The black Cadillac rolled out of the KFC parking lot, the golden glow of fast-food neon fading into the dark streets of Blüdhaven. Inside, Adrian sat with a bucket of chicken on his lap, devouring drumsticks with fervor. Grease glistened on his fingers, but he didn't care. After everything, this was heaven.
"You know," Adrian said between bites, "this might just be the best Kentucky Fried Chicken I've ever had. But let's settle the real debate—who's got the better chicken: KFC or Popeyes?"
Guardian, seated stoically beside him, didn't respond. He stared straight ahead, his posture as rigid as ever.
"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you've never thought about it. I mean, KFC's solid, but Popeyes? The goat, man. That spice, that crunch—it's undefeated."
He reached for the window button, but the glass didn't budge. Adrian tapped it again, frowning. "Hey, open this window."
"Why?" Guardian asked without looking at him.
"So I can toss this chicken bone out. What else?" Adrian said, holding up the bare drumstick like a cigarette.
"There's a waste bin beneath your seat," Guardian replied flatly.
Adrian sighed dramatically, tossing the bone into the bin. "Man, you really don't know how to enjoy life, do you?" He shook his head, grabbing another piece of chicken. "Anyway, what's next on this magical mystery tour?"
"You will be taken to a Cadmus facility," Guardian said, his tone matter-of-fact. "After a full-body evaluation, your training will begin."
"Training?" Adrian said, raising an eyebrow. "Ooh, fancy. Guess I'll finally get to put this peak human body to use." He leaned forward, his grin widening. "But here's a question for you: how'd you find me in the first place?"
Guardian glanced at him briefly, his expression unreadable beneath the helmet. "If you're thinking of escaping, don't."
"Oh, you think I'm asking so I can avoid getting caught next time?" Adrian said, feigning shock. "Well, yeah. That's exactly what I'm doing. Good job, Sherlock."
The car fell silent, the only sound the occasional crunch of Adrian tearing into another piece of chicken.
"Well, since I'm apparently the newest employee of LexCorp," Adrian said, wiping his hands on a napkin, "think you could do me a favor? Contact a friend of mine. If I'm gonna take on this stressful job, I'll need a little, uh, stress relief. You know what I mean." He nudged Guardian with his elbow, grinning.
Guardian's voice cut through the air like ice. "Maya Cruz has been pronounced dead. She was killed during an altercation."
Adrian paused mid-bite, his hand hovering over the bucket. For a moment, he didn't react. Then he reached deeper into the bag, rummaging around.
"You should've ordered some Popeyes biscuits if you wanted to gut-punch me like that, man," Adrian said, his tone casual, almost flippant.
"You're not… angry?"
"Angry? Sad? Disappointed?" The black man waved a chicken wing in the air dismissively. "Nope. Here's the thing: I don't care. Two years of being tortured, experimented on, treated like a lab rat—I ran out of feelings somewhere along the way." He paused. "But let's be honest here. Cadmus caused this, didn't they?"
"No," Guardian said firmly. "She was caught in the crossfire of Batgirl attempting to stop a criminal operation. It was an accident."
Adrian studied Guardian for a long moment, his smile fading. The conviction in Guardian's voice was hard to ignore. Either the guy was an incredible liar, or he actually believed what he was saying. Adrian decided it didn't matter.
"You know," Adrian said, "I've got a confession to make."
Guardian didn't respond, but the stillness in the car grew heavier.
Adrian bit into another drumstick, chewing slowly as the car rumbled over a pothole. "I don't think I'm gonna keep up this charade much longer."
Guardian's helmet turned slightly, just enough to show he was listening.
"Then why agree to this?"
Adrian shrugged, his grin returning. "Oh, I don't know. Free get-out-of-jail card, a little inside info on who I need to kill, and hey, free chicken. What's not to love?"
He kept chewing, the silence stretching between them. But Guardian's gaze shifted, his posture stiffening. Something wasn't right.
Guardian's instincts were correct.
Adrian smiled again, but this time, it wasn't playful. It was sharp. Sinister. Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, trickling down his chin.
It wasn't until Guardian looked closer that he realized why.
Adrian wasn't just biting into the chicken. He was biting through the bones, chewing them to sharp, jagged edges. One particularly long shard jutted out between his fingers, glistening with grease and blood.
"Adios," Adrian said, his tone light and mocking.
The air in the car shifted suddenly. A bone-like exoskeleton erupted from Adrian's hand, jagged and unnatural, the pieces snapping together into a crude, deadly lance. In one violent motion, Adrian thrust it forward, the lance punching into Guardian's chest with a sickening crunch.
The force knocked Guardian back against the door, his shield rattling as he gasped in pain.
Adrian grinned through blood-streaked teeth, his voice a low chuckle. "Guess I'm not as predictable as you thought, huh?"
The car swerved, tires screeching as the chaos inside spilled into the night.
The car jolted as Guardian tried to recover, his shield swinging toward Adrian in a calculated arc. "
Stand down!"
Adrian, still grinning, dodged to the side, the jagged bone lance in his hand gleaming under the moonlight. "Stand down? That's cute," Adrian quipped. "But I'm just getting started."
Before Guardian could retaliate, the small trash bin beneath Adrian's seat began to rattle violently.
Guardian's helmeted gaze flicked to the bin, just as it erupted in a burst of bones. The shards shot out like shrapnel, piercing through the car's interior with a sickening crunch. Dozens of sharp fragments tore into Guardian's armor, the force of the explosion sending him flying through the car door.
The door crumpled under the impact, and Guardian was hurled into the street, rolling across the asphalt before coming to a stop.
The car screeched to a halt, one side of it completely shredded. Oncoming vehicles skidded to avoid the wreckage, horns blaring in panic.
Adrian wiped his bloody mouth with the back of his hand, shaking off the remaining bone fragments from his fingers.
"You're making a big mistake," Luthor said, his voice cutting through the noise. "Cadmus could've given you everything if you'd played smart."
Adrian laughed—a sharp, bitter sound. "Maybe. But I'm done being a dog for people like you. So, fuck Lou, fuck Cadmus, and fuck you, NIGGA!"
Before Luthor could respond, Adrian kicked the door open and jumped into the cold, unforgiving streets of Blüdhaven.
Author's Note:
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at P@treon.com/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support