Endless Legacy (DC Comics)

A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story.

Some familiar faces here~

-x-X-x-

"We've had this conversation before Professor Hamilton, I cannot allocate additional funds to you right now. You are not the only component of Project Cadmus. As I've told you time and time again, there are simply too many moving parts at play right now."

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Professor Emil Hamilton huffs as he stares at the uncaring features of the overweight black woman on the other end of the video call.

"You don't understand, Waller. We're so close to something extraordinary here. This laboratory is singlehandedly accomplishing Cadmus' primary goal where all of the others have failed. But without the proper resources, everything could fizzle out on us. This isn't the kind of thing where you can take a wait-and-see approach!"

Amanda Waller scoffs.

"Do you think that's what I'm doing? Do you think that's what I expect you to do? We aren't resting on our laurels Professor; we're simply adapting to the chance in circumstances. Lex Luthor is dead and that clone who took his place has managed to become President of the United States. That technically makes him our boss."

Emil flinches at the reminder.

"On top of that, the clone knows everything that the original did, including everything about our operations from before we realized what had happened and began compartmentalizing things. Combined with the loss of funding from LexCorp and Project Cadmus is hanging on by a thread."

She wasn't wrong, he had to admit…

"I've had to do everything I could just to keep the more… appropriate parts of Cadmus alive under our new President. I'm still doing everything in my power to help you and the others continue your work as well, but we've reached the point where discovery means complete disavowal."

Emil flinches again at that, something Waller immediately picks up on as she leans forward.

"Given that we would both like to avoid that happening at all costs, I'm sure you can understand why everything needs to move slower than before. Staying under the radar is far more important than meeting any of your timetables at this point, Professor."

She might be right… except that if he didn't get the things he needed to continue his work soon, then they could lose everything, just as he'd already tried to tell her! Only one of the subjects was stable so far. The other was… well, the less said about the stability of the second subject, the better.

He opens his mouth to tell Waller as much, but she cuts him off before he can speak.

"I'm a busy woman, Professor Hamilton. This call has already taken up enough of my time. Keep working, keep your head down, and for the love of god, don't make a mess. We'll talk again soon."

And just like that, the call winks out and he's left staring at a blank monitor. For a long moment, the Professor just stares at the black screen before finally slumping back in his chair. He's never been an overly angry man. He's certainly not the kind to scream or shout or break things in fits of rage.

No, in the end… Emil Hamilton considers himself to be a man of words and science, not of violence or destruction. His life's work, which rested here in this very laboratory, was geared towards the creation of deterrents. Deterrents against the larger than life figures that claimed to be Earth's protectors. Deterrents that would one day be needed if those on the Justice League ever turned on all of them.

Frankly, Emil still didn't understand why Lex Luthor's clone had tried to shut his work down. It had been inspiring and exhilarating to see that fleet of LexCorp drones rise up to defend Earth's skies during the Brainiac Invasion last year. Even more so when it led to the militaries of the world finally working together to defend their home from the aliens attacking them.

… So then why was his work sidelined? Why had funding been cut? Why-?

The Professor is cut off mid-thought by the sudden sound of a muffled explosion and the entire room shaking. His eyes widen and his mouth goes dry as alarms begin to go off all over the laboratory. Oh no. They're under attack.

Quickly bringing up the relevant cameras, Emil pales when he sees just who it is who has found them. Standing there wearing a custom Armani Suit and fiddling with his cuff links is Lucien Luthor, the new CEO of LexCorp. Flanking him on either side is Blackfire, a Tamaranean Princess in exile, and Mercy Graves, the original Lex Luthor's right hand woman.

This was… the worst case scenario. Emil's hand immediately moves to a panel on his desk containing the self-destruct sequence for the base. It would also immediately begin wiping the servers. He was expected to ensure that nothing of what they'd been doing here survived.

And yet… and yet… the Professor finds himself hesitating. His last conversation with Waller plays in his head. Complete disavowal. Even if he managed to escape, there was nowhere left to go. And the erasure of everything they'd been working on here would mean…

His hand closes into a trembling fist. In the end, he can't do it. And that means he has to go to another button instead… something Waller didn't know about, but that Emil had considered critical security for his laboratory all the same.

With a decisiveness that surprises even him, the mild-mannered scientist slams his hand down on this second button. It immediately shuts off all outside access to the lab, both physical and digital. In that moment, any connection Waller or anyone else might have had to his laboratory ceases to exist. If they try to check on what's happening here, all that will be returned is that the lab was completely destroyed and the data servers erased, as was protocol.

It would buy him some time. Time… for a desperate gambit.

-x-X-x-

Lucien looks around the secret laboratory that he, Mercy, and Blackfire have just crashed. There are some scientists running around like chickens with their heads cut off, fleeing from them as fast as their all too human legs can take them. And then there are the security guards who run up with advanced rifles and point them in their direction.

"Freeze! This is a restricted area, surrender immediately!"

Smiling, Lucien shakes his head.

"Do you know who I am?"

The security guards all exchange awkward glances at that. It's obvious they recognize him even if just a year ago none of them likely would have.

"I'm not the one trespassing here. This land is owned by LexCorp and so is all of the equipment I spy with my little eye right now. This laboratory stands in direct defiance of an order to shut down given several months ago. Stand down and my lovely ladies here won't have to make you stand down."

It was admittedly clever of them, Lucien had to admit. He, Mercy, and Blackfire had known that not all of the secret laboratories with their illegal experimentation and unethical testing had actually been shut down when Alexander gave the orders shortly before stepping down as CEO to fully focus on his presidential campaign.

But admittedly, Lucien hadn't realized how deep the corruption ran in his own company. This part of Project Cadmus in particular had moved off of one plot of LexCorp land… and then moved to another with him none the wiser. It was ballsy in the extreme… and they'd very nearly gotten away with it too.

LexCorp owned a LOT of real estate, after all, all over the world. It specifically owned a lot of land in the United States, much of which was still undeveloped. This land looked undeveloped if you did a fly over, mostly because the laboratory was hidden underground.

In the face of Lucien's words, the security guards look between one another, hesitating for a moment. Blackfire and Mercy, meanwhile, are both smirking and looking eager for a throwdown. And yet… as it so happens, the men currently pointing guns at them aren't idiots.

Slowly, the futuristic rifles are lowered as the security guards begin to stand down. Lucien is glad… he has no desire to kill or even maim some nameless mooks just trying to make a living.

"Cowards!"

Of course, things can't be that easy. Just as the rifles are pointing downwards, a white blur from behind the security guards rams through them, sending them all sprawling off to the sides like bowling pins. The blur turns out to be a very familiar blonde… and yet in some ways she's not so familiar after all.

Lucien stares for a moment at the grinning face of an older, more mature Supergirl. The face is where the similarities kind of end, however. Not only is she a few inches taller than Kara, she's got her hair cut shorter in a bob cut, her shoulders are slightly broader… and her chest is far bigger.

As well, she's wearing a white leotard that covers her from her arms to her neck but for some reason has a literal boob window to show off her cleavage.

"Tea! W-Wait! Wait, hold on please!"

As the obvious Supergirl clone stares them all down, a panting scientist comes running up behind her, heaving with every breath he takes as he tries to catch up. To her credit, 'Tea' does wait, though she never takes her eyes off of the three of them.

Lucien, meanwhile, focuses on the scientist, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. This man… this man was in charge here. Not just because the clone listened to him, but also because Lucien recognized him.

"Professor Emil Hamilton. I suppose this is where you got off to then."

The bespectacled scientist blinks for a moment before straightening up and clearing his throat.

"A-Ahem. Yes, well… Mr. Luthor. I only wish you'd called ahead. We could have scheduled a tour."

Silence reigns for a moment as even 'Tea' gives the Professor an askance look. Lucien just raises an eyebrow until Hamilton finally rubs a hand across the back of his neck sheepishly.

"R-Right. I suppose banter isn't my strong suit. But please Mr. Luthor. Please just wait for a moment. Let us speak, man to man. The work we're doing here… it's too important to be shut down. Consider Galatea here! She's a complete success in every definition of the word! And she's loyal too!"

Tea must be a nickname. Galatea, as Lucien now knows her to be called, preens under the Professor's words. It's obvious that she puts a lot of stock in what Hamilton has to say. Even Blackfire notices it, scoffing and taking a threatening step forward.

"Loyal to who, exactly?"

Before Hamilton can answer, Galatea does it for him, growling as she takes a step forward herself in response.

"Loyal to the Professor, of course!"

Lucien can tell from the way Professor Hamilton's expression wilts that he really wants to face palm in that moment. To his credit though, he tries to do some damage control.

"She's loyal to Earth as well. Loyal to humanity. If Superman or the other members of the Justice League go rogue, you'll be happy to have her between you and them!"

This was Emil Hamilton's biggest flaw. Lucien and Alexander had actually talked about the man at one point once it became clear he'd disappeared off the face of the Earth after Alexander's directives to shut down all of the illegal experimentation went out.

Emil Hamilton had once been a scientist at STAR labs who worked with Superman in his younger years, when the Man of Steel was just starting out. However, he eventually came to the conclusion that Superman would go bad one day, and that they needed to be ready for it.

Lucien's father, the original Lex Luthor, had been more than happy to abuse Emil's fears of Superman one day going rogue to have him design and create countermeasures to the Kryptonian to be used against him in the present.

But the problem with Emil was that he couldn't fathom humans being able to stand up to superheroes like Superman. He couldn't accept that maybe a human being could become strong enough to go toe to toe with the Man of Steel. Hence his desperate desire to create alien soldiers.

Except at a certain point, it stopped being alien soldiers… and became alien slaves.

"And what if I don't need anyone between me and the Justice League, Professor? What if I'm confident of my ability to take care of the League all on my own?"

Hamilton's brow furrows at that… but its Galatea who reacts. She clearly doesn't like hearing someone talk back to the Professor. Eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring, he sees her reaction coming long before Hamilton does. With a snarl, the blonde Kryptonian shoots forward faster than any human eye could ever track. Her hands are outstretched like claws aiming for the collar of his suit. No doubt she intends to grab him by the lapels and yank him up into the air to show the difference in their strengths.

"You think you're so tough you-!"

Alas, regardless of her intentions, Galatea never quite manages to get her hands on him. Instead, she finds herself stopped dead in her tracks a foot in front of him… with his hands wrapped around her wrists and holding her in place as he reveals that he's stronger than her. Stronger than a Kryptonian Clone.

Her eyes widen, as do Professor Hamilton's. The scientist's jaw drops open as Lucien easily holds the struggling blonde at bay while looking over her shoulder at her creator.

"Sorry, did I rain on your parade, Professor? I imagine you were hoping to use 'Tea' here to show me the efficacy of your work or failing that, intimidate me into backing off, or failing THAT, clean me and my associates up and dispose of the bodies. Alas… seeing as none of those plans have survived contact with the enemy, perhaps its time to think up a Plan D."

"D-Don't call me that… l-let go of me, you bastard-!"

Sliding his gaze from Hamilton back to Galatea, Lucien meets the blonde's eyes and gives her a distinct 'look'. The clone immediately freezes up, her eyes widening and her pupils shrinking to pinpricks as she stares back at him, suddenly quiet and no longer struggling.

Sighing, Lucien looks back to Hamilton with a raised brow.

"Let's have a chat, Professor."

-x-X-x-

The Vote:

[ ] Lucien and Professor Hamilton chat in private while Mercy and Blackfire keep an eye on Galatea and everyone else - 11%

[X] Lucien allows for Galatea and Blackfire to attend the convo while Mercy keeps an eye on everyone else - 69%

[ ] Lucien has his conversation with the Professor in front of everyone in the lab - 20%

-x-X-x-

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