Lois Calls Lex Luthor For Help

"I can't call Superman for something like this," the reporter said aloud, poking her protruding stomach. "But whatever our differences, I know you're a scientist and you get results."

Less than an hour after Lois had made the call, she found herself in her bra and panties, laying on an examination table in a lab in the basement of LexCorp Tower. She felt rather self-conscious about her near-nudity, but she was more concerned about the state of her steadily growing stomach...and the anomalous hunger that gripped her. In the last forty-five minutes, Lois had devoured an entire box of the protein bars she had normally reserved for her lunches.

"Your confidence in me is appreciated," Lex's voice contained no hint of irony. He had shucked his suitcoat for a labcoat, bald head gleaming in the overhead lighting, Strange goggles over his eyes linked to the lab's wireless network, feeding readouts directly to his vision as he pointed devices at the reporter's slowly growing midsection.

Machines hummed and glowed. Lois felt the hair rise on the back of her neck, gooseflesh over her skin, but she was glad that at least Lex hadn't asked any more of her than this. She was sure that the panties would have to come off at some point, but she was holding out hope.

"You're not pregnant," the mad scientist said, after some time. "You're infected with a very curious organism that has parasitized your womb, not unlike certain species of wasp, but aside from a smattering of epigenetic material, the DNA is decidedly non-human."

"You can tell that from an external scan?" Lois said, impressed despite herself. Lex didn't even bother looking smug.

"The rate of growth is detrimental to the host's health. There are a complex network of connections to your uterus, drawing blood and nutrients, hence your hunger...but the human digestion system cannot keep up with how fast it is growing. It also seems to be secreting materials increasing the elasticity of your abdominal skin and muscles, which is why you haven't burst yet, but there are limits to human flesh...I wouldn't be surprised if this organism normally ate its way out of its host."

"So...what do we do?" Lois asked.

For the first time, Lex Luthor offered her a very cold smile. There was no humor in it. Serial killers practiced such smiles to disarm their victims into thinking they were human.

"Extract it for further study. Please remove your panties and spread your legs as wide as possible."