The Echo from Another World

While Michael shaped reality to his own desire, miles away, an alien parasite was being studied; the nature of its power was being analyzed under microscope lenses and ultraviolet light.

In the LexCorp underground laboratory, the silence was broken only by the constant hum of cooling systems and the rhythmic beeping of heart monitors. Alexis Luthor watched Specimen 01—the astronaut—through reinforced glass. The man lay motionless, his eyes open, but his mind no longer belonged to him.

"The symbiosis is complete," Lena murmured, not taking her eyes off the DNA sequencer. "The parasite doesn't just settle in; it fuses the synaptic membranes. It replaces the host's will with a transmission channel. It’s as if the brain becomes hardware waiting for external software—software capable of even altering the host's sex and body."

Alexis stepped closer to the glass, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of greed and contempt. To her, humanity was nothing more than a poorly written rough draft, and this Martian organism was the pen she would use to rewrite history for her master.

"And what about the command frequency, Lena?" Alexis asked, her voice cold and calculating.

"We’re calibrating the signal," her sister replied, adjusting a control on a holographic console. "The parasite responds to specific electromagnetic impulses. If we can synthesize this signal on a large scale, we won't need individual infections. We could broadcast a 'command wave' that would subjugate anyone carrying the parasite's seed. Imagine, Alexis... a world where dissent is biologically impossible."

Alexis smiled. The idea of ​​a "forced harmony" was music to her ears. She imagined the masses of Metropolis—the politicians, the corporate rivals—all suddenly silencing their own thoughts to make way for her master’s voice. It wouldn’t just be control; it would be the cure for human inefficiency.

"We don’t just want to control, Lena. We want to enhance," Alexis said, walking over to a workbench where a small sample of the parasite pulsed inside a vacuum-sealed vial. "If we can fuse the parasite’s processing capacity with human intelligence, we’ll create a superorganism. An army of collective minds under my sole command."

"There’s a risk," Lena warned, frowning. "If the parasite isn’t compatible, it could turn the host aggressive, drain their nutrients, and kill them slowly."

Alexis let out a short, dry laugh.

"Can’t we refine it, sister?" Alexis was determined to surprise her god by offering him an efficient tool.

While Alexis plotted her rise through science and biological manipulation, she had no way of knowing that, somewhere on another planet, a Martian was tracking her team of astronauts; driven by curiosity, the Martian sensed that something was amiss on Earth—though that would have to wait. Back to the Luthors...

"Prepare the first phase of implementation," Alexis ordered, gazing out at the Metropolis skyline. "I want everything ready to present as a gift to my master."

Clarice was flying over Metropolis when she felt something strange. She looked around but saw nothing—though she could have sworn someone had tried to intrude upon her mind. Deciding to let it go—since she saw no one suspicious and had a meeting scheduled with her mentor later—she continued on her way. Nearby, hidden from the superwoman’s sight, a green-skinned alien let out a sigh of relief. It would have been disastrous had she noticed him. He had sensed something unusual about her, but upon attempting to investigate, he encountered a mental barrier—which ended up alerting her to his presence. Whoever had erected those mental defenses was incredibly powerful; he wasn’t even sure if he could break through them.

(image created by lawless)