My Ghost

ten

I stand behind Black Mask, gripping my hands tightly in front of me. I stare blankly at the wall as the elevator rockets upwards.

"When you see Luthor, do not speak unless you're spoken to, got it?" Roman asks.

"Yes sir," I mutter, glancing over at Melanie. She stands straight as a pencil, her eyes straight ahead. I wonder how she got caught up in all of this in the first place.

The doors slide open smoothly and we step into a large room. A desk sits in the center, with a name plate that reads "CEO, Lex Luthor." Against the left wall is a tall bookcase, filled entirely with some books stacked on the floor beside it. To my right I find filing cabinet after filing cabinet, each labeled with the letters of the alphabet they correspond to. Luthor sits behind his desk, and raises his head as we step into the room.

"Sionis," he greets, rising from his seat and approaching us, extending his hand to Roman. Roman takes it, shaking his hand firmly.

"Melanie," Luthor greets, shifting to stand in front of her. He gently lifts her hand to his lips and places a kiss on it. Her face remains emotionless at the gesture.

"And who might this be?" Luthor asks, stepping in front of me now.

"Well, Lex, this our... project," Roman tells him, smirking. "Meet the new and improved Ray Hady."

Lex smiles, turning back to me, grabbing my hand to lift to his lips as he did with Melanie's. "The pleasure's all mine."

"I'm sure it is," I say bluntly.

Lex laughs as he stands straight again, turning to Roman. "She's a feisty one, isn't she?"

"You don't even know," he mutters, shooting a glare my way. "Don't worry, though. Our deal still stands."

Lex smirks, nodding. "I'm sure it does." His eyes shift over to me and I shift my weight, slightly uncomfortable.

"Have you developed any... abilities?" Lex asks, turning his full attention to me.

"Not that I'm aware of," I answer honestly.

"Have you felt any different due to the serum?"

"No, no I feel entirely the same after I came back from the dead," I reply sarcastically.

"You've got quite the mouth," Luthor remarks. "Think you're some sort of badass?"

I chuckle, shaking my head at him. "I know I'm a badass."

Suddenly, Luthor's hand is wrapped around my throat and he lifts me off the floor. His grip tightens slightly and I struggle to breathe, kicking my legs out in hopes that I hit him.

"I've got a lot of money invested in you, you got that?" he snarls, his face close to mine. "If I lose that money because you decide to be a little rebel, I will destroy everything you care for."

I smile despite the pain in my neck. "I don't care for anything," I choke.

"We'll see about that." Lex drops me and I crumple to the floor, regaining my breath. Melanie and Roman look at me with disgust as I struggle back to my feet.

"Shall we?" Lex asks, gesturing towards the desk.

Roman and Melanie follow Lex to his desk, standing in front of it as he takes a seat in his chair. I push myself onto my feet and reluctantly join them.

"Our shipments continue to be... interrupted," Roman begins. "This Red Hood character is becoming an issue."

"Then handle it," Lex hisses. "I can't keep throwing money your way, Roman. I'm sure you have plenty of your own."

"I do, and I ain't sayin' I need money. I'm sayin' that this guy is intercepting whatever the hell we're transporting. A couple months back he stole over a hundred pounds of Kryptonite from me and I have yet to get it back. What I'm sayin' is that we need a new way to transport these, because enhancing security ain't doing enough," Roman explains.

"You lost all of that Kryptonite?"

"Unfortunately."

Lex leans back in his chair, resting his feet on his desk. "This... vigilante has become a much larger problem then I was aware of. What excuse do the men have for letting him get away with it?"

"They're all dead," Melanie chimes in. "He kills them."

Lex raises his eyebrows, glancing back over at Roman. "Well that's interesting. Why hasn't the Bat taken this guy out yet?"

"Good question, they must be in cahoots or something," Roman says simply. "Ask her, she knows the bird brain." He juts his thumb out at me and I sigh.

"You know the Bat?" Luthor asks.

"Not personally. We've teamed up on occasion, and more then once he's given me the 'no killing' talk," I answer.

"Interesting," Lex grumbles. "Well, the Bat isn't usually my area of expertise, but perhaps the two have an alliance of sorts."

"You're wrong," I interject. "The Bat can't stand the Red Hood. They have some sort of connection, though, that leaves him conflicted on how to handle him."

"You sure know a lot, don't you?" Lex asks. "Which is perfect, it's settled."

"Settled?" Roman inquires.

"She'll kill the Red Hood for us."

My heart drops in my chest. I can't kill Jason. I won't.

"She hasn't entered the field for us yet," Roman protests. "She can get the job done eventually, but I think it's better we wait. She has information on Night-"

"I want him dead by the end of the week," Lex cuts Roman off, rising from his seat and leaning over the desk. "If his helmet isn't on my desk by then, then our agreement and future agreements are off the table. Got it, Sionis?"

"If she can't pull it off you can't hold that against me," Roman argues, folding his arms. I can tell instantly that he's reaching for a gun hidden in his suit pocket.

"Oh but I can," Lex tells him. He turns to look at me, smirking. "Trust me, she's appearing much weaker than she truly is with my new serum."

"Hate to disappoint, but I've told you the truth. I haven't developed any abilities."

"We'll see about that," Lex repeats, before annoyedly turning to Roman. "And leave that damn gun out of this. If I get killed by anyone it better be by Superman's own damned hands."

Roman rolls his eyes, removing his hand from his jacket. "Fine. We'll have him for you."

"I expect you to."

Roman looks as if he wants to say more, but stops himself. He turns on his heel to leave, storming towards the elevator, and Melanie follows right behind him. I hesitate a moment, staring at Luthor. The tall man stands before me in a navy pinstripe suit, his bald head nearly shining from the light in the room. His piercing green eyes watch me amusedly and our eyes eventually lock on each other's, and unspoken words I can't decipher are shared.

"I'll see you soon, Ray," he says, breaking our silence as he smiles at me.

"Only in your dreams," I mutter, pulling myself from my daze and joining Roman and Melanie in the elevator.

I have to kill Jason by the end of the week; but I would die again before I let that happen.