Chapter 8
A New Master
Lex Luthor looked out at the city skyline and swirled wine in the goblet as he looked over the case from the Supreme Court. What would the alien do that Superman would not? That was an easy question to answer. Vegeta was a warrior, a naturally born fighter. If he could pit Saiyan against Kryptonian, the Saiyan just might have the upper hand. Nothing would make the multi-billionaire happier than to see the Man of Steel bested by one of his own schemes. Now the question remained how to get the Saiyan under his control.
Looking over the court record, Luthor would sit back in his chair. It would not be too difficult to get the transfer if he played his cards right. Ordering the car to be brought around, he would meet the limousine. Getting in, the car pointed toward Washington D.C. This was going to be easier than taking candy from a baby.
Vegeta peered out the apartment window as he lowered his head. Something was off, almost unsettling. Clark came to the warrior and gently broke into his thoughts. "You seem a bit distant. Want to tell me what you're thinking of?"
Nodding, the warrior kept his gaze peered to the direction of the Luthor towers. "That man is not there. He's on the move, headed south."
Turning his head slightly, the disguised hero would turn his x-ray vision toward the towers. Unfortunately, Lex had lined it with lead that frustrated him. Looking back at Vegeta, the warrior again piqued his interest. "You said he wasn't there. How do you know? Do you have vision powers?"
"No, Sir. I can feel his energy. When I met him briefly, I could feel it. He has an energy of evil, malice, hate, and anger. It is like a fingerprint. Just like, you have the same energy as Superman. Once I get a feel of a person's energy, I can track their movements even if they are on the opposite side of the planet." Backing from the glass, he went to sit on the floor by the couch.
The Kryptonian looked at the slave that lingered in his apartment. It was interesting how the slave explained it. A person that could track another naturally was extremely rare, if not unheard of. "What energy to you track exactly?" It was not the first time Kal-El heard him speak of this energy. Now it gained his curiosity.
How could he explain it? Vegeta took a deep breath and then tucked his head in thought as his brow furrowed. It was something that came naturally to him. The warrior did not expect to be asked to explain how he did it. "Are you familiar with life energy at all?"
Clark nodded once. "The Far East believes in that. They call it chi."
Vegeta nodded. "Chi is the energy inside all living things. What I sense is known as ki. Ki is the energy outside of the body, like the aura. That's what I sense, that's the energy I can feel and track. My race had learned how to wield it in a variety of ways."
"How many of your kind are left?" Only the Kryptonian could know the pain of losing a planet. In a way, he was glad he now has someone to talk to about it, but he would never wish for something like this to happen.
The warrior shook his head. "So far I have not felt the energy of another Saiyan. As far as I can tell, I am the last. After my time in Jronia…" Vegeta turned his attention to other things. "I would rather not speak of it, if Sir does not mind."
"No, you don't have to speak of it. I can understand where you're coming from." Clark stated with almost certainty.
Shaking his head, Vegeta turned and moved to a corner to sit there for a time. "I doubt anyone can understand where I come from. The recollections, the pain…" His eyes closed in agonized memory.
Clark neared the Saiyan slowly, coming to realization how much the warrior was withholding from public knowledge. Perry had been right. Vegeta seemed too timid to be the murderer. Whatever happened in that home and in Jronia seemed to have taken its toll on the Saiyan. The fact that Vegeta still tried to fight after all these many years was respectable at the least. The Kryptonian knew he could not even begin to imagine the suffering this lone soldier was confronted with on a daily basis.
"May I ask you something a bit personal? I know your position as slave says you have to answer, but I don't want to intrude if it gets too personal." Clark wondered how the Saiyan would take it. From what he had heard and read thus far, where Vegeta had been was worse than being on Apokolypse. His leeriness was well warranted, the skittishness from years of having to defend himself.
Vegeta took a deep breath and looked over. "That would be a first time one of my handlers or owners even took my own thoughts and feelings into consideration. What do you wish to know?" He knew where this could lead; he just didn't care at the moment.
"You seem very timid, perhaps too timid. Were you ever broken to this level of being, I don't know, tame?" Kal-El knew this was a touchy subject, but he was more curious than not about the behavior of this slave.
"No, I was never 'broken' as you put it. I still have my fighting spirit. This war right now is a different war. It takes cunning and tactics more than it does muscle. If I act too timid then I might as well be broken. If I act too aggressively, then my chances of getting this collar off go down to about nothing. It's a delicate balance and there are just times I want to rest and relax." Vegeta seemed appreciative to actually be able to explain his mannerisms. It was rather refreshing. His gaze turned back toward the window and he narrowed his gaze. "He's stopped at the Supreme Court."
The Kryptonian would look at the warrior and for a moment wondered who he was talking about. Then it clicked. He was talking about Lex having stopped down there. "That could be a bad thing."
Vegeta stood up and nodded, going back to the window. "This would be the third change of hands since being placed in the care of the Courts. If he gets his wish about having me in his place, I dread what may come if he were successful in convincing them. I would not be able to fight the commands or him should I be given to him."
Changing in a furling of color, he would look to Vegeta. "Well then, let's see if I can persuade them to think otherwise. I do tend to have quite the influence."
The warrior shook his head. "No, I already have a feeling how this will turn out and whether your there or not will not make a difference. To them you are also an alien but because of your service you were given the same rights as them. I have been a slave for years. Humans tend to resent change in anything. After my last outburst, they may not even take your words to consideration. I will have to tread carefully around Luthor, but there is one thing for certain. He thinks he is above the law, not to mention smarter than everyone else, myself included. I will have to outsmart him to have any lasting effect. As I said, it's a war. This is just another battle in that fight."
Superman could not believe the warrior's words. Would he just give up like that? When he heard the Saiyan's reasoning, it started to make sense. "If you cannot fight against your handlers or their commands, how to you plan on thwarting Luthor? It seems too ill planned for it to work."
Slowly the warrior slave nodded. "It does seem too ill planned, but it's not. What most do not realize is that there are often ways to fight back without actually exchanging blows. As I said before, I am a Master Tactician. I will find a way out of his grasp. Besides, you would not have gotten there in time. He's already leaving and he may have the documents that would force my going with him."
Superman was simply appalled at what he was hearing. He knew Vegeta hated the man as much as he did, but what he didn't know was how hard it was for the warrior to bite his tongue and follow court orders. They were his Masters and Mistresses now. They determined who was best at handling the slave to their needs or whims. "You really have no control over this situation do you?"
Vegeta shook his head. There was little to nothing he could do. He would have to ride this out. In the meantime, he went to the kitchen and got himself a glass of water and something to eat. Sitting down once more, he would eat as if it were a last meal. He never knew when his next meal would be, nor from where. Also, he knew the importance of keeping Superman's identity a secret. "What is your real name? Superman can't be it. That is more like a nickname. Clark certainly is not it, it's an adopted name."
Pulling off his glasses, he leaned against the doorway. "Kal-El is my real name. You deduce things rapidly. Ever thought of working with the law and using your abilities for the greater good?"
Vegeta scoffed lightly. "As far as I have seen, it's nothing more than a cruel joke as Jronia was. They'll promise you anything you want to hear, and do the complete opposite. Your criminals get better treatment from the law than I ever have. You asked a few days back, why I never called for help. There are two reasons. First, there is nothing you could have done to pull me out of there without my collar activating. Second, until you shown up, I had no idea you even existed. I was kept isolated from the rest of the world save to get groceries from the market on the corner about two miles away. Even then I was commanded to silence, timed, and tracked. Any deviation from it made it easier for them to find reasons to further my torment."
The taller man nodded only once, finally understanding the reason behind the Saiyan's leery movements. After Vegeta moved to the bedroom, Clark would step back to the living room and then gave a deep breath. The more he learned of Vegeta's situation, the more complicated it was becoming. The collar itself seemed to have a technology in it beyond human advancement. The fact that it did not trigger all the time and activation was short; it was enough to keep the Saiyan from adapting to the collar's effects.
Using his telescopic vision, he would scan for Luthor's car. Finding it on the way to his apartment, he slicked back his hair and put the glasses on. It was not long before Lex would make his appearance, knocking on the door. Going to it, Vegeta came out of the room and stared at the entrance as if in knowing dread. Kal-El hesitated a moment as the knock came again to the barrier as Vegeta lowered his head and braced.
When the door was opened, Lex stood there with leash in hand and a document. "I believe you have my slave. The Supreme Court has made him mine to own. Meaning I am not a mere handler, I am his Master."
Clark held Vegeta back momentarily then took the paper to read it. It was official. The Courts had transferred their ownership of the slave to Luthor. Vegeta moved around the taller figure. "Thank you, sir, for your hospitality. It shall not soon be forgotten." Taking a deep breath, Vegeta looked at the leash with prominent disgust and he did not have to ask how his new Master thought of him.
In one deft motion the leash was clipped to the Saiyan's collar and when Vegeta tried to shake hands with the reporter, he found it yanked upon. Turning, Vegeta's brow furrowed from the rude interruption. Lex however, did not care. "You're mine now to do my every bid."
Clark knew that the warrior was now in dangerous grounds. There was no telling what Lex would have the warrior do, but he knew from experience it wasn't going to be good. By the Courts giving up authority on the slave, they now had no control where he went, or what was done to him. Vegeta's treatment now lay in the hands of a clever criminal that was as power hungry as he was greedy.
When the lead was pulled again on the slave, it forced Vegeta's compliance to follow. After getting into the limousine, Vegeta took to sitting by the tinted window and stared out of the car. Luthor looked at Vegeta and smiled lightly. Any time he got what he wanted, made him happy. "Harsh treatment does not have to be given. All you have to do is obey my commands and you will be treated with a considerate hand. Disobey, and I'll make your life miserable."
Vegeta looked down lightly and let out a deep breath. "Yes, Master, I understand."
Lex though would not remove the leash. When they pulled up to the Luthor Towers, Vegeta looked up at the tall buildings. Inwardly it felt as if he had been kicked in the gut. Outwardly, he put on a more stoic appearance. Another pull on the leash again directed him inside a place that was to be his new home. Vegeta hated it.
