CHAPTER 130 — THE FIRST BLOW
Lex Luthor finished speaking, and for a brief moment, the Genesis Chamber was quiet.
His last words still hung in the air, sharp and meant to sting. He leaned forward slightly in his wheelchair, hands gripping the armrests, his eyes locked onto Gaius with forced confidence. His voice had sounded sure, but only because he willed it to be. Inside, he was watching carefully, waiting.
He expected something.
Anger. A response. A threat. A glance, at least.
Anything to show that his words still mattered.
Gaius gave him nothing.
The golden-armored warrior stood tall and unmoving, his broad shoulders relaxed, his helmet angled toward the center of the chamber. His gaze never shifted back to the screen. He did not answer. He did not acknowledge Lex's presence in any way.
To Gaius, Lex Luthor was no longer needed. Once the mission was complete, he would be eliminated.
The creature inside the Genesis Chamber was.
Superman and Tony still faced the screen. Lex was still there, still breathing, still talking under his breath, trying to hold onto control. But Gaius had already moved past him. Whatever power Lex believed he had left ended the moment the chamber had been opened.
A subtle change passed through Gaius's posture.
It was small, almost easy to miss. He shifted his weight and adjusted his stance. The change was subtle, but it altered how he stood and how he faced.
Superman felt it.
He didn't hear anything. There was no sound, no warning. But his instincts flared, sharp and sudden. His head turned toward Gaius just in time to see the shift fully take form.
Tony's systems noticed it first, the subtle shift in movement, the change in balance, the way Gaius's center of gravity dropped.
Tony didn't speak. He didn't need to.
He already knew what Gaius was about to do.
Gaius had made a decision.
Without warning, he moved.
He launched forward and down in a smooth, controlled motion. It wasn't a leap fueled by anger or haste. It was deliberate, precise, like a calculated descent. His armored form cut through the space between levels in a single motion.
His boots slammed into the platform surrounding the Genesis Chamber.
The impact sent thick fluid splashing outward in wide arcs. The surface beneath his feet rippled like living tissue disturbed by a heavy weight. The organic floor flexed, then settled, as if struggling to accept the force placed upon it.
Inside the chamber, the egg-like shell reacted.
Its surface pulsed faster now, the rhythm no longer calm. The vague shape inside shifted, pressing against the inner surface, reacting to the shock and the presence beside it. Whatever lay within was not fully awake yet, but it was aware.
Gaius did not wait.
He drew his right arm back.
The power fist remained inactive. There was no glow. No hum. No sign of energy building. Just the raw mass of the gauntlet and the strength behind it.
For a single moment, everything felt still.
Superman watched closely, his body tensed slightly. Tony's sensors spiked, readings jumping as the chamber reacted to the sudden change in force and pressure.
Then Gaius punched.
His fist drove straight down into the shell.
The clear, soft surface offered almost no resistance. It tore apart instantly, splitting and collapsing as if it had never been meant to stop a blow like that. Fluid burst outward in all directions, slamming against walls, splashing across the platform, spraying into the air like a violent wave.
The punch did not stop there.
It continued through the ruined shell and struck the body inside.
The impact sent shockwaves through the entire chamber. The walls trembled. Tubes shook violently, some snapping loose and slapping against the surfaces they were connected to. The hum of the chamber spiked, then wavered, struggling to stabilize.
The shell collapsed completely.
The creature inside was thrown out onto the platform, landing hard amid the spilled fluid.
Doomsday was exposed.
A deep dent marked the center of its chest, the flesh crushed inward as if pushed by an overwhelming force. The damage was severe, unnatural. If it had been a human, or anything even close, it would have died instantly.
For a brief moment, the creature lay still.
Then it roared.
The sound was loud, raw, and uncontrolled. It echoed through the chamber, vibrating through the floor and walls, rattling loose debris and making the air itself feel thick. It was not a roar of anger or challenge. It was the cry of something forced awake before it was ready.
Gaius pulled his fist back and straightened.
He glanced down at his gauntlet, just for a second.
The power fist had not been active.
That punch had used around Sixty percent of his strength.
He looked back at the creature.
Doomsday was moving.
The chest damage was severe, but already changing. The crushed flesh was slowly pushing outward, reshaping itself, closing the gap. The healing was not fast, but it was steady.
Gaius assessed the situation calmly.
The creature could take punishment.
More than expected.
Behind him, Tony turned fully toward the platform. Superman's eyes narrowed as he watched the damage heal in real time.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither of them objected.
There was no question here. No debate. Whatever this thing was, it could not be reasoned with. It had been created for one purpose, and that purpose would only bring more death if it was allowed to act.
It had to be destroyed.
On the screen above, Lex Luthor froze.
For a split second, real fear crossed his face. He truly thought that first punch had nearly ended everything. His creation, his ultimate weapon, had been seconds from being crushed before it ever truly lived, before it could complete his mission.
Then he saw it.
Doomsday was still standing.
Still roaring.
Still alive.
Relief washed over him, fast and strong. His confidence snapped back into place like a mask being pulled tight.
"This will be all your doomsday," Lex said, forcing his voice to sound sure again.
No one answered.
Lex was ignored.
Doomsday's chest wound began to heal faster now. The flesh thickened, hardened, movements becoming more aggressive, less clumsy. The creature's posture shifted as if it adjusted to the pain and the damage.
Gaius raised his arm again.
This time, the power fist activated.
The gems set into the knuckles began to glow, each one lighting up with a dense, focused brightness. The air around the gauntlet hummed softly. Its energy fields were far denser than those of a normal powerfist, the concentration greatest at the gem-set knuckles. The lights were so dense they seemed compressed, heavy, and perfectly controlled.
Gaius stepped forward.
He punched Doomsday's head.
The blow landed cleanly.
Half of the creature's head was destroyed in an instant. Flesh and bone tore away under the force, fragments scattering across the platform. The impact drove Doomsday down to one knee, the fluid beneath it splashing outward again.
But it did not fall completely.
One leg caught its weight.
Half its head was gone. One eye remained.
That eye burned red, locked directly onto Gaius.
The destroyed side of its head began to regrow. Slowly, but clearly. New tissue formed, crawling outward, reshaping itself.
Gaius raised an eyebrow slightly.
He had expected that strike to end it.
Without hesitation, he stepped in again.
His fist moved once more.
The second punch struck the remaining side of Doomsday's head.
This time, there was nothing left.
The head was completely removed. The body collapsed backward, hitting the platform with a heavy, wet sound.
The chamber went quiet.
For a moment, it seemed finished.
On the screen, Lex Luthor lost control.
"That's cheating!" he shouted. "He wasn't ready yet!"
His voice cracked with desperation. His creation hadn't fought back. It hadn't fulfilled its purpose. It hadn't even been given a chance to prove itself.
Tony looked up at the screen.
"Looks like your doomsday isn't that special after all," he said calmly.
Lex snarled. "Y-you—"
"What?" Tony cut in. "You-you?"
Lex fell silent.
Gaius looked down at the fallen body.
The muscles twitched.
Tissue shifted.
There was no head, but regeneration continued.
Slow. Uneven. But undeniable.
Gaius raised his fist again. The glow intensified.
He punched straight through Doomsday's torso.
His arm passed clean through the body, tearing a massive hole through its chest. The movement stopped. The body went still.
For a few seconds.
But it did not fully stop regenerating.
Tony and Superman descended, hovering above the fluid-covered ground.
"Is Doomsday dead?" Tony asked.
Superman shook his head slowly. "No. It's still alive. And it's regenerating stronger than before."
Tony stared at the body. "Head gone. Chest destroyed. And it's still alive?"
Even knowing its power and regenerative abilities from the identification Information, he was still surprised it was alive, with the head gone and a hole through the chest.
Lex shouted again, but no one listened.
Tony spoke quietly, eyes still on the ruined body. "Then how do we completely kill this… Doomsday?"
No one answered him at first. Superman and Gaius continued to study the remains, their attention fixed on Doomsday's body, which was still slowly regenerating, and accelerating with each passing moment.
Superman was the one who spoke after a moment, his expression tightening as he thought it through. "Kryptonite," he said at last. "A weapon made from kryptonite should be able to kill it permanently."
Tony nodded in agreement. "Yes. That would be consistent. The creature was created using General Zod's corpse. Its biology would still be vulnerable to the same weakness."
Tony continued "Then we contact Batman. I'm sure he has a kryptonite weapon, one that was originally meant for you."
He glanced at Superman, lifting his hands slightly in a gesture meant to defuse the moment. "No hard feelings."
~~~
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