Superman: The Ark of Krypton
Chapter 123
by
Jason Richard
Superman and Lois continued to wait, as Edward Lytener was still recovering from surgery. It was an agonizing couple of hours for both of them. Finally, after all that time, the Doctor said that Edward was awake and ready to receive visitors.
Superman and Lois walked into the room slowly and saw Edward laying on the hospital bed. Almost his entire body, save his face, was wrapped in a cast. He looked up at them and smiled weakly.
"Hello," said Edward. "How'd it go?"
Superman, a lump in his throat, said, "Zod and Ursa escaped. The third got killed by a Lexcorp weapon."
"I see," said Lytener. "Well, at least we closed the portal. Job well done and all that. Right?"
"Yeah," said Superman.
"Sorry I almost messed it up," said Lytener.
"What are you talking about?" asked Superman.
"When Non got that yellow sun energy..." Edward began.
"That wasn't your fault," said Superman. "You were trying to give it to me. You did well out there."
"Maybe," said Edward uncertainly.
"Maybe?" Lois asked Lois in astonishment. "I was watching...and wondering who are you and what you've done with Edward. Seriously. I expected you to do the right thing, but I didn't expect you to actually join the battle." She paused for a second and said. "I didn't mean to make you feel pressured..."
"No," said Edward, shaking his head. "No. I didn't mean to join the battle either. Things just sort of worked out that way. Actually, you were right. I'd been a coward up till now. In hindsight, I think I needed a little pressure. Even after ending up...well...like this."
Lois smiled uncertainly for a second, but that smile quickly disappeared as she stood there in silence.
"Is there anything we can do for you?" asked Superman.
Lytener sighed and said, "No. Not really, but thanks for asking."
Superman nodded, and they stood there in silence, every single one of them feeling drained. It had been a long day.
...
Corbyn paced back and forth in the Lexcorp Laboratory, completely ignoring the sensitive equipment surrounding him. He felt anxious, despite everything. He'd gotten exactly what he'd wanted. Hadn't he? He had the power to take on Superman. That was for certain. But something felt off. Luthor had explained that the Kryptonians were weak to the crystal powering his chest. He'd known it was the only way he could compete with such beings.
And yet seeing that one Kryptonian die without Corbyn even having his hands on him in the end felt...wrong. Corbyn had been good at what he did before these cyborg enhancements. He was a crack shot with a sniper rifle, an expert at hand to hand combat, and he could forge passports to go anywhere.
But this? This hadn't taken any skill. The Kryptonians had been helpless against him. He had pretended his own training played a part at first, but as he replayed it in his head over and over the truth was obvious.
It had all been too easy.
Finally, a door opened and Lex Luthor strolled in, a big smile on his face.
"Mr. Corbyn," said Luthor. "There's the man of the hour."
Corbyn rolled his eyes and said, "Don't patronize me. It wasn't really my victory, wasn't it?"
Luthor chuckled, "Don't sell yourself short. Sure, it was my technology that made victory possible, but you didn't know it would work. To test it out I needed a man with the guts to go up against the most powerful beings in the universe, a pioneer who could adapt to the new skills such powers will need, and that man was you."
Corbyn hadn't thought about it that way. That actually did reassure him. He was doing things no human had ever done before.
Luthor, meanwhile, was a little irritated that he had to placate the man, but he was ready to swallow his pride and stroke Corbyn's ego nonetheless. Wouldn't want his guinea pig running off at such a critical stage after all.
"And trust me my friend," Luthor continued. "This is only the beginning. Soon even greater power shall be within our grasp."
Luthor went over and pressed a button on the wall, revealing a glass chamber with Non's body frozen in cryostasis. Luthor put his hand on the glass and looked at the body, his new research subject, with a wicked grin. A real specimen of Kryptonian physiology and not some mutated parody, his at last. Corbyn watched him and finally realized why Luthor was in such a good mood.
And on the promise of even greater power, Corbyn was getting into a good mood himself.