Black Goo

"These...entities...are variable in appearance," Lex's voice was calm and controlled, confident. Lois felt herself reacting to that, and wondered what part of his intellect had planned for that exact pitch and modulation of tone to achieve that effect. "But whatever form they take, they are predators. Act like prey, and they will treat you like prey."

"So tell me what to do, Luthor." The reporter said, keeping her own voice under control. She didn't want to sound petulant, or peevish. Didn't want too much of the anger to leak through either. Or the fear.

"Prey wait for the trap to be sprung. At this stage in its lifecycle, the creature is an ambush predator—it is too weak to pose a threat, unless it catches its prey unawares. If you want to survive...to win...against this alien, then you need to be the predator."

Lois breathed. She could feel Lex's words go through her, as she focused on the strange egg-thing within her. Thought of the dead burst women on the screens. Her nails dug into her palms, heart beating in her chest. That would not be her.

In Lex's Lab

"Adrenaline spiking," Mercy Graves said, monitoring the reporter's vitals. "Still no activity within the ovomorph."

"Hopefully it isn't a dud," Luthor said. "But there is only one way to find out."

Back In the White Room

Think like a predator. Lois could feel herself tense, pulse pounding in her temples. The egg stood there, unmoving, like a great and terrible plant. A **** ready to hatch. The vein-like roots looked too thick to rip the thing off of its matting directly, and the sides were probably too thick to kick through.

She looked at the cross-like orifice on top. The thing was designed to open, so the thing could leap out. Something that can open out can also be pushed in if there was enough ****...**** equals mass times acceleration...gravity accelerates at 9.8 meters per second...

Lois backed herself into a far corner, and wished she had her heels...then sprinted forward. Judging her distance she jumped, curling her knees up, feet together...and brought them down right on the cruciform vagina.

Green flesh splintered beneath her feet, a terrible squelching like a rotten pumpkin slammed against a sidewalk, a shower of black goo flying everywhere. Lois stood in the ruins of the alien egg, drenched to the knees in the viscous, oil-like fluid, splatters of it getting all over her.

In Lex's Lab

"Was...was that supposed to happen?" Mercy asked.

"No. No it was not." Lex said, staring at the screens. He scowled. "Her bio-readings are all over the place. Her altered metabolism is reacting to that...goo. We may need to get a sample of..."

"Uh, Mr. Luthor?" Mercy interrupted. "What is Lane doing?"