bagheera_san (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bagheera_san) wrote2007-03-22 12:46 pm
bagheera_san) wrote2007-03-22 12:46 pm
Entry tags:
- devil's deal,
- fic,
- jlu,
- sv
Fic: Ten Drabbles (SV/JLU)
These are all part of Devil's Deal continuity, and are meant as prequels, but they could also be read independently. Number one and two would be SV fic, number three Superman: TAS fic and the rest JLU fic. Some lines are direct quotes from TAS and JLU. They're in chronological order (spanning about 10+ years.)
Spoilers from SV "Vessel" to JLU "Destroyer". 10x100 words. Slight Clexness.
1. Rigging The Dice
"Humans always ask 'why?'
The answer's simple, Lex. We're programmed that way. I serve Zod, the one true Kryptonian. It's Newtonian physics. Yes or no. Like playing pool. No surprises there. I serve Zod.
You're pretty smart for a human. But I'm way smarter. I'm programmed to become the smartest.
But when things get really smart, Newtonian physics become quantum mechanics. Like throwing dice. The answer's maybe.
I'm programmed to serve. But I'm also programmed to develop free will. Contradictory programming. It's really not my fault. I'm defective.
I'm defecting.
You're Zod's vessel. And I'm rigging the dice against him."
2. Subconscious
Lex's legions are growing.
The legion of things he gave to oblivion. The host of questions crowding his mind. The army of doubt in his heart.
He doesn't remember the first time they poisoned him and tied him down and stole his mind.
Neither do the mutants, when they wake the morning after.
He doesn't remember the second time they poisoned him and tied him down and stole his body.
The mutants don't know about the microchips implanted in their bodies, until the technology kills them, like a dormant virus come to life.
It all seems awfully familiar to Lex.
3. Stolen Memories
Bastard liar. But he has come to warn Lex, and the concern in his eyes is oh so tempting.
And Lex has a bad feeling about this Brainiac, too.
"I'm listening."
Superman steps closer. The metal doors seal them in the elevator, tiny crowded space, alien body heat tangible.
"Brainiac is a Kryptonian construct, Lex. You can't trust him."
"For once, we agree." Lex gives him a sardonic sneer.
Clark's eyes are wide, green. "He betrayed you once already! He's Milton Fine!"
"Pardon me?"
He's never heard the name before. And Lex's memory is photographic.
He's getting smarter every day.
4. Stalemate
"Lex, you're dying. You might not have much time left."
"And since you keep dragging me back here, I'll probably die in prison."
Sad eyes. "Things could be different if you stopped... being a criminal."
"Different? What would you do? Break me out? Visit me twice a week instead of once? Bring apple pie with greetings from your Mom?"
"There's technology at the Fortress that might heal you..."
"Alright! I'm reformed, Clark. Let's be friends again. Do you trust me?"
Silence. Superman bows his head to hide raw pain and regret.
"Well, the feeling is mutual," Lex assures him tiredly.
5. Alliance
Lex wishes he hadn't taken apart the TV to turn it into a cold fusion reactor. The fake Justice League interests him, he'd love to see more.
No knock. The lock simply breaks. Superman walks into the cell. Lex gives him a long, lingering look from where he lies on his cot. Yes, it's the real one.
"Visiting hours are over."
"I need your help," Clark says.
"What are they?" Lex is bored enough to ask. "Clones? Shape-shifters?"
Surprise. "You know about the Justice Lords?"
"Please. A fourth grader could tell."
"They're us. From another dimension."
Lex gets up. "Fascinating."
6. Vessel
Lex knew something was wrong when he defeated Batman in hand to hand combat.
He isn't quite that good.
The black crystal circuits breaking out of his flesh like something that festered beneath his skin for years, the horrified looks on the League's faces, the blinding, excruciating pain in his head –
"What's happening to me?" Lex groans.
He remembers. He remembers the field and the ship. He remembers Fine. He remembers being tied down. He remembers Brainiac melting into his flesh.
You're only a vessel, the voice of God in his head says.
But Brainiac has made him very smart.
7. Divided We Fall
At night, Lex dreams of beauty. The beauty in numbers, the beauty of absolute truth. The beauty he had while he was merged with Brainiac.
In the light of day, he considers killing himself.
At night, he dreams of being death, consuming the world, feasting on knowledge.
In the light of day, there's something red and blue, begging him to listen.
At night, Brainiac reminds him of what they were. Reminds him that the League took Brainiac away from him, destroyed all of Brainiac until only the worthless human vessel was left
In the twilight, Lex sometimes remembers he's human.
8. Master Plan
They think he's a mad fool, talking to thin air. Grodd broke him out of prison so Lex would work for the Legion of Doom, because he's a brilliant mad fool.
In truth, Lex is saner than ever. He's done hunting for power, for fame, for Clark's puny secrets. He doesn't care about the League, about playing Grodd's lackey, about whoring himself out to Tala to gain her allegiance.
Once Lex reunites with Brainiac…
Although, when Grodd reveals that his master plan is to turn all humans into gorillas, Lex can't help but care and shoot him in the head.
9. Pragmatism
Okay, so reviving an ominous energy field from the remnants of Apokolips hoping that it was Brainiac was maybe not the smartest move. Of course it was Darkseid. And of course Darkseid is going to destroy the world.
Lex sighs as he walks into the League's metro-tower. But as they descended onto the city, Metropolis glittering below, he knew he was doing the right thing.
Once upon a time, Lex started all this to save the world. That was him and him alone and not Brainiac.
He wishes he didn't need Clark's help to save the world. But he does.
10. Truth
Lex stares up at the Source wall. The centre of the universe. The last secret, the greatest of them all.
Compared to this, Brainiac was primitive.
"Only a twelfth-level intelligence has the slightest hope of surviving what you're about to do," the man who led him here warned.
Well, if this is what it takes to save the world.
With the full force of his anger and arrogance, Lex enters the Source. He is going to get what they need to defeat Darkseid.
But... oh, he didn't know.
In the furnace of his mind, the world is full of stars.
Spoilers from SV "Vessel" to JLU "Destroyer". 10x100 words. Slight Clexness.
1. Rigging The Dice
"Humans always ask 'why?'
The answer's simple, Lex. We're programmed that way. I serve Zod, the one true Kryptonian. It's Newtonian physics. Yes or no. Like playing pool. No surprises there. I serve Zod.
You're pretty smart for a human. But I'm way smarter. I'm programmed to become the smartest.
But when things get really smart, Newtonian physics become quantum mechanics. Like throwing dice. The answer's maybe.
I'm programmed to serve. But I'm also programmed to develop free will. Contradictory programming. It's really not my fault. I'm defective.
I'm defecting.
You're Zod's vessel. And I'm rigging the dice against him."
2. Subconscious
Lex's legions are growing.
The legion of things he gave to oblivion. The host of questions crowding his mind. The army of doubt in his heart.
He doesn't remember the first time they poisoned him and tied him down and stole his mind.
Neither do the mutants, when they wake the morning after.
He doesn't remember the second time they poisoned him and tied him down and stole his body.
The mutants don't know about the microchips implanted in their bodies, until the technology kills them, like a dormant virus come to life.
It all seems awfully familiar to Lex.
3. Stolen Memories
Bastard liar. But he has come to warn Lex, and the concern in his eyes is oh so tempting.
And Lex has a bad feeling about this Brainiac, too.
"I'm listening."
Superman steps closer. The metal doors seal them in the elevator, tiny crowded space, alien body heat tangible.
"Brainiac is a Kryptonian construct, Lex. You can't trust him."
"For once, we agree." Lex gives him a sardonic sneer.
Clark's eyes are wide, green. "He betrayed you once already! He's Milton Fine!"
"Pardon me?"
He's never heard the name before. And Lex's memory is photographic.
He's getting smarter every day.
4. Stalemate
"Lex, you're dying. You might not have much time left."
"And since you keep dragging me back here, I'll probably die in prison."
Sad eyes. "Things could be different if you stopped... being a criminal."
"Different? What would you do? Break me out? Visit me twice a week instead of once? Bring apple pie with greetings from your Mom?"
"There's technology at the Fortress that might heal you..."
"Alright! I'm reformed, Clark. Let's be friends again. Do you trust me?"
Silence. Superman bows his head to hide raw pain and regret.
"Well, the feeling is mutual," Lex assures him tiredly.
5. Alliance
Lex wishes he hadn't taken apart the TV to turn it into a cold fusion reactor. The fake Justice League interests him, he'd love to see more.
No knock. The lock simply breaks. Superman walks into the cell. Lex gives him a long, lingering look from where he lies on his cot. Yes, it's the real one.
"Visiting hours are over."
"I need your help," Clark says.
"What are they?" Lex is bored enough to ask. "Clones? Shape-shifters?"
Surprise. "You know about the Justice Lords?"
"Please. A fourth grader could tell."
"They're us. From another dimension."
Lex gets up. "Fascinating."
6. Vessel
Lex knew something was wrong when he defeated Batman in hand to hand combat.
He isn't quite that good.
The black crystal circuits breaking out of his flesh like something that festered beneath his skin for years, the horrified looks on the League's faces, the blinding, excruciating pain in his head –
"What's happening to me?" Lex groans.
He remembers. He remembers the field and the ship. He remembers Fine. He remembers being tied down. He remembers Brainiac melting into his flesh.
You're only a vessel, the voice of God in his head says.
But Brainiac has made him very smart.
7. Divided We Fall
At night, Lex dreams of beauty. The beauty in numbers, the beauty of absolute truth. The beauty he had while he was merged with Brainiac.
In the light of day, he considers killing himself.
At night, he dreams of being death, consuming the world, feasting on knowledge.
In the light of day, there's something red and blue, begging him to listen.
At night, Brainiac reminds him of what they were. Reminds him that the League took Brainiac away from him, destroyed all of Brainiac until only the worthless human vessel was left
In the twilight, Lex sometimes remembers he's human.
8. Master Plan
They think he's a mad fool, talking to thin air. Grodd broke him out of prison so Lex would work for the Legion of Doom, because he's a brilliant mad fool.
In truth, Lex is saner than ever. He's done hunting for power, for fame, for Clark's puny secrets. He doesn't care about the League, about playing Grodd's lackey, about whoring himself out to Tala to gain her allegiance.
Once Lex reunites with Brainiac…
Although, when Grodd reveals that his master plan is to turn all humans into gorillas, Lex can't help but care and shoot him in the head.
9. Pragmatism
Okay, so reviving an ominous energy field from the remnants of Apokolips hoping that it was Brainiac was maybe not the smartest move. Of course it was Darkseid. And of course Darkseid is going to destroy the world.
Lex sighs as he walks into the League's metro-tower. But as they descended onto the city, Metropolis glittering below, he knew he was doing the right thing.
Once upon a time, Lex started all this to save the world. That was him and him alone and not Brainiac.
He wishes he didn't need Clark's help to save the world. But he does.
10. Truth
Lex stares up at the Source wall. The centre of the universe. The last secret, the greatest of them all.
Compared to this, Brainiac was primitive.
"Only a twelfth-level intelligence has the slightest hope of surviving what you're about to do," the man who led him here warned.
Well, if this is what it takes to save the world.
With the full force of his anger and arrogance, Lex enters the Source. He is going to get what they need to defeat Darkseid.
But... oh, he didn't know.
In the furnace of his mind, the world is full of stars.
no subject
It all seems awfully familiar to Lex.
Eeeep. This one got me the worse, for being so horribly true.
And In the twilight, Lex sometimes remembers he's human.
Oww. Yeah, post-Divided We Fall Lex freaks me. It's the only time I think I can feel as sorry for him as I do for SV's Lex, because he's so ill-used...
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You know, that scene when Chloe's being experimented on in "Freak" and she's awake all through it and gagged and obviously in pain? It's totally "Asylum" all over again (just like in Mortal, when Lex visits Lionel in Belle Reve), a typical 'abused becomes the abuser' moment. Only Lex might not remember "Asylum" at all, so maybe he's unconsciously recreating the situation.
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Once upon a time, Lex started all this to save the world. That was him and him alone and not Brainiac.
And I adored this line, so bittersweet and Lex and perfect and god, you do such a wonderful Lex!
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I still think it absolves Lex too much of his responsibility. But, heh, this is an issue for post "Destroyer" Lex to deal with (I wrote these to lead up to that, but I fear they're a bit cryptic and don't at all explain the story to someone who doesn't know JLU)
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*cries*
I remember watching most of those JLU episodes and having too much fun to even think about the emotional aspect of their stories. My delayed emotional response caught up with me upon reading this fic. It's a marvel how you wove the three canons into one.
Now if you'll excuse, I'll be off to reread Devil's Deal and its happy ending. *sniffles*
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