Advanced chapters in Patreon.com/Saintbarbido

&

Ko-Fi.com/Kulturedsaint.

A/N: Taking a break for Christmas. See you on Next Week. 

::-------------------------------------------::

(General P.O.V)

Sweet orchestral music quietly played in the background, filling the room with a gentle and accomadating air.

"You wanna know something crazy."

Lex called out from the kitchen, where he was frying a steak on the pan.

One would think he had a personal chef to take care of such menial tasks, but Luthor was a man of many talents, according to him at least.

He had built the company from the ground up. Occasionally cooking for himself was nothing in comparison.

Besides, this way he could make it how he wanted. It was all about controlling the flame. And Luthor got off on any kind of control.

"We live in a society convinced that an Alien is God and that grown men and women in bright costumes flying around and punching people is...acceptable. It sickens me."

He scoffed, turning the steak over.

The other side of the meat was seared in the melting knob of butter, producing an aroma that pervaded the entire room.

"How can they put their trust in that...thing? It's not even human."

He frowned in disgust, taking a sip from the wine glass on the countertop.

"Xenophobic? You could say so."

He shrugged, smacking his lips at the taste.

"Mercy, would you be a dear and fetch something a little more aged?"

He instructed his assistant, who was standing off to the side.

"Right away sir."

Mercy gave a compliant nod before leaving.

Luthor returned to the steak.

"As I was saying, unacceptable. To save Humanity's potential, tough measures are required. And due to the nature of the enemy, tough measures and delicate plans."

He grabbed a few stalks of thyme and placed them above the steak. A cup of freshly peeled garlic bulbs sat on the kitchen counter.

Lex grabbed some and arranged them on the sides of the steak, then he slightly decreased the heat to a low setting.

"Humanity does not need a baby sitter. And even if it did, it shouldn't be an alien from space. One with the power to enforce his rule if he so wished."

He said, completely turning off the heat before plating the steak.

Then he turned around, carrying the plate towards a table with two chairs. One of them was occupied.

"That's where I come in."

Lex said with a smile, setting the plate on the table, removing the chef's apron and taking the unoccupied seat.

Worldlessly, he secured a napkin on his neck, grabbed a fork and knife, then immediately tore into the steak.

"Mmh slightly charred at the bottom."

He commented whilst chewing.

Directly opposite him, a gagged Joker was hogtied to the second chair.

A gagged and very much dead Joker.

The left side of his head was caved in afterall.

Brain matter was visible through his skull, which seemed to have been bludgeoned by an extreme force.

Dried blood covered his bleached face. However, the most disturbing thing was the wide grin on the Crown Prince of crime's face. Something that contrasted greatly with his dull eyes.

"Still, you did keep your end of the bargain. You took the Detective out of the game. Just as planned."

Lex took a second bite.

The fork and knife made little noise as he cut another piece of the steak and brought it to his mouth. Things went on like that for a couple more minutes.

"However...your laughing gas had something else in it, right? A slow acting poison. One of the Kryptonite variety..."

Bam! The knife was suddenly burried through the steak. The force was so immense it pierced through the ceramic plate and the table too.

"Superman is mine to kill!! Who gave you permission to go after him! Who gave you permission to poison him?!!"

Luthor said in fury, getting up and grabbing the Joker's corpse by its green and matted hair.

"You deranged fuck. How dare you!? Do you have any idea what you have cost me?!"

He slammed the joker's face on to the table, splashing blood across his face, napkin and the steak.

"I had plans for him! Plans essential to taking the entire League out in one fell swoop!"

The joker's teeth were left on the table.

"I could have dealt with Batman anytime I wanted but I never shat on your lawn, did I? I never stole your fun! But you just had. To. Be. A. Headache."

Luthor slammed the Corpse's head on the table a few more times before stopping, slightly out of breath.

He sat down, glaring at the plate before him.

"My steak is now ruined."

He waved a hand.

"Get him out of my sight."

Behind the Joker's Corpse was Superman. Or rather...a Superman. For starters, the S on his costume was flipped upside down into a stylized Z.

His skin was pale gray and cracked in places. The eyes glowed a bright blue and he was using a finger to pick his nose.

"Whatever ya says boss Lex."

Bizarro replied, staring at the Steak on Luthor's plate.

"Is you gonna finish that mayhaps?"

Luthor smiled tightly.

"Help yourself."

"Oh yay!"

The Superman clone grabbed the remains of the steak and swallowed it whole without even chewing.

"Mmh, yummy!"

Luthor sighed.

"Are you forgetting something?"

"Huhhh??"

Bizarro scratched his head in confusion.

"I don't know. Bizarro forgets a lot."

"The Clown's body. What is it still doing here? "

Luthor reminded, the smile slipping off his face.

"Get rid of it. Now."

"No worry boss Lex!"

Bizarro said with a wide smile, full of grey teeth.

"This be a job for Superman!"

Bizarro grabbed the chair with the Corpse, about to carry it away, when a dark portal swirled into existence inside.the room.

Both occupants turned to face the portal.

Something sailed through. Bizarro disappeared and appeared in a burst of speed, covering Lex's front.

Brick's body slammed on the Clone's chest and something broke on the former. The spine of the dead Supervillain folded in half.

Bizarro held up the dead body by the neck, displaying it to Luthor.

"Well."

Luthor said with a smile, loosening his tie.

"Isn't this interesting."

"You think so?"

A voice asked, just as its owner crossed over into room.

"Coz that was my first thought too. How strange."

Holl smirked, barefeet landing on the high quality wooden floor. Immediately, the Pet Pet fruit owner whistled as he gazed around.

"Now this...is fancy."

The whole pent house was decked oyr in lavishness. The lights glowed a gentle gold, the furniture was easily worth hundreds of thousands and the appliances on the kitchen adjacent to the dining area, were fit to cook for presidents and kings.

"Should Bizarro squash long hair dude boss Lex?"

Bizarro asked, flexing his huge arms like a bodybuilder.

"Just says the word. Bizarro gots the Powaaah!"

"Nah huh huh."

Holl wagged a finger.

"We wouldn't want to try anything too hasty now. Trust me."

He snapped a finger and a vase set on a small table near the window, shattered into pieces.

Behind Holl, the shooter stepped out, Deathstroke. Following behind him were Livewire and Shade.

"My buddy Slade here as his gun trained on Luthor's body buddy."

Holl said, passing by Bizarro as he approached Luthor. He patted the Superman clone on the shoulder.

"Be careful not to get your boss's brains painted across this fancy place."

Behind Holl, Bizarro turned around, lifting both his hands to the air.

"Not if Bizarro squashes you first, long hair."

Holl whistled again, this time low and sharp. The Superman clone stiffened.

Around it's neck was a green gel in the shape of a collar. Holl had placed it there when he had passed by Bizarro.

The more he experimented with his power, the effective they became. Now by imbuing intent into the collar as he placed it on a target, he could activate different orders by making specific sounds like whistling.

He'd gotten the idea from Yondu, a guy from Marvel, who could similarly control a small dagger by whistling.

He hadn't had time to practice it. But it worked on the first try, to which Holl was glad. Truly, no devil fruit was useless. Only the wielder.

Luthor stared at Bizarro and the team behind Holl. The very same one he had hired to go and rescue the latter.

"You're...Maestro, I presume."

Lex spoke up, wiping his hands with the Napkin.

"I am impressed. And I don't get impressed easily."

Holl stared at the chair with the Joker's body. His eyes widened a fraction.

"I'm impressed too. If that's who I think it is."

"A shortsighted business partner."

Luthor answered, just as Mercy returned.

The assistant read the room in an instant, pausing before the door.

"It's okay Mercy. Did you find it?"

Luthor called out.

Worldlessly, Mercy carried the bottle in her hands to Luthor.

"A Château Cheval Blanc."

The assistant said, popping open the cork.

"Good. This is perfect for the occasion."

Luthor commented, taking a whiff of the wine in his glass.

There was a crash as Holl kicked the chair with the Joker away. The seat and the body smacked onto a portrait of Lex and slid to the floor in a shower of shattered glass.

"I'm inviting myself for a taste of that wine Mr.Billionaire. Hope you don't mind."

Holl smiled.

The hair behind him hardened and changed into the shape of a chair. Next four thick strands of hair bit into the floor, offering stability. Holl leaned back with a sigh, at his back, his four new pets surrounded his body.

"Mercy, could you get our guest his own glass?"

Luthor commanded, hands steepled across the table.

He turned to Holl, giving a brief once over.

"So, I sent them to rescue you but you killed one and took control of the rest? Smart. I would have done the same in your position if I had your power. Maybe not kill Brick, though. He was useful."

"Not to me."

Holl shrugged.

"He was a hothead musclebrain. And I've had my fill of those."

"An incident in Gotham perhaps?"

Luthor guessed.

"Is that why you came to Metropolis?"

"Naaah. I came to Metropolis to shake things up a little. I have...unfinished business with a certain Boy Scout."

Holl replied, not noticing the sour expression on Luthor's face.

Or if he did, he chose to ignore it.

"I see, you want to enslave him too, I suppose?"

Luthor questioned bluntly, secretly signing to Mercy. The latter stiffened slightly in preparation.

The wrong answer and Holl would find himself in a situation similar to the Joker.