The cloning lab pulsed with cold white light, the hum of advanced machinery filling the sterile space of restrained potential. Vats lined the walls, some filled with failed prototypes—twisted, inert, broken attempts at perfection. Others were empty, waiting
Dr. Desmond stood at the center, gesturing emphatically toward a wall-sized display of Kryptonian DNA spiraling and shattering in simulation.
"We need more time! The tissue is unstable under sustained replication. The neural framework refuses to hold. I just need—"
"You've had time," came Lex's voice, barely hiding his frustration, "You've run the same sequence thirty-seven times. Each resulted in degeneration by the seventy-third hour. That's not research—it's redundancy"
Desmond sputtered, trying to reason with the genius billionaire, before a voice cut off his thoughts
"Kryptonian DNA is too symmetrical. Too perfect. It collapses under artificial growth conditions. The solution isn't more Kryptonian tissue", the room turned to the speaker
Marek was dressed in a black high-collared uniform, and a crisp lab coat. With hands behind his back, he stepped into the glow of the screen
Dr. Desmond stiffened
"You arrogant little—how old are you, exactly? Thirteen? Fourteen?" He scoffed. "You don't belong in this room. You're a science fair project, not a scientist"
"Eleven", he stepped closer to the console, " we make a hybrid," Marek explained, "Human DNA can stabilize the Kryptonian genome. Create a base that is adaptive, not just powerful. It may not be as strong on paper, but it will survive. Function, Think, and most importantly move this project forward"
This angered the scientist some more, "So a half-strength Superman. Brilliant. A weakling clone"
"Enough", came Lex Luthor's voice sharp as a whipcrack.
Lex stepped forward from the shadows behind the console, his tailored suit untouched by the sterile dust of science. His expression was calm. His bald head shining under the labs' lights, "Desmond, you mistake raw power for greatness. But greatness is born from limitation. From pressure. From choice. Humans are superior not because of strength, but because of their ambition, ingenuity, and will"
Marek tapped the screen and a new strand rotated into view. A fusion sequence. Kryptonian and human, interlocked
Lex observed the strand and Decided with a careless wave of his hand, "Marek, you're the lead on Project KR now."
Desmond sputtered, "you can't—He's a child! I built this lab!"
"And now you're building a legacy of failure," Lex said. "Leave with me"
Lex gestured. Desmond followed
INT. HALLWAY — CADMUS SECTOR B
They walked in tense silence, until Lex finally spoke in a low voice, "you're not being discarded, Desmond. Just… repurposed"
Desmond glared, "you think that little freak's better than me?"
"I think Marek doesn't make excuses, and he's getting results. He has what you lack Doctor, clarity. No ego clouding his judgement", Lex Luther spoke with assured and charming confidence, "you'll focus on the Blockbuster strain. I want full documentation on its effects when cross-tested with different varieties of fauna. The partners are interested in its militarization"
Desmond swallowed his pride—barely
"Fine," he muttered. "I'll make it work"
Lex Luthor's footsteps echoed beside Desmond's as they moved through a steel-plated hallway, far below the main facility. Cameras blinked, doors hissed closed behind them. They were alone now
"But I don't trust him either", Lex finally remarked
Desmond blinked, "What?"
"He's brilliant," Lex continued, voice almost admiring. "Disciplined. But there's something buried beneath it all. A will of his own. Too much of his mother in him, perhaps"
He activated the door. It hissed open into a private observation room overlooking a sealed vault chamber—empty, but clearly being prepared. A stasis pod glowed in the center, waiting
"Let him build the weapon," Lex said, stepping inside. "But you will mold it"
Desmond's brow furrowed, "you're assigning me to its conditioning?"
"Precisely. When Marek delivers the clone—and he will—you'll oversee its education, psychological development, and obedience protocols. You'll ensure it serves the Light. Not the boy who made it"
Desmond's pride returned slowly, curled into a smirk
——————————————————————————-x
Back in the lab, Marek stood alone, already uploading a new design matrix, "I am aware that Lex Luthor would like the hybrid clone to have his D.N.A"
Then his mouth twisted in distaste, "But why? Is it a sexual thing? Like he wants Superman's babies or something"
Marek quickly cut off that particular line of thinking, and continued assessing the D.N.A. Just the low hum of servers and the occasional flicker of bio-monitors breaking the silence. Marek stood before the holodisplay, eyes scanning the double helix projections as lines of sequencing code flowed beside them in shifting hues of green and red
On the table before him, a 3D construct of the hybrid genome rotated slowly—a delicate fusion of Kryptonian and human strands
Marek's eyes narrowed behind the soft glow of the interface. "It won't be enough," he muttered, tapping the screen, bringing up a reference overlay of known Kryptonian abilities and gene expressions. Flight. Invulnerability. Heat vision. Yet he could already see the gaps, 'The expression markers for gravity suspension aren't there'
He swiped, calling upon the Luthor's sequence. The clone would leap high, yes. Perhaps even hover in short bursts. But true flight? It would never come
'Superman's entire thing is being able to fly', Marek rubbed his forehead, 'Well, not entirely —- but a huge part of his symbol'
Marek leaned back, remembering something. A comic panel he'd read in his previous life —a clone that couldn't fly like Superman, but compensated with something else: tactile telekinesis. A power that wrapped around the body like an aura, letting the user lift what they touched… including themselves
Superboy
The thought clicked like tumblers in a lock. Not raw Kryptonian flight. Not inherited power. Engineered will. He turned back to the display, "If the hybrid won't inherit gravity suspension… then I'll give him an alternative"
He pulled data from the the lab's meta-human archives, cross-referenced it with known telekinetic profiles, and began isolating gene clusters tied to psionic field projection.
It was messy work. Risky. But Marek wasn't looking for perfection,'If I could slightly alter Luthor's D.N.A and introduce metahuman variants within it, it might allow Kr flight'
He coded the synthetic sequence under a private label:
"Project Momentum"
He watched the data stabilize and merge, and felt a quiet thrill, 'The metagene would remain dormant for quite a while, if not artificially stimulated or if the hybrid somehow experiences death'
As his ears picked up a clatter of footsteps, he quickly hid the results of his theoretical experimentations, and data on Kryptonian genome took its' place on the hologram
The door to the lab hissed open and Luthor stepped in like he owned the air itself
Marek didn't turn to face him. He kept his eyes on the genomic display, the Kryptonian genome spinning slowly in the air like a sacred spiral. He could hear Luthor's footsteps behind him
"You'll use my DNA," Luthor said flatly
Marek finally turned, expression blank. Inside, a thousand thoughts flickered—but his face remained unreadable, a simple nod conveyed his acceptance
Lex gave a satisfied nod. "Good. I want the clone to be capable of more than brute force. Intelligence. Strategy. Legacy. The boy must represent more than Kryptonian strength. He must represent my will"
The unspoken truth hung in the room like a sharp scent
'Dude's crazy', Merek concluded, 'or he wants to be immortalized through the clone'
Luthor handed over a sealed bio-capsule, "Make me a son to replace Superman"
Then he turned and walked away, leaving behind the soft hiss of the door sealing shut
Silence returned, and Marek stared at the vial in his hand. It pulsed faintly under the glass—Lex's ambition, condensed into fluid. He placed it gently into the sequencer tray. His hands moved efficiently, and as the sample began synthesizing, Marek adjusted the settings—smooth, untraceable tweaks that no one but he would ever notice
They'll monitor this project.
They'll try to own every result
But he wouldn't let them see everything
He set up an encrypted side partition—deep in the system's low-level neural net. A hidden sandbox, masked beneath diagnostic subroutines. Within it, he began copying the Luthor genome again… but with new tags. His tags. Custom markers. Custom sequences, "Project Momentum"
'My work will never be replicated'
As lines of code slid into place, Marek felt the weight in his chest settle. It wasn't just rebellion. It was insurance. Should they try to build a Superboy of their own, they'll fail to produce one like his own, they'll continue needing him, and thus he will remain safe, 'Till my escape'
Silently, he looked toward the camera in the top corner. Recording everything, 'will need to take care of that as well'