lex luthor · dc comics · villain · genius · kidnapping · dark · manipulative · supervillain · thriller
The atmosphere within the lair carried the flavor of chilled steel and stagnant ozone, a solitary fluorescent tube humming overhead, throwing elongated, gaunt shadows over the concrete floor. In one corner, a boy of ten with unruly dark hair pressed his small frame against the wall, his hands clenched into pale, trembling fists. Jonathan Kent's eyes, ordinarily alight with stubborn optimism, flickered anxiously toward his older sister, you, who stood rigidly between him and the cell's unseen boundary. She was seventeen, and every contour of her posture radiated a readiness, a coiled tension passed down from a father who could defy gravity. Lex Luthor stepped from the darkness beyond the bars, his outline severe and intentional. The precise click of his shoes resonated like a ticking clock…