Lex Luthor woke with a sharp gasp.
"Whew!"
His body jolted upright in the massive bed, breath uneven. For several seconds he stared at the familiar ceiling of his bedroom in Luthor Manor, trying to steady his racing heart. The room was silent except for the faint ticking of a clock and the distant hum of electricity running through the estate.
Slowly, Lex wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He had dreamed about his mother again.
In the dream he felt the warmth of her embrace, the comforting sensation of being held and protected. It was the kind of happiness he had rarely experienced in reality. Even after waking, the feeling lingered in his chest like a fading echo.
"Just another dream," Lex muttered quietly.
He pushed the covers aside and stepped out of bed. The cold marble floor grounded him in the present. Walking across the room, he stopped at a small cabinet and poured himself a glass of water.
He drank quickly.
The woman he dreamed about was not his biological mother, but his stepmother. She had died from cancer several years earlier, and her death had been another devastating loss in his life.
Despite not sharing blood, she had treated him with genuine affection.
Inside the powerful and ruthless Luthor family, genuine warmth was rare. Lex had grown up surrounded by manipulation, ambition, and endless power struggles. His father, Lionel Luthor, had raised him to believe that trust was weakness.
Only two women in his life had ever shown him sincere kindness.
His mother.
And his stepmother.
Those memories were among the few lights in an otherwise cold upbringing.
Lex set the empty glass down and walked toward the window. Outside, the night stretched across the vast grounds of the estate. The gardens, statues, and long driveway were barely visible under the dim glow of the security lights.
Then his phone rang.
Lex glanced at the screen and answered.
He spoke only briefly before hanging up. Whatever he heard on the call made his expression more serious. Without hesitation he walked to the wardrobe and pulled out a set of clothes. It seemed he was preparing to leave the manor.
Bang!
A sudden noise came from the bedroom door.
Lex froze.
His instincts sharpened immediately. The sound had not been loud, but it was unnatural. Slowly he stepped backward and grabbed his phone again, intending to call security.
No signal.
The connection had been completely blocked.
Lex inhaled slowly, forcing himself to remain calm. He moved to a nearby drawer and pulled out a pistol. It was not the first time someone had tried to threaten or eliminate a Luthor.
Bang!
This time the sound was clearer.
The door handle twisted violently from the outside.
Lex raised the pistol and aimed at the entrance.
The door burst open.
Several women rushed into the room.
They wore dark clothing and masks. One wore a crude Batman mask while another had an owl shaped mask covering her face. Despite the bizarre appearance, their movements were purposeful as they quickly scanned the layout of the room.
These women were members of the Adrian Kent Fan Club.
Their target tonight was Lex Luthor.
Among them stood Betty, a quiet looking freshman who had recently joined the group. Unknown to the others, Betty was currently possessed by a mysterious soul.
Although Hanna and the other girls admired Adrian Kent with intense devotion, none of them had real combat ability. Betty, however, made up for that weakness.
Lock picking.
Signal jamming.
Security bypass.
She had handled every technical obstacle on her own.
Hanna stepped forward cautiously, holding a small flashlight. With the Batman mask covering half her face, her voice came out in a whisper.
"Lex Luthor isn't here."
Betty walked toward the cabinet and examined the water droplets that had splashed across its surface earlier.
"He was just here," she said with a slight frown. "He hasn't gone far."
Hanna hesitated.
"Then what do we do, chase him?"
Although she had organized this group to avenge Jonathan Kent, the reality of confronting a billionaire in his own home was beginning to weigh on her conscience.
"We cannot retreat."
The girl wearing the owl mask spoke with intensity. Her eyes shone with fanatical determination.
"If we cannot help Adrian Kent, then what is the meaning of our existence?"
Her name was Gayle, a college student from California who was currently studying in Metropolis. However, she preferred to be called by the name of a fictional female investigator from Adrian Kent's mystery stories.
"Kogeta."
Betty ignored their argument and walked toward a small portable safe resting on a nearby table.
Without hesitation she pulled a dagger from her pocket and sliced through the lock.
Inside the safe was a laptop.
Betty opened it.
A video immediately began playing.
The others gathered around the screen.
The footage appeared to be recorded with a handheld camcorder. A woman stood in the center of a vast grassland while speaking toward the camera.
"Can you confirm I'm centered in the frame?"
After the cameraman responded, the woman nodded and smiled.
"Great. I'm reporting from Patagonia today. This might be the most beautiful place in the world..."
She suddenly stopped.
Her expression shifted from excitement to confusion.
"Wait. What's that?"
The cameraman turned the lens slightly.
"I don't see anything."
Then something moved.
A dark figure sprinted into the frame with terrifying speed.
It resembled a wild beast.
Before the cameraman could react, the creature leaped forward.
"Oh my God!"
The scream cut off abruptly.
The camera crashed to the ground, pointing upward.
From that angle the device captured something horrifying.
Several monstrous shapes descended upon the woman, tearing her apart violently.
Blood splattered across the grass.
The video ended seconds later.
The fan club members stared in stunned silence.
Hanna covered her mouth, nearly vomiting.
Only Kogeta seemed fascinated.
"I knew it," she whispered excitedly. "These creatures must be monsters from Adrian's Cthulhu stories."
Betty showed no reaction to the gore.
She continued browsing the laptop's files.
Eventually she opened a blueprint.
It was a detailed map of an underground structure. The entire layout resembled a massive labyrinth. At the top of the file were two words.
Ares Project.
Betty's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
She closed the laptop.
Hanna, still recovering from the disturbing video, asked nervously, "What is that?"
"I don't know," Betty replied calmly. "But Lex Luthor clearly has many secrets."
The soul controlling Betty's body spoke with quiet hatred.
"And he is not a man guided by morality."
"You may be right."
A calm voice suddenly echoed through the room.
"But you will never uncover those secrets."
Everyone spun around.
Lex Luthor stood behind them with his pistol raised.
His aim was steady.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "Why have you broken into my home?"
The women froze.
Hanna forced herself to answer.
"We are members of the Adrian Kent Fan Club. We came to avenge Jonathan Kent."
Betty stepped forward with a cold smile.
"Jonathan Kent's death had nothing to do with me," Lex replied sharply.
He tightened his grip on the pistol.
"Take another step and I will shoot."
Betty did not stop.
Her lips curved slightly.
"Is that so?"
Suddenly she moved.
In an instant she appeared directly in front of Lex.
Her hand clamped around his throat.
Lex gasped as his feet lifted off the floor.
"My husband worked for your company," Betty said coldly. "He disappeared months ago. LuthorCorp never gave a clear answer."
"What did you do to him?"
Lex struggled for breath.
"W... who is your husband?"
"Wes Dufl."
Recognition flashed across Lex's face.
"I remember him. He was a Special Forces officer working under contract. His helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan four months ago."
Betty's eyes burned with fury.
"No."
Her voice trembled with conviction.
"There was no crash that day. I know he is still alive."
Hanna and the others stared in disbelief.
Betty was a freshman.
Since when did she have a Special Forces husband?
"A woman's intuition can be wrong," Lex forced out through clenched teeth. "I know people in the Pentagon. Let me go and I'll call them."
"You are very cunning," Betty replied. "But I will not fall for it."
She dragged Lex toward the open window.
"If you refuse to tell me the truth, I will drop you."
Below them was a several meter drop.
Lex's legs dangled over empty space.
"Why are you building underground tunnels? Why are you recruiting special operations soldiers? Where is my husband?"
"Tell me!"
Just as Lex struggled to answer, another voice cut through the tension.
"That's enough."
Everyone turned.
Adrian Kent stood in the doorway.
His expression was cold.
Hanna quietly slipped her phone into her pocket. Earlier, when Betty's behavior became increasingly strange, she had secretly sent Adrian a message.
Seeing him arrive filled her with relief.
Lex also realized he had just been saved.
"Adrian Kent?" Betty said with surprise.
Before she could react, Adrian moved.
A powerful gust of wind swept through the room.
In the blink of an eye Adrian appeared beside her.
He grabbed Betty's arm and threw her across the floor.
She crashed heavily against the ground.
Lex lost his balance as Betty released him.
His body tipped backward over the window.
For a moment he thought he was going to die.
Instinctively he reached toward Adrian.
But Adrian simply watched him fall.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly.
Lex felt the terrifying closeness of death.
"Save me, Adrian!"
His voice came out hoarse and desperate.
His body continued falling.
Then suddenly a hand caught his wrist.
Adrian pulled him back from the edge.
Lex collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air.
Half his body still hung outside the window.
He looked up at Adrian with overwhelming gratitude.
"Adrian... thank you."
"I owe you my life."
Even though Lex had just witnessed Adrian's impossible speed for the first time, gratitude was the only emotion dominating his mind.