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As the gates slid open the expanse of the outside world opened itself up freely for Lionel Luthor for the first time in twenty four years. He stepped out onto the black asphalt leading into the island prison complex of Stryker's Island. Beyond the water he could see the City of Metropolis. For two and a half decades the city seemed so distant and he longed to return as a free man. Now that it was within his reach however, he felt sick. From here he could see the LexCorp building and the Watchtower that stood on top of it. Lionel knew that it had been built in that exact spot for a reason. From anywhere in the prison the giant green letters spelling out LexCorp were visible.
He lowered his head. He knew that his son had never forgiven him for killing his mother. He knew that Lex hated him. Lionel was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of an approaching car. He looked up to see a single black Sedan approaching him. It stopped ten feet away from him, the back left side door opened.
Out came a beautiful young blonde woman wearing a fluffy red blouse that drew attention to her chest and a short black pencil skirt. She approached him slowly putting one foot directly in front of the other as she walked in her expensive black heels. The old man gulped as he watched her walk, the last woman he had seen in person had been a 300 pound African American security officer.
"Mr. Luthor?" She asked as she reached him extending her hand.
"Uh.. yeah that's me." He shook her hand, it was soft. She smiled at him with full red lips looking at him straight in the face with her ice blue eyes.
"Mercy Graves, I work for your son. I was told to bring you over to the LexCorp building as soon as you were released." She motioned to the car.
"I uh, actually could we go and see Lena first. I think She needs to be apologized to before I go and see Lex." A look of shock appeared on the woman's face as he spoke. Her hand shot up to her mouth and she gasped.
"Mr. Luthor," she paused, "Your daughter died of cancer fifteen years ago." Lionel's heart dropped in his chest, he could almost hear the glass as his world shattered. The sixty-seven year old man felt tears welling up in his eyes.
"Let's... let's go see my son."
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Lex stood in his personal office staring out at the City of Metropolis from his full floor to ceiling window. It was tinted a dark black on the outside but allowed him full view of the surrounding buildings. The LexCorp building towered above every other structure in the city, a monument to his success.
The room was dark, the only light being coming from a set of bulbs turned to dim throughout the ceiling. His red mahogany desk stood in the middle of the tan carpeted floor. Lex held a glass of wine in right hand while his left was stuck in the pocket of his blue slacks. He took a sip as he observed the nighttime lights coming from all the businesses and traffic. The people looked like ants to him. They were ants to him.
Lex heard the door open behind him followed by the muffled sound of Mercy's heels stepping on the carpet. His father was right behind her. The old man walked into the room and Mercy closed the door behind them. She walked to the desk and sat on the corner with her right leg crossed over her left.
"Mercy leave us." Lex said. She stood quickly and turned around. "Please, I need to speak to my father." He said before she could protest. She simply nodded and walked out of the room. He was still facing the window.
"Lex, I..."
"Look out there, my building is the tallest in all of Metropolis." Lex interrupted his father. He took abother sip out of his wine glass and continued his stare into the city. "I built an international business in less time than it took you to finish high school. I have military weapons contracts and the most successful personal smart phone on the market. I'm..."
"Lex you don't have to prove anything to me."
"Don't interrupt me." He took another sip. I'm the wealthiest man in the entire country, my company is one hundred percent privately owned. I've made scientific advances that make the likes of Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton seem insignificant. I created the Justice League, the people love me."
"I know all of this, your woman filled me in on the way here."
"I'm on the brink of ending the world's dependence on fossil fuels. Foreign governments fear my name more than that of this country." Finally Lex turned around and placed his wine glass on his desk. "And I did all of this without you father."
"Lex, I'm sorry." His father began to step towards him. "I know I made mistakes."
"Mistakes!" Lex said with a laugh. "You murdered my mother right in front of me. Right in front of Lena!"
"I've been trying to make amends for that for twenty years Lex. I loved your mother, I didn't mean to do it. It just happened." His father began to cry. "Why didn't you tell me when Lena died?"
"I've only ever cared about two people in my entire life. You took one of them away from me. You didn't deserve to know when the other one died."
"I'm sorry." The old man said again through tears. Lex stood there watching him, the man was broken. For the next three minutes he jsut kept repeating that he was sorry.
"I forgive you." Lex said as he embraced his father.
"You do?" He asked as he held his son. He felt happiness in his stomach again, maybe he really could start over. Even at his old age.
"Yes." Lex released his father. The old man was smiling through his tears. For a moment they looked at each other. Staring in each other's eyes. Lex saw something in his father that he hadn't truly seen since before the death of his sister, joy. He leaned back against his desk and smiled.
*BANG*
Lionel's eyes went wide. He felt cold, he looked down to see blood seeping out of a wound in his stomach. The gun in Lex's hand was still smoking when he fell to the ground. Lex returned the weapon to the holster hidden under his desk. His father choked as his blood began to stain the carpet.
"Oh my god Lex! Mercy yelled as she busted through the door. She screamed when she saw the dead body on the floor. "What did you do?"
"Get someone in here to clean this mess up. I'm getting a call from General Ross." Lex said calmly as he straightened his tie. His stomach was in a knot, he felt empty. He felt... wrong. "And I'll be needing to change the carpet." When she ran out of the room he put his head in his hands and let out a moan. He didn't plan on feeling like this.
