Wow...sorry, guys, that I took so long, but I've been crazy busy (I had four end-of-the year finals, two or three projects, etc.) and I graduated from eight grade from my nine-year elementary school. But it's summer, so hopefully I get the chance to update more often. Again, thanks for the reviews, and I hope you guys like this chapter.

There was only one thought coursing through my foggy mind as I slowly woke up:

This room is really white.

It was a blinding, snowy-white that stung my eyes. One end of the room contained a gigantic mirror that reflected the white back at me, making the pain even worse. There wasn't a speck of dirt in the room, as if it were immune to getting dirty. I felt kind of bad, because I knew that my being here would put an end to the cleanliness, once and for all.

The only other features in the room were a single door and a white, steel cot chained to the walls with a single, clean blanket folded on the end. There was nothing else. No windows, no pictures, not even a bathroom. I could tell right away that that last bit would be causing some problems, real soon.

I began to examine myself, checking for injuries as was my new habit, ever since entering the Young Justice League. I was in a plain, sleeveless white nightgown that barley covered my knees. It was very thin, and did absolutely nothing to beat back the chill of the room (obviously, whoever built it had thought that heat was for wusses).

My left arm was wrapped in bandages, and there were red splotches staining the linen where my injury had bled through. I suddenly remembered the little girl that had given me that wound, her terrible demon-smile flashing through my mind. I shuddered.

The kid's fangs must have been poisoned—it would definitely explain the dull ache I felt all over and the fog in my mind that left me remembering her teeth and her demon-smile, but not much else. Who was that kid, anyway? And why the heck had I been hanging out with her?

I tried shaking my head to clear my mind, but to no avail. Oh, well. I had a feeling the memories weren't too important, anyways.

Suddenly, the door clicked open. In walked a pretty lady, in a navy blue business suit and spotless white lab coat, with auburn hair flowing down her back. Something about her seemed familiar. She smiled kindly at me.

"Well, come on Lissie. The boss wants to see you."

I didn't "come on". "Where am I?"

She gave a pretty, musical laugh. "Why, you're in Project Cadmus, of course."

I almost choked. Project Cadmus was where Superboy had been rescued from. This was not good.

"Project…Project Cadmus?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes. Project Wildfire, to be specific. Now come on, I haven't got all day."

I obediently got to my feet and followed dumbly behind her. Superboy had told stories about Project Cadmus, and it did not seem like the kind of place you wanted to hang out in. I had to get out of here, somehow.

The woman's heels clicked on the white linoleum halls. Windows lined the hallway, and though she didn't pause to look at them, I sure did.

In one, there was a huge tank of water. Something swam around in it—it had the form of a human boy, about twelve years old, but that was where the resemblance between it and people ended. Its skin was grey, and instead of hands, it had rough fins. Gills were slashed into its ribcage area, not orderly like you see on fish, but random, slashing up and down and diagonally, as if they were plopped on by a modern artist who still hadn't gotten his technique down. He was completely bald, and when he turned and smiled at me, I saw that his eyes were dark and full of hunger, and his mouth was filled with three rows of serrated shark teeth.

In another room was a small creature that, again, looked vaguely human but not really. It was covered in tiny green scales and had a stumpy tail. Horn-like formations protruded randomly from its back. When itturned to stare at me, I saw that its eyes were yellow and reptile-like, and its mouth had no teeth, just gums.

A third was definitely human. It was curled in a ball and covered in something greenish-grey and fuzzy, like mold. When it turned to look at me, I saw terror in its eyes. It didn't take a genius to guess why: the mold was eating away at its flesh. I felt a pang of pity when I realized that the poor thing would be dead very soon. It would be an agonizing death, and there probably wouldn't be a funeral.

I shuddered, and hurried to catch up with the woman, who was walking so quickly that I had to jog just to keep up.

Suddenly, she stopped short, and I plowed into her, my nose getting smushed by her shoulder blade. Owww!

She didn't seem to notice, just pointed to one of the windows. "Look," she said breathlessly.

Rubbing my nose, I turned to do as she asked. Behind the glass was the cherub-faced little girl that my memory supplied me with a dim picture of. She was no longer grinning her demon-smile, her skin was no longer a pale green color. Instead, she had beautiful gold curls and rosy cheeks and eyes the color of cornflowers. She wasn't wearing a nightgown like I was; instead she had on a cute little blue dress with white polka dots and little, black-leather Mary Janes. She sat pleasantly on the floor, playing with two Barbie dolls in identical pink dresses.

The woman next to me sighed. "Callie is my baby. I've raised her ever since she was little. Isn't she beautiful?"

I nodded. She was adorable. My mind was slowly letting me forget what she'd done…she was just so damn cute!

The lady smiled. "She's one of our most successful mutants. Part shark and part cobra, you know. It's what gives her her teeth, as well as a mild form of cobra venom. She can breathe underwater, too."

I shuddered, but the woman didn't notice. "She did such a good job last night, the boss is giving her a reward. Look, here it comes now."

Two men entered Callie's room. They were wearing those suits that people at chemical plants and nuclear reactors wear, and both carried big plastic five-gallon buckets. I could see something swarming around inside.

Callie lept up from the floor and squealed audibly, even through the thick glass. One of the men overturned his bucket, and creatures came swarming out: little white mice, the kind pet owners feed to snakes. Callie laughed adorably and ran after the mice, catching one in both hands.

Okay, so they gave her some pets, I thought. Weird choice of pets, but at least the kid's having fun. But I wasn't prepared for what came next.

The mouse in Callie's hands squealed in fear and pain, trying desperately to escape. Callie just laughed wickedly. Then she brought the mouse up to her face…

And bit its head off.

My stomach turned, and I almost hurled all over the nice, clean floor, but I couldn't stop watching the horrifying scene unfolding in front of me. It was like driving past a car accident on the highway: you know it's gonna be terrible and gory and awful, but you somehow can't take your eyes off of it.

Finally, the woman said, "Well, we'd better get going. You're the boss' new star, and we don't want to keep him waiting, do we?"

I followed obediently, but I was starting to get the idea that being the "big star" around here wasn't necessarily a good thing.

The woman led me through a series of halls and corridors, each more confusing than the last. Finally, we stopped in front of a big, impressive, hand-carved wooden door that was designed to give one impression and one impression only: "the person behind this door is better than you."

The woman put a sharp-nailed hand at the small of my back and pushed me forcefully toward the door, turning the (probably) solid-gold handle at the same time. "Well, don't be shy—go on in. And make a good impression, while you're at it, okay?"

And then, I was in, and there was no turning back.

The office was your standard-grade luxury, with plush carpets, a massive wooden desk, huge bookshelves lining the walls, and modern-art paintings that looked like they'd been done with a weed-hacker and a paintball gun. It was all done in gold and cream, and very well lit, so the gold shone in the light. Everything that could be decorated was, leaving an assortment of velvet, tassles, plush pillows, and carvings that made my head spin.

At the desk sat a man in a well-tailored suit with a shiny bald head. My heart plummeted into my stomach when I realized who this was and just how bad it made my situation.

This was Lex Luthor.

He gave a cold, cruel grin and motioned to a plush chair facing him. "Sit, Lissie."

I didn't sit—I wasn't giving this man anything. He gave a tiny, almost invisible motion with his hand, and suddenly the door swung open to reveal a guard in a black uniform, helmet and body armor. He was more of a wall than a man, and he pointed a machine gun right at my chest. "Sit," Luthor repeated.

I sat.

"Very good," Lex said. "Now, why do you think you are here?"

I pretended to puzzle it over. "You're lonely and you need someone to play games with, right? Well, you're in luck, because I'm fan-freakin'-tastic at Twister."

Lez gave a low growl that sounded more animal than person. "You're here," he spat, "because you are an experiment. Just like the rest of them."

I sat back in the chair, stunned but desperately trying not to display my shock. My stomach reeled inside me. "I'm sorry, what?"

Lex cackled, clearly glad that he had shocked me. "You didn't think you inherited your powers from your pathetic parents, did you, darling?"

"Why, Lexie, I didn't know you cared!" I said, trying desperately to cover my shock. "First you're plotting to take over countries, then you're suspiciously interested in little girls. You're a busy, busy man."

He gritted his teeth. "We've been watching you ever since you were little. Those Lexcorp clothes you got, just before you left your brother's house? Please tell me you didn't think they were all just freebies. They had tiny trackers woven into them, Lissie. Thanks to those clothes, we knew where you were at all times. Your little 'fire stunt' may have been a big deal, but we sprayed the room with chemicals that would make it harder for you to control your powers." He chuckled. "And your father was most cooperative."

"Daddy?" I whispered.

Lex smiled cruelly. "Yes. In fact, he's here right now. Would you like to say hello?"

I shook my head, but Lex didn't listen. "Come in, Mister Reynolds," he called.

A side door that I hadn't noticed slowly swung open, and out stepped…Daddy. He was older, sure, with streaks of grey in his dark hair and wrinkles criss-crossing his face. He'd gained a couple pounds, too. But his vibrant green eyes were still the same ones I remembered. He was dressed in an ash-grey suit and a pristine white labcoat with an ID tag pinned to it, exactly like the one the woman had been wearing.

"Daddy? Daddy, what are you doing here? Lex Luthor is dangerous—he'll hurt you! Get out, Daddy!" I tried desperately to make him understand, but he just shook his head sadly.

Lex cackled. "Why, Henry here headed up Project Wildfire! Whyever would I want to get rid of him?"

Wildfire…Project Wildfire. The project the woman had mentioned. I was in…

"Yes," Lex said as if reading my thoughts. "You, Lissie, are Project Wildfire."

I shook my head slowly. No, I thought. NO. Daddy wouldn't do that to me.

"Your father," Lex continued, "was the first scientist to discover how to give humans elemental powers. Unfortunately, it requires a very specific and rare DNA code—only one in two billion humans are born with it."

No. Daddy couldn't do any of that. He…he was just a biologist…Suddenly, I remembered all those late nights Daddy had spent in the lab, not coming home for days or weeks. I remembered all the vaccinations I'd had to supposedly prevent against new strains of viruses or the like. Momma had assumed that Daddy was just being sweet and overprotective. But…what if the opposite was true?

I turned on Daddy. "You," I snarled. "You did this to me. You made my life a living HELL!"

Daddy shook his head sadly. "I didn't want to, Lissie." Tiny tears leaked out of his eyes, making me hate him all the more. "Lex…Lex threatened me…"

Lex gave another laugh. "Well, I suppose that's true. Once I learned that you, against all odds had the gene we required, I stationed some of my doctors at the clinic you went to. Whenever you or your mother got flu shots, vaccinations, anything, I had them add a supplement of tiny metal capsules to the medicine. The capsules were harmless on their own, but once given a signal from me, they would release a deadly neurotoxin. Naturally, once your father heard of this, he complied to my demands right away."

He frowned. "It was going so well, too. Then your mother got nosy and began to check up on your father. She started to realize what was happening." He sighed dramatically. "So we had to…dispose of her."

I shook my head. "She died of cancer, retard."

"No," Lex said softly. "She died of what the doctors thought was cancer." Then he smiled brightly. "But enough about your family problems. We're here to talk about you."

"Aren't we already?" I mumbled, still stunned. Everything that had ever gone wrong in my life could be connected directly with Lex Luthor, and I was starting to hate the man.

"As you know, you have amazing potential for destruction, Lissie. It may be raw and untamed now, but with a little training, you could hone it to near-perfection."

I shook my head. "What are you getting at?"

"There are some people in this world who I am…less then fond of. That's where you come in. I'd pay you to go around the globe and…cause little accidents. It wouldn't take much—just a spark here and there. But you could solve a great many of my problems. And, of course, you'd have the best of everything. I might even adopt you as my own, someday."

"So…you want me to be a hired assassin?"

He wrinkled his brow. "Oh, assassin is such a nasty word. I want you to be my…little helper, as it were." He reached forward and stroked my cheek, almost fondly, as I tried not to shudder. "So, what do you say?"

I smiled sweetly and leaned forward in my seat. "This, Lexie dear, is what I have to say to that."

Then I spat in his face.

He gave a little shudder and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his face off. When he finished, I could see that his face was a mask of pure rage and hatred, and I knew for sure that this man was insane.

As suddenly as the rage had appeared on Lex's face, it evaporated, leaving a faint smile. "No matter. We have other uses for you." He motioned toward the door.

Even though I knew what was going to happen, I didn't have time to react. The same buff guard stepped through, aimed a gun at me, and pulled the trigger. There was very little sound from the gun, though, and I didn't feel a bullet. Just a little prick on my right shoulder.

I glanced down. Embedded in my shoulder was a tiny dart with a tuft of red at the end. I tried to bring my left arm up to pull the dart out, but found that it refused to move.

Lex grinned evilly. "Isn't it wonderful? That dart has a very rare neurotoxin on the end—it cost me a fortune, but it was worth it. It allows you all your senses: to see, hear, feel, even to speak, but the rest of your muscles are rendered useless."

"Why?" I asked, truly mystified. "You want a talking garden statue?"

He laughed. "No. Because our doctors have some work to do, and I want to hear your screams."

Well, did you like it? Don't forget to review-I LOVE reviews and I want to know if you guys like the story or not.