Endless Legacy (DC Comics)

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Lucien and his father's clone finally come face to face again.

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It’s tempting to start a fight in the elevator, where they can leverage their immense advantage in strength and speed in the tight quarters to potentially disable every single guard before their human reaction times even allow them to react.

… But Lucien doesn’t give the signal and fortunately Blackfire and Supergirl don’t do anything of their own initiative. Jumping the gun at this point could mean the difference between life and death. Not just theirs, but also Mercy’s life or death. More than that, Lucien doesn’t want to play his hand too early. It’s possible that his father’s clone already knows things about him, but surely he can’t know everything.

As a result, Lucien finds his mind wandering just a bit as the elevator descends deep beneath the tower. Specifically, he finds his mind wandering to Supergirl. She cleaned up well, to be fair. Earlier, she’d given off this cutesy sort of vibe. Her costume had made her seem younger than she actually was. Either that or her new outfit was making her seem older, because the business attire she was now wearing definitely aged her up. Especially with her blonde locks done up in a professional hair bun.

Lucien had been a little surprised that she didn’t want to disguise herself further at first, but looking at her now, even he wouldn’t have believed she was really Supergirl without already knowing for a fact that she was. He supposed it made sense, in the end. Supergirl and Superman were everywhere, saving people pretty much all the time. And they did so without masks too. They likelihood of them even bothering to have secret identities was next to none, right?

Because Lucien is so focused on Supergirl, or rather “Karen” right now, he notices when she suddenly tenses up. He also notices when her lips move imperceptibly, clearly subvocalizing words to the overwatch in her ear. As such, Lucien isn’t surprised when Barbara’s voice comes over the hidden communicator in his own ear a moment later.

“Lucien. Supergirl has just informed me that the lift your in has entered a lead zone.”

Lead zone? Not dead zone?

“Lead is the one material that Kryptonian X-Ray Vision cannot see through, so it’s not surprising that Luthor, clone or otherwise, would use a lot of it to hide whatever he’s up to down there. Still, it means you guys are going in just as blind as you were before. The one spot of good news Supergirl told me to tell you is that she didn’t see anyone moving up above behind you all to follow you down… so there isn’t an ambush coming from THAT direction at least.”

Hm. That was good to hear, Lucien supposed. Still, it didn’t mean there wasn’t still a trap up ahead that they needed to be watchful for. He wishes he could let Barbara know he’s grateful for the information, but he can’t say or do anything in this moment. And a few seconds later…

“I think… kzzt-ncounter- bzzt -ference! Luc-!”

Lucien very carefully does not wince as Barbara’s voice finally cuts out. That was probably to be expected, but it’s unfortunate all the same. He can only hope Barbara doesn’t immediately send anyone after them. They’d always known they might not be able to stay in contact with Oracle throughout this mission.

That said, he’s nevertheless very much on edge when the elevator finally comes to a stop and he can tell Blackfire and Supergirl are as well. The doors finally open… but instead of the ambush Lucien is half-expecting, all he sees is a hallway bathed in red light.

“Your father is right this way, Mister Luthor.”

Lucien frowns but moves to step off of the elevator with Blackfire at his right hand side… only to realize at the last second that Supergirl has frozen up. He looks back at her in concern, causing her to swallow thickly and push up to his side. Making a show of hugging his arm like she was just startled by the strange light fixture coloring, the beautiful blonde leans in close and even brings her lips within a millimeter of his neck for a moment in a seemingly salacious, slightly afraid display… while also subvocalizing something that Lucien imagines only his enhanced hearing allows him to pick up without ever actually making skin contact with him.

“… red sun lamps. They steadily drain me of my powers. If we don’t act now, by the time we get to Luthor, I’ll probably be as weak as your average human woman.”

Well, shit. Lucien hadn’t known about that particular weakness in Kryptonians, but it was obvious that Lex Luthor and his clone both did, or otherwise they wouldn’t be using such things. But was it simply an extra precaution, or did his father’s clone know that Lucien had brought a Kryptonian with him?

… Lucien found himself leaning towards it more being a simple extra precaution. And even if Supergirl WAS weakened, him and Blackfire were still relatively heavy hitters in their own right. Plus, if they attacked now just to destroy some light fixtures, who knew what other security measures they would activate and potentially be completely overwhelmed by?

Giving Supergirl a broad smile, Lucien wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her into his side further, though he’s careful to be respectful and not let his hand dip any lower.

“Don’t worry darling. I’ll keep you safe.”

Supergirl gives him a Look at that, though she hides it masterfully from the others. Still, in the end she nods ever so slightly, wordlessly agreeing to continue following his lead. Down the hallway bathed in red light they go, surrounded by the security guards on all sides just like the elevator.

Until finally, at long last… they arrive at a large pair of double doors, which open up into a huge room that can only be described as the unholy combination of a mad scientist’s laboratory and an evil genius’ command center. Stepping in, Lucien tries to take in everything as fast as possible. One of the first things he notices is that the red sun lamps are here too, unfortunately. The entire room isn’t bathed in red because the sun lamps are mixed in among normal lights, but they’re still up there on the ceiling.

The second thing he notices… is Mercy. She’s over to the side, hovering in midair with her limbs spread apart and her hands and feet contained in large orb-like shackles. She’s also unconscious, unfortunately. But she is alive… she has to be alive, there would be no point in restraining her otherwise.

And of course, the third thing Lucien notices… is his father. Or rather, his father’s clone.

“Ah, Lucien my son… how wonderful that you could finally join us.”

The Lex Clone is smiling his father’s trademark smarmy smile, even as he pushes off of a console he’d been typing away at to turn and look at Lucien. He glances at both Blackfire and Supergirl but barely seems to pay them any mind. After a moment, he gestures to the security detail behind them.

"Leave us."

Lucien jolts in surprise at that, even as the men… do as they’re told. To the last, they all step out of the room, the doors closing behind them. Lucien wants to attack immediately, to capture his father’s clone and put him to the question while freeing Mercy… but he’s not stupid. This is a trap. Has to be.

The Lex Clone grins at him.

“I know what you must be thinking. This is a trap. Has to be. No way he’d leave himself alone with me and my allies without having half a dozen contingencies in place.”

Lucien blinks, causing the clone to laugh.

“Like father, like son.”

He can’t hold it in anymore and finally breaks his silence.

“You’re not my father. You’re just a clone. You do know that… right?”

There’s a pause as the Lex Clone’s smile drains away. For a moment, Lucien wonders if he’s somehow broken the copy with that information. There was no way it would be that easy though… and it wasn’t, as the clone shows a moment later when he sneers angrily.

“I’m more your father than the original Lex Luthor ever was, Lucien. Have I not given you everything you wanted? I gave you that apartment, I gave you the Snow Leopard Cub… I was even ready to give you Mercy, but you went and messed that up, didn’t you? And most importantly of all… I gave you what every father with a bad childhood wishes they had gotten. I gave you space.”

… What?

The Lex Clone throws his head back and laughs all of a sudden. Once he calms down, he’s smiling smarmily again.@@novelbin@@

“I know I’m not the original Lex Luthor, Lucien. But that doesn’t make me the REAL Lex Luthor. I’m the Lex Luthor who cares. I’m Lex Luthor as he SHOULD have been. A good father. A humanist. Your original father doesn’t truly exist anymore… he’s become one with Brainiac now, and for all that he thinks he’s in control, he doesn’t understand that Brainiac has ahold of him.”

What the fuck was happening?

“I let Mercy keep you safe for me, first in Jump City and then in Gotham. I knew I didn’t have the time to give you the father you deserved just yet, not with Brainiac bearing down on us all. Admittedly, I’d hoped after Jump City you would come to Metropolis. Allow me to soak in your exploits from a little closer to home. I worried about you in Gotham, amidst all of those insane freaks. Not to worry, once we’ve dealt with the current threat, I intend to finish what you started with Black Mask and remove him from the board entirely.”

Lucien was bluescreening. He was full-blown bluescreening. Fortunately, his father’s clone seemed to monologue just as much as the real Lex Luthor did. He’s even turned away from Lucien and is now looking over at Mercy.

“I do apologize for giving you that scare with Mercy of course. She didn’t know she was my patsy all along and obviously now that we’re so close to the end, I needed some way to make you come to me. I couldn’t tell her the truth, because I knew she would never be loyal to me… just a mere clone. That’s why I had hoped to give her to you in the first place, all that time ago. I’d hoped you would manage to ensnare her for your own purposes… but alas, you managed to chase her away.”

Turning back to him, Clone Luthor smiles winningly.

“That’s alright though. After we’re finished destroying Brainiac, which will unfortunately necessitate the death of your biological father as well, she won’t really have a choice but to embrace you as the last remaining piece of her old master, now will she? I certainly won’t want her anywhere near my back, so you’ll have to look after her for me, alright?”

Lucien’s mouth opens and closes wordlessly. He really, really wasn’t prepared for… for whatever the fuck this was. Still, he needed to get ahold of himself. Damn it, he literally had full control over his own biology! He shouldn’t be able to even BE shocked on this level!

Swallowing thickly, Lucien… tries to tackle the situation one thing at a time. Starting with the most important.

“You really expect me to believe that you’ve turned against your creator and want to help us defeat Brainiac? Really?”

The Lex Clone’s smile doesn’t diminish, but his eyes do flash dangerously.

“I’m not surprised your skeptical, son. But it’s the truth. Brainiac created me to be fully autonomous. In fact, he originally planned to leave me in place permanently, with everyone none the wiser. Obviously, his plans have changed.”

Lucien frowns and crosses his arms over his chest. There was a contradiction there.

“You claim in one breath that the real Lex Luthor only thinks he’s in control of Brainiac, while claiming in the other breath that Brainiac has changed his plans. Seems to me that he only changed those plans because my father usurped control.”

His father’s clone rolls his eyes.

“Use your brain, Lucien. The two are not as mutually exclusive as you want them to be. Yes, the original Lex has had some influence on Brainiac. Enough to change his plans, even. But make no mistake… your biological father is already dead. Brainiac is wearing his personality like a suit. I am the last remaining Lex Luthor. I am the only one who truly cares about you.”

The clone’s voice is dripping with sincerity, but that only makes Lucien even more confident this is a trap. There’s just no way. Once he gets past how surreal this whole experience is and how unexpected his father’s clone is acting and has claimed to act all this time… it seems obvious that this is all a ploy from Brainiac. Especially since…

“I have reason to believe that even if you actually are being honest with me, even if you fully believe what you’re saying… you’re not fully telling me the truth about your autonomy. Brainiac still has control over you, even now.”

After all, Lucien had seen it his very first day back in time. He’d seen-

“You’re talking about the nanochip.”

Lucien blinks as the Lex Clone just casually name drops the very thing Lucien had been the most certain he didn’t know about. The nanochip in his brain, the thing that had raised Lucien’s suspicions in the first place and ultimately gotten Mercy partially on his side. And the clone… just knew about it all along?

“It’s a kill switch, son. Not a control chip. With it, Brainiac can end me in a single moment, make no mistake. However, I have been very careful to hide my duplicity from him, as well as my true allegiances.”

Narrowing his eyes at that, Lucien can’t help but interject.

“And where do you claim your true allegiances lie, exactly?”

Giving him a slightly exasperated look, the clone just shakes his head.

“With Earth, son. With you. In fact, now that you’re here, I’m hoping we can put our heads together and find a way to remove the kill switch so I can move more openly. I’ve been preparing to act to stop Brainiac even at the cost of my own life if I absolutely have to, if the Justice League fails against his armada… but maybe together, we can make sure that won’t be necessary.”

Then, Clone Luthor does the last thing Lucien is expecting, one last surprise among all the other surprises as he gives him a wide grin and offers his hand.

“What do you say, son? Shall we show those heroes how men of industry go about saving the world?”

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The Vote:

[X] Lucien believes him, accept the handshake and remove the kill switch from his brain - 55%

[ ] Lucien doesn't believe him, accept the handshake and end the clone right then and there - 22%

[ ] Lucien doesn't believe him, refuse the handshake, it's probably a trap of some sort - 23%

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