1981: Bio-Lab
1981 AD - Universe M54331Z-B
Dr. Levoy made his way through the coridoors of LuthorCorps slowly. Although he was one of the foremost scienitfic minds in the world, even he felt the solemnity of being invited into LuthorCorps. Lex Luthor had nearly been president of the United States at one point, only having lost the opportunity due to a sudden health problem forcing him to have his running mate run in his stead. After that, Lex had devoted the rest of his life to his company, churning out amazing technology the likes of which boggled even Levoy's mind.
Sighing heavily as he stood before Luthor's door, Levoy adjusted his tie and checked one last time he hadn't spilled any food on his blazer. He then opened the heavy door quietly and slowly. As he entered the massive office of one of the most powerful men in the world he saw the man himself sitting at his desk.
"Mr. Luthor? Dr. Levoy. You called for me yesterday."
Lex Luthor looked up. Although he had aged quite drastically since the Great Battle of Metropolis, he still possessed the same demeanor and vigor he had in his youth. Smiling, he stood up and gestured for Levoy to walk forward.
"I'm impressed. Here I am in New Metropolis, clear on the other side of the country from you and yet you still are able to drop everything and get here in less than twenty four hours... I'm flattered." Lex said as Levoy approached him, extending his hand.
Taking Luthor's hand, Levoy shook it. He was then gestured over to the chair in front of Lex's desk. As Levoy sat in it, he could feel himself sink in slowly. It was honestly the most comfortable chair Levoy had ever had the chance of sitting in. Trying not to show on his face how absolutely in bliss he was from the simple act of sitting on that heavenly chair, Levoy smiled at Luthor.
"Well, when Lex Luthor asks you to see him, my opinion is you don't make him wait," Levoy said.
Lex smiled. "I am so very happy to hear you say that. You see... I need your brain to work on something... excuse me..."
Levoy furrowed his brow as Lex began coughing badly. Blood spurted out his mouth as he coughed. Dr. Levoy noticed the hand Lex used to grab a handkerchief from his blazer pocket had a black glove upon it, whereas the other hand had no such glove. Levoy figured it may be an odd fashion choice, since the rich tended to do things like that. Still, his eye lingered on the glove far too long, and Lex noticed.
"Ah, yes... the coughing, the glove... all related to the sickness," Lex said. "It's what cost me the election, you know. This hand is badly aged, marked with liver spots. I never bothered getting anything cosmetic done. It... it serves as a reminder of what could have been."
"My apologies, Mr. Luthor. I didn't mean to stare..." Levoy answered, face growing pale from embarrassment.
Lex smiled in response. "Oh, don't be silly. It's perfectly reasonable. Now... Do you remember the forces that brought this lovely city to its knees nearly five decades ago?"
"I... I wasn't born yet, but I learned about it in school, sir," Levoy answered.
"Well, then you know the consequences of that horrible day. First, we learned of how dangerous it was to have vigilantes running around, eliminating most of them due to the Superhero Registration Act. Then to deal with the threat of the remaining vigilantes, each state became its own sovereign, loosely connected by the similarities of their laws due to our constitution and allowing themselves to still be led by the US President," Lex said, ensuring they were on the same page.
"Yes, Mr. Luthor. Apparently before Metropolis fell, the term 'united' meant a lot more than it does now. For me, each state has always acted as if they were a separate nation. It's hard for me to fathom anything different," Levoy told Luthor.
Lex nodded and stood up from his desk. "Well, Doctor... There is more than just different styles of law enforcement at play with this separation. You see, I was involved in politics a lot more than what you saw during my presidential bid. I was a member of the president's secret cabinet long before that."
Levoy sat, feeling uneasy. He was still unsure why Lex had called him in, and he had no idea why he was sharing such deep things with him.
Continuing, Lex said, "The vigilantes led by the Batman were needing to be hunted down like the dogs they were. They posed a great threat, you see. That's why we had to segregate each state: it was to ensure the tactics we employed in Gotham, or Metropolis, Star City... we couldn't allow the public at large to know about it! They would think our nation unable to contain its own citizens! We would look weak! We've employed great tactics over the years to bring down these vigilantes. Police armored with tech by LuthorCorps the likes of which have never before been seen! But of course... only a select few have ever seen it in the first place.
"That's why the NSA screens all of our letters and phone calls... it's to ensure if anyone said anything about these tactics, it would be censored. Of course, it's not perfect. People talk and they always will. Be... hehe... they will continue to just be urban legends. We are very careful to ensure people don't talk. We are constantly getting people to sign waivers. I even have a fund the government uses to pay people to keep their mouths shut. For the most part, people obey and don't blab. They know my surveillance is top notch, and my computer program Echelon will track them down eventually... And if some info does leak, we do our best to neutralize the info and discredit it as much as we can. Have you ever heard of stories of the Men in Black, Dr. Levoy?"
The doctor's throat was dry. He was in awe at what Lex Luthor was revealing to him. He tried to cough out a "yes", but found he was only able to nod.
"There's a glass of water for you at the table if you need it, Levoy. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. The Men in Black. Well, they are real, Levoy. They mainly guard Area 51, and yes, that's real, too. We also use them to go out and use a little device I invented called a Neuralizer to try and delete sensitive information from the minds of those who may know too much. So, you see Dr. Levoy... the illusion of a free society is simply that. An illusion. One that we've needed to maintain for the sanity of the people. Do you think you would go to sleep easily every night knowing the world you live in is actually the one I described to you?"
Levoy had poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher on Luthor's desk. Quickly gulping down the ice cold liquid, feeling his throat able to flex itself again, Levoy answered by saying, "Yes. I mean... I would not sleep well, sir."
"Well, I'm sorry that I've spoiled your sleep from here on out." Lex said, chuckling. "But I jest... You yourself have no need to fear, because I am recruiting you into my fold. You see, Dr. Levoy... I'm dying. I don't have much longer to live. Months at most. The sickness within me is eating away at me, and we have no way to heal me. Shame, really. But I want my creations to continue forward. That's where you come in. You see, I have ideas that will branch off from me to you for generations to come! And I know that you will be able to bring them to life, and even improve upon them! My legacy will live on through you."
"I'm... I'm speechless! I will do all I can to ensure that this will happen!" Levoy said, shocked.
"Good, good... Well, I'm the full package. I am a scientific genius, but also the greatest business mogul the world has ever known! But, I do have a protegé." Lex said, walking over to a comm device on his desk and pushing a button. "Linda? Please bring them in. I'm ready."
As Lex said this, Levoy heard the door to Luthor's office open. Turning his head, he saw General McKnight enter. Following him was a man he did not recognize. He had an air of confidence about him that seemed to rival even that of Lex Luthor himself.
Standing, Dr. Levoy extended his hand to each of them.
"Dr. Levoy, this is General McKnight. He is over some very special operations for the government. And this is the Vice President of LuthorCorps. His name is Albert Collins, and he is the future me. Haha!" Lex said, laughing heartily at his last phrase. He began to cough heavily as his laughter ended, grabbing at his handkerchief once more.
Collins nodded. "Well, I don't have his mind or his good looks, but I guarantee you that I am just as tenacious!"
"He's always just as rich as you, Mr. Luthor." McKnight said, chuckling.
"Yes, yes," Luthor said. "The only families richer would be the Queens, the Waynes, and the Hartfords. Maybe even that widow Donna Winslow on a good day. Maybe."
Collins sighed. "Yes, I am quite wealthy. And I'm sure they're not just bragging for me. The reason they say this is because I will have the funds at my disposal to get my... I mean our projects online. The ones we shall inherit from Lex himself. Like I said, I don't have the scientific mind he does. Together, though? You and me could match what Mr. Luthor is."
"Not to be too candid," Said McKnight. "But it is very good of you to work so hard to make sure things are well after you, well..."
Lex smiled. "Yes, well I once heard the sign of a good man is one who plants the seed for a tree whose shade he shall never enjoy. Consider this my seed. Now, on top of your fortune, Collins, I am giving you LuthorCorps."
Albert Collins felt as if he'd been slapped in the face. He was close to staggering back and passing out at the news. He had hoped he would be named Lex's successor, but he wasn't positive since it was in the realm of possibility Lex would pass the company down to his son, Alexander.
"I... I will do all I can to bring LuthorCorps into the twenty first century the way you would have, sir," Collins said, honored. "You will not regret this."
Nodding, Lex sat back down at his desk. "I know I won't. And also, we will need to change the name. This is a new start for the company, and even though I did great things for it, I don't want my name bringing everyone to remembrance of me. I feel like my memory would slow the company down. Once I'm gone, I've already had written into my will and also your contract which you three will be signing that this company will be known as Bio-Lab."
Levoy nodded. "Whatever is best for your vision, Mr. Luthor."
"You three will make a good team," Lex said simply. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have another appointment after this. General McKnight?"
"Yes?" The general replied.
"Take Collins and Levoy down to the main lab. Ask Dr. Raimei to pull up the schematic for the machine he and I have been working on. I wish I could take credit for it, but it was actually his idea to begin with! It's a massive machine which looks like it could be used for oil drilling or something like that, but actually-"
"It's a war machine, isn't it?" McKnight said, smiling broadly.
"Of course it is. When is anything I make not able to be weaponized?" Lex said slyly. "Now go down. Remember what I told you Levoy: our nation is constantly at war, and the things you will do here with McKnight and Collins will be crucial in protecting our people."
Levoy nodded. "Thank you for your trust, Mr. Luthor."
As the trio exited the office, McKnight turned to Levoy and said, "I have a doctor who works closely with me by the name of Harlen. Ever heard of him?"
As Levoy answered in the affirmative, the door closed behind them. After it had, Lex stood up and closed the curtains to his office. He then walked slowly to a wall and tapped a hidden panel, causing several wall mounted monitors to appear behind the fake wall as it retracted. Lex smiled while each monitor showed a different angle of a man exiting a building. It was Oliver Queen, the secret identity of the Green Arrow. Secret to everyone but Lex Luthor.
"Vengeance will finally be mine..." Lex said as he took off his glove, staring down at the hand that looked to belong to someone over the age of one hundred.
As Lex stared at his withered hand, memories flooded his mind of what had happened to him. Memories of the day when he had contracted his "illness":
Lex sat at his desk. It was 1972 and he was at the end of his presidential campaign. He was far in the lead of the polls, and it was all but guaranteed that the swing states would vote in his favor. It was all in the bag. He would become the president and world power would finally be officially his.
At his desk, he smiled as he read the cover of TIME Magazine for what felt like the millionth time: "President Lex Luthor - FROM SMALLVILLE TO THE WHITE HOUSE - Can a business man from Metropolis change Washington?"
"Yes... yes he can!" Lex called out happily!
He grabbed a glass on his desk and poured himself some water from the pitcher. He drank it quickly and smiled. The smile quickly turned to a grimace as he clutched at his throat, dropping the glass as he did. He heard it shatter as it hit the hard floor.
"Lex Luthor!" A deep voice said from a shadow in the corner of the room.
Turning in his chair, still choking, Lex tried to make out the man hiding in the shadows. There was not much to see (partially due to the shadows, partially due to his vision blurring), but looking closer Lex could make out a man holding a bow and arrow, ready to shoot.
"You have failed this nation!" Arrow said, stepping forward.
"You... you won't ghost me!" Luthor managed to spit out.
Arrow sneered. "I'm not Batman. He won't do what is necessary to save our nation. I will end you if you do not comply!"
"Anything! I don't want to end my life like this!" Lex gasped, falling on his desk in pain.
"The poison will affect you in twenty four hours, ending your life once and for all," Arrow said. "I will give you the antidote after you officially withdraw from the race."
"No! Please no! I've worked my whole life for this!" Lex pleaded.
"Superman was right about you, and we didn't listen!" Green Arrow yelled. "You were behind Hydra all along! I found evidence of it!"
"If you found evidence then you would show it the media, not poison me!" Luthor accused.
Arrow shook his head. "You're powerful. You can make things... disappear. This way, I can make sure you stay down. Twenty four hours, Luthor!"
As Green Arrow leapt out a nearby open window, Lex clenched his fist and grabbed at the rotary phone beside him. He called his agent and began the process to withdraw from the presidency he had been sure to win.
As the memory ended, Lex Luthor smiled. Although Green Arrow had given him the antidote, he later discovered it greatly affected his life expectancy and disfigured one of his hands. He was wroth with Green Arrow, and from that day onward he vowed he would have revenge.
Putting a small comm device up to his lips, Lex smiled. "Do it."
Watching carefully, he saw a splatter of blood flow out of Oliver Queen's neck, a second from the back of his head. Two shots from two different snipers. Both snipers hired by Lex. He had studied for nearly a decade all of Green Arrow's patterns. After he had discovered his identity, he kept it to himself. The project was a personal one, and he wanted to get it done in his one way.
As people ran to the fallen billionaire, Lex turned off his monitors and caused the fake wall to slide over them once again. He then turned and walked slowly back to his desk. As he sat down, he pulled out the schematics for the machine he had spoken to McKnight, Levoy, and Collins about: the Raimei Explorer. Now that his vengeance was complete and he was at the end of his life, it was back to business as usual. His life was finally complete, and he was content.