Superboy: Unchained - Prologue (Patreon)

AN: It's finally here!

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Cadmus Laboratory

Somewhere under Washington D.C.

Dr. Mark Desmond leaned back in his chair, his lips pursed as he regarded the data that glowed upon his computer screen. Numbers, graphs, points on a chart, they filled his vision, digital light dancing across the lenses of his glasses.

Positive readings across the board. This was monumental good news. But Desmond didn’t allow himself to feel excited just yet. With how much his employers paid him for his services, he needed absolute confirmation. He needed to be sure.

“No mental strain detected? No resistance to our imprinting?” Desmond questioned the dark-skinned woman who was standing patiently at his side. Dr. Amanda Spence, his assistant and subordinate. She had been invaluable in their ventures to understand and utilize telepathy for the project. It was Spence who had discovered how to use genomorph telepathy to relay the necessary knowledge into the primary subject.

“No, Dr. Desmond.” She answered with a small smile. Hugging a clipboard to her chest, her eyes shined brilliantly as she regarded the reading on his terminal screen. She had worked on Project Kr for nearly as long as Desmond had. This is her victory as much as it’s mine, Desmond thought. “His neurological patterns tell us that our directives are being accepted without issues.”

“Good.” It was only then that Desmond allowed himself to smile, a thoroughly satisfied grin spreading across his weathered face. He removed his glasses, reaching up with both hands to plant his palms against his cheeks. A therapeutic gesture, almost symbolically rubbing the stress out of his body. Months of hard work - and before that, months of failure - had finally paid off. Inhaling deeply, Desmond forcefully expelled the last of his pent-up stress with a long, loud sigh. He then turned to Spence once more. “How long until the subject is ready?”

“We will need at least a week for the imprinting process to finish.”

“That still puts us ahead of schedule.” Desmond leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. Clicking his teeth together in his mouth, the older man figured that there was only one thing left to do. “Very well, Dr. Spence. I will notify our benefactor of the good news.”

With a short nod, he dismissed his assistant. A couple keystrokes at his terminal later and he was sending a late night call to the boss.

Desmond figured that the success of Project Kr would supersede any frustration for being woken up at an ungodly hour.

Or rather, Desmond hoped.

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Luthor Tower

Metropolis

Luthor ran his hands up the soft flanks of his bedmate, enjoying the sighs and tiny feminine gasps that escaped her lips. He cupped her breasts and felt her whole body shiver against his, listening to her lovely giggle as he took her nipples between his fingers. Pressing his lips to the back of her neck, Luthor savored the flavor of her womanly flesh, the scent of her skin, her hair-

The digital alarm at his personal computer blared. Fighting back a bout of vocal displeasure, Luthor listened and judged from the alarm’s particular tune that it was an urgent message. That meant it required his full attention.

“Lights.” He commanded and thus it was so. With a grunt of frustration, he untangled his hands from the lovely woman in his bed and rolled to his feet. Naked, Metropolis’ own Titan of Industry took purposeful strides across the master bedroom. He thought of planting his bare ass onto his luxury leather chair, but figured a Luthor would afford his workspace more dignity.

“If that’s Stagg again will you let me sic a hit squad on him?” Mercy Graves called out to him from his bed. “I promise they’ll make it look like an accident.”

“Stagg’s too useful to me just the way he is, Miss Graves.” Luthor said plainly, tapping his computer screen to life. “Now, if he ever stops being useful…”

“You’d let me off the leash?” Mercy purred, appearing as excited to hunt down Simon Stagg as she was to join Luthor in bed. Miss Graves was quite the tigress, something Luthor had long ago discovered.

“A woman like you? I’d rather keep you chained to my bed.” He threw her a look and a grin, eyeing her nude form sprawled upon his bed. It was a lovely sight.

“Mmm. How romantic.” She ran the fingers of one hand softly, slowly along her bare thigh. The other ghosted across her trim belly. Luthor had half-a-mind then to simply ignore the call and hop back into bed. But his rational mind won over. He wouldn’t have been worthy of his name otherwise.

“That’s the Luthor charm.” Luthor examined the caller origin on his computer screen and instantly his interest was piqued. “It’s Cadmus. I need to take this.”

“You know where to find me when you’re done playing mad scientist.” Mercy teased, sitting up against the back bed frame. She had brought her knees up to her chest, offering Luthor an interesting view. Vixen, Luthor thought with a smirk. He would have to teach her a lesson later.

“There must be a reason why you’re calling at such a late hour, Dr. Desmond.” Luthor managed to keep his voice level and his tone serious as the comm link established a private connection.

“My apologies, Mr. Luthor. I have good news regarding our most recent venture. Project Kr has finally experienced a successful trial.”

It was then that the call had Luthor’s full attention.

“You’re certain?” Luthor all but demanded, staring intently at the audio waves rolling across his computer screen.

“Yes. Using human DNA to complete the genetic sequences was the right call. The subject shows no signs of physical degradation or neural decay. We’ve already begun imprinting mission directives.”

This wasn’t simply good news. It was phenomenal news. Over a year of his own valuable time and untold amounts of his wealth had gone into Project Kr. To know that it was now so close to coming to fruition…

“I see.” Luthor was near jubilant, but Desmond didn’t need to know that. Lex Luthor had cultivated a certain image, one that needed to be maintained in order to conduct business effectively. He’d celebrate privately. “How long until Kr is ready for deployment?”

“A little more than a week, Sir.”

Days.

Project Kr was days away from being operational.

Days away from enacting the twisted plan Luthor had in store for his sworn adversaries.

Day away from being unchained.

“Good. Very good.” Luthor said, his voice cool and even. “Begin preparations for Phase Two.”

Hanging up, Luthor felt a floaty sense come about him. It was as if weights had been taken off of his body. It was like being unlocked from the shackles around his ankles.

“Project Kr, huh?” Mercy’s voice cut through the air like a thin blade. A red hot blade. “Another one of your master plans to take down the League?”

“In a manner of speaking.” Luthor leaned against his desk, uncaring of the discomfort brought by pressing his naked ass against the carved designs across the lip. He gave Miss Graves a wicked smile. “He’ll ruin them from the inside.”

“He?” Mercy frowned then, but soon her eyes came alight with understanding. She returned his smile with one of her own, clear appreciation for her boss’s devious nature. “Oh. You’re planting a mole.”

“A sleeper agent.” Luthor clarified. “He won’t know his true nature. And neither will the League. Not until it’s too late.”

It was a far better plan than destroying them in open battle. As tantalizing as such a fantasy was, it would never work. Not without destroying his own reputation and good PR. As respected as Luthor and LexCorp were, the masses loved the Justice League. They loved Superman.

Luthor’s face twisted into a sour look at the mere thought of that caped clown.

“Hmm.” Mercy moaned, such a womanly sound dragging Luthor back into his moment of victory. It was such a peculiar thing about Miss Graves, Luthor had noticed. She was a woman who liked being naughty. She beckoned Luthor to join her in bed, all too eager to continue from where they were so rudely interrupted. Luthor was never the kind of man to deny such a woman’s needs. She spoke to him as he approached, her voice so wickedly sweet. “They’ll never see him coming.”

“On the contrary, Miss Graves…” Luthor chuckled darkly as he loomed over her, hungry eyes devouring her nude form. “I believe they surely will.”