"Limited to ones' Imagination" - DC Fanfic

Cadmus Laboratories – Deep Underground

The dim light of the laboratory flickered against the sterile white walls, illuminating the high-tech facility filled with whirring machines and glowing monitors. Scientists in white coats bustled about, adjusting settings, running diagnostics, and monitoring the figure at the center of the room.

A young man—tall, broad-shouldered, with piercing blue eyes and short dark hair—stood motionless, dressed in a black jumpsuit adorned with the Cadmus insignia.

His name was Allan.

And he wasn't just another clone.

He was the future.

A step beyond Superman. A step beyond Superboy.

He was something new.

Something more.

Allan's eyes flickered across the lab, watching the scientists work. He could feel them studying him, analyzing his every breath, his every movement, as if he were some kind of experiment rather than a person.

In a way, they weren't wrong.

His existence was manufactured. Controlled. Designed.

And yet, he was still human, wasn't he?

Or at least—something close to it.

A set of heavy footsteps echoed through the lab.

Allan turned his head slightly as Lex Luthor entered, dressed in a sleek black suit, his signature smirk firmly in place. Behind him, Amanda Waller followed, her arms crossed, her expression sharp and unreadable.

"Allan," Luthor said smoothly, stopping just a few feet away. "How are you feeling?"

Allan met his gaze. "Stronger."

Luthor chuckled. "That's what I like to hear."

Waller, however, remained unimpressed. "He's powerful, but he's still unstable," she said, her voice edged with disapproval. "We haven't tested the full range of his abilities yet. For all we know, his mutations could be a liability."

Luthor waved a hand dismissively. "Nonsense. Allan is a miracle."

He turned back to the young Kryptonian clone, stepping closer.

"Tell me, Allan," Luthor said, his voice filled with curiosity, "what have you discovered about yourself?"

Allan's fingers flexed at his sides.

"My abilities…" He furrowed his brow. "They aren't fixed like Superman's. They change. Adapt. I can modify my heat vision to be something else entirely. Ice-based. Radioactive. Focused or wide-spread."

Luthor's smile widened. "And flight? Strength?"

"All still there," Allan nodded. "But my cells shift to prioritize different attributes. If I increase my durability, I lose speed. If I enhance my strength, I have to sacrifice another ability temporarily."

Luthor's eyes gleamed.

"Fascinating."

Waller scoffed. "And his weakness?"

Allan's expression darkened.

"Kryptonite still affects me," he admitted, his voice tight. "But it takes longer to weaken me than a pure Kryptonian."

Luthor clapped his hands together. "See? Improvements already."

Waller wasn't convinced. "He's still vulnerable. Still a risk."

Luthor's smirk didn't waver. "Every weapon has flaws, Waller. That doesn't mean they aren't useful."

Allan stiffened slightly at the word weapon, but he said nothing.

Luthor turned, stepping toward one of the monitors. The screen displayed genetic data—and at the very top was a name:

ALEX.

Allan's eyes narrowed at the sight of it.

"That name keeps coming up," he muttered. "Why?"

Luthor glanced over his shoulder.

"You wouldn't exist without him," he said simply. "Your unique biology—your ability to evolve—comes from his DNA."

Allan's fingers twitched.

"So I'm just some… offshoot of him?"

Luthor shook his head. "No. You're more. You're the culmination of what we've been working toward for years. You aren't just Superman's successor—you're something beyond him. Beyond Krypton."

Allan studied Luthor's expression carefully.

"You don't want me to be a weapon," he said slowly. "You want me to be a symbol."

Luthor smiled. "Exactly."

Waller rolled her eyes. "We don't have time for this philosophical nonsense. We have a problem, and his name is Alex."

Luthor's expression hardened slightly, though his smirk remained.

"Yes, Alex is… a complication," he admitted. "But that doesn't mean we should eliminate him."

Waller raised an eyebrow. "You're defending him now?"

"I'm being pragmatic," Luthor said smoothly. "He's an unknown variable, yes—but he's also the biggest asset we have. Risky or not, he could help bridge humanity's expansion to a universal level."

Waller sighed, rubbing her temples.

"You seriously think you can recruit him?" she asked, exasperated.

Luthor chuckled. "With the right persuasion? I think it's possible."

Waller shook her head. "And if you're wrong?"

Luthor's smirk faded slightly.

"Then we'll adjust accordingly."

Waller let out a slow breath. "Fine. But if he becomes a problem—"

Luthor cut her off. "Then we handle it. But for now?"

He turned toward one of the surveillance monitors, watching a live feed of Alex somewhere in the city.

"For now, we let him be."

Then, with a simple press of a button, he deactivated the feeds.

"All spies are to be pulled away from Alex immediately."

Waller's lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn't argue.

Luthor turned back to Allan, his expression thoughtful.

"You," he said, "are just the first step."

Allan met his gaze.

"First step to what?"

Luthor's smirk returned.

"To something far greater than you could ever imagine."