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The Fortress of Solitude was silent.
Deathly unnaturally jarring silent that threatened to be forever.
Robots repaired and shards were withdrawn from the mess only just earlier.
The robots built to serve a single Kryptonian were scattered all over the place and a hole lingered from the roof top. There were craters alongside the walls indicating a wrath and great anger had been lashed out. Anger that had decorated the air had faded vanishing into oblivion. Shrieks that had once been shot out after moments of confusion that were delivered in a factual way about what was known to them at the time. News that had been relayed by members of the Justice Gang.
A single machine stumbling to its feet, whirring, monotonously, lifting it's head up prepared for the task that meant getting everything right after a conflict had arisen. There was a mess and there were others that needed to be repaired. The duty of a 'housekeeper' — as the Kryptonian had once put it— was never over when tending to the home of a well regarded and sought out superhero to terrorize.
The caped android got up to their feet then adjusted their left arm then their left leg as their damaged pede scratched along the crystal floor.
Bright and vibrant area that felt lonesome and awe as the machine stumbled aside then traveled over to the others. A simple press of buttons, a new pede made, taking off the old, then putting it on.
It was dark and it was bleak.
Smoke lingering in the air with the occasional monkey sound
Krypto parked himself alongside the Kryptonian then sat there leaning against him while whining.
His head lifted up toward the man who found him irritating and found moments to smile at him wasn't smiling at all. He was sad. Very dearly sad and there was no way coming back out of a crushing disappointment. He can sense and feel the angst rolling off his frame. He nuzzled his head beneath the Kryptonian's arm sliding his head on to the hero's lap. His eyes gazed up, watching that smile come back, soft, nice, and young. Reminding Krypto a lot of Jor-El gazing down upon him.
It couldn't be that bad as long as Krypto was there for Kal-El.
The appearance of the familiar hero appearing outside of that sudden orb, upset, having just taken several steps out, breaking apart in audible sobs, on his knees, and distraught.
It was enough to wag his tail and leap on to his chest knocking him down playfully and this time—compared to the other times, the hero laughed.
The Kryptonian rubbed the mutt's head talking so softly to him.
Lex Luthor finally got what he wanted.
Superman was gone.
Finally.
Unloved. Lack of support. Very little. Disappointment that was universal resting upon his name and reputation. The news weren't talking in his favor. He wasn't there to turn the tides using power that he could have very well decided to turn against the citizens of the city. Melting away the person when it was too late. All it took was going to his lair, decoding the second half of the last message left by his family, creating a clone, and releasing the information out to the general public. His image was destroyed by his parents. It helped that Superman went in willingly.
Turned against by the entire world. The alien that held the power which had not been deserve? Another world full of a different culture and thoughts upon the people of Earth. Was man allowed to harness that power? Something so great under the most reasonable and well intended consequence once.
He had the key to the city hanging in his office right across from him.
Cathartic.
Trapped in another dimension parted from the entire justice gang.
To think that Lex nearly toyed with using Eve to lure them out including the reporter Lois Lane and sending them along for the ride to the dimension that would break the spirit of the hero and stranding them there after using his assistant as a part of the trap. Too good for his taste. So he simply dismissed it.
A broken invader from another world was better than one who could turn around and dominate the entire late, having as much sex as he wanted, producing an endless amount of children, resurrecting his entire civilization one woman at a time, sending humanity far into the belly of extinction. Being thorough in making sure they could not perish during the pregnancies. Being harsh and cruel. The worst image that he could muster up was summoned by the video that had been given life.
Every single man being subjugated or outright killed in fear of reproducing with available women. A disturbing thought that was rotten at the core. Survivors and stragglers had to be expected since he couldn't necessarily get them all. A horrifying thought that filled the likes of a world which had been decimated by nuclear war and had been taken over by Artificial Intelligence sending out Terminators to patrol the landscape, create farms, assemble people to do the construction work, and give them numbers on their wrists reducing them of their identity to mere cattle.
"Teschmacher!"
His shriek carried through the building.
"Teschmacher!"
He lifted up to his feet removing the black piece of cloth.
"Teschmac—"
He stopped what he was doing witnessing the sky that was now dark and gray. Smoke rising to the top dancing in front of the window. One of the justice gang members, Mr Terrific, was thrown into the office landing to his side, groaning, n dire pain Fire spreading through the city with heat drifting into the office.
Screaming carried through the city against the night sky. The stuff of horrors as a single floating woman stood there with her eyes resting on him.
"Lex Luthor."
Mr Terrific groaned lifting up then falling back on to his chest with his forehead meeting the cold floor.
"Supergirl...." Luthor clenched his hands.
Her eyes were full of rage that was emphasized harshly and the fire in the sky behind Supergirl emphasized her destructive gaze.
"You broke my cousin down." Words of hurt and anger.
"How—"
"Everything that they told me pointed in that direction." Her eyes motioned toward him, her voice ready to break. "And you had the audacity to clone my cousin."
"What?" Mr Terrific's head bobbed up, gaping, facing Luthor, paling in a moment of horror that crashed upon him as his heart sunk.
Luthor cleared his throat as he remained standing there moving over to the small container that had Kryptonite.
"This is different compared to him." Luthor responded, sharply.
Mr Terrific cradled the side of his waist as the words spoken by Supergirl was confirmed.
"You son of a bitch!" Mr Terrific lifted up to his knees hunched over, his words were filled in hurt and heartache, looking over as all the good will between them melted away. "You made what they fear!" Lashing out as his voice raised in pitch and tore apart as a bereaved friend. "You remade him!"
"Not remade him--"
"That's Kal-El's DNA IN HIM!" Mr Terrific shouted, leaning forward.
"Okay, okay." He opened the box then the gun was withdrawn, slid open, depositing in the glowing green Kryptonite bullet inside. "I remade him to be a better image."
"You made him a brother—You—cold hearted BASTARD!"
Mr Terrific turned away then flew toward her —using the moment as a diversion — to knock her into the nearest building. Luthor was fast as he closed the device then went to the door and called out his assistant's name. He saw Jimmy Olsen hanging out alongside her desk flirting with the woman. A moment that got on his nerves. No wonder she hadn't gotten to him upon his shout. She was busy flirting the single most average man in the entire world who had freckles galore.
He turned back toward the window in a moment of annoyance and then Mr Terrific crashed on to the couch severely more beaten, bruised, his suit stained in his blood, a right eye that was notably swelling since half the mask was broken off after having absorbed a lot of friction that shielded him from worse damage, lifting up to his knees.
"I have one question; where.. is ... my... dog?"
Mr Terrific spat out a tooth then sighed looking over toward Luthor.
"Mr Luthor, I recommend on the behalf of this entire planet that you hand over that stupid dog."
"And what are you going to do?" Mr Terrific took out a phone then turned on live stream and watched it play. "Rescue your cousin?"
Supergirl floated there in the air sending death stares that were plenty.
"Just the dog." Supergirl answered.
Lifting his head up smug, snickering, shaking it.
"I don't believe you." Luthor said.
"Just give her the dog, man!" Mr Terrific insisted from afar.
"He won't want to come back, bitch!" Stretching her arms out as her head hung there facing Luthor. "You shattered his spirit and his identity! He can't clean up your messes! I don't care! You can destroy Metropolis or make it a ghost city for all I care!"
Supergirl's heart was in her voice.
"I failed to be there for him growing up!"
So much blame for how things turned out.
"I failed! Allright!" Shaking her head from side to side, then cradling it, briefly closing her eyes, heartbroken. "I was supposed to watch over him and I couldn't do that either! He thought his parents sent him to be good! I couldn't take that away from him!"
A gasp escaped from Mr Terrific.
"And that's the story you're going to tell the press," Luthor's arrogance shined on through as he applauded in a moment briefly. "Unfotunetly, we're not going to believe it, no one is in the business of that with those from Krypton." Clasping his hands together, proudly. "No one is going to believe it, how can we trust a alien such as you that lied?"
"What kind of cousin was I if I had done that? I can't fix him! And if I tried, I would fail!" So much heartache in her voice as she rambled on in a fit of rage and hurt. "And so would you!"
Luthor snorted at the assertion that seemed so much full of emotion that it screeched over acting over the idea.
"The stuff of fantasy!" Luthor shot back.
Mr Terrific held the phone up.
"You broke him down until he was ashes in the heart and he—you took his heart to be Superman!" Luthor lifted the gun facing her. "And I can't save him because he doesn't want to be saved! Not even your clone could reignite the spark that you snuffed out!"
She flipped over the desk throwing it into the hallway.
"WHERE IS MY DOG?"
Luthor ducked out of the way of the desk as the livestream ended with Mr Terrific knocking him down to the ground out of the general path of the desk.
Supergirl floated over then knocked aside the gun summoning heat vision that left hot searing burns on Luthor's face even his eyes were stinging.
"WHERE IS MY DOG?"
Guy appeared from behind then smacked his fist green glowing fist against her knocking the Kryptonian aside falling down as he hovered there looking awful as Tesmacher ran in and gasped seeing Luthor cradling the side of his burning fade in a moment of personal agony. Guy flew over toward Mr Terrific then picked up the hero and flew out leaving behind the duo as Teschmacher ran over holding a box full of first aid. Supergirl appeared in the red glowing background full of rage.
"I want my dog back."
Teschmacher looked over, frightened then back.
"Don't you dare lead her to him!" Luthor demanded.
Teschmacher was tense as she stood up to her feet putting on a brave facade knowing what she was exactly capable of. Her powers could wash away beauty leaving behind suffering and horror and heartache. She approached the figure as Luthor shrieked her name.
"TESCHMACHER!" Luthor shouted from behind. "Don't you dare!" He scrambled up to his feet then a ray of heat vision stopped him from going after Teschmacher. "TESCHMACHER!" His roar filled the air. "Ultraman is on his way! Stop!"
"It's the only way to save the world." Teschmacher responded.
Taschmacher turned toward him then faced Supergirl.
"TESCHMACHER! IF you do this; you're fired!"
A risk that had to be taken.
"I know." Teschmacher replied, sighing.
And her chest felt so light.
"TESCHMACHER!"