> "Luthor, you're a smart man."
Alex's tone was calm, matter-of-fact—almost polite.
> "You've investigated me. That means you already know what I can do… and how dangerous it is to make me your enemy."
Lex Luthor nodded slightly.
His expression didn't waver.
> "Of course I understand," he said evenly.
"But I'd still like to know—what's in it for me?"
He spoke as if he were negotiating a business deal, not staring down a god.
Alex smiled faintly.
So that's how Lex wanted to play it, huh?
He still thought he was in control.
Still thought he could bargain.
> "You want to talk benefits?" Alex murmured.
"Alright. Let's talk."
He didn't bother to explain.
He simply reached out—
WHOOSH!
The sound of a sonic boom split the air.
Lex's vision blurred.
The world twisted—
and when his sight returned, he was no longer in his study.
He stood on a snow-covered mountain ridge, the icy wind howling like a beast.
"Hh—!"
Lex gasped as the cold bit into his skin.
His breath crystallized instantly.
He was shivering before he could even process what had happened.
> What—?
A second ago I was in my office… How—?!
He turned, and there was Alex, standing calmly behind him, hands in his coat pockets.
> "Mount Everest," Alex said casually, as if discussing the weather.
"Ever been?"
Lex's mind went blank.
Mount. Everest.
Thousands of kilometers away.
And Alex had brought him here in a blink.
He wasn't just powerful—
he was terrifying.
> "You were getting a little too full of yourself," Alex said mildly,
patting Lex on the shoulder like an older brother scolding a child.
"So I figured you could use a minute to cool off."
BOOM!
Before Lex could answer, Alex was gone—
vanished into thin air.
Leaving him alone on the frozen peak.
> "…"
Lex just stood there, dumbfounded.
Then the realization hit him.
> This is Everest.
If he froze to death here, there'd be no rescue.
No body to recover.
No trace left behind.
And for the first time in his life—
Lex Luthor felt fear.
> "Wait! We can talk about this!" he shouted into the howling wind.
"Come back! Let's discuss this rationally!"
But the only reply was the sound of the storm.
Snow and ice battered his face.
No response.
None would come.
Minutes crawled by.
The cold was relentless.
His fingers turned numb,
his legs unsteady,
his mind dulling.
He fell to his knees.
Then forward into the snow.
> …So this is how it ends?
His vision darkened—
and then everything went black.
---
When Lex opened his eyes again, he was sitting at his desk.
Back in his office.
At Luthor Manor.
Warm air hummed softly through the vents.
He was alive.
And in front of the window stood Alex,
hands clasped behind his back,
watching the city lights.
Lex's breath caught.
This time, when he looked at Alex,
his eyes held no defiance—only calculation and dread.
He wasn't afraid of Alex's power.
He was afraid of his mind.
His sheer, ruthless indifference.
> "Next time," Alex said lightly, still facing the window,
"I won't bring you back from Everest."
> "I believe you," Lex replied, his voice dry.
"I think I'm starting to understand… I don't really have a choice here, do I?"
Alex turned, smiling faintly.
> "That's the spirit."
Lex exhaled slowly, forcing his composure back into place.
> "Then… is there anything else I can do for you?"
> "Find the meteor freaks first," Alex said.
"And don't take too long—my patience is limited."
BOOM!
He vanished again.
Only after Alex's presence completely disappeared did Lex's calm façade crack.
His face darkened.
He hated being manipulated—being powerless.
But what could he do?
That kind of power…
That kind of speed…
It was beyond anything he could counter.
For now.
> "There's only one man who might know what I'm dealing with," Lex muttered.
After a long hesitation, he picked up the phone.
> "Professor Finn," he said.
"We need to talk."
---
Forty Minutes Later
A man in a crisp suit and slicked-back hair stepped into the manor.
> "Professor Finn," Lex greeted.
"Tell me—how is it that people exposed to the same meteor radiation end up with such vastly different abilities?"
He played the recorded footage of Ares's fight against Alex,
the image flickering across the screen.
Finn's expression darkened with thought.
> "It's… difficult to say," he replied after a pause.
"I need time to study this before I can give you an answer."
Lex nodded.
He knew better than to rush genius.
> "Then I'll leave it to you, Professor," he said evenly.
> "Of course," Finn replied, standing.
"I'll be in touch soon, Lex."
He turned and left.
---
But once Finn stepped outside the gates of Luthor Manor,
his composed expression changed.
Excitement burned in his eyes.
His lips curved into a whisper, trembling with awe.
> "Kal-El…" he murmured.
"I finally found you."
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