Miss. Morix

26

     I hadn't seen Lex in a few days. If I'm in the lab, he isn't. I suppose if he is, I'm not. He hasn't called or anything either. It seemed strange to me, but I respected his space, and his scientific process I suppose. Of course, Harley wouldn't allow for me to sit around and relax. She had a craving for milkshakes, and so milkshakes we went to retrieve. As we walked the streets of Metropolis, she greeted everyone she ran in to with a wide smile and bubbly attitude. Some people smiled back at her, some looked nervous or frightened, and others just scurried past her blatantly ignoring her. I was sort of glad we had gone to get milkshakes. Not just because their delicious either. It gave me an excuse to keep quiet until I ran out of milkshake.

"Excuse me. Miss Morix?" I turned to see a man, nicely dressed, pointing a recorder my way. Behind him was another man, but with a small digital camera.
"Hi, can I help you?" I asked politely.
"Can I ask you a few questions about your sudden discovery? It can change the medical industry!"

The attention was throwing me for a loop. I really hadn't accounted for it, and certainly didn't expect it. Harley quietly stood next to me, innocently sipping on her milkshake, watching the scene.

"Uh, yeah, I suppose so." I shrugged.
"Tell us about how you became aware of the fact you wanted to create a rehabilitation tool."
"That's personal. Aren't my motives my own?"
"Well, is it true your brother is a kryptonite addict?"
"Isn't that classified?"
"Are you afraid the withdrawal systems could be vital as you wean him off?"
"My concerns are my own."
"Will you continue to work at LexCorp?"
"I sure hope so." I slowly became irritated. Not because the man was aggravating me, but because being questioned seemed unnecessary. He made it seem like I was the first and last, considering its been abolished, astronaut to go to Kyrpton from Earth.

"Do you like working there?"
"I do." I said, still politely.
"Do you enjoy working with Lex Luthor?"
"Is there a reason I wouldn't? Of course I do, he is a highly intelligent man."
"A reliable source told me there is room for a romantic relationship to grow? Is that true?"

"That's pretty personal too don't you think?"
"So yes?"
"What? No."
"I'll consider that as a maybe."

"Who was the reliable source?"
"That's classified."
"Well, so are the rest of my answers then. Would you please excuse me?"

I took Harley by the wrist and dragged her away from the men. I was sweating bullets. I honestly felt like I had just been interrogated.

"Where are we going?" She asked between straw slurping. She had to get every last bit.
"LexCorp."

"How come?"
"I need to talk to a certain someone. Now."

     Her facial expression read 'oh well shit. Alright then.' To be fair, I could hear the anger in my own voice too. Without much thought, I barged in to the front doors. Harley trailed behind me, tossing her empty cup in to a waste bin as I did. Mercy was sitting contently at her desk scribbling on a bunch of paperwork.

"Who have you been talking to!?" I demanded.

"No one. It's lonely here at the fucking front desk." She said bitterly.
"Why are people asking me about Lex. Tell me now and I won't have to bloody up your nose Mercy."
"Me?" She smirked. "I'm flattered you think I did it. I didn't."

"Bullshit."

"No really. I didn't. Why would journalists trust me?"

I paused, contemplating it. She had a valid point.

"Then who's. Been. Doing. it?" I spat.
"A newly found friend of mine most likely." She winked.

She fucking wouldn't.

"You know you can't have professional relationships."

"Then maybe you shouldn't!" She shouted back.

I stared at her intensely, blood boiling.

"Alright! Enough!" Harley interjected. "We'll go talk to him, ight?" Harley nodded towards Mercy as she picked a piece of gum out of her pocket.

"He's not here." Anger still lingering in Mercy's voice.
"Why not?" Harley asked as she chomped on her gum. Smelled like spearmint.
"Who knows?" Mercy rolled her eyes and dismissed me with a wave her hand. It only frustrated me more.

     Once again I took Harley's wrist and dragged her through corridors and in to the labs. She looked around in astonishment. I wasn't taking her word for it. I scanned the room with my eyes. He wasn't here. He still wasn't here.

"What's this thing do Mira?"
"Just don't touch anything." I instructed distractedly.

     I went through folders left on his desk. I was totally snooping this time. I was, but I was curious. Besides, we were lab partners. We were supposed to share these things. I was sworn to secrecy anyways, it didn't matter. The papers in the folders were well organize and seemed to all be diagnostic results on a body. I scanned looking for pictures. No pictures. So, I began to read. He was doing tests on cellular activity. I scanned for the body's identification.

Zodd.

     My stomach plummeted harder, and faster, than the world's most dangerous roller coaster. What did he want with Zodd's body? Better yet, where did he get it from? He was testing the cellular reactivity to the Kryptonite. He was experimenting with its blockage of Kryptonian indestructibility. He had a plan, a back-up in case it was deemed Superman was never to get an injection. He had a secret and it was monotonous one. He was working on bringing Zodd to life as an all-powerful demon. Thoughts raced as my temples thudded. I was going to have a tension headache soon enough.