The elevator descended past the public floors, past the executive suites, past even the standard research levels. Down into the sub-basements where LexCorp kept its real secrets.
```
[>> NEW LOCATION <<]
LexCorp Sub-Level 13
Security Level: MAXIMUM
Access: Level 3 Clearance
```
The doors opened to reveal a corridor of brushed steel and reinforced glass. My footsteps echoed as I walked, each door I passed labeled with alphanumeric codes that meant nothing to Marcus but everything to Ralph's inherited memories.
Project Chimera. Project Oracle. Project Nemesis.
And at the end of the hall, behind a biometric lock: Project Prometheus.
I placed my hand on the scanner. It chimed acceptance.
The door slid open.
The lab was massive, easily the size of a basketball court. Workstations lined the walls, holographic displays frozen mid-calculation, tools and equipment scattered like someone had left in a hurry. But none of that mattered.
Because in the center of the room, suspended in a containment field, was a suit of armor.
Not like anything I'd seen in Ralph's memories. Not like anything that should exist outside of comic books. It was incomplete, obviously unfinished, but even in its partial state it was beautiful.
The frame was skeletal, exposed metal and servos, but the craftsmanship was incredible. Alien alloy, I realized. Something that caught the light wrong, that seemed to weigh less than it should.
```
[>> SKILL ACTIVATED <<]
Analysis Level 2
Scanning target...
```
I moved closer, circling the suit. The torso was mostly complete, chest plate shaped for a human body. Arms extended out, hands that could probably crush steel. But the legs were incomplete, just framework and exposed wiring. The helmet sat on a nearby workstation, its interior a nest of neural connections.
This was Lex's contingency plan. The thing he'd build if Superman ever came for him. If the heroes ever decided the world was better off without Luthor.
Except he'd never finished it.
```
[>> ANALYSIS COMPLETE <<]
PROJECT PROMETHEUS
Advanced Combat Exosuit
STATUS: 35% Complete
BREAKDOWN:
Power Source: 0%
Weapons Systems: 15%
Neural Interface: 45%
Armor Plating: 50%
Exoskeleton Frame: 65%
ESTIMATED TIME TO COMPLETE:
40+ hours minimum
```
I stood there staring at it, mind racing. This could work. This could actually work. If I could finish it, if I could get it functional, I'd have a chance against Deadshot. Against whoever hired him.
The thought barely formed before I heard the voice behind me.
"You shouldn't be here."
I froze. The voice was cold, professional, deadly.
I turned slowly. Mercy Graves stood in the doorway, her hand resting casually on the gun at her hip. She wore black tactical gear, blonde hair pulled back tight, ice-blue eyes assessing me like a threat.
She was my father's right hand. His bodyguard, his assistant, his weapon when he needed one. And right now, she looked ready to put a bullet in me.
"Mercy," I said, forcing my voice steady. "Just who I wanted to see."
"Mr. Luthor." She didn't move from the doorway. "You have Level 3 access. This area requires Level 5. That makes you a trespasser."
"I need access to this lab."
"I don't think you understand your situation." Her hand stayed on her gun. "I can have security here in thirty seconds. You'll be removed from the building. Your access revoked. Your father will be informed."
"Alex was shot today."
That stopped her. Something flickered across her face. Not quite emotion, but close.
"I'm aware," she said. "Which is why you should be somewhere safe, not breaking into restricted areas."
"Safe?" I laughed, bitter. "There is no safe, Mercy. Whoever hired Deadshot called me two hours ago. Gave me forty-eight hours to prove I'm worthy of the Luthor name." I met her eyes. "If I fail, I'm next."
Her hand moved away from her gun. Slightly. "Explain."
So I did. Told her about the call, the deadline, the threat. She listened without interrupting, her expression unreadable.
"You're telling me," she said finally, "that you broke into a restricted lab, risked your access and freedom, because someone gave you an ultimatum?"
"I'm telling you I'm not going to hide and hope they show mercy. Deadshot doesn't miss. You know that. If he shot Alex in the shoulder, it was deliberate. A warning." I gestured at the suit. "I need this. I need to finish what my father started."
"You need?" She almost smiled. "Mr. Luthor, do you have any idea what you're looking at?"
"A combat suit. Advanced exoskeleton. Weapons platform."
"An incomplete project your father abandoned because even he couldn't solve the power requirements." She walked past me toward the suit. "The frame is Thanagarian Nth Metal. Nearly indestructible, anti-gravity properties. The servo system alone took six months to design. The neural interface has a forty percent chance of frying your brain."
She turned to face me. "And you think you can finish it in forty-eight hours?"
"No," I said honestly. "I think we can finish it. I'm smart, Mercy. Smarter than anyone gives me credit for. But I'm not my father. I can't do this alone."
"And why would I help you?"
"Because Lex would want you to." I moved closer. "My father is rotting in Stryker's Island. Alex is in a hospital bed. That leaves me. The disappointment. The black sheep. The one nobody expects anything from." I smiled. "Which makes me the perfect contingency."
She studied me for a long moment. I could see her calculating, weighing options.
"If I help you," she said finally, "and you succeed, I get credit when your father asks how you survived."
"Deal."
"If you fail and die, I report you were here without authorization."
"Also fair."
"And I'm in charge of the technical work. You don't touch anything I don't approve."
"You're the expert."
She nodded once. "Then let's not waste time."
```
[>> ALLY RECRUITED <<]
Mercy Graves
Status: Professional Alliance
Loyalty: 25%
ACCESS GRANTED:
Level 5 R&D
Limited Materials
XP GAINED: +50
Total: 180/500
```
Mercy moved to a workstation, fingers flying over the controls. Holographic displays materialized, schematics of the suit rotating in the air.
"The suit has four critical needs," she said. "Power source, weapons integration, neural interface stability, and armor completion. In that order. Without power, it's a statue. Without the neural link, you can't control it. Everything else is secondary."
"What about the power source?" I asked.
"Your father was testing a Kryptonian solar battery. Salvaged from a probe crash five years ago." She pulled up more displays, showing a glowing crystal matrix. "It stores solar radiation like Kryptonian cells do. Converts it to usable energy. Enough to power the suit for forty-eight hours per full charge."
"Where is it?"
"Storage Vault Seven, sub-level fifteen." She glanced at me. "Which requires Level 5 access."
"Which you have."
"Which I have." She zoomed in on another schematic. "The battery is large. Heavy. Installation alone will take hours. And that's assuming we can transport it here without triggering security alerts."
I thought about that. Tony Stark built the Mark I in a cave with scraps. I had LexCorp's entire R&D division at my disposal. We could do this.
"What about weapons?" I asked.
"Prototype plasma cannons in Testing Bay Four. Wrist-mounted. Your father designed them for the suit but never finished integration." More screens appeared. "There's also a micro-missile system. Shoulder mounted. Smart targeting. Both functional but need installation and calibration."
"The neural interface?"
"That's our first priority." She gestured to a chair surrounded by medical equipment. "The interface needs to read your brain patterns, translate intent into action. Right now it's calibrated for your father's neural map. We need to recalibrate for yours."
"How long?"
"Three hours minimum. And it will hurt."
"How much?"
"Your father passed out twice during his calibration." She met my eyes. "If you're not serious about this, tell me now."
"I'm serious."
"Then sit."
I moved to the chair. Cold sensors attached to my temples, my neck, the base of my skull. The holographic display in front of me shifted, showing a map of my brain, neurons firing in real-time.
"This will create a neural map," Mercy explained. "The suit's interface will use it to predict your intentions, respond before you consciously think the command. It's the only way to make the reaction time fast enough to matter in combat."
```
[>> QUEST UPDATED <<]
BUILD ULTIMATE DEFENSE
PRIORITY 1: Neural Calibration
Time Required: 3 hours
PRIORITY 2: Obtain Kryptonian Battery
Location: Vault 7, Sub-Level 15
TIME REMAINING: 46 hours
```
"Beginning calibration in three... two... one."
The world exploded into white fire.
Every nerve ending lit up at once. My muscles spasmed. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but endure as the system tore through my brain like lightning.
And then it stopped.
I gasped, slumping forward. Sweat poured down my face.
"That was five seconds," Mercy said calmly. "Two hours and fifty-nine minutes remaining."
"Fuck."
"Language, Mr. Luthor." I could hear the hint of amusement in her voice. "Your father said the same thing."
The next pulse hit before I could respond. Then another. Again and again, each one mapping another section of my brain, building the interface that would let me control the suit.
Time lost meaning. There was only the chair, the pain, and Mercy's voice counting down the hours.
Somewhere around the two-hour mark, I heard alarms.
Distant. Echoing through the sub-levels.
The calibration paused. I looked up, vision blurry.
Mercy was at a terminal, face pale. "We have a problem."
"What kind?"
She pulled up security feeds. Three figures in tactical gear, moving through the sub-levels. Armed. Professional. Heading straight for Storage Vault Seven.
The vault where the Kryptonian battery was stored.
```
[>> SECURITY BREACH <<]
Location: Storage Vault 7
Intruders: 3
Armed: Yes
Alert Level: CRITICAL
TIME TO VAULT: 5 minutes
```
"Someone else is here," Mercy said. "Someone who knows exactly what we need."
I stood, still shaky from the calibration. "Can you lock them out?"
"They're overriding every security measure. Professional hackers." She looked at me. "Whoever sent them knows LexCorp's systems inside and out."
My phone buzzed. Unknown number.
I answered, already knowing what I'd hear.
"Mr. Luthor." That same smooth voice from before. "I hope you're not too attached to that power source. My people will be collecting it shortly."
"Who are you?"
"Someone ensuring you actually earn your survival. Did you think I'd let you simply walk into your father's armory? Where's the test in that?" A dark chuckle. "Stop them if you can. Prove you're worthy. Or watch them take everything you need and die in two days."
The line went dead.
```
[>> QUEST UPDATED <<]
STOP THE INTRUDERS
OBJECTIVE:
Protect Kryptonian Battery
TIME LIMIT: 5 minutes
FAILURE CONDITION:
Lose power source
Guaranteed death in 48 hours
```
I looked at Mercy. "Can we stop them?"
She was already moving, pulling weapons from a locker. Two pistols, tactical gear, spare magazines. She tossed me one of the guns.
"We can try," she said, checking her weapon with practiced efficiency. "But Mr. Luthor? If we fail, we're both dead. The battery is the only thing that can power that suit. Without it, you have nothing."
I checked the pistol. Glock 17. Seventeen rounds. Against three professionals.
The odds sucked.
But then again, the odds had sucked since the moment I woke up in this body.
"Let's go," I said.
We ran.
XP GAINED: +80
Total: 210/500
STATUS:
Neural Map: 67% Complete
Allies: 1 (Mercy Graves)
Enemies: 2+ (Deadshot, Unknown + 3 Intruders)
TIME REMAINING: 46 hours
NEW THREAT:
Armed intruders after same technology
```