Super powered

Limitless undying love

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Limitless undying love which shines around me like a
million suns and calls me on and on..."

Metropolis

High above the teaming streets in an office of steal and glass, Lex Luthor sits smiling. He reaches over and opens the hand crafted teak box on his desk and takes out a Cohiba. His smile widens. Sniping off the end with his platinum cigar cutter, he gently rolls the end between his lips savoring the rich, dark earthy taste before striking a wood match and lighting up. The strong, heavy smoke fills his mouth and throat as he closes his eyes to enjoy the moment.

As always the cigar delivers on its promise of pleasure. As satisfying as it is, Lex knew that the greatest pleasure is the unexpected one. Found money always feels just a little better than earned money. So the recent developments surrounding Superman are a gift out of nowhere to Lex.

The Germans have such a marvelous word for it, Schadenfreude, pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. There is no equivalent in the English language. Most people would never admit they have it, but deep down Lex knows everyone does. It's what makes people slow down for car accidents or run outside to watch a neighbor's house on fire. You'll never go broke if you bet on the fact that the bigger the misfortune, the bigger the interest.

Lex chuckles to himself at the quirk of fate that he has nothing to do with Superman's suffering, it is all self-induced. Swiveling his chair around to look out over the city, Lex finds himself in a remarkable situation. Superman, his nemesis, has given Lex a rare thing, a totally win-win situation.

On the one hand, Lex is overjoyed to hear Superman is in love. In fact Lex wishes the happy couple the best, even wishes they marry and have children. That would just provide more distractions and weaknesses for Lex to exploit. Striking at his family would wound Superman far more than any direct attack.

On the other hand the public is turning on Superman. Lex has spent millions upon millions of dollars trying to do just that in the past with little success. Now it is costing him nothing. The fear of the unknown, the stranger, is as old as Man. Lex knows that while everyone thinks of themselves as or want to be an outsider, once they actually are it's a lonely, frightening place to be. Those usual friendly smiles turn quickly into looks of fear.

Humans by design are pack or herd animals. They carve social interaction. A newborn withers and dies without contact. This holds true for all sentient life forms. Isolation is only for zealots or madmen.

In Lex's mind what could be worse for a hero than to have their adoring public turn away from them? Aren't that all grandstanding attention whores when you get right down to it? Superman is the worst of the whole bunch. Since his first appearance the public has been falling all over itself to worship at his feet. He'd even been able to overcome trying to take over the planet for Darkseid.

Lex knows if he tried that, they would lock him up and throw away the key. Now the worm is turning. Those devoted fans are slowly peeling away from their Kryptonian hero. Lex can almost taste the pain it has to be causing Superman.

And for what, Lex thinks?

Love.

All his schemes and plots have not done what love is doing to Superman. No matter which path he chooses, Superman will suffer. For once, Lex isn't going to interfere. He is just going to sit back and watch the people turn away from Superman because he wants the same thing they did, love.

No evil genius, even one as brilliant as Lex could come up with such a delicious irony.

As Lex looks out over the city, he can't help thinking the sun seems a little warmer, the sky a little bluer and the future a little brighter.