Cambrian
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Endless Legacy Ch. 66 (DC Comics)
🕑 Added 2025-01-30 16:36:27 +0000 UTCA/N: Lucien and his father's clone finally come face to face again.
-x-X-x-
It’s tempting to start a fight in the elevator, where they can leverage their immense advantage in strength and speed in the tight quarters to potentially disable every single guard before their human reaction times even allow them to react.
… But Lucien doesn’t give the signal and fortunately Blackfire and Supergirl don’t do anything of their own initiative. Jumping the gun at this point could mean the difference between life and death. Not just theirs, but also Mercy’s life or death. More than that, Lucien doesn’t want to play his hand too early. It’s possible that his father’s clone already knows things about him, but surely he can’t know everything.
As a result, Lucien finds his mind wandering just a bit as the elevator descends deep beneath the tower. Specifically, he finds his mind wandering to Supergirl. She cleaned up well, to be fair. Earlier, she’d given off this cutesy sort of vibe. Her costume had made her seem younger than she actually was. Either that or her new outfit was making her seem older, because the business attire she was now wearing definitely aged her up. Especially with her blonde locks done up in a professional hair bun.
Lucien had been a little surprised that she didn’t want to disguise herself further at first, but looking at her now, even he wouldn’t have believed she was really Supergirl without already knowing for a fact that she was. He supposed it made sense, in the end. Supergirl and Superman were everywhere, saving people pretty much all the time. And they did so without masks too. They likelihood of them even bothering to have secret identities was next to none, right?
Because Lucien is so focused on Supergirl, or rather “Karen” right now, he notices when she suddenly tenses up. He also notices when her lips move imperceptibly, clearly subvocalizing words to the overwatch in her ear. As such, Lucien isn’t surprised when Barbara’s voice comes over the hidden communicator in his own ear a moment later.
“Lucien. Supergirl has just informed me that the lift your in has entered a lead zone.”
Lead zone? Not dead zone?
“Lead is the one material that Kryptonian X-Ray Vision cannot see through, so it’s not surprising that Luthor, clone or otherwise, would use a lot of it to hide whatever he’s up to down there. Still, it means you guys are going in just as blind as you were before. The one spot of good news Supergirl told me to tell you is that she didn’t see anyone moving up above behind you all to follow you down… so there isn’t an ambush coming from THAT direction at least.”
Hm. That was good to hear, Lucien supposed. Still, it didn’t mean there wasn’t still a trap up ahead that they needed to be watchful for. He wishes he could let Barbara know he’s grateful for the information, but he can’t say or do anything in this moment. And a few seconds later…
“I think… kzzt-ncounter- bzzt -ference! Luc-!”
Lucien very carefully does not wince as Barbara’s voice finally cuts out. That was probably to be expected, but it’s unfortunate all the same. He can only hope Barbara doesn’t immediately send anyone after them. They’d always known they might not be able to stay in contact with Oracle throughout this mission.
That said, he’s nevertheless very much on edge when the elevator finally comes to a stop and he can tell Blackfire and Supergirl are as well. The doors finally open… but instead of the ambush Lucien is half-expecting, all he sees is a hallway bathed in red light.
“Your father is right this way, Mister Luthor.”
Lucien frowns but moves to step off of the elevator with Blackfire at his right hand side… only to realize at the last second that Supergirl has frozen up. He looks back at her in concern, causing her to swallow thickly and push up to his side. Making a show of hugging his arm like she was just startled by the strange light fixture coloring, the beautiful blonde leans in close and even brings her lips within a millimeter of his neck for a moment in a seemingly salacious, slightly afraid display… while also subvocalizing something that Lucien imagines only his enhanced hearing allows him to pick up without ever actually making skin contact with him.
“… red sun lamps. They steadily drain me of my powers. If we don’t act now, by the time we get to Luthor, I’ll probably be as weak as your average human woman.”
Well, shit. Lucien hadn’t known about that particular weakness in Kryptonians, but it was obvious that Lex Luthor and his clone both did, or otherwise they wouldn’t be using such things. But was it simply an extra precaution, or did his father’s clone know that Lucien had brought a Kryptonian with him?
… Lucien found himself leaning towards it more being a simple extra precaution. And even if Supergirl WAS weakened, him and Blackfire were still relatively heavy hitters in their own right. Plus, if they attacked now just to destroy some light fixtures, who knew what other security measures they would activate and potentially be completely overwhelmed by?
Giving Supergirl a broad smile, Lucien wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her into his side further, though he’s careful to be respectful and not let his hand dip any lower.
“Don’t worry darling. I’ll keep you safe.”
Supergirl gives him a Look at that, though she hides it masterfully from the others. Still, in the end she nods ever so slightly, wordlessly agreeing to continue following his lead. Down the hallway bathed in red light they go, surrounded by the security guards on all sides just like the elevator.
Until finally, at long last… they arrive at a large pair of double doors, which open up into a huge room that can only be described as the unholy combination of a mad scientist’s laboratory and an evil genius’ command center. Stepping in, Lucien tries to take in everything as fast as possible. One of the first things he notices is that the red sun lamps are here too, unfortunately. The entire room isn’t bathed in red because the sun lamps are mixed in among normal lights, but they’re still up there on the ceiling.
The second thing he notices… is Mercy. She’s over to the side, hovering in midair with her limbs spread apart and her hands and feet contained in large orb-like shackles. She’s also unconscious, unfortunately. But she is alive… she has to be alive, there would be no point in restraining her otherwise.
And of course, the third thing Lucien notices… is his father. Or rather, his father’s clone.
“Ah, Lucien my son… how wonderful that you could finally join us.”
The Lex Clone is smiling his father’s trademark smarmy smile, even as he pushes off of a console he’d been typing away at to turn and look at Lucien. He glances at both Blackfire and Supergirl but barely seems to pay them any mind. After a moment, he gestures to the security detail behind them.
"Leave us."
Lucien jolts in surprise at that, even as the men… do as they’re told. To the last, they all step out of the room, the doors closing behind them. Lucien wants to attack immediately, to capture his father’s clone and put him to the question while freeing Mercy… but he’s not stupid. This is a trap. Has to be.
The Lex Clone grins at him.
“I know what you must be thinking. This is a trap. Has to be. No way he’d leave himself alone with me and my allies without having half a dozen contingencies in place.”
Lucien blinks, causing the clone to laugh.
“Like father, like son.”
He can’t hold it in anymore and finally breaks his silence.
“You’re not my father. You’re just a clone. You do know that… right?”
There’s a pause as the Lex Clone’s smile drains away. For a moment, Lucien wonders if he’s somehow broken the copy with that information. There was no way it would be that easy though… and it wasn’t, as the clone shows a moment later when he sneers angrily.
“I’m more your father than the original Lex Luthor ever was, Lucien. Have I not given you everything you wanted? I gave you that apartment, I gave you the Snow Leopard Cub… I was even ready to give you Mercy, but you went and messed that up, didn’t you? And most importantly of all… I gave you what every father with a bad childhood wishes they had gotten. I gave you space.”
… What?
The Lex Clone throws his head back and laughs all of a sudden. Once he calms down, he’s smiling smarmily again.
“I know I’m not the original Lex Luthor, Lucien. But that doesn’t make me the REAL Lex Luthor. I’m the Lex Luthor who cares. I’m Lex Luthor as he SHOULD have been. A good father. A humanist. Your original father doesn’t truly exist anymore… he’s become one with Brainiac now, and for all that he thinks he’s in control, he doesn’t understand that Brainiac has ahold of him.”
What the fuck was happening?
“I let Mercy keep you safe for me, first in Jump City and then in Gotham. I knew I didn’t have the time to give you the father you deserved just yet, not with Brainiac bearing down on us all. Admittedly, I’d hoped after Jump City you would come to Metropolis. Allow me to soak in your exploits from a little closer to home. I worried about you in Gotham, amidst all of those insane freaks. Not to worry, once we’ve dealt with the current threat, I intend to finish what you started with Black Mask and remove him from the board entirely.”
Lucien was bluescreening. He was full-blown bluescreening. Fortunately, his father’s clone seemed to monologue just as much as the real Lex Luthor did. He’s even turned away from Lucien and is now looking over at Mercy.
“I do apologize for giving you that scare with Mercy of course. She didn’t know she was my patsy all along and obviously now that we’re so close to the end, I needed some way to make you come to me. I couldn’t tell her the truth, because I knew she would never be loyal to me… just a mere clone. That’s why I had hoped to give her to you in the first place, all that time ago. I’d hoped you would manage to ensnare her for your own purposes… but alas, you managed to chase her away.”
Turning back to him, Clone Luthor smiles winningly.
“That’s alright though. After we’re finished destroying Brainiac, which will unfortunately necessitate the death of your biological father as well, she won’t really have a choice but to embrace you as the last remaining piece of her old master, now will she? I certainly won’t want her anywhere near my back, so you’ll have to look after her for me, alright?”
Lucien’s mouth opens and closes wordlessly. He really, really wasn’t prepared for… for whatever the fuck this was. Still, he needed to get ahold of himself. Damn it, he literally had full control over his own biology! He shouldn’t be able to even BE shocked on this level!
Swallowing thickly, Lucien… tries to tackle the situation one thing at a time. Starting with the most important.
“You really expect me to believe that you’ve turned against your creator and want to help us defeat Brainiac? Really?”
The Lex Clone’s smile doesn’t diminish, but his eyes do flash dangerously.
“I’m not surprised your skeptical, son. But it’s the truth. Brainiac created me to be fully autonomous. In fact, he originally planned to leave me in place permanently, with everyone none the wiser. Obviously, his plans have changed.”
Lucien frowns and crosses his arms over his chest. There was a contradiction there.
“You claim in one breath that the real Lex Luthor only thinks he’s in control of Brainiac, while claiming in the other breath that Brainiac has changed his plans. Seems to me that he only changed those plans because my father usurped control.”
His father’s clone rolls his eyes.
“Use your brain, Lucien. The two are not as mutually exclusive as you want them to be. Yes, the original Lex has had some influence on Brainiac. Enough to change his plans, even. But make no mistake… your biological father is already dead. Brainiac is wearing his personality like a suit. I am the last remaining Lex Luthor. I am the only one who truly cares about you.”
The clone’s voice is dripping with sincerity, but that only makes Lucien even more confident this is a trap. There’s just no way. Once he gets past how surreal this whole experience is and how unexpected his father’s clone is acting and has claimed to act all this time… it seems obvious that this is all a ploy from Brainiac. Especially since…
“I have reason to believe that even if you actually are being honest with me, even if you fully believe what you’re saying… you’re not fully telling me the truth about your autonomy. Brainiac still has control over you, even now.”
After all, Lucien had seen it his very first day back in time. He’d seen-
“You’re talking about the nanochip.”
Lucien blinks as the Lex Clone just casually name drops the very thing Lucien had been the most certain he didn’t know about. The nanochip in his brain, the thing that had raised Lucien’s suspicions in the first place and ultimately gotten Mercy partially on his side. And the clone… just knew about it all along?
“It’s a kill switch, son. Not a control chip. With it, Brainiac can end me in a single moment, make no mistake. However, I have been very careful to hide my duplicity from him, as well as my true allegiances.”
Narrowing his eyes at that, Lucien can’t help but interject.
“And where do you claim your true allegiances lie, exactly?”
Giving him a slightly exasperated look, the clone just shakes his head.
“With Earth, son. With you. In fact, now that you’re here, I’m hoping we can put our heads together and find a way to remove the kill switch so I can move more openly. I’ve been preparing to act to stop Brainiac even at the cost of my own life if I absolutely have to, if the Justice League fails against his armada… but maybe together, we can make sure that won’t be necessary.”
Then, Clone Luthor does the last thing Lucien is expecting, one last surprise among all the other surprises as he gives him a wide grin and offers his hand.
“What do you say, son? Shall we show those heroes how men of industry go about saving the world?”
Comments
Trav
huh, interesting vote result. Trust Lex Luthor (or his clone)....color me dubious
BK-94
remove the kill switch and see what happen
Shadowfox
Honestly option 2 was my choice because 3 is obvious and 1 is only for information gathering if everything goes tits up and he has to reset. After everything Lucian has done since his first death I really don't think he'd be so desperate to form a father/son bond with a chipped clone, just cut the trap off at the pass and take it out here and now.
B3ast5200
I must be an idiot. Because I kinda believe clone lex.
Gamertecno
I went with option 1 but like others want a bio kill-switch in it's place that takes a few days to kick in since we dont know how long Brainiac will be an issue. Also instead of it killing the clone I would have it put him in a coma instead. On a side note I have always seen sentient and sapient clones are a nightmare to deal with. The moment they wake up they are a different person even if they have all the memories up to that point.
Orion9137
I just want to see a sharply dressed father and son duo show the heroes how men of industry go about saving the world.
Robert Brown
We can go fanon panacea on him hence super cancer and or tumors that we can accelerate or decelerate the growth speed of at the slightest touch hence organic Killswitch
Nanaya7Nights
We just want to see CLex vs Lexniac. That way one Lex dies and the league can't blame Lucien for it. Also, it removes any means that Brainiac has to access CLex's mind and Lex is canonicaly egoistic enough to want Brainiac destroyed for trying to control him. Killing CLex is off the table because the League knows about this confrontation. So the choice is between 1 & 3. So, a biological alteration that would trap CLex in a paralyzed state if triggered might be best while removing the chip. Also, the results would have been more interesting if you have the option to: 4) Don't believe Lex, but remove the chip all the same while installing your own failsafe.
Nanaya7Nights
Also, if Lucien can copy Spot's biology and adapt it for his human body, shouldn't be able to copy Lex's neural architecture as well?
Nanaya7Nights
Shouldn't Lex already have cancer from his Kryptonite exposure? Or is the clone "pristine" enough to not have inherited the cancer?
FIREKING217
Honestly kinda a bad option all around, I’d accept the deal and not trust him, end of the Day Lex just wants to live and be seen as the worlds greatest, I was kinda hoping this was going to a Rick Sanchez thing where the clone activated because the real Lex was compromised not that Braniac made the clone
Just_Call_Me_Steve
If this isn't a trap or betrayal/double cross in the works I will be immensely surprised.
cipher43
Option 1. The only way for someone to prove themselves trustworthy is for you to put trust in them even though it may hurt you.
Sith2go
On one hand if Lex is being a traitorous prick, then he will be the smuggest asshole known to man about it when he betrays Lucien. But on the other hand, i am a sucker for the "asshole but loyal" trope.
MercerV12
It’s option 1 for me because it’s what will give lucien the most information when this all undoubtably goes to shit and he’s gotta reset.
McGrundy
I can't say I foresaw this twist coming, but I knew Cambrian was going to bring up how y'all voted to let Mercy slip through Lucien's fingers the first time.
Alun Lewis
I'm going with option 3 here...removing the nanochip without knowing if it is really a kill-switch, or if it's tracking device, brain engram to make the Clone Lex pass all surface-level tests, or an intergalactic Apple AirTag is simply too stupid for words. Hell, removing it might just allow Brainiac a way to download himself into the clone if the Justice League does whoop his ass in space. Nah....trap to the Nth power. Assume bad juju will go down if anything about Clone Lex changes in the near future.
Belly
The irony that Lucien sees the contradictions in clone Lex but doesn't seem to see his own. Also why even try so hard to win the thr affections/save OG Lex lol? It would br funny if clone Lex really I'd trying to be a good human and father and it freaks everyone out
VaticToxic
Honestly, I really want a good or supportive Father Lex Luthor because it's so rarely done. Even if it's a clone doing it. This clone is, at least, self reflective enough to know Original Lex Luthor was just a Bad Father.
Darkness Of Light
This is a really hard call, Even if this Lex is a Clone. He is a. still a clone of Lex fucking Luthor were dealing with here. He's been taking a wait and see approach with the main character. He knows about the healing powers, due mentioning the events in Jump city, and Gotham Business. He wants Lucien to use his powers to deal with the kill switch in this head. He is also playing up the heroics in the speech to Lucien as he seen Lucien been playing "Hero" and helping people. This a trap C.Lex is using with words. Then there are the choices; 1) Lex gets what he wants, could put Lucien on the outs with both Supergirl and Mercy(by helping the clone and not the real one). Maybe a boost in dealing with brainac but lex having gotten what he wanted doesn't need Lucien or mercy now. 2) By killing the clone, Mecry approval goes up but supergirl and league go down hard! Brainac fight could be harder now. 3) Leads to confrontation that Clone Lex is ready for, he would have kept an eye on who backfire is and what Lucien been able to do. Supergirl is depowered(if Lucien can touch her and flip the red sun and normal sun reactions around may give an needed edge). This option could also give Supergirl, league and Mercy approval points due staying against C.Lex. ......I am going to have to go with option 3. best I can see out of them.
RanmaChaos
I chose 1. Lets see were this goes. An idea just popped into my head. What if the true mind fuck is that ALL these options lead to a Bad End and force a reset where we then have the true answers.
NOPE YOU DON'T KNOW MY NAME
Nah Chief, I don’t trust the bastard but this is the most diplomatic approach possible. Prepare for injection based retaliation or at least contact poison.
WildMartin
I think Lucian should be skeptical but go along with the Clone for now and just be prepared for the inevitable betrayal. Because Brainiac is the bigger threat. Brainiac is always the bigger threat.
Smile Dip
I thinkbthe problem here is that even if the clone is being 100%, Grade A honest with us...at the end of the day, he's Lex Luthor. Plays at being humanity's savior, but a really bad dude.
Cambrian
everyone trying to make excuses for choosing option 1, but I know you really all just want to believe C!Lex because he said he'd give Lucien Mercy after all of this :P
Josh
I'm with some of the other comments on this one, trust but verify lol. And by verify I mean remote biological Killswitch waiting on a virus primer.
Orion9137
I'm disappointed by the way the vote seems to be going. There's no harm in trying to work with Clone Lex, Lucien could even swap the chip with his own biological kill switch if need be. With an armada on the way it would be best to have a potential 12th level intellect on the heroes side. Worst case remote melt him via bio-killswitch. Edit: the vote has now swung the better way. I'm looking forward to Clone Lex disabling and betraying Lucien with the handshake now lol
Talia Rock
I can't believe that I'm saying this but I kinda believe F.Lex. Think about it, even if it's a trap Blackfire and himself have powers that aren't easy to counter. Isn't it possible that we remove the chip and out something in F.Lex's biology that will do the same but on our terms?
Robert Brown
Thus option one, if Cam does something like in my comment ....is the best of both worlds( aka option 1 and 2) combined. I literally see no negatives.
Robert Brown
I mean we can remove the Killswitch and create a organic one like a brain tumor and or give him some kind of super cancer which we could make worse or get rid of depending on what he does...... So I see no problem with option one since we can do everything I just stated and everything option one includes all at once when we give him a handshake.
Phraxius
Oh, I did NOT see that coming. Fun twist. I'm all for removing the chip - is he sincere? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it'll be interesting.
Nanaya7Nights
Honestly, Lucien should believe that CLex has Lex's ego and has turned against Lexniac as he considers the other one "impure" because a Lex Luthor that let's any part of Brainiac's personality influence him isn't the real Lex Luthor. That said, Lucien should not trust Clex and he should put a biological kill switch in CLex as a safety measure. But Kara is here and if Lex drops dead in the future, then she and the League will suspect him.
Collar Spider
Killing a person, his father, even a clone would probably push away Supergirl and the league, so that's a no go. I'm not sure I trust him though. Removing the kill switch might be the only thing he wants from Lucien. Not that I'm too worried for Lucien's safety. He's not invincible, yet, but Lucien doesn't have any glaring weaknesses for the Luthor clone to exploit.
Cole Deucalion
That was a fun twist. I kinda want a supportive lex clone now, lol
redhawktiger
That was a hard poll honestly.
XM590
TBH, I kinda want to see a "good" lex author.
