A/n: Thanks for reading. I scrapped a story I made that was similar to this because of the fact that I wasn't happy with it and wanted to start new. This is the same general concept, but with some twists. I've also grown, I think, as a writer do actually commit to story and not let it die. I hope.

DC owns all characters, I own nothing.

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Metropolis

Exposing Superman as an inferior to his intellect and humanity was the sole goal of Lex Luthor. Every day he woke his mind was filled with plots to destroy and expose the alien from the now annihilated planet of Krypton. The very being of Superman was an affront to the trillionaire genius who prided himself in the fact that he had no equal on earth. His pride would not allow Superman to be looked up to as the hero of mankind, a being who wasn't even a man!

There were many other heroes of course, ones with magic, alien technology, powers gained by accidents and the like but none were like Superman. Superman was humanities hope.

That, Lex Luthor could not have.

Braced in a spread-legged power stance, his hands held behind his back, Lex Luthor looked down from one of the shatterproof window-walls that made up the whole confines of his sprawling office. Most people wouldn't have had every wall removed to be fitted with the special glass, but Lex was not most men. He enjoyed having a three-sixty view of the city of Metropolis. He never missed a time when Superman didn't fly by as a blue blur. How one got into his Lexcorp apex was one of the things Luthor loved about his masterful office. Long steps led one constantly up at a slant until the appeared from the floor as if coming into an attic. The first thing they would see was Lex behind his large walnut desk looking down upon them. If the fact that there were no walls hiding the outside world didn't rattle his visitors then that little entrance always did the trick.

Of course, there was another office, less grand and far easier to get too below him but Lex didn't use that office when he was waiting for trouble.

Face calm and thoughtful, Lex watched as Metropolis burned below him. The glass gave him a perfect view to everything that was occurring. Large robots were letting loose havoc on the inhabitants who had previously been enjoying a nice fall evening. Their feet with tripod claws which supported steel legs that were long and banded like bendy straws. The torsos were also metal and barrel shaped and the arms were mirrors of the legs. The heads were all but thick buckers with a visor or red for an oculus that shot red hot laser beams into the city streets and buildings.

The robots were running rampant as if out of control but the Justice League had arrived upon the scene thirty minutes ago to deal with the robotic threat. Flashes of colorful costumes and colorful heroes streaked against the waning light of evening. Near the Daily Planet he spotted the crimson blur of the Flash running circles around a robot, near downtown a lasso of gold glimmered in the last of the sunlight as it wound about the wiggly arms of the robot. Explosions rattled off another, the maker of them unseen but the doer of the deed had been Batman no doubt. In the sky, green constructs from a Lantern ring created a giant tarp to catch rubble that would have fallen in the street.

Not much could stand against the full might of the Justice League but the robots, ugly and clunky though they were, were also exceedingly durable and while they weren't necessarily putting up much of a challenge they were eating up the Justice League's time. Winslow Schott, the Toyman, had created them, backed of course by what he believed had been an anonymous patron in Intergang and Intergang thought the money had come from a villain in Star City and the villain in Star City had thought aliens had funded the mission.

Lex Luthor had secrets on secrets on secrets.

In the event that things went awry before the pinnacle of his scheme was unleashed nothing would get back to Luthor. He had left only one clue as to who was behind everything, and only Batman would be able to unravel that clue. In two minutes, Batman would put it all together then in one minute–

"Good evening, Lex," Superman's voice, calm and almost always strong and reassuring greeted him from behind.

Lex smiled, the reflection of it looking back at him in the glass. He had underestimated Batman's deduction skills, but that hardly mattered now. "Thank you for using the open sky light, Superman, and not crashing through the glass. I appreciate not having to file a claim with my insurance agency over anymore of your destructive habits."

"Stop the robots." Lex's eyes shifted a little from his reflection, the one of Superman. The man of steel was exactly where he had stopped fifteen feet away. In the reflection it looks as if he were directly over Lex's shoulder but the criminal mastermind knew that Superman wouldn't dare move another inch in the room if he didn't have too. Traps set up all too often in this very office has nearly undone the man of steel. Years had taught him caution when dealing Lex Luthor.

There was no fear in the man of steel's eyes, only stern resolution with an underbelly of anger he always controlled. He floated off the ground, not the tips of his red boots only ghosting over the expensive Persian wall to wall carpeting. His cape fluttered behind him, the sound soft and almost calming compared to the cacophony of siren wails and explosions below them.

Taking a deep breath, Lex shifted his gaze away from the reflection of Superman behind him and back down to the city below his feet. "The Justice League seems to have everything under control. It looks like the Green Arrow is taking the last one down now."

Indeed, the remaining erect robot was tottering like a boxer on his last leg. Green streaks of arrows sailed up to the bucket head of the construct, exploding with ice or fire or electromagnetic pulses.

"It's never this easy with you, Lex," Superman retorted. "You're far too smart to use such a ham-fisted tactic as super-sized robots and leave it at that. You don't need to rob a bank and you don't need to make a point about your brilliance. Stop whatever comes next."

Lex fought off a laugh and shook his head. "I would bet my entire enterprise that you're plagiarizing those exactly words from the Dark Knight."

"Lex…." The calm voice of Superman now came with an edge of warning. He would not wait for much longer.

Lex Luthor suddenly turned, facing the man of steel, his ten-thousand-dollar black Armani suit opposite the bright and hopeful red and blues of Superman's costume. "You know what this is about, that's why you came through the sky light, because you know it's always been about you. Everyone knows it and once Batman figured out who was really behind this whole thing, you knew I was waiting, and you knew you had to come though not alone because Batman's paranoia would not allow it and so I must stand here and pretend I'm not speaking to a lesser alien instead of the Kryptonian creature I wish to face."

"You've been known to use Kryptonite a time or two, Luthor, it had to be done," a voice, not from above said.

This time, the real Superman glided down through the sky light and floated beside the one who looked like his exact double. Batman would have never sent Superman to face him alone. The Martian Manhunter was an excellent body double for the man of steel. Unfortunately for Batman, Lex too had planned for this. Batman may have been extraordinarily intelligent, but he was no Lex Luthor.

Luthor watched calmly as Superman eyed him with intense suspicion. "My xray vision has picked up no traces of Kryptonite ore nor any lead lined recesses that could be hiding any. Zantanna sensed no magic wards or spells and there's no red sun generators this side of the equator. I think we have caught him with his pants down this time, J'onn."

"Batman is seldom wrong," the monotone voice of the Martian came out unsettlingly from the face that looked exactly like Superman's.

Neither of them had looked away from Lex, not for one moment.

"Is Batman wrong, Lex?" Superman asked calmy.

Lex wanted to shrug but such gestures were improper in his eyes so he satisfied himself with a slight tilt of his head, turning his smile into a slanted smirk. "As much as I would enjoy having eluded the world's greatest detective and gloating over that fact, no not this time, I'm afraid."

The two heroes opposite of Lex visibly braced but Lex remained where he was, his stance almost becoming easier.

"Don't be prepared to trade blows, gentlemen, this is something you, Superman, can't outrun." Lex finally pulled his hands from behind his back. In his right hand was a silver colored pen-shaped instrument made of a mysterious material. The head of the object was lensed and for all intents and purposes the device seemed like a remote or even like a cheap laser-light sold late at night on commercials that claimed the product was not sold in stores.

"We've always known that I would not allow anyone else to be your doom but me, Superman," Lex said as he looked casually at the pen-like device. "I have but one fault that that is when I take something personally, I take it personally," he emphasized the last word with so much hate, his calm composure almost fell away. "I could have done this in secret, behind your back, like a knife in Julius Caesar, but I had to face you, too see the hopelessness wash over you."

"That's usually why your plots fail, Lex," Superman replied stiffly. "You can't do this in secret. There's no point in taking me down if no one knows it was you."

Lex nodded in agreement, knowing he could not dispute that truth. Even a lummox like Superman could see his pride plain as day. "An excellent point, but, you're stalling, waiting for the rest of the Justice League to make sure another building won't collapse before they come to your aid. I've wasted enough time, but I should have about three minutes left before I need worry of your companions.

"May I introduce a better, sleeker version of the Phantom Zone Projector." Lex lifted the device, his thumb poised above a round button on the side. He held the device like a wand, seeming more like Felix Faust in that moment than Lex Luthor. "And, I know what you're thinking," he continued on before either of the heroes could say anything, "What's the point of a smaller Phantom Zone Projector? The entity slated to be taken to that hellscape needs to be standing in front of you, their molecules breaking down and sifting into that dreaded zone. Had this been the Kryptonian Projector you would have been right, but I am the superior of any Kryptonian, any alien. This is my magnum opus to your, Superman, a projector that is especially attuned to your DNA, the beam follows like a guided missile, seeking the Kryptonian from the house of El. The one, the only, Superman."

Neither of the heroes would be able to get to him in time, and if they did, Lex's cuffs hid a small canister that would eject flame to draw away the Martian Manhunter in time to fire the beam. Once the beam was activated it would follow Superman to the ends of the earth, searching him until it contacted and he was sent to the Zone.

There would be no way back either. The real projector had been destroyed in a fight with General Zod two years ago. Giganta had crushed the entire thing beneath her heel after Zod had been sent to back to the Phantom Zone after he had betrayed those who had gone into the Fortress of Solitude and stole the projector to set him free.

Lex had been behind that too.

Now he was the one with the only power to send someone to the Phantom Zone. The only one with the genius to recreate alien technology and make it better. He was Lex Luthor.

Smiling evilly, Lex leveled the pen-projector at chest height to the man of steel, directly in the center of his family crest. "Any last words, Superman?"

"Get behind me, Kal-el," J'onn ordered as he stepped in front of Superman. "Fly and fly fast."

Lex laughed. "It won't work. Like I said, it will follow him to the ends of the world…." With that, Lex pressed the button.

Nothing.

For an instance neither party moved. Lex's eyes stared hatefully at the two heroes as he pressed the button again.

Nothing.

There was not much good one could say about Lex Luthor, but one thing no one could deny was that all of Lex Luthor's inventions worked. Except, it seemed, this one.

Frantically, angrily, Lex pressed the button harder and harder as if trying to will the device to work. "What is this?" he snarled in rage. "Why isn't this working? What is happening?" His eyes finally diverted to the pen and once they did the two heroes raced forward.

Like twin red and blue streaks, they grabbed Lex. Superman went for the pen and ripped it out of Lex's hands while J'onn hoisted him up off the ground. "Why are you playing us Luthor?" J'onn asked.

"I'm not!" Lex was nearly frothing now, angered nearly beyond reason. His inventions did not fail! "This was it. This was the plan. Years of study and testing! It should work!"

"I guess we can test that out right about now, Luthor," Superman said, smiling at the villain. "You did say the Justice League ETA was in oh… three minutes."

"And we're right on time," Diana announced as she drifted through the sky light. Landing, she drew her lasso of truth and threw the loop around Luthor. "Tell us, Lex, was this it. Was this the plan? The lasso compels the truth from your snake-tongue."

Luthor grit his teeth. Veins protruded from his temples. He bit his tongue until it bled, trying to keep from speaking but the lasso was magic and far stronger than his will. "YES!" Luthor finally confessed. 'Yes, this was the plan all of it. It was supposed to work." His head suddenly slumped forward, a rare look of a defeated Luthor. "Why didn't it work?"

"Because selfishness never prospers, Luthor," Superman declared. "You can't get away with evil and expect anything good to come out of it.

"Don't you dare preach at me, Superman!" Luthor shot back, all decorum gone. "I will see you defeated."

"Maybe one day, Luthor, but not today," Batman said as he rappelled down into the room. Silent as a wraith he walked towards them and took the pen from J'onn's hand. He slipped the pen-projector into a pocket of his utility belt then took out a pair of bat-cuffs and handed them over to the Martian. "I've contacted Metropolis PD and hacked into Lexcorp systems revealing the trail from Luthor to Schott. They're on their way. Cuff him and leave him for the police. We've got a long night of clean-up ahead of us."

Superman nodded and set Luthor gently on the ground. "Batman's right. Everything south of Main took a beating. We should start there. I'll meet you all at ground zero and we can delegate." S

Much to Luthor's chagrin, the man of steel said nothing more, not even a gloat. With one hand raised into a fist he took to the sky and flew out the way he had came in. The rest followed with the Flash running up the window-walls and getting out through the sky light that way. One by one they all departed until only the Manhunter was left, making sure the cuffs Batman gave him were set and secure.

"Superman isn't petty," J'onn Jones said calmly once the cuffs were on. "Unfortunately, as you so stated from your lesser alien comment, I'm not Superman." With that the Martian lifted off the floor and soared towards one of the glass windows. The nearly indestructible glass shattered as he slammed through it, shattering the entire wall and leaving Lex Luthor howling in rage at the icy winds that poured inside.

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Watch Tower

Batman frowned as he looked up at a computer screen that displayed the results of Luthor's Projector Pen. In front of him sat a table with the pen dismantled before him and scattered around the rest of the tables were notes and schematics he had managed to pull from Luthor's secure servers.

The pen was a marvel, hundreds of years ahead of its time but that was not what made Batman frown with concern.

The problem was that the pen worked.

Batman had personally taken the pen apart and back together again at least a dozen times. He had disabled the DNA tracker beam on it and had experimented with small things like fruits and one of Green Arrow's quivers. There was no doubt the pen worked and that things hit by the beam fell into the Phantom Zone.

Of course, Batman had already deduced an answer as to why this was occurring. It was a logical answer but one that was not easy to swallow. The problem, the real problem now was how to break it to Superman.

Part of him didn't want to tell Kal-el, didn't want to see the look on his face or try to answer the questions that would after but he couldn't in his heart lie or keep the information from him. They were friends and if this knowledge, could perhaps help his friend he could not deny that slim chance.

Sighing, Batman pushed up from his chair and slid his cowl back into place. In a few minutes he had the pen rebuilt and slipped it into his pocket. His cape fluttered as he whirled away from the computer and headed down one of the immaculately clean watch tower hall ways. Huge windows lining the halls showed earth rotating out in the vastness of space and normally Batman would have stopped to admire the world they protected but not today. Today he was carrying important news.

Without rushing, but still being swift, Batman arrived at the meeting hall of the JLA. To show some sort of consideration to his team mates he made an effort to make noise as he stepped inside. Within the large room was an brown, cigar shaped table with more than twenty seats. Only six were taken up now with the core members of the JLA: Superman, Wonder Woman, J'onn Jones, Flash, Green Lantern John Stewart in for Hal Jordan who was on a mission in sector 404, and Green Arrow. Batman's seat as head of the JLA was empty. He could have joined them at the far end of the table where they say but he chose to stand at the opposite end, giving himself distance so they could not recognize the trouble etched upon what could be seen of his face. He had already had to sit down in shock for this revelation anyway so he was more than ready to stand as the news hit them, or rather, Superman.

"I have some news about the Phantom Pen," he began, not really knowing where to start so simply jumping into the topic at hand. "At first I only wished to speak to Superman but he insisted that we all share this news together."

"He doesn't think his team mates should be left in the dark," Green Arrow commented acidically. He was by no means Batman's biggest fan and it was known to all that he resented Batman's propensity from keeping things from the team.

Batman ignored him.

"My findings on the Phantom Pen are conclusive; Lex Luthor did not stumble and create an ineffective invention. The device works as intended and will now replace the destroyed Phantom Projector. It will be kept in a secure location."

"That only you know the location of," Green Arrow grumbled.

Again, Batman ignored him.

"If it worked then why isn't Supes duking it out in the Phantom Zone?" Flashed asked as he leaned his chair back and propped his crossed legs onto the table. He jerked a thumb at Superman and grinned. "I think if it really worked half the Phantom Zone would be hot on his heels right now."

"After testing the projector on inconsequential objects, I came to the conclusion that the pen didn't work on Superman because it was made to track down DNA, as Luthor gloated, from the house of El and place it within the Phantom Zone. The problem is that when a computer device, even a sophisticated alien one, thinks it has fulfilled its programmed protocol it will no longer need to function in that capacity. A computer that has opened a file will not open that same file using the same file-path because the file is already opened in that manner."

Superman stiffened, his eyes widening with a modicum of understand. He seemed to comprehend the analogy well enough but Batman could see he was unwilling to believe the truth of it until he heard the words from him directly. "What are you saying, Batman?" he asked him, his voice all but a whisper.

"What I'm saying, Clark, is that the pen did not need to capture you because someone who already has DNA close enough to match yours is already within the Phantom Zone…."