Chapter 2
A/N: Thanks for the favorites/follows/reviews so far. And to JQN: I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I won't answer any questions of that nature as it would spoil the story. You'll just have to keep reading. Now on to Alex's next chapter!
"Morning, beautiful," a familiar voice breathed into her ear. Alex opened her eyes to find herself back in her own bed, with Maggie leaning over her wearing nothing but the sheet.
A warm smile spreading across her features, the immortal pulled her girlfriend into a searing kiss. "I could get used to waking up like this," she murmured, once they parted.
"Getting soft on me, Danvers?"
"If getting soft means never having to give this up, I'd say that's a solid yes."
"Good answer," Maggie grinned, moving on top of Alex and kissing her breathless. The former detective playfully nipped at her throat, eliciting a pleasure-filled moan from her partner as her hand started to travel south. "Hang in there, Alex," she whispered, suddenly much more serious. "I'll never give up on you. We're in this together. Always." Maggie's hand reached its destination, but the only thing the immortal felt was pain…
Alex jolted back to reality, courtesy of the cattle prod being wielded by one of Luthor's goons. She instinctively retreated to the corner of the cage she'd been kept in since the escape attempt. It was about the size of a large dog crate, and in the corner of the same room where Lillian conducted her tests. The only thing separating Alex from a lab animal was the fact that they allowed her some form of clothing. Of course, that small concession hardly made up for the fact that her time at Cadmus had so far consisted of almost non-stop testing. Alex had no idea exactly how long she'd been their captive, but it was long enough that she could scarcely recall what it was like to not be in some kind of pain – even with immortal healing undoing the damage almost as soon as it had been inflicted. Luthor had removed just about every organ in her body at least once, drained her blood multiple times, and even cut off the little toe on her right foot. Thankfully, that last experiment was not repeated once it became clear that they'd reached the limits of her regenerative capabilities. They probably could have reattached the toe, but by the time the 'doctor' was finished waiting to see if it would regrow on its own, the severed appendage was no longer viable. Just about the only thing Lillian hadn't touched was her brain – a constant point of contention between her and Lord, who'd explicitly forbidden any such intrusion, no matter how many times Luthor had argued in favor of it. The worst part was that Lillian insisted on keeping her awake as much as possible during the tests, using a bit of local anesthesia on the areas she was digging around in once she'd gotten all the data she needed on her subject's pain responses.
The goon with the cattle prod poked it through the bars again, and Alex swiftly moved out of reach before it could make contact. "You know the drill, 10-15," he growled. "Don't make this harder than it has to be." Alex wanted to tell the goon exactly where he could shove that prod, but the words wouldn't come. Literally. After the attempt to escape, Luthor had injected her with some nanotech concoction that rendered the immortal mute unless she or Lord said otherwise. Something immortal healing couldn't counteract, which told Alex that they'd had other immortal subjects to test it on before her. She found herself wondering if any of those other subjects had survived, or if Lord had just taken their heads once they outlived their usefulness. And if he was killing them off, how long did she have before he got bored and did the same to her?
The cage door opened, and Alex withdrew as far into the corner as she could. She heard the increasingly familiar clip of designer heels against the stone floors and dared a glance out to find that Lillian had returned. "This behavior is unacceptable, 10-15," she snapped. As she spoke, Luthor tapped a few commands into a tablet, which she turned in Alex's direction a moment later. On the tablet was a video feed – presumably live – of a still-comatose Maggie. "In case you've forgotten, we know exactly where your harlot is and we can get to her any time. One phone call, and a nurse loyal to our cause will inject air into her IV. She'll be gone before you can even get the words out to beg for her life. One less deviant in the world." Lillian shut the tablet off, and Alex deflated. She didn't know whether or not her captor was bluffing, but couldn't take the chance. Defying Luthor simply wasn't worth Maggie's life. And – bluff or not – the immortal knew that Lillian would have no qualms about killing the former detective, even if she hadn't been a known alien sympathizer. The Luthor matriarch had turned out to be an equal-opportunity bigot – a fact that she'd made painfully clear to her latest test subject – and the only comfort Alex had was the thought of the massive stroke she'd no doubt suffer if she ever learned of her daughter's decidedly non-platonic interest in Kara Danvers (let alone Supergirl).
Luthor pulled out her phone, and the immortal moved to the front of the cage before the twisted 'doctor' could even think about carrying out her threat. She offered no resistance as the goon dragged her out and removed the chains from her wrists and ankles before yanking off the hospital gown. A couple of other henchmen hauled her up onto Lillian's 'operating' table and strapped her down, same as always. Only instead of the usual head restraint, they shoved a hard rubber rod between her teeth and pressed something wet onto the top of her head, securing it with something that – from the brief glimpse she got – looked like it had been stolen right off of Old Sparky. Another goon pushed up the right leg of her scrub pants and strapped something similar around her calf, wet sponge and all. Alex glanced at Luthor, doing her best not to let her panic show through. The 'doctor' had already changed into scrubs and was pulling on surgical gloves. Seemingly ignoring her subject, Lillian turned on the recorder. "Subject 10-15, Tests #27 and #28. Though the subject is technically human, her advanced regenerative capabilities make her an excellent proxy for aliens with similar abilities. To determine what it would take to bring down one of those creatures, I shall pass high voltage electrical currents through the subject's body until temporary death occurs. Which will set the stage for the next test. Previous attempts to induce immortality in normal humans by performing transplants using Subject 10-15's organs have failed. The organs used in those attempts were harvested under normal surgical conditions. This time, I shall harvest them at the peak of the regenerative process and transplant them immediately into the volunteer. I will also attempt to transplant all of the major organs into the same volunteer, as opposed to the previous trials using individual organs in different volunteers. Perhaps a greater number of organs, harvested at the correct time, will yield the results we seek." She shut off the recorder and turned to the lead henchman. "Prepare the volunteer."
"Yes, Dr. Luthor."
The goon left, and Alex glared up at Luthor, wanting nothing more than to tell the so-called 'doctor' what a psychopath she was. Smiling, Lillian patted her cheek mockingly before stepping back and nodding to one of the other henchmen. "I'd say this won't hurt a bit, but I wouldn't want to start lying to you now, would I?" Seconds later, Alex's entire body felt as though it had been set ablaze. She arched off the table, straining against the restraints, teeth digging deep gouges into the rubber rod as all of her muscles tensed. Only the nanotech injection – whatever it was – kept her from screaming. The pain stopped for a moment and the immortal could feel her heart going way faster than it should as her body relaxed. Then the moment passed, and the pain came back even stronger than before, not stopping this time until consciousness finally fled….
"So after all of that, you're telling me we're still no closer to our goal?"
Alex gulped in air as life returned to her body, and the first thing she heard was Lord's voice. She raised her head – now free of the electrode from earlier – and saw him arguing with Luthor. Or, more accurately, his hologram was doing the arguing. He wasn't there in person…hadn't been since that first day.
"You of all people should know that these things take time," Lillian shot back. "We have learned quite a bit already…more than from the other subjects you've brought in. Finding one this young does seem to make a difference. Unfortunately, it's not enough of a difference to achieve what you are looking for."
The hologram frowned. "There has to be something we're missing." Alex snorted, and both heads turned in her direction. "Something to say, 10-15?" The young immortal shook her head, not wanting to give her captors anything. This only seemed to intrigue Lord more. His hologram nodded to a henchman, who hit a button that tilted the table until Alex was almost upright. A moment later, Lillian pulled out what looked like one of those car fobs and pressed it, relieving the tightness in her subject's throat that had been there since the injection. "Come on," Lord urged. "Don't be shy. I told you I wanted your genius as well."
"Go fuck yourselves," Alex rasped, her voice hoarse from disuse.
"Now that's not nice." The Lord hologram nodded to the goon again, and moments later a scream ripped from Alex's throat as said lackey jammed the cattle prod into her side on one of the higher settings. "Let's try this again: what have you learned so far?"
"That you and Luthor are a couple of fucking psychopaths who ought to be locked up for the rest of your fucking lives." She barely managed to bite back another scream as the cattle prod was used again.
"Talking is a privilege, 10-15," Lord continued. "I suggest you stop abusing it and answer my question. What are we missing?"
Alex shook her head. She'd figured out several tests back why their twisted plan wouldn't work, but wasn't sure she should just hand them the answer. Though she was probably screwed either way. "You…you're looking at the wrong parts of the anatomy," she finally managed.
Both of her captors suddenly looked intrigued. "Do tell," Luthor nodded.
"So far, you've learned that skin, muscle, and soft tissue – like organs – regenerate perfectly when damaged, that organs will grow back if removed, and that damaged bones will heal as long as they remain connected to the body or are returned to it before too much time passes. But all of that only tells you what the power does, not where it comes from."
"Go on," Lord urged.
"What all of those things have in common are nerves. Nerves that relay signals to and from the brain when those portions of the body are damaged so that the healing kicks in. The Quickening is based in the central nervous system." Alex laughed. "And that's not something you can just rip out and transplant as many times as you want. Because without the brain, the nerves are useless. And once the brain is completely severed from the rest of the body, the Quickening is released into the nearest immortal or, if there aren't any others around, dissipates into the ether or whatever. So this has all been a colossal waste of fucking time for you both, and a pain in my ass. Some fucking geniuses you are." She laughed again as their faces fell, getting a rather perverse sense of pleasure at her captors' apparent failure, and kept laughing until Luthor hit the button to reactivate the nanotech and cut her off.
The hologram seemed to think for a minute. "I hate to say it, but I think she's right. And even if we could figure out a way to transplant the necessary parts of the nervous system without releasing the Quickening, we'd only be able to get so many out of each immortal we used. There aren't enough in the world to build any sort of army from. Not like our subject here, anyway. And we've already established how ill-suited the older ones are to this sort of thing." He shook his head. "Perhaps I've been going about this all wrong. Instead of trying to transfer the power itself, maybe I should look at what causes immortality in the first place. Just because my cloning experiments failed, doesn't mean there's no hope for finding and replicating the appropriate genes." As he spoke, Lord smiled in a way that sent chills straight down Alex's spine. "I'm not done with you yet, Subject 10-15. Not by a long shot. In fact, I'd say we're just getting started." He turned to Luthor. "I need to go back to the drawing board…figure out a Plan B before moving the subject to Phase 2. In the meantime, feel free to run whatever experiments you want. Just try to avoid any more permanent damage," he added, glancing down at Alex's foot.
"Of course, Mr. Lord," Lillian nodded as the hologram disappeared. She returned her attention to her test subject. "Looks like it's just you and me now," the 'doctor' grinned, running a mocking hand along Alex's cheek. "And since my earlier experiments were – as you said – a waste of time, I think it's time to find out just how much that immortal body of yours can really take." She gestured to her henchmen, who removed Alex from the table and forced her into a fresh scrub top before wrapping their large hands around her arms. The immortal instinctively tried to pull free until Luthor seized her chin, forcing the younger woman to meet her eyes. "Do you want me to make that call to Gotham General?" she snarled, the implication clear. Alex stopped resisting immediately. Seemingly satisfied, Lillian released her grip and stepped back. "We're finished in here," she announced, making a show of removing her surgical gloves. "Take Subject 10-15 to the briefing room." The way Luthor emphasized the innocuous-sounding name led Alex to believe that the room in question was anything but. Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to think on it as the lackeys tied a thick, dark cloth tightly over her eyes and dragged her away. She tried to keep track of all the twists and turns in her head, but it didn't take long to get completely lost. When they finally stopped moving, the goons snapped heavy cuffs onto her wrists and ankles. Alex's arms were suddenly yanked up over her head, lifting her body up as far as the shackles – which were apparently bolted to the floor – would allow. Her feet weren't touching the ground, even when she stretched her toes out to try and reach it, and her arms were almost at their breaking point. If she were even a few pounds heavier, her shoulders would've already dislocated. Alex flexed her fingers in an attempt to keep them from going numb. The combination of the thick metal cuffs and her own body weight was compromising her circulation. She'd heal, of course, but that didn't mean she couldn't try and limit the damage.
Footsteps retreated from the room, and for several long moments the only sounds Alex could hear were the chains rattling with every move she made, no matter how miniscule, and her own labored breathing. She had no idea what Luthor might have planned for her now that the vivisection phase of her captivity was apparently finished, but if the rumors she'd heard about Cadmus were true, there were few – if any – limits to that psychopath's sadistic imagination. Were it not for Lord's prohibition on permanent damage, Alex doubted she'd walk away from whatever was about to take place. And she was sure even that would only remain in effect until the older immortal decided she'd be more useful without a head.
Lillian Luthor's heels approached her position and something cold and metallic brushed across the patch of flesh that her shirt no longer covered with her arms raised. Alex shuddered involuntarily as she tried to follow her tormentor's movements despite the cloth blocking her vision. "You know," the 'doctor' drawled, "as much as I despise the creatures invading our planet, I cannot deny their scientific and technological genius. The Korugarians are especially adept at torture, and it just so happens that Cadmus has come across one of their more advanced interrogation devices. We have not yet figured out exactly what it does. But now, we have the perfect specimen to test it on." The metal ran across her back as Luthor spoke, and Alex's stomach tightened with dread as she recalled her last encounter with an apparently Cadmus-approved alien torture. At the same time, her throat relaxed, meaning that Lillian must have deactivated the nanotech once more.
"Wha…what do you want?" she rasped.
"I want a great many things, 10-15. But we'll start small. After all, a test of an interrogation device would be useless without any sort of questioning to gage its effectiveness."
"Take your best shot. I'm not telling you shit!"
"We'll see. Now…the DEO confiscated some very important items belonging to my Lex after his unjust arrest. I'd like them back."
"Then maybe you shouldn't have faked my death," Alex shot back. "My access has probably been wiped from the system by now."
"I don't need your access, Subject 10-15. Just a location."
"Fuck you!" The words were barely out of her mouth when something slammed into her jaw hard enough to dislocate it.
"I really wanted to like you. When we met, I thought you were just a poor, abused child, brainwashed into believing that those creatures were friends…family, even. But it's become abundantly clear that your perversions run far deeper than that. You disgust me. Were it not for Mr. Lord's insistence on keeping you alive, I'd have already cracked open your skull and picked your deviant, alien-loving brain apart…learned where those tendencies originate so I can work on finding a way to purge them. Instead, I suppose I'll have to settle for finding out just how much pain it will take to bring you to your senses. Getting the information on the technology your bleeding-heart friends stole from Lex will just be a pleasant bonus."
"Bring it on, bitch!" Alex snarled, her jaw having healed while Lillian was ranting. "I guarantee you'll drop dead long before you get what you want."
"We'll see." The immortal's throat tightened once more as the cold metal again grazed her abdomen. Then, without warning, something – that same metal, presumably – was thrust inside of her. There were a few moments of pain and discomfort as the entry wound closed over, sealing the item inside of her gut. That was followed by pure, unadulterated agony – unlike anything Alex had ever felt before. It was like the Hellgrammite stinger, multiplied by 1000 and hitting every single cell of her body at the same time, to the point where her mind was too overwhelmed to form even the semblance of a coherent thought as her mouth dropped open in a silent scream….
TBC (I know that was rough, but did we really expect anything less of Lillian Luthor? The Korugarian device is something I based loosely on Papa Tunde's Dagger from The Originals - a weapon designed to cause extreme physical and mental pain. Anyway...see you Saturday with Kara's next chapter!)
