CHAPTER 123 — Intervention
Lex Luthor sat on the cold metal of the helipad, his back against the low barrier near the edge. His breathing was rough, his chest rising and falling unevenly. Pain still ran through his body from where Gaius had grabbed him, but the fear that had ruled him moments ago was slowly fading.
Superman stood between him and death.
Lex lifted his head slightly. The city lights far below reflected in his eyes. He understood the situation now. As long as Superman was here, as long as Superman believed his mother's life depended on Lex staying alive, no one would kill him.
A thin smile spread across Lex's face.
"That's right," Lex said softly. "If I die… his mother dies too."
There was no panic in his voice now. No shaking. Just calm confidence. He believed himself untouchable.
Tony Stark stood a few steps away, his armor quiet, his face unreadable behind the open faceplate. He did not answer Lex. He did not threaten him. He did not even look angry. Instead, Tony's mind moved quickly, sorting through the situation piece by piece.
Lex had planned this carefully. Killing him now would solve nothing. It would only end one life and doom another.
Tony spoke without raising his voice, lowering it instead.
"JARVIS," he said calmly. "Find Martha Kent."
There was no drama in the command. No hesitation. Just action.
Gaius and Superman heard the words.
The moment Tony gave the order, Gaius's thoughts shifted. Their original purpose had been simple: kill Lex Luthor. But now they had encountered Superman, confirmed he was not Doomsday, and learned that his mother was being threatened.
The new objective was clear.
Lex Luthor was still the enemy.
But killing him now would mean the death of an innocent woman. If she had nothing to do with them, Gaius would have killed Lex Luthor without hesitation, regardless of the outcome. But she was Superman's mother.
That changed everything.
Gaius would help Superman this once.
Only this once.
He stepped forward.
Lex felt it before he saw it. The air seemed to grow heavier. The sound of the wind faded into the background. Gaius stood directly in front of him, towering, silent, unmoving.
"Where is his mother," Gaius said.
The voice was not loud. It was not angry. It carried no emotion at all. It sounded different from before, inhuman, utterly emotionless, deep, and absolute in its authority.
That was what terrified Lex.
His body reacted before his mind could catch up. His hands shook. His throat tightened.
"I-I don't know," Lex stammered.
Tony turned sharply toward him. "How is that possible?" he asked. "You kidnapped her."
Lex swallowed hard. "I ordered it," he said quickly. "But I didn't handle it myself. I made sure I wouldn't know where she was taken."
Superman listened, his face tight with growing worry. Every second that passed felt like time slipping through his fingers.
This was going nowhere.
"We're wasting time," Superman said suddenly.
Tony looked at him. "What?"
"I'm going to Batman," Superman said.
Tony frowned. "Why Batman?"
Superman turned to face them fully. His voice was steady, but the strain beneath it was clear.
"Lex gave me one hour," he said. "If I fail, my mother dies. Batman death is the price they're demanding."
Gaius watched him closely. Superman continued.
"I have to make him understand," Superman said. "Because if I can't convince him… I'll have no choice but to kill him."
The words weren't spoken with pride. They carried fear. Guilt. And a quiet, crushing resolve.
Lex spoke again, his confidence returning as he watched Superman struggle.
"My people are already in position," Lex said calmly. "If nothing changes in one hour, they kill Martha. And if I die, she dies as well. No, I still don't know where she is."
Superman clenched his fists. His jaw tightened, but he did not strike.
Gaius tilted his head slightly. Something about Lex still felt wrong. Too calm. Too certain.
If all of this was part of Lex's plan, then Lex himself was in danger. There was nothing here that could truly stop them if they chose to act. And yet, how could Lex be so confident? How could he be sure that his death would still mean Martha's?
He moved suddenly.
Before Lex could react, Gaius grabbed him and tore his clothes open with one strong pull. Fabric ripped apart. Lex cried out as he was dragged forward.
Beneath the torn shirt, a small device was visible, pressed against Lex's chest.
Lex laughed weakly, pain twisting his smile as his robe and shirt were torn apart by the force. Bruises were already forming across his body, with raw abrasions where fabric had scraped his skin.
"As you can see," he said, breathing hard, "my heart is connected to a machine. If my heartbeat stops… Martha dies as well."
Tony let out a low whistle. "That's bold," he said. "I'll give you that."
Superman stared at the device. His eyes flicked from it to Lex's face, then back again. Fear rose in his chest.
"Don't kill him," Superman said.
It wasn't an order. Gaius and Tony looked at his face and saw it clearly, pleading written across it.
Tony answered first. "Don't worry," he said. "We won't."
Gaius did not speak, but he stepped back. That was enough.
Superman nodded once. Then he launched himself into the air, the force of his takeoff rattling the helipad. In seconds, he was gone, flying straight toward Gotham, toward the Bat-Signal.
Lex watched him disappear. The moment Superman vanished from sight, Lex's confidence cracked. He was alone now.
Alone with Tony.
Alone with Gaius.
The wind howled across the helipad. For a moment, no one spoke.
Tony looked in the direction Superman had flown. "Do you think they'll fight?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," Gaius replied without hesitation.
Tony nodded. "Batman will lose," he said. Not with pride. Just fact.
Tony frowned slightly. "If Superman isn't Doomsday… then where is Doomsday?"
He spoke the question aloud, but no answer came.
Lex sat still, silent, his head lowered. Inside, his thoughts raced. He remembered the ship. Zod's body. The Genesis Chamber. His final plan.
If all else failed, that plan would still kill Superman.
Was that what they were referring to, his plan?
A flicker of fear crept back into his heart.
Gaius noticed.
He turned slowly toward Lex.
Lex looked up and froze.
"Y-you can't kill me," Lex said, his voice shaking again.
"I will not kill you," Gaius replied calmly. "But you will suffer."
Lex tried to crawl backward, desperation in his movements. Gaius's hand shot out, gripping his arm.
The hold was absolute, exact, precise. Pressure built slowly, deliberate, methodical.
A sharp crack echoed across the helipad. Lex's face twisted in pain.
Gaius did not raise his voice. "Resistance is meaningless," he said calmly. "I can maintain this state indefinitely."
Pressure increased further. Bones groaned, joints strained beyond their limits. Lex's screams tore through the night air, raw and ragged, echoing against the city around them. Tendons screamed as his arm bent unnaturally, and every second felt like an eternity. His voice faltered, breaking under the intensity of the agony, but Gaius's grip never wavered, unwavering and inexorable.
Three minutes passed.
Then Gaius released him.
Lex collapsed in a broken heap, silent, barely conscious.
Tony stared for a moment. "You didn't kill him, right?"
"No," Gaius said. "I am very skilled."
Tony shuddered. "Right. Good."
Gaius straightened. "We go to Gotham."
Tony's face hardened. "Yes," he said. "Someone might die."
They launched into the night sky.
Halfway to Gotham, five fighter jets appeared in the sky, closing in fast. Missiles fired without warning.
Tony reacted instantly. Thanks to Jarvis's warning, he detonated the incoming missiles midair. Explosions lit the sky, shockwaves rippling through the air, but Tony's armor absorbed the turbulence as he darted forward.
Gaius moved with precision. He deployed his heavy bolter from the Parcel System, its massive frame appearing in his hand. His optics tracked the jets in real time, calculating velocity, trajectory, and environmental factors in an instant. He took aim at the closest fighter.
Mini, self-propelled rounds tore from the barrel, streaking like guided missiles toward the jet. They struck with surgical precision, tearing through the fuselage. The aircraft erupted in a violent bloom of fire and shrapnel, metal twisting and peeling under the force. The other jets veered sharply, engines screaming, and disappeared into the distance, forced to retreat.
The shredded fighter jet tumbled through the air and crashed into the ocean between Metropolis and Gotham, sending a towering plume of water skyward.
The sky smelled of smoke and ozone, but Tony and Gaius landed smoothly on a nearby rooftop, crouched and ready. Tony's repulsors hummed faintly, scanning for further threats, while Gaius's heavy bolter gleamed in the moonlight.
~~~
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