have hospitality."
She absently vocalized her agreement, while popping open the cap and sipped it, her throat soothed from the desert dryness.
"So, I see that you had...agreed?" Luthor hummed, resting his arms upon the clean surface, and bend closer to the impressive prodigy of genetic science.
Kagome brightened and clasped together her hands once her bottle was sealed and placed on the floor next to her crossed feet, under the pretense of excitement, "Yes, if you are asking about my acceptance as being an employee of Cadmus Inc., sir."
There was that disconcerting glint in his eyes, "Good to hear!" His smile faded, and Luthor hardened his expression. Kagome found that she was steeling herself for whatever that may come from his lips, "We have certain… expectations here. As such we believe that everyone must accept the consequences of their own actions. Do you agree?"
Kagome blinked, not missing the obvious bait, "Of course. Why wouldn't I?" She kept her tone neutral. She folded her hands on her laps, crinkling her rich-hued skirt just slightly.
He weighted his brows, with a slow grin creeping on his lips, "Good, now what if I were to say that the one making the mistake was a person highly valued in the public's eye? Say… a superhero? Should they still be held to the same laws and jurisdictions as regular citizens?" Luthor waved a hand, to emphasis his question.
With a long drawn out breath, she fixated her stare with a patient pause, to gather together her shambling thoughts, "If I may be frank," Kagome released the air she held, "even more restrictions should be placed upon those with special abilities. The power to kill resides within all of them." Memories of the deaths of her family still danced in front of her eyes, and the powers that the greater beings had wielded that had still been bragged in medias, "However there are few with the power to not just kill, but to also eradicate the entire human species off from the face of the earth." Wordlessly she cursed the one responsible for the hell she was forced to trek through those years ago, "As a result, 'mistakes' and 'accidents' should be punished to the fullest extent possible given by our court of justice as their powers may and will result in more than just a bump or a bruise—they often lead to the death of innocents."
Sadly, the 'incident' she was unfortunately involved, was not the first nor was it the last, but it was the biggest and well-known destruction of humankind. Many incidents following that and before, were often seen and referred as 'accidents', at which none had given any sincere apology outside the standard 'oops' and washed their hands of it.
Luthor hummed, that unnerving smirk was gone from his face, "Exactly what we needed to hear." He lend in closer to her, his eyes darkened, "So you believe they should be met with higher restrictions?"
Breathlessly Kagome nodded, her lips set in a firm straight line, "Yes."
He chuckled again, though it was much colder than the previous, "And this is all directly from your experiences from 6/12, correct?" At Kagome's frowning, he popped out the hidden keyboard from underneath his desk, and crackled into it. Luthor's eyes bored onto his too-thin monitor when it lighted up, awake from its' sleep. It was much too long to be an average screen, strategically placed on the curve of his great desk, still adding to the expensive taste of his office. "Allow me to show you something." He flickered a glance into Kagome's direction, swiveling the screen to her, "This is a video coverage of that incident. Do you remember it?"
At her paling, she watched the footage she knew too well. Ashes bellowing from the fires, sparking alive from the trashed cars. Buildings crumbling from its' foundations, into skeletons of what once were homes and working spaces. Screaming and sobbing piercing through even the grieving news anchors' constant announcements.
When that little square of footage above the anchor's shoulder changed scenes, there she was, screaming to the sky with her dead brother buried in her arms. But she was unrecognizable, strained with gray smears of ashes and soot tainted bloods. Her unruly cloud of black hair was concealing her own face—something she found was a blessing in midst of questions she shined away from answering.
Kagome made sure to never tell anyone that it was her in that infamous scene that had been plastered over many newspapers, debates, and television shows.
She turned away from the screen, just as when a certain red and blue heroine came to prevent her death, and swallowed thickly. She dropped her chin into a bare semblance of a nod, and fixated her stare back to Luthor, her face reverting to stone, "Yes...What's of it?"
He slid in that one slimy smile, "The one responsible was Superman was it not?"
"Technically speaking," Kagome cleared her throat, not falling for that bait. She wasn't that stupid to forget that Superman was supposedly possessed, "yes, he was the one who caused those deaths, caused the 6/12."
"So," Luthor reset his monitor back to its' rightful position, "do you believe that he should face punishments?" He made himself comfortable, rested his elbows upon the hefty furniture and entwined his fingers underneath his chin, minding that still opened keyboard, "After all, there should be higher expectations of how a superhero should act, no?"
Kagome gave a deadpanned look, but her hands tightened into fists upon her laps. "What are you getting at, sir?"
He pivoted his chair, to the beautiful sight of the nearly empty abyss of the black-blue sky, with no hint of warm rays of the sun. The sun that gave birth to the man who shouldn't be a god. In some strange, indescribable way it was relieving that he couldn't see the flaming ball that was the center of their galaxy. It was the source of all of his angers, his regrets, and his lust for more powers, the source of the man he should hate. Luthor stood up from his seat, and paced closer to the windows, not looking back to the woman he had found to be beyond entertaining, "You're not the only victim here, in this room, Ms. Higurashi."
She narrowed her eyes to him, her instincts murmured that he was speaking some fudged truths, but said nothing. Was she supposed to be sympathetic to him?
"Once upon a time, I was a very good friend to an individual much like the one who tormented you, I, and countless others." Luthor sighed, with rise and the drop of his shoulders, "I had perhaps the biggest dream anyone couldn't imagine to think of, and the said friend helped me all that he could."
Fixing yet another glance, admiring the shininess of Luthor's bald head, Kagome shifted in the chair. Hooray, a villain's monologue, her personal favorite. Great.
"But," throwing one last look at the star, the brightest star that still shined bright through the pollution of light, Sirius, he turned to Kagome, saddled with a grim look, "I no longer had him as my friend. Our tormentor, it seemed, was hellbent that I'd have nothing." Vibrating a low laugh, Luthor glared at nothing in particular, but Kagome flinched just the same at how chilling it was, "Look at where I am now!" He slammed his hands on the furniture, again startling her, "I am like you, I refused to let him to keep me down."
She peered up to him, impressed with his speech. Very convincing, Kagome decided.
He straightened his spine, and folded away his hands at his tailbone, "So, it goes without saying, Superman," Kagome bit back the sneer at that name, "should be punished for all of his wrongdoings. Power can drive one mad, don't you think so?"
Kagome murmured over her water bottle, rising a brow at Luthor, "Indeed."
"Hm," Luthor examined closely of her expression, "do you not have a personal vendetta with Justice League, Ms. Higurashi?"
Returning the plastic container back to the floor, she broadened her frame and cleared her throat, "Sir, I'm not quite sure if I should answer that question." Stay professional, Kagome, she reminded herself, in spite of the venom stewing on her tongue. She really like that job Luthor was offering, and didn't dare to jeopardized it.
Luthor barked a bellowing laugh, as if that was the funniest thing he had heard all day. He propped himself down in his chair while clapping, the sound cracking against the still air in the office like thunders, "Oh so you do!"
"I'm sorry, sir," Kagome frowned, feeling a bit bedazzled already, "but why does me liking the Justice League or not matter?" What was this baldy getting at?
The chair creaked while Luthor rested his chin on his hands again and gave an intense look, "You don't want any little girl or boy to lose an entire family like you did." It wasn't a question, but a plain fact, and Kagome felt ill in her empty belly when she saw where he was heading, "Justice League let all of us down that day, especially those like you. Not 'liking' them for that, is a good enough motivator, no?"
"Good enough motivator for what exactly, sir?" Kagome eyed him warily, a hand grasping at her wrist again when she felt her heart jumping in her throat.
Luthor pulled back, and tapped into the keyboard, "We'll get into that, in just a moment, Ms. Higurashi." He turned his attention to his oversized monitor, while Kagome sighed again quietly. She was parched again, and unscrewed her water.
This chat with this shady CEO was more exhausting than she expected.
"I will have to admit, I did have quite invested interest in you prior," Luthor continued, at which she stilled at, "though I never expected you to be quite an esteemed genius and had a hand in multiple breakthrough projects." The light that reflected off of his eyes, told little of what he was searching for in his computer, and Kagome frowned.
"Invested interest, sir?" Kagome said slowly. Come now, don't tell me I busted my ass to get here for nothing but my ass? It wasn't a thought she was happy with, but whatever worked, she guessed with a resigned sigh she kept in her mind.
"Quite, though I never intended to give you any special passes," Luthor seemed to have sensed that hint of disappointment emitting from Kagome, and he hummed when she relaxed herself a tad from relief, "just that I am more or less curious about you." Without further comments he swiveled that monitor again.
The site was familiar to her, a video-sharing website, and she found herself wanting to bite off her tongue at the headline. Luthor clicked play, and the scene began unfolding in front of her eyes. Every word Kagome hear, she bit back a groan.
"Superman is INNOCENT! He didn't do anything wrong! Let him go, let him go!" With the preacher there was an large audience chanting with him, singing their agreement.
The audience was then shut up when someone had some gall to protest, the voice filled with a great ladle of rage, "If he is so innocent, then why hadn't he apologize?! You're not the one who suffered the hell we the victims went through! You're not the one who lost their home, lost their job, lost their friends, and LOST THEIR ENTIRE FAMILY!"
"He was mind controlled! He didn't mean it!" The preacher fought back, his face was looking red.
"Yet it was his own body! He refused to look at us! Refused to drop to his damn knees and HELP those who needed his help! Don't be such a blind fool!"
Before the camera could blur to the owner of that voice Kagome held up a hand and sighed, "I saw enough. Please turn it off, sir." This damn video...why had it gone viral all over the bloody internet? The only blessing she had that very few bothered to find out her name to harass her.
Luthor pursed his lips, but switched off the video just the same, "Your motivation will be of a great asset to Cadmus." he went on to explain, "This video proved to me that you had a great desire to change things, change our future, Ms. Higurashi." He clanked in the keyboard and settled on his desk more comfortably without it in his way, "Do you still have that motivation, Ms. Higurashi?"
She held her silence for a moment, regarding Lex Luthor with a serious consideration. Kagome's knuckles became white on her lap, before she scoffed at his question, "I wouldn't be putting in so much effort if I do not, sir."
He laughed again, clapping his hands together, obviously very glad with the answer he got, "Wonderful!" Luthor pulled out a redweld folder that had a huge stamp that screamed TOP SECRET with PROPERTY OF Cadmus Inc. below it, in a thick, fat black font, "I'm assigning you quite a role in a certain project I have in mind for you, Ms. Higurashi."
Kagome blinked, feeling like her eyes had gone ridiculously large behind her thick rimmed glasses, when she accepted the folder from Luthor, "...What role, sir?" With a peek asking for permission to open it, Luthor gave a go-ahead gesture, and she popped it open and pulled out one of the thicker files.
"Role, Ms. Higurashi..." He chuckled, the crinkles in the skin of his face screamed his scheming nature, "well, you'll be the head of the very project, of course."
She jolted nearly violently, almost not spilling over the contents inside the redweld she had on her laps, "The head?! Sir! I've just became one of the employees of Cadmus! Isn't this dangerous?!"
Luthor snorted, "I had personally saw your works, Ms. Higurashi, and up-close and personal even." He pressed closer to her and hissed, much like a snake, "They had some galls to claim your successes as theirs."
"We-well, of course, I was just an intern!" Kagome sputtered, flushing at his nearness, when his cologne nearly overpowering her nose at the distance Luthor was closing.
"Intern?" He sharpened his eyes into glare, "What sort of intern," that word became heavy when he spoke it, "that could revive a bloody dodo bird on her own and the one who should be responsible for the discovery had no single knowledge as of how to even revive an extinct species?" Luthor rapped on the fine wood, "The said intern had taken all of her notes and left when the internship was over. It was clear to see that it was not of Dr. Carmichael's doing and not his success to claim."
Kagome coughed, but he continued, "And that is just the one example of the successes that should be your own, Ms. Higurashi. And I've kept a close track of your works." Luthor shook his head, "Do not undervalue your brilliance—, and I have quite faith in you to do right by me. Do right by everyone." Luthor then smiled, as if his rants hadn't happened a moment prior, "Please do read the files. I'm sure you will be jumping on this in no time on at all."
She gave a wary look, but skimmed through the brown folder, also stamped the same way the redweld was on the cover, and the realization sunk. Kagome's eyes grew wide at the highlighted words that jumped out to her.
Project Kr.
"Anybody can become angry — that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not within everybody's power and is not easy."
― Aristotle
*It's a joke phone number, aka fake. Please don't bother calling it.
A/N: Happy birthdayyyyy to meeeee, and you all get a present! ❤
Lex Luthor is surprisingly difficult to write considering YJ didn't exactly spare much details on his background at which origin he reared from, but I hope he is at least in character. I'm not sure if you quite get his implications, but I largely borrowed some details from Smallville for Luthor. Rest you my dear readers can imagine I guess, lol.
But, ahhh, the story is truly going to start! I'm excited. How about you?
Oh DeathNoteMaker chipped in her pieces in here.
And much thanks to Limitless Musings for her assistance building this chapter!
As always, please leave a feedback!
(2.12.19, this chapter had been edited to the best of my ability.)
