Hello guys - back with another chapter! As requested, the updates will try to be longer, but senior year is getting to me, so I cannot guarantee anything. One thing I can, and it is that I will try to respond to any and all reviews and PMs sent regarding this story. Character development suggestions, prompts, everything is open!
P.S. I'd like to request that anon who's been posting extremely long and unrelated reviews on the story to kindly recheck whether they have confused the button with the Doc Manager.
Deciding that getting fired would be worse for her student loans, Lilian skips her Saturday Harry Potter marathon and heads for office, which is mostly empty, except for the occasional janitor in sight and the HR office which is busy coordinating the Metropolis Library Gala, about which she sees in a Daily Planet article.
It's a long day and goes undisturbed until she reaches home in the evening, where her cousin Lois is busy playing with a small scottish terrier on her couch.
"Lo! No Willie on the couch!" Lois, seeing her cousin sister, tumbles off the couch, terrier in arms. A tall spectacled man exits her kitchen, smiling sheepishly at Lois and apologising for the mess Willie has made, all while handing out mugs of hot chocolate.
"Hello," he shakes hands with her. "Clark Kent - I work with Lois."
"Good to meet you, Clark," Lilian replies, setting the cushions straight while Lois sets dinner for the three. "You must be Lois' boyfriend." He smiles boyishly, nodding.
"She told me you work at LexCorp - how's work there?" He asks over Lois' homemade lasagna, which reminds Lilian of happier times with her parents, long gone.
"Good - a bit taxing but it's fun."
"How's Lex Luthor for a boss? Heard you guys work directly under him," Lois asks. Clark feeds Willie scraps off his plate, letting the dog climb onto his lap and lick his face, laughing as the dog covers his face with drool and tomato. Lilian decides she likes Clark for her cousin - seems like a pretty good guy. There's something familiar about that face, she thinks as she studies him.
"Hmm? We don't really see much of him, but when we do, it's either good or very bad." The rest of the dinner passes in mindless banter and getting to know more about Clark.
"I admit I miss home quite a bit, but with Lois, home is where she is." Lois grins, smacking him on the back of his head. "Too cheesy, Clark - I don't want her thinking you're some sort of weird sap."
"Well, I suppose I am of the dorky kind," the man replies, grinning back. The two leave after a while and Lilian watches them leave. What she doesn't notice is the black sedan driving by, and the eyes hidden under bronze hair that perk up seeing her, following her until they drive out of sight.
He'd had a pretty mundane morning until that ball hit her.
That girl (she didn't look old enough to be called lady) didn't even stop as the basketball hit her - instead, she raced for the elevator, muttering a hasty "It's okay" on her way, bag, scarf and braid flying behind her. But that wasn't that made his morning interesting.
It was the arrival of Senator June Finch's secretary that made his day worthwhile. The man announced that the Department of Defense was ready to cooperate, which was frankly the only thing he wanted to hear today, until Mercy reminded him of the Aerospace quarterly review.
The department was more sluggish than ever, and Lex considered sacking the entire bunch in favour of teenagers by the time they ended with their report. The only thing that stood out was the attitude of the newcomer, who didn't seem fazed by his presence - rather, that snarky jibe seemed to ignite her natural sarcasm and sardonic demeanour. She even had the guts to question his attitude towards their project (which, the team better accept, was mediocre at best and completely below their standards). Her behaviour towards him during lunch was intriguing at the very least, and Lex finds himself observing her strange personality more and more.
Such frivolous activities are a complete waste of time, he reasons with himself, only to find himself countering his previous statement. She might be useful.
He doesn't like the fact that she captures his attention whenever in sight or mention, and that he has found himself lavishing more continuous brain-time on this employee than he ever did on his late father. She seems more resourceful and hardworking compared to the rest of her colleagues, and a potential asset, if utilised properly. Smart girl.
He has finished writing up the conclusion for his report to the Senator, hoping that the lady grants him access to the import license. He considers it preferred, not necessary, of course - there are other nations that would gladly grant him access without so much as batting an eye.
"Mercy, ring up Senator Finch's secretary and tell him that the report is ready, and that I would prefer Tuesday noon for a meeting." The assistant wordlessly takes his orders, promptly getting down to finishing the prerequisites for the Gala and the meeting.
The news shows another report of Superman, this time showing the man saving hostages at the British Embassy in Libya. What the report casually leaves out amidst its exaltation of the alien and his powers, is the number of people who died and the complex and the surrounding villages that he ravaged to save these individuals.
"Power cannot be all good, and good cannot be all-powerful; the menace must be stopped in its tracks," he mutters.
Superman, with his sparkling clean image presented to the world, with a lot of skeletons in his closet. The alien wasn't known for his peaceful ways of negotiating conflict, choosing to settle them with tackles rather than tact. A devil, descending from the sky in the garb of an angel. A demon, cloaked in the guise of a god.
Lex is at a loss to understand how the people cannot see the creature for who he is - an alien with unbridled power, with autonomy to do whatever he wishes, with no fear of any higher power. He has seen men become monsters when power touches their hands, seen the humanity fade as power and control slowly consumes them - he does not want the world to undergo this. Not under my watch.
He will not rest until he has a deterrent sufficient for the Man of Steel, regardless of whatever it takes.
Mercy shakes him out of his reverie by informing him of a late-night meeting with the board of directors for Wayne Industries. Bruce Wayne cuts an imposing figure, his intimidating persona dominating the board, those dark eyes boring holes into Lex's figure. He knows the tactics, but isn't one to be taken in by them.
"Bruce Wayne - pleased to meet you at this ungodly hour." The man in question only nods, choosing to greet Lex with a piercing stare. "Well, I suppose this is to do with Wayne Industries choosing to extend its headquarters to Metropolis." Wayne nods, taking the seat at the head of the table. Standard power play moves. He scoffs, choosing to circle the conference table instead, reminding Wayne that as of now, he isn't the only one pulling the shots here, and hence must not delude himself with that notion.
"So…" Lex trails off. "What's the catch?" He stares at the seated men. "What do I get in return for this glorious offer of letting you step into my territory? A share of your kingdom?"
"A share in Gotham," Bruce Wayne speaks, "but not a claim on it, as you stress." Dang that man is good, he muses. "You will get to work in tandem with us in the defense sector, but under no circumstance can you expect Wayne Industries to back your ludicrous Spartan demands in the federal defense contracts." Bummer.
"No need to be so defensive - I will not ask you to back me up. I don't need your pull or your clout." He looks at the board, staring curiously at Bruce in particular. "You see," he circles the men, feeling very much like a predator circling his prey, and that surge of power excites him. "I'm my own clout, so I don't need your contacts. Besides," he smirks at Bruce, enjoying the way the man glares at him, "base debauchery is not my forte."
If that drives Bruce Wayne over the edge, he doesn't let it show, but chooses to smile at him in a way that both thrills and slightly intimidates Lex. "Of course it isn't - you're too full of wonder and entrepreneur-level optimism to decide to resort to those methods, wunderkind. And that is a very good thing," Wayne laughs, looking around the table, "we don't need any more men in a seat of power who can be swindled by a pretty thing in a dress."
His cronies with Wharton degrees titter and look around nervously, choosing to look anywhere but at the boy billionaire. Lex smiles, seeing the fear cloud their faces, the nervousness on blatant display.
"Under the given conditions, should I consider this deal finalised?" Bruce Wayne nods, shaking hands with him as he signs the NOC and the other required documents.
The look Mercy gives him is an indicator that she would rate his temper and demeanour a 3 at this moment, and he's reminded that losing his mask in public like this will not help matters. He is about to vent his frustration at this fruitless day in the car when he sees that small figure he's been watching intently for so long outside a building, waving at the Man of Steel and his damsel in distress as they leave.
Following her small figure puts him at peace somehow, and that is a discovery that he is NOT pleased to make.
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