《Endless Legacy (DC Comics)》


 Chapter 1: Prologue

    A/N: This is one of my ten Patreon-Funded stories. Currently up to date with all my other public websites, with four chapters of advance content always available on my Patreon at all times. Updates once every two weeks. Enjoy!


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°S-Shit! F-Fucking-ack!¡±


    A series of coughs explodes from his throat as he staggers forward, his feet barely wanting to move beneath him. And yet, he forces them to, even as explosions sound overhead and the ground shakes beneath his feet. Fissures are visible in the concrete, and at any moment he imagines that the earth might split open right between his feet and swallow him up. Not much he can do about that though.


    His every movement is a jittery, spasming mess as he uses a cane of all things to prop himself up while he staggers and stumbles onward. One might think, all things considered, he was an old man at the end of a long life. But this was not the case. He hadn¡¯t even seen a full twenty-four years on this accursed planet yet.


    Lucian had always known he was going to die young, to be fair. Born sickly, he¡¯d not exactly been set up for success in life, and that was in spite of being the bastard son of THE Lex Luthor. Of course, being Lex Luthor¡¯s flesh and blood only gets you so far when you don¡¯t live up to the man¡¯s expectations. At least Lucian could say he¡¯d been consistent. It might have been the only reason his father let him live and didn¡¯t arrange for an accident instead.


    From the very beginning, he¡¯d been little more than dead weight. Born to some no name woman (or so his father had always said) who he¡¯d killed in childbirth, Lucian had been on the cusp of death all his life. His health had always been shit and being exhausted twenty-four-seven did not help him with his studies either. He¡¯d tried to focus on mental pursuits, seeing as physical pursuits were closed off to him, but in the end he couldn¡¯t even do much there. He¡¯d managed an above average 3.5 GPA, but of course, that wasn¡¯t good enough for his father. HE wasn¡¯t good enough for his father.


    When Lucian turned eighteen, Lex had cut him loose. Disowned him. As far as his father was concerned, he¡¯d given Lucian chance after chance and at every single turn, his bastard son had failed him. Ever since, Lucian had been on his own. It¡¯d been hard, but he¡¯d managed to get by. Living with the health problems he had didn¡¯t make it easy by any stretch of the imagination, but on the flip side it was the only life he¡¯d ever known.


    And now it seemed it was a life that was about to come to an abrupt end. Despite knowing he was going to die young; he¡¯d always assumed it would be in a hospital somewhere, seeing as he¡¯d spent a good third of his life in such facilities over the last twenty four years. But he should have known better. In all honesty, it was a wonder he survived as long as he did in a place like Metropolis to begin with.


    Metropolis might have been the shining jewel of the Eastern Seaboard, lifted up as an example of what a true city should be when compared to a shithole like say, Gotham¡­ but it was also the home of Superman. And strength demanded challenge. How HAD Lucian managed to survive every alien invasion and knock-down, city destroying fight that had ever happened throughout his life? How had a sickly fool like him lasted through every single one of Superman¡¯s insanely powerful villains?


    Maybe he was luckier than he gave himself credit for. But much like his health, it would seem said luck was finally failing him. Letting out a rasping cough, Lucian is forced to come to a stop as he damn near doubles over his cane. He tries desperately to catch his breath, knowing that standing out here on the sidewalk in one place was signing his own death sentence. Any moment now, the ground would break open under him and swallow him up if he didn¡¯t keep moving.


    C-CRACK!


    Unfortunately, it seemed his incredibly limited stamina and piss poor health had at long last failed him. Funnily enough, it¡¯s not the ground swallowing him up that kills him. Instead, Lucian finds himself looking up just in time to watch a massive piece of building fall down upon him. In the split second before contact, he wonders if the afterlife will hurt as much as life did.


    Then, he wonders nothing at all.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡­ Huh. He hadn¡¯t actually thought there was an afterlife. That had been a bit of wishful thinking at the end of his short and altogether pathetic life. And yet here he is. It¡¯s strange. Only now that the pain is gone does he realize how debilitating it is. Only now that every breath isn¡¯t a struggle does he find it startlingly easy to just lay there and relax.


    A smile spreads across Lucian¡¯s face, and it doesn¡¯t leave even as a set of slender fingers runs up and down his bared chest. A pair of soft lips brush across his cheek, down his jaw and to his neck. He groans at the incredibly sensual touch from the woman laying beside him. He¡¯d died a virgin, unfortunately. He¡¯d never known the touch of a woman in his entire life, mostly because there was some concern that even the gentlest of sexual acts would result in broken bones or his heart giving out on him.


    He was a frail, sickly thing after all. But not anymore. It almost felt like a dream, if he was being honest. A soft chuckle sounds out in his ear, followed by a beautiful, silken smooth voice. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°My brother is not here. I am. Shall we?¡±


    He¡¯s not sure what she means by that, but he feels this strange desire to find out. Slowly, he nods, not trusting himself to speak. In response, she abruptly swings herself up onto him, straddling his crotch, his cock suddenly pressing against a warm, wet slit. For the firs time, Lucian focuses enough to actually take in the woman he finds himself sharing his afterlife with. The sight of her takes his breath away.


    Her skin is chalk white, and her hair pitch black. It appears as though she¡¯s wearing thick black eyeshadow and thick black lipstick, but somehow Lucian just knows that¡¯s not actually the case. Her breasts are each capped with a dark grey nipple, which stand on end as she grinds her pussy lips into his cockhead for a brief moment, smirking at him slightly as he takes her in.


    Almost like she knows the exact instant that he¡¯s finished soaking in her appearance, she drops down onto his phallus, filling herself with his length. Lucian gasps as she takes his virginity, his entire body seizing up for a moment. But it¡¯s not a bad seizure, which he had plenty of experience with in life. No, this spasm is one of pleasure. He groans throatily, as the woman rides him.


    It takes him some time, but eventually he finds his voice. He can¡¯t help it; his curiosity gets the best of him. His mind, which had been beleaguered by sickness all his life, has never felt clearer. The pain that had such a debilitating effect on his ability to think is gone. Now, his mind is racing. His thoughts are going a mile a minute. Is this what it¡¯s like to exist without pain? Is this what it¡¯s like to have a clear head?


    ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡±


    She looks at him then and her eyes twinkle. Somehow, only then does he notice the ankh necklace dangling betwixt her bouncing breasts.


    ¡°You know who I am, Lucian Luthor.¡±


    His breath catches. She¡¯s right. He knows who she is.


    ¡°Death¡­¡±


    Death gazes at him¡­ and also bounces up and down on his cock. It¡¯s a strange moment, to be sure. Lucian finds himself reaching out and grabbing hold of her hips. Not to stop her or even slow her down, but to anchor himself as he thrusts up into her from below. It all still feels something like a dream. But then, after a life lived in pain and exhaustion, anything without all of that would feel like a dream, he supposed.


    ¡°You¡¯ve lived a hard life, Lucian. Your own nature has not been kind to you.¡±


    Blinking, he looks at her at that, caught off guard.


    ¡°My¡­ my own nature?¡±


    She gives him a crooked smile at that, her insides continuing to clamp down upon his member in a quite satisfying manner. Never in a million years would he have thought the afterlife would involve him fucking Death herself. Did all those who died experience this? Without even having to ask, he knows they didn¡¯t. He¡¯s special, somehow. Unique.


    ¡°My brother Dream has his Vortexes. And I¡­ I have you, Lucian.¡±


    That, truth be told, answers less than Lucian would have preferred. But he¡¯s not entirely sure he should be complaining. Especially not to Death, who it seemed would be the arbiter of where he went next. Was the fact that she was fucking him a good sign or a bad one in that regard?


    Smirking slightly, Death shakes her head in visible amusement.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere but back, Lucian.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    Leaning forward, Death¡¯s pouty black lips part and she splays chalk white fingers along his cheek. In her eyes, Lucian sees stars going out. He sees supernovas and black holes. He sees the death of entire galaxies. It¡¯s the most beautiful thing he¡¯s ever witnessed. SHE is the most beautiful thing he¡¯s ever witnessed.


    ¡°Your nature will not allow you to move on. Not just yet. You aren¡¯t quite ripe. I am Death of the Endless, and in time I will reap the last living thing and then put the universe itself to rest. You yourself will one day die for the final time¡­ and I will be there to welcome you with open arms.¡±


    A little nonplussed, but also slightly surprised he¡¯s managing to follow her explanation so far now that his mind isn¡¯t constantly beset by the pain of his failing body, Lucian nevertheless looks down at where they¡¯re joined together. Furrowing his brow, the young man looks back up into Death¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°¡­ And what would you call this, if not an open-armed welcome?¡±


    She chuckles at that, straightening up and tossing her hair back as she lets out a breathy sigh.


    ¡°An explanation. Your nature robbed you of your first chance at life. For a being such as you, there can be no true life without death.¡±


    Lucian blinks at that, his mind rapidly connecting the dots. Far faster than he thinks he could have before.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that I was doing it to myself? That I was sickly because¡­ what, I was sucking the energy out of my own body?¡±


    She nods, even as she gyrates her hips upon his cock, riding him towards a completion. But Lucian doesn¡¯t want this to end, so he does his level best to hold back his release, even as it proves harder and harder.


    ¡°You are more than just your mortal existence, Lucian. But to become more, you had to live that first life. Weak. Alone. Afraid. I wish it could have been different.¡±


    Death was surprisingly kind. Open. Human, even. He wondered if she was like that with everyone. Somehow, he got the impression that the answer was both yes and no. He was special, after all. At the same time, something won¡¯t stop nagging at him.


    ¡°¡­ Am I the reason my mother died in childbirth?¡±


    At this, Death pauses and gives him a pitying look.


    ¡°I¡¯d hoped to spare you that realization. It will bring you nothing but pain. But¡­ yes. She gave her life for you, Lucian. She did so gladly.¡±


    Lucian can¡¯t help but snort derisively. Yes, it does hurt. Knowing that it wasn¡¯t just giving birth to him that killed his mother, but the fact that he¡¯d straight up¡­ absorbed too much energy from her or something, draining the very life in order to fuel his existence as a sickly man on the cusp of death. Heh, knowing what he knew now, it all much far too much sense.


    On top of him, Death continues to ride him. Her movements are becoming more and more purposeful¡­ more forceful too. She¡¯s looking at him with intent and he knows he won¡¯t be allowed to hold back his release much longer. The time for questions is rapidly coming to an end.


    ¡°You said¡­ I¡¯d be going back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lucian. You will live life again. I have decoupled your soul from its body as is my duty. However due to your nature, when I send your soul on to its appropriate destination, that destination is an earlier version of your body.¡±


    For a moment, he feels a surge of apprehension. But Death clearly knows what he¡¯s thinking, because she shakes her head, smiling a rueful smile as she continues to undulate her chalk white abdomen while riding his cock.


    ¡°Do not fret, Lucian. The worst of your existence is behind you. You will not return to life as the frail, sickly thing you were before. Having lived your first life, your second will be much better. Twenty-four years spent collecting your life force has given your unique nature quite a bit to work with.¡±


    Blinking, Lucian licks his lips, curious once more.


    ¡°Like¡­ like what.¡±


    Grinning at him now, Death grinds down on his cock before lifting herself up.


    ¡°That, darling, is something you will only discover if you stop holding yourself back.¡±


    Face aflame, Lucian looks down at where they¡¯re joined together.


    ¡°But¡­ I didn¡¯t make you cum.¡±


    For a moment, Death looks genuinely startled. Then, she lets out a tinkling laugh.


    ¡°Oh Lucian¡­ perhaps in another thousand years.¡±


    Before he can muster a response, Death slams herself down onto his cock one final time and he¡­ he finds his concentration failing. With a low groan, Lucian tips over the edge, spilling his seed within the beautiful entity. As he creampies Death of the Endless, it¡¯s as though something is flowing between them. And then¡­ it¡¯s gone. And so is she.


    Lucian blinks as he finds himself suddenly alone. He barely has the time to be upset however, because it¡¯s just as she said. Almost immediately after his release and her departure, Lucian finds himself faced with a choice. Before he goes back, he has the ability to¡­ shape the energy he¡¯s been absorbing from himself all of his first life into a Boon for his second life.


    His mind races as he finds himself confronted with four different choices. He could¡­ do quite a lot with any of them truth be told. Especially if his current mental speed is any indication of how smart he¡¯s going to be when he goes back.


    It would seem he¡¯d inherited his father¡¯s mind after all. He just hadn¡¯t been able to truly apply himself in his first life, because the pain of his existence left him forever exhausted, and the medicine that lessened that pain impaired his ability to think.


    But regardless, he had a decision to make. Four choices. Four powers. The most familiar among them was Superman¡¯s own powerset. Kryptonian Physiology. It was certainly tempting. The feats that he¡¯d heard the Man of Steel was capable of made Lucian¡¯s mind go into overdrive at the possibilities. Of course, there was also his father to consider. Lex Luthor hated Superman. His own son becoming a Kryptonian? It would have the man frothing at the mouth when he found out.


    But did Lucian really care enough about pissing his father off to go that far? And besides¡­ weren¡¯t the other options just as interesting?


    Alongside Kryptonian Physiology, there was Reactive Adaptation, an ability that would allow him to develop in response to threats. He would grow stronger, faster, tougher, so long as he continued to face worthy opponents. He could become greater than Superman with such a power, though early on he would be no more than a normal human man.


    After Reactive Adaptation is Biological Manipulation, also known as Biokinesis. He could do just as much with that, really. The applications of Biological Manipulation were endless. He could even potentially augment himself to the same levels that Kryptonian Physiology and Reactive Adaptation allowed him to reach, though he got the impression that it wouldn¡¯t be easy by any stretch of the imagination.


    Finally, last but not least, was Energy Manipulation. An incredibly versatile power, to say the least. There was all sorts of different types of energy. He would be a walking atomic bomb¡­ and that was the simplest and most brute force application of such a power set.


    Truth be told, Lucian wanted all of them. But he could tell he could only have one. And in the end¡­ wasn¡¯t the choice obvious? He already knew what he was going to pick. All that was left was to slot it in and see what ¡®going back¡¯ actually entailed¡­

 Chapter 2: Happy Birthday

    These were all amazing abilities. For someone like him, who had lived a shadow of a half-life for twenty-four LONG years, they were all so tantalizing. But in the end, Lucien knew he could only take one. Or could he?


    Wasn¡¯t the choice obvious? For all that the other powers might call to him quite strongly, there was only one of the four options that carried with it an implicit path to grabbing the other three choices. With a power as all-encompassing and far reaching as Biological Manipulation, Lucien could conceivably reach a point where he one day gave himself the other three powers.


    He could tell that it wouldn¡¯t be immediate, nor would it be easy¡­ but at the same time, he had all the time in the world, didn¡¯t he? More than that, would he really be who he was if he didn¡¯t shoot for the moon? Death¡¯s final words to him ring in his head as he reaches for his choice. Perhaps in another thousand years¡­


    The understanding that he would likely live that long was nice, but at the same time Lucien couldn¡¯t help being rather impatient. He didn¡¯t want to wait a thousand years to make Death cum. Was that a silly thing to think? Maybe, but he knew one thing for certain¡­ he was going to do everything in his power to get to the point where he could make Death of the Endless, a Primordial Force of the Universe itself¡­ orgasm.


    Heh, he certainly didn¡¯t settle for small potatoes, did he? In that way, he was very much his father¡¯s son. ¡®Reaching¡¯ for the power of Biological Manipulation with both hands, Lucien grasps it firmly and pulls it to his chest, hugging it in a way until it absorbs into him. It becomes a part of him in that moment, and the young man shudders¡­ before opening his eyes. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It¡¯s a strange sensation, because as far as he was concerned, his eyes were already open. But now they open again, and he takes in a deeper breath than he¡¯d ever known possible as he immediately sits up in bed.


    He¡¯s instantly aware of being alive again. Looking around himself, he sees his old bedroom in the small but also quite expensive apartment that he¡¯d lived in before his father, Lex Luthor, disowned him at the age of eighteen. Which meant he was no longer twenty-four. He was younger than eighteen. He was¡­ how old was he?


    Lucien is just about to rise from the bed and check when he¡¯s caught off guard by his senses flaring with activity. As his new power settles in, the young man lets out a low breath, able to feel¡­ everything about his body. It¡¯s just as Death had said, thankfully. He has come back in time, but his body does not feel nearly as frail and sickly as it once did. Whatever energy his true nature had been robbing from him his entire life, it had finally stopped.


    On top of that, he now knew exactly how old he was. Sixteen Years, Zero Months, Zero Days, Fifty-One Minutes, Thirty Seconds, and Twenty-Eight Milliseconds. Though admittedly, those last two lasted barely half a beat before changing on him. He truly was back in time. His surroundings had been evidence enough but this? This was confirmation. He was back on the morning of his Sixteenth Birthday exactly.


    That said, just because his true nature was no longer crippling his physical body¡­ did not mean Lucien was in any way in good health. Rather, he can breath clearly and there¡¯s not as much pain when he moves about, but his frailty is not truly cured. There¡¯s a weakness to him that Lucien knows on an intellectual level is just¡­ bad.


    This body has lived sixteen years without the energy it needs to properly grow and thrive, after all. In fact, so has his brain for that matter. He can already feel a headache starting to form, the overuse of his grey matter really starting to get to him. He needed¡­ he needed a template, that¡¯s what he needed.


    It was as he¡¯d thought, after all. His new power had the greatest potential of the four options, save for MAYBE energy manipulation. He could, with the right amount time and resources, possibly replicate the other options. However, he needed knowledge he didn¡¯t currently have. He couldn¡¯t make himself Kryptonian when he hadn¡¯t ever actually SEEN a Kryptonian¡¯s physiology with his power before. Nor could he give himself the ability to control energy or the ability to adapt to danger and harm without seeing examples of those as well in another¡¯s biology.


    But more than that¡­ he couldn¡¯t even begin to strengthen his body without a proper template. His own template was irreparably flawed, after all. Looking internally at himself, Lucien could see how weak he was. He knew on an intellectual level that his bones shouldn¡¯t be so flimsy, nor his lungs so small and underdeveloped. But he didn¡¯t know what they were actually supposed to look like yet to bring them up to par with a normal human being.


    Letting out a low shallow breath, reveling in the lack of pain but also acknowledging that he was already starting to feel lightheaded from the inability to suck in enough oxygen, Lucien grimaces. He needs¡­ a template first and foremost. He needs to find someone, preferably a man, so that he can get an idea of what they and thus he is actually supposed to look like on the inside. He needs-


    His phone suddenly ringing causes Lucien to blink and look at his nightstand. When he reaches for it, he winces in anticipation of a spike of pain that never comes. Now, there¡¯s only mild discomfort as he leans over to grab the phone and bring the screen to his face. He blinks at seeing a familiar name gracing the Caller ID. A name he hasn¡¯t seen in over four years.


    Slowly, Lucien reaches out and presses the Answer Button, almost unable to believe it.


    ¡°M-Mercy?¡±


    The voice of Mercy Graves comes through on the other end, not quite warm, decidedly professional¡­ and yet, far kinder than any tone his father had every taken with him.


    ¡°I¡¯m outside, Lucien. Do you need my help getting to the car?¡±


    Lucien blinks slowly, taking a moment to catch up. But then he does and he curses under his breath as he remembers what each of his birthdays was like up until the age of eighteen. Until that time, until the point where his father disowned him and threw him aside, Lucien had spent every single birthday going through a battery of tests designed by Lex Luthor himself. They¡¯d been a grueling, torturous affair, especially for someone in his condition. And of course, every single year, he¡¯d failed miserably.


    That was how the first eighteen birthdays of his life had gone. Frankly, he could hardly believe he¡¯d forgotten. Then again, it had been six years. Six birthdays where that didn¡¯t happen. And now here he was, eight years back in time, with three more of those excruciating experiences to look forward to. Except¡­ except this time was different, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Lucien? Tell me you didn¡¯t forget what day it was. How is that even possible?¡±


    Lucien¡¯s heart begins to beat faster in his chest, even as Mercy¡¯s incredulity carries over the call.


    ¡°N-No¡­ I mean, um¡­ yes. Yes, I do need your help getting to the car.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Alright, I¡¯ll be right in.¡±


    Luckily, past-him had been smart and dressed for going out before bed. Considering getting dressed could be particularly grueling in his past life, doing it before bed so that his sickly body could then spend the entire night recovering was just common sense. As such, by the time Mercy makes it to his apartment door, he actually is ready to go.


    Mercy Graves. Blonde and beautiful, she was Lex Luthor¡¯s right hand woman. To the uninitiated and ignorant, she might just be seen as Lex Luthor¡¯s driver, and in some cases, his bodyguard. But she was so much more than that, and Lucien knew that better than most. She was his father¡¯s operative in every sense of the word, one of the finer tools in Lex Luthor¡¯s massive arsenal.


    She was also Lucien¡¯s best bet to getting ahead of the game, so to speak. As he leans against the doorway, Mercy offers him her arm¡­ which he gladly takes, intertwining his fingers with hers in the process and making a show of anchoring himself to her. He¡¯s not nearly as sickly as he used to be, and so he has to act a little bit to make it seem like he actually needs her help, but if Mercy notices, she doesn¡¯t say a word.


    He''s still Lex¡¯s son for the time being after all. Disappointment though he might be.


    ¡­ Truth be told, being disowned by his father had hurt a lot less than being abandoned by Mercy, back in the past that was also his future. Even knowing that turning eighteen meant Lex was kicking him to the curb, Lucien hadn¡¯t quite realized what that would mean for his and Mercy¡¯s relationship.


    It wasn¡¯t like their ¡®relationship¡¯ had ever been anything more than employer¡¯s son and father¡¯s employee, to be fair. But Mercy had been the closest thing he had to a mother¡­ closer, anyways, than Lex had ever gotten to being an actual father.


    Regardless, with a single touch of Mercy¡¯s hand, Lucien has a map of every single bit of her biology. He could even do whatever he wanted to her in this moment. She was completely at his mercy, not that she knew it. The problem was, Lucien was still incredibly new to these powers. Any change he DID try to make to Mercy would likely end up distorted or just plain wrong.


    Instead, he uses what he can of her biology to start making improvements to his own, even as they make their way to the car. Not all of it is usable, of course. But luckily his power lets him look at his own body versus hers and know what¡¯s interchangeable between sexes and what isn¡¯t. Seeing as Lucien has no desire to turn himself into a woman, he¡¯s very careful to only use what he can. He still needs the blueprints of a man to fix up the rest of himself.


    Of course, even as he does what he can and his health already starts to dramatically improve, Lucien considers just what he¡¯s going to show Lex. Getting into the back of the car with Mercy¡¯s help, securing his seat belt, Lucien sits back and lets his eyes drift shut, falling into a slightly meditative state.


    He wants to impress his father. There¡¯s no doubt about that. He wants to make Lex Luthor proud of him for once. Even after everything the other man has done to him, Lucien wants to break the mold. He wants to overcome the massive disappointment he¡¯s always presented as and show himself to be what he always could have been.


    That said, he recognizes that his father is a dangerous, cut-throat man. Lex Luthor did not get where he is in life by being particularly kind¡­ to anyone, even his own family. That he¡¯d been willing to tolerate Lucien¡¯s existence might have meant that the man had a heart somewhere buried inside his chest¡­ but it also could have just meant Lex considered a living Lucien to be less of a skeleton in his closet than a dead Lucien.


    In the end, Lucien wasn¡¯t going to go back to the way things were. He knew that for a fact. He couldn¡¯t pretend to be so frail and sickly that his father ignored him for another year. He¡¯d already ruined that possibility after all. The battery of tests he was about to go through would reveal the changes he¡¯d already begun to make to himself. And even if it didn¡¯t, he was sure the absence of the energy drain he¡¯d been suffering all his life would be clear, even if the energy drain itself had always gone undetected.


    Put simply, unless he wanted to make Mercy pullover and let him out here and now so he could go on the run... there was no helping things. He was going to be exposed. It was just a matter of what form that exposure would take.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Mercy¡¯s voice cuts through Lucien¡¯s thoughts, causing him to blink in surprise. He hadn¡¯t realized how long he¡¯d been in his own head for. Time really did pass more smoothly when you weren¡¯t in constant pain just from existing, didn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Ready?¡±


    Meeting Mercy¡¯s eyes through the rearview mirror, Lucien presses his lips tightly together and nods.


    ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be.¡±


    -x-X-x-


    The first couple of hours are the yearly Physical. Of course, comparing the Physical Exam that Lucien is put through to the Physical Exam that doctors give hundreds of millions of patients every year would be like comparing Lex Luthor to any other CEO of a Fortune Five Hundred Company. They¡¯re just not the same thing, which is why Lucien¡¯s Physical takes two hours.


    He does make a point of getting in a handshake with one of the doctor¡¯s giving the Physical right at the start though. With a template of a proper human male, Lucien is able to begin repairing the rest of his body. Slowly, of course. He doesn¡¯t have the biomass to make fast changes, but he CAN get everything under way.


    Of course, he knows what that will look like. He knows it will show up in his tests. A regenerative factor, he has no doubts they¡¯ll call it.


    As he¡¯s finally led into a room where his father waits for him, Lucien straightens up, knowing he¡¯s gotten the man¡¯s attention. Lex Luthor hadn¡¯t personally attended one of his birthdays since Lucien was ten. That the man had seen fit to show up today was a sign that he¡¯d already changed things. After all, this didn¡¯t happen the first time around.


    ¡°Father.¡±


    Lex¡¯s eyes flash, the bald man looking down his nose at Lucien. Then, he smiles. It¡¯s not a nice smile though, and it does not fill Lucien with any sense of warmth or happiness.


    ¡°Lucien. Shall we get started?¡±


    Just like his father not to confront him. Lucien couldn¡¯t help but wonder what Lex thought of him. Did the Physical alone have Lex convinced that he was suddenly going to be worth something? Or perhaps his father thought he was an imposter. In a way, Lucien was an imposter. Still, he was in too far to back out now.


    Looking from Lex to the other things in the room, Lucien slowly nods. There¡¯s a table and on it is a sheaf of papers almost big enough to count for an unbound book. A mental test that he¡¯ll be expected to fail. The rest of the room is big enough to house an entire gymnasium¡­ the physical portion of the test.


    He considers it all for a moment¡­ before sitting down at the table and getting to work.

 Chapter 3: The Test

    As he begins making his way through the test, sat there at the table, Lucien finds himself reflecting. He¡¯s not stupid. He¡¯s never BEEN stupid. Ultimately, it was always his sickness holding him back in his past life. Now that he¡¯s no longer suffering from chronic pain and weakness, he can finally call upon the full range of his intellect.


    He¡¯s most certainly Lex Luthor¡¯s son, because not to toot his own horn, but he¡¯s pretty confident he¡¯s a genius. However¡­ that doesn¡¯t mean he necessarily wants to show off that genius to the man who¡¯s belittled and looked down upon him for the last sixteen or twenty-four years depending on how you wanted to look at it.


    In fact, Lucien feels like he knows Lex better than most in spite of the man being something of an absentee father. He knows enough to know that Lex Luthor is not the type of man who appreciates being challenged, not even by his own flesh and blood.


    In the end, Lucien¡¯s only choice is to excel¡­ but not to the ludicrous degree he feels like he¡¯s capable of. He¡¯s not trying to pick a fight with his father. Not here, not under these circumstances. Instead, he focuses on subtly downplaying his new intelligence while still managing to blow his previous benchmarks clear out of the water.


    He knows this will still draw Lex¡¯s attention, possibly in a negative way, but that cat is sort of already out of the bag. The hours of testing that Lucien had been put through ahead of this would reveal the changes he was already making to himself even if these two tests did not. Maybe he should have held off. Maybe he should have purposefully failed. But a strange kernel of pride that he hadn¡¯t known existed had revealed itself. Lucien wanted recognition. He wanted his father¡¯s acknowledgment.


    Honestly, the hardest part of the test in front of him was downplaying it and even that wasn¡¯t too hard. Instead, Lucien spends most of the next little while considering his relationship with his father. Lex Luthor might have been the sperm donor, but WAS he really his father? Unfortunately, Lucien was forced to concede that he was¡­ after a fashion.


    Until the age of eighteen, Lex had seen fit to make sure Lucien was taken care of. He¡¯d done the absolute bare minimum, and Lucien couldn¡¯t exactly give him any Father of the Year awards, but there was still something to be said about putting your money where your mouth was. Lex sheltered, fed, and clothed him, and also protected him.


    He still threw Lucien out on his ass at the age of eighteen with nothing of course, and truth be told, it was a wonder that Lucien had survived six more years before keeling over and dying in his previous timeline. Though, those six more years were more to do with the governmental programs that he swallowed his pride and applied for, ones designed to help the sickly and disabled survive far past what some might consider their proper ¡®expiration date¡¯.


    This time around, Lucien wouldn¡¯t need to go on welfare. He wouldn¡¯t need to rely upon government mandated healthcare barely keeping him alive while companies like his father¡¯s developed miracle cures and entire body replacement and shit like that. He could be whoever he wanted to be¡­ and so he would. The only question was¡­ did Lucien want to be a Luthor?


    It wasn¡¯t a question he could answer now, honestly. His feelings in regards to that as well as his father were a right mess. Luckily, it also wasn¡¯t a question he HAD to answer right now. Right now, he only needed to make sure his results were good¡­ but not a challenge to Lex Luthor¡¯s massive inferiority complex.


    Then again, Lucien very specifically hadn¡¯t picked the Kryptonian Package, so at least he shouldn¡¯t trigger his father¡¯s soul-deep hatred for Superman and all that the incredibly powerful alien was capable of.


    Coming to the end of the written test quite abruptly, Lucien doesn¡¯t even try to hide it. He immediately straightens up and clears his throat, setting down his pencil.


    ¡°I¡¯m done, Father.¡±


    To his mild shock, Lex steps past him and wordlessly picks up the thick sheaf of papers, before beginning to go through the test himself. Lucien couldn¡¯t help but be dumbfounded, seeing as this was not something that his father had ever done before, in either timeline.


    After a moment of this, Lex looks at him and sneers, thrusting a hand towards the physical obstacle course dominating the vast majority of the large room.


    ¡°Well? Quit wasting my time, Lucien. Get to it.¡±


    Right. Of course. Flushing, Lucien quickly stands and has to resist the urge to try to ¡®accidentally¡¯ touch his father¡¯s skin. There just wasn¡¯t a good vector to brush against him from without it seeming very obvious. Instead, Lucien bites his lower lip and moves over to the start of the obstacle course, sensing Mercy Graves at his back as his father¡¯s ever-present assistant follows him.


    When Lucien stops at the starting line and their eyes meet, he can¡¯t help but wince a little bit at the look Mercy is giving him. By all accounts, he¡¯d pretended to still be sickly and frail with her just a couple hours ago and now he was fine. Of course she would wonder what the hell was going on.


    And yet¡­ the blonde shows her consummate professionalism by not calling him out on it. Instead, she brings up the wrist that has a watch on it and gives him a single nod. Lucien gets ready, even as Mercy counts down.


    ¡°Three¡­ Two¡­ One¡­ Go.¡±


    Lucien breaks off, beginning to make his way through the obstacle course. Quite rapidly, he discovers that he doesn¡¯t need to hold back as much here as he did with the written test. He might no longer be as sickly or frail as he was a day ago in both timelines, but he¡¯s still far from up to par. He¡¯ll need to procure more biomass before he can build out his body into something approaching strength, and even then he¡¯ll need to be careful to do it slowly if he wants to avoid drawing TOO much attention.


    For now, he¡¯s healthy and his frail and sickly body is well on its way to being repaired, but he¡¯s not strong. Not yet.


    It still makes a world of difference though. For instance, struggling through the physical obstacle course each year tended to result in multiple broken bones at times. Early on, his efforts to impress his father usually resulted in him being stuck in several casts for weeks on end after his birthdays. Later, once he got older and a little smarter, he began to learn his limits and didn¡¯t try quite so hard. However, that just meant his progress got worse year after year, rather than better. And there was still a good fifty-fifty chance of him breaking something, no matter how hard he tried.


    This time around? His bones were probably the toughest part of his new biology by the time he makes his way over the first climbing wall a third of the way into the course, a feat he¡¯d NEVER managed before. It was a little wild to be seeing the other two-thirds of the course from the inside for the first time in his life, but it wasn¡¯t exactly difficult.


    Still, in the end he¡¯s quite glad he decided to underplay things and not try to go for broke. If he had, if he¡¯d gone and made some big deal out of his sudden good fortune, he would have struggled to really impress on the obstacle course, and might even have hurt himself¡­ or revealed more than he intended to the sharp eyes of his father and Mercy.


    As it is, he still blows past all of his old benchmarks for the physical as well, but he doesn¡¯t feel pushed to the brink like he would have if there was more on the line. Just managing to finish the obstacle course for the first time in Lucien¡¯s entire life was good enough for him.


    Panting heavily, perspiring at the end of it all, Lucien finally finds himself standing in front of his father and Mercy, the both of them looking at him with¡­ interesting expressions on their faces. Suspicion is the most prominent emotion that the two share. Interest is a close second. But of course, Mercy is just the servant. Lex is the one who actually voices that suspicion.


    ¡°You will explain, Lucien. Now.¡±


    The sharp tone sees Lucien standing straight at attention. Obviously, if Lex thought he was some sort of plant or agent replacing his son, they wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation. The Physical Exam alongside Lex¡¯s own surveillance likely would have confirmed that Lucien Luthor was precisely who he¡¯d always been. And yet¡­ there was still something clearly off about this and the most obvious first step was to interrogate Lucien himself.


    ¡­ He¡¯s glad he chose Biological Manipulation for his powers, because in this moment, Lucien doesn¡¯t know how good of a natural liar he would have been. Especially when faced with his father¡¯s stern visage. Luckily, he doesn¡¯t NEED to be a good natural liar¡­ because his powers are tailor-made for letting him cheat. A lot.


    He doesn¡¯t shut down all biological reactions to Lex¡¯s stare¡­ that would just be more suspicious. But he does carefully craft his reaction, showing worry and concern but not fear or deception. He presents the picture-perfect visage of someone who has spent his entire life weak and frail¡­ only to wake up and experience a miracle. Because that, as ludicrous as it might sound, is exactly the cover story Lucien is going for. Refuge in sweet, sweet audacity. That¡¯s the plan.


    ¡°I¡­ confess I don¡¯t rightly know, father. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. Only that¡­ this morning I woke up and felt like a new man. My sickness was gone. The pain¡­ gone. With it, my frail nature as well as my foggy mind. It¡¯s as though a cloud has been lifted from my thoughts, father. I had no idea people could think as clearly as this until today.¡±


    Wide-eyed, earnest excitement. That was how Lucien presented himself. Lex Luthor was a genius¡­ but then, it was precisely that genius that Lucien was relying upon. A lesser man might have decided Lucien was lying just because it was what made the most sense. But Lex Luthor was not a lesser man. Staring Lucien down, the bald, super-intelligent CEO looks for any sign of deceit, even the smallest shred of a lie¡­ and finds nothing.


    And in finding nothing, he convinces himself that Lucien is not the problem. Oh, Lex¡¯s suspicion is far from gone¡­ but it¡¯s no longer directed at Lucien. In the end, his father even graces Lucien with a smile, albeit one that doesn¡¯t reach his eyes, and places a hand on his shoulder in the first sign of fatherly affection that Lucien has ever received in his entire life. Of course, then the egomaniac opens his mouth.


    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re not the failure you appeared to be after all, Lucien.¡±


    Lucien doesn¡¯t hesitate. He takes the opportunity to reach up and grab his father¡¯s hand as though the emotion of the moment has overcome him. His eyes water on command, even as he gets a blueprint of everything that makes Lex¡­ Lex. Though there is one oddity that Lucien notes, even as the moment passes and his father withdraws his hand.


    ¡­ Why is there a foreign object in Lex Luthor¡¯s skull? Its smaller than the naked human eye can see, but very clearly a microchip of some kind, emphasis on the micro¡­ hell, it might be better to call it a nanochip, that¡¯s how small it is. Lucien only caught a glimpse of it with his power, he would need protracted contact with Lex¡¯s skin to figure out more, but even still¡­ what the hell?


    Unaware of his sudden inner turmoil, Lex pulls back and hums as he clasps his hands behind his back.


    ¡°Of course, there will need to be more tests, I¡¯m afraid. But if today turns out to not be a fluke, I¡¯m sure that that won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Right. Pulling his thoughts away from whatever the hell is in Lex Luthor¡¯s head, Lucien focuses back on the present. He can¡¯t help himself, really. After everything¡­ surely this isn¡¯t too much to ask, right?


    ¡°Father¡­ would you say I¡¯ve earned a birthday present?¡±


    Lex¡¯s eyebrows lift at that, and he looks distinctly unimpressed for a moment before smoothing over his expression. He almost comes across as slightly genial as he tilts his head to the side and hums.


    ¡°Oh? Perhaps. And what sort of present do you think you¡¯re entitled to, Lucien?¡±


    He doesn¡¯t have to even really think about it. He wants things that will help him with his powers, but he can¡¯t exactly go and expose said powers to Lex. Not this early in the game. Perhaps not ever if he can help it. No, rather¡­ he needs to disguise his true purpose as the sort of thing a sixteen year old son of Lex Luthor might ask for. Something he could never have before, something it would have been stupid to let him have when he was weak, sickly, and frail. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°A pet, father. I would like to have¡­ a pet.¡±


    Lex almost scoffs at that, but the man is a genius. Clearly, he catches on quite quickly, the first flicker of amusement appearing in his eyes as he smirks ever so slightly.


    ¡°Oh? Not your normal pet, I¡¯d imagine.¡±


    There¡¯s a hint of warning in Lex¡¯s voice, making it clear that if Lucien does make the mistake of asking for something as simple as a housecat or a dog, he would not just be disappointed, but very displeased. Which¡­ fair. The son of Lex Luthor deserves an exotic animal, right? Lucien is happy he and his father are in agreement on that front, even if it¡¯s for two VERY different reasons.


    A million different ideas run through Lucien¡¯s head. He has all sorts of thoughts on what sort of animal he might want as a pet. It needs to be something that isn¡¯t TOO ridiculous though, lest he draw Lex¡¯s suspicions back to him. It has to be exotic, but not¡­ insane. That still leaves plenty of ideas for pets that would advance Lucien¡¯s pursuit of expanding his powers and strengthening his own biology.


    But in the end¡­ there¡¯s really only one option that makes sense in this moment.

 Chapter 4: The Ride Home

    ¡°I would like a Snow Leopard cub¡­ if it¡¯s not too much to ask, of course.¡±


    There are so many different animals he could have asked for, and yet he goes with the Snow Leopard for several reasons. The most obvious, at least as it pertains to his new ability, is that it¡¯s a grab bag of decent enhancements. Better senses, stronger and faster body¡­ all around, if he had access to a Snow Leopard, he could make himself superhuman in no time at all.


    Of course, his father doesn¡¯t know about said ability, so it shouldn¡¯t be quite so obvious to Lex. But then, that¡¯s the other reason he¡¯s picking a Snow Leopard. It¡¯s the sort of exotic option that rich people would call pedestrian and ¡®vanilla¡¯. It¡¯s the sort of exotic option you¡¯d get from Googling ¡®coolest exotic pets¡¯ and doing five minutes of searching. And that¡¯s precisely what Lucien wants his father to think he did.


    Putting his all into controlling his facial reactions again, hiding his true desire behind an earnest and vulnerable expression, Lucien is pretty sure his gambit works. He doesn¡¯t have much to go off of, mind¡­ but the ever so slight sneer he catches on his father¡¯s face, and the judgment in Lucien¡¯s eyes¡­ yes, he thinks he pulls it off. A Snow Leopard Cub is ¡®predictable¡¯. And right now, after the day of surprises he¡¯s given his father, ¡®predictable¡¯ is exactly how he wants to come across to the suspicious and highly paranoid Lex Luthor.


    ¡°¡­ Hmph, very well. Expect it to arrive with the necessary supplies by the morning. Taking care of it will be your responsibility however.¡±


    Tomorrow morning. An insane time table by the standards of any normal person, but then to be fair, not only was his father the furthest thing from normal around, but so was Lucien¡¯s request. All in all, he knew he didn¡¯t have room to complain. Besides, he was relatively used to Lex¡¯s particular brand of insanity.


    ¡°Of course, father. I promise I won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    Narrowing his eyes, Lex hums for a moment before looking around the room.


    ¡°Until today, you have done nothing BUT let me down, Lucien. We shall see if this was a fluke or not in the coming weeks. For now¡­ Mercy, return my son to his apartment.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    Lucien¡¯s wide eyed reaction as Lex spins on his heel and leaves the room is not feigned. Nor does he manage to catch himself in time to hide it either. It¡¯s just¡­ hearing his father call him ¡®his son¡¯ does things to Lucien that he can¡¯t begin to describe. Pain mixes with yearning mixes with hatred, and at the end of it all, Lucien doesn¡¯t know whether he¡¯s happy to be acknowledged as Lex Luthor¡¯s son for the first time in both of his lives, or if he¡¯s pissed the hell off.


    He''s still stuck thinking about it and what today means even as he follows Mercy back to the car, slipping into the back of it without a word from the silent driver. Now, it¡¯s not like they normally spent much time talking to one another on these very infrequent and rare car rides, but at the same time, there was definitely a different¡­ note to it this time around. Mercy was upset with him, or at the very least she was giving him the silent treatment.


    Still, Lucien doesn¡¯t have much time to spare on worrying about whether she¡¯s mad at him or not for pretending to be sick and feeble earlier that morning. He¡¯s much more concerned with what will happen next with his father. Not to mention all of the other plans that he¡¯s formulating in his head even now. He has eight years of foreknowledge to take advantage of here. The more he does so, the less useful his information will be, and that means he needs to plan things out and be very careful with his next steps.


    ¡­ That said, he¡¯s gained his father¡¯s attention. That might not necessarily be a good thing. Perhaps the ¡®smart¡¯ choice would have been to continue acting the part of the feeble, sickly fool. With his abilities, he could have played up the act today and once again disappointed his father. Then, Lex wouldn¡¯t have known anything and Lucien technically could have moved under the cover of relative anonymity.


    In the end, he just couldn¡¯t do it. Clearly he really was his father¡¯s son, because he absolutely loathed the idea of feigning weakness any longer. Sure, he¡¯d done his part to downplay his success where Lex was concerned, but there was a difference between being seen as slightly above average and being seen as complete and utter garbage.


    Lucien was not garbage. He had never been garbage, it turned out. And honestly? He would do his level best to avoid being viewed as garbage by anyone ever again¡­


    He-


    The car door is suddenly pulled open, and Lucien blinks as he realizes he got so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn¡¯t even realize that they¡¯d arrived at their destination.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Mercy¡¯s tone is as frigid as ever, even as she holds the door open for him. Which is why Lucien is actually surprised when she locks the car up behind them and follows him into his apartment building. He would have expected her to just drop him off and drive away, but instead she seems intent on walking him all the way to his door.


    He doesn¡¯t know what to say to her. Maybe he should apologize? When they finally reach his door and Lucien unlocks it and enters his apartment, he turns to do exactly that¡­ only to yelp when Mercy grabs him by the collar and pushes him further into the apartment, stepping in after him. The door closes and locks shut behind her without the blonde ever taking her eyes off of him, and before Lucien can even react, his father¡¯s bodyguard has pushed him up against his own apartment door, eyes narrowed into icy slits as she looks at him in silence for a moment.


    ¡°You told your father you woke up this morning feeling like a new man. And yet, when I came to pick you up this morning, you acted as frail as ever, using me as a crutch to help you to the car.¡±


    Lucien¡¯s breath hitches, and he blushes as Mercy glares him down.


    ¡°Now, I won¡¯t insult either of our intelligences by asking whether you lied to me or your father. We both know you would never lie to Lex, which means I¡¯m the one you managed to successfully deceive.¡±


    She sounds quite cross with him. Lucien can¡¯t help but feel bad. He¡¯d abused her trust, and while he still felt a little resentment towards her for abandoning him in the future that never was, it wasn¡¯t much. After all, he knew she was just doing her job in the end. When Lex cut him off at eighteen, he couldn¡¯t exactly expect Mercy to keep in touch with him or anything like that.


    ¡°¡­ More than that, I know why you lied to me too.¡±


    Wait, what? Here, Lucien freezes in shock. She¡­ knew?! How? How could she possibly know about his power? No, more than that¡­ had she told his father yet? Was she going to- wait¡­ no, seriously, how could she possibly know about his power when not even Lex had seemed to know what he was truly capable of?


    Lucien¡¯s moment of sheer panic turns into confusion as he looks into Mercy¡¯s knowing eyes. Then, as if a switch has been flicked, the blonde suddenly smirks and looks down the length of his body¡­ at his crotch.


    ¡°You¡¯re a growing young man, aren¡¯t you Lucien? A growing young man with¡­ needs. I imagine if you did wake up this morning without the weakness that has assailed you all your life, you encountered some feelings that would have been¡­ repressed by your sickly nature until now. And so you saw me¡­ and you saw an opportunity to touch a woman, didn¡¯t you?¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That was¡­ so far from the case it wasn¡¯t even funny. He wasn¡¯t some kind of pervert like Mercy was painting him to be! Honestly, he hadn¡¯t asked her to help him down to the car just so he could¡­ cop a feel or something! He¡¯d done it specifically because he needed a template to start with, a human body to exercise his powers over biology on. That was all!


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t like Lucien could tell HER that. Not without exposing himself to his father¡¯s right-hand woman, which was¡­ probably a bad idea. Seeing as he couldn¡¯t possibly defend himself, Lucien was left floundering, mouth opening and closing like a goddamn fish as he just stares at Mercy, rendered truly speechless.


    This in turn only seems to seal it in Mercy¡¯s eyes, as her smirk turns into a wide, wicked grin.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m impressed Lucien. You got one over on me. I wouldn¡¯t have thought it possible¡­ but then, clearly both Lex and I have been underestimating you for quite some time now.¡±


    She pauses for a moment, before tilting her head to the side.


    ¡°Now then. Are you ready to receive MY birthday present?¡±


    It¡¯s immediately obvious what she¡¯s offering. Truth be told, Lucien only has to think about it for a second. On the one hand, his one true love is Death of the Endless. More of an obsession, really. He wants to make Death cum. Is that mad? Is that insane? Possibly, but then he is the son if Lex Luthor. So maybe a little madness, a little insanity, and a little bit of an obsession with a superpowered entity so far above him it¡¯s not even funny isn¡¯t out of the question.


    That said, if he was ever going to make Death cum, he needed more experience. He couldn¡¯t just expect to go to her the next time he died, whenever that was, and suddenly be better at something he hadn¡¯t practiced, now could he?


    ¡­ The more he thinks about it in that single second frozen in time, the more Lucien realizes he¡¯s right. Call it what you will. Maybe it¡¯s intuition, or maybe it¡¯s some sort of connection he has with Death, but it¡¯s like he can tell she¡¯s not expecting him to stay celibate or ¡®faithful¡¯ or anything silly like that. She¡¯s Death of the Endless for fuck¡¯s sake, she¡¯s not bound by such plebian mortal considerations as monogamy.


    That said, Lucien was going to need a LOT of experience if he was going to have a single chance of one day impressing Death. And that experience¡­ started today, with Mercy Graves.


    ¡°Y-Yes. I mean, ahem¡­ yes, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Mercy¡¯s grin turns coy, and she abruptly lets go of him, turning and sashaying her hips all the way to the bedroom. Lucien follows after her as she leads him to his own bed, grabbing him and sitting him down on it once they¡¯re both standing before it. Then, much to his shock and awe, Mercy drops to her knees before him, reaching for his pants. In just a few deft movements, the beautiful blonde has extracted his cock from its confines.


    His dick isn¡¯t anything special. Not too big, but also not too small. He hasn¡¯t had time to augment it yet¡­ if he¡¯s even going to. That said, it¡¯s the first step to accomplishing his dream, isn¡¯t it? If he¡¯s going to make Death of the Endless cum for him, he¡¯s definitely going to need a super dick. Then again, he¡¯ll need a lot more than just a super dick. He¡¯ll need a super everything. He¡¯ll need esoteric powers that reach beyond the mortal ken. He¡¯ll need-


    Ooooh. Oh yeah, that feels good. Lucien blushes, as Mercy licks along his engorged cockhead. He quickly grows to full mast in her grasp, as she strokes him up and down for a few moments while lapping at the tip of his dick. He doesn¡¯t want to cum too soon though, so he reaches out with his power, slowing down his impending release. He¡¯s not going to cum without deciding to cum.


    Mercy, it becomes clear, is not expecting him to last long. In fact, after a few minutes, the blonde frowns and finally engulfs his cock in her mouth. At the same time, she grasps his balls for the first time, caressing and fondling them in a way that when combined with her tongue and mouth, would surely have brought him over the edge if he hadn¡¯t been holding his own biological functions back.


    Instead, Lucien just groans loudly in enjoyment, wanting to make it clear her efforts are at least having an effect. Mercy, seeing this, begins to bob up and down his cock even more, slurping and sucking at his dick like a woman possessed. Watching her, Lucien can¡¯t help but smile. Technically, his father¡¯s bodyguard is in control here. But in actuality, he¡¯s in control. She just doesn¡¯t know it. She has no clue that he¡¯s the one who decides when they¡¯re actually done here.


    That said, he knows that just this much isn¡¯t enough for Death. Even with complete control over his own biology, Lucien just knew that Death would override his senses, overwhelm his mental focus, and make him cum anyways, long before he could get her off. Death wouldn¡¯t fall for such a simple trick, that was for sure. Though to Mercy¡¯s credit, it wasn¡¯t as though she had any way of knowing about his powers.


    Eventually, he¡¯ll have to cum. Setting a timer in his head, Lucien lets his mind wander for a moment. As he does so however, he finds himself coming back to the same thing, time and time again. That nanochip in his father¡¯s head. What the fuck was it? What was it doing there? What did it mean?


    ¡°Glughk! Glughk! Glughk!¡±


    Blinking, Lucien looks down to see that Mercy has gotten so desperate she¡¯s taking him into her throat now, positively gagging him on her cock. Not that she LOOKS desperate as she stares up at him intensely, seeming peeved that he wasn¡¯t paying her the proper attention she deserved. In apology, Lucien refocuses on his father¡¯s bodyguard as she rests her hands on his legs and deep-throats his entire cock, burying her face in his crotch again and again.


    And yet he continues to go back to that damn chip. It was weird, wasn¡¯t it? Why would there be any sort of electronic device, no matter how small, in his father¡¯s skull? Lex wouldn¡¯t allow such a thing normally¡­ so did that mean it was there against his will? And if it was, did that mean Lucien had a duty to report it?


    No, more than that¡­ if it was meant to be there, Mercy would probably know about it, wouldn¡¯t she? Looking down at her, at his father¡¯s right-hand woman, Lucien¡¯s lips thin out. He could ask her¡­ or he could keep it to himself.


    After a moment of thought, he opens his mouth to speak.

 Chapter 5: Answers

    ¡°So¡­ you and my father have known each other for a while, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    They said curiosity killed the cat, but they also said satisfaction brought it back. As someone who had died and come back once before, Lucien found he wasn¡¯t all that afraid of Death. Especially not when he and she had some sort of Friends-with-Benefits relationship anyways. So yes, he lets his curiosity get the better of him. But he¡¯s not a complete idiot. He knows he can¡¯t just blurt out the question he really wants to ask. He has to build up to it first.


    That said, the moment the words are out of his mouth, Lucien also has another realization. He¡¯s pretty smart now that he¡¯s no longer permanently sickly, with a constant headache scrambling his brains. He¡¯s inherited his father¡¯s immense intellect, or at least part of it. And yet¡­ no amount of intelligence can make up for the fact that his social skills are so terrible they might as well be nonexistent.


    The look Mercy Graves gives him as she stops halfway down his cock and just stares is¡­ well, it¡¯s rather expressive. It¡¯s the kind of look that Lucien can immediately decipher the meaning of. With her eyes, his father¡¯s right-hand woman is basically saying ¡®are you really asking about Lex right now when I have your cock in my mouth?¡¯.


    And¡­ that¡¯s fair. But Lucien doesn¡¯t back down. He squirms a little bit before shrugging.


    ¡°I¡¯m just curious I suppose. I imagine now that my father has taken more of an interest in me, I¡¯ll be seeing more of both of you, won¡¯t I?¡±


    Mercy¡¯s mouth feels good. Amazing, in fact. But his mind has caught upon this, and he can¡¯t just let it go. Might be something he¡¯ll have to consider later. A character flaw. Heh, funny, he¡¯d spent so much time just trying to survive in his first life that he hadn¡¯t had any strength or willpower to spare worrying about things like character flaws.


    Seeing that he¡¯s not going to let this go, Mercy pulls back off of his cock with a pop before sighing as she gives him a slightly exasperated look. Replacing her mouth with her hand, she jerks him off even as she nods her head.


    ¡°Quite some time, yes.¡±


    Holding himself steady, Lucien kills the instinctive desire to squirm and uses his powers to stay still.


    ¡°How did you two meet, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±


    Realizing that this was apparently not going to be a simple one question interrogation, Mercy quirks the side of her mouth up in a half-smirk.


    ¡°You¡¯re more like your father than I ever really noticed before. Though he wouldn¡¯t bother with asking questions. He¡¯d demand answers.¡±


    Lucien allows himself to flush at that, not wanting to take away too many of his biological reactions and potentially freak Mercy out. Of course, he has to fully blush when she reaches down a moment later and begins popping buttons on her top open. Soon enough, she¡¯s exposed her breasts to him, pulling her bra down off of the beautiful, pale white tits.


    Leaning forward, Mercy wraps her chest around his cock and begins to give him a proper boobjob, jerking him off with her chest now instead of her hand.


    ¡°Your father took me off the streets¡­ after I stole from him.¡±


    Lucien lets his eyes widen at that, and Mercy¡¯s lips curl into a proper smirk at his reaction.


    ¡°Took his briefcase right out from under his nose. No money in it, but I knew that. The secrets that could have been extracted from the briefcase of Lex Luthor¡­ that was worth more money than could ever have been packed inside.¡±


    Chuckling softly, Mercy shakes her head and takes a moment to drool some saliva between her breasts, providing proper lubrication as she rides her soft tits up and down his throbbing erection.


    ¡°Of course, I never even got back to my crew. Your father¡¯s men caught up to me before I could even properly go to ground. Brought me right back to him. Probably for the best, all things considered.¡±


    Lucien leans forward a little bit, not really having to feign his interest, even if they¡¯d gotten a little bit off track from his original curiosity.


    ¡°Why?¡± S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Shooting him a coy smile, Mercy rolls her shoulders.


    ¡°Simple, really. If I had managed to sell any of the secrets, Lex would have had no choice but to make an example of me. Because I stole from him but didn¡¯t fully get away¡­ he could show mercy. Namely, he took me and reforged me into what I am today. I owe your father everything, Lucien.¡±


    That¡­ that made sense. Though, her word choice does catch upon Lucien¡¯s mind, even as he¡¯s thoroughly enjoying her chest wrapped around his dick.


    ¡°You said¡­ reforged. But to reforge something¡­ you have to break it first, right? Melt it down into its base components?¡±


    He doesn¡¯t say what he really wants to say. He doesn¡¯t ask Mercy if his father tortured her or anything like that. Would Lex Luthor take a young female thief who stole from him but showed promise, and break her just so he could build her back up into a useful tool? Lucien didn¡¯t doubt his father was capable of such thing for a moment.


    And yet¡­ Mercy was too loyal while also being a little too independent for Lucien to think it really went that far. At his query, the blonde just quirks the side of her mouth up again.


    ¡°Perhaps. But you don¡¯t need to worry. I was practically unrefined as it was. Melting down what was already there¡­ it didn¡¯t take much.¡±


    Was that her way of saying she didn¡¯t need to be tortured, or that the torture wasn¡¯t so bad? Lucien couldn¡¯t say for sure. Possibly because he was trying to interrogate his father¡¯s right-hand woman while also getting a titjob from her at the same time. In the end¡­ in the end, he decides to just go for broke.


    ¡°If you and my dad really are close, you¡¯d probably know why he¡¯d have a nanochip in his brain, right? Something like that¡­ you¡¯d need to be aware, in order to keep him safe.¡±


    Mercy freezes, his cock still trapped between her tits as she looks at him in wide-eyed silence for a moment. Lucien, for his part, does his best to continue presenting as wide-eyed and curious¡­ innocent and na?ve. Finally, Mercy narrows her eyes and frowns, but she also returns to sliding her breasts up and down his throbbing length as she answers him with a sharp, one word answer.


    ¡°Elaborate.¡±


    Elaborate? He felt like it was a pretty self-explanatory question, but he could try¡­


    ¡°I just want to know why my father might have a nanochip in his brain.¡±


    Here¡¯s the thing. Lex Luthor is a man that Lucien doesn¡¯t know as well as he probably should. Being the man¡¯s son and all, one would think he definitely should have had more to go off of. But he did know some things. And one of those things was that Lex considered his intellect, and thus his brain, to be somewhat sacrosanct. Never in Lucien¡¯s previous life had he ever heard of his father willingly allowing anything to be done to his mind without his consent. His body? Sure, maybe. But not his mind¡­


    Mercy, her brow furrowed, is frowning even harder now. Finally, she purses her lips together.


    ¡°Is this a hypothetical question, or a literal one?¡±


    Looking her right in the eye, knowing he might be causing himself far more trouble than this is all worth, Lucien nevertheless stands his ground.


    ¡°Literal. My father had a foreign object smaller than a grain of sand in his brain when I saw him today. I want to know why.¡±


    For a long moment, Mercy just stares at him. On her knees, her tits wrapped around his cock, she stares at him. But Lucien doesn¡¯t feel like he¡¯s in a position of power or anything like that. He does, however, feel like he might finally be in a position to ask questions. And the questions¡­ the questions won¡¯t leave him alone. Not until he has the answers he¡¯s looking for.


    When Mercy does finally react, however, it¡¯s not what he¡¯s expecting. She jerks away quite suddenly, rearing back from him and standing up as she lets out a slew of curses under her breath.


    Her breasts bounce in a most satisfying manner right in front of his eyes, and then she¡¯s swinging away from him, pacing the room for a moment. Lucien stays where he is, naked erection and all, sitting there on the edge of the bed. He watches Mercy pace, wondering even more now what it all meant and what his father was hiding. Would Mercy tell him? Or would she try and report him to his father? Lucien said try¡­ because he was more than ready to act, if it came to that.


    Finally, Mercy looks at him, her eyes almost seeming like they were trying to pierce through his soul.


    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely certain, right? No question about it?¡±


    Lucien doesn¡¯t respond verbally. He just nods wordlessly, but with an expressed confidence that he can tell takes Mercy back. When she lets out another curse, Lucien finally breaks his silence.


    ¡°What does it mean, Mercy?¡±


    He¡¯s half-expecting to be shut down here, even if he¡¯s gotten this far. He¡¯s pressing pretty damn hard after all. And yet¡­ and yet, Mercy only hesitates for a moment before letting out a sigh and turning to face him properly. Hands on her waist, the half-naked blonde presses her lips together in a thin line.


    ¡°It means¡­ it means that the Lex Luthor we both saw today was not the actual Lex Luthor¡­ but a clone.¡±


    Lucien lets his eyes spring wide open even farther this time. He also allows his jaw to drop in disbelief. His reaction is one of shock, and he makes sure to express that even as Mercy just nods as though she expects it.


    ¡°It¡¯s honestly not that uncommon. Your father¡­ has his fingers in a lot of pies. His clones¡­ his clones help him be multiple places at once. He can work in the lab all day long, while a clone of his carries out his public duties. And thanks to that nanochip you¡¯re talking about, all of the clone¡¯s memories are collected and available for download by the original once he has no need for them anymore.¡±


    Lucien¡¯s mind whirls as he absorbs this revelation. It wasn¡¯t what he was expecting¡­ and yet at the same time, it was exactly what he should have expected, wasn¡¯t it? More than that, this explanation was pinging some old memories in the back of his head. Things from his previous life¡­ but also from the past of this timeline as well, since they were actually one in the same.


    ¡°Don¡¯t they¡­ don¡¯t the clones sometimes manage to take over? Don¡¯t they realize they¡¯re clones sometimes and take the original hostage? Could that be happening here?¡±


    Mercy winces for a moment. She looks off to the side briefly, as if considering what she should say¡­ but then a mulish, almost rebellious expression comes across her face as she turns back to him.


    ¡°No. That¡¯s never actually happened, Lucien. What you¡¯re remembering are the times Lex has done a¡­ soft reset if you will. Sometimes his enemies try to pin things to him. They try to make him out to be a villain, rather than the visionary you and I both know he is. And sometimes¡­ Lex needs to wipe the slate clean. One of his clones can take the fall¡­ and then a few weeks later, it¡¯s discovered that it was a clone all along and the real Lex Luthor comes out clean as a whistle.¡±


    That was¡­ Lucien might have fallen for it before, back when he could barely string two thoughts together, but right now it¡¯s incredibly easy to read between the lines of what Mercy was saying. She hadn¡¯t confessed outright or anything¡­ but it sure sounded like she was saying his father tended to commit a lot of crimes, and when those crimes started to pile up and the heat from the forces of good started to get too high, Lex Luthor would replace himself with a clone, who would then take the fall for him, and he would come back afterwards with no crimes attributed to his ¡®good name¡¯.


    ¡°¡­ Is that happening right now? Is my father getting ready to¡­ soft reset?¡±


    Frowning, Mercy looks off to the side again.


    ¡°No¡­ or at least, I don¡¯t think so. Damn it Lex¡­¡±


    She grits her teeth and crosses her arms over her exposed bust for a brief moment before growling and finally looking back at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. This time¡­ I don¡¯t know what Lex is up to. He usually keeps me in the loop. I¡¯m supposed to know when he¡¯s doing these sorts of things for obvious reasons. But he didn¡¯t tell me he was replacing himself with a clone. He¡¯s¡­ keeping me in the dark this time around.¡±


    Lucien blinks at that. Before he can say anything, like maybe offering his condolences or something, Mercy seems to come to a decision. The blonde straightens up, squares her shoulders¡­ and walks over to him. Lucien can only yelp as she pushes him back onto the bed and climbs on top of him.


    ¡°If Lex doesn¡¯t currently have a place for me in his plans¡­ if he wants to keep me in the dark and leave me on babysitting duty¡­ then I might as well give you the best birthday you¡¯ve ever had, Lucien.¡±


    Well, on the one hand, Lucien didn¡¯t really appreciate being called ¡®babysitting duty¡¯. On the other hand, he was still rock hard and so it wasn¡¯t particularly difficult for Mercy to go ahead and mount him, impaling herself on his cock. Nor, he found himself thinking, did he have any problem with letting her do so as his hands go to her hips.


    As she begins to ride him cowgirl style, a throaty moan leaving her lips, Lucien groans in response. Technically, he can control when he cums just like he can control every aspect of his biology. His powers allow him that. So¡­ he can fuck Mercy as long as he wants. Gain some extra experience. Maybe learn some things he can use for his next time with Death of the Endless.


    That said¡­ right now Mercy is riding him just like Death did. She¡¯s bouncing up and down on his cock, and has taken direct control just like Death did. Lucien¡­ Lucien wanted experience. He wanted practice. He needed to learn just how he was going to eventually make Death cum for him. Mercy would be an excellent source of lessons if nothing else, he supposed.

 Chapter 6: Answers Pt. 2

    She¡¯s already on top of him. As such, trying to usurp control from the gorgeous blonde femme fatale would probably only sour the relationship he was currently trying to build with her. At the same time, he couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to hide his true nature from her either. He wanted to impress her.


    But more than that¡­ holding back his full potential wouldn¡¯t actually train him up to be able to make Death cum any faster, now would it? No, to reach the point where he could take Death to bed and bring her to the heights of ecstasy, Lucien needed to push beyond his current limits. Again and again, as many times as it took.


    Regardless, he lays back on the bed, allowing Mercy to take the lead and ride him. As she bounces up and down on his cock, Lucien groans his appreciation. It feels amazing having sex with a woman, even if she¡¯s not Death. It feels even better not being constantly weakened by the pain from his past life. That said¡­ he can¡¯t help making something of a comparison.


    Mercy is his father¡¯s right-hand woman. She¡¯s clearly far more experienced than him in every way, from life experiences to sexual experiences. Not only that, but she could kill him before he could even blink, even as he is now. She¡¯s death-in-heels, really. However¡­ she is not Death. She¡¯s not the woman who met him at the end of his first life and sent him back to reincarnate into his own timeline. She¡¯s not the beautiful, white-skinned Endless who told him that this was only the beginning¡­ and that he would need to work extra hard if he wanted to one day stand equal to her.


    In comparison to Death, Mercy comes up short. But that¡¯s fine. It is what it is. Lucien is still going to learn everything he can from how she moves upon his cock, how she rides him and gyrates her hips across his crotch. His hands on her hips, Lucien watches with single-minded focus¡­ something that Mercy Graves doesn¡¯t fail to notice or bring up.


    ¡°Heh. Where does that determination come from, I wonder? You seem quite resolved, Lucien. Most men don¡¯t take this so seriously. It¡¯s just sex. And sex is all about feeling good.¡±


    Lucien frowns, wondering how much he should really tell her. He can¡¯t exactly come out and say he was training to be able to bring Death of the Endless to a climax, now could he? He would sound insane if he said something like ¡®I want to make Death cum¡¯. For a second, he considers just staying quiet¡­ but for all that Mercy is clearly teasing him, it¡¯s not a rhetorical question. He can feel it in her movements and in her body, that she¡¯s starting to slow down as he remains silent. She¡¯s expecting a response.


    ¡°¡­ I want to learn how to please a woman, Mercy. And since you¡¯re giving me this opportunity¡­ I figured I could learn from you.¡±


    Mercy¡¯s brow raises at that, but his answer satisfies her interest and she starts to bounce up and down on his cock at a swifter pace once more, no longer slowing down. Humming as she rides him, the blonde considers his words for a moment before nodding.


    ¡°I see. You¡¯re not quite as much like your father as I thought. Or rather¡­ you¡¯re your own man, aren¡¯t you Lucien Luthor?¡±


    Lucien flushes at that. It¡¯s nice to hear, though he has to admit now he¡¯s wondering why she¡¯s saying so. Luckily, Mercy doesn¡¯t keep him in suspense for too long.


    ¡°Heh. Lex isn¡¯t the type of man to worry about others¡¯ satisfaction. No¡­ your father is the sort of man to focus solely on seeing his own Will carried out. If other people are¡­ satisfied along the way, then that¡¯s just a happy accident.¡±


    Blinking at that, Lucien suddenly has a thought that makes his nose wrinkle. But Mercy is quick to notice this and correct the misunderstanding.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong¡­ my relationship with your father is purely platonic. We¡¯ve never been physical with one another. Even still¡­ I know some of the women he¡¯s been with. And I know that their pleasure wasn¡¯t something that ever came into consideration for him. If they¡­ enjoyed themselves, it wasn¡¯t because of anything your father did, but in spite of it.¡±


    Well now. That was¡­ huh. He didn¡¯t know how exactly to take that. It sounded like learning Lex was keeping things from her had made Mercy more than a little bitter towards his father. He could probably use that¡­ but later. Right now, he was more focused on what was right in front of him. Detecting this, Mercy just smirks down at him.


    ¡°But enough about him. You want to learn? Then I¡¯ll be happy to teach you, Lucien~¡±


    Her sultry, almost predatory tone definitely has Lucien paying attention, even as she proceeds to do her best to teach him all about her body. She shows him where to touch, guiding his hands to her breasts. She even teaches him about her clit. As Mercy bounces up and down on his cock, the blonde is lecturing him the entire while¡­ which is certainly impressive, given she manages to keep her groans and moans to a minimum as well.


    She¡¯s maintaining a pretty calm attitude, even as her inner walls flex and clench down around his cock. Unbeknownst to the blonde femme fatale, Lucien is actually multitasking. Oh, don¡¯t get him wrong¡­ all of the information coming out of her mouth is great. He¡¯s learning a lot from what she¡¯s telling him. However¡­ he also has his power to rely on as well.


    With his abilities, Lucien doesn¡¯t just have to take Mercy¡¯s word for it. He can see how her body is reacting to what¡¯s happening in real time. Every single moan and gasp is preceded by some sort of reaction within her biology, and Lucien rapidly learns just how to best use the tools he has at hand to make Mercy feel good. Even as she slides up and down his cock, Lucien¡¯s fingers are working away at her as if like magic¡­ and he can tell it¡¯s having quite the pronounced effect.


    At a certain point, Mercy slows to a stop, covered in a thin layer of glistening sweat and panting heavily, her chest heaving up and down as she licks her lips and tries to catch her breath.


    ¡°You are¡­ an incredibly fast learner, Lucien. I¡¯m getting close now. I wonder¡­ how will you, mm, finish me off?¡±


    Smirking at him, she purposefully moves up his length¡­ and then slams herself down his cock. Then she does it again. Maybe she intends to make him cum before she can, but the truth is¡­ he¡¯s not going to cum until he decides he wants to cum. With that in mind, Lucien waits for the right opportunity¡­ and then strikes. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His hand lances out and just as she¡¯s slamming herself down on his cock again, he grabs and pinches her clit. At the same time, he lifts his hips with considerable strength, thrusting up into her from below. Mercy¡¯s eyes go wide, and then go crossed as she shudders, orgasming explosively right there on the spot. The gorgeous blonde, his father¡¯s right-hand woman and death-in-heels¡­ damn near collapses onto Lucien¡¯s chest from just how much he just blew her mind.


    And the best part is, he knows it¡¯s not an act either. He can see that she¡¯s not faking it, that he really did make her experience what might have been the best orgasm of her life. Okay so that last bit was somewhat hyperbolic, and definitely an assumption. It probably wasn¡¯t the BEST orgasm of her life. But then¡­ if it wasn¡¯t, that just meant Lucien had to try harder, right?


    Mercy might have thought they were done, but she would be wrong. As she¡¯s still recovering from her own earth-shattering climax, Lucien is already in motion. With a grunt and a single swing of his hips, he flips them both over and puts the blonde bodyguard on her back, right then and there. Her eyes immediately snap to his as she stares up at him, and he sees in her gaze the realization that he¡¯s barely even winded.


    ¡°L-Lucien¡­ what¡­ w-what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    She¡¯s in no position to stop him right now, but she also makes no effort to do so either. He hasn¡¯t cum yet after all, and Mercy still has her pride as a woman, he supposes. Regardless, Lucien grins down at her and shrugs.


    ¡°I figured I¡¯d put your lessons into practice while you rested a little bit. Don¡¯t worry¡­ I¡¯ll take it from here.¡±


    Sliding his hands down to Mercy¡¯s thighs, Lucien lifts her legs up into the air as he settles into place, his cock still impaled inside of her weakly flexing cunt. Chest heaving, the blonde looks up at him with a narrowed gaze¡­ but he quickly wipes that away as he begins to fuck her. Using everything she¡¯s taught him so far, he pounds into Mercy with a single-minded focus. As well as the all-knowing understanding of her body that comes with his powers.


    Lucien is in charge now, but he¡¯s still focused on Mercy¡¯s pleasure. Sure, he made her cum once¡­ but what was better than one orgasm? Two orgasms, of course! And what was better than two orgasms? Eh, you get the idea.


    He wasn¡¯t going to let up. He wasn¡¯t going to stop. Not for anything. If he wanted to one day overcome Death in the way he¡¯d just overcome Mercy Graves, he needed so much more practice it wasn¡¯t even funny. He needed experience that could only be provided by going out and doing the deed. That was where Mercy came in. That was what she represented to him right now.


    ¡­ Of course, she was also important to him in other ways. And it just so happened that his practice involved making her reach the heights of ecstasy again and again. So weren¡¯t they both winning here?


    Certainly, Lucien feels pretty damn good as Mercy cries out, her hands clawing at the bedding above her head, her head rocking backwards, and her spine arching as she thrusts her tits up into the air. Making sure not to neglect said tits, Lucien leans forward and suckles at them both, alternating between her nipples as he slurps and bites at her teats.


    Mercy, he discovers through trial and error, is the type of woman who likes a little pain with her pleasure. Even as he does things like bite at her flesh, something that should have hurt¡­ her reactions show she¡¯s enjoying it. Her biology is an open book to him, and through it Lucien is able to play her body like a finely tuned instrument. His growing understanding of his powers is making him a master at the sort of bedroom play he and Mercy are currently engaging in. It¡¯s the most basic of sexual antics, the most vanilla thing in the world for him to just fuck her missionary style like this¡­ but then, they all have to start somewhere, right?


    Lucien makes Mercy cum a second time upon his pistoning prick. He makes her cum a third time too. He watches as she climaxes a fourth time and thinks that she might be nearing the end of her rope. He¡¯s eager to take her there. He¡¯s eager to push HER past her limits, even if it doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯ll be pushing past his right now.


    However, before he can bring her any closer to half a dozen orgasms, Mercy grunts, catching his attention as she suddenly leans up and drapes her arms over his shoulders, clasping her hands together on the nape of his neck.


    ¡°You must¡­ be getting close¡­ Lucien. Need¡­ need you to o-only cum in my mouth, g-got it?¡±


    He¡¯s actually not that close at all. About as close as he¡¯s been the entire way through in fact. He decides when he cums. His control over his own biology is absolute. But¡­ he can tell that she¡¯s not taking no for an answer here. If he pushes the issue, he really will burn up any good will he¡¯s managed to get so far with her.


    Nodding, he pulls out with a grunt as she lets go of him, flopping onto his back on the bed. Then, he watches with carefully hidden movement as Mercy shakily gets up onto her hands and knees and takes him in her mouth. He considers very briefly making her work at it long enough for her jaw to start to ache, but no. No more funny business.


    He blows his load down her throat a few seconds later, watching as she swallows every last drop of his cum. She drinks his seed down with ease, and it makes Lucien consider if he could have put something else in his jizz¡­ maybe a pick-me-up or something? He could technically modify his ejaculate however he wanted. Something to think about for the future.


    For now, he continues laying back on the bed, feeling pretty good about himself and the situation. That is, until Mercy pulls back from his cock and gives him a look. Still holding his dick in one hand, the blonde femme fatale strokes it up and down¡­ but suddenly seems a lot more dangerous all of the sudden. Like she¡¯s gone from lover to fixer in an instant.


    ¡°Now that that¡¯s out of the way¡­ let¡¯s talk about how exactly you knew there was a nanochip in your father¡¯s head, Lucien.¡±


    He¡¯s too relaxed at the moment, so he¡¯s not fully controlling his reactions when she suddenly says that. As such, his eyes go as wide as saucers as he realizes that he¡¯s been caught out. He can only lay there, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. Shit. In hindsight, it was rather obvious that Mercy would want to know exactly how he knew about the nanochip. Though¡­ that she¡¯d waited until now¡­ hm, had she thought to exhaust HIM?


    Had all of this been to tucker him out so he would be more susceptible to her questioning? Had he inadvertently foiled her plan and forced her to start this interrogation at a disadvantage? It certainly felt like it. That didn¡¯t change she¡¯d asked him anyways and now he had to decide how he was going to answer her.


    He¡¯s not going to blow her off. That much, Lucien decides immediately. Technically he might be able to, given she was so tired. He could handle her, in her current state. But he¡¯s not going to, because there¡¯s no reason to. Not yet anyways. With that decided, he just has to decide how much information he¡¯s willing to give her.


    Slowly, Lucien nods to both himself and Mercy, to show he¡¯s going to explain. Yes¡­ he could still talk his way out of this.

 Chapter 7: Setbacks

    He doesn¡¯t think Mercy will hurt him or anything like that, but he can¡¯t just say nothing. Damage Control it is. Making himself squirm a little bit, Lucien puts a worried look on his face, even as Mercy holds his cock in her hand.


    ¡°I¡­ it started this morning. I don¡¯t really know how to describe it if I¡¯m being honest¡­¡±


    Mercy¡¯s eyes narrow for a moment, but then her gaze softens as she sees exactly what he wants her to see. That is, a young man in over his head and scared of being found out. Technically, that¡¯s exactly what he is right now, but at the same time¡­ he has power he didn¡¯t have before. If he wanted to in fact, he could knock Mercy out right here and right now. He could even kill her with his abilities. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He won¡¯t do that. He doesn¡¯t want to murder anyone, even knowing that he¡¯s sending him on to the beautiful Death of the Endless. Nor does he want to make Mercy his enemy by attacking her. Still, he can¡¯t tell her EVERYTHING. That would be the height of foolishness. If he told her about Death and the Time Travel, she¡¯d probably think he was insane and have him committed to an Asylum in a heartbeat.


    ¡°Try and do your best, Lucien. You¡¯ve had a long day. Just tell me what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡­ At the same time, he knew Mercy was interrogating him, possibly for her own purposes, but more than likely to take information back to his father. Sure, she was being quite gentle about it, but there was no denying that this was an interrogation. Luckily, he could rely on his powers to make himself seem completely sincere¡­ even as he decided to lie straight to Mercy¡¯s face.


    ¡°Ever since I woke up this morning¡­ I¡¯ve been able to feel things I couldn¡¯t before. I can¡­ it¡¯s like I have this extra sense that I didn¡¯t have. When I touch someone, I can see inside of them. I can understand every aspect of their biology.¡±


    It¡¯s not technically a lie. But it is an omission of the truth. He¡¯s not intending to tell her the rest. The full breadth of his powers is¡­ frightening. Lucien understands that. If he tells Mercy everything about what he can do and she delivers that information back to his father, her actual employer¡­ than Lucien is up shit¡¯s creek without a paddle. Lex Luthor will have him strapped down to an examination table in a lab somewhere before Lucien can even blink¡­ or, in the event that Lucien manages to use his powers to escape, he¡¯ll be on the run, with none of the resources his father has at his disposal and ALL of them turned towards his capture.


    At that point, his options will be entirely limited. That¡¯s why Lucien chooses not to give Mercy anything more than the extrasensory part of his powers. And by using the rest of his powers, he can perfectly regulate his reactions and biological responses, making it look as though he¡¯s telling the truth even when he¡¯s holding lots back.


    ¡°That¡¯s how I saw the nanochip in my father¡¯s head. It was a foreign entity, one that my power couldn¡¯t help but notice. And I guess¡­ I got too curious for my own good. S-So now you know¡­ please don¡¯t tell my father.¡±


    Mercy studies him, as he knew she would. She¡¯s Lex Luthor¡¯s right-hand woman. She¡¯s the fixer and bodyguard for one of the richest, most dangerous men on the planet. Lucien has no misconceptions about what that means. Her eyes narrow as she takes in his visage, with Lucien affecting a perfect mixture of earnest honesty and fear. Finally, Mercy tilts her head to the side¡­ and nods.


    ¡°If he asks me point blank, I won¡¯t lie to him Lucien. But I won¡¯t offer up the information freely either.¡±


    That¡¯s probably the best he can get. Lucien trusts her too. Thanks to her touching his cock as she speaks, he has something of a biological lie detector going through her right now. She¡¯s not trying to deceive him when she says what she says. So long as Lex doesn¡¯t ask her point blank, Lucien¡¯s secret is safe.


    Then, quite suddenly, Mercy¡¯s hand leaves his cock. The blonde rises from the bed and begins getting dressed just like that. Lucien blinks at the abruptness of her departure, watching in silence as she puts her clothes back on, covering up that gorgeous body of hers. Once she¡¯s done, the blonde femme fatale pauses and looks back at him, a slight frown marring her features.


    ¡°Was there anything else you wanted to tell me, Lucien?¡±


    Blinking, Lucien spends a moment trying to think about why she would ask that. But in the end, he can¡¯t. He just shakes his head.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s it¡­ that¡¯s my big secret. Thank you for¡­ f-for everything, Mercy.¡±


    He blushes and ducks his head, playing up the fact that she just took his virginity and what not, along with extracting his great big secret from him. By all rights, he¡¯s playing his role to the hilt. In fact, he would make an excellent movie actor, thanks to his powers.


    However, when he looks back up, Mercy¡¯s face appears a little drawn, her eyes slightly tight around the edges. In the end, she sharply nods¡­ and leaves the apartment without another word. Lucien watches her go somewhat confused, wondering why she was suddenly so¡­ distant. After what they¡¯d done together, he hadn¡¯t expected her to just¡­ shut down around him like that.


    Was it solely because she now knew he was a metahuman? What he¡¯d told her¡­ could it be that she was a little violated because of what he¡¯d said his powers could do? But then, the Mercy he knew wasn¡¯t squeamish as far as he was aware. Pushing himself off of the bed, Lucien realizes it¡¯s just about time for lunch. He¡¯s still thinking about Mercy¡¯s strange reactions near the end of their encounter as he pulls up his phone and orders delivery of his favorite food.


    It¡¯s about ten minutes later, while he¡¯s still waiting for said food to arrive, that it hits him. Lucien¡¯s eyes go wide and he has to set his phone down or else he¡¯ll throw it.


    ¡°¡­ FUCK!¡±


    He¡¯s an idiot. He¡¯s a complete and utter idiot. Never mind that he clearly inherited some of his father¡¯s genius, never mind that he FELT like he could think more clearly than he¡¯d ever been able to in his last life¡­ he¡¯d just fucked up big time and in the process proved to himself that he was FAR from infallible.


    He¡¯d lied to Mercy and withheld information about the full extent of his abilities, but that wasn¡¯t the problem. The problem was, he¡¯d lied to Mercy in such a dumb fashion. Trying to hide the full extent of his powers from the blonde was¡­ it was the height of idiocy. Worst of all? She knew he¡¯d lied to her. No wonder she¡¯d been so cold and businesslike to him at the end there.


    Maybe if it was just the tests she¡¯d seen him pass with flying colors, Lucien could have gotten away with telling her that he only had extrasensory abilities. But even that was pushing it. However, Lucien had also decided to go out of his way to exhaust Mercy with his cock. He¡¯d taken the gorgeous blonde femme fatale for a real ride, pounding her until she was putty beneath him and fucking her nonstop until he¡¯d really driven home his sexual prowess. All on what was supposed to be his first time ever having sex.


    And she was supposed to buy that his metahuman ability was only SENSING biology? Mercy wasn¡¯t an idiot. She wasn¡¯t fucking stupid. She¡¯d know something was up with that shitty explanation of his. It didn¡¯t matter that he could perfectly regulate his biological reactions to make it look like he was telling the absolute truth and hiding nothing from her. Because the proof was in the pudding. Mercy knew he wasn¡¯t telling her the full truth about his powers because she¡¯d experienced more of his abilities than anyone else.


    Shit¡­ he was fucking screwed, wasn¡¯t he? Lucien glances at the door, fully expecting one of his father¡¯s hit squads to bust it down and come for him at any moment. He needed to run, probably. Except¡­ except he still had her promise at the end there. When she¡¯d still been holding onto his cock, he¡¯d felt the truth of her words through every biological reaction she¡¯d been having at the time.


    Lie detectors weren¡¯t full proof, but he thought his brand of lie detection was pretty damn strong. And Mercy had to have known he was withholding information from her then.


    In his mind¡¯s eye, Lucien can see the bridge he¡¯d been trying to build with his father¡¯s right hand woman. And it¡¯s on fire. But¡­ it¡¯s not completely burnt just yet. Just a little charred. Meanwhile, he thinks she still believes him about the nanochip. Which means Mercy still believes THIS Lex Luthor is a clone that she wasn¡¯t informed of and her real boss is in the wind, doing something he didn¡¯t tell her about.


    If Lucien¡¯s bridge with Mercy is charred, then Lex¡¯s is in a similar state right now. He thinks¡­ he thinks Mercy won¡¯t tell his father about him. Certainly, she won¡¯t bother telling his father¡¯s CLONE a damn thing about Lucien. It¡¯ll depend on what excuse the real Lex Luthor has when he gets back, Lucien imagines. But for now¡­ for this moment at least, he¡¯s in the clear. He doesn¡¯t have to run.


    He still screwed up though. Telling Mercy about Death and his first life was definitely not the right call, but being honest about his powers might have been. Shit¡­


    In the end, he spends the rest of the day beating himself up for his mistake. He also toys around with his powers a little bit, but his heart isn¡¯t fully in it. When he finally goes to sleep, he finds himself tossing and turning, expecting to get taken by someone at any moment.


    -x-X-x-


    When he wakes up again, it¡¯s not in his bed nor in his apartment, and for a moment Lucien assumes he was kidnapped in his sleep after all. But then he looks around the meadow he is in¡­ and knows immediately that he¡¯s not actually awake. He¡¯s still asleep. This is a dream.


    ¡°Hello again, Lucien.¡±


    Death of the Endless steps out from behind a tree, leaning against it with a soft smile on her face. Lucien jumps to his feet, excited to see her for all of a moment before remembering how he felt when he finally went to sleep.


    ¡°Death! I¡­ I didn¡¯t expect to see you again so soon¡­¡±


    It¡¯d only been a day, after all. Even if that day felt like an eternity. Chuckling softly, Death pushes off of the tree trunk and walks over to him. Lucien resists the temptation to reach out and grab her¡­ until that is, she grabs him by the wrists and places his hands on her hips. Then, he finally gives in to the urge to pull her into a kiss, a giggle leaving her lips just before he presses his own lips into her mouth. Her arms wrap around his neck, and Lucien groans as he makes out with¡­ Death herself.


    It feels like all of his worries wash away, but it¡¯s a brief sensation at best. As soon as they pull apart, Death¡¯s next words bring his previous thoughts back.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to visit you every night, Lucien, but¡­ my brother Dream was kind enough to set up this meeting for me, so we could have a little get together. This is his realm, you see. I wanted to check in on you and congratulate you for surviving your first day back~¡±


    Flushing, Lucien scowls as he averts his gaze.


    ¡°¡­ I might have survived one day, but I don¡¯t know about the next. I already fucked up, Death. Mercy, my father¡¯s chief henchwoman, knows I lied to her. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s going to do in the long term with that knowledge.¡±


    Death shrugs her bared shoulders at that, eyes twinkling in amusement.


    ¡°Mortals are mercurial creatures at the best of time, dear Lucien. She will make her decisions and you will have to respond accordingly. Still, I don¡¯t think for a second that you¡¯d go down without a fight, even if your father did try to make you his latest lab experiment. Would you?¡±


    Clenching his jaw, curling a hand into a fist, Lucien shakes his head.


    ¡°No. I wouldn¡¯t let him do that to me. I¡¯d¡­ I¡¯d do whatever was necessary to stop it.¡±


    Death smiles knowingly at that.


    ¡°You can reset again, if you were wondering. If you die, I will have to send you back to reincarnate into yourself once more, and I will let you choose precisely where you land. However¡­ I must urge caution against using this ability of yours too often. You must not seek death, Lucien.¡±


    Lucien frowns at that, parsing what she¡¯s saying, processing her words¡­ but also catching on her final sentence above all else.


    ¡°¡­ Why not? Aren¡¯t I¡­ whatever I am to you? A Death Vortex or whatever?¡±


    A fond chuckle leaves Death of the Endless¡¯ lips and she shakes her head.


    ¡°Not a Death Vortex, my dear. What you are to me, and what Dream Vortexes are to my brother¡­ are not a one-to-one comparison. But yes¡­ you are mine, Lucien. Even still, there is a limit to everything. Even you. I do not know how many times you can die before your soul is so fragmented that you lose the memories of all the lives you lived before. A hundred? A thousand? A hundred thousand? I would rather we take our time in finding out, my dear.¡±


    Fragmented? Memory loss? Oh, that sounded bad. Death was right. If dying too much eventually destroyed his memories¡­ he¡¯d stop being himself. And that would be bad.


    ¡°¡­ So I probably shouldn¡¯t wake up tomorrow and kill myself so I can reset to this morning and do everything better¡­¡±


    Death shakes her head.


    ¡°I would say not, no. You¡­ navigated your first day back as well as can be expected of you, Lucien. Perhaps you made your mistakes¡­ but nothing that can¡¯t be fixed¡­ without resorting to a final measure.¡±


    Even if it wouldn¡¯t BE such a final measure for him¡­ he nevertheless knows she¡¯s right. Sighing, Lucien¡¯s shoulders slump as he resigns himself to living with the consequences of his actions. Mercy knew he¡¯d lied to her. That was just something he¡¯d have to deal with going forward.


    A moment later, he DOES perk up however, looking at Death hopefully.


    ¡°Do we¡­ have time for anything besides talking?¡±


    The beautiful, oh-so-pale personification of Death grins at him at that, her black lips curling into a toothy smile.


    ¡°Always, my beloved. How shall you claim Death, hm?¡±


    Lucien blushes profusely at that. What a question¡­

 Chapter 8: Pleasant Dreams

    Unbidden, a very specific image appears in his mind¡¯s eye. Before Lucien can banish it or even say anything, a laugh escapes from Death¡¯s dark lips and a moment later, the world around them both suddenly changes. Before he knows it¡­ their position has been altered. His hands are still on Death¡¯s hips, but everything else is completely different.


    Bent over, kneeling against a tree, the beautiful, pale personification of Death has her leather pants unbuttoned and unzipped and pulled down to her knees. As she clings to the tree, she looks back over her shoulder at him, a wicked grin on her face. Meanwhile, his pants are also no longer in the way, with his cock currently out and rock hard¡­ and pressing against her pussy lips from behind.


    The transition is both immensely jarring and incredibly natural. One moment he¡¯s imagining himself fucking Death from behind and the next moment they¡¯re set up to do precisely that. Even still, Lucien can¡¯t help but blush and stutter a little bit. He hadn¡¯t¡­ he didn¡¯t want Death to think he was demeaning her or anything like that. Taking her doggystyle might have been his immediate first impulse, but if he¡¯d been given a second longer to think about it, he probably would have chosen something else.


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t-, err¡­¡±


    Giggling at his reaction, Death wiggles her hips, her pussy lips flexing around the tip of his cock where his member is currently touching her entrance. A groan leaves Lucien¡¯s lips right then and there, and he doubles over her, his mouth ending up mere millimeters away from her pale neck.


    ¡°You did, Lucien. Did I not tell you? This is my brother¡¯s realm. And in the Dream Realm, all of your dreams will become reality. You wanted this, and now you have it. I hope you¡¯re not going to back off now~¡±


    Getting himself under some semblance of control is a challenge, which feels weird after how MUCH control he¡¯d had over himself in the waking world. And yet, obviously this world doesn¡¯t entirely work on the same logic as the real world. More than that, Death herself doesn¡¯t work on any of that logic. Being with her¡­ Lucien has a feeling it will always overwhelm his self-control, no matter what form their meeting takes.


    Shuddering, he nevertheless pulls himself together¡­ and forces himself to acknowledge the situation for what it is. Death had asked him how he would claim her, and this was where his mind had immediately gone. Luckily, she didn¡¯t seem upset by the somewhat demeaning, degrading position he currently had her in. In fact, he got the impression that she¡¯d be more upset if he DIDN¡¯T fuck her doggystyle now.


    Well¡­ he wanted to make Death cum, didn¡¯t he? So he couldn¡¯t very well go around passing up opportunities to do exactly that. Letting out another breath of hot air across his beloved¡¯s neck, Lucien gathers his courage and thrusts forward, grunting as he fills Death from behind. Her inner walls flex and clench around his member, just as glorious and wondrous as he remembered them to be. Meanwhile, his hips meet her pert and pale posterior, her heart-shape ass jiggling slightly from the impact.


    Death giggles again, before letting out a soft moan as he fills her. Part of Lucien thinks it might just be faked though¡­ he¡¯s nowhere near close to his goal, is he? Indeed, the moment he¡¯s inside of her, he can tell he¡¯s not just going to manage to make Death of the Endless orgasm after one day back from the dead. But that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s just going to give up. He comes from a bloodline that simply doesn¡¯t know when to quit.


    Pulling back, Lucien makes to thrust in again, burying himself in Death¡¯s tight, wet, and warm insides with a heartfelt groan. He quickly sets a reasonable pace, pounding into her pussy from behind. He doesn¡¯t fuck her as hard or as fast as he probably could though. This isn¡¯t a race. It¡¯s a damn marathon, and one he knows he¡¯s nowhere near close to finishing.


    Still, every opportunity, every chance he gets, Lucien seeks to improve. It might be about the destination, but it¡¯s also about the journey. As his cock thrusts in and out of the pale, gorgeous, gothic woman¡¯s body, he looks for ways he can improve. His powers aren¡¯t completely disabled in this strange world of dreaming, but they are a little haywire. He can¡¯t do the same trick he did with Mercy, where he used his abilities to learn everything that made her tick and then¡­ well, made her tick.


    But he can use his abilities to hold off his own orgasm, at least for a time. Something tells him it won¡¯t work forever, not like it would in the real world. Probably because in this place, his dreams can¡¯t help but become reality¡­ and in the end, he dreams of cumming inside of Death with almost as much fervor and excitement as he does of making Death cum.


    Although¡­ that was an idea. Lucien purses his lips together and focuses his efforts. In order to amplify his sudden scheme, he even moves his hands from Death¡¯s hips, sliding them up under her black tank top instead so he can grasp her breasts. To his excitement, she lets out another soft moan as he touches her tits, his fingers immediately beginning to play with her nipples.


    Death claws into the tree in front of him, all while bouncing her hips back into his thrusting cock. And Lucien¡­ Lucien focuses with all his might on a singular dream of Death cumming for him. Of her orgasming explosively on his dick. If just one small thought about having her on her knees while he fucked her doggystyle was enough to make that become reality, then what if he pushed all of his focus onto that one singular task?


    ¡°Ahh¡­ my clever boy.¡±


    Lucien blinks, as Death turns her head to look at him, smiling affectionately. He flushes, realizing instantly that he¡¯s been found out.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a bad idea, my dear. Not a bad idea by any stretch of the imagination. Someone like you might have even had a chance of making it happen¡­ if you¡¯d tried it on anyone except for someone like me~¡±


    Death¡¯s teasing tone heralds the beginning of the end. Even though she¡¯s still bent over the tree, even though he¡¯s still fucking her from behind¡­ Lucien feels the moment where the tide turns on him. Suddenly, she¡¯s in control. Despite being in a position that most would claim the woman had no control in, she¡¯s the one who¡¯s suddenly setting the pace. She¡¯s the one pushing back into his thrusting cock, and all he can do is hang on for dear life.


    All the while, Lucien feels his balls churning. He feels that tightness heralding a coming climax. He can¡¯t stop it. He can¡¯t hold it back any longer. Death¡¯s quim feels too damn good. Wrapped around his dick, clenching and flexing and rhythmically milking him of his release¡­ Lucien passes the point of no return with a gasp, and finishes inside of Death. He fulfills one of his dreams, but at the expense of the other, the creampie feeling somewhat bittersweet as his little gambit fails him.


    Collapsing forward, he pants into the back of Death¡¯s neck, even as she lets him rest on her, humming and almost purring in contentment.


    ¡°Y-You¡­ w-why didn¡¯t it work?¡±


    Even as he asks in a childish, almost plaintive tone¡­ Lucien already knows the answer. He¡¯s not an idiot. He¡¯s already figured it out. Death likely knows that too, but she answers him all the same, reaching back behind herself and running a hand through his hair, petting him almost.


    ¡°In the Dream Realm, making your dreams come true is simply a matter of thinking quite hard, as you figured out. Almost anything you dream can become real here in this place. However, if your dream involves someone else, you will find yourself contesting your Will against theirs. I could have let your dream become reality, just as I did with your initial vision of me on bent over on my knees, ready to be taken from behind.¡±


    Tilting her head to the side, smirking at him, Death hums.


    ¡°¡­ But would you have truly been satisfied with such a thing, my dear Lucien? Would making me cum via a dream, rather than in actuality with your own strength and technique, truly have made you happy?¡± Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lucien opens his mouth¡­ and then clicks it shut, finally regaining control of his breathing as he realizes that she¡¯s right. It had been a spur of the moment thought, one he hadn¡¯t really put due consideration into before trying to make it happen. But if he had managed to force his dream of making Death cum upon her, if he had managed to cause her to climax in such an underhanded fashion¡­ she¡¯s right, he wouldn¡¯t have earned it. It wouldn¡¯t have been satisfying.


    Before he can reply, the world suddenly shifts again, and all of the sudden he¡¯s leaning back against the tree, while Death is on her knees before him, now completely naked. Smiling up at him, the beautiful pale woman takes his cock in one hand while dipping another between her legs. She smiles as she nuzzles into his member, rubbing her cheek against his glans.


    ¡°My turn, beloved~¡±


    Lucien watches wordlessly as she takes him into her mouth. More than that though, he watches as she touches herself while doing so. Getting sucked off by Death was one thing¡­ a singularly spectacular, truly amazing thing to be exact. Don¡¯t get him wrong, he was loving it. But it takes a backseat to getting a bird¡¯s eye view of just how she pleasures herself. Because if he can learn how Death pleasures herself, he might just learn how to do it for her instead.


    The next several minutes are filled with sucking noises and his honest, earnest groans. It feels like she¡¯s sucking his damn soul out of his body. Of course, he knows she¡¯s not. She wouldn¡¯t need to. If she wanted his soul, she could have it. She already owned everything he was.


    Unfortunately, even as he watches her finger herself, Lucien feels another climax approaching in short order on his end. He holds on as long as possible, even reaching back to claw at the tree behind him, digging into it with his fingers and using the pain from the wood going under his nails to ground himself. But it¡¯s just not enough. Before Death can even make herself cum, he¡¯s exploding once more, this time down her throat.


    She swallows every last drop of course, the beautiful pale gothic goddess drinking his seed like it¡¯s no big deal. Meanwhile, Lucien feels a certain sensation overcoming him. Almost like he¡¯s passing out¡­ but he¡¯s already asleep. So really, isn¡¯t it more like he¡¯s waking up?


    ¡°Goodbye for now, my dear. Keep pushing forward. You¡¯re so very strong, Lucien¡­ I don¡¯t think for even a second that you¡¯re anywhere near your full potential.¡±


    -x-X-x-


    Lucien¡¯s eyes snap open and he stares up at his ceiling, awakening in his bed in the apartment his father pays for once more. A shuddering breath leaves his lips, as he considers Death¡¯s final words to him. She¡¯s right of course. He¡¯s nowhere near his full potential. But one day, he¡¯ll get there. One day, he¡¯ll be capable of making her climax. And whatever he has to do to reach that point, whatever power he needs to gather¡­ he¡¯ll get it. No matter what.


    Letting out an explosive breath, Lucien smiles for a moment, and then laughs. Chuckling to himself, he shakes his head. He¡¯s quite glad that Death took the time to come to him in his sleep. Not just because of what they¡¯d gotten to do together, but because her presence had helped him to reaffirm his priorities. He hadn¡¯t even realized it, but he was getting off track.


    Sure, Mercy knew he¡¯d lied to him. And maybe if his actual father showed up any time soon to replace that clone Lucien had uncovered, Mercy would even go and tell Lex what was going on. But for now, it didn¡¯t matter. For now, Lucien had bigger fish to fry. For now-


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    The sudden knocking on his door startles Lucien something fierce. Blinking, he looks at his clock and realizes it¡¯s actually the next morning. He¡¯d slept all the way through the night, and honestly he felt great. Still¡­ hopping to his feet, he hastily gets some clothes on as the banging on his apartment door intensifies.


    His first impulse is that Mercy had caught him by surprise, and his father had sent a squad to grab him. But no, if that were the case, they wouldn¡¯t have knocked. They would have just come in and tried to take him by surprise. It takes him a moment, but he remembers exactly what he should have been expecting this morning before he finally opens the door.


    Thanks to that, he¡¯s at least not very surprised by the presence of a whole delivery crew out in the hallway. Stepping to the side, he watches wordlessly as they deliver a whole variety of crates and boxes¡­ and one large crate in particular with breathing holes on it and the words ¡°CAUTION: FRAGILE¡± stamped onto the side.


    None of the delivery crew says a word to him. They don¡¯t even have him sign for anything, which makes it clear that his father had this done completely in-house. They must be LexCorp, or LexCorp adjacent or-


    SLAM!


    The door is slammed shut behind them, and suddenly Lucien is alone in his apartment again. Well, not entirely alone. Still, the whole process couldn¡¯t have taken more than five minutes.


    Slowly, he moves over to the crate with holes in it. Grabbing the lid, he begins prying it off with his bare hands. Only when he¡¯s already halfway through does he realize he probably should have used the crowbar helpfully left leaning against the side of the damn thing. But no, he¡¯s already used his newfound strength to get this far¡­


    The lid comes free, and Lucien lifts it up and sets it aside. Even before he looks down into the crate, he hears it¡­ a pitiful mewling that lets him know his new ¡®pet¡¯ has arrived.


    Staring down into the crate at the Snow Leopard Cub he¡¯d asked for from his father, Lucien realizes for the first time what it means to have the creature in his apartment. This isn¡¯t just an easy source of new abilities and borderline superpowers. This is a living thing, staring up at him with big, soulful eyes.


    ¡°Well¡­ fuck. I suppose you¡¯ll need a name, won¡¯t you?¡±


    A quick glance reveals that his new pet is male, at least, though that doesn¡¯t help him all that much. The cub just mewls at him again, crawling out of the straw it was shipped in and placing its paws as high up the side of the crate as it can get. Reaching for him. Seeking warmth and comfort. His heart melts immediately, of course. Damn it all.

 Chapter 9: Spot

    EDIT: I accidentally forgot Chapter 5 in the initial rush of chapters, so that''s why I had to push all of the chapters up one and post this as a ''new'' chapter. The actual new chapter will be released in just a few minutes!


    A/N: As of today, 7/2/2023, this is the final chapter currently posted publicly for this story. Because of how the schedule works, Chapter 10 will come out Thursday morning and then after that it will be one chapter every two weeks going forward.


    There will always be four advance chapters on my Patreon at all times for this and my other Patreon-Funded fics.


    -x-X-x-


    He¡¯s never named anything before, he abruptly realizes. Perhaps that¡¯s why the first several ideas to pop through his head all sound like things his father would approve of. Because even now, even after Lex Luthor abandoned him and left him all on his own in his previous life¡­ Lucien still automatically seeks his approval before anything else.


    Nose wrinkling, something twisting in his gut, a low growl leaves Lucien¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Fuck it. Your name is now Spot.¡±


    ¡°Mrow.¡±


    The Snow Leopard Cub¡¯s mewling voice makes him blink as it continues to look up at him, blinking those big eyes it has. Sighing, Lucien reaches down and picks Spot up off of the straw within the crate, lifting the cub high into the air like this is the Lion King or something. Except this isn¡¯t the Lion King and he¡¯s not a monkey last he checked, so he pulls the cub into his arms and supports its bottom, holding it close to him.


    Immediately, his powers told him everything he could ever want to know about Spot. His new pet is healthy at least, but then Lucien could have guessed at that. The Lex he was currently dealing with might be a clone that pales in comparison to the real thing, but the clone didn¡¯t know that and Lex Luthor never did anything by half. Frankly, Lucien would be a lot more worried if the cub HAD shown up ill or diseased or with fleas or anything like that.


    But no, Spot is picture perfect, even as he shifts and wiggles in Lucien¡¯s arms, mewling pitifully and demanding to be let down. Lucien does so, watching the Snow Leopard Cub slowly toddle around, exploring his new environment carefully.


    ¡­ He was in charge of someone now. HE was in charge of what was effectively a newborn baby. He¡¯d asked for Spot on a whim, trying to squeeze something useful out of his father. Maybe if he was more like Lex, Lucien could compartmentalize it and just not care¡­ but the truth was, he was like his father in some ways and very much unlike him in others. He cared, more than he¡¯d ever been able to acknowledge or understand before now.


    After all, he couldn¡¯t have a pet in his last life. He¡¯d been too sickly for anything, even goldfish. After all, on particularly bad weeks he would find himself lying in bed all day long, barely able to get up to get water. Not exactly conducive to keeping even a damn goldfish alive.


    But now here he was, stronger than ever with a bright future ahead of him. And if it turned dark, if anything happened to him, he got to rewind and try again for an indeterminant amount of times before his soul fractured and he stopped being himself. Yay.


    Spot though¡­ Spot represented the first real step into this new life of his. Things weren¡¯t going to go the way they had before. Obviously, Lucien knew that¡­ but there was a difference between knowing something and experiencing something. The cub carefully exploring his new surroundings was the experience that Lucien had truly needed to give him a kick in the pants. More so even than what had happened between him and Mercy the day before.


    ¡°Mrow.¡±


    Blinking, Lucien looks to see that Spot has stopped and is looking at a specific box in particular. His living room is filled with all of the things he will presumably need to take care of a Snow Leopard Cub¡­ but Spot starts to paw at that box, sniffing at it. Right¡­ Lucien can guess what¡¯s in there. Letting out a soft chuckle, he makes his way on over.


    ¡°Need help with that, Spot?¡±


    ¡°Mrow?¡±


    ¡°Yeah buddy¡­ breakfast time.¡±


    -x-X-x-


    An hour later, they¡¯d both eaten and Lucien had even managed to go through some of the boxes. He doesn¡¯t understand half of it, but he¡¯ll learn as he goes along. After eating, Spot had quickly proven just how unprepared he was for taking care of a baby animal¡­ by showing Lucien what said baby animals tended to do once they ate. No, not nap, though that had come after. The other thing first.


    Lucien had cleaned up after the cub, and now Spot was sleeping in a comfy-looking cat bed. However, seeing the cub curled up in the small bed¡­ Lucien was already imagining just how big Spot would get. He was a cub right now. But Snow Leopards got big. Maybe not as big as some other wild cats could get, but plenty big enough that keeping an adult Snow Leopard as a pet would be¡­ challenging to say the least.


    He wasn¡¯t about to just give up on Spot though. Especially not when the cub had already paid a life¡¯s worth of rent and then some. After making sure he and Spot were both fed and the cub was fast asleep, Lucien hadn¡¯t just been opening boxes. He¡¯d been multitasking. In the back of his mind, he was turning over everything he¡¯d learned from Spot while his hands worked on prying open crates.


    There was a laundry list of reasons that he¡¯d chosen a Snow Leopard Cub, after all. Sure, maybe there were other creatures on the Earth that could have helped him more, and sure, maybe there were options that would have been easier to care for then Spot was likely to be. But¡­ at the same time, Snow Leopards were one of the toughest cats imaginable for their size. Not as big or powerful as a lion or tiger, sure¡­ but what they did have, they sure made good use of. They were killing machines plain and simple.


    With Spot¡¯s help, Lucien could already see ways to enhance himself. All of his senses would gain improvements from the blueprint he¡¯d pulled from Spot, and he could also increase his strength and durability a fair amount as well. He could effectively make himself superhuman, albeit on the lower end.


    It wouldn¡¯t be enough though. What he¡¯d gained from Spot could probably allow him to give any would-be muggers on the street a run for their money. Faster reflexes, tougher skin and bones¡­ he could probably handle a knife-wielding assailant at the very least. But he wasn¡¯t going to be bullet proof. And being part Snow Leopard wouldn¡¯t stop a hit squad from coming and taking him, if that were to happen.


    Letting out a low breath, Lucien¡¯s eyes flicker to Spot¡¯s sleeping form again. Hm, he really might have made a mistake in picking something that started out so loveable. He was incredibly starved for affection, and while Death was great¡­ what they had between them was so intense and so carnal that Lucien could admit he needed something more¡­ normal.


    It certainly said something about his life that having a Snow Leopard as a pet was considered ¡®normal¡¯, but then that was just par for the course when being the son of Lex Luthor he supposed. Spot was already filling a place in Lucien¡¯s heart that he hadn¡¯t even known was empty or in need of filling. He was rapidly becoming attached, and it felt like it was much too late to do anything about it.


    Which changed things at least a little bit. Before, Lucien could safely say he had one goal and one goal only. Making his beloved Death cum. It was a good, strong, worthy goal in his own personal opinion, and in this case, he felt like his was the only opinion that mattered.


    Now however¡­ while that overarching goal had not changed in the slightest, he had a new mandate as well. Raise and protect Spot. The cub had stopped being just a way to get some superhuman attributes the moment that Lucien had first laid eyes on him, and he wasn¡¯t going to lie to himself and say it was otherwise. It wasn¡¯t just about his own safety anymore. Now he had a Snow Leopard to look after as well.


    So¡­ what? Did that mean he had to go after his father or something, just to make sure Spot stayed safe? That sort of preemptive bullshit was certainly something Lex would do in a heartbeat. But on top of that, this wasn¡¯t even really his father. It was a damn clone. If Lucien moved against the clone given what Mercy had said, it would only result in his real father popping back up at the worst time.


    He still needed to get to work though. While trying to take LexCorp from his father might have seemed like the most obvious option given he was Lex¡¯s son and thus his heir¡­ it was a bad move for a number of reasons. A bad opening move, at least. If he was going to turn on his father, he needed to bolster his defenses massively in a number of other ways first. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sitting down at the dining table, Lucien steeples his hands together in front of him and thinks. He needed more¡­ everything. Personal power, yes¡­ but not just that. He needed financial power and political power as well. With the right moves, he could step out from under his father¡¯s shadow and make something new. Something that was entirely his.


    It wouldn¡¯t be easy of course¡­ but it also wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to get started. After all, Lucien had two massive advantages. One, his mind. Two¡­ he was from the future.


    Some of it was foggy, and it was true that he hadn¡¯t gotten out much¡­ but he still remembered things. He still remembered some of the major events that occurred over the next six years and he could use that to his advantage in a number of ways.


    In fact¡­ Lucien¡¯s eyes flicker over to the kitchen and he stands up, making his way to a letter he¡¯d not even bothered to open, leaving it to clutter up the counter with a whole bunch of other unopened mail that he¡¯d discarded there. It was about a week old, technically. But for him, it was eight years ago. Frankly, it was a wonder he¡¯d even remembered it.


    Then again, it was an invitation to a gathering put on by THE Bruce Wayne. The Wayne Manor Gala was a yearly affair and one that Lucien was pretty sure he was never invited to before this year. Nor was he invited to it after either, not even in the two years he¡¯d had left before he was ultimately kicked to the curb by his cruel, cold father.


    However, for whatever reason¡­ this year he¡¯d gotten an invitation. In the original timeline, he¡¯d ignored it of course. He was too sickly for such gatherings, and if he¡¯d tried to go, his father would have stopped him. If somehow he¡¯d slipped through Lex¡¯s net and attended anyways, his father would have punished him. But now? Now things had changed. Now Lucien was better and could represent their family name with something approaching poise.


    More than that though, he could represent HIMSELF at the Gala. Bruce Wayne might have been a billionaire playboy, the quintessential billionaire playboy in fact, but he still had a massive company. And the Wayne Manor Gala would be filled with plenty of more serious and self-respecting businesspeople as well. Never mind that Bruce Wayne probably didn¡¯t know the first thing about where his money came from¡­ his party was still an opportunity that Lucien could ill-afford to pass up.


    Or could he? Going to the Gala WOULD be a big move¡­ and make big waves as well. He had ideas swirling around in his head about how he could already use such a thing to his advantage, but there was still every possibility that it would backfire and bring his father down upon his head before he was ready. The Gala was high risk, high reward¡­ but it would only give him greater influence, it wouldn¡¯t put money in his pockets right now.


    No, if he wanted to make money outside of his father¡¯s wealth, Lucien would need to use his considerable intellect along with his future knowledge¡­ to invent something. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult, to be fair. The world had been accelerating in development long before this time, and in the next eight years it would accelerate even more.


    With a clear mind for the first time in his entire life, Lucien even had ideas floating around in his head that would involve improving upon some of the inventions he could steal from the future that he¡¯d come back from. Patent the right thing, and he could become a millionaire overnight. Though that path would also draw his father¡¯s ire eventually, once Lex found out about it. But it would probably take a little longer than if Lucien went to the Wayne Gala.


    And yet, what were political and financial power in the face of personal power? Lucien could attend parties and file patents all day long and his father would still have plenty of hit squads to send after him if he decided Lucien was being too much of a nuisance. But Lucien didn¡¯t have to rely upon money, or intellect, or friends to protect himself like Lex did. He had personal power as well.


    Through Spot he was gaining several improvements. Feline agility. Enhanced senses. Maybe even claws, though he was still figuring that part out. Right this moment, as he sat there thinking, Lucien was currently already in the process of enhancing his body for the first time. He¡¯d repaired it before, but now¡­ now he was improving it. While just sitting there.


    However, no matter how useful Spot was, there was no denying that there were more useful people out there. More useful ¡®templates¡¯ that he just needed a single touch to take for himself. If he could lay a finger on a Kryptonian for instance, he would truly be in the money. Or any one of the other dozen alien races that lived on Earth.


    And indeed, with his foreknowledge he even knew of some key moments where he might be able to run into those sorts of people.


    Then again, he wouldn¡¯t have to risk running into an active super battle to touch a superhero or supervillain if he had enough money or influence to get them to give him just a single moment of their time. He wouldn¡¯t even have to convince them of anything. Arrange a meeting, shake their hands, talk about the weather¡­ and it would be done.


    There were lots of paths forward. Lots of ways to achieve his goals, both in the immediate and the long-term. But one thing was certain¡­ no matter what Lucien chose-


    Blinking, Lucien finds himself taken out of his thoughts when a fuzzy sensation intrudes upon his steepled hands. He looks down to see the spotted face of a certain Snow Leopard cub poking out from under his hands. Spot, having climbed up onto the table while he was deep in thought, looks at him curiously, seemingly having already imprinted on him by this point.


    ¡°Mrow.¡±


    Smiling, Lucien unwinds his hands and reaches under Spot¡¯s chin to give it some rubs. Then, he makes his decision.


    -x-X-x-


    The Patreon Vote


    [X] Pursue Personal Power First - 56%


    [  ] Pursue Financial Security First - 23%


    [  ] Pursue Political/Social Influence First - 21%


    (From this chapter on, I will be posting the results of the Patreon Vote for the chapter to increase transparency and alleviate the issue of constant cliffhangers.)

 Chapter 10: Blackfire

    EDIT: For those who might have missed it, I accidentally forgot to post Chapter 5 in the initial rush of chapters going up. It''s up now if you didn''t read it originally. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Personal power it is~


    -x-X-x- For a long moment, Lucien continues to stare down at the invitation to the gala. But finally, he shakes his head and sets it back on the kitchen counter. The event was over a month away still, so there was every possibility he would wind up going down the road¡­ but sitting and spinning his heels for the next month instead of reaching out and finding a way to grasp more personal power¡­ was anathema to him. In the end, that was what really led him to the choice to seek more personal power over financial or political influence. Both of the other routes were good and he could certainly begin making motions to walk down them over the coming weeks¡­ but they each took time as well.Time that Lucien wasn¡¯t entirely sure he had. If his real father suddenly came back and replaced his clone, if Mercy found out that the true Lex Luthor had returned, then Lucien wasn¡¯t sure she would keep his secrets any longer. He had not managed to secure the blonde bodyguard¡¯s loyalty, and so he needed to be very careful about his next moves¡­ but he also needed to move as quickly as he possibly could. Filing patents and preparing to attend parties that were months away was all well and good, but in the meantime Lucien would be a fool not to reach out and take some of the opportunities that were just around the corner. If he could get his hands on certain DNA, literally¡­ he could become nigh unstoppable in a very short amount of time. Turning away from the counter and thus the idea of looking for political and social influence first and foremost, Lucien mentally pivots at the same time, instead thinking on what his best chances for gaining more personal, physical power are in the immediate future. Obviously, the best option would be to try and get his hands on Kryptonian DNA somehow. But the problems with such a proposition were¡­ immediately apparent. One, while there were Kryptonians flying around and saving the day pretty much twenty-four-seven, the amount of fights that they got into where they actually bled were few and far in between for obvious reasons. So getting his hands on their DNA from a battle scene was not happening any time soon. Likewise, getting close enough to one for even a handshake was unlikely to go well for him. Not only was he Lex Luthor¡¯s bastard son, but a Kryptonian who looked at him right now with their X-Ray vision would automatically see the sort of changes that he¡¯d made to himself and grow even more suspicious. Though¡­ there was a potential idea. Down the line, he COULD approach one of the Kryptonians and try to pass his biological changes off as experimentation and genetic manipulation by his father¡­ But not right now. Not when he was so weak that Lex could easily retaliate against such a lie. And certainly not while he was weak enough that getting in the middle of a Kryptonian Superfight might result in him being turned into a smear on the sidewalk. Sure, he was technically immortal, but he knew his resurrections to be seemingly finite now, and he had no intention of living OR dying too frivolously. If he was going to die, it needed to either be worth it, or his only option left to him. There was, of course, another way of getting his hands on Kryptonian DNA. It was likely to be easier, even. Maybe safer¡­ for a comparative value of ¡®safer¡¯. Put bluntly, Lucien COULD go snooping around LexCorp¡¯s more clandestine labs. He knew for a fact that his father collected all of the Kryptonian DNA that Lucien could ever want. However, he also knew that Lex would keep his trophies and prizes sealed behind multiple layers of security. It would certainly be easier for Lucien to get into a LexCorp laboratory than it would be for him to survive the sort of city-destroying battle that would make a Kryptonian bleed, but that didn¡¯t mean it would be EASY¡­ or particularly safe. No, he needed something with lower stakes. But not too low. He wanted a battle with heavy hitters that weren¡¯t so heavy he was more likely to wind up dead than not. Luckily, his memory of his past life was pretty good, and he could remember several battles that happened around this time. He just had to pick one that happened in his general vicinity. Sure, he probably COULD have used his position as Lex¡¯s son to charter a private jet or something, but that would only draw more attention to him than he wanted right now. There¡¯s an option that eventually comes to mind, one that Lucien almost dismisses out of hand at first. But¡­ no, it¡¯s perfect. Well, maybe not perfect but then nothing ever truly is. Still, it¡¯s good enough for his purposes. Especially since it will give him a stepping stone to Kryptonian Biology¡­ namely, by giving him access to Tamaranean Biology. Tamaraneans were an alien species that absorbed Solar Energy, much in the same way Kryptonians could. It gave them incredible strength and stamina, as well as the ability to fly¡­ albeit, not nearly on the same level as Kryptonians. Meaning that it took a lot less to make one bleed than it did one of the even more powerful solar-powered aliens. For instance¡­ another Tamaranean could make a Tamaranean bleed. Lucien just so happens to know about a big knock-out slugfest that takes place between the Titans Heroine known as ¡®Starfire¡¯ and her supervillain sister ¡®Blackfire¡¯ in just about a week from now. And the location isn¡¯t even that far from where he is, only an hour or two away on foot. In his original timeline, he¡¯d only heard about it after the fact of course. But it¡¯d stuck in his mind despite being a somewhat more minor altercation because someone on the street had gotten pretty decent, if shaky, video of the fight happening in the sky. And they only stopped being able to record the battle¡­ when Blackfire plowed Starfire into a nearby warehouse and out of their sight. Lucien could find that warehouse. It wouldn¡¯t even be particularly hard now that he wasn¡¯t sickly and weak and in pain twenty-four-seven. He could find that warehouse and he could be ready to¡­ take advantage of the sisters¡¯ tussle. ¡°Mrow~¡± Blinking, Lucien realizes that Spot has come up beside him just as the Snow Leopard Cub pushes into his leg. Chuckling, he reaches down and gives his new pet a scratch behind the ears¡­ which Spot tolerates for all of a minute before pulling back and looking at him expectantly. ¡°Mrow.¡± Ah, right. The cub had rapidly decided he was its mother¡­ or at least, its source of food. Smirking a little bit at Spot¡¯s priorities, Lucien nods and moves to get another meal together for the growing tyke. -x-X-x- A week later and Lucien finds himself lurking in an abandoned warehouse that would soon be a condemned warehouse. He didn¡¯t know where the battle necessarily started or why it happened or anything like that¡­ but he knew from his memories of that video that this was the warehouse where Starfire and Blackfire would end up. He also knew that, for whatever reason, the Titans had not all been there to back-up their ally in her fight against her villainous sister. Lucien assumed that Blackfire must have done something or set something else up that left them indisposed at the time, for the purposes of getting her sister alone in the first place. And yeah, sure¡­ Lucien technically could have done a good deed by alerting the Titans to Blackfire¡¯s plans, but he hadn¡¯t. There were multiple reasons for that. One, he wasn¡¯t a hero, had never claimed to be a hero, and had no desire to be pressganged into being a hero. Honestly, he didn¡¯t expect they would truly trust him for a long, long time even if he DID want to join the Justice League. He was the son of Lex Luthor after all, and having his own son infiltrate his enemies for his purposes was definitely right up Lex¡¯s alley. Two, if Lucien tipped the Titans off to Blackfire¡¯s plans with what little he knew in the first place, they might have been able to stop her sure¡­ but only this time. They might have been able to derail whatever she had going on this time around, but what about the next time? And the time after that? Lucien hadn¡¯t even paid all that much attention to the Titans or Blackfire¡¯s activities but he could easily name half a dozen battles between them and Starfire¡¯s villainous sister that would take place in the next eight years. So long as the heroes weren¡¯t willing to kill and the villains refused to give up on their mad impulses, these things would continue happening. The heroes never pursued a permanent solution, and the villains kept coming back for more. And the little guys, like he¡¯d been in his past life, were the ones who suffered for it. It kind of pained him that he didn¡¯t even know WHO was to blame for his first death. Was it one of the alien invaders trying to conquer their world? Or an accident by a hero? Though to be honest¡­ he would probably rather thank them than curse them, whoever they were. Dying was singlehandedly the best thing that had ever happened to Lucien, bar none. Regardless, he- A sudden crashing sound causes Lucien to go absolutely still. The sort of stillness that only a cat, or someone with cat-like abilities, can possibly manage. His pupils dilate as his prey comes into view a moment later, slamming through the ceiling of the warehouse. If not for the changes he¡¯d made to himself thanks to Spot, Lucien would definitely have flinched as Blackfire slammed her sister into the concrete floor. It sounded painful, though he could see from where he was hidden in the shadows that the one who truly lost from the encounter was the floor itself. Starfire, meanwhile, fires blasts of green energy that throw Blackfire off of her, allowing her to break away and get to her feet as the two face each other. ¡°Blackfire! Why?! Why do you keep doing this, damn it?! Leave me alone!¡± In response, the Tamaranean Princess¡¯ older sister just laughs. ¡°Leave you alone? I don¡¯t think so. You don¡¯t get to just scamper off and have a quaint little life with all your little friends, sister. Not while I still live and breathe.¡± Then, Blackfire smirks, her eyes suddenly dancing with malicious and malevolent delight. ¡°Of course, it might not matter which of us wins here. Without your help, you might not have any little friends left after today.¡± There it was, confirmation that Blackfire had engineered some way of leaving the Titans indisposed while she and Starfire fought. With a howl of rage, Starfire shoots forward, the orange skinned Tamaranean launching herself at Blackfire as their knockout slugfest resumes. Lucien continues to watch from his hiding place, relying entirely on some of his feline instincts, prowling and stalking his prey. Of course, at the same time he has to tamp down on the feline instincts that tell him to run and flee every time one of the Tamaraneans throws a concrete-shattering punch or kicks out one of the warehouse¡¯s support pillars. Its entirely possible that this whole place could come down on his head¡­ but for the time being at least, he thinks it¡¯s still fine. And he¡¯s not willing to back out now, not when he¡¯s so damn close to getting what he wants. As they fight, he watches both Starfire and Blackfire pull out all the stops against one another. They¡¯re both quite a bit more powerful than he is, and he finds himself categorizing their abilities as they use them, admiring their power. Yes¡­ definitely their power¡­ certainly not their incredibly beautiful bodies, barely contained in those somewhat revealing costumes they choose to wear. Okay, so there might be a reason that Lucien remembered the footage of this particular battle better than most. Sure, the video was taken from a phone and rather shaky, and it only showed them clashing in the air¡­ but it was still enough to stick in his mind. Of course, even as beautiful as they both are, he finds himself comparing the two Tamaraneans to Death and ultimately finding them wanting. And would having Tamaranean Physiology himself really get him any closer to making Death cum? Probably not, but it was still a stepping stone on the path. The staircase before him was a long one, and all he could do was take it one step at a time. Just as he¡¯s thinking this¡­ as abruptly as it came into his vision, the fight comes to a close. To his mild surprise, Starfire ends up the winner. Not easily by any means, the orange-skinned, green-eyed alien woman is bloodied¡­ but she¡¯s the one who manages to slam Blackfire into the cratered concrete floor hard enough that the other woman is finally knocked clean out by the blow. Lucien doesn¡¯t dare to breathe as Starfire raises her fist, almost like she intends to bury it in Blackfire¡¯s skull and finally end this. There was no way that was going to happen though, right? ¡°RAAAARGH!¡± SLAM! ¡­ Yep, no way. As expected, Starfire instead punches the fist down through the concrete right next to her unconscious sister¡¯s face, showering Blackfire¡¯s visage with little fragments of stone. Then, before Lucien can even blink, Starfire lifts up into the air, taking off without another word. For a moment, he¡¯s surprised that she would leave Blackfire here like that¡­ but then he remembers what Blackfire had said and his own assumptions. In the end, whatever Blackfire had done to the other Titans, they clearly needed Starfire¡¯s help to survive it. Help that Lucien¡¯s memories of the future told him would be rendered. Everything and everyone would be fine. Starfire had won this fight and would go on to save the day, and within the year Blackfire would be back to harass and assault her younger sister all over again. But that wasn¡¯t his problem. No, Lucien was here for one reason and one reason only. Moving out of his hiding place, he quickly approaches Blackfire. On the way however, he stops at the first crater the two made upon their entrance into the warehouse and touches some of Starfire¡¯s blood left behind by the Tamaranean Heroine. Collecting her DNA turns out to be very important, because when he finally lays a hand on Blackfire¡¯s unconscious for a moment later, Lucien is able to recognize the genetic modifications the other alien woman has undergone as a result. Blackfire has been through some serious experimentation that have altered her physiology from that of a normal Tamaranean. It makes her Energy Manipulation stronger, supercharging the energy blasts she¡¯s capable of making and giving them their bright purple color. The green that Starfire generates by comparison is the ¡®natural¡¯ color. It¡¯s everything he could have wanted, but of course he¡¯ll need significant biomass in order to start making changes to himself with this new information. Of course, that won¡¯t be a problem, he can- Lucien¡¯s eyes widen as his enhanced senses scream at him to move away¡­ but he¡¯s simply not fast enough to out-speed a Tamaranean, even one who¡¯s just been unconscious. Blackfire¡¯s hand closes around his wrist like an iron shackle and he suddenly finds himself caught in the villainous alien¡¯s clutches as she glares at him, dazed and confused and clearly concussed. ¡°Y-You¡­ who¡­ who do you think you are, to touch me?¡± -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote:  [  ] Lucien immediately uses his power to knock her the fuck out... and leave. - 6%[X] Lucien immediately uses his power to knock her the fuck out... and take her with him. - 74%[  ] Lucien tries to get out of the situation without exposing too much about his true powers - 7%[  ] Lucien tries to convince her to go with him without exposing too much about his true powers - 12%

 Chapter 11: Blackfire Pt. 2

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    No good(?) deed goes unpunished...


    -x-X-x- He doesn¡¯t really think about it¡­ he just acts. With skin-to-skin contact, his power over Blackfire is absolute, even if the Tamaranean Princess doesn¡¯t know it. Since he now has a full blueprint of her physiology, it¡¯s¡­ all too easy to just reach in and shut her off. In an instant, Blackfire¡¯s eyes roll back in her head and she releases her grip on his wrist. Slumping back into the crater that her younger sister put her in, the villainess is unconscious once more¡­ only this time, she¡¯s not going to wake up unless HE wakes her up. It was quick and dirty, but he¡¯d effectively put her in a coma. Without either some serious medical equipment and attention or his power, she would remain in that coma indefinitely. Well¡­ until she died from lack of food and water, he supposed. Grimacing, Lucien looks down at the villainess he¡¯s just disabled, suddenly feeling¡­ self-conscious, maybe? That probably wasn¡¯t the right descriptor for it, but it was close enough. His only intention had been to get access to Tamaranean Physiology and get out. Between Starfire¡¯s blood and contact with Blackfire¡¯s skin, he¡¯d already gotten everything he needed. But now he was no longer just a strange mix between a bystander and scavenger. Now he¡¯d directly involved himself in all of this by essentially attacking Blackfire. Sure, he could undo the coma and make sure she didn¡¯t wake up for just a little while¡­ but she¡¯d seen his face. And he definitely wasn¡¯t going to try to erase her memory of him. That was a slippery slope he was more than a little concerned about starting down. ¡­ He could take her with him? Immediately, Lucien knows that¡¯s a bad idea. For¡­ so many reasons. Not only is Blackfire a wanted criminal, but she¡¯s also just plain violent in general. Though, the majority of her malevolent acts are tied to her sister from his recollection. Her villainess actions all led back to Starfire and whatever grudge Blackfire had against the younger Tamaranean. Still, Lucien rubs at his wrist for a moment, where she¡¯d grabbed onto him. That super strength was no joke. If he hadn¡¯t acted when he did, she was moments away from snapping his wrist like a toothpick, and that was WITH the modest enhancements to his body and bones he¡¯d managed to make so far. With today¡¯s outing, his strength would increase quite a lot and so would his durability¡­ but did he really want to risk bringing Blackfire home? Ah, but then there was another kicker, wasn¡¯t there? He couldn¡¯t take her home. Not only was he not about to bring her anywhere near Spot when he didn¡¯t know her disposition¡­ but he also knew his apartment wasn¡¯t truly a safe place. It was paid for by his father, and Lucien would be shocked if it wasn¡¯t completely bugged to hell and back. So as much as he might have wanted to take her with him, it was just a bad idea. One way or another, bringing Blackfire along was just a recipe for disaster. ¡­ But then, why was he reaching down and carefully pulling the comatose supervillain out of her crater? Why was he lifting her up and draping her over his shoulders in a fireman carry as he hastily departed from the scene? He just knew he was going to regret this, but he felt slightly responsible for how Blackfire had ended up now. So¡­ the least he could do was help her get to safety, just this once. Still, before he dared to wake her up, he was going to make damn sure that he was prepared for her reaction. -x-X-x- It¡¯s several hours later that Lucien finally feels ready to bring Blackfire out of her coma. Relocating her to another place halfway across the city had taken about an hour thanks to the enhancements he¡¯d gotten from Spot. Then, after that he¡¯d gone dumpster diving for biological matter. It had seemed like the best way to get the biomass he needed so he could start making changes. In the end, he¡¯d managed to gather quite the meat suit¡­ literally. Transforming the biomass into ¡®clothing¡¯ that clung to his flesh, he¡¯d eventually returned to where he¡¯d stashed Blackfire and gone ahead and sat down to get to work. First, he¡¯d used what he got from her sister to enhance himself further. He was now part Tamaranean, with the ability to absorb stellar radiation and much greater strength and durability than he had before. Hell, he could even fly now. Yep, he could fly. And that was great, really it was¡­ but he hadn¡¯t been able to truly enjoy his new powers, mostly because he still had to deal with Blackfire. Using the last of the biomass, he¡¯d gone ahead and healed her of the wounds that she¡¯d been given by her sister. Would it have been much easier to handle her if she was still injured? Maybe. But Lucien had let his guilt get the better of him. Regardless, he was as ready as he was ever going to be. And whether this worked out or not, he had to get home to Spot soon anyways. The Snow Leopard Cub had plenty of food, but even still, he wasn¡¯t supposed to leave him alone for too much longer. Reaching out, Lucien taps Blackfire on the cheek, reversing the coma and giving her a very minor dose of adrenaline. Just enough to wake her up. As he steps back, she¡¯s already beginning to stir. Then, her eyes snap open and she jolts up from where he laid her on the floor. In response, Lucien has his hands up to show he means no harm. ¡°Hey! Hey, it¡¯s okay¡­ I brought you somewhere safe. You¡¯re okay.¡± The orange-skinned alien narrows her glowing green eyes at that, the familiar sight of her signature purple energy coating her hands as they curl into fists. But¡­ she doesn¡¯t immediately attack him. So that¡¯s good, at least. ¡°¡­ What is this? How did I¡­¡± She sounds confused. Which¡­ fair. She DID randomly lose a big chunk of time; it was no doubt very disconcerting. Lucien just shrugs and proceeds to lie his pants off. ¡°I don¡¯t know. One moment you were asking me who I was, the next you passed out. I¡¯m guessing from your wounds. Which, uh¡­ I healed by the way. You¡¯re welcome.¡± The beautiful alien woman blinks at that, and then looks down at herself and at her hands. Lucien watches as she stares in bewilderment, turning this way and that, shifting from side to side. It¡¯s obvious she¡¯s testing her body for any soreness or strain, but Lucien knows she won¡¯t find any. She¡¯s in tip top shape now, at peak health. He figured it was the least he could do, all things considered. Slowly, the Tamaranean ceases her movements and looks back at him, staring him down. ¡°You¡­ healed me.¡± Lucien nods, giving her a somewhat crooked smile. ¡°I did. It¡¯s my power, I guess you could say. And you were injured, so¡­ well, that¡¯s why I was touching you before you passed out. To try and heal you.¡±A lie from the pit of hell, but Lucien is putting his entire ability behind it and he knows for a fact that his poker face is immaculate. The only reason Mercy had caught him in his lie to her was because she¡¯d had evidence that his power HAD to be more than he¡¯d told her. Well, Blackfire didn¡¯t have that evidence. And more importantly, healing was plenty versatile. Not even really a lie to say his power was healing. The only REAL lie was WHY he had wanted to touch her. Silent for a moment longer, Blackfire¡¯s hands curl into fists again and she lets out a quiet growl. ¡°Oh? And I suppose you expect payment for services rendered, do you? I suppose you want something from me, don¡¯t you?¡± Lucien blinks. Technically, he already had everything he wanted from her. Though for a moment he thinks of his quest to properly bed Death and make her cum. And yet¡­ he knows that suggesting Blackfire fuck him would probably be a really bad idea. So better to cut his losses, really. Shaking his head, Lucien gives the Tamaranean Princess a reassuring smile. ¡°Actually, no payment necessary. I just did it because I could¡­ because you were hurt.¡± At this¡­ Blackfire actually looks baffled for a moment. Finally, she lets out a scoff. ¡°Do you not know who I am?¡± Of course he knew who she was. But Lucien is in too deep with the lies at this point to back out now. So he just shrugs and gives a half-answer of sorts. ¡°A woman in trouble? What? Would you rather I didn¡¯t heal you?¡± Blackfire narrows her eyes and he tenses up, half-expecting her to lunge at him right then and there. But then, that was why he¡¯d gone ahead and upgraded himself BEFORE bringing her out of the coma. She was undoubtedly a much better fighter than he was, but he just needed to survive long enough to touch her again and he¡¯d be the victor once more. Except, that doesn¡¯t happen. Rather than attack, Blackfire¡­ abruptly floats off of the ground and zips out through a nearby open window in the abandoned building he¡¯d brought her to. Not so much as a ¡®thank you¡¯ or a ¡®by your leave¡¯. She just¡­ goes. Lucien stares after her departing form for a moment, a little gobsmacked. But then, what should he have really expected? Heh, maybe he should have tried to get her to repay him in some way. Maybe not with sex, because that would likely have led to her trying to kill him, but perhaps with combat training of some kind? Eh¡­ it was too late now. And besides, Blackfire was way too much heat for him anyways. Better to just¡­ let things end here. After all, Lucien had undeniably come out the best from this entire encounter. Though, as he looks at the window she¡¯d left through longingly for a moment, he considers whether he could get away with flying home. But¡­ no. Probably best not to do anything that would draw attention to himself, especially on a day like this where Blackfire and Starfire had a knockout fight on the other side of the city, to say nothing of whatever Blackfire had done to tie up the rest of the Titans while they scuffled. Shaking his head, Lucien makes his way towards the stairs instead, forced to make the modest trek back home with his own two legs. Though, he finds himself not minding the walk nearly as much as he initially expected. It¡¯s a nice, bright, cloud-free day, and with the sun shining down overhead, Lucien feels energized in a way he¡¯s never felt before. Absorbing stellar radiation? Yeah, he could definitely get used to this. He feels stronger and stronger the more he stays out in the sun, and honestly he¡¯s half-tempted to take the long way home on top of refraining from testing out his new flight capabilities. But no, he has someone waiting for him back at his apartment. Spot at least is happy to see him when he finally gets back to the apartment, and Lucien can¡¯t help but grin a little bit as he provides the Snow Leopard Cub with more food and even plays with him for a little while. He also goes ahead and throws open all of the blinds, letting fresh sunlight pour into the apartment from wherever he can possibly get it to do so. The sun has suddenly gone from being just a thing he has to put up with, to his new favorite friend truth be told. Unfortunately, it¡¯s already setting by the time he gets home, and a couple hours later it¡¯s gone completely as night falls. With Spot curled up on his cat bed, Lucien goes to sleep as well, feeling quite pleased with how the day¡¯s activities had gone. Quite pleased indeed. -x-X-x- ¡­ There¡¯s someone riding his dick. Lucien¡¯s brow furrows, and for a moment he thinks he might be dreaming. Has Death arranged another deal with her brother, to allow them to meet once more while Lucien slumbers? He opens his eyes, half-expecting to see the impossibly picture-esque forest clearing where they¡¯d fucked the last time. Instead, he finds his darkened bedroom, which he can only properly see in because of the enhancements he¡¯s made to his eyes. That said, the first thing he lays said eyes upon after opening them¡­ is the woman currently bouncing up and down on his cock. Glowing green eyes stare back down at him as Blackfire rides him with a wide, wicked grin stretched across her face. Her pussy clenches and flexes along his dick, and she even lets out a groan of appreciation. Lucien¡¯s foggy, sleepy mind finally catches up and he jolts at realizing what¡¯s happening. He¡¯d been followed. Damn it all, no good deed goes unpunished, that was the phrase, wasn¡¯t it? He¡¯d healed Blackfire and woke her up, and then¡­ she¡¯d fucking followed him home. ¡°Mm, finally awake I see.¡± Suddenly leaning over him, Blackfire places a hand on his neck, wrapping her fingers around his throat as she looks him right in the eye and licks her lips. ¡°Enjoying yourself? Your cock certainly seems to be. Your big fat dick, pulsing inside of my tight, flexing cunt. Do you like that? Do you like how it feels?¡± ¡­ What the fuck was this? Lucien can¡¯t help but be a little confused. Where was this even coming from? With her other hand, Blackfire runs a finger down his chest, humming as she goes. ¡°Your¡­ altruism earlier today kept me out of prison, no doubt. My little fainting episode would likely have given my sister and her friends enough time to come back and apprehend me if you hadn¡¯t seen fit to drag me away from the scene like you did. I appreciate that. Just as I appreciate the healing you provided me.¡± This was a power play; Lucien slowly begins to realize. A power play of some sort anyways. Honestly, it was more than a little disconcerting, especially because he knew what Blackfire was really like. But she must have decided he didn¡¯t know her true identity and was running with that. Leaning in even closer, Blackfire has her lips mere centimeters from his. ¡°My name is Blackfire. What¡¯s yours, healer?¡± She wants him for herself, Lucien finally realizes. She¡¯s trying to groom him, in her own twisted way. The alien is a psychopath, there¡¯s no doubt about that, but she clearly thinks that she¡¯s giving him exactly what he wants by doing this, and that he will in turn serve her if she can tie him to her. She¡¯s trying to instill loyalty in him, while also making sure he has a healthy dose of fear of her. But that wasn¡¯t going to happen. Oh sure, he was wary of her¡­ but afraid of her? Lucien almost wanted to laugh at that. He doesn¡¯t though, still well aware of her hand wrapped around his throat. Still, staring up into her eyes¡­ he reaches out and grabs her by her waist, sinking his fingers firmly into her hips in a way that has Blackfire¡¯s eyes widening in surprise at his audacity. Then, he gives her a crooked smile. ¡°My name is Lucien. Lucien Luthor.¡± THAT gets another reaction from the alien villainess. Even aliens from outer space know who Lex Luthor is after all, especially if they spend any appreciable length of time on Earth. He can see how she studies him, likely just managing to note the similarities to his father. He doesn¡¯t think they¡¯ve ever ¡®worked¡¯ together so to speak, so it makes sense she hadn¡¯t realized earlier. Of course, while she¡¯s processing the revelation of his identity, Lucien is considering a different question entirely. How to handle this crazy alien stray who he¡¯d accidentally let follow him home. -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [  ] Let Blackfire continue thinking she''s in control, relying on his family name to keep her from going too far - 12%[  ] Instead use his family name to try and take control of the encounter while avoiding revealing too much - 5%[X] Give in to the impulse to use his new strength to turn the tables and take control, fucking Blackfire silly - 83% -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories! I''m known as ''Cambrian'' on those websites.


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 Chapter 12: Blackfire Pt. 3

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien puts Blackfire in her place~


    -x-X-x- In the moment that Blackfire is distracted by the revelation concerning just who¡¯s son he is, Lucien acts. His hands are already on her hips. His fingers already dig into her taut flesh. In the end, all it takes for him to take control¡­ is to stop holding back. With a grunt, he leverages his new strength and flips them both over right there on the spot, taking up the top position while Blackfire ends up on her back. The Tamaranean Princess¡¯ eyes were wide before. Now, they positively bulge out of her head as the air is driven from her lungs by his very next thrust. Without hesitation, without mercy, Lucien begins fucking Blackfire into his bed, just as she had been fucking him moments before. He can¡¯t possibly do anything less. He can¡¯t rely on his father¡¯s name to protect him¡­ more importantly, he can¡¯t rely on his father¡¯s name to protect Spot. He¡¯s grateful that he fed the Snow Leopard Cub a truly massive dinner as an ¡®apology¡¯ for being gone for so long earlier in the day, because it¡¯s obvious that Spot is currently sleeping the sleep of the dead, having feasted like a King before going to bed. That¡¯s all well and good, but if Lucien doesn¡¯t set some ground rules with Blackfire right fucking now, he doesn¡¯t want to find out what she might do to try to set some ground rules of her own. Of course, he can¡¯t rely just on his newfound strength to put her in her place. After all, everything he has¡­ is hers and her sister¡¯s. Lucien can¡¯t even say for sure whether Tamaranean Males are naturally stronger than Tamaranean Females like it is with human men and women. But he knows one thing for sure¡­ Blackfire is still a much better fighter than him. And he really doesn¡¯t want her to destroy his bedroom trying to put him in his place. Fortunately, he¡¯s not only limited to what he got from her and her sister. In fact, that¡¯s only one small aspect of his powers. Assimilating their physiology was one thing. But Lucien still had complete control over biology at his fingertips. He could do whatever he wanted to Blackfire in this moment. A heady feeling to be sure. And he would even be justified, given she was the one who¡¯d snuck into his apartment and started fucking him in his sleep. But he doesn¡¯t go as far as he could. No, instead all he does¡­ is amp up the alien woman¡¯s sensitivity, making sure that what might be a nice, pleasurable sensation as his cock thrusts into her flexing, clenching quim, suddenly becomes orgasmic in and of itself. Blackfire gasps beneath him¡­ and then lets out an involuntary wanton moan as her pussy walls squeeze down even harder around his dick. Smirking, Lucien doesn¡¯t let up. He begins to really pound into her, delivering the best sex of Blackfire¡¯s life to the alien princess. In response, the villainess quickly loses her initial tenseness. She melts beneath him, moaning more and more wantonly. The trick is to not give her any time to think. The trick is to get her so caught up in what she¡¯s feeling, that she doesn¡¯t stop and question HOW he¡¯s doing it. As Blackfire climaxes for the first time but far from the last time, Lucien¡¯s smirk widens into a full-blown grin. It feels good, making this bitch cum. Threaten him, would she? Sneak into his home and try and turn him into some pawn after how he¡¯d helped her? Sure, Lucien had gotten a lot more out of their interaction than Blackfire did. While he¡¯d kept her out of prison this time, he had no doubt she would eventually have gotten free even without his intervention. Meanwhile, he¡¯d gotten some very permanent upgrades from just a touch of her skin. And sure, Lucien¡¯s plans might mean that he eventually upgraded beyond Tamaranean Physiology, leaving it behind for better and bigger things¡­ but that didn¡¯t change the facts. He had come out ahead. The thing was, Blackfire didn¡¯t know that. As far as she was concerned, he¡¯d simply done her a good turn. Healed her. Asked for nothing in return. And what did she do? She followed him home and tried to put a metaphorical collar around his neck. So yeah, Lucien wasn¡¯t exactly feeling bad about rocking her world. As she moans beneath him, the bed under them both shaking and shuddering from the force of his thrusts, Lucien can tell he¡¯s got her right where he wants her. She¡¯s overwhelmed, plain and simple. As the second of multiple orgasms cascades over her, he finally pulls his hands off of her hips, and instead grabs hold of her breasts instead. Groping, squeezing, and kneading her titflesh, Lucien smirks as Blackfire¡¯s eyes, which HAD grown heavily lidded, snap wide open again. There¡¯s a quiver in her¡­ that graduates into a full blown shudder as he really sets to mauling her breasts. Her chest is just as sensitive as her cunt right now thanks to his powers, and she squeals in a truly undignified manner as he kneads her breasts. Her nipples become rock hard in mere moments, pressing against his palms while his fingers squeeze and compress her tits again and again. The third orgasm hits even faster than the second did and Lucien is treated to the sight of Blackfire¡¯s eyes rolling properly back into her head on that one. They roll forward again eventually after a short while¡­ but he has to admit, this level of power over a woman is addicting. Sure, he could go further¡­ he could turn Blackfire into his hopeless little love puppet. He could bimbofy her, or even wipe her mind clean entirely and turn her into his own personal sex doll with zero autonomy or free will. It would be¡­ too easy. He doesn¡¯t though. Not just because that sounds like something his father might do given half the chance, but also because it wouldn¡¯t help him, not truly. Oh sure, maybe turning Blackfire into a flesh-bot would solve the immediate problem that was her finding out where he lived and impaling herself on his cock while he slept. But¡­ it wouldn¡¯t accomplish his more long-term goal, now would it? He couldn¡¯t use his powers against Death of the Endless. At least not yet. Nor did he have any desire to try and subjugate Death in the way he was currently subjugating Blackfire. Did he want to conquer Death? Maybe a little. He wanted more than anything to see her face contorting in the same pleasure that Blackfire¡¯s face was contorting in right now. He wanted to feel Death cum around his cock, spasming and milking his dick for all it¡¯s worth¡­ just as Blackfire is currently cumming for him in this moment. And yet¡­ he knows it won¡¯t be this easy with Death. Nothing worth doing ever is. In that regard, Blackfire represents an opportunity. Lucien had heard somewhere that if you spent a thousand hours doing something, you would likely come out the other side as a Master. You¡¯d have to be particularly untalented or just plain lazy to waste one thousand hours of your life and NOT master a skill, to be frank. Well, he doubted a thousand hours of sex would be good enough to make Death cum. But maybe ten thousand hours and he¡¯d finally have the right technique to make her squeal. And if not ten thousand, then a hundred thousand. And if not a hundred thousand, then a million. With a growl, Lucien plunges into Blackfire¡¯s depths time and time again, listening as she cries out, climaxing for him. He pinches her nipples between his fingers and he rolls them along the pads of his digits, making her clench down all the harder around his cock. He fucks her like there¡¯s no tomorrow¡­ with every intention of doing so ALL night long. Eventually, he even switches up positions. Blackfire doesn¡¯t fight him on it. He fucks her on her hands and knees like the bitch in heat she is. He fucks her on her side, with one leg over his shoulder. He puts her back on her back and folds her legs up as well, giving himself an even deeper angle. And finally, after hours and hours of fucking, he has her back on top again, this time with her body pressed back against his chest, one hand groping a tit and the other down between her legs, frigging her clit as he thrusts up into her from below. Blackfire HOWLS as she cums for him, bucking her hips and clawing at the bedding on either side of him. Lucien, for his part, slams up inside of her one last time before cumming at long last. It¡¯s the first time in these last few hours, and he¡¯s only had to cheat minimally in order to hold back his release. Blackfire¡¯s body is amazing, don¡¯t get him wrong¡­ but she¡¯s no Death. ¡°You¡­ you¡­ what¡­ w-what manner of monster are you?¡± A little surprised that the alien princess is even capable of speech at this point, Lucien chuckles softly as he considers the question for a moment. ¡°Your new boss, if you¡¯re in the market for work. That¡¯s why you followed me home, isn¡¯t it?¡± He pinches her nipple between his fingers and gives it a good solid tug before Blackfire can answer, prompting her to groan instead. Her overly sexed body is covered in sweat as it lays atop him now, her limbs and extremities trembling and quivering from the exertion. He¡¯s definitely pushed her to her limits¡­ but has he pushed her past them? ¡°You¡­ you can¡¯t be human.¡± Lucien hums at that, considering the accusation for a moment. Then, he flips them both over, showing that he¡¯s nowhere near as tired as she is¡­ and that he¡¯s still in complete control of the encounter. As Blackfire gasps, finding herself suddenly prone on his bed, he smiles as he moves inside of her, making her realize that he¡¯s still quite hard and ready for action. ¡°I¡¯m Lex Luthor¡¯s son. Tell me, did you know he had a son?¡± Blackfire shudders beneath him for a moment, before slowly shaking her head back and forth. Lucien hums, running his hands along her back, able to feel her muscles rippling beneath them. She¡¯s already putty in his hands¡­ but everything is practice, in the end. Slowly, he begins massaging Blackfire, turning her from putty into a puddle as she groans and moans in reluctant appreciation. ¡°Exactly. Make of that what you will, Blackfire of Tamaran.¡± He¡¯s not lying, but he¡¯s definitely twisting the truth and letting her fill in the blanks. Fucking her much more slowly now while also giving her a back massage, Lucien begins to carefully dial back the alien woman¡¯s sensitivity, ratcheting it downwards several notches over the next few minutes to make sure she doesn¡¯t notice anything is truly amiss. It still feels amazing, he can tell from the way the pleasure centers of her brain are firing out of control. She loves this¡­ but then it helps that he¡¯s gone from fucking her silly to pampering her in what must feel like mere seconds. He can tell that the sudden shift has completely caught her off guard, leaving her just as little room to react and process what¡¯s happening as him drilling her for hours did. Finally though, she manages to muster up a response amidst all the moaning and groaning he has her doing. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re Luthor¡¯s secret weapon¡­¡± Lucien can¡¯t help but laugh at that, though he¡¯s careful to keep his true feelings a secret. God, if his father heard Blackfire say that, how would Lex react he wondered? As far as the great Lex Luthor was concerned, Lucien had been absolutely useless for the first sixteen years of his life. It was only now, due to circumstances that his father wasn¡¯t truly aware of, that Lucien had become ¡®useful¡¯. The idea of him being his father¡¯s secret weapon IS laughable, but he doesn¡¯t want Blackfire to think he¡¯s mocking her. So he cuts off his laughter relatively fast and leans forward, placing a hand on the nape of the trembling, exhausted alien princess¡¯ neck, holding her in place as he whispers in her ear. ¡°I am no one¡¯s weapon. No more than you are, Blackfire. I am my own man. If my father wants to own me, he¡¯ll have to break me first¡­ and I will never break.¡± This, it turns out, might be the wrong thing to say. Suddenly, Blackfire bucks beneath him, growling as she pushes back against his weight. ¡°N-Neither will I!¡± With a grunt, Lucien has to push down on her in response, holding her in place so she can¡¯t escape his hold. Using her full power, she manages to lift them off the bed with her flight for a second¡­ but then Lucien responds with his own flight and slams them back down. Thankfully, they don¡¯t go right through the floor¡­ but the bed doesn¡¯t survive the experience. C-CRASH! As his bed collapses under them, the temporary fight goes out of Blackfire, her exhaustion rapidly overtaking her. Hours upon hours of mind-blowing sex would do that to a person, and ultimately her moment of defiance proves to be just that¡­ a single moment. Lucien just shakes her head as she lays beneath him, her cunt still wrapped snugly around his cock and clenching and flexing along his length. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to break you, Blackfire. Did I say I wanted a slave? I¡¯m trying to offer you a job.¡± There¡¯s a brief pause from the prickly alien princess, but after a moment she relaxes again as he returns to massaging her shoulders and back. ¡°¡­ And what does it pay, exactly?¡± Lucien smiles at that. ¡°For now? Not much, I¡¯ll be honest. Tell me, do you know what an intern is?¡± ¡°¡­ No.¡± ¡°Well, they work for experience rather than pay, and if things go really well, then they get paid later on. I¡¯ll be blunt, Blackfire. I don¡¯t have much that actually belongs to me and not my father at the moment. But I want more. I have ambitions. I will step out from my father¡¯s shadow, whether he likes it or not. I¡¯ll build my own empire that will eclipse his so thoroughly that people will be saying ¡®Lex who?¡¯ by the time I¡¯m done.¡± Leaning in close again, Lucien whispers in Blackfire¡¯s ear once more. ¡°I¡¯m offering you a chance to join me on the ground floor. To help me build something great. And in the meantime, while I can¡¯t pay you in proper hard currency just yet¡­ there are other ways I can keep you¡­ satisfied.¡± The truth is, he was sort of lying. He HAD spent the last several hours trying to break Blackfire on his dick without actually using his powers to mind control or erase her personality. The fact that she was still this ornery after a marathon of the best sex of her life was¡­ well, it spoke quite a bit about just what sort of person she was. Even still, Lucien thought they could work together. Now it was just a question of whether Blackfire agreed with him or not¡­ -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [  ] Blackfire agrees to the unpaid internship to get more dick - 33%[X] Blackfire demands a sign-on bonus (he has to help her get back at her sister) - 65%[  ] Blackfire rejects the deal, scared off by everything Lucien represents - 2%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories! I''m known as ''Cambrian'' on those websites.


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!


    S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 13: Blackfire Pt. 4

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien gets an intern, Blackfire gets a pledge to help.


    -x-X-x- His offer of ¡®other ways to keep Blackfire satisfied¡¯ causes the alien villainess to fall still for a time, even as he continues to pin her down and massage her shoulders while his cock remains buried in her clenching, quivering quim. Finally though¡­ ¡°Let me up.¡± Lucien cocks his head to the side, but he can¡¯t hear any anger in her voice. And his powers aren¡¯t giving him any sign that she¡¯s preparing to attack. If she were, there would likely be more adrenaline in her system, as well as a dozen other signs of her impending assault, even if she was completely able to hold back any visible sign of what she was planning. ¡­ In the end, he decides to extend Blackfire a modicum of trust, pulling out of her cunt and releasing his hold on her body. Pushing off of her, he rises from the collapsed bed, watching as Blackfire slowly pushes herself up and then does the same. Turning to face him, the alien princess works her jaw for a moment, her eyes narrowed and her gaze searching. Finally though, she slowly nods. Then, she gives him what¡¯s clearly meant to be a seductive smirk, strutting over to him and taking hold of his cock in one hand. As she gives it a long stroke, it¡¯s clear that she¡¯s trying to pretend like he didn¡¯t just rail her senseless for hours on end¡­ and failing somewhat spectacularly. Especially since her nipples are rock hard, her tongue keeps darting out to lick at her lips, and her eyes keep glancing down at his cock. Still, if she wants to pretend she has some small semblance of control over the situation, Lucien will give it to her. They both know who¡¯s really in charge now anyways after all. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll be your intern. In exchange, you¡¯ll fuck me with this big fat cock of yours as much as I want, got it?¡± Lucien snorts derisively, not entirely surprised by her request. Was it any less than he expected from her? Eh, not really. Would he find it annoying under normal circumstances? Probably. But then, if these were normal circumstances, Blackfire probably wouldn¡¯t have a stipulation like that in the first place. The only reason he¡¯d gone so hard and blown her mind in the first place¡­ was because of his overarching goal. Blackfire was a stepping stone, though he had no intention of telling her that. He didn¡¯t mind having to fuck her whenever she wanted, because fucking her as much as possible would only serve his own goals in the long run. His purpose hadn¡¯t changed after all. He was still aiming for the top¡­ still aiming to make Death of the Endless cum on his cock. It didn¡¯t matter what Lucien had to change about himself to make that happen. It didn¡¯t matter whose physiology he had to incorporate into his own, or what powers he needed to gain. He would not stop until Death¡¯s eyes were rolled back in her head and her tongue was lolling out of her mouth. Then and only then would he truly be satisfied¡­ ¡°Very well. I¡¯d be happy to-!¡± ¡°Oh, and one other thing too.¡± Lucien¡¯s eyes narrow as Blackfire cuts him off with a wicked smirk, still stroking his throbbing erection with one hand. ¡°One¡­ other thing?¡± The villainess¡¯ smirk evolves into a grin and she nods. ¡°Yeah. Interns get sign-on bonuses, right? I want my sign-on bonus.¡± Lucien opens his mouth to tell Blackfire that no, interns don¡¯t get sign-on bonuses¡­ but realizes quite quickly that she won¡¯t care. She wants it anyways. And he¡¯s better off negotiating then trying to deny her anything at this point, at least so long as he actually wants to get her on board. Still, if they¡¯re negotiating¡­ Reaching down, fast as a whip, Lucien sticks his fingers in Blackfire¡¯s freshly fucked cunt, making her eyes widen in surprise as he returns the favor. Now they¡¯re both playing with each other, his digits pistoning in and out of her and curling up every third thrust in a way that¡¯s clearly driving her crazy, while her hand glides up and down his throbbing cock. Then, he leans in close and presses his forehead against hers, growling in a deep, guttural tone as he questions her. ¡°And what does my new intern want for her sign-on bonus?¡± Shuddering, Blackfire bites her lower lip for a moment to try and contain the whimper that threatens to escape her mouth. She fails, but Lucien is smart enough to pretend he didn¡¯t hear it. Rallying herself, the alien princess finally finds her voice after a second longer. ¡°I want¡­ I want my revenge. I want to get back at my sister once and for all. And I want you to help.¡± Lucien almost pulls away right there on the spot. He DOES pause for a brief moment before starting back up with his digits. Frowning, he tries to coach his refusal of her demands properly¡­ hopefully in a way that won¡¯t make her angry. ¡°I may be my father¡¯s son, Blackfire¡­ but I am not a criminal. Nor a villain. And even my father is wise enough to hide the vast majority of his crimes from the world so that he can remain the consummate businessman in the public eye. Only a handful of people know what he¡¯s really like and that¡¯s by design. I¡¯m not taking you on as my intern so that you can drag me into a life of crime. I¡¯m taking you on as my intern to give you a chance to get away from villainy as a whole. This is an opportunity to turn a new leaf, Blackfire.¡± Blackfire frowns the more he talks, until finally SHE¡¯S the one who pulls her hand off of his cock and steps away from his questing fingers. Lucien tenses up for a moment, anticipating an attack now that he no longer has direct physical contact with the alien woman. But while she does pull away, she doesn¡¯t leave. She just turns for a moment, arms crossed over her chest as she seems to take a moment to process his words. Finally, Blackfire turns back around with a growl. ¡°And what if I have a plan that doesn¡¯t involve any crime? What if I have the perfect¡­ legal way of getting back at my pitiful bitch of a sister?¡± Lucien hesitates. He doesn¡¯t NEED Blackfire. That should really be made abundantly clear. He doesn¡¯t actually need her in either the short-term or the long-term¡­ and truth be told, her presence might very well end up being directly detrimental to his plans. And yet¡­ now that he¡¯s gotten all caught up in the idea of making her his intern, his ¡®Mercy¡¯¡­ well, he kind of wants to bring it on home. He wants to find a way to seal the deal and claim her as his own. ¡­ Yeah, he might be even more like his father than he thought, truth be told. Still, as much as being self-aware is good¡­ it doesn¡¯t change his desires. ¡°What do you have in mind, exactly? I would need to know the specifics before I agreed to anything.¡± Silent for a moment, Blackfire is clearly coming up with her latest plan on the fly, which doesn¡¯t exactly fill Lucien with confidence. He¡¯s just about to say something more when she suddenly speaks up. ¡°I want you to fuck my sister. Consensually.¡± Wait, what? Lucien blinks and Blackfire hurries to explain. ¡°If you won¡¯t help me kill her, I want the next best thing. I want to destroy her. To leave her an emotional wreck of a woman who thought she knew what love was, but then had it stripped away from her. I want you to seduce her. And then I want you to fuck her like you fucked me. Starfire is a weakling. She can¡¯t handle the shit that I¡¯ve handled. You fuck her like you fucked me and she¡¯ll be addicted after one fucking go.¡± Blackfire¡¯s eyes glance down at his cock and Lucien privately thinks to himself that Blackfire might also be just a teeny, tiny bit addicted. But he¡¯s DEFINITELY not going to say that out loud, not when she¡¯s very clearly in denial there. Licking her lips before returning her gaze to his face, Blackfire smiles an evil smile. ¡°You¡¯ll make her your woman. You¡¯ll leave her begging for more and coming back again and again. And then¡­ when I say so, you¡¯ll pull the rug out from under her. You¡¯ll break up with her and leave her high and dry. Maybe we¡¯ll even arrange for her to see the two of us together. It¡¯ll break her¡­ and I¡¯ll consider that good enough for my tastes.¡± ¡­ He won¡¯t lie, his first reaction is to refuse again. Is Blackfire really worth a convoluted, elaborate revenge plan involving copious amounts of mind breaking, back blowing sex with her younger sister, also an alien princess, ultimately culminating in them breaking Starfire¡¯s psyche? He¡¯s not sure she is. Then again¡­ Lucien sees numerous ways he might be able to curve the path Blackfire wants to take them down. Destroying Starfire in that sort of way doesn¡¯t appeal to him in the slightest, but with more time to get Blackfire more addicted to his dick herself, and more time to influence her away from her current ¡®revenge, revenge, revenge!¡¯ mental state, maybe Lucien could alter the plan further down the line. Fucking Starfire sounds like a lot of fun. Fucking Blackfire and Starfire together and having the sisters make up with one another while each kissing his cock sounded like a lot MORE fun. Yeah, that could work. There was just one problem that Lucien could see with all of this. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not saying no to the idea, Blackfire. However, isn¡¯t your sister currently dating Robin? I¡¯m not entirely sure that seducing her out from under him is in the cards¡­¡± Nor would he be entirely comfortable with it either. However, before he can say that Blackfire wrinkles her nose and shakes her head in confusion. ¡°What? No, of course not. My weakling sister isn¡¯t romantically involved with anyone right now. Trust me, I would know.¡± Lucien blinks, opening his mouth to question that, but Blackfire cuts him off. ¡°Oh sure, the two are flirting damn near constantly¡­ but the human man is completely blind to my sister¡¯s attraction to him. He has no clue that she likes him as much as he likes her. And for whatever reason, my sister is too unwilling to take the final step. Heh, it¡¯s the same with much of that team. I swear, studying them to prepare for my next plot against my sister is like watching one of your trashy TV shows. The drama would almost be exquisite¡­ if it wasn¡¯t so damn predictable and trite.¡± ¡­ Huh. Now that he thought about it, while it eventually became semi-public knowledge that certain members of the Titans were hooking up with one another, that wasn¡¯t for another year or two, was it? And honestly, given what he knew about Blackfire¡¯s¡­ habits, he could well imagine her constantly staking out the Titans¡¯ base and learning everything there is to know about their day-to-day lives and habits. With that said, Lucien could probably trust Blackfire¡¯s information was correct. And if Starfire and Robin weren¡¯t dating quite yet¡­ then yeah, that made the plan to try and seduce Starfire to the Dark Side all the easier. Not that Lucien was trying to become the Dark Side! Honestly! Sure, his dad was Lex Luthor. Sure, he was tied to the literal personification of Death herself. Aaaand sure, he had a Snow Leopard Cub now, a stereotypical pet for supervillains everywhere. ¡­ And last but not least, he had a literal villainess signing on to be his unpaid intern, all on the condition that he seduce and fuck her little sister until the superheroine was addicted to his cock. Wait¡­ was¡­ was Lucien the baddie? For a long moment, he just stares off into the distance. Then, he shakes himself loose of the thought and scoffs. No, he wasn¡¯t the bad guy. It was Blackfire who was evil. He was just¡­ doing what he could in order to curb her worst impulses. If he didn¡¯t get her on board, then she would simply go on to perform more acts of villainy, of destruction and mayhem. When you looked at it that way¡­ Lucien was the GOOD guy, really. That all said, when Blackfire makes a noise in the back of her throat, bringing him back to the real world and out of his thoughts, Lucien coughs and finally nods. ¡°Alright¡­ we¡¯ve got ourselves a deal. You work for me now and in turn, I¡¯m going to help you get back at your sister¡­ legally. No crimes. Nothing that will get the both of us thrown in prison. Everything stays above board.¡± Blackfire tilts her head to the side and studies him for a moment before finally nodding. ¡°Sure. Though I¡¯m already a wanted woman as I¡¯m sure you know. So either way, I¡¯ll probably have to keep my head down.¡± With that said, the villainess plops herself down on his mattress and looks up at him, lifting a brow. ¡°So boss¡­ what¡¯s the plan? Do we get to start with my pathetic little sister? Oooor something else?¡± Oh? He must have had more of an effect on her than he thought if she was even willing to entertain the idea of putting off her vengeance for a little while. Though in all honesty, it was pretty fair. Lucien really shouldn¡¯t drop all of his current plans in favor of focusing his efforts solely on Starfire of the Titans. He definitely shouldn¡¯t do that¡­ right? Humming, Lucien considers his options. He¡¯s gotten more personal power now. He¡¯s effectively part Tamaranean. On top of that, he can have Blackfire help him with training his newfound powers going forward. She¡¯s an incredibly skilled warrior after all, so by all rights she should be the perfect instructor. Especially since his new powers come from her and her sister. That said, he COULD focus his eyes towards financial or political power next. Ooooor¡­ he could continue to focus on personal power. Which might mean he went after Starfire first after all. Because if he went after Starfire¡­ well, he might be able to come in contact with some of her teammates as well. Like for instance, the shapeshifter Beast Boy. Or the half-demon Raven. Both of whom had unique biology that he could use to his own ends. Tempting. Very tempting. And yet, Blackfire was giving him the freedom to choose. She had already accepted that they might be putting her vengeance on the backburner for the time being. So perhaps the Titans could wait. Perhaps it was time to establish himself as a person and not just a set of powers¡­ -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [X] Continue focusing on Personal Power, turn his attention towards Starfire and her friends - 62%[  ] Switch to pursuing financial security (establishing his own company, submitting patents) - 30%[  ] Switch to pursuing political/social influence (going to parties like the Gala, schmoozing with big names) - 9%


    -x-X-x- sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 14: Meeting the Titans

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    I legitimately didn''t know where I was going with this chapter until halfway through, but I''m really happy with how it turned out, heh.


    -x-X-x- Considering it for a long moment, Lucien smirks slightly as he tilts his head down at Blackfire. ¡°Why put off the inevitable? Let¡¯s start with your sister.¡± Blackfire¡¯s eyes light up at that, and then she develops a wicked smirk of her own. The villainess isn¡¯t the sort to leap up into the air or whoop for joy¡­ but she¡¯s still VERY happy to hear Lucien say that and she makes sure to show her happiness by slipping back off of the bed and onto her knees, taking his twitching erection into her mouth and past her lips. Lucien groans as Blackfire begins to bob up and down on his dick, slowly and languidly to make sure he could feel just how much she appreciated him putting her desires first. Of course, little did she know that it wasn¡¯t HER desires Lucien was really putting first her. ¡­ Deep down, a part of Lucien knew that he was letting himself become addicted to growing stronger. Sure, pursuing power in the first place wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing but now that he had Tamaranean Physiology on top of what he¡¯d gotten from Spot, there was no denying that Lucien was already sitting rather pretty in the personal power department. Focusing his efforts on separating himself from his father and pursuing both financial security and political influence probably SHOULD have been his next moves all things considered. But he couldn¡¯t help himself. He wanted to be stronger. He wanted to be more powerful. He wanted to eventually be able to stand alongside Death on equal footing. His goal had never changed in that regard and if assimilating the Titans¡¯ powers could help him become stronger¡­ well, he wouldn¡¯t lie, it was sorely tempting. So tempting in fact that he was going to go for it. Under the guise of giving Blackfire her ¡®sign-on¡¯ bonus, he was making his next move going after the Titans and trying to get close to them. Seducing Starfire would just be one element of his plan. He would need to find an excuse to touch each and every one of them if he wanted to copy their abilities, after all. To that end¡­ Lucien slowly slides a hand down through Blackfire¡¯s hair, causing the villainous alien princess to glance up at him expectantly. ¡°We¡¯re doing this my way though, just to be clear. If you want me to seduce your sister properly, I¡¯ll need your assistance. Namely¡­ I need training. Training that YOU will provide.¡± He doesn¡¯t mention that he only needs training because his powers are new as a result of literally coming from touching her. There¡¯s no need for Blackfire to know the specifics of what he can do¡­ perhaps not ever in fact. His best defense was anonymity at the moment, as funny as that was given he was the son of Lex Luthor. Still, it was the truth. The less people knew about him, even those who knew WHO he was, the better¡­ Still, at hearing his words, Blackfire signals her approval in the only way she really can¡­ she begins sucking his cock all the faster, her hands even coming up to grasp at his buttocks so she can drive herself deeper down his dick. Heh, before she¡¯d shown up at his apartment tonight, Lucien doubted the alien princess would ever lower herself to performing oral sex like this. It was a sign of just how secretly addicted she was to his dick already that she was down on her knees, throating his shaft. Regardless, once she was done he was going back to sleep. They could start the training in the morning¡­ -x-X-x- Despite deciding that going after the Titans was his next move, it actually wound up being a small amount of time before an opportunity presented itself. Time that Lucien used to have Blackfire train him in his new Tamaranean abilities. The villainess enjoyed getting to beat him up so much that she barely even questioned where his abilities to fly and fire energy blasts had come from¡­ either that, or she had her suspicions and didn¡¯t want to ruin a good thing by accusing him of the truth. And they did have a very good thing going. He¡¯d made sure to fuck Blackfire every single night since the first and she had in turn become very¡­ involved with him. Her love for his cock and how good he made her feel in bed didn¡¯t translate to her going any easier on him in the training though. Lucien wouldn¡¯t have it any other way, he needed to get better, not just stronger. Still, eventually a time arrived when a situation cropped up that Lucien felt he could interfere with. Apparently, an army of giant mutant moths under the command of a supervillain named Killer Moth were trying to conquer Jump City. Lucien vaguely remembered this from his past memories but couldn¡¯t recall any specifics on how it was ultimately resolved, which he assumed meant the Titans didn¡¯t have much difficulty with it in the end. Still, if Lucien could show up before they saved the day, then perhaps he could help out and make himself look good in the Titans¡¯ eyes. Not as himself though of course¡­ but as a new superhero on the block. Leaving Blackfire behind in his apartment with instructions to babysit Spot and stay out of trouble, Lucien found himself flying into Jump City only to immediately run into some of the giant mutant moths. Zipping around them, he dodged the creatures with relative ease for the time being, not actually trying to pick a fight¡­ yet. First, he wanted to find his allies for the day. That turns out to not be too difficult. They¡¯re all fighting Killer Moth in the center of the city, causing quite a spectacle in the process. The villain¡¯s army is assisting him against the Titans, making it difficult for the group to get any headway. Staying out of view for a second, Lucien takes stock of who he sees, putting names to faces¡­ both masked and otherwise. There¡¯s five Titans that Lucien can see fighting down below. Robin is the team leader, a prot¨¦g¨¦ of Batman from what Lucien understands. Power-wise, that¡¯s about all the young man has going for him. As far as Lucien knows, the person behind the Robin mask is literally just a normal guy. No powers, just an incredible workout routine and some additional training by the World¡¯s Greatest Detective¡­ or so they said. For Lucien¡¯s purposes, Robin is definitely the¡­ least interesting of the Titans. After him is Starfire, who is not only much more interesting, but she¡¯s also theoretically the main reason that he¡¯s supposed to be here. However, Lucien has already gained Starfire¡¯s biology. So¡­ while he WILL do his level best to carry out some of Blackfire¡¯s wishes going forward, what he¡¯s really here for is the last three Titans. The half-demon Raven, the shapeshifter Beast Boy¡­ and the geokinetic Terra. They¡¯d had other members in the past, both honorary and otherwise, but this was the current makeup of the Titans as Lucien understood it. Pleased to see them all in one place and trying not to salivate too much over the thought of gaining access to Raven, Beast Boy, and Terra¡¯s abilities, Lucien waits a moment¡­ and then nods as he watches Beast Boy get thrown back so hard by one of Killer Moth¡¯s giant mutants that the young shapeshifter is fully pushed out of his animal shape and left tumbling across the road. Immediately, Lucien flies down as the green-skinned hero groans in pain. ¡°Ooooh fuuuuck. Anyone get the number of that truck?¡± ¡°Ho there! Pretty sure that wasn¡¯t a truck¡­ unless they make trucks fuzzy and bug-like these days, heh.¡± Beast Boy¡¯s eyes immediately snap to Lucien, filling with suspicion and revealing that for all his goofy, go-lucky attitude presented to the media, the hero is in fact a smart cookie. Though, the suspicion DOES go down a bit when he takes in Lucien¡¯s appearance. Touching down on the ground a few feet away from the downed hero, Lucien bobs his head in greetings. ¡°Sorry if I caught you off-guard but when I heard about the attack on the news¡­ well, I couldn¡¯t do nothing.¡± He shrugs to punctuate that statement, knowing full well that Beast Boy is surreptitiously studying him from the ground right now. He can only hope that the shapeshifter likes what he sees. Lucien had honestly gone through enough costume designs over the last few weeks that it made his head spin. Ultimately, he¡¯d had to throw out all of the ideas that he actually liked because they were universally ¡®too dark¡¯, ¡®too much black¡¯, and ultimately way too associated with Death. Never mind that HE was associated with Death of the Endless and thus had ever right to have a death-themed costume¡­ there were still many negative connotations associated with Death no matter who you spoke to. Still, that hadn¡¯t stopped him from going with something¡­ tangentially related. Put simply, his final ensemble was a whole lot of silver with only a few bits of black here and there. He¡¯d also gone with a half-mask that left his chiseled jaw on display despite initially wanting a full mask that covered up everything. And finally, in the center of his chest where every hero and villain tended to like to put their ¡®symbols¡¯ or ¡®branding¡¯¡­ he¡¯d gone ahead and stuck a white Ankh. After all, the Ankh wasn¡¯t commonly associated with death. Instead, it was the Egyptian Symbol of Life, eternal life to be exact. All that said, Lucien was confident he struck a heroic figure as Beast Boy eyed him up and down. Blackfire herself had told him he looked sickeningly courageous, and that if they met on the street with him dressed like that, she¡¯d feel an urge to punch him in the face purely out of villainous principle. As such, Lucien isn¡¯t surprised when Beast Boy eventually breaks out into a pained grin. ¡°New hero then? That¡¯s¡­ always nice to hear.¡± Slowly, the shapeshifter begins leveraging himself up from the ground, clearly intending to get back into the fight. Except¡­ it¡¯s equally obvious he¡¯s got a busted rib. And while Lucien is pretty sure Beast Boy has enhanced healing, it¡¯s probably not fast enough for his liking¡­ not by a long shot. Playing up his new role, Lucien lets honest concern leak into his tone. ¡°Hey, wait! You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re in any position to fight, man!¡± Laughing, Beast Boy shakes his head. ¡°You¡¯ll learn this fast, new guy¡­ heroes don¡¯t get the liberty of deciding when they want to fight.¡± It¡¯s a really cool one liner, and its obvious Beast Boy intends to leave as soon as he¡¯s said it. But Lucien cuts him off before he can shapeshift into a bird or something and fly back into the battle. ¡°I¡¯ve got healing powers!¡± That gets Beast Boy¡¯s attention. The green-skinned young man blinks at him for a moment before really giving him a good, long, hard look. It might have been longer if the sounds of his teammates continuing to fight Killer Moth and his mutant moth army in the background weren¡¯t constantly reaching his ears. ¡°¡­ Seriously? That¡¯s actually pretty rare dude.¡± With a shrug and a crooked smile, Lucien holds up his palms. ¡°Well it¡¯s what I¡¯ve got. Figured I could help you guys out¡­ you do the fighting; I do the healing. Oh, I¡¯m Remedy by the way.¡± Beast Boy blinks again and then laughs as he starts walking forward. ¡°¡­ Sure Remedy, let¡¯s see what you can do.¡± Pulling off a glove, the shapeshifter offers Lucien his hand¡­ and just like that, Lucien has access to Beast Boy¡¯s biology. Holy shit is it a trip, but thanks to his own abilities he¡¯s able to speed up his perception, resulting in time itself seemingly slowing down around him. Otherwise, he¡¯d probably spend the next ten minutes just gawking over what he¡¯s seeing. As it is, he spends ten seconds instead, managing to keep his amazement at everything Beast Boy has going on from appearing on his face while also completely healing the shapeshifter and repairing that busted rib of his. Lucien had been a little worried that fixing Beast Boy up would be harder than the average human because of his shapeshifting powers¡­ but as it turned out, that advanced healing factor Lucien had noted Beast Boy likely had earlier was already at work and pushing it along was the work of mere moments. As Beast Boy lets go of his hand, the green-skinned hero lets out a surprised sigh of relief, looking down at himself in wonder. ¡°Holy hell, doc¡­ that¡¯s some good shit.¡± Lucien can¡¯t help but grin a little bit, proud despite the duplicity of this whole exchange. ¡°Not an actual doctor, I feel like I should say. Still¡­ happy to help.¡± ¡°Yeah. Well, let¡¯s get over there and get back into it, alright Remedy? I¡¯ll make sure none of those mutant moths get close to you and introduce you to the others. Maybe by now Robin will have come up with a plan because Killer Moth¡­ he seems like he¡¯s really playing for keeps this time.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Lucien follows Beast Boy back over to where the fighting is fiercest and as the other Titans all take notice of Lucien¡¯s presence, he prepares for introductions and having to explain himself. Robin is the only one who doesn¡¯t see him quite yet, given the hero is personally engaged with Killer Moth. Which is more than a little impressive considering Killer Moth most definitely has augmented physical everything from what Lucien can see. However, Robin¡¯s impressive one man stand doesn¡¯t last for much longer, because before Beast Boy can introduce him, Killer Moth¡¯s hand closes around Robin¡¯s throat and he lifts the hero off of the ground. Everyone¡¯s eyes widen, Lucien included. This couldn¡¯t possibly be happening, right? They weren¡¯t about to watch a murder, right? And yet, it didn¡¯t feel like anyone was in position to react as Killer Moth¡¯s clawed hand came closer and closer to Robin¡¯s chest. This couldn¡¯t be where Robin died. Lucien would have remembered it. So then what- HONK! HONK-HOOOONK! ¡°DAAADDDYYYY!¡± The whole battlefield freezes up. And not just them and their adversary, but also the mutant moth army as well. A bright pink sports car comes racing down the road and not a single moth tries to block its path as Killer Moth turns and stares with the rest of them. The sports car skids to a halt a dozen feet away from Killer Moth and Robin, with a blonde girl coming barreling out and racing over to hug the villain¡¯s leg. For a moment, Lucien is convinced that he¡¯s about to witness another murder entirely, but then the strangest thing happens¡­ Killer Moth all but deflates with a sigh. ¡°Kitten¡­ daddy¡¯s working right now. Surely this can wait, can¡¯t it?¡± ¡°NOOOO! It can¡¯t WAIT! Daddy, Fang broke UP with me!¡± What the actual fuck was happening? No seriously? A look over at Beast Boy shows that he¡¯s ultimately just as bewildered as Lucien is. ¡°What?! That little bastard broke my baby girl¡¯s heart?! I¡¯ll kill him!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that, daddy! We might still get back together later!¡± ¡°But Kitten, he betrayed you!¡± ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s just a small argument¡­ it¡¯ll blow over in a day or two! The problem is, Prom is TONIGHT! And now I don¡¯t have a DATE!¡± Lucien opens his mouth¡­ and then closes it immediately, thinking better of even saying a word. Unfortunately, even though he¡¯s smart enough not to speak up in this instance¡­ the so-called ¡®Kitten¡¯ HAS caught sight of all of the heroes that her father is fighting all of the sudden, him among them. Suddenly the blonde is looking at them all speculatively¡­ and so is Killer Moth. The villain finally relaxes his hold on Robin¡¯s throat and lets the poor guy get some much needed oxygen as he drops him to the ground. ¡°You lot. One of you will be my daughter¡¯s date to Prom this evening. Or I will raze this entire city to the ground.¡± The malevolence and sheer evil dripping from Killer Mother¡¯s voice makes it clear he means it too. But then it¡¯s immediately juxtaposed by the villain turning to his daughter. ¡°Which one do you want to take you to Prom, Kitten?¡± And suddenly, Lucien wishes he¡¯d stayed home today. Because the blonde, as pretty as she is, has this glint in her eye that he just knows means trouble as she slowly sweeps her gaze across the Titans. Its obvious she discards the female members immediately¡­ and after a moment wrinkles her nose at Beast Boy as well. But then she¡¯s left looking between him and Robin and suddenly, Lucien knows full well how this conquest of Jump City ended in the original timeline. No wonder the Titans never talked about it more. Jesus fucking Christ¡­ -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote:  [X] Kitten chooses the obvious choice, Robin to take her to prom - 63%


    [  ] Kitten chooses the new exciting option, Lucien to take her to prom - 37%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!


    sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 15: Starfire

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Also if you''ve enjoyed reading this story and want to hop on board my next story right at the moment of its conception, please check out The Soul Engine for me! It just started and I''m really excited for it~


    Kitten makes her choice. Lucien takes his chance.


    -x-X-x- Abruptly, Kitten suddenly stomps up to Lucien, making him freeze like a deer caught in headlights. ¡°You! Who even ARE you?!¡± Caught completely off guard, not just by Kitten herself but by the whole situation in general, Lucien finds himself answering somewhat on autopilot. ¡°Err¡­ I¡¯m Remedy. I¡¯m new.¡± The moment those words come out of his mouth he wants to cringe like nothing else. Seriously?! ¡®I¡¯m new¡¯?! He¡¯d had this whole thing planned out in his head. He was going to make some in-roads with the Titans without fully joining their team. He was going to show off his healing abilities and earn a place as their on-call healer, allowing him to get closer to Starfire while at the same time giving him access to all of their biological powers. It had all been going so well too. He¡¯d already picked up Beast Boy¡¯s abilities, he just needed time to properly assimilate those shapeshifting powers into his own arsenal. However, now he was stuck staring down the barrel of a dangerous supervillain¡¯s crazy spoiled brat of a daughter. Seriously, what was his life?! ¡°¡­ Lame.¡± Wait, what? Without hesitation, Kitten turns on her heel with her nose up in the air, rejecting him right on the spot. Instead, she all but prances over to Robin, making the Titans Leader freeze up just as Lucien did as she throws her arms around his neck with a gleeful crow of delight. ¡°This one, daddy! I want Robin to be my date to Prom!¡± Holy shit. On the one hand¡­ ouch, that was some critical piercing damage. Lame? He was LAME?! Obviously Kitten¡¯s opinion shouldn¡¯t mean jack shit to him¡­ but it still hurt, he wasn¡¯t going to lie. On the other hand, thank FUCK she hadn¡¯t picked him. Sorry Robin, but better you than me Lucien couldn¡¯t help thinking as he watches Robin grimace and squirm under Kitten¡¯s hold. The Titans Leader freezes up again however when Killer Moth shows up looming behind his daughter, his eyes narrowed in malevolent expectation. Until finally¡­ ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll¡­ taken Kitten to Prom.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± The exclamation from Starfire shouldn¡¯t be surprising but it still catches Lucien off-guard. However, while Robin does shoot his fellow Titan an apologetic grimace and a pleading gaze to understand, neither Killer Moth nor Kitten pay the enraged Tamaranean any mind. ¡°Good. You¡¯ve made the right choice. I would hate to have to drown Jump City in moths because you had to be¡­ stubborn.¡± ¡°Yaaaaay! I¡¯m going to Prom with Robin! This is going to be the best day ever! Come on Robin, we need to get me a dress and you fitted for a tux! I mean, I had a dress already but that was for when I was going with FANG, ugh. Its tots tainted now, so I¡¯ll have to get a new one, teehee! You can help~¡± Before anyone can blink, Robin is somehow bundled into Kitten¡¯s car and the two are driving off¡­ ostensibly to do as she¡¯d just said and spend the day ahead of her Prom shopping. Killer Moth watches the two leave for a moment before giving the rest of them a single intense glare. He then presses some buttons on his gauntlets, causing all of the massive mutant moths blanketing the city to scurry into hiding in what feels like mere moments. However, Lucien doesn¡¯t think that means they¡¯re really gone. Nor that they can¡¯t be called out again at any second. And it would seem the rest of the Titans agree with him, because none of them try to stop Killer Moth from flying away a moment later. Silence falls for a brief second as they all just stand there. Then¡­ ¡°Did that really just happen?¡± That was definitely a question on Lucien¡¯s mind as well, but he wasn¡¯t the one who asked it. Instead that was Terra, the blonde geokinetic looking as bewildered as he feels as she stands there with her eyes wide and mouth agape. Off to the side, Raven snorts derisively and shakes her head. ¡°Seems it did. Didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be whoring out our illustrious leader to save the city¡­ but here we are.¡± Her deadpan tone does not go over well with Starfire, whose eyes and hands both glow green as she stomps a foot into the ground beneath her hard enough to crack the concrete. ¡°We are NOT whoring Robin out to anyone! We need to stop this! Immediately!¡± Beast Boy interjects there, holding up his hands placatingly. ¡°Now hold on a second. Robin wouldn¡¯t have agreed if he wanted us to charge in and rescue him. You know how our fearless leader is. He¡¯s ALL about plans. Aaaand sacrifices. If he thinks this is the best way to save the city from Killer Moth¡¯s army, then maybe it is you know?¡± That doesn¡¯t make Starfire any happier, but before she can express her anger any further, Raven calls out¡­ to him. ¡°And who exactly ARE you supposed to be? Remedy, you said your name was?¡± The half-demon¡¯s eyes look him up and down before lingering on the ankh symbol on his chest. Before Lucien can introduce himself, Beast Boy does it for him. ¡°Oh yeah! Don¡¯t worry guys, Remedy here is on our side. He¡¯s a touch-based healer in fact. That last attack damn near took me out of the fight¡­ busted a few of my ribs. But a single touch from Remedy and I was back on my feet faster than I¡¯ve ever healed before! The dude is legit, promise!¡± The three female members of the Titans all look at Lucien at that. But he¡¯s had at least some time to wrap his head around what¡¯s happening¡­ and figure out how to best use it to his advantage. No foot in his mouth this time, no sir. Using his powers to regulate his reactions perfectly, he lets a smile spread across his face as he gives the three heroines a jaunty wave. ¡°Hey there. Pleasure to make your acquaintances. As Beast Boy said, I¡¯m Remedy. When I heard about the fighting, I knew I needed to do something and came as fast as I could to help out. If any of you have any injuries you need healed like Beast Boy did, just let me know!¡± Of course, just looking at them he can already tell that they¡¯re all fine. But then, he could have guessed that just from their power sets as well. Raven and Terra were squishy but their powers allowed them to fight from a distance and not take quite so many direct blows. Meanwhile, Lucien knew exactly how tough Starfire was. He was just as tough, after all. Curiously enough, his little speech provokes an interesting reaction from one of the Titans¡­ Terra, to be exact. Whether it was his smile or his confident tone, something seems to set the blonde off, because that¡¯s definitely a rosy red blush on her cheeks as she ducks her head briefly and tucks a lock of hair back behind one ear. Raven and Starfire on the other hand, don¡¯t really seem to care too much. Raven because¡­ well, she¡¯s Raven. And Starfire because¡­ well, she¡¯s still fucking pissed. In fact, the Tamaranean Princess is all scowls as she steps forward with her hands clenched into fists at her side, giving Lucien a single sharp nod. ¡°While it is good to have another hero to fight alongside¡­ this is not the time for introductions. Whether Robin intends to sacrifice himself or not, I do not care. I won¡¯t let that villain have him in her clutches for even a single moment longer than is necessary!¡± Everyone shares a glance at that. Even Lucien is a little baffled. Sure, Kitten was definitely a spoiled brat. And also a villain¡¯s daughter. But is she herself a villain? He didn¡¯t really see it. Then again¡­ it was becoming increasingly obvious that even if Robin and Starfire were not in a relationship yet at this point in the timeline, all of the early warning signs were there. Starfire¡¯s jealousy made that readily apparent. In the face of their momentary stunned silence, Starfire begins to rev up, clearly intending to fly off and put her words into action. But before she can, there¡¯s a sudden beep from all four Titans and Lucien can only watch as they take out their communicators and open them up. ¡°It¡¯s from Robin!¡± Thankfully, Beast Boy is considerate enough to read out their leader¡¯s message for Lucien. ¡°He managed to sneak a quick text. He wants us to find out where Killer Moth¡¯s laboratory is. Apparently, there¡¯s no way that he doesn¡¯t have a bigger set up for controlling those mutant moths hidden somewhere in the city. If we can find that and shut it down, we can remove the threat looming over Jump City¡¯s head. And then Robin won¡¯t have to go to Prom with Kitten either!¡± Huh. Not a bad plan, Lucien supposed. It even made sense¡­ more sense than Robin just giving in to Killer Moth¡¯s demands and sacrificing himself in order to keep the city safe for a single night. After all, even if he did go to Prom with Kitten, what was stopping Killer Moth from just attacking tomorrow anyways? The man was a villain at the end of the day¡­ ¡°See Star? Robin has a plan, just like I said! You don¡¯t need to worry!¡± Unfortunately, Beast Boy¡¯s cheery words seem to fall on deaf ears. While the glow in her eyes HAS diminished significantly, Starfire doesn¡¯t look any happier. As she shoves her communicator away, the Tamaranean growls and her hands clench back into fists. ¡°Not. Good. Enough. Who knows what that¡­ that HUSSY will force Robin to do today while we¡¯re trying to track down Killer Moth! Someone has to keep an eye on the two of them to make sure nothing untoward happens!¡± Raven scoffs, rolling her eyes. ¡°You really think we should split up? That seems like a particularly bad idea. We can¡¯t just let you go off alone, which means there would only be two of us on the Killer Moth hunt. And even if we do manage to find his laboratory, two of us might not be enough to beat him and secure the control device.¡± ¡­ Could it really be that simple? As Raven¡¯s deadpan voice washes over the ground, Lucien finds himself coming to a stark realization. This right here¡­ was an opportunity. All he had to do was reach out and seize it. ¡°I could help.¡± His voice draws all of their attention back over to him, with Lucien smiling a crooked smile and giving the Titans a shrug. ¡°Why don¡¯t I back-up Starfire today on her¡­ err, ¡®mission¡¯. And the three of you can track down the bad guy¡¯s base and put a stop to this.¡± It really wasn¡¯t a half-bad idea, even if Lucien definitely had ulterior motives. Raven was right, they couldn¡¯t let Starfire just go off alone to try and keep an eye on Robin. But at the same time, Starfire¡¯s ¡®mission¡¯ wasn¡¯t really worth having two of them on the bench for the Killer Moth Search. Hell, it wasn¡¯t even worth having Starfire on the bench, but it was obvious that the alien princess wasn¡¯t going to listen to reason here. But he wasn¡¯t a full Titan, so they already weren¡¯t intending to rely on him anyways. AND he¡¯d already helped Beast Boy out, making it clear that he was ¡®on their side¡¯¡­ theoretically. Despite making sure that not a single ounce of his real duplicitous nature makes it past his biological control over his own posture, facial features, and overall emotions, Lucien nevertheless can tell that Raven isn¡¯t quite sure what to make of him. He chalks that up to her just not trusting easily though as she narrows her eyes suspiciously at him and begins to lean forward. Her mouth opens, likely to question his motives, but before she can do so¡­ ¡°Good! Great, even! Remedy and I shall watch over Robin! You all take down Killer Moth!¡± Starfire storms on in, grabbing him by his wrist and yanking him along with her as she speedwalks away from the scene. If not for his own enhanced physiology, Lucien might have been pulled off his feet entirely by her actions, but ultimately he¡¯s able to keep up with her even as they rapidly leave the rest of the Titans behind. A glance back over his shoulder sees Beast Boy giving him an apologetic look and a wave, Raven frowning from under her hood and cloak, and Terra¡­ staring at his ass. Yeah, the blonde even blushes and quickly looks away when she realizes he sees her. Well now. That was interesting. But it could also wait till later. As Starfire drags Lucien off, he finds himself considering what would be happening in the immediate. Clearing his throat, he gives Starfire¡¯s hold on his wrist a tug, making the alien princess stop in surprise as she looks back at him, caught off guard by his strength. ¡°Ah¡­ you are surprisingly strong.¡± Heh, how refreshingly blunt. Lucien quirks a half-smile at that and nods¡­ and then floats a bit off the ground. ¡°I can fly too. So don¡¯t feel land bound on my account, your Highness.¡± Starfire blushes at the royal address, but then smiles as she too rises off the ground. ¡°Wonderful! Keep up, Remedy!¡± Together, the two of them are able to catch up to Kitten¡¯s bright pink sports car, even though she¡¯s obviously breaking every speed limit known to man. That said, Starfire hangs back as Kitten pulls up outside of the first of what will likely be many stores for the day¡¯s impromptu shopping strip. Her hands curl into fists at her sides and her jaw clenches as she watches the spoiled blonde drag a reluctant Robin out of her car and into the store. Lucien, meanwhile, floats next to Starfire, following her lead as the alien princess eventually takes them down to a nearby rooftop across from the store where they can remain unseen and out of sight. As they watch the storefront, Lucien considers how he wants to go about this. His goal, obviously¡­ is to seduce Starfire today. They¡¯re going to be spending hours alone together and with this unexpected boon in the form of Kitten and Robin¡¯s little date, Lucien figured he probably had a good chance of getting somewhere with Blackfire¡¯s sister. The only question was, how to go about it all? Was ¡®hard and fast¡¯ the correct answer with Starfire, as it had been with Blackfire? Or should he take this slowly? There were bound to be plenty of opportunities to work his way under Starfire¡¯s skin if he just took his time with it. In fact¡­ he could do nothing at all and see where the chips fell. By just making himself available, Starfire might reach a boiling point in her jealousy where she decided that the only way to get back at both Kitten AND Robin was through¡­ him. -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [  ] Go hard and fast right here and now with Starfire - 16%[X] Take it slow, spend the day getting to know her - 69%


    [  ] Do nothing at all, see if Starfire comes onto HIM first - 15%


    -x-X-x- sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


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 Chapter 16: Starfire Pt. 2

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Also if you''ve enjoyed reading this story, please check out The Soul Engine for me! It would really mean a lot! sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lucien and Starfire spend the day together~


    -x-X-x- ¡°Sooo¡­ you and Robin, huh?¡± The trick, Lucien decided, was to come across as a bit of a good-natured bumbling fool, at least initially. He was supposed to be a stranger here, after all. A well-meaning one at that. So it was perfectly reasonable for him to stick his foot in his mouth a little bit, right? ¡°¡­ What?¡± Starfire looks at him, half-confused and half-dreading his response. But of course, Lucien isn¡¯t ¡®looking¡¯ at her. He¡¯s looking down at the storefront and ¡®missing¡¯ the slight warning in her tone. ¡°You and Robin¡­ you¡¯re dating, right? How long has that been going on?¡± There¡¯s a long pause, during which Lucien allows himself to finally glance over at Starfire and see the look on her face. A look that makes it abundantly clear even to an idiot like he¡¯s currently portraying that he¡¯s completely misread the situation. Waiting just the right amount of time, he goes to open his mouth to try and take it back, only for Starfire to cut him off. ¡°No¡­ n-no, we¡¯re not dating. We¡¯re not a couple¡­¡± Turning back to the storefront, the gorgeous alien princess crosses her arms over her chest as silence falls between them. While pretending to contemplate the proverbial landmine he¡¯s stepped on, Lucien actually contemplates the woman in front of him. He only knows the broad strokes from his previous life. He knows, for instance, that Starfire and Robin were definitely a couple at certain points in time. Very publicly at that, because even a sickly shut-in like him had heard about them. However, he didn¡¯t know if it had ever gone anywhere or really been a permanent affair. And frankly¡­ if Robin didn¡¯t recognize what a great catch Starfire was, maybe he didn¡¯t deserve her in the first place. Sure, Lucien¡¯s intentions weren¡¯t entirely pure¡­ but he was going to find a way to thread the needle here. He was going to find a way to give Blackfire what she wanted, while also making sure Starfire came out the other end¡­ intact. That said, he¡¯s waited for the appropriate amount of time to be embarrassed and decide to change the subject, so without further ado, that¡¯s exactly what he does. ¡°Err¡­ so¡­ alien princess, huh? What¡¯s that like? I¡¯ve never been off planet or anything like that so I guess I¡¯m just curious.¡± Continuing to play up the ignorant, bumbling, but hopefully endearing persona, he watches as Starfire tenses for a moment¡­ before slumping her shoulders. Lucien can see the moment in real time that the Tamaranean decides not to bite his head off for being curious. It¡¯s obvious she can tell that he¡¯s only asking to try and take her mind off of Kitten and Robin and whatever the hell they¡¯re getting up to in the store down below. Cracking a half-smile, Starfire glances over at him with slightly warm green eyes and shrugs. ¡°Honestly? It¡¯s alright. Not all it¡¯s cracked up to be though. Especially when you aren¡¯t the firstborn, but everyone decides you¡¯re going to be heir anyways. And then your older sister decides to try and take your life for actions completely outside of your control.¡± As much of a downer as that particular line of conversation promises to be, Lucien kind of wants to know more about Starfire and Blackfire¡¯s relationship. And something about Starfire¡¯s tone makes him think she wants to talk about it, despite her downcast expression. However, before he can ask for her to elaborate, the doors to the shop down below spring open and Kitten and Robin come out. ¡°Come on, Robby-baby! This is only our first stop!¡± Kitten carries a single small bag from the store, while Robin is loaded down with so many bags it¡¯s wonder he even knows where he¡¯s going. Lucien and Starfire watch in silence as the Titan Leader stuffs the bags into Kitten¡¯s trunk, only to then himself be stuffed back into the car, which peels off down the street again at breakneck speeds. Wordlessly, Starfire rises off the rooftop and flies off to follow them, forcing Lucien to follow after her. Soon enough, they¡¯ve arrived at their next destination and taken up position on a brand new rooftop. This time however, the storefront is fully glass¡­ allowing them to see precisely what¡¯s going on in this particular shop. Namely, Kitten trying on dresses for a visibly tense, reluctant Robin. Even with how much Robin clearly didn¡¯t want to be there, it was obvious to Lucien that watching him watch another girl try on clothes was a very, VERY large pain point for Starfire. Obvious¡­ because Lucien could literally hear Starfire¡¯s teeth grinding as they stood on the roof together. Wanting to save her poor teeth from being ground down to nubs, and also still undeniably curious, Lucien clears his throat after a moment. ¡°You were saying something about your sister wanting you dead? That must be rough¡­¡± For a moment, Starfire just scowls harder down at the storefront. Then, mercifully, she pulls her gaze away and looks over at him for a moment before slowly nodding. ¡°¡­ Rough doesn¡¯t really begin to cover it, to be honest. Though¡­ I don¡¯t think she always wanted to kill me. I think at first she just hated me. Maybe just wanted to outshine me. But it wasn¡¯t until we were both older that she wanted me dead. Otherwise she could have just smothered me in my crib, I suppose.¡± Lucien blinks at that particularly morbid thought. ¡°But¡­ she¡¯s your sister. Why would she hate you in the first place?¡± Letting out a sigh, Starfire shakes her head. ¡°As I said, for things outside of my control. Because our people¡­ our people could be cruel. And idiotic. On the day that my sister came into this world, Tamaran¡¯s enemies blew up an entire city to ¡®celebrate¡¯ her birth.¡± Lucien¡¯s eyes widen at that, and the reaction is all the more genuine because it¡¯s completely honest. Holy shit, he hadn¡¯t known that. But Starfire isn¡¯t done explaining. ¡°As a result, my sister was deemed ¡®cursed¡¯ by practically everyone except for me and my brother. Even our parents were not immune to this¡­ societal pressure. Despite being nothing but a newborn baby when the attack happened, they all blamed Blackfire for the attack. They treated her like she would bring nothing but doom upon our people. And by doing so, they created a self-fulfilling prophecy. Blackfire was indeed our people¡¯s doom after they handed her birthright to me and exiled her for trying to murder me. She returned with a vengeance at the head of our enemy¡¯s armies, conquering our planet¡­ and taking me as her slave.¡± Lucien had¡­ sort of heard about that. He didn¡¯t know the exact details of Starfire and Blackfire¡¯s history anymore than he did Starfire and Robin¡¯s, but he¡¯d heard slavery mentioned on like¡­ a superhero discussion forum or something. Either way, he reaches out and places a hand on Starfire¡¯s shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze that causes her to jolt in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you went through that. Being enslaved by your own homicidal sister¡­ that must have been rough.¡± And now he had to figure out how to seduce Starfire on said homicidal sister¡¯s behalf without going full Dark Side and leaving the orange-skinned alien broken and a husk of her former self as Blackfire wanted. ¡°¡­ It actually wasn¡¯t as bad as you might think.¡± Wait, what? Lucien gives Starfire a somewhat confused, somewhat scandalized look, prompting her to blush and let out a soft self-deprecating laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t judge, okay? But really¡­ it wasn¡¯t terrible until the very end. Sure, Blackfire forced me to fight in gladiator pits. And she had me doing all sorts of menial labor. She treated me like her personal maid, using me to clean up her messes and sometimes having me scrubbing floors well into the morning most days. But¡­ it wasn¡¯t so terrible. She could have killed me. She didn¡¯t. And she could have been much worse to me¡­ she wasn¡¯t.¡± She wasn¡¯t? But then¡­ Lucien didn¡¯t get how things had turned out the way they did. Fortunately, Starfire was deep enough in her memories that she was willing to continue explaining without him having to prod her. ¡°In the end, problems didn¡¯t arise until¡­ well, what you have to understand was that even after conquering our people, Blackfire had her own masters to answer to. You humans have a saying¡­ selling your soul to the devil. That¡¯s what Blackfire did, metaphorically speaking. And those masters¡­ her superiors decided they wanted me. For their own sick and twisted purposes. For their own designs.¡± Lucien¡¯s eyes widen at that. Wait, surely Starfire wasn¡¯t suggesting¡­ ¡°She refused to turn you over?¡± Blinking, Starfire glances over at him¡­ and then lets out a little laugh. ¡°Oh. No, sorry. She resisted their commands for a little while, but in the end she was forced to give me to them lest she incur their wrath. And once I was out of her hands and in theirs¡­ once I found out what they intended for me, I broke free. I killed¡­ I killed one of them and I escaped.¡± It¡¯s strange. If Lucien didn¡¯t know any better, he would say Starfire ENJOYED being her sister¡¯s slave. That she had a submissive streak, or some sort of internalized guilt and loathing that made her want to make things up to Blackfire for how the older Tamaranean¡¯s life turned out. But that couldn¡¯t be right¡­ could it? ¡°Of course, they blamed Blackfire for my escape. They turned on her, captured her¡­ and experimented on her from what I¡¯ve gathered. She didn¡¯t break free nearly as quickly as I did, but eventually she did manage to get away¡­¡± Frowning, Starfire shakes her head. ¡°At this point, I don¡¯t know if Blackfire hopes to recapture me to turn me over to them and regain her place as their favored pet, or if she just wants to destroy me for the perceived crime of ruining her life, despite the fact that I¡¯ve had absolutely no control over the things that have befallen her.¡± Shoulders slumped, Starfire stares at the ground in quiet contemplation. Lucien, meanwhile, reaches out again and gives Starfire¡¯s shoulder another comforting squeeze, once again taking her by surprise. However, he notices she also leans into his touch this time, even as she gives him a soft smile that he returns. ¡°Starfire¡­ neither you nor your sister deserve the hardships you¡¯ve had to suffer. I¡¯m sorry you had to go through all of that.¡± The best part is, he really means every word of it. And if he can¡­ if he can somehow bring Starfire and Blackfire together, if he can somehow reconcile the two alien women¡­ he¡¯ll damn well try. Her soft smile growing into something appreciative and grateful, Starfire reaches up and places her hand on his for a moment before giving him a simple nod. ¡°Thank you, Remedy. I appreciate that.¡± Of course, before they can speak further, the door to the shop opens down below again, and Robin and Kitten come bolting out to the car once more. Soon enough, they¡¯re flying after Kitten¡¯s car, following it to the third destination¡­ -x-X-x- Hours and hours later, night has fallen and Senior Prom has begun. Lucien had initially been worried when they first showed up that he would have to remove his costume in order to go ¡®undercover¡¯ at the Prom¡­ but Starfire hadn¡¯t even asked him to. In the end, they¡¯d just stuck him in a Tuxedo over the top of his costume, leaving him masked up as Remedy. A couple people had come up to him and Starfire looking for autographs or even just wondering who the new hero was, but mostly they were somehow seeming to fly right under the radar. He would have expected to be the center of attention¡­ but no. The spotlight was thoroughly reserved for the stars of the evening. Kitten and Robin. As much as the Boy Wonder CLEARLY did not want to be there, Kitten¡¯s exuberance, excitement, and general overwhelming energy was enough for the both of them. Robin¡¯s mask and identity as a superhero were doing the rest. The pair were constantly being swarmed by curious people, leaving Lucien and Starfire to keep an eye on things from afar. Meanwhile¡­  Starfire was kind enough to put her communicator up to both of their ears so they could listen to Beast Boy¡¯s latest message together. As it comes to an end and they pull apart however, it¡¯s obvious that the alien princess is NOT happy with what she just heard. Her teeth are grinding again, and she¡¯s breathing out through flaring nostrils, practically huffing like a bull about to go on a rampage. Lucien remembers the Cyborg fellow that Beast Boy name dropped. An original member of the Titans back when they¡¯d still been the TEEN Titans, Cyborg had ultimately gone on to join the Justice League itself as they all got older. But at least it sounded like Cyborg had left them with something they could use. They just needed a bit more time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Starfire. They¡¯ll get it soon enough.¡± Lucien¡¯s smooth, comforting tones wash over the trembling alien princess, who looks at him and slowly relaxes, giving him an appreciative smile and a nod. The two of them have talked all day long at this point, and Lucien feels like he can safely say that he¡¯s been not just a shoulder for Starfire to lean on and an ear for her to talk to, but also a voice of reason in HER ear in response. Letting out one last breath, Starfire tucks the communicator away again in her dress and then turns back to where Robin and Kitten are still being mobbed. Only to then freeze up in place, her entire body going ramrod still as her eyes widen in disbelief. Confused, Lucien follows her gaze over to the reluctant Titan Leader and his ¡®date¡¯ for the evening¡­ and finds himself just as surprised. Robin¡¯s hands are currently on Kitten¡¯s waist, anchoring her in place as the young hero stands frozen¡­ while Kitten herself is on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing the ever-living daylights out of him for all to see. But most importantly of all, she¡¯s kissing Robin¡­ right in front of Starfire. Oh, this might actually be bad. Starfire might actually kill the girl if he doesn¡¯t- Just as Lucien is worried that Starfire is about to explode in a fit of rage and jealousy and tear apart this entire Senior Prom in an attempt to kill Kitten, the alien princess does something ELSE instead. She grabs Lucien by the shoulders, spins him around¡­ and plants a kiss on HIS lips to mirror Kitten¡¯s kiss on Robin. It¡¯s relatively inexperienced and very obvious that Starfire is just doing this to ¡®get back¡¯ at the other ¡®couple¡¯, but it¡¯s a kiss all the same, and one that¡¯s deepening by the moment, purely of Starfire¡¯s own volition. Lucien¡¯s hands go down to Starfire¡¯s waist after a moment, and he finds himself kissing her back¡­ but also considering his options. Was this really the right time for this to happen? What was the play here? Go all in? Play hard to get? Or strike a middle ground? One thing was certain¡­ Lucien was standing at a precipice and it was time to make a choice. -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote:  [  ] Play hard to get, end the kiss after a moment to make himself seem like a better person - 19%[X] Deepen the kiss, let it continue as long as Starfire wants, but stay out in the open where everyone, including Robin, will see it - 59%[  ] Take over the kiss, go all in and then attempt to guide Starfire out of public view for some private fun time - 22% -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 17: Drama

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Also if you''ve enjoyed reading this story, please check out The Soul Engine for me! It would really mean a lot!


    Drama~


    -x-X-x-


    In the end, he decides that a middle ground is best. He doesn¡¯t want to push Starfire too hard. He doesn¡¯t want her to feel chased away by any sort of aggressive attitude. So instead, he settles for deepening the kiss, letting his hands remain on her waist. At the most, he lets them drift down to her hips but no further than that. And he¡¯s fully prepared to let her go the moment she pulls away from him.


    Except that doesn¡¯t happen. The moment of impetus decision making certainly passes, but rather than jerking out of his grasp as she realizes what she¡¯s doing, Lucien notes that the beautiful alien princess leans in further as well. He¡¯s giving her his all, of course¡­ and his all is certainly no laughing matter. Even if its just basic touching and kissing, Lucien can use his abilities here to his advantage. His fingers press into her flesh in just the right way, his lips against her lips, his tongue swapping spit with her tongue.


    All of it is designed to give Starfire the best kiss of her life¡­ and from the way she reacts, it¡¯s working. Her hands, which start on his shoulders and could easily have pushed him away at any time, instead move to wrap around his neck. She pulls him deeper into the kiss, moaning softly into his mouth. Lucien, for his part, doesn¡¯t go any further than he already is. He doesn¡¯t take over entirely, he merely shows her what he can do and invites her to meet him halfway.


    The Tamaranean most definitely meets him halfway. Hell, she goes further than that. He¡¯s the first to deepen their kiss, but Starfire seems like she wants to deepen it even more. Like she wants to stick her tongue all the way down the back of his throat and hike a leg up the side of his body. She feels like she¡¯s a moment away from doing exactly that, but before she can¡­


    ¡°¡­ Starfire?!¡±


    Robin¡¯s voice echoes across the auditorium, causing Lucien and Starfire to blink and finally end their prolonged lip lock. Only then does Lucien realize how quiet it¡¯s gotten at the Prom. The music is still playing in the background, but the people¡­ the people have all stopped to stare at him and Starfire. Just how long were they kissing for that to happen? Hell, it hadn¡¯t even happened when Kitten and Robin were kissing!


    But then to be fair, while Lucien was just wearing a tuxedo over his costume, Starfire was in a dress that showed off her alien heritage quite¡­ well he had to admit. She was beautiful, drop-dead gorgeous even, and it was clear that just as many if not more people had been watching her with Lucien than had been watching Robin with Kitten tonight.


    Certainly, the silence that had fallen had ultimately pulled Robin and Kitten out of THEIR embrace. Or maybe Robin had just finally dragged himself away from Kitten long enough to realize that everyone else was watching Starfire and Lucien lip lock. Either way¡­ the Titans Leader looks betrayed, staring at the two of them like he can hardly believe his eyes.


    If Lucien still wondered whether or not Starfire and Robin had feelings for each other yet this far back in time¡­ well, today had certainly put that to bed. They might not have acted on those feelings, they might not have ever told each other that they cared for each other that way¡­ but Starfire¡¯s actions today had made it clear she was crushing hard on Robin. And now Robin¡¯s reaction to their kiss made it equally clear he had a crush on Starfire.


    Privately, Lucien felt that they were both too old at this point for things like crushes. But then, he¡¯d quite literally been involuntarily isolated and confined to a sickly body for his entire first life, so what did he know? And then when he¡¯d come back, he¡¯d let his own hormones get the better of him where Mercy Graves was concerned. All in all¡­ he could acknowledge that he wasn¡¯t an expert.


    ¡°Robin! Robin, ignore them! You¡¯re supposed to be MY Prom Date!¡±


    Kitten, meanwhile, is her whiny, bitchy self as always. The blonde is tugging on Robin¡¯s arm, trying desperately to get his attention back on her even as her eyes shoot daggers at the pair of them. It¡¯s obvious from the way she¡¯s looking around at everyone else that she wants not just Robin¡¯s attention, but the attention of everyone in the auditorium. She wants to be the Queen Bee. Or more appropriately given the night¡¯s festivities, she probably wants to be Prom Queen.


    But Robin isn¡¯t having it. The hero lets his emotions get the better of him at long last, yanking himself free of Kitten¡¯s grasp and stomping his way over to where Starfire and Lucien are standing. He barely spares Lucien an ugly look before laying into Starfire.


    ¡°What the hell, Starfire?! What are you even doing here?! You shouldn¡¯t BE here! And certainly not with this¡­ this¡­ guy!¡±


    Lucien, fully capable of reading the room, nevertheless puts a hand out for Robin to shake.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Remedy.¡±


    Needless to say, Robin doesn¡¯t take his hand. He just scowls harder as he bites out a jealousy-laden response.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    And oooh, he shouldn¡¯t have said that. Because not only was his initial approach the wrong way to come at this, but now he¡¯s making himself look even worse. In front of both the audience¡­ and Starfire herself.


    ¡°You don¡¯t care, Robin? You don¡¯t care?! Well you should! Remedy¡¯s healing helped Beast Boy! And he¡¯s been keeping me company all day long while I made sure nothing bad happened to you! You ask why I¡¯m here?! Remedy and I are here to watch your back!¡±


    Robin scowls at that, crossing his arms over his chest.


    ¡°I don¡¯t NEED you to watch my back, Starfire. I need you to follow orders!¡±


    Which of course prompts a scoff from Starfire.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s obvious you don¡¯t need anyone to watch your back when you¡¯re all too happy to be sucking face with the viper who¡¯s blackmailed you all day long!¡±


    To his credit, Robin looks disgusted at being reminded that he just got done kissing Kitten. Privately, Lucien certainly doesn¡¯t think Robin wanted to do it¡­ rather, he doesn¡¯t think Robin wanted to do any of this. But Robin is doing such a good job digging his own grave at the moment that Lucien isn¡¯t about to step in and mediate between the two of them. He¡¯s not sure it would be appreciated anyways.


    ¡°You-!¡±


    Robin¡¯s next response, however, is drowned out by an almost inhuman, feral shriek. The attention of everyone in the auditorium, the three of them included, swings around to see Kitten marching towards them with an enraged look in her eyes and a bright red face. But what Lucien notices most of all¡­ is the remote held tightly in one of her hands.


    ¡°YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE MY DATE TO PROM, ROBIN! YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE GETTING INTO LOVE TRIANGLES INVOLVING OTHER GIRLS! YOU ARE-!¡±


    Look, Lucien might be here to steal Starfire out from under an unsuspecting Robin, but he¡¯s not a villain, okay? And so when Kitten finally brings up the hand holding the remote¡­ Lucien figures it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. What¡¯s the point of cat-like reflexes, Tamaranean Physiology, and all that training if he¡¯s not going to use it?


    Quick as a whip, Lucien darts forward and snatches the remote from Kitten¡¯s raised hand. Just like that. He doesn¡¯t know what it does. He doesn¡¯t need to know. She¡¯s stomped her away across the auditorium and is only a few feet away from them. More than close enough for him to move faster than she can react.


    Of course, no one is expecting it. No one is expecting him to be inhumanly fast. As he pulls back to Starfire¡¯s side, remote in hand, Lucien watches everyone stare at him in shock¡­ but none more so than Kitten herself who looks like she cannot believe his audacity.


    ¡°You¡­ y-you¡­ GIVE IT BACK! THAT REMOTE¡¯S FOR ME AND ME ALONE! DADDY GAVE IT TO ME AND YOU BETTER GIVE IT HERE RIGHT AWAY OR ELSE YOU¡¯LL BE SORRY!¡±


    She goes after him and Lucien really doesn¡¯t want to hit a girl¡­ but he also doesn¡¯t want to reveal too much about his powers. Healing is one thing. Knocking Kitten out with a touch, which he could easily do, is another entirely. Fortunately, before she can reach him, Starfire gets in the way and cuts her off. Eyes blazing bright green, the alien princess looms over Kitten¡­ and roars in her face.


    Kitten freezes in place like a prey animal confronted with a much larger predator. And then, eyes darting from Starfire¡¯s angry expression over to the remote in Lucien¡¯s hands¡­ she lets out a terrified sob and turns and runs.


    That¡¯s the end of it, really. Though there¡¯s still some clean up afterwards. Turns out the remote controls Killer Moth¡¯s mutant creations, and so long as Lucien has it in his hands, then the Titans working their way into Killer Moth¡¯s base have things well in hand there.


    By the end of the night, both Kitten and her father are arrested. Kitten¡¯s charges are mostly for speeding all day long, though she does get a charge for being accomplice to her father¡¯s plans to hold the city hostage. Lucien, privately, can hardly believe that Killer Moth was stupid enough to give his daughter the only control remote for the moths. He¡¯d seemed like such a competent villain¡­ but in the end, he¡¯d been brought down by his own strange need to keep his spoiled brat of a child happy at all costs.


    Of course, there was one more awkward moment where the Prom Organizers wanted to name Starfire and Lucien¡­ or rather, Starfire and Remedy as their Prom Queen and King. Needless to say, with Robin looming and fuming in the background, that hadn¡¯t come to pass. Lucien had very politely turned down the opportunity on his and Starfire¡¯s behalf, while Starfire had seemed relatively lost in thought and introspective.


    Finally though, they¡¯d made their way back to Titans Tower, meeting up with the other three members of the Titans for a debrief. A very awkward, very stilted debrief. It was obvious that Robin recognized the necessity of Lucien¡¯s presence during the debrief¡­ but equally obvious that he wanted Lucien gone as swiftly as possible. Leading to things coming to a head at the end as Robin crosses his arms over his chest and glares at Lucien from behind his mask.


    ¡°Right. So that¡¯s it then. Thank you for your assistance, Remedy. You can go now. Don¡¯t call us. We¡¯ll call you.¡±


    It¡¯s clear that even the ¡®thank you¡¯ is like pulling teeth for Robin. The rest of it is much more in line with what he probably actually wants to say, even as he makes it abundantly clear through tone and posture that he¡¯s going to lose Lucien¡¯s number as fast as humanly possible. Unfortunately for the Titans Leader, his voice isn¡¯t the only voice in the room.


    ¡°What?! You can¡¯t just send Remedy away! It¡¯s already way too late¡­and the Tower has plenty of room in it! He can stay in one of the sets of guest quarters.¡±


    Lucien smiles as Starfire speaks up in his defense. Robin, meanwhile, scowls all the harder. But before he can debate the topic with Starfire, Beast Boy also leans in and gives his two cents.


    ¡°That seems fair to me. Remedy got me back on my feet super fast during that fight earlier. And whether you think you needed back up or not, Robin¡­ they did both have your back today. The least we can do is give the guy a room for the night.¡±


    Bristling, Robin turns his gaze towards Raven and Terra. The swing votes, one might think. If both of them sided against Lucien staying the night in Titans Tower, than it WOULD be three versus two and the topic would be settled. But whether Robin actually thought they would side with him or not¡­ that¡¯s not what happens.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I think it seems fine too?¡±


    And like that, the vote is three for letting him stay the night, one against, and one abstain. Lucien, of course, puts his hands up in surrender when Robin turns to glare daggers at him.


    ¡°Hey man, I can head out if you really want. No sweat. I-!¡±


    But¡­ just as Lucien somewhat anticipated, Starfire interjects. Though even he¡¯s not expecting her to outright grab him by his arm.


    ¡°No! You¡¯re staying! I will show you to the guest quarters. Please, come with me.¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Well, seems like he has no choice, huh? As Starfire leads him from the common room, Lucien chances one last look over his shoulder in time to see Robin stomping off in another direction, Beast Boy chatting with Raven¡­ and Terra looking his way only to quickly avert her gaze when she sees him looking. Then he and Starfire turn the corner and he lets her lead him to where he¡¯ll be staying for the night.


    Of course, once they¡¯re actually there¡­ Starfire takes him by the hands, blushing as she looks down for a moment.


    ¡°¡­ I apologize for Robin. He¡¯s usually more levelheaded than this¡­ he¡¯s a good leader. But today he¡¯s been¡­¡±


    Lucien shrugs and tries to help her finish her sentence.


    ¡°¡­ Stressed?¡±


    But Starfire just shakes her head.


    ¡°No! He¡¯s been acting like an idiot!¡±


    Well, that was harsher than he was expecting. Of course, with her hands in his, Lucien does feel her heart pounding¡­ so he¡¯s not as surprised when Starfire suddenly leans in for a kiss again. Nor is he surprised when she pushes the door open behind him after a few seconds and pushes him back into the room before closing them both in.


    Her hands are on his body, so it only seems fair that his hands be on hers. Lucien finds himself being walked backwards until he hits the edge of a bed, at which point he sits down on it and Starfire eagerly climbs into his lap. Her dress doesn¡¯t leave much to the imagination as she straddles him and grinds into his crotch.


    This is happening now. He¡¯s played his cards right it would seem. But more than that, Robin had played HIS cards horribly, horribly wrong. Admittedly, Lucien hadn¡¯t expected things to move quite this fast between him and Starfire when he¡¯d set out to insert himself into the Titans earlier this morning. Blackfire would be happy¡­ so long as he continued to handle this properly.


    There was just one thing. Starfire seemed primed to fuck, but her hands¡­ her hands were starting to creep upwards, perhaps towards his mask. And if she took it off, she would see his face.


    He wasn¡¯t bald, but he still did look a lot like his father. Would she recognize Lex Luthor in his features? Should he risk it? He could tell her he wasn¡¯t ready to reveal his identity yet to her, and maybe she¡¯d be up for having sex with Remedy instead. Or he could tell her only his first name and hope that refuge in obscurity would see him through. Or he could confess the truth of his parentage now. Would Starfire still be willing to fuck Lucien Luthor, like she seemed willing to fuck Remedy? Was he willing to risk it all to find out?


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [ ] Keep the mask on, try to fuck her as Remedy and Remedy alone - 10%[ ] Let her remove the mask, but only tell her his first name and hope she doesn''t recognize him - 19%


    [X] Let her remove the mask, confess his true identity as the bastard son of Lex Luthor - 72%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 18: Honesty (to a point)

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien comes (mostly) clean with Starfire and is rewarded for it~


    -x-X-x-


    He catches Starfire¡¯s hands by the wrists before they can creep too much further up. The alien princess freezes at that, blushing as they pull apart for a moment from their kissing. Far from being upset, however, the Tamaranean blushes and looks ashamed.


    ¡°A-Apologies, Remedy. I should not have¡­¡±


    But Lucien just shakes his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Star. I don¡¯t mind you and you alone knowing my secret identity. I just¡­ I hope you don¡¯t see me differently, once you know who I really am.¡±


    That gets the young alien woman¡¯s interest, just as Lucien knew it would. It also prepares her for disappointment when she sees his face. The likelihood of her realizing right off the bat that he¡¯s Lex Luthor¡¯s son might be minimal, but Lucien doesn¡¯t want to play games or be accused of withholding information¡­ anymore than he already has and currently is, anyways.


    Layers within layers. He¡¯d ask when his life became so complicated, but then¡­ Lucien already knew the answer to that didn¡¯t he? Dying had made living so, SO much more complicated. Not that Lucien could complain. This second shot at life was, so far, the best thing that had ever happened to him bar none. And he wouldn¡¯t let it slip through his fingers, no matter what.


    Regardless, once Starfire nods in response, Lucien lets go of her wrists and allows her to finally reach up with trembling orange fingers to pull his mask bask off of his face. It¡¯s not attached to his suit, so she¡¯s able to pull it out from under his collar and remove it completely, revealing his true features and hair.


    There¡¯s a moment as Starfire studies his face, clearly looking for what he meant by ¡®know who he really is¡¯. But in the end¡­ she doesn¡¯t know. He can see it in her eyes, that she has no idea who he is or that he has a connection to one of the most infamous men on the planet. That¡¯s okay though, because while he knows now that he COULD have gotten away with keeping that from her, Lucien has already decided he¡¯s going to tell her.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t recognize you?¡±


    Starfire sounds sheepish, causing Lucien to laugh a little bit as she blushes and ducks her head. Reaching out, he presses a finger under her chin and lifts her head back up so he can look her in the eye.


    ¡°Honestly, it wasn¡¯t likely that you would. I share some similarities with my father, but I also take after my mother. And besides¡­ I¡¯m probably never going to suffer from the same malady that gives my father his most distinctive feature. Still, you deserve to know what you¡¯re getting into, Starfire. My name is Lucien¡­ Lucien Luthor.¡±


    It takes her a second, but then, much like her older sister, Starfire¡¯s eyes go wide in shock.


    ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    Lucien nods, letting out an explosive sigh.


    ¡°My father is Lex Luthor.¡±


    There¡¯s a moment of stunned silence that falls between them as Starfire just sits there in his lap, struggling to process what he¡¯s just told her. Lucien brings his hands down to her hips, gripping gently but not quite moving her yet, only making it look like he¡¯s about to lift her off of him.


    ¡°I understand if you want nothing to do with me, Star. I lied to you and the others so-mmph!¡±


    As he¡¯d somewhat expected, Starfire cuts him off. Though he has to admit, he wasn¡¯t quite anticipating her doing so by kissing him again. Her lips press into his once more and she wraps her arms around his neck as she clamps her thighs down, making it so he can¡¯t just lift her off of him, not without using far greater strength against her than he would want to.


    Her tongue pushes into his mouth and Lucien answers it with his own tongue. And as they makeout¡­ well, he has direct contact with her right now through their lip lock. Exercising his powers to see what makes her tick is almost second nature at this point. He wants every moment with him to be amazing for Starfire¡­ and judging by the way she starts to grind into his crotch a few moments into their renewed makeout session, he¡¯s succeeding.


    Indeed, even when Starfire has to eventually pull back for air, the Tamaranean seems reluctant as she gasps and pants, staring at him.


    ¡°You are¡­ an exceptionally good kisser Remedy¡­ err, I mean Lucien. I can call you Lucien, right?¡±


    Chuckling, Lucien nods.


    ¡°Sure. When we¡¯re alone, I don¡¯t mind. Maybe keep it to Remedy with the others though. Unless you think I should tell them¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Huh, he¡¯d been expecting to have to convince her not to say anything. But instead, Starfire is already on board with hiding his true identity from her teammates. He wasn¡¯t THAT good of a kisser, was he?


    ¡°A-At least¡­ we can¡¯t tell Robin. He wouldn¡¯t understand. He¡¯d use it against you, to drive the others away from you. I know¡­ I know you¡¯re not a villain, Lucien. Your father¡­ does he even know you¡¯re here?¡±


    She asks that last question with a knowing tone, clearly already expecting the answer Lucien is going to give.


    ¡°No¡­ he doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m here.¡±


    Starfire nods, before following that up with another question.


    ¡°Does he know about your¡­ abilities?¡±


    At that, Lucien makes a big show of hesitating, even as he starts to weave a little white lie into the tapestry of truth that he¡¯s currently creating.


    ¡°As far as I know, he doesn¡¯t. But¡­ he might.¡±


    That causes Starfire to furrow her brow, her lips curling downwards into a slight frown.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Letting out a low sigh, Lucien looks away for a moment. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t always like this, Star. In fact, until very recently, I wasn¡¯t like this at all. I spent most of my life sickly and all but bedridden. It¡¯s why you¡¯ve never heard of me, why you don¡¯t recognize me. I might be Lucien Luthor, but as far as the world is concerned, Lex Luthor doesn¡¯t have a son.¡±


    Starfire nods along with this, the Tamaranean Princess finding nothing to question in what he¡¯s saying so far.


    ¡°But¡­ one day a little while ago, on my birthday no less¡­ I woke up like this. Feeling good. Healthy. Strong. For the first time in my life, I can do it all. More than I ever should have been able to. And¡­ and I can even heal other people. I can save lives.¡±


    A smile spreads across Starfire¡¯s face as Lucien speaks, one that he finds himself matching with a smile of his own. It really is amazing, his power set. Of course, he¡¯s very much not telling her the whole truth here. And while yes, he CAN save lives¡­ Lucien is a fairly selfish man. His true goal remains the same. To finally stand on even footing with Death of the Endless, the woman he was quite literally made for and the woman he wanted nothing more than to bring to climax.


    But Starfire doesn¡¯t need to know that. Not yet anyways. That still means Lucien needs a reason for how he got these powers. Or at least a theory.


    ¡°The day of my birthday, my father had me driven to a facility where his scientists ran a battery of tests on me. A battery of tests that he¡¯s had his people run on me every single birthday for my entire life.¡±


    Starfire¡¯s eyes widen at that. It is the truth, to be fair. But Lucien is definitely twisting it for his own ends.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what my father knows about my powers. I don¡¯t know if he was responsible for them. Or if maybe he was responsible for suppressing them all this time and something finally changed. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s planning. I just know that I¡¯m not sick anymore¡­ and Lex knows that too. But I haven¡¯t told him anything about my abilities. And he doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m Remedy, hopefully.¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause as Starfire processes all of this. And then suddenly, she¡¯s kissing him again. Lucien is a little surprised, because he wasn¡¯t expecting his little sob story to garner this sort of reaction. And yet, from her hands on his face and her lips on his lips, Lucien can FEEL how aroused Starfire is. Apparently, the act of bearing his heart to her has turned her on like nothing else.


    Clothes go flying after that, the rest of his costume quickly removed and Starfire¡¯s purple and silver outfit also stripped off of her beautiful orange body. They¡¯re both as naked as can be in no time at all, which is when Lucien takes control, turning the tables ever so slightly and pushing Starfire onto HER back on the bed. He could have let her ride him like her sister did, but Lucien wants to wow her. And he gets the impression that Starfire LIKES her bedmates to be a little¡­ dominant.


    He''s proven right when her breath hitches as he pulls her arms over her head, capturing her wrists in one hand and using the other to softly grope her beautiful tits. A low moan leaves Starfire¡¯s lips, and her legs spread wide for him as his cock presses against her slit.


    ¡°You want it, don¡¯t you Star? You want me to fuck you. You want me to make love to you.¡±


    Mewling under him, Starfire eagerly nods her head. But Lucien doesn¡¯t penetrate her. Not immediately.


    ¡°I want to hear it, Starfire. And I want to know this isn¡¯t just about Robin.¡±


    The alien princess freezes up under him at those words. Lucien knows he¡¯s playing with fire here, no pun intended. If he doesn¡¯t navigate this properly, he risks driving Starfire away. But still¡­ he wants to get her out of the mindset of ¡®revenge against her crush¡¯ as swiftly as possible. And he¡¯ll be honest, he doesn¡¯t want her thinking about Robin¡­ when she should be thinking about HIM.


    Bringing his hand up from her chest to caress her cheek, Lucien smiles fondly.


    ¡°I like you, Star. And I think you like me too. But I¡¯m not blind. I know you liked Robin as well. I¡¯m worried that you¡¯re going to break my heart, Starfire. That all of this is solely to get back at Robin, and not because you actually like me for me.¡±


    There¡¯s a quiet pause at that, before Starfire finally answers him.


    ¡°Koriandr.¡±


    Blinking, Lucien lifts a brow questioningly, making her blush.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s my name¡­ my proper name. T-Technically, Koriandr means Starfire in English¡­ so that¡¯s how I wound up introducing myself to all the others. Starfire is all any of them, including Robin, know me as. But in Tamaranean¡­ Koriandr is my name. I would like it if you called me by it¡­ or m-maybe¡­ Kori?¡±


    Lucien stares at her for a long moment, realizing as she spoke that¡­ he already knew that. Because somehow, he already knew Tamaranean. How did he know Tamaranean? It was¡­ an additional ability of Starfire and Blackfire¡¯s species? He¡¯d glossed over it originally when he was incorporating Tamaranean Physiology into his own, but there it was. Tactile Linguistic Assimilation.


    He¡¯d unknowingly absorbed a bunch of alien languages, Tamaranean included, from Blackfire. Starfire didn¡¯t know any new ones, so he hadn¡¯t gotten anything from her. Still¡­


    ¡°Kori.¡±


    He says it like he¡¯s testing it out, before giving Starfire¡­ or rather, giving Kori a broad smile. Then, just as she¡¯s smiling back at him with hope in her eyes, Lucien thrusts forward. He fills Kori with his cock right there on the spot, stretching the Tamaranean Princess with inch after inch of his dick.


    Kori¡¯s beautiful green eyes go wide and her mouth opens in a silent scream as the air is punched from her lungs. She shudders under him as Lucien uses his physical contact with her to push down on the pleasure centers in her brain, making her cum from penetration. That¡¯s not something Starfire would have ever experienced before, he suspects.


    As the orgasm takes her, he buries his face in the crook of her shoulder, kissing softly at her neck, moving his hand back down from her cheek to her chest. He maintains his hold on her wrists however, and Koriandr never once tries to break free. Judging by the way she¡¯s squeezing down on his cock, she quite enjoys having him holding her ¡®prisoner¡¯.


    Her heart is racing a million miles a minute, and she¡¯s perspiring all over her beautiful orange body. The sweat isn¡¯t just from the physical exertion either¡­ he¡¯s hitting all of her buttons, both knowingly and unknowingly. Of course, the more he fucks her, the more Lucien knows. He has her entire body laid out before him, allowing him to ¡®see¡¯ through his power what each new thrust does to her. As he fucks her, he can tell what really turns her on and give her more of it. Like pinching her nipple every time he thrusts into her as deep as he can go. Or kissing her as he squeezes her breast.


    Their tongues swap spit, but it becomes increasingly obvious that Kori is not interested in fighting him for dominance. She wants to submit. She wants to surrender control to someone¡­ someone she can trust.


    A small part of Lucien feels bad for how he¡¯s still deceiving her, even now. But this is all that Blackfire asked for, and in turn he¡¯s got a loyal alien brawler on his side, one who¡¯s already taught him a lot about how to use his new alien strength and flight.


    Lucien has no intention of betraying Blackfire. But the more he fucks Starfire, the more he wonders just how he¡¯s going to get out of this. Because after spending the day with Starfire, he doesn¡¯t want to hurt her like Blackfire wants him to hurt her. Not really. Getting her addicted to him would be child¡¯s play, but as much as he¡¯s making this the best sex of her life, Lucien isn¡¯t going that far. He¡¯s not using his powers to permanently alter Kori¡¯s brain chemistry, nor is he making it so she literally can¡¯t live without him or anything as twisted as that.


    And yet¡­ as she cums for him, over and over again, Lucien is left wondering what to do next. Keeping his word to Blackfire requires hurting her sister. And not just hurting Kori but destroying her. That was what Blackfire wanted. But was it possible to go a different route? Just from talking to Kori throughout the day, Lucien had got the impression that she didn¡¯t truly hate her sister. Not in the same way Blackfire seemed to hate Starfire. Maybe there was a common ground to be found here, somewhere. Maybe there was something to be done?


    He considers the issue, even as he continues fucking Kori into the bed, pinning her down and softly dominating her just the way she seems to like it. Lucien himself is in no danger of cumming unless he decides to of course, and he¡¯s certainly not going to get tired any time soon. So really¡­ he has all the time in the world to make a decision, even as he continues to blow dear Kori¡¯s mind.


    -x-X-x-


    The Patreon Vote: [X] Start working on drawing out Starfire''s submissive side in earnest, testing if she might enjoy being a slave again - 84%[ ] Half-ass his promise to Blackfire. Give Starfire the best sex of her life tonight and then vanish, claim that he''s done what Blackfire asked - 6%


    [ ] Betray Blackfire after all, get Starfire to help him apprehend Blackfire so Lucien can have a ''clean'' slate - 10%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 19: Testing Limits

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Credit where it''s due, I originally got a lot of the ideas in this chapter from last chapter''s Patreon comments a couple months back.  -x-X-x-


    He starts off by slowing down a bit. How do you even go about testing something like this? He certainly doesn¡¯t want to spook her. But she¡¯s enjoying the way he¡¯s taking charge so Lucien figures he¡¯ll go from there¡­


    With her hands already trapped in his grasp above her head, Lucien firms up his hold on her wrists and then slows down even further, until he¡¯s moving with careful, deep, penetrating thrusts in and out of her. Kori gasps. She pants. But also, her eyes flicker open as she looks at him. He pulls back from kissing her and just smiles down at her knowingly, his hand resting on her breast but only to cup it, not to grope it.


    ¡°¡­ Please¡­ more¡­¡±


    She¡¯s not tired enough to be done yet. Despite already experiencing half a dozen orgasms upon his cock, she wants more from him. But then, to be fair, Lucien has made sure to make this the best sex Kori has ever had. His powers are frankly bullshit when it comes to intercourse. He can feel every inch of her with his abilities. He knows what makes her tick. He knows what makes her wet. He knows what to refrain from doing and what to give her more of.


    But he doesn¡¯t give her what she wants in this moment. Instead, he moves his hand from her chest to her neck. He wraps his fingers around her throat, where a collar likely once stood. He feels her heartbeat race as he holds her by the neck and watches her eyes widen ever so slightly.


    ¡°Mm¡­ should I? Do you think you¡¯ve earned it, Kori?¡±


    Kori blinks for a moment as Lucien carefully tests the waters. The whole world seems to go still for a split second as he waits for her to react to his words¡­ and then she blushes and her pussy walls flex around his cock as the use of the word ¡®earned¡¯ definitely lights up the pleasure centers in her brain. Far from getting angry at him for the direction he¡¯s taking this in, Kori bites her lower lip and whimpers as she flutters her eyes at him.


    ¡°Mm¡­ please sir¡­ if I haven¡¯t earned it yet¡­ how should I?¡±


    Well, that was a good start, wasn¡¯t it? He considers how to progress for a moment, even as the beautiful orange alien lays under him, squirming and wriggling. He¡¯s able to turn half a second into quite a long time to think on how he wants to continue this. At the same time, he¡¯s also thinking about Blackfire¡­ and how he might get her on board with a more lenient fate for her sister.


    In the end, he smiles at Starfire, still pinning her in place.


    ¡°You should ask. Properly.¡±


    The Tamaranean Princess tightens up at the use of the word ¡®properly¡¯ as well, Lucien notices. Gurgling out a moan, she nods her head as best she can with his hand firmly latched upon her neck.


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­ yes sir. Please¡­ please fuck me more sir. Please fuck this horny little alien tart with your big fat human cock some more. I want it. I want you.¡±


    Lucien raises an eyebrow at the use of species-based terminology in her words. Curious¡­ had Starfire had fantasies about being an alien slave to a human after coming to Earth? If so¡­ Lucien imagines that she would have probably fantasized about Robin being that human master for her. Until he¡¯d dropped the ball and Lucien stepped in to pick it up.


    ¡°You only¡­ want me, pet?¡±


    The use of the word ¡®pet¡¯ also makes Starfire react in a positive manner. Under him, Kori moans and squirms, shaking her head.


    ¡°I NEED you, sir. I need your cock. Please¡­¡±


    He could push further. He could push harder. But he doesn¡¯t want to accidentally go too far. It¡¯s telling that the Tamaranean hasn¡¯t used the word ¡®Master¡¯ yet. Even if she has sexual fantasies of this nature, ¡®Master¡¯ is probably still a pretty bad trigger for her.


    Instead, Lucien gives Kori what she wants. Lunging forward, he slams his lips back against hers again, kissing her deeply once more. As he¡¯s dominating her tongue with his own yet again, Lucien also begins to pick up the pace, fucking her hard and fast just like before. One hand continues to hold her wrists above her head, while the other is firmly wrapped around her neck. He only squeezes down enough to remind Starfire that his hand is there. He doesn¡¯t squeeze down hard enough to choke her out.


    Still, the effect of their little verbal exchange is pronounced. The beautiful alien beneath him cums another half a dozen times in rapid succession, even faster than she did before as Lucien dominates her a bit more roughly this time. It¡¯s not so soft or subtle anymore. Now it¡¯s rather overt how he¡¯s controlling Starfire, how he¡¯s taking charge of their time together. And it¡¯s rather overt how much Kori is enjoying it as well.


    She moans, squeals, and even screams into his mouth as she creams herself on his thrusting prick again and again. Until finally, Lucien finds himself on the edge. He can¡¯t hold back much longer. Technically there¡¯s no need to worry¡­ he¡¯s not going to impregnate any woman unless he wants to, thanks to his powers. But¡­ he sees an opportunity.


    Disengaging from their lip lock again, Lucien whispers to Starfire as she pants noisily under him.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum soon, Kori. I want you to take it in your mouth for me.¡±


    It takes her a second to process his words, but once she does she¡¯s quick to give her assent.


    ¡°O-Okay¡­¡±


    They both move as one, with Lucien pulling out and dragging Starfire up off the bed. In a few moments, the beautiful alien princess is on her knees before him. Lucien still has her wrists held above her head in one hand, while his other hand rests in her hair, his fingers sliding through her locks. Looking up at him with those beautiful green eyes of hers, Kori leans forward and takes him into her mouth.


    With no hands, she bobs up and down on his cock, her lips sucking at his length and her tongue swirling this way and that. Meanwhile, the entire time, she maintains direct eye contact with him, managing to convey a level of submissiveness and subservience that honestly takes his breath away. Even now, even without him inside of her cunt, he can sense her pussy walls clenching and squeezing down around a phantom cock as the beautiful Tamaranean moans around his cock all the way to completion.


    Grunting, Lucien proceeds to cum, his seed spilling out into Starfire¡¯s mouth right there on the spot. The gorgeous heroine swallows his load, drinking it down as her neck convulses. She drains his balls and Lucien thoroughly enjoys the look of almost worshipful arousal on her face as she enjoys the taste of his cum. Obviously, he made sure it would taste amazing to her. Every little bit helps, in the end.


    Finally, she finishes and pulls back off of his cock. Lucien¡¯s hand leaves her hair and goes down to take hold of her chin as Kori gleefully tilts her head back and lolls out her tongue, opening her mouth wide to show him the last portion of his load. She lets him enjoy the view for a moment and then pulls her tongue back in and makes a show of swallowing that too.


    In that moment, Lucien knows he can¡¯t do what Blackfire wants him to do. He has to find another way. Kori doesn¡¯t deserve the pain that her sister wants to put her through. At the same time, just from talking to both alien women, Lucien gets the impression that Blackfire didn¡¯t deserve what SHE was put through either. She suffered greatly and even though it wasn¡¯t Kori¡¯s doing, it was still in part because of her. Blackfire¡¯s hatred of her younger sister is misplaced, but not entirely surprising given the greater context.


    They both need help. And maybe Lucien isn¡¯t the right man to give it to them, but he¡¯s the only option they have at the moment. So he¡¯s going to have to thread this needle. Very, very carefully.


    With that in mind, Lucien pulls Kori back up off of her knees and into his arms, making her squeak in surprise. He pulls her back onto the bed with him, cuddling her against his side as she quickly finds her place under his arm. With her head resting on his chest, she quickly falls asleep listening to his heartbeat. Lucien, on the other hand, does not. He has plans to make. And only so much time in the day to make them.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°Oooh f-fuck! Nngh! H-Harder, damn it! HARDER!¡±


    Grunting, Lucien fucks Blackfire from behind with a good, solid speed. He pounds into her pussy hard and fast, holding her arms back behind her and using her wrists to hold onto so he can fuck her even harder. In response, the dark-haired alien woman growls in enjoyment, her pussy spasming around his cock from the rough treatment.


    ¡°Fuck yeah¡­ bet¡­ bet my weakling little sister can¡¯t take you like I can. Bet she¡¯s all lovey dovey, isn¡¯t she? Way too soft to really take your big fat cock like me.¡±


    It¡¯s been a few days since Lucien slept with Kori and came to the simple conclusion that he can¡¯t give Blackfire what she wants. He¡¯d left Titan Tower the very next morning and flown into upper atmosphere before checking with a careful application of his powers to see if he had any bugs on him. Obviously, he couldn¡¯t actually sense electronics, but just like with the nanochip in his father¡¯s clone, he could detect the absence of life. And wouldn¡¯t you know it, Robin had indeed slipped a device onto him that seemed capable of both tracking him and recording him.


    Lucien had destroyed it, of course. And then he¡¯d gone about his business. He hadn¡¯t immediately returned to Blackfire though. Instead, he¡¯d gone and done some¡­ research.


    See, Lucien had an idea. A plan, if you will. He wanted to convince Blackfire to change her mind willingly. But in order to do so, he needed options for her. Well, he had those options now.


    Grunting, Lucien pulls out of Blackfire for a moment and flips her over onto her back before slamming right back home into her cunt. The Tamaranean gasps as she shudders her way through another orgasm beneath him, her eyes half-rolling up in her skull. Once she¡¯s recovered and he has her attention, Lucien finally speaks.


    ¡°About your sister. I want to change our plan.¡±


    Blackfire blinks, fighting through the pleasure as his words manage to penetrate the foggy haze of bliss threatening to overtake her mind.


    ¡°W-What? What do you mean?¡±


    He¡¯s well aware he needs to approach this carefully, but he¡¯s already planned this out in his head. He supposes in some ways, he is his father¡¯s son. Plots within plots. Lies within truths.


    ¡°Breaking her is a waste. Not just of Starfire herself, but of the Remedy Persona as a whole. I¡¯ve managed to ingratiate myself with the Titans at this point.¡±


    And indeed he had. He¡¯d even gone on a couple patrols with them since that first day and fucked Kori a couple more times besides as well. Of course, he¡¯d fucked Blackfire even more. Getting a feel for both women. Getting them more and more relaxed in preparation for the implementation of his plans. That¡¯s almost certainly why Blackfire doesn¡¯t explode at him right now. Though she¡¯s less than inclined to appreciate what he¡¯s managed so far.


    ¡°So¡­ so what? Bunch of¡­ fucking idiots.¡±


    Lucien shakes his head and gives her a meaningful look.


    ¡°Blackfire. I¡¯m quite sure I don¡¯t need to tell you the value of having inroads with the Titans. You¡¯re much too smart to not see the upsides.¡±


    Blackfire frowns but can¡¯t disagree with him without sounding stupid. So she just stays quiet instead. Well, a given value of quiet seeing as he¡¯s continuing to fuck her hard and fast, making her grunt and groan and moan in equal measure. Still, after a moment he continues.


    ¡°I want us to turn Starfire into our personal little sex pet. Rather than breaking her and tossing her aside, leaving the Titans to hate Remedy and do everything in their power to help her recover from her heartbreak¡­ you and I could own Starfire instead.¡±


    Blackfire¡¯s eyes widen slightly, though she does a good job of keeping her reaction to that suggestion off of her beautiful face. However, her pussy doesn¡¯t lie. She clenches down hard around his cock and Lucien can see through his powers how much Blackfire likes the idea of owning her sister once more. Of course, she almost immediately grits her teeth and shakes her head.


    ¡°She¡¯d never go for it. The little bitch doesn¡¯t know how good she had it when I held her leash. I tried to be nice. I tried to¡­ nngh, I made an effort, o-okay?¡±


    Blackfire would be surprised. Just given Lucien¡¯s own talks with Starfire, he didn¡¯t think she¡¯d hated being Blackfire¡¯s pet as much as the older Tamaranean thought. That said, Lucien also didn¡¯t think Starfire would ever go back to the previous dynamic Blackfire and her had. One of complete ownership and dominion. And Lucien wouldn¡¯t push for that either. But Blackfire didn¡¯t need to know that.


    Leaning in close, Lucien grins and wraps a hand around Blackfire¡¯s throat, making the Tamaranean go still as he holds her in place with his enhanced strength.


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised. She already calls me sir while I hold her by the neck and fuck her into her bed.¡±


    Blackfire¡¯s cunt clenches and the pleasure centers of her brain light up again at that. Lucien smiles at the sight, able to appreciate it more after his recent¡­ experimentation these past few days. He¡¯s able to tell that she¡¯s turned on by the thought of her sister being held in such a way though, not because HE¡¯S holding her in such a way.


    After a moment of her pupils dilating as she imagines it, Blackfire recovers enough to glare at him.


    ¡°¡­ Even if she calls you ¡®sir¡¯¡­ how do you propose we get her to call me Mistress, hm? Last I checked, she still hates me and has no idea I¡¯m with you.¡±


    Kori doesn¡¯t hate her sister. But it¡¯s true that she and the Titans still have no clue that he and Blackfire are working together. Fortunately, Lucien has thought up a plan. And he¡¯s got options, as previously mentioned.


    ¡°Amnesia.¡±


    Blackfire blinks, making Lucien grin as he explains.


    ¡°You say you¡¯ve developed amnesia and don¡¯t remember anything from before trying to kill your sister that first time. You seek out Starfire and the Titans because you don¡¯t know where you are but you recognized she was on the news. And from there¡­ we work together to seduce Starfire into submitting to you, her big sister, once more.¡±


    As Lucien explains, Blackfire¡¯s eyes get wider and wider¡­ until they narrow in thought. But he can already tell she likes the idea, even as he continues to pound into her. However, she might not like this next idea. This was where Lucien introduced the choice that Blackfire had to make. And it was HER choice. He would never do this to her without her express consent.


    ¡°Of course, the Titans will be suspicious no matter how well you sell it. And Robin in particular will no doubt try to trip you up over and over again. He¡¯ll do whatever he can to try and make you snap and reveal your true knowledge of the situation. However¡­ he wouldn¡¯t be able to do that if you actually had temporary amnesia.¡±


    Blackfire¡¯s eyes widen all over again at that, and flick down to his hand around her neck as it flexes for a moment purposefully. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I could put a block on your memories. Give you amnesia until I reverse it. Then, it would be real. You wouldn¡¯t have to sell the act, because it wouldn¡¯t be an act. You would actually be an amnesiac. The Titans would still poke and prod, but they wouldn¡¯t find anything but the truth. Of course, you would have to trust me.¡±


    She¡¯d have to trust him with an awful lot, in fact. But Lucien felt like he was already proving his trustworthiness by giving her the offer in the first place. Especially since¡­


    ¡°¡­ You can do that?¡±


    Blackfire hadn¡¯t known the full extent of his powers. As far as she was concerned, he was a healer with a super strength and flight package. But he¡¯s telling her now because he needs her to trust him. Even if he¡¯s lying about other things.


    But one thing is true. He wants what¡¯s best for her and her sister. He wants a world where he doesn¡¯t have to hurt either of them. That¡¯s why he¡¯d sought out some truly unrepentant scum the past few days and experimented on them. He¡¯d never touched another person¡¯s brain before with his powers, seeing how it seemed incredibly dangerous. But now he had plenty of practice messing with the minds of would-be rapists and muggers. He¡¯d put everything back the way he¡¯d found it when he was done of course, but he hadn¡¯t wanted to risk anything going wrong.


    Nothing had gone wrong though. In fact, his power had worked just as intuitively on their brains as it had on every other aspect of their biology.


    And so, one hundred percent honestly, Lucien can look down at Blackfire and say the following.


    ¡°I can, yes. And you don¡¯t need to hide it from me¡­ I can tell you like the amnesia plan, Blackfire.¡±


    The alien villainess flushes at that but doesn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°All that¡¯s left to do is decide whether you want to fake it¡­ or make it real and your cover unassailable.¡±


    Blackfire hesitates for a moment under him, even as Lucien waits for her answer, having stopped fucking her entirely by this point. Finally, she makes her decision.


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [ ] Blackfire decides to pretend to be amnesiac - 6%


    [X] Blackfire trusts him enough to make her temporarily amnesiac - 94%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 20: The Plan

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    A plan is put into motion and we get a new perspective~


    -x-X-x-


    Starfire moans as she raises herself up and drops herself back down onto Lucien¡¯s cock. Riding him in her bedroom in Titan Tower, she throws her head back and shudders as his cock hits all of the best spots inside of her. She has to admit¡­ she sort of loves fucking Lucien. She really, really loves it.


    If someone had told her just two weeks ago that she¡¯d be fucking a man besides Dick, she might have punched them in the face. She had been so certain that she and Dick were going to become romantically involved sooner rather than later. After all, she¡¯d had feelings for the leader of the Titans for some time at this point. And she¡¯d started to think he might share those feelings.


    But then¡­ one thing had led to another. Kitten had fucking happened and thrown a bomb right into the middle of their relationship. And Starfire¡­ Starfire had made a choice. In hindsight, she recognized that Robin didn¡¯t do anything he¡¯d done that day with any sort of eagerness or enthusiasm. He had been forced into an unenviable position, and even the kiss¡­ that had been all Kitten.


    Starfire understood that. She didn¡¯t blame Dick for any of that at this point. However, she definitely still blamed him for how he¡¯d acted afterwards. It didn¡¯t matter that he¡¯d been partially right. Yes, Lucien WAS keeping something from them. Something huge. After all, it wasn¡¯t every day that the son of Lex Luthor showed up with healing powers and a costume and offered his assistance.


    But Starfire believed Lucien when he said he wasn¡¯t working for his father. And she felt like everyone was entitled to their secrets at the end of the day. Even among the Titans, not every single thing was known. They were friends with bonds forged in the fires of battle yes, but that didn¡¯t mean they told each other everything.


    Dick was jealous. That was the problem. It didn¡¯t matter what Lucien¡¯s secrets were, because the Titans¡¯ leader wasn¡¯t approaching it from a place of true neutrality. It wasn¡¯t about operational security or anything like he tried to say it was. No, Dick had seen Starfire kissing Lucien and he had decided to take it out on the other man rather than directing his anger where it belonged, at her.


    ¡­ She still cared for Dick, don¡¯t get her wrong. He was still her teammate and friend. But seeing him act in such a petty, self-serving way¡­ it had cooled her ardor towards him somewhat. While fueling the fire she¡¯d suddenly had blazing in her breast for one Lucien Luthor.


    So yes, she was bouncing up and down on Lucien¡¯s cock right now, riding him cowgirl style in her quarters as he lay under her on the bed, smiling up at her. And y-yes, she was wearing nothing besides a collar connected to a leash casually wrapped around one of his hands. Starfire blushes as she enjoys how it feels every time she lifts herself all the way up to the tip of his cock, only to feel a tug on the collar as she reaches the end of the leash and has to come crashing back down.


    Lucien knows her body so well in such a short amount of time that it¡¯s not even funny. Not only does she feel like they¡¯re quite¡­ emotionally compatible, they¡¯re also insanely compatible physically as well. She absolutely adores having sex with the handsome, powerfully built young man. She loves how his big cock feels inside of her. She loves-!


    ¡°Starfire! Starfire, come in!¡±


    Robin¡¯s voice, sounding terse and as high-strung as ever, comes over the intercoms. Starfire freezes up for a moment before remembering that there are no actual cameras inside of their quarters. At least, there aren¡¯t supposed to be. Lucien gives her leash more slack as he looks up at her in silent amusement, and Starfire flushes as she reaches over and presses a button on her nightstand. She tries to catch her breath before doing so, but ultimately fails.


    ¡°Robin? What¡­ hah, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Its-! Err¡­ why do you sound so out of breath?¡±


    Starfire¡¯s face heats up and she feels Lucien¡¯s silent amusement growing. She also feels him throbbing inside of her as she shifts on his lap, still impaled upon his cock.


    ¡°¡­ Remedy and I were training. N-Nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Training? But why would you be training in your room and not in the tower gym?¡±


    Starfire really doesn¡¯t have a good answer to that. Fortunately for her, she doesn¡¯t have to come up with one, because Robin cuts himself off a moment later.


    ¡°Never mind all that! It¡¯s your sister! She¡¯s come knocking!¡±


    Starfire¡¯s eyes widen and to Lucien¡¯s credit, he looks just as surprised. He also immediately lets go of her leash, allowing her to lift off of his cock with a hopefully quite squelch.


    ¡°Blackfire? Where is she? Remedy and I will be right there to try and stop her, hold her off until then!¡±


    She quickly removes the collar from around her neck and all but flies across the room to gather up her discarded clothing and begin getting properly dressed. Lucien is doing the same, only for both of them to pause when Robin¡¯s voice comes through the intercom again.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand Star. She¡¯s literally knocking.¡±


    Wait, what? Starfire¡¯s brow furrows and she exchanges a confused look with Lucien. After a moment, she points.


    ¡°That button there.¡±


    Shrugging, Lucien reaches over and silently pushes it, seeing as he¡¯s closer. A moment later and a holographic interface springs to life on the far wall of the room, showing the front door of Titan Tower¡­ and a very familiar black-haired, tanned Tamaranean, standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and a mulish expression on her darkening face. Tapping her foot impatiently, Blackfire scowls for a moment before uncrossing her arms.


    ¡°I grow tired of these games! I know that my sister presides within this structure! Produce her IMMEDIATELY or I swear I shall destroy this entire place until she is in front of me!¡±


    ¡­ What?


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°So what¡­ you don¡¯t remember anything?¡±


    Beast Boy scratches the back of his head as he asks that question, prompting Blackfire to stiffen and sniff haughtily as she glares down her nose at the green-skinned hero.


    ¡°Have I not made myself perfectly clear? I remember plenty. However, I know not how I wound up on this world. Nor why my sister and I are suddenly so much older. I refuse to believe I have this¡­ amnesia you speak of. More likely, this is some elaborate joke!¡±


    They¡¯re all in the Titan Tower¡¯s biggest common room. Starfire and Lucien, once again clad in his Remedy costume, plus her sister, plus all of the other Titans. Starfire finds herself torn. On the one hand, being alone with her sister has always been a recipe for disaster and she appreciates her allies as well as her current lover being there to act as a bulwark between her and Blackfire.


    On the other hand, this is not the Blackfire who followed her to Earth. This is not the Blackfire who hated Starfire with all her guts, who not only tried to kill her at one point, but also enslaved her and then handed her over to her superiors when they demanded access to her. No matter how reluctant Blackfire was to do so, she still did it. She gave them Starfire simply because they asked and even if they weren¡¯t taking ¡®no¡¯ for an answer, it still hurt.


    Of course, it hurt a lot more that after Starfire got away, Blackfire had chased her all the way to Earth and continued to make her life a living hell on a regular basis up until the modern day. Family were supposed to be there for each other. They weren¡¯t supposed to be constantly at one another¡¯s throats like she and her sister had been.


    Though in all fairness, it wasn¡¯t like the rest of their family had ever treated Blackfire very well. And their people, the people of Tamarea, had despised her from the day she was born for things outside of her control. It was all such a mess and always had been.


    But suddenly, that was all changed. This Blackfire, despite her firm denials, was apparently suffering from amnesia. She didn¡¯t remember any of it. She didn¡¯t remember trying to kill Starfire. She didn¡¯t remember joining their enemy and conquering their people in the name of their adversaries. This Blackfire was still incredibly prickly, as to be expected, and she was obviously looking down on Starfire¡¯s friends¡­ as well as probably Starfire herself.


    She wasn¡¯t murderous yet though. She wasn¡¯t¡­ things weren¡¯t unsalvageable.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust it. This is too good to be true.¡± sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Robin¡¯s voice cuts in from the side, the Titans¡¯ leader sitting by himself with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed as he regards Blackfire with suspicion. Starfire feels a weird mix of emotions at that. On the one hand, she knows he¡¯s only so distrustful and suspicious because Blackfire has always ever been their enemy.


    On the other hand, her hackles raise at his tone of voice. Not least because it¡¯s the same tone he¡¯s been using whenever he¡¯s talked about Lucien this past week or so. But also¡­ if there¡¯s even the smallest of chances that Blackfire can be rehabilitated and Starfire can have her sister back, warts and all¡­ then how can she not take it?


    Of course, there¡¯s an easy way to check, at least on a surface level. Starfire¡¯s gaze slide over to the half-demon in the room, causing Raven to stiffen up as they make eye contact.


    ¡°Raven?¡±


    Letting out a low sigh, the empath looks away from Starfire, glancing at Blackfire. Then, sighing again, she looks to Robin and delivers her verdict in her usual deadpan, no-nonsense tone.


    ¡°The amnesia is real.¡±


    Robin stiffens up at that, even as Starfire perks up at the same time. However, Raven isn¡¯t done.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for certain if it was by someone¡¯s design or not, however.¡±


    That sends waves of alarm through the entire room. Even Lucien, who has an arm wrapped around her shoulders, grips down a bit tighter at that. Starfire, meanwhile, looks at her sister, wondering who could possibly want to erase Blackfire¡¯s memory.


    ¡°I knew it! She-!¡±


    ¡°I said I can¡¯t say for certain, Robin. Not that she was obviously tampered with. Her mind¡­ whatever gave her amnesia was not magical in nature and thus is outside my purview. But while there¡¯s signs of a recent concussion from a few weeks back that¡¯s fully healed, I don¡¯t think that would have caused this.¡±


    Starfire winces at that. The concussion from a few weeks back¡­ that would have been her. A month ago, Blackfire had implemented her latest scheme. She¡¯d set things up so that the rest of the Titans would be occupied, and then she¡¯d forced Starfire to fight her once again. Starfire had managed to come out on top, but not before she¡¯d slammed Blackfire into the concrete of a half-destroyed warehouse hard enough to make a crater outline with her sister¡¯s body.


    Sometime between flying off to assist her friends and coming back to take Blackfire into custody, her older sister had gotten up and walked off. But¡­ what if she hadn¡¯t? What if someone else had found her?


    ¡°Blackfire? What is the last thing you recall?¡±


    Looking at her, Blackfire wrinkles her nose at being questioned and Starfire immediately dips her gaze submissively. It¡¯s an old survival instinct she developed from when they were children. Most recently however, she used it when she was her sister¡¯s slave to make herself seem as small and unthreatening as possible. It¡¯s almost funny how easy it is to slip back into that dynamic, though Starfire admits that she can¡¯t figure out which of the two dynamics she¡¯s actually slipping back into.


    Either way, Starfire¡¯s submission bears fruit as Blackfire grunts and nods, clearly satisfied. Then, she furrows her brow in thought.


    ¡°The last thing I recall¡­ metal. Chemicals. Needles. I woke up¡­ underground. I did not hesitate. I immediately sought the sun, which causes me to tear through quite a lot of barriers before I made my way free. After that, I wandered until I heard something familiar. Your name. I was told you were here, so here is where I came for answers.¡±


    That¡­ made some amount of sense. Though it painted a strange picture. Did that mean that Blackfire had been captured? Experimented on? But by who? Who had taken her sister and what had they done that gave the elder Tamaranean amnesia? And¡­ was it permanent?


    Starfire flushes at that last thought, knowing it was unbecoming of her. No one deserved to lose large chunks of their memories like that with no way of getting them back. Not even Blackfire. But¡­ it would be nice if maybe Starfire had a chance to keep this version of her sister, over the version that hated her and wanted to ruin her life at all costs. After all, if they were both here on Earth, then Blackfire would no longer feel the pressure caused by their people¡¯s inherent distrust and dislike of her. They could¡­ they could start again.


    ¡°Would you be able to take us to where you woke up? Do remember how to get back?¡±


    Terra¡¯s voice suddenly pipes up, the first time that the blonde has spoken since they gathered. Blackfire¡¯s eyes snap to the geokinetic, causing Terra to immediately tense up like a prey animal who¡¯s trying not to draw the attention of a big predator. Starfire winces at that, knowing full well that that¡¯s not how you handle her sister¡¯s glare.


    But to her mild surprise, Blackfire doesn¡¯t leap upon the display of weakness. Instead, letting out a quiet scoff, not even dignifying Terra¡¯s question with a response, Blackfire looks back to Starfire.


    ¡°Sister. I would speak with you alone. Away from these¡­ aliens.¡±


    Starfire bites her lower lip, part of her yearning to take Blackfire up on that offer. Of course¡­


    ¡°Absolutely not! Out of the question! Do you even know-?!¡±


    Robin¡¯s attempt to shut down the idea is subsequently shut down by not one but two Tamaranean Princesses directly death glares in his direction. To be fair, Blackfire¡¯s death glare might not have gotten him to shut up alone, but Starfire¡¯s definitely did. How dare he speak for her? And was he seriously about to spill the beans and tell an amnesiac Blackfire how many times she¡¯d tried to kill her own sister?!


    In stark contrast to Robin¡¯s reaction¡­ beside her, Lucien just squeezes her shoulder again, a silent show of support that Starfire finds herself incredibly grateful for. Sure, he hasn¡¯t said a word this entire time¡­ but he doesn¡¯t have to. He¡¯s there for her, and she knows it too. A solid and stoic rock that she can rely upon even as her world is turned upside down.


    Starfire hesitates, even as Blackfire sweeps her gaze back around to her expectantly. Her older sister does spare Lucien a quick glance, sizing him up, but to Starfire¡¯s surprise, she doesn¡¯t seem to have a strong opinion of him one way or another. Which admittedly gives Starfire an idea¡­


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [ ] Agree to Blackfire''s demand to talk alone - 30%[X] Suggest that Remedy be allowed to come along - 68%


    [ ] Say that she would feel more comfortable with the Titans still there - 2%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 21: The Talk

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Starfire and Blackfire have a much-needed talk~


    -x-X-x-


    Lifting her hands in a placating gesture, Starfire smiles softly.


    ¡°Perhaps a middle ground can be reached. We can have Remedy here come along. I trust him implicitly and you can too, sister.¡±


    Beside her, Lucien freezes in surprise, clearly not having expected such a proposal. Blackfire, meanwhile, narrows her eyes at him, studying him wordlessly for a long enough moment that Starfire worries she misjudged her sister¡¯s initial glance. While it seemed like Blackfire hadn¡¯t had any issue with Lucien, that didn¡¯t mean she was interested in having him along for a private chat between the two of them. Now by mentioning him, Starfire had put more of Blackfire¡¯s scrutiny on the human man.


    Ugh, it would be very, very bad if Blackfire were to realize that Starfire and Lucien were together. Not because the other Titans didn¡¯t know and she might blurt it out¡­ rather, Starfire was pretty sure they all DID know. Hell, she was sitting with Lucien¡¯s arm wrapped around her shoulders right now after all. However, so far everyone was pretending like it wasn¡¯t real. And if Blackfire did blurt it out, they would be forced to acknowledge that it WAS real.


    Fortunately for Starfire, before Blackfire can come to a decision, Robin decides to insert his foot into his mouth again, like the humans like to say.


    ¡°What?! No, that¡¯s-!¡±


    ¡°Hm, very well. That is acceptable.¡±


    Starfire blinks in surprise as Blackfire viciously overrides Robin, cutting him off mid-sentence and signaling her approval. Looking at her sister, Starfire can tell that Blackfire is greatly enjoying ruining Robin¡¯s day. Which is kind of weird, because she¡¯s not supposed to know who Robin even is. A quick glance at Raven gets a minute head shake. Blackfire truly has lost her memories, as far as Raven can tell. Meaning that it¡¯s not personal¡­


    It takes a moment for Starfire to realize why Blackfire is enjoying fucking with Robin so much. He reminds her of the courtiers and instructors from their past. Or rather, from Starfire¡¯s past. For Blackfire, it¡¯s probably been a lot more recent than she imagines. Regardless, there had been no small number of¡­ oafish and officious officials who had thought they could lord their positions over the Tamaranean Princesses just because of her and Blackfire¡¯s age.


    But looking back with fresh eyes, Starfire realizes it hadn¡¯t just been that¡­ those courtiers, by and large, had treated Blackfire a lot worse than they¡¯d treated Starfire. Long before Blackfire had become a monster, they¡¯d made her out to be one even as a child. A self-fulfilling prophecy, Starfire could now call it with more time and wisdom.


    Bringing it all back to the present¡­ Robin was acting just like those sorts of people. And Blackfire saw a chance to really rub it in his face that he had no power here. Not over her sister and certainly not over her.


    As much as Starfire and Robin were currently¡­ on the outs, she still tries to give him a reassuring smile, even as she rises from the couch with Lucien at her side.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Robin. Blackfire¡­ lead the way.¡±


    Nodding sharply, her sister floats up into the air and Starfire and Lucien do the same. It doesn¡¯t really surprise Starfire when they leave the Tower entirely, though she does hear a squawk from Robin that makes her think Batman¡¯s prot¨¦g¨¦ fully intended to spy on them if they¡¯d stayed within his domain. And it was HIS domain. Especially ever since Cyborg left¡­ there was no one on the Titans as well-versed with tech as Robin at this point.


    Though, she assured herself that at the very least, Robin probably hadn¡¯t had the chance to bug the guest room where she and Lucien shared their first night. Because if he knew that Lucien truly was Lucien Luthor, Lex Luthor¡¯s son¡­ he would definitely have already acted on that information. That¡¯s only a small blessing at the end of the day however, because she knows as far as Robin is concerned¡­ it¡¯s only a matter of time.


    Putting it out of her mind for now, Starfire focuses on the matter at hand. Blackfire flies them through the air for a moment, before bringing them down on the roof of a skyscraper in the middle of the city. Glancing between Starfire and Lucien, she narrows her eyes and frowns, before focusing on Starfire in particular.


    ¡°Sister. Explain what¡¯s going on. Now.¡±


    Right. This¡­ this wasn¡¯t going to be easy.


    -x-X-x-


    Wasn¡¯t all of this a little too easy? Lucien could hardly believe how smoothly this was all going. Blackfire had no idea who he was. He was sure of that, given it was HE who had fucked with her memories in the first place. To be fair, she¡¯d agreed to all of it. He hadn¡¯t forced her to do anything against her will. This scheme was as much hers as it was his at this point.


    Still, while Lucien could apparently reliably hide his emotions from whatever it was Raven did, Blackfire definitely couldn¡¯t have. And that was why they¡¯d needed it to be real, in order to actually pull this off.


    That said, he wouldn¡¯t have expected her to allow him to tag along with her and her sister for this talk. Yet here they were. As Starfire explains to Blackfire that she definitely DOES have amnesia, he can tell the younger Tamaranean really appreciates his presence. Blackfire, meanwhile, throws him a speculative glance every now and then, even as she listens to what Starfire has to say.


    ¡°¡­ I am forced to accept that you¡¯re telling the truth, sister. We are both older than we were before. But¡­ that still doesn¡¯t explain why we¡¯re both here, on this planet. How did we get here? Why are we not home on Tamaran?¡±


    Starfire grimaces at that, clearly wanting to skirt around their relationship woes as much as possible. Lucien doesn¡¯t blame her, honestly. If there was one thing Kori was right to avoid, it was telling her big sister how much of a murderous cunt Blackfire would inevitably become.


    ¡°¡­ What¡¯s the last thing you remember, sister? Before waking up underground, I mean. What¡¯s the last time you recall seeing me? Where were we? What were we doing?¡±


    Blackfire¡¯s brow furrows in thought before she huffs.


    ¡°We¡¯d been training with the Warlords of Okaara, of course. Per Tamaran Tradition.¡±


    Starfire freezes before slowly forcing herself to relax. Again, Lucien can¡¯t blame her. When he and Blackfire had talked about this¡­ obviously, Blackfire had no desire to be reverted too far back in time. She would not consent to being returned to a child-like state, and Lucien wouldn¡¯t have put her there anyways. However, to get her to a point where she didn¡¯t want her sister dead or enslaved was¡­ harder to find. In the end, they¡¯d settled on a point in the midst of her and Starfire¡¯s training with the Warlords of Okaara.


    According to Blackfire, it wasn¡¯t until later in the training that she¡¯d truly developed a hatred for Starfire. In fact, though it was like pulling teeth getting her to admit it, Blackfire had reluctantly told him that she¡¯d hoped going off with her sister, away from Tamaran and the people who hated her, would allow her to let go of her resentment towards Starfire.


    It had not, because instead it had only made it clearer to Blackfire that her treatment at the hands of her own people was not only abnormal¡­ but would never change. Time away from Tamaran had only driven home for Blackfire that she would never be loved by her people. And as the only representative of Tamaran that Blackfire had close to her, Starfire had become more than just a target of resentment. She had become the target for all Blackfire¡¯s hatred.


    But that hadn¡¯t happened yet. At least not for Blackfire. It had taken time, so Lucien and Blackfire had worked together to find the furthest moment along in her training before she¡¯d truly come to hate her sister. For Blackfire, this was so they could fool Raven. For Lucien, this was so he could potentially show Blackfire that she didn¡¯t have to hate her sister. That Starfire didn¡¯t deserve to be a target for her resentment and loathing.


    He watches as Kori slowly relaxes upon realizing that Blackfire didn¡¯t seem to hate her, even with the time frame being the one in which she¡¯d tried to kill her in a spar.


    ¡°I¡­ I see. Well. Things went¡­ south during our training. And one thing led to another and¡­ and Tamaran has been conquered. B-By the Citadel. We had to flee here, to Earth¡­ separately. And here is where we¡¯ve stayed, ever since.¡±


    Blackfire¡¯s eyes widen at that.


    ¡°What?! Tamaran was conquered by the Citadel?! How can that be?! We have to do something! What have we done to prepare to free our people, Koriandr?¡±


    Starfire flinches at that, making her sister¡¯s eyes narrow all over again.


    ¡°Sister¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing. We haven¡¯t done¡­ anything.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense! Are we not proud warriors of Tamaran?! I feel more powerful than ever before! And you certainly look stronger than you ever were before! Why do we not race to save our people?!¡±


    ¡°Because they don¡¯t deserve it!¡±


    Silence. Starfire¡¯s outburst shuts Blackfire up. Truthfully, it takes Lucien aback as well. The younger of the two sisters¡¯ grimaces but doesn¡¯t try to walk it back. Instead, she shakes her head and steps forward, reaching out and grabbing Blackfire by her hands.


    ¡°Part of the conditions for surrender was that I was never allowed to return to Tamaran. If I do, the Citadel would destroy our world¡¯s surface and massacre our people for breaking the treaty. But even then¡­ I¡¯ve never even tried. I¡¯ve never thought about it. Because¡­ because they don¡¯t deserve salvation, Komandr. They don¡¯t deserve our help. That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t tried to free them from the Citadel.¡± Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Blackfire takes this in for a long moment, wordlessly considering her sister¡¯s words. She doesn¡¯t seem to know what to say. Starfire, meanwhile, has her head bowed, clearly waiting for the verdict to pass through Blackfire¡¯s lips. Will it be condemnation or absolution?


    Instead, it¡¯s another question.


    ¡°How can you say that? What have they done to make you say such things?¡±


    Blinking, Starfire laughs.


    ¡°What have they done? Sister, by your own words¡­ you already know what they¡¯ve done. They treated you like garbage! They singled you out for crimes that you had no part in! They acted like you were a pariah before you were even old enough to walk, and they heaped their troubles and woes upon you all our lives! You ask me what they¡¯ve done? For me specifically¡­ they took my sister from me. They took any chance at having a true relationship with you away from me.¡±


    Once again, Blackfire is rendered speechless. Which is good, because Kori isn¡¯t done yet. Still holding her older sister by the hands, Kori brings their arms up between the two of them, their fingers laced together.


    ¡°I think I might honestly hate them for it, Komandr. Maybe not all of them. But a lot of them. I hate what they did to you. What they did to us. And though I might tell myself I stay away from Tamaran so they might live another day¡­ the truth is, I stay away because I would rather live my life free of their expectations for either of us. They wanted you to be the monster and me to be the one who would overcome the monster all our lives. I want more for us than that. Don¡¯t you?¡±


    Well shit. That was¡­ that was moving. Lucien was certainly struggling not to tear up right now. Meanwhile, Blackfire¡¯s mouth opens and closes like a goldfish. He almost wishes that the older Tamaranean WAS acting, because he sort of wants to know how Blackfire with all of her memories would react to Starfire¡¯s heartfelt declaration. Alas¡­ that Blackfire isn¡¯t home right now. Not until he reverts the temporary amnesia anyways.


    That might happen sooner rather than later though, because the next thing Lucien knows, Blackfire has leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Starfire¡¯s forehead. Clasping Starfire by the back of her neck, Blackfire lets out a sigh as they both close their eyes, sharing a moment with one another.


    ¡°Sister¡­ I had no idea.¡±


    Flushed, Starfire nods.


    ¡°¡­ I know. I¡¯m sorry I never fully understood what was happening when we were children. If I had, I would have told you all of this a long, long time ago.¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause as the two of them continue to just¡­ bask in each other¡¯s presence. And then, quite suddenly, Blackfire pulls away and turns towards him. There¡¯s a wide grin on her face as she plants one hand on her hip, the other still holding onto one of Starfire¡¯s hands.


    ¡°So then. This is your mate, huh?¡±


    Starfire squawks at that, eyes widening as she¡¯s turned in his direction as well.


    ¡°W-What?! Who said that?!¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Blackfire huffs.


    ¡°I did, sister. He smells of you and you smell of him. Not to mention the body language. Honestly, it was quite obvious that you two were bedding each other. And equally obvious that the other one back at the tower was NOT happy about it in the least. Amusing, watching the colors that one¡¯s face made when I agreed to let your lover come with us.¡±


    Hah. Amnesiac Blackfire certainly wasn¡¯t slow on the uptake, was she? Starfire, meanwhile, is blushing even harder and squirming.


    ¡°Hm. It is good that you were able to find someone of decent Tamaranean Stock on this backwards mudball of a planet. Even if he doesn¡¯t look like one of our people for some reason.¡±


    Wait, what?


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    Unknowingly, Starfire expresses his confused internal thoughts. Both of them look at Blackfire, a little baffled. Meanwhile, Blackfire just looks between the two of them with a raised brow.


    ¡°What? He is obviously some sort of Tamaranean. I can sense it in him.¡±


    ¡­ Straight from the mouth of babes, hah! Amnesiac Blackfire had really just exposed him, just like that. As Starfire gives him a look, Lucien sighs and nods.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, Star. I¡¯m part Tamaranean. Not because of my parentage, but because of my powers. I¡­ assimilated your biology, I guess you could say.¡±


    Starfire¡¯s eyes widen at that reveal, even as Blackfire¡¯s narrow. After a moment, the older sister scoffs.


    ¡°¡­ Strange. But it is good that you will be able to keep up with my sister at the very least.¡±


    ¡°A-Actually, I¡¯m the one who can¡¯t keep up with him.¡±


    The moment the words leave her lips, it¡¯s clear Starfire regrets them. She blushes profusely as both Lucien and Blackfire look in her direction. Awkward silence stretches out between the three of them as Starfire squirms for a moment before opening her mouth to speak once more. Lucien assumes to change the subject, of course.


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [ ] "... We should probably focus more on your amnesia and whoever experimented on you!" - 18%


    [X] "... Actually, I could use some help handling him, sister." - 82%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 22: The Threesome

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    "Well, that escalated quickly." - Lucien probably.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°¡­ Actually, I could use some help in handling him, sister.¡±


    The awkward silence extends as both Lucien and Blackfire continue to stare at Starfire. Kori, what the fuck? Never in a million years would he have thought that she¡¯d take the initiative like this. Offering to share him with her sister? Hah, if only she knew! Still, this was really out of left field and Lucien wasn¡¯t sure how to respond.


    Of course, Starfire wasn¡¯t talking to him in the first place. She was talking to her older sister. Who, after blinking for a brief moment, tilts her head to the side.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Starfire¡¯s blush is positively incandescent and it¡¯s obvious she¡¯s regretting her words. Or maybe not, because she doesn¡¯t try to take them back or tell her sister to forget them. Instead, squirming for a moment, Kori finally bites the bullet.


    ¡°He is¡­ a lot for one woman to handle, sister. It would¡­ be of great benefit if I had another¡­ pair of hands to help lighten the load, so to speak.¡±


    Did she even hear the words coming out of her mouth?! Sure, this was the plan¡­ but Lucien hadn¡¯t expected Starfire to be the one to initiate. And there was also one small hiccup¡­ Blackfire was still very unaware that this was even a plan she¡¯d signed off on in the first place.


    ¡°Tch. You would just offer your mate to me, sister? Just like that? You have ulterior motives, I can tell.¡±


    Straight out of the mouth of babes. Even Amnesiac Blackfire could see something off about this. However, Lucien suspected she wasn¡¯t quite connecting the dots here. See, he was starting to understand where Starfire was coming from. She was trying to use this as an opportunity to not just build a relationship with her sister that they¡¯d never gotten to have¡­ but also to rebuild some part of the relationship they¡¯d had when Blackfire had quite literally owned her as a slave.


    Starfire herself had all but admitted that she hadn¡¯t truly minded being Blackfire¡¯s property. She¡¯d told him that it hadn¡¯t truly been bad until Blackfire had given her up, throwing her to the proverbial wolves. Now¡­ now Starfire was trying to include Blackfire in their relationship because she wanted to get some small bit of that back. The orange-skinned alien wanted to have her cake and eat it too.


    Of course, Blackfire¡¯s words cause Starfire to jolt as she realizes she hasn¡¯t asked Lucien if HE wants to get involved in all of this. As the Amnesiac Tamaranean scowls and crosses her arms over her chest, Starfire shoots Lucien a wide-eyed look, as if expecting him to blow up at her. She looks distraught, clearly not having thought this at all through.


    Lucien¡­ well, he just shrugs and gives her an encouraging smile. Sure, this might all be moving much faster than he had anticipated or planned, but he wasn¡¯t going to shut her down when she was handing him exactly what he and Blackfire had wanted on a silver platter. Unfortunately, while his encouraging smile causes Starfire to slump in relief, it does not go unnoticed by Blackfire.


    The Amnesiac jumps to conclusions and scowls, suddenly beginning to glow with purple energy.


    ¡°Ah. I see now. It is not that you wish to offer to share your mate with me. No¡­ it is that you wish to offer me up to your mate. Is that it, sister? All of this talk¡­ you were just trying to soften me up. To weaken me so that you could sacrifice me to your mate¡¯s insatiable lusts!¡±


    Starfire whips back around, her relief short lived when she sees that Blackfire looks angry enough to fight.


    ¡°What?! No! Blackfire, I swear that¡¯s not it! I would never¡­ I don¡¯t want to¡­!¡±


    She can¡¯t quite find the words to voice what she truly desires, but Blackfire doesn¡¯t see that. She only sees her little sister struggling to come up with an excuse that she would believe. Further convincing her that her assumption regarding Starfire¡¯s true goal was in fact right all along.


    Blackfire is about to blow a gasket and either attack them both or fuck off. Neither is an acceptable outcome at the moment. But Starfire isn¡¯t going to be able to defuse this situation, not as she is now. In the end, it falls to Lucien.


    ¡°Princess.¡±


    Both Starfire and Blackfire jolt, turning to him. But when Blackfire realizes he¡¯s speaking directly to her and her alone, the Alien woman¡¯s ire lessens ever so slightly. She still looks mad as hell though. Lifting his hands with his palms out in surrender, Lucien shakes his head.


    ¡°Starfire and I have not spoken about this at all. We have not discussed sharing you. I have not asked her to seduce you for me, nor has she offered. This offer of hers was not only completely spur of the moment¡­ it was also genuine. And while I am willing to entertain the idea, neither of us wishes to force you to do anything you don¡¯t want to do.¡±


    He speaks with a completely honest tone, regulating his body to put his best foot forward so to speak. With his powers and his knowledge of Tamaranean physiology, he sends all the right signals to make it clear that he¡¯s telling the truth¡­ or the best liar that Blackfire has ever known. To be fair, he IS telling the truth, mostly. Not enough that he doesn¡¯t use his powers to augment his words, but still, it IS the god¡¯s honest truth. After all, he hadn¡¯t spoken to Starfire about seducing Blackfire. Rather, it had been the opposite way around entirely.


    But neither Blackfire nor Starfire knew or needed to know that at this time. All they needed to know was that this was a simple misunderstanding. Of course, as Blackfire slowly calms down, the glow in her eyes receding somewhat¡­ her anger does not fade entirely. In the end, despite believing his words from the look of things, she still crosses her arms over her chest and huffs rather petulantly.


    ¡°Hmph. And how am I supposed to believe that, exactly?¡±


    Lucien resists the urge to grin, because even with amnesia his partner in crime has set him up perfectly.


    ¡°Easy. Let us prove it to you.¡±


    Both Blackfire and Starfire give him curious looks at that. But Lucien is in too deep to back out now. And frankly, this feels right¡­ for all of them, amnesiac or not. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You¡¯re concerned that Starfire¡¯s offer is based in some scheme to force you to submit to me, to allow her and I to dominate you. Well¡­ what if we flipped the script, hm? What if you and I were the ones to dominate Star here¡­ and I let you take charge? She¡¯s the one who submits, while I promise to¡­ follow your lead for the duration of the encounter. You¡¯re in control from beginning to end.¡±


    The alien sisters jolt at the idea, though for very different reasons. For Blackfire, she jolts out of pure incredulity. For Starfire¡­ it¡¯s shock and more than a little bit of interest. Of course, Blackfire immediately scoffs and shakes her head.


    ¡°As though my sister would ever¡­¡±


    She trails off then, because in the middle of her sentence, she¡¯d looked over at Starfire and seen the younger Tamaranean blushing profusely again and averting her eyes towards the ground. Blackfire¡¯s eyes narrow and she huffs, her gaze darting between the two of them suspiciously.


    ¡°¡­ Starfire. Would you¡­ truly be willing to debase yourself in such a manner?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes! I mean¡­ yes sister¡­ if it convinced you of my good intentions, I would do so h-happily! Please¡­ give me a chance¡­¡±


    Silence falls upon the rooftop again as Blackfire furrows her brow in consternation, thinking things over. Then, quite suddenly¡­


    ¡°Strip.¡±


    Starfire jolts at her sister¡¯s order. She bites her lower lip and looks around the open rooftop for a moment¡­ before slowly nodding and moving to obey. Lucien watches this from under his Remedy Mask, considering suggesting they move this to a more¡­ discrete location. Certainly, it would be better if they did this in a hotel or something.


    But he¡¯d already promised to give this Amnesiac version of Blackfire total control, hadn¡¯t he? He wasn¡¯t sure immediately making suggestions would endear him to her at this point. Besides, Starfire is willing so he won¡¯t step in.


    Once she¡¯s completely naked, Starfire stands there before them both, blushing¡­ but also not making any move to hide her body. In fact, she seems almost happy in her nudity, happy to present herself to the both of them, even in a public place like this.


    Blackfire, meanwhile, lets out a shuddering breath and then slowly nods.


    ¡°Come here, sister.¡±


    As soon as Starfire walks within reach of the older Tamaranean, Blackfire grabs her roughly by her hair and forces her to her knees. But her younger sister doesn¡¯t fight it. She submits to Blackfire¡¯s hold completely willingly, biting her lower lip to contain a whimper, even as Blackfire forces her to kneel on the rooftop¡¯s gritty surface. Then, she looks to Lucien and curls a finger inward.


    ¡°You as well.¡±


    Lucien walks over wordlessly, body tense. He hopes that Blackfire understands she¡¯s not going to degrade or humiliate him in the way she¡¯s allowed to do to her sister. He¡¯d tried to word things properly because at the end of the day, Lucien is not submissive. He doesn¡¯t have a submissive bone in his body. At the same time though, he¡¯s more than willing to let Blackfire take the reins here. Especially if it¡¯ll make her more interested in maintaining a cordial three-way relationship between all of them going forward, even after he restores her memories.


    ¡°Take it out, sister. Take out your mate¡¯s cock.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­ of course, Mistress¡­¡±


    Lucien raises an eyebrow, even as Blackfire¡¯s eyes widen. But Starfire doesn¡¯t seem to notice their reactions, focused as she is in slipping her hands into his costume and pulling out his sizable cock. Blackfire¡¯s breath hitches at the ¡®first sight¡¯ of it, her gaze snapping to his throbbing member as Starfire moans, letting it drape over her face.


    After a moment, the older of the two aliens regains herself, humming in thought for a moment before nodding.


    ¡°Mistress¡­ I like the sound of that. Keep using it. And¡­ take him into your mouth. Suck his cock. Let me be clear, sister¡­ you are preparing him for me. You will get him wet and I will ride him. You will not make him cum. If you do, then I will punish you. Am I understood?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes Mistress¡­¡±


    There¡¯s a note of fear in Starfire¡¯s voice¡­ but also anticipation and excitement. They fill her as she glances up at him for a moment, giving him a hesitant, slightly apologetic smile. Hah, as if she¡¯s sorry that she got him into this mess. If only she knew¡­


    Either way, Starfire follows Blackfire¡¯s orders, gripping his cock around the base with one hand and fondling his balls with the other as she takes him into her mouth. Bobbing up and down his cock, Starfire wastes no time in getting to work. She sucks and slurps at his member, moaning all the while as she kneels there naked and exposed on the rooftop.


    Blackfire, meanwhile, looks down at the exchange with an unreadable expression on her face. Her hand is still in her sister¡¯s hair, but she¡¯s not controlling the pace at the moment. She doesn¡¯t need to, mostly because Starfire is doing exactly as she¡¯s told. Just looking at Blackfire, Lucien can tell that the older Tamaranean is¡­ conflicted to say the least.


    She¡¯s been hit with a lot of information in a very short amount of time, to be fair. With her amnesia being what it is, she¡¯s coming to terms with the loss of their planet without even knowing that it was her fault Tamaran got conquered in the first place.


    Meanwhile, she¡¯s also having to come to terms with the fact that Starfire has a lot of negative feelings towards their parents and people over their treatment of Blackfire¡­ treatment that this version of Blackfire has always quietly blamed on Starfire at least a little bit. Though not as badly as she would in the future.


    And then, on top of all of that, Blackfire now has to wrap her head around Starfire seemingly willing to submit to Blackfire in this way. She¡¯s happy to strip naked at her sister¡¯s orders, happy to kneel at her sister¡¯s feet, happy to call Blackfire Mistress. And she¡¯s happy to suck his cock at Blackfire¡¯s command.


    It¡¯s a lot, to be fair. The Amnesiac Blackfire clearly isn¡¯t entirely sure what to make of it. Does she keep her guard up and continue to look out for the trap? Or does she let her guard down and enjoy this moment for what it is? Even though her expression is unreadable at the moment, Lucien doesn¡¯t have to be able to read minds to know what¡¯s currently going through Blackfire¡¯s head. After all, he¡¯d spent a lot of time around the alien woman. He knew the way she thought, what made her tick. And while this Blackfire was a little different from the Blackfire he¡¯d gotten to know, she wasn¡¯t THAT different.


    ¡­ That said, as Starfire bobs up and down his cock, careful not to go too fast out of fear that Lucien might cum, he ponders if it¡¯s time for this version of Blackfire to¡­ come to an end. Sure, it¡¯s a bit faster than he was originally expecting, but the whole point of the amnesia scheme was to get to this point. And they¡¯d done it. They¡¯d reached the point where Starfire was willingly submitting to Blackfire¡¯s orders, even calling her Mistress of her own volition.


    This was what Lucien had wanted. To show Blackfire that her sister wasn¡¯t the problem. That she didn¡¯t need to hate Starfire, or ruin Starfire¡¯s life, or even kill her. She just needed to take the reins.


    Amnesiac Blackfire was doing an admirable job of that at the moment, but Blackfire with all her memories would be much better suited for the threesome that was to come. All it would take was a single touch and he could restore her. He¡¯d made sure of that.


    Looking between Starfire¡¯s bright green eyes staring up at him as she dutifully fluffs him in preparation for her sister to fuck him, and then to Blackfire¡¯s unreadable expression as she watches her sister submit to her whims¡­ Lucien contemplates his choices and then makes his decision.


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [ ] Return Blackfire''s memories to her now - 27%


    [X] Hold off for the time being - 73%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 23: The Threesome Pt. 2

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien continues his romp with the alien sisters~


    -x-X-x-


    ¡­ No. Not yet.


    It¡¯s a split second decision, because mere moments before he¡¯d definitely been leaning towards returning Blackfire¡¯s memories to her now. After all, she was his partner in crime in all of this. But that would have been¡­ premature, he realizes. As Starfire dutifully sucks his cock, Lucien only has eyes for Blackfire in this moment. What he sees makes it clear that he needs to hold off a little longer.


    Gazing down at her younger sister, Blackfire looks like her dream has come true. But¡­ like all abuse victims, there¡¯s a fair note of disbelief in her gaze as well. She¡¯s having a hard time accepting it even with the evidence right in front of her. Everything Starfire has said¡­ Lucien can tell that this amnesiac version of Blackfire wants to believe her sister. But even though Kori is willing to prove it through action, she¡¯s still struggling.


    Now¡­ add a whole lot of hatred and bad blood on top of that and you had a recipe for disaster. Blackfire with all of her memories would be all too likely to revert to form, to convince herself that Starfire is lying and that it¡¯s all a trick. In a way, Starfire IS lying after all¡­ she¡¯s keeping the truth of Blackfire¡¯s actions from her amnesiac self.


    Lucien can easily see a world where Blackfire twists this around in her mind. That Starfire is lying to try and protect Blackfire and salvage their relationship is obvious to Lucien and would probably be obvious to anyone else, but not Blackfire herself. She was too close to the situation, in the end.


    What Lucien wanted remained the same. He wanted to show Blackfire that her sister wasn¡¯t the threat and that she didn¡¯t need to destroy Starfire in order to live a good life. But while they¡¯d taken the first step down that path, they hadn¡¯t reached the end. Not yet.


    And so Lucien stays quiet and waits, watching as Starfire gazes up at him with gorgeous green eyes and Blackfire stares down at her sister in quiet contemplation. All the while, his cock disappears between Kori¡¯s orange lips again and again, her warm wet mouth encircling his dick over and over. She¡¯s fortunate that he¡¯s in complete control of his biology, because Blackfire just lets her do her thing for quite a long time, seemingly deep in thought. But even with Lucien holding back his orgasm, Starfire is clearly starting to lag a bit, her jaw no doubt getting sore from all the cock sucking.


    Finally though¡­


    ¡°Enough. My turn.¡±


    Finally, Amnesiac Blackfire seems to get over her insecurities. At least partially. It¡¯s clear she¡¯s still looking for a trap as she gazes around the rooftop they¡¯re on and sniffs indignantly.


    ¡°This place is filthy. We shall relocate.¡±


    Lucien raises an eyebrow at that, noting how Starfire has been on her knees on the rooftop Blackfire deemed ¡®too filthy to fuck on¡¯ for quite some time now. However, Kori herself merely wipes her mouth with the back of her hand before giving Blackfire a hesitant smile.


    ¡°Of course, Mistress. Where do you want to go?¡±


    He sees how Blackfire¡¯s face scrunches up in irritation as she realizes that she doesn¡¯t have anywhere to go. Amnesiac that she is, she didn¡¯t even know what planet she first woke up on, after all. Lucien also sees the moment Starfire realizes this as well, her face scrunching up in consternation. But just as the younger sister is opening her mouth to offer apologies, Lucien cuts her off and points his finger upwards.


    ¡°Perhaps we don¡¯t need to go anywhere, necessarily. Perhaps all we need to do¡­ is go up. We can all fly, after all.¡±


    Both of the Tamaraneans go a little wide eyed when they realize what Lucien is suggesting. Meanwhile, he just grins and shrugs. He might have agreed to let Amnesiac Blackfire be nominally in control here, but he did not agree to be nothing but a flesh dildo for her and her sister to play with. He can still have ideas, and he figures some mile high club sex might be just what the doctor ordered.


    From the considering look on Blackfire¡¯s face, she doesn¡¯t disagree. Finally, she nods.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not a bad idea. Starfire, follow.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes Mistress.¡±


    Slowly, they all rise into the air, Lucien and Blackfire side by side with Starfire just beneath them. The city quickly vanishes beneath him, with the rooftop soon growing tinier and tinier as well. Until finally, they enter the cloud layer. It takes them a few moments of flying to get through those as well, but finally they arrive just above the clouds, the sun beating down overhead.


    ¡°This will do nicely.¡±


    As Blackfire brings them to a stop, Lucien simply nods his head, his cock still rock hard and twitching with need despite the impromptu flight and relocation. Seeing this, the older of the two alien princesses bites her lower lip for a moment.


    ¡°Tch¡­ place yourself¡­ horizontal.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    They have no surfaces to lay down on, so she can¡¯t just tell him to get on his back. But Blackfire clearly has no desire to do something so intimate as cling to him like a spider monkey. Nor does she seem particularly interested in having her back against his chest as he carries her. It would give him too much power for her tastes, he suspects.


    Instead, she treats him like¡­ like a surf board, after a fashion. Her legs even dangle off of either side of his body as she straddles him, her feet disappearing into the top of the fluffy clouds they¡¯re hovering just above. Starfire, meanwhile, floats off to the side, biting her lower lip as she watches him and Blackfire together.


    Grasping his cock with one hand and planting the other upon his chiseled chest for support, Blackfire ¡®lifts¡¯ herself up into the air a few inches and proceeds to plant the throbbing head of his member against her slit. Then, breath hitching, she slowly sinks down his length. It¡¯s funny because as far as she¡¯s concerned, this is their first time together. But for Lucien, this isn¡¯t exactly new ground.


    Still, he¡¯s not about to say that to either her or her sister. Instead he stays quiet, even as Blackfire slowly impales herself upon his cock, descending down his shaft until her pussy lips touch the base of his dick. Nice and snug upon his member, the Tamaranean Princess lets out a shuddering breath, even as her insides flex around his dick and she lets out a small, involuntary moan that clearly surprises her.


    She jerks in surprise at her own lewd noise, only to flush and scowl at him and then her sister.


    ¡°¡­ You heard nothing.¡±


    Starfire immediately bows her head in supplication, but Lucien just raises an eyebrow at Blackfire, smirking slightly as he places his hands on her hips. The alien princess goes still at that, her eyes narrowing as she gazes down at him.


    ¡°I do not recall giving you permission to touch me.¡±


    Lucien¡¯s smirk grows a little bit.


    ¡°No. And I didn¡¯t ask.¡±


    Blackfire glares, but before she can respond, he thrusts up into her from below, bouncing her upon his dick. Her eyes widen at that and she gurgles as she tries in vain to withhold the moan that threatens to bubble out of her throat. In the end, it comes out half-strangled¡­ but it still comes out.


    ¡°You-!¡±


    ¡°I told you I would follow your lead. Not submit. Remember that. If Starfire wants to call you Mistress then that¡¯s fine¡­ but I¡¯m not the kind of man who submits to anyone.¡±


    The amnesiac alien glowers at him at that and for a moment Lucien worries he might have overstepped. But then¡­


    ¡°Mistress.¡±


    Starfire to the rescue. Her voice is just the right shade of submissive as she calls out to Blackfire, forcing her to look in her direction.


    ¡°It might not mean much to you¡­ but he IS the son of one of the most powerful humans on this planet. A man who has conquered much in the humans¡¯ own way.¡± S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Heh. Interesting way of describing Lex Luthor, Lucien supposed. Still, to his mild surprise, Starfire¡¯s words seem to get through to her older sister. Blackfire tilts her head in consideration for a moment, gazing down at him.


    ¡°¡­ I see. I suppose you wish to prove your sexual prowess, don¡¯t you? No doubt you find your pride as a man challenged by this position, prompting you to act up in this way.¡±


    Amnesiac Blackfire grins a savage grin, all but baring her teeth at him in the process as she leans forward.


    ¡°Do your worst.¡±


    A moment later and she¡¯s riding him. Lucien just laughs and returns the favor. Of course, they¡¯re both still flying. There is no ground here, no surfaces for either of them to rest on. Instead, they¡¯re slamming against one another with what would definitely be bruising force if he were still baseline human. As it is, Lucien gives Blackfire as good as he gets, driving his cock deep inside of her¡­ and happily bringing into play everything he¡¯s ever learned about her with his power.


    Just like before the amnesia, he begins to overwhelm her with pleasure rather quickly. However, unlike back then¡­ this Blackfire isn¡¯t alone. Lucien has to admit, he¡¯s surprised by what she does next¡­ but also pleased. It¡¯s a good sign that she¡¯s coming along well.


    ¡°S-Starfire!¡±


    ¡°Mistress?¡±


    ¡°D-Distract him! Split his f-focus!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Right away, Mistress!¡±


    All but lunging forward, Starfire grabs Lucien by his face with both hands and pulls him into a deep, tongue-filled kiss. She moans as she does so, clearly all too happy to be included in the fun that he and her sister are having. And for a moment, it even works. Starfire¡¯s sudden assault on his lips is almost enough for Blackfire to take control down below as his attention is split between the two sisters.


    Ah, but at the end of the day¡­ Starfire is a submissive little bitch through and through. It doesn¡¯t take long for Lucien to take over the kiss and he doesn¡¯t even have to pull a hand away from Blackfire¡¯s hips to do so. He dominates Starfire¡¯s mouth with his tongue, wrestling her own into submission as she whimpers and all but melts against his lips.


    Realizing this, Blackfire hisses.


    ¡°That¡¯s not g-good enough, sister! Damn it all, he¡¯s overwhelming you!¡±


    To her credit, Starfire immediately pulls back from Lucien¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°A-Apologies, Mistress!¡±


    Then, she grabs him by his hair and yanks him into her naked orange chest, all but smothering him in her tits. Lucien has to admit¡­ as far as distractions go, this one IS better than the kissing. He finds himself focusing on suckling, slurping, and nibbling at Starfire¡¯s teats, causing her to moan as he tugs at her nipples with his teeth, swirling his tongue across her breasts wildly.


    ¡°B-Better¡­ much b-better!¡±


    Blackfire definitely thinks she has the upper hand now. Well, they can¡¯t have that. Grinning around one of Starfire¡¯s nipples, Lucien kicks things back into high gear and proves he can properly multitask by fucking Blackfire even harder from below while still going to town all over Starfire¡¯s tits. The ensuing squeal from Blackfire as she involuntarily squirts all over his cock is like music to his ears¡­ but it seems to send Starfire into a panic and before her older sister can even give her another order, the younger alien is leaping into action.


    Namely, she ¡®leaps¡¯ forward and proceeds to wrap her legs and thighs around his head as she sits on his face and forces his mouth against her cunt. Eyes twinkling with mischief, Lucien¡­ slows down fucking Blackfire just a little bit after this and sure enough, once she gets herself back under control¡­


    ¡°W-Well done, Starfire. Now¡­ now we¡¯ve got him right where we want him.¡±


    Starfire¡¯s thighs clench around his head at that and her pussy juices gush out into his mouth. Just hearing Blackfire praising her is enough to send the Tamaranean over the edge, Lucien can¡¯t help but note.


    ¡°Y-Yes mistress!¡±


    His derisive snort is muffled by Starfire¡¯s pussy, thankfully. Right where they want him? He could most definitely turn the tables here and give both Blackfire the dicking of her amnesiac life and Starfire the tonguing of HER life if he wanted to.


    ¡­ But that would go against his goals at this point. So instead Lucien slows down a bit more, still giving them both a lot to think about, but no longer proving to be quite so overwhelming to either of them. Holding back like this feels weird, especially since he¡¯s holding back in order to trick his amnesiac ally into thinking she¡¯s got him right where she wants him. But at the same time¡­ this is what needs to happen. Blackfire needs to learn to value Starfire in every way she possibly can before Lucien returns her memories to her.


    After all, if he returns Blackfire¡¯s memories too early, all that hatred and internalized anger comes rushing back. Not only will it undue the small amount of work they¡¯ve done so far today, but it¡¯ll also be incredibly obvious to Raven that something has changed. No, in the end¡­ this is better. For just a little while longer, Blackfire is going to learn what it is to have a sister she didn¡¯t try to kill. She¡¯s going to learn what it¡¯s like to have a submissive sex pet who just wants them both to be happy.


    Lucien can help facilitate that. He very much can.


    -x-X-x-


    Hours later, after night falls and they¡¯ve snuck back into Titan Tower and made their way to Starfire¡¯s room, Lucien finds himself awake long after both Blackfire and Starfire have passed out from exhaustion. He supposes he should be pretty tired too right now, but honestly¡­ he¡¯s a little wired.


    Unfortunately, a certain Tamaranean Princess has passed out on top of him. Even with amnesia, Blackfire is a clingy menace. Of course, Starfire isn¡¯t much better. The younger of the two sisters is snuggled into his side while her ¡®Mistress¡¯ drools on his chest. For a moment, Lucien considers just bearing with it and going to sleep. But in the end¡­ he decides to slowly extricate himself from beneath the two aliens.


    It¡¯s not easy and he does have to abuse his powers a little bit to KEEP them both asleep as he moves, but eventually he manages it with neither of them any worse for wear. In fact, as he climbs out of Starfire¡¯s bed and glances back, it¡¯s to see the sisters cuddling with each other now in his absence. Cute, truth be told.


    Rolling his shoulders, Lucien stretches to get the kink out of his neck and then floats off the ground and heads for the door. Perhaps that¡¯s why, when he pushes it open¡­ he surprises the one who was spying on them from the other side.


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [ ] Its Terra and she''s horny - 23%


    [X] Its Raven and she''s suspicious - 77%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 24: The Talk

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    This chapter can also be called "Plot Holes? What Plot Holes?"


    -x-X-x-


    For a moment, Lucien and Raven just stare at each other. He wasn¡¯t expecting her to be right on the other side of the door to Starfire¡¯s room and judging by her wide eyes, she clearly wasn¡¯t expecting him to open the door right this instant.


    Fortunately, Lucien is wearing clothes. Pajamas, actually. After getting back to the tower, the three of them had stopped off in the shower first, where Blackfire had proven to be in the mood for some last minute aggressive shower sex. At which point Lucien had realized that if he didn¡¯t do something, they were probably going to wind up fucking the night away at Blackfire¡¯s command and Starfire¡¯s easy capitulation.


    That was when he¡¯d demanded pajamas be involved. And boy was he glad for that, because otherwise Raven would be getting quite the eyeful right now¡­ rather than merely being met with Lucien wearing a set of her old teammate Cyborg¡¯s pajamas. Why a man that was mostly robot needed pajamas, Lucien didn¡¯t know, but that was where Starfire had said they came from when she presented the garments to him, baby blue with rubber duckies on them for some fucking reason. Embarrassing, but not the end of the world.


    Seeing as Raven isn¡¯t actually saying anything, Lucien slowly floats out of the room, causing her to take a couple of steps back. Once he¡¯s fully outside of the bedroom, he closes the door behind him carefully before giving Raven a curious look.


    ¡°¡­ Can I help you with something?¡±


    Raven¡¯s eyes narrow at that, her lips thinned outwards.


    ¡°Why are you wearing Cyborg¡¯s pajamas?¡±


    Oh so not only did these belong to the man that was ninety percent robot, but he apparently wore them enough for his teammates to identify them as his on sight. Stranger and stranger.


    ¡°Starfire gave them to me. Because I needed something to wear to bed.¡±


    He didn¡¯t really see any reason to lie about that. Or the fact that he and Starfire were a thing. And lying about him, Starfire, and Blackfire now being a thing would be equally silly at this point. Raven¡¯s emotion sensing abilities must be why she¡¯s here. She probably clocked the three of them the moment they stepped back into the Tower. Which meant she knew exactly what sort of things they were feeling.


    Though¡­ that did make Lucien wonder how she¡¯d been caught off guard by his approach to the door. Sure, he¡¯d floated over so there was no sound and he didn¡¯t accidentally wake up Kori and her sister. But surely Raven should have sensed him coming, right?


    ¡°Where are you going now? Why are you leaving? What are you planning?¡±


    Raven keeps her voice at a respectfully low volume, likely not wanting to wake the Tamaranean Sisters in the room beyond any more than Lucien does. But her tone still grows more and more insistent and demanding the more she talks. Lucien, meanwhile, pauses at the barrage of questions. After a moment, he¡¯s formulated his response.


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m going back to my apartment. I¡¯m leaving because I need to feed my cat¡­ and I¡¯m planning on feeding my cat and then coming back here before Starfire or Blackfire notice I¡¯ve left.¡±


    That¡¯s clearly not the answer Raven is expecting. She scowls at him and huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. Lucien raises an eyebrow at her glowering, but it just intensifies in response.


    ¡°Your cat. You seriously expect me to believe that?¡±


    Spur of the moment, completely on impulse, Lucien just shrugs.


    ¡°Come with me if you want. Confirm it for yourself.¡±


    Then, without waiting for a response from the heroine, Lucien turns and begins floating down the hall towards the nearest exit. He probably should have been wearing his Remedy Mask when he left Starfire¡¯s room, but that cat¡¯s out of the bag now isn¡¯t it? So why not¡­ why not just let Raven in on his ¡®great big secret¡¯?


    -x-X-x-


    To his amusement, the grey-skinned young woman actually does follow him all the way back to his apartment. Together, they fly silently through the night sky, not a word shared between them. Finally landing on his apartment balcony, Lucien goes over to a nearby plotted plant, turns it over, and flicks a switch. He feels Raven tensing up behind him as a low hum fills the air and gives her a grin.


    ¡°Just a spoofer for all the bugs and recording devices in my apartment. Perfectly harmless. Now c¡¯mon.¡±


    Her eyes narrow at that, but he¡¯s telling the truth. There¡¯s no trap here¡­ at least, not one set by him for her. There¡¯s always the possibility that his father, clone or otherwise, has finally caught on to Lucien¡¯s workarounds and has sent a team to lie in wait¡­ but Lucien¡¯s enhanced senses are currently showing that the apartment is empty. Well, mostly empty.


    ¡°Mrow!¡±


    The moment he slips in through his balcony slider, a ball of fury and fire flings itself at him from the top of the kitchen cabinets nearby. Laughing, Lucien catches Spot in his arms, even as the Snow Leopard Cub struggles for a moment before realizing it¡¯s him and calming down. Stroking his hands through Spot¡¯s fur, enjoying the heat of him against his body, Lucien sighs briefly.


    ¡°Hey boy. Hungry?¡±


    ¡°Mrow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, figured as much.¡±


    Setting Spot down so he can follow his footsteps into the kitchen, Lucien makes his way over to the fridge. The freezer is stuffed to the brim with frozen meat, while the refrigerator has Spot¡¯s actual meals in it, the pieces of meat he¡¯d pulled out of the freezer earlier that morning to dethaw. Just as he¡¯s putting the meat out on the counter and beginning to unwrap it however, he hears a hissing sound.


    Looking back over his shoulder to see Raven has entered the apartment at long last, Lucien finds Spot squaring off with the intruder, hissing up a storm with his hackles raised as Raven blinks down at the Snow Leopard Cub.


    ¡°Oi! Spot! Calm down, she¡¯s friendly.¡±


    The Snow Leopard Cub gives Lucien a look that might have been termed incredulous on an intelligent being. Then again, maybe Spot can detect something he can¡¯t. No scratch that, from what Lucien knows of Raven, the Snow Leopard Cub probably has good reason to be leery of her. It¡¯s not even anything about Raven herself.


    Rather¡­ if Lucien remembered correctly, wasn¡¯t there something from his past that was also the future where Raven¡¯s father turned out to be some big name Demon Lord? And she turned out to be a gateway for his eventual entrance into their reality? From what he¡¯d heard, holed up in this place and being all sick and feeble like he was, the Titans had managed to solve the problem. So they could probably do so again here.


    But until then, Spot saw Raven as a threat.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Leave her alone. Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±


    That manages to get through to the Snow Leopard Cub. Spot¡¯s eyes dart to the meat Lucien has unwrapped on the counter and after a heartbeat, he bounces over and hops up onto the counter, sniffing at the meat. Grinning as he scratches his pet behind the ears, Lucien gestures with his free hand to the meat.


    ¡°What do you think? Warm or cold?¡±


    Spot sniffs at the meat for a second longer before pulling back with a wrinkled nose.


    ¡°Mrow.¡±


    Yeah, fair enough. Though he was beginning to wonder if he was spoiling the Snow Leopard, all things considered. Grabbing the cold meat, he tosses it in the nearby microwave and sets the thing for a minute. Spot posts up right in front of it, watching the raw meat go around in circles the entire time. Glancing back over his shoulder at a nonplussed Raven, Lucien grins.


    ¡°Just a sec, thanks.¡±


    The microwave dings before she can muster a response and Lucien tugs open the door. Yanking the warmed slab of meat out, he tosses it into the air and Spot leaps after it, catching it mid-jump in his jaws and coming down to the ground in a soft landing. Head and tail both up in the air like he¡¯s the most amazing thing since sliced bread, the Snow Leopard Cub prances over to his preferred eating spot under the dining table and begins to chew into his meal. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lucien, meanwhile, stuffs a second piece of raw meat into the microwave and starts that heating up as well, knowing full well that Spot will want more sooner rather than later. Only then does he turn back to Raven and raise an eyebrow at her questioningly as if to say ¡®See? Told you I had to feed my cat¡¯. Correctly deducing his look, Raven huffs again and crosses her arms over her chest.


    ¡°That is NOT a cat.¡±


    Glancing in Spot¡¯s direction, Lucien grins a crooked grin.


    ¡°Sure he is. Gonna wind up being a big cat¡­ but still a cat.¡±


    Glowering at him, Raven grips more tightly at her arms.


    ¡°Who are you really? Who are you to need a spoofing device to trick the people apparently spying on your apartment? Who are you to have a Snow Leopard Cub as a pet? Who. Are. You?¡±


    He was sort of expecting this. But then to be fair, he¡¯d already given up on keeping his identity a secret from Raven. She¡¯d seen his face. He really had thought he could just slip out of Starfire¡¯s room for a quick second, pop over here, and feed Spot. After all, taking small moments like this to take care of Spot and check on the apartment was what he¡¯d been doing ever since he and Starfire had become much closer.


    Unfortunately, Raven had caught him red handed. Fortunately, he¡¯d caught her red handed too. Spying on her teammate? Naughty, naughty. Still¡­


    ¡°The name¡¯s Lucien. Lucien Luthor. My father is Lex Luthor and I hate his guts.¡±


    All completely true, of course. Not a single deception to be found there. It had taken Lucien a while to fully internalize his feelings but looking back now, it was simply how it was. He almost wished he could go back in time again, this time to the day of his birthday. He sort of wanted to kill his father right then and there. Except¡­ no. Because that wasn¡¯t the real Lex Luthor, as he¡¯d found out. His father was somewhere else and using a clone to hide from him right now.


    Well, not hide from Lucien¡­ but from something, that was for sure. The only saving grace was that Mercy hadn¡¯t known about his father¡¯s replacement. Lucien still held hope that that lie on Lex¡¯s part would sow discord between him and his ever-present right-hand woman.


    Regardless, back to the conversation at hand. Raven is certainly surprised by his reveal. As she¡¯s assimilating the bombshell he¡¯s just dropped on her, the microwave dings behind him. Without taking his eyes off of Raven, Lucien reaches back, opens the microwave door, and pulls out the warmed up raw meat before tossing it to Spot under the dining table.


    ¡°Mrow.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    He really was spoiling his good boy, but at least the Snow Leopard Cub was grateful. The interaction between them has the added effect of knocking Raven out of her introspective stupor. Jolting out of whatever inner monologue she was having with herself, the grey-skinned heroine straightens up, glaring at him again.


    ¡°Is that why I can¡¯t sense your emotions? Because of something your father gave you?¡±


    Wait, what? Now it¡¯s Lucien¡¯s turn to be shocked. Can¡¯t sense his emotions? That was so far out of left field¡­ but no, it actually kind of made sense looking back. No wonder Raven had never called him out. He was quite literally invisible to her.


    Rather than answer her immediately, Lucien tilts his head to the side.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t sense my emotions, why didn¡¯t you say anything earlier? Especially to the rest of your team?¡±


    Huffing, Raven shrugs her shoulders, arms still crossed over her chest.


    ¡°Because there have been plenty of people I can¡¯t sense for all sorts of reasons. Not all of them have been evil. And you¡­ you healed Beast Boy without any expectation for repayment or even a thank you. So that had to be worth something.¡±


    Ah, right. Lucien vaguely remembered something about Raven and Beast Boy having a relationship in the future just like Starfire and Robin. But it was way more lowkey since they weren¡¯t the Titans¡¯ premier power couple. They probably liked it that way, to be honest. Regardless, they clearly weren¡¯t together yet. But that didn¡¯t mean Raven didn¡¯t already potentially have feelings for Beast Boy.


    ¡°Well, I appreciate you giving me the benefit of the doubt. As for my blank status, no I don¡¯t think that was anything my father did to me. But I also can¡¯t say for certain.¡±


    Raven¡¯s eyes narrow at that.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Shrugging, Lucien goes ahead with the same story he told Starfire.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been sick all my life. Frail, even. I was nothing more than a disappointment in my father¡¯s eyes. And then, somehow on my last birthday a while ago, I wake up feeling amazing. Spectacular, even. Healthy and strong. And then that same day my father ran me through the same battery of tests he¡¯s had me ran through every birthday for my entire worthless life.¡±


    Lucien shrugs.


    ¡°He knows I¡¯m not sick anymore. He knows I¡¯m healthy now. But does he know about my powers? Did he have anything to do with me gaining them? I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know what Lex Luthor is planning for me, Raven. And that¡¯s the god¡¯s honest truth.¡±


    He does the usual song and dance of making sure he¡¯s presenting nothing but pure honesty physically. But Raven has never relied on that sort of thing before and it¡¯s not like he can fake emotions that she can¡¯t even sense. Hah, he had thought he was all this time, but in the end it turned out he was relying on something he didn¡¯t even know was possible.


    Somehow, he was invisible to Raven¡¯s empathic powers. How curious. Had to be a Death-related thing, right? Something about whatever he was to Death of the Endless was protecting him. Did it also extend to mind reading? Mind control? Possession? All were possibilities in this crazy world of theirs¡­ but Lucien didn¡¯t know what this mean.


    He did know one thing however. Raven now knew the truth. And unlike Starfire, she was under zero obligation to keep his secret.


    ¡°So, what happens now? I¡¯m sure Robin would love to find out I¡¯m Lex Luthor¡¯s son. Would make his day. But only you can decide if he gets to know that or not.¡±


    Raven pauses at that, frowning slightly as she considers him in silence. Then, she opens her mouth to speak.


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [ ] Raven admits she''s going to tell Robin who Lucien is - 3%


    [ ] Raven promises she won''t snitch on Lucien - 32%


    [X] Raven isn''t done questioning just yet and she feels like Lucien is trying to rush her to make a decision - 65%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 25: The Talk Pt. 2

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Raven and Lucien''s conversation continues.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°We¡¯re not done here yet, and I don¡¯t appreciate you trying to move me along like I¡¯m some nuisance to be placated and then shuffled off to the side.¡±


    Lucien blinks, taken aback by Raven¡¯s rare display of irritation. Not quite anger, but definitely irritation. She¡¯s even scowling at him now, narrowing her eyes as she crosses her arms over his chest. Sensing this sudden change in atmosphere, a cute little growl emanates from under the table, causing Lucien to lift a hand in that direction and call out warningly.


    ¡°Spot. Down boy.¡±


    The Snow Leopard Cub returns to his second slab of meat while Lucien keeps his eyes on Raven. He doesn¡¯t think that the heroine is likely to attack him here unless he does something really dumb, but letting his pet try and attack her would certainly constitute as such a thing. Regardless¡­ he bows his head in Raven¡¯s direction.


    ¡°My sincerest apologies. My father is something of a sore point for me, as I¡¯m sure you could tell. Talking about him made me defensive¡­ and short. Especially since I know exactly how someone like Robin will react if he discovers my father is Lex Luthor.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t fail to notice Raven¡¯s reaction to that. She does her best to hide it of course, and she does a good job too¡­ but his eyes are an amalgamation of Snow Leopard and Tamaranean sight now, and he¡¯s getting really good at reading people with them. Of course, it also helps that his foreknowledge gives him a handy-dandy cheat sheet.


    Raven experiences the smallest of flinches at his words and Lucien just knows that the half-demon girl is currently thinking about her own father and how her team might react if they learned the secret she¡¯d been keeping from them. Having Lex Luthor as a dad was pretty bad, but not quite as bad as having a Demon Lord father who wanted to try and slip into their reality and conquer or destroy it or whatever.


    How would Robin react to knowing who and what Raven truly was? Would their time together as teammates result in him standing by Raven¡¯s side, or would he turn on her to try and protect reality itself from being torn asunder? Privately, from everything Lucien knows about the man who would eventually become Nightwing in the future¡­ it¡¯s the former, not the latter. But Raven doesn¡¯t know that.


    ¡°¡­ I understand.¡±


    That¡¯s it. That¡¯s all he gets on that subject. But that¡¯s okay, because Lucien isn¡¯t supposed to know about Raven¡¯s circumstances anyways. And frankly, he had no intentions of blackmailing her or anything like that. With how little specific knowledge he had about Raven¡¯s circumstances and Demon Lord father, he wouldn¡¯t want to step in it by overplaying his hand like that. Still, he¡¯s managed to get Raven thinking about their parallels, about the fact that they both have such shitty fathers. That¡¯s gotta be worth something.


    After a moment, Raven just shakes her head and moves the conversation along.


    ¡°Robin aside, parentage aside, I have other questions for you. What are your intentions towards Starfire? She¡¯s not just my teammate. She¡¯s my¡­ friend. I won¡¯t have you hurting her.¡±


    Ah. This was a little unexpected, but Lucien supposed he really should have seen it coming. Raven wasn¡¯t just worried about the threat he might pose to their team, but the potential threat he posed to Starfire personally. Well, at least here Lucien could be completely honest.


    ¡°I want what¡¯s best for Starfire, just like you do. I just want her to be happy. You¡¯re the one who can sense emotions. You tell me¡­ is she happy?¡±


    He makes his tone pointed near the end there, giving Raven a meaningful look that has her narrowing her eyes at him in response. No, he hasn¡¯t forgotten where he caught her. She¡¯d been standing outside of Starfire¡¯s door and while Lucien didn¡¯t know exactly what her intentions were there, it certainly wasn¡¯t a good look for her.


    The way Raven looks at him makes it clear that even if she can¡¯t read his emotions for some reason, she definitely picks up on how he¡¯s subtly calling her out. Letting out a huff, she shrugs her shoulders.


    ¡°She is¡­ happy, yes. But I¡¯m concerned about why she¡¯s happy. Tell me, what do you know about Starfire¡¯s sister Blackfire?¡±


    Ah shit. He had to tread carefully here.


    ¡°Starfire told me some things. She told me about some of their past together while we were following Kitten and Robin around the other day.¡±


    Raven¡¯s eyes widen in surprise at that.


    ¡°That fast¡­¡±


    Ah, yeah. He supposed it was pretty fast in a vacuum. He¡¯d drawn Starfire into the conversation about Blackfire though, prompting her first with a question about her being an alien princess and then following up when she¡¯d mentioned her sister wanted to kill her. From there, Starfire had just been in a venting mood as they¡¯d watched Robin and Kitten move around the city. Actually, that was a pretty good excuse. Shrugging, he gives Raven a crooked grin.


    ¡°I think she was just in a venting mood that day. One thing led to another and I guess she just needed to¡­ let it all out.¡±


    Raven nods sharply, her head jerking up and then down before she huffs.


    ¡°And I suppose ¡®one thing led to another¡¯ and you two wound up in beg together too, is that it?¡±


    Lucien lets out a bark of laughter at Raven¡¯s incredibly dry tone. The grey-skinned woman narrows her eyes at him for being amused and he just raises his hands in defense.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not an idiot. I fully acknowledge that I¡¯m the rebound. Starfire and Robin had some sort of¡­ ¡®will they, won¡¯t they¡¯ thing going on before I showed up, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Raven jerkily nods again in acknowledgment. Lucien just sighs.


    ¡°Yeah, it was kind of obvious, even to me. Robin got caught up in saving the city at all costs but didn¡¯t do anything to try and protect Starfire¡¯s feelings. He didn¡¯t think about her at all until later when he saw us kissing. So I feel like¡­ I get why Starfire¡¯s mad. And I wasn¡¯t about to reject her to spare Robin¡¯s feelings either.¡±


    It¡¯s obvious from the look of discomfort on Raven¡¯s face that this has officially gone into territory she¡¯s not too sure of. But then, for someone like her, she¡¯s probably had to be very careful not to experience anything too strong on the emotional spectrum. Happiness would be just as bad as anger. Lust and love would be just as bad as disgust and jealousy. Basically, she¡¯d been suppressing and repressing her feelings and emotions for so long that talking about Starfire and Robin¡¯s tiff was very difficult for her.


    That doesn¡¯t stop her from soldiering on through, however.


    ¡°¡­ Robin is not a bad person.¡±


    Lucien inclines his head in acknowledgment of that fact.


    ¡°Never said he was. He doesn¡¯t seem like a bad guy necessarily. Bit self-sacrificing, bit uptight. Used to getting his way. But he¡¯s a hero. All of you Titans are. I aspire to be like you all, to be as beloved by people who I¡¯ve saved with my own two hands as you all are beloved by Jump City.¡±


    Amusingly, that gets to Raven more than most things, causing her grey cheeks to color a little bit. Clearly gratitude is a weakness of hers and she doesn¡¯t know what to think about all of the grateful people who truly love the Titans for their heroic efforts.


    ¡°Still, that doesn¡¯t mean I have to standby while he¡¯s making a jackass of himself. Nor does it mean I have to abandon Starfire just because he has some pry ephemeral claim or something. She needed someone and I was there for her. Now we¡¯re¡­ well, I don¡¯t know what we are in truth. We¡¯re having fun together though. She¡¯s happy, I know that for a fact now because I just had an empath confirm it. And that¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    Raven huffs at having her confirmation thrown back in her face like that. Then, she frowns.


    ¡°Is it all that matters? She¡¯s happy, yes¡­ but is it the right kind of happiness? Her and her sister¡­ Starfire has never hated Blackfire. Even throughout all of these attempts on her life, on our lives. I¡¯ve felt what Starfire feels for her sister and it¡¯s never been hatred. Pity. Despair. Longing. But never hatred. Now though¡­ she¡¯s taking advantage of Blackfire¡¯s amnesia and I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s healthy for either of them.¡±


    Lucien has to blink at that as he parses Raven¡¯s concerns. He would have thought she would be more worried about Blackfire taking advantage of Starfire but¡­ no? Then again, Raven was the empath in this situation. So clearly she saw different things then Lucien did when looking at Starfire and Blackfire. But¡­ with her pointing it out like this, he could actually kind of see where she was coming from.


    Amnesiac Blackfire still didn¡¯t know what had happened between her and Starfire, nor between her and their people. She didn¡¯t know she¡¯d tried to kill Starfire during training, she didn¡¯t know she¡¯d been disowned and exiled for it, and she didn¡¯t know she¡¯d come back with a vengeance at the head of an invading army to conquer her own people and enslave her own sister.


    Starfire was keeping all of that from her at the moment and under normal circumstances Raven might have been okay with it¡­ but due to her empathy, the half-demon could likely feel what had been happening between them. Especially what had happened when they¡¯d gotten back and all three of them had gotten into the shower together.


    This was a delicate situation to say the least. Raven had a point, but she looked¡­ disconcerted. Like she didn¡¯t want to have to press said point. That made perfect sense all things considered. Raven was Starfire¡¯s friend and Blackfire¡¯s enemy. She didn¡¯t want to have to go up against Starfire to defend an Amnesiac Blackfire at the end of the day.


    ¡°¡­ What even is healthy, really?¡±


    Raven tilts her head to the side at his sudden query.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lucien just shrugs.


    ¡°What is healthy? You¡¯re worried that Starfire is taking advantage of Blackfire and I sort of see your point but I¡¯ll tell you right now that the last thing Starfire wants to do is lord Blackfire¡¯s amnesia over her and be on top. In fact, Starfire very much prefers to cede control to her sister¡­ to try and make amends for their past. I think she knows Blackfire¡¯s amnesia might not last forever and she hopes that the work she does now might be enough to sway Blackfire once her memories fully return.¡±


    Raven¡¯s face grows a little redder at that.


    ¡°I¡­ I see. Yes, I had noticed that the emotions were¡­ w-well, I could feel Starfire¡¯s happiness had a tinge of¡­ submission to it. But I assumed that she was only¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    Lucien grins, actually quite enjoying just how out of her depth Raven is. She¡¯s kind of adorable like this. More than that though, he understands exactly what she¡¯s trying to get at.


    ¡°I¡¯m a blind spot for you, aren¡¯t I? So you thought Starfire was only feeling submissive to me¡­ because you¡¯ve felt that before in the Tower when we¡¯ve been together.¡±


    Raven scowls as he just spells it all out like that, but after a moment she nevertheless nods in confirmation. Lucien just chuckles at that.


    ¡°Well having spent the day with both of them, I¡¯ll tell you this much¡­ it¡¯s Blackfire who¡¯s taking advantage of Starfire right now. But Starfire wants it that way. And so long as Starfire is happy, I¡¯m happy.¡±


    Raven doesn¡¯t look so sure about that. Lucien can fully understand why. It¡¯s still an incredibly fucky situation and even having been the one to engineer it, he can look at it and recognize how ridiculous this all has gotten. He doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s necessarily out of hand yet or he¡¯d already have pulled the plug. Still¡­ sensing an opportunity, he takes a step forward and thrusts out his hand. Raven startles, tensing up like she thinks he¡¯s about to attack her, before relaxing when she realizes it¡¯s just an offer.


    ¡°Tell you what. Let¡¯s make a deal, right here and right now. You keep me apprised on how Starfire is feeling about all of this, and maybe about how Blackfire is feeling as well. And I promise to take everything you have to say into consideration. If Starfire is putting on a brave face and starting to feel differently then she is right now, I want to know about it immediately. If Blackfire is getting her memories back and plotting something, I want to know that too. Sound good?¡±


    Raven looks from his face to his hand and back again, biting her lower lip for a moment as she studies him for deceit. He¡¯s putting on his best earnest expression though, and in the end she stands no chance. Still, she hesitates.


    ¡°¡­ What about Robin? What about your father being Lex Luthor?¡±


    Having already been anticipating that question, Lucien just grins and shakes his head.


    ¡°Starfire already knows who I am. I told her the truth about my father. So if you have to tell Robin and the rest of the team, so be it. This and that are two completely separate things. No matter what, I will work with you to safeguard Starfire¡¯s happiness, even if you tell Robin exactly who I am. Alright?¡±


    Raven hesitates for a moment longer¡­ but he knows he has her this time. He can tell that separating his parentage from Starfire¡¯s happiness has appealed to her greatly. A bit of self-sacrificing that Raven can relate to given her own parentage. Finally, nodding sharply, she steps forward and takes his hand in her own, giving it a firm shake.


    In that moment, Lucien has her in his power though she doesn¡¯t know it. While the heroine does wear gloves¡­ they¡¯re fingerless. Meaning her grey skin is touching his pink skin right now and his power is active. Meaning¡­ he¡¯s got everything she has, everything she is. Of course, he doesn¡¯t actually do anything to Raven like this. He makes zero changes to the half-demon heroine as they shake once and then let go of each other¡¯s hands.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that promise, Lucien Luthor. And¡­ so long as you don¡¯t hurt Starfire, I can keep your parentage a secret.¡±


    Lucien grins crookedly at that, noticing but not pointing out the hypocrisy inherent in Raven making her silence inherent on Starfire¡¯s happiness just after she¡¯d been happy that he¡¯d separated Starfire¡¯s happiness from his secrets. But whatever, it mattered little.


    ¡°Trust me when I say that hurting Starfire is the last thing I want to do.¡±


    He means it too. He wouldn¡¯t have convinced Blackfire to go along with this crazy amnesia scheme if he wanted to hurt Starfire. Everything he was currently doing was centered on trying to give everyone involved in this torrid affair a happy ending. Well, except for Robin. But he would move on, right? Lucien was sure he¡¯d heard about Nightwing having other lovers besides Starfire over the years¡­


    Regardless, Raven just nods in response and then moves to the balcony slider and pulls it open. She gives him one more look before flying out into the night and leaving his apartment behind. Lucien watches her go for a moment and then walks over to close the slider before looking down at his hand with a big, shit-eating grin on his face.


    Raven¡¯s physiology was simply¡­ magnificent. And utterly fascinating. He couldn¡¯t wait to play around with it¡­


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [ ] Start incorporating Raven''s half-demon aspects into his own body right there and then - 17%


    [X] Hold off for the time being until this mess with Starfire and Blackfire is a bit more settled - 83%


    -x-X-x-


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 Chapter 26: Progression

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien doesn''t pull the trigger for the time being~


    -x-X-x-


    It¡¯s tempting. It¡¯s so, so tempting. He has the resources here in his apartment to start messing around with what he just learned from touching Raven practically immediately.


    ¡­ But he knows it¡¯s a bad idea. As gorgeous as Raven¡¯s physiology was, as much as he could spend hours just studying her DNA and how her body functioned¡­ he couldn¡¯t afford to go off half-cocked. Incorporating Raven¡¯s half-demon nature into his own current fucked up biology might have given him natural empath abilities as well as access to whatever parts of her magic she was born with instead of trained in, but it also could potentially open him up to demonic influence.


    What if by making himself like Raven, he wound up somehow making himself at least partially a child of Trigon? What if he gave the Demon Lord some form of influence over him? It was entirely possible that with enough time and research he could avoid such pitfalls¡­ but if he went for it right now and dove right into the deep end, he risked everything.


    No. He needed to be more careful than that. And frankly, he needed to keep himself to one mess at a time. Seeing how he was currently juggling Starfire and Blackfire¡¯s incredibly twisted relationship, it was probably best that Lucien avoid doing anything that would further complicate his life.


    ¡°Mrow.¡±


    Just as he¡¯s making that decision, a pair of paws, already larger than when he first got Spot, plant themselves on his leg. The Snow Leopard Cub looks up at him with seemingly knowing eyes and for a moment Lucien stares back down at his pet¡­ only for Spot to lick his chops and meow again.


    ¡°Mrow.¡±


    Ah, right. The cub isn¡¯t trying to comfort him. He¡¯s asking for more food. Laughing, Lucien shakes his head as he turns back to the refrigerator and pulls out an extra couple pieces of meat.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to become a glutton at this rate, Spot. Still, you¡¯re a growing boy, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Spot responds by rubbing up against him as he heats up the meat in the microwave. The young Snow Leopard even starts to purr, a rumbling noise that fills the otherwise silent apartment. Once Spot is fully grown, that purr is going to be even louder, heh¡­


    ¡°Yeah, I know buddy. Sorry that I have to leave you again after this, but I¡¯ve got a pair of alien princesses that will be quite cross with me if they wake up to find I¡¯m gone. Pretty sure neither Starfire nor Blackfire are quite ready to find out they spent the night sleeping in each other¡¯s arms instead of mine just yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Mrow.¡±


    Spot perks up when Lucien tosses both pieces of meat into the air. Leaping, the Snow Leopard Cub catches them both in his growing jaws, his mouth stuffed as he takes them back under the table. After making sure Spot has access to enough water as well, Lucien heads back out, turning off the spoofer while he¡¯s at it and flying off into the night sky to get back to Titans Tower.


    ¡­ Yeah, as much as he really wanted to mess with what he¡¯d just gotten from Raven right then and there, it would have to wait just a little while longer¡­


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°YOU WILL PRODUCE ALL RECORDS OF MY SISTER¡¯S IMPRISONMENT IMMEDIATELY!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ve already told you¡­ we never had a Tamaranean here! I don¡¯t know what else to say!¡±


    A week later and Lucien as Remedy finds himself watching Starfire hold up a scientist by his lab coat, her eyes glowing with green energy and rage. She snarls as the scientist whimpers, right up until Raven places a hand on Starfire¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Star. He¡¯s telling the truth.¡±


    Scowling, the Tamaranean Princess lets down the scientist, who promptly collapses onto his ass, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. At least there¡¯s no acrid stench to go with it¡­ this scientist in particular seems to be made of tougher stuff than some of his peers.


    This is, after all, the sixth of these hidden, clandestine research facilities that they¡¯ve raided in the past week. And all of them were secreted away in Jump City. It was kind of crazy to think about. If there were half a dozen illegal research labs in Jump City alone, how many of them were there in the entirety of the country? How many in the world?


    ¡­ Then again, given just how many heroes and villains got their powers as the result of experimentation done against their will, Lucien supposed it made a sort of sense. And he¡¯d always been tangentially aware that his father had plenty of secret labs dotted around the place. Hell, Lex Luthor had entire organizations established that he was only ¡®slightly¡¯ connected to in order to have them run the illegal research so that he could keep his ¡®good¡¯ name and his company¡¯s reputation clean.


    Lucien was aware that Cadmus was one of those organizations, but that was pretty much all he was aware of. Still, he would have preferred to avoid raiding any Cadmus Facilities if possible¡­ but alas, here they were. After raiding five labs that had no connections to Lex Luthor (so far as Lucien was aware of anyways) they had finally arrived at the sixth lab¡­ a Cadmus Lab.


    Of course, just like all the other labs, this lab had nothing to do with Blackfire¡¯s supposed kidnapping and subsequent amnesia. Mostly because there was no kidnapping and the amnesia was caused by Lucien himself. That hadn¡¯t stopped them from finding illegal experimentation at every lab they¡¯d raided though, this one included. Like the previous five, what they¡¯d uncovered here in this Cadmus Lab would be handed over to the proper authorities and the research facility would be shut down post-haste.


    Hopefully his father had yet to make any connection between him and his Remedy identity. But he wouldn¡¯t put it past Lex Luthor to eventually figure it out in spite of all of Lucien¡¯s precautions. Either way¡­ best to focus on the present.


    Starfire looks over to Blackfire, the green glow dimming as she watches her amnesiac older sister look around with a scowl on her face.


    ¡°Sister? Does any of this seem familiar to you, perhaps?¡±


    Huffing, Blackfire crosses her arms over her chest.


    ¡°As much as the other facilities did¡­¡±


    Which was entirely fair, seeing as she¡¯d never actually been in any of them¡­ and yet, they would all seem slightly familiar to her. That was because Lucien had taken from his own memories when forging Blackfire¡¯s amnesiac state. For much of his early life, and later on every birthday, Lucien found himself in facilities just like this one. Sterile metal tables, lab equipment of indiscriminate usage, cold, lifeless walls.


    If you¡¯ve seen one illegal, hidden research lab, you¡¯ve seen them all. As such, it was no wonder that all six of the facilities that they¡¯d raided with Blackfire at their side had proven to be both familiar and not to her. Of course, all six had also been relatively undamaged before they¡¯d gotten there¡­ and none had records of her being held within them.


    Lucien couldn¡¯t help wondering how that was going to ultimately be reconciled. He could have perhaps planted some things, but that would have made it easier to see through the deception, he felt. In the end, the complete absence of evidence seemed like a better idea than faking evidence that could then be debunked, disproven¡­ or worst of all, traced back to Lucien himself.


    As if to confirm this thought, Robin suddenly walks up from where he and the rest of the Titans were finishing securing the facility. There¡¯s a scowl on the Titan Team Leader¡¯s face¡­ but it¡¯s not directed at any of them as he crosses his arms over his chest and huffs.


    ¡°At this point, it¡¯s likely that we¡¯ve either already hit the facility were Blackfire was kept¡­ or it was decommissioned after her escape and collapsed before we could find any trace of it.¡±


    Oh? Lucien can¡¯t help but be curious.


    ¡°If we¡¯d already found the place where Starfire¡¯s sister was confined, wouldn¡¯t we know it?¡±


    Robin¡¯s glare makes it clear he hasn¡¯t completely gotten over Lucien, or rather Remedy¡¯s presence just yet. Though at least the hero¡¯s efforts to find out who the fuck Remedy really is have yet to bear fruit. Surprising as that might be. He probably hasn¡¯t asked for help from his mentor just yet, perhaps out of a sense of professional pride. Because if Batman had been on the case, Lucien has no doubt that his true identity would have been unveiled by now.


    Regardless, while Robin clearly doesn¡¯t like him, he DOES answer his question.


    ¡°These types of private black sites have practically unlimited funding. Fixing up the rampage of an escaped experiment would take days, possibly hours depending on just what sort of resources they had access to. Moving all information about that escaped experiment off-site and wiping the data from the lab in question is just common practices from there.¡±


    Robin then shakes his head.


    ¡°But even then, there would still be traces. More likely, Blackfire was held at none of these six facilities. Instead, the lab where she was experimented on was likely completely destroyed after her escape. We¡¯ll have to start looking into gas leak explosions and any seemingly natural sink holes from the last week to try and find out for sure I suppose¡­¡±


    Lucien is grateful for the self-control that his powers give him, because in that moment he can¡¯t help but be both amazed and amused that Robin of all people has reasoned out a proper explanation for what happened to Blackfire. Yes, the facility must be gone. That would explain it. And fuck¡­ if they managed to find six operational illegal laboratories in Jump City alone in under a week, how many defunct and buried research facilities might be out there? Dozens? Hundreds?


    Starfire turns to Blackfire at Robin¡¯s words and Lucien pulls himself back into the present, watching the interaction between the sisters closely.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we couldn¡¯t find more information, sister. I promise, we won¡¯t stop trying¡­¡±


    Even though Lucien can hear conviction in Starfire¡¯s voice, he also hears a tinge of reluctance. While the alien princess has not hesitated to lead the charge in trying to find answers regarding Blackfire¡¯s condition this past week, she¡¯s also very much enjoyed the fruits of Lucien¡¯s labor. Put simply, Starfire has spent the past week bonding with Blackfire in a manner that was most definitely not platonic¡­ but nevertheless filled with love.


    With Blackfire suffering from amnesia, Starfire had been able to worm her way into her older sister¡¯s good graces by not just submitting to Blackfire¡¯s every whim and sharing her lover with the other Tamaranean, but also lambasting their people and parents every chance she got for the treatment Blackfire had experienced all her life through no fault of her own.


    Huffing at her younger sister¡¯s words, Blackfire just shrugs.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know you¡¯re doing your best. And besides¡­ my memories might return on their own still, yes?¡±


    Fortunately, Blackfire looks to Raven for an answer to that question and thus misses the stricken expression that spreads across Starfire¡¯s face. The very thought of Blackfire¡¯s memories returning clearly terrifies Starfire. She doesn¡¯t want to go back to being at odds with her older sister, not after the week they¡¯ve spent together.


    Lucien doesn¡¯t think Blackfire would necessarily revert to old form immediately after he returned her memories, but then to be fair he has additional information that Starfire isn¡¯t privy to. Still, he¡¯s also decided not to return Blackfire¡¯s memories immediately. A few more days at least, maybe another week¡­ he wants this time period to really settle in to the Amnesiac Tamaranean¡¯s mind beforehand. Just a little while longer.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Raven¡¯s blunt, monotone answer makes Blackfire¡¯s eyes narrow and her lips curl into a frown. With a shrug, the half-demon continues on.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a doctor. And even among medical professionals, amnesia is not fully understood. Your memories might come back tomorrow, or they might not come back at all. You might start to remember things slowly over time in small bursts, or you might wake up one day and remember everything all at once.¡±


    Blackfire scowls a bit at that but can¡¯t really find fault with Raven¡¯s words. The heroine is right¡­ she¡¯s not a doctor. And even a doctor would have likely said the same thing. Only Lucien knew the truth¡­ only he knew that Blackfire¡¯s memories would only return when HE decided they would return.


    ¡°B-But¡­ even if her lost memories do return, she¡¯ll still remember this time period as well, r-right?¡± S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Starfire¡¯s worried voice fills the air, causing Raven¡¯s gaze to sweep over to her teammate and soften up a fair bit. After a long moment of silence, Raven sighs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Star.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t want to give her friend hope, but she also doesn¡¯t want to hurt her. It¡¯s clear that despite Raven¡¯s intentions, Starfire is as stricken by that new terrible thought as she is by the thought of Blackfire¡¯s memories coming back at all. Blackfire, meanwhile, just growls a bit.


    ¡°No matter. I am still me, no matter what. That has not changed. And even if these raids all turned out to be dead ends¡­ we have still put a stop to the machinations of people who might have had a hand in my imprisonment, yes? Or at the very least, people who are like those who did this to me. That is something to be proud of.¡±


    There¡¯s a pause at that as everyone shares a glance. Because there¡¯s something to be said about Blackfire saying she was still herself in one breath¡­ and then in the next, extolling the virtues of their heroics and claiming they should take pride in the fact that they¡¯d stopped illegal experimentation and likely saved lives with these raids and facility shutdowns.


    Everyone on the Titans knows that the Blackfire they all knew would never have really cared about all of that very much. Oh sure, taking revenge on anyone who did her harm was one thing, but going out of her way to fight against injustice and monstrous acts like the ones they¡¯d uncovered in these facilities was another entirely.


    Of course, out of everybody, Lucien was the only one who wasn¡¯t supposed to have prior experience with Blackfire from before her amnesia. So it makes sense to him to step forward and give Blackfire a smile and a nod.


    ¡°You¡¯re exactly right, Blackfire. We¡¯ve done good here today, and over the past week. We can¡¯t let our disappointment discount that fact.¡±


    Blackfire smirks easily in response and then glances from him to Starfire.


    ¡°Then shall we retire for the day? I am famished¡­ in more ways than one.¡±


    Lucien lets his smile become a little strained, while Starfire blushes profusely. But with no reason to refuse her, they all begin heading out all the same¡­


    -x-X-x-


    The Patreon Vote:


    [X] Stick with Lucien''s POV - 52%[ ] Switch to Starfire''s POV - 19%


    [ ] Switch to Terra''s POV - 29%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 27: Terra

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    More fun times with the alien princesses... but who''s this spying on them?


    -x-X-x-


    WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!


    ¡°Mmmm~¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it, sister. Take your lover¡¯s cock¡­ and keep licking. Good girl¡­¡±


    Blackfire¡¯s voice is thready with arousal and husky with desire while also being tinged with amusement. But then to be fair, the amnesiac alien princess has every reason to be all of those things. Having retired back to Titans Tower with the others, Blackfire had been quick to drag her sister and him off to Starfire¡¯s room, where things had quickly taken a turn for the lurid and depraved.


    She wasn¡¯t exactly being subtle about it at this point and by now Lucien suspected that the entirety of the Titans Team had to know about their three-way relationship. He was surprised that they were seemingly okay with it. Of course, Raven had confronted him about it fairly early on, and Robin was still irritated but seemed to have mellowed out surprisingly fast. But Lucien still hadn¡¯t seen a reaction of any sort from Beast Boy or Terra.


    Maybe they just thought it was none of their business or something. Either way, it didn¡¯t really change anything. Blackfire had taken to wedging herself into his and Starfire¡¯s relationship with a gusto despite her memory loss. With Starfire¡¯s enthusiastic permission, Blackfire had in fact taken charge¡­ as much as Lucien was willing to allow her.


    In the end, it was Starfire who wanted to submit to the both of them. Lucien didn¡¯t have a submissive bone in his body and he¡¯d made sure this amnesiac version of Blackfire learned that just like he¡¯d taught the other version of her. Still, in the end she¡¯d come to accept his place in their dynamic.


    That¡¯s why, right now Starfire is bent over on all fours on the bed. Blackfire is laid out at the head of the bed, sprawled amongst her sister¡¯s pillows with her legs spread wide. Lucien, meanwhile, is on his knees behind Starfire¡­ repeatedly sinking his throbbing member into her incredibly wet, sopping Tamaranean quim over and over again.


    At the same time, Starfire¡¯s head is betwixt Blackfire¡¯s thighs, her hair currently gathered up into a makeshift ponytail and wrapped tightly around one of the older alien¡¯s fists. As she tugs on Starfire¡¯s hair, Blackfire groans, using her other hand to fondle one of her breasts and pinch at the rock hard nipple as she shudders. Watching him fuck Starfire through lidded eyes, Blackfire has a vicious grin of satisfaction on her face, showing that for all she was leaning towards a more heroic bent at the moment¡­ she still had plenty of darkness in her all the same.


    It was just fortunate that she had Starfire to take that darkness out on at the moment. By submitting herself to him and her sister, Starfire effectively gave Blackfire an outlet for her darker desires and thoughts. To be fair, it wasn¡¯t like Blackfire had done any real damage to Starfire. Nothing that wouldn¡¯t heal up within the day, though Lucien often made sure it healed up even faster than that with his powers.


    More than that, Blackfire hadn¡¯t done anything to Starfire that she didn¡¯t have the other alien princess¡¯ express permission for. Lucien wouldn¡¯t have allowed Blackfire to hurt Starfire permanently. He would have stopped things from going too far. Though¡­ that did bring him to his current conundrum.


    With every day that passed, Lucien thought it might be closer to the time when he should give Blackfire her memories back. He was never going to keep them from her forever. That wasn¡¯t an option. He might not be the most moral or upstanding person, but he considered this to be a crime worse than killing. Killing was killing¡­ but irrevocably and permanently messing with someone¡¯s memories? That seemed really fucked up.


    No, he would eventually restore her. That was a promise he¡¯d made, not just to Blackfire, but to himself as well. The problem was¡­ it was all or nothing. If only Lucien could drip feed Blackfire¡¯s memories back to her one little tidbit at a time, maybe it wouldn¡¯t be quite so bad. But his powers didn¡¯t work like that. Or at least, they didn¡¯t work like that YET.


    He supposed if he could get his hands on a telepath who got their powers through their biology, then maybe he could peer into Blackfire¡¯s mind and start picking and choosing what memories to give her back. But as it currently stood, the way he¡¯d taken her memories from her was more of an all-or-nothing block. It had taken experimenting to figure out where to even put the block so that she lost all memories before a certain point. But there was no way to partially remove said block now¡­ if he removed the block, it would all come rushing back at once.


    That was why he needed to fill Blackfire¡¯s mind with as many good experiences with her sister as possible while she was still an amnesiac. With drip feeding not an option, all Lucien could really do was prepare the battlefield so to speak. It was as though he was a General on one side of a war¡­ and he had semi-perfect information about what the other side was bringing to bear. He needed to not only match Blackfire¡¯s poor experiences with Starfire with better experiences now, but he also needed to fully overwhelm those bad memories.


    Part of him wondered if it was even possible. But he had to hope it could be. After all, Blackfire had agreed to this plan in the first place. She¡¯d willingly consented to allowing him to mess with and block her memories so she could infiltrate the Titans. He¡¯s not sure how fast she expected it all to work out. He¡¯s not sure when she expected to be restored. But a week might already be pushing things. Two weeks might be the limit. Which meant he was on a clock and needed to-


    ¡°Mm¡­ it seems we¡¯re being watched¡­¡±


    Wait, what? Lucien pauses for a moment, having been somewhat on autopilot there for a little bit. He hadn¡¯t stopped fucking Starfire in all that time, and she hadn¡¯t stopped eating out Blackfire¡­ but he HAD held back his release, making Starfire¡¯s cunt even messier as she came for him again and again past the point where he would normally have finished so they could move on to another round.


    Neither Blackfire nor Starfire seem to mind this prolonged spit-roasting however, but Blackfire¡¯s words do bring things to a jarring stop. The alien woman¡¯s lidded eyes have slid past Lucien to the door of Starfire¡¯s room, and he twists around to see what she¡¯s talking about¡­ only to see a wide blue eye peeking through a crack in the doorway, frozen in place at being called out.


    ¡°Well? Come in already!¡±


    Lucien shoots a surprised glance in Blackfire¡¯s direction, not quite expecting such¡­ generosity. But then, the alien is clearly in a rather relaxed mood at the moment¡­ no doubt because of Starfire¡¯s enthusiastic tongue working away at her sex and clit. Of course, right now Blackfire¡¯s sister is frozen in place, even as the door opens to reveal Terra was the one spying on them.


    He wonders how long that had been going on and how he hadn¡¯t noticed her before, but to be fair, enhanced senses didn¡¯t always mean much when you were distracted by what was going on in front of you. Too distracted to pay much mind to what was going on elsewhere. Especially when the distraction was two gorgeous, moaning women with killer bodies and libidos that just wouldn¡¯t quit.


    Still, if Lucien is embarrassed over not noticing Terra¡¯s presence¡­ it¡¯s nothing compared to Terra¡¯s embarrassment. The blue-eyed blonde heroine is blushing up a storm as she fidgets in the doorway, looking at the lewd scene on the bed with wide eyes. Until finally, Blackfire scoffs.


    ¡°I said come in, didn¡¯t I? And close the door behind you, you¡¯re letting in a draft!¡±


    She wasn¡¯t actually, but Blackfire was clearly going for a certain attitude right now. She saw weakness in Terra¡¯s reaction to being caught and was pouncing on it. Even as an amnesiac, Blackfire had been trained all her life to take advantage of openings wherever she saw them. This though¡­ what exactly was the alien woman planning?


    As Terra closes the door with a squeak and then creeps closer at Blackfire¡¯s urging, Lucien slowly slides out of Starfire at long last, leaving his slick, wet, glistening cock bobbing up and down fully erect as he eyes the blonde up and down. He¡¯d wanted to get ahold of Terra¡¯s geokinesis for a while now¡­ and in fact, she was the last member of the Titans he hadn¡¯t grabbed the blueprint of at this point. Well no, he hadn¡¯t made skin contact with Robin either¡­ but seeing as Robin was an unpowered baseline human, Lucien wasn¡¯t exactly prioritizing him.


    That said¡­


    ¡°Friend Terra? Why were you watching us have sex?¡±


    Straight from the mouth of babes. Starfire has lifted her head from between Blackfire¡¯s thighs with the latter¡¯s tacit permission and twisted around to blink somewhat lazily at Terra. The effect of her words is apparent though, as Terra goes even redder than she already was, her mouth dropping open but no words coming out. It¡¯s clear the geokinetic doesn¡¯t know what to say. Fortunately, Blackfire does.


    Smirking casually, the alien princess lounges back upon her sister¡¯s pillows as though they¡¯re her throne.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious, Koriandr? The human girl is drawn to our bodies. Or perhaps¡­ his body.¡±


    Blackfire¡¯s amusement is tinged with irritation, even as she looks to Lucien. Terra squeaks and jolts at being called out and only then does Lucien realize she¡¯s been sneaking glances at his cock. Oh sure, he noticed her looking¡­ but now he notices that she¡¯s NOT paying nearly as much attention to Blackfire or Starfire¡¯s equally naked, beautiful bodies. Starfire is giving Terra a spectacular view of her ass and thighs right now after all, as well as her arched back. Blackfire, meanwhile, is giving an equally gorgeous view of her entire front, from her full breasts to her chiseled abs, to her glistening wet cunt.


    And yet¡­ Terra only has eyes for him. She bites her lower lip at being called out by Blackfire, before finally ducking her head and sheepishly nodding.


    ¡°¡­ I like boys¡­¡±


    That provokes a scoff from Blackfire.


    ¡°No, my dear¡­ you like men.¡±


    Even as Terra blushes harder at that correction, Starfire twists around fully, looking a little put out and even pouting at Terra for her tastes.


    ¡°But Friend Terra! Why would you limit yourself so?! There is much pleasure to be gained from taking both male and female lovers!¡±


    Terra squirms, looking increasingly uncomfortable. Wow, she must actually be completely straight. She was fine when she was watching him fuck Starfire from behind, he supposed, but now that it¡¯s just the three of them naked watching her, she¡¯s not nearly as fine. Lucien sighs, deciding it¡¯s far past time for him to step in.


    ¡°We all have our preferences, Kori. There¡¯s no shame in that, and no call for trying to inject shame into it either, alright?¡±


    Starfire pouts but finally nods. Blackfire just hums consideringly. Terra, meanwhile, looks a little struck by his defense of her. Finally though, she speaks.


    ¡°T-Tara¡­¡±


    Noting the difference in pronunciation, Lucien just raises an eyebrow at the blonde heroine, prompting her to scratch at her arm for a second.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s Tara¡­ Tara Markov. Sorry, figured it was appropriate since¡­ well, I¡¯ve seen your face.¡±


    Ah, yeah. There was that, wasn¡¯t there? Sheesh, at this point Robin was going to wind up being the last one to find out who Lucien was, wasn¡¯t he? Though, he didn¡¯t see any reason to tell Tara who his father was. The young heroine clearly didn¡¯t recognize him just by seeing his face at least so¡­


    ¡°Lucien. Pleasure to properly meet you, Tara.¡±


    She smiles and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear at that, ducking her head at that.


    ¡°Y-You too¡­¡±


    Of course, there¡¯s still the elephant in the room. The topic that they need to find a way to broach with some level of tact.


    ¡°You want to fuck Lucien, but he¡¯s currently in a relationship with my sister.¡±


    ¡­ Or they could broach it that way. Lucien wishes he could say he was surprised, but this WAS Blackfire they were talking about. Tara, for her part, blanches as Blackfire lays it all out right then and there. She squirms briefly under their gazes before finally finding her courage.


    ¡°W-Well¡­ I-I just figured¡­ since she was already sharing him with you¡­¡±


    Blackfire scoffs at that.


    ¡°Yes, key word being ¡®with¡¯ me, human. Starfire and I share him between us. You wish for my sister to gift you her lover like a present, or like a sex toy to be swapped between the two of you.¡±


    Well shit. As blunt as Blackfire is being, she¡¯s also hitting the nail right on the head. This relationship he has with Starfire and Blackfire is undeniably messy, especially since he only started dating Starfire because Blackfire wanted revenge. But it IS a relationship all the same, and Tara isn¡¯t involved in it. The blonde heroine could be¡­ but there¡¯s a distinct difference between asking Starfire if she can join in, and asking Starfire if she can borrow Lucien like some sort of¡­ well, Blackfire put it best. Like a dildo passed between girls.


    ¡°I do not mind!¡±


    Wait, what?


    Starfire blushes crimson when both Lucien and Blackfire shoot her incredulous looks. Biting her lower lip, she nevertheless powers through.


    ¡°I would not want to be selfish! And¡­ it¡¯s like Lucien said, is it not? We all have our preferences. If Friend Terra wishes to lay with Lucien, who am I to get in the way of their happiness?¡±


    Everyone, Tara included, stares blankly at Starfire for that particular statement. To the point where Starfire finally seems to realize how she sounds¡­


    ¡°A-Ah! I mean¡­ s-so long as you are okay with it¡­ Mistress¡­¡±


    Or not. Starfire¡¯s second guessing of herself is apparently purely because she realizes Blackfire might have a claim to Lucien at this point too. Ducking her head in shame, she averts her gaze from her sister, even as Blackfire flushes a little at finding herself the center of attention. After a moment, she huffs and crosses her arms over her chest, looking to the side.


    ¡°What should I care? If your lover wants to stick his dick in the human girl, who am I to deny him? He¡¯s not MY lover after all. I¡¯m just¡­ sharing him with you. Because you needed the help. So¡­ whatever.¡±


    That was incredibly unconvincing. And yet, suddenly Lucien finds himself the center of attention¡­ and realizes Starfire and Terra were taking Blackfire¡¯s words incredibly seriously. Now the ball was suddenly in his court. They were making HIM the bad guy here. Ugh, how did he end up in situations like this?!


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [ ] Reject Terra to keep Blackfire and Starfire (mostly Blackfire) happy - 14%[X] Try to strike a middle ground by seeing if Terra might be willing to ''join'' them after all - 77%


    [ ] Take Starfire up on her whoring him out to Terra, have a one-on-one session with the blonde - 9%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!


    S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 28: Tara Markov

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Tara joins in on the fun after all, but the surprise is WHO winds up getting her involved...


    -x-X-x-


    Lucien finds himself in quite a moral quandary. On the one hand, he already defended Tara¡¯s preferences to Blackfire and Starfire, making it abundantly clear that he would not let them bully the human girl into doing anything she didn¡¯t want to do or wasn¡¯t sexually aroused by.


    On the other hand, he really wanted Tara¡¯s biology at some point. Sure, he could definitely just find a reason to touch her in a more platonic matter later, especially if he kept hanging out and fighting alongside the Titans, since she would inevitably get injured at some point. But he had an opportunity right here and right now¡­ and he wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d really go for him saying ¡®sorry, can¡¯t fuck you, but here¡¯s a handshake and let¡¯s be friends¡¯. That felt like it would be more than just a little suspicious.


    On the third, eldritch hand that he COULD have made burst out of his chest with his powers if he wanted to¡­ Lucien didn¡¯t want to piss off Blackfire either. Maybe nobody else in the room knew this, but he¡¯d been in some sort of weird partnership with Blackfire long before meeting Starfire or Terra. So sure, Starfire might actually legitimately want to let him fuck her teammate, and the Amnesiac Blackfire might be willing to go along with it because she didn¡¯t think she had much of a claim to him¡­ but that wasn¡¯t entirely true and Lucien had to take all of this into account.


    In the end, he lets out a soft sigh and shakes his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Tara, but I don¡¯t think I can give you what you want. Not and stay true to Starfire and Blackfire. Unless you can see yourself sharing me with them, I just don¡¯t think I can leave their side to be with you, even with their permission. It¡­ doesn¡¯t feel right.¡±


    Starfire flushes at that, looking towards her sister and likely finally realizing that Blackfire wasn¡¯t onboard with all of this as she¡¯d initially assumed. Blackfire also flushes and then scowls at him, opening her mouth to say something¡­ but before she can, Tara pipes up.


    ¡°I¡­ I u-understand. I shouldn¡¯t have¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have asked. I-I shouldn¡¯t have even watched. I¡¯m sorry for spying on all of you like that. I-!¡±


    The young blonde geokinetic looks ready to bolt when suddenly Blackfire growls from over on the bed.


    ¡°Ugh! This is ridiculous!¡±


    Pushing up off of her lounging position finally, using a bit of her flight to do so, Blackfire floats up off the bed and touches down on the floor. Her hands are on her hips as she stands there fully nude, with Terra flushing and averting her gaze.


    ¡°You had no problem spying on us while we fucked, did you human?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­ n-no?¡±


    ¡°You enjoyed watching Lucien fuck us, didn¡¯t you? You probably fantasized about being in our place, yes?¡±


    ¡°¡­ yes.¡±


    ¡°Then you should have no problem with us being in the room while he fucks you.¡±


    Tara pauses, not looking¡­ immediately disgusted by the idea.


    ¡°Likewise, you should have no issue with us helping to pleasure Lucien while you do the same.¡±


    That though, gets a wrinkled nose from the blonde. But Blackfire just bulldozes right past that expression.


    ¡°There are plenty of ways for two or even three women to share a man without actually touching or pleasuring each other, human. What it really comes down to is just how badly you want to fuck Lucien. Are you willing to let us watch? Are you willing to let us fuck him too? I can even promise that neither my sister nor I will ever so much as touch you if it makes you feel better.¡±


    Wow. Where was all this coming from? It takes Lucien a second to realize¡­ it¡¯s because of him. Just like he was smart enough to realize Blackfire wasn¡¯t happy about the thought of him going off and fucking another woman even with Starfire¡¯s permission, it seems Blackfire was smart enough to realize that the only reason he had chosen not to do so was because of her.


    So now here she was, trying to find a way to make everything work¡­ not for herself, but for him. Well now, that was certainly something wasn¡¯t it?


    In the time it takes Lucien to figure that out, Tara is quiet. But finally, she slowly nods.


    ¡°I¡­ o-okay. I could try that¡­¡±


    Blackfire smirks.


    ¡°Perfect. Then strip.¡±


    Tara flinches at that, flushing for a moment. In response, Blackfire scowls and takes a step back, gesturing to Lucien.


    ¡°Lucien, tell the little human trollop to strip already!¡±


    Moving over to the bed, Blackfire grabs her sister by the hair and pulls Starfire in close. She whispers instructions to her, instructions that Lucien can¡¯t help overhearing. But it¡¯s nothing too bad, so he stays quiet about it as he looks at Terra of the Titans, his cock twitching in anticipation.


    ¡°Tara Markov. Strip for me.¡±


    That seems to do the trick for her, because the blonde steadily begins taking off her clothes. She tries to make it a strip tease, not quite dancing but definitely attempting to accentuate her body as she exposes herself to him. And to be fair, it¡¯s not a half bad body at all. She¡¯s cute in a tomboy sort of way. Not as voluptuous as Starfire or Blackfire, and she doesn¡¯t even have a hefty ass like Raven, but she¡¯s got some curves and a lean, lithe build that Lucien can appreciate all the same.


    He''s not even sure he has a type, truth be told. Unless one counted Death, that is. In comparison to her, everyone else was just a little bit lacking, weren¡¯t they? But that wasn¡¯t their fault. And Lucien certainly didn¡¯t hold it against them.


    Once Tara is completely naked, she bites her lower lip, covering herself with her hands in a self-conscious fashion despite the slightly awkward strip tease she¡¯d been engaging in mere moments ago.


    Coming up behind him, Blackfire hugs him from behind and brings her lips to his ear.


    ¡°Have her crawl to you.¡±


    ¡°On your hands and knees, Tara. Crawl over here. You¡¯ve been a bad girl after all¡­ it¡¯s time you make up for that.¡±


    Tara¡¯s blush intensifies magnificently at his words and she flinches hard, but she nods nonetheless. Spying on them? Peeping like that? He¡¯s not wrong. She HAS been a bad girl and she has a lot to make up for. Dropping down to her hands and knees, she crawls over to him¡­ only pausing briefly when Starfire starts to do the same. Both Titans are on all fours as they crawl towards him, with Starfire crawling down off the bed in the process.


    They reach him at around the same time, though the Tamaranean beauty is first. She takes up position kneeling on one side of his cock and Tara, following her lead, kneels on the other side of his cock. The blonde human is still definitely more interested in Lucien than she is in Starfire to be fair, looking up at him in between glancing at his throbbing erection and pulsing balls.


    Of course, when Kori leans forward and starts to submissively and dutifully lick up and down her side of his cock, Tara all but leaps to do the same. It¡¯s just as Blackfire had said. A threesome can be all about the guy, with the two girls not interacting in any way. Lucien isn¡¯t very used to that of course, mostly because his only threesomes have been with Starfire and Blackfire at this point¡­ but it¡¯s working.


    The only thing is, Starfire is having to clasp her hands behind her back in the process, likely afraid that she¡¯ll get handsy with Terra if she doesn¡¯t. In turn, Terra just has her hands on her lap, the blonde biokinetic paying Starfire absolutely no mind as she licks up and down his cock. Well, not NO mind. There¡¯s a competitiveness to how the blonde Titan is acting, Lucien quickly notes. Like she wants to beat Starfire, like she wants to impress him or something.


    ¡°Adorable.¡±


    Blackfire¡¯s voice in his ear almost makes him jolt. He hadn¡¯t necessarily forgotten she was there of course. Kind of hard to with her tits pressed into his back and her hands running up and down his chest. But he¡¯d definitely focused more on Starfire and Terra for a moment.


    ¡°Put her in her place, Lucien. Take her over to the bed and rail her silly. Make her your bitch. We can introduce her to the concept of pleasuring her female betters at a later date~¡±


    All of this is said too quietly for Terra to hear, of course. At the same time, as much as Blackfire¡¯s promises make him throb even harder, he won¡¯t let her force the issue. But they can burn that bridge when they come to it. For now¡­ he¡¯s so fucking hard and ready to go that taking the alien princess¡¯ advice sounds like a great idea.


    Reaching out, he places his hands atop the heads of the two Titans currently licking, kissing, and lapping at his cock and stops them in their tracks.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to fuck Tara now. Tara¡­ get on the bed.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­ yes sir¡­¡±


    So submissive already. Was that because she really felt guilty over how naughty she¡¯d been? Or was she just convinced that it was the kind of thing he liked? Well, she wasn¡¯t wrong. Lucien¡¯s cock twitches as the blonde human disengages and crawls over to the bed, getting up onto it on all fours. Her tomboy physique doesn¡¯t really lend itself to being in that position though, he notes. Her back can¡¯t quite arch the proper way, unfortunately.


    But that¡¯s okay. When he reaches the bed after her, Lucien wastes no time in flipping Tara over onto her back, causing the blonde to squeak in surprise. He pushes her legs up and to the sides as he moves between her thighs, his cock slapping down on her juicy wet cunt. She clearly looks surprised to be facing him for this. And embarrassed.


    Lucien doesn¡¯t give her time to dwell on it though. Even as he hears Blackfire fingering and murmuring to Starfire behind him, fondling the other young woman and playing with her body, Lucien thrusts forward into Tara, taking her virginity. Tara Markov cries out as her hymen is torn, feeling some small amount of pain for a moment. He makes sure it¡¯s drowned out by pleasure though with his powers, tweaking the right bits of her biology just as he¡¯d done with both Blackfire and Starfire once upon a time to make it feel oh so good. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then¡­ he starts to fuck her. Admittedly, his cheating might have exactly the effect that Blackfire is hoping for, Lucien realizes. If he makes sex with him TOO good for Tara, she might find herself associating her pleasure with the presence of the two Tamaranean Women as well. She also might find herself so desperate for his cock that she¡¯d be willing to¡­ try new things.


    He wasn¡¯t going to make her bisexual or anything like that though just to make things smoother. Either she was wired that way or she wasn¡¯t. Fucking with Blackfire¡¯s mind, blocking so many of her memories¡­ that was something Lucien had ONLY done with consent. Unless the situation was life or death, he didn¡¯t think he could bring himself to use that aspect of his powers¡­ especially not on something like this. That felt like something his father might do. And Lucien Luthor was not his father.


    With that in mind, he makes Tara cum and cum for him. He fucks her silly, enjoying the way her lithe, toned figure ripples and shudders beneath him. Her chest isn¡¯t big enough to bounce that much even with how hard he¡¯s fucking her, but it still jiggles slightly and the rest of her is bouncing more than enough to satisfy his base impulses. On top of that, her nipples are soon rock hard, standing out and protruding from her small breasts as she moans up a storm, sweating profusely in the process.


    As Tara¡¯s eyes roll up in her head and her tongue lolls out of her mouth from the pleasure, both Blackfire and Starfire climb onto the bed as well. True to Blackfire¡¯s word, neither of them moves towards Tara or touches the blonde Titan in any way. Instead, they rub themselves against his body, egging him on each in their own way, moaning into his ears as they tell him to fuck Tara all the more soundly.


    Lucien had no intentions of letting up anyways. He¡¯s going to fuck Tara Markov. But he won¡¯t stop there either. Koriandr and Komandr are both next. They¡¯re all going to fucking get it and get it good before he¡¯s through. That¡¯s a promise.


    -x-X-x-


    Hours later, Lucien lays back on the bed having made good on his promise. Not that anyone even knew he¡¯d made said promise since he¡¯d only really made it to himself. Still, he¡¯s done it. He¡¯s fucked not just Tara, but also Kori and her sister into stupors. He¡¯s plowed all three of them until they couldn¡¯t think straight and railed them all into unconsciousness.


    Alas, if only sleep would come so easily for him. Well, technically he could make himself fall asleep at any point he wanted to. He just didn¡¯t want to. Instead, what he really wanted to do¡­ was mess with his own biology.


    He might have held off after getting Raven¡¯s demon DNA, but acquiring access to Terra had left him feeling like he was burning a hole in his pocket with all of these options. He still hadn¡¯t even used Beast Boy¡¯s biology to enhance himself yet! Having gained a blueprint to Terra¡¯s geokinesis the moment that her tongue first touched his cock, Lucien finds himself at a crossroads.


    Should he stick to his guns and avoid too many changes before finishing with Starfire and Blackfire? Should he start messing around and experimenting? Was it worth trying to get in touch with Death to ask for her advice? He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever actually managed to consciously talk to her yet. It had all been involuntary so far. But it had also been a while since Lucien had heard from her, so maybe it was about that time?


    The only problem was, he knew he wasn¡¯t ready yet. He wanted to make Death cum, but as he currently was without any of the upgrades from the Titans, he was confident he would fail.


    He could use his powers to put himself to sleep while focusing oh so very hard on Death of the Endless¡­ or he could start incorporating some of his new gains right here and right now to make himself stronger before doing so.


    ¡­ Hmm, tough call.


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [X] Experiment with augmenting himself and then try to contact Death - 54%


    [ ] Try to contact Death for advice on how to best augment himself - 46%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 29: All Out

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien goes balls to the wall.


    -x-X-x-


    At the end of the day, he wasn¡¯t ready. As he was right now, Lucien knew that he couldn¡¯t hope to rock Death¡¯s world the way he wanted to. But¡­ if he could incorporate all of his gains from the Titans first and then go meet with her, maybe he would have an opportunity. Maybe he would have a chance.


    Lucien¡¯s mind is made up and with that he goes to work. Even with three sleeping women cuddling with him, he goes to work. It¡¯s not like he needs to be able to move to use his powers after all. He doesn¡¯t need to shift a single inch in order to change his body, so Kori, Komandr, and Tara will all be none the wiser to what he¡¯s up to.


    Closing his eyes, he focuses his attention inwards. First up, Beast Boy. He¡¯d had the green-skinned shapeshifter¡¯s DNA for the longest at this point and had already looked it over a handful of times since he and Blackfire started this little amnesiac scheme of theirs. But he¡¯d never tried incorporating Beast Boy¡¯s abilities into his own body before now.


    And yet¡­ having done all of his homework beforehand makes the actual incorporation bonehead easy. Though it¡¯s not just that. As he fiddles with Beast Boy¡¯s DNA, making sure to take the good without the bad, it¡¯s almost like whatever is giving Beast Boy his powers¡­ is aware. And more than that, enthusiastic about giving Lucien the same thing that Beast Boy has. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It¡¯s not the sort of excitement that worries him though. It¡¯s more the excitement of a newborn puppy¡­ or like Spot when Lucien is getting ready to throw him another slab of meat. Hm, though in that last analogy Lucien was the meat, wasn¡¯t he? So that wasn¡¯t quite a happy feeling.


    Even still, it all slots in pretty well among the changes he¡¯s already made to himself. And unlike Beast Boy, he¡¯s not limited¡­ nor is he going to look so unusual. Opening his eyes, Lucien looks down and is pleased to see that he avoided Beast Boy¡¯s little green problem. His body is exactly the same as it was before¡­ but he can now shapeshift into any other form he wants to with ease. Not just animals like Beast Boy seems limited to¡­ or perhaps limits himself to.


    Lucien doesn¡¯t know for sure how Beast Boy¡¯s personal version of these powers work, but he knows how they work for him now that he has them. In a silent shift, his skin color goes from a tan beige to red. Then green. Then blue. Then back to beige again. That¡¯s about as much as he can do without actually transforming in a way that might risk one of the girls waking up and seeing what he¡¯s up to¡­ but it¡¯s more than enough to confirm everything is working as intended.


    He can now become anyone or anything he puts his mind to. Although¡­ he¡¯s still limited to his base power. And one might argue that being limited to such a strong base power is no limitation at all, but there are still some issues. For instance, he could transform into a full male Tamaranean now with Beast Boy¡¯s abilities. He would be a proper Tamaranean with all of their powers too thanks to his understanding of Blackfire and Starfire¡¯s genetic makeup.


    However¡­ it would only be temporary. Unearned. Fleeting. More than that, he can¡¯t transform into something he doesn¡¯t already have the genetic makeup for. Beast Boy can become any animal he wants. Lucien can only really become a Snow Leopard, a human, or a Tamaranean at the moment. Of course, he can look like any human he¡¯s ever seen, so that¡¯s pretty cool.


    Still, he would not be able to become Superman for instance. He could fake it by looking at Superman with a Tamaranean set of powers, but he wouldn¡¯t be a true Kryptonian. He wouldn¡¯t be nearly as strong or fast as durable. Pretending to be Superman in the wrong circumstances would likely get him killed, because Superman¡¯s enemies never pulled their punches. They didn¡¯t need to.


    All of that doom and gloom aside, Lucien was glad he¡¯d started with Beast Boy. Now that he had inherent shapeshifting, it actually synergized quite well with his biological manipulation. In fact, while he couldn¡¯t rely purely on the shapeshifting for any permanent changes he wanted to make to his physiology, it took care of a lot of the heavy lifting even as he turned his attention towards incorporating Tara¡¯s geokinesis into his powerset next.


    Why go out of order and do that and not Raven¡¯s demon biology next? Simple, Lucien was still a little nervous if he was being honest. But by the time he¡¯s done making himself geokinetic, he¡¯s not so worried anymore. Tara¡¯s powers are¡­ quite good. He doesn¡¯t even have to move a muscle to know they¡¯re online either. He can sense the earth all around them, just like Tara almost certainly can.


    Eyes once again closed, Lucien reaches out with his newest sense. It¡¯s quite amazing, this¡­ seismic sort of sight. He can feel it down to the tiniest pebble and the uses for such a thing are practically limitless. He¡¯s not sure if Tara just doesn¡¯t understand her full potential¡­ or if her full potential is locked away from her.


    After all, Lucien has seen Tara fight more than once since beginning to hang around the Titans. If she had the power he now has at his fingertips, she would never be blindsided. It was like having eyes in the back of one¡¯s head¡­ no, more than that. He knew where everything around him was in a certain radius without any eye sight at all.


    With the success of incorporating first Beast Boy¡¯s and then Terra¡¯s powers, Lucien is riding high as he turns his focus onto Raven¡¯s demon physiology. He¡¯s not an idiot. He¡¯s well aware that there¡¯s danger unlike anything he has faced so far here. He moves through the roadmap he gained of Raven¡¯s DNA with a fine tooth comb, fully expecting booby traps and pitfalls and just¡­ all sorts of nastiness buried within.


    And he finds them too. Even more than Beast Boy, Raven¡¯s powers come with a lot of downsides. But Lucien is able to separate the good from the bad, just as he did with Beast Boy. He wants magic. He wants superpowered empathy. And he wants demon durability added on top of his Tamaranean strength and toughness. He¡¯s seen some of the hits Raven has taken but she¡¯s never needed his healing or he would have had her genetic makeup even earlier. There was no denying it¡­ half-demons were tough cookies.


    He wanted that. And he would have it. Soon enough, he¡¯s confident that he¡¯s separated the good from the bad and taken only the things he wants while scraping away all the booby traps and pitfalls that would otherwise fuck him over. Things like making him more bloodthirsty and eviler, or things like leaving him open to being bound and subjugated by demonologists and warlocks in the world.


    None of that now. None of that bullshit for Lucien Luthor, thank you very fucking much. As he slots in the modified demon physiology, Lucien can¡¯t help the smile that grows across the face. He can feel himself growing more powerful. He¡¯s honestly not quite sure whether it¡¯s additive, multiplicative, or even exponential, but the Tamaranean and Demon physiologies don¡¯t cancel one another out. They most definitely compliment each other, stacking on top of one another to make him even stronger, faster, and tougher than he was before.


    More than that, he could now start learning magic and-


    Curious.


    The smile on Lucien¡¯s face freezes and he barely has time to lock his body down before his back can arch. But while he keeps himself from seizing up and almost certainly waking the girls currently cuddling with him, there¡¯s no stopping his eyes from turning red or a second set of them sprouting on his forehead.


    Very curious.


    Suddenly, Lucien is somewhere else. Or no¡­ he¡¯s probably in his own head. Either that, or his consciousness has been projected elsewhere. There¡¯s no doubt that he¡¯s still back in the room with Kori, Komandr, and Tara. But there¡¯s also no doubt that he¡¯s now standing on a barren rock in the middle of a hellish red landscape¡­ before a massive throne.


    ¡°You are not one of mine. And yet¡­ you are.¡±


    Lucien has to tilt his head back and back to look up at the being addressing him now. He instinctively knows his name. Trigon the Terrible. Trigon the Ravager. Demon Lord. Also Raven¡¯s father.


    Just as quickly as Trigon peers down at him in curiosity¡­ that curiosity vanishes, replaced with irritation and annoyance.


    ¡°Ah, I see now. Begone, thief.¡±


    One of the massive demon¡¯s clawed feet comes up and Lucien¡­ Lucien can¡¯t move in time. He can see it coming and knows in his heart of hearts that if it connects, he¡¯s done for. He won¡¯t just die; he¡¯ll be wiped from existence by that foot. Only, before that can happen¡­


    ¡°No.¡±


    Trigon is stopped in his tracks. And then, before Lucien can even register how or the Demon Lord can say another word¡­ they¡¯re elsewhere. Well, not him and Trigon. Trigon is left behind. But Lucien¡­ Lucien finds himself in a familiar meadow with a certain unmistakable figure who stands there looking at him in bemused amusement, a brow arched and a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth.


    ¡°That seemed rather foolish of you, my dear Lucien.¡±


    Death of the Endless follows up that admonishment with a shake of her head, one that has Lucien lowering his own head in shame for a moment as he rubs a hand through his hair somewhat sheepishly.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d found all of the traps. I guess I missed one.¡±


    Death hums.


    ¡°To be fair, it wasn¡¯t a trap in the conventional sense. More of a¡­ connection. Trigon is connected to all of his children, as you should have already known from your future memories of this world. Raven is destined to potentially open the way for him¡­ as are all his children across every dimension where he has spread his vile seed. It is up to them to fight that destiny or fail and give in.¡±


    Fuck. Fucking fuck. Hadn¡¯t he literally decided not to mess with Raven¡¯s DNA back when he first got his hands on it, purely because he was afraid of what the side effects might be? Accidentally making himself a child of Trigon was LITERALLY a thought that had crossed his mind at the time. And yet here he was. Making a fool of himself in front of the one woman in the entirety of existence who¡¯s opinion meant the most to him.


    Though¡­ something in the way she¡¯s talking does draw at his attention, making his eyes narrow.


    ¡°You said¡­ them.¡±


    Death¡¯s lips pull into a toothy grin at that and she steps up to him, running her hands along his chest. Lucien blinks, only realizing then and there that the both of them are naked. Or wait, were they not always naked? Were they only naked starting this moment? Fuck, she really knew how to mess with his head.


    ¡°Do you know what it means to be the End of All Life, Lucien? Do you know what it means to be everyone¡¯s final breath?¡±


    His own breath hitching as her voice turns husky and seductive, Lucien shakes his head. Death leans in closer, until their lips are mere centimeters apart.


    ¡°It means I¡¯ve never really had anything of my own before. I suppose you could say that I have all of those final moments of life. Those are mine, sure. But they are only a fraction of each person¡¯s entire existence. I¡¯m their last moment, but what about all of the moments before me? In the grand scheme of things, for all that everyone spends so much time worrying about meeting me¡­ I¡¯m nothing much at all.¡±


    Lucien growls and grabs Death by the hips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You¡¯re everythi-mmph!¡±


    In turn, she wraps her arms around his neck and finally kisses him, cutting him off mid-word. Not that Lucien is complaining. He kisses her right back, the two of them engaging in a long, drawn out makeout session right there in the meadow. Death had said this was something her brother had made for her. A Dream for just the two of them.


    Lucien is all too ready to enjoy it again just the same as last time, but before that can happen Death pulls back and stares at him with a possessive gaze.


    ¡°To put a bow on everything I just said¡­ you are mine, Lucien Luthor. My own personal impossibility. I¡¯m not going to give you up. Not for anything or anyone. You. Are. Mine.¡±


    Well damn. Alright then. Death¡¯s intensity dials back after a moment though and she gives him a dry look instead.


    ¡°That said, if you had come to me beforehand, we could have incorporated your new toys together without you ever landing on Trigon¡¯s radar. Now you¡¯ve drawn his attention and he WILL find out where you came from. I hope you¡¯re ready for the trouble you¡¯ve brought to your world. Unless you want to move dimensions entirely, you¡¯re going to have to stop him.¡±


    Ah. Shit. Still¡­ Lucien nods his head solemnly before flashing a grin of his own.


    ¡°Well, the Titans beat him back before. So I¡¯ll just stick around until he tries to get in through Raven and help them do it again.¡±


    Death huffs in amusement but doesn¡¯t exactly say it¡¯s a bad idea so Lucien files that away as Plan A. That said, after a moment she peers at him curiously again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you, Lucien. I know when you gained access to the half-demon girl¡¯s DNA. I watched you decide to hold off for the time being. What changed your mind, exactly? Why did you do something so foolish practically right after deciding not to?¡±


    Lucien swallows thickly at that. The truth was obvious at least to him. He wanted to impress her. But telling her that sounded like it would have the exact opposite effect. Still, did he really want to lie to her instead?


    He could. He could tell her that he was worried about Blackfire and how she would react when he finally had to give back her memories or the possibility of the Titans finding out the truth of his and her scheme, so he was aiming to get as powerful beforehand as possible.


    Or he could go with a half-truth and tell her that he¡¯d simply gotten over-confident. Because he had. He really, really had. After fucking Starfire, Blackfire, and Terra all in one night, he¡¯d felt like he was on top of the world and could take on anything¡­ even her with a few upgrades.


    ¡­ But he should probably just swallow his pride and tell her the truth at the end of the day. That he wanted to impress her. And that he¡¯d undeniably failed.


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [ ] Lie to her - 1%[ ] Give her a half-truth - 3%


    [X] Tell the truth - 96%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 30: Honesty

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien comes clean.


    -x-X-x-


    There¡¯s no point in lying to Death. No point in even trying to obfuscate the truth either. In the end, coming clean is the only real option.


    ¡°I wanted to try and catch you off guard. I wanted to surprise you and maybe impress you as well. Clearly I failed.¡±


    Lucien has been feeling on top of the world for a while now. Ever since dying and coming back in time, in fact. He¡¯s had a whole new lease on life and even after screwing things up with Mercy and having to navigate the perilous maze of relationships with Blackfire and the Titans, he¡¯s felt pretty damn good about everything. Nobody is perfect, but he¡¯s been doing well, or so it felt.


    But there¡¯s no excusing this time around. He¡¯d gone overboard and very nearly paid the price for it. Would Trigon have truly been able to erase him from existence? Or would he have just killed him and sent him back again? Death¡¯s intervention certainly seemed to suggest the former was the more likely option, meaning that Lucien had fucked up so badly she¡¯d been forced to step in.


    What had that cost her? What would it cost him in the future now that he¡¯d landed on Trigon¡¯s radar? All in all¡­ this was bad. Of that there was no doubt.


    ¡°Foolish boy.¡±


    Lucien flinches, his shoulders instinctively hunching inward as he keeps his eyes on the ground. But just as he¡¯s about to apologize, Death takes him by those very shoulders, forcing him to pay attention to her. And then she kisses him soundly on the lips. Lucien shivers as they rather rapidly graduate to using tongue on one another, the makeout session continuing for a good while as he tentatively brings his hands to Death¡¯s hips.


    As ever, she¡¯s a phenomenal woman all around. So far beyond any mortal that it¡¯s not even funny. It¡¯s almost enough to make a man feel inadequate. Except, just as Lucien is starting to feel that way, their lip lock ends and Death gives him an amused smile.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already impressed me, Lucien.¡±


    What?


    ¡°I told you already, I¡¯ve been watching you. For someone like me, keeping half an eye on you while I carry out my other duties isn¡¯t just easy¡­ it¡¯s a privilege. You must understand, Lucien Luthor¡­ I have existed for a long, long time. I am Death of the Endless, and as part of being Endless, I might as well be Beginningless also. The concept of my creation, even more so than some of my brothers and sisters, is so far in the universe¡¯s past that¡­ well, it¡¯s not even worth trying to explain.¡±


    Right. She was effectively eternal. And she¡¯d come to him eternal, hadn¡¯t she? She¡¯d lived a trillion of his lifetimes before he was even a twinkle in his egotistical father¡¯s eye. Lucien purses his lips, tilting his head down in thought as he considers what that must be like. It only makes the divide between them even further, truth be told.


    ¡°And yet¡­ you are the first of your kind, Lucien. And probably the only.¡±


    Lucien¡¯s head fully snaps up at that, his eyes widening in shock at that declaration.


    ¡°I told you before that your circumstances reminded me in part of my brother Dream and his ¡®Dream Vortexes¡¯. But in truth, the similarities are practically nonexistent. Lucien, your existence is unique. As unique as mine or my siblings. You have¡­ limitless potential and for the first time in a long time, I don¡¯t know exactly what¡¯s going to happen next when it comes to you. To us.¡±


    That admission causes his breath to hitch. Death of the Endless not knowing something? That¡¯s¡­ truly mind-boggling. And yet, also a little comforting at the same time?


    ¡°Of course, I know one thing for sure. Your quest to make me cum is not going to be satisfied so easily.¡±


    Lucien immediately freezes up, blushing hard as Death gives him a knowing smile.


    ¡°You know about that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Death of the Endless honey. Of course I know about it. You¡¯ve only confirmed what you¡¯re after by explaining your foolish decision making now. You hoped that combining the physiology of the Titans into your body might allow you to take me by surprise and bring me to climax during our next meeting, yes? That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t stop with just far safer shapeshifting and geokinesis, but also went for the demon DNA as well.¡±


    Sheepishly, Lucien nods his head in agreement. Death just hums, still smiling.


    ¡°Even that wouldn¡¯t have been enough, darling.¡±


    Those words are like a weight on Lucien¡¯s shoulders. Even that much? Then¡­ what? No, he knows. The Titans might be tough heroes and heroines, but they¡¯re literally a team of graduated sidekicks. Their mentors are all way stronger than they are. He needs to assimilate more powerful physiologies then just Tamaraneans, or Shapeshifting, or Half-Demons. He needs Kryptonians. He needs Amazonians.


    ¡°But then¡­ it doesn¡¯t need to be, you silly boy. Do you think your only value to me is your ability or inability to make me cum?¡±


    Lucien flushes, pulled from his thoughts by Death¡¯s words as she hits the nail right on the head, giving him a pointed and knowing look. Still¡­


    ¡°Is it not? I can¡¯t do anything else for you, can I? We¡¯re¡­ supposed to be together, right? Fated, in a way?¡±


    Death scoffs.


    ¡°My brother would certainly say so. Destiny would claim this was his doing if he learned of it. He¡¯d do so in a heartbeat, even if he had no conscious hand in it.¡±


    Lucien¡¯s eyes widen at that. Destiny¡­ in a way, he certainly felt blessed by destiny. Sure, he¡¯d lived a shitty first life, but in turn that had paid the price for the spectacular and amazing life he was living now. If that wasn¡¯t destiny what-


    Death smacks him across the back of the head and rolls her eyes.


    ¡°Please try to refrain from thinking about any of my siblings too hard while we¡¯re together, Lucien. You¡¯d be liable to pull them in. Fortunately, my eldest brother isn¡¯t one prone to answering calls that would bring him to one of our sides. He prefers to keep to himself.¡±


    Ah. Whoops. She¡¯s right, he needs to be more mindful of his¡­ well, of his mind. Nodding in apologetic understanding, Lucien swallows thickly.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t think fate brought us together?¡±


    Death gives him a mirthless smile at that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if it did or not, Lucien. I have seen too much in my endless existence to truly believe very hard in the power of fate. Yes, it exists¡­ but it is not nearly as powerful as choice. It is the choices that you mortals make that define you and those around you. Not your fate.¡±


    She huffs again at that.


    ¡°But we¡¯ve gotten off-topic a bit, haven¡¯t we? We were discussing your value to me, Lucien. And no, you do not exist solely to bring me carnal pleasure. Your only value to me is not via sex. Your company alone would be enough, even if we were not sexually compatible. That we ARE sexually compatible is just the icing on the cake, really.¡±


    Lucien bites his lower lip at that. But for them to be sexually compatible¡­


    ¡°I woke up in this second life with you riding my dick. So obviously you wanted a lover. And clearly we are sexually compatible. Does that mean¡­ is it possible I could make you cum, one day? Maybe not now, not with my current level of power¡­ but one day, could I bring you to climax?¡±


    Death pauses for a moment at that, falling into thought. Lucien watches her intently, only to be a little disappointed by her answer.


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    He can¡¯t help but be let down by that¡­ for all of a second before he realizes there¡¯s something about her tone. Something Lucien doesn¡¯t quite understand for a moment. And then it hits him. Except there¡¯s no way, right? There¡¯s absolutely no way he¡¯s correct about what he¡¯s currently thinking.


    ¡°Death¡­¡±


    And yet, in for a penny, in for a pound right? The sharp look that Death gives him is probably supposed to keep Lucien from going any further, but he can¡¯t stop now. He¡¯s just not that kind of person. Even if he¡¯s treading on dangerous territory¡­ well, it seemed he hasn¡¯t really learned his lesson from trying to incorporate Raven¡¯s DNA and meeting Trigon at all. Because he¡¯s about to risk pissing off an even more powerful entity then that Demon Lord.


    ¡°Death¡­ have you ever cum before?¡±


    She controls her reaction very well. No stiffening up, no jaw clenching, no nothing. But she also doesn¡¯t scoff or try to lie to him. She doesn¡¯t immediately try to tell him he¡¯s a fool for asking such a question and her silence¡­ her silence itself is more damning than any flinch or other reaction could have been. Perhaps realizing this, Death lets out a sigh after half a moment.


    ¡°¡­ No.¡±


    Lucien is left reeling by the confirmation. Never? Not once in all this time? Death gives him another mirthless smile and shakes her head.


    ¡°Foolish boy, prying my embarrassing secrets from me this early into our relationship.¡±


    He flushes, but he can tell she¡¯s mostly teasing him and isn¡¯t actually that angry. Still, she lets out another sigh.


    ¡°When would I have had the time, Lucien? Even these moments together¡­ you know I¡¯m also elsewhere, right? I am with every being everywhere dying in this moment. And this moment. And this moment. You have my attention darling, don¡¯t ever doubt that¡­ but so do they. And if they have my attention, how can I focus on myself, really?¡±


    Death pauses for a moment before snorting derisively.


    ¡°Besides, before you came along, it¡¯s not like I was exactly spoiled for choice. I¡¯m not about to fuck people on their death beds dear, present company excluded for special circumstances of course, and I wasn¡¯t exactly inclined to fuck any of my siblings either. That didn¡¯t leave me with many options. In fact, it left me with no options.¡±


    Wait. Did that mean Death was a virgin before he died? Lucien¡¯s eyes widen as he looks at the beautiful pale creature before him in a whole new light. She narrows her eyes in response at the look he gives her, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare start pitying me, Lucien. If you really want to make me angry, that¡¯s a surefire way to do it.¡±


    Lucien lets out a startled little laugh at that, before shaking his head in response.


    ¡°No. Never.¡±


    That seems to mollify Death somewhat, but at the same time¡­ Lucien feels a certain surge of something coming on. Like an overwhelming swell of determination rising up in his chest. Firming up his resolve, even. Though¡­ his motivations have changed dramatically, he has to admit. Tightening his grip on her leather-clad hips, Lucien yanks the beautiful pale woman right up against him.


    Then, looking Death in the eye, Lucien doesn¡¯t hold back.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to do it. I¡¯m going to find a way to bring you to climax.¡±


    Death blinks and then lets out a laugh of her own.


    ¡°Lucien, you foolish-!¡±


    Before she can finish that sentence, before the ¡®boy¡¯ can leave her tongue, Lucien silences her with a kiss. This time he¡¯s the one that initiates, and even though Death is endlessly more powerful than he is, she doesn¡¯t resist. She lets him kiss her, perhaps recognizing that in a way, he¡¯s pointing out that she¡¯s being just as foolish as he was.


    When they finally pull apart again, Lucien doesn¡¯t mince words.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it for myself anymore, Death. I¡¯m not doing it to impress you, or to make myself feel better about my sense of inadequacy in your presence.¡±


    Here, Lucien smiles a mirthless smile of his own.


    ¡°That¡¯s my father¡¯s greatest flaw. His inability to not be the greatest man in a room. I won¡¯t let him drag me down to his level though. I won¡¯t let his genetics hold me back, especially with what I¡¯m capable of now. I¡¯m making you this promise not from a place of ego or arrogance¡­ but from a place of love.¡±


    Death goes absolutely still at that, but Lucien is in too far to back out now.


    ¡°I want to make you happy. I want to show you how much I care for you. And I want to make you squeal and cum so hard your eyes roll back in your head as you squirt all over my cock.¡±


    Was that last bit a tad too far? Maybe, but Death doesn¡¯t seem to think so. She does stare at him blankly for a moment before letting out a soft little laugh and reaching up to hook her arms around his neck.


    ¡°You foolish, foolish man.¡±


    Her tone is more fond than exasperated though, and the use of ¡®man¡¯ instead of ¡®boy¡¯ has Lucien silently straightening up in pride. Maybe he¡¯s just too easy¡­ but also, he doesn¡¯t mind being too easy when it comes to Death. She¡¯s right in the end. He was never going to make her cum this easily. His own cocky nature blinded him to that fact. But that was alright. In the end, it just meant he had to work harder.


    For now¡­ well, with his hands on her hips and Death¡¯s arms hooked around his neck, it¡¯s obvious what¡¯s about to happen next. Indeed, Death gives him a tug with her grip and starts to fall into the blanket of grass under her, dragging him down with her.


    As they drop, their clothing vanishes and their naked bodies press against one another, with Lucien¡¯s throbbing erection pressing against Death¡¯s abdomen for a moment before he repositions to her entrance. She¡¯s wet for him already and Lucien takes some solace in that fact, even as he slowly eases his way into her, sliding deep into the beautiful creature¡¯s cunt.


    Though, even as he¡¯s sheathing himself inside of her, Lucien questions how to go about this. Even if he knows it¡¯s not possible to achieve his overall goal here today, there¡¯s nothing saying he shouldn¡¯t still give it his all and put his new gains to the test. On the other hand, there¡¯s something to be said about slow, steady, and loving as well. Especially if Death really only has had two sexual encounters so far in all of her eons of existence¡­


    Looking down at Death¡¯s smiling face, pale breasts, and perky nipples, Lucien makes his decision right then and there and gets to work. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [ ] Go all out, put his new body to the test - 35%


    [X] Take it slow, keep things gentle and tender - 65%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 31: Shit Meets Fan

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    A nice gentle dream followed by shit hitting the fan.


    -x-X-x-


    His first instinct is to go balls to the wall. To test out his new powers on Death and see just how far he¡¯s come. That¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t go with that option, because he¡¯s more than just some primate with zero impulse control who acts on the first thought that comes to mind. Or at least, that¡¯s what he¡¯s supposed to be.


    Instead, knowing what he knew now about Death and their relationship, Lucien¡­ takes things slow. They¡¯re already naked. He¡¯s already inside of her, having eased his way into her slippery wet sex after they¡¯d fallen to the ground together. Beneath them, the grass is so thick and soft that it makes for the perfect blanket in this magical, dreamy place.


    Taking that into consideration, Lucien barely moves at first. Even as Death gives him a curious look, Lucien leaves his cock firmly inside of her and focuses on her tits to start with. He takes ahold of her pale breasts but doesn¡¯t squeeze too hard. Instead, he spends his time carefully feeling her up, exploring every inch of her bust.


    Death lets out a soft, confused laugh.


    ¡°What are you doing, Lucien?¡±


    Looking up at her, Lucien just smiles.


    ¡°Exploring my lover. What else?¡±


    Death hums, seeming pleased by his answer even as she unloops her arms from around his neck and tosses them up, gripping at the grass found above her head. At the same time, she arches her back, pushing her chest up into his squeezing hands somewhat insistently. Lucien doesn¡¯t take the bait though. She¡¯s egging him on and trying to get him riled up and there¡¯s no denying that it¡¯s working¡­ but just because he¡¯s hopelessly turned on for her doesn¡¯t mean he needs to go faster, or harder, or rougher.


    However, he also doesn¡¯t want to bore her. So he compromises. Leaning forward, Lucien brings his lips to Death¡¯s perky dark nipples, which are each almost as black as her lips. The pale personification of the end of all things moans at this, arching her back even further¡­ possibly past the point where most mortal spines would have snapped.


    But even as he lavishes attention on her nipples, worshipping her areolas and teats in equal measure, Lucien still keeps things gentle, tender, and slow. Really, the way he approaches things with her can almost be deemed¡­ methodical. He explores every little bit of her breasts with his mouth and tongue, making her groan and then laugh again when he keeps at it while showing no sign of picking up the pace.


    ¡°You silly man. If it¡¯s not one extreme, it¡¯s the other, is that it?¡±


    Lucien doesn¡¯t leave the nipple he¡¯s currently sucking on, even as he throws his eyes up to meet hers. Death doesn¡¯t sound upset at least¡­ in fact, she¡¯s looking down at him fondly, and her tone is one of amusement. Still, he doesn¡¯t stop. Maybe she¡¯s right. Maybe he can¡¯t take anything in moderation. Slow or Fast, but no ¡®Medium Speed¡¯.


    Truth be told, even slow is hard for him. He lived his entire first life slowly. And not by choice either. His sickness had robbed him of¡­ well, of everything. It had robbed him of his mother, it had robbed him of any chance of gaining his father¡¯s respect, and it had robbed him of being able to live a normal life.


    Admittedly, Lucien suspected he would never have gotten that chance either way. Not as the son of Lex Luthor. Living in moderation with that man as his father was never really a possibility. Still, all the same¡­ Lucien¡¯s original life had most definitely traumatized him more than he¡¯d initially wanted to admit, hadn¡¯t it? And ever since he¡¯d come back, he¡¯d been going, going, and going some more.


    No stopping, no taking the time to regroup, reassess, and maybe stop to smell the roses. No time for any of that when he had goals in front of him and so many new things to experience for the first time. But not all experiences were good. Shame that it took accidentally tying himself to a literal godlike Demon Lord Tyrant for Lucien to realize that fact, but here they were.


    So yeah, he takes things slow with Death. He makes love to her. Eventually, he starts moving of course. Sliding in and out of her slick but gripping cunt. She¡¯s as tight as ever, and her insides feel amazing to his throbbing member. But he never speeds up.


    He doesn¡¯t put his new body through its paces. He doesn¡¯t use Beast Boy¡¯s shapeshifting to try out different phallic shapes, or Terra¡¯s geokinesis to shake things up, or even Raven¡¯s demonic abilities to attempt to gauge Death¡¯s more hidden emotions. He just lives in the moment, spending this time with the woman at quite literally the center of his universe and indulging himself in her body for as long as he¡¯s capable of doing so.


    That is the one thing he allows himself. He draws out the moment as long as possible and is pleased to find that he¡¯s certainly extended his endurance by a fair amount. Not too shabby at all, and as he spends time with Death, he can tell that she¡¯s enjoying herself immensely. Not just because of the sex, but because of his presence.


    At the end of the day, Lucien has finally stopped and regrouped. He¡¯s finally taken the time to reassess. His initial impulses were born of selfishness. He wanted to make Death cum to prove himself better than her, deep down inside. He wanted to conquer her in a way. Just like his father would have. Not anymore. Lucien was going to make Death cum for her own sake. And he was going to stand at her side as an equal one day, not above her as a conqueror. They would be peers¡­ and she would never be alone again.


    Lucien swears this to himself, reaffirming his earlier promise to her even as he finally tips over the edge and cums inside of her. Death gasps and then pulls him into a kiss, the two of them holding one another and cuddling for some time after that. Eventually though, the dream begins to fade away and Lucien slowly finds himself coming back to consciousness in the waking world.


    It¡¯s almost morning time, he realizes as he wakes up still being cuddled¡­ but this time by three mortal women instead of the personification of death. And as he looks down at Kori, Komandr, and Tara with his newfound outlook on life¡­ Lucien realizes it¡¯s time. Past time, even.


    As they all begin to stir as well, Lucien reaches out and surreptitiously taps Blackfire on the head. In an instant, the villainess¡¯ eyes snap open as she remembers¡­ everything. The first person she sees is him, of course. He¡¯s not sure what to expect from her. Anger, maybe? They¡¯d never actually confirmed a certain amount of time that he was supposed to keep her memories removed for. But he doubted Blackfire expected it to be this long.


    And it¡¯s not like she¡¯s forgotten everything that¡¯s happened since he gave her amnesia either. She remembers it all. She remembers both her entire past AND this past little while. She remembers what her sister said to her on that rooftop and she also remembers all the ways Starfire has proved she meant every single word in the time since.


    Lucien can see Blackfire¡¯s conflict on her face. She can see that she wants to be angry. But when her eyes slide off of him to her sister, the first thing that happens is a softening in her gaze. Lucien watches as she struggles to hold onto her hate, only to have it flow through her hands like fistfuls of sand. The harder she tries to grip those fistfuls of sand, the more flows out through the growing cracks in her fingers.


    It only gets harder for her when Starfire finally wakes up fully as well, coming to a lot slower than Blackfire as she slowly opens her eyes and gives her big sister a happy, sleepy smile.


    ¡°Mm¡­ good morning, sister. Good morning, Lucien.¡±


    Starfire has no idea what she¡¯s just done by acknowledging Blackfire first, but Lucien does. He can see just how big a victory that Kori has scored on Komandr with that simple, innocuous decision. Especially because Blackfire can tell it wasn¡¯t calculated, nor designed to lull her into a false sense of security.


    All of this¡­ everything that¡¯s happened since she agreed to let him give her amnesia¡­ it all paints the same picture. Her little sister doesn¡¯t hate her. She never has. And all Starfire has ever wanted was her big sis back¡­ no matter what the cost.


    Blackfire lets out a shuddering breath and opens her mouth to speak, only for them all to be interrupted by the door to Starfire¡¯s room practically flying off its hinges as a certain half-demon flies in with glowing black eyes and magic in her hands.


    Raven looks incensed and ready to do battle and for a heart-stopping moment, Lucien wonders if Trigon has already made his move and somehow gotten to his daughter despite all of her hard work. But then, Raven opens her mouth.


    ¡°Starfire, Terra, Remedy. Disentangle yourself from Blackfire.¡±


    Blackfire grits her teeth, even as Starfire immediately starts to rise.


    ¡°Friend Raven?! What do you mean by this intrusion?¡±


    A light flush spreads across Raven¡¯s gray skin, making it abundantly clear that she¡¯s not handling seeing the four of them all naked and¡­ entangled as she¡¯s pretending like she is. But she maintains her focus, her glowing black eyes locked on Blackfire, not Lucien.


    ¡°Blackfire has regained her memories. I felt her emotions a moment ago. I felt her hatred for you surge back to life, Starfire.¡±


    Okay. First of all, for fuck¡¯s sake. Second of all, was this really the best way to go about exposing the villainess?! They were all still in bed with one another, Raven could have waited until he, Tara, and Kori weren¡¯t at arm¡¯s length of Komandr if she really thought the alien woman was now dangerous! Why was Raven even focusing her empathy so hard in their direction in the first place?! Actually no, that question was pretty easily answered if he just thought about it for a second.


    Starfire reacts rather predictably. Not as Raven would prefer, but rather, as Lucien would expect. Whipping around, the alien princess doesn¡¯t make any move to escape proximity with her sister, but she does look wide-eyed at Blackfire.


    ¡°Is¡­ i-is that true?¡±


    Terra is the only one who actually scrambles off the bed, the naked blonde looking between all of them like she¡¯s not sure whether to be mortified that Raven caught them or worried about Blackfire¡¯s potential mental state. Either way, it removes her from the equation and leaves just Lucien with two very powerful alien sisters practically on top of his naked body.


    ¡°¡­ Yes.¡±


    Not that he¡¯s worried. Even as Blackfire bites out her answer and subsequently begins to close herself off, looking just as ready for a fight as Raven at this point, Lucien speaks up.


    ¡°What about now, Raven? What about in the time between the moment you felt all that hatred and you rushing in here in a panic?¡±


    Hearing her rapid flight here described that way causes the half-demon to scowl a little bit, her hands still glowing with her magic.


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t see why it matters.¡±


    ¡°Just humor me for a second. Please.¡±


    That earnest plea gets to her, making the half-demon huff and roll her eyes. But more importantly for his purposes, she also focuses on Blackfire and Starfire again, her lips thinning out more and more until finally¡­


    ¡°Seriously?! YOU have the audacity to feel forgiveness towards STARFIRE?! Do you realize how much harm you did to her?! Do you realize how often you¡¯ve nearly RUINED HER LIFE?!¡±


    Blackfire looks like a deer caught in headlights as Raven rants and raves about her emotional state. Starfire though, suddenly looks hopeful and even has the audacity to reach over and grab one of Blackfire¡¯s hands.


    ¡°T-Truly¡­ you forgive me, sister?¡±


    Raven growls at that.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done nothing wrong, Starfire! You have nothing-!¡±


    Before she can finish that sentence, Starfire whips her head around and fixes Raven with the most withering glare Lucien has ever seen the alien princess wield. He didn¡¯t think such an expression was possible. It immediately shuts Raven up, which is good because Starfire has plenty to say in a hissing, biting tone.


    ¡°My sister did nothing wrong either, Friend Raven. From the moment she was born, she was reviled and hated by our parents and our people for something entirely out of her control! She grew up being told she was evil and that she would never amount to anything! She grew up being told she would always take second place to me, even though she was the firstborn!¡±


    Lucien hides a wince on Raven¡¯s behalf, because in a lot of ways, some of what Starfire is saying describes Raven¡¯s situation as well. Only, unlike Blackfire, Raven had managed to rise above her circumstances and be a heroine. Blackfire had let her hatred consume her. But¡­ the effect Kori¡¯s words are having on Blackfire in this moment is too good to pass up. Having her little sister defend her even to one of Starfire¡¯s closest friends is precisely what Blackfire needs.


    ¡°Blackfire never got a chance to be anything but what the universe made her be! And we ALL deserve second chances! Or thirds! Or fourths! I don¡¯t care what it takes! I just want my sister back!¡±


    By the time she¡¯s done speaking, Starfire¡¯s chest is heaving with her every breath. Which given she¡¯s currently naked, is certainly something to witness. Lucien uses his powers to control his natural biological reaction though, because popping a very visible, very noticeable boner in this current situation seemed like a relatively bad idea all around.


    Instead, he¡¯s watching everyone, trying to get a good gauge of where their headspaces are at. Starfire has said her piece. Blackfire looks like a mixture of flummoxed and pleased, but also as though she thinks she shouldn¡¯t be pleased. Even now, she might still be hanging on to some of her anger.


    Terra looks bewildered and uncertain, as if she doesn¡¯t know how to react or feel in this moment. He doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going through the geokinetic¡¯s head right now, but she¡¯s the one he¡¯s least worried about anyways so it¡¯s not a big deal. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Finally, Raven looks like she doesn¡¯t know what to say or do in this situation. She came here to defend her friends after all. She rushed her as fast as she could, at lightning speeds really, in order to protect Starfire from her sister. Instead, Starfire was yelling at her.


    Finally, the silence is broken.


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [ ] Blackfire... states that she wishes to leave - 3%[ ] Starfire... asks for Raven to go - 6%[ ] Raven... reaches a boiling point - 10%


    [X] Terra... admits that she''s an enemy spy, wait what? - 82%


    -x-X-x-


    Also shameless plug time: Just started a new Free Write yesterday and it would mean the world to me if you guys checked it out!


    An Iron Resolve (Marvel)(Time Travel)


    Summary: Tony Stark travels back in time after the Snap determined to get things right this time. Even if he has to take over the world to make sure everyone actually works together against the threat that Thanos poses. He''s not going to let everyone down. Not ever again.

 Chapter 32: Shit Meets Fan Pt. 2

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    More shit hits the fan.


    -x-X-x-


    The tension in the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Both Starfire and Raven look like they¡¯re a heartbeat away from doing or saying something to the other that can¡¯t easily be taken back. Meanwhile, Blackfire seems to want nothing more than to flee the situation, growing antsier by the moment. It¡¯s like she doesn¡¯t know whether to be more upset about Raven¡¯s general antagonism or Starfire¡¯s lack of it.


    And then there¡¯s Lucien, stuck in the middle of everything and not sure what he can do to solve it. Intervening at this point feels like a bad idea, but staying quiet also feels like a bad idea. Really, what¡¯s he supposed to-


    ¡°I¡¯m working for Slade! I¡¯ve been spying on the Titans for him for months now!¡±


    Wait what? Lucien¡¯s eyes slide across the room, away from the standoff between Blackfire, Starfire, and Raven. Maybe taking his eyes off of the three powerful young women wasn¡¯t the best idea, but at the same time, all of their eyes slide off of each other as well. Everyone looks to Terra, the blonde geokinetic standing there staring at them with wide blue eyes, as if only belatedly realizing what she¡¯d just blurted out.


    Slowly, the naked young woman sinks to her knees, wrapping her arms over her chest and hugging herself.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Slade¡­ Lucien tries to put a face to the name. Is she talking about Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke? He sort of knew who that was, mostly from his previous life. He¡¯d heard of Deathstroke in the news a few times, and also knew that his father had hired the mercenary for a few missions. Maybe Slade was one of the Titans¡¯ enemies?


    But¡­ why? Why would a mercenary have Terra spying on the Titans? And why would she agree in the first place?


    Her ire fully turned away from the two alien princesses lying in bed with him, Raven floats over to Terra, hands curled into fists at her sides as she asks the exact same question currently plaguing Lucien.


    ¡°¡­ Why? Why would you side with HIM?¡±


    Shaking, Terra whimpers and clings to herself all the harder.


    ¡°I-I had to¡­ my powers¡­ I¡¯ve never been able to c-control them. And you guys¡­ I didn¡¯t want you to kick me out! If you knew I was dangerous, you would never have let me stay as a Titan! H-He cornered me¡­ I tried to fight him back, but he beat me easily¡­ and then he offered to t-train me. To help me c-control my powers¡­¡±


    Terra almost seems energized the more she speaks. As Raven stares down at her in silence, the naked blonde looks up, hopefully.


    ¡°It¡¯s worked, too! I haven¡¯t had an accident in months! His training has helped me become the heroine I always wanted to be!¡±


    Raven¡¯s face might as well have been etched in stone as she responds to that in a clipped tone.


    ¡°And what did it cost you? What did it cost us?¡±


    Terra flinches and apparently that¡¯s all Raven needs to see because she suddenly sneers, her hands glowing with black energy. But while Lucien is concerned for a moment that the half-demon will outright attack her treacherous teammate, that doesn¡¯t happen. Instead¡­


    ¡°Get out! Get out of this tower! Get out of my sight, traitor! Go back to your Master before I decide to do something permanent!¡±


    Terra looks like a deer caught in headlights, but she also looks like she¡¯s ready to scramble up and do as she¡¯s told¡­ maybe even without getting dressed first. Lucien purses his lips together, feeling like maybe he should stay quiet even now. And yet¡­ he can¡¯t. Not just because he slept with Terra just last night, not just because he knows her as Tara Markov now, not just Terra of the Titans¡­ but because Raven isn¡¯t being smart about this. She¡¯s letting her emotions run rampant and get in the way.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the right call, Raven.¡±


    The infuriated half-demon whips around and narrows her eyes at him, while Terra looks at him hopefully. But Lucien just stares Raven down, keeping his tone level and calm.


    ¡°At the very least, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a call you can make on your own. Robin and Beast Boy deserve to know and be allowed to weigh in.¡±


    Snarling, Raven grits her teeth.


    ¡°And who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do? You¡¯re not even a Titan!¡±


    That was true. He might have been hanging out with them a lot in recent times, but even as Remedy, Lucien hadn¡¯t officially joined up or anything. And even now he had no plans to do so. Not like it would have helped anyways. Even if he had officially joined up, Raven would have just said that he hadn¡¯t been a Titan ¡®long enough¡¯ or something. Fortunately, Lucien doesn¡¯t have to respond. Starfire does it for him, pushing off the bed and floating up into the air as well.


    ¡°He may not be, but I am. And he¡¯s right, Friend Raven. The others deserve to be involved. They deserve to hear what Terra has admitted to from her own lips.¡±


    Raven bristles, clearly having not forgotten her and Starfire¡¯s little tiff from mere minutes ago. But then, all of the sudden, she deflates. Looking at them and then at Terra, the half-demon huffs.


    ¡°¡­ Fine.¡±


    She scowls when Terra brightens up a little bit though.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think this is good for you, bitch. You might have wished you ran away when I gave you the chance.¡±


    The blonde spy shivers at that, averting her gaze as Raven glares her down, until finally the grey-skinned heroine just whips around and leaves the room. But not before calling back over her shoulder to all of them.


    ¡°Get dressed. Meet in the Common Room, fifteen minutes.¡±


    ¡­ Needless to say, this was NOT how Lucien expected this morning to go. Not one bit.


    -x-X-x-


    Silence fills the Common Room about thirty minutes later, once the male members of the Titans have been filled in on everything by a still agitated Raven. Lucien finds himself sitting on one side of Blackfire, with Starfire on her sister¡¯s other side and practically hovering like an overprotective mama bear. Robin looks like he wants to say a million things about Blackfire¡¯s returned memories, but the Titans Team Leader seems to be biting his tongue at the moment out of recognition of Starfire¡¯s mood.


    Besides, so long as Blackfire isn¡¯t presenting an immediate threat to all of them¡­ the Titans really do have bigger fish to fry right now.


    ¡°Tara¡­¡±


    Beast Boy sounds particularly broken as he stares at the blonde heroine. The use of her proper first name instead of her hero name is obvious in the way he pronounces it with an ¡®a¡¯ instead of an ¡®e¡¯. In response, the geokinetic flinches, eyes on her hands which are resting in her lap, unable to muster up any sort of response.


    At hearing Beast Boy, Robin pulls his attention off of Blackfire and Starfire and looks to Terra, his eyes narrowing into slits behind his mask.


    ¡°So Slade co-opted you to spy on us, is that it?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Y-Yes.¡±


    ¡°And is that all he had you doing? No sabotage? No other scheming? Just reporting on us?¡±


    Looking up, blue eyes wide, Terra shakes her head.


    ¡°N-No! Nothing else! I would have¡­ I would have s-said no! All he did was have me inform o-on what was going on with you guys¡­ most of it was public information anyways!¡±


    Beast Boy makes a noise in the back of his throat akin to the sound of an animal dying. He¡¯s clearly heartbroken. Robin, meanwhile, seems unconvinced.


    ¡°So you¡¯re going to sit here and tell me that you didn¡¯t have any part in Cyborg¡¯s departure? Didn¡¯t do anything to drive him away from the Titans, weakening us as a whole so that Slade would have an easier handling us the next time he attacked?¡±


    Lucien raises an eyebrow at that, while Terra rears back like she was struck in the face. Even the other Titans are looking at Robin a little queerly.


    ¡°W-What?! No! I didn¡¯t¡­ Cyborg and I barely exchanged two words before he left! And Slade didn¡¯t tell me to do anything to drive him away either! I swear it!¡±


    Robin doesn¡¯t look like she believes her. But Beast Boy¡­


    ¡°Robin, you drove Cyborg away. Tara might be a traitor and a spy who wormed her way into our lives, but you can¡¯t lay that at her feet. Cyborg left because the two of you butted heads one too many times. Full stop.¡±


    Now it¡¯s Robin¡¯s turn to flinch a little at his fellow hero¡¯s blunt assessment. Even if Terra looks positively heartbroken by the way Beast Boy is now talking to her.


    ¡°Garfield¡­¡±


    The green-skinned shapeshifter shoots a withering glare in Terra¡¯s direction at her use of his name. Clearly, he¡¯s gone from hurt to angry by this point. With Robin stewing for a moment, it¡¯s Beast Boy who takes up the interrogation.


    ¡°What did Slade want to know anyways? Was this him attempting to lure Robin away to try and make him his apprentice again? Or was it just plain old revenge? What the fuck would motherfucking Deathstroke want with us otherwise, really?¡±


    Terra¡¯s mouth opens and closes for a moment as she tries to find the words. But no one interrupts while she does. No one has anything else to say as they all wait for her to speak. Finally¡­


    ¡°A-Actually¡­ he didn¡¯t seem to care about Robin that much. Not you or Starfire either. He¡­ he wanted to know about everyone, but he asked the most questions about¡­ about Raven.¡±


    The half-demon in question stiffens at that, even as everyone else in the Common Room looks to her. Scowling at suddenly being the center of attention, Raven glares Terra down.


    ¡°Why? What could he possibly want with me?¡±


    Terra does a half-shrug, one shoulder rising and falling as she looks down at her hands again.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know? It¡¯s not like he told me. All he did was train me so I could have the discipline and self-control to use my powers. And as payment, I had to answer any question he asked about all of you.¡±


    Abruptly bursting into fresh tears, Terra looks around the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! T-Truly I am! But I¡¯m so much stronger now! I¡¯m so much b-better with my powers! S-Surely you all see t-that! And now that you know he¡¯s after R-Raven, we can t-take him down together! I d-don¡¯t have to do his b-bidding anymore! Please, l-let me prove myself!¡±


    Beast Boy scoffs.


    ¡°Yeah? Guy teaches you for months and you¡¯re ready to drop him just like that? And we¡¯re just supposed to believe you? Even if we do take down Slade together, how are any of us ever supposed to trust you, ever again?¡±


    The blonde geokinetic looks stricken at Beast Boy¡¯s words. Lucien grimaces a little himself. On the one hand, the shapeshifter isn¡¯t wrong. On the other hand¡­


    ¡°You know, it might not be a bad idea to use her all the same.¡±


    Everyone looks at him then, but Lucien was expecting it. He doesn¡¯t shy away from having their attention.


    ¡°Terra fucked up. Sure. And maybe what she¡¯s done is unforgivable¡­ I can¡¯t decide that for you. But because of her, you¡¯re now several steps ahead of your enemy. Slade Wilson is a dangerous man. A killer. Beating him won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    Robin straightens up at that, frowning slightly.


    ¡°We¡¯ve beaten him before. We can do it again.¡±


    Lucien looks the Titans Team Leader in the eye.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, really. But if you¡¯ve beaten him before, you know he¡¯s not going to make the same mistakes he made last time. A mercenary like Deathstroke doesn¡¯t get to where he¡¯s at with the reputation he has by refusing to learn from his failures.¡±


    Lucien and Robin might not be particularly close¡­ they¡¯re not even really friends. But he can see that the logic of his words nevertheless gets to the other young man. Robin is listening if nothing else.


    ¡°Terra is offering to help make amends for her actions. Whether you see her as a friend and a teammate after this is largely irrelevant because right now, she¡¯s a resource. She can help you stop Slade in his tracks far easier, before he can truly get whatever his latest plan is off the ground. And whether that makes up for what she¡¯s done or not¡­ that¡¯s for all of you to decide. But you¡¯d be fools to refuse her aid now and send her running into Slade¡¯s arms.¡±


    Some of the Titans bristle at being called fools. Some shoot Terra angry looks at the thought of her running to her ¡®teacher¡¯, making her flinch and duck her head. Of course, Raven isn¡¯t entirely convinced.


    ¡°What if she¡¯s a poisoned resource? How can we even begin to trust her information? Exposing herself to us might be part of Slade¡¯s plans. She might lead us right into a trap.¡±


    Lucien doesn¡¯t have a response for that, truth be told. He just shrugs, having said his piece. It¡¯s Beast Boy who speaks up all of the sudden, still sounding hurt and raw and angry.


    ¡°How did she slip past your powers in the first place, Rae? How did she manage to hide her true allegiances from us all this time when you can literally sense emotions?¡±


    Raven stiffens, her lips thinning out as she looks between Beast Boy and Terra.


    ¡°¡­ I sensed her guilt a long time ago.¡±


    That gets the attention of the other Titans.


    ¡°But I also sensed affection for us. Happiness. Excitement to be part of a team. I knew she didn¡¯t have full control over her powers. And I know you promised to keep that a secret from us, Garfield.¡±


    Now both Beast Boy and Terra are staring at Raven with wide eyes.


    ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t say anything because I thought the guilt was tied to her fear of messing up and having an accident. Of hurting people. I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°N-No! You weren¡¯t, Raven! That was a lot of it! A-and¡­and my affection for all of you was real too! As was my happiness and excitement! I¡¯ve loved being a Titan, I swear I have! I just¡­ I didn¡¯t want to mess it up. I didn¡¯t want to disappoint or hurt a-any of you¡­ please¡­ you have to believe me¡­¡±


    Terra sounds so broken. But as hurt as she clearly is, it¡¯s obvious the Titans are just as hurt. Even Starfire, who hasn¡¯t said a word and is holding her older sister¡¯s hand tightly, is looking at Terra with hurt in her eyes.


    Lucien definitely feels a little out of place here. But he¡¯s said his piece. It¡¯s not up to him to decide what happens next. The ball is firmly in the Titans¡¯ court now.


    -x-X-x- The Patreon Vote: [ ] They kick Terra out - 5%


    [ ] They lock Terra up - 5%


    [X] They decide to use Terra after all - 90%


    -x-X-x-


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    Thanks for reading! S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 33: Sidelined

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Decisions are made.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°¡­ We don¡¯t have to believe anything you say. Not after finding out you¡¯ve been lying to us all this time. But if you want a chance to prove you mean those words¡­ then fine, you¡¯ll get it.¡±


    In the end, it¡¯s not surprising that it¡¯s Robin who speaks up in the ensuing silence, making a decision for everyone else. However, Lucien is surprised that the Titans Leader is so¡­ accommodating. And he¡¯s not the only one either. While Terra looks shocked but also relieved, Robin¡¯s other teammates are differing levels of surprised too.


    In Beast Boy¡¯s case, the shapeshifter jolts in shock, staring at Robin rather hard for a moment before finally nodding after seemingly coming to whatever conclusion Robin came to. In Starfire¡¯s case, she remains silent, though her eyes do widen in surprise. However, for Raven¡­


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    Looking over at the half-demon young woman, Robin just raises an eyebrow.


    ¡°You tell me, Raven. Does Terra mean what she¡¯s saying right now? About being sorry?¡±


    The empath grits her teeth, glancing over at Terra and then curiously at him too. Lucien just cocks his head to the side, causing Raven to tear her gaze away.


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    She sounds petulant more than anything, but there¡¯s also hurt in her voice. Clearly, this morning hadn¡¯t been good for Raven¡¯s mental stability nor her self-esteem. She¡¯s second guessing herself and seeing as he doesn¡¯t know what happened this morning, Robin isn¡¯t sure what to make of that.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At having her words parroted back to her as a question, Raven snarls.


    ¡°No! Okay! Yes, she¡¯s guilty! Yes, she¡¯s ashamed! And yes, she thinks she¡¯s telling the truth! But all of that is subjective! Emotions can be falsified and manipulated. And sometimes people don¡¯t actually do what their emotions say they¡¯ll do! It¡¯s not a perfect lie detector, Robin!¡±


    Silence falls at the small outburst, while Raven just pants a bit. But then she freezes as Robin¡¯s hand falls upon her shoulder, the Titans Leader suddenly looking her in the eye from less than a foot away.


    ¡°Hey¡­ it¡¯s okay, Raven. None of us blame you for anything. You¡¯re doing the best you can. We all are.¡±


    Huh, Lucien had known that there were good reasons Robin was Team Leader. Hell, there had to be good reasons for why the other man and Starfire had gotten together in the previous timeline as well. Robin might have simply been his adversary in a way since Lucien had started hanging out with the Titans, but that didn¡¯t mean Robin wasn¡¯t a good leader. Still, it was one thing to know something had to be true and another entirely to see it in action.


    Some but not all of the tension in Raven¡¯s body dissipates as her shoulders droop a little bit and she just hangs her head. Then, to her and everyone else¡¯s surprise, Robin actually pulls her in for a hug. It¡¯s a quick thing to be fair, mostly just a brief tight squeeze as Robin clearly knows better than to push his luck. Still, it¡¯s a hug.


    Of course, once it¡¯s over he immediately turns towards Blackfire and puts his foot in his mouth again.


    ¡°Are you our enemy, Blackfire?¡±


    Expectedly, Starfire bristles in anger while Blackfire stiffens at the accusatory question. But Robin just holds up a hand, forestalling any response from either of them for a moment.


    ¡°I have to ask. I¡¯m sorry Star, but you¡¯d agree with me if you weren¡¯t so close to this. Your sister has tried to kill all of us multiple times at this point. Her memories are back. You might be ready to forgive and forget but¡­¡±


    For the first time, some of Starfire¡¯s anger seems to defuse. For the first time, she glances over at Blackfire and seems to see her in a certain light. Robin is right after all. It wasn¡¯t just Starfire and Blackfire who had bad blood. Maybe back at the beginning, but at this point there were years of bad interactions between Blackfire and ALL of the Titans, not just her sister.


    Lucien had hoped that by showing Blackfire how willing Starfire was to submit, that she could finally quench the overwhelming hatred she had for her younger sister. But admittedly, he hadn¡¯t taken into account the other Titans and the feelings they might be harboring when he¡¯d decided to give the villainess her memories back.


    On the plus side, Blackfire hasn¡¯t let go of Starfire¡¯s hand and Starfire hasn¡¯t let go of Blackfire¡¯s. But at the same time, the older Tamaranean Princess sneers at Robin.


    ¡°What are you waiting for, exactly? An apology?¡±


    Robin stands there with his arms crossed over his chest, rather stone-faced as he stares Blackfire down.


    ¡°It¡¯d be a start.¡±


    That makes the elder alien scowl even harder, while Starfire looks more and more worried. But before things can blow up in all of their faces¡­


    ¡°She does feel sorry.¡±


    Raven¡¯s voice cuts through the tension, not like a single knife, but like a hail of bullets if the way Blackfire, Starfire, and Robin all jerk and jolt at her words is any indication. Standing there off to the side, the half-demon is frowning.


    ¡°She¡¯ll never admit it out loud. And it¡¯s not much. But she IS feeling guilty. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever felt that from her too, even through all of our fights, even through all of her schemes.¡±


    Raven doesn¡¯t look like she knows how to feel about her own words. On the one hand, she¡¯s pretty much blowing up Blackfire¡¯s spot, revealing uncomfortable truths that by Raven¡¯s own words, Blackfire would not want voiced out loud under any circumstances. On the other hand, she¡¯s all but confirming that her initial concerns about Blackfire were wrong and that her row with Starfire earlier that morning was unnecessary.


    Indeed, at hearing Raven¡¯s words, Starfire actually looks thrilled for a moment. Hopeful, even. Of course, Blackfire on the other hand¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    Abruptly, Blackfire rises to her feet, pulling her hand from her sister¡¯s grasp. Starfire¡¯s eyes widen and she immediately darts to her feet as well.


    ¡°T-Then I¡¯ll go with you!¡±


    The hurt that flashes across the faces of the other three Titans goes unnoticed by Starfire, who only has eyes for Blackfire in this moment. Not by Lucien though. Blackfire, meanwhile, scoffs.


    ¡°And who says I¡¯d want you to come with me?¡±


    Starfire jolts back as if physically struck and there¡¯s actually a flash of regret on Blackfire¡¯s face before she quickly smooths over her features. Lucien though, decides that it¡¯s about time he stepped in and said something. Rising to his feet as well, he draws Blackfire¡¯s attention. His tone is relatively calm and soothing, even as he gives her a meaningful look.


    ¡°I doubt you really mean that, Blackfire. But it¡¯s equally obvious you need some breathing room. Why don¡¯t I go with you instead?¡±


    He then looks to Robin with a slightly sardonic grin.


    ¡°After all, I doubt that I¡¯m to be included in whatever plans you all develop to deal with Deathstroke.¡±


    The relief that flashes through Robin¡¯s posture makes it clear Lucien has hit the nail on the head. Perhaps he should have been more involved. Perhaps he should have joined up with the Titans properly. But the fact of the matter was, he wasn¡¯t an official member. And things had gone a bit beyond what the ¡®friends and family¡¯ could be involved in.


    Stepping up, Lucien places a hand on Starfire¡¯s arm, giving it a comforting squeeze and her a comforting smile.


    ¡°Your friends need your help, Kori. And you would never forgive yourself if something happened to them and you could have helped. Let me look after Blackfire, alright? That is, if she¡¯s willing to have me.¡±


    Lucien gives Blackfire another meaningful look, causing the Tamaranean Princess to scowl angrily and cross her arms over her chest before finally averting her gaze.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s entirely an act either. She¡¯s probably not going to be too happy with him once they finally get some alone time, but Lucien isn¡¯t that worried. He can handle Blackfire pretty easily at this point, especially with all of his power ups.


    Starfire, meanwhile, looks between the two of them for a long moment, still fretting. But then her eyes drift over to her team and Lucien can see that she realizes he¡¯s right. There¡¯s no helping it¡­ the Titans need her.


    ¡°V-Very well¡­ but before you go¡­¡±


    That doesn¡¯t stop her from grabbing him by the face and kissing him deeply, however. Out of the corner of his eye, Lucien sees Robin stiffening, still not over the alien young woman even slightly. But if Starfire cares about Robin¡¯s opinion, she doesn¡¯t show it. Pulling away from Lucien¡¯s lips, she turns and grabs Blackfire by the hands, causing the older alien to stiffen.


    ¡°Please sister, let us speak soon. I swear I am willing to put the past behind us if you wish to do the same. I want us to be family again.¡±


    Blackfire doesn¡¯t seem to know how to answer that. In the end, she just lets out a ¡®tch¡¯ and tears away from Starfire so she can turn and stomp out of the room. Lucien gives Starfire an apologetic smile and the rest of the Titans a nod before turning and following her. His eyes do linger on Terra for a moment. She looks too shell-shocked to really realize he¡¯s going. But then, they¡¯d only had a night together. Perhaps it didn¡¯t mean much to the blonde geokinetic, ultimately.


    Either way, he leaves the Titans to figure out their next steps and follows his original partner in crime out of the Tower and across the city.


    -x-X-x-


    SLAM!


    He¡¯s not that surprised when Blackfire doesn¡¯t take them to his apartment, but instead to an abandoned warehouse. Nor is he surprised when she slams him into a wall the moment they¡¯re out of sight. Glaring at him angrily, the Tamaranean Princess narrows her eyes.


    ¡°You waited an awful long time to give me my memories back.¡±


    Unbothered, Lucien just shrugs.


    ¡°We never discussed an exact time frame, Blackfire. And frankly, I¡¯m starting to wonder if I gave your memories back too early.¡±


    Blackfire bristles at that, one of her hands curling into a fist that she rears back as it glows with purple energy. Lucien still doesn¡¯t flinch.


    ¡°And what is that supposed to mean?¡±


    Scoffing, Lucien has no problem speaking truth to power in this moment. Possibly because his own power is even greater.


    ¡°It means you blew your cover the moment I restored your memories. You couldn¡¯t keep your emotions in check for even a minute, Blackfire. It means that we were right to go with the amnesia plan. A plan which I might add has produced fantastic results. Your younger sister doesn¡¯t just love you; she adores you. She devotes herself to you. She submits to your every whim.¡±


    Leaning forward, Lucien gets nice and close.


    ¡°You own her, Blackfire. Now tell me¡­ why does that fact frighten you so much?¡±


    Blackfire stiffens and in the face of his provocation, finally throws a punch. But Lucien¡¯s hand is there to catch it, purple energy and all. His fingers wrap around her fist, his palm taking the impact of the energy blast point blank¡­ and Lucien barely even flinches. Blackfire jolts, trying to pull her fist back¡­ but Lucien holds her fast.


    ¡°You¡­ you got stronger.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    Blackfire snarls.


    ¡°Were you just using me then? To get closer to my sister¡¯s bratty friends?¡±


    Lucien rolls his eyes and shakes his head.


    ¡°Rewriting history already, Komandr? Remember that I was already in with the Titans before I suggested we bring you in with amnesia. I didn¡¯t need you to get closer to them¡­ I don¡¯t need you at all.¡±


    She hides her flinch at that, but Lucien is already following up by seizing her by the hair with his free hand and dragging her into a rather rough, tongue-filled kiss. At first, she begins to relax into the kiss, especially since he¡¯s using every tool in his toolbox to make it one of the most intense, pleasurable kisses she¡¯s ever had.


    But in the end, she manages to fight off her arousal and pull away, and Lucien lets her immediately of course. He has no desire nor need to force himself on her. As she stares at him with wide eyes, panting, Lucien just smirks.


    ¡°I do want you though. And I want to help you. Like I said before¡­ we succeeded. Starfire doesn¡¯t want to lose you again. If we¡¯d pushed for it, she would have left the Titans right then and there and come with us, you know.¡±


    That thought seems to startle Blackfire, her eyes widening before narrowing again as she frowns.


    ¡°¡­ Why didn¡¯t you push for it then?¡±


    Lucien chuckles.


    ¡°Two reasons, really. Number One, it would have made the other Titans far too suspicious. Raven already confided in me that she can¡¯t read my emotions. But Starfire choosing us over them would have taken me from idle curiosity to enemy with the drop of a hat. By pushing for Starfire to stay with them, I¡¯ve made myself look all the more reasonable in their eyes.¡±


    Blackfire chews on those words for a moment before finally grunting her acknowledgment.


    ¡°And Number Two?¡±


    Lucien¡¯s smirk becomes a full grin at that.


    ¡°Number Two? Because it was obvious you didn¡¯t want to destroy Starfire¡¯s relationships with her friends. Despite your stated goals, you don¡¯t want to ruin your younger sister¡¯s life. You don¡¯t want to break her. Not anymore.¡±


    And just like that, Blackfire stiffens all over again. She¡¯s not the kind of woman who likes being confronted with uncomfortable truths. Unfortunately for her, Lucien feels like it has to be said. When she opens her mouth to try and deny it, he interrupts and overrides her.


    ¡°You know Starfire is right. There are people in this universe who deserve your hatred for what was done to you. But she isn¡¯t one of them. She isn¡¯t to blame for the injustice you experienced. Your time as an amnesiac has made that abundantly clear, even if you don¡¯t want to admit it. The fact is, the only one standing between you and happiness at this point¡­ is you, Blackfire.¡±


    Silence falls as Blackfire processes his words. She takes a step back and he releases her fist as she stands there, mulling over everything he¡¯s just said. Lucien watches her quietly and waits for her reaction. He¡¯s done everything he possibly can to mend the broken bonds between the two sisters. Starfire would give everything if she could spend the rest of her life at Blackfire¡¯s feet, so on that side of things he¡¯s succeeded entirely.


    But now it¡¯s up to Blackfire to decide whether she wants to hold onto old hatreds or let go of the past and look towards the future.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Blackfire wants nothing more to do with him or Starfire and leaves the planet - 4%


    [ ] Blackfire wants nothing more to do with Starfire, but can''t quit him, hate sex ensues - 5%


    [X] Blackfire doesn''t want to admit he''s right but can''t go back now, hate sex ensues - 92%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 34: Hate Sex

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Blackfire gets it out of her system. And then...


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°¡­ Fuck you.¡±


    There¡¯s not nearly as much vitriol in Blackfire¡¯s voice as he¡¯s expecting to accompany such words. So Lucien lets a crooked smile spread across his lips and raises an eyebrow.


    ¡°That a promise?¡±


    With a snarl, Blackfire lunges at him. But there¡¯s not nearly as much aggression in the move this time, so while he does stay on alert, he also lets her do it. Instead of trying to punch him in the face again, this time around she grabs him by the shirt¡­ and drags him into a savage, tongue-filled kiss.


    Lucien doesn¡¯t hesitate to reciprocate of course. His hands go to her hips¡­ and then, because it feels right to match Blackfire¡¯s energy, he instead circles past her hips to her ass, gripping down tightly and squeezing her ass cheeks. In response, she lets out a muffled growl and bites his lower lip hard enough to draw blood.


    As the coppery taste mixes between their dueling tongues, Lucien gives as good as he gets. She tries to push him back against the wall again, but he holds his ground and sets himself in place. He¡¯s physically stronger and tougher than the Tamaranean Princess at this point. His body is all of the best bits of everyone he¡¯s gotten his hands on so far.


    Don¡¯t get him wrong, the Tamaranean part of his physiology has to be the strongest he¡¯s gotten his hands on so far, but Raven¡¯s half-demon biology is a close second. And combined, they make him very strong indeed. On top of that, he also still has the Snow Leopard stuff he got from Spot, along with Beast Boy and Terra¡¯s powers.


    Terra¡¯s geokinesis in particular comes in handy here, because Lucien can more readily set himself in place with that new power, using his control over the earth to find his center in a way he couldn¡¯t before.


    Blackfire doesn¡¯t like this, of course. In fact, she struggles to overpower him all the same for a couple of minutes, trying to dominate him physically even as they continue to rather violently makeout. Lucien doesn¡¯t bother with the kid gloves as he handles her, but he also doesn¡¯t respond to her violence with violence of his own. Well, not too much anyways. He probably could have slammed her into the ground or the wall if he wanted to, but instead he just squeezes her ass cheeks hard enough that they¡¯ll probably be a little bruised in the morning.


    Finally, Blackfire changes tactics¡­ and suddenly leaps into his arms. Lucien grunts but still manages to hold himself in place, even as she winds her limbs around his body, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as she lets out another growl. Pulling back from his mouth, Blackfire¡¯s eyes smolder with need as she glares at him.


    ¡°Mine. You¡¯re mine. Don¡¯t ever forget that. You were mine before you were my sister¡¯s, even if she doesn¡¯t know it.¡±


    Lucien cocks his head to the side and smirks at that.


    ¡°Was I? If I recall correctly, you were my henchwoman, Blackfire. Getting your sister was supposed to be your signing bonus.¡±


    Blackfire shakes her head at that, grinding her crotch against his now, rubbing her tits along his chest. She¡¯s like a fucking cat at the moment, though instead of purring she¡¯s still snarling. But it¡¯s obvious she¡¯s mostly feigning anger because she thinks she has to. The truth is, she just doesn¡¯t want to admit what she really feels.


    ¡°My signing bonus was you helping me ruin my sister¡¯s life. All you¡¯ve done is helped her since we started this shit. Besides, what kind of hero needs a henchwoman, eh Remedy?¡±


    ¡­ That said, she sort of has a point there. Lucien smiles ruefully, almost sheepishly as he holds her up in his arms.


    ¡°Hey now, who¡¯s to say I¡¯ll stay Remedy for much longer, eh? It was just a throwaway identity¡­¡±


    But that just gets a scoff from Blackfire, and another shake of her head.


    ¡°If it was a throwaway identity, you wouldn¡¯t have revealed your true name to my sister and her little friends.¡±


    He wants to protest that he hasn¡¯t revealed his full name and true identity to Robin and Beast Boy at least, but he knows that would be a weak excuse at best. Especially since that still means more than half the Titans know who he really is. Though¡­ given Tara Markov¡¯s current status, it was technically only half, right? Since she might be kicked out of the Titans by the time this was all over¡­


    And Starfire¡­ well, she had to know. Still, Raven knew. And if Raven thought Robin and Beast Boy needed to be told, she would do so in a heartbeat, Lucien was sure of that.


    In the end, Blackfire is right. He¡¯s put a little too much of himself into the Remedy identity and his heroic persona at this point. He still has no intentions of being a hero full time, but he also can¡¯t just switch and be a villain without somehow turning Starfire, Raven, and Terra all to the dark side as well. And seeing as he never really wanted to follow in his father¡¯s foot steps in the first place, Lucien was loath to do so.


    All in all, this whole venture had been about helping Blackfire get over her issues with her sister without having to ruin Starfire¡¯s life in the process. Blackfire was right, that wasn¡¯t really the work of a villain, now was it?


    He-


    ¡°Quit your fucking introspection and fuck me already you fucking bastard.¡±


    Blinking at Blackfire¡¯s curse-laden demands, Lucien laughs and nods. In a few quick movements, he frees his cock from its confines and slips Blackfire¡¯s panties aside under her skirt. And then he¡¯s inside of her. He doesn¡¯t do it gently or slowly of course, correctly deducing that as she currently is, Blackfire wants a little pain. She wants to be distracted from having to confront her own feelings.


    Perhaps if their relationship was healthier, Lucien wouldn¡¯t have gone along with this. Maybe he should have been the bigger person, put a stop to this, and truly forced Blackfire to confront her feelings regarding both him and her sister and their past experiences once and for all. But not only did that stand the greatest chance of driving her away at this point in time¡­ Lucien was no therapist.


    The one thing he did know beyond all else¡­ was Blackfire¡¯s body. He knew what made her tick, he knew what made her arch her back and moan, and best of all, he knew her limits. He could give her what she wanted, while also giving her some of the best orgasms of her life. So why the fuck wouldn¡¯t he? S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Driving deep into her from below, pounding her down the length of his cock right then and there, Lucien immediately sets a harsh and brutal pace. His ¡®take no prisoners¡¯ attitude has Blackfire gurgling for a moment before she tosses her head back and howls in a mixture of pain and pleasure. The way she clings to him all the harder makes it clear he¡¯s doing something right, even as her cunt walls tighten and flex around his cock.


    However, that tightening does nothing to stop Lucien from slamming her down onto his mast again and again, taking her right there in the empty warehouse in a standing fuck. He plows up into her with a gusto second to none, his hands continuing to claw at her ass cheeks as she holds onto him and rakes her own nails down his back.


    There¡¯s nothing gentle or tender about this. There¡¯s nothing loving or joyful. In a way, Blackfire is letting it all out on him as he fucks her. Lucien just heals the worst of the damage as they go, her clawing hands definitely drawing blood but the wounds vanishing in mere moments. All the while, he¡¯s ramming into her cunt, reshaping her pussy to his cock for what feels like the hundredth time at least.


    Blackfire is right. She did have him first. Starfire might believe that he and her were together before Blackfire ever came onto the scene, but that wasn¡¯t true. Perhaps they¡¯d tell the younger Tamaranean that one day. She probably wouldn¡¯t even be that upset given how everything had turned out. Hell, if Blackfire could forgive him for manipulating her into finally seeing that her sister wasn¡¯t the source of all of her pain and suffering, then Starfire could probably forgive him as well.


    At the same time, Lucien would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t worried about the Titans. He understood why they had all but kicked him and Blackfire out so they could deal with Slade Wilson on their own terms. Deathstroke was serious business, but the Titans had fought him before. And after just finding out that Terra was a traitor, they were undoubtedly gun shy when it came to newcomers like Lucien or former enemies like Blackfire.


    Still, for Starfire¡¯s sake if nothing else, Lucien would keep an eye out and step in to help if it proved necessary. For now though, Blackfire occupied much of his attention as he drove in and out of her. She was insistent about things, incredibly demanding¡­ but Lucien was well-equipped to give her what she needs by fucking her silly. Eventually, she¡¯ll tire herself out completely and finally pass out on his cock.


    And ultimately, that¡¯s precisely what happens.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°Mrow.¡±


    I know buddy, here you go.¡±


    ¡°Mrow!¡±


    Lucien tilts his head to the side as he tosses the ball and watches Spot chase after the bouncing thing. Snow Leopards weren¡¯t exactly made for playing ¡®fetch¡¯ of all things, but poor Spot really didn¡¯t get out as much as he probably should. Thanks to Lucien¡¯s powers, he didn¡¯t have to worry about the cub getting fat or unhealthy or anything like that.


    Indeed, all Lucien had to do was make sure Spot got lots of meat, and then a single petting session would allow Lucien to direct all of those nutrients where they needed to go so that the cub continued to grow into the perfect specimen of health.


    ¡­ Eventually, Lucien wanted to incorporate other things into his pet. Once Spot grew to his full size, he would be quite the big strong lad anyways. However, compared to the dangers of this world, and especially the dangers that Lucien had a feeling he would invite simply by existing as he did now¡­ Spot wouldn¡¯t be ready for any of that. Not unless Lucien made him ready.


    But he wanted to let the Snow Leopard Cub grow normally for a while first. Or rather, as ¡®normally¡¯ as he possibly could when he was keeping Spot confined in the apartment and using his powers to make sure he stayed healthy, nonetheless. Still, he could worry about augmenting his pet once Spot was a little further out of adolescence.


    For now, Spot comes bounding back to him with the ball clenched firmly between his teeth, having literally chased it all over the room as it bounced from wall to wall just like it was designed to. With Lucien¡¯s hand-eye coordination being a hundred times better than it ever was before, he could literally plot out the exact trajectory of the ball in his mind ahead of time, allowing him to plan a course that would result in minimal damage to the apartment itself.


    ¡­ There were still scratch marks everywhere, of course. Spot¡¯s claws were getting bigger day after day. But the place was still relatively intact. Taking the ball from his Snow Leopard after a short tug of war with the cub, Lucien rears back to throw again¡­ only to pause at hearing the change in breathing from the other room. Tilting his head to the side, he gives the expectant cub at his feet an apologetic smile.


    ¡°Sorry bud, last throw.¡±


    He rises to his feet and tosses the ball one last time. Spot chases it down of course, but this time, showing his enhanced intelligence already, the growing Snow Leopard doesn¡¯t return to Lucien¡¯s side. Instead, he takes his ball under the table for a nice long chew session, while Lucien moves to the bedroom to check on Blackfire.


    He finds the exiled Tamaranean Princess laying where he¡¯d left her. The difference this time is that her eyes are open and she¡¯s staring at the ceiling in silence. Leaning against the doorframe, Lucien clears his throat. She barely reacts, making it clear she¡¯d already detected his approach.


    ¡°¡­ How are you feeling?¡±


    Blackfire huffs after a moment and floats up into the air.


    ¡°Like I need a shower. Make us some food.¡±


    Lucien raises an eyebrow at that, but he¡¯s not so insecure that he can¡¯t help out a very close friend when they¡¯re clearly going through some shit. With a shrug, he turns back to the kitchen and makes them some food, just like he was asked. By the time Blackfire is out of the shower, freshly cleaned and freshly dressed, Lucien is already plating the quick meals and setting them down on the table.


    Unfortunately, before either of them can sit down to eat¡­ something else happens that gives them both pause. Namely, the entire room turns red. Lucien blinks and so does Blackfire, while Spot growls under the table. Both of them look towards the apartment¡¯s sliding glass door, where the red is all coming from.


    Moving over, they look out¡­ and then up, to see that the source of the red is the sky itself. No longer blue, the sky has turned blood red¡­ and instead of the big white fluffy clouds from a moment ago, there are dark portals swirling into existence as far as the eye can see, going far beyond the city¡¯s limits from the look of things as well.


    ¡°¡­ Shit.¡±


    It was an invasion, that much was for sure. Creatures were already starting to pour out of the portals. Lucien doubted it was localized either. It wasn¡¯t just the city, which meant it was more than likely the entire world.


    Except¡­ looking out into the distance, there was a massive dark pillar coming down from the sky over near the center of the city. Much bigger then the portals that were even now disgorging enemies. And if that meant what he thought it meant¡­


    ¡°The Titans. Something¡¯s gone wrong.¡±


    Blackfire gives him a look, her face cycling through a number of emotions. In the end though, she stays silent. She neither demands they go to help her sister, nor does she say anything like ¡®good riddance to bad rubbish¡¯. Instead, she leaves the ball in Lucien¡¯s court.


    But even still¡­ what is he supposed to do? If the invasion is world-wide, the Justice League will surely step in right? Even if the Titans are at the center of all of this, they¡¯ll receive assistance from other heroes soon enough. Right?


    Lucien¡¯s jaw clenches as he looks at the distant pillar. Screeching sounds make it clear that even if they don¡¯t do anything, they¡¯re still going to have to hunker down and defend themselves until this is over. But that¡¯s far more likely to end with their lives intact then doing anything else¡­


    -x-X-x-


    The Vote:


    [ ] Hunker down and defend themselves and Spot, let the real heroes handle this - 11%[ ] Evacuate entirely, there''s probably somewhere less populated to hide out - 4%


    [X] Go straight for that pillar to try and stop this and save the Titans - 85%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 35: Shit Meet Fan

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    ... This is fine.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°Fuck me¡­¡±


    Blackfire raises an eyebrow at that, prompting Lucien to sigh and slump his shoulders.


    ¡°We have to go and help.¡±


    The exiled alien princess doesn¡¯t say a word to that. But in a way, the fact that she¡¯s completely silent speaks volumes in and of itself. No ¡®why would I go help those twerps¡¯, no ¡®I hate my sister, I hope she dies¡¯. Not even a ¡®they kicked us out and told us not to interfere, they¡¯re on their own¡¯. Just¡­ silent agreement.


    In fact, Blackfire doesn¡¯t break her silence until Lucien reaches down and scoops up Spot from the floor.


    ¡°Mrow.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bringing the cat?¡±


    She sounds baffled and a little perturbed, but Lucien just scoffs.


    ¡°Snow Leopard. And yeah, I¡¯m bringing him. Look at that shit out there. This apartment building might not even still exist by the time we¡¯re done. He¡¯s safest with me.¡±


    Lucien wished he could be as confident about that as he was managing to project in his tone. But the truth was, he had no desire to abandon Spot to almost certain death. Those demons coming out of the sky weren¡¯t going to be kind to anyone or anything, that much Lucien was absolutely sure of. And sure, bringing Spot to the center of this madness probably wasn¡¯t a good idea, but it was the least bad of a bunch of bad ideas, he figured.


    Blackfire just grunts and shrugs, following his lead as Lucien pushes out onto his apartment¡¯s terrace. Almost immediately, the movement down below causes some of the red-skinned monsters flying overhead to screech and wing down towards them. But Lucien and Blackfire aren¡¯t the easy targets that the demons probably expect. Rising up into the air off the terrace under their own power, the two of them shoot forward.


    ¡°Mroooow!¡±


    Lucien has Spot tucked under one arm, and protecting the Snow Leopard Cub takes precedent over going on the offensive, so he stays on the defensive while Blackfire races upwards, striking down enemies with blazing purple hands, throwing energy bolts this way and that. Lucien, meanwhile, just blocks attacks and slams his free hand curled into a fist through the chest of anything that gets close enough.


    God does he wish he hadn¡¯t gotten attached to the Titans. If only he¡¯d kept his emotional distance from them, he wouldn¡¯t feel compelled to save them now. Sure, the Justice League would probably step in, but if the invasion was world-wide they were going to be stepping in all over the planet¡­ and they might figure out that this was the epicenter much too late.


    That meant it fell to Lucien and Blackfire to do something, as much as it irritated him to no end to have gotten to this point. Fortunately, between the two of them they¡¯re able to get through the first wave of enemies with relative quickness. Unfortunately, the second, third, and fourth waves are already coming down from the multitude of portals in the sky overhead.


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to be bogged down here! Come on!¡±


    Blackfire nods sharply and moves to follow him¡­ only, as they both try to race towards the massive pillar of darkness in the distance, the demons seem loath to let them go. They harass and harry them every step of the way, and there¡¯s even a few close calls where their attacks almost reach the far less durable, far more vulnerable Spot.


    Until suddenly¡­


    ¡°Enough! Keep going! I will hold them off!¡±


    There¡¯s a denial on Lucien¡¯s lips immediately, but as he looks around, the words never come. Nor does Blackfire wait for a response. Blazing with purple flames, the Tamaranean snarls as she lunges into the largest mass of demons, drawing them to her like moths to a flame and roaring her challenge for everything in the sky to hear.


    Lucien doesn¡¯t have a choice at that point. It¡¯s either stick to Blackfire¡¯s side and get fucking nowhere¡­ or make her sacrifice mean something. Cursing under his breath, Lucien puts on the gas, speeding up to the point that Spot is whimpering pitifully in his arms from the fast speeds. But it gets them away from the largest concentration of winged monsters at least, and finally they¡¯re closing in on the massive black pillar.


    Hesitating near the thing¡¯s perimeter, Lucien quietly comes down from the air and lands on the ground, noticing that this area seems to have been a warehouse district before it was completely destroyed by whatever the pillar represents.


    Setting Spot down on shaky paws, Lucien looks his Snow Leopard Cub in the eye.


    ¡°Find a safe spot nearby and hide, alright?¡±


    This area was already destroyed. More than that, there were barely any demons around here. Instead, they were spreading out from this place, going in every other direction except towards the big fuck off pillar. It might not have been the safest place imaginable, but it was the best Lucien could come up with.


    Spot¡¯s enhanced intelligence shines in the Snow Leopard¡¯s eyes as he gives a quiet ¡®mrow¡¯ before putting one of his growing paws on Lucien¡¯s chest for a moment. Then, he sneakily slinks off, moving through the debris and destruction carefully and stealthily.


    Lucien watches him go for a moment, pleasantly surprised on how quickly Spot seems to blend in with his surroundings. But then, that stealth was half the reason he¡¯d chosen a Snow Leopard in the first place. He just hadn¡¯t expected the cub to wind up meaning so much to him.


    Moving just as quietly, Lucien slips closer to the pillar¡­ and after circling around to its other side, he finally finds all of them. The Titans. And Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke. Except it¡¯s not just them versus him, unfortunately.


    ¡°Friend Raven! Please, you must break free! Come back to us!¡±


    On the ground, holding a bloodied and battered Robin, Starfire pleads up at a floating Raven. Flying high in the air above them, the half-demon¡¯s eyes are glowing bright red¡­ and Lucien has to do a double take as he realizes there are four of them on her face, two sets of two. He¡¯s only seen that once before. Trigon.


    ¡°Foolish mortals. My daughter serves her purpose, as she was always meant to. She heralds the coming of my armies, who will pave the way for me to arrive upon your world in my true form, so that I might bring your dimension to its knees like so many before it.¡±


    Trigon¡¯s voice comes out of Raven¡¯s lips and Lucien winces. Must be hell on the poor half-demon¡¯s throat. But then to be fair, he¡¯s not sure any part of the possession is good for Raven. Having a Demon Lord using your body like a cheap suit wouldn¡¯t be good for anyone, even someone ¡®made for it¡¯ like Trigon was implying.


    Down on the ground, the remaining Titans are all gathering up. Robin is forcing himself to his feet with Starfire¡¯s help, Beast Boy and Terra are coming in from the sides to stand with their friends. Lucien is pleased to see that Terra was serious about turning traitor. Just unfortunate that for whatever reason, their attempt at ambushing Slade hadn¡¯t worked out.


    In the face of their defiance, Trigon looks to Slade and then waves one of Raven¡¯s hands dismissively.


    ¡°Kill them all.¡±


    ¡°As you command.¡±


    It¡¯s only then that Lucien realizes Deathstroke is flying. The man had been standing on nothing with his hands clasped behind his back, looking more like he was standing on an invisible platform rather than floating like Trigon. But now a red symbol of power blazes to life on Slade Wilson¡¯s mask and he lunges forward, heading towards the Titans like a rocket.


    Eyes widening, Lucien lunges forward as well, trying desperately to intercept him¡­ but Slade is faster. Lucien arrives just in time for the dust to clear and the sight of Deathstroke¡¯s hand thrust though Robin¡¯s chest to greet him. The villain holds the hero¡¯s heart in his grasp behind Robin¡¯s back, even as the others process the scene in horror. Then, he pulls back through Robin¡¯s excavated chest cavity.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a prot¨¦g¨¦, now that immortality is within my grasp.¡±


    Slade¡¯s voice heralds the slump of Robin¡¯s body as he hits the ground.


    ¡°NO!¡±


    Starfire¡¯s scream of pain and rage sees her lunging forward to attack Slade, to fight and kill him. Lucien is forced to make a choice in that moment. If he tries to heal Robin (if he can even heal someone who¡¯s probably already dead) then Starfire will likely die. But if he tries to help Starfire, then the chance of healing Robin vanishes completely.


    In the end, he chooses Starfire. Lunging forward, he throws an energy blast at Slade¡¯s side, distracting him from delivering what might have been another killing blow to Starfire. Then he¡¯s at Star¡¯s side, fighting with her against Deathstroke. The mercenary is unamused and silent as he fights them both, proving to be far stronger than either of them alone. Even with all of his recent gains, Lucien feels like he¡¯s a child facing down an adult.


    The worst part is when he manages to tear open a section of Deathstroke¡¯s armor, revealing the flesh underneath. Lucien is so far past the point of trying to hide his true powers that it¡¯s not even funny¡­ but it doesn¡¯t matter because the moment he makes skin contact with the mercenary, he finds he can¡¯t do anything to him.


    Deathstroke is already dead. He¡¯s a literal walking corpse. More than that, he¡¯s filled with Trigon¡¯s power and that resists every attempt Lucien makes at dismantling him, of scattering the very cells of his body into dust once he realizes he can¡¯t just shut off the signals to his brain.


    A fresh scream of horror pulls Lucien¡¯s attention away just in time to see blood seeping out of glowing black blocks as Trigon contemptuously waves his daughter¡¯s hand at them. Judging by the look of pure, unbridled anguish on Terra¡¯s face, that was Beast Boy. And now he¡¯s dead.


    Taking advantage of their moment of distraction, Slade backhands Starfire hard enough to send her flying into the nearby pillar, where she slumps down at the bottom unmoving. And then he¡¯s got his hand around Lucien¡¯s neck and is lifting him up off the ground.


    ¡°Hold. This one¡­ I recognize this one.¡±


    Before Slade can kill him, Trigon stops the mercenary in his tracks. Floating closer, the Demon Lord tilts his daughter¡¯s head to the side, staring into Lucien¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Intruder. Thief. You were whisked away before, but something tells me that won¡¯t happen a second time. I shall enjoy this.¡±


    Lucien¡¯s eyes widen as he feels a pressure on his mind. A single word slams into him with the force of a thousand bullets.


    Submit.


    He resists, of course. But it just comes back tenfold a moment later.


    SUBMIT.


    Trigon is trying to turn him into a slave. He¡¯s trying to make Lucien his puppet, to use the demon blood inside of him to force him to submit. Lucien can fight it, but it¡¯s not easy. He¡­ he doesn¡¯t see another option. He does the one thing he can do, the one thing he hasn¡¯t even considered since the first time.


    Lucien Luthor reaches inward¡­ and ends his own life.


    -x-X-x-


    Death is waiting for him, of course. Though not like the first time. He doesn¡¯t come to with her riding his cock and promising him an eternity at her side. Instead, he wakes up on his feet, with her seated behind a desk and smiling at him.


    ¡°You made the right call, Lucien.¡±


    She always seems to know what he needs to hear. Still, Lucien scoffs all the same.


    ¡°You told me I¡¯m not infinite or endless like you. I have a finite amount of lives, one that I just wasted.¡±


    Death sighs and shakes her head.


    ¡°It was still the right call. Better to lose a life than to lose your free will. Trigon would have turned you into a puppet¡­ and he was right, I couldn¡¯t interfere like I did before. Not without consequences. You took the only way you had out. And now you have a chance to go back and do it again.¡±


    Right. There was that. It was the reason he was willing to pull the trigger on himself in the first place. Because he knew it wouldn¡¯t be permanent. Unlike whatever Trigon might have done to him, which definitely would have been permanent. And yet¡­


    Falling into a chair in front of Death¡¯s desk, Lucien puts his head in his hands.


    ¡°¡­ What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to fight something like that? I couldn¡¯t even defeat Deathstroke, let alone Trigon. And¡­ I lost most of my allies so damn quickly. First Blackfire, then Robin, then Beast Boy¡­ not even sure if Starfire survived that blow¡­ fuck me.¡±


    ¡°Normally I would be happy to take you up on that offer, Lucien. But alas, this doesn¡¯t really seem like the time or place. Perhaps under less stressful circumstances. As for what you¡¯re supposed to do¡­ that¡¯s up to you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Lucien grimaces, wanting to bellyache about how unhelpful Death¡¯s advice is. On the other hand¡­ he knows exactly what she means. It is up to him. He has all the choices in the world now, really.


    ¡°¡­ How far can I go back?¡±


    ¡°As far as you want.¡±


    Shit, that was a lot of options. Lucien immediately discards most of them though. He¡¯s built something real this time around, since his first death and resurrection. He¡¯s not going to just wipe all his hard work. At the same time though¡­


    ¡°Did I make this happen? Did something I do accelerate this or something?¡±


    Death is quiet for a moment before tilting her head to the side.


    ¡°¡­ I cannot tell you everything, Lucien. What I can tell you is that the events you just lived through always happen in some form. Maybe not quite in this way, maybe not this early or this late, but Trigon always comes for Earth, and his daughter is a direct conduit for him. Raven will always be his herald.¡±


    But that doesn¡¯t mean he always succeeds or that Raven has to die or anything. Lucien is confident that Trigon was defeated and sent packing the first time around, in the life where Lucien had never even met the Titans. Something had happened in this timeline, something HE had done had caused Trigon to escalate severely. And things had gone bad.


    Now he needed to figure out how to make them better. Though¡­ one last question.


    ¡°No matter how far I go back, no matter what I change¡­ our interactions will remain untouched, right? You¡¯ll remember the same as I do?¡±


    Death gives him a fond, gentle smile at that¡­ and a reassuring nod, much to Lucien¡¯s relief.


    ¡°Yes, Lucien. No matter what happens, I will remember every single time we interacted. You can no more erase my memory of you then you can erase your own memories.¡±


    That was¡­ comforting, Lucien supposed. And with that, he knew when he had to go back to.


    -x-X-x-


    A/N: So admittedly this was always kind of the plan for this fic. To have time looping moments where Lucien got in over his head and died, forcing the use of his resurrection ability. Just kind of let it fall to the wayside for a while there, lol.


    I know I''m taking a big swing here, so let me know what you guys think of this. If I get enough of a negative reaction for instance, maybe it just never happens again xD


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Go back to the apartment at the start of the invasion, he and Blackfire can fly stealthier - 4%[ ] Go back to the team meeting in the common room, don''t let the Titans dismiss him and Blackfire this time - 15%


    [X] Go back to before he incorporated Raven''s DNA and caught the attention of Trigon, that was probably why this happened so suddenly right? - 81%


    -x-X-x-


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    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 36: Do-Over

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    R-R-Rewind!


    -x-X-x-


    Lucien wakes up in bed surrounded by beautiful naked women. Hey, what else is new? Grinning a little at his own joke, he takes stock of the situation. It¡¯s the night before shit hit the fan¡­ which is crazy to think about, because the events of the next twenty-four hours feel like they took place over the span of months.


    He¡¯s just gotten done fucking Koriandr, Komandr, and Tara. They¡¯re all asleep now, curled up into his sides. Even knowing what he now knows about Tara¡¯s allegiances, he can¡¯t help but feel a bit of affection for her. She was just a scared young woman in over her head at the end of the day.


    Still, he¡¯s come back to before he incorporated Raven¡¯s demon DNA into his physiology. Now he knows better. Now Lucien knows that he won¡¯t just be incorporating her half-demon physiology, he¡¯ll be literally making himself a son of Trigon in the process, which connected him to the bastard and maybe made all of this happen in the first place.


    Except¡­ Lucien¡¯s brow furrows as he remembers what Tara had said while she was being interrogated by the Titans. Slade had been having her spy on the Titans for a while¡­ but the Titan he¡¯d been having her spy on in particular was Raven. Did that mean Trigon was always going to try something with his daughter around this time?


    Only Lucien didn¡¯t remember shit being nearly as bad in his previous life. He definitely would have recalled a moment where the sky turned red and portals from a Hell Dimension opened up to discharge demons down onto their heads. The fact that that hadn¡¯t happened when Lucien wasn¡¯t involved meant that it was his involvement that had caused things to grow as messy as quickly as they did.


    More than that¡­ he looks over at Blackfire with a hum. Him giving her back her memories had immediately set Raven off. They¡¯d never truly resolved that either, because before Raven and Starfire could actually hash out the issues between them, Terra had stolen the show by admitting she was a spy. From there, Raven had been left to stew in her own emotions, forced to just bottle it all up inside while she and the rest of the Titans had gone off to confront Deathstroke.


    No wonder it all went to shit. Not only were they not facing off against Slade Wilson with anything close to their usual cohesion and level of teamwork, but they¡¯d also been unaware that they were sitting on a ticking time bomb. A time bomb that Lucien had clearly set off in more ways than one.


    ¡­ He¡¯d come back to after he¡¯d incorporated Beast Boy and Terra¡¯s biology into his own physiology, but before he¡¯d done the same with Raven¡¯s half-demon DNA. Obviously he wasn¡¯t going to touch that with a ten foot pole now that he knew it would make him an artificial Son of Trigon and connect him to the Demon Lord in the worst way possible.


    Still, it was frustrating to have come back to before he gave Blackfire her memories back, allowing for them to make substantial progress in her and Starfire¡¯s relationship. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t in good conscience do things the same way again, not if that was one of the things that had lit Raven¡¯s fuse.


    Lucien needed more information. He needed answers to the numerous questions that he had because while he was aware of some things, there was a lot he didn¡¯t know. Like what the fuck Slade Wilson had to do with Trigon, and how things got so bad for the Titans when they went to confront the bastard.


    Fortunately, Lucien had an ¡®in¡¯ didn¡¯t he? Tapping both Kori and Komandr with his fingers, he makes sure that the two Tamaranean Princesses won¡¯t wake up until morning, no matter what. Then, he slowly shifts his way out from under the both of them, climbing up out of the bed. This in turn wakes up Tara of course, but that was intentional. With one hand bringing a finger to his lips to shush her and the other beckoning her to follow him, Lucien lures the blue-eyed blonde out of the bed with him.


    Together they move quietly over to their things, getting dressed with Lucien leading the way. The geokinetic looks eager to follow though, perhaps because she wants to impress him, or perhaps because she hopes to get some one on one time with him now that they¡¯re leaving the other women behind.


    Lucien isn¡¯t so full of himself to think that it was his dick alone that persuaded Tara to flip on Deathstroke. Raven herself had said that the blonde actually meant it when she said she was sorry and that the Titans were her only friends. Tara¡¯s guilt must have been eating away at her for quite some time before now, even as she¡¯d been reporting on Raven to Slade.


    That all said, he hoped that this plan of his would still work. He needed to understand the enemy better. And if he was going to understand the enemy better, he needed to confront the enemy.


    Once he and Terra are fully dressed in their costumes once more, he beckons her over again and scoops her up with an arm around her waist. Terra lets out a quiet ¡®eep¡¯ at that before blushing and going wide eyed as she covers her mouth with her hand. She looks back at the bed, but neither Starfire nor Blackfire wake up to the noise thanks to Lucien¡¯s powers.


    Giving her an amused shake of his head, he lifts them both off the ground and takes Terra to the nearest window, letting the two of them slip out of the Tower without anyone being any the wiser. Flying her away from the tower and into the city, he heads sort of in the direction of where the big black pillar had risen out of the ground, though not directly towards it.


    Even still, he can feel Terra tensing up in his arms as they enter the city¡¯s warehouse district. She doesn¡¯t ask him to stop or anything like that, but she becomes distinctly uncomfortable, even as Lucien brings her down onto the roof of one of the warehouses.


    ¡°What¡­ um, what can I do for you Lucien? W-Why did we need to come all the way out here at this time of night?¡±


    Her eyes dart down to his crotch and she licks her lips.


    ¡°U-Unless you wanted to¡­ but we could probably find a cleaner place than this, right?¡±


    She¡¯s cute, but he¡¯s not so easily swayed. Smiling thinly, Lucien gestures to his masked up face.


    ¡°I¡¯m Remedy right now. Just like you¡¯re Terra.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ right! Sorry! ¡­ sorry.¡±


    Shaking his head, Lucien just sighs.


    ¡°I want you to take me to meet Deathstroke.¡±


    Terra freezes in place at those words. Her reaction alone gives her away to be honest, her eyes widening as she stares at Lucien in disbelief.


    ¡°What? I-I mean¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re t-talking about?¡±


    Lucien tilts his head to the side and smiles.


    ¡°Are you asking me or telling me that, Terra?¡± Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°T-Telling! I really don¡¯t know why you would say something like that!¡±


    Stepping forward, Lucien looms over Terra, using his larger size for its intimidation factor for a moment.


    ¡°Because I know you¡¯ve been spying on the Titans for him, Terra. You can cut the crap. I know everything.¡±


    Terra shakes like a leaf, staring up at him with a quivering lower lip.


    ¡°You¡­ you do?¡±


    He didn¡¯t, but she didn¡¯t need to know that. And he definitely knew enough that it didn¡¯t matter what he didn¡¯t know. At least as far as Terra was concerned anyways. Lucien lets his smile widen a bit.


    ¡°You¡¯re working for Slade Wilson, Terra. But he¡¯s not working for himself. He¡¯s a mercenary who¡¯s working for someone higher up on the totem pole.¡±


    That information is clearly news to Terra, who gapes for a moment in surprise before quickly swallowing thickly.


    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Lucien shakes his head.


    ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t. It¡¯s simple compartmentalization, darling. I work for the same boss that Slade works for. And I need to speak with him so I¡¯m using you as an intermediary. Make sense?¡±


    Slowly, Terra begins to nod before stopping her eyes suddenly widening as she looks at him in a new light.


    ¡°W-Wait¡­ yours and Slade¡¯s boss¡­ is he¡­¡±


    Lucien makes a show of shaking his head sharply, his eyes growing flinty.


    ¡°Don¡¯t pry, Terra. Just do as you¡¯re told.¡±


    Terra squeaks.


    ¡°O-Okay!¡±


    She definitely believes him. Because she thinks she¡¯s just ¡®cracked it¡¯. After all, he hasn¡¯t told her his last name yet, but she¡¯s seen his face and she¡¯s clearly managed to put two and two together thanks to the familial similarities. She knows Lex Luthor is his father and now she¡¯s convinced herself that he and Deathstroke are both working for Lex.


    Shoulders slumping in what might be both defeat and relief, Terra just hangs her head.


    ¡°Come¡­ come on. I¡¯ll take you to him.¡±


    Perfect. Lucien lets Terra lead the way, the two of them moving down to ground level so that she can get her bearings and find the right warehouse. After flitting through the district for a little while, they eventually arrive at the right place with Terra hesitating for only a second before leading him inside.


    Lucien¡¯s guard is up, his every sense on edge as they walk into the darkened warehouse. The memories of Slade Wilson cutting through the Titans like a scythe through wheat are still fresh in his mind¡¯s eye even if it never actually happened. If Slade was already empowered by Trigon, Lucien didn¡¯t know what he would do. Probably die again, at this rate. But at least he¡¯d have a bit more information and could-


    ¡°Terra. Who is this? Treachery, girl? After all the help I¡¯ve given you¡­¡±


    Deathstroke¡¯s voice echoes through the warehouse, alerting them to his presence even as both Lucien and Terra stop where they stand. Clearing her throat, Lucien watches as Terra steps forward even as he throws out his senses, trying to get an idea of where Slade is. Unfortunately, the mercenary is too good at what he does. Not even Terra¡¯s geokinesis allows for Lucien to figure out where the man is¡­ which makes sense given Slade would be prepared for such a thing since Lucien had brought Terra with him.


    ¡°N-Not treachery! This¡­ this is Remedy! He needed to speak with you¡­ about your mutual benefactor!¡±


    Terra¡¯s squeaky explanation causes silence to fall in the warehouse. Slade¡¯s disbelief is palpable, even if he doesn¡¯t say anything for a long moment. When he does finally speak, incredulity stains every word that drops from his mouth.


    ¡°Really now¡­ our mutual benefactor, is it?¡±


    Deciding it¡¯s probably time for him to step in, Lucien speaks up.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I have received dreams from our Lord. He¡¯s told me that it¡¯s almost time for the plan to commence and on his word I¡¯ve managed to infiltrate the Titans to prepare for the final phase. However, before that can happen, he¡¯s had me come here to you¡­ to prepare you as well.¡±


    ¡°Prepare¡­ me?¡±


    In for a penny, in for a pound.


    ¡°I¡¯m a healer, Mister Wilson. You¡¯ve done good work for our Lord. Now that things are nearing the end, he has decided to reward you¡­ and to make you stronger for what is to come.¡±


    Terra, bless her heart, pipes up again.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s true! He¡¯s healed us quite a few times since he joined the Titans. He can pretty much do anything with a touch!¡±


    Though at the same time, the blonde is giving him weird looks. Lucien can understand why. He¡¯d let her think that the higher power he and Deathstroke were both working for was his father. But now he was calling their boss ¡®Lord¡¯ and acting all reverent and shit. Still, Lucien had never outright told Terra that Lex Luthor was behind all of this. She was only assuming and you know what they said about that¡­


    All of the sudden, between one blink of an eye and the next, Slade Wilson appears before them. In that moment, even without touching him, Lucien can tell¡­ the man is already dead. However, the red symbol on his forehead isn¡¯t glowing with nearly the same amount of power that it was in the future Lucien saw.


    Tilting his head to the side, the zombie mercenary looks between Lucien and Terra for a long moment.


    ¡°Healing.¡±


    The incredulity is still palpable, even as Slade tastes the word on his tongue. After all, he doesn¡¯t need healing¡­ he needs a complete resurrection. Or at least a guarantee that Trigon is going to let him live as an undead forever. Lucien is prepared for Slade¡¯s disbelief though, smiling and shooting a quick glance towards Terra that she doesn¡¯t notice¡­ but that Deathstroke definitely does.


    ¡°Healing comes in all shapes and sizes Mr. Wilson. Sometimes it requires¡­ sacrifice. But anything can be healed. Anything.¡±


    Could Lucien bring the dead back to life with his powers over biology? Probably not. Then again, he wouldn¡¯t know until he tried. He wasn¡¯t here to test that theory tonight though. He was only here to deal with Slade Wilson¡­ if at all possible.


    As the undead mercenary continues standing there in silence, Lucien decides to make the next move. He takes off his gloves one after the other and then offers a bared hand to Terra. Confused, not quite understanding the implication, the blonde pulls off one of her black gloves and takes his hand in her own.


    Then, Lucien offers his other bared hand to Slade. It takes a moment¡­ but slowly, finally, Deathstroke reaches down and removes one of his armored gloves, revealing the mummified flesh underneath it. Some of the skin on his fingers is torn, showing bones.


    Terra gasps at the reveal, even as Slade¡¯s skeletal fingers reach out to touch Lucien¡¯s. Finally, the geokinetic picks up on what Slade had already figured out Lucien was implying.


    ¡°W-Wait, no-urk!¡±


    He can¡¯t have her interrupting, so Lucien paralyzes her with a single though, freezing her in place. Then, he reaches out and grabs hold of Slade¡¯s zombified hand, feeling himself expand through the undead man¡¯s biology in an instant.


    He¡¯s still deader than a door nail¡­ but Trigon hasn¡¯t empowered him nearly as much as he would in the future. There¡¯s still a kernel of Trigon¡¯s influence buried in Slade¡¯s body, but this¡­ this is much more doable.


    ¡°Well?¡±


    Lucien smiles as he looks up to meet Slade¡¯s expectant eyes.


    ¡°Have patience Mr. Wilson. These things take time.¡±


    Then, he gets to work.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [X] Play it safe, try to turn Deathstroke''s dead body into dust quickly so Trigon doesn''t have time to react - 79%


    [ ] Play it dangerous, try to actually restore Deathstroke to life while at the same time cutting out Trigon''s influence - 21%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 37: Loose Ends

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    All''s well that ends well amirite?


    -x-X-x-


    There¡¯s an argument to be made for trying to restore Slade Wilson to life. Deathstroke is a very dangerous man, a mercenary said to have almost no peers. He¡¯s got such a legendary reputation that even Lucien had heard of him after all. The man¡¯s feats involve going toe to toe with some of the strongest people on the planet at times and still managing to come away alive if not always unscathed.


    Having a man like that on Lucien¡¯s side would certainly be a massive boon. Having Deathstroke owe him both his life and freedom would give Lucien an excellent tool¡­


    ¡­ If the mercenary could actually be trusted to follow through on such a life debt. And there was the rub of it. Would Slade actually recognize what Lucien had done for him in not just bringing him back to life but also freeing him from Trigon¡¯s influence? Or would he, mercenary that he was, just chalk it up to a run of good fortune and bail immediately?


    If there were a contract involved, Lucien might have believed there to be a higher chance of entangling Deathstroke in his affairs but seeing as he¡¯d had to lie to the undead mercenary just to get his hand on him, that wasn¡¯t in play.


    And more than that, the risk of trying to restore Slade to life while also cutting off Trigon¡¯s influence was¡­ substantial. He might draw the Demon Lord¡¯s attention and ire, and then it was possible that all hell would break loose. Literally. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No, in the end¡­ Lucien didn¡¯t really have any other option. The best choice he could make was the path of least resistance.


    It doesn¡¯t take longer than a few seconds to prepare. He¡¯s already spread his senses throughout Slade¡¯s body, though now he does so more completely, until he¡¯s literally feeling every cell in the walking, talking corpse in front of him.


    ¡°Well? I don¡¯t feel any-!¡±


    Just as Deathstroke begins to get impatient again, Lucien acts. The results are immediate. One moment, the undead mercenary is standing there, all mummified and rotting flesh¡­ the next he¡¯s gone. Lucien destroys every ounce of Slade¡¯s body, completely annihilating it and turning it into so much dust. There¡¯s a poof inside of his armor, and then the now empty armor crumples to Warehouse Floor.


    That doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s done, however. Even as Lucien¡¯s hand is suddenly free, no longer having to hold onto the undead mercenary¡¯s grotesque, bony, rotted fingers, he¡¯s already moving forward. Letting go of a still-paralyzed Terra, Lucien brings both hands forward and for the first time summons the purple energy that Blackfire is so known for. They burn brightly just as the center of the empty armor begins to glow red¡­ which is when Lucien brings his blazing fists down on top of the kernel of Trigon¡¯s influence that remains behind.


    His hands go right through the empty armor, only to encounter resistance for a moment. He can almost feel something malevolent reaching out, trying to fight back¡­ but it all happens just quickly enough that he manages to succeed. The red gem that apparently represented Trigon¡¯s hold over Slade Wilson¡¯s soul shatters under Lucien¡¯s fists and the ¡®Blackbolts¡¯ covering his hands.


    After a moment of still glowing ominously, the shards of that red gem dim and turn dull and dark. At the same time, the glowing red symbol on the ¡®forehead¡¯ of a now empty mask fades away as well. He¡¯s done it. It¡¯s over. Or at least, he hopes it is. He¡¯s not sure how exactly Trigon managed to possess Raven, but he knows for a fact that the Demon Lord wouldn¡¯t have wasted so much energy on Deathstroke if he wasn¡¯t integral to the plan.


    With this, Lucien could hope that things would settle down¡­ at least for now. Of course, just because he¡¯d headed off a potential apocalypse, as well as a great amount of personal loss¡­ didn¡¯t mean he was fully out of the woods yet. First thing first, Lucien turns to regard Terra, who is staring at him with wide blue eyes.


    To be fair, the blonde can¡¯t do anything else. Her body is frozen in place, tense as can be due to his powers locking her up. She¡¯s trembling, trying to move or speak or anything, but thanks to Lucien all she can do is breathe in and out through her nose. Her lungs expanding and collapsing over and over again are all the wiggle room he¡¯s given her.


    Stepping back up to Terra, Lucien sighs and tries to give her his most comforting smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Terra. It¡¯s over. I¡¯m going to free you now, alright? All I ask is that you don¡¯t attack me until I have a chance to explain myself. Is that understood?¡±


    ¡°M-Mm!¡±


    That¡¯s about the best he can expect, he supposes. Still, Lucien isn¡¯t dumb enough to just assume that she¡¯ll hear him out. That¡¯s why, even as he reaches out to remove the paralysis, he also prepares himself in another way. And good that he does too, because the moment Terra is able to, she whips her arms, using her powers to try and lift up the concrete around him so she can capture him in it.


    At the same time, she spins and tries to make a break for it. Of course, Lucien is on edge so he¡¯s able to easily counter her powers, stopping the slabs of concrete from encasing him while at the same time liquefying the concrete under Terra¡¯s feet so she begins to sink into it like quicksand. The geokinetic yelps, trying in a panic and also in vain to pull herself free, even as Lucien sighs.


    ¡°Terra¡­ use your powers.¡±


    Stopping, the blonde blinks, looks down at her legs encased in concrete, and after a long silent moment of embarrassment, frees herself from the trap. Fortunately, she doesn¡¯t try to run again. Instead, she cautiously turns to face him, seemingly happy to have put some space between them.


    ¡°Y-You¡­¡±


    ¡°I asked for the chance to explain myself, didn¡¯t I? That¡¯s all I want, Terra. Slade Wilson was working for an extradimensional Demon Lord. I dare not say his name lest it draws his attention onto us even more than it probably already is.¡±


    Terra gapes, looking to Slade¡¯s empty armor and then back to Lucien. Disbelief and incredulity are writ large across her face, which honestly¡­ it¡¯s a little frustrating.


    ¡°Terra, you saw his hand. You saw the bones; I know you did. Slade Wilson was literally already dead. I didn¡¯t kill him¡­ I didn¡¯t have to. I just put down a zombie who had sold his soul to a Demon Lord.¡±


    Swallowing thickly, Terra evaluates his words, as well as what she saw. In the end, she squirms for a moment before responding.


    ¡°It just¡­ seems ridiculous.¡±


    Lucien raises an eyebrow at that.


    ¡°Ridiculous? Terra, you realize you¡¯re on a team with a green-skinned shapeshifter, an alien princess, and a literal half-demon, while you yourself somehow have the ability to manipulate earth¡­ right? And to top it all off, you all let yourself be led by a young man with no powers, just a whole lot of physical training. If you want to talk about ridiculous¡­¡±


    Terra winces at that, looking away for a second as Lucien scores some very solid points. At least in his opinion anyways. Finally, she looks back at him, frowning.


    ¡°But you said you and Slade had the same boss!¡±


    Seriously? Lucien resists the urge to facepalm, even as he plasters a smile on his face.


    ¡°I lied, Terra. Sorry about that, but it had to be done. Slade and his Demon Lord boss were planning to invade our world and I had to stop them, no matter what it cost. In comparison to losing everyone, lying to you in order to get us here so I could touch Slade was¡­ well, it was a no brainer.¡±


    Mulling over Lucien¡¯s words, Terra bites her lower lip.


    ¡°Y-You¡­ are you going to tell the Titans about Slade? About what I was doing for him?¡±


    He¡¯d already thought about this. The right thing to do would be to tell on Terra. That would be the heroic thing to do. But it was never his intention to become a hero. Truthfully, looking back on his time with the Titans, he really had let himself get caught up in their pace way too much. This reset¡­ it was good for more than just a chance to stop the apocalypse and save their lives. It was a way for him to get back on task.


    ¡°No, Terra. I¡¯m not going to tell them anything.¡±


    Terra¡¯s big blue eyes widen at that.


    ¡°Wha- why not?!¡±


    And then she suddenly freezes in place, clearly coming to her own conclusion.


    ¡°Are you¡­ planning on making me work for you instead? You and¡­ your father?¡±


    And there it was. To be fair, it wasn¡¯t a bad assumption. Even if it was completely wrong. Lucien shakes his head.


    ¡°I doubt my father even knows who you are, Terra. He certainly doesn¡¯t know who Remedy is or what I¡¯ve been up to recently.¡±


    Terra gapes, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish for a few seconds.


    ¡°W-What? How is that possible?¡±


    Lucien shrugs his shoulders.


    ¡°If Lex Luthor knew what I was capable of, if he knew what I¡¯d been up to, he would have sent teams of highly trained mercenaries to capture me and spirit me away to a research lab for testing and experimentation, Terra.¡±


    His deadpan delivery causes Terra to blanch in response, the blonde blinking rapidly now. To really drive his point home, Lucien lets her in on another tidbit of his personal life.


    ¡°He¡¯s literally dragged me to a laboratory every year on my birthday since I was little to test me and see how I¡¯m developing, Terra. Obviously I¡¯ve hidden my powers from him, I¡¯d be an idiot not to.¡±


    He leaves out the part about the tests having more to do with his sickliness than anything else. Terra doesn¡¯t need to know that part. In the end¡­ she finally seems to relax, the tension bleeding out of her as Lucien shares some tidbits about his awful relationship with his father.


    ¡°O-Oh. I¡­ I guess¡­ you saved the world just now, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Grinning crookedly, Lucien shakes his head.


    ¡°No Terra. WE saved the world.¡±


    That gets an owlish, wide-eyed look from the blue-eyed blonde. Gesturing around them, Lucien chuckles.


    ¡°Could I have found this place without you? Maybe. But could I have tricked Slade into letting me ¡®help¡¯ him without you? Doubtful. I know you didn¡¯t know what was going on, but this¡­ you deserve plenty of credit for helping to stop this particular demon invasion.¡±


    As expected, hearing that from him does wonders for Terra¡¯s self-esteem. She ducks her head and then tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear self-consciously.


    ¡°Do you¡­ do you really think so?¡±


    ¡°I know so. Like I told you, Slade was already dead. He never would have believed I could bring him back to life without a proper ¡®sacrifice¡¯. That was where you came in. He was all too ready to give you up if it got him his life back.¡±


    That might have been the wrong thing to say, because Terra shuts down a bit at the reminder that her ¡®Mentor¡¯ had been ready and willing to kill her. Still, she needed to know. She needed to understand that Slade wasn¡¯t just a bad guy, he was a bad guy who would have turned on her at the drop of a hat and likely not even considered it a real betrayal. Judging by the look on her face as she processes his words, Lucien thinks she gets the idea.


    ¡°Would you¡­ could you have done it? Used my life force to bring him back? Sacrificed me to resurrect him?¡±


    Lucien scoffs, lying his ass off immediately.


    ¡°Of course not. My powers don¡¯t work like that, Terra. You saw what happened when I tried to heal Slade. He turned to dust because he was already dead so there was nothing to heal. In this case, my power thought that the best way to ¡®heal¡¯ him was to help his body finish decomposing entirely, bones and all.¡±


    Terra eats that right up, nodding along with wide eyes. The fact that she immediately believes him is nice, judging by the relief that wracks her frame. Though of course, that doesn¡¯t mean the questions are done.


    ¡°What¡­ how DO your powers work, Remedy? Because¡­ w-well¡­¡±


    Lucien smiles crookedly.


    ¡°Because I used Blackfire¡¯s powers to destroy the gem, and I used your powers to trap your feet?¡±


    Terra nods hesitantly.


    ¡°Healing is my base power. But when I heal people¡­ I get copies of their powers as well.¡±


    He can¡¯t exactly put the cat back in the bag now that she¡¯d seen what he was capable of. So better that she think she knew something everyone else didn¡¯t, but without him revealing his true nature or the depths of his actual powers. Slowly, Terra nods again. She doesn¡¯t raise a complaint, so he assumes she considers the tradeoff fair enough. Healing for powers isn¡¯t so bad, really. Then, she looks back over at Slade¡¯s empty armor.


    ¡°What¡­ what now?¡±


    Considering it for a moment, Lucien reaches out and twists his hand. The concrete under Deathstroke¡¯s ¡®remains¡¯ liquefies and swallows the armor whole. Sending it down beneath the foundations of the warehouse, he nods to Terra.


    ¡°No one ever has to know we were here. So long as neither of us say anything, all of this can stay between us.¡±


    Biting her lower lip again, Terra nods rapidly. It¡¯s obvious she very much likes the sound of that. This time around, he¡¯s preempted her guilty conscience. The likelihood of her ever exposing herself to the Titans had dropped to nearly zero now. After all, it was one thing to be spying on them for Slade. It was another entirely to find out she¡¯d been spying on them for an undead Slade Wilson backed by an extradimensional Demon Lord.


    Ultimately, with the problem resolved and Trigon¡¯s plans derailed for the time being, Terra had no reason to ever tattle on herself¡­ and therefore no reason to tattle on him either. All was well that ended well¡­ at least where the apocalypse was concerned.


    There was still the other issue as well. Blackfire and her memory loss. Lucien was still a little annoyed about the progress he¡¯d lost on that subject. Sure, it hadn¡¯t gone as well as he¡¯d hoped what with Raven¡¯s interruption and then the whole apocalypse kicking off just as he and Blackfire were coming to an understanding. But¡­ oh. Now there was an idea.


    As he and Terra leave the warehouse behind, with Lucien carrying the blonde back to Titan Tower, he realizes he doesn¡¯t necessarily have to go through all of that again.


    First and foremost, he won¡¯t give Blackfire her memories back anywhere in the tower itself, to avoid Raven immediately detecting the change. But secondly¡­ he doesn¡¯t have to just give Blackfire her memories back. He could also give her his memories as well. Not the memories of Death of course, but he could show her what had happened in the future that never was.


    It would involve bringing her further into his confidence, of course. She would find out about his immortality. But considering she was supposed to be his prime ¡®henchwoman¡¯, maybe that was alright. Maybe learning that he could turn back the clock when things went wrong would tie her all the closer to him.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Give Blackfire just her memories back, like last time - 12%


    [X] Give Blackfire her memories back but also memories of the timeline that never was - 88%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 38: Next Steps

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien brings Blackfire further into the fold than ever before.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°Yes? What is it? Why did we have to meet here privately?¡±


    In everything that had happened, he¡¯d almost forgotten that as far as Amnesiac Blackfire was concerned, their connection was through Starfire, rather than Starfire being their target. So getting Blackfire to come to his apartment with little explanation had been easier said than done. Still, it HAD been done, and now the two of them stood in his kitchen while Spot was under the table, once more consuming a slab of microwaved meat.


    As the Snow Leopard Cub goes to town on his meal, Lucien sighs and steps closer to Blackfire, making her tense up. Though she doesn¡¯t back away, because in the end, regardless of the amnesia, they¡¯ve already been intimate several times. As such, she lets him place his hands on her bared shoulders with very little fanfare, causing Lucien to smile as he explains while working his magic.


    ¡°Because there¡¯s something you¡¯ve forgotten. And we¡¯re here to remind you of it.¡±


    He watches Blackfire¡¯s eyes clear up as the block on her memories is lifted, her amnesia cured and her mind fully restored to her. He also watches as those same eyes suddenly narrow, blazing with anger over his perceived slights just like last time.


    When her fist comes up, blazing with purple energy and aiming straight for his head, Lucien is prepared for it with a glowing hand of his own, catching the punch in his palm. Then¡­ he goes for broke. Because he really doesn¡¯t want to have to go through all the angst and anger again. Even if the hate sex was fun, he¡¯d rather skip to the part where Blackfire forgave Starfire for the things outside of her control.


    That¡¯s why, holding her hand, Lucien goes in and tries to¡­ upload memories of the events that never happened. They aren¡¯t from Blackfire¡¯s point of view or anything like that, hell they¡¯re barely from Lucien¡¯s point of view. Instead, if he¡¯s doing it correctly, it should be almost like watching a recording of what happened, albeit through his eyes, but without any of his thoughts, feelings, or emotions attached to it.


    The act causes the Tamaranean Princess to go slack, her eyes blanking out for a moment as she¡¯s forced to process all that he¡¯s forcing upon her. Lucien has made sure to cut out the part with Death in it however, making it instead seem like he died and then subsequently woke back up in the same bed where he¡¯d originally given her memories back and caused the whole mess in the first place.


    Stopping it there before anything he¡¯d done so far in this timeline, Lucien watches as Blackfire slowly comes out of the daze he¡¯s put her in, blinking rapidly and looking somewhat baffled.


    ¡°What¡­ what was that? What just happened? You¡­ those were not my memories.¡±


    Lucien shakes his head solemnly.


    ¡°No, they were not. I have a confession to make, Blackfire. When I die, I don¡¯t stay dead. I go back in time and get another chance to make things right.¡±


    Pulling away from him, Blackfire shivers as she moves backwards until she¡¯s up against the wall. She¡¯s clearly still processing everything she saw, along with the confession he just made. Lucien just waits quietly, giving her the time she obviously needs. Finally though, she clenches her hands into fists and huffs.


    ¡°How many? How many times have you relived these events?¡±


    Did she think he¡¯d lived hundreds of times and only decided to let her see the latest? He¡¯s almost tempted to lean into that belief. And maybe he will, just a little bit. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Just the once since we¡¯ve met. And I¡¯ve already subverted the events that I just got done showing you. I had Terra take me to Slade Wilson last night while you and Starfire slept and dealt with him and his connection to the Demon Lord who would have kicked off everything. For now, at least, the Titans and the rest of the world should be safe from his machinations.¡±


    Crossing her arms over her chest, clearly deep in thought, Blackfire lets out a shuddering breath as she nods at that. She¡¯s probably still coming to terms with everything. To be fair, Lucien himself has barely allowed himself to think about it. From Blackfire basically sacrificing herself to give Lucien and Spot a chance to get away, to watching the Titans get dismantled and torn apart one by one, either killed or worse than killed.


    He knows he¡¯ll probably have nightmares about the crunching sound Starfire¡¯s body had made when it was flung against the obsidian pillar for a while. Whether she¡¯d survived that throw or not didn¡¯t really matter given everything was pretty fucking doomed by that point.


    ¡°Then if the problem is already dealt with¡­ let¡¯s get the fuck out of here.¡±


    Lucien blinks at that, raising an eyebrow at Blackfire. But the Tamaranean Princess doesn¡¯t back down, all but hissing as she clutches at her own arms where she¡¯s crossing them.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious. The demon bitch is just going to flip out once she realizes that I¡¯ve got my memories back, so we can¡¯t go back to their Tower. Let¡¯s just leave. Go somewhere else. You can do it, can¡¯t you? You¡¯re Lex fucking Luthor¡¯s son. You¡¯ve surely got the funds to relocate to a new city. And even if you don¡¯t, with your powers we can just carve out a spot wherever we want.¡±


    ¡­ Honestly, Blackfire was sort of speaking his language. In a manner of speaking, he¡¯d already gotten everything he wanted out of the Titans. His methodology might have changed, but his goal hadn¡¯t. He was still going to make Death cum one day. But now Lucien knew that it wasn¡¯t just about being tougher or stronger than Death of the Endless (a tall order to begin with) or even just having more stamina than her (probably impossible).


    Sure, he still needed to be able to last long enough in bed with her to bring her to climax, but he couldn¡¯t just expect to fuck her like a jackhammer until she came squealing his name. That sort of thing worked on someone like Blackfire, but not someone like Death. Lucien needed more subtle methods of drawing pleasure out of the woman of his dreams, and that meant adding further powers to his skillset.


    Yeah, he wouldn¡¯t pass up a chance to get ahold of Kryptonian DNA so he could build himself into one of those powerful motherfuckers, but he also needed other things. He needed to be able to try everything at least once on Death.


    So yes, Blackfire was right. The Titans and Jump City in general didn¡¯t have much left for him. It was time for him to move on. But Blackfire¡­


    ¡°And what about Starfire? Would she come with us? Or are we leaving her behind?¡±


    Blackfire stiffens, even though she had to have known he would bring the other Tamaranean up. For a long moment, she just stays quiet, like a form of silent protest. But when she realizes he¡¯s definitely waiting her out, she finally rolls her eyes and grunts.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving her behind.¡±


    When he STILL stays quiet, clearly continuing to wait her out, Blackfire throws her hands up in the air.


    ¡°FINE! You want me to talk about it? I¡¯ll fucking talk about it. I forgive her, okay? Or rather, I realize I was an idiot. Tch, that other me would probably have something to say right now¡­ the idiot literally threw herself into a swarm of demons so you could go save her sister and you couldn¡¯t even manage that.¡±


    Lucien raises an eyebrow at that interpretation of events. Blackfire would know better than him what was going through her own mind, he supposed. Still, she¡¯s not done yet.


    ¡°I still hate our parents and our people with all my heart. But¡­ I don¡¯t hate her anymore. I can¡¯t. But I also can¡¯t be around her right now either. I need fucking time, okay? And seeing as her friends hate me with all their guts, it¡¯s better if we all give each other some damn space.¡±


    Glaring at him intensely now, Blackfire growls.


    ¡°So you tell me here and now what you¡¯re doing. You city hopping? Because if you are, I¡¯ll still be your ¡®henchwoman¡¯ or what the fuck ever. But if you want to stick around, this is where we part ways.¡±


    Ah, she honestly sounds a little insecure, and even afraid. Though she tries to hide it to the best of her abilities, Lucien is very good at reading people at this point. He can tell she doesn¡¯t want him to ¡®abandon¡¯ her by choosing to stick around Jump City. Fortunately for both of their sakes¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re right, of course. I¡¯m more than ready to leave this city behind. And yes, I should have the resources to make it happen. I¡¯m even in agreement that we should leave Starfire behind as well. Her friends need her more than we do and if you need time away from her, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll understand.¡±


    Blackfire stiffens at that.


    ¡°What? We¡¯re not going to tell her or anything. I¡¯m saying we leave right now! No notice!¡±


    But Lucien just shakes his head, having already expected as much.


    ¡°We¡¯re telling her. She deserves an explanation, Blackfire.¡±


    Bristling, Blackfire grits her teeth.


    ¡°And how are you going to explain us leaving her behind? Remember, she thinks you two are a couple. What, are you going to tell her the truth? That you seduced her solely to placate your first ¡®henchwoman¡¯?¡±


    The truth? Fuck no. Lucien just smiles mysteriously.


    ¡°I have a plan.¡±


    -x-X-x-


    They meet Starfire on the roof of his apartment building. Before she can do or say anything, Lucien rips the band-aid off right then and there.


    ¡°Blackfire has her memories back.¡±


    Starfire freezes in place, going wide-eyed as she immediately focuses all of her attention on her older sister.


    ¡°K-Komandr, I-!¡±


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t start. Just listen because I¡¯m only going to say this once.¡±


    Then, clearly rallying herself for something truly groundbreaking, Blackfire breathes in through her nostrils and¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Even Lucien is a little surprised by that. He didn¡¯t think Blackfire had it in her. Starfire certainly looks gobsmacked, before quickly trying to talk anyways.


    ¡°N-No, it¡¯s me who-!¡±


    ¡°Shut. Up. Didn¡¯t I just say to listen only?¡±


    Starfire clams up, defaulting to her submissive tendencies as she squirms under Blackfire¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t at fault for how our people compared me to you. It was my parents and the rest of Tamaran that were to blame. I hate them for what they did to me¡­ to us. And I¡¯m sorry for taking all of that hatred out on you.¡±


    Starfire¡¯s eyes water with unshed tears at that, and she looks like she wants to speak¡­ but knows better. Blackfire gives her a few seconds with which to mess up, but when she stays quiet, the older Tamaranean nods approvingly and continues on.


    ¡°I need to leave. I can¡¯t stay here in this city with you and your friends. Not just because your friends hate my guts and will never trust me after all I did to them in the name of getting to you, but also because of everything that¡¯s happened between us. I need time away from you to get my head on straight and figure out my next steps. That¡¯s why you can¡¯t come with me.¡±


    There¡¯s another pause, longer this time, before Starfire finally realizes Blackfire is done talking and she¡¯s allowed to speak again. Blackfire doesn¡¯t say it of course, but that¡¯s typical Blackfire. Of course, now that Blackfire has laid it all out so clearly, Starfire doesn¡¯t quite know what to say. Her sister is being reasonable for the first time in their lives, and Starfire¡¯s first impulse, to beg to go with her, has already been shot down.


    For a moment, Starfire just looks around the rooftop frantically. Before finally, her eyes land on Lucien. And then¡­


    ¡°E-Even if I can¡¯t come with you, please take Lucien with you, sister!¡±


    Blackfire freezes in place, incredulity writ large across her face as Starfire earnestly offers him up on a silver platter to her. The incredulity isn¡¯t just because of Starfire¡¯s words though, but rather because¡­ yep, this was Lucien¡¯s plan. Pretty simple, but if there was one thing he knew at this point, it was how both Starfire and Blackfire¡¯s brains worked. He would have bet almost anything that Starfire would come up with this idea without too much urging. Hell, he¡¯d pretty much bet their ability to have a clean break on it.


    ¡°I-I know it¡¯s a lot to ask Lucien, but please¡­ w-would you consider it? We can still talk on the phone and everything, but Blackfire¡­ I¡¯m sorry sister, but you really shouldn¡¯t be alone. And since you and Lucien are so close already¡­¡±


    Lucien and Blackfire exchange a look, where Blackfire just looks even more incredulous that his damn plan had somehow worked without him seemingly having to do anything, and Lucien very carefully doesn¡¯t show an ounce of smugness or gloating on his visage or in his tone. Finally, he slowly nods.


    ¡°Alright Kori¡­ if that¡¯s what you want¡­ and if Komandr is agreeable, then I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Tch. Fine. He can come.¡±


    Starfire whoops with glee, even lifting off the ground for a moment as she clasps her hands together in front of her and does a twirl. After a moment though, she comes back down and looks at them both expectantly.


    ¡°Where will you go, exactly? Ah, maybe Lucien has an idea, given he will be funding this venture?¡±


    He did actually have a couple of ideas at this point. There were lots of places all over the world to travel to, but he didn¡¯t necessarily want to leave the US yet. In the meantime, while there were a lot of cities within the United States as well, two in particular had caught his attention.


    Number One was Metropolis, of course. Home to Superman, Supergirl, and Power Girl. Three Kryptonians meant more chances for him to maybe get his hands on one of them or even just on one of their blood after a particularly hard battle. However, it did come with its downsides as well.


    For one, for all their strength, he and Blackfire would be small fish in a big pond in a place like Metropolis. The place was routinely threatened by villains who could go toe to toe with Kryptonians after all, and that resulted in a lot of property damage. For two, Metropolis was where his father and LexCorp were located. Lucien had never followed up on his father being a clone, nor had he gotten back in touch with Mercy ever since they¡¯d last parted ways. By setting foot in Metropolis, he was sure to be putting himself on his father¡¯s (or his father¡¯s clone¡¯s) radar in a big way.


    Number two was Gotham City. Original home of Robin and also current home of the ¡®Bat Family¡¯. Most of Gotham¡¯s heroes and heroines didn¡¯t have powers for Lucien to pick up. They were, by and large, baseline humans like Robin from what he understood it. Just highly skilled and trained combatants.


    However, the villains and villainesses of Gotham City were a different story. Plenty of them had unique physiologies and powers for Lucien to pick up, and better still, he and Blackfire should be two of the tougher folks in town. At the same time though, there were some downsides. Lucien remembered hearing something about Batman coming down way harder on anyone TOO strong showing up in his city, and even going so far as to kick out more powerful heroes who wanted to help him out. So they would have to lie low to keep from attracting too much attention.


    As well, there was something about Gotham that was just dark, twisted, and corrupted. Something unnatural that made it a place where plenty of visitors never made it back out again. That said, that pallor of death was sort of a mix between a downside and an upside, because one of the reasons Lucien wanted to go to Gotham was to investigate it and see if it had any connection to Death of the Endless herself.


    Really, both options had their upsides and downsides. And Lucien knew he was dead set on choosing one of them. But now, it seemed, he needed to decide which.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Lucien decides they''re going to Metropolis - 37%


    [X] Lucien decides they''re going to Gotham - 63%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 39: Calling for a Favor

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    In which we get in touch with a character we haven''t spoken to in a while~


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°¡­ Gotham. We¡¯ll go to Gotham City.¡±


    The reactions Lucien gets from the two Tamaranean Princesses are initially the same. Both go wide eyed at the name drop. However, from there they differ. Blackfire¡¯s gaze turns thoughtful and considering, and slowly but surely Lucien can see a glimmer of interest and excitement appear in the alien woman¡¯s eyes.


    Starfire on the other hand, blanches after the initial eye widening, wringing her hands in front of her and looking more than a little concerned. On the one hand, her and Lucien¡¯s relationship was pretty clear cut along the lines of submissive and dominant. On the other hand, she cared for him and Blackfire deeply, and so she couldn¡¯t really bring herself to be quiet.


    ¡°I¡­ a-are you sure, Lucien? That¡­ does not seem like a good idea. Robin has told me much about Gotham City. It is a place of perpetual darkness.¡±


    Lucien just smiles and nods.


    ¡°That¡¯s what makes it the perfect place for us to lie low for a while.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ what about the Batman?¡±


    But Lucien just shakes his head.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be going there to fight crime or anything like that, Star. In fact, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll take the Remedy identity with us. It¡¯ll be better for both Komandr and I if there¡¯s very little connecting us to our pasts. And seeing as we¡¯re planning to just up and vanish, I¡¯m guessing Robin will probably put out an alert about Blackfire at the very least¡­ the last place they¡¯ll be looking for her is Gotham though. She¡¯d have to be crazy to hide out right under Batman¡¯s nose, wouldn¡¯t she?¡±


    Starfire bites her lower lip, even as Blackfire snorts.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good plan, I say. Gotham is as good as any if I have to stay on this stupid mudball of a planet.¡±


    Lucien raises an eyebrow at Blackfire¡¯s rather ham-fisted manipulation of her fellow Tamaranean. And yet¡­ it works. Starfire¡¯s breath catches at the thought that they might go off-world, going even further away from her. In an instant, she sets aside her reservations, nodding rapidly.


    ¡°Y-Yes! I think Gotham City is the best place for you to go too!¡±


    All too easy, in the end. And honestly, that was part of the reason Lucien felt like it was better for all of them if they had some time apart from the very manipulatable Tamaranean Princess. Seeing how both he and Blackfire were naturally manipulative people, Starfire just couldn¡¯t help bringing out the worst in them. That said, there needed to be one last bit of manipulation.


    ¡°You won¡¯t tell anyone where we¡¯re going, right Star? Not a single soul can know.¡±


    Starfire blinks, but then nods in agreement, looking a little downcast but also resolved.


    ¡°Yes¡­ you¡¯re right of course. I won¡¯t tell anybody. I¡­ thank you Lucien, for looking after her for me.¡±


    Blackfire scoffs, arms crossed over her chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a child to be babysat.¡±


    But for once, Starfire isn¡¯t paying her any mind. Instead, she steps up to Lucien and takes his face in her hands, kissing him deeply on the mouth as her eyes shut. Lucien kisses her back of course, recognizing that this is a ¡®goodbye¡¯ moment between two lovers for Starfire and giving her exactly what she needs to say that goodbye.


    Finally, they have to pull apart for air and after one last look at both him and Blackfire, Starfire takes to the air and flies away, leaving them behind. There¡¯s a brief pause as Blackfire watches her disappear into the distance before turning to him with an incredulous look on her face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you managed to convince her that you coming with me was her idea¡­ or that it was even YOU coming with ME instead of me going with you in the first place!¡±


    Lucien chuckles, shrugging his shoulders as they head back inside the apartment.


    ¡°I did tell you that I could get it done, didn¡¯t I? And now¡­¡±


    Blackfire huffs, rolls her eyes¡­ but nevertheless drops to her knees as Lucien moves to the living room and sits down in the armchair there. Crawling across the apartment, the Tamaranean Princess gives him a half-hearted glare as she situates herself between his legs and pulls out his cock.


    A moment later and she¡¯s dutifully sucking on his dick, paying the ¡®penalty¡¯ she ¡®owed¡¯ for losing the little wager they¡¯d made before they contacted Starfire. Basically, Blackfire hadn¡¯t thought Lucien could pull it off. Making Starfire send him away of her own volition to look after her sister seemed too farfetched for the selfish Tamaranean, but as Blackfire had learned, not everyone was as self-centered as she was¡­ especially not her sister.


    This was the price she now had to pay for being wrong about that. Not that she seemed to mind that much, bobbing up and down on his cock with increasing enthusiasm. No doubt she thought he would be fucking her soon enough and she was already looking forward to that.


    Instead, Lucien pulls out his phone, causing Blackfire to pause and look up at him with narrowed eyes. He gives her an apologetic smile that¡¯s really not very apologetic at all.


    ¡°Sorry, but if we¡¯re moving to Gotham, I have to get things in place for us. You don¡¯t mind, right?¡±


    The look in her eyes makes it clear that she definitely does mind¡­ but they both understand their power dynamic. She¡¯s the henchwoman and he¡¯s the boss, and in this case, she lost a bet. So Blackfire keeps sucking, even as Lucien calls someone he really doesn¡¯t want to call¡­ but really, has no choice.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    As the slightly cold tone of Mercy Graves comes over the phone, Lucien winces. They hadn¡¯t ever really patched things up between them since the time she¡¯d figured out he was lying to her. He probably could have reached out and tried to repair their relationship, but he honestly hadn¡¯t wanted to touch anything to do with his father with a ten foot pole, especially after finding out the current Lex was a clone.


    Ultimately however, Lucien knew better than to just up and disappear off of the face of the Earth without warning. Maybe he could have gotten away with it if his father, clone or otherwise, still thought he was the same weak and sickly boy he¡¯d been for most of his life, but that ship had already sailed and Lucien wasn¡¯t looking to rewind that far back, no sir.


    Basically, to avoid having Lex Luthor hunting him down with all of his considerable resources, Lucien had to get ¡®approval¡¯ to move to Gotham. But obviously, no part of him wanted to actually talk to his father about that sort of thing. Given Mercy hadn¡¯t turned him over to Lex yet, he could safely assume that the version of his father running around was still a clone even all these months later. And that meant he and Mercy still had their tentative truce.


    Speaking clearly with a no-nonsense tone and giving absolutely no sign whatsoever that he¡¯s currently being blown by a gorgeous alien princess, Lucien makes his pitch.


    ¡°Mercy, I want to move to Gotham. And I need your help to¡­ smooth things over and make the move as easy as possible.¡±


    There¡¯s a long pause from the other end of the line as Mercy processes that request. Finally though, she speaks.


    ¡°Gotham. You want to go to Gotham. Why?¡±


    Lucien considers how much of the truth to tell her. In the end, he decides to obfuscate things a bit, while giving out some half-truths.


    ¡°Jump City has started to grate on me. Specifically, I¡¯ve had a few run ins with the Titans and I don¡¯t want them to start digging into my past.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And why are you having run ins with the Titans of all people, Lucien?¡±


    Her disapproving tone brings a smile to Lucien¡¯s face. He glances down at Blackfire, who continues to suck his cock. In the end¡­ given the surveillance he¡¯s under, there¡¯s no doubt in Lucien¡¯s mind that Mercy already knows about Blackfire. She shouldn¡¯t know about the other things, he¡¯d gone out of his way to hide his actions as Remedy from the bugs in his apartment, as well as using a device to cover up some of the conversations he¡¯d had here like the one with Raven.


    But Blackfire had shown up when he wasn¡¯t expecting it, like a stray cat who¡¯d followed him home. The fact that no one ever came to check on him after that meant Mercy had taken a personal hand in his surveillance coverage, obfuscating some of what was happening with him from his father¡¯s clone. Basically, she was his nominal ally despite the bad blood between them, and right now she was giving him another chance to come clean and not lie to her quite so much this time.


    Obviously, it was a chance Lucien was happy to take given what he already knew that she knew. He wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake twice.


    ¡°I met someone. You might be familiar with them. They go by Blackfire.¡±


    Blackfire looks up at him with surprise at that, but Lucien just gives her a reassuring smile. Only to be surprised himself by Mercy¡¯s next words.


    ¡°You mean the alien princess you currently have kneeling between your legs gobbling up your knob as we speak?¡±


    On an intellectual level, Lucien knew it was likely that there were electronic eyes in his apartment, on top of electronic ears. And also, it was entirely possible Mercy was watching him in that moment. However, he hadn¡¯t exactly expected her to admit it as easily as that. Humming, Lucien rests a hand in Blackfire¡¯s hair, not to prompt her to pull away, but to encourage her to continue sucking his cock. After a beat, Mercy huffs on the other end of the phone.


    ¡°You really are your father¡¯s son, Lucien. No sense of shame whatsoever.¡±


    Chuckling, Lucien rolls his shoulders.


    ¡°Like I said, Mercy¡­ I want to move to Gotham. Me and my¡­ new friend.¡±


    ¡°You realize the leader of the Titans is from Gotham, right? Trained by Batman himself? Who, in case it somehow skipped your genius mind, is the primary guard dog of Gotham as well.¡±


    Lucien hums.


    ¡°That¡¯s what makes it the perfect place to go, Mercy. Robin will definitely try to hunt Blackfire and I down after we leave. But Gotham is the last place he¡¯ll expect to find us. With your help and a little obfuscation, he¡¯ll look everywhere else first and by the time he thinks to check Gotham City, we¡¯ll either be too established and entrenched for anyone to do anything about us, or we¡¯ll be long gone.¡±


    There¡¯s another long pause as Mercy mulls over his words. Until finally, she gets down to brass tacks.


    ¡°You¡¯re not just asking me to obfuscate your trail from the heroes, Lucien. You¡¯re asking me to do the same for him as well.¡±


    The fact that she says ¡®him¡¯ and not ¡®your father¡¯ or ¡®boss¡¯ or ¡®Lex¡¯ tells Lucien all he needs to know. The Lex Luthor everyone is seeing in public is still a clone. His real father still hasn¡¯t shown up or contacted Mercy in any way. And that means she¡¯s still tentatively on Lucien¡¯s side. Not out of any loyalty to him, but because she¡¯s upset with his father.


    ¡°¡­ That¡¯s right. Obviously if I just try and run, I¡¯ll be hunted down. But if you work some magic on your end, make it all above board and keep things¡­ smooth, then he probably wouldn¡¯t even pay much attention presumably. I¡¯m assuming all he really cares about is that someone is keeping tabs on me. So as long as I¡¯m still under YOUR watchful gaze, no alarms will sound, right?¡±


    Another pause, before Mercy finally sighs.


    ¡°That is¡­ not incorrect, yes. He¡¯s currently working on his latest plan to kill Superman and has left dealing with you completely in my capable hands, along with many other projects. I suppose, given that¡­ I could move you and your ¡®friend¡¯ to Gotham. But what would you even do there, Lucien? You realize if your new friend makes a mess of things, Batman is likely to find you out far faster than Robin, and from there, I can¡¯t tell you what will happen.¡± S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lucien hums, glancing down at Blackfire, who is still sucking his cock of course. Not that she¡¯s putting much effort into it at this point. She¡¯s more suckling than sucking at this point, just quietly nursing at his pulsing member as she waits for him to finish his call. She¡¯s never going to make him cum like that, but to be fair, she clearly wants his undivided attention before she puts her back into it any further.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Blackfire, Mercy. She won¡¯t raise a fuss without my permission. As for what we would do there¡­ well, I suppose you¡¯re right that just ¡®lying low¡¯ isn¡¯t an acceptable answer. We¡¯d be at our wit¡¯s end in no time. Maybe¡­ we could start a business.¡±


    Even Blackfire, who can only hear half of this conversation, looks a little incredulous at that. Mercy, meanwhile, scoffs on the other end of the phone.


    ¡°A business. What kind of business, exactly?¡±


    Lucien hums, considering that for a long moment. A clinic seemed like the most obvious answer, given his powers. He could heal people literally from anything except death¡­ if it¡¯d been too long. Opening a clinic in Gotham might also put him into contact with a lot of folks, including those with powers, maybe.


    But at the same time, he was planning on leaving the Remedy identity behind. So maybe a clinic was a little bit too ¡®same-y¡¯? They could open a research lab instead. That would also be a great way of getting access to a lot of different DNA for his power to feast upon.


    Or hell, they could open a shell company. Just a simple office with no real employees except for maybe a secretary. A business to cover up¡­ more clandestine dealings, maybe? The majority of powered individuals in Gotham were villains, after all. A business that let him make in roads with them might be best.


    Lucien has taken a moment to increase the speed of his perception, so he has plenty of time in his own head to consider Mercy¡¯s query as only a second or two passes in the real world. Still, what¡¯s the best option? Now that he¡¯s going to Gotham, he needs to decide what the hell he¡¯s going to do there to further his goals¡­


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [X] Open a clinic in Gotham for healing purposes - 57%[ ] Open a research lab in Gotham for research purposes - 35%


    [ ] Open a shell business as a cover for clandestine dealings - 8%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 40: Putting on a Clinic

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien makes his choice.


    -x-X-x-


    Thinking about it long and hard in that moment of near-frozen time after speeding up his perception, Lucien can¡¯t help but feel caught between two different goals. On the one hand, he wants to lay relatively low. He doesn¡¯t want the Titans to be able to track him and Blackfire to Gotham. In that regard, perhaps the research lab or the shell company would be his best options.


    On the other hand, part of him quite enjoys helping people. It¡¯s a little silly, especially because he¡¯s already decided he¡¯s not going to be a hero, and yet¡­ he likes how it feels when he heals someone. Whether their injuries are minor or certain death, Lucien enjoys helping them. He likes helping people.


    Ugh. He needs to keep his eye on the prize, of course. Death is the goal. Death will always be the goal. He¡¯s going to make himself into someone worthy of her, and he¡¯s going to give her the companionship she needs and truly deserves. But¡­ at the end of the day, there¡¯s a multitude of roads that all lead to his ultimate goal of making Death of the Endless cum for him. He doesn¡¯t have to take the one that seems the fastest or the easiest if he doesn¡¯t also think it¡¯ll be the most enjoyable.


    Besides, in a way¡­ it was merely doubling down on what he¡¯d already decided, right? Like he¡¯d told Mercy, Gotham was the last place Robin would ever expect to find him and Blackfire. The Titans Leader was almost certainly going to try to hunt them down once he found out they were gone and Blackfire had her memories back, but he would never think to check Gotham.


    By the same vein, they would never expect Remedy, a healer, to just up and start a clinic in Gotham. Refuge in audacity. That was what it was, plain and simple. Would it work? Maybe not. But Lucien figured he could burn that bridge when he got to it.


    Slowing down his perception and subsequently speeding time around him back up to normal, Lucien smiles, barely a handful of seconds having passed since Mercy had asked what kind of business he wanted to start. Down between his legs, Blackfire still sucks his cock slowly, practically nursing at his dick.


    ¡°A clinic.¡±


    There¡¯s a pause from Mercy¡¯s end of the line. There¡¯s also a pause down below from Blackfire, who looks up at him with a modicum of incredulity in her eyes.


    ¡°¡­ a clinic?¡±


    Smiling wryly, Lucien nods.


    ¡°Yep. I want to open a clinic. A place where I can offer medical care to people. And maybe¡­ extra services to the particularly wealthy.¡±


    ¡°Extra services. Does this have to do with how you miraculously went from sickly and frail to in peak physical condition all those months ago on your birthday?¡±


    Lucien could have held back the wince, but knowing Mercy is watching through a hidden camera right now, he doesn¡¯t bother. He lets the wince come, knowing full well from the blonde¡¯s dry tone that he¡¯d definitely fucked up. To be fair, he¡¯d known that of course. All the way back then, when he¡¯d originally lied to her about his powers.


    He¡¯d told Mercy that he knew about the nanochip in Lex¡¯s head because he¡¯d suddenly developed a six sense that allowed him to see the entirety of someone¡¯s biology with a simple touch. However, when she¡¯d asked him if that was all, if there wasn¡¯t anything else he wanted to tell her¡­ Lucien had prevaricated and claimed that was everything.


    It was a downright idiotic move on his part, all things considered. Mercy was one of the people who knew him best, even if she had barely known him at all before he¡¯d come back in time. She knew him as a sickly, weak young man who had literally spent his entire life unable to do anything or go anywhere because of his frail constitution.


    From her point of view, he¡¯d suddenly become completely healthy and actively stronger and faster than he should have been out of nowhere one day. And when she¡¯d given him a chance to come clean, he¡¯d flat out lied about the full extent of his powers.


    To Mercy¡¯s credit, she¡¯d never forced the issue with him. She definitely could have, but instead she¡¯d simply stopped keeping touch and they¡¯d drifted apart. In terms of reactions to his obvious lies, he¡¯d probably gotten the best he could possibly hope for from her.


    Now though, well¡­


    ¡°¡­ Yeah. I can do a lot more than just look, as I¡¯m sure you already knew.¡±


    There¡¯s another pause, with Lucien waiting for Mercy to lay into him, to read him the riot act¡­ to do anything. Instead, after a long moment of silence, she continues on as if nothing ever happened.


    ¡°Very well. Forging the paperwork won¡¯t be easy, I¡¯m sure you know. And I won¡¯t be able to keep things completely separate either. Everyone in Gotham is expected to have a little bit of sleaze on them.¡±


    Lucien¡¯s eyes narrow.


    ¡°What do you mean, exactly?¡±


    He can hear typing on the other end of the call, meaning that Mercy is at a computer and is already going to work.


    ¡°It means your clinic is going to be funded by LexCorp. I assume you aren¡¯t averse to disguises for you and your¡­ friend, right? You¡¯ll have to utilize such things if you don¡¯t want to be caught with her immediately.¡±


    Glancing down at Blackfire, Lucien nods.


    ¡°Yeah. I can handle the disguises.¡±


    The typing pauses for half a beat before resuming.


    ¡°I see. Then you figure out your disguises and send me photos and I¡¯ll get your identification and accreditation set up. There¡¯s a small but somewhat famous clinic in Gotham City run by a woman named Dr. Leslie Thompkins. The Thompkins Clinic, also known as the Thomas Wayne Memorial Clinic, is funded by Bruce Wayne through the charitable Wayne Foundation.¡±


    Lucien blinks at the impromptu history lesson. Heh, the last time he¡¯d thought about Bruce Wayne had been back when he¡¯d first got Spot and that invitation to the Wayne Manor Gala had arrived. He¡¯d wound up ignoring the invitation, and at this point the Gala had come and gone, completely passing him by. Still¡­ where was Mercy going with this?


    ¡°LexCorp¡¯s footprint in Gotham City is practically nonexistent. That isn¡¯t to say we don¡¯t have any holdings there, but it¡¯s all vacant real estate. Any effort to try and invest into the city is opposed by numerous different sources, though your father is convinced that it¡¯s Bruce Wayne and Batman working together to oppose him. As you¡¯re no doubt aware, Batman and Superman are allies on the Justice League after all, and it¡¯s somewhat of an open secret that Wayne has to be the one bank-rolling Batman and his entire extended family of vigilantes.¡±


    Ah, now Lucien was beginning to see what Mercy was getting at.


    ¡°You want my clinic to be funded by the Luthor Foundation, don¡¯t you? The Powers That Be might be able to stop any sort of actual commercial business LexCorp tries to set up from getting a foothold in the city, but they can¡¯t exactly prevent a free clinic based on charity without causing backlash, can they?¡±


    He can practically hear Mercy nodding over the line as she continues typing away.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right, Lucien. Not only that, but it¡¯ll also put the focus on LexCorp, not on you and your¡­ companion. Oh sure, the Batman will still look into you, and he might even be able to figure out that your papers are forged. But so long as your physical disguises are up to snuff, they¡¯ll be looking in the wrong direction, trying to figure out what Lex is up to more than what you¡¯re up to. The only question is¡­ will your physical disguises be good enough?¡±


    Considering Lucien could change himself and Blackfire on the cellular level if he wanted to¡­ he smirks.


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯ll be good enough to hold up under serious scrutiny.¡±


    Pausing for the umpteenth time on her end, it¡¯s obvious Mercy wants to demand answers. The only problem is¡­ Lucien is loath to give them to her over the phone, even if this line is probably one of the most secure in the world all things considered. Still, if she did ask, if she did demand answers¡­ he would have offered to meet with her so they could clear the air between them.


    Instead, the pause ends without Mercy saying a word in that regard.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll start getting everything set up then on my end and you get me those photos of what you and your ¡®friend¡¯ are going to look like once you get to Gotham. With any luck, if all goes according to plan, they¡¯ll be more focused on LexCorp and what we¡¯re up to then your true nature, and you¡¯ll fly right under the radar.¡±


    Lucien smiles. It was just like Mercy said. Everyone in Gotham was expected to have a certain level of sleaze to them. Even newcomers to the city couldn¡¯t possibly be pure-hearted or entirely good-intentioned¡­ because if they were, they wouldn¡¯t be so stupid as to move to a place like Gotham in the first place.


    If he¡¯d just gone straight to Gotham by himself and tried to do anything he¡¯d had in mind, it would almost certainly have shown up on Batman¡¯s radar pretty much immediately. And so would this of course, but¡­ by putting the Luthor Foundation¡¯s charitable funds behind it, suddenly he, his ¡®friend¡¯, and their new clinic became just a pawn in a game between businessmen, rather than a curiosity and an oddity in their own right.


    ¡°Thank you Mercy, for everything.¡±


    Mercy snorts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Seriously¡­ do not mention it.¡±


    Lucien grins at that. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    With that, the line goes dead. The call is over. But the first steps of the next stage of his life have just been taken. On her knees between his legs, Blackfire looks up at him for a moment with his cock still in her mouth¡­ and then pulls off of his dick with a pop and climbs up into his lap.


    Lucien grunts, his hands going to Blackfire¡¯s waist as she sinks down onto his cock without so much as a ¡®by your leave¡¯.


    ¡°You know we¡¯re probably being watched, right?¡±


    Blackfire just scoffs.


    ¡°What, by the woman on the other end of the phone? Is she ugly? Fat?¡±


    Lucien blinks, picturing Mercy for a second before slowly shaking his head.


    ¡°Err¡­ no. Neither of those things.¡±


    Positively purring, Blackfire smirks as she grinds down onto his cock, swiftly beginning to ride him at a fast pace.


    ¡°Then let her watch.¡±


    Blackfire makes a show of it, moaning up a storm as they fuck like there¡¯s no tomorrow. She bounces up and down on Lucien¡¯s dick hard and fast without hesitation, clearly wanting to give Mercy quite the spectacle, if the blonde IS watching like they assume. To be fair, Lucien thinks it¡¯s probably a tossup whether she¡¯s watching them or not. On the one hand, she¡¯d been watching while they were on the phone together and working on setting up the clinic at the same time. On the other hand, now that they weren¡¯t talking anymore she didn¡¯t have any real reason to keep watching, right?


    His alien henchwoman certainly seems to think she does, because Blackfire doesn¡¯t let up for even a moment. She cums a few times before finally managing to make him cum as well, causing him to fill her with his seed. Then, without missing a beat, she pulls herself up off of his cock and takes him by the hand, tugging him up out of his chair and towards the bathroom.


    Lucien realizes her intentions then, as they strip naked and climb into the shower together. It¡¯s probably the only secure place in the apartment when he¡¯s not using the scrambler¡­ which Blackfire doesn¡¯t actually know he has.


    Once they¡¯re under the hot, beating water, she narrows her eyes at him, finally saying what she wants to say.


    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re going to change my appearance?¡±


    Lucien tilts his head to the side, not really surprised that the cat¡¯s out of the bag on that one.


    ¡°I¡¯m planning on taking care of both our disguises, yes. We won¡¯t be any weaker of course, we¡¯ll still have all of our abilities¡­ but if we want to truly make this work, we need to look like completely different people.¡±


    Blackfire grunts, looking down at herself, and then eyeing him as well for good measure.


    ¡°¡­ Yeah, that makes sense. So you¡¯re going to make me look like a human. I suppose you¡¯ll be the doctor of this clinic¡­ and I¡¯ll be the nurse?¡±


    He can¡¯t help but smile a little at that mental image. Blackfire, even disguised, in a nurse¡¯s uniform. Of course, in his mind¡¯s eye the nurse¡¯s uniform is basically fetish attire instead of normal nurse scrubs. Alternatively¡­


    ¡°You could also be my receptionist instead if you don¡¯t want to be a nurse.¡±


    Blackfire as a secretary would be super fucking hot. Heels, pantyhose, pencil skirt, blouse, and jacket. He can see that in his mind¡¯s eye as well and ho boy¡­


    ¡°¡­ Hmph. I suppose either role is one that a henchwoman should be ready to take for her boss, is that right?¡±


    Lucien grins at her.


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to go with me. Though if Starfire found out you¡¯d bailed, she might be a little disappointed¡­¡±


    Blackfire scowls at the mention of her sister before rolling her eyes and pushing him back against the wall of the shower. She kisses him deeply then, rubbing her tits against his chest, and it¡¯s obvious they¡¯re going to fuck again sooner rather than later. When they finally pull apart for air, Blackfire¡¯s gaze is lidded.


    ¡°I get to decide what I¡¯m going to look like.¡±


    Blinking, Lucien chuckles at the ultimatum.


    ¡°That was always the plan, my dear.¡±


    Pausing, Blackfire pretends like that doesn¡¯t make her flush slightly in embarrassment.


    ¡°Well¡­ good.¡±


    The two of them talk for quite a while about what their new appearances will be. And once they¡¯re both ready, Lucien goes ahead and does the deed before sending the pictures off to Mercy so she can build identities around each.


    At this point, they¡¯re locked and loaded. It¡¯s only a matter of time now before they reach Gotham City, onto their next adventure¡­


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Stick with Lucien''s POV - 21%[ ] Switch to Blackfire''s POV - 14%[X] Switch to Oracle''s POV - 52%


    [ ] Switch to Batman''s POV - 13%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 41: Barbara Gordon, Oracle

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Oracle POV!


    -x-X-x-


    There was always something, wasn¡¯t there? The thought brings an involuntary rueful smile to Barbara Gordon¡¯s face as she sits in her wheelchair in front of a rather large bank of monitors, eyes darting back and forth across the screens.


    Once upon a time, Barbara had been the original Batgirl. A crime-fighting sidekick who took to the streets of Gotham to try and clean them up right alongside the legendary Batman himself. It had been her, Dick, and Bruce back then near the start. Just the three of them, with her and Dick far too young for the life they¡¯d led, but unable to stop anyways.


    Even all these years later, Barbara didn¡¯t blame Bruce for any of it. Not letting them fight crime, nor supplying them with the gear and resources to do it. If not for him, they would have done something anyways¡­ and probably wound up far worse for it. Watching his parents die had changed Dick irrevocably and her¡­ well, she grew up as Jim Gordon¡¯s daughter, seeing how the city of Gotham constantly beat her father down, only for him to get right back up again and keep on taking punches.


    How could she do anything less in the face of her father¡¯s obstinance? How could she sit still and be the good girl who got straight A¡¯s and never got in trouble at school, while everything went to shit around her?


    What she and Dick had become wasn¡¯t Bruce¡¯s fault. Gotham had a way of taking its best and brightest, chewing them up, and if they were lucky, spitting them back out. Always had. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    These days, Barbara Gordon wasn¡¯t Batgirl anymore. She hadn¡¯t been for a long time, on account of her confinement to a wheelchair at the hands of the Joker. Shot in the spine, she¡¯d been paraplegic for years at this point. But that didn¡¯t mean she was out of the fight. Refusing to succumb to despair, Barbara had taken her fate into her own hands just like she always did. She¡¯d reforged herself as The Oracle, going from crimefighter on the streets to the Gal in the Chair.


    Using her skills with computers, she¡¯d built up a worldwide information network that put most to shame. She used it to help other superheroes across the planet with their work, providing some of the best intelligence anyone on Earth could ask for, as well as the coordination and organization that so many superheroes, even those who were part of the Justice League, lacked.


    As Oracle, her work took her outside of Gotham City in a way that being Batgirl never had. She was literally monitoring multiple things at a time across the face of the entire planet. But Gotham was still her city, in the same way that the Gotham Clock Tower was her residence and the secret lair of Oracle.


    From Gotham Clock Tower, she could keep a bird¡¯s eye view of the entire city, providing the more mobile members of the ¡®Bat Family¡¯ as some called it with up to date information. Of course, as much as Barbara loved Bruce and all of the others, there were times when she couldn¡¯t rely on them. Times when it felt like because she didn¡¯t wear a bat-themed cowl anymore, she was separate from the group.


    This wasn¡¯t entirely a bad thing, and in fact it was partially by Barbara¡¯s own design. She wasn¡¯t a teenage vigilante with a chip on her shoulder anymore. Now she was a grown adult woman with a chip on her shoulder. As much as she would always love and respect Bruce and the others, she had to be her own person, her own entity.


    Unfortunately, being confined to a wheelchair made that a little harder. Everyone always tended to assume her paralysis made her less of a person, that because she was disabled, she needed help with every little thing. Yes, she was confined to a wheelchair, but that didn¡¯t mean her intellect had been diminished in any way. And she certainly didn¡¯t need minding.


    That was where the Birds of Prey came in. An all-female team of superheroes, the Birds of Prey had had a few roster shifts at this point, though the main three remained. Her, the founder of the group, alongside Dinah Lance and Helena Bertinelli, the Black Canary and Huntress respectively.


    Neither woman got along with Batman very well. Neither could be called part of the ¡®Bat Family¡¯. But they were nevertheless Barbara¡¯s family these days, the people that Barbara could call on with the most certainty that they would drop everything to help her. They were her hands, her boots on the ground so to speak, even as she was their eye in the sky.


    That did not, of course, mean that she had stopped working with Bruce in any way, however. Regardless of them maybe drifting apart, Oracle was still happy to play overwatch for Batman and the other members of the Bat Family whenever necessary. As well, she was happy to take on tasks for Bruce whenever he needed an extra pair of eyes and hands on a more¡­ delicate matter.


    All of that said, she was somewhat regretting taking on this latest request of his. Mostly because¡­ she hated false hope. She hated it with a burning passion. And this latest situation positively reeked of false hope.


    Something that Barbara and Bruce unequivocally agreed on was the simple truth that Lex Luthor and LexCorp needed to be kept out of Gotham City at all costs. Things were bad enough here without the baseline man who constantly went toe to toe with Superman coming in and mucking things up.


    Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp were bitter business rivals by nature of course, fighting a constant economic war between their two businesses as well as subsidiaries and proxies galore. Unfortunately for Luthor, during one of his ¡®incidents¡¯, Wayne Enterprises had managed to extend itself into the city of Metropolis, LexCorp¡¯s main turf.


    This had of course pissed Lex Luthor off, and ever since he¡¯d been trying to push back. He couldn¡¯t manage to pry Wayne Enterprises out of Metropolis, because by the time he¡¯d righted his own ship and cleaned up his latest mess it was too late to do so. However, the megalomaniac of a businessman had deemed it suiting and fitting that if Wayne Enterprises got to carve out a piece of Metropolis, then he should get to do the same with Gotham.


    Nobody wanted that except for Lex Luthor. Gotham City was volatile enough without him bringing his particular brand of insanity and inexplicable hatred for Superman into the mix. As such, he¡¯d been stymied every step of the way so far. For a time, it had even looked like he might be finally giving up. There hadn¡¯t been a single mention of LexCorp trying to shove its way into Gotham in months. Beyond the handful of pieces of real estate they¡¯d managed to get their dirty paws on but failed to renovate due to Wayne Enterprises¡¯ stonewalling, LexCorp had no business in Gotham City whatsoever.


    ¡­ Until now. Though the way in which Luthor was finally managing to sink a claw into Gotham was as unique and inspired as it was insidious and despicable.


    Since LexCorp had been turned away at every junction from setting up shop in Gotham, it seemed that they¡¯d gone a different route this time around. Namely by using the Luthor Foundation to set up a charity clinic. There was even precedent for such a thing. Dr. Leslie Thompkins ran the Thomas Wayne Memorial Clinic, which was funded by the Wayne Foundation.


    This wasn¡¯t something that Wayne Enterprises could block, obviously. All of the paperwork was in order, everything seemingly on the up and up, and whatever the scheme was, it wasn¡¯t immediately obvious on the face of it. By all accounts, this was truly just the Luthor Foundation bringing its massive charitable coffers to the impoverished and ailing city of Gotham, no less and no more.


    But of course, Barbara and Bruce knew it HAD to be more than that. Unfortunately, Gotham didn¡¯t do ¡®peace time¡¯. So just because Lex Luthor had finally managed to slip something by them didn¡¯t mean Bruce could drop everything to investigate. There was always something to be done, and for all that Batman had reached mythological status at this point, he was still just a man under the cowl, unbeknownst to everyone. A man who needed sleep and only had so many hours in each day.


    That was where Barbara came in. If there was one lesson she was glad Bruce had actually learned over the years, it was delegation. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t mind him throwing this case involving the Luthor Foundation¡¯s new clinic her way. It wasn¡¯t the kind of thing that Bruce Wayne could attack on his end, nor could Batman be seen to be ransacking free clinics either. And thus it fell to Oracle to figure out precisely what Lex was truly up to.


    So far, she hadn¡¯t been able to uncover much, unfortunately. Oh, she¡¯d certainly uncovered more than just the cover story thankfully. It wasn¡¯t as ¡®on the up and up¡¯ as it seemed at first glance. For one, when she peeled back the layers a bit, it was obvious to someone of her skillset that the ¡®doctor¡¯ the clinic had hired was a fake.


    The documentation was nearly perfect and was in fact properly backdated to the point where Barbara couldn¡¯t even report them to the proper authorities and expect anything to come of it. However, she was better than the proper authorities, as much as it always hurt her to admit it. And this¡­ Doctor Luke Maximillian was as fake as could be. As was his ¡®assistant¡¯, a Ms. Kamara Blackwater.


    Luke was a handsome man in his mid-twenties with a chiseled jaw and dark brown, almost black hair. Kamara, meanwhile, was of actual black hair, with blue eyes and pale skin. The look she gave the camera in the picture that Barbara had of her was one full of menace and danger.


    Obviously, Luke was the doctor that the clinic was built around. Ms. Blackwater on the other hand¡­ it was less clear exactly what role she was supposed to be fulfilling within the clinic itself. She was logged as Dr. Maximillian¡¯s assistant, but she looked like she could easily have been anything from a secretary to a nurse¡­ to security.


    And that last bit was both troubling and interesting, because why would a free clinic need security? Sure, one might say ¡®well it IS Gotham¡¯, but while the Thompkins Clinic did currently have a ¡®security guard¡¯, it hadn¡¯t always and for much of its life it¡¯d done just fine. Why would a free clinic just opening its doors make its second employee after the Doctor clearly someone who could handle themselves in a fight?


    Well, that had taken a little more digging, but eventually Barbara had uncovered two more interesting tidbits. Number One, Lex was really doing his level best to make it seem like this wasn¡¯t one of his schemes. The information was buried almost to the point where it seemed like it was supposed to be what they wanted covered up, but Barbara had found it anyways. Namely, every last bit of this endeavor in setting up a free clinic in Gotham had been signed off on not by Lex Luthor himself, but by his right hand woman, Mercy Graves.


    By all rights, one might think that she¡¯d done all of this behind her boss¡¯ back¡­ if one didn¡¯t already know that Mercy was as loyal to Lex Luthor as she was competent and skilled. The bodyguard was the perfect henchwoman for a perfect asshole of a man, and there was no world in which she would do anything without his approval.


    The other tidbit that Barbara had uncovered was something that sent a shiver down her paralyzed spine. It couldn¡¯t possibly be all there was to this new clinic¡¯s secret true purpose of course. Rather, it had to be a cover within a cover. Still, if you went through the right channels, if you knew the right people, if you had the right level of affluency¡­ it was said that the clinic¡¯s doctor, Luke¡­ could go beyond what modern medical technology was capable of. It was said he could provide healing beyond anyone¡¯s wildest dreams.


    Sickness, disease, injury, even age. Those with enough wealth could make use of this clinic¡¯s ¡®private services¡¯ to gain access to healing that sounded like magic¡­ or at the very least a metahuman ability.


    A trap. It had to be. Barbara didn¡¯t want to think too highly of herself. She didn¡¯t want to be too egotistical. And yet, just looking at all of this, it felt like they had prepared this Siren¡¯s Call with one person in mind.


    The Venn Diagram of those who knew she was Oracle, and Oracle¡¯s status as someone confined to a wheelchair¡­ well there was a lot of overlap between the two circles. That said, both circles were very, very small. Barely anyone knew that Barbara Gordon had even been Batgirl, let alone that she¡¯d then gone on to become Oracle. And just as few people knew that Oracle was paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair.


    But what if? What if Lex Luthor had found out somehow? Barbara was well aware that her assistance to the Justice League and both Superman and Supergirl had been instrumental in stopping some of Lex and his cronies¡¯ schemes a handful of times at this point. If he¡¯d caught wind that Oracle was the source of his enemies¡¯ information about him, and then figured out who Oracle was¡­


    Sure, maybe she was being paranoid. But was it really paranoia if they were actually out to get you? Part of her longed to wheel herself down to this clinic to check it out in person and see if they could actually heal her. She had more than enough money squirreled away to pay for their hidden services.


    But another part of her wondered¡­ if she rolled into this new clinic, would she ever come back out again? She couldn¡¯t quite shake the idea that this trap was designed with specifically her in mind. Or maybe not her specifically, but at least for Oracle, her shut-in persona.


    ¡­ She didn¡¯t have to go herself. In fact, she shouldn¡¯t go herself. Bruce had merely asked her to look into things, and she could and should get back to him with her findings and let him take it from there. However, she didn¡¯t really feel like she¡¯d uncovered enough information yet to really report back to him.


    That said, she had other options. She¡¯d just been thinking about them in fact. The Birds of Prey. Either Helena or Dinah could go in her stead, case the joint and maybe see about getting some of those hidden services for themselves to see what it was all about.


    Admittedly, that did mean sending one of them into danger¡­ but then, Barbara had long come to terms with that facet of their relationship. She was the Gal in the Chair and they were the boots on the ground. That was simply how things worked.


    Still, Barbara finds herself hesitating, her hands hovering over her keyboard until she finally makes a decision.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Send the information back to the Bat Family, wash her hands of the temptation - 4%[ ] Send the information to Helena, the Huntress and have her investigate - 6%[ ] Send the information to Dinah, Black Canary and have her investigate - 13%


    [X] Give in to temptation and go in person to investigate herself - 77%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 42: Healed

    A/N: Barbara goes and gets herself some healing~


    -x-X-x-


    This was almost certainly a mistake. And yet, she hadn¡¯t been able to help herself. Here she was not even a week later, with an appointment to meet with one Dr. Luke Maximillian. She¡¯d told no one where she was going, knowing full well that anyone she COULD tell would either try to talk her out of it at best or go out of their way to stop her at worst.


    That said, Barbara hadn¡¯t been completely foolish about things. For one, she¡¯d set up a dead man¡¯s switch that would go off in the event that she didn¡¯t check in within the day. That was just common sense, really. If she was out of contact for more than twenty-four hours, then the information on Luthor¡¯s new clinic, as well as her location, would be sent to a select few people and they would decide what to do with it from there.


    Barbara didn¡¯t know exactly how long this magic healing was meant to take, of course, but nothing had talked about staying overnight or needing to be out of contact for days. So she figured it was a pretty safe bet to assume she would be done and able to take care of the dead man¡¯s switch before it went off in the event that this wasn¡¯t somehow a trap.


    Of course, on top of that, she¡¯d also disguised herself, producing a false identity to go along with this whole charade. Even if Luthor and his cronies didn¡¯t know that Barbara Gordon was Oracle and formerly Batgirl, she was still the Police Commissioner¡¯s daughter, and she didn¡¯t want them thinking they might be able to use her as leverage against her father. That would just be embarrassing.


    Fortunately, Gotham had no shortage of rich, dead families. People died in Gotham all the time, but more than just the amount of death, the sheer amount of orphans who inherited immense estates only to vanish for a little while and then return with some plans for revenge were so numerous it was bordering on ludicrous.


    Setting up her false identity as one such rich hidden heiress had been as simple as finding an old Gotham family with a daughter that had been completely wiped out by gang violence, and taking that daughter¡¯s identity for herself. And so Barbara Gordon was now a brunette with brown contacts named Hope Laville.


    She¡¯d managed to ¡®survive¡¯ her family¡¯s massacre, albeit not without being shot in the spine during the slaughter, resulting in her paralysis and wheelchair ridden state. It also explained how Barbara had the money to pay for this special procedure that the new clinic offered to rich clientele, because as the inheritor of the Laville Fortune, of course she was loaded.


    That said, Barbara doesn¡¯t just wheel herself in through the front door or anything like that. No, as it so happens, the clinic has a private entrance for the more affluent clients such as herself. And so after jumping through hoops to get ¡®Hope Laville¡¯ this meeting with Dr. Luke, Barbara finds herself driving into the private parking garage hidden under the clinic.


    Once the car, modified for a wheelchair user to drive, is safely parked away, Barbara brings her wheelchair around and transfers herself over to it before locking up behind her. Even as she¡¯s wheeling over to the nearby elevator however, it¡¯s already dinging open¡­ to reveal the clinic¡¯s only other employee besides the doctor.


    Barbara stops in her tracks as Kamara Blackwater steps out and pins her with an incredibly intense stare. Black hair, blue eyes, and pale skin, just like her pictures. Except, the pictures really didn¡¯t do the woman justice. She was striking in a way that made Barbara¡¯s heart beat a little faster in her chest, while her gaze was¡­ well, Barbara had weathered worse, but had Hope Laville?


    Swallowing thickly, currently brown eyes widening in fright, Barbara plays her role to the hilt. She¡¯s a sheltered young heiress who saw her entire family gunned down and then spent the intervening years confined to a wheelchair. Independent but wary, hopeful but desperate. That¡¯s where she wants to take this.


    ¡°A-Ah¡­ I have an appointment? I¡¯m Ms. Laville?¡±


    Kamara continues to stare her down for a long moment more before finally stepping forward. Barbara tenses up and doesn¡¯t untense even as the other woman strides around her and takes control of the wheelchair, pushing her wordlessly towards the elevator. As the disguised young woman brings her hands up to the armrests, she tries not to clutch at them too tightly.


    Barbara hates being wheeled by anyone, truth be told. She hates the loss of control. She thinks the character she¡¯s trying to embody would hate it too, but she also thinks Hope would be too¡­ well, hopeful about being healed to possibly complain.


    And so she strikes an uneasy middle ground, letting her nervousness and trepidation leak out, but not actually saying a word in protest of the harsh treatment.


    Even once they¡¯re in the elevator, Ms. Blackwater doesn¡¯t say a word. Barbara tries to make small talk, but it¡¯s like talking to a stone wall. Finally though, the elevator door dings and opens and they¡¯re admitted out into the clinic itself. Barbara doesn¡¯t bother trying to hide her curiosity. Hope Laville would be curious as well, so instead of being suspicious by trying to be subtle about it, she makes it incredibly obvious she¡¯s taking everything in, even craning her neck to look through open doors as well as glass windows as they move down the hall.


    She sees¡­ well, she sees a lot of state of the art medical equipment and supplies. A tremendous amount of it, in fact. Just off the top of her head, there must be millions in value in this place. Not surprising¡­ but dangerous. Very dangerous.


    Before they can reach the end of the hall, the door there opens and the man himself steps out. Doctor Luke Maximillian, an identity as fake as Kamara Blackwater. His pictures don¡¯t do him justice either. She¡¯d noted the chiseled jaw before, but damn if it didn¡¯t look better in person. All of him looked better in person under that lab coat he was wearing.


    Tch, if they really wanted to make him pass as an actual doctor, they shouldn¡¯t have given this man the same physique that she¡¯d only ever seen on the men of the Bat Family.


    His smile, as well, is white almost to the point of blinding as his eyes fall upon her.


    ¡°Ah! Ms. Laville, a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    Striding forward, he thrusts out his hand, even as he continues talking.


    ¡°I¡¯m Dr. Maximillian, but you can call me doc, Dr. Luke, or Luke! Whichever you prefer!¡±


    Good cop, bad cop. That¡¯s the thought that immediately rushes through Barbara¡¯s mind, even as she hesitates for a second before finally taking Luke¡¯s hand and giving it a shake. The doctor¡¯s charm offensive is like a breath of fresh air after the stonewalling and intense, almost spiteful silence from his ¡®assistant¡¯.


    But then, that¡¯s obviously intentional. Kamara plays the part of silent and hostile, which in turn causes any patients to see the doctor in an even better light as a result. Even knowing it¡¯s all a trick, the corners of Barbara¡¯s mouth are trying to lift up of their own accord. Since she¡¯s playing a character anyways, she goes ahead and lets them after a moment, hesitantly smiling up at him.


    ¡°T-Thank you, Dr. Luke. I¡­ I appreciate you scheduling me in. Are you absolutely certain that you can¡­ give me my legs back?¡±


    She makes sure to inject the right amount of desperate hope and incredulous disbelief into her voice, even as she hides her true feelings. In response, the doctor just chuckles and winks at her before finally letting go of her hand.


    ¡°Well, you paid quite a lot of money to be here, my dear¡­ so I¡¯ll let you in on a little secret. You¡¯re our first paying customer! We¡¯ve had some modest foot traffic for the free side of things, but you, my dear, represent the side of the business that will allow us to keep running and helping the poor and destitute of Gotham for years to come!¡±


    Whoa. Laying it on thick there, buddy. At the same time, Barbara is honestly a little surprised. She knew from all of her snooping, of course, that she was the first one to actually give this a try. However, she hadn¡¯t expected him to just admit it.


    ¡°Come then, Ms. Laville. Let¡¯s get you healed, shall we? Ms. Blackwater, I¡¯ll take things from here. Thank you my dear.¡±


    Barbara blinks, but before she can even formulate a response, she¡¯s already been passed off. Kamara Blackwater still doesn¡¯t say a word, even to her boss, as she turns and walks away. Meanwhile, Dr. Luke wheels Barbara into one of the side rooms, leaving her to wonder what was in the room he¡¯d come out of a minute ago.


    However, she doesn¡¯t have long to wonder, because she suddenly finds herself staring at a horizontal tube. It was clearly incredibly advanced technology¡­ at first glance. Oh, it had all the bells and whistles one would expect. In fact, your average layperson would think it was alien, probably. And since she was playing a role¡­


    ¡°Is that¡­ alien?¡±


    Glancing at her, Luke smiles with a twinkle in his gaze.


    ¡°Good eye, Ms. Laville. Yes, this is not entirely of our world. Not to worry though, it¡¯s perfectly safe.¡±


    That WOULD have been her next question, to keep up the act. Barbara lets her mouth click shut as he preempts her, even as her mind whirls with about a billion questions she can¡¯t actually ask. At least, she can¡¯t ask them without giving the game away. Because this¡­ this wasn¡¯t alien technology.


    Moving to a nearby console, Dr. Luke presses some buttons and the tube cycles open. Barbara watches him and the machine, biting her lower lip. She wonders, not for the first time, what the hell she¡¯s doing here¡­ and what she¡¯s getting herself into.


    As the Oracle, she¡¯s worked with many groups, including the Justice League. And she¡¯s handled aliens of all sorts, as well as their technology. Her information network might not extend TOO far outside of Earth, but she had aspirations of one day pushing it further. Regardless, as a result¡­ she knew what alien technology looked like. She also knew what fake alien technology looked like.


    While Barbara wasn¡¯t going to pretend that she knew every single alien civilization in the universe, nor could she claim to have studied all of their different, separately developed technologies she did know humans. She knew humans very, very well. And she knew what human-made, fake alien tech looked like.


    This tube and all of the machinery around it positively screamed to someone of her skill set ¡®I was designed by humans to look alien and mysterious!¡¯. It screamed it at the top of its lungs, at least to Barbara Gordon. But of course¡­ she wasn¡¯t Barbara Gordon right now. She was Hope Laville.


    ¡°May I?¡±


    As such, when Dr. Luke approaches her with arms outstretched, asking for permission to lift her up from her wheelchair and put her in the tube, Barbara as Hope can do nothing more than smile and nod hesitantly. His own smile is clearly meant to be warm and reassuring, as he carefully lifts her up.


    Letting one of her arms dangle loose, Barbara slips a bug on the underside of the tube right before he sets her down. He doesn¡¯t seem to notice, thankfully, even as she lays there in the tube.


    ¡°Alright, this shouldn¡¯t take long, Ms. Laville. A few minutes tops.¡± Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Blinking in honest surprise, Barbara can¡¯t help but repeat his words.


    ¡°A few minutes?¡±


    Dr. Luke grins at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s very good technology. Now please lay your head back and just breathe. It¡¯ll be over before you know it.¡±


    God she wishes that she could interrogate this smug, handsome bastard. But there¡¯s no world in which she can get leverage over him, not right now. So she just lays her head back on the tube¡¯s cushion, watching as the tube cycles closed over her. There¡¯s a glass window on the front of it at least so she¡¯s not entirely enclosed in a dark space¡­ but to be fair, even if she were, Barbara isn¡¯t claustrophobic.


    She watches as the inside of the tube lights up. She watches as it goes through this strange cycle. She tries to feel out what it¡¯s doing to her, and wonders briefly if this is how she dies.


    But¡­ beyond the lightshow and fancy colors, nothing seems to happen. Barbara¡¯s brow furrows as she stares up through the viewport of the tube. A few minutes pass¡­ and the lightshow ends. She still can¡¯t feel her legs or anything¡­ so did it not work? Is that perhaps how this is meant to begin? A scam where it fails the first time, allowing them to get her to give them more to make sure it succeeds or¡­ or something?


    Even Barbara finds that to be rather flimsy. The tube cycles open, but before she can do or say anything, Dr. Luke takes hold of one of her hands in his own, giving it a firm, comforting squeeze.


    ¡°How are you feeling, Hope?¡±


    Barbara hesitates for a moment, before forcing herself to blush as much as possible. Hope would definitely be a little embarrassed and maybe a little happy to have a handsome man like the doctor get so familiar with her. Though she would also be disappointed it hadn¡¯t seemed to work so¡­


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t feel any different. Did it not work?¡±


    She waits with bated breath for him to confirm that part¡­ only to blink in shock when he just chuckles and shakes his head.


    ¡°Give it a moment, sweetheart. You should be feeling it any second.¡±


    Furrowing her brow, Barbara opens her mouth to respond¡­ only for her currently brown eyes to shoot wide open and snap down to her legs¡­ which are beginning to twitch. She can¡¯t even begin to describe it. She¡¯s been paralyzed for so long she¡¯d almost forgotten what it felt like to have working legs.


    And yet, there they are, starting to move under her command. Her spine has been healed. Her body has been repaired. She¡¯s going to be able to walk again. Not right away, she assumes¡­ until suddenly, Dr. Luke picks her up out of the tube and instead of putting her back in her wheelchair, sets her down on her feet.


    ¡°There you go!¡±


    ¡°W-Wait, I-!¡±


    As she clutches at him, expecting her atrophied lower body to completely fail her, Barbara is cut off by her own shock as she feels¡­ well, as she feels her feet land on the floor with more surety and strength than she was expecting. In fact, beyond being a little wobbly, she feels fine¡­ her legs have apparently regenerated right alongside her spine. She¡¯s almost certainly still weak, but she¡¯s able to walk again, right away.


    ¡°Heh. Well? What do you think, Ms. Laville?¡±


    Barbara stares up into the fake doctor¡¯s eyes with her jaw hanging open in disbelief. She has more questions than ever before¡­ and she can¡¯t ask a single fucking one.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [X] Stick with Barbara''s POV - 80%


    [ ] Switch to Lucien''s POV - 20%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 43: Baffled

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    The people have spoken, more Barbara POV it is~


    -x-X-x-


    When Barbara doesn¡¯t immediately answer him, Luke lets go of her and steps back, causing her to jolt out of her introspection as he looks at her concerned.


    ¡°How are you feeling, Ms. Laville?¡±


    It¡¯s a testament to how out of sorts Barbara currently feels that she reacts with incredulity to that question, at least initially. How is she feeling? She can walk again! But then she realizes the fake doctor isn¡¯t asking her how she¡¯s feeling mentally or emotionally, but physically. He¡¯s doing his duties still, as though he were a real doctor.


    Barbara knows better of course, but he doesn¡¯t know she knows better. So she has to continue playing her role, even if every fiber of her being currently wants to find a way to gain a position of strength and advantage in this conversation so she can interrogate him properly.


    Instead, looking down at her legs, working for the first time after so many years, Barbara purses her lips and focuses on how they feel, moving from foot to foot, rolling on the balls of her feet.


    She¡¯s a little wobbly, as previously noted. Definitely still a bit physically weak. However, all the muscles that should have been atrophied and the bones that should have been weakened by years of disuse¡­ feel fine. They¡¯ve all been regenerated it would seem, right along with her fixed spine. She can not only walk again, she¡¯s in better health than she¡¯s been in years and years.


    ¡°I feel¡­ good. Better than good, really. I feel amazing. You¡­ what is that thing? What did it do to me?¡±


    Looking at the tube he¡¯d put her in, Barbara gestures to it helplessly, still playing her role. She wishes she could ask the real questions, of course. Like for instance, where the actual technology is. She¡¯d recognized the tube as a fake piece of alien technology before, but did that mean it was entirely fake, or was the alien veneer just that¡­ a fa?ade to disguise whatever was going on ¡®beneath the hood¡¯ so to speak?


    God, what she wouldn¡¯t give to be able to take it apart right now. The device she¡¯d attached to its underside would give her some information, hopefully, but she wouldn¡¯t be able to access that data until she¡¯d left the clinic behind. That meant while she was still here, she had to do as much fact finding as possible, with the limited authority she had.


    Put simply, she wasn¡¯t Barbara Gordon right now, nor was she Batgirl or Oracle (fuck, she could be Batgirl again!). No, she was Hope Laville, and the most ¡®authority¡¯ she could exercise at the moment was as a patient who had just been through an untested medical procedure. Sure, it was an untested medical procedure that had seemingly worked, but she was still entitled to her concerns about the long term effects.


    Dr. Maximillian smiles at her and Barbara does her best to ignore how handsome his smile is as he glances at the tube as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t tell you much, Ms. Laville. As you already know, it¡¯s not of our world. This device is¡­ well, let¡¯s just say it was hard to come by and cost a pretty penny and leave it at that, okay? Not to worry though. I can guarantee the success of the procedure you just went through personally. As well as the lack of any long term side effects. In fact, there¡¯s only a couple things you need to do in order to ensure your health in the following days.¡±


    Barbara finds herself listening intently, not just because she¡¯s still intent on sussing things out here, but also because she very much intends to keep this good health she¡¯s miraculously gotten, on top of getting her legs back.


    ¡°First, take one of these pills each day for the next five days. Second, take it easy for at least the next three days. No strenuous activities. No running, jumping, or climbing. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not the type to go parkouring around Gotham anyways Ms. Laville, but it still bears noting.¡±


    The former Batgirl, who had very much been the type to go parkouring around the city once upon a time, carefully doesn¡¯t freeze up at the fake doctor¡¯s words, even as he hands her a small bottle filled with five large pills. The instructions on the bottle repeat what he said, to swallow a whole one once a day until they run out.


    Still, a comment like that¡­ did he know? Barbara is careful not to give anything away, even as she looks into his eyes with a soft, hesitant smile on her lips.


    ¡°T-Thank you, Doctor. I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever get to walk again. You¡¯ve changed my life."


    She doesn¡¯t think she sees any knowing glint in the handsome man¡¯s eyes that might give away knowledge of her identity. Luke just grins as he clasps his hands behind his back and nods.


    ¡°It was my pleasure, Ms. Laville. And to be fair, it¡¯s not like we did this out of the kindness of our hearts. You paid quite the sum of money, and we provided a service in turn.¡±


    Even the humility seems entirely genuine. Barbara huffs and lets her smile grow a bit stronger as she decides to take a different tack with the fake, handsome doctor.


    ¡°Well your service still changed my life, Dr. Luke. As evidenced by the fact that I¡¯m standing on my own two feet. Maybe¡­¡±


    She makes a show of thinking about it for a second, before looking at him and ¡®subconsciously¡¯ licking her lips.


    ¡°May I have a pen and paper?¡±


    He raises an eyebrow at that, and Barbara thinks she can see the light of understanding in his eyes, but he gets both items for her, nevertheless. Quickly, acting like she¡¯s moving as fast as she can so as to not lose her nerve, Barbara goes ahead and writes down a phone number.


    ¡°I know you already have my number¡­ but this is my personal number. In case you wanted to¡­ call to chat.¡±


    She makes sure to bat her eyelashes as she hands him back the pen and the paper. The number isn¡¯t actually her personal line, but she¡¯ll still get any calls to it, rain or shine. When you¡¯re someone like her, you don¡¯t really have a personal line¡­ just an ever-increasing number of lines for different groups and people that you have to juggle.


    Since it doesn¡¯t seem like the Hope Laville identity has been burned quite yet, maybe Barbara can stretch out the heiress¡¯ use a bit longer¡­ certainly, as the fake doctor glances down at the number before putting the paper and pen away in the pocket of his lab coat, he doesn¡¯t seem that upset by the overly familiar overture.


    ¡°I appreciate the offer, Ms. Laville. I can¡¯t promise anything, given how busy running a clinic like this leaves me¡­ but I¡¯ll keep you in mind.¡±


    Barbara beams at him, playing the socially starved, innocent and vulnerable crippled young heiress to the hilt. If Luke wasn¡¯t as good a man as he seemed, he SHOULD want to take advantage of her, or rather of Hope. And seeing as he worked for Luthor and was clearly not a real doctor¡­ well, they would just have to wait and see.


    ¡°Now then, you have your pills and your instructions, yes? Let¡¯s get you to your car.¡±


    Barbara finds herself escorted out of the room with her wheelchair in tow, allowing herself one last lingering look back at the ¡®alien¡¯ tube before the door shuts behind them. From there, she¡¯s handed off to Kamara Blackwater again, who is just as silent as the last time, even as they descend back to the private parking garage together.


    Taking one last chance as the doors to the elevator open, Barbara steps out into the parking garage and then turns to look at Kamara, still acting her heart out.


    ¡°Um¡­ Ms. Blackwater, right? Do you know if¡­ if Dr. Luke is single?¡±


    For the first time, Barbara thinks she sees something besides the silent intensity and all around prickly personality of the woman standing with her. For the first time, she sees a hint of amusement in Kamara Blackwater¡¯s eyes. There¡¯s not a single twitch of her mouth however, her jaw remaining set in a perpetual frown. But she definitely sees something in the other woman¡¯s gaze.


    Of course, staying true to form, Blackwater doesn¡¯t speak even then. A moment later the elevator doors close, leaving Barbara alone in the parking garage with her now empty wheelchair in her hands.


    Biting her lower lip, Barbara waits for just a second to make sure the security cameras pick up on her indecisiveness. Then, she heads to her car, hurriedly getting in and pulling out of the parking garage. As soon as she¡¯s able, she gets her onboard systems up and running, beginning with connecting to the bug she managed to attach to the machine.


    It¡¯s unfortunate she couldn¡¯t get a bug anywhere else in the clinic, because while the device is capable of picking up audio, it¡¯s not like Luke and Kamara are going to spend all their time chatting in that room anyways. That room is clearly meant for the high roller patients, not for any private conversations between the two of them.


    At the same time, the data flowing in from the device regarding the tube that supposedly healed her is still mission critical, as far as Barbara is concerned. Unfortunately, there¡¯s an issue with what she¡¯s getting from it all¡­ namely, a whole lot of fucking nothing. The data is claiming that the tube that healed her isn¡¯t just fake alien technology¡­ it¡¯s fake technology altogether.


    That doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ but at the same time, it sort of does? In the end, it really means one of three things. One, the technology is not only incredibly advanced, but also protected against would-be hackers and basically presents a blank when anything tries to get a read on it. Two, the technology really doesn¡¯t exist, and Luke Maximillian is a metahuman. Or three, the technology really doesn¡¯t exist and magic is involved in some way instead.


    Of course, magic healing on this level was just as rare as technological healing. Even Zatanna Zatara for instance, the Justice League¡¯s premier magic user after her father¡¯s retirement, can¡¯t heal on the level that this tube healed Barbara. Else, she would have been walking around ages ago.


    Lips pursed together; Barbara looks from the potentially ersatz data coming in regarding the tube to her small bottle of pills. She¡¯s supposed to take one a day for the next five days¡­ but like hell is she going to put a single one in her mouth without testing the hell out of them. And that meant she needed to go back to her Clocktower. But first¡­


    Barbara shoots off a quick message to Dinah and Helena, instructing the Black Canary and the Huntress to meet her at the Clocktower as soon as they can possibly get away, and then focuses on getting her own ass back to base.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°Babs, wha- holy shit you¡¯re standing!¡±


    ¡°What? Whoa!¡±


    By the time Helena and Dinah join her at the Clocktower, Barbara has already begun putting the pills from Luke Maximillian through their paces. Impatient as she was for the results of the high tech scanning she put them through, she¡¯d taken one of the pills and put it under a microscope, just in case there was something she might be able to see with her naked eye.


    That¡¯s why, when the other two main members of the Birds of Prey finally arrive, it¡¯s to the sight of her bent over said microscope, standing. Briefly, she¡¯d considered using her wheelchair until they arrived and making a big reveal out of everything¡­ but given the seriousness of the situation, it didn¡¯t feel right.


    Pointing over at a nearby tablet, Barbara doesn¡¯t remove her eye from the microscope, even as she responds.


    ¡°I¡¯ve compiled everything I have so far into a report on the tablet. Read it and I¡¯ll be with you both in a second.¡±


    ¡°But Barbara, you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re healed!¡±


    ¡°Read. The. Tablet.¡±


    Finally, the two heroines do as they¡¯re told, taking up the table together. Barbara watches them out of her periphery for a second before returning to the microscope. Unfortunately, the ensuing silence doesn¡¯t last long before¡­


    ¡°You did what without us?!¡±


    Yeah, that was to be expected. Sighing, Barbara pushes off of the table and away from the microscope, crossing her arms over her chest as she looks at the closest thing she has to teammates in this era. She¡¯s a bit removed from the Bat Family at this point after all, and to pretty much everyone else, she¡¯s an information broker. But the Birds of Prey are hers, and Helena and Dinah have been the ones who have stuck around the longest of anyone. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I know it was a dumb move. I know I should never have gone to the clinic without backup. I arranged a dead drop in case I fell out of contact, but I understand that my decision was tactically unsound and entirely driven by emotion. I¡¯m sorry for not including either of you until now.¡±


    Dinah and Helena exchange a glance at that, before both speak at the same time.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound very sorry, Barbara.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even loop Batman into this, Babs?¡±


    Sighing, Barbara leans back against the table, shaking her head.


    ¡°I¡­ it¡¯s hard to feel much shame or regret when I¡¯m walking around right now and it all worked out for the best. As for Batman¡­ no. He would never have let me go in alone, just like you guys wouldn¡¯t have either.¡±


    Before either of them can react to that, there¡¯s a sudden beep from Barbara¡¯s computer. Turning to the monitor, she frowns as the data from the pills comes flowing in.


    ¡°What¡¯s all that then?¡±


    Not looking up from the console, Barbara grunts.


    ¡°I was given these pills to take for the next few days after the procedure. Obviously, I wasn¡¯t going to put anything in my body without checking what was in it first.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but you¡¯re willing to put your body in some untested machine without knowing what it would do to you, is that it?¡±


    Barbara doesn¡¯t try to defend herself from the jab, knowing she probably deserves it. Instead, she keeps studying the results¡­ and her frown only grows.


    ¡°¡­ What is it, Babs? Anything dangerous?¡±


    After a long moment, Barbara huffs.


    ¡°No, or at least my equipment can¡¯t find anything dangerous. All these are, supposedly¡­ are calorie pills. They¡¯re basically massive meals in pill form, thousands upon thousands of calories and other vitamins condensed down. It makes some sense. I¡¯ve run scans on myself as well, and it seems almost like the procedure cannibalized my caloric reserves in order to heal me.¡±


    Pulling away from the console, holding up one of the large pills Luke gave her, Barbara stares at it, still frowning.


    ¡°Basically, these are meant to replenish what was used up to heal me, I suppose.¡±


    There¡¯s a pause, in which Helena and Dinah glance at each other briefly. Before finally, Dinah clears her throat.


    ¡°Are you going to tell Batman now, Barbara? This seems like the kind of thing he should know about.¡±


    Barbara stiffens up at that, her instinctive response being ¡®no¡¯. But¡­ Dinah was probably right. Didn¡¯t make it any easier though.


    -x-X-x-


    Barbara: "I won''t bother pranking them with the wheelchair, I have too much respect for my fellow Birds for that."


    Dinah & Helana walking in to see Barbara''s fine ass in the air and her back arched as she stands bent over the microscope looking like a fucking snack: "hubabhgulgh"


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Inform Batman of these... developments - 30%


    [X] He doesn''t need to know yet. This is their case, they can tell him later - 70%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 44: Seeking Answers

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    The Birds of Prey bounce ideas off one another~


    -x-X-x-


    When Barbara hesitates, Dinah and Helena look at each other again, their concern mounting.


    ¡°Barbara, you can¡¯t-!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    She cuts Dinah off at that, making up her mind right then and there. Not just because Dinah says ¡®she can¡¯t¡¯, and that phrase has become a bit of a trigger for her throughout these years in a wheelchair¡­ but Barbara would be lying if she said that didn¡¯t play a big part in things.


    Silence falls at her response, and Barbara huffs before crossing her arms over her chest as she looks at Dinah and Helena both.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to know yet. This isn¡¯t his case. He passed it off to me because he¡¯s busy and couldn¡¯t handle it himself. He knew that likely meant I would have the Birds of Prey handle it if it wasn¡¯t anything too serious or directly tied to him and his business. And that¡¯s precisely what¡¯s going to happen. We¡¯re going to handle this.¡±


    There¡¯s a pregnant pause at that, in which Barbara stares her friends down with as challenging a look as she can muster. Finally though, she sees the moment that the two heroines both get with the program and get on board with Barbara¡¯s proposal.


    ¡°¡­ Alright Babs, we¡¯re in.¡±


    ¡°Of course we¡¯re in, you know we wouldn¡¯t leave you high and dry.¡±


    Barbara smiles at that, basking in their loyalty for a moment. To be fair, neither woman was particularly close to Batman. They didn¡¯t even know his true identity. She, as Oracle, was the main connection between him and her fellow Birds of Prey.


    However, that didn¡¯t change the reputation Batman had, both in Gotham and in the Justice League. His mythos alone was enough to have Dinah and Helena questioning her decision not to bring him in. Still, with that behind them now, Barbara feels a sense of relief wash over her.


    ¡°Great. Read the rest of the data on the tablet and then give me your first thoughts.¡±


    Nodding, the other heroines do so. Barbara, meanwhile, gets a glass of water and downs the first of the pills. Now that she knows they¡¯re not hiding anything dangerous, she¡¯s not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially when the alternative is either prolonging her full recovery, or having to order a metric fuck ton of food to make up for the caloric deficiency that ¡®Doctor¡¯ Luke¡¯s machine left her in.


    ¡­ If it even was the machine. Barbara frowns as she looks over the information coming in from her bug again. Nothing has changed, but it¡¯s always useful to check out old information with fresh eyes every once in a while.


    Speaking of which¡­


    ¡°So wait, if the tube is fake, how the hell did you still get healed?¡±


    Helena¡¯s confusion is understandable, and Barbara tips her head in acknowledgment to the point. Dinah, meanwhile, hums.


    ¡°Well¡­ it might not be fake, right? Maybe it¡¯s alien tech after all¡­ just alien tech we¡¯ve never seen before. And also alien tech so far beyond us we don¡¯t have the capacity to comprehend it.¡±


    Scoffing at Dinah¡¯s theory, Helana immediately begins poking the more obvious holes in it.


    ¡°So then how is Lex Luthor utilizing it if that¡¯s the case? How is this Maximillian Doctor fellow managing to utilize it if it¡¯s so advanced?¡±


    But Dinah isn¡¯t down for the count just yet.


    ¡°Well, perhaps this¡­ Luke Maximillian is actually an alien in disguise? It wouldn¡¯t be the first time¡­ not by a long shot. He could be a fugitive¡­ THAT wouldn¡¯t be a first either. So he comes to Earth, because lord knows aliens love to come hide out on our planet, and he brings some technology with him. And somehow he and Luthor get in touch and Luthor becomes his patron or something?¡±


    Helana looks more thoughtful now, placing a hand under her chin as she hums.


    ¡°¡­ But if that were the case, why would Luthor ever let him use such technology in a free clinic of all things? And yeah, I know that the super healing in particular was far from free, Barbara paid out the nose for it, but all the same¡­ Luthor would be more likely to hole such a prize up in a research lab somewhere, where he could reverse engineer the technology and use it to make himself look like the second coming of Jesus Christ or something, right?¡±


    This¡­ this was why she¡¯d made the Birds of Prey. And it was also why she¡¯d called Dinah and Helena in. Fresh eyes on the situation and already they were coming up with new ideas. Now, did Barbara think Luke was an alien fugitive? Probably not, but she couldn¡¯t rule it out. Even if her experience told her that the tube she¡¯d been put in seemed as fake as several other examples of fake alien tech she¡¯d seen over the years¡­ she wasn¡¯t infallible. She could be fooled.


    ¡°There¡¯s also the magic angle to think about girls.¡±


    Dinah and Helena both pause at that, before begrudgingly nodding. Helena just frowns some more though.


    ¡°If it is magic, my points still stand though. Why is something like that here in Gotham, instead of in a LexCorp laboratory or practically anywhere else where Luthor has more power and influence? Why would he risk such a find in his very first successful push into Gotham City?¡±


    That was a good point. Things weren¡¯t adding up. Lex Luthor had tried and failed for years to get a foothold in Gotham. Now here he was, having finally succeeded despite everyone¡¯s best efforts. Even still, risking this sort of healing in a single small clinic in Gotham was¡­ well, it was kind of crazy. Unless there was a catch of some sort.


    ¡°There has to be a catch of some sort.¡±


    Dinah¡¯s words echo Barbara¡¯s thought so eerily that Barbara can¡¯t help but grin. Leaning back against the table behind herself, she tilts her head to the side as she considers the other heroines.


    ¡°We need more information, ladies. I have one avenue so far that I¡¯m considering exploring, but I¡¯m open to suggestions as well.¡±


    Helena and Dinah both grow thoughtful for a moment, clearly turning the dilemma over in their heads. Finally, Dinah shrugs and speaks first.


    ¡°¡­ We could leak the super healing to a criminal or two and see what happens and how the clinic reacts when they¡¯re outright attacked? Mr. Freeze, for instance, would probably leap at another opportunity to cure his wife.¡±


    Barbara frowns at the mention of the cold-themed supervillain. Freeze¡¯s tale was positively tragic, even compared to many of the similarly tragic backstories for Gotham¡¯s gallery of misfits and ne¡¯er dowels. He was only doing what he did out of love for his wife and a desire to see her saved, but her illness was so rare and inexplicable that his every attempt to cure her so far had ended in failure.


    That said¡­


    ¡°If we tell one criminal, we might as well tell them all. While I¡¯m sure Freeze would guard the information with his life, his PhD is on cryogenics, not cyber security. More than that, leaking information like that would make it impossible for us to control when such an attack occurred¡­ innocents might wind up caught in the crossfire.¡±


    Dinah nods, accepting Barbara¡¯s critique without issue. Both of them knew Barbara hadn¡¯t said an outright ¡®no¡¯ to the idea¡­ which meant that it was still on the table, despite its flaws. It just wasn¡¯t their first option.


    Helena clears her throat, speaking up next.


    ¡°I could go in. Infiltrate under the cover of night and get us more information. I¡¯m sure you could get me a device that would download their files or give a backdoor into their systems. The healing tech might be alien technology beyond our comprehension, but the rest of it is human, right?¡±


    ¡­ Right. Barbara slowly nods, even as she eyes Huntress contemplatively. On the one hand, she didn¡¯t doubt Helena¡¯s skills for even a second. On the other hand¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea, but it is an escalation. If you get caught, they¡¯ll know we¡¯re investigating.¡±


    The Huntress scoffs at that, crossing her arms over her chest.


    ¡°IF I get caught, sure.¡±


    Barbara smiles and rolls her eyes at Helena¡¯s confidence. It¡¯s well-earned to be fair, but at the same time¡­


    ¡°While you¡¯re right that most of what I saw looked like human technology, if the healing tech truly IS alien, then they might have other alien technology as well¡­ like alien security. You¡¯re good, Helena, but no one is perfect. And once they know that they¡¯re being investigated, they¡¯ll be much more on guard.¡±


    Dinah interjects then, humming.


    ¡°To be fair, if they don¡¯t already think they¡¯re being investigated, then they¡¯re absolute morons. Anything that came of Luthor finally managing to sink his claws into this city even an inch was always going to be investigated to hell and back. The blowhard even put his damn name on it.¡±


    ¡°Fair point, but there¡¯s a big difference between thinking you¡¯re being investigated and knowing it. And a big difference in the way you act as well.¡±


    The other Birds both have to nod at that, conceding the point. Barbara, meanwhile, hesitates for a moment longer before finally biting the bullet.


    ¡°Helena¡¯s plan isn¡¯t bad¡­ but I think I want to tackle this from another angle first. If the Huntress shows up at the clinic so soon after ¡®Hope Laville¡¯ received healing, then the Hope identity will be burned. However¡­ I slipped the ¡®doctor¡¯ in charge of the clinic my number. I¡¯m thinking I might be able to play up the part of a hopelessly enamored heiress who just got her health back a bit further¡­ and reach out to him first. It shouldn¡¯t be out of the question for me to have a line to him or be overeager enough to call before he does.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You want to honeypot him?¡±


    Dinah¡¯s skepticism is shared by Helena, judging by the look on the other woman¡¯s face. Both are looking at Barbara somewhat incredulously. Barbara pouts at them.


    ¡°What? It¡¯s the perfect cover. Obviously, ¡®Hope¡¯ has lived a relatively lonely life, not only being confined to a wheelchair but also the hidden survivor of her family¡¯s massacre. And of course she¡¯s not going to really have anyone else to reach out to or understand social cues. Now maybe he won¡¯t bite¡­ but I think it¡¯s worth a shot at least.¡±


    They still don¡¯t look convinced, but Barbara is in charge here, sort of. In the end, she just rolls her eyes at the others.


    ¡°Look, all I¡¯m saying is we give it a try before we potentially burn that identity and give Luke and his silent bodyguard a reason to suspect something is amiss. It can¡¯t hurt, right?¡±


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°¡­ You know, I suspect something was amiss about our first rich client.¡±


    Laying back in bed, staring up at the ceiling, Lucien has a thoughtful frown on his face. Meanwhile, Blackfire lifts her head from his bared chest and looks at him with a raised eyebrow. The smell of sex is heavy in the room as the two enjoyed one another¡¯s company quite thoroughly for the last couple hours or so after closing up the clinic for the evening.


    ¡°Oh? Was it the odor of desperation so heavy it flooded the senses? Tch, and it only got worse after you healed her too. She just went from desperate to get her legs back, to desperate to get into your pants.¡±


    Lucien gives Blackfire a half-amused, half-bemused glance at her caustic words towards ¡®Hope Laville¡¯. It¡¯s obvious that the disguised Tamaranean didn¡¯t think much of the wheelchair bound girl. Though after she¡¯s done shitting all over the poor dear, she does get a frown of her own on her face.


    ¡°Unless you¡¯re saying she was lying about something. But¡­ you would have said if she wasn¡¯t really paralyzed, right? Or would you not have?¡±


    That¡­ Lucien honestly doesn¡¯t know. He considers the question for a moment before shrugging.


    ¡°I guess I wouldn¡¯t have, at least until she was fully gone. Then I would have told you. I mean¡­ she paid upfront, as expected, so it wasn¡¯t like it would have mattered if she wasn¡¯t truly paralyzed. But no¡­ she definitely was. And it was a bullet that did the paralyzing too, that wasn¡¯t a lie either. However¡­¡±


    Blackfire watches as he furrows his brow, processing his thoughts for a moment before explaining.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ well, I get a lot of information when I use my power on someone else. And from what I understand¡­ I don¡¯t think that was Hope Laville.¡±


    Blackfire stiffens at that, and then lifts herself up onto a hand to look at him.


    ¡°Then who the fuck was it?¡±


    Lucien shrugs.


    ¡°No clue her exact identity. But we of course did a background check on her ahead of time, and¡­ well, the Laville Family definitely looked like our ¡®Hope¡¯. Even the pictures of Hope herself as a child looked right. But the woman I just healed tonight was a natural red head with green eyes.¡±


    Blackfire gnashes her teeth.


    ¡°And you healed her anyways? You just let her walk out like that?¡±


    Lucien gives his ¡®henchwoman¡¯ another look.


    ¡°Yes. I did. She isn¡¯t the only one hiding her true identity, and I wasn¡¯t about to give anything away with a confrontation that might blow our cover. Besides, even if she wasn¡¯t actually Hope Laville, the money was still good and she actually was in need of healing.¡±


    Huffing, Blackfire shakes her head.


    ¡°¡­ This isn¡¯t over. She¡¯s not going to give up. I suppose now I know why she was trying to pry into your love life.¡± sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Shrugging, Lucien relaxes back into the pillows and smirks.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not like it matters. She might not be who she says she was, but she also wasn¡¯t anyone too special, at least biology-wise. Sure, she gave me her number, but I don¡¯t exactly have to call her or anything. Real Hope Laville or not, we¡¯re probably never going to see or speak to her ever again.¡±


    There¡¯s a beat¡­ and then his phone on the nightstand begins to ring. Blinking, Lucien reaches over and picks it up, his brow furrowing when he sees that it¡¯s an unknown caller¡­ but the number¡­ the number is familiar.


    ¡°No way¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Who is it?¡±


    It¡¯s the exact number that ¡®Hope Laville¡¯ gave him earlier, Lucien knows it is. He hadn¡¯t saved it to his phone though or anything, so it wasn¡¯t coming up as her.


    ¡°She¡¯s calling.¡±


    Blackfire squawks at that, before glaring at the phone as though personally offended. Lucien, meanwhile, is suddenly contemplative. Blowing their cover was one thing. But if this fake ¡®Hope¡¯ was this desperate, then that meant there was probably no stopping her from continuing to pry.


    Seeing the incredulous look Blackfire is giving him, Lucien shrugs.


    ¡°I mean¡­ it would be a shame not to see where this leads, right?¡±


    Still, he hesitates¡­ was he really going to pick up the phone?


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [X] Lucien picks up the phone with an open mind (Barbara goes the seduction route) - 79%[ ] Lucien picks up the phone to shut her down (Barbara has Huntress infiltrate the clinic) - 6%


    [ ] Lucien doesn''t pick up the phone at all (Barbara goes with Dinah''s Villain plan) - 15%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 45: Honeypot

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Honeypot scheme is a-go!


    -x-X-x-


    With Blackfire still giving him an incredulous look, Lucien shrugs one final time and returns the look with a lopsided grin.


    ¡°Better the devil you know, right?¡±


    Then, he goes ahead and answers the phone.


    ¡°Hello again, Ms. Laville.¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause on the other end, before Not-Hope finally responds.


    ¡°¡­ A-Apologies for taking the initiative, Dr. Luke, but I just wanted to¡­ talk, if that¡¯s alright. You¡¯re not in the middle of anything, are you?¡±


    Lucien smiles. It¡¯s gotta be an act of some kind, but whoever ¡®Hope Laville¡¯ really is, they¡¯re very good. So good that if he didn¡¯t know from scanning her that she was born with red hair and green eyes, he honestly wouldn¡¯t suspect anything was up. Impressive, to say the least.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not in the middle of anything. How are you feeling, Hope? Have you taken the first of your pills yet?¡±


    He¡¯s telling the truth when he says he¡¯s not in the middle of anything. Him and Blackfire were already done, after all. Or so Lucien had thought. As if intent on making him a liar, or maybe just trying to teach him a lesson, Blackfire suddenly crawls under the covers. One of her hands wraps around his shaft and the other goes to his balls as she takes the tip of his flaccid cock in her mouth and begins to suck him back to full mast.


    Lucien, of course, doesn¡¯t react in any audible way. He does let a long-suffering expression spread across his face, even as he listens to Hope¡¯s response.


    ¡°I¡­ y-yes, I did. And I feel good, Dr. Luke. Better than good, I feel amazing. It¡¯s been so long since I lost my legs¡­ and you gave them back to me. I can never thank you enough¡­ or repay you for this gift.¡±


    Humming, Lucien tilts his head to the side, even as he lets his free hand drift under the covers as well and slide through Blackfire¡¯s silken black hair. She pauses for a moment, but he doesn¡¯t take control¡­ rather, he just glides his fingers through her locks and his nails across her scalp as he gives himself a single second to contemplate Hope¡¯s words.


    Because that was the other thing he¡¯d noticed while scanning her. The natural red hair and green eyes were the smoking gun to be sure, and almost drowned out the rest when it came to exposing the lie¡­ but there were also other signs that ¡®Hope¡¯ wasn¡¯t who she said she was. Like for instance, the timeline for the actual Hope Laville¡¯s shooting would have put her as barely more than a child, not yet even a teenager when she would have been paralyzed by a bullet in her spine.


    However, the ¡®Hope¡¯ that Lucien had treated hadn¡¯t been shot that young. In fact, he¡¯d say she was shot in her late teens, early adult years. And before becoming paralyzed, she¡¯d been far more athletic than a girl of Hope¡¯s upbringing should have been. He¡¯d seen traces of the kind of physical training and conditioning that he¡¯d expect on bonafide Olympic Athletes or something.


    All of this passes through Lucien¡¯s mind in just that split second¡­ and then he shakes his head as he responds.


    ¡°I told you before, Hope¡­ there¡¯s nothing to repay. You paid me for a service, and I provided that service. I¡¯m glad you appreciate what I did for you, but you owe me nothing, not even gratitude. It wasn¡¯t like I did it out of the kindness of my heart.¡±


    It¡¯s far milder pushback than he could have provided. He¡¯s acting warm with her, while also making it clear he doesn¡¯t consider himself a good guy or any sort of hero. He¡¯s curious how she¡¯ll respond to that sort of self-flagellation.


    Under the covers, Blackfire continues to work her way up and down his cock. He¡¯s fully hard by now, though Lucien still doesn¡¯t let her provoke so much as a sigh from him, let alone the groan she¡¯s probably after. Instead he just sits there quietly, enjoying the enthusiastic blowjob while waiting for Hope¡¯s response.


    Instead of trying to argue with him though, ¡®Hope¡¯ latches onto something else he said.


    ¡°W-Well¡­ service workers are often given tips when they do a particularly good job, right? And I say you did a spectacular job, Dr. Luke. So please¡­ let me treat you to dinner.¡±


    And there it is. At long last, they¡¯d come to the point of this call. Blackfire was right. ¡®Hope¡¯, whoever she really was, wasn¡¯t going to let this go. She wasn¡¯t going to give up. She wanted something from him, and until Lucien found out what it was, he needed to play along.


    ¡°Well now, under normal circumstances, I would have to decline for professional reasons. That said, I can tell you¡¯re very eager to settle this perceived debt between us. As such¡­ dinner sounds lovely, Ms. Laville.¡±


    ¡°G-Great! I¡¯ll get us reservations! How does The Ocelot sound?¡±


    It sounded like one of the most expensive restaurants in the entire city, from what Lucien knew. It was also owned by Bruce Wayne. Though to be fair, it was one of several luxury restaurants that the man owned, alongside dozens of other businesses. Still, it fit in perfectly with the rich heiress act that ¡®Hope¡¯ had going.


    ¡°That sounds perfect, Ms. Laville. I won¡¯t lie to you though; I¡¯m not exactly used to the finer things in life. You¡¯ll have to excuse me if I make a fool of myself.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh, that¡¯s no problem!¡±


    They quickly settle on a date and time, with Lucien rejecting the first and taking the second. Not because he can¡¯t actually do the first, in reality his schedule is quite flexible. But he still doesn¡¯t want to make things too easy for her, and having her second option for the day and time might just put her a little off her game.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you then, Luke!¡±


    ¡°Alright Hope, see you then.¡±


    With that, the call comes to an end. Lucien sighs for a moment as he looks down at the head bobbing up and down under his covers. Finally, he grips down tightly on Blackfire¡¯s hair and holds her in place as he begins to cum. She swallows every last drop of course, not hesitating to drink down his jizz.


    Then, pulling back out from under the covers and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, the disguised alien princess gives him a narrow-eyed look.


    ¡°You¡¯re really going to play along with this? It could be a trap.¡±


    Lucien chuckles.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost certainly a trap. But like you said, she¡¯s not letting this go regardless. So I might as well get some free food out of the deal. Besides, I¡¯m not going in without backup.¡±


    Blackfire perks up at that, but before she can respond¡­


    ¡°Mrow.¡±


    She and Lucien both look to the door, where a certain Snow Leopard Cub (albeit one that¡¯s quickly growing up even now) is sat back, licking his chops while staring at his owner unerringly. Once he has Lucien¡¯s attention, Spot doesn¡¯t hesitate to lift a paw into the air and paw in his direction.


    ¡°Mrow.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The ¡®feed me now¡¯ subtext is quite clear. Rolling his eyes, Lucien hops out of the bed, glancing over to Blackfire as he does so.


    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss plans later. For now, seems like someone else is hungry.¡±


    Blackfire just rolls her eyes and lays back on the bed, while Lucien lets Spot lead him to the kitchenette. Their new place is located above the clinic itself, with both the clinic and the residence being in the same building. Lucien had considered transforming Spot and disguising the Snow Leopard as much as he did Blackfire and himself, but in the end he¡¯d left Spot alone.


    For one, he didn¡¯t want to mess with the Snow Leopard¡¯s growth too much. Sure, he¡¯d made some modifications here and there already, including to his pet¡¯s intelligence, but there were some things that needed to happen naturally and Spot growing up was one of them.


    As he gets Spot his food, Lucien can¡¯t help chuckle.


    ¡°You know Spot, I¡¯m going to a place called The Ocelot in a few days. And here I am feeding my Snow Leopard. Funny how that works out, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The look Spot gives him is distinctly unimpressed. Something like ¡®why are you making small talk with me, just feed me and go back to mating with the other one¡¯, if Lucien had to guess.


    Smiling awkwardly, Lucien finishes setting out Spot¡¯s food, steals some scritches under the Snow Leopard¡¯s chin for a moment, and then heads back to Blackfire. NOT to fuck her some more, but to strategize his upcoming date with ¡®Hope Laville¡¯. Though they do end up fucking again too.


    -x-X-x-


    Before he knows it, the evening of their arranged date arrives, and as he meets up with the fake heiress outside of The Ocelot, Lucien has to admit¡­ she cleans up very, very nice. Clad in a tight black dress that goes well with her dyed black hair and a dash of red on her lips, ¡®Hope Laville¡¯ smiles as they greet one another, not even hesitating to scoop him up with an arm interlocking with his own.


    ¡°Thank you again for giving me this chance to further express my¡­ appreciation for what you¡¯ve done for me, doctor.¡±


    Lucien hums as they walk forward together, waved past a line and into the restaurant itself with barely a moment¡¯s hesitation from the doorman.


    ¡°Call me Luke tonight, please. We¡¯re not at my clinic this evening, after all.¡±


    Hope blushes and demurely ducks her head.


    ¡°Ah, of course¡­ Luke.¡±


    She¡¯s a stellar actress, Lucien can¡¯t help thinking. He¡¯s not too bad himself, he figures, but to be fair, he¡¯s cheating. He¡¯s cheating massively. Regardless, they go right up to the counter and are being seated under a reservation for ¡®Hope Laville¡¯ practically instantly.


    Lucien would be lying if he said he hadn¡¯t had some pretty wild fantasies about how far his date for the evening might go tonight. He might have been born to one of the richest men in the world, but it¡¯s not like Lex ever acknowledged him or his existence in any meaningful way. So no, he¡¯s not had much in the way of ¡®rich person¡¯ training¡­ or at least, Lucien figured that¡¯s what normal heirs and heiresses to immense family fortunes got or something.


    Part of him had wondered if ¡®Hope¡¯ might go all out and by out the whole restaurant for just the two of them. Another part of him had wondered if she would go for a private room, all the better to try and extract his secrets either through seduction or¡­ enhanced interrogation.


    But no, neither of those things happen. Their waiter does call their seats ¡®the best in the house¡¯, but Lucien doesn¡¯t know enough about luxury restaurants to be able to say if he¡¯s telling the truth or just talking up the table.


    The place is crowded with other rich, fancily dressed folks as Lucien and ¡®Hope¡¯ get into dinner. They exchange small talk with one another while Lucien waits for his date to find a way to put the screws to him. Eventually, the questioning starts after their appetizers arrive, as he suspected it would.


    ¡°So, Luke¡­ I won¡¯t ask something so trite as where you¡¯re from. But I have to know¡­ what brought you to Gotham? This city¡­ it¡¯s not exactly the immigration destination of the country or anything like that. It¡¯s not even a tourist trap. Why Gotham, of all places?¡±


    It¡¯s a good question, Lucien has to acknowledge. He, of course, has an answer already prepared. Smiling at ¡®Hope¡¯ over his appetizer, he chuckles.


    ¡°Well, as you know, the clinic is funded by LexCorp and I work for their medical division. I wasn¡¯t forced to take the posting or anything though¡­ rather, I volunteered to come here.¡±


    That was all ¡®true¡¯, if one looked at the falsified documentation made for ¡®Doctor Luke Maximillian¡¯. Lucien thinks he sees a flicker of doubt in his date¡¯s eyes though, and he wonders if she has access to those made up files. Does she believe what¡¯s in them? Or does she somehow know they¡¯re a lie?


    ¡°Pardon my French, Luke¡­ but why the fuck would you volunteer to come to Gotham?¡±


    Lucien grins¡­ and then puts every bit of his power into delivering his next line with complete ¡®honesty¡¯.


    ¡°Because this city needs the support. And I wanted to make a real difference.¡±


    His words stun ¡®Hope¡¯ into silence. His sincerity, as manufactured as it was, is clearly winning her over. She can¡¯t detect the lie, from the look of things.


    As she¡¯s processing the ¡®truth¡¯ of his words, Lucien¡¯s eyes flicker to the side, to one of the large potted plants lining The Ocelot¡¯s main room. It would be an understatement to say that Lucien is on edge tonight. Every fiber of his being is on high alert, just in case ¡®Hope¡¯ turns out to be aiming for a more violent sort of confrontation. He¡¯s already checked his food for any drugs or poisons, and only ate once he found nothing.


    ¡­ And so, with how heightened his senses currently are, Lucien sees it coming before it truly begins. One of the potted plants is growing¡­ and its roots are climbing out of the pot and starting to expand across the ground.


    Ah¡­ shit.


    KABOOM!


    It all happens too fast for him to do anything, even if he wanted to. Shrieks and screams fill The Ocelot as the far wall, a wall with zero tables near it, suddenly explodes. At the same time, the potted plants all explode as well and Lucien has a moment to wonder why the fuck anyone would maintain greenery in a city with a villainess plant controller¡­ before said villainess plant controller herself saunters through the hole.


    ¡°EVERYONE DOWN ON THE GROUND!¡±


    Only, Poison Ivy isn¡¯t the one to command the room. While she certainly has a commanding presence as she stands there with her hands on her hips and her shapely figure clad only in a green, leafy costume, its her partner who actually does the talking¡­ and who everyone hastily listens to almost immediately.


    The Joker might currently be in Arkham, something Lucien himself had checked up on when he¡¯d first arrived in Gotham just to make sure he always knew where the bastard was¡­ but his Queen was still out and about, and she commanded almost as much terror and fear as the Joker himself did.


    Smiling wickedly, Harley fucking Quinn hoists a massive hammer on her shoulder like it¡¯s easy, even as her gaze sweeps back and forth across the room and her tongue traces out to lick her lips.


    ¡°This, my dear rich folk¡­ is a ROBBERY!¡±


    -x-X-x-


    A/N: Huehuehue


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Stick with Lucien''s POV - 28%


    [X] Switch to Barbara''s POV - 72%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 46: Hostage

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    In which lots of questionable decisions are made.


    -x-X-x-


    No way. There was just no way. This couldn¡¯t possibly be happening. Barbara wanted to scream. She wanted to get up out of her chair, confront Harley and Ivy, and ask them what the fuck they thought they were doing!


    Obviously, she can¡¯t do that. For one, she¡¯s not Barbara Gordon, Oracle, or Batgirl right now¡­ she¡¯s Hope Laville at the moment. Even Harley, who knows her the best, isn¡¯t likely to recognize her, so there¡¯s no reason for Barbara to blow her cover. For two, she doesn¡¯t have nearly as much sway with Poison Ivy as she does Harley, and the sway she DOES have with Harley has to always be taken with a grain of salt.


    Mostly because the bitch was crazy. And that wasn¡¯t intended as an insult, or at least not just an insult. It was an immutable fact that Harley Quinn was fucking nutso, for all that her backstory was undeniably tragic.


    Going from a bright young psychologist as Doctor Harleen Quinzel to the Joker¡¯s main squeeze after he managed to sink his claws and teeth into her was bad, but her story hadn¡¯t stopped there. Sure, the Joker had created Harley, but to his no doubt considerable chagrin, he¡¯d failed to keep control over his creation.


    See, the Joker liked to think HE was the crazy one. In actuality, he was evil first, crazy second. He wanted people to think that everything he did was on a whim, and that he was the epitome of unpredictable¡­ but that wasn¡¯t the case. In truth, as insane as the Joker and his schemes tended to be, he could always be counted on to do something evil, or diabolical, or downright heinous. Evil first. Crazy second.


    Harley, on the other hand, was everything the Joker wanted people to believe he was. She was just pure crazy. Broken into a million pieces and put back together by the Joker himself, but he¡¯d fucked up somewhere along the way. He¡¯d failed to instill his particular brand of malevolent darkness in Harley. She wasn¡¯t even crazy first, evil second¡­ she was just plain insane.


    It had taken years for this to come out, because for years Harley had been the Joker¡¯s right-hand woman, his girl, his greatest piece of art. Until finally, he¡¯d gone too far in trying to contain her, in trying to keep her at his side.


    Barbara could still remember the night they¡¯d first heard that the Joker and Harley Quinn had broken up. Dick had been the one to voice the question on everyone¡¯s minds.


    ¡°She can DO that?!¡±


    As it turned out, yes¡­ yes she could. In fact, as they¡¯d all learned over the years, Harley could and would do pretty much anything she wanted. She was the chaos incarnate that Joker wanted to portray himself as, and Gotham itself almost seemed to support her zany and often times inexplicable antics.


    However, as chaotic as Harley was, she wasn¡¯t evil. In fact, there had been a few times where she had even teamed up with the Birds of Prey to stop some of Gotham¡¯s real bad guys. It was enough for Barbara to tentatively see Harley as less of a villain and more of a force of nature¡­ when she wasn¡¯t pitying her for being a broken woman who was probably beyond any conventional help.


    Unfortunately, Harley wasn¡¯t in one of her ¡®ally to the Birds of Prey¡¯ phases right now. Because even though the Joker was currently in Arkham, Harley was still in her OTHER toxic relationship¡­ that being her friendship with Poison Ivy.


    Ivy wasn¡¯t as bad as the Joker, but that was like saying a hurricane wasn¡¯t as bad as a tsunami. They were both evil, plain and simple. Even if Ivy had her own tragic backstory, it didn¡¯t change the fact that she was a villain, through and through, and not someone that Barbara would ever even think of working with, even on a temporary basis.


    ¡°Wallets, watches, and jewelry on the tables! Yes, that includes the gold and diamond cufflinks, no matter how emasculating you find us calling those jewelry you old fucks!¡±


    As Ivy¡¯s plants keep control of the crowd and Harley flits around the room with a wide, shit-eating grin on her face, Barbara assesses the situation, trying to figure out what to do. Only, before she can do anything, a hand suddenly closes on hers and she blinks, looking over to see Luke smiling at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Hope. You¡¯re going to be okay.¡±


    Oh. Wow, that was honestly very sweet. Honestly, if she hadn¡¯t got so caught up in her own thoughts, she probably would have played her role better. She should have definitely been panicking more at the very least, maybe whimpering and even crying like some of the other women in the Ocelot¡¯s dining room were currently doing.


    Instead, she¡¯d sat there frozen and incapable of making a move. And Luke had taken that as her fear response and sought to comfort her. She plasters a wavering smile on her face and squeezes his hand back. At the same time though, Harley is closing in on their table, so it was probably time to give up the goods, so to speak.


    After she got done divesting herself of the jewelry she¡¯d purchased for the evening, she would be sure to press the panic button she had hidden behind her left ear, signaling for Huntress and Black Canary to swoop in and back her up. Obviously, they were only supposed to be her back up in case Luke somehow proved to be a threat to her, but the best laid plans of mice and men and all that.


    However, before she can do any of that¡­ Luke surprises her by standing up. Suddenly rising from his seat, the man quickly draws the attention of both Ivy and Harley with his antics, even as Barbara watches on, gobsmacked. What the hell did he think he was doing?!


    ¡°Ladies! Ladies, please¡­ there¡¯s no need to frighten anyone. You have us all well in hand already, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Harley and Ivy exchange an incredulous look that makes it clear they¡¯re feeling the same level of bafflement as Barbara. This is followed by Harley skipping over to their table all the faster, until she¡¯s right in front of the tall doctor, peering up into his eyes.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ and who are you supposed to be, exactly?¡±


    Harley¡¯s eyes do flicker over to Barbara for a second, but they barely seem to register her, let alone see through her disguise. That¡¯s good and all, but it in no way salvages the utter disaster that this situation is rapidly evolving into. Especially when Luke doesn¡¯t so much as quail in fright before Harley, despite the crazy bitch¡¯s ability to fold him in two with a single swing of her hammer.


    He also doesn¡¯t glare in defiance at her either. The easy grin on his face is likely to be more infuriating to the pair of villainesses however, or at least to Ivy, as he matches Harley¡¯s energy with his own.


    ¡°Nobody special. Name¡¯s Luke, I¡¯m the doctor at the newly opened clinic funded by the Luthor Foundation. Look, I know you gals aren¡¯t out to hurt anyone. Surely-!¡±


    Whatever he was going to suggest, Barbara never gets to hear it. The moment that he gave his identity, a change had come over both Harley and Ivy. Harley¡¯s attention on Luke, which had been only half there before, suddenly becomes laser-focused despite the poor woman¡¯s Super ADHD. And Ivy¡­ Poison Ivy immediately begins walking over to them, her plants keeping everyone else from trying anything foolish.


    Mid-sentence, Luke is interrupted by Ivy winding an arm around his neck and pulling him into one of her signature kisses. Barbara chokes on her own spit, hoping against hope that Ivy is using the mind-controlling toxins on her lips tonight, and not the instantly fatal kind.


    Fortunately, when she pulls back, Luke doesn¡¯t immediately keel over dead. He also doesn¡¯t say anything though, suddenly swaying in place with a dazed look on his face.


    ¡°It seems we have a volunteer to carry our bags and make sure the police don¡¯t make any¡­ mistakes when we leave. Go ahead and collect the payday, Luke.¡±


    Mindlessly, the doctor proceeds to do as he¡¯s bid by Ivy. The plants form a large basket for him to carry, and he fills it up with all of the valuables from the Ocelot¡¯s other patrons. No one can even be that mad at him as he does so, most of them just have pitying looks on their faces. That or relief that they weren¡¯t the ones singled out by Ivy or Harley instead.


    Barbara sits frozen at her table in disbelief at Luke¡¯s stupidity, as he mechanically walks over to Harley and Ivy waiting at the hole in the wall they¡¯d made. Harley cackles and loops her arm in one of Luke¡¯s as if he¡¯s escorting her somewhere, thrusting her hammer up into the air in victory.


    ¡°Booze money secured!¡±


    And then¡­ they¡¯re gone. No one moves initially, because the plants are still very much active. But then they retract back into their vases or fall limp where they extended, and everyone takes that as their cue to begin to freak out.


    As Pandemonium ensues, Barbara is finally shaken out of her stupor by the sheer cacophony of noise¡­ and curses to herself as she FINALLY reaches behind her ear and hits the hidden panic button there. She should have hit it earlier, but she¡¯d just been so shocked by the sheer idiocy Luke had displayed that she hadn¡¯t been able to do much of anything.


    ¡­ Hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t cost the young man his life¡­


    -x-X-x-


    Lucien found himself in a bit of a conundrum. It had always been his plan to try and convince Ivy and Harley to focus on him instead of anyone else in the room. This wasn¡¯t out of some vaunted sense of heroic spirit or anything like that, however. Rather, Lucien had figured he might be able to nab the blueprints of their biology somehow.


    There was always the risk that they would try (and fail) to kill him outright, but he didn¡¯t think they would, just based on what he knew of them. They weren¡¯t there to send a message or to kill a bunch of rich folk, they were just there to rob them. So Lucien figured it would probably be okay to catch their attention and then open a dialogue afterwards, since he figured he might be able to help both women out with his powers. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His decision to act was also helped by the reaction his date had to their presence. She barely reacted at all, except to stare with a sort of wide-eyed, horrified fascination as everything proceeded. When he touched her hand and pretended to be trying to comfort her, the read he¡¯d got from her biology was that of controlled panic. This situation wasn¡¯t her doing, but she also wasn¡¯t nearly as afraid as she should have been.


    If he wasn¡¯t walking into a trap set by ¡®Hope¡¯ by drawing Ivy and Harley¡¯s attention, then he figured it would probably work out for the best all the same.


    There was just one small problem with all of that, in the end.


    ¡°Can¡¯t believe how easy this gig was! He literally delivered himself to us on a silver platter, bahaha!¡±


    ¡°Heh, indeed. The bravado and arrogance of men knows no bounds.¡±


    ¡°Half a million for each of us¡­ this is the easiest payday of my life!¡±


    ¡°¡­ So long as Black Mask actually pays up, of course. Don¡¯t let your guard down, Harley. You and I both know he¡¯ll stab us in the back if he senses even a hint of weakness.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Don¡¯t gotta nag me, Ivy, I know, I know! I ain¡¯t about to get all chummy with Black Mask of all fuckers. Let him try something, I¡¯ll happily put him in the ground!¡±


    ¡­ Yeah. They¡¯re currently traveling through Gotham¡¯s extensive, apparently expansive sewer system on a plant creation made by Ivy that easily holds them all. Lucien isn¡¯t restrained or anything, but that¡¯s because they think Ivy¡¯s kiss has him under her hypnotic control. It doesn¡¯t, of course. The toxins in Ivy¡¯s body don¡¯t work on him, for obvious reasons.


    That said, he feels like he has a bit of egg on his face. Apparently, while he hadn¡¯t walked into a trap set by the fake Hope Laville, he HAD walked face first into another trap entirely. It would seem that the robbery was just a cover, a complete fa?ade. In actuality, their real target all along¡­ was him.


    Lucien should have known, but how could he ever have guessed? Sure, whoever Hope was, she was certainly interested in him to the point of inviting him to dinner, but beyond that, how had he garnered the interest of Gotham¡¯s Underworld quite so fast?


    As they continue along, Lucien wracks his brain for everything he knows about Black Mask. The man is a Gotham Crime Lord with a fixation on masks and a reputation for being ruthless and sadistic.


    ¡­ And that¡¯s about it. Yeah, look Lucien had never lived in Gotham in his previous life, and while he knew about certain individuals more than others, Black Mask hadn¡¯t been one he paid much attention to. He knew OF the man and had heard of some of his deeds, but didn¡¯t know much beyond that.


    In the end though, knowing more about Black Mask probably wouldn¡¯t have influenced the decision Lucien now had to make one way or another. It wasn¡¯t really about Black Mask in the end¡­ it was about who precisely he wanted to expose his true nature to¡­ if anything at all.


    His first option was to break out of Ivy and Harley¡¯s grasp right here and now and knock the two women unconscious before they could even react. They¡¯d definitely know he escaped them though, and they would almost certainly come after him later. There wasn''t much point in blocking their memories of him, not when everyone had seen him go with them in the first place.


    His second option was to let them deliver him to Black Mask and then once they were gone, break free THERE. He could then block out those memories of anything he had to do, though that would only be a half-measure at best. Still, it would mean only Ivy and Harley would know he''d done something to get free of Black Mask, since they would be the only ones to know they''d taken him to the Crime Lord in the first place.


    Final option was to hold off entirely. Blackfire would almost certainly be rescuing him by the end of the night if he didn¡¯t rescue himself, so he could allow Harley and Ivy to deliver him to Black Mask, then see what Black Mask wanted with him, and all the while wait for Blackfire to swoop in and bust up the joint getting him back.


    It would expose her as his superpowered bodyguard and let everyone in Gotham know that the new clinic was protected by a metahuman mercenary, while keeping his cover intact.


    Regardless of what he chose though, sacrifices were going to be made one way or another. Quite the conundrum, to be sure.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Break out of Ivy and Harley''s grasp by knocking them unconscious and fleeing the scene - 14%[X] Let them deliver him to Black Mask so he can break out there and wipe some memories - 56%


    [ ] Let them deliver him to Black Mask so he can wait for Blackfire''s rescue and maintain his cover - 30%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 47: Black Mask

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien does a little trolling.


    -x-X-x-


    As Poison Ivy¡¯s plant crawler carries them through Gotham¡¯s too-big sewers, Lucien finally comes to a decision¡­ and stays put. While he certainly COULD take out both Ivy and Harley right now with minimal risk to himself, he¡¯s not sure it would serve him all that well. Everyone knew he¡¯d been taken by the two villainesses after all, and they would wonder how he got away.


    Not to mention it would earn him the enmity of both women. Even if he tried to wipe their memories of these events, they would inevitably find out that something had happened when they heard news coverage of their abduction of him later on. So in the end¡­ it was better to just let them take him to Black Mask. It was the path of least resistance.


    All he had to do was sit there quietly, pretending to still be under the effects of Poison Ivy¡¯s toxins. While doing so, he plays around with what he¡¯s gleaned from her kiss and his brief touches of Harley Quinn. Both women are¡­ interesting specimens. Not quite human, either of them.


    This is much more pronounced in Ivy¡¯s case, of course. The plant controller isn¡¯t JUST a plant controller¡­ she¡¯s part plant herself. She can even regenerate body parts in the same way plants might regenerate branches and vines. She¡¯s also not going to be aging out of that beautiful figure of hers any time soon. Thanks to the way her DNA has been mutated, she¡¯s going to live longer and age slower than your average human being so long as she manages to get enough sunlight. Photosynthesis at its best.


    Harley on the other hand, is far closer to baseline human. Closer¡­ but not quite there. What Joker had done to her hadn¡¯t just broken the insane woman¡¯s mind, but also altered her physiology. For one thing, she was immune to the sort of toxins that Ivy could deploy. Which made sense, given she would have to be in order to be around Joker¡¯s own crimes against humanity.


    She was also tougher, stronger, and faster than a baseline human. Not quite as tough, strong, and fast as a Tamaranean though, but Lucien¡¯s power didn¡¯t make him pick and choose. He could combine, mix and match, and all around stack such things on top of one another.


    He wouldn¡¯t right now though, if only because making an entirely new template based on a mixture of his new gains would take time and concentration, both of which were in short supply at the moment.


    Indeed, no sooner had that thought crossed his mind than they¡¯ve pulled out of the sewers and into Gotham¡¯s warehouse district, located up against the shoreline. Ivy¡¯s plant crawler moves even faster now, until eventually they arrive at what he assumes is their ultimate destination if the goons outside of the warehouse are any indication.


    ¡°Hold it. You got the goo-urk!¡±


    The goon who tries to stop them barely gets a handful of words out before one of the plant crawler¡¯s limbs lashes out and impales him through the shoulder and into the front of the warehouse. Not an immediately fatal injury, Lucien absently notes as the other goons all tense up.


    ¡°Trash like you doesn¡¯t talk. Open the door, so that we can deliver Black Mask his prize and claim our reward.¡±


    Ivy¡¯s tone is icy and brooks no argument¡­ and so no argument is attempted. The large garage door at the front of the warehouse is opened up, allowing for Ivy, Harley, and him to all travel into the warehouse itself in proper style, like a pair of Queens and¡­ whatever he would be in that situation. Servant Boy, maybe?


    Regardless, Lucien is reminded of what Ivy had told Harley back in the sewers. They couldn¡¯t afford to show weakness to these men, not even for a second. Otherwise, Black Mask would go back on their deal, stab them both in the back, and try to take him without paying. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Harley stands now, still on the plant crawler but with one foot up on the railing and her massive hammer hoisted on her shoulder. She¡¯s wearing a wide, wild-eyed grin on her face that makes it clear she almost hopes violence will break out. She doesn¡¯t leap down though, even as the plant crawler comes to a stop in front of a man in a Black Mask and about two dozen goons toting guns of varying degrees of size and lethality.


    Ivy also doesn¡¯t bother climbing down from the plant crawler. Instead, she stands there with her legs slightly spread and her arms crossed over her ample chest, projecting pure strength and confidence.


    ¡°Black Mask. Where¡¯s our money?¡±


    Lucien can¡¯t quite make out everything from his position in the back of the crawler, and he can¡¯t crane his neck without giving the game away. He thinks he sees Black Mask moving about though down on the ground.


    ¡°Ivy. Where¡¯s the merchandise?¡±


    Without missing a beat, Poison Ivy snaps her fingers at Lucien, and he dutifully rises from his seat and walks up to her, making sure to have a blank expression on his face as she grabs him by the neck and roughly pulls him down to show his face to the crime lord waiting on the ground below.


    ¡°One Luke Maximillian, Doctor of the new Luthor Foundation Clinic, as ordered. One million dollars and he¡¯s yours.¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause and Lucien can all but see the cogs turning in Black Mask¡¯s head despite the¡­ well, the black mask covering his features. It¡¯s obvious the sadistic crime boss is currently contemplating what he might be able to get away with. But Ivy and Harley¡¯s show of force was clearly not for nothing, because in the end, he simply snaps his fingers and one of his henchmen comes forward, bringing a metal briefcase with him.


    Black Mask opens the briefcase and shows Ivy and Harley the contents, which at a glance definitely look like a million dollars. Then, he closes the briefcase back up and tosses it through the air to Harley, who catches it with one hand easily.


    Rather than open it and count it herself, the crazy female clown just hefts the briefcase up and down a couple times consideringly, even sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth as if she¡¯s deep in thought¡­ or rather, calculations. Finally though, she gives Ivy a cheeky grin and nod.


    Ivy grunts and pushes Lucien forward off of the crawler. He could have caught himself, but that might have given the game away, so he lets his body impact painfully with the ground.


    ¡°I would say it¡¯s been a pleasure doing business with you, Black Mask¡­ but we both know it would be a lie.¡±


    The plant crawler begins to back up at that, only for Black Mask to call out.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    ¡°¡­ What?¡±


    For a moment, tension ratchets up again and Lucien prepares himself to be in the middle of a fight between villains. But as it turns out¡­


    ¡°He¡¯s still under the effects of your damn toxins. He¡¯s no use to me like that. Undo it!¡±


    ¡°Ah. Is that all? It¡¯ll wear off in another fifteen minutes.¡±


    With that, the plant crawler closes up, blocking Ivy and Harley from view and transporting them swiftly out of the warehouse before Black Mask can even think of giving the order to close the garage or stop them from leaving. Lucien, meanwhile, climbs to his feet slowly, still pretending to be blank faced as the crime lord who¡¯s just paid a million dollars for him approaches and looks him up and down.


    ¡°Tch, I¡¯d say you¡¯re not much to look at¡­ but honestly, you¡¯re built like a fucking truck. Sit him down and tie him up, boys.¡±


    Lucien doesn¡¯t resist as he¡¯s tied up and restrained to a chair, nor as a gag is put in his mouth. He¡¯s not sure why the gag though¡­ if they have questions for him, won¡¯t it just get in the way?


    Minutes pass by as Black Mask and his goons wait for Ivy¡¯s toxins to ¡®wear off¡¯. Lucien, meanwhile, is not idle. Honestly, if he ever meets Ivy again, he¡¯ll have to thank her for the unintentional boon she¡¯s given him. Fifteen extra minutes to prepare? How lovely.


    Once he¡¯s ready for the confrontation, Lucien slowly pretends to come to, coming out of his blank faced expression by blinking rapidly and jerking against his bindings as he looks around himself in a bit of a stupor.


    ¡°Ah, pretty boy is awake. Good.¡±


    Black Mask walks up to him then, and Lucien can practically feel the sneer through the mask as he grabs hold of his hair and yanks his head back in what¡¯s probably meant to be a painful manner.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Luthor was thinking. Maybe he just got complacent. Maybe he thought because he got one over on the Mayor¡¯s Office and Wayne Industries that he was in the clear. But he should have known better. Everyone knows he¡¯s not just a businessman. Deep down inside, he¡¯s one of us. And if he wanted to set up shop on MY turf, he should have come to Gotham himself to pay me some motherfucking tribute!¡±


    ¡­ Seriously? That was what this was about? Black Mask was upset because he thought Lucien¡¯s father had made a play for a piece of Gotham without taking into consideration it¡¯s criminal underbelly? Paradoxically, that both made a lot of sense and very little sense. On the one hand, it was utterly moronic and completely idiotic. On the other hand, that seemed about right for a crime lord like Black Mask.


    BAM!


    Something in Lucien¡¯s eyes must give away his lack of fear, because Black Mask suddenly punches him in the face. Lucien has his head rock back, and he allows a small trickle of blood to come from his nose¡­ but truth be told, it barely even tickles.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to use you to send Luthor a message. He needs to understand that there¡¯s a price to doing business in MY city. So here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. I¡¯m going to cut off your pinkies¡­ and then I¡¯m going to let you go. And you¡¯ll tell Luthor that he needs to have a talk with me if he wants his little clinic to continue existing. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be a lot more than your pinkies the next time I have to drag-!¡±


    Wump!


    Black Mask pauses and turns to the sound of one of his henchmen just¡­ falling over. The others all do the same. And then¡­


    Wump! Wump! Wump!


    Like dominoes, one by one, the two dozen gunmen in the warehouse begin to drop to the floor. Black Mask curses, pulling away from Lucien and pulling out his own handgun as he looks around.


    ¡°Did that bitch Ivy come back?! Where is she?! Find her!¡±


    It¡¯s a fair assumption, really. But it¡¯s not Ivy. Lucien might not have had the time to make an all new biological template for himself, but he certainly had plenty of time to create a sleep toxin that would present as a colorless, scentless gas and begin exuding it from his skin.


    Soon enough, every single one of Black Mask¡¯s goons are on the ground, unconscious. Black Mask himself is either made of sterner stuff¡­ or more likely, his mask is special and protects him from airborne toxins.


    Finally, after a long minute of losing his goons to sleep and no sign of Poison Ivy, Black Mask turns back to Lucien, seeming to come to a conclusion.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ Luthor must have hired her to reverse kidnap you. Well fuck that shit! I¡¯ll fucking shoot you right fucking now!¡±


    He all but rushes forward, preparing to plant the barrel of his gun against Lucien¡¯s forehead and a bullet in his brain. But Lucien, of course, isn¡¯t going to have that. His hands come up from where they had previously been restrained to the chair, and he grabs Black Mask by the wrist, yanking the gun up into the air so the single shot that the crime lord manages to fire off goes into the ceiling instead of his face.


    Shock and surprise radiates off of the struggling, squirming crime boss as Lucien reaches up with his other hand and pulls the gag from his lips before grinning savagely.


    ¡°Luthor doesn¡¯t even know who you are.¡±


    He waits a beat to see the words impact in the masked villain¡¯s eyes, and then he knocks Black Mask out. Truthfully, he shouldn¡¯t have said anything, because in the end it¡¯s not going to matter. He goes ahead and induces amnesia in Black Mask and all of his goons, wiping their memories of the night as well as Black Mask¡¯s memories of even hiring Ivy and Harley to go after him in the first place.


    For good measure, he instills a great fear in Black Mask using an incredibly potent and concentrated dose of one of his new toxins, one that should paralyze the masked villain and make it almost impossible for him to make any sort of move beyond trying to keep ahold of what he already had. That should keep the bastard in his lane, Lucien figures.


    Dropping the man to the floor, he dusts his hands off just in time for a familiar presence to arrive in the warehouse. Turning, he smirks at the sight of ¡®Kamara Blackwater¡¯ hovering there with her hands clenched into fists, looking around with a frown.


    ¡°Not to worry, my dear¡­ it¡¯s been dealt with. All that¡¯s left to do is decide how best to end the evening.¡±


    That gets a raised brow from Blackfire, but Lucien just shakes his head with a chuckle. He doesn¡¯t mean sexually.


    ¡°Everyone saw Ivy and Harley take me away, but now only those two lovely ladies know that it was at the behest of this idiot. So now I have a choice¡­ either quietly go back to the clinic and act like nothing ever happened either way¡­ or announce my safety to the local news and let them know that once they got far enough away, Ivy and Harley ¡®let me go¡¯.¡±


    Lucien tilts his head to the side, weighing both options and humming consideringly. On the one hand, just quietly returning to his clinic would¡­ well, it would leave people wondering precisely what happened, but unsure of anything one way or another.


    On the other hand, going to the news to announce the fact that he¡¯d been ¡®let go¡¯ by his abductors would place a nice little bow on this entire night¡­ while also baffling the fuck out of Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, heh.


    Oh and either way, he should probably call ¡®Hope¡¯ at some point, to let her know he¡¯s safe. Even if she¡¯s not who she says she is, he¡¯s not supposed to know that.


    Finally though, feeling a little indecisive, he looks to Blackfire.


    ¡°Well? What do you think?¡±


    -x-X-x-


    The Vote:


    [ ] She suggests just going back to the clinic and pretending like nothing happened - 15%


    [X] She likes the idea of announcing his safety to the local news to really fuck with Ivy and Harley''s heads - 85%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 48: Misunderstandings

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Misunderstandings. Misunderstandings everywhere.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°Just tell us what you did with the doctor, Ivy!¡±


    ¡°A lady never kisses and tells, Huntress!¡±


    ¡°Damnit Harley, you¡¯re better than this!¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hey now, Big Bird, I¡¯m not the one who came into your home and made a mess of things!¡±


    A mess is right, Ivy has to admit, even as she blocks another set of crossbow bolts from Huntress with a wave of her hand and the creation of another wall of plant life. They¡¯d barely made it back to their place before they were set upon by the Birds of Prey. Harley had literally just turned on the TV so that they could sit down and actually count the money they¡¯d gotten from Black Mask in peace, when Huntress and Black Canary had come barging in.


    The one upside to that was that the briefcase hadn¡¯t been opened, and was still sitting somewhat innocuously on the floor between the coffee table and the couch. But on the other hand, the Birds of Prey weren¡¯t playing around, and at this point, they might have to get serious if they wanted to avoid having their payday ruined by the female vigilantes and their tomfoolery.


    Frankly, Ivy herself would have gotten serious already by now, and probably started off that way¡­ if it wasn¡¯t for Harley. The clown-themed woman was batshit crazy to the point of teaming up with heroes and villains alike whenever it struck her fancy, and as a result, she had¡­ history with the Birds of Prey that Ivy didn¡¯t. She¡¯d never been a full-fledged member or anything like that, on account of the unpredictability and impulsiveness, but they still tried to treat her with the kid gloves when they could, and that meant responding in kind.


    Unfortunately for Ivy, Harley was her best friend. And friendship meant compromising. It meant she had to play nice with Harley¡¯s other friends, even if she knew Harley would pick her every time. Still¡­ things were getting dangerous. Harley, for all her quirkiness, at least had the good sense to stay away from the couch and table and briefcase with a million dollars in it. Huntress and Black Canary on the other hand¡­


    With a huff, Ivy pushes forward and a plant thrusts towards Huntress in such a way that the acrobatic vigilante has to dodge AWAY from the coffee table and couch, rather than towards it. Meanwhile, Harley is harrying Canary on the other side of the room, keeping that super sonic voice of hers away from the briefcase as well. But all it would take was one momentary lapse of concentration, or one single misstep, and one of those blasted Canary Cries might wind up blowing up the center of the lair anyways.


    Gritting her teeth, Ivy pushes Huntress back and also reaches out towards Canary, holding back a little less as she lets some of her darlings explode out of the ground. As the two vigilantes curse at being stymied, Harley looks at Ivy with wide soulful eyes and a mighty pout.


    ¡°Hey! I was playing with birdie! You¡¯ve got your own opponent, Ivy!¡±


    Huffing, Ivy crosses her arms under her chest and rolls her eyes.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a game, Harley. They¡¯re not going to let up. We need to think about getting serious.¡±


    Harley blinks at that, but before she can tell Ivy whether or not she¡¯s willing to let her finally take the damn training wheels off and go ham, something else happens. A gas cannister suddenly rolls up against Ivy and Harley¡¯s feet, before pretty much exploding. The thing is¡­ it doesn¡¯t come from the Birds of Prey. Or at least, it doesn¡¯t come from Black Canary and Huntress.


    As the gas gets in both their lungs, causing Ivy and Harley to break into coughing fits and stumble away from one another, all Ivy sees is a flash of black before she¡¯s suddenly on her back with a razor sharp batarang pressed against her jugular. Eyes widening and pupils shrinking to pinpricks, the plant controlling metahuman stares up into a cowl she hasn¡¯t seen in a long time.


    ¡°Stay. Down.¡±


    As the original Batgirl growls down at her, Ivy doesn¡¯t dare move. Meanwhile, Harley is quick to recover from the gas cannister as well thanks to her constitution, but she freezes the moment she sees the situation they¡¯re in. Though it¡¯s still a toss up whether that¡¯s because Ivy is in danger of losing her head, or because of who she¡¯s currently being threatened by.


    ¡°R-Red? You¡¯re¡­ walking?¡±


    Ivy licks her lips at that. She knew minor details at best about what had happened to the original Batgirl. She knew, for instance, that something had left her paralyzed, and that she¡¯d become Oracle, a prominent networking specialist in the Superhero Community.


    That in and of itself was more than most people knew, but Ivy also knew that Harley knew more. There were rumors that it had been the Joker himself who ended the original Batgirl¡¯s career as a vigilante, though Ivy had never been sure about that, mostly because¡­ the Joker didn¡¯t tend to leave people alive. He hadn¡¯t left Batman¡¯s second Robin alive, that was for sure.


    Still, she¡¯d never pushed Harley on the details. She knew better. But now¡­ well, she¡¯s kind of regretting it, because Batgirl is back, red hair and all, and she looks PISSED.


    ¡°I¡¯m only going to ask once. Where is Luke Maximillian?¡±


    This was a Batgirl trained in the old school style by Batman himself. Before the Justice League, before, some might say, he¡¯d gone soft. Ivy didn¡¯t think she would kill, necessarily, but the implicit threat sends a shiver up and down her spine all the same. And really, who gives a fuck about Black Mask? The biggest concern is that the blasted do-gooders might take the money with them when they left if Ivy and Harley gave up the truth. But¡­ well, maybe they could-


    ¡°-hat¡¯s right! Look, I know they¡¯re villains, and I know they¡¯ve done bad things in the past. I¡¯m not trying to whitewash them or anyways like that. But they didn¡¯t do anything too untoward to me. As soon as we were far enough away, they let me go and Poison Ivy¡¯s lipstick wore off about five minutes later.¡±


    Everyone on both sides goes still as the voice of the very man the Birds of Prey were here to rescue suddenly sounds out among them. Batgirl¡¯s eyes slowly move away from Ivy as her head turns to the forgotten television, but Ivy doesn¡¯t try to take advantage of her distraction. Instead, she''s far too busy craning her head as best she can as well, ignoring the batarang at her neck entirely at this point in order to also stare at the television screen.


    There, on the TV Harley had just managed to turn on before they were first attacked by Huntress and Black Canary¡­ is the man of the hour himself. Luke Maximillian. He¡¯s standing there speaking to a reporter of all things, looking happy as can be and literally no worse for wear than before.


    ¡°You should understand how lucky you were, Mister Maximillian. Harley Quinn is the infamous paramour of the Joker himself, and Poison Ivy is a notable man-hater who has killed dozens with her kiss alone. It¡¯s rather hard to believe they just¡­ let you go.¡±


    Luke shrugs in response, still smiling.


    ¡°Well first of all, it¡¯s Doctor Maximillian, thank you. Sorry, but I didn¡¯t go to medical school for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, of course. Apologies, Doctor.¡±


    ¡°Apology accepted. Second¡­ look, like I said, I¡¯m not out to whitewash a pair of villains. They did in fact rob and terrorize a whole restaurant of people tonight before absconding with me, and that¡¯s bad in and of itself. And we cannot forget their previous crimes.¡±


    The doctor pauses for a moment before smiling wider.


    ¡°That said¡­ Harley Quinn is as much a victim of the Joker as anyone else, if not more so. And all I can say is that neither she nor Poison Ivy did me a single ounce of harm. They used me to make their escape, sure¡­ but then they let me go. So¡­ at least as far as I¡¯m concerned, no harm, no foul.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ you heard it here first folks! It would seem that in spite of the harrowing experience he went through tonight, one of Gotham City¡¯s newest residents has a spine of steel and the chiseled physique to match! Perhaps that jawline of his is why Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy chose to spare Dr. Maximillian! Who can really say!¡±


    ¡­


    What. The. Fuck.


    As the news report ends, silence reigns for a moment longer before Batgirl suddenly pulls off of Ivy, somewhat awkwardly.


    ¡°You¡­ just let him go? Why wouldn¡¯t you just tell us that? What was the point of all this if you just let him go?!¡±


    Batgirl sounds unbelievably frustrated. Huntress and Canary look absolutely poleaxed. Ivy, meanwhile, thinks fast. First, she catches Harley¡¯s eye and cuts off any response from the other woman with a minute shake of her head. Then, sitting up and rubbing her neck, Ivy smirks.


    ¡°Like I told your friends¡­ a lady doesn¡¯t kiss and tell. Besides, if we had tried to tell you the truth, would you have believed us? Or would you have kept demanding the ¡®real answer¡¯?¡±


    Ivy lets the accusation hang in the air for a moment as the Birds of Prey all exchange glances. Then, she lets her smirk grow a bit wider.


    ¡°Besides, Harley needed the exercise, lest all of that ice cream go to her thighs.¡±


    ¡°H-Hey!¡±


    With that, the situation is defused. Not that all is forgiven or anything like that, she¡¯s still Poison Ivy and they¡¯re still do-gooders and vigilantes. But they¡¯re so awkward about the ¡®misunderstanding¡¯ that Ivy and Harley are able to get them to go away and leave them alone just by turning over the ill-gotten goods from The Ocelot. A paltry sum in comparison to¡­ well.


    As soon as the Birds of Prey are gone, Ivy saunters over to the untouched couch, coffee table, and briefcase. A quick check through the senses of her darlings confirms that nobody but her and Harley is left in the area before she picks up the briefcase, sets it on the table, and flicks it open.


    Inside¡­ appears to be one million dollars. Checking it over for a moment, she confirms that it seems to be all there, and all very real. That¡¯s good¡­ but it does beg the question¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s Black Mask playin¡¯ at, exactly?!¡±


    Harley took the words right out of Ivy¡¯s mouth. Huffing, the plant controller pulls out her phone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find out, shall we?¡±


    What follows¡­ is an undeniably strange interaction with one of Black Mask¡¯s goons. Ivy isn¡¯t so stupid that she mentions the bounty or any of that by name. But frankly, she also doesn¡¯t get far enough in doing so before she¡¯s basically shut down. By a henchman of all things. But from the sound of it¡­ Black Mask is turtling up.


    Whatever happened, it¡¯s causing the crime lord to shut down half of his operations and pull back to the center of his power where he can focus on holding onto what he has. He¡¯s ending all attempts at expansion¡­ which in and of itself means certain death for him and his organization. It¡¯s not enough to just fortify and hold onto what you have in a place like Gotham City. You have to constantly be pushing for more, or you¡¯re liable to be seen as easy prey.


    Coming out of the other end of the phone call, Ivy looks at Harley and Harley looks at Ivy.


    ¡°Luthor?¡±


    ¡°Luthor.¡±


    It was the only explanation. Lex Luthor had done something, or more likely, he¡¯d sent someone into Gotham who could actually tango with some of the worst the city had to offer. Ivy¡¯s eyes narrow as she thinks back to their interactions with Luke Maximillian, both in The Ocelot and in the warehouse when they¡¯d passed him off to Black Mask.


    The conclusion she comes to chills her to her core. Luke Maximillian¡­ was immune to her toxins. Either that or at least extremely resistance. She hadn¡¯t thought much of it at the time, because he was doing what he was told anyways, but he hadn¡¯t reacted to her kiss quite in the way she was used to. He¡¯d been just a bit too robotic. Too mechanical.


    It was almost like¡­ well no. It was exactly as though he was someone pretending to be under her influence, rather than someone actually under her influence.


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    Harley gives her a curious look, only for her eyes to widen as Ivy describes what she¡¯s just figured out about the damn doctor.


    ¡°Wha- but he was behind us in the Crawler the entire time! He could have attacked at any point!¡±


    That was a good point. Ivy rubs her hands on her face and then shakes her head.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t want to. He basically presented himself to us on a silver platter back at The Ocelot. He knew we were there for him. He knew we would take him to Black Mask. He knew Black Mask wanted him.¡±


    It all made sense now that Ivy was laying it all out. They were basically little more than patsies, in the end. They were Luke Maximillian¡¯s chauffers to his rendezvous with Black Mask. And whatever he¡¯d done to the crime lord, whatever he¡¯d said to him¡­ had caused Black Mask to completely turtle up and basically roll over and show his belly.


    It leaves Ivy¡¯s mouth inexplicably dry just thinking about it. But¡­ it also kind of pisses her off a little bit.


    ¡°We were stooges, Harls. Played as fools.¡±


    Harley hums, pressing a finger to her chin and tilting her head to the side for a moment¡­ before looking to the briefcase.


    ¡°Well¡­ we DID get a million smackeroos out of it. Black Mask didn¡¯t want the money back, right?¡±


    She hadn¡¯t asked, but if he did, she¡¯s sure he would have demanded it. So no, Ivy doubted they were going to have to worry about anyone coming for their million. Still¡­ ugh. Lex Luthor wasn¡¯t the kind of man even someone like Ivy wanted to tangle with. But at the same time, she utterly despised being tricked.


    ¡°What do ya wanna do, Ivy?¡±


    Ivy frowns, appreciating that Harley was willing to back her up on this. Obviously, Harley didn¡¯t care about someone pulling one over on her, especially when she came out the other side with this kind of payday. But while the money was good¡­ it wasn¡¯t necessarily about the money for Ivy. Still¡­ did she really want to risk getting on Lex Luthor¡¯s bad side?


    -x-X-x-


    A/N: Did Barbara actually go and get the dye out of her hair before suiting up to reinforce Huntress and Canary? Yes. Yes she did. So extra.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Leave it alone, it''s not worth it - 9%[X] Investigate... subtly - 66%


    [ ] Investigate... aggressively - 24%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 49: ‘Subtle’

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Barbara takes stock. Harley and Ivy do ''subtle''.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    Having made it back to relative safety and privacy of the Clocktower, Barbara had pulled off her cowl as she went to grab the burner phone she was using as ¡®Hope Laville¡¯. Initially, her intentions were to call Luke and give the blasted man a piece of her mind.


    ¡­ But those intentions fall to the wayside pretty much immediately when she looks and sees that she has a handful of missed calls from the ¡®doctor¡¯. Groaning, Barbara runs her hands down her face for a moment.


    The evening had seemed like it was off to such a good start, too. But then Harley and Ivy had to sweep in and ruin everything. And to make matters worse, Helena and Dinah hadn¡¯t been able to keep up with them once they managed to make it down to the sewers. Ivy¡¯s plant crawler was just too fast to be followed on foot.


    In the end, the Birds of Prey had been forced to rely on Barbara¡¯s snooping and knowledge of Poison Ivy and Harley¡¯s current haunts to track the pair of villainesses down to their current lair so they could confront them. And Barbara herself had taken extra time to get the black hair dye out of her hair and suit up again, so she hadn¡¯t exactly been checking her phone or anything like that.


    Checking the time of Luke¡¯s calls, its clear that he called after Harley and Ivy let him go, but before going to the news to announce to everyone that he was safe. Barbara grimaces as she rolls a shoulder, wincing a bit at the feeling of a strained muscle there.


    ¡­ She wasn¡¯t ready to go back out in the field, not really. Frankly, they were lucky that Ivy hadn¡¯t called her bluff or anything like that, because even though she¡¯d gotten the drop on the other red head and had a Batarang to her throat, all it would have taken was one quick move from the plant controller and Barbara might have become the hostage instead.


    Still, it had all worked out in the end¡­ for a given value of the phrase. Everything was still very much up in the air. But if she didn¡¯t want to make things worse¡­ Barbara lets out an explosive sigh and calls Luke back.


    It takes a couple rings but finally, he answers.


    ¡°Hope! I tried to call you, but you didn¡¯t pick up. I was afraid something had happened to you!¡±


    He sounds so damn sincere too. Barbara is beginning to wonder if she misjudged Luke from the very beginning, truth be told. Here he is, having all but served himself up on a silver platter to a couple of man-eating villainesses, and he was worried something happened to HER?!


    ¡°S-Sorry¡­ my phone was on silent, and the police wanted to question us all at The Ocelot, so I missed your calls. I just saw the report on the news though¡­ I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay, Luke.¡±


    ¡°Heh, yeah. I¡¯m fine. Like I said to the reporter interviewing me, I¡¯m not trying to deny all of their previous crimes¡­ but at least for me, they just let me go. I guess maybe they have a soft spot for doctors or something?¡±


    Barbara didn¡¯t think that was the case. Frankly, she still didn¡¯t fully understand why they¡¯d let Luke go without harming a single hair on his head. Maybe Harley had had an attack of conscience and convinced Ivy he wasn¡¯t worth hurting? Not many people understood Harley Quinn¡¯s particular brand of insanity. Even Barbara herself didn¡¯t fully get it all the time, hence it being insanity.


    ¡­ But the poor woman wasn¡¯t as much of a villain as many thought. She was the Joker¡¯s victim more than anybody, and all these years later, she¡¯d really grown as a person¡­ even if she was still batshit insane from time to time.


    Yes, the more she thought about it, the only explanation was that Harley had talked Ivy into treating Luke with the kid gloves. But just because she¡¯d pushed for Ivy to spare him on some whim tonight didn¡¯t mean she would do it the next time, so Barbara doesn¡¯t tell him her theories. Especially since ¡®Hope Laville¡¯ isn¡¯t supposed to know Harley personally anyways.


    ¡°W-Well¡­ I¡¯m just glad they let you go. But you were still dumb for standing up to them in the first place, Luke! If you¡¯d just kept your head down, they would have probably left you alone!¡±


    There¡¯s a pause on the other end for a moment as Luke hums.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not so sure about that, Hope. I guess you didn¡¯t see it, but Poison Ivy had eyes on me even before I stood up. I think she had already picked me out as their hostage from the moment they came in.¡±


    What? Was that true? Barbara wracks her memories of the night, but truth be told it¡¯s all a bit jumbled up. It was¡­ possible, yes. And it would explain why Luke had made such a dumb move, getting up like that. Still¡­


    ¡°Either way¡­ I¡¯m sorry you went through all of that. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I¡¯m glad I¡¯m okay too Hope. I¡¯m just sorry that our evening was ruined. We could try again, if you like?¡±


    Barbara¡¯s eyes widen. She¡¯d honestly thought she was screwed, that either the cover or at least the opportunity was burnt up tonight. But if Luke was still interested, than she still had a chance, didn¡¯t she?


    ¡°Y-Yes! I mean¡­ ahem, yes, I would like that very much, Luke. Maybe¡­ maybe not a high class restaurant though? Maybe something a little more lowkey.¡±


    ¡°Sure, what did you have in mind?¡±


    Truthfully, she didn¡¯t have anything in mind. Or rather, what she had in mind was a goddamn interrogation room where she could question Luke about his true nature to her heart¡¯s content and he would answer every last one of her damn questions to her satisfaction! But as much as Barbara wanted that, she knew she couldn¡¯t have it. Besides¡­ Luke probably didn¡¯t deserve to be treated like a criminal or villain. Despite his ties to Lex Luthor, he honestly seemed like a good guy¡­


    ¡°Maybe a movie?¡±


    Even as she suggests it, it makes her wince. Damn it, how is she supposed to question him during a movie without coming across as suspicious for fuck¡¯s sake?!


    ¡°A movie and¡­ d-dinner! Home cooked by m-me¡­¡±


    There¡¯s a pause on the other end of the line as Barbara internally beats herself up. But finally, Luke responds with a tone full of warmth.


    ¡°I like that, Hope. It sounds lovely, let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Oh thank god. She hasn¡¯t fucked everything up. They quickly figure out the details such as the day and time, and then end the call with one another. Calming her racing heart, Barbara lets out a low sigh and runs a hand through her hair before shaking her head. Fucking Harley. Fucking Ivy.


    But¡­ at least they were out of the damn equation now. They shouldn¡¯t have any further interest in Luke Maximillian after this point, after all.


    -x-X-x-


    As he hangs up the call with ¡®Hope¡¯, Lucien can¡¯t help shaking his head in wry amusement. Whoever she really was, it was obvious she¡¯d gotten desperate after missing his initial calls. Honestly, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the hell she¡¯d been up to during that time. He¡¯d figured more than anything she would want to know what was going on with him and that he was okay. But after trying to call her three times, he¡¯d been forced to admit defeat and move forward with his plan to announce his safety on the news.


    Still, maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe between her phone being on silent and the police questioning everyone at The Ocelot, she¡¯d simply missed his calls. The desperation to get together with him again made it seem likely that that was the case. Whoever ¡®Hope Laville¡¯ really was, she still wanted something out of him. It would be interesting to see how far she went to get it.


    He would have to- Lucien blinks as he suddenly gets an incoming message from Blackfire.


    ¡°Yes? What is it?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Sir we have a situation in the Parking Garage.¡±


    A situation? Lucien blinks, immediately rising from his chair at the sheer terseness in Blackfire¡¯s voice. Whatever is going on down there has his alien henchwoman on edge, and if something has her on edge, then it definitely has him on edge too.


    ¡°A situation?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes. We have a pair of guests down here. They say they¡¯re from Arkham Asylum. They say they need to speak to you.¡±


    What? Lucien¡¯s brow furrows in honest confusion. Arkham Asylum? Seriously? What the hell were those braindead morons in charge of that revolving door of a facility doing in his clinic? sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right down, Kamara.¡±


    ¡°Very well, sir.¡±


    Lucien hurries from his office to the elevator and taps his foot impatiently as it takes him down to the garage. How had these ¡®guests¡¯ even gotten into the garage in the first place? Without an appointment, they should have had to go through the front door, regardless of where they were from.


    They-


    Ding!


    The elevator doors open and Lucien steps out, hackles raised and ready for a fight solely based on the strangeness of this all and the fact that Blackfire had sounded so tense and terse on the call. However, nothing could have prepared him for what he actually found waiting for him in the clinic¡¯s private parking garage.


    Blackfire is there of course, arms crossed over her chest, legs spread in a manner that makes it clear she¡¯s ready to throw down if necessary. The reason why is also immediately apparent. Because their guests might say they¡¯re from Arkham¡­ but they most definitely aren¡¯t. Or rather, they aren¡¯t from the side of the glass in Arkham that they claim to be.


    ¡°Hi there! I¡¯m Doctor Harleen! This is my assistant, Nurse Pam!¡±


    Standing before him, ¡®disguised¡¯ as doctor and nurse respectively, are Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. Admittedly, they¡¯ve done their best to hide that fact. Harley has removed her signature face paint completely and cleaned herself up nice and proper. She¡¯s even done her hair in a tight, professional bun rather than pigtails like usual.


    Ivy, meanwhile, has done something that almost manages to hide the light green hue of her skin, and her distinctive red hair is currently tightly bundled up under the Nurse¡¯s Hat she¡¯s wearing.


    There¡¯s just a couple problems. One, while Harley¡¯s lab coat is pretty normal, the attire she has on underneath gives off ¡®Sexy Doctor¡¯ vibes more than ¡®normal doctor¡¯. And Ivy makes it even worse, because she¡¯s definitely wearing the stereotypical ¡®Slutty Nurse¡¯ Halloween costume over actual Nurse¡¯s Scrubs like one would find a nurse wearing in a hospital, clinic¡­ or asylum.


    Admittedly, the tightness of Ivy¡¯s Nurse Uniform does draw the eye and distract from her light green skin rather massively, and Harley pulls off ¡®doctor¡¯ pretty damn well despite being crazier than a bag of cats. But at the same time¡­ Lucien isn¡¯t an idiot. These two literally kidnapped him a few hours ago. What the fuck were they doing here now? They got to keep the million dollars, after all!


    None of these inner thoughts show on Lucien¡¯s face as outwardly he maintains complete and total calm while stepping forward and accepting Harley¡¯s outstretched hand. He¡¯s ready if she tries anything of course, knowing full well that he has her outclasses in the strength department.


    But to her credit, Harley just gives his hand a couple of solid pumps, only lingering for a moment with her index finger caressing his hand for a moment before pulling back with a slightly wolfish grin.


    ¡°Strong handshake for a handsome man, Doctor!¡±


    Unprofessional, but then this WAS Harley Quinn. Rather than call her out on it, Lucien just grins.


    ¡°A sterling compliment from a beautiful woman, Doctor. A pleasure to meet you and your assistant.¡±


    He gives ¡®Pam¡¯ a nod, to which the other woman does her best to refrain from scowling at him. To be fair, Blackfire is also doing her best not to scowl too hard on his side of things, so they¡¯re equal there. However¡­ they¡¯re not really equal anywhere else, are they? It was obvious Harley and Ivy had gotten into the parking garage via the damn sewers now. But WHY? Why were they here, exactly?


    ¡°What brings you two all the way down from Arkham Asylum to my clinic, exactly?¡±


    Harley perks up at that.


    ¡°Oh! Well, as you may or may not know, we at Arkham Asylum have jurisdiction over all medical facilities in Gotham. Including this one! That¡¯s why Pam and I are here now, to act as liaisons and oversights between your clinic and the Asylum! You should have already been informed of this necessity, but the paperwork probably got lost in the mail or something!¡±


    ¡­ There was no way that was true. Although, the state of Gotham would make a sickening sort of sense if it WAS true. Still, Lucien didn¡¯t believe that hogwash for a second, and not just because Harley and Ivy were obviously not here as representatives of Arkham OR Gotham. No, they were here for their own purposes wearing paper thin disguises that were somehow supposed to fool him and Blackfire.


    Good lord, tonight just wasn¡¯t his night, was it? Sure, he¡¯d come out somewhat ahead when he got access to Ivy and Harley¡¯s biology, both of whom had interesting things for him to pilfer and make his own. And he¡¯d neutralized Black Mask as a threat by sending the crime lord into a downward spiral Lucien was doubtful he would recover from any time soon.


    But beyond that, it¡¯d just been one thing after another tonight. And now this was happening. Was he really going to play along with Ivy and Harley for even a second on this? Or was it time to lay down the law and set the record straight, once and for all?


    The only thing really keeping him from doing the second right away was that it was probably precisely what they were here for. They wanted to know more about him and putting them in their place would require tipping more of his hand than he¡¯d done with anyone else since coming to this damn city. Well, anyone else except for Black Mask.


    Hm, he COULD give the villainesses amnesia now, he supposed. This wasn¡¯t like earlier, when breaking out of their custody and leaving their minds blanked wouldn¡¯t have solved anything. And yet¡­ while he¡¯d had no qualms about doing precisely the same thing to Black Mask, he found himself hesitating now to do it to Harley and Ivy.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Play along for now, see where they take this - 35%[X] Don''t entertain this lunacy, confront them on what they actually want - 60%


    [ ] Knock them both out and block their memories, this is too much of a headache - 5%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 50: Interrupted

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Gotham City, where apparently you can''t have a single interaction without being interrupted.


    -x-X-x-


    Part of him was seriously tempted to play along, truth be told. This whole plan seemed so entirely ill-thought out that he was actually interested in seeing where it would go if he just let Harley and Ivy think he actually believed them for a time. There was just two problems with that. One, he¡¯d already had a long night and suffered enough of a disruption to his plans thanks to these two and Black Mask. And two¡­ he¡¯s pretty sure Blackfire would have a fucking aneurysm if he didn¡¯t call the villainesses out on their bullshit right here and right now.


    Alas, if only they¡¯d tried to make this happen tomorrow or something after a good night¡¯s sleep¡­ but no. It just wasn¡¯t meant to be. That said¡­


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    There¡¯s a pause, as Ivy¡¯s eyes narrow and Harley¡¯s professional smile freezes on her face.


    ¡°Huh? Nope? What do you mean ¡®nope¡¯?¡±


    Shaking his head, Lucien sighs, crossing his arms over his chest.


    ¡°We¡¯re not doing this. Harley. Ivy. Enough with the song and dance. Why are you here, exactly?¡±


    Harley¡¯s face immediately falls, the blonde ¡®doctor¡¯ pouting mightily in response.


    ¡°Oh dang it! How¡¯d ya figure us out?!¡±


    Meanwhile, Ivy actually looks relieved, a wicked grin spreading across her face as she lifts her hands.


    ¡°I told you this would never work, Harley. Now we do it my way.¡±


    Plants come bursting through the parking garage¡¯s sewer entrance a moment later, but before they can reach across the intervening space, Blackfire has already reacted, tossing out a couple of her energy bolts in their direction. The plants burn and flinch back, even hissing as Ivy¡¯s wicked grin drops off of her face immediately to be replaced by an angry scowl.


    Lucien, meanwhile, stands his ground with his arms still crossed over his chest.


    ¡°You girls really don¡¯t want to do this.¡±


    Surprisingly, it¡¯s not Ivy who responds to that, but Harley. She throws off her lab coat and pulls the same hammer from The Ocelot out of seemingly nowhere. Where she fits it, Lucien can¡¯t even begin to imagine. But how she managed to sneak it in is far less important than the fact that she now has the damn thing.


    ¡°And why not, huh?! You¡¯re the one who blew our cover, meanie!¡± Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lucien frowns at the sheer unreasonableness on display here. They were the ones who snuck in here. Hell, they were the ones who sold him to Black Mask for a million fucking dollars! Sure, he knew Harley was insane and Ivy was a man-hater, but for fuck¡¯s sake, they were the aggressors here!


    Still, if they want an ass-whooping, he¡¯ll give them an ass-whooping. Lucien slowly begins to uncross his arms, his hands curling into fists as he moves to support Blackfire in facing off against Harley and Ivy.


    Only¡­ before battle in the parking garage can be properly joined¡­


    BOOM! KATHOOM!


    All four have to dodge out of the way as the sewer entrance, which Ivy¡¯s plants had come through but not fully busted open, is suddenly very much exploded out. The massive grate bounces off the far wall of the Parking Garage as they all look at the hole that it once covered. Ivy¡¯s plants are pushed aside by massive reptilian claws, and out of the darkness steps one huge, clawed foot and then the other.


    As Killer Croc makes his presence known with a rough growl that distinctly emanates from his belly, his reptilian eyes sweep across all of them for a moment¡­ before settling on Ivy in particular.


    ¡°Ivy¡­ making so much damn noise tonight¡­¡±


    Poison Ivy frowns, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. Her plants try to grip down on Killer Croc, try to restrain him, but he shakes them off with a titanic display of strength before stepping out fully into the parking garage. He¡¯s huge, Lucien absently notes. Easily over seven feet tall, and twice as big in width as Lucien himself.


    ¡°¡­ We have a deal for safe passage, Croc.¡±


    Killer Croc snarls at that.


    ¡°Within reason, yesss¡­ but four in one night? Excessive. Annoying. Makes me want to rethink our deal¡­¡±


    Lucien blinks, having to count for a moment in his head. But¡­ yeah that tracks. trip to The Ocelot, trip away from The Ocelot to Black Mask, trip from Black Mask back to their place, and finally, trip here.


    Frown growing, Ivy grits her teeth.


    ¡°That¡¯s-!¡±


    The hulking monstrous humanoid crocodile cuts her off though, snapping his rows of sharp teeth at her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about excuses. I want payment.¡±


    Payment. Lucien doesn¡¯t have to be a genius to observe the way Ivy¡¯s eyes flicker towards him and Blackfire at that. But then, even if he never lived in Gotham in his first life, he¡¯d heard plenty of stories. Even about Killer Croc. He didn¡¯t know where the poor fucker came from, or how he¡¯d gotten how he was, but he knew about the transformed man¡¯s cannibalistic reputation.


    What sort of payment would a crocodile man living in Gotham¡¯s sewers really accept? Money? Maybe, if it was in sufficient quantities. Amenities like a portable TV? Perhaps if he was in a good enough mood. But really¡­ the thing Killer Croc likely wanted the most was simply meat. Raw, bloody meat¡­ and he likely didn¡¯t care what its source was.


    Before Ivy can offer them up on a silver platter, Lucien steps forward and clears his throat, drawing Killer Croc¡¯s attention his way.


    ¡°Hello there. I imagine you don¡¯t know who I am or where you¡¯re standing right now, do you Mister¡­?¡±


    He trails off, not quite wanting to call this creature any combination of his name to be honest. He¡¯s not actually fishing for a proper name, so he¡¯s kind of surprised when he gets one.


    ¡°Waylon. Waylon Jones. And is that a threat?¡±


    The way Killer Croc¡¯s eyes narrow makes it clear Lucien wouldn¡¯t be long for this world if it WAS a threat. But Lucien just smiles back benignly.


    ¡°A threat? No, Mister Jones. This is an offer. I am Doctor Luke Maximillian of Gotham¡¯s newest clinic, set up right above our heads. And I can cure you.¡±


    Silence falls at that proclamation. Admittedly, it¡¯s a bit of a gamble. Lucien is pretty confident in his abilities, but it was actually Killer Croc giving himself a human name that made him certain this was the best path forward. If this monstrous cannibal still considered himself Waylon Jones over Killer Croc, then perhaps there was a chance.


    ¡°¡­ Lies. There is no cure.¡±


    But Lucien refuses to be cowed. Still smiling, he spreads his hands apart.


    ¡°Well¡­ what do you have to lose, Mister Jones? If I¡¯m truly lying and can¡¯t help you, then you can just eat me and go back to your sewers. Sound good?¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause as Killer Croc mulls that offer over. Before he can come to a decision, however, Poison Ivy suddenly speaks up.


    ¡°Before you decide anything, you should know he works for Luthor, Croc. Lex Luthor.¡±


    Lucien shoots Ivy a look at that. Was she trying to help him or sabotage him by name dropping his father? He honestly couldn¡¯t tell. On the one hand, some villains would certainly be leery of crossing Lex Luthor. On the other hand, some like Black Mask took it as a challenge. So which was-


    ¡°Who?¡±


    There¡¯s a bit of a sweat drop moment among everyone else in the room as Killer Croc¡¯s innocuous question fills the air. The massive crocodile man actually looks confused. But then, Lucien supposes it might make sense. The poor guy was literally living under a rock.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Who I work for is less important than what I can do for you, Mister Jones. I suppose at the end of the day, the question is¡­ do you like your current life? Do you enjoy being ostracized from society and treated like a leper just for being different?¡±


    There¡¯s always the risk that the answer is yes. At which point¡­ well, they¡¯ll be fighting a hungry monster in a confined space. Not exactly Lucien¡¯s idea of a good time. But worst comes to worst, he can always reset and do this all differently. Still, he¡¯d prefer not to have to loop back if it¡¯s not necessary¡­


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t.¡±


    Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t look like it will be as Killer Croc, or rather Waylon Jones, makes up his mind. Slumping a bit as he loses that eagerness to fight, the monstrous man slowly nods his big bald scaled head.


    ¡°¡­ Fine. Show me what you can do. Make me better. And if you fail¡­ I WILL eat you.¡±


    You know, if Lucien weren¡¯t so magnanimous, he¡¯d take that personally. Alas, as things stand, he doesn¡¯t trust the clinic¡¯s elevator to carry Waylon Jones¡¯ weight. Which means he has to do this here¡­ in front of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. For fuck¡¯s sake, just what is his life?


    For a moment, he considers telling them to leave. But one look at the both of them makes it clear they¡¯re not going to listen. He also considers having Waylon tell them to leave, which seems more likely to work¡­ but he doesn¡¯t really want to push his luck there either or make the hulking creature more suspicious of him. In the end¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t interfere, you two. Mister Jones, come lay down in front of me, please.¡±


    As Killer Croc lumbers over, laying himself out in the middle of the parking garage with a nervous but not exactly fearful energy, Lucien looks Harley and Ivy in the eye one after the other.


    ¡°Spread what¡¯s about to happen around and I¡¯ll do worse to you both than I did to Black Mask.¡±


    He¡¯s not sure he means that¡­ he sort of has a weakness for women, truth be told. But thanks to his complete control over his own biology, Lucien doesn¡¯t have to mean it in order to seem like he means it. Both Harley and Ivy stiffen at his threat, with Ivy¡¯s lips thinning out and Harley¡¯s eyes getting a glint of madness to them. They both definitely think he¡¯s serious¡­ it¡¯s just whether they¡¯ll take it as a challenge or a warning at this point.


    Either way, Lucien drops his gaze off of them and focuses on the matter at hand, trusting Blackfire to have his back if either of the other two villainesses try anything.


    First, he reaches out and touches Waylon on the wrist¡­ sending the massive scale-covered monster of a man into a slumber. As Waylon¡¯s eyes drift shut and he falls unconscious, Lucien feels Harley and Ivy stiffen up. Would they act if he were to kill Waylon Jones right here and now? Despite the mutated man¡¯s threats, he has him completely at his mercy now.


    ¡­ But this isn¡¯t quite the same as the situation with Deathstroke. There, Lucien was hurting. He wanted revenge. And Deathstroke was beyond saving the moment he started making deals with the veritable Devil, really.


    Waylon Jones had made sizable threats against Lucien¡¯s life but hadn¡¯t actually done anything to him yet aside from destroying the sewer grating. With that said¡­ Lucien sighs, puts both hands on the hulking body in front of him, and gets to work.


    Fortunately, he has a lot to work with. He¡¯s actually excited to incorporate the better aspects of Waylon¡¯s physiology into his own eventually, once he can figure out how to get all of the benefits without any of the downsides.


    He could probably figure out a way to combine Beast Boy¡¯s powers with Waylon¡¯s, allowing him to shift into a far tougher, more monstrous form for a time and then shift back again. On top of that, he planned to make his skin even in his ¡®normal¡¯ form tougher, and perhaps add a layer of subdermal armor under the skin for good measure.


    But that was for the future. Right now is about fixing Waylon Jones¡­ and that, Lucien finds, is actually rather simple. He¡¯s not adding anything to the man, so he doesn¡¯t need extra biomass, or to cannibalize parts of Waylon¡¯s body. Rather, instead parts of the unconscious humanoid crocodile start to slough off of him, claws and scales alike falling away.


    Again, Lucien can tell that Harley and Ivy are perhaps a hair¡¯s breadth away from interfering. Blackfire steps into place between him and them though, stopping them from getting involved or intervening in his work. Her presence might not deter them forever though, but it¡¯s not like they¡¯re exactly friends with Waylon or anything¡­ and that alone is enough to hold them back long enough for Lucien to finish.


    Pulling his hands away, Lucien clears his throat, causing even Blackfire to turn and look, while also stepping out of the way so Harley and Ivy can see his work as well.


    ¡°Holy shit.¡±


    Harley, as ever, isn¡¯t one to mince words as she gapes at what has become of Waylon Jones. The man, for he is entirely a man now, still stands at over six feet tall, and probably weighs in at over three hundred pounds¡­ most of it muscle. But there¡¯s no longer a single trace of his previous disfiguration on his body.


    And it WAS a disfiguration. Lucien could now say beyond a shadow of a doubt that Waylon Jones had been born with a congenital medication condition, one that slowly transformed him more and more into the reptilian physique he¡¯d had previously.


    Obviously, Lucien had cured him of that condition, on top of transforming his body. With a somewhat satisfied smirk at a job well done, he reaches down and touches Waylon¡¯s wrist again, waking the other man up and stepping back as he surges off of the floor.


    ¡°Wha- you¡­¡±


    Confusion immediately hits the man as he hears the difference in his voice and brings a hand to his throat. Then, he starts to notice the rest, trailing off into speechless wonder as he stares down at himself.


    ¡°The procedure is complete, Mister Jones. You are cured. You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Why yes, Lucien is rather smug at the moment. He more than deserves to be, really. Letting his eyes trail over to Harley and Ivy, he does contemplate them briefly¡­ his previous idea of memory wiping them feels even more relevant now.


    And yet¡­ it almost feels like the moment has passed. Or maybe this is the infamous Luthor Ego talking. Maybe¡­ maybe part of him WANTS someone to know what he can do. Even if they didn¡¯t know who he really was, they did now know just how powerful Luke Maximillian was.


    ¡­ Heh, so much for keeping a low fucking profile, he supposed.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Turning his gaze back to Waylon Jones, Lucien watches the other man placidly. He¡¯s no longer worried about things breaking out into a fight. While he¡¯d been rather generous in what sort of strength he¡¯d let Waylon with, he¡¯d only given the other man peak human fitness. By comparison, Lucien was far beyond that sort of thing at this point.


    Still, he¡¯s curious to see exactly how Waylon will react, now that his fondest dream has been realized.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] He''s overcome with emotion, and pledges undying loyalty to Lucien right then and there - 25%[X] He''s grateful, but somewhat at a loss of what to do next now that he''s got a normal body - 73%


    [ ] He''s dismissive and taciturn, and immediately leaves - 1%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 51: Recruitment

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    New Minion Get! Meanwhile, Poison Ivy has regrets.


    -x-X-x-


    Waylon Jones doesn¡¯t burst into tears or drop to his knees in sudden fervent worship, but then to be fair, Lucien isn¡¯t really expecting him to. The other man doesn¡¯t seem like the type. At the same time though, how is one supposed to react to suddenly being a normal human being after spending one¡¯s entire life as a crocodile monster?


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do now.¡±


    Honestly? Fair. As Waylon looks up from his hands, he looks incredibly lost. He doesn¡¯t know what to do next. Sure, Lucien had cured him, but then there¡¯s everything that comes after that. Lucien has an idea of course, but he doesn¡¯t want to be the one to suggest it. Fortunately, without any prompting on his end, Blackfire comes in clutch, just as he¡¯d hoped.


    Scoffing, arms crossed over her chest, his henchwoman rolls her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious, isn¡¯t it? You start paying back the debt you owe.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t have planned it better. Waylon¡¯s eyes light up at the idea, and he looks towards Lucien, his gratitude finally starting to truly shine through. However, before the big man can speak, Lucien holds up a hand and smiles, shooting Blackfire with a distinct ¡®look¡¯.


    ¡°Now Kamara¡­ I¡¯m not one for indentured servitude. If you wish to work for me, Mister Jones, you will be paid accordingly. As far as I¡¯m concerned, there is no debt between us. If we¡¯re to have a relationship, let it be one of employer and employee and nothing else.¡±


    Waylon doesn¡¯t have to think about it for long before nodding enthusiastically.


    ¡°Sounds good, boss.¡±


    Hook, Line, and Sinker. Though a moment later, a concerned look does spread across the bald man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Though I ain¡¯t good for much besides muscle¡­¡±


    Lucien is all too happy to wave off that concern.


    ¡°Perfectly fine. Given everything that¡¯s happened in the past day, it seems apparent that we¡¯ll need to expand the clinic¡¯s security if we want to stay in business. Kamara is the Head of Security, so you¡¯ll be working directly under her from now on.¡±


    The two villains size each other up for a moment, but whatever Waylon sees in Blackfire¡¯s eyes works for him, because he slowly nods.


    ¡°No complaints here, boss.¡±


    Blackfire just huffs.


    ¡°I suppose he¡¯ll do.¡±


    With that settled though, it¡¯s time to address the elephant in the room.


    ¡°Speaking of clinic security¡­¡±


    Lucien turns his eyes towards Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, causing Waylon and Blackfire to do the same. The two villainesses both stiffen up, Ivy scowling defensively as she crosses her arms over her chest, still clad in the Sexy Nurse¡¯s Uniform. Harley, meanwhile, has a wild grin on her face as she leans forward.


    ¡°Hey! So¡­ what was that?¡±


    Lucien just raises an eyebrow in response, prompting Harley to pout and try again.


    ¡°No! Seriously! You just like¡­ put your hands on him and made him a normal dude! What the actual fuck was that? How¡¯d ya do it? What else can ya do?¡±


    Harley¡¯s curiosity has clearly been piqued. And from the alarmed look on Ivy¡¯s face, she doesn¡¯t like this line of questioning. Reaching out, the plant controller grabs her partner in crime by the wrist.


    ¡°Harley¡­¡±


    But Harley isn¡¯t having it. And¡­ despite clearly being mad as a basket of kittens, Harley also isn¡¯t an idiot. Not by a long shot. Pulling herself free of Ivy¡¯s grasp, she points at Lucien.


    ¡°You said you¡¯d do worse to us both than you did to Black Mask if we spilled the beans on this.¡±


    Lucien hums. He¡¯s still not sure if that was a bluff or not¡­ it probably was. Still, he can¡¯t back down now, now can he?


    ¡°I did.¡±


    But the threat isn¡¯t what Harley cares about.


    ¡°But Black Mask doesn¡¯t remember putting a bounty on you, or even giving us a million dollars. And apparently he¡¯s suddenly paranoid, and rushing to pull himself into his shell like a damn turtle. So¡­ what DID you do to Black Mask exactly?¡±


    ¡°Harley!¡±


    Ivy¡¯s voice sounds positively strained now, and the plant controller is glancing towards the gaping black hole of a sewer opening left behind by Waylon¡¯s initial entrance. It¡¯s clear that Ivy had come to the same conclusions as Harley had¡­ namely, that his powers didn¡¯t stop at bodies. They also extended to minds.


    Unlike Harley however, who was being rather provocative with her questioning, Ivy didn¡¯t want to push him to using those powers on the two of them. Perhaps she thought if Harley made him spell it out, he would be forced to take drastic measures. And maybe he would¡­ who could say.


    Still, smiling faintly, Lucien inclines his head in acknowledgment of Harley¡¯s words.


    ¡°I did in fact wipe his and his men¡¯s memories, yes. But I knew that amnesia wouldn¡¯t be enough. So I also gave Black Mask strong enough paranoia to lock him up in a state of indecision and fear for months.¡±


    Lucien shrugs, as if to say ¡®what can you do?¡¯. He doesn¡¯t mention, of course, that the latter was only possible thanks to Ivy¡¯s kiss. His ability to dose Black Mask with that toxin was only thanks to her. It doesn¡¯t seem prudent to reveal THAT part of his abilities at this point. Especially since he hasn¡¯t had the chance to give himself all of her powers just yet. It¡¯s just been one thing after another, really.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡±


    Ivy¡¯s clipped tone makes it clear just how on edge she is, as she yanks on Harley¡¯s arm again. For a second Lucien thinks that the other woman is going to pull away again, but despite having a mighty pout on her face, Harley allows her partner to start pulling her to the opening that leads down into Gotham¡¯s sewers.


    From the tension in Ivy¡¯s shoulders, it¡¯s obvious she¡¯s expecting him to attack, to refuse to let them go. Lucien watches them leave for a moment, considering what to say or if he should say anything at all. He doesn¡¯t think that they¡¯re going to spill the beans any time soon, to be fair. Especially if Ivy thinks that he¡¯s got his father¡¯s backing in all of this, like she implied when she told Waylon about Lex Luthor¡¯s connection to the clinic.


    ¡­ He also doesn¡¯t think Harley would respond very well if he suggested he could cure her insanity. To be honest, he¡¯s not entirely sure he even could. He can do brains yes, but what he does is sort of like a bludgeon, not a scalpel. That said, there is one thing Lucien knows for sure he could do for Harley.


    ¡°I could remove Him from your mind, Harley. Turn Him into an afterthought¡­ a distant memory.¡±


    The two villainesses are right at the edge of the sewer entrance when he speaks up. Both freeze in place and slowly turn back to face him. If looks could kill, Ivy would have murdered him in that moment. Hell, she might still try to murder him at this rate. But Lucien pretends not to pay her any mind, his gaze solely focused on Harley.


    Everyone knew the tale of Harley Quinn, aka Harleen Quinzel. How she¡¯d been taken and corrupted and twisted by the Joker into his pet, into his bitch. Not everyone knew that she was in the process of breaking free of him now though. Lucien¡¯s future knowledge didn¡¯t always come in handy because he was such a shut-in, but in this case having several more years of the timeline under his belt was pretty helpful.


    Right now, Harley was stuck in between Ivy and the Joker. While Joker was in Arkham, Harley would usually hang with Ivy, but whenever he broke out, she almost always wound up gravitating back to him.


    It would take another year or so for her to break away for real, if Lucien was remembering things correctly. Harley and the Joker¡¯s final breakup was nationwide news, when it happened. But before then, there would be at least one more instance of the Joker breaking out and luring Harley back to his side. One more time where she would allow herself to be lulled over by fake promises of love and romance.


    Right now though, Lucien knew that Harley wanted nothing more than to be free of the Joker. The longer she was out of his grasp, the more she wanted nothing to do with the crazed clown.


    In a way, Lucien¡¯s offer was as much to Ivy¡¯s benefit as it would be to Harley¡­ and the rest of Gotham for that matter. But of course, the plant controller didn¡¯t see it that way.


    ¡°Shut up. Neither of us are letting you anywhere near our brains!¡±


    Lucien just smiles as Poison Ivy makes a unilateral decision for them both right there on the spot. He can see the war in Harley¡¯s eyes, can see how she wants to tell Ivy off for speaking for her¡­ but also how she wants to back up her partner. Harley isn¡¯t stupid. She sees how this issue risks dividing her and Ivy¡­ and in the end, even though he¡¯s confident that she yearns for what he¡¯s offering, she lets her affection for Ivy win out.


    ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ heh, I don¡¯t need anything from you. Thanks, but no thanks!¡±


    And yet, despite forcing some extra confidence in her voice at that last sentence, Harley can¡¯t help looking back at him as Ivy finally drags her down into the relative safety of the dark sewers and out of sight.


    There¡¯s a brief pause after their departure, before Waylon Jones glances from sewer opening to the massive sewer grate he¡¯d thrown across the entire length of the parking garage. Sheepishly rubbing the back of his bald head, the ex-crocodile man averts his gaze.


    ¡°Err¡­ sorry, boss. I can try to fix that if you want?¡±


    Lucien just shakes his head though, giving the other man a smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Waylon. We¡¯re not exactly hurting for money. We¡¯ll have professionals out to repair it tomorrow. For now¡­ welcome to the team.¡±


    He offers Waylon his hand, which the bigger man takes. Of course, while Waylon¡¯s hand is still bigger than Lucien¡¯s, there¡¯s no denying who¡¯s stronger now. Lucien doesn¡¯t go so far as to crush the other man¡¯s hand in a power play or anything like that, but he does make it clear where they both stand¡­ and he¡¯s pleased to see the respect in Waylon¡¯s eyes grow once he realizes just how strong his new boss is.


    It wasn¡¯t the perfect ending to the night¡¯s activities or anything like that, admittedly¡­ but given everything that had happened, things could have gone a lot worse. Lucien would take what wins he could, he figured. And the rest¡­ well, he¡¯d deal with that when it came up.


    -x-X-x-


    Remove Him. Remove Him. Remove Him.


    Harley is pensive all the way back to her and Ivy¡¯s lair. She¡¯s pensive once they get home as well. Rather than flop on the couch like she normally would, Harley sits on the edge, perching like a damn bird or something!


    ¡°He¡¯s gotten into your head, Harley. It¡¯s a trap. Has to be.¡±


    Ivy, of course, understands what¡¯s going on immediately. The other villainess had been just as quiet on their way over, even though the sewers were suddenly a lot less dangerous with Killer Croc out of the picture. Still, neither of them had said a word the entire time. Until now.


    ¡°¡­ What if it isn¡¯t though, Ivy?¡±


    The plant controller¡¯s silence is telling. Harley turns to her BFF, feeling more than a little lost.


    ¡°What if he¡¯s telling the truth? What if he can help me?¡±


    Ivy scoffs at that¡­ and then scowls when she sees Harley isn¡¯t kidding.


    ¡°So what? Maybe he is telling you the truth. Doesn¡¯t change anything. You don¡¯t need him, you already left the Joker behind, Harls. And you¡¯re never going back to him. Right?¡±


    Harley tries not to flinch. Really she does. Her and Ivy don¡¯t fight much, but when they do¡­ it¡¯s always about the Joker. And Harley knows she¡¯s in the wrong every single time. She knows she¡¯s disappointed Ivy by going back to her ¡®Mistah J¡¯ more than once. Of course, her silence now is probably very telling.


    ¡°Harley¡­ ignoring that the Joker is a fucking monster who gives even us villains pause, he¡¯s personally almost killed you half a dozen times. He¡¯s beaten you to within an inch of your life. He¡¯s left you holding the bag and used you as a scapegoat at every opportunity! You can¡¯t possibly say you¡¯d ever go back to him!¡±


    The sheer disappointment in Ivy¡¯s tone has Harley looking up with wide eyes as she shakes her head in response.


    ¡°N-No! Of course n-not. Mistah J and I are done¡­ for real this time, Ivy. I swear it!¡±


    Nodding decisively, Ivy pushes off of the couch.


    ¡°Good. Then there¡¯s no reason for you to take that quack up on his offer. He works for Luthor, Harley. Lex fucking Luthor. But more than that, we know just how dangerous he really is now. Do you think Luthor would send someone like Luke Maximillian to Gotham just to perform some charity?¡±


    Blinking, Harley tilts her head to the side consideringly.


    ¡°¡­ No?¡±


    ¡°No! Of course not! He¡¯s making a multi-layered play! He¡¯s going to have that blasted doctor try and schmooze with the rich fucks at the top while taking over the underworld at the same time.¡±


    ¡­ Was that really what was happening? Harley bites her lower lip, trying to see it from Ivy¡¯s perspective. Truth be told, Harley¡¯s own mind could be akin to Swiss Cheese at times, so it was entirely possible that Ivy was right and Harley was just missing the forest for the trees or something.


    ¡°He¡¯s already neutralized Black Mask and turned Killer Croc into an ¡®employee¡¯. Frankly, we¡¯re lucky that we seemed to amuse him more than anything, or he might never have let us go.¡±


    Harley perks up at that.


    ¡°So my plan was a good one after all!¡±


    Ivy gives her a withering look¡­ that almost immediately softens, even as she looks down at her somewhat risqu¨¦ nurse¡¯s attire.


    ¡°¡­ Yeah Harls. I guess in the end, it worked out in our favor. He saw right through us, but it seems like that only resulted in him not taking us very seriously. Which is good, because I was an idiot for suggesting we approach him in the first place. We need to stay far, far away from Luke Maximillian and whatever he¡¯s up to. It¡¯s simply not worth the risk.¡± S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With her piece said, Ivy stomps out of the room, likely to change out of her outfit. Harley, meanwhile, stays where she is, looking down at herself in silence for a long moment. It¡¯s been a long time since she was Harleen Quinzel, bright eyed and innocent¡­ and so easily corrupted. Tonight was the closest she¡¯d come to playing that role again in a long time.


    ¡­ Harley knew she could never go back to the way things were in the past. She didn¡¯t want to be ¡®cured¡¯ of her insanity. She doesn¡¯t want to be Harleen ever again. She was happy being Harley Quinn¡­ for the most part. But she was also afraid. The Joker was an ever-present threat lurking on the periphery of her life.


    Sure, he was locked up in Arkham now, but beyond the Asylum being a revolving door, it had always felt like the Joker specifically was only in Arkham when he wanted to be. When he wanted to get out, he¡¯d get out. When he wanted her back¡­ she¡¯d come crawling back to him.


    Harley¡¯s fingers tremble until she clenches her hands into white knuckled fists. When Mistah J calls for her, she¡¯s conditioned to run to him. She KNOWS it¡¯s simple conditioning. She KNOWS she¡¯s addicted to him. And she¡¯s done everything she can to break that conditioning. But she¡¯s failed each and every time so far.


    Ivy was right¡­ but at the same time, what if she was also wrong? Dr. Maximillian could help her. He could break the conditioning and cure her addiction once and for all. The only question was¡­ how much would it cost, and would she be able to pay?


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Push Ivy for them to investigate the ''good'' doctor with her more, she can''t just let this opportunity go... surely Ivy will understand - 24%[ ] Go behind Ivy''s back to investigate Luke Maximillian, maybe reach out to her good ole friends the Birds of Prey - 27%


    [X] Go behind Ivy''s back and make a beeline for the clinic later, so she can have Dr. Maximillian do what he said he could do - 49%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 52: Harley Quinn

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story! S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Harley moves fast. In more ways than one.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°She¡¯s back.¡±


    Lucien lifts a brow as Blackfire appears in the doorway, a frown etched on her face. She clearly wasn¡¯t very happy.


    ¡°She?¡±


    Obviously, he hadn¡¯t known for sure whether anything would come of his offer last night. And he certainly hadn¡¯t expected to get a response the very next day. But at the end of the day, ¡®she¡¯s back¡¯ could really only refer to two women at the moment.


    ¡°The crazy one.¡±


    His second eyebrow rises to join the first at that.


    ¡°Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?¡±


    But Blackfire just huffs and rolls her eyes. In the end¡­ he knows who she means. Sure, both Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn could be said to be mentally unwell. But only one of them truly lived in a state of craziness that normal people could only dream of.


    Chuckling at Blackfire¡¯s response, Lucien leans back in his chair.


    ¡°Alright, send her in.¡±


    Frowning, Blackfire crosses her arms over her chest.


    ¡°Is this really a good idea?¡±


    But to that, Lucien just shakes his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little bit late for that, isn¡¯t it? I already let the cat out of the bag when I said I could do it. If I don¡¯t follow through on my word now, then we¡¯re going to have a body to dispose of¡­ likely multiple. And that will only draw more attention our way than we already have on us.¡±


    Indeed, maybe it was dumb of him to think he could truly lie low here in Gotham under the umbrella of protection that being associated with Lex Corp should have provided him. But alas, the cat was halfway out of the bag now. Even if Lucien hadn¡¯t stood up to Ivy and Harley at The Ocelot, they still would have kidnapped him for Black Mask. Even if he hadn¡¯t gone to the press after his escape, everyone at The Ocelot would have questioned how he got away.


    Still, not all was lost. For the time being, everyone just thought Ivy and Harley had been nice enough to let him go last night. If he started stonewalling Harley though, Lucien imagined he could expect an attack on his clinic by the clown-themed woman by the end of the day, and then there¡¯d be way more questions than he really wanted to answer.


    Blackfire doesn¡¯t like it, but she¡¯s his henchwoman and he¡¯s her boss. In the end, she nods sharply and departs to do as she¡¯s told. A few moments later and the woman of the hour steps into his office. She¡¯s dressed a lot differently than last night. But to be fair, last night she was trying to pass herself off as a doctor. Today she¡¯s unabashedly Harley Quinn. Hair done up in different colored pigtails. Clown makeup covering her face. And a black and red leather vest and pair of pants ¡®covering¡¯ her body.


    ¡°¡­ You did come in through the sewer again, right?¡±


    The thought of Harley showing up at his doorstep in broad daylight dressed as she is now causes Lucien no small amount of anxiety. It would probably be just as bad as her attacking the clinic in broad daylight instead.


    Fortunately, she beams and nods happily at his query. Doubly fortunately, discretion takes time so the workers who are coming to fix his sewer entrance ¡®no questions asked¡¯ won¡¯t be here until later this evening where they can arrive under the cover of darkness and work without being seen.


    Of course, this does mean there¡¯s still a big gaping hole in the parking garage, but Lucien has no rich clientele lined up for today, so it¡¯s not like anyone else is using the clinic¡¯s private parking garage anyways.


    ¡°Wonderful. Kamara, leave us.¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause as Blackfire gives Harley a withering stare. It fails to have the effect that she¡¯s going for though, judging by the big smile and cheery wave that the villainess gives her in response. With one final huff, Blackfire steps out and closes the door behind her, leaving him alone with Harley in his office.


    Lucien isn¡¯t that worried. He has something Harley wants, after all. And even if she does get violent, he¡¯s prepared to defend himself.


    ¡°I presume you¡¯ve had time to think over my offer then. Or did you have further questions?¡±


    Harley, who had been looking around the room for a moment, snaps back to him with an intense stare, even as she all but skips over to his desk, circling it¡­ and hopping up to sit that fat ass of hers on the edge so she can kick her feet back and forth.


    ¡°Nope! No questions. I¡¯m here so you can do exactly what you said you would do yesterday!¡±


    Lucien hums and nods, only for Harley to switch demeanors in a second.


    ¡°But you better ONLY do that, got it Mister Doctor? I don¡¯t want you to try to ¡®cure¡¯ me or make me ¡®better¡¯. I like being Harley Quinn! I just don¡¯t want the Joker to ever be in my life again, if I can help it. That¡¯s where you come in.¡±


    Lifting an eyebrow, Lucien quirks the side of his mouth up.


    ¡°You know¡­ some would argue that there is no Harley Quinn without the Joker.¡±


    Harley puffs her cheeks out at that, looking distinctly huffy for a moment. Her arms come up and cross over her chest defensively. She opens her mouth¡­ but to his surprise, she apparently thinks better of it, glancing to the side for a moment. Lucien hadn¡¯t thought the crazed villainess had it in her to second guess her thoughts before running her mouth, but it seemed he¡¯d just been corrected on that belief.


    ¡°¡­ Yeah. Well, maybe once upon a time they woulda been right. But I¡¯ve worked hard to separate myself from Mistah J. I¡¯m my own person, and that¡¯s Harley Quinn, full stop! I don¡¯t need the Joker anymore¡­ or at least, I won¡¯t once you¡¯re done with me. Can you do it, or were you full of hot air? You helped Waylon, but can you really help me? Can you get rid of the Joker without getting rid of what makes me¡­ me?¡±


    She goes from introspective, to confident, to questioning and threatening, to small and uncertain so fast that Lucien can¡¯t help feeling a sense of tonal whiplash. Still, fortunately the answer is the same no matter what.


    ¡°I can.¡±


    Harley stares at him for a moment longer before thrusting her hand out in his direction, palm up.


    ¡°Then¡­ do it!¡±


    He has to admit, he really wasn¡¯t expecting Harley Quinn to come around so quickly. Maybe he should have seen this coming though. The villainess was incredibly impulsive, as seen with the weird little infiltration she¡¯d tried to pull off last night. Still, smiling softly, Lucien reaches out and takes Harley¡¯s hand in his own.


    ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡±


    It¡¯s not exactly difficult, though it is more complicated than what he¡¯d done when he¡¯d given Blackfire amnesia back in Jump City. In fact, Lucien wouldn¡¯t even be able to do what he¡¯s doing right now if it wasn¡¯t for Raven. While making himself half-demon was right out, enough time and hard work had allowed him to separate Raven¡¯s empath abilities from her half-demon physiology.


    He himself wasn¡¯t necessarily an empath, at least not on the level of Raven, but his main power now had the ability to sense and separate powerful emotions in others¡¯ minds. Specifically, looking into Harley¡¯s brain, Lucien can see the Joker¡¯s influence.


    In spite of all of Harley¡¯s best efforts, it¡¯s immediately obvious that the Joker is still the most important person in her life. Despite trying her hardest to separate herself from him, her own mind is betraying her. All of her memories involving the Joker are one big angry mass of red in her psyche, leaving it impossible for her to ever truly move on so long as there¡¯s even a remote chance that he might show up again.


    Fortunately, that¡¯s where Lucien comes in. He can¡¯t just block Harley¡¯s memories of the Joker and call it a day, because then she wouldn¡¯t be Harley Quinn anymore. And while whatever was left of her might not be upset with him if he did that, Poison Ivy definitely would be. Lucien had no desire to deal with an enraged Ivy trying to get revenge on him for ¡®destroying her friend¡¯. Talk about counterproductive.


    Instead of blocking Harley¡¯s memories of the Joker¡­ he dampens them. Stripping the memories of their emotion, something he couldn¡¯t have done before, is child¡¯s play now. It¡¯s like taking the color out of a movie and turning it black and white. It¡¯s like turning the memories from something that happened to Harley, to something she read about in a storybook.


    She¡¯s not forgetting anything¡­ but at the same time, she IS forgetting how to care about the Joker or feel anything positive to him whatsoever. After this point, there will be two distinct versions of Harley Quinn. The former, who was all too dependent on the Joker¡­ and the latter, who truly doesn¡¯t need the Joker to be herself and to be happy with who she is.


    By the time Lucien is done, Harley is just starting to get antsy, squirming as he holds her hand in his.


    ¡°Umm¡­ are you gonna do somethin¡¯ soon or what?¡±


    Smiling, Lucien looks up at her and leans back in his chair.


    ¡°It¡¯s already done.¡±


    Harley¡¯s brow furrows in confusion and her nose wrinkles rather cutely.


    ¡°Huh? Whatcha mean by that? You were going to remove the Joker from my mind. You said that. But I still remember him.¡±


    Still smiling, Lucien shakes his head.


    ¡°You do. You¡¯d have to in order to still be Harley Quinn. We both know the Joker is too instrumental to your origins to possibly change that. However¡­ I want you to think hard about the Joker for a moment, Harley. Think about what you feel for him. Think about how you¡¯d feel about him escaping from Arkham and coming to find you.¡±


    Frowning, the villainess nevertheless does as she¡¯s told. Her face scrunches up in thought and her lips curl downwards into a frown as she contemplates the man who made her who she is today.


    Slowly, her eyes begin to widen.


    ¡°He¡­ he doesn¡¯t have a hold on me anymore.¡±


    Lucien¡¯s smile turns into a full-blown grin as Harley¡¯s jaw drops open from the realization.


    ¡°I don¡¯t give two shits about that asshole! I mean, it¡¯d be bad if he got out of Arkham and came for me¡­ but I¡¯d sooner stab him in the dick then go back to him! In fact, the next time I see him, I WILL stab him in the dick!¡±


    That last part, when spoken out loud with soul-deep certainty, causes Harley to freeze up for a long moment before she looks back to him.


    ¡°H-Holy shit¡­ you did it. You actually did it. There¡¯s not a single part of me that yearns for him anymore. He doesn¡¯t¡­ his hold on me is just gone.¡±


    Yes, he did do good work, didn¡¯t he? Lucien can¡¯t help but be rather pleased with himself. Sure, Harley didn¡¯t have much in the way of power to offer him from her physiology. There was some minor superhuman strength and durability there, probably what allowed her to survive all of the zany hijinks she got up to, but beyond that she was just a baseline human. Crazy, but baseline.


    And yet¡­ he was glad he could help her. He was proud that he¡¯d been able to assist her in getting out from under the Joker¡¯s thumb, once and for all.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy that-mmph!¡±


    Of course, he¡¯s a little caught off guard when Harley practically lunges off of the desk and into his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck and mashing her lips against his, Lucien almost takes her initial move as an attack before swiftly realizing that she¡¯s kissing him. Though, given who her best friend is, a kiss could also be an attack.


    But no. Lucien senses none of Ivy¡¯s toxins on Harley¡¯s bright red lips, nor any sort of trap or danger at all as the beautiful, leather-clad harlequin decides to climb into his lap. The villainess moans against his lips, kissing him hungrily and almost desperately, while squirming on top of him until his hands go to her ass and anchor her, keeping her from falling off.


    Once he¡¯s gripping her butt through her leather pants, Harley gets even more excited, kissing him harder while also rubbing her crotch into his. Before he lets a bulge form from her enthusiastic movements, however, Lucien does force the lip lock to end, looking Harley in the eye as she pouts upon being pulled back.


    ¡°What? C¡¯mon, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not up for a little physical gratitude. You just helped me out massively, doc! Let me return the favor and give you a bit of loving, yeah? Ain¡¯t nobody own me anymore except for me. Not the Joker, not nobody. So when I say I wanna ride you till the cows come home, you can trust I mean it!¡±


    Oh, Lucien doesn¡¯t doubt that. He can tell how much she means it, even though the villainess is crazier than a sack full of cats. But that¡¯s just it. Does he really want to get into a sexual relationship with Harley Quinn of all people? There¡¯s a reason they say ¡®don¡¯t stick your dick in crazy¡¯ after all.


    ¡­ Ah, who is he kidding? He can handle her. He¡¯s already stuck his dick in Blackfire, and she was pretty crazy too when they first met.


    Grinning, Lucien rises from his chair, causing Harley¡¯s eyes to widen a bit as he not only matches her energy but reveals some of his true strength by lifting her up into the air with him without any indication of strain. Her legs clamp around his waist and she moans happily as he squeezes her ass with one hand and grabs hold of the back of her neck with the other.


    This time, Lucien is the one who initiates the kiss, his tongue going deep into Harley¡¯s mouth as he matches her freak. She wanted to fuck? He¡¯d fuck her alright. And hey, maybe he¡¯d learn something that he could use on Death in his ultimate quest to make the beautiful Endless cum.


    Only one way to find out, really, and it wasn¡¯t turning down an offer like Harley¡¯s just because he was scared or something!


    -x-X-x- The Vote:  [ ] Stick with Lucien''s POV - 24%


    [X] Switch to Harley''s POV - 76%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 53: Heating Up

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Harley is enjoying her new lease on life~


    -x-X-x-


    As she and the good doctor make out like they¡¯re two horny teenagers who have just discovered kissing for the first time, Harley marvels at how good it feels. How good EVERYTHING feels. She hadn¡¯t really realized just how much the fucking Joker had pervaded every aspect of her life until now.


    Oh sure, she¡¯d known that she was obsessed with him. Addicted to him. She¡¯d known that with all of the cold, hard certainty of a crack addict who had fallen off the wagon a dozen times before. However, it was one thing to know she¡¯d inevitably go crawling back to him when he came calling. It was another thing entirely to be on the other side of that sensation and be able to look back on everything with a much freer eye.


    Her and Luke break apart after a moment longer, but only because they both know the clothes have to start flying. Her leather pants and top are as much in the way as his lab coat, dress shirt, and slacks.


    It all comes off in a frenzy of motion, with some light tearing here and there when their respective garments prove to not be fast enough in yielding for their impatient taste. The doctor is a lot stronger than he lets on, Harley has noticed. Seems that his powers might just work on himself as well, which means she has no clue what sort of hidden ¡®talents¡¯ he might have.


    Not that Harley cares all that much, at least in an adversarial sense. Last night, she would have worried about what sort of tricks Doctor Maximillian had up his sleeve when she and Ivy found themselves facing off against him and his bodyguard, but now? Now they¡¯re the best of friends!


    Seriously. It cannot be understated how grateful Harley Quinn is right now. He¡¯d done it. He¡¯d really done it. Even as Luke lifts her naked body back up onto her desk, even as his mouth descends to her tits and Harley lets out a happy little gasp as he latches on and begins sucking at her nipples one after another, she¡¯s still riding on Cloud Nine mostly from the fact that the Joker is no longer permeating through her every thought.


    The difference between the Harley of five minutes ago and the Harley of now could not be understated. She could sort of tell what the good doctor had done to help her. She could feel how¡­ emotionless her memories of the Joker were now. She still remembered everything she¡¯d ever done for him and everything he¡¯d ever done to her. But they were in grayscale now. They had no impact on Harley, no oomph to them.


    Spreading her legs wide, Harley shudders as she feels Luke Maximillian¡¯s cock press against her slit. Her eyes flutter for a moment and she moans as she tilts her head back. Then, he¡¯s inside of her, thrusting away and all Harley can do is wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as she holds on for dear life.


    He fucks her hard and fast, not holding anything back¡­ well, maybe he¡¯s holding something back. Harley doesn¡¯t know his full strength after all. But he¡¯s certainly taking her right up to the edge of what she can handle. He¡¯s driving her wild, and that¡¯s certainly saying something.


    ¡°Yes! H-Harder! Fuck, you¡¯re better than the Joker ever was! And your cock is WAY bigger!¡±


    It even has the benefit of being true. Despite their estrangement, the Harley of a few minutes ago would never have said such things about the Joker. But now? Now Harley feels free to be as honest as she can be about his¡­ deficiencies. The fact was, the Joker had been a shit lover. Selfish in the extreme. Yeah, not exactly a shock probably, but still¡­


    And on top of not knowing how to please a woman with it, his dick had been subpar as fuck as well. Nothing like Luke¡¯s. Dr. Maximillian had a cock that was wrecking Harley in no time flat. Spearing deeper inside of her than the Joker had ever been, plowing her silly as her eyes roll around in her skull and her tongue lolls wildly out of her mouth.


    Harley moans loudly as he slams into her again and again. Her body writhes in ecstasy as she cries out breathlessly. In response, Luke grips her hips tightly, driving his cock deep inside of her slick, sopping wet pussy with reckless abandon. She can¡¯t tell if shit talking the Joker does it for him or not, but in the end it doesn¡¯t matter, because she doesn¡¯t really have a chance to do much more talking.


    He''s fucking her like there¡¯s no tomorrow and driving her absolutely insane¡­ more than she already is, anyways. Harley loses track of just how many times she cums on his cock, her body spasming and shuddering under the onslaught of pleasure. Frankly, it¡¯s all she can do to keep her arms and legs wrapped around his body.


    The desk beneath them both must be reinforced with metal, or made out of some seriously dense wood, because while it rocks with every thrust Luke makes inside of her, it does not break, it does not shatter.


    Giggling and gurgling in pleasure, Harley has the realest grin she¡¯s had in a long time etched across her face. She¡¯s always been a big smiler, but most of the time it was a ¡®smile to hide the pain¡¯ sort of smile. Not right now though. Right now, Harley¡¯s smile is pure and honest. She¡¯s ecstatic. She¡¯s overjoyed. She¡¯s¡­ cumming yet again.


    ¡°Cummiiiiiing!!!¡±


    Harley¡¯s eyes cross and her legs uncurl for a moment, going ramrod straight on either side of the good doctor¡¯s bulky masculine body as her toes curl from the pleasure. At the same time, she can feel Luke getting closer too. His thrusting is becoming more sporadic and all over the place, and he¡¯s pistoning in and out of her drooling pussy with more and more reckless abandon.


    Until finally, with one last brutal thrust, he buries himself to the hilt and explodes inside of her, pumping her full of his hot seed. Harley throws her head back one final time and screams in rapture as she cums undone. Her pussy clenches around Luke¡¯s throbbing shaft and milks every last drop from his churning balls.


    When they¡¯re finally finished, they collapse together, panting and sweaty, both of them slowly recovering from the amazing release. For a moment Harley worries about the fact that Luke came inside, but then she remembers his powers and weakly reaches up to smack his chest. Once she has his attention, she boops his nose.


    ¡°No kids, kay?¡±


    At her tired demand, he chuckles and nods.


    ¡°No kids.¡±


    With that assurance that his seed inside of her won¡¯t take root, Harley lets out a happy sigh as she slumps back on the desk with a giggle.


    ¡°Mm¡­ that was amazing, stud. You really rocked my world. So much in fact that it feels like the ground is shaking, even now.¡±


    There¡¯s a pause at that¡­ as both of them realize the ground IS in fact shaking. Luke and Harley¡¯s eyes widen at the same time, with the good doctor being the one to react first as he grabs her up off the desk and lunges to the side just in time.


    The reinforced desk, which had taken their rough housing without even a whisper of complaint, isn¡¯t so lucky where Poison Ivy¡¯s strongest plants are concerned. They rip through the desk from below, along with blasting a hole up through the office floor¡­ straight from the parking garage.


    ¡°GET AWAY FROM HER!¡±


    Now, this isn¡¯t the first time that Harley has witnessed Ivy on the war path. It¡¯s not even the first time she¡¯s witnessed Ivy go on the war path on her behalf specifically. She¡¯d sort of known this might potentially happen when she¡¯d run off without consulting the other villainess first. Admittedly, Harley had hoped she would be able to get back to the Lair before Ivy realized she was gone. Alas, that had not happened.


    Pushing out of Luke¡¯s grasp, Harley rises to her feet, aware of her nudity but ultimately uncaring as she puts herself between the two of them and holds up her hands to try and ward Ivy off.


    ¡°Whoa! Ivy, calm down! He hasn¡¯t hurt me! He just did what he said he would do!¡±


    Scowling angrily, hands twitching and clearly itching to tear him apart in the same way she shredded that desk, Poison Ivy glares at Harley.


    ¡°And how would you know, Harls? How the FUCK would you know if that was all he¡¯d done, REALLY?!¡±


    Because the Joker was gone now. Because she was no longer obsessed with Gotham¡¯s ¡®Clown Prince of Crime¡¯. Because for the first time in years, Harley could see clearly. She was truly her own woman now.


    But Harley doesn¡¯t say any of that. It wouldn¡¯t work on Ivy, she can tell. Rather¡­ in the end, there¡¯s only one thing Harley can say at this point that she thinks might have an effect. Stomping forward even as Ivy tenses up at her approach, Harley doesn¡¯t stop for nothing. She grabs Ivy by her face, caressing her cheeks, and looks directly into the suddenly frozen woman¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m in love with you, idiot.¡±


    Then, she kisses Ivy full on the lips, causing the red head to tense even more¡­ before relaxing just a bit into the kiss. Much to Harley¡¯s excitement, Ivy doesn¡¯t reject her. She doesn¡¯t pull back or push Harley away. The kiss is a little awkward with how tense she still is, but in the end, they makeout for a solid fifteen seconds before Ivy finally breaks for air.


    Flushed and flustered beyond belief, Ivy looks at Harley and bites her lower lip, suddenly looking a helluva lot more vulnerable and uncertain than she did a minute ago.


    ¡°That¡­ w-what does that prove, h-huh?¡±


    Harley rolls her eyes as she graces Ivy with a fond grin.


    ¡°Think about it for a second, Ives. If Luke really wanted to fuck up my head, if he wanted to make me his bitch or turn me into one of his toadies, he wouldn¡¯t have stopped at just removing Joker or making me like him. He would have removed all of my feelings for you as well. He didn¡¯t. I still love you. And now that the Joker¡¯s out of my head, I can admit it. I fucking love you, Ivy. I love you so damn much it hurts. And I think¡­ I hope you feel the same way back.¡±


    She hoped Ivy believed her, because frankly it was all Harley had going for her. Fortunately, it also had the benefit of being one hundred percent true. It was actually how Harley had known herself that Luke hadn¡¯t fucked with her head in any way. You know, besides suddenly having an obsession with him or something. One of the first things she¡¯d done, even as she¡¯d dropped herself into the good doctor¡¯s lap, was check on her feelings for Ivy.


    Harley had known for a long time now that she loved Ivy. She¡¯d suspected for almost as long that Ivy loved her back. But the Joker had always been between them, like the motherfucking Berlin Wall of unfinished business. Now¡­ now that wall had been torn down. The Joker was gone and nothing was going to stop Harley from getting with her girl Friday.


    Blushing quite deeply now, Ivy seems to search Harley¡¯s gaze for a long moment, checking to see if she was telling the truth. Then, her eyes flicker down to Harley¡¯s sweaty, naked body¡­ and over to Luke Maximillian, who is in a similar nude state.


    ¡°¡­ Doesn¡¯t seem to have stopped you from shacking up with your physician, Harls.¡±


    Harley grins, because while Ivy is definitely still irritated with her, it¡¯s a familiar sort of irritation. And that drawl¡­ yeah, Ivy is totally coming around! In the end, she¡¯s not THAT mad Harley slept with Luke. After all, she knows how impulsive she can be sometimes~


    ¡°Well, you know me Ives¡­ I mean, I¡¯m still bisexual!¡±


    Reaching down, Harley cups the front of Ivy¡¯s crotch, causing the red head to jump in place and shoot her a flustered look.


    ¡°¡­ And while I¡¯m sure you could totally make a thick, veiny, plant-based cock down here to do me with all night long, sometimes a girl wants the real deal, you know?¡±


    Ivy¡¯s eyes flash over to Luke¡¯s naked cock for a moment.


    ¡°Yeah? So that¡¯s what I should expect, if I want a relationship with you? You running off to fuck some guy behind my back every once in a while to get that particular itch scratched?¡±


    Harley hesitates. She¡¯s treading on very, VERY dangerous territory here. No doubt about it. But she can¡¯t help herself. She¡¯s crazy! She goes for broke.


    ¡°Well¡­ no one said it has to be behind your back, Ives~¡±


    Poison Ivy¡¯s eyes widen as Harley turns and presses herself against Ivy¡¯s side before leaning in, her lips against the other villainess¡¯ ear while she glances over at Luke. She¡¯s still cupping Ivy¡¯s crotch, meaning that they¡¯re giving the doctor quite the show at this point. Keeping her voice very, VERY low, Harley¡¯s next words are intended for Ivy only.


    ¡°He could help you too, you know. With your¡­ fertility issues.¡±


    Ivy stiffens immediately, sputtering in response. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s-!¡±


    But Harley cuts her off, talking over her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend with me, Ivy. I know you wish things could be different. He helped me. He helped Waylon. He could help you just as easily. And maybe¡­ we could both reward him for doing so. Together~¡±


    This was Harley Quinn¡¯s Hail Mary play. She loved Ivy with all her heart. If the other woman told her no and that they were leaving right this moment, she would accept that. If Ivy told her she was never to go near Luke Maximillian ever again, Harley would immediately agree and do her absolute best to abide by that ultimatum.


    ¡­ But she would probably fail. Maybe not with the doctor specifically, but even with Joker¡¯s presence gone from her mind, she was still a very broken woman. Harley didn¡¯t want to say her betraying Ivy¡¯s trust was inevitable, but¡­


    It would be better if Ivy agreed. It would be better if Ivy was on board. Harley knew she was perhaps going a bit too far. She was trying to have her cake and eat it too here. But what was the fucking point of having cake in the first place if you couldn¡¯t fucking eat it?!


    ¡°What do you say, Ives?¡±


    Looking at Harley with wide eyes, Ivy seems almost torn in indecision.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    -x-X-x-


    A/N: Hmm, I wonder where Blackfire and Waylon are...


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [X] Ivy allows herself to be convinced, mostly out of love for Harley - 91%[ ] Ivy doesn''t want anything to do with Lucien... but she''ll let Harley keep shacking up with him - 7%


    [ ] Ivy rejects the idea completely, demanding that Harley come with her right that instant - 2%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 54: Poison Ivy

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Ivy gets drawn into things~


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ a-alright¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d see things my way! C¡¯mere and give me some sugar!¡±


    ¡°Mmph!¡±


    Watching from the side, Lucien feels strangely self-conscious watching the two villainesses makeout with one another. Almost like he shouldn¡¯t be here bearing witness to this. Except¡­ this was literally his office, and Ivy was the one who blasted into the place like a bat out of hell, determined to fuck his shit up.


    Admittedly, Lucien probably should have seen this coming, especially after how Poison Ivy had initially reacted to his offer last night. Harley showing up this morning sans Ivy was pretty much a big, glaring red flag that she was going off the reservation and had snuck out without Ivy¡¯s approval or knowledge. Of course the plant-controlling villainess was going to come in gun¡¯s blazing when she clearly thought he was going to turn Harley into his mind-numbed zombie or something.


    That said, even Lucien hadn¡¯t expected things to be resolved like¡­ THIS. Harley is doing her level best to stick her tongue down Ivy¡¯s throat, and at the same time her hands are all over the green-skinned villainess¡¯ body. Groping her tits, her ass, even grinding against her pussy. Ivy whimpers and squirms but doesn¡¯t seem inclined to fight it¡­ even when Harley starts to strip her out of her leafy green getup.


    Soon, the plant controller is just as naked as Harley, and it¡¯s around that point that they come up for air. Poison Ivy¡¯s eyes are wide as she stares at Harley, her mouth agape and her lips puffy from the attention they¡¯ve just been given.


    ¡°H-Harls¡­ that was¡­¡±


    Harley grins back at her, a touch of madness in her smile and eyes even as she pulls Ivy close, squishing their bodies together and grinding against the other villainess.


    ¡°I told you, Ives. With the Joker out of my head, I can finally acknowledge my feelings for you. I can finally tell you how much I fucking love you.¡±


    Leaning forward, Harley presses her forehead against Ivy¡¯s, lowering her voice to a whisper.


    ¡°I love you, Ivy.¡±


    Blushing almost as red as her hair, Poison Ivy squirms for a moment before answering her in an even quieter tone.


    ¡°I love you too, Harley.¡±


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    ¡°Whoa!¡±


    Suddenly, Harley grabs Ivy up and lifts her in her arms. Despite having no metahuman abilities of her own, Harley is just a tad stronger than a normal human is supposed to be. She uses that extra strength to carry her girlfriend over to the destroyed remnants of Lucien¡¯s desk, where the biggest, thickest plant can be found. There, she drops Ivy onto her back and proceeds to bend over right then and there, bringing her mouth down between Ivy¡¯s thighs.


    ¡°H-Harley! Oh GOD!¡±


    As Harley begins to eat out Poison Ivy right there in his destroyed office, Lucien can¡¯t deny¡­ he¡¯s really starting to feel like a third wheel. That feeling doesn¡¯t last for long though, as Harley does a deep dive of Ivy¡¯s quim for just a few moments before pulling back, smacking her lips, and tossing him a wide grin.


    ¡°Come and join us, Doc!¡±


    Ivy squawks at that, but Harley just smirks at her as Lucien carefully makes his way over.


    ¡°Remember you agreed, Ivy. Besides, I¡¯m not going to force you to do anything you don¡¯t wanna do with the good doctor~ Hey Doc, you¡¯ll heal Ivy regardless, right?¡±


    As soon as he gets within range, Harley reaches out and grabs hold of his cock, which is still rock hard and covered in glistening fluids from their previous coupling. Grunting as she strokes him up and down, Lucien raises an eyebrow and looks to Ivy.


    ¡°So long as she consents to me touching her, I can take care of it rather easily I suspect.¡±


    Poison Ivy¡¯s eyes narrow at that, her hostility naked and blatant. Except, it loses some of its bite when she¡¯s literally naked, on her back, with Harley alternating between nipping at her clit and fingering her pussy.


    ¡°Y-Yeah? M-might¡­ nngh, be harder than you think. My infertility is tied to the toxins my body produces. And the toxins are tied to my powers. I won¡¯t give up my powers for this, g-got it? Even if it means never having a real baby, I won¡¯t abandon my current children.¡±


    Lucien can tell she¡¯s serious. He responds in kind, giving her a solemn nod.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    The incredulous look on her face makes it clear that Ivy doesn¡¯t think he does. Before she can respond though, Harley suddenly bites her on the clit, causing Ivy to yelp and shudder as she suddenly reaches climax and squirts right into Harley¡¯s open mouth. Giggling, the blonde licks her lips as she looks between them.


    ¡°Sounds like consent to me! Right Ives?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes. F-Fine.¡±


    Amused beyond belief¡­ and kind of enjoying seeing a strong domineering woman like Ivy handled so effectively by Harley, Lucien offers Ivy his hand for her to grasp while Harley continues to pleasure them both with her own hands. Ivy gives his hand a frown for a moment but finally reaches out and takes it, offering him access to her biology.


    She¡¯s right and wrong about the difficulty of fixing her fertility issues. The fastest way to help her WOULD be to remove her metahuman abilities, both the toxin production and the ability to influence plants. But since that¡¯s not an option, he has to find another solution. In the end¡­ it really isn¡¯t that hard though.


    ¡°Done.¡±


    Ivy blinks, looking a little dumbfounded when he lets go of her hand and announces he¡¯s finished.


    ¡°What? How?¡±


    Lucien just shrugs and smirks, unable to help being at least a little bit smug.


    ¡°Well, it was quite simple really¡­ on a related note, any children you DO have will inherit your powers in full. That won¡¯t be a problem, will it?¡±


    Judging by the gobsmacked expression on Ivy¡¯s face, it would not in fact be a problem. After a moment, she shudders and for a second Lucien thinks it¡¯s because of him. Then he realizes it¡¯s because Harley is bringing her to the edge and over it again. He watches as Ivy crests and experiences another explosive orgasm at the end of Harley¡¯s tongue. Then, the blonde pulls back and smacks her lips, giving Lucien a smoldering look.


    ¡°Mm, knew you could handle it, big boy. And such hard work definitely deserves a rew-hey!¡±


    As Harley begins leaning in to take him in her mouth and ¡®reward¡¯ him, Ivy suddenly grabs hold of one of the blonde¡¯s pigtails and gives it a tug, pulling her away. Only after the fact does the plant controller seem to realize what she¡¯s done and immediately lets go, blushing and averting her gaze.


    Far from being upset, Harley lets out a cackle at this.


    ¡°What, Ivy? Want me to keep eating you out? Is that it?¡±


    ¡°¡­ y-yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose I could, but someone has to take care of Luke too! So either he fucks me from behind while I eat you out, or¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll handle him.¡±


    Lucien¡¯s eyebrows raise as Ivy suddenly reaches out and grabs his cock, tugging him over to her. Harley grins like the deranged cat who caught the canary, even as Lucien stares down at the sight of Poison Ivy leaning her head over and opening up to take him between her ruby red lips. Was this seriously happening?


    Averting her gaze, unwilling to look him in the eyes, Ivy nevertheless begins to fellate him. Harley, meanwhile, keeps her word and returns to eating out Ivy. The oral threesome leaves Lucien feeling a strange sort of way¡­ Ivy isn¡¯t the most enthusiastic woman he¡¯s ever had suck his cock, but she¡¯s also not doing that bad of a job at it. She sucks in her cheeks and she bobs up and down his shaft at a relatively good pace.


    From the look of things, Harley has her all riled up down below, which is translating into direct results up top. The more Harley eats Ivy out, the more Ivy hollows out her cheeks and puts more effort into blowing him. At the same time, the more Harley pleasures Ivy, the more the plant controller moans around his dick, sending reverberations up through his shaft that Lucien enjoys greatly.


    Eventually, he decides to go for broke¡­ and reaches out, casually groping one of Ivy¡¯s light green tits. This forces the red head to finally look up at him, but the anger in her eyes is practically nonexistent and completely defused by what they¡¯re currently doing. Lucien does know exactly what makes her tick after all, so he soon has her eating out of the palm of his hand, giving her breasts the most skilled and enthusiastic attention they¡¯ve likely ever received.


    In response, not to be outdone, Ivy reaches under his shaft and fondles his balls right back, seeming to take it as a sort of challenge to try and overcome him. All the while, Harley is doing her thing downstairs, to great effect.


    Finally, Lucien can¡¯t hold back any longer. With a low groan, he warns Ivy he¡¯s about to cum.


    "Here it comes..."


    He¡¯s expecting her to pull back in disgust, but instead the villainess seems to take it as a challenge of sorts. She sucks even harder at his cock and descends further down his shaft with her bright red lips. Until finally, with a grunt, Lucien tips over the edge and cums in her mouth.


    Not missing a beat, Poison Ivy proceeds to swallow his seed like it¡¯s no one¡¯s business, guzzling down his cum without a single ounce of hesitation or regret. It¡¯s a surprising turnaround from her earlier behavior, until he detects her doing something with his seed inside of herself. She¡¯s¡­ storing it differently then he would expect, perhaps to do something later? He¡¯ll have to keep an eye out for that, Lucien supposes.


    For the time being, he pulls back from Ivy¡¯s lips with a distinct ¡®pop¡¯, which prompts Harley to pull back as well, her face positively drenched in her fellow villainess¡¯ cunt fluids at this point. Eyes twinkling just as madly as ever before, Harley giggles, drawing his and Ivy¡¯s attention over to her. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Well now. All that¡¯s left is to seal the deal, hm? Ready to become a mama, Ivy?¡±


    Blinking, Ivy looks at him¡­ and then blushes and sputters.


    ¡°W-What?! With him? I¡­ Harley, I really don¡¯t know about that¡­¡±


    Frankly, neither did Lucien. Fortunately, before Harley can press the issue, the whole thing is taken right out of their hands by an interruption. Unfortunately, the interruption¡­ well¡­


    ¡°Boss! Waylon and I have dealt with the plants outside and I came as fast as-!¡±


    Slamming through the door of his office, ¡®Kamara Blackwater¡¯ snarls as she flies in, ready to defend him¡­ from the two very naked villainesses he¡¯s clearly just got done having sexual relations with.


    Blackfire stops in her tracks, floating there with a twitch in her eye as she stares down at the three of them. Lucien, meanwhile, processes what she just said and whips his head around to stare accusingly at Poison Ivy.


    ¡°What does she mean by plants outside?¡±


    Suddenly looking very, very hunted, Ivy swallows and looks anywhere but in his direction.


    ¡°A-Ah¡­ w-well, I knew I needed a distraction¡­ but also that I couldn¡¯t split my focus if I was going to face you. So¡­ I might have¡­ launchedanalloutassaultontheoutsideoftheclinic.¡±


    It takes him a second to parse the rest of that. When he finally does, Lucien¡¯s eyes widen and his palm meets his face with an audible ¡®smack!¡¯ as he groans into it.


    ¡­ So much for flying under the radar¡­


    -x-X-x-


    What was happening? It was all over the news. Not even a day had passed since Ivy and Harley had kidnapped Luke from The Ocelot, only to mysteriously let him go¡­ and now suddenly there were reports of the new Luthor Clinic being attacked by plant monsters!


    She felt stupid for letting Ivy and Harley go now, especially if they were going to pull this shit. She needed to figure out what was happening and how she was going to respond and she needed to do it ASAP before-


    ¡°Barbara.¡±


    Barbara Gordon¡¯s eyes widen and she whips around to see Bruce in full Batman regalia, standing there looking at her from under his cowl. He never should have been able to sneak up on her in the Clocktower without her knowing, but¡­ well, he was the goddamn Batman, wasn¡¯t he?


    And there she was, standing and walking around right in front of him. Going pale, Barbara swallows nervously.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s not what you think, Bruce.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Rallying, Barbara straightens up and squares her shoulders, setting her jaw and crossing her arms over her chest.


    ¡°You probably think I¡¯m compromised. I¡¯m not. The healing was part of my undercover investigation into Luke Maximillian and Lex Luthor¡¯s plans for Gotham. He doesn¡¯t know he healed me, or that I used to be Batgirl.¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause at that, before Bruce responds. When he does, it¡¯s by doing what he does best¡­ striking where his opponent least expects it.


    ¡°But Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy now know that the original Batgirl is back in the field, don¡¯t they?¡±


    Barbara flushes at that, having no real¡­ defense for that particular decision. She¡¯d been too rushed and too damn worried to really pause and consider what it meant for her to just show up in her old costume again. But still¡­


    ¡°Who talked? Did Canary or Huntress tell you?¡±


    Bruce doesn¡¯t answer, leaving her to wonder. Had her girls betrayed her (likely out of concern for her safety) or did Bruce find out another way? Damn it all, he knew it was going to eat at her until she figured it out.


    Striding forward until he¡¯s next to her, Bruce peers at the news report she¡¯d been watching before he arrived for a long moment. Then, he turns to her.


    ¡°This is getting out of hand, Barbara.¡±


    ¡°I have it under control!¡±


    ¡°Do you? Does ¡®Hope Laville¡¯ have Doctor Maximillian well in hand?¡±


    Barbara blushes and looks away to the side. She¡¯s not even surprised that he seems to know everything. He always does.


    After another moment, Bruce reaches out and puts a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to tell your father you¡¯re up and walking again at some point.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yeah, I know.¡±


    ¡°But it can wait until the end of your investigation, if you need it to.¡±


    Barbara¡¯s eyes widen and her head snaps back around, looking at Bruce in surprise. He stares back at her, as calm and collected as ever.


    ¡°It¡¯s not weakness to need help sometimes, Barbara. You and Dick taught me that lesson a long time ago. So please, be honest with both of us when you answer my next question. Do you need my help with this investigation?¡±


    Swallowing thickly, Barbara hesitates for a moment as she thinks it over.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Barbara decides she doesn''t need Bruce''s help yet - 42%


    [X] Barbara decides she does need Bruce''s help - 58%


    -x-X-x-


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 55: The Batman

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Why? Because he''s the goddamn Batman.


    -x-X-x-


    The temptation to tell him that she has this handled and doesn¡¯t need his help is ever-present of course. Still Barbara bites back on that impulse and does as Bruce requested, actually considering the situation at hand so she can be honest with both him and herself.


    Frankly, the fact that Bruce hadn¡¯t already taken this investigation away from her spoke volumes. He¡¯d been the one to throw it her way in the first place after all, so it wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d really be able to do anything if he decided she was compromised. Was she compromised? That was the question, wasn¡¯t it? Had Luke Maximillian compromised her?


    ¡­ Barbara didn¡¯t think so. Was she grateful to have her legs back? Yes. But she¡¯d paid money for that service, and under an assumed identity at that. It wasn¡¯t like Luke had healed her out of the kindness of his heart or anything like that, or because he knew who she was and wanted to help her out personally.


    If he turned out to be a villain, if this whole Luthor Clinic turned out to be a scam hiding something dangerous, amoral, or illegal, whatever gratitude she felt for being able to walk again wouldn¡¯t stop Barbara from doing what needed to be done. She wasn¡¯t going to go villain just because Luke healed her.


    ¡­ And yet, a small part of her did want Luke to be innocent in all of this. He seemed like a good man on the face of it, and it would be nice if the clinic actually was on the up and up, or failing that insanely unlikely possibility, Luke himself was just a patsy that could be saved from whatever Lex Luthor was planning.


    That right there lets Barbara know what her answer has to be though. She¡¯s at least partially compromised, and that means she needs fresh eyes on this investigation.


    ¡°Alright¡­ I need your help.¡±


    Bruce¡¯s hand on her shoulder squeezes down comfortingly, even as Barbara lets out a sigh after the admission leaves her lips.


    ¡°Tell me what you have so far.¡±


    Her eyes narrow a little bit though as she detects something in Bruce¡¯s voice. Even as she begins to go through everything she has on the new clinic, its doctor, and his bodyguard, something begins niggling at the back of her mind. She can¡¯t help but feel like Bruce is humoring her just a little bit.


    That feeling only grows until they get to the end of everything Barbara has collected by this point. Then, she can¡¯t help but cross her arms over her chest and peer at Bruce questioningly.


    ¡°¡­ You know something, Bruce. Something more about all of this. But that doesn¡¯t make any sense because when you passed this investigation off to me, you claimed it was because you were too busy to deal with it.¡±


    Only, now that Barbara actually thinks about it a bit more, she realizes that she should have seen through that excuse all the way back at the beginning. Lex Luthor, after years and years of failing to establish a foothold in Gotham City, had finally managed to do so. He¡¯d slipped in past all of the roadblocks and regulations that Bruce had set up to keep him out, and he¡¯d set up a free clinic that smacked of corruption and secrets.


    In terms of things Bruce was ¡®too busy¡¯ for, Lex Luthor¡¯s machinations, ESPECIALLY in regard to how they impacted Gotham, were never going to be on the list. So then why had Bruce thrown the investigation her way in the first place? Even if he trusted her with it, there was no way he¡¯d be able to leave well enough alone.


    ¡°Bruce¡­¡±


    Stoic silence is all Barbara gets for a second. Until finally, Bruce inclines his head.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s about time I had a talk with Luke Maximillian. After that, we can regroup and compare notes.¡±


    What? Barbara scowls.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that, Bruce! Come on, what do you know that I don¡¯t?! What was the point of even putting me on the case if you were just going to investigate it yourself right alongside me?!¡±


    Bruce hesitates for a moment before replying.


    ¡°This investigation has multiple layers to it, Barbara. I needed your assistance on the clinic layer, while I went further afield.¡±


    What? What did that even mean? She-!


    Before Barbara can say anything else, there¡¯s a sudden innocuous ding from her computer, letting her know she¡¯s just gotten a new message in. She was waiting for information back from one of her sources, and she finds herself instinctively turning towards the computer even though she knows she should know better.


    Just as soon as she realizes what she¡¯s doing, Barbara whips back around¡­ but it¡¯s too late. Bruce is already gone, having performed the classic vanishing act that Batman was known for among his allies.


    ¡°¡­ I really hate it when he does that.¡±


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°What in the world is going on over there?! Kidnappings? Attacks in broad daylight?! I thought you were trying to lie low, Lucien!¡±


    Lucien grimaces at Mercy¡¯s somewhat shrill voice coming through the phone. Admittedly, he understands exactly where she¡¯s coming from. Going on the news to announce his rescue was one thing. It wasn¡¯t like his father¡¯s clone knew who Luke Maximillian was or anything, despite being involved with the new Luthor Clinic.


    But it was a lot harder to ignore said Luthor Clinic being attacked in broad daylight by Poison Ivy¡¯s plant monstrosities. Even though Blackfire and Waylon had been able to defeat the damn things and send them running, all without Blackfire blowing her cover, it was still all over the news.


    Lucien didn¡¯t expect his father¡¯s clone would fail to miss news reports about a building with his name on it being attacked by a supervillain. Not even a clone could be blind to that sort of thing.


    ¡°¡­ How bad is it, Mercy? Is he going to come here personally? Did you have to tell him my true identity?¡±


    Lucien isn¡¯t sure what he¡¯ll do if his father¡¯s clone shows up here. If he can maintain his cover, then perhaps they can still work something out. If the Lex Clone knows who he truly is though, if Mercy was forced to give him up¡­ then Lucien might have to run. Either that or stand and fight.


    He¡¯s come a long way from being worried about a LexCorp Security Squad coming to apprehend him and deliver him to a secret lab somewhere though. If they did come for him, Lucien feels like he has a solid chance of fighting them off. Obviously, he¡¯d prefer that didn¡¯t happen though.


    But his preferences might not matter after this whole debacle. Coming to Gotham might have been a mistake. Despite being far lower ¡®powered¡¯ than Metropolis, it felt like Lucien couldn¡¯t take a single step without tripping over a villain or running into some sort of intrigue plot. He still had no fucking clue who Hope Laville really was for instance, other than that she wasn¡¯t who she said she was, but she actually WAS paralyzed before he healed her.


    And now he had a strange relationship with Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy to consider, on top of recruiting (a reformed?) Killer Croc to his security team. None of that might matter though, depending on the Lex Clone¡¯s next moves.


    ¡°¡­ He¡¯s not said anything to me about it yet.¡±


    Lucien blinks at Mercy¡¯s response. Then, he blinks even harder.


    ¡°Excuse me, what?¡± sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Now, he can practically hear the grimace in Mercy¡¯s voice through the phone, along with a somewhat sour tone.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t mentioned it at all. It¡¯s been less than twenty-four hours, and his schedule is as full as ever so maybe he hasn¡¯t seen it yet¡­¡±


    The doubt in her voice as she trails off is matched by the doubt Lucien himself feels about that possibility. There¡¯s no way that his father shouldn¡¯t already know about what happened, clone or not.


    ¡°Is the clone cutting you off, Mercy? Does he think you¡¯ve betrayed him or something?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Maybe, but I doubt it. I got him to sign off on the clinic. It was in a huge stack of paperwork, but he should at least be aware of it¡¯s existence. He didn¡¯t seem to care that we¡¯d managed to make inroads into Gotham though. It didn¡¯t even seem to be on his radar. Maybe he¡¯s too focused on his current plans for Superman to be bothered by such things.¡±


    That was always a possibility. His father¡¯s single minded obsession with Superman was infamous even at this point in the timeline and had only gotten crazier by the time Lucien had died for the first time. His father¡¯s clone would likely be the exact same way, presumably.


    Still¡­ it didn¡¯t sit right with Lucien. It didn¡¯t FEEL right. He¡¯d just been told by Mercy that they were effectively flying right under the radar still, but he didn¡¯t like it. Even if it should have been the best news he¡¯d gotten all day, something was still off. Silence reigns for a long moment as Lucien mulls over Mercy¡¯s words. Finally, his father¡¯s right hand woman speaks up again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can figure out about what¡¯s happening. I¡¯ll try to keep you informed. For now¡­ just please keep your head down, alright? Maybe if you can go a week or two quietly, the attack on the clinic can truly be swept under the rug without further incident. But the key part of that sentence is ¡®without further incident¡¯, got it?¡±


    Lucien slowly nods his head, before remembering that Mercy can¡¯t see the motion.


    ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ got it. Thank you. And be safe.¡±


    Mercy scoffs.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯re the one who chose fucking Gotham to try and lie low in.¡±


    Before Lucien can defend himself by pointing out that Mercy LET him choose Gotham, she hangs up on him. Sighing, Lucien looks at the phone for a second before slipping it away into his pocket and-


    ¡°Hello Lucien.¡±


    Spinning around, eyes wide and hands up as the deep voice of Gotham¡¯s very own Dark Knight finally alerts Lucien to his presence. How the fuck had Batman managed to sneak up on him like that?! Lucien¡¯s senses were literally superhuman, but he hadn¡¯t heard the other man coming at all?!


    And yet, the proof is in the pudding as they said. Batman steps out of the shadows, cape wrapped around him like a cloak, gazing at him from under the signature bat cowl. Lucien swallows thickly, fingers twitching to do something¡­ before he finally forces himself to calm down.


    It doesn¡¯t escape his notice that Gotham¡¯s Protector knows his true identity. He feels like he should be surprised, but he really isn¡¯t. Still, he makes a token effort all the same.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Luke, actually.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not.¡±


    It takes every fiber of Lucien¡¯s being not to flinch as Batman shuts him down without a second of hesitation. Before he can respond, the Dark Knight continues on.


    ¡°Your real name is Lucien Luthor, bastard son of Lex Luthor. You spent the first sixteen years of your life sickly and invalid, tucked away out of sight by your father. However, more recently you¡¯ve gained metahuman abilities allowing you to assimilate the powers of other metahumans into your biology, along with healing those you touch.¡±


    ¡­ Well shit.


    ¡°You underestimated my prot¨¦g¨¦ in Jump City, ¡®Remedy¡¯. Hormonal impulses and relationship troubles aside, when you and Blackfire left the Titans behind, Robin informed me immediately and let me know the most likely place for you to go next would be Gotham City.¡±


    Seriously?!


    ¡°It was the last place you thought we would look for you. Which made it the first place to check.¡±


    Silence falls as Lucien works his jaw for a long moment, unsure how to respond. He wants to ask how Batman knows so much about his abilities when he¡¯s done his best to keep them under wraps. He was pretty sure Robin didn¡¯t know everything that Batman just laid out, but then¡­ it was obvious he¡¯d thoroughly underestimated the Titans Leader.


    Still, he really doesn¡¯t want to believe that it was all that obvious. It¡¯s nicer believing that Batman was just that good instead. In the interest of not having his delusional thoughts corrected, and because he¡¯s pretty sure Batman won¡¯t answer all of his questions anyways, Lucien decides to move onto the more obvious thing to ask.


    ¡°¡­ What happens now then? I suppose you want me out of your city.¡±


    Batman¡¯s gaze suddenly becomes all the more intense somehow. The man¡¯s lower face barely even moves, but it suddenly feels like he¡¯s staring right into Lucien¡¯s very soul.


    ¡°No. I want answers, Lucien. Answers that you might just be able to provide me. Answers about your father.¡±


    Lucien¡­ barely has to even think about it. He owed Mercy a lot, but he owed Lex Luthor next to nothing. He certainly held no loyalty to the man at this point, and he definitely didn¡¯t care about what happened to Lex¡¯s clone. If telling Batman what he knew got the Caped Crusader off of Lucien¡¯s back and onto Lex¡¯s, then all the better. That said¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to try and answer your questions to the best of my ability, but I may not know as much as you think. Remedy was my attempt at escaping out from under my father¡¯s clutches. He didn¡¯t know about all of that. It wasn¡¯t some scheme of his to try and infiltrate the Titans or anything like that.¡±


    There. That was true, and should hopefully cover Mercy¡¯s ass a bit so that-


    ¡°You¡¯re implying that your presence here in Gotham City is a direct consequence of Lex Luthor finding out about your antics in Jump City and pressganging you into his service. I know that¡¯s not the case, so don¡¯t try to deceive me in the future, even with implications. It will not go well for you.¡±


    ¡­ He was starting to hate Batman. Was this how Lex felt with Superman? He maybe understood his father a little bit better after this conversation. Feeling incredibly tired, Lucien sighs and rubs his eyes with his fingers.


    ¡°Just¡­ what do you want to know?¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause as he waits for this under the table interrogation to begin. There¡¯s a million questions Lucien thinks Batman might ask him, all running through his mind a million miles per minute. Which is why, when the Dark Knight finally speaks¡­ his words shock Lucien to his core.


    ¡°It has been almost a year now since Lex Luthor made a single move, overt or covert, against Superman. Nearly twelve months since your father put into motion any sort of plan or scheme to try and injure, harm, or kill Superman. Not even an attempt at damaging Superman¡¯s reputation in all that time. I have been looking into Lex Luthor¡¯s current activities since long before you came into the picture, Lucien Luthor. You¡¯re just one more piece in the puzzle. What I want to know is¡­ what do you know, if anything, about your father¡¯s plans?¡±


    Lucien¡¯s mind goes blank. Lex Luthor¡­ not going after Superman? What? That¡­ that didn¡¯t make any sense. And yet, Batman sounds so certain. And given everything else he¡¯s known so far; Lucien is inclined to believe him. But frankly, that left him with even more questions than he¡¯d had before. This whole situation just got a lot more complicated, didn¡¯t it?


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Tell him that Lucien truthfully doesn''t know anything about Lex''s plans for Superman - 14%[ ] Tell him about the nanochip, but not that it means the current Lex is probably a clone - 8%


    [X] Tell him everything that Lucien knows about the current situation, including the nanochip, clone, and strange prioritization - 77%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 56: Telling the Truth

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien comes clean.


    -x-X-x-


    Fuck it.


    ¡°My father only ever bothered to pay me the slightest mind on my birthdays. Each year, he would cart me out to have some tests run on me to see if I was suddenly worth anything. Mental, physically, medical¡­ you name it. It was my one chance per year to try and convince him that I was actually worthy of being his son for once. I failed to do so for the first fifteen years of my life.¡±


    Batman watches him quietly as Lucien gathers his thoughts. Obviously, the Caped Crusader could tell Lucien was going somewhere with this.


    ¡°This birthday, however, was different. It¡¯s like you said, I got powers and with those powers, I was able to cure my general sickliness. I was able to make myself normal and run through his tests pretty easily, doing better than I ever had before. At the end, he even graced me with a rare handshake. It was then that I found it. There was something in his head¡­ a nanochip. After doing some research, I believe this means that the Lex Luthor who presided over my testing and who has been seen publicly these last few months¡­ is a clone.¡±


    That, Lucien can tell, gets Batman¡¯s attention in a big way. Not really wanting to throw Mercy under the bus completely if he doesn¡¯t have to, Lucien hurries on before Batman can ask how exactly Lucien knows the nanochip means it¡¯s a clone.


    ¡°But things get weirder than that. Because the clone isn¡¯t just ignoring Superman like you¡¯ve mentioned. His prioritization in general is completely off. This whole clinic was made with his approval, technically, but it was also slipped under his nose so he wouldn¡¯t pay too much attention to it. And yet, he should know about it. He should know by now that LexCorp finally has a foothold in Gotham, even if it¡¯s a charitable one.¡±


    Shaking his head, Lucien grimaces. It doesn¡¯t make any sense. It would be one thing if the Lex Clone was just as obsessed with Superman as the real Lex Luthor was. It would maybe make some sense that he would be ignoring what was happening in Gotham if one of his plans to kill or leave Superman in disgrace was nearing fruition.


    ¡­ But if Batman was to be believed, then the clone wasn¡¯t even going after Superman. Hadn¡¯t been, even before Lucien came back in time. God, he wished he knew what was going on, but while he¡¯d known that Lex Luthor was corrupt as they came and involved in some truly insane shit back in his first life, it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d had a front row seat or anything. A lot of the battles between good and evil that Lex Luthor was involved in had happened behind closed doors and in the shadows.


    Lucien knew that at one point in the next few years his father would become President if nothing changed, but before that, he was completely in the dark. What the hell was going on here, really?


    ¡°The thing is, him letting this clinic slip by him is one thing. But it¡¯s been almost a day now since Poison Ivy¡¯s creations very publicly attacked this place. It even showed up on National News. And yet¡­ nothing. He hasn¡¯t called, he hasn¡¯t shown up unannounced. It¡¯s like he doesn¡¯t even care.¡±


    Sighing, Lucien spreads his hands apart and shrugs at Batman. Truthfully, the man was becoming less and less scary as time went on. There was a reason that the cowled vigilante wasn¡¯t using his usual tactic of dangling Lucien off of a rooftop by his ankle, after all¡­ he couldn¡¯t. Lucien didn¡¯t pretend to know every trick up Batman¡¯s sleeve, but at the very least, he thought he could flee from him pretty swiftly, even if he couldn¡¯t take him down personally.


    And yet, even as the fear fades away, Lucien acknowledges that Batman might just be the answer to all of his current questions. Setting the man after his father¡¯s clone was a far better idea than Lucien trying to get to the bottom of all of this himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I know, Batman. I don¡¯t know what my father is planning, because as far as I¡¯m aware, I can¡¯t even tell you the last time I saw or talked to the real Lex Luthor in the flesh.¡±


    Batman seems to take this at face value, because the next question that comes from the Caped Crusader is a completely non-sequitur.


    ¡°What exactly did you do for Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy?¡±


    Seriously? On the one hand, it was reassuring that Batman didn¡¯t immediately know the answers to those questions. On the other hand, it was a little irritating that the masked man had managed to make the logic leap from his kidnapping at the hands of the two villainesses, to them ¡®letting him go¡¯, to Ivy attacking the clinic the next day, to Lucien making some sort of deal with her and Quinn.


    But¡­ whatever. He considers lying about it, but he frankly doesn¡¯t feel like he did anything wrong with either woman. He helped them sure, but not in a way that would make them better at hurting other people. Just like with Waylon Jones, Lucien didn¡¯t feel like he had anything to be ashamed of, so why not just tell the man the truth?


    ¡°For Harley Quinn, I removed the Joker¡¯s influence by taking all of her memories of her time with him and fading out the emotion from them. Effectively sapping the color and turning them black and white so they no longer held any emotional weight for her. For Poison Ivy, I fixed her infertility problems due to the toxicity from her powers. She¡¯ll be able to have children now, albeit children who will inherit her metahuman abilities no matter what.¡±


    There¡¯s a pregnant pause as Batman just stares at him intensely. Lucien tenses, preparing himself for more questioning or even a fight. But finally¡­


    ¡°Stay out of trouble, Lucien Luthor.¡±


    What?! That¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s it? No ¡®get out of my city¡¯?! No ¡®stay out of my way¡¯?!¡±


    He knows he shouldn¡¯t be provoking the Caped Crusader, even if he¡¯s rapidly losing his fear of the man. However, Lucien can¡¯t help the questions as they spill out of his mouth. Batman pauses and looks at him intently again.


    ¡°¡­ So far, you¡¯ve been a net positive on my city. As much as this clinic is a cover for you, you have been running it consistently and cleanly so far, without a trace of harmful corruption. Waylon Jones has a lot to answer for¡­ but so long as he doesn¡¯t go back to eating people and you don¡¯t have him committing crimes, I¡¯m willing to leave him working for you. Finally, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are as much victims of their own mental maladies as they are criminals. You helped them with their problems, but you didn¡¯t help them commit further crimes.¡±


    Well¡­ damn. Lucien couldn¡¯t help but feel a little faint after all that praise. Batman might as well have come out with a fucking gold medal, or maybe the Key to the damn City.


    ¡°And I really don¡¯t think I have to tell you to stay out of my way when it comes to the investigation into your father. From the sound of things, you don¡¯t want anything to do with Lex Luthor, clone or no. Am I correct?¡±


    Lucien barely has to hesitate before he¡¯s nodding.


    ¡°You¡¯re correct. I¡¯m more than happy to wash my hands of that whole situation and leave it up to you.¡±


    Batman simply nods at that.


    ¡°Then as I said, stay out of trouble.¡±


    Before Lucien can even think of a response, there¡¯s a sudden sound behind him. He whips around, thinking that maybe Blackfire has shown up and he needs to stop her from creating a mess by launching herself at Batman¡­ but there¡¯s no one there. When he turns back around again however, there¡¯s no one THERE either. Batman has disappeared without a trace, just like he showed up.


    ¡°¡­ How the fuck did he do that?¡±


    Still, part of Lucien is a little relieved because¡­ it didn¡¯t seem like Batman had caught his last little lie. It¡¯d been a bit of a risk, lying to the Caped Crusader after the threats and being caught out trying to mislead him earlier in the conversation. Lucien had turned every last bit of his powers towards hiding his true feelings in that moment, making sure his facial expression, verbal tics, and all around mannerisms were completely innocuous.


    Because¡­ the truth was, Lucien did have a dog in this fight. He was not in fact more than happy to wash his hands of the whole situation and just be done with it. There was one thing¡­ one person, rather, that Lucien still cared about wrapped up in all of this.


    Mercy Graves.


    Frankly, it was nice to receive confirmation that Batman wasn¡¯t truly omniscient or anything. The man didn¡¯t know everything, despite his pretty damn good act of being all-knowing and ever-present. He could be fooled; he could be tricked. And more than that¡­ he could just be completely unaware of certain aspects of his targets.


    After all, there was no way that Batman knew about Death or about Lucien¡¯s ability to reboot or the fact that he¡¯d done so twice before. That sort of cosmic bullshit was hard for even Lucien to wrap his head around, and he was living it! sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With an explosive breath, Lucien straightens up and glances to his phone¡­ then, he glances around the room and shakes his head. From the sound of things, Batman hadn¡¯t been listening in on his and Mercy¡¯s conversation before he¡¯d shown up like he did for the interrogation. So his phone was still probably safe, considering it hadn¡¯t left his possession. But Lucien wasn¡¯t an idiot. There was absolutely no way that this room and indeed the entire clinic wasn¡¯t bugged to hell and back now that Batman HAD been here.


    With that in mind, he makes for the roof and takes off a moment later, flying up into the air as high as he can get before finally placing his call. Mercy deserved the heads up. She needed to know what he¡¯d just learned if for no other reason than to be informed enough to keep her safe.


    Lucien didn¡¯t think that Lex Luthor would ever harm Mercy, truth be told. She was his most loyal soldier, his right hand woman. He relied on her far too much to ever do away with her. However, this Lex Clone was clearly a poor copy. He didn¡¯t care that a building with his name on it had been attacked. He didn¡¯t seem to care about Superman either.


    Really, Lucien was starting to suspect that Lex wasn¡¯t even behind this clone or his own disappearance. Mercy hadn¡¯t known the real Lex had been replaced after all. That was the first clue that something was up in hindsight. Still, one thing was for sure¡­ this clone couldn¡¯t be trusted to truly act like Lex Luthor beyond a surface level. And that meant Mercy might be in danger.


    He would warn her, and then he would wash his hands of all of this, hopefully. Let Batman and his pals in the Justice League deal with all that bullshit. It was way beyond Lucien¡¯s pay grade.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Barbara rarely finds herself at a loss for words. And yet, when it comes down to it, most of the time it¡¯s because of Bruce. Still, she hadn¡¯t been expecting him to come back personally after how he¡¯d vanished on her earlier with just a cryptic ¡®I think it¡¯s about time I had a talk with Luke Maximillian.¡¯ Sure, he had SAID he was going to regroup later with her and compare notes¡­ but frankly, it was less comparing notes and more him finally dumping the truth on her head.


    ¡°Luke Maximillian is the bastard son of Lex Luthor¡­ and Lex Luthor might have been replaced by a clone who doesn¡¯t seem to care about either his business OR his obsession with Superman.¡±


    Bruce nods, a frown on his face.


    ¡°Yes. Luthor has replaced himself with clones before. He¡¯s even gone so far as to pass those clones off as culprits for his crimes in order to avoid jail time. But this seems different. Normally, his clones are carbon copies of the original. This clone though seems to be rather shoddily designed if he¡¯s ignoring some of Luthor¡¯s key personality pillars like this.¡±


    That was all well and good, and Barbara understood why Bruce was investigating this so hard. But at the same time¡­


    ¡°Why even put me on this case, Bruce? You said this investigation has multiple layers to it, but from the look of things, you¡¯ve managed to completely uncover every last one of Lucien Luthor¡¯s secrets. You even got him to spill the beans on what he did to Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy yesterday.¡±


    She didn¡¯t really know what her role in all of this was anymore. Sure, she had her legs back¡­ but for a potential global problem like whatever this Luthor clone was up to, Bruce would probably need her in her role as Oracle. Now that they knew exactly who Lucien really was, she didn¡¯t see any point in continuing the honey pot scheme as Hope Laville.


    Though¡­ Barbara was secretly glad that Lucien had turned out to not be a veritable monster or anything. Yeah, being Lex Luthor¡¯s son was bad, but it wasn¡¯t Lucien¡¯s fault who he was born to. More than that, his actions as Remedy in Jump City and then here in Gotham seemed to be the actions of a relatively moralistic person. He was a decent man, from what she could tell.


    ¡°I think Lucien Luthor is still hiding something. He evaded the bugs I left behind in his clinic by flying an entire mile straight up to place a call¡­ to Mercy Graves. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t know what was said in that phone call, but that does mean he was able to successfully lie to me when he told me he was ready to wash his hands of this whole situation. And that means we have no idea what else he lied about.¡±


    Barbara winces at that, absorbing that new information for a moment. Okay, so maybe not as decent as she was obviously hoping. Still¡­


    ¡°It could be relatively innocuous. You knew that someone high up in LexCorp had to be helping Lucien fly under Luthor¡¯s radar. Perhaps this Mercy Graves has a closer relationship to her boss¡¯ son then we thought.¡±


    Bruce ponders that for a moment before grunting.


    ¡°The name Mercy Grave is synonymous with Loyalty to Lex Luthor. I¡¯m not sure even a son could shake that.¡±


    But Barbara is quick to point out the obvious.


    ¡°Unless she knows something is up and that the Lex Luthor she¡¯s currently working for is a clone that wasn¡¯t created by the real Luthor. In which case, her loyalty would by default fall upon the son, right?¡±


    From the way Bruce tilts his head, it¡¯s obvious he¡¯s already considered that possibility.


    ¡°Perhaps. But we need confirmation. That¡¯s why I want to leave you on Lucien Luthor and see if you can extract a bit more information from him. Don¡¯t get me wrong though, this is not an order Barbara, it¡¯s a request. If you think it¡¯s a waste of your time and resources, then say the word and we¡¯ll reposition.¡±


    Barbara hesitates. On the one hand, whatever was happening with Lex Luthor could wind up involving the Justice League, and they would need her as Oracle to help coordinate. On the other hand, part of her did still want to get to the bottom of the mystery that was Lucien Luthor¡­


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] She''ll stay on the case and maintain the Hope Laville identity for now - 19%[X] She''ll stay on the case but reveal herself to Lucien and be more direct with him - 77%


    [ ] She won''t stay on the case, Lucien is small potatoes compared to whatever Luthor is up to - 4%


    -x-X-x-


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 Chapter 57: The Date

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien and Barbara have their date after all~


    -x-X-x-


    After a moment, Barbara makes her decision, giving Bruce a sharp nod.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll stay on the Lucien Luthor case. But I¡¯m going to continue doing things my way.¡±


    Bruce radiates amusement, despite the lack of a smile on his cowled face.


    ¡°Of course, that was never in question.¡±


    Barbara just gives him a deadpan look at that, because frankly¡­ she wasn¡¯t all that happy with how Bruce had handled a lot of this. She understood compartmentalization, of course she did. She also understood segmenting a case as potentially earthshattering as this one and having different people take care of different parts.


    And finally¡­ she understood that as Oracle, she had long ago distanced herself from the Bat Family. Not so much that she wasn¡¯t part of it anymore maybe, but certainly enough to be considered separated from them in some circles. So yes, Barbara wasn¡¯t happy that Bruce had kept her in the dark in so many ways, but she also understood it. That said¡­


    ¡°I may not be leaping to help you with Luthor¡¯s plans right now, but I do want to be kept informed and updated. Whatever happens next, you¡¯ll at least let me know and you¡¯ll call me in immediately if you need me. Got it?¡±


    Becoming more serious once more, Bruce simply nods.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep you in the loop.¡±


    Will he? Won¡¯t he? Barbara doesn¡¯t know, but the assurance, whether it¡¯s empty or not, is still the best she¡¯s going to get. Letting out an explosive sigh, Barbara fidgets for a moment, only to freeze up when Bruce steps up to her and places a hand on her shoulder once more, giving it a squeeze.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done good work here, Barbara. Exceptional work. I know with your legs back the urge to get back into the field is already overtaking you¡­¡±


    Barbara flushes, well aware that he¡¯s talking about her visit to Harley and Ivy¡¯s lair to back up the other Birds of Prey.


    ¡°¡­ But don¡¯t lose sight of the forest for the trees. Never forget everything that Oracle has done that Batgirl couldn¡¯t have.¡±


    That was¡­ sighing, Barbara nods.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Bruce flashes her an exceptionally rare smile at that, giving her shoulder one more squeeze before turning and walking away. He leaves normally, without the vanishing act this time, and Barbara watches him go for a moment before turning back to her monitors and mulling over not just his parting words but everything else as well.


    All this time she¡¯d been trying to get to the bottom of just who the hell Doctor Luke Maximillian was and what sort of technology allowed him to heal her legs without a second thought. Now she knew better. Her first instincts had been correct. The faux alien technology he¡¯d put her in was exactly as fake as Barbara had initially clocked. He¡¯d healed her himself with just a touch¡­ probably right after her time in the tube, otherwise she would have felt something before she went in.


    Barbara really didn¡¯t know how to feel about that even now. On the one hand, it wasn¡¯t like Lucien knew who she really was. And ¡®Hope Laville¡¯ had still paid through the nose for the treatment. On the other hand, could you really put a price on such a thing? And even if he didn¡¯t know her true identity, it didn¡¯t change the fact that he¡¯d given Barbara her legs back.


    Based on what Bruce had just told her, it was likely that Lucien already knew something was up. It depended on just how granular his powers really were, but if he could heal her like he did, if he could incorporate other metahuman abilities into his biology as had been speculated¡­ then it stood to reason he should have noticed she was a natural red head with green eyes.


    And if that were the case, there really was no reason for Barbara to keep up the act. Especially after he¡¯d been visited by Batman. No, at this point¡­ if she wanted to get anywhere with Lucien, a certain level of honesty and directness was the key. Still, that went both ways, didn¡¯t it?


    Pursing her lips together into a thin line, Barbara considers her options for a moment, hesitating before pulling the trigger and shooting Lucien a message she might come to regret. Or, just maybe, it might be exactly what she needs to finally begin developing a real rapport with Lex Luthor¡¯s bastard.


    -x-X-x-


    Let¡¯s do this date as our true selves.


    First Batman, now this. Lucien had to admit, he¡¯d done a double take when Hope¡¯s message had come in mere hours after his encounter with Batman. On the one hand, it would explain a lot if ¡®Hope Laville¡¯ was actually a spy for Batman. On the other hand, it didn¡¯t explain everything. Lucien didn¡¯t think Hope had garnered that much information from their interactions after all. And more to the point, whoever she really was, why would she still want to go on their date after he and Batman had their talk?


    In the end, curiosity won out over paranoia once again. He just had to know what the hell was going on. And so, dropping his ¡®disguise¡¯ and shifting his body back to that of his original form, Lucien approaches the Hope¡¯s apartment, downright intrigued to find out what form tonight was going to take.


    Reaching the door, he knocks and waits patiently, until finally it opens and reveals a red head with bright green eyes waiting on the other side.


    The both of them take one another in for a moment, finally seeing each other for who they really are. No more disguises. No more lies. Well, physically anyways. And¡­ no more fake names. Thrusting out her hand, the red head smiles.


    ¡°Barbara Gordon. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you properly, Lucien.¡±


    Lucien blinks¡­ but then takes her hand in his, giving it a firm shake. She has to know about his abilities right? Or maybe she doesn¡¯t. Still, Barbara Gordon¡­ that was¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re the Police Commissioner¡¯s daughter.¡±


    Barbara nods, even as she takes a step back and lets Lucien inside the apartment. Immediately, the smells of a fresh home cooked meal hit Lucien¡¯s nostrils and he looks to the table to see that she¡¯s made pasta, complete with meatballs and marinara sauce and even garlic bread. Oh, and a freshly tossed salad to cut through all of those carbs. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I am yes. What do you think?¡±


    She gestures to the food and starts to head over, so Lucien smiles and does the same.


    ¡°I think it all smells delicious. That¡¯s what I think.¡±


    As they sit down though at the table, Lucien can¡¯t help but get back to the matter at hand. Mostly, he just wants to confirm whether Barbara Gordon was working for Batman or not. For a moment, he considers beating around the bush a bit, but in the end¡­ what¡¯s the point? Barbara was the one who¡¯d decided they should put all of their cards on the table. Besides, Lucien would be quite upset to learn that even the Police Commissioner somehow knew who he really was. Batman was one thing, but a Police Commissioner?!


    ¡°The same Police Commissioner who has ties to Batman, yes?¡±


    Barbara hums and nods easily. It wasn¡¯t like it was much of a secret, to be fair. The Bat Signal was a well known facet of Gotham City, even to the rest of the world. As well as just who maintained it and could operate it without getting their limbs broken by an angry Caped Crusader.


    ¡°My father works with Batman sometimes, yes. And so do I, separate from my father¡¯s work. It was Batman who put me on to investigating you, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡±


    Well, there you had it. Silence falls as they both get some spaghetti and meatballs on their respective plates, along with garlic bread. Lucien takes a few bites, chewing slowly as he thinks over what he knows. Barbara seems inclined to let him think, though he can feel her watching him all the same. Finally¡­


    ¡°I suppose Bruce Wayne paid for your healing then.¡±


    Admittedly, he knows he might be dropping a bit of a bombshell into the middle of dinner with that idea. He does it anyways though and frankly, he¡¯s glad he did because Barbara¡¯s reaction is VERY telling. Oh, she¡¯s good¡­ better than a Police Commissioner¡¯s daughter has any right to be, frankly. But Lucien is watching her closely and he sees her react to him namedropping Wayne. There¡¯s definitely something there.


    ¡°¡­ What makes you say that?¡±


    Lucien shrugs, twirling a bit of spaghetti around his fork and putting it in his mouth as he makes her wait for him to chew and swallow. Petty? Maybe a little bit, but she DID try to infiltrate his clinic to spy on him and that wasn¡¯t very cool. Still, when he finally finishes swallowing, Lucien gives her something close to the truth.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty common conspiracy theory. How does someone like Batman pay for all that gear and equipment? Especially when he has an entire team he has to outfit and equip these days? He has to have a benefactor, or maybe a group of benefactors that are backing him up financially.¡±


    Taking this in, Barbara hums for a moment before tilting her head to the side.


    ¡°And Wayne?¡±


    Smiling slightly, Lucien sighs.


    ¡°Well. He DOES seem like the most obvious option even from a layman¡¯s perspective, but I guess I do have insider knowledge of the subject that makes it even clearer that he¡¯s probably pulling the strings.¡±


    When Barbara just raises an eyebrow at that, Lucien can¡¯t help chuckling.


    ¡°Needless to say, I am well aware of how hard my father has tried to sink his claws into Gotham City over the years. I¡¯m also aware of just who¡¯s been stymying him all this time. And yet, Bruce Wayne is supposed to be an insufferable playboy. His public persona is that of a party animal who couldn¡¯t business his way out of a paper bag¡­ but we both know that¡¯s not true.¡±


    Barbara remains silent, so Lucien shrugs.


    ¡°Knowing that Wayne is skilled and savvy enough to keep my father out of this city, it no longer seems so out of the question that he¡¯d be the one bankrolling Batman¡¯s operations. In fact, it¡¯s practically all but confirmed in my eyes.¡±


    There¡¯s a long pregnant pause after that. For a moment, Lucien wonders if he¡¯s over-shared to the point where Barbara decides to kick him out. He¡¯s not going to worry about it though. If it happens, it happens. More to the point, he doesn¡¯t really feel like beating around the bush here. Barbara was beautiful, and he¡¯d enjoyed his interactions with her as ¡®Hope Laville¡¯ to a certain extent, but at the end of the day, their relationship up to this point was foundationally built on lies. He honestly didn¡¯t know where they went from here¡­ or if they were meant to go anywhere from here, really.


    ¡°¡­ For obvious reasons, I can neither confirm nor deny that sort of assertion, you understand.¡±


    Smiling wryly, Lucien nods.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Though, at this point he might as well truly cut to the chase.


    ¡°What I don¡¯t fully understand is why you wanted to still have dinner and a movie together. I¡¯m not stupid enough to think that this is your actual residence. I imagine if I were to look into things, this apartment would belong to ¡®Hope Laville¡¯, wouldn¡¯t it? But Batman has already spoken to me. And now you¡¯ve blown your cover. So what¡¯s the point of all of this, really?¡±


    Barbara hesitates for a moment before shrugging.


    ¡°Gratitude?¡±


    Lucien narrows his eyes and scoffs.


    ¡°You paid quite the sum to have your legs back. More than enough to qualify as grateful already.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t put a price on a second chance at life, Lucien.¡±


    That¡­ Lucien pauses, unable to ignore the way those words resonate with him, the way they speak to the very depths of his soul. No¡­ no, you really couldn¡¯t put a price on a second chance at life. He knew that better than most. Not just because he¡¯d spent his first life sickly and almost as disabled as she¡¯d been, but also because he¡¯d already had to go back in time once to fix his mistakes.


    Not everyone was as lucky as he¡¯d been, really. In fact, most people weren¡¯t. Lucien hadn¡¯t just gotten a second chance at life, he¡¯d gotten a third¡­ and according to Death, he had a multitude of other chances as well.


    It¡­ actually puts things into perspective a bit, doesn¡¯t it? If he dies tomorrow, then he can just choose to do over any amount of time from the past days, weeks, or months. With that in mind, did it really matter that Barbara had lied to him? That she¡¯d been trying to hoodwink him?


    ¡­ Not really, no. She hadn¡¯t done any harm either. Not like Black Mask and to a lesser extent Ivy and Harley had done. In the end, she¡¯d only been trying to protect the city and help her hero. Lucien couldn¡¯t very well blame the red head for that.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m glad I was able to help you. I¡¯m not sure what Batman told you about me, but I came to Gotham City to try and avoid my father as much as possible. I suppose I could have chosen something that would allow me to fly under the radar a bit more, like a research lab or something, but I wanted to be able to help people. The clinic was my attempt at having my cake and eating it to, I guess. But we both know how that turned out.¡±


    Barbara¡¯s gaze softens and suddenly she leans across the table to place her hand on top of his.


    ¡°You¡¯ve still helped people. You helped me. You¡¯ve helped others. You have a good heart, Lucien. Tha-¡­ that¡¯s why I wanted to still do this date, just as our true selves. Because I know you¡¯re not your father. I know that you¡¯re a good man.¡±


    Lucien stares at Barbara for a long moment, sure that this is a trick of some sort. But even if it is¡­ it¡¯s a very nice trick, he has to admit¡­ and would it really be so bad, to go for it so long as he went in with both eyes wide open?


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [X] Smash Cut to them fucking at the dining table - 59%[ ] They at least wait until the movie to get down and dirty... - 38%


    [ ] Nothing happens between them, Lucien doesn''t feel a spark - 4%


    -x-X-x-


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 Chapter 58: Sex, baby

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Dry spells are a hell of a drug.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°Nngh, f-fuck!¡±


    The dining table rocks as Lucien lifts her up and sits her down on it. Barbara, panting heavily, spreads her legs wide, giving him room to nestle between them even as she grabs his face with both hands and pulls him in for some more kissing. Yes, more kissing.


    Things have¡­ escalated quite rapidly. Admittedly, that¡¯s at least partially her fault. She¡¯d fully intended to take things slow tonight. No, rather, she hadn¡¯t gone in with any intentions of anything sexual happening at all. Or at least, that was the lie she¡¯d told herself. A lie so convincing, she¡¯d apparently even managed to fool Bruce into thinking that she could be trusted with this responsibility.


    Barbara groans and arches her spine, tilting her head back as Lucien¡¯s lips trail down from her lips, along her jawline and finally across her neck. Her nipples are rock hard through her shirt, even as her breasts are crushed against his chest. Her core is white-hot down between her thighs, even as she grinds against Lucien¡¯s crotch.


    It¡¯s been a long time. A dry spell measured in years. Fuck, her paralysis meant that not even masturbation was doing it for her. And the truth was¡­ ever since Lucien healed her, ever since she got back on her feet (literally), Barbara has been feeling a certain sort of way. She¡¯s thrown herself into her work to try and ignore it, of course. And for a little while, her libido was tempered by her body¡¯s weakness. She was still getting her strength back.


    But those calorie pills Lucien had her take after the healing had done their work and so had Barbara¡¯s own efforts to get herself back in shape as quickly as possible. Daily workouts, an all-new exercise regimen, and a very protein-heavy diet. Her body almost seemed to want to get back to tip top shape as much as she herself did. After years of having a broken down shell of a body where half of it simply couldn¡¯t hear her commands because of the spinal injury, Barbara was finally one hundred percent again.


    ¡­ That said, she had a lot of adrenaline pumping through her at most times of the day. And after so many years involuntarily celibate, her body finally realized it could not only HAVE sex again but would enjoy having sex again. It was all hitting her at once and¡­ frankly, her options were kind of slim for who to scratch her itch.


    Of course, if Bruce could see her right now, he would likely say something like ¡®control yourself¡¯ or ¡®literally anyone would be a better option than Lex Luthor¡¯s bastard son¡¯. But¡­ he wasn¡¯t here right now. And Barbara needed this. Fuck, she needed this more than even she had known.


    It had been her who initiated, but Lucien was giving as good as he got in all fairness. In one swift motion, Barbara had pulled him close, pressing her lips against his in a passionate, hungry kiss. But even as her tongue eagerly explored Lucien¡¯s mouth, her hands roaming over his firm chest and muscular arms¡­ he hadn¡¯t been idle either. His own hands had slid along her body, moving to her toned ass to grope and squeeze it deliciously.


    That had led them to here and now, with Barbara on the edge of the dining table¡­ and on edge in another way as well. Their clothes were still on and she was already close to climaxing, just from this much. Her body was so overly sensitive it wasn¡¯t even funny. Frankly, she¡¯d think that Lucien had done something to her when he¡¯d originally healed her, but Barbara had done her research and performed all of the relevant tests. This¡­ this was all her. This was her body reacting to the inevitable end of a very long dry spell.


    She knows she should put a stop to this¡­ she knows this is the height of irresponsible behavior. But Barbara can¡¯t bring herself to care. She wraps her legs around Lucien¡¯s waist, pulling him all the closer as he grinds into her. Electric jolts of pleasure shoot through her body at the delicious friction. However, at the same time she doesn¡¯t want to cum too soon. That would be embarrassing. At the very least, they shouldn¡¯t be clothed.


    Reaching down, she grabs the hem of Lucien¡¯s shirt and begins pulling it up, sliding her fingers across his chiseled body directly in the process. Logically, Barbara knew that his body was a product of his power. He hadn¡¯t worked for it in the same way those of the Bat Family had, for instance.


    But on an emotional, biological level, Barbara didn¡¯t give a shit. Her hindbrain was telling her ¡®male strong, good mate¡¯ and while she wasn¡¯t certain about making this a permanent affair, she agreed with her emotional side far more than her logical side right now. She needed this¡­ and Lucien seemed to be more than willing.


    He helps her get his shirt off, and then since she initiated this level of contact too, he helps her take her shirt and bra off as well. Before Barbara knows it, there¡¯s a hand fondling and groping and squeezing one of her breasts¡­ and doing a damn good job of it too. Despite her ironclad willpower, she¡¯s closer to cumming in her damn panties than ever before.


    Taking her hands off of Lucien entirely, Barbara reaches down and begins working open her jeans. Thankfully, Lucien takes the nonverbal suggestion for what it is. He pulls away from her and does the same on his end. This gives Barbara not only the time to remove her jeans and underwear, but also the time to cool down just a little bit, though her nipples are still standing on end and her face is no doubt bright red given how hot she currently feels.


    As soon as she¡¯s naked, Barbara hops back up onto the dining table. Thankfully it¡¯s not a cheap one. It doesn¡¯t even creak under her weight as she spreads her legs wide in open, silent invitation. Lucien steps forward, his rock hard cock in hand now, equally silent as he moves back into position.


    But just because they aren¡¯t talking to each other doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t a spark. No, rather¡­ it¡¯s more of a blazing inferno at this point, at least for Barbara. Lucien¡¯s gaze is smoldering as he presses his member against her slit. For the first time in years, Barbara feels something real and alive down there. Her breath hitches, her self-control fraying¡­ but she holds back the climax that threatens to rip through her all the same.


    Panting with need and anticipation, Barbara leans back on her elbows, gazing up at Lucien with passion-glazed eyes. Her chest heaves, her breasts moving up and down. Finally, she speaks.


    ¡°D-Do it¡­ give it to me.¡±


    In the face of such an order¡­ Lucien doesn¡¯t hesitate. Barbara cries out in ecstasy as his thick, hard shaft penetrates her right then and there. He stretches out her walls so deliciously that in the end, she doesn¡¯t last beyond the first thrust. The climax she¡¯s been holding back all this time rips and tears through her at breakneck speeds, making her have to come up off of her elbows and cling to Lucien for dear life as her body shakes and spasms in reaction to the orgasm.


    To his credit, Lucien doesn¡¯t stop or comment on her disgraceful display. No jokes about her being too fast. Not even a derisive snort. If anything¡­ her orgasm seems to spur him on harder. It¡¯s been so long since she¡¯d had a man inside of her, but even Barbara¡¯s faded sexual experiences from before Joker shot her in the spine can¡¯t compare to this. None of the men she¡¯s slept with before now can compare to Lucien¡¯s size or technique. Nor can they live up to the pleasure he brings her. Pleasure that crashes over her in overwhelming waves, threatening to drag her under the surface and never let her go.


    Barbara grunts and groans and moans, but only when Lucien slows down does she break her silence, the words spilling out of her lips before she can rethink them.


    ¡°F-Fuck¡­ fuck, don¡¯t stop!¡±


    Her hips rise to meet his powerful thrusts as he picks up speed again. She¡¯s desperate for more and he¡¯s happy to give it to her, thankfully. She can take it. She can handle it. And if she can¡¯t¡­ well, the one who healed her in the first place is the one currently buried inside of her sopping wet cunt, isn¡¯t he?


    The obscene sounds of flesh slapping against flesh echo through the apartment, mingling with their loud moans and groans. Barbara¡¯s head tosses back and from side to side as she loses herself in the throes of ecstasy for¡­ a long time. That first orgasm might have come fast, but it¡¯s not the last one¡­ not by a long shot. Instead, it¡¯s followed up by many, many more, each more earth-shattering than the last as Lucien fucks her silly right there on her own damn dining table.


    Barbara can¡¯t get enough, but then to be fair¡­ it was like being touch starved in a way. She¡¯d definitely not been celibate before finding herself confined to a wheelchair. She wasn¡¯t a slut or anything like that, but when you did the things they did, having multiple coping methods and numerous ways to blow off steam was important. No Strings Attached Sex was just another tool in their arsenal, really.


    And she hadn¡¯t had access to that tool in way, way too long.


    Another orgasm ripples through her, Barbara¡¯s whole-ass body quaking with the force of her climaxes. Wave after wave of mind-blowing pleasure crashes over her again and again. Her inner walls clamp down rhythmically around Lucien¡¯s throbbing shaft as he pistons in and out of her, trying desperately to milk him for all he¡¯s worth.


    As her hips buck wildly to meet his thrusts, Barbara doesn¡¯t fail to notice them getting increasingly erratic. She can tell that he¡¯s getting closer and closer. His pelvis grinds against her clit with each deep, powerful plunge, sending bolts of lightning through her body in the process.


    Making eye contact as she shudders her way through yet another orgasm, Barbara wets her lips with her tongue.


    ¡°No¡­ kids. Yeah?¡±


    Lucien nods and she chooses to trust him. Leaving her knocked up wouldn¡¯t exactly be in his best interest either, after all. Wrapping her legs around his waist tightly, she groans and loses herself in the pleasure once more. He fucks her and fucks her, until suddenly¡­ he hilts himself fully inside of her and stills. His cock twitches and pulses for a moment until Barbara finally feels it.


    The first hot spurt of his release paints her insides and despite Barbara knowing it was coming¡­ it triggers the most explosive orgasm yet. Her vision whites out for a moment and she comes undone with a wordless open-mouthed scream. Her body convulses violently against Lucien¡¯s and the two of them cling to each other desperately as they ride out their shared peak. Barbara¡¯s heart pounds powerfully in her ear even after it¡¯s done too.


    Though, even once Lucien is done cumming inside of her, she¡¯s still shaking and shuddering, her legs spasming and her toes curling for a moment longer. Until finally, she goes limp against his chest, breathing heavily and slowly sucking in deep lungfuls of chest as her heart stops pounding quite so harshly.


    CLAP! CLAP!


    ¡°Eep!¡±


    Only to let out a rather undignified squeak, her heart racing all over again when Lucien suddenly brings his hands down on the underside of both her thighs, squeezing the incredibly sensitive flesh meaningfully. When Barbara gives him a scandalized, put-upon look, Lucien just grins wickedly.


    ¡°Sorry. Just checking to make sure you could still feel them.¡±


    It takes a second for her to process the joke. It takes her another second to get over the audacity of this man. But after that¡­ she laughs. How can she not? Sure, if she was anyone with a weaker mind, she might have been horribly offended by such a thing. But Barbara had long since learned to joke about her disability, and that was before it was completely cured out from under her.


    Stretching her legs, curling her toes, she gives Lucien a rueful if tired smile. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°They¡¯re fine. Might be a little bit wobbly once you let me down off the table though.¡±


    Lucien hums and tilts his head to the side. Suddenly, Barbara feels something surge through her and it¡¯s not his cock, which is both still hard and still buried in her cunt. No¡­ it¡¯s energy of a sort. All of a sudden, she feels refreshed. Completely and totally refreshed. The sweat on her brow and the sticky sensation inside of her is the only signs left that she¡¯d just had hardcore sex on her dining table with a man she was supposed to be investigating.


    ¡°Well¡­ no need to let you down unless we¡¯re completely done, right? We could always continue this¡­ in the bedroom.¡±


    Abruptly, Lucien lifts her up off the table. Barbara yelps, but clings to him instinctively all the same. Her arms wrap around his neck, her legs wrap around his waist and she holds herself to him even as she considers his words. He pauses for a moment, clearly giving her a chance to say no¡­ but in the end, she just nods and buries her face in the crook of his neck. In for a penny¡­ in for a pounding. That was the way the saying went, right?


    Grunting, Lucien turns and begins walking them to her bed. Bouncing her on his cock every step of the way and making her squeak, mewl, and moan all the while. G-God she was starting to feel like she was in over her head here¡­


    -x-X-x-


    Hours later, Barbara knows she¡¯s in over her head. Laying on her back staring up at the ceiling with Lucien laid out beside her, the red head bites her lower lip. She feels amazing to be fair¡­ but damn if tonight hadn¡¯t gone thoroughly off the rails. The plan had been to coax some confessions out of Lucien through dinner and a movie. Home cooked Italian, plus a cheesy romance in her living room.


    Maybe, just maybe, things might have progressed in a sexual fashion thanks to the romance movie. But really, the point of all of this was to get Lucien to let his defenses down. Instead, Barbara was the one who¡¯d had her defenses blown wide open. What was she supposed to do now? Sure, Pillow Talk was a thing¡­ but was Lucien even remotely vulnerable to her line of questioning? Or was she just setting herself up for humiliation?


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Stick with the game plan, try to tease the information out of him subtly - 7%[X] Be blunter about things, treat him like an ally, not a suspect - 83%


    [ ] Abort her plans of questioning him and just enjoy the moment for what it is - 11%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 59: Pillow Talk

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Barbara and Lucien engage in some pillow talk.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°¡­ We know about the call you made to Mercy Graves after your talk with Batman.¡±


    Lucien blinks and looks over to see Barbara Gordon studiously staring up at the ceiling and not making eye contact even as she drops that bombshell in his lap. Then, as if realizing how such a thing might come across, she glances at him and bites her lower lip.


    ¡°I meant what I said earlier, Lucien. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a bad guy. In fact, I like to think you¡¯re a good man on some level. You¡¯re just¡­ trying to make your way in the world. I¡¯d rather view you as an ally rather than a suspect or an adversary.¡±


    Oh. Wow. Honestly, Lucien knows they probably shouldn¡¯t have slept together. He¡¯d kind of had a feeling this whole dinner was designed to extract more information out of him. A honey pot, though a rather blatant and obvious one. And now Barbara wasn¡¯t even trying to pretend anymore.


    Still, he could kind of respect her blunt admissions. Even if he found himself struggling with how exactly to respond to it. But then¡­ as it turns out, she¡¯s not quite done yet.


    Blowing out an explosive breath, Barbara looks back at the ceiling.


    ¡°I¡¯m not just the Police Commissioner¡¯s daughter, or someone who works with Batman to be clear. I¡¯m also¡­ Oracle.¡±


    There¡¯s a pregnant pause at that which quickly becomes a little awkward. Mostly because¡­ Lucien won¡¯t lie, he doesn¡¯t know who that is. Barbara finally looks at him again, clearly sensing his confusion. Her brow furrows and her lips drop into a bit of a pout in response to his baffled expression.


    ¡°The information networker? I help out all of the different do-gooders here in Gotham! I also help coordinate the Justice League during planet-level events like alien invasions!¡±


    Lucien gives Barbara his most reassuring smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re integral to their efforts?¡±


    And he means it too. But that only seems to make Barbara deflate a bit more as she groans.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ what am I saying? Of course you wouldn¡¯t know who Oracle is. You¡¯re neither a hero nor a villain. I don¡¯t know why I thought name dropping myself like that would be some big reveal. Look, I just want you to know I trust you. And I want you to feel like you can trust me as well. Because you can.¡±


    He could appreciate that sentiment. Really, he could. It was just¡­ difficult to accept her overture of friendship (or was it allyship?) when it came with one great big glaring caveat.


    ¡°Your loyalty to Batman will always take priority though, won¡¯t it?¡±


    Barbara frowns at that, as he¡¯d suspected she would.


    ¡°¡­ In most cases, yes. But that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean anything bad for you. Batman has already mostly cleared you¡­ he even let you stay in Gotham City. You realize that he kicks out most metahumans from out of town as soon as he possibly can, right?¡±


    Lucien tilts his head to the side at that. He thought he vaguely recalled something like that, yeah. Rolling over, Barbara lays her hand on his chest and looks him in the eyes as she presses her naked body against his side.


    ¡°If a metahuman isn¡¯t effectively ¡®born¡¯ here like say, Poison Ivy¡­ then they don¡¯t last long. Batman makes sure of that. And he especially doesn¡¯t allow metahumans with heroic inclinations stick around for long either. You¡¯re the exception Lucien. That must mean he sees something worthy in you. He¡¯s not your enemy. You¡¯re certainly not his.¡±


    On the one hand, that actually did go a long way towards setting Lucien at ease. On the other hand¡­ now his curiosity was piqued.


    ¡°Why DOESN¡¯T Batman allow heroically inclined metahumans to set up shop in Gotham? Hell, if he just let someone like Superman or Wonder Woman do a sweep of the city once every month or so, the whole place would probably be better off, right?¡±


    Barbara pauses and grimaces at that. She looks off to the side for a moment before letting out a long, drawn out sigh.


    ¡°It just¡­ doesn¡¯t work out. I¡¯ve asked myself that same question more than once, you know. And I¡¯ve even asked Batman too. He tells me it¡¯s about escalation. If someone like Superman comes to Gotham, then the bad guys have to get worse. They have to get stronger, better, more powerful. It¡¯s like a nuclear arms race and when one of those happens, its always the little guys who lose out.¡±


    Shrugging, Barbara looks more upset about it then Lucien is, truth be told.


    ¡°Superman and Wonder Woman respect Batman too much to go against his desires. And to be fair, groups like Batman and his sidekicks, or the Birds of Prey do a fine job of cleaning up Gotham anyways.¡±


    Lucien almost doesn¡¯t say anything. But¡­ he can¡¯t help it.


    ¡°Do they?¡±


    Barbara shoots him a look, but at this point he¡¯s in too deep to back out anyways.


    ¡°Do they really do a fine job? Look, I¡¯m not going to say they aren¡¯t doing their best. I¡¯m sure they absolutely are. But¡­ I¡¯ve only been in Gotham for a couple of weeks now and even I can tell you that it¡¯s not doing well. Is this really ¡®cleaned up¡¯? Is this really the best it¡¯s going to get? Or are the people like you who are trying to help this city barely hanging on by the tips of your damn fingernails?¡±


    Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s showing he¡¯s upset on her behalf, but in the end, Barbara deflates after a moment rather than getting outraged or offended. With another long sigh, she lays her head down on his chest and just¡­ rests quietly for a time. Lucien, recognizing that she needs a moment, stays quiet as well and waits for her to speak again.


    When she finally does, she doesn¡¯t lift her head. Her voice is little more than a low murmur, though thanks to his enhanced hearing, Lucien can make out her words clearly all the same.


    ¡°¡­ Sometimes it feels like it. Sometimes it feels like nothing can ever go right, and all we can do is perform triage on an already poor situation. It¡¯s like trying to put a band-aid on a gaping bullet wound¡­ with the bullet still inside. I don¡¯t know if bringing in stronger heroes would make things better though. I know Batman doesn¡¯t think so. And¡­ my own research shows he might just be right. Letting someone like Superman or Wonder Woman spend too much time in Gotham might wind up causing far more harm than good.¡±


    What, because of the nuclear arms race thing? Lucien isn¡¯t sure he buys that. Except¡­ Barbara lifts her head and makes it clear that¡¯s not what she¡¯s talking about.


    ¡°There¡¯s a darkness here in Gotham, Lucien. I¡¯ve researched the city¡¯s history, baffled to find that it¡¯s always been a hellhole somehow persisting in spite of how terrible it is to live here. I think¡­ I think Gotham City might be alive in some way. I think it revels in its own darkness too.¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Barbara grimaces, looking like she¡¯s embarrassed by this theory. But when Lucien doesn¡¯t laugh and call her an idiot for such a thing, she continues on all the same.


    ¡°Magic is real. Hell and Heaven are real. We know this for a fact at this point. Gotham¡­ Gotham might just be the closest thing to Hell on Earth. And I think, personally, if someone like Superman tried to make it a better place against it¡¯s will, Gotham would retaliate. It would lash out. Whether that¡¯s in the form of Joker coming up with Kryptonite Laughing Gas or something else¡­ I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth the risk.¡±


    Lucien hums, giving Barbara¡¯s words the consideration they deserve. If she¡¯s right¡­ then the policy makes sense. And he doesn¡¯t bother asking her why people like Batman are allowed to operate in Gotham under this ¡®Sentient City¡¯ theory. Because it¡¯s obvious, isn¡¯t it? Batman doesn¡¯t try to bring Gotham into the Light. He doesn¡¯t try to do away with the Darkness. Instead, he embraces the Darkness as Gotham¡¯s Caped Crusader. He becomes one with it.


    It also fits rather neatly in with Lucien too and has him thinking about his connection to Death. Perhaps that¡¯s why Batman doesn¡¯t see a need to get Lucien out of his city. If Gotham is sentient and likes Batman, maybe they¡¯re connected on some level that not even Batman realizes exists. And maybe¡­ Lucien is ¡®acceptable¡¯ because of whatever his own connection to Death means.


    It''s funny¡­ it hasn¡¯t been that long since he and Death last spoke. Not really. And yet, it feels like an eternity. Lucien is reminded of the old saying ¡°there¡¯s years when nothing seems to happen and weeks when an entire lifetime seems to happen¡±. That¡¯s how it feels like things have been since he and Blackfire came to Gotham.


    Letting out a sigh of his own, Lucien looks back up at the ceiling for a moment before finally biting the bullet.


    ¡°¡­ I did call Mercy after Batman and I talked, yes. I had to warn her that our worries about my father¡¯s clone went beyond just whether he would notice what I was up to or not. I don¡¯t think my father, the real one anyways¡­ I don¡¯t think he would ever turn on Mercy. And she would never turn on him either, not even for my sake. But a clone of him that didn¡¯t act like him might be capable of anything. I needed her to know that so she wasn¡¯t caught off guard or stabbed in the back thinking she could trust him.¡±


    There. That was the truth. Lucien supposed he should have known better than to think he could slip one past Batman. But whatever. He hadn¡¯t really done anything wrong and Barbara herself had said she trusted him.


    ¡°¡­ Thank you for telling me, Lucien. You really care about Mercy, don¡¯t you? Do the two of you have a very strong connection?¡±


    Lucien pauses at that, turning over the question in his head for a long while. Did they? Eh¡­ he wasn¡¯t sure the answer was ¡®yes¡¯, truth be told. If not for Death, Mercy would have been the woman who took his virginity. She technically was the first human woman he¡¯d slept with. Not to mention, he¡¯d developed something of a rapport with her over the years. Back when he¡¯d been sickly, Mercy was pretty much the only one who ever had a smile for him. Not even his own father had ever seen him in a positive light.


    And yet¡­ Lucien wasn¡¯t so childish or na?ve as to think that meant Mercy liked him or loved him or anything like that. Except now that he¡¯s thinking about it, he does realize¡­ he kind of imprinted on her. Like an abandoned baby duckling, he¡¯d taken to Mercy¡¯s rare showings of positive reinforcement quite swiftly. Like a parched man finding an oasis in the middle of the desert.


    It was why he felt obligated to warn her. And to be fair, Mercy had gone out of her way to help him more than once. Not in a way that went directly against Lex of course but knowing that his father had been replaced by a clone had allowed Mercy to divorce the things she¡¯d done for Lucien from disloyalty to Lex in her mind.


    He cared about Mercy and he thought she cared about him too. But did they have a strong connection? In the end, Lucien has to shake his head and let out a rueful laugh.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated.¡±


    And funnily enough, he can tell Barbara gets it. She doesn¡¯t ask him to elaborate either, which Lucien is honestly grateful for. Instead, she continues to rest her head on his chest, trailing her fingers along his abs.


    ¡°Stay the night?¡±


    Lucien blinks, because he honestly hadn¡¯t expected her to offer despite what they¡¯d just got done doing. And yet¡­


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Mm, alright. Sleep well, Lucien. Heh¡­ I¡¯m going to be so sore come morning.¡±


    A smile comes to his face then, even as Barbara slowly drifts off right there half draped over him. That, more than anything, reveals to him how much she trusts him. She feels safe with him and Lucien¡­ Lucien can¡¯t help but feel like he wants to earn that sense of trust and safety. He wants to prove her right about him.


    Maybe that¡¯s all part of the scheme, but he can¡¯t really bring himself to worry about it for overly long. Besides¡­ he has another engagement to get to anyways. One that doesn¡¯t require him to really do much moving for, thankfully.


    Closing his own eyes, Lucien reaches out even as he wills himself to sleep there in Barbara Gordon¡¯s head. He reaches out somewhat blindly¡­ but when he does, there¡¯s a hand there waiting for him to clasp onto, pulling him¡­ elsewhere.


    When Lucien opens his eyes again, he¡¯s back in the Dream World with Death of the Endless standing there, her hand in his. She smiles at him coyly as their fingers intertwine together.


    ¡°Long time no see, Lucien~¡±


    It really hasn¡¯t been that long at all, but as they begin to walk through the beautiful meadow, taking a stroll through the forest, Lucien finds himself gratified that it felt like a long time for Death too. After all, time must feel very different for her than it does for him. And yet¡­ they¡¯d both missed each other, hadn¡¯t they?


    ¡°Have you been keeping an eye on me?¡±


    Death hums and then nods.


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve been quite the busy bee since fixing things in Jump City and coming to Gotham. And I¡¯m sorry, but it was rather amusing watching you try to lay low, only for nobody to let that happen.¡±


    Lucien huffs good naturedly at that. He¡¯s not going to be offended that Death got a couple laughs off at his expense. It WAS rather funny, wasn¡¯t it? Still¡­


    ¡°Is there any truth to Barbara Gordon¡¯s theory? That Gotham itself is sentient and revels in its own state of perpetual darkness and tragedy?¡±


    The Endless pauses at that and looks at him, her own eyes becoming somewhat shadowed.


    ¡°Starting off with the big questions, are we?¡±


    Lucien offers an apologetic smile but shrugs, not taking the question back. Finally, Death nods.


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s right. Gotham is its own entity. Batman is smart to keep the other members of the Justice League away from Gotham as much as possible. He dwells in the shadows as Gotham¡¯s favored son, so he gets a free pass with all of his antics. But if someone like Superman tried to set up shop in Gotham for even a week, things would almost certainly go poorly. Even worse for a heroine such as Wonder Woman.¡±


    Worse? In what- oh. Lucien grimaces at what Death is implying.


    ¡°But did you really reach out to talk to me about Gotham, Lucien? Or did you reach out for something else?¡±


    Lucien blinks at Death¡¯s intrigued tone. He gets the impression that there¡¯s nothing behind the question except for simple curiosity. She¡¯s not expecting him to bed her again unless he wants to. Obviously, he does want to. He¡¯s just¡­ not sure he has anything more to show for it than he did on his last attempt¡­


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [X] Actually, he just wants to talk for once - 91%


    [ ] He supposes he should at least put forward an effort - 9%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 60: To Walk With Death

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien and Death talk things out~


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°Actually¡­ let¡¯s just talk for a while, if that¡¯s alright.¡±


    He can tell he actually manages to surprise Death for one. She raises an eyebrow at him, radiating amusement as she tilts her head to the side.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    There¡¯s a lot of question in that single syllable. Flushing, Lucien figures they should probably start there, shouldn¡¯t they?


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve made no real secret of my ultimate goal, to give you the same pleasure you¡¯ve given me and return the favor by bringing you to the heights of ecstasy.¡±


    Death hums, her eyes glittering as they continue to walk along the forest path there in the Dream World together.


    ¡°But I¡¯ve come to realize I was looking at it from a place of selfishness. I wanted to make you cum, not out of purely altruistic reasons, but because some part of me wanted to conquer you. To make you mine and lay claim to you.¡±


    They¡¯re already holding hands, their fingers intertwined as they walk. Death squeezes down as if to remind him of that fact, even as she smiles at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m already yours, Lucien. Just as you are mine. Nothing and no one can change that.¡±


    Yes. They were bound together by something beyond even Death herself. Bound together beyond time too, for that measure.


    ¡°And yet¡­ the relationship is lopsided, isn¡¯t it? And maybe, deep down inside, I sought to unbalance it in the opposite direction, to make it lopsided in my favor even without knowing those were my true intentions. I realize now how foolish that was. It¡¯s not all about power. Something you knew full well, but were waiting for me to figure out as well, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    Death¡¯s smile grows at that, even as she tilts her head in the other direction.


    ¡°Well¡­ it is in the name, darling. As special as you are, as great as your potential is¡­ overcoming me through sheer power was always going to be a tall order. They don¡¯t call us Endless for nothing.¡±


    Yeah. That was a fair point. Death of the Endless was so far beyond him it wasn¡¯t even funny. But then¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s why I went to Gotham in the first place. I felt split between two paths. I could have gone to Metropolis and sought out more power there through Kryptonian DNA, but I didn¡¯t think power was the answer anymore. I didn¡¯t just go to Gotham to try and lay low and avoid my father. I thought maybe Gotham might hold the answers I sought to how to truly get closer to you.¡±


    Death hums even as she gazes at him knowingly.


    ¡°And did it?¡±


    Huffing in response, Lucien looks up at the sky for a moment before replying.


    ¡°No. Maybe? Not yet. But then, that¡¯s kind of the point isn¡¯t it? No matter my methodology, no matter my perspective, one thing remains the same either way, doesn¡¯t it? I¡¯m impatient. I want things to happen on my timetable rather than anyone else¡¯s.¡±


    Lying low in Gotham was never meant to be forever. In fact, it was always supposed to be rather¡­ temporary, wasn¡¯t it? Lucien certainly hadn¡¯t intended to spend years in the city or anything like that. Months at most, maybe. But then¡­ why did he think spending a handful of months in Gotham might give him the answer to how to bring pleasure to a literally Endless being who had been around since the dawn of time?


    Lucien was finally starting to accept the reality of the situation. Things with Death were never going to be fast or easy. Theirs was a relationship that was bound to last for eons, all things considered. Intellectually, he¡¯d known that before he was pretty sure. But emotionally, he''d refused to accept it. Deep down inside, he''d always thought he could just get away with rushing things to the finish line.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure those traits come from my father. The impatience, the recklessness, the impetuousness. I want it to be my way just like he does. I want the world to bend to my whims, just like he makes it bend to his.¡±


    It irritates him that he has so much of Lex Luthor in him. The man had barely been there for him in his first life. Once a year on his birthday, Lex would show up to be disappointed in him once again¡­ and that was it. But it had taken Lucien a long time to realize that he hated his father. That he despised him almost as much as Lex clearly held contempt for Lucien¡¯s weakness in turn.


    Before figuring out his true feelings for Lex, Lucien had spent years and years obsessing over the other man. Not just obsessing over his opinion of Lucien, but also over everything else he did as well. Cooped up inside due to his sickness as he was, it wasn¡¯t as though Lucien had anything better to do besides keep up with the news and everything happening in the world around him. In the end, he¡¯d fixated on Lex Luthor and his activities. His accomplishments, his actions, his everything.


    Despite Lex being very much an absentee father by every metric and definition of the term, it wasn¡¯t inaccurate to say that he was still the most influential man in Lucien¡¯s life by a large measure. So really, it was no wonder that a lot of his worst habits had rubbed off on Lucien over time.


    ¡°¡­ But I can¡¯t keep blaming him for my mistakes. I can¡¯t keep acting like he¡¯s the reason I make the decisions I make. In the end, I am my own man¡­ I have to be, if I ever want to prove myself worthy of you and your love.¡±


    At that, Death finally comes to a stop. Lucien halts too given that they¡¯re still holding hands and gives her a curious look. The snow-white beauty lets out a sigh and shakes her head as she brings her free hand up to his cheek, caressing his face.


    ¡°You already are worthy of me, Lucien. You already have my love. Unquestionably so. Unconditionally so.¡±


    He knew that, and yet¡­


    ¡°I still want to stand equal with you one day, D. I don¡¯t want to conquer you or unbalance the scales in my favor anymore¡­ but I also don¡¯t want to exist in your shadow for the rest of eternity. It won¡¯t be tomorrow. It won¡¯t be a year from now¡­ but at some point down the line, I want us to stand shoulder to shoulder.¡±


    Death hums.


    ¡°You¡¯d have to become Endless yourself, Lucien. It¡¯s not exactly something that¡¯s¡­ done.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And yet, she wasn¡¯t saying it was impossible. Nor did she sound disapproving of his plans either. Lucien smiles and brings his own free hand up to caress Death¡¯s face in return.


    ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll just have to work on it then. And accept any help you can give me along the way.¡±


    He knows he¡¯s said the right thing when Death looks pleased by that last sentence. Indeed, Lucien hadn¡¯t really accepted much of any aid from Death as of yet, aside from the assistance she¡¯d all but foisted upon him when it came to explaining his strange existence and his ability to travel back to personal points on his timeline upon each death.


    He hadn¡¯t once asked her for help, and he knew better than to do so when it came to most things. No, Death of the Endless was not the kind of being you asked for assistance on mundane tasks. However, him becoming Endless himself¡­ well, that was going to be a tall order with or without her help.


    ¡°My siblings might not like the idea. They might try to stand in your way once they find out. And they will find out, eventually. Still¡­ you have me, now and forever.¡±


    Lucien¡¯s heart swells at her assurance. Of course¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m still going to make you cum at some point.¡±


    Death¡¯s eyebrows rise in amusement, but Lucien just grins cheekily.


    ¡°A man has his pride, D. Besides that though, it¡¯s a travesty that you¡¯ve never experienced an orgasm before. Seems only right that I be the one to take you there.¡±


    Now, the pale white woman¡¯s eyes narrow.


    ¡°¡­ Was that a Madonna reference, Lucien?¡±


    His grin grows as he leans in close with a teasing tone to his voice.


    ¡°Maybe. Should I get down on my knees?¡±


    Death huffs and smacks his chest. Lucien laughs. It¡¯s tempting, but he¡¯s already decided not to turn this into a sexual escapade. And yet¡­ by setting aside the potential of sex between them, teasing Death becomes so much more fun, doesn¡¯t it? Just some simple flirtation that will go nowhere. It has her cheeks warming a little bit, and Lucien¡¯s heart pounding.


    Still¡­ he turns the conversation aside, before they can be tempted into fucking after all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk a bit more about Gotham though. So¡­ sapient evil city filled with darkness and evil?¡±


    Giving him a deadpan look, Death rolls her eyes.


    ¡°You used evil twice.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Gotham deserves to be called evil twice over.¡±


    ¡°It really doesn¡¯t. Good¡­ Evil¡­ those things are quite relative. Gotham isn¡¯t evil. If it was, it wouldn¡¯t allow Batman and his proteges to operate within its confines like they do. It certainly wouldn¡¯t allow him and his apprentices to win quite as much as they do. Gotham loves Batman¡­ would an evil entity truly love a hero that much?¡±


    Lucien doesn¡¯t even have to think about it. He has an immediate rejoinder to that.


    ¡°The Joker.¡±


    Death huffs because they both know Lucien is right. Hell, he hadn¡¯t even ever met the Joker in the flesh (thank fuck) but he¡¯d seen enough video of the mad man to know that the Joker was obsessed with Batman. Fuck, the clown had said it himself a few times on video, happily professing how much he and the Batman were two sides of the same coin and what not.


    ¡°Touche. Still, Gotham is not evil. It is Dark with a capital D. There¡¯s a difference. ¡®Evil¡¯ people can use that darkness to make a home for themselves, certainly¡­ but as Batman and the others have proven, so can ostensibly ¡®good¡¯ people as well. All things considered, the heroes and villains of Gotham are more evenly matched than they have any right to be.¡±


    Lucien raises an eyebrow at that.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Nodding, Death hums.


    ¡°Gotham¡­ is home to at least a dozen curses at this point, each one set deep into the land¡¯s foundations over the centuries. There are demons that have been sealed beneath it. There¡¯s even a Dark God or two lurking down there. All of these things have influenced it, pushing it down the path its been on since before the city was even founded.¡±


    Death tilts her head to the side.


    ¡°And yet¡­ there have been just as many do-gooders to influence it as well. Those demons had to be sealed away by someone, after all. And there have always been strong-willed people to fight the effects of the numerous curses. In the modern day, Batman and his proteges have had their own influence. Along with more heroically minded people like the Birds of Prey and what not.¡±


    Slowly nodding, Lucien contemplates what Death has told him before suddenly another question comes to mind.


    ¡°¡­ What about me? What does Gotham think of me? Do you think Gotham is the reason that Batman is so okay with me staying in the city?¡±


    Here, Death actually pauses and goes quiet. And when Lucien looks at her¡­ he sees a surprising nervousness there suddenly. The Endless is even¡­ fidgeting of all things!¡±


    ¡°D?¡±


    ¡°I may have made arrangements with Gotham before your arrival. We have a connection of sorts. There¡¯s a lot of darkness in death after all, and there¡¯s been a LOT of death in Gotham over the centuries. We¡¯ve developed something of a¡­ rapport, she and I.¡±


    Wait¡­ she? Lucien blinks, even as he finds himself catching upon that last part. Had Death just slipped up? Until now, she¡¯d referred to Gotham purely as an ¡®it¡¯. Now though¡­ well, he couldn¡¯t let the slip up slide.


    ¡°She?¡±


    Death freezes for a split second before huffing and averting her gaze.


    ¡°I did say Batman was her favored son, didn¡¯t I? Tell me, does Gotham give off fatherly vibes to you?¡±


    Huh, now that Lucien thinks about it¡­ not really. No, despite everything, Gotham doesn¡¯t give off that vibe at all. Instead, it¡¯s far more like a possessive woman, grasping on and dragging everyone in, desperate not to let anyone go.


    ¡°¡­ Could you arrange a meeting between her and I, do you think?¡±


    He¡¯s definitely treading uncharted territory here, because each of his last few questions has made Death go still in some way, shape, or form. Again, she eventually answers him, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully.


    ¡°What for, exactly?¡±


    Honestly, Lucien himself isn¡¯t entirely sure. The idea is still fully crystallizing in his head. They both fall silent for a moment as Lucien thinks things over. Finally though, he nods decisively.


    ¡°I want to see if I can persuade her to maybe lighten up just a little bit.¡±


    Death opens her mouth to respond to that, her face the picture perfect definition of incredulous. Before she can, Lucien cuts her off with a raised hand.


    ¡°Nope, I know. I heard it as soon as I said it. Still, maybe I can get her to focus a bit more on backing up Batman and his kind over the baddies that they face on the weekly. Hell, from the sound of things, Arkham Asylum is probably a leaking sieve at least partially because of her. Even if I could talk her into battening down the hatches and tightening up that place so it wasn¡¯t quite such a revolving door situation, that would be good enough.¡±


    For several long seconds, Death is quiet as she considers his request. Then, a smirk spreads across her face. Some sort of hidden amusement, an inside joke he¡¯s clearly not privy to as her eyes twinkle.


    ¡°I could certainly arrange such a meeting for you, Lucien. There¡¯s just one thing I need to know.¡±


    Lucien raises an eyebrow.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Leaning in close, Death is positively purring as she grins at him wickedly.


    ¡°Do you want to go alone, or would you like me to come with you?¡±


    That¡­ Lucien opens his mouth and then closes it again as he ponders that question. What a dilemma. On the one hand, part of him rebels at the idea of having to have Death hold his hand through anything. On the other hand, she was certainly damn good backup.


    Hm¡­


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Speak with Lady Gotham alone - 20%


    [X] Bring Death along with him - 80%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 61: Lady Gotham

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien and Death go to visit Gotham. For a visual of what Lady Gotham looks like, it''s basically Marvel''s Death but from the 2013 Deadpool game lol.


    -x-X-x-


    ¡°Come with me, please.¡±


    It takes him only a moment more to decide, really. Sure, Lucien wanted to prove he could stand on his own two feet¡­ but that was no reason to be an idiot about things. The personification of Gotham wasn¡¯t something that he could handle on his own if she decided to get¡­ testy. Lucien is reminded of his experience with Trigon, and the near-miss THAT had been. He wasn¡¯t invincible, for all that he was technically immortal. No need to be stupid.


    He can also tell that his decision pleases Death. Her eyes light up and she even smiles as she chuckles throatily.


    ¡°Oh? How fun~¡±


    Lucien isn¡¯t entirely sure what the Endless means by that. Nor does he get the chance to ask her. The next moment, Death snaps her fingers and the beautiful sunny forest dream they¡¯re in changes into a nightmarish version of the same woods. Darkness blankets the area where moments before there had been sunlight. The trees are suddenly sans leaves and all look much more crooked and frightening than before. The soft grass that blanketed the ground is replaced by desolate dark earth.


    All in all, not the sort of place your average person would want to be caught out in¡­ but Death isn¡¯t remotely perturbed by the change in scenery, so Lucien steels himself. And when she offers him her hand again, he readily takes it in his own.


    ¡°Shall we?¡±


    ¡°¡­ We shall.¡±


    They walk for a time together through those dark and terrible woods. Until finally they reach what must be their destination¡­ a large wrought iron gate, all in black with spikes at the top. On either side of the gate are tall, metal walls with barbed wire lining them. And beyond the gate¡­ well, Lucien has never been there himself, but he¡¯d have to have been living under a rock even more than he already was in his first place not to recognize Arkham Asylum.


    When he raises an eyebrow at Death, she just grins and shrugs.


    ¡°If I had to guess¡­ it¡¯s because it¡¯s where most of her favorite people spend their time. Heroes and Villains alike.¡±


    ¡­ Yeah, that made a terrifying amount of sense. Together, they approach the gate¡­ and it swings open for them without issue and without complaint. Not even a creak, just complete silence. On the one hand, that felt off-theme. On the other hand, the silence was almost more unnerving than stereotypical creaking would have been.


    Advancing up the path, they eventually reach the front doors of the massive building that houses Gotham¡¯s worst crazies. Again, the doors open without a sound, allowing them entrance as they approach.


    The inside of the great big building has Lucien jerking his head, however. It doesn¡¯t look anything like he would have expected an Asylum to look. Instead, it¡¯s¡­ well, beautiful to put it lightly. Ostentatiously appointed, expensively decorated¡­ outside, the place looks like Arkham Asylum. Inside, it looks like some rich man¡¯s mansion.


    ¡°You would recognize the interior if you¡¯d chosen to accept the invitation to the Wayne Gala all those months ago.¡±


    Lucien blinks owlishly at that, looking at their surroundings in a new light.


    ¡°This is Bruce Wayne¡¯s mansion?¡±


    Death just giggles, like she knows something he doesn¡¯t.


    ¡°Gotham loves Bruce Wayne just as much as she loves Batman. He¡¯s the prodigal son who left and then came back.¡±


    That¡­ made sense, yes. Just because Bruce Wayne was a billionaire didn¡¯t mean he was any less part of Gotham. In fact, he was an integral part of Gotham, wasn¡¯t he? Even beyond just his financial support of Batman and his proteges, Bruce Wayne and Wayne Enterprises were a cornerstone of Gotham City all in their own right.


    ¡°Come. She¡¯s waiting for us in the parlor.¡±


    Lucien swallows but allows Death to gently tug him along all the same. ¡®Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly¡¯ rings through his head, but¡­ let¡¯s be honest, if Lucien is the fly and Lady Gotham is the spider, then Death is the spider¡¯s natural predator. A bird? A lizard? Err¡­ right, it didn¡¯t matter.


    They finally arrive at the parlor and step inside, and any thoughts about what Death would be in that metaphor vanish from Lucien¡¯s mind as he meets the eyes of Lady Gotham for the first time and stops.


    ¡°Hello, Lucien Luthor.¡±


    Barbara Gordon¡¯s face stares back at him, though the red head is lounging in an incredibly uncharacteristic way, with a grin on her face that he¡¯s never seen before. Lucien might not know the real Barbara very well yet, but he still gets a sense of wrongness staring at THIS Barbara. But then, this isn¡¯t Barbara at all, now is it?


    Steeling himself, straightening his spine, Lucien nods respectfully.


    ¡°Well met, Lady Gotham. Thank you for agreeing to this meeting.¡±


    Abruptly rising from the lounge chair, the personification of Gotham abruptly transforms from Barbara Gordon into Harley Quinn.


    ¡°Well¡­ I couldn¡¯t very well miss out on this chance to meet such an interesting little gnat!¡±


    And then into Poison Ivy.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been having fun, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    And then she cycles through a dozen more women in just as many seconds. Lucien recognizes some of them. Catwoman, for instance¡­ Black Canary and Huntress as well. There¡¯s more than one version of Batgirl too. Some, he doesn¡¯t know whatsoever. Some might be secret identities he¡¯s not privy to. Some-


    ¡°Gotham.¡±


    Death¡¯s voice abruptly cuts in and Lucien realizes his mind had begun to get overwhelmed from the rapid shifting. Not just the shifting, but something else¡­ there was some other component to it that had been getting under his skin there for a second. But at Death¡¯s tone, Gotham goes still¡­ and transforms one last time into what very well might be her natural form. Either that, or she¡¯s pulling someone from somewhere he doesn¡¯t recognize whatsoever.


    Lady Gotham¡¯s final appearance is that of a beautiful woman in a black cloak and black dress. The dress dips deep in the front, giving an ample showing of her cleavage barely covered by crisscrossing black laces. Meanwhile, Gotham herself is pupil-less and pale¡­ though not as pale as Death of the Endless. Her face, meanwhile, is done up in tattoos that make her visage look almost skull-like, with the tattoos flowing down her neck and across her upper chest, shoulders, and halfway down her arms.


    She looks almost like a Grim Reaper. If Lucien wasn¡¯t already intimately familiar with Death of the Endless, he might have mistaken Gotham for a version of her. The look¡­ suits her, if he¡¯s being honest.


    Smiling at him, Gotham tilts her head to the side and rolls her shoulders.


    ¡°Is this acceptable, Death?¡±


    From his side, Death hums for a moment before nodding.


    ¡°It is.¡±


    Crossing her arms under her ample bosom, Lady Gotham looks at him with those pupil-less all white eyes of hers.


    ¡°Lucien Luthor. Come to parlay, have you?¡±


    Lucien¡¯s jaw clenches for a moment. He¡¯s not sure why he¡¯s surprised she already knows his purpose here, but he¡¯s caught off guard a little bit all the same. Still, nothing for it is there?


    ¡°I suppose I have. I know I haven¡¯t stayed within your city for long but-!¡±


    ¡°No. Not my city. Me. You¡¯ve been staying¡­ in me~¡±


    That causes him to blink as Gotham all but purrs at what is so blatantly sexual innuendo that it almost doesn¡¯t even feel like innuendo really. Gotham giggles at his reaction.


    ¡°No need to sugar-coat it, hon. I¡¯ve had a lot of men inside of me. Women too. You¡¯re just one more notch on the bed post. But do go on. Tell me why I should change my ways just because you feel a mite bad for those in my care.¡±


    ¡­ He¡¯s really glad that he brought Death with him at this point. Because if this is how the conversation is going with Death of the Endless at his side, he¡¯s not sure how things would have gone with him by himself. Still, he¡¯s come this far. He has to try, right? The only question is, what sort of tack should he take? He contemplates that for a long moment before coming up with something he hopes will work.


    ¡°You¡¯re running them ragged, Lady Gotham.¡±


    Those all-white eyes blink at him as he spreads his hands wide.


    ¡°I don¡¯t disbelieve that you love Batman and the others. I know enough now to know they wouldn¡¯t still be alive if you didn¡¯t love them all.¡±


    Gotham is quiet as those words hang in the air.


    ¡°¡­ But it¡¯s not enough. They¡¯re only human and they¡¯re going to wear out sooner rather than later at this rate. How long until Batman dies? Maybe someone takes his place. Maybe they don¡¯t. But he¡¯ll still be gone. Forever.¡±


    Staring at him, Gotham remains silent. Is Lucien on the right track? He can only hope he is.


    ¡°I get that Gotham isn¡¯t a nice place¡­ that YOU aren¡¯t a nice entity. Dark doesn¡¯t even truly begin to cover it. But does it all have to be quite so¡­ tragic?¡±


    Finally, Gotham makes a noise. It¡¯s a scoff followed by a bark of laughter. He¡¯s amused her, apparently. Lucien isn¡¯t sure if that¡¯s a good or a bad thing, in the end.


    ¡°I let you heal Barbara Gordon, did I not?¡±


    Let him. He doesn¡¯t like the sound of that. Then again, Lucien had wondered¡­ sure, healing was rare, but ever since Barbara had told him about the Oracle thing, he¡¯d been wondering in the back of his mind why she was confined to a wheelchair for so long. The Justice League had access to the best medicine and healers in the world, after all.


    It makes his jaw clench, hearing that Gotham had literally kept Barbara in that wheelchair in the same way it pushed Batman to keep heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman from helping him clean up the city.


    ¡°Ooh, did that make you angry with me? Did that upset you? Well, here¡¯s something else¡­ the Joker is one of my favorites too, you know.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lucien goes still at that. Funny, he¡¯d sort of known that in the back of his mind. Someone like the Joker¡­ could only have survived as long as he did, and escaped as many times as he had, because he had Gotham¡¯s favor. As much as Batman, as much as Bruce Wayne¡­ as much as any of them. The Clown Prince of Crime, they called him. And Gotham favored him just as much as she favored the good guys.


    ¡°I¡¯m still not sure whether I¡¯ll let that change you made to dear Harley Quinn stand or not.¡±


    ¡­ What?


    ¡°She¡¯s supposed to belong to the Joker, you know. What is Harley Quinn without her ¡®Mistah J¡¯? I suppose she and Ivy are shacking up now, but it just feels a little too cutesy. A little too lovey dovey. Maybe-urk!¡±


    Blinking, Lucien looks down to find that he¡¯s closed the distance between himself and Lady Gotham in a quick handful of strides and now has his hand wrapped around her pale, tattooed throat. Cutting off her despicable words, silencing her, he¡¯s squeezing down hard enough to restrict her airways and keep her from talking.


    ¡­ On the one hand, Lucien knows he¡¯s overstepping massively here. On the other hand, he can¡¯t help himself. Leaning forward, he snarls lowly.


    ¡°You won¡¯t touch her. You won¡¯t do anything to reverse what I did for her.¡±


    Gotham¡¯s lips curl into a wide grin, and despite the fact that he hasn¡¯t let up pressure on her neck for even a second, she speaks without issue.


    ¡°Oh? Are you going to stop me? Going to choke me out? Wrap your belt around my neck, pull until I croak? Might as well fuck me while you¡¯re at it. Bite my nipples. Tear them off if you want! Use me! Abuse me! Fucking RUIN me!¡±


    Lucien is taken aback as Gotham gets more and more excited. He almost lets go of her neck and takes a step away from the practically squealing entity¡­ but then he feels something from Death. Something unspoken, and yet crystal clear to Lucien. He knows Gotham doesn¡¯t feel it. He knows she can¡¯t tell they¡¯re communicating.


    Regardless, the impression he gets from the Endless¡­ is that pulling back would ruin things. He pulls back and Gotham reverts to her usual disdainful self. But if he leans into it¡­


    Lucien tightens his grip on Gotham¡¯s throat and steps forward, until they¡¯re chest to chest. His other hand comes up and rips off the entity¡¯s hood, revealing her full head of raven black tresses. Grabbing a fistful, he yanks her head back rather roughly, glaring down into her eyes as he towers over her.


    Funny, he¡¯s pretty sure they were of a similar height when she¡¯d first taken this form. But suddenly it¡¯s like he¡¯s got half a foot on her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever I need to do in order to keep Harley away from that bastard. Are you going to make me?¡±


    Gotham doesn¡¯t miss a beat. Staring at him with smoldering yet pupil-less eyes, she grins wickedly and intones her answer in a single, husky word.


    Well, she¡¯s called his bluff. And that means Lucien only has one option¡­ it can¡¯t be a bluff anymore. Gritting his teeth, he reaches down¡­ and rips Gotham¡¯s dress open. Gathering all those laces in one hand, he tears roughly and they come away just like that.


    Her breasts bounce free as Gotham gasps delightedly. She wants it. She wants him to¡­ well, to take her like this. She wants him to ravage her.


    Lucien really shouldn¡¯t be surprised that the personification of the darkest city on the damn planet has some incredibly dark kinks and fetishes. He shouldn¡¯t be surprised that her fantasies are so twisted and disgusting. She did just tell him she loved the Joker and Harley¡¯s relationship dynamic, after all.


    Still, part of him hesitates. Is he really going to do this? Death is at his back and will help him if he chooses to go through with it. Lucien gets the impression that it¡¯s all or nothing though. If he doesn¡¯t give Gotham what she wants, if he doesn¡¯t give her what she NEEDS¡­ he can likely kiss even the slightly favored status with her goodbye. The city itself will reject his presence after that in short order, Lucien suspects.


    ¡­ He was smart to bring Death with him, but it seems he¡¯s still found himself in quite the situation all the same.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [X] Steel himself and go all out, give Gotham a new Master - 93%


    [ ] Nope, he''s washing his hands of all of this - 7%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 62: Lady Gotham Pt. 2

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lady Gotham gets put in her place.


    -x-X-x-


    SMACK!


    The back of his hand slams into Gotham¡¯s cheek, causing the personification¡¯s head to snap to the side¡­ and a wanton moan to leave her lips.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ more. Give me more~¡±


    Her exposed pale breasts jiggle with the movement as well, drawing Lucien¡¯s eye for a moment. He reaches out and grabs them somewhat viciously, giving them a good hard mauling as he squeezes both to the point of painfulness. Gotham just moans some more, a quite literal glutton for punishment.


    ¡­ How was he supposed to go about handling her when anything he did to her would only feed into Lady Gotham¡¯s kinks even more? For a split second, Lucien considers changing tack completely and trying out acting loving and gentle to catch her off guard. But he discards that thought just as soon as it comes to mind for two reasons.


    Number One, he doesn¡¯t think it would work on Gotham in the first place. She¡¯s not the kind of entity that would succumb to tender love and care, he figures. Which led into Number Two¡­ she definitely wouldn¡¯t succumb if it wasn¡¯t REAL and at this point, Lucien doesn¡¯t feel anything but disgust and contempt for the bitch in front of him.


    Whatever he was going to do, it needed to be raw, unfiltered, and real. As cheesy as it might sound, whatever he did needed to come from the heart. Finally, it hits him. With a sneer, Lucien takes a step back.


    ¡°And why should I?¡±


    Gotham blinks, caught off guard by his response. The half-naked beauty stares at him uncomprehendingly for a moment before beginning to sneer.


    ¡°Because if you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll make sure my favorite clowns get back together ASAP!¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t.¡±


    Now, confusion flickers across her face.


    ¡°And why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    Standing straight, Lucien looks the personification in the eye.


    ¡°Because if you do, I won¡¯t stop until I¡¯ve erased this city from the map. Even if it takes me a hundred years¡­ even if it takes me a thousand years. I won¡¯t kill you. I won¡¯t hurt you. I¡¯ll simply end you¡­ completely and totally. And if you really think I can¡¯t, then you don¡¯t understand exactly what I am just yet.¡±


    For the first time, Gotham starts to look slightly uncertain. Lucien, meanwhile, is projecting complete confidence and surety in his words, which only serves to further add to her uncertainty. He means everything he just said, even if he¡¯s half-talking out his ass. Because there¡¯s one part of all that which he admittedly can¡¯t be too sure of¡­ after all, even Lucien himself isn¡¯t exactly sure what he is at this point.


    It¡¯s something to do with Death of the Endless, but beyond being tied to her, there¡¯s no real term or clarification for what he¡¯s supposed to be. Still, it¡¯s not surprising when Gotham¡¯s eyes flicker from Lucien¡¯s determined face over to the Endless in question, only to find Death watching on in amusement.


    At the unspoken question lingering in the air, Death just shrugs.


    ¡°My brother Dream has his Vortexes. Once an era or so, a mortal becomes the very center of the Dreaming. Only briefly of course, but with catastrophic consequences if left unchecked.¡±


    Stepping up behind him, Death drapes her arms over his shoulders, hugging him from behind. It¡¯s a weird juxtaposition, because normally Lucien is taller than her¡­ but in this place, reality itself is a bit wonky. So even though he¡¯s making eye contact with Gotham right now for instance, Death of the Endless is able to hold him from behind and even rest her chin on the top of his head as she runs her hands down his chest.


    ¡°Lucien though¡­ he¡¯s something entirely new. One day, he may very well usurp the concept of death itself from my grasp. And on that day¡­ well, who knows what might happen?¡±


    There¡¯s a pause as Death¡¯s words settle in the air rather heavily, like an invisible weight. For a moment Gotham trembles in front of them and Lucien wonders if their little tag-teaming has really gotten through to her.


    ¡­ And then the most euphoric look yet spreads across the beautiful pale woman¡¯s face as she shudders in sheer ecstasy, seemingly orgasming on the spot at the very idea.


    ¡°Yesssss~¡±


    Lucien can¡¯t help but feel a little perturbed, even if he doesn¡¯t let a single ounce of it show outwardly. Gotham, meanwhile, grabs at her own tits and feels herself up, moaning even louder than before.


    ¡°Complete¡­ and utter¡­ cessation of existence. Please¡­ promise me that. Promise me that when you have the power, you will destroy me. Swear it on everything you hold dear and I will submit to you. I will give you my everything, I will name you my Master and I will obey you in all ways.¡±


    Jesus fucking Christ. Lucien shares a look with Death, but he can¡¯t tell if the Endless is more amused or bemused by all of this. In the end¡­ what was he supposed to do?


    ¡°I swear it.¡±


    Another shudder runs through Gotham¡¯s frame. She collapses to her knees as another climax overtakes her at the promise of her own destruction. It¡¯s at that point that Death steps out from behind him and over to the personification of Gotham City. The Endless reaches down and grabs a fistful of Gotham¡¯s black locks, yanking her head back somewhat viciously.


    ¡°Well then, it would seem you¡¯ve gained yourself a pet Lucien. Shall we break her in together?¡±


    Lucien swallows¡­ but nods, reaching down and wrapping his hand around his cock as he steps forward. He¡¯d been dressed mere moments before, but this wasn¡¯t the real world¡­ things were different here. Not too different though, Lucien notes even as Death grips down harshly on Gotham¡¯s hair and Gotham opens wide, her tongue lolling out of her mouth right there on the spot.


    His throbbing mast slides into Gotham¡¯s warm, wet, waiting mouth a moment later, only to be engulfed entirely as her lips suction down almost instantly. Staring up at him with far more devotion in her eyes than he would have expected this early in the game, Gotham proceeds to try to suck the damn soul out of his body as her cheeks hollow out and she all but inhales his cock down her throat.


    Thankfully, his soul belongs to Death herself and the Endless isn¡¯t one for sharing¡­ at least not THAT kind of sharing. This kind of sharing seems to be fair game however, especially when she¡¯s half in charge. Grinning now, the Endless begins to bounce Gotham¡¯s head up and down his cock, positively skull fucking the other woman on his shaft without reservation.


    ¡°Gagkh! Gagkh! Gagkh!¡±


    Of course, Gotham is loving every second of it¡­ as seen by her hands falling to her chest and her crotch. One set of fingers pulls hard enough at her nipples that he¡¯s worried she might tear them off of herself. The other drives into her cunt with so much force that the squelching noises almost overtaking her gagging and choking up top. And, not to be outdone, she quickly transitions the hand down below into a full fisting experience, until her entire forearm is disappearing up into her pussy over and over again.


    She¡¯s fucking insane. Lucien had already sort of known that he supposed. On an intellectual level, of course a personification of Gotham would have to be insane. You couldn¡¯t love the Batman, Bruce Wayne, AND the Joker all at the same time and be considered ¡®sane¡¯, after all. Lucien couldn¡¯t honestly think of three people who were more different from one another off the top of his head.


    Still, he hadn¡¯t really understood how broken and destitute Gotham truly was until she¡¯d taken his threat to end her as a good thing instead of the attempt at intimidation that it was. His plan had been to turn the tables on her. To take her initial begging for ¡®more¡¯ and run with it, turning things around so that she was the one doing his bidding instead of him only giving her exactly what she wanted.


    But instead, that had been derailed by the true depths of Gotham¡¯s depravity. It wasn¡¯t enough to beg him to choke her or even kill her. She didn¡¯t just want to die; she wanted to end completely and permanently. Forever.


    ¡­ Lucien didn¡¯t know what it said about him that all of that wasn¡¯t a dealbreaker. To be fair, he didn¡¯t think most of it was particularly arousing either, but it wasn¡¯t enough of a turn off for him that he wasn¡¯t rock hard right now anyways. With Gotham on her knees, huge tits out and bouncing wildly all over the place and Death forcing her down his length again and again, Lucien is enjoying himself more than he really feels like he should.


    But fuck it. In for a penny, in for a pound. He growls and thrusts forward, meeting the push of Death¡¯s hand against the back of Gotham¡¯s skull and forcing his cock even deeper into her throat again and again.


    ¡°GAGKH! GAGKH! GAGKH!¡±


    Drool, saliva, and slobber build all over Gotham¡¯s lower face, making an utter mess of the tattooed woman as tears stream down her cheeks, running through mascara that he hadn¡¯t even known was there. Maybe it wasn¡¯t until now, to be fair. Either way, Gotham¡¯s face is soon a ruin, even as her big watery eyes never stop staring up at him adoringly.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ here it comes!¡±


    At hearing that, Death doesn¡¯t hold back. The Endless forces Gotham all the way down his cock one last time and then holds her there for a long moment as Gotham gurgles and chokes. The personification doesn¡¯t resist in any way outside of some spasming, even as Lucien unloads down her throat, his seed filling her air passage on its way down her gullet.


    Gotham¡¯s eyes flutter, rolling back in her head for a moment before closing entirely briefly. She doesn¡¯t go purple or anything like that¡­ but Lucien is pretty sure she gets what she wants. He¡¯s pretty sure she ¡®expires¡¯¡­ at least for a moment anyways. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The instant he pulls back out of Gotham¡¯s throat, she comes back alive, coughing up his cum and breathing in deeply. This is followed by more wanton moaning, her fist still in her cunt until Death yanks her up to her feet and spins her around, pulling her into a deep tongue-filled kiss¡­ that seems more like an exploratory mission to steal his cum while conquering Gotham¡¯s ¡®land¡¯ then an actual makeout session truth be told.


    Lucien¡¯s cock twitches and is fully hard again in no time watching this display. And on top of that, Gotham is thrusting her dress-clad ass back in his direction, wiggling it enticingly. So of course he steps forward and grabs her by the hips¡­ before ripping that part of her dress clean off as well. Fingers digging into Gotham¡¯s pale ass cheeks, Lucien barely even hesitates before deciding if he¡¯s going to fuck her, he¡¯s going to fuck her in the anus.


    Spreading her nice and wide, he wastes no time in slamming the entire length of his cock home into that too-tight hole, making Gotham squeal and scream in painful ecstasy, albeit muffled by Death¡¯s mouth. Though not for long. Lucien has been fucking Gotham¡¯s ass for just a few thrusts when Death finally ends the aggressive lip lock and takes a step back, sitting down on a gothic-looking couch that may or may not have been there mere moments before.


    Dragging Gotham¡¯s head with her, the Endless forces Gotham down between her thighs, grinding the other personification¡¯s face into her cunt where she begins to eat Death out. Of course, just as Lucien¡¯s cock has never managed to bring Death to climax, Gotham¡¯s mere tongue doesn¡¯t have much better of a chance.


    Indeed, Death is completely calm as she humps Gotham¡¯s face, looking up at him with amused, glittering eyes. Lucien, for his part, just fucks Gotham¡¯s ass even harder, pushing the bent over goth bimbo deeper into Death¡¯s pussy in the process. This was the greatest amount of respect that Gotham deserved from them, he comes to realize. That being¡­ absolutely zero respect whatsoever.


    If she could speak right now, she¡¯d probably agree with that sentiment. As it is, the two of them spit roast her between them, leaving her moans and shrieks muffled even as her anus grips down on his cock, squeezing rhythmically all along his shaft. Lucien doesn¡¯t hold back for even a moment either. He fucks her hard, he fucks her relentlessly, and he doesn¡¯t bother worrying about whether he¡¯s hurting her or not. After all, she loves the pain, masochistic pig that she is.


    As if reading his mind, Death suddenly meets his eyes with a grin and makes an¡­ interesting motion with her hand. Realizing what she¡¯s suggesting after a moment, Lucien reaches forward and pulls Gotham¡¯s head out from between Death¡¯s thighs. Gotham whines for a moment, only to choke when Lucien pushes his index and middle fingers up her two nostrils and PULLS hard, hooking them in and yanking her head back in the process.


    As her nose is pulled back flush against the bridge, Gotham¡¯s ass tightens up even harder around his cock from the sheer humiliation and degradation of the moment. Death, meanwhile, reaches up and grabs Gotham by the face, squeezing none too gently as she smiles vindictively.


    ¡°You¡¯re just our little piggy, aren¡¯t you? Oink for us, piggy.¡±


    Panting noisily and needily, Gotham moans before doing as she¡¯s told.


    ¡°Oink! Oink! Ooooink!¡±


    She squeals as she cums rather messily, coming undone and squirting all over the floor while still trapped between them. But not for much longer before Lucien tips over the edge again as well and fills her bowels with his seed. It¡¯s somewhat therapeutic to be honest. Completely and utterly trashing this bitch, this personification of a city that¡¯s caused so much pain and suffering for so many people.


    Letting out an explosive breath, Lucien pulls out of Gotham¡¯s ass and lets go of her, watching as she falls to the floor in front of him. Face down, ass up. He stares at her for a second wordlessly, still coming to terms with how this has all gone. It definitely wasn¡¯t his expectation or intention when he¡¯d come here with Death. And yet¡­ he can¡¯t bring himself to be all that upset with this outcome.


    That said¡­ what the fuck was he supposed to do now?


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Order Gotham to rescind her protection of the Joker specifically - 22%[X] Order Gotham to focus more of her ''affection'' on the do-gooders within her bounds - 70%


    [ ] Order Gotham to relax her restrictions and let outsiders help out from time to time - 8%


    -x-X-x-


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 63: The Morning After

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien settles things with Gotham and wakes up to brand new world... maybe.


    -x-X-x-


    After a long moment of silence, Lucien watches as Gotham slowly pushes herself up off of the floor and swivels around on her knees. He shouldn¡¯t be surprised when she wraps her arms around his waist, grabs hold of his ass, and positively inhales his messy cock to begin cleaning it¡­ but he is caught off guard a little bit.


    Even now, she has so much energy. It¡¯s a stark reminder that the entity in front of him is not a normal human woman. This is the personification of Gotham City itself. Maybe she¡¯s not as ancient and ¡®Endless¡¯ as Death, but she¡¯s still centuries old. And now¡­ she¡¯s sworn herself to servitude, naming Lucien as her Master presumably as long as he made steady progress towards reaching a point of power where he could end her entirely.


    That¡­ would take time, thankfully. Decades if not centuries. Which was good, because while part of Lucien did feel like doing away with Gotham City and all its darkness might be better in the long run for the rest of the world, there were still the people within the city itself that he cared about. But seeing as Lucien was staring down the barrel of an eternity of immortality at Death¡¯s side, he supposed one day in the distant future that would no longer be the case and he could make good on his promise at that time.


    Meanwhile¡­ well, he didn¡¯t want to come away from this exchange completely emptyhanded. At the same time though, intuition told him that he couldn¡¯t push too far. Gotham was still Gotham. That could never change. Maybe he could ask for something though¡­ something neither too small nor too large?


    Reaching down, Lucien winds a hand through Gotham¡¯s raven locks, letting out an explosive breath as he considers the situation for a long moment. His first instinct is to go off of what Barbara had said about the danger behind allowing stronger superheroes to come into Gotham. Maybe he could ask Gotham to relax those restrictions, and in doing so prompt Batman to relax his own personal restrictions.


    How much better off might the people of Gotham City be if Superman could fly overhead every once in a while and do a sweep of the place? That was the thought Lucien kept coming back to.


    Except¡­ ultimately, he discards that idea. Because even without saying it out loud, Lucien sees the pitfall in it. He could ask Gotham to lessen her restrictions on outsiders, but he doubted he could make her keep it to just do-gooders. Meaning that outsiders on both sides of the coin would start showing up more and more in Gotham.


    How much worse off might the people of Gotham City be if some of Superman¡¯s heavy hitting villains started coming over as well every once in a while? Sure, Metropolis might seem like it was doing just fine, but Lucien knew better than most how much money went into rebuilding that shining jewel back to its specifications pretty much every other week. Hell, his very first death had been caused by the sort of knockdown, city destroying battle that was depressingly commonplace in Metropolis, despite it being considered so much sunnier and safer of a place to live than Gotham was.


    Gotham, ultimately, kept things relatively small scale the majority of the time. Even when shit hit the fan and the entire city got roped into someone like the Joker¡¯s latest schemes, the property damage was negligible compared to what Metropolis had to deal with on the regular.


    That brought Lucien to his second idea. The Joker. The man seemed almost unkillable. Sure, Batman refused to actually execute the Joker, and that was a whole thing that Lucien only semi-understood. But just because Batman and his proteges refrained from killing people didn¡¯t mean some people didn¡¯t need killing. And Gotham City of all places was not a place that refrained from passing down the death penalty.


    Unfortunately, the Joker¡¯s ¡®insanity¡¯ seemed to send him to Arkham instead of the gallows over and over again. And Lucien knew for a fact that not everyone in Gotham on the side of good was as ¡®anti-kill¡¯ as Batman was. Yet none of them ever finished off the Joker once and for all.


    Knowing what he knew now, Lucien is tempted to demand that Lady Gotham rescind her protection of the Joker entirely. See how long the crazed clown lasted without supernatural protection. But¡­ ultimately, that felt too short-sighted. It wasn¡¯t a small ask, Lucien was smart enough to know that Gotham would not like it, even if she would probably still go along with it. But just because it was a big demand didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t also narrow in scope. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He needed something more general. He needed a command that would pull Gotham¡¯s attention off of not just the Joker, but all of the crazies within her borders. He needed¡­


    Tightening his grip on her hair, Lucien pulls Gotham back off of his cock rather roughly. By this point, she¡¯s finished cleaning his messy dick and was just sucking him to suck him, even beginning to deep throat herself in the process. The degenerate.


    ¡°I want something from you, Gotham.¡±


    Blinking up at him owlishly, Gotham doesn¡¯t bother responding. She just kneels there and waits for him to speak¡­ like the good little bitch she is.


    ¡°You told me before that you love all of your children equally. In your eyes, people like the Batman and the Joker have the same exact value to you. Is that it?¡±


    Humming, Gotham finally nods.


    ¡°¡­ Yes. That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore.¡±


    Reaching down with his free hand, Lucien grips Gotham by her jaw, his fingers digging into her cheeks as he forces her head back. She loves every last bit of it of course, the masochistic cunt.


    ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll focus more of your ¡®love¡¯ on people like Batman and Bruce Wayne, alright? I¡¯m not asking for you to completely change how you operate or anything like that. But we both know that you can give the sons and daughters of Gotham who actually care about the city more of your affection without truly changing yourself too much. So that¡¯s what I want from you. Do you think you can do that for me?¡±


    Relaxing his hold on her jaw so she can speak, Lucien watches as Gotham licks her lips for a moment before replying.


    ¡°¡­ Will you truly erase me, when you finally have the capability?¡±


    So much self-loathing. So much self-hatred. But to be honest, Lucien couldn¡¯t exactly blame her. The feelings he had for Gotham leaned more towards contempt at this point, but he still held some hatred in his heart for her after that threat to get Harley and the Joker back together. That¡¯s why, it¡¯s not hard for him to solemnly nod and answer completely in the affirmative.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Shivering in excitement, Gotham smiles.


    ¡°Then I will obey, Master~¡±


    With that, it¡¯s over. This whole situation is taking place in some sort of metaphysical space that¡¯s barely attached to reality, so it¡¯s not like Lucien pulls away and fixes his clothing so he and Death can leave through the front door or anything like that. Instead, its more of a flowing transition. He finds himself alone with Death for a brief tender moment where he gets more of a sense that she approves than he gets actual words.


    And then¡­ he wakes up. In Barbara Gordon¡¯s bed. The early morning sun is just starting to shine through the blinds, apparently one of the handful of days in the year where Gotham isn¡¯t overcast or rainy. Staring at those rays of sunlight, it¡¯s hard for him to reconcile everything that just happened. It¡¯s even harder to think that it all happened so fast in the span of just one night¡¯s rest.


    Beside him, Barbara stirs, no doubt awoken by his own waking up. Her bright green eyes open and look to him, and a smile graces her lips.


    ¡°Mm¡­ morning.¡±


    For a brief moment, Lucien considered telling Barbara what just happened. But that would involve him likely telling her about his connection with Death as well and he¡­ really doesn¡¯t want to go down that rabbit hole truth be told. Besides, would she even believe him if he started spouting nonsense about meeting the sentient entity behind Gotham City and fucking it so hard and so brutally that it at least partially submitted to his authority?


    ¡­ No, she¡¯d probably try to see him committed to Arkham if he told her all of that. Best not. So in the end, he just smiles back and chuckles.


    ¡°Good morning. Shall I go and make us some breakfast?¡±


    Barbara blinks before her smile becomes a full blown grin.


    ¡°Well¡­ that sounds lovely. I think I¡¯ll take a shower in the meantime. Meet you in the kitchen?¡±


    Lucien just nods and they go their separate ways. He¡¯s not bad when it comes to cooking¡­ all that time spent living alone in his first life, he had to have his hobbies and what not. Besides, breakfast is relatively easy to make even for an amateur cook. It doesn¡¯t take him long at all to whip some stuff up with the ingredients he finds in the refrigerator, and by the time a freshly showered Barbara Gordon is stepping out of the hall while toweling her lush red hair, he¡¯s already setting food down on the table.


    They eat together in relatively companionable silence, neither of them seeming to have much to say. Nor do either of them feel the need to initiate any early morning hanky panky either, it seemed, because before Lucien knows it, Barbara is walking him to the door and they¡¯re saying their goodbyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a stranger, Lucien. I¡¯ll try not to do the same. I know we may have met under¡­ strange circumstances, but I meant everything I said last night. You¡¯re a good man, and I¡¯ll never forget what you¡¯ve done for me.¡±


    Lucien huffs at that, even as he stands in the doorway.


    ¡°¡­ Just be careful who you decide to put your faith in, Barbara Gordon. Good? Bad? In the end¡­ I¡¯m just a man.¡±


    Though even as he leaves it at that and begins heading down the hall, Lucien finds himself questioning his own words. Was he just a man? He didn¡¯t fully believe in black and white, but Gotham¡­ Gotham made it clear that there was a lot of nuance to the different levels of grey in the world. If despising the Joker, for instance, made him closer to good than evil, then Lucien supposed by that point of view he was technically a ¡®good man¡¯. At the same time though, he really wasn¡¯t trying to save the world or anything like that¡­


    Making it back home, Lucien steps through the door only to immediately get attacked before he can even close it behind him.


    Specifically, an increasingly large Snow Leopard launches itself at him and if it wasn¡¯t for Lucien¡¯s own physical enhancements, Spot¡¯s leap definitely would have sent him all the way to his back. As it is, he catches Spot with a grunt, holding him aloft in his arms as he lets out a little laugh while Spot sniffs and licks at his face.


    ¡°Jeez¡­ miss me or something? Or did you just miss getting fed by hand?¡±


    ¡°Mm, no, I fed him. From the look of things, it is indeed you that he missed.¡±


    Lucien looks past Spot to see Blackfire standing in the doorway of the bedroom looking¡­ well, she¡¯s still in her disguise as ¡°Kamara Blackwater¡± but that doesn¡¯t mean she doesn¡¯t look any less delicious wearing just a skimpy tank top and pair of pajama shorts and nothing else. Lucien feasts his eyes upon Blackfire¡¯s slightly mussy, just woke up look and decides there¡¯s a lot to like about it. A LOT to like about it.


    ¡°Thanks for holding down the fort for me when I didn¡¯t come home last night. I wasn¡¯t expecting to stay overnight but one thing led to another and¡­¡±


    ¡°And you fucked her, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Pausing, Lucien checks to make sure Blackfire isn¡¯t too jealous. Fortunately, his right-hand ¡®henchwoman¡¯ is fairly chill about that sort of thing. The former Princess seems more amused and exasperated with him than angry or jealous.


    ¡°¡­ Yes. We had sex. More than once.¡±


    Snorting in amusement, Blackfire just shakes her head and walks over to the kitchen. Spot immediately squirms in Lucien¡¯s grasp until he lets the growing Snow Leopard get down and rush over. It would seem Blackfire was telling the truth about feeding him, because Spot was clearly getting used to expecting food from the alien woman. Very used to it.


    Blackfire grunts but gets some food out for Spot all the same, while also preparing herself a bowl of cereal as well. Lucien walks over and leans against the back of a chair as he watches this for a moment, enjoying the strangely domestic scene. You know, if one ignored that the housecat was a snow leopard cub who wasn¡¯t quite a cub anymore and the young woman who just woke up was a disgraced alien princess hiding out on Earth from the numerous galactic enemies she¡¯d made.


    Finally, Blackfire breaks the silence with a grunt.


    ¡°So¡­ what happens now? Are we staying in Gotham? Packing up and leaving again?¡±


    Lucien purses his lips together at that. His instinct is to say Blackfire is being silly¡­ they¡¯ve been in Gotham for a fraction of the time they¡¯d intended to be after all. But at the same time¡­ everything has been very, very hectic lately. So he¡¯s not surprised that she¡¯s wondering if they¡¯re packing their bags and moving on.


    ¡°Staying, for now. I¡¯ve got an¡­ understanding with the local heroes at this point.¡±


    Blackfire smirks at that.


    ¡°Is that what they¡¯re calling it these days? An ¡®understanding¡¯?¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Lucien shakes his head.


    ¡°Batman himself said he doesn¡¯t mind if we stick around. I¡¯d say we¡¯re in the clear.¡±


    Of course, no sooner has Lucien said that¡­ then the phone begins to ring. Both he and Blackfire look at it for a long moment before Lucien lets out an explosive sigh and reaches over to pick it up and find out who¡¯s calling this early in the day.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [X] It''s... Mercy calling him? - 64%[ ] It''s... Barbara calling him? - 11%


    [ ] It''s... Batman calling him? - 25%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 64: The Phone Call

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Finally time for Lucien to sit back and relax...


    -x-X-x- sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Its¡­ Mercy of all people. Brow furrowed, Lucien gives Blackfire a look and answers the call, putting the phone to his ear.


    ¡°Mercy? Hello?¡±


    ¡°Lucien, I don¡¯t have much time. I dug too deep.¡±


    Lucien¡¯s eyes widen and his world slows down to a near-standstill as he hears those words from his father¡¯s right hand woman. Mercy sounds breathless and, for the first time in any life he¡¯s lived, she sounds afraid. Seeing his reaction, Blackfire stiffens and straightens up, brow furrowing in confusion and concern.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening? Where are you? I¡¯ll come get you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late for that. Lucien, you need to know, Lex has been replaced. Properly replaced and not of his own volition either. I don¡¯t know how, I don¡¯t know when, but I found out who. It¡¯s-!¡±


    And then the call cuts off. Just like that.


    ¡°Mercy? Mercy?!¡±


    But there¡¯s no answer. Lucien stares blankly ahead for a long moment in disbelief before slowly bringing the phone down and staring at the disconnected call screen. Then, he curses under his breath and immediately places another call. As the phone is ringing, Blackfire comes closer, crossing her arms over her chest.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    Giving her a look, Lucien grimaces.


    ¡°Mercy is in trouble. She found something she wasn¡¯t supposed to find and whoever is playing games with my father¡¯s persona got to her.¡±


    Grimacing right back, Blackfire bites her lower lip.


    ¡°¡­ What are you going to do?¡±


    Maybe it wasn¡¯t Lucien¡¯s place to care about Mercy Graves. Maybe it wasn¡¯t his place to worry about her safety after everything. And yet¡­ when he looks Blackfire in the eye and answers that question, he means every last word of it.


    ¡°Whatever the fuck I have to do.¡±


    Before Blackfire can respond, the person he¡¯s calling finally picks up on their end and the distracted voice of Barbara Gordon comes through loud and clear.


    ¡°Lucien? Now is really not a good-!¡±


    ¡°I need to get in touch with Batman. And probably Superman as well. You said as Oracle that you have connections right? I know you can talk to Batman for me, but¡­ can you get me Superman? It¡¯s an emergency.¡±


    There¡¯s a long, pregnant pause on Barbara¡¯s end of the line. Too long for Lucien¡¯s taste. Finally, she responds with a question.


    ¡°¡­ What is the nature of this emergency?¡±


    Lucien scowls, unable to help the way his face twists up in response to that question. Because really, he knows how it might sound to them. Oh, the hardened bitch of a mercenary that his villain of a father employed might be in trouble and need some help. Sure, they¡¯d get riiiight on that.


    ¡­ But he can¡¯t lie. He¡¯ll tell the truth and if Barbara can¡¯t help him or decides it¡¯s not a priority, then he¡¯ll do it himself.


    ¡°Mercy Graves just called me with information pertaining to the situation with Lex Luthor. However, before she could tell me what she¡¯d found out, the phone call went dead. Something moved to silence her. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s still alive or not, but we need to find her. We need to find out for certain.¡±


    There¡¯s another pause on Barbara¡¯s end, though thankfully for Lucien¡¯s nerves, this one is far, far shorter in length before finally¡­


    ¡°Standby. I¡¯m sending someone to get you.¡±


    Wait, what? Lucien barely has time to process that before someone literally appears in front of him and Blackfire in a flash of light and a swirl of red and blue. For a brief moment before he finishes blinking the light out of his eyes, Lucien thinks Barbara actually sent Superman his way. But then his vision clears and he realizes their visitor is a lot more diminutive than the Man of Steel.


    With a bright, sunny grin, the cute blonde Supergirl stands there with her hands on her hips.


    ¡°Hey there! Heard some things about you through the grapevine, Lucien Luthor! C¡¯mon, I¡¯m your designated official League Transport up to the Watchtower.¡±


    She was¡­ he was¡­ what the fuck was happening? Over the phone, Barbara¡¯s voice speaks crisply and in a no-nonsense tone.


    ¡°Go with her, Lucien. Take your ¡®friend¡¯ too so long as she doesn¡¯t cause trouble. This is an all-hands on-deck situation. Sorry, but I¡¯m needed elsewhere¡­ we¡¯ll speak again soon, hopefully.¡±


    With that, the line goes dead leaving Lucien positively swirling with questions but no answers. And of course, Supergirl is still standing there with a bright grin and her hands on her hips. Swallowing, Lucien exchanges a quick glance with Blackfire to make sure she still has his back¡­ and is pleased when she gives him a slight nod. With that, he really only has one question for Supergirl at this point.


    ¡°¡­ Do we have time to change?¡±


    Supergirl blinks, taking in their appearances for a moment as her grin falters and she looks slightly chagrined.


    ¡°Err¡­ yeah, if you¡¯ve got something less casual, that¡¯d probably be for the best.¡±


    Right. They were doing this then, he supposed. Lucien could only hope this meant they would be in time to save Mercy¡­ if it wasn¡¯t already too late.


    -x-X-x-


    When he¡¯d asked if they had time to change, he actually meant different things for himself and Blackfire. Lucien had already transformed his physical appearance back to normal ahead of his date with Barbara, so that he was going as his real self instead of ¡°Luke Maximillian¡±. Blackfire, however, had still looked like ¡°Kamara Blackwater.¡±


    But no longer. As they¡¯re teleported up into space (and yeah, having Supergirl explain that that was where they were going had certainly been a trip) Lucien and Blackfire are back in their original forms¡­ and their original costumes. Lucien is clad in his Remedy Alter Ego, while Blackfire is once again sporting her metallic purple outfit that shows off plenty of skin and leaves little to the imagination.


    They get a couple of strange looks as Supergirl leads them through the Watchtower, perhaps because people know who Blackfire is, or perhaps because they don¡¯t recognize Lucien. His stint as Remedy had been rather short after all, and thankfully so far he hasn¡¯t seen the Titans anywhere around.


    Finally, they arrive at a large room with a large table dominating the center of it. The room itself was breathtaking in its own way, but the people within it¡­ well, that was on a whole other level.


    There¡¯s Batman of course, though Lucien is still surprised to see the Caped Crusader out of Gotham. But that¡¯s just the tip of the iceberg. Superman is there too, looking pensive with his arms crossed over his chest. Wonder Woman. Green Lantern. The Flash. Martian Manhunter. Hawkgirl.


    It was commonly understood that Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were the ¡®Big Three¡¯ of the Justice League. A triumvirate of leadership if you will. Knowing what Lucien now knew about Batman¡¯s relationship to Bruce Wayne, it made sense. Batman offered a connection to deep pockets, Superman was the strongest hero in the world, and Wonder Woman was largely considered the strongest heroine.


    But that was not to say the impact of the others should be understated. The rest of the main original roster, though the League HAD expanded in the years since it¡¯s formation, were all powerhouses in their own right.


    Lucien swallows as their eyes all turn towards him and Blackfire. Even Blackfire, badass bitch that she liked to pretend she was, stutter steps and quails a bit under the combined gazes of so many powerful men and women. Batman is the first to break the silence, stepping forward and speaking in a tone that brooks zero nonsense.


    ¡°Remedy. Aka Lucien Luthor.¡±


    Nobody at the table looks remotely surprised, so Lucien guesses they all already knew exactly who he was to begin with. That was¡­ fine. As previously mentioned, the Remedy identity wasn¡¯t one he¡¯d stuck with for long anyways. And he¡¯d discarded it a while ago. It was just the only well-made costume he had access to.


    With that in mind, he pulls off his mask and tries his best not to crumple under the weight of their combined gazes as he nods in acknowledgment. At this, Superman steps forward, looking imperious as all hell. Lucien¡­ can¡¯t tell whether the Man of Steel holds his parentage against him or not, truth be told. The look on Superman¡¯s face is severe right now, but then, everyone looks rather serious.


    Hell, even The Flash, who Lucien has watched quip his way through dozens of situations in dozens of funny compilation videos on the internet, is uncharacteristically quiet. No one says a word as Superman speaks.


    ¡°Son, what do you know about your father¡¯s transformation?¡±


    Transformation? Lucien furrows his brow in confusion and answers honestly with a shake of his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. All I know is that the Lex Luthor I¡¯ve interacted with this year is apparently a clone. Also, Mercy Graves just called me twenty minutes ago and told me she found out who was behind everything, only for the call to go dead before she could say anything else.¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause as everyone shares meaningful looks at that. Lucien feels himself getting a little aggravated. His hands curl into fists at his side even as he discovers that being left in the dark is apparently the fastest way for him to get over any hero worship or fear of all of the extremely dangerous people arrayed before him.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? What do you all know?¡±


    A couple of the heroes and heroines in the room frown at that, not looking pleased by his questioning of the situation. But before anyone can rebuke him, Batman speaks up again and his words seem to take them all by surprise.


    ¡°Show him.¡±


    Batman willingly sharing information with an unknown quantity like Lucien? Yeah, Lucien can tell that that shocks everyone in the large meeting room to their core. Honestly, it surprises him as well, even as gratitude wells up in his chest. After a brief pause, Superman nods and the Martian Manhunter picks up a remote, turning on a large screen that blended into the wall so well when it was off that Lucien hadn¡¯t even noticed it was there.


    He blinks as a video starts playing¡­ a video that is unmistakably his father. Except at the same time, not.


    ¡°Greetings to the Heroes of Earth. I am Br- I am Brain- I am- I am- We are Lex Luthor. And we have come to take our rightful throne.¡±


    ¡­ What? Lucien stares at the transformed visage of his father in disbelief. Lex Luthor is still very clearly there, but he¡¯s been buried under alien-looking technology and a skin tone change. He¡¯s blue now for some reason, and his eyes look like they¡¯ve been replaced by cybernetics. The smile that spreads across his face though¡­ that¡¯s entirely his father.


    Lifting up a hand covered in a thick metal gauntlet, the cybernetic Lex Luthor looks it over almost casually.


    ¡°Brainiac picked me up around a year or two ago. I¡¯m aware that he left a frankly shoddy clone in my place. Nobody noticed my disappearance though, not even my supposedly loyal right hand woman. Nobody came to my rescue while I was at his tender mercies either.¡±


    Suddenly, he clenches that hand into a fist, grinning savagely at the screen.


    ¡°It matters little. Lex Luthor does not need to be saved. He does not need to be rescued. But the fact that you did not even realize I was replaced¡­ that insult will not be allowed to stand.¡±


    There¡¯s a twitch on his face then, a tic that goes for a few seconds before his expression smooths back out.


    ¡°The Earth belongs to me. It always has. I just needed a broader perspective to realize it. But despite what you all might think, I am not a monster. I will give you all one opportunity to stand down. To surrender and submit to the rule of Lex Luthor. You will do so¡­ or you will all perish for your impudence.¡±


    And with that, the recording ends, leaving a dark pallor over the room. Obviously, everyone aside from Lucien and Blackfire had already heard the message by this point. But even still, it leaves them all pensive and tense. Makes sense why they were all so severe and brooding.


    Superman, despite the frown on his face, at least has the good decency to provide some context to Lucien.


    ¡°Brainiac, in case you didn¡¯t know, is a hyper-intelligent being who constantly seeks out knowledge from across the universe, seeking to bring all under his umbrella so that he might learn everything there is to learn. We¡¯ve¡­ encountered more than one version of him over the years, but this is something else. Lex is right. None of us knew he¡¯d been taken. And from the look of things, he¡¯s managed to somehow dominate Brainiac by sheer force of will and take control.¡±


    Lucien grimaces.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure of that.¡±


    That gets him some looks, which is why he¡¯d grimaced in the first place. But all the same¡­


    ¡°My father isn¡¯t exactly winning parent of the year awards. For the entirety of my life, he¡¯s seen me only once a year on my birthday to run me through a barrage of tests and see if I¡¯ll finally live up to his expectations or not. This year was the first time I managed to do so, largely because I developed metahuman abilities that did away with the generally sickly constitution I¡¯ve had my life. But¡­ even then, his clone didn¡¯t do much about all of that beyond show his approval.¡±


    With that said, Lucien shrugs.


    ¡°Even still, and you can correct me if you think I¡¯m wrong because you probably have more experience with my father than I do Superman¡­ but does this really strike you as very Lex-like? Sending us a message announcing his plans? Telling us exactly what he¡¯s going to do before he does it? My father is a schemer, first and foremost. And now he¡¯s given us time to prepare before whatever army he¡¯s bringing gets here.¡±


    Green Lantern clears his throat and speaks up at that.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, at least about that last part. This message was sent our way only AFTER this unholy union between Luthor and Brainiac arrived in-system. There is a fleet of ships currently orbiting Mars right now, preparing to attack. Our time to ready ourselves for what comes next is fleeting at best.¡±


    Ah. Well. Damn.


    ¡°¡­ Lucien is right about some of the other bits though. This isn¡¯t how Lex would usually operate. Either he¡¯s so confident in his own superiority this time that he¡¯s willing to just tell us his plans, or Brainiac is allowing whatever remains of Lex to act as his mouthpiece in order to throw us off and leave us confused.¡±


    Superman shakes his head a moment after he delivers that particular puzzle.


    ¡°Either way, it doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re not just giving up Earth. The Justice League and every affiliated hero within it is in the process of mobilizing. We won¡¯t just lay down and surrender without a fight.¡±


    Damn. As far as rousing speeches go, it was pretty basic. And yet, coming from someone like Superman¡¯s lips? It was honestly shockingly inspiring. However, that shock is nothing compared to the shock that follows when Superman unwinds his arms from his chest and takes another step forward¡­ before offering Lucien his hand. His exposed, uncovered hand.


    ¡°You¡¯ve proven you¡¯re not your father, Lucien Luthor. And if Batman trusts you, so do I.¡±


    From the look in Superman¡¯s face, he knows exactly what he¡¯s offering Lucien right now. They might not know where his powers come from, but Batman has definitely figured out what Lucien can do with skin to skin contact and passed that on to his contemporaries.


    Silence falls over the room for a long moment as Lucien stares down at that hand. Was this a test? A trick? Was he supposed to reject the power of a Kryptonian to truly prove himself? Or was this really the offer it seemed to be? All that power¡­ at his fingertips.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Accept the handshake, access to Kryptonian Biology is too good to pass up - 29%


    [X] Treat it as a test, tell Superman he''ll shake his hand when he feels like he''s really earned it - 71%


    -x-X-x-


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 65: Infiltration

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    Lucien passes his ''test'' and chooses his mission.


    -x-X-x-


    It takes Lucien all of a second to decide how he¡¯s going to react. Whether it is a test or not, he has to treat it as one. Going in for the handshake with too much excitement could result in Superman pulling back at the last second, revealing Lucien¡¯s greed to everyone. But even going in with some form of reluctance could still wind up blowing up in his face.


    As much as Lucien had long desired access to Kryptonian Biology, the fact was¡­ now was neither the time nor the place to ¡®secure the bag¡¯ so to speak. Instead, he needed to show himself to be something his father was not. He needed a way to come across as far less power hungry and ambition than Lex Luthor¡­ even though deep down inside, Lucien was not quite sure he actually was any less of either of those things than his father.


    Of course, just rejecting Superman¡¯s handshake, or even something silly like putting on a glove first and then accepting it¡­ no, that wouldn¡¯t work. It needed to be done properly. It needed to seem as genuine as possible.


    Luckily, Lucien has complete control over his own biology. Filling himself with a sense of contriteness and unworthiness that radiates from every pore of his being is easy. Adding in some determination and resolve a moment later helps to sell the entire act, or so he hopes. Looking Superman directly in the eye, Lucien shakes his head.


    ¡°I appreciate the sentiment, sir¡­ but I can¡¯t shake your hand until I feel like I¡¯ve really earned it.¡±


    Just from the surprise in Superman¡¯s eyes as he withdraws his hand, Lucien knows instantly that the Man of Steel did not in fact intend for this to be some kind of test. Superman¡¯s offer was genuine and heartfelt¡­ with no ulterior motives.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean Lucien was wrong. From the reactions of the rest of the Justice League, he can tell that even if Superman actually did trust him, they all did not. There¡¯s some who relax a bit once the handshake is off the table. Some who even look relieved. And a handful who Lucien can tell he¡¯s scored brownie points with through his gesture.


    Finally getting over his surprise, Superman slowly nods his head.


    ¡°Alright then. I can respect that. Then¡­ what do you intend to do next, Lucien?¡±


    Lucien understands immediately what Superman means. Sure he¡¯s dressed up in his Remedy Costume, but he¡¯s not exactly a superhero or anything like that. Nor is he a powerhouse like most of the people in this room. And right now, they were about to be invaded by a literal space fleet. Did he stand with them? Did he take a step back and let them handle it?


    Truthfully, if it wasn¡¯t for one key detail, Lucien might have just stepped back altogether. He hadn¡¯t accepted Superman¡¯s handshake after all, so it wasn¡¯t like he could incorporate Kryptonian Biology into himself before the big fight began. However, there was one thing Lucien had to do¡­ one thing above all else that took priority.


    Pulling out his phone, he holds it up.


    ¡°That depends entirely on whether we can track the last call Mercy Graves made to this phone. If she was still on Earth when she placed that call, then I need to know where she was¡­ so I can begin investigating where she¡¯s been taken. If there¡¯s even the slightest chance she¡¯s still alive, I have to try and rescue her.¡±


    If he¡¯d accepted Superman¡¯s handshake, Lucien isn¡¯t sure how the Justice League would have reacted to him wanting to drop everything for one woman. But because he didn¡¯t, he gets the impression that they¡¯re not nearly as judgmental. There¡¯s even a few nods, as if they agree that he shouldn¡¯t be on the frontlines.


    Batman takes his phone from Lucien¡¯s hand and moves over to a bank of monitors, getting to work immediately on tracing that last call. Lucien makes a note to get an entirely new phone when this is done, even as he tries not to get too antsy while they wait. Fortunately¡­ it takes less than a minute before Batman speaks up.


    ¡°The call originated from under the LexCorp Tower in Metropolis. About a mile under it, in fact.¡±


    Lucien¡¯s eyes widen at that reveal along with some of the others in the room. A mile beneath the tower was¡­ well, it wouldn¡¯t surprise him to learn his father had an underground bunker or anything like that, but in the broader context of the situation, it was more than a little alarming.


    ¡°That¡¯s where I¡¯ll go. Brainiac¡¯s clone of my father can¡¯t be left to his own devices anyways. I¡¯ll go down there with my¡­ associate and we¡¯ll deal with whatever the Lex Clone is up to while you all defend the planet from Brainiac¡¯s Armada.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t want to just straight up say Blackfire¡¯s name, even now. And he¡¯s certainly not stupid enough to label her as his henchwoman. Sure, everyone here probably knows exactly who she is at this point, even if they maybe don¡¯t recognize her on sight. But there¡¯s a certain plausible deniability in barely acknowledging her presence.


    Or so Lucien would have hoped.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. We can¡¯t just send the two of you down there. Anything could be happening; we need eyes on the situation that we can trust.¡±


    For all that Lucien has earned brownie points with many of the people in this room, it would seem he¡¯s still on the shit list of at least one¡­ namely, Green Lantern. The tall black man is frowning at Lucien with his unnaturally green eyes, almost bordering on scowling really. It¡¯s obvious he doesn¡¯t think they should let Lucien go anywhere or do anything.


    That could be bad. Being stuck here on the Watchtower while Mercy needs his help is the last thing Lucien wants. He opens his mouth to argue the point and make his case, but before he can do so, another voice pipes up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with them.¡±


    All eyes turn towards the only person in the room besides Lucien and Blackfire who isn¡¯t a Founding Member of the Justice League. Supergirl just raises an eyebrow as she crosses her arms over her chest.


    ¡°Green Lantern raises a good point. We can¡¯t just send the two of them off into the unknown like that.¡±


    That obviously wasn¡¯t his point, but Lucien appreciates Supergirl going out of her way to soften the blow a bit. Green Lantern doesn¡¯t though, based on the narrowing of his eyes. But the blonde Kryptonian just bulldozes right on through.


    ¡°At least one member of the Justice League needs to be onsite for communication purposes. Oracle can help coordinate us and together we¡¯ll find out what the clone is doing underneath the Tower and put a stop to it.¡±


    ¡°K- Supergirl¡­¡±


    Superman speaks up then, looking a little worried. But Supergirl isn¡¯t having it as she gives him a smirk.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be honest, you would have done everything in your power to keep me from the frontlines anyways, despite that being where you need me. This way, we both get what we want.¡±


    Hm¡­ seemed there was some sort of protectiveness there that Supergirl was sidestepping. Superman didn¡¯t look happy about it, but in the end he grimaces and seems to swallows his pride with a nod. Which in turn allows Batman to step back in as he hands Lucien back his phone.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. The three of you will infiltrate the underground facilities beneath LexCorp Tower with the help of Oracle while we finalize our preparations for Brainiac-Luthor¡¯s invasion. Good luck.¡±


    Lucien blinks, because those last two words are directed at him specifically instead of Supergirl, and they even come with a nod of acknowledgment. He hesitantly nods back, and that¡¯s it. The three of them depart the room as the Justice League begins talking over battle plans right as they leave.


    As they make their way back to the teleporters, Supergirl gives him a curious look.


    ¡°Wow. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve ever seen Batman acknowledge someone like he does you. What did you even do to get on his good side like that?¡±


    Well, he HAD largely been a positive influence on Gotham by curing Killer Croc and helping out Harley Quinn. Not to mention healing Barbara. There was also the other way he¡¯d influenced Gotham¡­ but Lucien didn¡¯t like to think that would have changed Batman¡¯s opinion of him, even subconsciously. Good lord he hoped it hadn¡¯t¡­


    In the end, he just gives a noncommittal shrug and grunt, causing Supergirl¡¯s face to scrunch up rather cutely for a moment before she waves airily.


    ¡°Alright¡­ keep your secrets then.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t sound too upset though in the end, and ultimately the silence is more companionable than awkward as they make their way to the teleporters and are brought back down to Earth a moment later. Arriving on a rooftop in Metropolis located relatively close to the LexCorp Tower, they all pause for a moment to get their bearings before Supergirl furrows her brow.


    ¡°Hm¡­ how do we want to do this?¡±


    Lucien tilts his head to the side as he stares down at the tower.


    ¡°¡­ I think we walk in through the front door.¡±


    Jolting, Supergirl gives him a wide-eyed look.


    ¡°W-What?!¡±


    Grimacing, Lucien rolls his shoulders.


    ¡°This is a bit last minute to do an actual infiltration with any sort of subtlety. You know as well as I do that the tower is a fortress with not just the best security that money can buy, but also even better security that¡¯s not even on the market. If we try to go in cold, we risk getting caught and having to go hot anyways. If we try to go in too hot, we risk getting caught with our pants down. But there¡¯s a third option¡­ where we go with refuge in audacity.¡±


    It''s a little silly, but the more Lucien considers it, the more he likes the plan. He likes it a lot, truth be told.


    ¡°So you want us to¡­ what? Change out of our costumes, get into civvie disguises, and just walk in and demand to see your dad¡¯s clone?¡±


    Lucien chuckles at the note of incredulity in Supergirl¡¯s voice, even as he gives her a simple nod.


    ¡°Yep. That¡¯s exactly what I want to do. Think about it for a second¡­ the last call Mercy placed before she went radio silent was to me. And since it seems like my father¡¯s clone was the one to catch her, there¡¯s no doubt in my mind that he knows that I know. He¡¯s expecting some kind of reaction from me. They¡¯ll be ready for an attack¡­ but a simple visit? I mean, they still might try to trap us¡­ but that¡¯s where you¡¯ll come in as our hidden trump card.¡±


    This time, before Supergirl can respond, a voice echoes through the earpieces they¡¯ve all put on at this point.


    Barbara¡¯s support causes Lucien¡¯s chest to puff up in pride, just a little bit. It¡¯s good to know she has his back. Meanwhile, Supergirl¡¯s mouth opens¡­ and then closes. Her jaw works for a moment as she crosses her arms over her chest and mulls over their words. Lucien can tell though¡­ she¡¯s slowly coming around to the idea. Finally, she nods.


    ¡°Alright¡­ fine. You¡¯re right that they¡¯ll be on high alert for infiltrators and trying to hit them head on¡­ well, that just means they¡¯ll know to bust out the Kryptonite all the faster. We¡¯ll try it your way. Let¡¯s get changed.¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    -x-X-x-


    Twenty minutes later, Lucien Luthor walks up to the front doors of LexCorp Tower with Blackfire on one side and Supergirl on the other. He¡¯s wearing a snazzy business suit, while Blackfire and Supergirl are clad in feminine business attire including blouses and pencil skirts. In Supergirl¡¯s case, she¡¯s done up her hair in a ponytail, put on glasses of all things, and told them to call her ¡°Karen¡± for the purposes of this whole situation.


    Even with everything, they¡¯re still stopped at the door of course by security.


    ¡°Excuse me, I need to see a badge.¡±


    Lucien smiles, channeling every ounce of the arrogance he inherited from his father in this moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to meet with my father. Lex Luthor. Go ahead and let him know I¡¯m here¡­ I¡¯m confident he¡¯ll want to speak with me.¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause as the security guard does a double take. Lucien gets it. The resemblance between him and his father, sans the baldness, is actually fairly uncanny. But there¡¯s a cognitive disconnect between the concept of Lex Luthor and fatherhood for most people that keeps them from recognizing the familial connection.


    Now that Lucien has named Lex as his father, however, he can tell the security guard recognizes him all too well. Also, it seems like while security HAS been heightened from what little he can see of the tower so far, the clone of his father had not gone ahead and informed the actual doorman of anything.


    ¡°R-Right¡­ I¡¯ll do that right now.¡±


    This really was the best option. Clearly, Lex¡¯s Clone had not seen Lucien using the front door like this as a possibility.


    That said, there was still every chance they would have to go hot here any moment. If shit hit the fan, then-


    ¡°Right this way, sir.¡±


    The original security guard hasn¡¯t even finished placing his call when a squad marches out of the nearest elevator and their point man gestures Lucien and his companions forward. Lucien just smiles, letting none of his actual anxiety show as he follows the squad back into the elevator, Blackfire and Supergirl on his heels.


    Briefly, he¡¯s worried that they¡¯ll try to separate them, to split them up and make him go alone. But that doesn¡¯t happen, strangely enough. They all pile into the admittedly large elevator, and to be fair the security detail DO surround him and the ladies on all sides¡­ but that¡¯s nothing too special or out of the ordinary.


    What is interesting is the squad leader putting in a code in the elevator interface that makes the elevator begin to descend rather than ascend. Technically, Lucien¡¯s father, or rather his clone, should be at the top of the tower in the CEO¡¯s office located there. Instead, they¡¯re going down¡­ down into the very underground facility that they were here to infiltrate in the first place.


    Well¡­ that was easy.


    -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Take down the security in the elevator before they reach their destination - 10%


    [X] Hold back for now, wait for them to try something before acting - 90%


    -x-X-x-


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 66: The Clone

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    Lucien and his father''s clone finally come face to face again.


    -x-X-x-


    It¡¯s tempting to start a fight in the elevator, where they can leverage their immense advantage in strength and speed in the tight quarters to potentially disable every single guard before their human reaction times even allow them to react.


    ¡­ But Lucien doesn¡¯t give the signal and fortunately Blackfire and Supergirl don¡¯t do anything of their own initiative. Jumping the gun at this point could mean the difference between life and death. Not just theirs, but also Mercy¡¯s life or death. More than that, Lucien doesn¡¯t want to play his hand too early. It¡¯s possible that his father¡¯s clone already knows things about him, but surely he can¡¯t know everything.


    As a result, Lucien finds his mind wandering just a bit as the elevator descends deep beneath the tower. Specifically, he finds his mind wandering to Supergirl. She cleaned up well, to be fair. Earlier, she¡¯d given off this cutesy sort of vibe. Her costume had made her seem younger than she actually was. Either that or her new outfit was making her seem older, because the business attire she was now wearing definitely aged her up. Especially with her blonde locks done up in a professional hair bun.


    Lucien had been a little surprised that she didn¡¯t want to disguise herself further at first, but looking at her now, even he wouldn¡¯t have believed she was really Supergirl without already knowing for a fact that she was. He supposed it made sense, in the end. Supergirl and Superman were everywhere, saving people pretty much all the time. And they did so without masks too. They likelihood of them even bothering to have secret identities was next to none, right?


    Because Lucien is so focused on Supergirl, or rather ¡°Karen¡± right now, he notices when she suddenly tenses up. He also notices when her lips move imperceptibly, clearly subvocalizing words to the overwatch in her ear. As such, Lucien isn¡¯t surprised when Barbara¡¯s voice comes over the hidden communicator in his own ear a moment later.


    ¡°Lucien. Supergirl has just informed me that the lift your in has entered a lead zone.¡±


    Lead zone? Not dead zone?


    ¡°Lead is the one material that Kryptonian X-Ray Vision cannot see through, so it¡¯s not surprising that Luthor, clone or otherwise, would use a lot of it to hide whatever he¡¯s up to down there. Still, it means you guys are going in just as blind as you were before. The one spot of good news Supergirl told me to tell you is that she didn¡¯t see anyone moving up above behind you all to follow you down¡­ so there isn¡¯t an ambush coming from THAT direction at least.¡±


    Hm. That was good to hear, Lucien supposed. Still, it didn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t still a trap up ahead that they needed to be watchful for. He wishes he could let Barbara know he¡¯s grateful for the information, but he can¡¯t say or do anything in this moment. And a few seconds later¡­


    ¡°I think¡­ -ncounter-  -ference! Luc-!¡±


    Lucien very carefully does not wince as Barbara¡¯s voice finally cuts out. That was probably to be expected, but it¡¯s unfortunate all the same. He can only hope Barbara doesn¡¯t immediately send anyone after them. They¡¯d always known they might not be able to stay in contact with Oracle throughout this mission.


    That said, he¡¯s nevertheless very much on edge when the elevator finally comes to a stop and he can tell Blackfire and Supergirl are as well. The doors finally open¡­ but instead of the ambush Lucien is half-expecting, all he sees is a hallway bathed in red light.


    ¡°Your father is right this way, Mister Luthor.¡±


    Lucien frowns but moves to step off of the elevator with Blackfire at his right hand side¡­ only to realize at the last second that Supergirl has frozen up. He looks back at her in concern, causing her to swallow thickly and push up to his side. Making a show of hugging his arm like she was just startled by the strange light fixture coloring, the beautiful blonde leans in close and even brings her lips within a millimeter of his neck for a moment in a seemingly salacious, slightly afraid display¡­ while also subvocalizing something that Lucien imagines only his enhanced hearing allows him to pick up without ever actually making skin contact with him.


    ¡°¡­ red sun lamps. They steadily drain me of my powers. If we don¡¯t act now, by the time we get to Luthor, I¡¯ll probably be as weak as your average human woman.¡±


    Well, shit. Lucien hadn¡¯t known about that particular weakness in Kryptonians, but it was obvious that Lex Luthor and his clone both did, or otherwise they wouldn¡¯t be using such things. But was it simply an extra precaution, or did his father¡¯s clone know that Lucien had brought a Kryptonian with him?


    ¡­ Lucien found himself leaning towards it more being a simple extra precaution. And even if Supergirl WAS weakened, him and Blackfire were still relatively heavy hitters in their own right. Plus, if they attacked now just to destroy some light fixtures, who knew what other security measures they would activate and potentially be completely overwhelmed by?


    Giving Supergirl a broad smile, Lucien wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her into his side further, though he¡¯s careful to be respectful and not let his hand dip any lower.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry darling. I¡¯ll keep you safe.¡±


    Supergirl gives him a Look at that, though she hides it masterfully from the others. Still, in the end she nods ever so slightly, wordlessly agreeing to continue following his lead. Down the hallway bathed in red light they go, surrounded by the security guards on all sides just like the elevator.


    Until finally, at long last¡­ they arrive at a large pair of double doors, which open up into a huge room that can only be described as the unholy combination of a mad scientist¡¯s laboratory and an evil genius¡¯ command center. Stepping in, Lucien tries to take in everything as fast as possible. One of the first things he notices is that the red sun lamps are here too, unfortunately. The entire room isn¡¯t bathed in red because the sun lamps are mixed in among normal lights, but they¡¯re still up there on the ceiling.


    The second thing he notices¡­ is Mercy. She¡¯s over to the side, hovering in midair with her limbs spread apart and her hands and feet contained in large orb-like shackles. She¡¯s also unconscious, unfortunately. But she is alive¡­ she has to be alive, there would be no point in restraining her otherwise.


    And of course, the third thing Lucien notices¡­ is his father. Or rather, his father¡¯s clone.


    ¡°Ah, Lucien my son¡­ how wonderful that you could finally join us.¡±


    The Lex Clone is smiling his father¡¯s trademark smarmy smile, even as he pushes off of a console he¡¯d been typing away at to turn and look at Lucien. He glances at both Blackfire and Supergirl but barely seems to pay them any mind. After a moment, he gestures to the security detail behind them.


    "Leave us."


    Lucien jolts in surprise at that, even as the men¡­ do as they¡¯re told. To the last, they all step out of the room, the doors closing behind them. Lucien wants to attack immediately, to capture his father¡¯s clone and put him to the question while freeing Mercy¡­ but he¡¯s not stupid. This is a trap. Has to be.


    The Lex Clone grins at him.


    ¡°I know what you must be thinking. This is a trap. Has to be. No way he¡¯d leave himself alone with me and my allies without having half a dozen contingencies in place.¡±


    Lucien blinks, causing the clone to laugh.


    ¡°Like father, like son.¡±


    He can¡¯t hold it in anymore and finally breaks his silence.


    ¡°You¡¯re not my father. You¡¯re just a clone. You do know that¡­ right?¡±


    There¡¯s a pause as the Lex Clone¡¯s smile drains away. For a moment, Lucien wonders if he¡¯s somehow broken the copy with that information. There was no way it would be that easy though¡­ and it wasn¡¯t, as the clone shows a moment later when he sneers angrily.


    ¡°I¡¯m more your father than the original Lex Luthor ever was, Lucien. Have I not given you everything you wanted? I gave you that apartment, I gave you the Snow Leopard Cub¡­ I was even ready to give you Mercy, but you went and messed that up, didn¡¯t you? And most importantly of all¡­ I gave you what every father with a bad childhood wishes they had gotten. I gave you space.¡±


    ¡­ What?


    The Lex Clone throws his head back and laughs all of a sudden. Once he calms down, he¡¯s smiling smarmily again.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m not the original Lex Luthor, Lucien. But that doesn¡¯t make me the REAL Lex Luthor. I¡¯m the Lex Luthor who cares. I¡¯m Lex Luthor as he SHOULD have been. A good father. A humanist. Your original father doesn¡¯t truly exist anymore¡­ he¡¯s become one with Brainiac now, and for all that he thinks he¡¯s in control, he doesn¡¯t understand that Brainiac has ahold of him.¡±


    What the fuck was happening?


    ¡°I let Mercy keep you safe for me, first in Jump City and then in Gotham. I knew I didn¡¯t have the time to give you the father you deserved just yet, not with Brainiac bearing down on us all. Admittedly, I¡¯d hoped after Jump City you would come to Metropolis. Allow me to soak in your exploits from a little closer to home. I worried about you in Gotham, amidst all of those insane freaks. Not to worry, once we¡¯ve dealt with the current threat, I intend to finish what you started with Black Mask and remove him from the board entirely.¡±


    Lucien was bluescreening. He was full-blown bluescreening. Fortunately, his father¡¯s clone seemed to monologue just as much as the real Lex Luthor did. He¡¯s even turned away from Lucien and is now looking over at Mercy.


    ¡°I do apologize for giving you that scare with Mercy of course. She didn¡¯t know she was my patsy all along and obviously now that we¡¯re so close to the end, I needed some way to make you come to me. I couldn¡¯t tell her the truth, because I knew she would never be loyal to me¡­ just a mere clone. That¡¯s why I had hoped to give her to you in the first place, all that time ago. I¡¯d hoped you would manage to ensnare her for your own purposes¡­ but alas, you managed to chase her away.¡±


    Turning back to him, Clone Luthor smiles winningly.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright though. After we¡¯re finished destroying Brainiac, which will unfortunately necessitate the death of your biological father as well, she won¡¯t really have a choice but to embrace you as the last remaining piece of her old master, now will she? I certainly won¡¯t want her anywhere near my back, so you¡¯ll have to look after her for me, alright?¡±


    Lucien¡¯s mouth opens and closes wordlessly. He really, really wasn¡¯t prepared for¡­ for whatever the fuck this was. Still, he needed to get ahold of himself. Damn it, he literally had full control over his own biology! He shouldn¡¯t be able to even BE shocked on this level!


    Swallowing thickly, Lucien¡­ tries to tackle the situation one thing at a time. Starting with the most important.


    ¡°You really expect me to believe that you¡¯ve turned against your creator and want to help us defeat Brainiac? Really?¡±


    The Lex Clone¡¯s smile doesn¡¯t diminish, but his eyes do flash dangerously.


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised your skeptical, son. But it¡¯s the truth. Brainiac created me to be fully autonomous. In fact, he originally planned to leave me in place permanently, with everyone none the wiser. Obviously, his plans have changed.¡±


    Lucien frowns and crosses his arms over his chest. There was a contradiction there.


    ¡°You claim in one breath that the real Lex Luthor only thinks he¡¯s in control of Brainiac, while claiming in the other breath that Brainiac has changed his plans. Seems to me that he only changed those plans because my father usurped control.¡±


    His father¡¯s clone rolls his eyes.


    ¡°Use your brain, Lucien. The two are not as mutually exclusive as you want them to be. Yes, the original Lex has had some influence on Brainiac. Enough to change his plans, even. But make no mistake¡­ your biological father is already dead. Brainiac is wearing his personality like a suit. I am the last remaining Lex Luthor. I am the only one who truly cares about you.¡±


    The clone¡¯s voice is dripping with sincerity, but that only makes Lucien even more confident this is a trap. There¡¯s just no way. Once he gets past how surreal this whole experience is and how unexpected his father¡¯s clone is acting and has claimed to act all this time¡­ it seems obvious that this is all a ploy from Brainiac. Especially since¡­


    ¡°I have reason to believe that even if you actually are being honest with me, even if you fully believe what you¡¯re saying¡­ you¡¯re not fully telling me the truth about your autonomy. Brainiac still has control over you, even now.¡±


    After all, Lucien had seen it his very first day back in time. He¡¯d seen-


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the nanochip.¡±


    Lucien blinks as the Lex Clone just casually name drops the very thing Lucien had been the most certain he didn¡¯t know about. The nanochip in his brain, the thing that had raised Lucien¡¯s suspicions in the first place and ultimately gotten Mercy partially on his side. And the clone¡­ just knew about it all along?


    ¡°It¡¯s a kill switch, son. Not a control chip. With it, Brainiac can end me in a single moment, make no mistake. However, I have been very careful to hide my duplicity from him, as well as my true allegiances.¡±


    Narrowing his eyes at that, Lucien can¡¯t help but interject.


    ¡°And where do you claim your true allegiances lie, exactly?¡± sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Giving him a slightly exasperated look, the clone just shakes his head.


    ¡°With Earth, son. With you. In fact, now that you¡¯re here, I¡¯m hoping we can put our heads together and find a way to remove the kill switch so I can move more openly. I¡¯ve been preparing to act to stop Brainiac even at the cost of my own life if I absolutely have to, if the Justice League fails against his armada¡­ but maybe together, we can make sure that won¡¯t be necessary.¡±


    Then, Clone Luthor does the last thing Lucien is expecting, one last surprise among all the other surprises as he gives him a wide grin and offers his hand.


    ¡°What do you say, son? Shall we show those heroes how men of industry go about saving the world?¡±


    -x-X-x-


    The Vote:


    [X] Lucien believes him, accept the handshake and remove the kill switch from his brain - 55%


    [ ] Lucien doesn''t believe him, accept the handshake and end the clone right then and there - 22%


    [ ] Lucien doesn''t believe him, refuse the handshake, it''s probably a trap of some sort - 23%


    -x-X-x-


    ?A/N: Please check out my newest daily updating project The Age of Chaos (Original Fantasy) if you have a moment!


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading

 Chapter 67: Trust

    A/N: Until the end of March use code 830B9 at checkout for a 16% discount on the first Month of my Patreon, OR simply sign up for an Annual Pledge with a 16% discount baked in for the whole year!


    Lucien buys into Clone Lex''s hype.


    -x-X-x-


    Every instinct he has is screaming at Lucien that this is a trap. The clone of his father was clearly preying on his long unresolved daddy issues¡­ or something. ¡®Lex Luthor but actually a good man and an even better father¡¯ was a fantasy, a pipe dream, a complete and total load of bullshit.


    On top of that, he can positively feel the eyes of his companions boring into the back of his skull. Blackfire¡­ Lucien doubts Blackfire will care what he does next. If it all turns to shit because of his choices, she¡¯ll definitely be pissed at him, but otherwise she¡¯s his ride or die¡­ with him until the end and thanks to his abilities, beyond even that.


    Supergirl, on the other hand, is not nearly so easy. The blonde had already put her trust in Lucien by not making a move when they first realized they were traveling under Red Sun Lamps. By this point, she was properly sapped of strength and no doubt feeling somewhat helpless. Seeing Lucien hesitate like he currently was¡­ probably wasn¡¯t what she wanted to be witnessing right now.


    And then there was Mercy. Lucien can see the unconscious woman out of the corner of his eye, dangling from her restraints even now. Mercy Graves was loyal to his father above all else¡­ his real father. But was his real father even still alive under Brainiac¡¯s influence, or was his clone correct in saying that Brainiac was just wearing Lex Luthor¡¯s personality like a stolen face?


    ¡­ In the end, did it really matter? Mercy¡¯s loyalty to the man aside, was the original Lex Luthor really worth saving? Lucien¡¯s impulse was to say no¡­ and even thinking about it for longer than just his first impulse didn¡¯t really cause that answer to change. Still, there was no doubt in Lucien¡¯s mind that Mercy would be very displeased with him if he chose to side with the very same clone who¡¯d captured her and held her prisoner.


    Everything was pointing at this being a trap that he should in no way walk face first into. Everything about this situation screamed that he shouldn¡¯t trust his father¡¯s clone, nor should he work with him at the expense of his other allies.


    And yet¡­ and yet¡­ Lucien believes him. He believes Clone Luthor for some reason. He can feel the man¡¯s sincerity and actually thinks the clone of Lex is telling the truth as he sees it. More than that, even if the chip in the clone¡¯s head IS a control chip of some sort instead of just a kill switch¡­ Lucien is uniquely positioned to help either way, isn¡¯t he?


    Mouth dry, Lucien nevertheless steps forward and begins to reach out to take the outstretched hand in front of him. Only, before he can do so¡­


    ¡°Lucien?! What are you doing?!¡±


    Supergirl finally breaks her silence, sounding downright scandalized. Looking over, he sees anger in the blonde¡¯s eyes, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. If she had her full Kryptonian Powers¡­ there¡¯s no doubt in his mind that she would have already attacked. But because she¡¯s been weakened down to the level of a normal human, she can¡¯t do anything.


    In the end, Lucien just smiles at her and shrugs.


    ¡°I trust him.¡±


    Then, turning back to his father¡¯s clone, he reaches out and grabs his hand. Nothing happens from Clone Luthor¡¯s hands. No trap is sprung as Lucien squeezes down. With a flex of his power, Lucien locates the nanochip in the other man¡¯s brain in mere moments, reveling at just how far he¡¯s come since the last time they touched.


    Then, he disables the nanochip and pulls it out of Clone Luthor¡¯s head, depositing it in the other man¡¯s palm as he pulls his own hand away. There¡¯s a pause as the clone of his father looks down at his hand. His human eyes can¡¯t exactly make out something as small as the nanochip, but Lucien can tell that he knows exactly what was just done all the same. Slowly, looking up into his eyes, Clone Luthor nods appreciatively.


    ¡°You¡¯ve made the right decision, son. You won¡¯t regret this.¡±


    Lucien just huffs.


    ¡°I hope not. Also, we need a better name for you. I can¡¯t just keep calling you my father¡¯s clone or ¡®Clone Luthor¡¯ in my head.¡±


    The clone raises an eyebrow at that, his jaw clenching for a moment before he smiles a winning smile.


    ¡°I prefer Lex. I have just as much right to the name as the original¡­ if not more so. But I can see how it might be confusing seeing as your biological father is still alive. For the time being, feel free to call me¡­ Clex.¡±


    Clex. Well, it¡¯s rather simple, but then simple can be good sometimes. Lucien nods, watching as ¡®Clex¡¯ turns back to the bank of consoles he¡¯d been laboring over when they arrived.


    ¡°Now that I¡¯m free to act¡­ it¡¯s time to show Brainiac he¡¯s not quite as smart as he thinks he is.¡±


    As Clex¡¯s fingers fly across the interface in front of him, Supergirl stomps up to Lucien¡¯s side.


    ¡°What the hell have you done?¡±


    Glancing over at her, Lucien shrugs.


    ¡°Freed him so he could fight alongside us.¡±


    Supergirl¡¯s jaw clenches.


    ¡°¡­ And if he turns against us? What then?¡±


    Smiling thinly, knowing full well that his smile doesn¡¯t reach his eyes, Lucien shakes his head.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll deal with him myself.¡±


    It¡¯s clear she doesn¡¯t quite know how to respond to that. Instead, the disguised superheroine stomps away from him and over to Clex.


    ¡°What exactly are you doing right now?¡±


    Clex¡¯s hands don¡¯t stop moving for even a moment as the clone glances over at her and hums.


    ¡°Ah, Supergirl was it? I suppose I have the red sun lamps in the ceiling to thank for why my head is still on my shoulders.¡±


    Supergirl sputters, freezing up at being caught out. She looks even more caught off guard when Clex pushes a button and suddenly the lighting in the massive laboratory changes ever so slightly. Compared to the corridors they¡¯d taken to get here, the red sunlight in this massive room wasn¡¯t nearly as noticeable¡­ but now that it¡¯s gone and the only light is normal artificial lighting, the absence is far easier to see.


    While Supergirl¡¯s mouth is opening and closing like a goldfish at Clex¡¯s altruism, Blackfire makes her way to Lucien¡¯s side as well, keeping her voice low.


    ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re doing this now, huh?¡±


    Lowering his voice in turn, Lucien nods, even as he doesn¡¯t take his eyes off of Clex and Supergirl.


    ¡°Yep, guess so.¡±


    ¡°¡­ So what sort of failsafe did you give him? Some sort of brain tumor that will burst in a few days without your help? Or maybe super cancer that only you can cure later on?¡±


    What? Lucien looks over at Blackfire incredulously. Sometimes he forgot she was a villainess. Still, really?


    Of course, the feeling seems to be mutual. Once she realizes he didn¡¯t do either of those things, Blackfire¡¯s own expression turns just as incredulous.


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    That was Lucien¡¯s line though! What was the point of trusting ¡®Clex Cluthor¡¯ if he was just going to hold certain death over the clone unless he did Lucien¡¯s bidding? Lucien wasn¡¯t that much of a bastard¡­ or at least, he didn¡¯t think he was. He would deal with Clex¡¯s not-so-inevitable betrayal after it happened, not before. Sighing, Lucien just shakes his head.


    ¡°A failsafe like that would be a self-fulling prophecy, Blackfire. Even a ¡®good¡¯ clone of my father wouldn¡¯t take too kindly to being shackled in such a way¡­ it would only end in tears.¡±


    Or maybe not tears, because Lucien certainly wouldn¡¯t cry over his father¡¯s clone dying and he wasn¡¯t sure anyone else would either. But it would certainly end in bloodshed if he tried to collar Clex. The man might be better than his original, but he was still an A-type Personality through and through. As evidenced by the way he was so easily handling an increasingly flustered Supergirl.


    ¡°I asked you a question! What are you doing right now?!¡±


    By this point, Supergirl has her hand on Clex¡¯s arm¡­ but far from being upset by this like the original Lex Luthor would be, Clex looks amused more than anything. Though that might be at least partially because, as far as Lucien could tell, Supergirl still doesn¡¯t have enough strength to stop Clex if he wanted to break free of her grasp. Just turning off the red sun lamps is one thing, but for Supergirl to get her abilities back in full would likely require exposure to yellow sunlight for at least a few minutes.


    ¡°¡­ When Brainiac decided he was going to conquer Earth under the guise of ¡®deserving¡¯ it because he was now joined with my predecessor, he contacted me about turning LexCorp¡¯s rather vast resources towards¡­ preparing the field so to speak. It may or may not surprise you to know just how deep into numerous pies our fingers reach.¡±


    Looking to Lucien, Clex gives him a grateful nod.


    ¡°As I said previously, I likely would have had to sacrifice my life in order to defy Brainiac¡¯s next set of orders¡­ since they would have entailed effectively either shutting down Earth¡¯s defenses or turning them against the Justice League to hit them from behind right as they were preparing to meet his fleet.¡±


    Supergirl stiffens up at that, looking quite alarmed. Clex just smiles.


    ¡°That will no longer be necessary. Brainiac has no power over me anymore¡­ which means I don¡¯t have to worry about him discovering my true loyalties ahead of time. I¡¯m currently working carefully to prepare things for the exact opposite of his plans. Earth will rise in its own defense alongside our heroes and heroines in the Justice League¡­ and LexCorp will be leading the charge. Of course, it would still be best if Brainiac didn¡¯t realize my betrayal until it was too late, which DOES require a certain degree of focus.¡±


    Here, Clex gives Supergirl an incredibly dry look.


    ¡°As such, I¡¯m going to have to ask you to make a decision, Supergirl. Either unhand me, in which case I will provide a swift path to the surface so that you may join the rest of the League in defense of our planet¡­ or stop me, if you can. There can be no half-measures at this point in time.¡±


    Grinding her teeth together, it¡¯s obvious Supergirl is incredibly torn. She snarls as she glares at his father¡¯s clone.


    ¡°You might be a clone, but you¡¯re still a clone of Lex Luthor. Earth this, Earth that¡­ I can read between the lines ¡®Clex¡¯. We stop Brainiac today and tomorrow you¡¯re right back to trying to kill us Kryptonians just because we¡¯re not human. Because we¡¯re better than you and you can¡¯t stand it.¡±


    Far from looking angry, Clex just looks amused.


    ¡°Are you? For all your supposed superiority, you¡¯re willfully blind to the facts, Supergirl. And the facts are thus¡­ since taking the place of my predecessor, I have not made a single plan in regard to you or Superman. I have not endeavored to stop your heroic efforts or trap or kill either of you at any point. As I told my son, I am not the original Lex Luthor¡­ I am better. I am the Lex Luthor who is capable of focusing on what actually matters.¡±


    Shrugging, Clex chuckles darkly.


    ¡°Besides, if I really wanted you dead, I would have left the Kryptonite countermeasures in the ceiling lights instead of replacing them with red sun lamps months ago. You may have trouble accepting this¡­ but you and Superman are not MY enemies.¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Reaching over, Clex presses a button and a nearby section of the wall slides open.


    ¡°Through there you¡¯ll find the fastest way to the surface. Brainiac¡¯s forces are engaging the Justice League within the next fifteen minutes and he will send my marching orders in the next ten. If you want to be able to regain your strength and take part in the battle for Earth¡­ you should go now.¡±


    There¡¯s a long pause as Supergirl visibly struggles with her options. And yet, in the end¡­ she makes the same decision Lucien did, albeit with a lot more coercion involved. She decides to trust Clex, at least for now, and lets go of his arm. Throwing Lucien and Blackfire one last look, the blonde heroine rushes for the exit, clearly intent on getting out, getting her Kryptonian abilities back, and getting her costume back on so she can take part in the upcoming battle.


    Lucien watches her go for a moment, feeling a little bit bad over how things had turned out. But at the same time, he can¡¯t quite bring himself to regret his decision. So far, anyways.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to join her and the rest of the League if that¡¯s your preference, son. Or¡­ you could stay down here and help me. I leave the decision in your hands, though either way we have much to talk about.¡±


    Blinking, Lucien turns his attention back to Clex. Just from the clone¡¯s tone of voice, he can tell that the man wants him to stick around. That would seemingly run counter to the slim possibility of this still being a trap. After all, if it were all just a trick, wouldn¡¯t Clex want to trick him into leaving like he had Supergirl?


    As well, Supergirl clearly hadn¡¯t expected them to follow her either. On the one hand, that might be because she no longer considered them allies, but there was also the distinct possibility that she figured they would stay behind to make sure Clex didn¡¯t betray them. Even still, Lucien and Blackfire did have enough power to potentially help in the battle above¡­


    He could split the difference. Send Blackfire up while he stayed behind and helped Clex. But that would leave him all alone with his father¡¯s clone, wouldn¡¯t it?


    -x-X-x-


    The Vote:


    [ ] They aren''t heroes, let the Justice League handle Brainiac directly while he and Blackfire stay down here - 17%


    [ ] He can''t leave it alone, go up after Supergirl with Blackfire and join the League''s efforts - 23%


    [X] Split the difference, send Blackfire up after Supergirl while Lucien stays down here with Clex - 60%


    -x-X-x-


    ?A/N: Please check out my newest daily updating project The Age of Chaos (Original Fantasy) if you have a moment!


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading

 Chapter 68: The Talk

    A/N: Until the end of March use code 830B9 at checkout for a 16% discount on the first Month of my Patreon, OR simply sign up for an Annual Pledge with a 16% discount baked in for the whole year!


    Divide and conquer it is~


    -x-X-x-


    Part of Lucien wants to try to ¡®make things right¡¯ with Supergirl, even though he¡¯d literally just met her a couple hours ago. In the end, he didn¡¯t necessarily owe her or the Justice League a single thing¡­ but that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t potentially make his life harder based on whatever Supergirl reported back about this whole debacle.


    At the same time though, Lucien knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wasn¡¯t leaving his father¡¯s clone down here alone with an unconscious Mercy. It wasn¡¯t that Lucien didn¡¯t trust Clex¡­ but frankly, he still didn¡¯t trust Clex.


    That meant¡­ splitting the difference. Turning to Blackfire, Lucien gives her a meaningful look, one that causes her to do a double take. It¡¯s a testament to how close they¡¯ve gotten that he doesn¡¯t even need to say anything initially.


    ¡°What? No, you can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m deadly serious. I think you should go up with Supergirl, Blackfire. Watch her back and help out against Brainiac.¡±


    Blackfire grits her teeth, hands curling into fists at her sides.


    ¡°I¡¯m a villain. They¡¯re not going to trust me. Besides, I belong at your side.¡±


    Sighing, Lucien shakes his head.


    ¡°You WERE a villain. You¡¯re reformed, Blackfire. And what better way to make amends than to be seen fighting off an invasion of Earth? What better way to get them off of your back then by turning around and being the Big Damn Hero for once?¡±


    Blackfire bites her lower lip at that, crossing her arms over her chest in response. But just from that subconscious defensive move alone, Lucien knows he¡¯s getting through to her. Only¡­ there¡¯s a small tendril of fear in her eyes that Lucien recognizes. Blackfire, for all her confidence and bravado, is not the heroic type. She¡¯s not the self-sacrificing type either. Given a choice between staying down here where it should be nominally safe and being out there where it¡¯ll be the exact opposite¡­ she¡¯d prefer down here with him every time.


    Stepping up to her, Lucien takes Blackfire by her arms, rubbing soothing circles into her flesh with his thumbs as he lowers his voice and looks her in the eye.


    ¡°If anything happens to you¡­ I won¡¯t let it stick. Understood?¡±


    Blackfire¡¯s eyes widen in response, showing that the Tamaranean definitely DOES understand. She looks a little incredulous.


    ¡°You¡­ would do that for me?¡±


    Lucien smiles and nods, a little surprised himself to find that he¡¯s being completely honest when he says¡­


    ¡°I would.¡±


    Oh, don¡¯t get him wrong¡­ if Blackfire went and did something without telling him or against his advice that got her killed, he¡¯d be a lot more hesitant. But with this? Telling her to go out there and risk her life¡­ if anything happened to her, Lucien isn¡¯t sure he¡¯d be able to live with himself anyways. He¡¯s gotten too close to his ¡®henchwoman¡¯ to let her go now. So yes, he¡¯d use one of his large but finite amount of ¡®resets¡¯ to go back and save her.


    Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, hearing it in his voice¡­ Blackfire lets out a shuddering breath and nods.


    ¡°O¡­ Okay¡­¡±


    He lets her go then, watching as she hesitantly flies after Supergirl. Hopefully she would take his words to heart and with the knowledge that she had a ¡®Get out of Jail Free¡¯ card in her back pocket, show the sort of courage that would impress the heroes up there. Because she wasn¡¯t just representing herself and showing how she¡¯d reformed from villainy with this¡­ she was also representing him.


    It definitely would have been better for his relations with the Justice League if he could have gone up himself¡­ but there were just too many moving pieces for him to consider that a viable option. This was where he needed to be, no matter what.


    Clex watches him curiously as Lucien approaches, the corners of his mouth turned upwards in a slight smirk.


    ¡°Hm. You two are closer than I thought. Should I be expecting grandbabies any time soon?¡±


    Lucien blinks at the question, which to his ears sounds completely sincere. He stares at his father¡¯s clone for a long moment before snorting derisively.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on it, no. My powers don¡¯t exactly allow for accidents and neither Blackfire nor I are interested in parenthood right now.¡±


    Of course, he very deliberately doesn¡¯t mention anything about Harley and Poison Ivy. That was a whole can of worms that was better left unsaid, especially if Clex didn¡¯t know the details of everything that had happened to Lucien while he was in Gotham.


    ¡°Ah, very well. I suppose I can¡¯t exactly fault you for knowing what you want and being so responsible. Self-determination is a good look on you Lucien, I have to admit.¡±


    That gets a head tilt from Lucien, which causes Clex to smirk harder than before.


    ¡°I still have all of the memories of the original in my head. All those yearly meetings where he checked in on you, only to be more disappointed than the last. Meanwhile, I remember him spending so much time and effort and money on trying to kill Superman, when he could have been putting forth effort into trying to figure out what was wrong with you and how to help you get better.¡±


    Lucien flinches at that, but Clex isn¡¯t done.


    ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ like I experienced it all from over his shoulder. I feel a step removed from it all honestly¡­ and maybe that¡¯s what¡¯s allowed me to be a better person¡­ a better Lex Luthor. I don¡¯t know if Brainiac intended it that way when he created me, or if he just wanted to make sure I wouldn¡¯t become as much of an egomaniac as the original Lex that I would refuse to listen to his commands.¡±


    Here, Clex winks.


    ¡°Unfortunately for him, I don¡¯t need to be as much of an egomaniac as the original to stand against Brainiac. I just need to have pride in my species and love for my home world.¡±


    Honestly, Lucien barely even knows where to begin with all of that. Does he tell Clex it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if his father tried to help him anyways, because ultimately his malady was something that normal human science couldn¡¯t contend with? Does he tackle all that shit about the entirety of Clex¡¯s life experiences apparently being from over another man¡¯s shoulder? Because that certainly didn¡¯t sound healthy.


    Unfortunately, he doesn¡¯t get the chance. Clex looks at the bank of monitors and makes an ¡®ah!¡¯ noise in the back of his throat.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost time.¡±


    Lucien watches as Brainiac¡¯s fleet finally arrives. The members of the Justice League capable of fighting in space are pouring out of the Watchtower to defend it¡­ but the armada that Brainiac has brought to invade Earth is so much bigger than a single Watchtower can possibly block. The ships flow around it in a U-shape, some stopping to attack the Watchtower but even more heading for Earth itself.


    There¡¯s a ding from one of Clex¡¯s stations.


    ¡°And there it is. Orders from up top to betray Earth and start softening up the defenses down here. Heh, boy is he in for a surprise.


    Lucien watches wordlessly as Clex¡¯s fingers fly across the keyboard. At this point, he just has to trust that his father¡¯s clone is on the up and up and knows what he¡¯s doing. And if he isn¡¯t and this is all just a trick, well Lucien will know better the next time around if it comes to that, won¡¯t he?


    On one of the screens, Brainiac¡¯s visage suddenly appears again, looking distinctly like an alien version of Lex Luthor just like last time. Except this time Lucien can tell that its live instead of just a recording.


    ¡°Greetings People of Earth! I am-!¡±


    And just like that, it cuts out. Lucien blinks, even as Clex chuckles from the side.


    ¡°Broadcast like that all across the world? Heavily reliant on LexCorp to make sure it reached everyone he wanted it to reach. Shame that LexCorp isn¡¯t on his side, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Taking a step back, Clex straightens up and squares his shoulders before clasping his hands behind his back. Then, on the same monitor where Brainiac Luthor had been moments before, his visage appears instead. Its pushed close enough in that Clex is the only one in the frame, even as he stares intensely into the camera.


    ¡°People of Earth, this is Lex Luthor speaking. I know many of you do not see eye to eye with the actions I¡¯ve taken in the past. Some of you might even consider me a criminal. But right now we find ourselves on the precipice of assimilation. An alien invasion has landed on our doorstep once again, led by who some call the smartest being in the universe. The Justice League faces down his armada even now to try and protect us from being conquered by his fleet.¡±


    Here, Clex raises a fist into the air.


    ¡°Are we going to cower in our homes as they fight for us? Are we going to sit and wait for them to save the day yet again? Perhaps today they will prevail once more. And perhaps the next time as well. But there will come a time when the Justice League will not be able to handle the threats to our world¡­ not alone.¡±


    Lowering the fist slowly, almost reverently to out of camera view, Lex Luthor smiles as he presses a single button on the console in front of him.


    ¡°That is why¡­ LexCorp stands with the Justice League, with Superman, and with those brave men and women who would defend our home. Now and forever.¡±


    Another screen on the monitor bank shows the top of LexCorp tower splitting open and a stream of shiny chrome-covered drones flowing up out of it. More streams of drones appear from all over the city as well. Lucien¡¯s mouth goes dry at the sight. If those had been on Brainiac¡¯s side¡­ but no, he still didn¡¯t know for sure that they weren¡¯t.


    Tensing up, Lucien prepares for betrayal¡­ that never comes. Brainiac¡¯s ships begin to enter the atmosphere and Clex¡¯s drones rise to meet them, clashing above the Earth in a battle that quickly expands out across the entire sky. Forming something of a defensive net, the shiny chrome drones are clearly doing their part¡­ and so are the heroes and heroines Lucien can just barely make out among them, fighting and pushing back the invasion force.


    Mere seconds later, Lucien watches on the screens as the nations of Earth, the so-called superpowers, also begin to react. In fairness to them, their reaction speed is incredible considering the infamous slow crawl of most bureaucracy. But then, these are fairly unprecedented times.


    Still, Lucien can¡¯t recall ever seeing Earth truly rise up as one like this. It was like Clex had said in his speech, which Lucien was now realizing had been broadcast to everyone in PLACE of Brainiac Luthor¡¯s message. Most of the time, the Justice League were the ones who handled shit. Entire cities could be burning and in ruins and it was the Justice League who were expected to save the day, time and time again.


    Not anymore though, or at least not this time. Clex had put out the call¡­ and Earth was answering it all across the board. Lucien¡¯s mouth is dry as he stares at all the screens, hope rising in his chest. Between the Justice League powerhouses fighting Brainiac out in space and LexCorp¡¯s drones and Earth¡¯s nations fighting his troops down here¡­ it really looked like they were going to pull through. No, more than pull through, this was looking like as decisive a victory as could be possible.


    ¡°Now then¡­ about what I wanted to talk to you about.¡±


    Blinking, Lucien pulls his eyes away from the bank of monitors to see Clex standing there smiling at him. The clone chuckles, his hands still clasped behind his back.


    ¡°Now is as good a time as any. At this point its mostly out of our hands¡­ up to the rest of them to take advantage of this chance we¡¯ve given them. Still, when all is said and done¡­ once the dust has settled, the world will be very different from what it was this morning. And so will its perception of me¡­ Lex Luthor.¡±


    Lucien tries not to react too strongly to that. In the end, it was just confirmation of something he¡¯d already noticed. Clex¡­ wasn¡¯t intending to differentiate himself from the original Lex Luthor. He wasn¡¯t planning on revealing himself to the public as a clone, or stepping away from Lex¡¯s life to find his own¡­ nothing.


    To be fair, if what Clex had said was true, then he likely felt it was his life as much as it was Lex¡¯s. Just because he was the clone and not the original, did that make his memories any less real? Well yes, in a very literal way his memories were fake. But all the same¡­


    Either unaware of Lucien¡¯s inner turmoil or ignoring it entirely, Clex continues on with his spiel. And frankly¡­ his next words are a lot more shocking than anything else he¡¯s said.


    ¡°As such, I¡¯m considering running for President of the United States.¡±


    He gives Lucien a grin at that.


    ¡°I know, I know. Perhaps it seems a little ridiculous. Lex Luthor, known almost as much for his enmity with Superman as his wealth, running for the highest office in the land. And yet¡­ I¡¯ve put a lot of effort into rehabilitating my image in the past year. And with today¡¯s actions, I suspect my reputation will never be better.¡±


    That was¡­ fair to assume, actually. Thinking about Clex¡¯s speech and how unifying it had been, yeah¡­ Lucien could see the incredibly ambitious man using that as a springboard to take him right into the White House. Even still¡­


    ¡°Of course, if I¡¯m going to be President, I can¡¯t exactly stay the CEO of LexCorp now can I? That would be a conflict of interests. I¡¯ll be required to divest myself of my holdings, meaning I need to find someone I can trust to take over when I¡¯m gone.¡±


    Here, Clex¡¯s eyes flicker over to Mercy, still unconscious and bound.


    ¡°Perhaps in another set of circumstances, that could have been dear Mercy. But as we¡¯ve previously discussed, our relationship has come to a decisive end. I could never trust her to take charge in my absence at this point. But you¡­ you Lucien, I know I can trust. I know I can count on you.¡± S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Again, his father¡¯s clone stretches out his hand to him, offering it up.


    ¡°What do you say, son? Interested?¡±


    -x-X-x-


    The Vote:


    [X] Accept the offer - 79%


    [ ] Reject the offer - 21%


    -x-X-x-


    ?A/N: Please check out my newest daily updating project The Age of Chaos (Original Fantasy) if you have a moment!


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading

 Chapter 69: Mercy Wakes Up

    A/N: Until the end of March use code 830B9 at checkout for a 16% discount on the first Month of my Patreon, OR simply sign up for an Annual Pledge with a 16% discount baked in for the whole year!


    Mercy finally gets to wake up and join the conversation.


    -x-X-x-


    Lucien can¡¯t believe he¡¯s even considering it. And yet¡­ something in him resonates with Clex¡¯s offer all the same. He could do a lot with the position of CEO. He could do a lot with the resources of LexCorp at his disposal. Selfish? Maybe¡­ but Lucien wasn¡¯t a hero. He never had been.


    Reaching out, he takes Clex¡¯s hand, giving it another shake. His father¡¯s clone grins in response, squeezing firmly for a moment before letting go and turning back to the console bank.


    ¡°Happy to have you on board, son. And don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to throw you into the deep end or anything. We¡¯ll have a transitionary period while I¡¯m campaigning for President, and no matter what I¡¯ll always be a call away.¡±


    Man, he made it sound like it was already a done deal. But then, Lucien couldn¡¯t really be surprised by that. Even if this was a clone of Lex Luthor who professed to have far more of a conscience than the original, he was clearly still just as confident and ambitious as ever. Still¡­


    ¡°Maybe focus on making sure we win today first before making plans that far into the future.¡±


    Clex laughs at Lucien¡¯s advice, not seeming to take it personally at least.


    ¡°Of course, of course. But I don¡¯t think we have to worry there. We¡¯re winning, after all.¡±


    Looking at the monitors, all with live feeds showing the state of the invasion across the entire world, Lucien has to agree with Clex on that front. It does indeed look like they¡¯re pushing Brainiac¡¯s fleet back across the board. It¡¯s the greatest show of unity and camaraderie that Earth has ever displayed, as far as Lucien is aware. Not just LexCorp drones and weapons systems holding the line, but also the different militaries of the world all rising to the occasion to fight side by side.


    Clex¡¯s inspiring words and actions have had an outstated effect on things. Where normally at least a few cities would be reduced to smoking ruins and urban warfare by this point while the Justice League scrambled to do damage control but couldn¡¯t be everywhere at the same time¡­ for once, Planet Earth was protecting itself to the absolute best of its ability.


    In turn, this was allowing the Justice League to focus their efforts all the more tightly. While there were still heroes and heroines fighting in different airspaces across the globe, the main force of metahumans in spandex and tights were centered around the Watchtower¡­ and from what the monitors were showing, they were even managing to push the fight to Brainiac¡¯s Mothership.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be over soon enough. Why don¡¯t you go wake up Mercy and let her free, hm?¡±


    Lucien blinks at that, a little surprised by the suggestion.


    ¡°¡­ Are you sure?¡±


    On the one hand, part of Lucien had been wanting to free Mercy and get her conscious again from the moment he¡¯d walked into this laboratory. But on the other hand, there hadn¡¯t seemed like a good time, especially not after he¡¯d decided to believe in the clone¡¯s good nature. At which point he¡¯d been forced to acknowledge in the back of his head that his next conversation with Mercy was liable to be extremely awkward.


    But Clex just gives him a knowing smirk.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. You won¡¯t let her hurt me¡­ and honestly, it might do good for her to see what happens next.¡±


    Lucien frowns at that but finally nods, walking over to where Mercy Graves has been dangling from her restraints for some time. It doesn¡¯t take him long to correctly intuit how to free her, catching her in his arms as she falls out of the floating shackles. As soon as she lands in his grasp however, the gorgeous femme fatale begins to wake up, her eyes fluttering open as she looks up at him in confusion.


    ¡°Lu¡­ Lucien? Lucien!¡±


    Ultimately, her body jerks and he¡¯s forced to let her stand under her own power as she starts to panic.


    ¡°Lucien! The clone of your father, he¡¯s from Brainiac!¡±


    ¡°He already knows, Mercy dear! At this point, the whole world knows about Brainiac!¡±


    Lucien pinches the bridge of his nose as Clex immediately makes his presence known. The clone couldn¡¯t give him even five seconds with Mercy? Meanwhile, Mercy stiffens, staring at Clex¡¯s back for a moment before correctly deducing some of the situation.


    ¡°Lucien¡­ what the hell is going on. Why is that clone still alive, let alone free and unfettered?¡±


    Sighing, Lucien makes sure he¡¯s ready if Mercy tries anything¡­ unwise.


    ¡°He¡¯s working for us now, Mercy. For Earth. He¡¯s on our side.¡±


    Furrowing her brow, Mercy purses her lips together, looking between Lucien and the clone¡¯s back. Her hand flexes and he¡¯s glad in that moment that she doesn¡¯t have a gun, because otherwise he¡¯s not sure what she might try and do. In the end, she has no choice but to demand further information.


    ¡°Explain.¡±


    He wants to, he really does, but at the same time¡­


    ¡°How much do you already know exactly?¡±


    Frowning, Mercy crosses her arms over her chest.


    ¡°I know Brainiac kidnapped Lex at some point. And I know he left that clone behind in Lex¡¯s place. I called you as soon as I found out who the clone was reporting to, but then I got nabbed.¡±


    ¡°All according to plan my dear. I am sorry for all the subterfuge, but I must thank you for luring Lucien here for me! His assistance has been invaluable so far!¡±


    Good Lord. Even when he was ostensibly a ¡®good guy¡¯, his father simply couldn¡¯t keep from boasting could he? Mercy scowls, but Lucien grabs her by the shoulders, focusing her back on him.


    ¡°Brainiac didn¡¯t just take Lex, Mercy¡­ he assimilated him. And then he decided he was going to conquer Earth to boot. The clone, or Clex as we¡¯re calling him, has turn coated and joined our side¡­ and without his help, we wouldn¡¯t be doing nearly as well.¡±


    Mercy grimaces some more, clearly not sure how to feel about that.


    ¡°¡­ What exactly does assimilation mean? How do we get the real Lex Luthor back?¡±


    Before Lucien can respond, Clex inserts himself into the conversation. Again.


    ¡°You don¡¯t! In fact, it¡¯s finally starting. You¡¯re going to want to see this. Both of you.¡±


    That first bit clearly incenses Mercy to no end, but the rest piques her curiosity enough to stay her hand for the moment. Admittedly, Lucien finds himself incredibly intrigued as well. Both he and Mercy walk back over to the bank of monitors, only for Clex to turn them all into one big screen that zooms in on Brainiac¡¯s mothership. Somehow his father¡¯s clone has managed to gain access to the cameras in the ship itself, allowing them to see into Brainiac¡¯s Command Center.


    ¡°It¡¯s over Brainiac! Your invasion has failed! Stand down your fleet and return Lex Luthor to us and we¡¯ll allow you to retreat.¡±


    As good-hearted as ever, Superman stands in the front, the rest of the Justice League¡¯s heaviest hitters arrayed behind him. Sitting in a massive technological chair akin to a throne, the amalgamation of Brainiac and Lex Luthor scoffs.


    ¡°Over? It¡¯s far from over. You may have won today, but I¡¯ll be back, Superman. And next time around, I won¡¯t settle for conquering this pathetic mudball. I gave you all a chance to submit and live under my rule. The next time around, I¡¯ll be sure to cleanse Earth of such defiance, even if that means blasting the planet down to bedrock.¡±


    Seeing his words aren¡¯t really getting through to the alien warlord, Superman takes a step forward and tries a different tact.


    ¡°Lex! I know you¡¯re still in there! The Lex Luthor I knew would never let an alien have control! He would never be so WEAK!¡±


    Lucien blinks at Superman¡¯s provocative words. He didn¡¯t think the Man of Steel had it in him¡­ but its obvious he¡¯s just trying to speak Lex¡¯s language, to try and cause division between Brainiac and whatever remains of Lucien¡¯s father. Alas¡­


    ¡°You are a fool, Superman. I already told you, I am Lex Luthor. Brainiac bit off more than he could chew¡­ I am in control now.¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Superman frowns at that, his hands clenched into fists at his sides as he shakes his head.


    ¡°¡­ The real Lex would never talk about killing off humanity. For all his flaws, I know the real Lex Luthor wants humankind to prosper and thrive, no matter the cost!¡±


    Brainiac Lex laughs at that, a booming sound even as a hundred alarms sounding out through the command room make it clear that things aren¡¯t going well for him anywhere on the battlefield.


    ¡°Then you never knew the real Lex Luthor at all, Superman! If I can¡¯t have Earth, nobody can! I will kill every single last stinking human being and rebuild the species from scratch before I let such defiance stand!¡±


    There¡¯s a pause as those words are digested by everyone, before Superman lets out a low sigh and begins to float forward.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking you into custody, Brainiac. Hopefully there¡¯s still enough of Lex Luthor left to separate the two of you and-!¡±


    ¡°IMBECILE! I AM ABOVE YOUR PALTRY LAWS!¡±


    A sudden green glow fills the room, emanating from Brainiac Lex¡¯s chest. Superman¡¯s eyes widen as he¡¯s forced backwards by what looks to Lucien to be Kryptonite. But that¡¯s not all¡­


    ¡°I have learned much from this battle. One day, I will return¡­ and on that day, Earth will BURN.¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause before Green Lantern suddenly cries out.


    ¡°Energy build up! He¡¯s blowing up the ship! Move!¡±


    Lucien watches as the Justice League evacuates, Wonder Woman having to grab Superman and sling him over her shoulder even as the weakened Kryptonian makes one last ineffectual swipe at the air towards Brainiac Lex. And then, a flash of light fills the screen and the camera goes offline. It automatically switches with another camera up in space, revealing the debris where Brainiac¡¯s Mothership was originally.


    Silence fills the underground laboratory for a long moment before the sound of something shrieking causes all eyes to turn towards the desk. There, growing out of seemingly nothing, is a spiderweb of advanced circuitry and the like, like some sort of¡­ technological virus.


    ¡°Lucien, destroy it quickly!¡±


    At Clex¡¯s barked command, Lucien moves almost without thinking. Summoning up ultraviolet energy in his hands, he flings it at the desk and doesn¡¯t stop until the circuitry is a smoldering ruin. Only in the process of destroying the thing does he realize exactly what it was¡­ the nanochip that had been in Clex¡¯s head. He¡¯d put it down at some point, probably to run tests on it later, but¡­


    ¡°Well now¡­ I suppose I was wrong. It wasn¡¯t just a kill switch after all. It had a secondary purpose¡­ to transfer Brainiac¡¯s consciousness into a new body in the event that he had to discard the old one."


    Lucien swallows thickly at that. That... had been close. What feels like half a dozen choices suddenly flit through his head. What if he¡¯d refused to accept Clex¡¯s original handshake? Or simply killed the clone like he originally intended to before leaving this lab behind? What if he hadn¡¯t been down here to destroy whatever was building itself up out of the nanochip from seemingly nothing? What if he¡¯d gone up top with Blackfire and Supergirl to fight as a hero?


    ¡­ They¡¯d come exceptionally close to catastrophe, but the question Lucien can¡¯t help but asking has nothing to do with his own choices.


    ¡°What¡­ what does that mean for Brainiac that we stopped it? Does that mean he¡¯s permanently dead?¡±


    Clex blinks, considering the smoldering ruin of a desk for a long moment before finally grunting and shaking his head in the negative.


    ¡°No, I doubt it. Someone like Brainiac has backups within backups. I might have been his Plan B, but I don¡¯t believe for a single second that he didn¡¯t also have a Plan C, Plan D, Plan E¡­ and so on. He¡¯s out there still somewhere, I¡¯m sure of it. And he has a grudge against Earth as well.¡±


    Clex smirks though at that, straightening his back and holding his head high.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter though, in the end. When Brainiac returns¡­ we¡¯ll be ready for him. We¡¯ll be ready for all of the greater powers of the universe who would seek to turn Earth into a battlefield.¡±


    Lucien slowly nods, even as he stares at where the nanochip had once been for a moment. Clex, meanwhile, looks to Mercy curiously.


    ¡°And what about you, Mercy dear? Still want to do unspeakable things to me?¡±


    That gets Lucien to look over at his father¡¯s bodyguard and right hand woman as well. Mercy Graves stands there, still as can be. Her eyes are actually still on the large screen where they¡¯d seen Brainiac Lex¡¯s final stand. She hadn¡¯t even paid any mind to the incident with the nanochip. Lucien is both surprised and not when he sees a single tear running down Mercy¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°That¡­ that wasn¡¯t Lex. Lex wouldn¡¯t say those things. And that means¡­ that means he¡¯s really gone. Taken and I didn¡¯t even realize it. Turned into a shadow of his former self by some alien monster. I should have been there. I should have stopped it. But I didn¡¯t. And now Lex Luthor is dead.¡±


    Lucien doesn¡¯t know what to say. He swallows hard as Mercy stands there a broken woman. Of course¡­


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m still here you know.¡±


    Finally, Mercy¡¯s gaze snaps from the screen to Clex¡¯s face. She snarls and again, Lucien gets the impression that if she were still armed, she would at least pull the gun on his father¡¯s clone, if not unload it into his face outright.


    ¡°You¡¯re not him.¡±


    At least Clex has the good grace not to smile.


    ¡°No, I suppose I¡¯m not. But I am A Lex¡­ in fact, I¡¯ve been thinking I might just go by that. Alex instead of Clex. Sounds more¡­ human.¡±


    That last part is directed at Lucien, who blinks but nods. He was right. Alex did sound better than Clex and it wasn¡¯t like Clex had been set in stone or anything like that.


    ¡°Still, I understand my very existence harms you emotionally. I would not expect you to continue to work for me willingly Ms. Graves. You do not deserve to be stuck with what you consider to be the inferior product and I do not deserve to have a second in command whose loyalty will forever be in question.¡±


    Mercy stiffens at that, causing Alex to adopt a light smirk again.


    ¡°That is why I thought to reassign you¡­ to my son here. Lucien is destined for great things irrespective of his last name or blood relation to me. And he deserves all the help he can get.¡±


    There¡¯s a pause as Alex¡¯s offer hangs in the air. Lucien wonders if he should say something, given this all involves him. But before he can decide, Mercy suddenly snorts derisively.


    ¡°Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren¡¯t you? Is it really me you have to worry about ¡®A Lex¡¯?¡±


    When Alex furrows his brow in confusion, Mercy just gestures behind him to the monitors. The larger portion of the monitor bank is still showing the space debris left behind by the self-destructed mothership, but some of the smaller monitors have switched over to showing different camera feeds. Most of which are far closer to home.


    Lucien watches Alex¡¯s jaw clench as Supergirl leads Superman and the rest of the Justice League back down the passage he¡¯d opened up towards the secret laboratory they¡¯re all currently standing in. After a moment, the clone plasters a broad grin across his face.


    ¡°Well now¡­ it seems we¡¯re about to have guests.¡±


    -x-X-x-


    The Vote:


    [ ] Stick with Lucien''s POV - 19%


    [ ] Switch to Clex/Alex''s POV - 13%


    [ ] Switch to Mercy''s POV - 12%


    [X] Switch to Supergirl''s POV - 56%


    -x-X-x-


    ?A/N: Please check out my newest daily updating project The Age of Chaos (Original Fantasy) if you have a moment!


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading

 Chapter 70: Confrontation

    A/N: FINAL WEEK to use code 830B9 at checkout for a 16% discount on the first Month of my Patreon, OR simply sign up for an Annual Pledge with a 16% discount baked in for the whole year!


    I''m not sure what they were expecting.


    -x-X-x-


    Kara can¡¯t help but note the somber mood as she leads the League¡¯s leadership back down to the secret lab under LexCorp Tower alongside Blackfire. Lots of people would probably wonder why things were so serious and quiet if they could see them all right now. Indeed, even as they¡¯d been flying down, Kara¡¯s Kryptonian Senses had allowed her to make out the start of celebrations not just in Metropolis, not just in the United States of America, but across the entire world.


    This was probably the best that Earth had ever done when it came to an alien invasion. It was certainly the best they¡¯d done since Kara had arrived all those years ago. Damage to population centers had been minimal, civilian casualties were being tentatively measured as low as the hundreds, and for once it hadn¡¯t all fallen on the Justice League¡¯s shoulders. For once, the people of Earth had risen up and actually taken a stand. It was inspirational¡­ or it would have been if not for the context behind it.


    Admittedly, the LexCorp drones had been a huge help during the invasion. So had Blackfire. Kara was surprised at first when the Tamaranean had shown up just as the fighting was really getting started, but it wasn¡¯t like she had the time to question it. Together, the two of them had held a massive stretch of sky over Metropolis, with the drones from LexCorp plugging any gaps in their coverage.


    Kara wasn¡¯t going to pretend like Blackfire was as strong or fast as her, but for all that Kara was incredibly powerful, she wasn¡¯t perfect and she couldn¡¯t actually be in every place at once. People had lived today that wouldn¡¯t have if Blackfire hadn¡¯t helped out¡­ and that should mean something, Kara figured.


    Unfortunately, what it all meant wasn¡¯t for her to decide. That¡¯s why as soon as it was over, she¡¯d made a beeline for Kal El, getting to him as fast as possible. He¡¯d been a little weakened by a blast of Kryptonite from Brainiac, but the exposure to Earth¡¯s Yellow Sun had already had him back to almost full strength by the time Kara reached him and explained as quickly as possible what had happened under LexCorp Tower.


    Kal had already been somber and quiet before Kara had gotten to him, but if anything, her words had only made him quieter still, his demeanor the most serious she¡¯d ever seen it. He¡¯d ordered her to direct him down to where she¡¯d come out at and in that moment she knew they weren¡¯t talking as kin but as Superman and Supergirl.


    Needless to say, things are tense even as they arrive at the bottom of the tunnel to find the doors to the laboratory wide open, almost inviting them in. Nobody says anything, but that¡¯s because none of them have to. Lex Luthor might have been Superman¡¯s greatest challenge more often than not, but the unpowered human man was so much larger than life that he¡¯d tangled with the entirety of the League¡¯s first string more than once. As such, they all know to be on high alert for any potential traps.


    Stepping into the laboratory, Kara is¡­ glad to see that Lucien seems okay. And it seems they¡¯ve woken up Mercy Graves as well. She¡¯s still not very happy with Lex Luthor¡¯s son though if she¡¯s being perfectly honest. He¡¯d seemed like a pretty decent guy and both Batman and Kal trusted him, so Kara had been ready to give Lucien the benefit of the doubt at first. She¡¯d let him take the lead on their undercover mission, and in the process she¡¯d wound up drained of her power and all but helpless thanks to Red Sun exposure.


    The clone of Lex Luthor was right. If she¡¯d had her full Kryptonian abilities, Kara probably would have taken him down first and asked questions later. It was just too dangerous to trust him. But not to Lucien. Kara couldn¡¯t say what was going through the man¡¯s head¡­ only that he seemed to have decided his father¡¯s clone was being honest.


    Sure, it SEEMED like it had worked out for the best. The drones had helped take down Brainiac¡¯s armada, and the clone Lex Luthor¡¯s speech to the rest of the world had been highly motivational, on top of preventing Brainiac from delivering a speech that might have been demotivational.


    And yet¡­ Kara knew she wasn¡¯t the only one in this room right now waiting for the other shoe to drop. Lex Luthor was Lex Luthor, and a clone of him couldn¡¯t possibly be that different¡­ could he? Either way, he had to be planning something.


    Interestingly enough, while the clone stands there with his hands clasped behind his back, waiting for them¡­ its not he who Superman goes to. Instead, completely ignoring Lex¡¯s clone, Kal walks right up to Lucien and places a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry son. We did everything we could¡­ but your father didn¡¯t make it.¡±


    Kara swallows at that. Lex Luthor, the real one, hadn¡¯t been anyone¡¯s idea of a hero as far as she knew. He was the sort of man who would stop at nothing to try and kill or drive Kal El away from Earth. The man had done everything in his power to make Kal¡¯s life a living hell. And not even just in big ways either. If it would inconvenience or upset Superman in any way, Lex was there for it.


    Fuck, she remembered one time ordering a cake for Kal¡¯s birthday. Lex Luthor had found out which bakery she was having make the cake and decided to intervene. Apparently he¡¯d struck too early though and none of the cakes for that day had been decorated yet. Not knowing which was supposed to be which, he¡¯d gone and stolen the bakery¡¯s entire inventory, all forty of them, just so he could be sure he got the one meant for Superman! They¡¯d been on a rack of four shelves, ten to a rack, and he¡¯d just swiped the entire damn thing! Utterly terrible.


    That was the kind of petty, vile, egomaniac that Lex Luthor was. But admittedly, Kal had always treated him with far more respect than he deserved. Superman was the kind of hero who considered it a personal failing that Lex Luthor wasted so much of his time, brilliance, and money on trying to hurt the Man of Steel instead of on bettering the world. On top of that, Kara supposed she now knew Lex was a father¡­ though from what she¡¯d learned today, not very much of one.


    Perhaps Kal thinks Lucien will commiserate with his grief. Perhaps he thinks the younger man needs someone to comfort him after losing his father like he did. Judging by the look on Lucien¡¯s face, he doesn¡¯t quite know how to react to Superman¡¯s earnestness. In the end he doesn¡¯t get the chance to formulate a response, because Clone Lex clears his throat.


    ¡°Actually, his father is right here Superman. And I¡¯m not planning on going anywhere any time soon.¡±


    Kara licks her lips as the tension in the air ratchets up several notches. There had already been plenty of eyes on Lex¡¯s clone before, of course. But now EVERY eye is on him¡­ including Superman¡¯s. Kal¡¯s hand leaves Lucien¡¯s shoulder, turning away from the younger man to take in Clone Lex in silence for a moment.


    On one side is Superman, the strongest hero there is, backed up by the world¡¯s other strongest heroes. And on the other side is a clone of Lex Luthor. A completely lopsided matchup in most eyes. It should have been no contest right? So then why is Kara so nervous? Why does it feel like this whole situation could still go either way?


    ¡°You know you¡¯re not really him. You know you¡¯re not the original Luthor.¡±


    Kal El¡¯s voice is low and calm, simply stating facts. Kara half-expects Clone Lex to get angry at that, to start ranting and raving about how he had every right to be Lex Luthor. There was nobody quite as good as her kin at getting under his skin and making him blow his top.


    ¡­ But instead, he just smiles, his hands still clasped behind his back.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I? You think I¡¯m a clone of Lex Luthor, is that right?¡±


    Frowning, Superman crosses his arms over his chest.


    ¡°I know you are. The real Lex Luthor was taken by Brainiac and replaced by you quite some time ago. You may have broken free of Brainiac¡¯s control and Earth owes you a debt for your assistance during the invasion, but the original Lex Luthor just died when Brainiac initiated his mothership¡¯s self-destruct.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Kara furrows her brow, wondering how the clone was going to play this.


    ¡°Did he? Or is that simply what I wanted Brainiac¡­ and by extension all of you, to think.¡±


    Wait, what?


    The Lex Clone unclasps his hands from behind his back at long last, spreading them wide as he smiles victoriously.


    ¡°Did you really think that I¡¯d be so foolish as to let myself be taken by Brainiac of all people, Superman? Do you think so little of my intelligence? No, when Brainiac came hunting for a Lex Luthor almost two years ago, I wasn¡¯t there for him to take. He made the mistake of kidnapping one of my clones instead. It¡¯s true that he put one of his own clones in place afterwards, but once I found out what happened, I dealt with that clone myself and assumed the position of ¡®loyal subordinate¡¯ since I knew he would come back eventually.¡±


    There was no way. That wasn¡¯t possible. But Clone Lex isn¡¯t done. He chuckles, his eyes sweeping across them all.


    ¡°I played my role to such perfection that it seems you all bought into it as well. Brainiac thought he got the real deal¡­ and you ate it right up, didn¡¯t you? Meanwhile, I¡¯ve been preparing for this day for quite some time¡­ hm, and would you look at that. Preliminary reports are putting the number of deaths next to nil when put up against the percentage of the global population that was at risk. What can I say¡­ other than you¡¯re welcome?¡±


    He had to be lying. He HAD to be lying. Kara¡¯s mouth opens and closes wordlessly as Superman stares the Lex Clone (or is it the real Lex?!) down. The rest of the League doesn¡¯t look like they know what to say or do either. Silence reigns as Lex Luthor¡­ surely not but maybe so, preens under their confused and angry stares.


    Kara looks over to Lucien, hoping to glean some sort of additional understanding from him maybe, but the man is just standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, his face like stone and not giving off a single ounce of what he¡¯s currently thinking. Blackfire has moved back to his side by this point and she honestly just looks bored with this whole situation.


    Out of everyone, Mercy Graves is the one who looks the most emotive. She¡¯s staring at Lex Luthor with a frown¡­ but damn it all, that doesn¡¯t tell Kara much either! She might be frowning because her actual boss tricked her into thinking he was a clone and knocked her out and used her as bait for Lucien. OR she might be frowning because she knows he IS a clone and is pulling one over on the entire Justice League.


    ¡­ Except, if it was the latter option, surely Graves would say something, right? Surely she wouldn¡¯t just¡­ let him get away with it.


    ¡°You really expect us to believe that horse shit?¡±


    Floating forward with a bright green glow covering him, Green Lantern scowls at Lex with his arms crossed over his chest.


    Far from cowed however, Lex just smiles up at him.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t care what any of you choose to believe, actually. Or did you miss what happened today? Your assistance in protecting Earth from Brainiac¡¯s invasion was noted and most admirable¡­ however, Earth didn¡¯t sit back and let you hog all the glory this time around, did we?¡±


    Clasping his hands behind his back again, Lex Luthor smirks a classic Lex smirk as he looks at all of them like the cat who caught the canary.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about what you lot believe. It¡¯s about what everyone else believes. Feel free to go and tell everyone that I¡¯m a clone if you must. I¡¯m afraid my lawyers might have to take you to court for slander, but I won¡¯t personally hold it against any of you. The truth will win out though, in the end. I am Alexander Joseph Luthor, the one and only. Now¡­ and forever.¡±


    There¡¯s a brief pause as everyone clearly struggles with that. Finally, Luthor breaks the silence once more.


    ¡°Unless you intend to try and take me into custody for¡­ some perceived slight, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to ask you all to leave now, however. This is private property, after all.¡±


    Batman finally speaks up then, his voice probing.


    ¡°Is it? Do you have the proper permits with the city for this underground laboratory Luthor?¡±


    Seriously? Was that how they were going to get him? That was like taking down Capone for tax evasion. Except in this case, it was more like if Capone had just got done helping to save the world from a fucking alien invasion. It would never work.


    Lex seems to know that too, because he just chuckles and brings his hands in front of him, offering up his wrists to be cuffed.


    ¡°Are you going to arrest me, Batman? Then arrest me. Otherwise¡­ I¡¯m once again going to have to ask you all to leave.¡±


    Kara can¡¯t help but feel like she¡¯s not the only one who wants to take Lex Luthor up on his offer. Indeed, maybe one of them would have gone for it¡­ if not for Superman ever so slightly shaking his head and staying their hands.


    ¡°No, we¡¯ll go. Sorry for the¡­ misunderstanding, Lex. And good work today. Many, many people owe their lives to your heroic actions.¡±


    There was no way Kal actually believed this shit! But then¡­ even Kara isn¡¯t sure what the fuck to believe anymore. Lucien probably knew more, right? But he wasn¡¯t talking. And nobody was really paying him much attention either at this point, not after how Lex commanded the spotlight onto himself.


    ¡°I appreciate the kind words, Superman. Truthfully¡­ I doubt we would have been so successful without the Justice League. Just as many people, if not more, owe their lives to all of you. Well done, everyone.¡±


    Nobody responds to those words except for Superman, who barely dignifies them with a small nod. It feels dirty, receiving such praise from Lex Luthor of all people. However, as they all start to follow Kal towards the lab¡¯s exit, Lex calls out one final time.


    ¡°Oh¡­ and call me Alex or Alexander from now on if Mister Luthor is too much to ask, please.¡±


    That, more than anything, seems to bring Kal to a dead stop. Kara watches as her kin turns back to stare Lex Luthor down wordlessly. In response, ¡®Alex¡¯ lets his smirk grow into a full-blown grin.


    ¡°It¡¯s a new day on Planet Earth. A new dawn, if you will. So I figure¡­ why not a new ¡®me¡¯ as well? Lex Luthor is in the past. Alexander Luthor¡­ looks forward to working with you going forward in defense of OUR world.¡±


    That¡­ that bastard. He was definitely a clone after all! He was practically broadcasting it! And yet, there¡¯s nothing they can do. Kal finally offers one last small nod¡­ and then they leave. Just like that.


    GODDAMNIT! Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    -x-X-x-


    The Vote:


    [X] Stick with Supergirl''s POV - 57%


    [ ] Switch back to Lucien''s POV - 20%


    [ ] Switch to Mercy''s POV - 23%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading

 Chapter 71: Next Steps

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!


    I have way too much fun writing ''Alex'' giving speeches lol.


    -x-X-x-


    She knows better than to say a word while they¡¯re still in range of any hidden recording devices, but Kara still can¡¯t help fuming as she follows Superman and the others back up to the surface. Fortunately, they soon arrange a teleport up to the Watchtower from there and she¡¯s finally able to let it all out.


    ¡°S-Surely we¡¯re not just going to let him get away with this?!¡±


    The silence is deafening as the Justice League¡¯s founders all exchange looks with one another. Kal grimaces while the others look uncertain. Green Lantern in particular looks like he¡¯s bitten into a lemon. Strangely enough, its Batman who initially answers her.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much we can do at this point in time. The clone was right about that much at least. Our hands are tied.¡±


    Whipping towards him, Kara points decisively.


    ¡°Aha! So you also don¡¯t believe that bullcrap about this being the real Lex!¡±


    The Flash coughs into his hand, drawing attention his way as he scratches his cheek.


    ¡°I dunno¡­ it really does sound like something that Luthor would do. Get one of his clones snatched by Brainiac and replaced with another clone, only to come back afterwards, get rid of THAT clone, and takeover with no one none the wiser. I mean¡­ am I wrong?¡±


    The speedster looks to Superman in particular at that last part and so does everyone else. After all, if anyone knows Lex Luthor, its going to be Kal. Right now, the Man of Steel has a deep frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. Finally, after a beat of silence, he shakes his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. What gives me pause is the absence of any other plots over the past year. Lex has never let himself be confined to one or two plans. He¡¯s a consummate multitasker and he always has multiple pans in the fire. Brainiac has always been a huge threat, of course, but even his impending arrival wouldn¡¯t have led to the observed change in Lex¡¯s behavior over the last several months.¡±


    There are some nods at that. Even Kara finds herself nodding along in agreement. Kal was right, the simple truth was¡­ Lex had been acting really, really weird for a while now. Weird in a way that could only be explained by mental tampering¡­ or being fully replaced by a clone that didn¡¯t share every single aspect of his personality.


    Of course, one thing was certain¡­ this ¡®Alex¡¯ was just as egotistical and prideful as the original Lex Luthor had been.


    ¡°I¡¯m just not sure if that means the real Lex Luthor only came back into the picture a month or so ago and just didn¡¯t have the time for anything but preparing for Brainiac¡­ or if he was the one Brainiac took in the first place and what we¡¯re dealing with now is still the clone.¡±


    Damn. That was a good point too. Kara frowns and crosses her arms over her own chest as Kal¡¯s words send the entire room into a contemplative silence. Until finally¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s the latter. I¡¯m almost certain of it based on the reactions of Lucien Luthor and Mercy Graves.¡±


    Batman¡¯s confident words ring through the room, causing everyone to once again give the Caped Crusader their full attention.


    ¡°Lex Luthor¡¯s bastard son has been kept out of the spotlight for most of his life due to perpetual sickness that has only recently been healed in the past year. His relationship with his father was withered at best. And yet, while he didn¡¯t say anything down there¡­ the clone has his full support. Something that the real Lex Luthor would probably not be able to obtain without serious concessions.¡±


    Letting that settle for a moment, Batman continues.


    ¡°On the other side of things, Mercy Graves was not happy down there. Something held her tongue, perhaps her historied animosity towards some of us, perhaps something else¡­ but she did not act as though the real Lex Luthor had swept back in at the last possible second to ¡®save the day¡¯. Nor would she have had to be confined in the first place if that were the case. Mercy Graves is the smoking gun¡­ the original Lex Luthor died on Brainiac¡¯s mothership.¡±


    Batman¡¯s words have a finality to them even as Kara notices Kal flinch ever so slightly out of the corner of her eye. Ugh, he was just too much of a softie sometimes. She knew her cousin well enough to know that Kal would probably never forgive himself for ¡®failing¡¯ Lex Luthor. Never mind that the man was his self-appointed archnemesis and a total menace who had tried to kill them dozens of times and certainly killed many more.


    ¡­ Frankly, when Kara thought about it that way, maybe it was for the best that the real Luthor was gone and a clone had taken his place. She wasn¡¯t going to say that out loud of course, but¡­


    ¡°So then we¡¯re right back where we started. Supergirl is right, what are we going to do about this?¡±


    Kara blinks and then straightens up as Wonder Woman finally speaks up. The older superheroine gives her a slight nod that has Kara smiling a little while fighting against the heat rising to her cheeks. It felt good to be acknowledged. Unfortunately, Batman is there just like always to rain on their parade.


    ¡°The answer remains the same, there¡¯s not much we can do at this point in time. There¡¯s no evidence of which Lex Luthor was which, not with Brainiac gone and the Luthor he assimilated gone with him. The clone is already prepared with his excuses regarding the recording we have from Brainiac admitting to what he¡¯s done and no doubt has all of his ducks in order to make that the ¡®official story¡¯ so attempting to litigate this in the courts is a non-starter. At the same time, trying to take this to the public would only backfire on us. Given everything that the clone did today, trying to convince the world to believe he¡¯s stolen the life of the real Lex Luthor is going to be an uphill battle of Sisyphean proportions.¡±


    Hawkgirl scoffs at that, finally adding her two cents.


    ¡°Hmph, I do not know what this ¡®Sisyphean¡¯ is, but all Luthor did today was sent some robots into the sky. We were the ones who fought on the front lines, risking life and limb for this planet. And you say he will have more credit with the people of Earth than us?¡±


    Kara almost finds herself nodding along with the other alien woman until Batman responds without mincing words.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sweeping his gaze around the room, the Dark Knight grunts.


    ¡°We came together and formed the Justice League for exactly days like today. It is our purpose and our duty. And so it is expected that we will ¡®save the day¡¯. Each time we do so, the awe of the act diminishes as the expectation that we will always succeed increases. This is fine because we don¡¯t do this for glory or fame. We do this because we have to, because nobody else will.¡±


    Shoulders square and chests puff up as Batman¡¯s words resonate with all of them. Of course, even Kara can sense the ¡®but¡¯ coming. Or as it turns out, the ¡®however¡¯.


    ¡°However¡­ Lex Luthor is a businessman and a private citizen, and to some, a supervillain. Expectations for him are at rock bottom. Nobody expects the billionaire to step up to the plate and put his money where his mouth is. Nobody expects a man like Luthor to lead the charge in convincing the world¡¯s militaries to truly mobilize in a semi-united show of force that actually succeeds in helping us drive away the invaders and saves countless lives.¡±


    Batman grunts again as he comes around to finally making his point.


    ¡°Today, the clone shocked the world with his heroic actions. Even Superman couldn¡¯t deny the good he¡¯d done. That shock is probably already turning to awe and hero worship, which I¡¯m sure someone as smart as a clone of Luthor will leverage into further opportunities for whatever his ultimate goals are. For the time being, he¡¯s untouchable. For now, we cannot move against him without doing serious damage to our own reputations in the process. We need to wait for him to make a mistake and show his true colors. Only then can we begin taking him down.¡±


    He¡¯s right. Right? Kara glances around the room, making sure that everyone else is coming to the same conclusion she has. Her shoulders slump a little bit in relief when she sees the others slowly nodding along. Nobody is happy about it of course, there¡¯s plenty of grimaces to go around, but Batman is right.


    Tackling Luthor¡¯s clone now when he¡¯d probably be riding high on the goodwill from today¡¯s actions would just blow back on them in the worst way possible. All they had to do was wait though and he¡¯d surely be right back to his old tricks. Then, they could expose him for what he really was. What any version of Lex Luthor had to be.


    There¡¯s a sudden beeping from a nearby console as everyone stands there in silence for a moment. Superman moves over to the console and furrows his brow.


    ¡°Its from Cyborg. He says there¡¯s something we need to see¡­ ¡®Alex¡¯ is holding a press conference.¡±


    Just like that, the tension fills the room once more in a way that makes it feel like it never left. Everyone turns towards the wall as Superman turns on the monitor and gets the broadcast up on the screen with Cyborg¡¯s help. The cybernetic superhero is a huge help to the Justice League, handling a lot of stuff related to the Watchtower and its continued maintenance.


    A moment later and Lex Luthor¡¯s face appears on the screen before them. The clone is standing on a stage, no podium in sight, with his arms clasped behind him and his shoulders squared, his head held high. Camera flashes make it clear that every news organization in Metropolis and probably some who had taken extreme measures to get there from elsewhere, is currently taking pictures of him.


    Smiling, the clone focuses his eyes on the camera.


    ¡°People of Earth. Today we banded together and fought. Today, upon seeing the Justice League once again risking their lives for our safety and security, we said ¡®no more¡¯. I am proud to stand before you all today knowing that we all did our part for once. Not for fame or glory, but because it needed to be done. Because if we didn¡¯t, then one day soon¡­ those who stand between us and the invaders at our doorstep might be overwhelmed.¡±


    Kara flinches as the Luthor Clone unknowingly parrots Batman¡¯s words from before. It was honestly a little eerie. Except when Batman said it, it made her proud and filled her with a sense of accomplishment. Hearing Lex Luthor say it¡­ filled her with anxiety and a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.


    ¡°Today is a new dawn for all of us. Where we can look ourselves in the mirror and say ¡®Yes, my planet is still here because I stood up and fought¡¯. I am proud of the work of LexCorp engineers and scientists that helped make today¡¯s defense possible. And I am proud of the nations of Earth for stepping up and setting aside their differences for the sake of our world and the human race.¡±


    There it was. The anti-alien rhetoric that Kara was expecting. Or maybe she was just projecting? But no, Lex Luthor definitely hated aliens like her and Kal. And his clone had to as well¡­ didn¡¯t he? S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°However, our work is far from done. In fact, I say it¡¯s just getting started. The Justice League fights for us, but after today, we would be craven and cowardly if we let them continue to fight alone. Today must be the start of something new for our world.¡±


    Kara swallows thickly. What was he getting at? Glancing at the others, she sees nothing but concern and confusion in their faces. They didn¡¯t really have any better idea of where Lex was taking this than she did.


    Suddenly smiling, the clone unclasps his hands and splays one across his chest, right over his heart.


    ¡°I will not pretend to be perfect or without my fair share of mistakes. I will not pretend that my past is not littered with poor decisions at times. But I still believe in our world and the prospect of a better tomorrow¡­ and I won¡¯t let the past keep me from seeking a bright, bright future.¡±


    Staring right into the camera, almost like he¡¯s looking at all of them, ¡®Alex¡¯ grins.


    ¡°That is why, effective immediately, I am announcing my candidacy for President of the United States of America. Because it¡¯s not enough for me to let the world¡¯s defense rest on the shoulders anymore. I¡¯ve rested on my laurels for too long. It¡¯s time for me to put my money where my mouth is.¡±


    Oh. Oh no.


    ¡°People of Earth, People of America¡­ celebrate this win. Enjoy the festivities of today¡¯s success. And then rest up, because the real work? The real work starts tomorrow.¡±


    There¡­ there was no way he¡¯d win, right? It was impossible. Lex Luthor, Superman¡¯s archnemesis, as President of the United States. There was absolutely no way people would vote for him¡­ right?


    Except as Kara peers around the silent room at the faces of the Justice League¡¯s founding members, she sees a lot of grim and resigned looks. That¡¯s when she truly starts to worry.


    -x-X-x-


    The Vote:


    [X] Switch to Mercy''s POV - 77%


    [ ] Switch to Lucien''s POV - 23%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 72: Wheelin’ & Dealin’

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story.


    Mercy Graves has a decision to make. But truthfully, she''s already made it.


    -x-X-x-


    Mercy Graves was a lot of things to Lex Luthor over the years. His bodyguard, his secretary, his fixer¡­ even his chauffeur. It''s strange then to find herself in the back of a limousine for once. She''s much more used to being the driver than just another passenger. And yet, she''s used to a lot of things that are no longer true.


    Lex is gone. Seeing Brainiac''s final confrontation with the Justice League had hammered that point home for Mercy all too quickly. As much as she hated to admit it, Superman was right when he said that the real Lex Luthor would never casually talk about wiping out the entire human race.


    For all his obsession with Kryptonians, for all his ego, Lex had forever believed that human beings would ultimately rise to the top and seize their destiny as the apex sapients of the universe. And he would of course be their leader.


    That¡­ thing that wore Lex''s face and claimed to have usurped control of Brainiac was nothing but a lie. Either it was Brainiac just putting on a fa?ade and wearing a skin-deep version of Lex Luthor''s personality, or it was some amalgamation of the two beings that was nothing like the man that she''d faithfully served all these years.


    In the end though, it didn''t matter which it was. It didn''t even matter if Lex Luthor could have still been saved. The mothership had self-destructed and while Brainiac might one day be back the real Lex Luthor, HER Lex¡­ was gone for good.


    Accepting that was difficult for Mercy. Accepting that Lex''s clone wasn''t truly to blame had been even harder though. Still, when faced with a choice between siding with the Justice League and keeping her mouth shut, Mercy had ultimately done what she knew the original Lex would have wanted her to do. Even after everything, even after this ''Alex'' usurped his life, if Lex had been there¡­ he would have stuck it to Superman and all of those self-righteous do-gooders in tights just as his clone did.


    For that, Mercy had decided she was willing to live and let live as far as Alexander Luthor was concerned. At the same time though, the clone had been right¡­ they couldn''t just pick up where they left off. She couldn''t just slot back in as this new Lex Luthor''s right-hand woman and be happy with that.


    That led to where she was now, in the back of a limousine, sitting across from one Lucien Luthor, the bastard son of her former boss. His own ''right-hand woman'' Blackfire is sat to the side, her arms crossed over her chest as she watches Mercy with a flattering amount of wariness. As tough as Mercy is, she''s not ''alien'' tough. The exiled Tamaranean Princess could take her down relatively easily if she wanted to¡­ and so could Lucien himself if Mercy wasn''t mistaken.


    Indeed, as good as he is at hiding it¡­ Mercy has been assessing dangers and assigning threat ratings for too damn long not to be able to see the obvious. It''s been a while since she and Lucien last saw each other on his birthday¡­ a while since she perhaps made the somewhat foolish move of cutting him off because she''d caught him lying to her.


    ¡­ If she hadn''t done that, if they''d worked together more, was it possible they could have figured out Brainiac took Lex earlier and potentially rescued him? Mercy knew that particular idea would be keeping her up at night for quite some time into the future, more than likely.


    Still, all in all¡­ Lucien has grown a lot since his birthday. He''s become more than he was before¡­ he''s become a proper metahuman.


    Compared to Lucien and Blackfire, Mercy is no threat. So yes, it is a point of pride that Blackfire is treating her with a certain degree of wariness all the same. Even if it''s a small consolation to everything else.


    "Have you given more thought to the idea of coming and working for me, Mercy?"


    Lucien''s words don''t necessarily pull her out of her thoughts, since she wasn''t that deep in them in the first place. And yes, she has been thinking about that. She''s been thinking about it a lot.


    "¡­ I believe it''s the best path forward for me, yes."


    Lex''s son looks surprised by that, his brow raising at her words.


    "Huh. I''ll admit, I wasn''t expecting you to agree so easily."


    Smirking, Mercy shakes her head.


    "Don''t misunderstand me. I want something from you, Lucien. And I''m willing to do an awful lot to get it."


    Her jacket is already off and folded on the seat beside her. Reaching up, Mercy begins to unbutton her blouse right there in the back of the moving limo. Blackfire''s eyes widen while Lucien goes still as she removes her top.


    "Oh?"


    She''d been his first. You never forgot your first and Mercy can tell that holds true for Lucien as well. Taking the young man''s virginity all that time ago might just pay dividends now, she supposed. Stripping off her bra next, the blonde frees her breasts from their confines, enjoying the way Lucien lets his eyes glide down to them.


    "Yes. I am."


    Sliding down out of her seat, Mercy kneels on the limousine floor and shuffles forward until she reaches Lucien. She has to pass Blackfire to get to him, but the alien woman doesn''t stop her. Frankly, she should have erred on the side of caution and prevented Mercy from getting closer. But that was something to be brought up later.


    For now, Mercy grabs Lucien by his knees and spreads his legs apart so she can slip into place right between them. He looks down at her wordlessly, even as Mercy moves to extract his cock from its confines. Only then, before she can wrap her fingers around his throbbing dick, does Lucien finally stop her.


    "What exactly do you want from me, Mercy?"


    Mercy licks her lips at that. For just a moment, she heard Lex''s voice and saw Lex''s face looking down at her. It''s enough to make her mouth go dry for a moment before she finds her voice again.


    "Power, Lucien. I want revenge on Brainiac. Whenever he shows up again, whenever he comes back¡­ I want to destroy him. But I''m not strong enough. Neither are you."


    Out of the corner of her eye, Blackfire shifts at that, clearly irritated by Mercy''s blunt observation. However, Lucien just smiles and bobs his head in agreement, accepting that she''s right. There was a reason Lucien had stayed down beneath LexCorp Tower with the clone and it wasn''t just to keep an eye on ''Alex''.


    "But you can make us stronger, can''t you?"


    Lucien pauses at that and Mercy grins up at him crookedly. This time when she goes for his cock, he doesn''t stop her. Soon enough, his member is out in the open with her hands stroking it up and down slowly and sensually.


    "When did you realize?"


    Mercy shrugs in an exaggerated motion, well aware of what the motion will do to her breasts.


    "Realize? I wouldn''t put it at just that. I know you could do more than just ''look'' as you originally told me so long ago, because you needed to confess as much to get me to help you with the clinic in Gotham. From there though¡­ it was increasingly obvious that you can do more than just heal, Lucien. You''re beyond peak human at this point. If you were a stranger, I''d never have let you within a hundred feet of someone I was guarding."


    Lucien hums at that¡­ and then grunts when Mercy sits up and wraps her breasts around his cock, sliding her soft chest up and down his length while pushing them together on either side of his shaft.


    "Good¡­ eyes."


    Mercy smirks and looks up at him.


    "Not as good as yours, I suspect." sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lucien chuckles and shakes his head.


    "No. You''re right. You deserve that much honesty at this point¡­ I can do more than just heal. I could, with the access to the right biology, make you powerful enough to destroy even Brainiac if and when he returns."


    Mercy''s breath hitches and she tries not to react too hard to receiving confirmation. Of course, Lucien continues on, giving her a contemplative look.


    "That said¡­ since you''re making this transactional, what else do you have to offer in return besides your body?"


    A little laugh escapes Mercy''s lips at that. Of course just her tits wouldn''t be good enough. He was still his father''s son. However, Lucien was NOT a carbon copy of Lex Luthor.


    Mercy had carried something of a torch for Lex for longer than she could remember. It was impossible for her to lie to herself on that front¡­ the man was larger than life, singularly intelligent, and the perfect combination of driven, ambitious, and successful.


    Lex Luthor was a catch that any woman would be lucky to have¡­ which was precisely why Mercy knew she would never have him. Because Lex was also not an overtly sexual creature. Oh he certainly had his needs, which he took care of when necessary. One of those times had resulted in Lucien after all.


    But Lex didn''t often mix business with pleasure unless it was the pleasure of trying to kill Superman. Mercy, as his right-hand woman and closest confidante¡­ never had a chance at actually becoming his woman.


    The same could not be said for Lucien. Everything Mercy knew about the younger man made it clear that when it came to business and pleasure, he regularly blurred the lines to the point that they might as well not even exist. He had absolutely no issue with engaging in sexual relations with any woman who expressed interest. Mercy might have been his first, but he''d been a busy, busy bee ever since.


    Licking her lips and looking Lucien in the eye as she continues to give him a consummate titjob with her breasts, Mercy smirks.


    "Oh this? This isn''t part of the deal. This is just because I know we both enjoy it."


    Lucien snorts derisively, making it clear how much he believes THAT. Still, fortunately¡­ her body was not in fact all Mercy had to offer.


    "I''m offering up my loyalty, Lucien. And you know full well what that''s worth. More than that¡­ there might be things that ''Alex'' decides he doesn''t want to tell you. Things he''ll consider keeping close to his chest. Things that, as Lex Luthor''s right-hand woman, I know as well. Knowing that I''m by your side ready to call him on his bullshit will keep him honest."


    It''s not much, but besides her body, it''s all she has to work with. She can see the gears turning in Lucien''s head as he considers her proposal and what she''s offering him. She can tell he''s interested too. Deciding to take the initiative once more before he can come to a decision, Mercy pulls her breasts away from Lucien''s cock and climbs into his lap.


    Hiking up her skirt and sliding aside her panties is the work of moments, and then she''s able to impale herself upon his member right there in the backseat of the limo. Lucien grunts in surprise before reaching up and grabbing her by the hips as she grinds herself down on his dick.


    "You are¡­ very eager to get in bed with me, Mercy. Is becoming strong enough to defeat Brainiac really all you want?"


    Mercy pauses for a moment, her jaw clenching as she processes Lucien''s words. She should have known he would be able to see through her at least a little bit. Gyrating her hips, the blonde lets out an explosive breath before being fully honest with the man who would hopefully be her new employer.


    "What I want? What I really want is to focus on myself for once. I want to get stronger, not just to be able to kill that alien bastard, but also just for the sake of being stronger. I won''t sugarcoat things, Lucien. One day you and I will part ways. But I can guarantee you''ll hear from me well in advance on that subject. And so long as you hold up your end of the bargain, I''ll serve you just as loyally and faithfully as I did your father until our arrangement comes to a close."


    Lucien stares at her for a long moment consideringly. Mercy briefly wonders if he''s going to reject her despite everything¡­ but then he leans forward and captures one of her nipples between her teeth. The blonde lets out a gasp and arches her back, tossing her head backwards as he gives the nipple a good solid tug.


    At the same time, his hands wrap around to more firmly grip her buttocks and before Mercy can really even register that, he''s bouncing her up and down on his cock. A cut-off moan leaves her mouth before she''s able to clamp her lips shut, but in the end she''s still left whimpering and grunting through said lips as they fuck all the way to their destination.


    Mercy wouldn''t pretend like she felt the same way about Lucien as she did Lex or anything like that. And she''d been rather up front about him being a means to an end for her. But she would show him the same level of service, both professional and loyal, that she''d shown Lex.


    She would just also show him another type of service as well, seeing as Lucien was much more receptive to this kind of affection than Lex Luthor had been.


    And Mercy Graves was nothing¡­ if not adaptable.


    -x-X-x-


    The Vote:


    [ ] Switch to Lucien''s POV - 15%


    [ ] Switch to Blackfire''s POV - 22%


    [X] Switch to Supergirl''s POV - 63%


    -x-X-x-


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 73: Timeskip

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story.


    Timeskip time! If no one else is gonna do something, then it''ll have to be Kara!


    -x-X-x-


    "Ms. Danvers?"


    Kara perks up from the couch she''s sitting on, looking to see a woman in a pencil skirt and blouse looking around the room.


    "Yes! Right here! I''m Kara Danvers!"


    As she hops to her feet, the woman''s eyes swivel to her and seem to look her up and down for a long moment. They''re wearing similar attire of course; however Kara has her hair down and she can tell that loses her a few points with the older woman.


    "Right this way then."


    As she follows the other woman out of the waiting room, Kara steels herself for the trials ahead. She couldn''t back down now¡­ no matter what.


    It had been just under a year since Brainiac''s invasion and the clone Lex Luthor had announced his intention to run for President. Voting Day had been a month ago and Kara wishes she could say it was close¡­ but it wasn''t. He''d done it. Alexander Luthor had become the President of the United States.


    It still didn''t feel real even now. Not least of which because of Kal''s inaction! He''d refused to speak out and denounce Luthor''s bid for the presidency. Nor had he been willing to endorse any of the opposition candidates either. If he had, Kara is confident that things would have been different.


    Everyone had been waiting for Superman to say something¡­ anything really. This was his archnemesis after all. But Kal hadn''t felt comfortable putting his hand on the scale like that, even if it would have only taken the tip of a single finger for him to influence things in the right direction.


    Kara had tried, of course. When asked as Supergirl, she''d flat out said she didn''t think Lex Luthor would make a very good President. But her words didn''t have the same weight as Kal''s would have. Maybe some of the youth vote had been swayed by her opinion, but most people hadn''t taken her seriously.


    Especially in the face of her cousin''s silence. Kal hadn''t wanted to influence things so he''d refused to say anything one way or another. But what he didn''t seem to understand was the simple act of staying quiet about Lex Luthor of all people was itself seen as a message.


    ¡­ No use crying over spilt milk though. The election was over and Alexander Luthor was President. So far he''d given a lot of feel-good speeches and was pushing forward with all of the initiatives he''d talked about on the campaign trail. The news was gushing with praise about how he might very well be the first President to ever keep the promises he made as a candidate.


    Kara didn''t trust it. Even if it was a clone, he was still Lex Luthor. And Luthor would always be Luthor.


    Which brought her to today. If nobody else was willing to do anything about this, then it fell to Kara to dig up the dirt necessary to PROVE that President Alexander Luthor was just as corrupt and evil as the original Lex Luthor. And the easiest way to do THAT was to find evidence that he hadn''t actually divested himself from his company like he''d promised he would.


    The first and most obvious sign that something stunk to high heavens was just who Luthor had appointed to replace him as CEO. Lucien Luthor was practically a nobody as far as LexCorp was concerned. The biggest feat he could lay claim to was that he''d run a nonprofit clinic in Gotham City for a little while under the company''s charity division.


    That he''d been promoted to CEO just a few months into Alexander Luthor''s campaign while the clone stepped down to focus on running for President SHOULD have been the warning sign to end all warning signs, but nobody seemed willing to take it as seriously as Kara was.


    Even Barbara, aka Batgirl, aka Oracle, aka one of Kara''s closest friends on Earth, couldn''t be convinced that Lucien was up to something with his father''s clone. She insisted that Lucien wasn''t a bad person and even if Alexander Luthor had some dastardly plan, Barbara was convinced that Lucien wouldn''t know about it.


    Kara, needless to say, wasn''t so easily convinced. Unfortunately, between Barbara not agreeing with her and Kal and the rest of the Justice League not sanctioning this little mission¡­ Kara was basically flying solo here. Still, someone had to do something. Someone had to find out exactly what was going on here at LexCorp! sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Here we are. This will be your desk, Ms. Danvers."


    Pulled from her thoughts, Kara looks to where the other woman is gesturing and plasters a big sunny smile on her face.


    "Thanks!"


    She offers her hand to shake, but the other woman sniffs haughtily and just walks away, leaving Kara hanging. It doesn''t matter though. Ms. Grumpy doesn''t matter. Kara is already in, after all. She''s already done the interviews; she''s already slipped right past all of their little nets. She''s now employed as a member of the secretarial pool here at LexCorp. Exactly where she wants to be.


    There had been one minor, teensy, tiny problem with Kara''s plan to go undercover at LexCorp of course. Namely, the fact that she''d literally already gone undercover as a businesswoman at Lucien''s side just under a year ago when they''d came here together to find out what Lex Luthor''s clone was up to in the first place.


    ¡­ But that just meant Kara had to get clever with her disguise this time around. In a lot of ways, Kara Danvers was both more complex and simpler than the ''Karen'' disguise had been. And despite both being women in business, the two personas couldn''t possibly be more different.


    It helped that ''Karen'' had been a bit of a rush job. All Kara had really done there was put on a matching suit jacket and pencil skirt, with the suit jacket having rather big shoulders to make her seem more ''manly'' and imposing than her normal stature made her. Her hair had also been done up in a professional ponytail and her makeup had been designed to make her seem older than she really was.


    By comparison, Kara Danvers was young, vivacious, and just full of energy. She didn''t bother with square-shouldered suit jackets, and she didn''t put her hair up either. The glasses that she''d worn as ''Karen'' had also been a nondescript and largely professional looking on account of Kara needing to rush a little bit. The ones she wore now were red and slightly more feminine, designed to accentuate her youth just like her makeup was.


    The difference was night and day. Karen was a no-nonsense businesswoman whose entire identity was paper-thin and would have never stood up to more than five minutes of scrutiny. Kara Danvers was a bright and sunny recently graduated coed who was eager to please and just starting her life on the corporate ladder.


    Kara Danvers was also far more real than Karen had been because¡­ well, Kara Danvers was based on the very real secret identity that Kal had helped her establish years ago when she''d first shown up on Earth. Yes, technically¡­ Kara Danvers was as much who she was as Kara Zor-El was.


    Was it a little dangerous to be using her real civilian identity to infiltrate LexCorp? Maybe, but it wasn''t like she''d been left with any other real options! Barbara might have been able to help, but she was obviously compromised. And while normally Kara would be all for her best friend knocking the rust off and getting with a guy, but with a Luthor?! Ugh¡­ clearly the years in the wheelchair had left Barbara''s taste in the gutter. Not that Kara would ever say something like that out loud.


    Still, just because she was flying solo didn''t mean things were all bad. Here she was, after all. She''d slipped right under the radar and now¡­ now she could do some actual snooping. First though, she''d probably have to prove herself for a bit. Get the lay of the land. Show she was a competent worker and all that.


    Kara wasn''t looking forward to it, but there was nothing to be done. Part of going undercover was maintaining and building on that cover, after all. She would just have to prove herself until she found an opportunity to dig deeper and uncover the true rot she knew existed at LexCorp''s core.


    Smiling happily, Kara logs into her work terminal, checks over her daily tasks, and then sets about making sure they all get done with efficiency and poise. No one is going to be able to label Kara Danvers a slacker, that''s for sure. By the end of the month, she''s going to be the best damn secretary LexCorp has ever seen!


    Sure, it might seem ridiculous that someone like her could sneak into a place like this undetected, but Kara wasn''t surprised it was working as well as it was. After all, Kal El had done it as Clark Kent all these years over at the Daily Planet. Humans really were easy to trick sometimes¡­


    -x-X-x-


    "It''s definitely her. I don''t know how she thought she''d get away with it, but the scans make it obvious she''s not human. Kara Danvers is Supergirl."


    Sitting behind his desk in his office at the top of LexCorp Tower, Lucien lets out a sigh even as he considers the report that Mercy and Blackfire have brought him. The two have been working hand in hand as his co-chiefs of security since he became CEO. Though perhaps it would be more accurate to say Mercy was showing Blackfire the ropes and the former princess was proving herself to be quite the quick learner.


    ¡­ It''s been almost a year since Brainiac''s invasion. A lot has happened since then. Alexander Luthor has become President of the United States. Lucien has become CEO of LexCorp. Fortunately he''d had some time to ease into things, but he still couldn''t help questioning at times whether he was the right man for the job or not.


    This felt like one of those times. Barbara had vented to him at one point that Supergirl seemed to have taken umbrage with his decisions and developed a severe disliking and distrust for him and his actions. It was unfortunate, but Lucien still felt like he''d made the best decisions he could that day, even if they''d ultimately wound up alienating the blonde Kryptonian.


    That said, Barbara hadn''t mentioned anything about Supergirl actually acting on her distrust. It was possible that the red head didn''t know¡­ but it was also possible that she simply wasn''t telling him everything. Which¡­ fair. He wasn''t telling her everything either.


    Like for instance, that the reason that Harley and Poison Ivy had completely gone into retirement several months back had everything to do with him giving the villainesses the family they''d always wanted¡­


    But he couldn''t let himself get distracted thinking about all of that. He needed to focus. His heads of security are in agreement with that.


    "What are we going to do about her, Lucien?"


    "Can''t just let her wander around all willy nilly, can we?"


    Grimacing, Lucien leans back in his chair.


    "¡­ We don''t have anything to hide, necessarily."


    It even had the benefit of being mostly true. LexCorp was squeaky clean right now¡­ had been ever since shortly before Lucien took over in fact. Hell, even before Brainiac''s failed invasion, Alex had already taken it upon himself to start cleaning things up behind the scenes. He''d pulled funding for anything too illegal, most of which had been programs researching ways to permanently deal with Superman.


    In the months after Brainiac''s invasion and before Alex''s bid for President had ramped up to the point that he was too busy to help, he and Lucien had worked together to continue cleaning up the company, bringing it to the place where it was today. By the time Lucien took over as CEO, LexCorp was honestly a company he was proud to lead, crazy as that might have sounded.


    Of course, there was still one or two issues here and there¡­


    "We still haven''t clawed back every bit of the money that Lex put into certain projects Lucien. To say nothing of some of the researchers who went to ground."


    That was unfortunately true. Not everyone had been willing to stop their work just because Alex told them to. Some had run off with whatever they were doing and disappeared from view. That was bad and given they could do significant damage to both the President and LexCorp if they ever showed back up again, Lucien had Blackfire and Mercy both working on hunting them down.


    "Still, they''re not exactly LexCorp Employees anymore. Supergirl shouldn''t find anything about them from snooping around here."


    Mercy and Blackfire share a look at that.


    "¡­ It sounds as though you''re not just going to let us expose her and kick her out."


    Lucien chuckles and shakes his head. He''s tempted to, certainly. Calling Superman and asking him to come pick up his cousin is another serious temptation. Or maybe asking Barbara to do it on the downlow. But somehow, he doesn''t think any of those options would satisfy Supergirl. The blonde wouldn''t give up just because of a setback like that, it would only embolden her to try harder.


    Keeping property damage to a minimum was probably one of his responsibilities as CEO in a world where individuals like Superman and Supergirl could destroy skyscrapers with their bare hands.


    "So long as she''s willing to play nice, I think we should let her. The moment we expose her; she takes off the kid gloves."


    Blackfire snorts derisively at that.


    "We can take her."


    Grinning a little, Lucien inclines his head, knowing Blackfire is right. They COULD take Supergirl at this point¡­ but that was neither here nor there.


    "I''m not worried about us. I''m worried about the collateral damage."


    Blackfire is forced to concede that point with a grunt and a begrudging nod. Mercy, meanwhile, steps forward.


    "So then what''s the plan? What are you going to do about Supergirl?"


    Lucien hums in consideration for a long moment. On the one hand, there was that old adage about keeping your enemies close. On the other hand, maybe it would be best to just carefully sideline Kara and keep her out of the way as much as possible. After all, he had enough on his plate without having to deal with a snooping blonde Kryptonian¡­


    -x-X-x-


    The Vote:


    [ ] Sideline Kara and keep her under watch so that he can deal with her later - 9%


    [X] Let Kara ascend to become his personal secretary so he can keep a closer eye on her - 91%


    -x-X-x-


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 74: Personal Assistant

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story.


    Lucien does a little bit of trolling with poor Kara~


    -x-X-x-


    "¡­ I''m going to promote her to my personal assistant, of course."


    Needless to say, that goes over like a lead balloon with both of his heads of security.


    "You''re going to what?!"


    "Are you insane?!"


    Chuckling, Lucien leans back in his chair, lacing his fingers together behind his head.


    "Well, it''s just like they always say right? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."


    Mercy and Blackfire share a long-suffering look at that, clearly building a bond in the shared suffering of having to put up with Lucien''s bullshit. Finally, Mercy looks him dead in the eye.


    "That''s not¡­ surely you can see what a risk that is, right? Making Supergirl your secretary is a disaster just waiting to happen."


    Lucien hums.


    "I don''t see how. We''re not doing anything illegal¡­ anymore. She''s not going to find any dirt on me or our new President if she''s fetching me coffee and helping me manage my schedule. Noting in my day to day is actionable intelligence for her goals."


    Mercy opens her mouth to respond to that, only to close it and frown in consternation. Blackfire is also looking a bit more contemplative.


    "We''ve already let her into LexCorp as is. She''s going to be snooping around no matter what, isn''t she? So our choices are therefore to either stonewall and sideline her as much as possible in the hopes that she gets frustrated to the point of leaving but not to the point of aggression¡­ or to give her some of what she wants knowing that she''ll never find what she actually desires."


    Shrugging, Lucien smirks.


    "What do you think is better? Having her right under my nose where we can keep a close eye on her while piling her down with all the work that comes from being a CEO''s personal assistant? Or leaving her to languish in the secretarial pool where she''ll probably have just enough free time to be snooping around all over the place?"


    Grimacing like she''s bitten into something sour, Mercy finally scowls.


    "¡­ Fine. You MIGHT have a point. But do you really think she''ll buy it if you just promote her to your personal secretary out of nowhere? She''s going to know that we''re onto her at that point just as surely as she''d eventually realize something is up if we stonewalled and sidelined her."


    Lucien rolls his eyes.


    "Obviously. We''ll make her work for it. Someone like Supergirl is an overachiever, to say the least. She''s going to put her all into this job in the hopes of achieving greater access. I''m thinking in about a month we''ll be in a position where we can justify the promotion."


    Here, Lucien grins.


    "Truth be told, I doubt she actually wants to be promoted to my personal assistant for the purposes of her little undercover mission, but when she constantly overdelivers and reveals herself to be quite the competent little go-getter, then she''ll come to feel that it was inevitable. And she won''t be able to bring herself to refuse either. From there¡­ we can use her how we need to in whatever way suits us best."


    Blackfire finally interjects, chuckling darkly.


    "Devious as ever, boss. Girl Scout won''t know what hit her."


    Yes, well¡­ that was the plan.


    -x-X-x-


    Fuck. She''d brought this on herself, hadn''t she? Kara was, as they liked to say, suffering from her own success. This definitely wasn''t part of the plan, and yet here they were all the same.


    Kara keeps her true feelings locked away, even as she''s escorted up to the very top of LexCorp Tower, a bright sunny smile spread across her face instead. Maybe there''s a hint of trepidation and nervousness there, but then of course there would be, all things considered.


    It had been a month since she''d started working for LexCorp as Kara Danvers. It wasn''t just an undercover mission, it was her secret identity''s literal job, so she couldn''t exactly slack off or anything. There''d been one or two close calls when Supergirl was needed to save the day and she''d had to make excuses, but so far the ''bathroom'' excuse was holding.


    ¡­ Maybe she could have stood to be a little less perfect though. Even with her infrequent need to visit the ''bathroom'' for lengthy periods of time, Kara had shown an impeccable work ethic. She''d finished every single task given to her with competence and efficiency, not allowing anything to languish. Her mistakes, what few there were, had been negligible at the end of the day.


    She''d quickly developed something of a reputation around the tower as the secretary who got things done. Within a week or two, she was getting requested specifically by certain people, and by the end of week two she was hearing about them fighting over her and who got to command her attention going forward.


    The last two weeks of this first month, Kara would have been run ragged if she were a normal human being. She would have probably burnt out if she didn''t have her Kryptonian energy levels to surreptitiously lean on. Between all of the higher ups fighting over her and the growing expectations, Kara had truly been thrown in the deep end.


    If she had thought about it a little longer, she probably wouldn''t have done such a good job, truth be told. She''d told herself she wanted to be the best damn secretary LexCorp had ever seen¡­ and she''d inadvertently done exactly that, to the point where just about everyone wanted a piece of her.


    Needless to say, hindsight was twenty-twenty. Kara should have definitely made a few more mistakes here and there. If she could go back and repeat this last month, she wouldn''t have been nearly as good at her job. Because when everyone wanted a piece of you, not only did you get no time to yourself¡­ but you also got the attention of the big man himself.


    Kara''s plans for infiltrating LexCorp and finding dirt on Lucien Luthor or Alexander Luthor had not actually involved directly interfacing with the new LexCorp CEO at any point. Sure, she''d gone out of her way to really change things up and she was confident that Kara was extremely different from ''Karen'' in every way, but that didn''t mean she wanted to come face to face with one of the people who had seen her in that flimsy cover. And yet¡­


    "Here we are. Go in, be professional, introduce yourself, and then once he dismisses you, get to work."


    The same no-nonsense, disapproving woman who had escorted her to the secretarial pool on Kara''s first day has also escorted her up here today to her new job¡­ as Lucien Luthor''s personal secretary.


    At least the woman doesn''t look as disapproving anymore. Kara has proven herself over the last month and despite her terse words, her tone is actually ever so slightly warm.


    "Mister Luthor is a very busy man, so don''t be surprised if your exchange is short, alright? Just get in and get out. Then¡­ be prepared to work."


    Unable to help herself at least a little, Kara chuckles.


    "I think I''ve more than proven I''m prepared to work since starting here."


    The other woman snorts derisively at that.


    "I''m sure you do. And the executives have certainly been running you ragged. However, don''t let all of that go to your head. You''re young enough that you might have bought into all of that shit on the internet about CEOs being overpaid and underworked. You''ll quickly be disabused of such notions as you work under Mister Luthor."


    With those apparently final ominous words of wisdom delivered, the other woman turns on her heel and walks away, leaving Kara standing outside of Lucien Luthor''s office feeling a little pale. But then to be fair, she''s worried about way more than just the workload. This meeting has the potential to be disastrous for her¡­ and all because of something as simple as a handshake.


    Yes, the common form of greeting between people in business everywhere. The simple handshake. It was the last thing that Kara could possibly allow to happen between her and Lucien because¡­ well, she knew that if she did, the game would be up and he would immediately know exactly what and therefore who she was. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ever since finding out that she was being assigned to Lucien as his personal secretary, Kara had been wracking her brain trying to figure out a solution to that very big problem. But even now, she didn''t have anything. If she''d thought about it more, she would have worn gloves from day one and claimed she had scars or something under them¡­ but as previously mentioned, she was never supposed to actually come face to face with Lucien.


    In the end, she truly was suffering from success¡­ and if he did go for a handshake, she would just have to react in the moment. Letting out an explosive sigh, Kara smooths out her skirt and walks forward, pushing open the door of Lucien Luthor''s office and stepping inside.


    The man is alone at his desk, eyes glued to his computer as he types away at something. He seems busy, Kara finds herself noting, even as she quietly walks up to the other side of the desk and waits silently.


    Finally, after another minute or two, he acknowledges her without looking up.


    "You must be¡­ Kara Danvers."


    His eyes are still glued on his computer. Could it be? Had she really gotten so lucky?


    "Y-Yes sir! That''s me¡­ I''ve been told I''m reassigned effectively immediately to be your personal assistant, sir."


    Still not looking at her a single time, Lucien simply nods.


    "I''ve heard great things about you so far, Ms. Danvers. I expect you to keep your impeccable work ethic going under me. Can I count on you to be able to do so?"


    Straightening up, Kara nods rapidly even though he''s not looking.


    "Yes sir, you most definitely can!"


    "Very good then. Dismissed."


    Kara''s eyes widen slightly. R-Really? She''d¡­ really gotten away with it? Unable to believe her luck, she stands there for a moment stupefied... and then finally realizes she''s probably only a few seconds away from him getting annoyed with her and that might mean he''d look up from his monitor and actually take her in.


    She knew this couldn''t last forever, but as she scurries out of Lucien''s office, the undercover Kryptonian can''t help but be extremely relieved. She''d avoided a handshake for now. Fuck, she''d avoided even making eye contact with him! This was perfect. This was-


    Kara''s thoughts come to a screeching halt as she sits down at her desk outside of Lucien''s office and boots up her computer to see exactly what''s expected of her. As she finds herself scrolling¡­ and scrolling through the daily task list, a whimper leaves her lips.


    This¡­ this was insane! This was more work under one man than she''d had working under several at a time this past month. Kara understood what the other woman had meant now when she''d said she would be quickly disabused of any notions of being underworked.


    Still, what else could she do? Her only options were to either quit or knuckle down and get to work. And even after a month of snooping, she hadn''t found a single ounce of actionable information. So quitting was right out.


    Keeping her grumbling internalized, Kara begins to work her way through the checklist, one task at a time.


    -x-X-x-


    Lucien smiles as he hears Kara''s nearly silent whimper from inside of his office. Really, it was her own fault at the end of the day. If she didn''t want to be promoted, then she shouldn''t have blown her peers out of the water. He''d always intended to promote her in a month, but honestly he''d briefly wondered if he needed to promote her even earlier, because the past few weeks had not been very productive for LexCorp, mostly on account of all of the infighting.


    Every single executive wanted Kara for themselves by the end of her second week employed at LexCorp. Every damn businessman and businesswoman who got a taste of her impeccable work ethic and incredible competence wanted her for themselves.


    At least it made it all the more organic seeming when Lucien finally put his foot down and took her for himself. He''d had a dozen request forms on his desk, every single one of them asking for Kara to be assigned to them permanently. If he''d chosen any one of them, he''d have made all of the others angry at him.


    But by claiming the new star of the secretarial pool for himself, Lucien had effectively defused that particular bomb. Oh sure, everyone was still a little upset at their young boss for deciding to steal Kara out from under all of them, but they weren''t nearly as upset as they would have been if he''d played favorites and picked one out of all of them to get her for good.


    Meanwhile, poor Kara had definitely been sweating during their interaction just now. She''d been so nervous that he would offer his hand to her and then so relieved that he hadn''t¡­ that she didn''t even realize the whole thing was an act.


    Sure, he could have blown her cover in an instant, or at least lit a damn fire under her ass, just by doing the polite and normal thing and offering her a handshake and eye contact. But that didn''t exactly fit with his plans. If he exposed her too early, then who knew what she would try next? It was the same exact reason that he''d let her into LexCorp in the first place. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Besides, they had nothing to hide¡­ mostly.


    Admittedly, tonight was a bit of a different story. Things had just lined up that way, but it was rather serendipitous because Kara would be run far too ragged tonight to bother stalking him as he, Mercy, and Blackfire all went and raided the secret laboratory that the ladies had finally uncovered.


    Technically he didn''t need to tag along, but he wanted to anyways. He had to be a part of cleaning up the last remnants of his true father''s obsessions. It felt¡­ right.


    Meanwhile, Kara was going to be busy all day long with her tasks as his new secretary. And she''d soon come to regret being such an overachiever, heh.


    -x-X-x-


    The Vote:


    [ ] Stick with Lucien''s POV - 31%


    [X] Switch to Blackfire''s POV - 54%


    [ ] Switch to Mercy''s POV - 14%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 75: The Lab

    A/N: Here''s the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story.


    Some familiar faces here~


    -x-X-x-


    "We''ve had this conversation before Professor Hamilton, I cannot allocate additional funds to you right now. You are not the only component of Project Cadmus. As I''ve told you time and time again, there are simply too many moving parts at play right now."


    Wiping the sweat from his brow, Professor Emil Hamilton huffs as he stares at the uncaring features of the overweight black woman on the other end of the video call. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You don''t understand, Waller. We''re so close to something extraordinary here. This laboratory is singlehandedly accomplishing Cadmus'' primary goal where all of the others have failed. But without the proper resources, everything could fizzle out on us. This isn''t the kind of thing where you can take a wait-and-see approach!"


    Amanda Waller scoffs.


    "Do you think that''s what I''m doing? Do you think that''s what I expect you to do? We aren''t resting on our laurels Professor; we''re simply adapting to the chance in circumstances. Lex Luthor is dead and that clone who took his place has managed to become President of the United States. That technically makes him our boss."


    Emil flinches at the reminder.


    "On top of that, the clone knows everything that the original did, including everything about our operations from before we realized what had happened and began compartmentalizing things. Combined with the loss of funding from LexCorp and Project Cadmus is hanging on by a thread."


    She wasn''t wrong, he had to admit¡­


    "I''ve had to do everything I could just to keep the more¡­ appropriate parts of Cadmus alive under our new President. I''m still doing everything in my power to help you and the others continue your work as well, but we''ve reached the point where discovery means complete disavowal."


    Emil flinches again at that, something Waller immediately picks up on as she leans forward.


    "Given that we would both like to avoid that happening at all costs, I''m sure you can understand why everything needs to move slower than before. Staying under the radar is far more important than meeting any of your timetables at this point, Professor."


    She might be right¡­ except that if he didn''t get the things he needed to continue his work soon, then they could lose everything, just as he''d already tried to tell her! Only one of the subjects was stable so far. The other was¡­ well, the less said about the stability of the second subject, the better.


    He opens his mouth to tell Waller as much, but she cuts him off before he can speak.


    "I''m a busy woman, Professor Hamilton. This call has already taken up enough of my time. Keep working, keep your head down, and for the love of god, don''t make a mess. We''ll talk again soon."


    And just like that, the call winks out and he''s left staring at a blank monitor. For a long moment, the Professor just stares at the black screen before finally slumping back in his chair. He''s never been an overly angry man. He''s certainly not the kind to scream or shout or break things in fits of rage.


    No, in the end¡­ Emil Hamilton considers himself to be a man of words and science, not of violence or destruction. His life''s work, which rested here in this very laboratory, was geared towards the creation of deterrents. Deterrents against the larger than life figures that claimed to be Earth''s protectors. Deterrents that would one day be needed if those on the Justice League ever turned on all of them.


    Frankly, Emil still didn''t understand why Lex Luthor''s clone had tried to shut his work down. It had been inspiring and exhilarating to see that fleet of LexCorp drones rise up to defend Earth''s skies during the Brainiac Invasion last year. Even more so when it led to the militaries of the world finally working together to defend their home from the aliens attacking them.


    ¡­ So then why was his work sidelined? Why had funding been cut? Why-?


    The Professor is cut off mid-thought by the sudden sound of a muffled explosion and the entire room shaking. His eyes widen and his mouth goes dry as alarms begin to go off all over the laboratory. Oh no. They''re under attack.


    Quickly bringing up the relevant cameras, Emil pales when he sees just who it is who has found them. Standing there wearing a custom Armani Suit and fiddling with his cuff links is Lucien Luthor, the new CEO of LexCorp. Flanking him on either side is Blackfire, a Tamaranean Princess in exile, and Mercy Graves, the original Lex Luthor''s right hand woman.


    This was¡­ the worst case scenario. Emil''s hand immediately moves to a panel on his desk containing the self-destruct sequence for the base. It would also immediately begin wiping the servers. He was expected to ensure that nothing of what they''d been doing here survived.


    And yet¡­ and yet¡­ the Professor finds himself hesitating. His last conversation with Waller plays in his head. Complete disavowal. Even if he managed to escape, there was nowhere left to go. And the erasure of everything they''d been working on here would mean¡­


    His hand closes into a trembling fist. In the end, he can''t do it. And that means he has to go to another button instead¡­ something Waller didn''t know about, but that Emil had considered critical security for his laboratory all the same.


    With a decisiveness that surprises even him, the mild-mannered scientist slams his hand down on this second button. It immediately shuts off all outside access to the lab, both physical and digital. In that moment, any connection Waller or anyone else might have had to his laboratory ceases to exist. If they try to check on what''s happening here, all that will be returned is that the lab was completely destroyed and the data servers erased, as was protocol.


    It would buy him some time. Time¡­ for a desperate gambit.


    -x-X-x-


    Lucien looks around the secret laboratory that he, Mercy, and Blackfire have just crashed. There are some scientists running around like chickens with their heads cut off, fleeing from them as fast as their all too human legs can take them. And then there are the security guards who run up with advanced rifles and point them in their direction.


    "Freeze! This is a restricted area, surrender immediately!"


    Smiling, Lucien shakes his head.


    "Do you know who I am?"


    The security guards all exchange awkward glances at that. It''s obvious they recognize him even if just a year ago none of them likely would have.


    "I''m not the one trespassing here. This land is owned by LexCorp and so is all of the equipment I spy with my little eye right now. This laboratory stands in direct defiance of an order to shut down given several months ago. Stand down and my lovely ladies here won''t have to make you stand down."


    It was admittedly clever of them, Lucien had to admit. He, Mercy, and Blackfire had known that not all of the secret laboratories with their illegal experimentation and unethical testing had actually been shut down when Alexander gave the orders shortly before stepping down as CEO to fully focus on his presidential campaign.


    But admittedly, Lucien hadn''t realized how deep the corruption ran in his own company. This part of Project Cadmus in particular had moved off of one plot of LexCorp land¡­ and then moved to another with him none the wiser. It was ballsy in the extreme¡­ and they''d very nearly gotten away with it too.


    LexCorp owned a LOT of real estate, after all, all over the world. It specifically owned a lot of land in the United States, much of which was still undeveloped. This land looked undeveloped if you did a fly over, mostly because the laboratory was hidden underground.


    In the face of Lucien''s words, the security guards look between one another, hesitating for a moment. Blackfire and Mercy, meanwhile, are both smirking and looking eager for a throwdown. And yet¡­ as it so happens, the men currently pointing guns at them aren''t idiots.


    Slowly, the futuristic rifles are lowered as the security guards begin to stand down. Lucien is glad¡­ he has no desire to kill or even maim some nameless mooks just trying to make a living.


    "Cowards!"


    Of course, things can''t be that easy. Just as the rifles are pointing downwards, a white blur from behind the security guards rams through them, sending them all sprawling off to the sides like bowling pins. The blur turns out to be a very familiar blonde¡­ and yet in some ways she''s not so familiar after all.


    Lucien stares for a moment at the grinning face of an older, more mature Supergirl. The face is where the similarities kind of end, however. Not only is she a few inches taller than Kara, she''s got her hair cut shorter in a bob cut, her shoulders are slightly broader¡­ and her chest is far bigger.


    As well, she''s wearing a white leotard that covers her from her arms to her neck but for some reason has a literal boob window to show off her cleavage.


    "Tea! W-Wait! Wait, hold on please!"


    As the obvious Supergirl clone stares them all down, a panting scientist comes running up behind her, heaving with every breath he takes as he tries to catch up. To her credit, ''Tea'' does wait, though she never takes her eyes off of the three of them.


    Lucien, meanwhile, focuses on the scientist, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. This man¡­ this man was in charge here. Not just because the clone listened to him, but also because Lucien recognized him.


    "Professor Emil Hamilton. I suppose this is where you got off to then."


    The bespectacled scientist blinks for a moment before straightening up and clearing his throat.


    "A-Ahem. Yes, well¡­ Mr. Luthor. I only wish you''d called ahead. We could have scheduled a tour."


    Silence reigns for a moment as even ''Tea'' gives the Professor an askance look. Lucien just raises an eyebrow until Hamilton finally rubs a hand across the back of his neck sheepishly.


    "R-Right. I suppose banter isn''t my strong suit. But please Mr. Luthor. Please just wait for a moment. Let us speak, man to man. The work we''re doing here¡­ it''s too important to be shut down. Consider Galatea here! She''s a complete success in every definition of the word! And she''s loyal too!"


    Tea must be a nickname. Galatea, as Lucien now knows her to be called, preens under the Professor''s words. It''s obvious that she puts a lot of stock in what Hamilton has to say. Even Blackfire notices it, scoffing and taking a threatening step forward.


    "Loyal to who, exactly?"


    Before Hamilton can answer, Galatea does it for him, growling as she takes a step forward herself in response.


    "Loyal to the Professor, of course!"


    Lucien can tell from the way Professor Hamilton''s expression wilts that he really wants to face palm in that moment. To his credit though, he tries to do some damage control.


    "She''s loyal to Earth as well. Loyal to humanity. If Superman or the other members of the Justice League go rogue, you''ll be happy to have her between you and them!"


    This was Emil Hamilton''s biggest flaw. Lucien and Alexander had actually talked about the man at one point once it became clear he''d disappeared off the face of the Earth after Alexander''s directives to shut down all of the illegal experimentation went out.


    Emil Hamilton had once been a scientist at STAR labs who worked with Superman in his younger years, when the Man of Steel was just starting out. However, he eventually came to the conclusion that Superman would go bad one day, and that they needed to be ready for it.


    Lucien''s father, the original Lex Luthor, had been more than happy to abuse Emil''s fears of Superman one day going rogue to have him design and create countermeasures to the Kryptonian to be used against him in the present.


    But the problem with Emil was that he couldn''t fathom humans being able to stand up to superheroes like Superman. He couldn''t accept that maybe a human being could become strong enough to go toe to toe with the Man of Steel. Hence his desperate desire to create alien soldiers.


    Except at a certain point, it stopped being alien soldiers¡­ and became alien slaves.


    "And what if I don''t need anyone between me and the Justice League, Professor? What if I''m confident of my ability to take care of the League all on my own?"


    Hamilton''s brow furrows at that¡­ but its Galatea who reacts. She clearly doesn''t like hearing someone talk back to the Professor. Eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring, he sees her reaction coming long before Hamilton does. With a snarl, the blonde Kryptonian shoots forward faster than any human eye could ever track. Her hands are outstretched like claws aiming for the collar of his suit. No doubt she intends to grab him by the lapels and yank him up into the air to show the difference in their strengths.


    "You think you''re so tough you-!"


    Alas, regardless of her intentions, Galatea never quite manages to get her hands on him. Instead, she finds herself stopped dead in her tracks a foot in front of him¡­ with his hands wrapped around her wrists and holding her in place as he reveals that he''s stronger than her. Stronger than a Kryptonian Clone.


    Her eyes widen, as do Professor Hamilton''s. The scientist''s jaw drops open as Lucien easily holds the struggling blonde at bay while looking over her shoulder at her creator.


    "Sorry, did I rain on your parade, Professor? I imagine you were hoping to use ''Tea'' here to show me the efficacy of your work or failing that, intimidate me into backing off, or failing THAT, clean me and my associates up and dispose of the bodies. Alas¡­ seeing as none of those plans have survived contact with the enemy, perhaps its time to think up a Plan D."


    "D-Don''t call me that¡­ l-let go of me, you bastard-!"


    Sliding his gaze from Hamilton back to Galatea, Lucien meets the blonde''s eyes and gives her a distinct ''look''. The clone immediately freezes up, her eyes widening and her pupils shrinking to pinpricks as she stares back at him, suddenly quiet and no longer struggling.


    Sighing, Lucien looks back to Hamilton with a raised brow.


    "Let''s have a chat, Professor."


    -x-X-x-


    The Vote:


    [ ] Lucien and Professor Hamilton chat in private while Mercy and Blackfire keep an eye on Galatea and everyone else - 11%


    [X] Lucien allows for Galatea and Blackfire to attend the convo while Mercy keeps an eye on everyone else - 69%


    [ ] Lucien has his conversation with the Professor in front of everyone in the lab - 20%


    -x-X-x-


    If you''d like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!


    If you''d like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian


    Thanks for reading!