You are his greatest creation.

Or— er. At least, you will be. One day. Lex is starting to regret not aging you up like he did Conner. Here’s his thought process: Conner was a failure. In the ways that counted, at least, having too much of his other genetic donor’s kindness and a need to prove himself to the world.

Project Sixteen won’t have that problem, if Lex has anything to say about it. Another clone of the Big Blue Boy Scout and himself, a marvel of scientific genius and progress.

You’re also eight years old and you’re currently crying because his scientists had to test your capacity for pain. Involving you getting cut into and sewn up for the first time, which is a shock for typically invulnerable skin. Not to mention the kryptonite exposure, and the shots, and… if Lex cared about you, he’d almost feel bad. Which he definitely doesn’t, absolutely not, what are you talking about.

Lex has tried to bribe you to stop crying. He’s tried threatening you, he’s tried letting you watch some childish show, he’s tried looking up how to get a child to stop crying, he’s tried bribing you yet again. Nothing is working.

The anger he’s feeling at his scientists is slowly being surpassed by worry for you. Conner never cried this much.

“You need to stop,” He tells you firmly, beginning to become visibly uncomfortable, “You will not cry, or else I will not let you eat chicken nuggets like you wanted. You just need to stop crying.”