This was an awesome and amazing new story. I LOVED it! I thought you captured a very clever, original and insightful aspect of Lex Luthor’s personality, motivations and behaviour patterns. This was an incredible start to a new story, and I’m looking desperately forward to more of your work in the future.
The only thing that turned me off a ‘little’ bit is the formatting for the story. The paragraph breaks… most stories usually leave a double line break in between paragraphs instead of the single line break that was given in this story. I almost turned away from this fic when I saw the format, but the first sentence hooked me in, and kept me enthralled right through to the end. This was one of the cases where reader-unfriendly formatting was very easily overcome by the sheer beauty and quality of the writing, but please do leave double paragraph breaks in future updates.
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The second reason why Lex hated Metropolis in December, and even more with this horrible warm winter, was the amount of snot dripping, being wiped and blown into hankies, sprayed and sneezed in his presence. Half of Metropolis was ill with this bug, not even his bodyguards and colleagues had escaped, and while he stood in the elevator to the twenty-third floor of LuthorCare, he gritted his teeth while he listened to the slobbering sound of Miss Decan snorting what sounded like half a liter of mucus into her Kleenex. Where did she keep all that stuff before it came out? Surely you couldn’t keep that much snot anywhere in your head? Perhaps she had been mutated by the Kryptonite they used in this place, and had turned into a snot-freak. Special power: spontaneous nasal cavity growth to store mucus. A snot monster. He closed his eyes as she stuffed her soggy hanky into the pocket of her lab coat, fished a new one out of the package and continued her honking. To think he had considered asking her out after this visit. He shivered at the thought of kissing her.
I was ROTFLMAO at the way the story started with Lex describing the various reasons why he hated the ‘festive holiday season’, not only because it’s the time where he is starkly reminded about his own status as a lonely old guy with no real friends or family (which was sad, but predictable), but also because of the rather cute and surprising peeve of his about how people keep getting all gross, phlegmy, snotty and drippy with flus all around him. ROTFL! That was hilarious… and it was even funnier to see the vaguely smug, satisfied feeling he had about being immune to such common ailments, LOL!
Heh, it was sweet of him to give the day off to Ms. Decan. And I loved the quick OC personality that was created for her in this short amount of time. Well done! I got a sense of a lovely, generous, giving person who is passionate about her job, and who’s biggest priority is always the welfare of her patients… especially the younger ones. Such a lovely person! No wonder Lex was impressed with her.
I liked how the story was built up with these little hints alluding to those ‘children’ that Lex was concerning himself with. I’m of a suspicious mind, and my first thought was that Lex was performing illegal experiment on these babes to make a quick profit… and I was almost ashamed of having these suspicions when I discovered what was REALLY going on.
I know that some people might argue that it was the ‘least’ Lex could have done considering that LuthorCorp was responsible for these horrible, terrible and tragic happenings to these innocent children. But the truth is that Lex is NOT responsible for what happened to these children. It was Lionel (or some scientist and/or technician employee working for Lionel) who was responsible for these monstrous results… and Lex’s cover-up of the facts and links was a very natural and sensible response… He HAD to cover up the link to LuthorCorp, because, although he would have gotten blamed, he really wasn’t TO blame.
Lex could have just done the cover-up, given a substantial contribution and gone forward with focusing his attentions on other projects… Instead, he went above and beyond and took on this disease as a personal crusade, dedicating enormous amounts of funds and, even more impressive, personal time and attention to setting up facilities and recruiting the right people for finding a solution. He IS a hero, and I think it’s wonderful that he’s been given credit for being a saviour.
I loved the description on how it was a maudlin documentary about the cancer that really awoke the passion for finding a cure within Lex. I loved how, even as he was ironically mocking the sentimentality of the show, he couldn’t stop himself from reacting in precisely the way that the producers of the show were aiming for. LOL, he must have been so embarrassed to have broken down so easily from such a ‘common’ and ‘obvious’ theme, but it’s a good thing he didn’t allow his little private humiliation stop him from doing what was right.
And the idea of this cancer being caused by something as humble and actually ‘healthy’ like a granola bar? THAT is truly chilling! It really allows a person to appreciate the true monstrosity of Lionel Luthor if he allowed something like THIS to happen under his watch.
Even more incredible was the way Lex felt such enormous amounts of guilt about what LuthorCorp had done to these children. I can understand why that happened… Lex has always been a very passionate person who has a tendency to go overboard on everything, which includes swallowing a huge guilt-complex for things he wasn’t really responsible for.
He wasn’t even able to enjoy all the acclaim he was getting in being called a hero and a saviour, because he felt so damned terrible about what ‘he’ allowed to happen to all these poor children and their families. I LOVED this personality of Lex as conveyed through this fic. It’s fascinating, and very believable.
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All people of Metropolis saw a small piece of Lex Luthor’s soul on television that evening, and whether they liked him or not, they saw the passion in his eyes, heard the emotion in his voice, and knew that smirking serpent or not, Lex Luthor was going to go against Cradle Cancer like Saint George against the Dragon, and he would ultimately triumph or die in the attempt.
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Not as much, though, as the email he got from Clark. He was sure it was meant to be cold, but somehow the words Lex, if Julius Caesar had been able to orate like you did yesterday, he’d have died in bed instead of bleeding out in front of the senate. You made Lois cry. Congratulations. sounded almost affectionate.
I loved these two parts, because I thought they covered and encompassed a very important part of Lex’s personalities and skills. Lex’s main strength has always been in his stunning ability to be able to present new ideas to the public, to be able to sway public opinion simply by his own presence, charm and overwhelming charisma. I thought these two parts really covered his abilities very well. I loved that even Lois was seriously impressed by Lex… LOL, even though she WAS highly suspicious and told him that she would be hunting for a link between the cancer and LuthorCorp. Good thing Lex managed to bury all the evidence of the link… or DID HE?!
Heh, in any case, I suspect that, if anyone’s going to find out about the link, it’s going to be sneaky, relentless Chloe, rather than her brash and unsubtle cousin.
Hmmm speaking of which, we’ve got these little hints about Chloe’s current status as a professional reporter. It seemed like a rather bleak picture. She actually seemed to be begging, BEGGING Lex for an interview, as if she really needed the scoop. Are Chloe’s talents as a reporter being ignored by blind, stupid editors? Has she been stuck in the underground backroom of the news-building, stuck doing obituaries and puff pieces? Poor Chloe! I look forward to find out some more details about her life… professional and personal.
LOL! I don’t think I would even care if no Chlex developed during the course of this fic, because I think it can stand as a beautiful read on it’s own without a ship for added drama. Of course… Chlex is ALWAYS welcome, LOL! :D
It was really tragic and scary getting all the details on how damned QUICKLY these kids were dying. They were dropping like flies, and I can’t imagine how horrible it must have been for the parents to see their children deteriorating so inexplicably and so suddenly right in front of their eyes…
The speed of the illness and death was really terrifying, and it was even more horrifying considering the implications that these kids justy didn’t stay ALIVE long enough to be examined properly for a cure, and even if the cancer WAS stopped, it was usually stopped at a stage where it had already caused too much damage for the child to be able to survive even after the treatment.
It was heartbreaking seeing how it was a ‘victory’ for the doctors to be able to prolong the child’s life by a few more days, even a ‘whole week’ of persistent and aggressive medical procedures. These people are really desperate for a cure against this horrifying and terrifying illness. This was an incredible, heartbreaking disease created for this fic, and I’m a little afraid of the mind that thought it up… Afraid and also awed and enthralled, LOL!
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Now the father joined his wife and daughter. A big man with a tattoo on his arm, unshaved, boorish, the kind of man Lex secretly despised—but laughing, tears rising but blinked away as he caressed his girl’s cheek and wrapped his arm around his wife. Two people sitting on and around a little bald kid’s bed, holding each other, loving each other. Lex hadn’t thought he’d create such a mental roller coaster for himself. He hadn’t thought it would hurt so much, still, after all these years. That the similarity and the gigantic difference would hurt this goddamn badly.
I loved this part. Lex’s intense emotional reaction was electrifying, amazing and incredible to behold in it’s power and strength. It was incredible seeing him feeling such a potent combination of guilt, pleasure and pain from seeing how their family was rejoicing in having their child remain with them for just a ‘little’ while longer because of Lex’s efforts… all the while Lex knows that the child wouldn’t have been sick in the first place, if not for those terrible LuthorCorp granola bars.
Dear heavens I hope no-one finds about the connection… People are going to end up lynching Lex if they ever discover it was LuthorCorp grain that caused this disease amongst the youth of Metropolis.
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She was silent for a moment. When she next spoke her voice had gained that warm tone he’d heard a thousand times, when she and Clark and Lana had been innocent children and the reporter in Chloe was more of an act than a persona. “Are you ok, Lex?”
Concern. He smiled into the blind phone to get his voice right.
“Of course I’m ok, why do you ask?”
“Nothing. I just…heh. I belatedly realized that this might be…you know…painful for you.”
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“Stop wheedling, Chloe, it doesn’t become you.”
“I could make a fortune taping our conversation…”
“You do that and I’ll make sure you’d come to a swift yet unhappy demise,” Lex promised pleasantly. He wasn’t afraid Chloe would ever do such a thing. Firstly, because he trusted her; despite being a reporter she was good with secrets and confidential information. Secondly, because she knew he would live up to his promise. They were both comfortable with the resulting understanding. Which, Lex pondered at times, was yet another indication at the utter weirdness of the people he considered friends. “Good night, Chloe.”
”Night, Lex.”
squeeee! Beautiful Chlex connection, and I loved it :D I loved getting these little hints of a strong, trust-filled Chlex friendship. It was fantastic seeing the bond between the two of them, and I look forward to seeing what happens during the ‘non-date’ that they have made, LOL!
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The moment Miss Decan’s eyes fell on his face, he could actually feel her do some kind of ocular MRI scan, searching for trauma—he could almost hear her findings listed in a tiny little computer voice: trauma’s found: Social outcast due to lack of hair from the age of nine, due to exorbitant wealth of parents, due to lack of childhood friends; mentally abused by father as a child; witnessed infant brother’s death by the hands of his mother; took blame for death of said brother; lost mother prematurely—to cancer, beep, beep; betrayed own father; betrayed only friend; was betrayed by every lover he ever had; rebellious nature; lonely genius complex; twisted Oedipus complex; outcome: needs love, love, love.
I was ROTFLMAO at Lex’s wry psychological self-assessment as he imagined was seen by Ms. Decan. It was just adorable how he was being so blasé about ‘ticking off’ all his traumas on a list and concluding it with the solution ‘needs love, love, love.’ ROTFLAMO!
It was lovely seeing Ms. Decan again, and I simply ADORE her character. She’s a lovely, wonderful, intelligent woman… and it’s really no wonder that Lex was considering asking her out on a date… His taste is greatly improving, now that he’s going after accomplished, charming, passionate and intelligent women instead of the usual trust fund society bimbos.
(I’m still rooting for Chlex, though! I can’t help it! It’s built into me, LOL)
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“Because I’m bald?” he drawled. “Wow, Miss Decan, you really know how to make a man feel wanted.”
“I think you know perfectly well what I mean,” she said, the warmth of her smile dimming. Lex made a mental note that Yes, she’d catalogued him as flawed and in need o cuddling, but her kids were more important to her than the odd fractured billionaire. He liked that. It made her a little less scary. “You’re young, successful, self-assured,” her smile widened again. “Richer than God. Almost impossibly arrogant. Or shouldn’t I have said that? Perhaps I should have said comfortable with yourself.” Lex grinned back at her; he simply couldn’t help himself.
“And smooth as a billiard ball. A freak among freaks. I get it, Miss Decan.”
I’m falling more in love with Ms. Decan with every passing paragraph. She’s a wonderful person… so caring, sensitive, generous and loving. And the BEST part is that she’s not intimidated by Lex, and his ‘big name’ and ‘scary reputation’ has not stopped her from being impertinent and bold towards him.
It was a lovely and intelligent suggestion from Valerie that the children will need some moral support on how to deal with being called ‘freakish’ after they find a cure… and I think it was brilliant of Valerie to reach out to a man who has grown up being an outsider and a freak, and thrived despite all the cruelty that was inflicted on him.
AND I think she also knew it would be good for Lex to be able to bond with these children he himself has so much in common with, and be able to give them some heartfelt advice from his own experiences. She’s one VERY smart lady.
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To her credit, she flustered. “I didn’t mean…I’m sorry if I…” She stopped as she noted his smirk. “It would really help their self-esteem,” she finally muttered. “And it wouldn’t do badly as PR, either.”
Lex rolled his eyes. Why did everyone automatically assumed that he only did unpleasant things, like, for instant, chat with dying little children, because it made him look good to the outer world?
Awww, poor Lex! Even people who are up close and personal with his good deeds are suspicious of his motivations. Poor guy.
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“I’m actually quite good with children,” Lex reassured her. Apart from when they’re psychic. Then they say I’m evil and warn their friends about me. He resisted the urge to straighten his tie, certain the children couldn’t care less.
At first I was laughing at his wry observation over here… until I realized that under these circumstances and with these particular children, this might actually be a valid concern for Lex. What if one of these kids DOES get mind-reading abilities and sees the huge amount of guilt Lex has over the cancer that is killing these kids? That would be… unpleasant to say the least.
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“I’m sure you are, Mister Luthor,” she laughed, and led him to the door.
“Call me Lex,” he said, opened the door and faced the crowd.
LOL! Oh excellent! Lex has made a friend! :D
I really like Valerie, she’s a sweet and lovely person… I’m still rooting for Chlex, but I really love how you’re teasing your readers by making Lex attracted to and flirt with some other intelligent, desirable, passionate woman.
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“My daddy says you’re the scum of the earth and should be shot down with a saw-off,” the boy informed him. “D’you want to see my electric train? It’s really cool. I’ve made a track all around my bed, see? If I had another one I could make a loop and make them crash into each other. D’you want to see it?”
Lex, still reeling from the boy’s casual remark about the saw-off, felt himself being taken by the hand and dragged over to a bed. Between its legs a small red train rattled round and round; a twelve-pack of AAA batteries functioned as a hillock as well as a power source.
Oh heaven! ROTFLMAO! I loved the entire scene of Lex interacting with the kids. I loved how it started with Lex being disconcerted and SCARED while approaching all these little kids… And this first child was quite an opening act to welcome him into their midst, LOL!
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Again, it was as if he were looking in an age-distorting mirror and saw himself just after his mother had died: too big, empty eyes in a pale face—but not all the kids were like that. On the contrary, most of them gazed back at him with fighting spirit fairly sparking from their eyes, their bald heads raised proudly, faces daring him to comment on their appearance. That, as well, reminded Lex of himself.
I really loved how Lex was seeing so much of himself in these youngsters. He was not only seeing his own pain and helplessness reflected in them, but he also saw his own defiance, indomitable spirit in them too. It’s great seeing him identify with these children like this. It’s wonderful seeing Lex getting an empathic connection with other people… random strangers.
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“I’m nine too!” the girl exclaimed. “My name’s Emmy!” A flood of names then passed over Lex’s head. He tried to remember them all, forgot most of them straight away, but connected a few to the faces that stood out to him. The boy with the train was called Ronny, there were two Michaels, a girl called Lexie (which made both of them smirk), Jessica (he remembered her because Miss Decan had mentioned her, and Lisa for the same reason), Scooby-boy was Jack, and his twin-sister was Tina. Jack and Tina. Both son and daughter had been fond of granola bars.
LOL! This was great! I really enjoyed seeing how all the other kids were warming up to him. I bet it really helped Lex to bond with these little people since they were being so enthusiastically determined to ‘make friends’ with him, LOL! They completely bowled over his Luthor reticence.
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“Anyway, the acerbic boy continued, “your mom’ll give you a nice wig and you won’t see a thing. Her mom comes by all the time,” he said to Lex. “with wigs and hats and all that stuff. She can’t bear to see Emmy—or any of us!—looking all bald like babies. She makes us wear baseball caps when she visits. She sucks!” he added forcefully, and several of the other children nodded sagely. Emmy flushed, but she pulled her hat further over her ears and remained silent. Lex felt horrible for her. When he first heard that his bloodwork would be used to cure the kids, and later, when the treatment actually worked, all he’d felt was pride and contentment. Now, he wondered if they should have searched in another direction. He knew how hard it was to be ten and bare as a frog—and he had been a boy. How much worse would it be to be a bald girl? Then again, he had survived, even at Excelsior, which very likely was a far harsher surroundings than the schools these kids went to. He had more than survived. He had flourished because of who he was, and how he looked. And when the children began to ask how he’d dealt with those issues, he found he answered them without even having to think about it, nor did he hold back on the truth. He owed them as much.
ouch! It was awful hearing about how this one girl (all the children really) were made to feel ostracized by a PARENT of one of them. The detestable woman probably thought she was doing a GOOD thing… helping her daughter be ‘less of a freak’, not realizing that she was making her daughter (and all the other kids) feel even worse about themselves.
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“Well,” said Lex, “My father knew this Marine…”
“Did the Marine shoot them?” Ronny asked eagerly, making Lex choke on his words.
ROTFLMAO! :rofl:
Oh dear heavens! This part nearly made me choke with laughter. These kids are vicious!
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“No, he taught me how to defend myself, so I wouldn’t be beaten up anymore.” Although he had practiced his newfound skills on a few of those bullies, in fact. One of them spent six weeks with a cast on his wrist because Lex broke his arm. That, however, he decided not to divulge. “I found out at a very early age that it’s much easier to beat those bullies with words, rather than violence. After all, they hurt you because they think you’re weaker than they are, right? So if you’re able to defend yourself with words, find their weaknesses and exploit them, they’ll leave you alone after a while.”
LOL! I appreciated how Lex tried holding back ‘some’ of the more unsavoury details on dealing with bullies, but he still gave some good advice, even if he did clean it up for kiddie ears, LOL!
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“Do you mean blackmail?” Jessica asked. Lex didn’t know whether he should be delighted or appalled with these kids’ penchant for the criminal.
ROTFLMAO! Oh dear me! They’re not only vicious, they’re also ruthless and cunning. I love how Lex (Lex of all people) is shocked by their remorseless and cruel idea on ‘dealing with enemies’, ROTFLMAO!
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“Bullies are usually a little more inventive and more hurtful,” he said. “Baldy’s just a statement, there’s no real insult, although I agree it’s less than pleasant to be addressed as such. Come on, give me something I can work with.”
There was a moment of silence. Then a boy called Zeke tentatively provided, “Eight ball.”
“Common,” said Lex, “but certainly not bad.”
“Frog face!” squealed Ronny.
“Fish head!” cried another boy.
“Slippery serpent!”
“Naked garden slug!”
“Marble-head!”
“I’ve heard worse,” Lex deadpanned.
“This is stupid,” one of the older girls muttered, but when Lex raised his eyebrow at her she said, “Bald sea cucumber,” with a certain relish.
They went on for another few minutes until their imagination had run dry and they sat panting, grinning and red, and Lex said, “You should remember this. All these words that you’ve just invented? If someone ever calls you one of those, they’re completely unoriginal. You’ve already heard them before, and they can’t hurt you. And if the guys who’re bullying you happen to be fat, or ugly, or have drunk parents or mothers who cheat on their fathers well, then you know what to do, right?”
ROTFLMAO! I loved this part. Lex has really bonded with and identified with these kids. He’s engaged with them… more than that, he’s caught their full interest and attention. He’s giving them good ideas, a whole new way of viewing their own situation and taking pride in themselves again. AND he’s giving them a means of being able to fight back.
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There was a guffaw of laughter from the door to Miss Decan’s office. Lex, having forgot her completely, started, and looked back with a guilty expression. Valerie walked up to the throng, hugging the children that welcomed her with smiles and excitable chatter.
“I take it that wasn’t very pedagogical of me, huh?” Lex said innocently.
“No,” she giggled, “it wasn’t. But I’ve decided to forgive you.
‘Okay kids, Mister Luthor just got a call from David, so he’s got to go.”
LOL! I can imagine it would sound a little worrisome for someone who walked in and heard Lex Luthor apparently corrupting these little kids… but these kids were ALREADY corrupt, ROTFL!
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“You can count on it,” he said, and the children cheered. He had never, ever, felt so unconditionally adored in his life. It made him want to stay. It made him want to protect these kids from whatever would ever hurt them. It made him want to pay for every single cost they might run into. It made his eyes and throat burn, and when he walked away from them it was a little like an escape. He was painfully aware of the fact that his own father could never have felt about him this way. If Lionel had, he wouldn’t have tortured Lex the way he had. He’d never have Lucas live a life so far away from him. God forbid, Lex thought, accepting the files from Miss Decan, I ever have a son. How could I ever get anywhere in the world when I have a child to support, look after, and protect?
It was so sweet how the kids were clamouring around Lex, asking for him to come back again. They’ve already grown so attached to him… and he to them… it’s wonderful to watch! And it all took place in a very believable, organic and natural way. Amazing writing!
It was also so sweet how Lex acknowledged that he’s basically a sucker whenever he gets emotionally involved in anything or anyone. It’s true though… Lex has a tendency to cling to the things, and especially people, who are important to him. Family, friends… and if he gets a wife and children, I can’t imagine how obsessive he would be about staying close and protecting them. Lex’s obsessive nature is part of the reason why we love him so much :D
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Lex declined, but let her lead him to the cafeteria nevertheless. During his talk with the children he’d completely forgotten to ask about the special powers some of them had developed. Even if he didn’t want to come back simply to boost their spirits, which he did, he had to find out more about those powers. See how far they went. It wouldn’t do to create another army of uncontrollable meteor freaks. Especially not children. Adults were hard enough to manage, but children, pre-adolescent, pre- or mid-puber children with hormones raging and bodies going out of control…well, he’d seen what happened in Smallville. It wouldn’t do.
oooh, now THIS is an interesting angle in this story. I wonder if any of these ARE going to develop some interesting powers. It’s going to be fascinating to see what kind of a glitch that adds onto the ongoing plotline.
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That had been two weeks ago. The end of November had come and gone, and now Santa loomed on the corner of every street like a fat mugger. Two of the children Lex had seen had died in the meantime, and three had been added to the program. Christmas carols and wet coughing sounded in the streets and Valerie Decan’s beam was only at half-light. Lex donned his plastic coat with a strange sense of foreboding and smirked at the cap Reese offered him.
“Thank you, David, but I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
David tossed the cap back with a blush and a wry grin.
“Sorry.”
“No harm done.”
He put on the mandatory plastic foil-gloves, and entered the children’s room.
Awww, it was not just a one-time encounter. How wonderful. Lex has started making regular visits to the children. It’s incredible that he’s opening himself up to becoming attached to these kids, ESPECIALLY since they’re all hanging onto their lives by a thread, and there’s a good chance that Lex is going to end up mourning for all of them en-masse.
Heh, it’s also going to be interesting to see the heartbreak that happens when the news of LuthorCorp’s involvement in the cancer epidemic becomes public knowledge. All these kids who are growing to love him, how is Lex going to react when these kids blame him for what’s happening to them?
Anyhow.. the fic was fantastic, I loved it! The ONLY problem was the reader-unfriendly formatting, which I think has turned quite a few people off from reading the fic after opening the link. Lots of people have probably opened this fic link, only to shut it down after a cursory examination of the lack of paragraph breaks. Which is why I think a fic as wonderful, funny, dramatic, heartbreaking, insightful and beautiful as this has ONLY gotten a handful of reviews. Perhaps you can edit your post to fix it?
I look forward to seeing future instalments to this chapter. It’s a great story, and I can’t wait to see how the plot progresses… Please update soon.