Walking home with a Starro clone

The walk back home was short and luckily uneventful. Star behaved the entire time, understanding Thomas' command to remain concealed. The alien offspring was smarter than one might expect from what was basically a starfish with a lone eye. But it was nevertheless curious about the world outside of the stale, sterile laboratory that it had inhabited since its birth.

"I can't let you show yourself, Star. You know that." Whispered the rogue scientist.

He walked past several construction workers who were doing some maintenance on the pavement close to his apartment. The music coming from their radio intrigued Star. Thomas picked up on that curiosity. He could, for lack of a better term, sense it. Now that they had bonded, the telepathic connection between them was much stronger.

It asked him to let it see through his eyes, somehow. Thomas slowed down a bit, trying to make sense of what Star was getting at.

Other pedestrians moved past the young man standing in the middle of the sidewalk, one even accidentally bumping into his briefcase. Thomas blocked them out. Star, however, he let in.

It was certainly strange to share his vision with an alien. Thomas couldn't describe it, but whatever he saw, so did Star. It could now see despite being hidden underneath Thomas' sweater and jacket.

Star's childlike wonder was certainly amusing, though. It watched attentively as he walked past the busy road, cars and trucks driving past, while hundreds of people moved from and towards all directions. Metropolis City was a busy place, after all. Even in the evening. Some shops closed while others just opened. Primarily the entertainment establishments as people got off from work.

Thomas answered the non-verbal questions that Star had. In a way, the Starro clone felt like Thomas' own child. That had him chuckling briefly to himself.

Especially since Star was going to be his partner-in-crime.

Before long, they arrived at Thomas' apartment. It was a modest building. Not shoddy or downtrodden, but also not extravagant. You could even call it awfully plain and boring. But that suited Thomas just fine. He didn't want to stand out when entering and leaving the building. Another benefit was its proximity to the nearby bus and train station. He could leave whenever he wanted to, far away from his egomaniacal employer.

Speaking of, he'd better work fast. His absence at work would be noticed when he didn't check in the next day. Thomas wasn't important enough to warrant an escort, but the lab would be alerted if he didn't check in on time, which in turn would prompt a visit from Lexcorp's security teams. Especially given his knowledge of what went on in there.

Thomas entered the apartment complex and went straight to his own unit. He took the elevator to the tenth floor, and walked briskly down the hallway. Thank god that there weren't any nosy neighbours here. Another reason why he appreciated his current, but soon-to-be former, accommodations.

After unlocking the door and stepping inside, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Can't believe I'm finally doing this. I'm so nervous that my hands are almost shaking."

Star didn't understand why. It was still learning how to better read him. But that didn't stop it from sending reassuring thoughts to its creator.

Thomas chuckled as he retrieved Star from underneath his clothes, bringing out the sizeable alien lifeform.

"Worried about me, eh? Don't be. You and I can do anything when we put our minds to it."

Flapping two of its appendages, Star closed its red eye in the equivalent of a human smile. Such an adorable, mind-controlling wonder that it was.

Thomas walked into the living room and deposited his briefcase on the dining table. The apartment looked remarkably... unremarkable. The furniture and electronics seemed to be standard issue, and there were no personal objects. The few pieces of decoration that he'd installed had little to do with Thomas.

But that was the point of it. The less this place hinted at his past, the better. Thomas had bought and arranged the place in a way that would allow him to pack up whenever he felt like it -- or needed it. Such as now.

"All right. I've got a few things to do still before we can leave, so make yourself at home, little guy." He gently put Star down on the couch, smiling back as it -- or perhaps he should start referring to Star as a he? -- bounced slightly on the cushion. "We won't be staying for long."

That didn't stop Star from using the couch as a trampoline. He jumped up and down, clearly happy to be out of his tank. That would keep him busy while Thomas got to work.

He entered the bedroom and took a moment for himself. Things were happening fast now. He couldn't afford to make mistakes.

Kneeling next to the bed, Thomas reached under it and pulled out a large trolley. Within were all the living essentials that he needed alongside physical cash. He'd been saving it up, carefully putting some aside from the wage that Lexcorp paid him. The company would be able to track bank transfers due to Luthor's connections. So he had to get off the grid, and use as many methods as possible to avoid detection.

Thomas subconsciously began to ponder how he got here in the first place. Maybe because he was about to start on the long road of achieving his dream.

Because if there was one thing that Thomas Ryder desired above all, then it was power.

Ever since he was little, the 26-year-old had developed an infatuation with the idea of villains. He vividly remembered the new footage on the television as superpowered individuals began to pop up more and more during the 21st century. Men and women doing whatever they wanted, claiming whatever they saw as their own, and only held accountable by those stronger than themselves. Where others saw the injustice of villains, he saw liberty.

Arguments could be made about him as a person because of that. Was he a sociopath? Even a psychopath? Did he have a bad childhood that moulded him into a vengeful, spiteful person wanting to get back at the world that hurt him?

Nothing quite as detailed as that. If anything, Thomas was a remarkably ordinary person. He looked slightly handsome, just above average, as was the rest of him. Nor did he have a cruel or spectacular upbringing. He'd lived with a normal father and mother, who had loved him like any regular parent would love their child. He'd never felt ostracised by his peers. Never bullied to the point of no return. Never scorned by a lover. Never been made powerless by his superiors.

So what drove him to become a scientist under the employ of Lex Luthor, with ambitions to rise far above his station? Nothing but the belief that might makes right.

Thomas had been a bright kid who understood how the world worked at an early age. Those who held power could influence or even outright command others. Such as a teacher holding authority over children placed under their care, the police officer enforcing the nation's laws, or the lawmakers themselves setting policy for the entire country or world. All of this involved positions of power. Those who lacked the power to stand against these figures of authority had **** but to bend the knee and follow quietly.

Which is why villains were of such interest to Thomas! Sure, there were the lunatics like Joker, the killers like Victor Zsasz, and other wrongdoers who only craved chaos. They were blights on society. That much he could agree on.

He also pitied those who used their powers to work for others. Minions. There was no better term for them. Harley Quinn immediately came to mind. She'd struck out on her own from time to time, but tended to drift back into the Joker's embrace.

No. The villains that he admired were those who acted freely and with ambition. It didn't matter if all they did was rob a bank or commit standard criminal offences. Thomas respected them as long as they used their abilities to gain power, be it money or a different form of tribute.

It's why he'd gone to work for Lex Luthor in the first place. The man had built an empire, both criminal and corporate, that spanned the entire globe. His sheer wealth and overwhelming **** through proxies and inventions were worthy of admiration. Thomas didn't merely feel inspired by the man; he was his idol.

However, there was only so much he could do, living in Luthor's shadow as a random employee. Thomas intended to follow in his now ex-boss' footsteps and become a supervillain. It was for this explicit purpose that he spent years studying, honing his intellect and skills, fighting for a place at Lexcorp, and then finally created the ultimate hybrid between Starro and a Kryptonian.

Thomas closed his trolley as he finished packing. It was time to begin his rise to power.

When he returned to the living room, Star had apparently built himself a comfortable pillow fort, on which he was now resting. The little fellow knew how to take Thomas' words to heart. But that was okay. Star needed his rest. He'd be put through a few trials in the coming days to better ascertain his abilities. Nothing as drastic as what Luthor had proposed, of course.

Thomas could also use a breather. He passed by the hallway and made his way into the kitchen. There were some leftovers in the fridge, which he retrieved and then put into the microwave. It wasn't until Thomas was staring at the pasta with broccoli and chicken that he realised how hungry he was.

In the meantime, he grabbed his spare phone to check the public transport schedules. Several trains and buses would take him out of Metropolis. Finding a suitable location to build up his power base, where Lexcorp didn't have much of a presence, was a whole different challenge.

But Thomas had planned sufficiently ahead. There were already a few places that he had in mind. Now he just needed to pick one.

The microwave pinged as it finished heating his pasta, and Thomas swiftly retrieved it from the machine. He dug into the meal whilst browsing the web. Occassionally he would glance at the sofa to keep an eye on Star. But the alien starfish seemed to be having the time of his life, acting all lazy.

When he was finally done, he put the plastic container away and cleaned up. Thomas walked out of the kitchen but froze suddenly.

His blue eyes widened as he slowly looked to the left. Standing in the hallway, having entered without making a sound, was Mercy Graves. The woman was still clad in her trademark chauffeur outfit, skirt and boots and cap and all. Her blue eyes were striking in their beauty. But now they sent shivers down Thomas' spine with how cold they looked.

"Good evening, doctor. Packing, are we? Mister Luthor expected you might try a stunt like this."

“How… How did you…”

“Judging by your reaction earlier and an inquiry at the laboratory, mister Luthor deduced that you might try and leave the company. He ordered me to shadow you. See whether or not his suspicions were correct.” Mercy explained. She retrieved a gun from her pocket, smirking smugly. “And he was right. Not surprising.”

"He sent you on a hunch?!"

Mercy shrugged. "There's a reason my boss has been in this business for so long. Don't believe you're the first henchman to run away or betray him. Or that mister Luthor wouldn't see it coming. That's an insult to his intelligence."

“So, he sent you to take me back.” Thomas surmised.

“Not exactly. He told me to retrieve the test subject. You, on the other hand, are expandable.” She corrected.

Thomas recoiled as if struck. “B-But, I erased the data and my notes! You need me for the project!”

None of his words got through to the curvaceous, uniformed woman unfortunately. She cocked her head and pursed her full lips.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned while working for Luthor all these years,” Mercy drawled, “then it’s that scientists are a dime in a dozen. There’s plenty of nutjobs out there with a degree willing to sell their souls to Lexcorp. You were never all that special, doctor.”

He swore quietly. All his planning, and yet he hadn’t considered Luthor sending Mercy after him at the vaguest possibility of desertion. It was a valuable lesson to be careful. But first, he needed to survive to put it into practice.

"Let's not be hasty here. Yes, I tried to run away. And yes, I took the specimen with me. But I can still be of use to Lexcorp."

Mercy smirked. "Begging for your life? Trust me; that never works."

“Please, I can–”

“Time’s up. Say goodbye, mister Ryder.”

Mercy aimed her gun and curled her finger around the trigger. She squeezed it, firing a bullet at point blank range. He saw his life flash right in front of his eyes when the muzzle flashed.

However, before the projectile could pierce his skull, Star of all things suddenly flew in between them. The bullet struck him instead, and bounced off harmlessly, straight into the couch it had been resting on mere moments ago.

Both Thomas and Mercy were surprised. The latter because of his interference, while Thomas’ shock originated from its survival. All known data indicated that the Starro spores were **** without a host. A bullet could definitely kill them!

Unless they were part Kryptonian.

Star’s modified DNA apparently gave him the same bulletproof skin that Superman and his fellow Kryptonians possessed. That information made Thomas wonder about what else the little creature was capable of. Though he didn’t need to wait long before he saw more.

Stretching out as if by magic, Star grew bigger until he was the size of a flatscreen, blocking Mercy’s line of fire and acting as a shield for his creator. The woman gritted her teeth and fired several shots. Each failed to harm Star.

“Restrain her! Quickly!” Urged Thomas.

Reaching out with his two ‘upper limbs’, the vat-grown Starro offspring grasped Mercy’s wrists with surprising speed. Not as fast as Superman would have but quicker than Mercy could react nonetheless. She let go of the gun as Star tightened his hold.

“Let go, you overgrown sea monster!” Mercy hissed.

Excellent! Thomas let out a sigh of relief, almost falling on his butt as the tension in his body ebbed away. Apparently his loyal compatriot was every bit as useful as he had hoped for.

But what to do with Mercy? They obviously couldn’t let her leave. She’d warn Luthor and then he’d send more goons after Thomas. Killing her was an option. Yet that felt like a waste. There should be a third option, though. One that Star had been specifically bred for.

“Star, infect her.” Thomas commanded, grinning with newfound confidence.

Mercy froze upon hearing those words. Her eyes widened as Star’s skin parted between one of his enlarged limbs, and a small star-shaped spore popped out. It also grew bigger within seconds. Right up to the point that it could neatly cover someone’s face.

“No! No, don’t!” She pleaded as she began to struggle even more.

“Too bad you underestimated us, miss Graves. I’m afraid time’s up for only one of us.” Taunted Thomas in a cruel reversal of their fates. He felt no pity as the spore floated closer to her. “Say goodbye now.”

It was the last thing she heard before the starfish alien divebombed her face, turning around at the last second. Mercy’s head was knocked back as the spore latched onto. Its tendrils hugged her skull tightly and knocked off her hat.

Short blonde hair and a beautiful visage were now partially covered by the Starro spore. Mercy staggered back as Star released her, yet she made no move to escape. Her body jolted slightly and then nothing. Shoulders slumped forward, arms went limp. Then the clone blinked once or twice. Its takeover was complete.

Thomas let out a disbelieving laugh as he approached the deadly woman. She didn’t react to his presence. All Mercy did was watch through her new eyes – or, well, eye.

“Holy shit. That was close.” He looked her over, inspecting the mind-controlled bodyguard. Part of him thought he was imagining things. But as Thomas poked Mercy and got no response, it dawned on him that they were in the clear. “Well done, Star. You did great.”

The creature hummed and thrilled in content. Shrinking down to his original size, he plopped back on the couch, cheering in its own way.

Now that Thomas had a moment to breathe again, he also took a seat on a nearby stool next to the counter. His heart still pounded inside his chest. If it wasn’t for Star, Mercy would have absolutely killed him. That wouldn’t be a great start to his villainous career.

However, this change of events presented an opportunity.

Mercy Graves knew things. She was moreover the personal bodyguard and assistant of Lex Luthor, which meant she was one of the most capable non-powered henchwomen out there. And now she was under his control. Thomas could use her for his own benefit.

Be it business or personal pleasure.

He grinned. “You know what? I’ll take it. This might just work out.”