Chapter 13: Piece of Home
In the main office of Lexcorp, its founder and CEO, Lex Luthor, was browsing through his computer, going through various articles. Almost every one he came across was about at least one of the members of the recently formed Justice League. With each readthrough, he began to scowl more and more.
"Unbelievable." Luthor commented.
"Something wrong, sir?" Mercy Graves, his driver and right hand woman asked.
"These so called heroes." Luthor answered. "The way these people flock to them like sheep. Have they no will of their own?"
"They're a trend." Mercy surmised. "Give them time, and everyone will eventually find something new to worship."
"It's more than that." Luthor replied. "As long as these 'superheroes' exist, the people will always have an overdeveloped sense of dependency towards them. Man was not meant to rely on aliens to save them."
"What do you suggest be done?" Mercy proposed.
"Unsure for the long term…" Luthor conceded. "But for now, remind the world that we still have might of our own. Is everything ready for today's weapons demo?"
"Yes, sir." Mercy answered.
"Excellent." Luthor replied, standing up and straightening out his tie. "Best not keep the public waiting."
…
Sometime later, Lexcorp had assembled a massive press conference for the unveiling of his new project. Among the attendees were Lois and Clark, sent by Perry to report on the story.
"Wonder what kind of death machine Luthor's whipped up this time." Lois muttered.
"Not sure." Clark replied. "But knowing him, probably something excessive in both firepower and cost."
"Think maybe he's compensating for something?" Lois joked.
"Would not surprise me." Clark quipped.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, please make your way inside!" the voice over the PA announced. "We're ready to start our presentation."
All the reporters made their way inside the main hall, where Lex stood on a stage with a large red curtain behind him.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen of the press." Luthor addressed. "Thank you all for coming. Today, I am proud to unveil the latest edition to the Lexcorp freedom line, and the final tool in the war on terror itself!"
The curtain then parted, revealing a massive green battle suit with the Lexcorp logo on the front.
"The Lexo-Suit 3000!" Luthor finished. "It you would please direct your attention to the monitor screens, you will see what this magnificent machine is capable of."
The screen flickered on, showing footage taken at a weapons testing sight. The Lexo-Suit marched out and aimed its gun arm at some targets, shooting at them and blowing them away.
"Made of a patented alloy and powered from an experimental clean power source, the Lexo-Suit is virtually indestructible!" Luthor boasted.
Several tanks then rolled up towards the Lexo-Suit, blasting at it. The Lexo-Suit didn't even flinch before returning the blasts in kind, destroying the tank in a matter of seconds.
"While in control of the suit, a single soldier is made more powerful than an entire battalion." Luthor continued. "Just one of these suits will end an entire war in mere moments."
"He sure knows how to advertise." Lois commented.
"That's one way of putting it." Clark agreed.
Just then, something caught Clark's ear. He turned towards where the sound was coming from and used his X-Ray vision to look through the wall and see three helicopters flying towards the building.
"What is it?" Lois asked, seeing him gazing off.
"Trouble." Clark replied, about to take off. "You might wanna find some cover."
"Right." Lois agreed.
"I see the Lexo-Suit, not as an instrument of war," Lex continued. "But as an instrument to end war."
Just then, an explosion blew open the back wall, allowing the copters to fly inside. Everyone ran in terror to avoid both the falling debris and the enemy aircraft. Lex discretely moved out of the way as the copters moved towards the suit. They all shot out cables attaching to the suit and pulling it off the ground and into the air.
"We have the suit and we're moving out." the lead thief reported.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." A new voice insisted.
The thieves looked forward and saw Superman lowering towards them.
"Hand the suit over, and things won't get any messier." Superman promised.
"Tempting, but gonna have to pass." the lead thief replied, firing a missile at him.
The missile knocked Superman out of the air as the copters flew off with their ill gotten prize. Superman shook his head in pain as he saw the thieves flew off. He immediately took off after them, intent on bringing them down.
…
Out in the Metropolis skies, the copters flew over the cityscape with their ill gotten goods in tow. As they flew through the air, Superman regained sight of them. Superman then used his heat vision to sever the cables holding the suit in the air. As the suit fell, Superman flew down to catch it, the lead thief leapt out of his helicopter and landed on it. Seeing the helicopter was going down, and knowing that the thief would land the suit alright, he abandoned it and flew towards the copter to stop it from crashing.
The thief managed to get into the suit's cockpit and turned it on before activating it's jet feet, causing it to land safely. Superman meanwhile managed to catch the helicopter and placed it on the ground, just as the thief fired a rocket at it, causing it to explode and knocking Superman back. Superman tumbled to the ground for a bit before looking up and seeing the suit aiming it's gun hand at him. Superman managed to dodge the bullets before flying up and punching the suit in the chestplate. He punched the chestplate repeatedly, causing the suit to stumble back and crack open a bit.
As the crack expanded, a green light started emanating from inside the suit, causing Superman to suddenly feel weaker. The lead thief took note of this and seized the opportunity to punch Superman out of the air before kicking him into the air, causing him to land hard on the street below, creating a fair-sized crater in the asphalt.
"This has been fun, Superman," the thief replied. "But I have an appointment to keep!"
He then flew off in the suit, leaving Superman to pick himself up off the ground. Lois came over to him, sliding down into the crater to check on him.
"Superman, are you okay?" she asked.
"I… think so…" Superman replied, shaking the weakness off. "I don't know what happened."
"You were fighting that suit, then you just started sagging." Lois explained. "It was like someone had pulled your batteries out."
"There was something… something inside the suit." Superman recalled. "Whatever it was, I think that's what was making me so weak."
"If that's true, then we need to get to the bottom of this." Lois insisted. "Tell me you have a way of contacting the Justice League."
"I do." Superman confirmed.
As Superman called the League, Luthor was watching the events unfold from his limo parked a safe distance away.
"Well, this is interesting." Luthor mused.
…
Later, J'onn and Batman arrived on the scene, getting to work examining both the wrecked demo site and Superman's crater. Batman ran a geiger counter over the crater, watching as the needle bounced.
"Radiation." he reported. "I'm detecting trace amounts of an unknown radiation all across the sight. It's far too low to have any lasting effect on humans in the short term."
"That must have what caused Superman to grow weak in battle." J'onn deduced.
"Probably." Batman replied. "Only question is why did it have such an adverse effect to Superman?"
J'onn pondered for a moment, then recalled something that could help.
"Superman said it was a green glow, correct?" J'onn inquired. "Kari was going over some alien meteorite samples at the DEO when I first met her, one of which was green."
"You think it's the same thing that affected Superman?" Batman surmised.
"Either that, or it is a remarkable coincidence." J'onn replied.
"I don't believe in coincidence." Batman replied. "Better look into it."
…
Superman, Lois, Batman, and J'onn all headed for the DEO, still under construction but mostly repaired after Brainiac's invasion. They met up in Kari's lab, the scientists listening to their story with great interest.
"That does sound like my specimen." She admitted. "Let me get it."
She rolled over to a box, rifling through it before pulling out a small lead container. Setting it in her lap, she rolled back over to the group.
"Is this what you encountered?" Kari asked, opening the box.
As she revealed the green rock inside, Superman stumbled back, the strength leaving his body as he collapsed. Kari quickly slammed the lid back on, covering the rock.
"I guess that answers that question." she remarked.
"Wh-where did you get that?" Superman asked.
"It's an old sample from a meteor shower roughly 20 to 30 years ago." Kari answered. "We've been trying to crack its code long before I joined the company, and thanks to you, I think I just did."
She held up the box, twirling it in her hand.
"I believe that the meteor shower was remnants of Krypton." she explained.
"So it would stand to reason that this rock, as well as the power source for the suit, were parts of Krypton as well." J'onn surmised. "Kryptonite, as it were."
"That's my hypothesis." Kari nodded. "Nice name by the way."
She pulled out a marker, scribbling the word 'Kryptonite' onto the lead box.
"And now, those thieves have a battle suit powered by this stuff." Superman dreaded.
"And they know it affects you." Batman added. "The thief didn't waste any time taking you out."
Superman pondered what Batman said as a thought popped into his head.
"You know… you may be onto something." Superman shared. "Why would the thief risk a confrontation with me instead of escaping?"
"If the thief was not a thief." J'onn realized.
"Hang on." Lois spoke up. "Are you saying the robbery was staged?"
"I don't think it was a robbery. I think it was a test." Superman replied. "A test of the suits true power."
"Against you." Batman chimed in. "Someone wants a weapon that can kill you should the need arise."
"And whether it was intentional or not, they found a very deadly powersource to use." Kari chimed in. "Human beings can die if they're exposed to Kryptonite radiation long enough. It's happened to several of my predecessors. If it can kill humans at a slow rate, I have no doubt prolonged exposure to it would kill Superman."
"That lines up with the radiation traces I found at the scene." Batman confirmed. "Non lethal to humans at first contact, but seemingly deadly for you, Superman."
Lois clutched his arm with a worried expression.
"So, we're all thinking Lex planned all this, right?" Lois threw out. "I mean, it can't just be me."
"It makes too much sense." Batman replied. "He built it, and more than likely staged the robbery. I wouldn't be surprised of those 'thieves' turned out to be on his payroll."
"Besides, now that the prototype has been stolen, the Pentagon's gonna want him at work building a bigger and better one." Superman concurred. "Even if he doesn't kill me, this could net him a multi billion dollar payday."
"Then I suggest we cancel his check." Batman declared, heading off. "I'll see if I can find the men who tried to kill you."
"I'll come with you." Superman declared. "You'll need me to identify them."
"I'll see what I can dig up at Lexcorp." Lois offered. "Maybe one of Luthor's boys got sloppy and left a trail."
J'onn looked skeptical.
"I do not think that is wise." he suggested.
"You're wasting your breath, J'onn." Superman told him. "She's not one to back down easily."
"Damn right, Supes." Lois remarked heading off herself.
…
In a secret underground lab at Lexcorp, Luthor and Mercy entered and saw the Lexo-Suit being repaired after the fight with Superman.
"Well John, I must say I was impressed out there." Luthor commended.
"Thanks for the compliment." the main thief said proudly. "Got a bit tight there for a moment, then your powersource kicked in. Whatever that thing is, it put Superman through the wringer"
"I must admit, that was quite unexpected." Luthor replied. "What do we know about it?"
"Not much I'm afraid." Mercy answered. "Only that it gives off low levels of radiation that appears harmful to humans."
"Then I can only imagine how harmful it can be to Superman." Luthor mused before turning to John. "See if you can weaponize it in the upgrades. The next time the two of you clash, only one of you is going to walk away.
"I look forward to it." John replied.
…
In the Batcave, Superman and Batman were going over various files on men with the necessary aviation records for the heist as well criminal records, and possible affiliations with Lexcorp. They went through several photos until Superman found one he recognized.
"There!" He stopped. "That's him."
Batman accessed the file and pulled it up.
"John Corbin." Batman read off. "Former Kaznian air force pilot. Suspected ties to a terrorist organization attempting to overthrow the royal family. Gone off the grid as a freelance mercenary ever since."
"Sounds like the perfect guy to send on a witch hunt." Superman mused. "Any idea where he's hiding out these days?"
"Nothin on file." Batman answered. "He's well versed in disappearing."
"He's never dealt with a guy with X-Ray vision." Superman replied, turning to leave.
"You seem to be taking the fact that he has a weapon that can actually kill you in stride." Batman noted.
"I always suspected I would have some sort of vulnerability." Superman explained. "Besides, I have something that neither Lex nor Corbin have."
"What?" Batman asked.
"Someone I can trust watching my back."
…
At Lexcorp, Lois walked through the front door and began walking towards security. A pair of Lexcorp workers were heading off and Lois made sure to walk beside them, stealthily swiping one of their security cards as she did.
"Thanks, boys." She remarked to herself.
She used the card to open one of the security doors and slipped inside. As she made her way down the hallway, she caught sight of Luthor talking on the phone.
"I trust the suit made it to the pier in one piece?" Luthor asked.
Lois paused, leaning against the wall as Lex walked past.
"Ensure the necessary changes are made, the guest of honor will be there shortly." Lex went on.
Luthor then hung up and started to leave. Lois took this as a cue to leave as well, finding a different hiding spot as he walked past her. Once he was gone, Lois got up and made her way outside. She bolted for her car, starting her engine as she put in a call to Superman.
"Hey Smallville, I got a lead on Luthor's suit." she informed him. "I heard him say it was transported to the pier before he requested some changes."
"What kind of changes?" Superman asked.
"He didn't say." Lois explained. "Only that they were necessary, and that a 'guest of honor' would be arriving soon."
"One guess who that is." Superman remarked.
"Luthor's many things, subtle isn't one of them." Lois commented. "I'm heading there now to see what you'll be up against."
"Be careful." Superman told her.
"Always am." she told him before hanging up and driving off.
…
At the pier, Lois parked her car across the street before heading over to the pier. She hid behind some freight, keeping an eye out for any Lexcorp ships. After scoping around, she saw a man in a Lexcorp uniform boarding one of the ships. Her eyes narrowing, she made her way towards the ship. She entered the hull of the ship, looking around for any sign of the suit. Hearing a door opening, Lois hid behind a corner as two men walked out of a room. She looked around the corner and saw a glimpse of the suit before the door closed.
"Bingo." she whispered as the men walked off.
She then moved towards the door and slowly opened it up, allowing her to slip inside and duck behind some more freight boxes. She slowly poked her head up to get a look at what they were doing.
"Progress on converting radiation into a weaponized ray." one of the technicians requested.
"Progress is good." Another answered. "It should be up and running in time."
"Excellent." the first responded. "I'll send word to Mr. Luthor immediately.
"I think I'll spread a little word myself." Lois whispered before slipping off.
As she exited through the door, she was greeted by Mercy Graves aiming a gun at her.
"Do me a favor and don't do anything stupid." Mercy told her.
…
Meanwhile, Superman flew towards the pier to follow up on Lois' tip. Just before he reached it though, a high pitched noise pierced his ears.
"Sorry to give you an earache, but I didn't have your cell number." Luthor spoke, his voice piercing through the sound. "I know you're onto me, and that you had Ms. Lane come investigate. Don't worry, she's safe. Come to the ship at dock 52 to pick her up."
Superman stopped short, his eyes narrowing.
"Batman, J'onn, Lex has Lois." He reported. "He wants me at dock 52."
"You know it's a trap." Batman told him.
"Why do you think I'm calling you?" Superman remarked, continuing his flight. "I'll keep Luthor and Corbin busy while you get Lois. Get her to safety, please."
"We will do what we can." J'onn promised. "Do not get killed in the meantime."
"I'll do my best." Superman replied.
After reaching the docks, Superman found the ship, with Luthor standing on deck waiting for him.
"Glad you could make it." Luthor greeted as Superman landed. "I sent Mercy below deck for some champagne. For me of course, I'm guessing flying while intoxicated doesn't do much for the public image."
"You're surprisingly upfront about all this." Superman replied.
"I figured there had to be some kind of brain under all that muscle." Lex remarked. "Why waste time with subterfuge and an innocent victim facade."
"Then you did build the Lexo-Suit to kill me." Superman responded.
"I wanted to see if the might of the Man of Steel could be matched." Lex confirmed. "I'm pleased to see I was right."
"Not quite." Superman corrected. "It wasn't your suit that hurt me."
"Ah yes, my experimental powersource." Lex recalled. "I believe Miss Lane called it 'Kryptonite'. How catchy."
"You know that stuff can affect humans too." Superman reminded.
"Only after prolonged exposure if my lab techs are correct." Lex dismissed. "And I plan to deal with you long before then. Although, I am willing to compromise."
"Compromise?" Superman questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"With my intellect and your abilities, we could accomplish much together." Luthor proposed. "Achieve greatness on a global scale. What do you say?"
Superman just narrowed his eyes at him in response.
"Not gonna happen." Superman told him.
"Well, you can't blame a guy for trying." Lex lamented as Mercy came up with the champagne. "Ah, thank you Mercy."
Lex took the bottle and poured himself a glass.
"Here's to a nice guy," Luthor toasted. "Who's about to finish last."
Just then, the metal hand of the Lexo-Suit burst through the hull of the ship, grabbing Superman. The rest of the suit climbed out before throwing Superman off the ship onto the pier. Superman pulled himself up as the suit leapt down towards him, ready for round two.
"Not gonna be that easy, Supey." Corbin remarked.
Superman flew at the suit at full force, only for the suit to fire a green laser from it's gun hand. The laser hit Superman, knocking him to the ground and sending him skidding across the pier. As he came to a stop, Superman struggled to get back up, feeling weaker than before.
"What's the matter Superman?" Corbin taunted, stepping on him. "Feeling a little green at the gills?"
From the ship, Lex and Mercy continued to watch the fight.
"I hope it's not wrong how much I'm enjoying this." Lex commented.
As he took a sip of his champagne, a grapnel latched onto the railing from behind him, allowing Batman to pull himself onto the deck. He made his way up as J'onn came phasing through the ground next to him. Both of them made their way inside , J'onn using his telepathy to figure out where Lois was being held.
"She's in the storage area." J'onn reported.
"You go help Superman with the mech suit." Batman told him. "I'll get her."
J'onn nodded, phasing out again as Batman went to save Lois.
…
In the storage area, Lois was tied to a chair, staring down the group of about five goons assigned to watch her.
"How much longer do we have to be here?" one of the goons asked.
"As long as it takes." A second goon snapped. "Stop asking."
"I'm just saying, why don't we just off her now?" the first one insisted.
"Because if we do it before Corbin offs Superman, we'll have a pissed off alien after our heads." a third rationalized.
"Why worry?" The first one remarked. "Corbin's got Superman beat. No big."
"Except Superman isn't who you have to worry about." A voice told them.
They all turned to see Batman emerging from the shadows. Lois smirked at his entrance.
"I see why everyone in Gotham is terrified of you." She declared. "You do not disappoint."
"Get him!" the first goon yelled as they all opened fire.
Batman easily leapt over the barrage of bullets and quickly threw a batarang at one of the goons, disarming him. Batman quickly ran over to him and punched him in the face before grabbing him and throwing him into the second goon. As the third goon aimed his gun at him, Batman backflipped over and behind him, sweeping his legs out from under him and knocking him to the ground. The fourth and fifth goons continued shooting at Batman, but he just took out a bat-bola from his belt and threw it at the two of them, tying them up and making them hit the ground.
With the goons down, Batman walked over to Lois, using a batarang to cut her free. She rubbed circulation back into her wrists before standing up, grabbing her shoes.
"We need to get out of here and help Superman." she insisted. "Lex found a way to weaponize the kryptonite radiation."
"Martian Manhunter's already giving him support." Batman informed.
"Looks like you could use some yourself." Mercy commented from the doorway as she took out her gun and started shooting.
Batman quickly tackled Lois out of the way and the two rolled behind a box for cover.
…
Back outside, Superman was getting trounced by Corbin in his Lexo-Suit, the kryptonite radiation sapping Superman of every ounce of his strength. Corbin batted Superman into a shipping container, causing it to buckle upon impact. Corbin then aimed his gun hand at the container, firing a missile at it. Before the missile hit, J'onn grabbed Superman and phased them both out of the container before the missile went off. He got Superman to safety on the other side of the pier, propping him against the wall.
"Are you alright?" he questioned.
"Fine…" Superman let out. "Just need to… take a minute."
"You are turning green." J'onn noted. "Prolonged exposure to the Kryptonite is beginning to negatively affect your body. If you continue like this, I fear Luthor may get what he wants."
"We can't let that thing stay operational." Superman reasoned. "If we leave now, Luthor's just gonna make it even more dangerous for next time. We have to end this here and now."
J'onn looked as if he was going to try and argue further, but realized it was futile. After a moment, he looked out at the shipping yard, an idea forming.
"Are these containers made out of lead?" He questioned.
Superman attempted to use his X-Ray vision on them, but found himself unable to see through them. He tested it on J'onn to make sure it worked, and it did, leaving only one conclusion.
"They are." Superman confirmed. "They could work as a shield."
"Or a way to contain the Kryptonite and stop its effects on you." J'onn proposed.
"I'll draw his fire, you get the Kryptonite out of there." Superman strategized.
"Are you sure?" J'onn asked.
"I am." Superman confirmed.
…
Back inside, Mercy continued shooting at the box Batman and Lois were hiding behind.
"I really despise that woman." Lois admitted.
"When I give the signal, run." Batman told her, pulling out a batarang. "Now!"
Lois bolted as Batman leapt out and threw the batarang at Mercy, knocking the gun out of her hand. Mercy of course went for it, but Batman tackled her before she reached it. She quickly kicked him in the face, knocking him back before getting back up. The two ran at each other, trading blow for blow for a bit.
"You're well trained." Batman admitted.
"Thanks." Mercy said before kicking Batman in the jaw.
Batman fell back, but quickly rolled backwards onto his feet. During that time, Mercy grabbed the gun and aimed it at his head. Before she could pull the trigger though, the batarang from earlier came around and hit her in the head, knocking her out.
"But still not good enough." Batman remarked.
"Batman!" Lois called out from the stairs. "Hurry!"
Batman turned towards Lois and followed her onto the main deck.
…
Back outside, Superman resumed his battle with Corbin, hitting him across the suit's head. Before he could hit again, the suit's arm grabbed him and slammed him into the ground before Corbin aimed the Kryptonite laser again. This time, Superman flew out of the way, avoiding the blast before it hit. He rolled onto the ground and got to his feet before leaping out of the way of another blast.
"Go ahead and keep running." Corbin taunted, following Superman. "It makes the game all the more interesting."
Superman ignored the taunts and just kept flying, dodging and weaving around the blasts, narrowly avoiding them. Finally, a blast hit Superman, knocking him out of the air and causing him to hit the ground hard. Superman laid there groaning in pain as Corbin stood over him, aiming his laser.
"So long, Superman." Corbin spoke.
Before Corbin could fire though, J'onn came phasing through the suit. He went all the way through, grabbing the Kryptonite and yanking it free of its moorings. He then flew straight into a sealed box, effectively cutting off the deadly rays. Superman stood up, now feeling more invigorated than when the fight began. He then flew right at Corbin and punched him into the air, before grabbing the suit by the feet and spinning it around. He then threw the suit onto the roof of a nearby building, where it landed with a crash. Superman landed on the roof of the building as the suit got back up, ready to finish the fight. The suit fired its guns at Superman, but the bullets seemed to do little more than irritate him. Holding his arms up to give himself some cover, Superman used his heat vision to completely melt the guns. Superman then flew right up to the suit and tore the gun arm completely off, using it to smack the suit around a bit.
"No, no, no!" Corbin cried out, everything sparking around him as he tried to get the reserve power to turn on.
Superman then tossed the gun arm aside and punched the head of the suit again, knocking it back and cracking the glass of the cockpit. Superman then flew down and punched one of the legs of the suit, knocking it off as the suit staggered towards the edge of the roof. As the suit fell, Corbin tried to eject, but the suit had taken too much damage. He was trapped. The suit hit the ground hard, crumbling in on itself as Corbin screamed inside. Superman flew down and tore the top part of the suit off, seeing Corbin in his pain. He was grunting and groaning, semi-conscious and in critical condition.
"Hang on." Superman told him. "I'll get you some help."
…
At the hospital, Corbin was admitted into ICU, the doctors looking over him as best they could. Outside the room, Superman leaned against the wall, J'onn coming to join him.
"The DEO has taken custody of the Kryptonite sample." He reported. "Metropolis PD is currently dismantling the Lexo-Suit and Batman has returned Miss Lane to her home."
"That's good." Superman replied. "What about the ship? Anything tying this to Luthor?"
"By the time the authorities arrived, everything was incinerated." J'onn reported. "The public believes it was caused by faulty wiring."
"Covering his tracks." Superman deduced. "Clever."
"What of Corbin?" J'onn asked.
"Critical condition." Superman answered. "Several broken bones, including his collarbone and part of his hip. He's got swelling in the brain, and his jaw's going to have to be wired shut..."
"It wasn't your fault." J'onn told him.
"Doesn't feel that way." Superman replied.
"Nor should it." Lex's voice declared coldly.
Superman and J'onn turned to see Lex walking up to them with a smug smile on his face.
"What are you doing here?" Superman asked.
"I came to see the Man of Steel's handiwork for myself." He said. "He almost killed a man today after all, and to say nothing of the damage done to the Metropolis pier."
Superman just narrowed his eyes in response.
"And what about the damage you caused?" Batman challenged, joining the two Leaguers.
"You mean what damage you can prove? Which is none, by the way." Lex remarked. "As for the ship, small change to replace. At least in comparison to the multi-million dollar battlesuit you wrecked."
Batman's fists clenched, but J'onn put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from acting rashly.
"We'll be watching you Luthor." Superman told him as they started to leave. "Make no mistake of that."
"I look forward to it!" Lex called back as they left.
He then turned back to Corbin, who was in a medically induced coma with tubes and wires all over him.
"Rest easy, John." Lex told him. "We'll fix you up good as new. And then… you get to kill Superman."
