Chapter 1: Trapped
The Kryptonite cage pulsed with a sickly green light, each throb a hammer blow against my dwindling strength. "You're insane," I spat at Luthor, the words tasting like acid in my mouth.
He chuckled, a sound that grated on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. "Insane? Perhaps. But history is written by those who defy convention." He paced around the cage, his eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger. "And you, Superman," he continued, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "you are the key to unlocking a new era. An era of Kryptonian dominance."
"My children will not be your pawns," I growled, struggling to rise. The Kryptonite gnawed at my insides, making even the smallest movement a monumental effort.
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," Luthor countered, his voice laced with a chilling amusement. "They are not your children, Superman. They are the progeny of a new world order, a world where Kryptonian power reigns supreme."
He leaned closer, his face a mask of twisted triumph. "And I, Lex Luthor, will be their architect."
"You'll never get away with this," I rasped, my voice barely a whisper.
Luthor merely smiled. "Oh, but I already have," he purred. "You are mine, Superman. And so are your offspring."
He turned to leave, his laughter echoing through the chamber, a haunting reminder of my captivity.
"Help us," I choked out, but my plea was swallowed by the oppressive silence. A fresh wave of nausea surged through me, and a sharp, agonizing pain ripped through my abdomen.
Panic seized me. The Kryptonite wasn't just affecting me; it was poisoning my unborn children.
"Luthor!" I screamed, my voice raw with fear. "They're in pain! You have to stop this!"
But my cries fell on deaf ears. Luthor was gone, leaving me alone in my agonizing prison, my body wracked with pain, my mind consumed by terror for my children.
I clutched my stomach, feeling the frantic movements of the twins within, their distress a mirror of my own. They were suffering, their tiny bodies wracked by the alien radiation that was slowly killing me.
"No," I whimpered, tears blurring my vision. "Please, no."
The pain intensified, and I cried out, my voice echoing through the empty chamber. This was it. This was the end. Not just for me, but for my innocent, unborn children.
And then, through the haze of pain and despair, a voice cut through the silence.
"Superman?"
"Batman?" I croaked, hope flickering in the darkness. I do not know how he was here, but I was sure relieved.
"I'm here," he said, his voice stronger now, closer. "I'm going to get you out of this."