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Parents and Children, chapter 2
Conner was worried. Max had disappeared.
When he returned home, he was surprised to see that Max wasn't there. He called Clark to see if he had heard anything; he hadn't.
Clark wondered if this was just him deciding to disappear again. Conner didn't think so since Max had told him he was going home. While he might leave things out or remain silent, Max didn't lie to him.
He contacted Tim about it. Tim heard the concern in his voice and took him seriously. He did a scan of superhero sightings, and Match wasn't listed as appearing after he left them.
"We had nothing to do with his disappearance," Mr. Bones told the Martian Manhunter. "He saved our system, why would we repay him by abducting him?"
J'onn looked at him. "Some say the situation might have been manufactured so you could capture him."
"Those would be irrational paranoids," Bones retorted.
"I see. I didn't think the DEO was behind it, but it was a lead that needed to be followed. Does anyone recall seeing him after he went home?"
Bones thought about it. "You can ask the team that went with him, but I don't think so. I could also check to see if there's anything that surveillance satellites picked up."
"That would be helpful. Thank you."
Match woke up to find himself restrained in a metal chair. He attempted to use his telekinesis to break free, but found that the inhibitor drugs were still in his system. He tested the strength of his restraints and found that they were too strong for him to break unaided.
He noted that he had been stripped, meaning his captors intended to interrogate him. The idea was that this would make him feel vulnerable, a trap into which Match would not fall.
His mind ran over who would capture him and for what purpose. He came up with a list of likely candidates and motives.
A man in a business suit entered the room. Two armed guards flanked him. Match recognized the man instantly and kept his expression neutral though he realized that this was one of the worst possible candidates on his list.
"Match, I felt it was time we talked," Lex Luthor said with a smile that hinted of malice.
Kon swallowed. He was at a meeting in the JLA Watchtower with Superman, Nightwing, the Martian Manhunter, and Robin. Oracle was joining them via a screen. The purpose of the meeting was to find Match.
"Are we sure that he hasn't disappeared by his own choice?" Oracle asked. "He's shown the ability to evade our efforts to find him."
Kon shook his head. "He said he'd see me back home. He wouldn't lie to me."
"While I can't vouch for the second statement, he did say he'd head back," Robin confirmed.
"I've been in Match's mind," J'onn said. "He would not directly lie to Superboy."
"I can't hear him anywhere," Superman admitted. "He can't disguise his heartbeat for that long a period without aid."
"If you knew his heartbeat, why didn't you track him with it before?" Kon asked.
"I only made sure to memorize it after he came back," Superman said. "I wanted to make sure that he didn't disappear like that again."
"Where does that leave us?" Nightwing asked. "He's either gone into hiding, or he's been abducted. If he's gone into hiding, he's taking steps that he didn't a few weeks ago. I think it's more likely he's been abducted."
Kon realized there was another possibility they were all avoiding mentioning. "If his heartbeat has stopped, it could mean he's dead."
"I find it unlikely that he's dead," J'onn said. "I'm sure I would have sensed something. The fact that I didn't and I can't make contact with him would point more towards abduction."
"Were you able to sense him when he went into hiding?" Superman asked.
"I was," J'onn replied. "He sent me several realistic images of Paris and Berlin. He threw out red herrings to throw me off his trail."
"That would give more proof to the abduction hypothesis," Nightwing said. "He didn't have a shielded location before."
Oracle said, "I've just received pictures from surveillance satellites. They confirm his abduction."
Pictures of Match being tasered and put into a car trunk were displayed on screen.
"You've been quite a thorn in my side," Luthor told Match.
"As much as I'd like to take credit for it, I don't know what you're referring to," Match said, hoping to get him to clarify.
It worked. "You've disrupted my plans regarding Superboy. You've given him a stability that shouldn't be there. If it weren't, he'd turn to his father."
"Perhaps if you took him to some father-son baseball games-" Match began before Luthor slapped him across the face.
"You're not amusing. You have no idea how much time, money, and effort I placed into him. For one of Erica's little toys to wreck that is...unacceptable."
Match smiled. "I know that you were behind A-36. Did you also supply Dabney Donovan with the genetic sample to create Kor-El?"
"Kor-El? Oh, you mean the adult clone. Did the alien really give it one of its species names? It always was too sentimental for its own good. I suppose that even you have one."
"Kor-El gave me one."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Kru-El."
Luthor laughed. "That's a good one. I didn't think that Dabney gave the adult clone a sense of humor."
"I hope to show you how well I can live up to the name."
"I have no doubt. There's a bit of Erica in you."
There was a pause.
"You've distracted me from my original purpose," Luthor said. "I won't be derailed that easily."
"I'm so sorry," said Match, not sounding apologetic in the least.
"I've decided that I'll simply make sure you're on my side. By the time my experts are done with you, you'll be my loyal soldier."
Match glared at him. "I doubt it."
Luthor smiled as two men in lab coats entered. They had eager grins on their faces and a wide variety of wicked looking implements.
"Gentlemen, he's yours," Luthor told them.
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