WIP Amnesty: Clone!Clark

It's that time of year again, and I'm liberating some never-gonna-happen wips from my hard drive. Once upon a time I wrote a couple of drabbles toying with the idea of Clark dying and Lex trying to make a clone of him. Here they are:

Pet Project
It takes a freak celestial event to accomplish what Lex never could. Maybe this is why he spends all his time trying to recreate Superman after he's gone.

Trial subject #117's eyes flutter open. The familiar hazel gaze fastens on Lex, bright with newborn curiosity.

Weeks pass, and #117's DNA remains stable, his vitals normal. He learns to walk, then fly. Lex teaches him to read. Charts his strength.

When he's fully developed, Lex administers the final test. "I'm planning to rob a bank today."

#117 frowns. "But that's wrong."

Lex smiles. Reproducing his nemesis' conscience is his greatest achievement.


Right of Ownership

#117 learns jealousy early. Even before he knows the word, he has already learned to hate the person standing between him and what should be his.

The day Lex calls him "Clark" he snaps.

He grabs Lex hard by the wrist and shouts, "Don't ever call me that again!"

Lex regards him calmly. "What should I call you then? #117 seems hardly adequate." His expression grows thoughtful. "How about Kal? That was his name too, but he rarely used it."

"Kal," he tries it out and nods.

It feels right. Everything Clark had and squandered should belong to him now.


I thought it would be cool to make an actual story out of this idea, and I wrote some notes, and some of the dialogue, and then I stopped. But here's what I was planning.

( The rest of the story )