#imagine growing up with this enormous life threatening responsibility hanging over you

[clonerightsagenda]

Ling yelling at Greed to stop deluding himself, he never really wanted to be king of the world, all he wanted was to live with his friends, and then going home to become emperor and looking grim compared to everyone else smiling surrounded by loved ones: Anything you want to share with the class, buddy?

[aesjae]

tears fall like snow | taeyong

probably not the best i’ve ever written, and probably not the best to read while you’re in the festive mood. i’m glad to be writing again.

Summary: Any and every date on the calendar could mean something significant to any and everyone. However, the twenty-fifth of December is unanimously proclaimed as the day of the birth of Jesus Christ to the whole world — Christmas Day. But Christmas may not unanimously be just as jolly to everyone.

Style/ Genre: Scenario/ Angst Word Count: 3,669 Date Posted: 26 dec 2018

Downtown, 8.48 p.m., 24th December 2018

“ ‘Dis the season to be jolly, tralalalalalalalala~”

At every corner, at every alley, the streets and town square were bustling with people. Masses of people moved like the great reef, moving in great entirety. At every angle that you turn to, you would be greeted with large toothy grins, the festive seasons pumping through everyone’s veins.

Everyone but one.

Hot cocoa, gingerbread men cookies, thick woollen scarfs wrapped around necks, intertwined mitten hands, festive songs.

Everybody seemed to have been engrossed in the festive season, many mouthing along to the words of Christmas songs. As people moved almost continuously through the streets, one man stood still amidst the crowds. Covered in black from head to toe, his frosty white hair stands out. Compared to the life and gusto of the city, he was still and lifeless, standing outside the bustling activity of the crowds. A bouquet of crimson roses in his right hand, he gazed contemplatively through the window of a boutique, at a particular dress.

His dark orbs slowly took in the pristine white beads on the sleek silk material, the intricate embroidery on the dress, the flattering smooth cut, as if relishing the beauty of it, imagining it being worn on someone in his mind. A soft yet somewhat wry smile formed on his face, and he dropped his head down, looking as if he was biting down something that was growing heavily in his chest.

He looked back up. With another contemplative gaze on the elegant dress, he stepped up the short flight of stairs leading into the shop, and not more than 10 minutes later, he descended back down onto the narrow streets of the city with a big pink box in both of his hands, the bouquet of flowers rested on top of it.

He continued walking, albeit his pace was significantly slower than that of the mass crowd. The crowd around him exuded the festive spirit and joy, but he remained indifferent, the mood surrounding him evidently gloomier. Unlike the excited faces of most people, his brown orbs were filled with chilly emptiness.

Couple after couple, faces after faces. Everything was passing by him in a blur, yet he felt like time was crawling. It was as if he was in his own world where the everybody and everything, including time, moves on, except him.

Finally, he reached a traffic junction. Just like the pedestrian pathways, the roads were jammed with vehicles. The glistening of the car lights illuminated the streets, mirroring the Christmas lights hanging off street lamps in the midnight sky.

Joy Street

He lifted his head slowly, his expression turning grave upon sighting the familiar street name. Glimpses of past events threaded their way into his memories, causing his heart to wrench in unspeakable sorrow. Deep creases along the box’s borders instantly appeared as he clenched onto it tightly.

No. I have to be strong. For her.

A frosty feeling rested upon his cheeks from an escaped tear, reminding him of the existence of those unerasable memories. Regaining composure, he forcefully loosened his grip and willed his body to move.

Inching closer to the town square, an enormous Christmas tree sat in the centre of the square.

“They call it the Wish Tree,” her smile glistened, her face lighting up brighter than the Christmas lights.

His eyes widened at the sudden flashback, an immediate headache following it. He dropped to the floor in a crouched position, struggling with the prominent ache in his head.

Suppress. Suppress.

His right hand instinctively reached for his coat pocket, but there was only an evident absence of the bottle. The bottle of pills that had been keeping him alive. Nothing else was going to save him now, only himself.

Despite the pain, he picked himself up. His heavy footsteps resonated across the streets and his lifeless form was continuously nudged and hit amongst the crowd like a rag doll that was thrown down the busy streets.  

City Cemetery, 9.58 p.m., 24th December 2018

He pushed opened the gates that lead into the cemetery, and it tweaked open in response. Despite the harsh weather, there were families who had came to visit their deceased family members. His eyes lingered on them, an unreadable expression hidden behind his brown orbs.

Trudging past rows and rows of graves, he halted at the second last row of graves in the entire cemetery. His throat felt parched as he glanced at the long row of graves before him. He took a step, then another, towards the last grave of the row. With every step closer to it, he felt his body growing heavier. When he finally reached it and peeked a glance of the name on the gravestone, it was as if a hundred-ton weight dropped down onto his body, sending him slumping hard onto his knees. The pink box and bouquet of roses in his hands dropped onto the floor, petals falling among the grass. He stared at the inscription before him, a trembling hand reaching out, fingers tracing each of the delicately carved words with caution. The lump of suppressed emotions in his throat proliferated in size, choking him.

‘ Y/F/N XX XXX XXXX - 25  D E C EM B E R  2 0 1 7 M A Y  Y O U  R E S T  I N  P E A C E’

By the time he had traced finished the last letter of the inscriptions, tears were pouring down his face, his expression contorted into a heartbreaking sight. He wept in grief and agony, just like how he did exactly one year ago. Each sound from him escaped in sorrowful wails, burning his throat like a flame set ablaze.

“I-I’m sorry Y/N… I’m sorry…… I’m sorry I did not come earlier… I’m sorry for being such a coward and avoided you for a year… I’M SORRY”

He cried to the earth and he cried to the heavens, hoping that his apology could somehow be delivered to the one. The cemetery was already empty at this time, and his cries only echoed in the empty silence, leaving him alone to face his own misery.

Everywhere burned. His eyes. His throat. His head. His chest.

The emotions that he had suppressed for a year boiled in his insides, dangerously threatening him to explode.

All of a sudden, the long-suppressed memories came crashing in his mind unforgivingly, causing him to lose total control over them. This time, he was too worn and tired to will himself to do anything. He let the memories engulf him, and pitch darkness curtained his physical world.

7.07 p.m., 24th December 2017

He took one last look into the mirror. His reflection stared back at him, and he noticed the mix of nervousness and excitement in his own eyes.

“I can do this. Fighting, Lee Taeyong.”

With one last encouraging smile at his own reflection, he headed for the front door, picking up the bouquet of fresh roses from the door side table.

“Going already, Taeyong-ah?” A familiar voice sounded from the kitchen, and the face of his long-time friend cum housemate popped out from behind the wall.

“Oh gosh, going for all black, again? The number of times I have seen you in all black is quite… You can technically work for the Grim Reaper.”

He had his head slightly tilted back to look at his friend, but that comment made Taeyong rotate his whole body to glare squarely at his friend. His expression then softened into a small pout.

“Johnny-hyung, don’t tease me. I know I look good all black. Plus it complements the white coat I bought for Y/N.”

“And how are you so sure that Y/N will wear it?”

“I am confident that she will,” Taeyong smiled at the thought of Y/N in the pristine white coat, which instantly reminded him of her when he saw it through the shop’s window one random day.

“Haha, okay, I hope you maintain this confidence throughout the night tonight,” Johnny winked.

“Ew hyung, don’t be disgusting. When is your girlfriend coming?” He gave his close friend a look of disgust.

“Around 9pm? She’s a busy woman, even on Christmas Eve.”

“Mm. Okay, I’m going now hyung! Enjoy your dinner date!”

“Yep! Remember to take all your stuff!” Johnny’s voice faded away as the door closed behind Taeyong.

“Oppa! There you are,” a bright voice startled Taeyong, bringing him who was deep in thoughts back to reality. He lifted his head and was immediately greeted by the face that he had been looking forward to seeing all day. His face immediately mimicked the gleaming expression on his girlfriend’s face, a toothy grin unconsciously forming and pressing against his cheekbones. He took a step back and observed his girlfriend who was clad in a simple red maxi dress that hugged her body under a long white suede coat.

“You look absolutely beautiful. And you’re wearing the coat I gave you -- you look like an angel,” Taeyong pressed a kiss on his girlfriend’s forehead, earning giggles from her.

Everything was going smoothly that night. Y/N received the bouquet of roses cheerfully. They went to their favourite restaurant and had a splendid dinner. The restaurant even had a special Christmas event and both of them ended their meal in all smiles.

Stepping out of the restaurant, the lovely couple strolled along the bustling streets, moving along with the crowd and enjoying the liveliness of the festive season. The walked past shops after shops, streets after streets arm in arm, admiring the stunning Christmas decorations in town. Not even once did the smiles leave their faces.

As they continued walking toward the town square, a large Christmas tree came into view. It stood tall amongst the crowd, white lights twirling their way towards the top of the tree, illuminating the whole town square with its radiance. It was a new and interesting sight to Taeyong, who had moved to this town only over the past year to live close by to his girlfriend.

“They call it the Wish Tree,” her smile glistened, her face lighting up brighter than the Christmas lights.

She dragged him by the arm to the tree, convincing him to write a wish down to hang on the tree. Taeyong was slightly reluctant, but he could not reject the excited expression on her face. A loving smile and fixated eyes on her followed her every movement, completely enamoured with her.

‘I wish that we will be together forever, in life and death. -(Your name’s initials) & T.Y’

She stood there in front of the tree, staring at the wish that she had written and hung up thoughtfully. It was obvious that those few words carried a lot of emotions and sincerity. In the meantime, Taeyong could not help but just stare at his other half, feeling absolutely grateful for this godsend angel. His heart full of warmth, he pressed an affectionate kiss onto her forehead again.

Feeling the appropriateness of the mood and atmosphere then, his hand reached into his coat pocket. However, these trembling fingers only met with emptiness. Panic filled his head, but he tried to keep as calm and composed on the outside as much as possible. Instead, he reached for his phone in his pant’s back pocket.

After a few furious taps, he finally heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He informed Y/N that he had forgotten something at the restaurant, and asked her to meet him after 20 minutes. She agreed without any questions asked, grinning sweetly and telling him to be careful and to be back soon.

“Hyung, over here!” Taeyong bent over his legs, panting heavily as his friend jogged over in front of him.

“Gosh- Taeyong! I reminded you to take everything, how could you forget about the most important item of tonight?” Johnny lightly chided his younger friend, voiced laced with concern and a hint of tease.

“I know… I’m sorry for interrupting your date, hyung. I owe you a /big/ favour, I swear.”

“It’s okay. I’ll do whatever it takes to see you smile. Don’t screw up tonight!”

Taeyong fiddled with the small box between his fingers, a smile of relief on his face. He raced back to his destination, all the nervousness from before replaced with eagerness.

With every step he took, he felt bubbles evolving inside him. He smile grew bigger by the seconds. His anticipation grew. His hope grew. His love for her never stopped growing. He knew she was the one, and he wanted to have her by his side forever. With every step he took, the rhythm of his footsteps grew quicker, and he soon stopped at a road junction.

Joy Street

She stood on the opposite side of the street, at the peripherals of the crowd on the pedestrian pavement, allowing the couple to face and see each other fully. They looked at each other, both of their smiles clearly depicting the amount of love they have. Even as cars drove by in front of them, their eyes never left each other for a second.

The green man came on and both of them stepped down from their respective pavements onto the road. Despite the crowd, all he saw was her. He prepared to raise his arms to embrace the incoming Y/N, already feeling the familiar warmth against his body.

Suddenly, Y/N was gone.

A piercing scream penetrated the air. Within a few seconds, there were sounds of skidding, sounds of frantic footsteps, the sight of shocked faces, engine smoke billowing out and clouding the surroundings. But one thing made Taeyong’s blood run cold: the sound of a body heavily thrown onto the asphalt ground.

Unable to see Y/N, he hastily looked around before he instinctively swung his head towards the direction the had caught other pedestrian’s attention. Underneath the blinking green man, a car had halted awkwardly in the middle of the pedestrian crossing. Marks of skidding lined the asphalt floor and the engine smoke surrounded the car. A car accident.

Taeyong did not have his attention focused on the accident, for his only priority was to find Y/N. To propose to her. His eyes continued searching the crowd but to no avail. It was that moment when he caught a glimpse of white on the ground, in front of the car. Realisation struck.

He sprinted. He kneeled beside her, instantly taking her into his hands. Her face had a big gash across her forehead, blood dripping down her beautiful face. Her limbs were limp, slumped onto the ground at awkward angles. Blood was oozing out rapidly, the blot of crimson red on her white coat increasing in size at an unstoppable rate.

“No… No…” With one hand cupping her face, Taeyong wanted to deny reality, unable to and refusing to accept what had just happened.

Feeling his presence, a weak, bloody smile formed on Y/N face. Her bloodied arm reached out to touch his face, its intense trembling signifying the very little energy she had left.

“It’s okay..” she had said.

It was not okay. It was not. He wanted to fight for her life, but he was powerless. He wept, and his face was a mess. People around kept their distance to give the couple space, many tear-stricken faces amongst them.

“Sir, we need to take her away,” a man in a familiar paramedic uniform gently voiced to Taeyong, waiting patiently. It had started to snow.

Fully aware that time was tight, he reluctantly removed his hands from Y/N.

Right before the paramedics lifted Y/N on a stretcher off the ground, Taeyong hastily stopped them.

“Wait-“

The paramedics looked at each other before stepping back behind Taeyong again to give them some time.

He took her hand into his.

With his other hand, he finally took out the box from his pocket, taking the ring out.

He looked endearingly at his partner, tears still dripping down from his eyes. “Y/N, we have been together for a long time, and I want to make our wish come true. Let’s stick together forever. Will you marry me?” His words came out in stutters, but they were full of sincerity.

She looked at his tear-stricken face, a weak but loving smile on hers. She nodded weakly.

A bittersweet feeling swamped Taeyong’s heart as he delicately put the ring round Y/N’s ring finger.

“I love you,” he muttered.

Ding Dong Ding Dong~

The church bell chimed as the clock stroke midnight.

“Merry Christmas Taeyong,” she mouthed.

He held her hand more tightly, stroking her finger with the ring and gave a teary smile. “Merry Chris-“

Her hand dropped, leaving his.

Her head slumped towards the side like a rag doll.

Snowflakes continued to descend, covering her body with a sheet of white.

His eyes went blank, his vision still fixated at the place her face was. Paramedics rushed over.

“…… Y/F/N, pronounced dead on 25th December 2018, 0001 hours.

I’m sorry for your loss, Mister…”

At this point in time, Taeyong was not even listening anymore.

His heavy tears dropped, falling like snow onto the ground.

Even at the point of her death, she looked like an angel. And then she became one.

A year passed and nothing became easier for Taeyong. Over the past year, he could not get over Y/N’s death. The person that had been there for him since the very beginning. The person who had held his hand and gave him strength during the days he felt the weakest. The one who loved him despite all his flaws and shortcomings.

She was gone.

He cooped himself up in his house most of the time, and Taeyong never looked as full as life as he did when Y/N was around anymore. He became an empty shell.

His close friend, Johnny, who was worried for him, repeatedly tried to convince him to go for counselling when he showed no improvement after 6 months. It was only because it was Johnny that Taeyong finally agreed.

For the next 6 months, Taeyong had been relying on anti-depressant pills. He did not attend Y/N’s funeral, nor once visited her grave. He knew he wouldn’t be able to take the pain. He never fully moved on, as he felt guilty for leading a life of his own without her. It felt so empty, so solitary. Something was missing. She was missing.

This Christmas was different. It had already been a year, and Taeyong knew he could not deny reality any longer.

City Cemetery, 11.55 p.m., 24th December 2018

“Sir, the cemetery is closed for tonight. Could you please take your lea- oh! Sir, are you okay?” A deep, rough voice sounded in the night, the owner of the voice rushing towards the fainted man in front of the last grave of the second last row.

In his unconsciousness, Taeyong felt two warm hands holding onto his two arms. He was freezing. He felt weak. Then he felt small icy sensations forming on his face and hands. Snowflakes. It was snowing.

“Sir, sir, can you hear me?” The voice increased in urgency, tapping the collapsed man’s cheeks gently in hope for a response. “Shit, you’re hella cold. This is not good.”

Taeyong’s face continued to drain in colour, his dry lips already becoming a shade of blue.

In Taeyong’s vision of darkness, he suddenly saw someone. The silhouette approached him slowly, step by step, filling Taeyong with a sense of familiarity. When the person stopped in front of him, he stared at the white coat, before lifting his eyes to look into the person’s face. An angel.

Tears instantly formed in his eyes. “I missed you,” Taeyong choked out in a soft voice. In that 3 words was vulnerability, longing and anguish.

She did not say anything, only a soft smile on her face, just as how Taeyong last remembered her. She wordlessly stretched out her hand towards him, as if beckoning him to follow her.

Taeyong glanced at her outstretched hand, and without a mere contemplation, he put his own hand into hers. He followed her with obedient silence as she took him by the hand, leading him further into the darkness.

Taeyong’s eyes opened slightly, but his vision was extremely blurry. He could not make out where he was, and could only tell there was someone hovering over him. He glanced at the dark night sky behind the man, making out a blurry white spot in the sky which he presumed was the moon. He felt the last of his energy drain with each millisecond.

Ding Dong Ding Dong~

It was Christmas.

With the very littlest of his will left, he gave the slightest of smiles. A tear slid down his face, falling along with the snow onto the ground.

“We can be together now, Y/N.”

And his vision went black.

Downtown, 8.55 p.m., 24th December 2018

He stepped into the shop, triggering the front doorbell to chime.

“Hello Mister, how can I help you?” A staff at the boutique approached Taeyong naturally, giving a warm and welcoming smile.

“Erm, can I have that dress that’s at the window?”

“Ah, yes, of course, sir. I’ll get it prepared for you right away.”

“Thank you.”

The staff had the white dress snugly packed into a simple pink box.

“You look young sir, is this for your wife?”

In the first time in a while, Taeyong gave a genuine smile.

“Yes. I did not manage to give her the wedding she wanted.”

“Ah, I see. What a lucky wife you have to have a husband like you. This bridal dress would definitely fit her beautifully. I hope both of you will live together happily.”

“Thank you.”

Not more than 10 minutes upon entering the store, he descended back down onto the narrow streets of the city, the big pink box in both of his hands, the bouquet of flowers rested on top of it.

[cineresis]

If you wanted to create an Earth-3 superhero team: what would be your ideal lineup?

(Brief or oblique mentions of weight, child abuse, and arson deaths.)

In the aftermath of Ultraman’s swift and decisive takeover of Metropolis, star newshound Lois Lane confronts Lex Luthor in his hospital bed, surrounded by medical hardware and the white noise of life support.

“That metahuman he killed, Kaleido,” she says, with a bulldozing momentum she’s perfected over years of practice, too quick and insistent to be interrupted or deflected. “What exactly happened there? How did they” – she had plenty of time to think about how to handle the pronoun on the way over; stick with the indefinite until contradicted – “halt the Ultraman, and what went wrong?”

Lex’s expression, already at the edge of its tolerance, grows abruptly forbidding. He gestures to his bodyguard without a word and immediately she’s at Lois’s side, taking her arm in an implacable grip. Her tone is colored with the cold anger of steel, of stone, of a concrete retaining wall as she says, “This interview is over.”

But this story isn’t, Lois doesn’t say aloud.

She spends way too much time searching financial records and digging through shell companies and public health files, but Lois was the youngest journalist nominated for the Kerth Award in twenty years and there’s nothing that can stop her when she’s on the trail of something big. Finally, just when she’s wondering if her memories of sunlight were nothing more than half-imagined dreams, she strikes gold.

She fast-talks her way past the lobby reception desk and makes it all the way to the top floor of LexCorp HQ before she finds her way barred once again by Lex’s girl Friday. Grace Cooper, 34, is maybe 5’3”, maybe 120 pounds, and has subdued men twice her size with nothing but joint locks, precisely-applied strikes to sensitive areas, and, on one notable occasion, a car door. Ms. Cooper’s lip curls just enough to be visible – the beginnings of a snarl on the lips of Lex’s pet pit bull. “This area is restricted to employees and invited guests.”

Lois gives her the kind of look reserved for menials who aren’t important enough for above-the-stairs gossip. “Lex is going to want to hear this.”

Ms. Cooper makes a show of activating her earpiece. “Mr. Luthor? It’s Lois Lane with something she says you’ll want to hear.” A beat, then she drops her hand to her hip holster and locks eyes with Lois. “Sorry, Ms. Lane. He’s busy.”

Lois pulls her own phone out of her purse and dials the reception desk. “Hi, Lois Lane of the Daily Planet. I’d like to speak to Mr. Luthor about allegations regarding the death of Nina Hu and the exploitation of minors by the Metropolis School for the Gifted.” A moment later, she hangs up and smiles graciously. “Apparently he can spare ten minutes.”

If Lex ever gives Ms. Cooper permission to get her out of his shiny pate, Lois is going to be in serious trouble.

He closes down whatever he’s working on and steeples his fingers as Lois pushes open the door to his office (apparently Ms. Cooper’s services stop at holding doors when she wants to bury you thirty feet deep in Metropolis Bay). He’s still moving gingerly, but a week out of the hospital and staples holding three ribs together have him off a ventilator, so that’s comforting. His expression is calm with a hint of irritation as he says, “Ms. Lane. Please sit down.”

It says something about Lois Lane that being invited to sit in a set of chairs she knows from experience are the kind of comfortable you can only get when money doesn’t matter to you anymore is the deciding reason for her to stride up to Lex’s frankly enormous desk, slap a file folder down on top of it, flip it open, and stand over him while she speaks. (Not the only reason. She deserves the simple pleasure of looming over him for a change.) “Nina Hu,” she taps the page in front of her, “was taken into state custody at four years old when both her parents were involuntarily and indefinitely committed to a mental institution following crippling psychotic breaks. The only public record of her after that was of her admission and subsequent graduation from the Metropolis School for the Gifted.” She turns to the next page. “Claire Selton’s father pled guilty to first-degree arson and insurance fraud and was sentenced to eight years, but was then granted probation after nine months. Claire herself was taken into state custody due to her mother’s death; admitted to and graduated from the Metropolis School for the Gifted. Victor Cortney’s situation was similar, except that both his parents survived with only severe burns and were unable to take care of him. Aaron Walker was arrested at age eleven for assaults on his parents that hospitalised them both. He claimed that they were abusive, but there were no physical signs of abuse. Despite the severity of the assaults, he was let off with six months probation, then admitted to the Metropolis School for the Gifted. Jacqueline Pike’s family sued Daggett Industries for severe physiological side effects from one of their products. Although by all accounts she seemed to be in perfect health, Daggett offered a major settlement. Now she’d be a sophomore at, you guessed it, Metropolis School for the Gifted.”

Lois turns to the last page. “Patricia Edwards. She’s the only one here who hasn’t got any history with the legal system, but she got some publicity when her kinetic sculptures were put on display at the Metropolis Museum of Art when she was only fifteen. Two years later, a girl of her height, build, and distinctive hair colour showed up in a photo of a passenger train that malfunctioned and should have crashed, but inexplicably didn’t. I wouldn’t have known anything was amiss if I weren’t already looking for anomalous events associated with students at the School for the Gifted. Apparently she’s been interning with LexCorp since she was sixteen.” Lois plants both her hands on the desk and leans forward. “Tell me, Lex. Is that in the same capacity you hired Nina Hu?”

Lex’s steepled fingers are pressed to his lips; his frown has been deepening since Lois started speaking. Now he lowers his hands and says, in the most forbidding tone she’s heard from him yet – and she’s heard some forbidding tones from him – “If you expose these children for the sake of your petty search for a scoop, Ms. Lane, know that I will stop at nothing to make sure you never work as a journalist again.”

Lois actually gets a chill down her spine. Lex plays the game as well as anyone else, but he’s always been a puppy dog at heart. He’ll do almost anything to facilitate what he thinks is best for everyone, block any obstacle he thinks will get in his way – saving the world, he calls it – but he’s never dared to directly threaten a free press before. She ignores her inconvenient perturbation and presses onward. “That’s exactly it, Lex. Children. There are laws about that. And if you’re using them as soldiers against superpowered beings—”

“I do everything in my power to protect them.” Lex takes a deep breath, winces in pain, and leans back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment before continuing. “There are superpowered beings all around us, Ms. Lane. These children grow up exposed to a daily barrage of the atrocities they commit. The Metropolis School for the Gifted takes in those who might otherwise be targeted for recruitment or assassination by people like Superwoman or Power Ring, and studies their abilities so they can train them to use those abilities safely. Without that training, Nina Hu would have been doomed to witness everyone around her descend into insanity, but by the time of her death she learned to control her telepathy well enough to affect only those she wanted to affect, in only the manner she wished to affect them, and only temporarily. Claire Selton and Victor Cortney would have been a danger not only to those around them but to themselves. Even Aaron Walker would have become a victim of a racist carceral system, only ever seen as a thug, and would likely have been forced into crime for a lack of other options. We protected these children, Ms. Lane, and taught them that they could be powerful, they could choose a life for themselves not defined by destruction.” Lex cracks a bitter smile. “It was inevitable that some of them would want to give back. When push comes to shove, even those not otherwise inclined find themselves unable not to act.” His gaze falls briefly on the photo of Patricia Edwards, then returns to Lois. “By directing their activities, training them in combat and crowd control, teaching them teamwork and establishing strict protocols to maintain everyone’s safety, I keep them from going off on their own vigilante crusades. It is this and their anonymity that keeps them alive, Ms. Lane, and if you compromise that, I will not hesitate to destroy you.”

Lois realises that her mouth is hanging open. She closes it. Before she can think of response, Lex closes his eyes again and says, “I’m afraid your ten minutes are up.” Without looking, he presses an intercom button underneath his desk. “Ms. Cooper, if you will please escort Ms. Lane out of the building, I believe my 1:00 appointment will be arriving soon.” He releases the intercom and meets Lois’s eyes once more as Ms. Cooper strides into the office. “I’m glad we had this discussion, Ms. Lane. Do not bother me with this matter again.”