Luthor Log 005 - Post Population Control

[greatestmanll40]

[Lex has returned to life, but his mental health isn't any better. He takes a long look in the mirror. He's not just a fallen god, but a shell of the man he once was.]

A. Phone.

This is Lex Luthor.

Help.

B. Action

[You can find Lex lying on the hammock outside his house in a near catatonic state. He's still worse for wear.]

Comments

B

[thenorthernwall]

[Olivier is just strolling by, when--

Well. What the hell is that?]

Mr. Luthor?

[greatestmanll40.livejournal.com]

[Lex barely responds.

He's not even entirely sure Olivier is real.]

Who.

[thenorthernwall]

Lex Luthor? You are, aren't you?

[greatestmanll40.livejournal.com]

Yes.

I think.

Or were.

I have been destroyed.

[thenorthernwall]

What happened?

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[Luthor's request for help is met, not with a voice, but with the distant and continuous sound of rolling wheels on the other end of the line. The longer he listens, the louder it will get.]

***

[As Lex reclines on the hammock outside, the air is still and silent. But somewhere in the distance, the sound of wheels rolling over asphalt begins to echo down the street. It will continue relentlessly, growing louder and louder, until it seems as though the sound is coming from inside Luthor's head.]

[greatestmanll40.livejournal.com]

Home.

Back home.

I had attained the power I had always so desired.

Only to lose it. And so much more.

[greatestmanll40.livejournal.com]

[Lex lies on the hammock. Attempting to forget.

Attempting to piece his shattered mind back together like so many puzzles he's solved.

He ignores the rolling wheels at first. Just background noise.

Something about it though... seems familiar.]

[thenorthernwall]

Lose it? How?

[She leans on the tree supporting one end of the hammock.]

[greatestmanll40.livejournal.com]

HIM.

That damned alien.

It was HE who cost me everything...

[thenorthernwall]

[She sighs inwardly.] So you're that bad off?

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[It continues to gain volume and become progressively intrusive to the thought process, until it begins to sound as though a freight train is roaring into the yard.

Then the noise simply stops. The air falls silent.

A face now appears hovering above Luthor's head, grinning down at him. Perhaps, if Lex's memory is jogged, he will recognize it as the face of Edward's unusual "son" with whom he's attended multiple Legion meetings. In the boy's hand is a warped, metal baseball bat, which he raises high over his head...]

[greatestmanll40.livejournal.com]

[Lex is relieved that the noise has ended. Not so much that Slugger is about to bash his skull in.

And yet.

He is not afraid.

He's stared down monsters, aliens, and gods. He could easily escape, but some sort of nagging tiny voice in the back of his mind tells him to yield.

What will happen next shall be necessary.]

[greatestmanll40.livejournal.com]

Yes.

I... I could not remember who I was for awhile. I still don't quite.

Then... the population extermination campaign began.

[thenorthernwall]

...What the hell did this alien do to you?

[greatestmanll40.livejournal.com]

I had gained... unlimited power.

The universe was mine to reshape into an even greater design.

But it was taken from me.

A

[notsaul.livejournal.com]

We're sorry, the number you've dialed has been disconnected. Please try again.

[thenorthernwall]

I don't think you've been up front with me, Luthor. Get a grip on yourself.

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[That it shall. Slugger's grin widens to an almost grotesque degree, revealing two rows of long, white teeth. Even worse is the predatory gleam of madness in his yellow-green eyes. It's as if he senses that Luthor is accepting defeat, maybe even welcoming it.

The bat's shadow flashes across Luthor's face as the weapon comes down in a single, sudden arc of gold. There will only be one blow. Only one blow is needed to induce death, amnesia, or temporary unconsciousness.]

[greatestmanll40.livejournal.com]

[The bat strikes Lex right on the temple, knocking him right off the hammock, he rolls over.

He can barely make out Sluggers form before his eyes droop and he falls unconscious.]

[greatestmanll40.livejournal.com]

shutupshutupshutup

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[After Luthor hits the ground, the air is calm once again as the empty hammock sways silently to a stop.

Slugger is long gone.]