(Notes: I updated the whole story and re-posted it to fix errors. i hope I fixed all the problems. If you find some tell me.)
The Men who Look Down on the world
Chapter Six
Luthor Arms Apartments, fifteenth floor, Pent house four.
John Corben can't believe his luck, he can't believe that he is happy and that things are going his way. It's funny a week and a half ago when he was still in his room at Metropolis County Hospital his life hit rock bottom and he thought things would never look up for him again. "This is the life I always wanted for us Roger." He says to a small Polaroid image of his deceased brother. "I told you we would move up in the world, I always said I would will protect you, that I will always watch out for you." He had failed to do that and now he is living for two.
John has been thinking about Roger for a while now. The third anniversary of his brother's death came and went when he was still recovering from the LWM incident. John's anger was reaching a boiling point at that time what with General Lane telling him that he was discharged from the Air Force. John had always worked to be the best for his brother, so that they could have a good life.
Roger Corben was the only family John cared about. When he was seven and Roger was five their parents were killed in a jewelry store robbery gone wrong. His mom worked as a clerk at the store. After that John and Roger were sent to their abusive uncle and drugged out aunt Tag and Eloise Corben. Tag lived in Metropolis worst neighborhood of Suicide Slums with no intention of ever leaving. He was the type of scum that was satisfied with his life. He beat his wife regularly, it's because of him she had three miscarries and then was rendered unable to have children. John and Roger were just two more targets for Tag and from an early age John decided to protect his brother from his uncle, so he took the blunt of the beatings.
John and Roger both made a pledge that they would leave their uncle and suicide slums behind as soon as they could. That they will make a good life for themselves. They took their beatings in stride since they knew early on no one would listen to them. Tag was a bar owner who gave special deals to cops and under the table bribes. He also knew how to talk his way out of anything. So John focused in school and in sports, he was average in intelligence but saw talent in athletics early on. Roger was the smart one but lacked common sense. Roger soon fell in with the wrong crowd.
"Had only you made it Roger. Well one of us got out and look at me now." John laughs to the picture, "And I thought the Military was my golden ticket. No that just lead to another disappointment, another failure." John became a pilot because he saw flying as a way to be free. He wanted nothing more then to be free and now he is. It was not the military that was his key to freedom no it was Lex Luthor.
John sets the picture down, he looks around his well furnished room. Never in his life had he expected furniture of this caliber would be his, antique chairs and cabinets that must have cost the designer a fortune. The room looks straight out of a castle and his whole apartment looks like this, "It's all mine." This was just one of the perks that came with his new job. He does not have to pay for rent, or for food or any of the bills, Lex Corp is paying for everything. John still has trouble believing it actually happened, he thinks he could wake up at any time. He thinks back on the day he left the hospital over and over in his head, it was amazing.
John Corben was down in the dumps as he left the hospital. No one came to see him as he signed out, he had no family and thought he probably did not have a girlfriend anymore. If the general was mad at him then his relationship Lucy was over. That made John feel worse. John had called a cab after he signed himself out and was waiting for it near the front entrance when a large black limo pulled out. The limo had the logo of Lex Corp on the doors and as a hood ornament. John just ignored it and went on with waiting for his cab when the driver who turned out to be Mercy Graves walked over to him. Mercy looked at him with her cold blue eyes, "Mr. Corben." She says with a commanding tone.
John looks up, he remembered Lex's chief assistant, this woman is Lex's eyes and ears. He wondered what she was doing here and what she wanted with him. John expected the worst, that this was another fate kicking him while he was down. "What? Does Lex Luthor want me dead?" He says coldly, that would not have surprised him.
"Why would you think that Mr. Corben? You impressed Mr. Luthor. That is a rare occurrence."
John scoffs at that with disbelief, "Yeah right" John looks away and waits for Mercy to leave, when she does not he ads, "What does he want?"
"He wants to see you Mr. Corben. He has an offer for you."
John is slightly intrigued but he is not convinced. "Lex Luthor has an offer for me?"
"Yes."
John does not know if he wants to laugh or cry. Ether way he is not sure he believes this. After what he has been though he has every right to laugh this off. He slowly stands up, "Why should I bother?" He starts to walk away.
Mercy knows Lex won't take no for an answer but at the same time he told her to make John Corben think this is his own choice. "Well you can always go to the Air Force board and plead for your commission back. I would love to see how that turns out. Even if you can find another job Well it be one where you can fly?" Mercy gives a slight smile when she sees Corben's reaction.
Corben shutters, flying is his life. There is nothing he wants more then to be back in the air and be free. No job on the ground will be the same to John, flying is his life. "Probably not."
"You want to fly again right?" Mercy knows John's answer.
"I would do anything to fly again. It's my life."
"That is why you should take Mr. Luthor's offer. He will allow you to fly again. To live again."
John smiles, "Well I have nothing to lose." He heads over to the limo.
Mercy nods slightly moving faster then John and opening the door in front of him. "Here you go Mr. Corben." Mercy does not like being a limo driver but as Lex's personal assistant and his eyes and ears she does pretty much everything he wants her to do. Picking up people especially unlikable fellows like Mr. Corben here is one of the least likable parts of the job. Still Lex is looking for people with special skills for his various projects and John Corben has a very important job ahead of him.
John gets into the limo and Mercy closes the door behind him. She then gets into the drivers seat. Before she starts the car she rolls down the window leading to the passenger area of the car, "This will be a quick ride. Lex is waiting for you at his office down town. Mr. Luthor does not like waiting. So don't bother me." She rows up the window.
Mercy pushes down on the gas and the limo takes off with a jump. John who did not bother buckling up flew off his seat. Only then does he straightens up and buckles up, "That woman is crazy." John knew Mercy was a cold hearted bitch after previous meetings with her. He tried to flirt with her once and she resisted his charms threatening to remove his manhood if he continued. He thinks she might be a lesbian. Well maybe not after all she seems to be in love with Lex. "Guess you have to be crazy to love a gargoyle like Lex Luthor."
Mercy makes a sharp turn without slowing down or even stopping to see she if she had the right of way and John is pushed to the left and his belt digs into his skin. His head also is slammed into the passenger door. John wonders if Mercy heard him and did that on purpose. "I guess if you work for Lex Luthor you do not have to follow the rules of the road." He mutters under his breath so Mercy does not hear him.
John braces himself for the rest of the ride. He tries to watch out the window a couple times but the streets and people are moving so fast he thinks he might get motion sickness. That would be a joke, a professional jet fighter pilot getting motion sickness in a car. John chuckles at that thought. John tried closing his eyes but that just made the ride worse. The car came to a quick stop and John can smell the burnt rubber and hear the screeching of the tires as it happens. John also feels like he is forced inches into his seat. He settles down as he heads the door open and undoes his belt. He is feels like his heart is racing and his head is pounding, "Wild."
Mercy opens the door and looks in, she sees that John is visually shaken, and her mouth curls up into a sly smile. She offers him a hand, "Need help getting out Mr. Corben?"
John shakes his head, "No I got it." His voice is slightly shaky as he speaks. He gains control over his composure and walks out of the limo. He looks at the building in front of him, the largest building in metropolis, Lex Corp Towers. It is an interesting building that in John's mind represents the huge bloated ego of the Luthor Family. Who else would make a building in the shape of a giant L. He scoffs looking at it but sees that Mercy is not amused. "Okay doll lead the way." John tries to act calm, like he is not shaken and does a good job.
Mercy would normally hit someone if they called her doll but It would not be smart for her to hurt John right now. So she ignores John's comment and leads him inside. Someone opens the door for Mercy but for the most part everyone ignores her. Everyone is intimidated by Mercy, she is the will of Lex Luthor. Mercy likes it this way, she likes the feeling of power and to her fear is power. She presses the button to the elevator and holds it while John enters.
John views himself as a friendly person but he's not really in a friendly mood. He does smile at the receptionist who smiles and waves back at him. He has flirted with her plenty of times but not today. He gets into the elevator and watches Mercy. Mercy takes her key card and swipes it in the button panel, there are some floors you can only access with certain levels of clearance. Some options appear on the touch pad that were not there before. She presses the button for the fifty third floor. There is one question John wanted to ask but had trouble saying it, he wonders if he is going to see the real Lex. Na no one sees the real Lex it will be a hologram.
The elevator stops on the fifty third floor and Mercy walks out with John behind her. This floor is pretty empty, there is the occasional office clerk and repair man but given the number of people employed at Lex Corp towers this place is a grave yard, "This is one of Lex's private floors. Only people he trusts walk these halls. His office is on this floor." Mercy answers the question John could not ask.
"So does that mean I am meeting the real Lex Luthor." John asks.
"Yes, given your abilities Lex whats to interview you personally." Mercy does not look at John, she continues walking and turns down a corridor, the lights grow dimer as Mercy leads john to Lex's office. Mercy stops before it gets too dark and pulls out a special pair of glasses. She hands it a pair to John after she puts her own on, "The lights will be off from here. These glasses will help you to see."
John nods and takes the glasses, he knows about Lex's special condition, it's common knowledge. Mercy leads him to a door at the end of the hall and presses a button, "Mr. Luthor your appointment is here."
"Send him in." A horse voice responds on the other side of the door. Mercy opens the door and she and John walk into Lex Luthor's large office. Lex is sitting on his desk at the other side of the room looking over a computer, the computer has a special screen that can not hurt him. There is a dim red light that hardly illuminates the room and if not for the glasses no details of this room would be visible. Lex motions for John and Mercy to come closer, "Ah Sargent Corben. I am so glad we could meet in person." It is a cold painful sounding voice that scratches at John's ear drums. Lex stands and walks over to him. Lex Luthor then extends his hand.
John is shocked that Lex Luthor wants to shake his hand, he has heard the stories of Lex Luthor, of how the man hates physical contact. They must be fake John thinks to himself as he shakes Lex's hand, he is shocked by how strong Lex's grip is. "I am no longer a sargent, so please call me John, or Mr. Corben."
Lex smiles, the smile disturbs John who has only seen Lex filtered in the past. Even a simple kind smile from Lex Luthor looks disturbing, the smile is meant to be kind but John Corben detects no kindness from this man, "I am sorry to hear that Mr. Corben. You are the one of the best fighter pilots I have ever seen. I have seen your work. Your skills are commendable. The Air Force has lost a valued asset."
John frowns, "Yeah well that's done with. No point trying to undo the past."
"Don't I know it." Lex's smile brightens or in this case seems slightly less dark if that's possible. "Mercy can you leave us. I would like to talk to John alone." Mercy nods and then walks out of the room quietly. Lex walks back to his desk looks back and sees John has not moved, "Come sit, we have something to discuss."
John sits down at the seat across from Lex, "You have a job offer for me right?"
Lex sits down, his smile does not weaver, "Good. You are correct Mr. Corben. As I said I have watched your career, I know you are talented, you have skills that I can put to good use. I would like you to be my personal pilot for one thing."
Being the pilot for a rich man is not exactly the type of job John wanted. However it might be the only chance he has to fly again. "I was hoping it was something like that Mr. Luthor. I would have walked away if you offered me anything else. But before I say yes what are the other parts of my job."
Lex takes a drink of water and taps on his desk, "Good man, you want to see all I have to offer." Lex turns his computer around, "Remember this?" On the computer screen is the Lex Corp Weaponry Metallo unit that John piloted during the convention.
John's eyes open wide, just looking at the LWM makes him feel better, makes him feel complete. The LWM is part of his soul that was taken away from him. "Metallo." He says under his breath.
Lex watches John Corben's reaction, this man is now under Lex's control. "I need a pilot for the LWM, and you are the only one suited for the job."
"The only one?" John knows Lex is telling the truth but does not quite understand.
Lex moves his lap top back and then types in it for a few seconds, "I can't scrap the LWM project. Too much money has been invested into it, too many jobs are in stake." John Corben is one of the few men unaware of how many jobs were lost due to the incident. "I have been looking into my best options and I have two choices. It seems that the AI module for the prototype has chosen you as it's user and that presents a problem."
"Chosen me?" John does not understand this type of talk.
"According to Dr. Vale and his team when you were piloting the LWM, you and the computer's mind merged for a while, be came one. If that makes any sense."
John nods, "Yes it does." To John Corben that makes more sense then anything.
"Well you experienced it so you would know." John nods and is about to speak when Lex continues. "As I said I had two choices. I could have a new AI brain built for the LWM, which would cost a couple hundred thousand and six months to build. That option would allow for anyone skilled enough to pilot the device as well as develop more safeguards to prevent what happened to you from happening again." Lex then lowers his voice, "If that is something that should be avoided."
That surprised John, "What?"
"Don't get me wrong it was not planned for you and the A.I to become one but I think that maybe it's an advantage. A weapon personalized for one person, one that will reject all other pilots. A weapon where man and machine are one there would be no command errors and no worries of malfunction. It would be a weapon that's not worth stealing. I believe in taking unforeseen mistakes and turning them into advantages. That Mr. Corben is my second choice. To repair the existing AI module for the LWM and continue testing with you as the pilot. Of course before we present the LWM to the world this time we have to have you test the weapon extensively. We have to see all that you can do, your limits in and out of the machine." The whole time Lex is talking he is studying John Corben's face, Lex understands people and knows John's response before he makes it. "So Mr. Corben." Lex says as he rises from his seat. "What do you say?"
John rises as well and meets Lex. John shakes Lex's hand again this time gripping harder but his hand is still crushed by Lex's strength. "You have yourself a pilot."
Lex walks over to the door of his office and open it, looking out he motions for Mercy who has been standing there the whole time. "Mercy, Mercy you were on break. You did not have to watch my office the whole time."
Mercy looks at Lex and at John and then back at Lex, "Understood Lex." Mercy does not trust anyone alone with Lex for any period of time.
"Well Mercy, John here has accepted my job offer. You will be seeing a lot more of him. He's my new pilot." Mercy scoffs at this. "Take John Corben to the Employment Office and get him settled with them."
Mercy nods and then leaves Lex's office with John following her. John is starting to feel like his life is taking a turn for the better. For a while he thought his life was over and now things are starting to look up for him.
In the days that passed John was given this fully furnished pent house apartment in the Luthor Arms complex, the best place to live in downtown metropolis. As Lex Luthor's private pilot he has everything paid for. John with a huge smile on his face gets off the couch and goes into the kitchen for a beer. He takes a drink and looks at the picture of Lucy and him at the park in his air force pilot's uniform. He keeps meaning to call Lucy but everything has been going so fast. This is his first day off since he got the job.
The last week was spent with John going though orientation, learning his duties. The private aircraft that he would be piloting is very different from the military planes he is use to but he is a natural so it was no problem for him. The chopper was a bit harder, he had only minimal experience with a chopper and so it's harder to adjust to. It will be what he will pilot the most often though so he is diligently learning everything he can about it.
He met up with Dr. Vale whose team is working hard on repairing the LWM. Vale clearly seemed shaken and nervous, and did not like the idea of John being brought in to pilot the machine. Still the doctor is a pushover and let John return without a fight. John spent five hours a day training in the simulator for the LWM, and another hour being studied by Vale and his team who poked and prodded him like a lab animal. That was not fun, the worst part of the job. Vale's team says they want to understand what went wrong the last time and work to prevent it but John Corben knows there is more to it, he knows something Vale may not. John knows that Lex Luthor wants to try to recreate what happened with John and that is best done if he knows how it happened the first time.
John returns to the living room and picks up the phone. He has memorized Lucy's number by heart and dials it. After three rings she answers, "Hello?"
John takes a deep breath, "Lucy it's me John."
There is silence for a second, "John? Where have you been? I expected you to call when you got out of the hospital. Are you in trouble?"
"Trouble? No Lucy everything is great I have been busy. I have a new job, everything is looking up for me. Can we meet somewhere? I would love to talk about it."
There is a sadness in Lucy's voice, "I would love to John but I can't make it."
Her tone of voice unsettles John Corben, his hand starts to shake, "Lucy?"
"John I was worried sick, I feared for the worst. I know you have been depressed since Roger died, I'm not dense." He had not fooled Lucy? Had John fooled anyone? "I am at the air force base in my father's quarters, I have been here for five days." There is then noise as someone takes the cell phone out of Lucy's hands.
The General comes on, "John?"
"Sir?"
"What's going on? I don't know if I should be happy or worried when you did not return to the base to fight your discharge. You seemed so determined to do so."
"I took your advice to heart general." Now is John's chance, to show what he is made of. "I was given a second chance sir. An great opportunity and I took it. Lex Luthor offered me a job."
"Luthor?" The general mutters something to someone else in the room, "So the rumors are true, you are his new pilot. We need to talk, just the two of us. How quickly can you make it to the base?"
"I will be there with in an hour." John then hangs up the phone. Today is his day. Standing up he walks over to his computer desk and grabs a small box from the top shelf. He opens the case and stares at the diamond ring, "Now that things are looking up for me it's a better time then any.
General Sam Lane is sitting across from John Corben and can't quite believe the way things have turned out. He had expected this meeting to go very different. He, Lois, and Lucy discussed the John situation and decided that if John tried to see Lucy again that they would try to get him to seek help if Lucy was going to give him another chance. Now that Corben's dark skeletons were out in the open there was no more question about his character. At first Sam expected John to call right away, to fight his discharge from the air force and make a big scene. When John vanished Sam feared the worst. His opinion of John Corben really had fallen that far.
The general has to admit John looks good and seems happy. This is the John Corben he wanted Lois to marry, the John Corben he saw as a son. The man is high in spirit right now, laughing with Lucy and kissing her passionately as she looks adoringly at the engagement ring he bought her, a perk from Lex Corp no doubt. Still as good as John looks general Lane can't help but think about the real John Corben, the one he had spent the last month getting to know.
The overly aggressive sports star who took out his anger on the football field and the boxing rings The man with a double life and two personalities who generally had them under control. There was the calm fictional John who seemed like a nice caring man, that's the John Corben Sam Lane is looking at right now. There is also the other John, the fighter, who was a monster on the football field, spent some time in the cage and as a boxer. A brutal fighter who seemed to have no limits, he lets his anger take over when he was in a ring. That was something about John that was well hidden until the death of his brother.
At the time Sam did not think there was anything strange about John's behavior at his brother's funeral. Tag Corben had no right to show up, family or not. John's actions toward his uncle were justified and no one blames John.
Sam and Lucy went to the funeral to support John. John was depressed at the time and removed. All he could do to control himself was take control of Roger's funeral to make sure that his brother's send off was better then his life. He paid for everything using the rest of the money he got from their parent's will, he invited everyone who meant something in his and Roger's life, everything was perfect. John strives for perfection and nothing was going to go wrong.
Of course Tag Corben was not invited, John did not even know where his uncle was or if he was still alive, he never expected Tag cared enough to show up to any one's funeral. He shown up as Roger's body was being lowered into the ground as if he planned it. Tag Corben made a scene right then and there, "The little fagot has finally died and no one told me?" Tag was old and fat, far from the man he once was. He walked over to the grave and spit on the casket. He then took a seat next to John like nothing happened.
John who was already pissed off was fuming and grinding his teeth doing everything he could not to fight. His face was red with anger and he looked like he was going to bite Tag's head off. Tag grinned at him with a smug victorious glance and looked away. John stood to walk away because he did not want to disturb the funeral further. That was not the reaction Tag wanted so he got up and followed John. By this time the priest was doing all he could to keep the funeral from becoming a fiasco but even his attention was focused on Tag and John. Everyone could see what was about to happen, "The big strong Air Force pilot is the same weak little boy he always was." Tag said the wrong words at that moment.
John turned around and faced Tag, his face was contorted by anger and the face that looked at his uncle was the face of a mad man. Tag who might have one time towered over John is now smaller and weaker then John. He just bullied a dragon and pushed his berserk button one too many times. Before anyone could stand to stop John he slammed his fist into his uncle's face. Tag Corben fell down onto the wet grass and John then started punching him in the head over and over. In his anger John seemed to be lost in his own world, "Die you bastard, you did this, this is all your fault. You ruined Roger's life. You KILLED HIM."
John continues to pound at his uncles face as the man moans attempting to speak though a broken jaw. The moans landed on deaf ears as John was is lost in a world of anger. He did not see what is going around him. He is still punching at his uncle and screaming at him as he is pulled away by General Lane and a couple security officers, "John." General Lane says his voice low and full of sympathy, "Son stop, it's over."
John does not hear the general but starts to realize he's being pulled away from his uncle, "No the bastard needs to die." He swings in the air and decks one of the security officers hard.
"No son." Sam exclaims, "It's not worth it." He grabs John's hands and puts them behind his back, "It's over John, he can't hurt you anymore.
With that the funeral was over. John was taken away to jail for a few months for assault and attempted murder until the trial where he was released. Tag Corben was beaten half to death and slipped into a coma for a while, he eventually recovered but suffered from brain damage due to the blows delivered to his head. He was never the same man. No one held John responsible for what happened. It was believed that his loss of his brother followed by the feelings brought on by his anger caused that incident and even General Lane wanted to hit Tag himself.
As part of his recovery John had to see a therapist, he was also revealed from duty from the air force until he was mentally and emotionally fit. What General Lane never knew was that John's initial Doctor came up with the conclusion that John would never be stable enough to fly again, which is something John did not want to hear. When John came back six months later with a letter from a Gotham psychologist with a bill of good health General Lane took it by face value. He was happy to have his golden boy back.
The general blames himself for that. He saw what he wanted to see. Now that he has done his research he has seen that since that incident at the funeral John has taken steps to hide his condition from people. His depression and anger were hidden and John for his part up up a skillful mask. General Lane never expected anything and he prides himself on being observent. 'He never fooled Lois.' Sam Lane thinks as he watches John and his daughter. Sam Lane would like to end this right now, prevent his daughter from going though with this but can he? He looks at Lucy and John they look so happy together, John seems to look better then he has in years.
"You have not said much daddy? Why are you so quite?" Sam looks up at his daughter as she speaks. He smiles at her.
"I am at a loss for words." Sam says quietly. "I am happy for you of course."
"Thanks daddy." Lucy smiles at her father, her face bright like the sun.
'Can I really deny my daughter this happiness just because my trust in John is cracked?' He looks at John and sees the hidden face behind the man's calm friendly expression. Now he can't look at John without seeing the man who went crazy in the LWM, the man who beat his uncle half to death. 'All I can do is keep an eye on him, for Lucy's sake.'