Chapter 5: Unstable Perfection

Deep within Cadmus Laboratories, beneath layers of reinforced steel and secrecy, two of the most powerful political figures in the world stood in silence.

Amanda Waller—Director of Task Force X.

Lex Luthor—Billionaire, scientist, and Superman's most dangerous enemy.

Between them, encased in a cylindrical chamber, was a single vial of blood.

It wasn't Kryptonian. It wasn't Atlantean. It wasn't Martian.

It was human.

Yet, by all observable metrics, it was completely impossible.

Luthor tapped a finger against the reinforced glass. "This is all we have?"

Waller nodded. "It was extracted from the Amazo Unit after retrieval. The Justice League left very little behind."

Luthor's lips pressed into a thin line. Extracting Amazo's remains had been a nightmare—even with their best resources, the League had been too fast in cleaning up their mess.

And yet, what little they'd managed to salvage…

This single drop of blood was far more valuable than they ever expected.

Waller turned toward one of the lead scientists. "Why can't we use it?"

The scientist, a nervous-looking man in a lab coat, adjusted his glasses before clearing his throat.

"We, uh, ran every test available. At first, we assumed the sample's instability was due to the Amazo Unit's data corruption. However…" He hesitated.

Luthor's gaze hardened. "Spit it out."

The scientist swallowed. "The DNA itself is inherently unstable. We've never seen anything like it. Even within Amazo, it refused to be analyzed."

Waller narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean 'refused'?"

The scientist adjusted the display on the holo-screen. It showed a split view of two different genetic structures.

One was Superman's DNA—a stable double helix that practically radiated Kryptonian perfection.

The other?

A constantly shifting, twisting mess—its form never staying the same for more than a second.

"This sample," the scientist continued, "doesn't have a fixed structure. It keeps changing. Mutating. Every time we attempt to map it, it takes on a new genetic sequence."

Luthor leaned in, eyes narrowing. "Are you saying it's some kind of adaptive DNA?"

The scientist nodded. "That's our best guess. But it's even more extreme than Kryptonian or Martian biology. It doesn't just adapt to outside forces… it becomes something entirely different at will."

Luthor frowned. "And yet, this Bayley can exist without… I don't know, melting into a pile of genetic sludge?"

"That's the mystery." The scientist clicked the holo-display, showing a scan of Alex Bayley's civilian profile—his average life, his low-paying job, his lack of ambitions.

"He's not a metahuman," the scientist continued. "Not in the way we understand them. His DNA is in constant flux, yet somehow, his body remains in perfect balance. He shouldn't exist."

Waller folded her arms. "And yet, he does."

Luthor's eyes gleamed. "If we can harness this… it would change everything."

The scientist hesitated. "There's a catch."

Luthor glanced at him sharply. "Of course there is."

The scientist sighed, pulling up another data projection.

"While we've confirmed this DNA can be manipulated… it appears to require a living host. Any attempt to extract usable genetic material breaks down instantly unless it's within a functioning biological system."

Luthor's jaw clenched. "So we can't replicate it."

The scientist shook his head. "Not without a living clone."

Silence fell over the room.

Even Waller's expression flickered.

They had attempted cloning before—multiple times, with varying levels of catastrophic failure.

Superboy himself was the only stable success.

And even then, his DNA was a mess of Kryptonian and human components—barely functional, and highly flawed compared to the original.

If this DNA was even more unstable than that…

"Risky," Waller muttered.

"Beyond risky," the scientist corrected. "Even the Superman clones retained some level of structure. This? This could create something completely unpredictable."

Luthor's fingers drummed against the table.

A clone was one option.

But there was another.

"…Perhaps," he mused, "we need a different approach."

Waller gave him a sharp look. "Such as?"

Luthor's lips curled into a smirk.

"We can't understand the abilities on a biological level." He turned to the display showing Alex's civilian identity.

"But we can study them… from the source."

A beat of silence.

Then—Waller pressed a button on her radio.

"This is Director Waller." Her voice was calm, but absolute.

"Put Alex Bayley on the capture list. Priority one. Make it quick."

The scientist paled.

Even Luthor looked mildly impressed.

Then again, Amanda Waller didn't waste time.

She turned back to the display, watching Alex Bayley's face linger on the screen.

Luthor, meanwhile, was staring at the shifting DNA model—a chaotic, ever-changing structure, somehow maintaining perfect harmony within a body that shouldn't exist.

His fingers tapped his chin.

"…How can something be so unstable," he muttered, "yet so… perfectly balanced?"

The screen flickered, and Alex Bayley's government pictures appeared, right on the Priority One list.