Lex walked into the laboratory anticipation flowing through his veins. While Felix Faust had gone AWOL, it didn't stop him from continuing his plans to make the most out of magic..., and, anti-magic.
The Nthirium crystal was a crucial ingredient to completing his master plan. But unluckily for him, he didn't know of its whereabouts.
But just like anything else, the crystal had it's substitutes, and Lex found another similar artifact with the anti-magic charm. This particular item was interesting, even by just looking at it.
It was a wizard's hat, decorated with green flowing lines that seemed to glow from time to time. He had been conducting his carefully orchestrated robberies not only in New York, but also in other places in the world.
This particular hat came from West Africa, where he had hired a group of well-trained "archaeologists" to retrieve any relics of interest.
Lex was a powerful man, and his hands stretched to the corners of the Earth. So, whenever he needed something done, he just had to snap his fingers and his team would take care of it.
He only had to get involved when it was necessary, and as he entered the laboratory, he couldn't help but feel that this was such a situation.
"Is it done?" He asked the first scientist that he saw, who looked tranced in reading the paper on his clipboard.
"I said not to be dis-" The scientist nearly yelled, unaware who he was talking to.
"Mr. Lex," he said apologetically, "I'm, I'm... sorry. I didn't know it was yo-"
"Answer me." Lex demanded, ignoring the scientist's frantic attempts at redeeming himself. Lex couldn't care less. All he cared about was the task he had bestowed upon this dimwits.
If they didn't give him any good news, he would crash all of their skulls.
"Ah..The EMP?" The scientists asked, not uncertainly though.
"Do I look like I am in the mood for riddles?" Lex asked with a burrowed face. He meant serious business. "What else have you been doing that would make you forget your goals?"
"Haaha," the scientist chuckled nervously, "your sense of humor always gets me.
"Mrrmrmmrrhh..." Lex grunted impatiently. This guy was getting into his nerves. He was not a man known for his tolerance, and in this crucial moment, he had little patience for delays or excuses.
The scientist, still trembling under Lex's scrutiny, quickly gathered his composure and began to explain. "The EMP, Mr. Lex, is nearing completion. Our team has been working tirelessly to amalgamate the magic and anti-magic elements as you instructed. It's a complex process, and we've faced several challenges along the way."
Lex's eyes narrowed as he listened. The EMP device was a game-changer, a potent tool that would allow him to level the playing field against those metahumans who possessed extraordinary powers, especially The Man of Steel.
He had invested a lot of resources in research and covert operations, and he couldn't afford any setbacks now.
"Explain those challenges," Lex demanded, his voice carrying a tone that dared the scientist to offer any excuses.
The scientist hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Firstly, sir, acquiring the necessary anti-magic ingredients wasn't easy. We had to send teams to different parts of the world, using your resources to collect artifacts, like the wizard's hat from West Africa, which you provided. But even with those items, the anti-magic component isn't as potent as we'd hoped."
Lex's jaw clenched. He had spared no expense in obtaining the rare and mystical items needed for this project. The fact that they weren't living up to his expectations was a matter of concern.
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The scientist continued, "Additionally, sir, the fusion of magic and anti-magic has proven to be highly volatile. We've had several instances of uncontrolled energy discharges during our experiments, which, as you can understand, poses a significant risk to both our team and the facility."
Lex's frustration grew. He had little tolerance for setbacks, especially when it came to his ambitious projects. "You were supposed to have found solutions to these issues," he scolded the scientist. "Have you made any progress in stabilizing the EMP?"
The scientist cleared his throat and replied, "We have made progress, Mr. Lex. We've developed containment measures to prevent uncontrolled discharges, and we're fine-tuning the anti-magic component. The device should be ready for a test run soon. However, we need to discuss the potential side effects."
"Side effects?" Lex asked with a raised eyebrow.
The scientist nodded, his apprehension evident. "The fusion of magic and anti-magic, while potent, may have unintended consequences. It could disrupt not only the superhuman abilities of our targets but also have unpredictable effects on their physiology. We've been unable to mitigate this risk entirely."
Lex absorbed this information. He knew that any potential side effects had to be weighed against the device's advantages. He couldn't afford to make a costly mistake that might backfire.
Last thing he needed was to fight against a crazy, enraged Superman.
"Is that so?" Lex asked, a mischievous grin forming in his face. "So you agree that we need to dentify the possible side effects, and ensure that we have countermeasures in place as soon as possible?"
The scientist nodded, relieved that Lex was willing to consider a more cautious approach. "Yes sir. With a little more time, we can surely achieve this."
"Why wait?" Lex Luthor asked, his sinister grin fully formed, and his fingers gently bouncing against each other. "Bring in the test subject and conduct the experiment."
"Are you sure sir?" The scientist asked. "Keeping her sealed is what is keeping her from ripping our throats out. Even the fact that we caught her was a once in a lifetime miracle that can never happen again. She should stay like that for the moment, until the EMP is fully ready for testing."
"Are you defying my orders?!" Lex said, his voice sounding..."un-peaceful".
"No sir. But.." The scientist tried to reason with Lex. He knew what kind of a ferocious beast they had locked up. They had intercepted her during one of their robberies in the south, when she nearly decimated the whole team.
Were it not for a lucky coincidence and their frantic attempts to use anti-magic, they would have all been goners. Thank the heavens that a helpless girl had been the pawn that led to their impossible victory.
He believed that she should stay locked up until the EMP was fully ready to be used to neutralize her superhuman abilities, allowing some of them enough time to run before she switched to her unmatched combat abilities. All in all, they would have confirmed the true potential of the EMP device - Eradicator of Meta Personnel.
"Don't but me. Do as you are told, or face the consequences!" Lex Luthor retorted. "But make sure that she is held down properly. I'm not in a fighting mood."
---
In a dimly lit room adjacent to the laboratory, preparations were underway to test the EMP device on the test subject.
She had already been brought in, and her body lay lifeless on a bed in the room.
"I don't know what you were worried about. She is fast asleep. She can't do anything." Lex said to the scientist as he moved his fingers around the mechanical interface.
"Well, for the EMP to work, she needs to be awake and using her abilities." The scientist informed. "But when she wakes up, we better hope that it works fast before she gets to us. Because she will. She only lost to us because of the circumstances."
"Are you suggesting that I am weak?" Lex Luthor asked while eyeing the scientist furiously.
"Not per say, but..." the scientist began speaking, but before he could finish, a strong palm grabbed his torso and sent him crashing into the mechanical interface.
"I can do this myself." Lex Luthor said as he moved the bleeding body aside. He had heard enough criticism from a subordinate from the day.
"Now, let's see..." he murmured to himself as he studied the array of buttons before him; a few of them already smashed. "I get it."
Lex Luthor was a creative genius, and it didn't take long for him to understand how the setup operated. The EMP device was meant to absorb energy from the relics, and using the scientific principles they had programmed into it, it would convert this energies into a shield that would form around a metahuman, restricting them from using their power.
It was that simple, and as Lex observed the setup, he knew how he would channel the energy to the EMP device that would shoot the energy beam towards the woman sleeping in the room, once she was awake.
"Wake her up." Lex ordered the group that had brought her in.
"Er..mmmmhh.." they hesitated." They didn't even want to be in that room in the first place. But they also hadn't seen what Lex had done to the scientist, because Lex was in a control area outside the dimly lit room.
Separated by a one-way, reinforced, glass window, Lex could see what was going on in the room, but those inside couldn't see the control room. He could also communicate to them via a microphone and speakers.
"And don't leave the room." He issued a follow-up order.