(Holl's P.O.V)

Soon enough, we were standing before the entrance to Sub-level 14. Shade silently sunk into my shadow, where he always stayed, awaiting my orders.

I was about to do the biometric scan when the entrance hissed, retracting onto the wall.

In front of me stood none other than Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke. His costume seemed to have undergone a few alterations.

The black plates were switched out for a grayer material that seemed to subtly bend light and blend the costume into the surroundings.

He didn't have his helmet on, one eye was hidden behind an eye patch while the other was narrowed my way with hate.

So much hate I knew he would never forgive me for enslaving him and making him my pet.

Without a word, he passed by me.

But of course being the petty bastard I was, this was too good a chance to pass up.

"You upgraded your costume huh? Too bad you don't have the collar on your neck anymore. Green would be compatible with the new suit, don't you think?"

He stopped right beside me. From the corner of my eyes, I saw his fingers twitch.

Yeah...do it. It's been long since I felt alive. Sink into your anger and attack. Then Luthor won't have anything to say when I put you under my control again.

"Ah Holl! There you are!"

A new voice reached my eyes from the front, interrupting us.

Ugh.

The source was a balding middle aged man dressed in a lab coat.

I put on a fake smile.

"Dr.Armstrong, how are you doing this fine aftern-"

"Yes yes, spare me the niceties boy."

Armstrong interrupted pulling me into the lab.

"There's a new product I need you to test."

I didn't look back but I knew Slade's eyes (or eye) were focused on me. Too bad he didn't react to my taunt. Giving him up had been the only point of contention between Lex and I.

Such a valuable Pet.

Tsk. This partnership better be worth it Luthor. Or else, you're the one in danger of becoming a Pet. Having a genius Pet on retainer would no doubt be beneficial to my plans.

The first thing I always focused on whenever I entered Sub-level 14 was the giant globe in the middle of the room.

A replica of the planet overlayed with a projection that displayed real time Anomalous zones.

That sounds just like it means.

Apparently Luthor was a collector of some kind. The man had his eyes on anything and everything that could give him a leg up on his competition or...on Superman.

The giant globe was not even the most outstanding object in the chamber.

The division was full of mad scientists doing mad scientists things.

One guy had created a flamethrower that could shoot out Lava and was demonstrating it on a pannel of metal.

The metal didn't stand a chance.

Another was prodding a giant Gorilla in a cage with a cattle prod. The Gorilla slammed it's forearms onto the bars, making the whole cage shake but still remain undamaged.

Damn, what kind of metal was the cage made out of? That Gorilla was the size of Grodd. Over 7 feet tall.

Mmh. I wouldn't mind having a giant Gorilla as a pet. Maybe I could talk to Lex about it.

Our arrangement while not as fleshed out as I would have liked, ensured I could request for Pets.

Luthor's people would then do everything in their power to procure them for me. The prerequisite being, I would have to help out whenever Luthor requested.

Knowing him, the missions would be fun enough to interest me.

A win-win situation.

Finally, Armstrong and I arrived at the furthest part of the chamber. The doctor had been talking throughout our walk but the Ocean Gods know I didn't hear a single word. Too lost in my thoughts.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"...that's when I asked Luthor, why not take advantage of the crystal's capabilities and create an untraceable, untrackable and undefendable weapon?"

He said excitedly.

"And that's when I finally came up with batch 78. A sonic bio virus that can be transmitted through the air and kill off the targets before they know they're dead! Brilliant, don't you think?"

The Good Doctor was staring at me with anticipation, awaiting my input.

"Umm..."

I scratched my head.

"Sorry could you repeat that again? Like all of it?"

Doctor Armstrong removed his glasses, wiped them on his lab coat before putting them on and hitting me with a nasty glare.

"You were not even listening to my genius application of the shock crystals?! How rude!"

"Come on doc."

I rolled my eyes.

"We both know you like the sound of your own voice so get to talking. I'll listen this time, I promise."

The scientists Luthor hired were...eccentric to say the least.

By eccentric I mean, sadistic fucks who wouldn't hesitate to cut you up just to find out how you tick.

Fortunately, the doctor complied and I finally got the gist of it.

There were these pink crystals that contained sonic energy compressed to a tremendous extent.

Once shattered, they would produce a pressure wave strong enough to collapse a tunnel or crush a car. And that was just a small piece.

I immediately recognized them. They'd been placed throughout Gotham's underground tunnel system. I had these babies to thank for my escape.

It seems Luthor was the source of them. Why am I not surprised?

Armstrong had taken the crystals and modified them into some sort of superweapon that could disintegrate bio-mass to nothing.

Unfortunately it only seemed to work on children as of now.

Their metabolism was weaker than an adult's, making them susceptible to the Sonic Virus.

That's where I came in. Armstrong wanted to text the virus on my hair.

"We've already ran tests that show each individual strand of your hair, has the tensile strength of a steel wire."

Armstrong explained, leading me to the target zone. An area where I would stand and let him blast me with different weapons to find out the true limits of my long ass hair.

Over the week, we found out a few things.

The durability would increase as long as I had a large serving of protein rich food within a period of 24 hours.

When hungry or starving, the hair strands would be a bit weaker but still deadly.

Like the difference between a sharp knife and a blunt one.

Another thing was my control. It was steadily growing. My body seemed to have a minor adaptive ability. At least in regards to my hair.

Whenever Armstrong brought out something sufficiently powerful that could injure me, any destroyed strands would grow back, a little bit stronger.

And lastly, if I applied the Pet Pet fruit's ability on myself, everything about my hair would be enhanced to crazy levels.

The tensile strength would bypass steel and become almost as dense as tungsten.

Taking into account the melting point of Tungsten was 6192°F (3422°C), I had an effective shield against heat. Not to mention it's extreme durability would defend me from almost anything.

"Okay, ready?"

Armstrong asked from where he was standing, a strange gun in his hands.

""" They're doing it again. """

""" Do you think he'll survive this time?"""

""" Nothing Armstrong has thrown his way has seemed to work."""

""" Ten bucks says he dies."""

""" You're on."""

A few scientists were speculating amongst themselves, their attention fixated on Armstrong and I.

This had been a routine for the past few days.

Everytime Armstrong had a 'product' he wanted to test, I was mostly the only one dumb and crazy enough to accept the challenge.

Naturally that earned me a certain reputation as someone who enjoyed pain. I...didn't know what to think about that.

"Don't mind those fools."

Armstrong shooed them away.

I gave him the go ahead by molding a thumbs up with my hair.

Then I applied the Pet Pet collar on myself. Better safe than sorry.

I felt a rush of power invade my entire body. Everything was enhanced as my physique broke from the Human category and became something else.

Super.

Every breath I took carried with it smells and scents that I could easily differentiate. Things that would be undetectable to a normal human nose.

My eyes could see the lice on the Gorilla's fur from dozens of feet away.

My skin could sense the shift of air molecules in the room instinctively. And my mind...I could think even more clearly.

The best part was not looking like a skeleton.

As well fed as I was, my body could support the transformation easily. At least for a few minutes before I startes shrivelling up.

"A word of caution."

Doctor Armstrong said with a cruel smile.

"This might hurt or possibly kill you."

"This is payback for ignoring you on our way here, isn't it?"

I questioned with a raised brow.

Armstrong didn't even bother to lie.

"Hold on to your horses, dear boy."

He simply replied before pulling the trigger.

******

"You look terrible."

Mercy said upon seeing me. Shade had teleported me to Lexcorp from the lab.

To be specific, the reception area leading to Luthor's office.

And wouldn't you know, the first person I meet while covered in bruises and welts was the one most likely to poke fun at me.

"Armstrong."

I simply responded.

Strangely enough Mercy winced.

"Yeah...I know the good doctor. He's-"

"Fun?"

"Crazy."

Both of us said at the same time.

Mercy stared at me as if I'd grown a second head.

"Only you would think getting almost blown apart with a sonic gun is 'fun'."

She shook her head, turning around and walking towards Luthor's office.

I followed behind her, admiring her fit body. Everything about her spelled 'consumate professional'. It was bringing all my secretary fantasies to the fore front of my mind.

"So...you've been watching me huh?"

I asked, catching up to her.

"Security is part of my duties around here. I watch over everything."

She replied curtly.

"That wasn't a denial."

I shot back.

"Get your mind out of the gutter Holl."

She said, looking back at me with raised eyebrows.

"It's never gonna happen."

"I wouldnt be so sure about that Mercy. I can be quite convincing."

I chuckled, enjoying her irritated expression.

"Die."

She finally bit out, pushing through the door.

Luthor's oppulent office was revealed to me. Bastard had a better view than my Penthouse.

"Maestro! How kind of you to join me."

Lex greeted, seated behind his ebony desk.

He was wearing a well fitted suit with a red tie. His bald head seemed to reflect light from the overhead pannels.

He walked around the desk and offered a hand for me to shake. I complied and took the seat directly opposite him.

Mercy went to stand by his side.

"I saw some of your requests."

Luthor begun.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is Kairoseki and what do you need ocean water for?"

Good. If Luthor didn't recognize the word Kairoseki, which meant sea prism stone, it likely meant it didn't exist.

That was one weakness to my devil fruit avoided. Now I just need to test if I could be weakened by sea water.

So far, I hadn't lost the ability to swim. Which would have been a bummer given the massive pool in my penthouse.

The sea water was mostly to make sure that I was exempt from the two major weaknesses shared by all devil fruits.