Chapter Text
The labs in the pocket dimension always that steady hum from machines and coolant systems, and specifically in the lab Lex Luthor had been in for the past month, there was the soft hiss of the nutrient pumps cycling through multiple glass chambers. For you, that same sound has been with you for as long as you can remember, like a mechanical heartbeat that seeps into your bones if you stand still long enough.
Purple light washed over the room, reflected from the curved walls of the glass cylindrical chambers. It caught on the floor in strange ripples when the lab is dimmer, shifting whenever the liquid stirs.
Inside each tube you see yourself.
They were your clones, and they floated in tranquility in transparent purple solution. Whenever you accompanied Lex to this lab, you always found yourself looking at your clones with your innocent eyes.
They were pretty because they were all you, with lashes lying perfectly against cheeks, hair floating like silk threads in weightless water. There were ten of them, ten versions of you, eyes closed, untouched and sleeping.
Your boots clicked softly against the polished floor as you pace along the row. You catch glimpses of your own face in the glass, and it’s always jarring because what if Lex wants one of them instead of you right now?
Your hair brushed your shoulders, perfectly kept because Lex told you to keep it that way. He says presentation matters so you wore the black suit he picked for you, fitted but light, with a crisp white shirt underneath that softened the sharpness. You were his closest aid and bodyguard, after all.
He never calls you beautiful, but he notices when you look right.
Compared to the clones of you in their glass chambers, who all only had the most basic undergarments, you were of course dressed the best.
The door to the lab hissed open, and your posture straightened instantly when Lex steps in.
You can’t help but follow him with your eyes as you face him, bowing your head slightly.
“Patrolling the lab again?” His voice was calm and he smiled at you.
“Yes,” you answer quickly. “Just making sure they’re fine.”
Lex glanced toward the tanks, then back to you. “They’re fine. They always are.” His tone is final, but he doesn’t tell you to leave. “Soon we will have another cloning, this time we are cloning another. You will do your best to guard this lab, alright?”
“Yes, sir,” You bowed your head at the order.
“Good.”
You hesitated, the words pressing at the back of your throat, “Lex… am I the best?”
Lex stopped mid-step and turned his head just slightly, watching you. “What do you mean?”
“Out of… them am I better? Am I the best? Am I the cutest?” Your eyes got more bright as you continued on, a smile stretched on your lips that felt sugary.
For a moment, he studies you without a word, gaze running over your face in a way that makes your chest feel tight. Then, with a small shrug, he says, “Yes, you’re the best.”
It’s so simple but it settles into you like warmth, like the confirmation you didn’t know you were desperate for. The others are here, but they’re not you. You’re the one who walks beside him, who hears his voice every day.
“Ah, thank you, Lex!” You gasped in excitement, going over to hang off his arm. That’s it! You’re the best, you’re the original after all.
When he gestures for you to follow him out of the lab, you catch your reflection in the brushed steel of the doors. Yeah, you’re the prettiest.
The others are just copies, they aren’t outside of their chambers anyways, so you don’t need to look at them again tonight.