A/N: No spoilers, please!
LORELEI
"I believe it's time for us to set aside the dumb protocols and start working together. My brother was falsely accused of being connected to that monster. That's an affront not only to him, but to me and the Mendez bloodline as well. It has become too personal now. Let's combine our wits together and find out who's trying to distract us from the real chase."
INSPECTOR MORGAN Morales gave Loki a resounding "no." Isang salita lang 'yon pero parang sampal na 'yon sa mukha niya. That left him dumbfounded.
I honestly thought that would already do the trick. Loki gave it his best to deliver a semi-heartfelt speech. There was no hint of contempt in his voice. Para siyang bata na determinadong ipaghiganti ang kanyang pinaslang na magulang paglaki niya. That must not have been easy for him. But I hope he really meant some of those words even just a little.
Kumurap ang mga mata niya habang patuloy na nakatingin kay Inspector Morales. We waited with bated breath for the inspector's explanation.
"Sa tingin n'yo ba'y basta-basta ako madadala sa drama na 'yan?" tanong niya. "Just because your brother was being falsely accused of something you believe he didn't commit, you thought I would already give you a VIP access to our records? Do you take me for a fool?"
"I didn't mean to offend you, inspector," Loki said politely. "You are without a doubt smart policeman. Only a fool would underestimate you. But I thought you'd understand my eagerness to assist the campus police in investigating—"
"We don't need any assistance, lalo na sa mga gaya n'yong bata," Inspector Morales cut his words short. "Masyado kayong ini-spoil ni Estrada noon kaya akala n'yo, pwede na kayong manghimasok sa trabaho ng mga pulis. Didn't I make myself very clear the last time we spoke about this?"
"We may be young, but you can't deny that we have valuable contribution to this unit." Loki casted a glance over the other officers in the room. He was unfazed by the inspector's intimidating tone. "Since when did age become a reason to stop people from seeking out the truth?"
"Huwag n'yo akong daanin sa ganyan." The inspector shook his head. "There's nothing you can do to change my mind. Leave this business to the campus police. We can handle it ourselves."
"Uhm... inspector?" singit ni Jamie. She took a step forward and flashed a shy yet cute expression. "What if we tell you na—"
"Sorry, but I'm not talking to you," the inspector interrupted. Napaurong si Jamie sa likuran ko at napahawak sa aking braso. She looked like she was spooked. She overestimated her charming powers. "You should be studying your lessons instead of interfering with police business. Isn't that right, sir?"
Tumingin sa amin si Sir Jim Morayta na nasa tabi namin at nakikinig sa aming usapan. "The inspector seems to have already made up his mind. But the student executive committee will still try to coordinate with the campus police sakaling may update sa case. Would that be okay, inspector?"
"We can give you updates, but we can't let you step into our territory and meddle with our work," the inspector said.
"Even if we know some things that you couldn't have known?" Loki asked. Mukhang ilalabas na niya ang isa pa naming baraha. "You can't complete the puzzle if you don't have all the pieces in your hand. I can't believe that I, teenager, would be telling a grown-up this, but don't be so stubborn, inspector. If we combine your resources and our resources—"
"Out." Hindi na kailangang sumigaw pa ni Inspector Morales para makaramdam kami ng takot sa isang salitang 'yon. "I said, out."
"Let's retreat for a while, okay?" Sir Jim whispered to us, awkwardly smiling. Tumango ako sa kanya. Wala nang mangyayari kahit ipagpilitan pa namin ang aming sadya rito. Baka ipatawag pa ng inspector ang kanyang officers at ipatapon kami sa labas ng istasyon.
May sasabihin pa sanang parting shot si Loki pero hinila na namin siya palabas ng station. Ayaw na naming palalain pa ang pagkainis sa amin ni inspector kaya minabuti na naming umalis. Sumabay na sa amin si Sir Jim na humingi muna ng paumanhin sa kanya.
"Why is he so hard-headed?" Loki smoothened the creases on his blazer. "We're already giving him an olive branch and a gift box."
"He's taking his job and his principles seriously," Alistair commented. Mukhang humahanga pa siya rito. "Kapag sinabi niya, paninindigan niya talaga. Mukhang mali ako ng basa sa kanya. I thought he'd be moved by your speech and he'd be tempted by our offer of information."
"So he's just like you, eh?" Loki glanced at him. Not sure if he was mocking him or not. "Just like a rock. Unmoving. Uncomprimising."
"I only make compromises as a last resort." Alistair beamed.
"Akala ko nga gagana ang pagpapa-cute ko kanina,"dismayadong sabi ni Jamie. She puffed her cheeks and blew out some air. "Mukhang immune din si inspector sa charms ko. There are only a few men who can resist me."
Or maybe her charm only works to weak-minded individuals?
"Sir, as the adviser of the execom and the faculty in charge of the M investigation, can't you compel the inspector to give us access to their resources?" Loki asked. Ayaw pa talaga niyang sumuko. He's trying to look for a workaround on this roadblock.
I could understand his frustration. Mas mapadadali sana ang trabaho namin kung hindi magmamatigas si inspector.
"We can only coordinate with the campus police," Sir Jim answered. "Hindi natin siya pwedeng pilitin na mag-share sa atin ng info. Likewise, hindi niya kayo pwedeng pilitin na i-share sa kanya ang nalalaman n'yo. Mas madali sana kung si Sir Estrada pa rin ang chief."
Loki snapped his fingers as if he had a "eureka!" moment. "The problem is not the campus police. The problem is Inspector Morales himself. If we remove him out of the equation and replace him with a kinder inspector—"
"You wanna have him fired?" I asked with furrowed eyebrows. Maging si Alistair ay mukhang tutol agad sa idea niya. Sino ba'ng nasa matinong pag-iisip ang sasang-ayon sa kanya?
"What if we bring back Inspector Estrada?" suhestiyon ni Jamie na parang napaka-groundbreaking ng idea niya. Napairap ang mga mata ko nang mapagtantong sinasakyan niya ang plano ni Loki. "We need an ally inside the campus police! Obvious naman na si inspector ay hindi natin ally, 'di ba?"
"We can start by asking the other campus police officers if they have some dirt that we can use against the inspector." Thanks to Jamie's automatic support, Loki seemed to be seriously entertaining that dumb idea. "Maybe there was an instance where he obstructed justice or he deliberately destroyed evidence to protect someone from being charged."
I can't believe what I'm hearing. Napailing na lamang ako habang pinakikinggan ang outrageous na ideas niya. He's now resorting to underhanded tactics!
"That's foul," Alistair commented. "Hindi porke't nagmamatigas si inspector ay gagawa na tayo ng paraan upang mapatalsik siya."
"Do you have a better idea?" Loki asked him. "He's getting in our way already. We could have solved this case much faster if he only cooperates with us. But he's letting his pride as a policeman and as an adult cloud his judgment."
"Let's secretly start an Oust Morales movement!" Jamie said in glee. Parang nakaisip siya ng magandang hashtag na ipapa-trend sa Twitter.
"I don't want to have anything to do with this idea." I took a few steps away from them to show how much I disagree with the plan. Oo, matigas ang ulo ni Inspector Morales pero hindi naman kailangang umabot sa ganito.
"There must be another way," Alistair insisted. Tumango ako sa sinabi niya. Meron pang paraan upang ma-convince namin si Inspector Morales na makipagtulungan sa amin. Sa ngayon, 'di pa namin alam kung ano, pero alam kong meron.
"If you have a better idea, we're listening." Loki motioned at him. But Alistair only responded with a stare. Mukhang wala pa siyang maisasagot ngayon.
"Please don't do something that might worsen your relationship with the campus police," Sir Jim reminded us. Sandali naming nakalimutan na nandoon pala siya. "The inspector is not the enemy here. Ginagawa niya kung ano ang sa tingin niya'y tama at ang trabaho niya. Hindi natin siya masisisi roon, 'di ba?"
"Then what else can we do?" Loki asked impatiently. "Frankly, we don't have to cooperate with the campus police to solve this case. We can also get what they have in a matter of days or weeks. But time is of the essence so we have to resort to the most expedient solution."
Mukhang wala ring mai-o-offer na sagot si Sir Jim. Tumingin siya sa kanyang relo at iniangat ang tingin sa amin. "Magsisimula na ang afternoon classes. Huwag n'yo munang masyadong isipin para 'di kayo ma-stress. Sa ngayon, wala ang sagot sa harapan n'yo. Pero malay n'yo, mamaya o bukas, magpakita na 'to."
"I already have a solution to this problem—"
"But not the best one," I finished. Never akong sasang-ayon sa plano niya.
The school bell rang and we rushed back to our classes. Kinailangan naming paulit-ulit na i-remind si Loki na huwag mag-i-skip ng classes dahil posibleng tumakas siya para mag-isip ng way upang mautakan si Inspector Morales.
Pagpasok namin ni Alistair sa aming classroom, something felt strange. Ah, oo nga pala. Rosetta was no longer here to greet me and ask me what I had for lunch. She'd be then telling me about her online perfume business. I wonder how she's doing right now.
"Bakit kaya biglang tinake down 'yong post ng Clarion?"
"Balita ko ipinatanggal daw mismo ng student council."
"Ay, talaga? So true 'yong nakalagay sa article? About doon sa poging VP?"
"Sabi nga nila, walang apoy kung walang usok."
"Baligtad yata, besh. Walang usok kung walang apoy."
The classroom chatter was still buzzing with the morning's shocking news. Sinubukan kong i-distract ang sarili ko mula sa pag-iisip kung bakit inako ni Sir Rich ang paglason kay Augustus, kung paano namin mako-convince si Inspector Morales na makipagtulungan sa amin at kung bakit may mga taong nagpapaniwala sa unverified info.
My eye twitched as I kept on hearing the girls in front of me talk about Luthor's situation. Not only were they spreading ridiculous conspiracy theories gaya ng pakikialam ng student council sa ipina-publish ng Clarion at paggamit daw ng connection ni Luthor upang matabunan ang issue.
"Alam n'yo ba, isa raw sa bigating benefactors ng school ang family ni VP?"
"Ah, kaya siguro pinagtatakpan ang issue, 'no? Pera-pera lang pala ang labanan."
"Siyempre kapag 'di tinatanan 'yong anak, baka mag-pull out na ng donation ang family niya."
"Iba talaga kapag mayaman ka, 'no? Mas papakinggan ka ng mga school official."
The damage has been done. Yes, the Clarion already took down their post online and on the bulletin boards, but what they wrote already spread like wildfire. Ganito katindi ang epekto ng mga impormasyon na ipinapakalat kahit walang verification.
I put down my notebook, raised my gaze and was about to approach the group of female students. But Alistair, who was also keeping himself occupied by reading his notes, grabbed me by wrist. I gave him a questioning look and he only shook his head. Ibinaba niya ang kanyang binabasa, tumayo at nilapitan ang mga lupong ng babae.
"Sorry, but I overheard you talking about the vice president," he told them, smiling. "The student council had nothing to do with what happened to the article. The Clarion took it down because they acknowledged that the claims in the article are libelous. Pwede silang makasuhan lalo na kung wala namang katotohanan ang nakasulat doon."
"Gano'n ba? Narinig kasi namin sa kabilang section na nakialam daw ang student council, eh."
"At saka pumunta raw 'yong mother ng VP sa Clarion office para pagbantaan 'yong EIC na i-take down ang post."
"Please don't spread unverified info next time."
I wonder how Alistair managed to keep that smiling face and calm composure. Kung ako ang nasa posisyon niya, baka nairapan o nataasan ko na ng kilay ang mga classmate namin.
Ngumiti siya sa akin pagbalik niya sa kanyang upuan. He saved me from the trouble of correcting that wrong notion. Unfortunately, he or I couldn't do the same to every student who easily believed the rumors.
After our afternoon classes, Alistair and I went straight to the execom office. That has been our rendezvous point since we joined them. Given everything that happened today, we figured that Maggie would want to discuss what we must do in light of Luthor's issue. Hindi lang pangalan ng student council, kundi maging ng execom ang damay rito.
To our surprise, we only saw Rye in the office.
"Wala muna raw tayong meeting ngayong hapon," he said as we entered the office. "May gagawin pa raw si Maggie kaya nauna na siya."
"Is there anything more important than the issue about my brother?" Loki asked.
Rye shrugged his shoulders. "Hindi niya sinabi kung ano'ng gagawin niya. Baka bukas ng umaga na tayo mag-meeting. Pwede na kayong umuwi."
Nagkatinginan kaming apat. Since we had nothing else to do, umalis na kami ng execom office at naglakad patungo sa parking lot. Alistair, as always, offered us a ride home.
Habang nasa kotse niya kami, tinanong ko si Loki kung itutuloy pa ba niya ang kanyang brilliant plan na patalsikin si Inspector Morales bilang campus police chief. But he looked so busy with his phone that I had to ask him twice.
"Sorry, I was texting," he replied, lifting his gaze at me. "What were you asking?"
"Seryoso ka ba sa plan mo kay inspector?" tanong ko habang nakatingin sa kanya sa rearview mirror.
He also looked at the mirror and our eyes met. "Maybe it's not the best idea in the world. Let me think of something else."
Mabuti nama't na-realize niyang hindi 'yon ang best idea. It's a dumb idea, especially coming from him.
Nag-sound trip na muna kami habang papunta sa aming apartment. Today was exhausting, so this moment of peace was a welcomed one. Sumabay sa pagbirit si Jamie na parang nasa karaoke siya habang patango-tango si Alistair kasabay ang beat ng kanta. Loki looked out the car window in his usual bored face.
Una kaming ibaba ni Alistair. Susunod niyang ihahatid si Jamie.
"Thank you!" bati ko sa kanya bago ko buksan ang pinto ng kotse. Loki left the car without saying anything to him. "Mag-ingat ka sa pagda-drive."
Nodding, Alistair smiled at me. "See you tomorrow."
"Bye, Loki dear! Bye Lori!" kaway sa amin ni Jamie na dumungaw pa sa car window habang paandar ang kotse.
Sabay na kaming pumasok ni Loki sa apartment. Again, he's too absorbed with his phone. 'Di ko alam kung nag-i-scroll ba siya sa kanyang Facebook (which is unlikely because he told me he doesn't have time for gossips) or he's playing a mobile game. Nang sinubukan kong silipin kung ano ang ginagawa niya, I saw him texting.
Binati kami ni Freya pagkabukas ng pinto. She rubbed her body against my leg and meowed softly. Loki gave him a rub on the chin before going to the couch. Imbes na dumiretso siya sa kanyang kuwarto, tumambay muna siya roon at ipinapaikot ang kanyang phone sa daliri. Was he waiting for someone's text or call?
Pumasok na ako sa aking kuwarto para magpalit ng damit. Pagkatanggal ko sa unang butones ng aking blouse, I heard him yell from the living room, "Don't change your clothes yet!"
I shut my eyes for a second, let out a sigh and put the button back again. Tiningnan ko muna ang aking sarili sa salamin bago sumilip sa kanya mula sa siwang ng pintuan.
"Bakit?" tanong ko.
He got to his feet and slid his phone into his pants pocket. "Our ride is already here."
Naningkit ang mga mata ko. "At saan naman tayo pupunta?"
"Don't you wanna see how my beloved brother's doing?"
Loki walked toward the door, giving Freya one last rub on belly before going outside. Chineck ko muna ang buhok ko sa salamin bago sumunod sa kanya sa labas. A car was already waiting for us outside the apartment. It looked familiar. Heto rin 'yong sasakyan na naghatid sa amin sa mall noong kunwari'y nag-date kami.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Velasquez," Loki greeted as soon as he opened the car door.
Bahagyang bumuka ang bibig ng driver, akmang iko-correct ang pangalang binanggit ni Loki. But he probably changed his mind and decided not to say anything anymore. He only greeted and smiled at us. Wala rin kasing talab kay Loki. Sa susunod na magkita silang dalawa, Mr. Velasquez o Velasco o Villaquintana na siguro ang tawag sa kanya.
"How are you feeling about Luthor?" Being stuck in the traffic kinda bored me kaya I decided to ask about the elephant in the room or, in this case, the elephant in the car. Napansin kong nagawi ang tingin ng driver sa amin sa rearview mirror.
Kaninang umaga, damang-dama ko pa ang magkahalong galit at pagkadismaya niya sa kanyang kuya. Pero nang nagsimulang magulo ang araw namin, I felt that there was a slight change. He's kinda hard to read kaya I can't make a conclusive observation. Well, he still insulted his brother like he always does. Hindi ko masabi kung wishful thinking lang ba 'to o talagang may epekto sa kanya ang mga nangyari ngayong araw.
"Still the same," he answered drily. Inilabas niya ang kanyang phone at nagpipindot ng kung ano-ano sa screen nito.
"Put that down," I told him. "We both know you're not texting anyone or playing any mobile game."
Ayaw niya sigurong pag-usapan namin ang kanyang kuya kaya naisip niyang magkunwaring busy. Malas niya dahil familiar ako sa strategy na 'yon. Ginagawa ko rin ang kunwaring paglalaro sa aking phone para hindi ako guluhin ng gustong kumausap sa akin.
Bumuntong-hininga siya't muling ibinalik ang kanyang phone sa bulsa. "I'm starting to think that it's a bad idea for us to be in an enclosed space, stuck in traffic, while you have some questions for me."
Consider yourself trapped, I thought of telling him.
"There must be a reason kung bakit naisipan mong bisitahin ang kuya mo ngayong hapon," I said. "You do care for him, don't you? Oo, masama ang loob mo sa kanya, pero 'di pa rin maaalis ang pag-aalala mo sa kanya."
"You're starting to sound like Alistair," he scoffed. He turned to the window and watched the other cars drive by. "I still have questions for him. If his life is in danger, I need to know the answers before death knocks on his door and escorts him to the afterlife."
"Hey, hindi magandang biro 'yan!" I scolded him. How could he talk about death so lightly?
"It's not a joke, you know that." He glanced at me before returning his gaze at the scene outside. He's right. There's a chance that Luthor might be harmed in the coming days. "Either the third party or M's organization might take drastic actions against him."
"But if you wanna know answers, pwede mo namang siyang i-text o tawagan, 'di ba?" tanong ko. "Yet you chose to pay him a visit. In person. You do care about him. Admit it."
Parang ako 'yong estudyante na nang-iintriga sa isa ko pang classmate kung may gusto ba siya sa kakilala ko.
"I care about what he has to say," Loki answered. He's starting to sound like he's getting annoyed. "I want to look at him in the eye when he answers my questions. I want to observe his facial expressions, his breathing pattern and his body gestures to know if he's telling me the truth."
That does sound like something Loki would do. In other words, he's going to visit his brother to interrogate him. Well, there might still be a sliver of hope that he cares about him.
"He deserves to be heard, doesn't he?" he asked after a moment of silence. Nagawi ang tingin ko sa kanya. Napangalumbaba siya sa car windowsill habang pinapanood ang paglagpas namin sa mga gusali. "I need to understand why he had to do what he did. Last night, we only scratched the surface because... we got carried away. I only have a fragment or two of the entire picture."
Napangiti ako sa sinabi niya. Knowing that he's somehow willing to listen was good news.
"When Sir Friedrice confessed to us that he killed Augustus, you didn't take what he said at face value," he went on. "Though you acknowledged the possibility that he might have really done it, you still believed that there's more to his story. Why did he poison Augustus? Why did he suddenly turn himself to the police? You still have some questions that need to be answered."
"I guess some things are not what they appear to be?" I maintained my smile. I didn't expect that my reaction to Sir Rich's confession had an effect on him. "What we see in front of us may not be the whole truth about a person. Maybe that's just a part of who that person is, not the entirety. We have to peel the layers to see their core, to truly understand who they are."
When I found out about Luthor's secret, I reacted violently. He's one of the monsters, I thought. But when I listened to his story and his motivation, I began to understand him.
"If there's one thing I learned on this earth, it goes something like this, " Loki remarked. "We cannot easily classify human beings like chesspieces that strictly belong to either of the two sides: white and black. Some of them, if not most, are gray. They're neither completely white nor completely black."
Makalipas ang halos kalahating oras, dumating na rin sa Mendez residence ang sasakyan. Pagkababa namin, hindi dumiretso si Loki sa loob ng bahay, kundi sa gilid patungo sa maze garden. I was expecting na babatiin muna namin ang kanyang daddy o mommy, sakaling nandito si Tita Frigette.
"Do you wanna play hide and seek here?" pabiro kong tanong sa kanya.
"My brother usually enjoys his cup of tea at the gazebo around this hour," Loki explained. "We'd certainly find him there, not inside the house."
And he's right. Tanaw namin mula sa aming nilalakaran ang isang lalaking nakaupo sa may gazebo. To our surprise, he's with someone else. A girl, judging by the length of her hair. Nakatalikod siya sa amin kaya 'di namin siya agad nakilala. But the frame of her body was familiar.
"Maggie?" I called.
Humarap sa amin ang nakasalamin na babae at binati kami ng nakakunot na noo. Her face was begging the question, "What are you two doing here?"
Siya yata dapat ang tanungin namin kung ano ang ginagawa niya rito. But then I remembered that she cancelled the afternoon meeting and left the school early. Naintindihan ko na kung bakit. Gusto niyang kumustahin ang vice president.
Wearing a gray sweater, Luthor was comfortably seated in one of the iron chairs. He's like a king whose hands gripped on the edge of the armrests.
He greeted me with a nod. I greeted him back with a smile. Like what Loki told me earlier, he's enjoying his afternoon tea. Strangely, I could no longer feel his chilling aura. Maybe because we're in an open area?
"We're here to check if my brother's still breathing," Loki said after seeing the reaction on Maggie's face. "He seems to be alive and well."
"Maggie came here to update me of what happened this afternoon," Luthor spoke. He gently touched his jaw. "I heard that Sir Friedrich Rivera turned himself in for killing Augustus."
"Sir Jim told me." Maggie turned to us again. "Nakita pa nga raw niya kayong apat sa station. Mukhang kailangan na naman nating mag-usap tungkol sa pakikialam n'yo sa campus police."
"We still don't know yet if that's true," Loki answered, ignoring her last sentence. "The campus police is now investigating whether he really did it or not. If he's also the third party behind that unfounded accusation against you, there's little to no chance that he can do something much worse to you."
"At saka, hindi pa rin natin alam kung bakit ikaw ang naisipang gawing distraction ng third party," dagdag ko. "Maybe we can look at the same angle that the campus police is looking into."
"Well then, see you at school tomorrow," Maggie said as she rose to her feet. She grabbed her leather shoulder bag on another chair. "Tapos na rin naman ang sadya ko rito. Bukas ng umaga na tayo mag-meeting sa kung ano ang susunod nating gagawin."
Luthor took a deep breath. "Do you want Mr. Vasquez to drive you home?"
Umiling si Maggie at ngumiti. "Huwag kang magpa-stress masyado, Luthor. Magiging okay rin ang lahat."
Sana nga, maging okay na ang lahat. Sana, wala nang mangyaring masama.
I watched Maggie as she walked away from the gazebo. It felt strange to me that she had to go all the way here just to report to the student council vice president. Pwede namang text o call, 'di ba? Gano'n din ba siya ka-concerned sa lagay ni Luthor? Maybe.
"She's not just here to report, is she?" tanong ni Loki sabay upo sa bakanteng upuan. I took the chair that Maggie vacated. Now's our turn to have afternoon tea with the king.
"She wanted a straight answer from me." Luthor reclined in his seat. Maingat niyang hinawakan ang teacup at inilapit sa kanyang labi. "An assurance that the accusation is nothing but an accusation."
Even Luthor's most trusted person, Margarette Fernandez, entertained a seemingly ridiculous rumor spread by the Clarion. Ganyan kagrabe ang damage na ginawa nila.
"What brings you here?" Luthor asked after taking a sip from his teacup. "I thought you'd still be angry at me that you won't bother checking how I'm doing."
"I'm here to ask some questions." Loki crossed his legs and put his fingertips together. "We didn't have the chance to finish our conversation last night. Don't worry, I'm still angry at you, but slightly less now."
"I'd be glad to entertain your queries—"
The teacup slipped from his hand, and his fingers seemed to have stiffened. We heard the teacup shatter into piece, and the noise deafened me. I sat frozen in my seat as I watched Luthor trying to pull the collar of his sweater as if he couldn't breath because of it. The image of Augustus' last moment flashed on my mind.
"Hey? Hey!"
I only watched as Luthor collapsed on the floor while Loki rushed to his side. Tila naging slo-mo ang lahat sa paningin ko.
Luthor fell.
Loki knelt beside him
Luthor gasped for air.
Loki checked for his pulse.
When my consciousness snapped back to reality, I almost leaped from my seat just to quickly get to his side.
"Luthor! LUTHOR!" I was touching his pale, cold face with my shaking hands. His eyes were slowly closing. My own eyes welled up with tears.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Please tell me that this is just a dream!
Please tell me that this is just a nightmare!
Anyone, please?
Tears rolled down my cheeks.
Luthor's limp arm dropped.
q.e.d.
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