Breaking

Lois strode down the hall connecting the parking garage to her family's apartment building, her shoes echoing off the gray concrete walls.
   She always hated this hallway. After dark, once most of the residents were home or asleep, it was constantly empty. Walking through here alone felt claustrophobic; like walking into a cold, lonely coffin.
   "Miss Lane," said a voice from behind her.
   Lois stopped and spun around. On the opposite side of the hallway stood Lionel Luthor.
   Lois immediately felt uneasy. Normally, she'd feign amusement at Lionel's attempt to intimidate her—or, at least, she assumed he was here to intimidate her. Why else would he show up alone at her home? She glanced at his right hand. A gun rested in it. Lois felt her heart beat slightly faster. Did he bring a gun just to scare her out of publishing her story? Did he know that she'd already published the story?
   "I warned you," said Lionel, "that this was not over."
   Lois saw fear in Lionel's eyes. His normally-calm attitude was cracking. His hands trembled slightly.
   Lionel raised the gun. Lois felt a shock of fear run up her spine.
   "Lionel... what are you doing?"
   "You wounded me, Miss Lane. My empire bleeds. But I am not yet dead."
   Lois, though disturbed by Lionel's self-ascribed royalty, understood his meaning. She'd found damning evidence connecting Lionel to hundreds of crimes. Not only had she—with the help of Ray Palmer—discovered Luthorcorp's illegal surveillance technology, but Bruce had given her copies of the video recordings he'd stolen from Luthorcorp's security computers—recordings that proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Lionel Luthor was the criminal mastermind behind innumerable abominations. In effect, Lois had already put the gun to Lionel's head and pulled the trigger. Lionel wasn't here to threaten her, or assure her of his absolute dominance. He was here to kill her.
   What could she do? Could she reach the door and get out before he shot her? No. Not likely. Could she call for help? No one would hear her on the other side of the thick doorway, let alone in their own apartments. Would Clark hear? Maybe. Just maybe.
   Dread filled Lois's heart. No, Clark was gone with the others. He couldn't save her.
   She fought back her emotions. "Lionel, it doesn't... you don't have to—" Tears broke her voice. "Please. Please, don't."
   Lionel, his hands still lightly shaking, didn't waver in his determination.
   "Vengeance is mine; I will repay."

   In the Lanes' apartment, a muffled echo was heard. It was nondescript and indistinguishable from any other vague noise, except perhaps to those trained to recognize it.
   In the cold hallway, the echo was deafening.
   Lois didn't feel the bullet rip into her chest, nor did she feel herself fall to the floor. Her entire body went numb as she collapsed and bled, the life draining from her permanently.

   Lionel felt shock run through his body. He took a precious few seconds to regain himself, then turned to leave the way he'd come.
   Lex Luthor stood in his way.
   Lex's face was covered in tears, his expression that of disbelief and horror.
   Lionel tried to reason with him. "Lex. You followed me? Son, I—" Lionel stopped in mid-sentence when he saw the gun resting in Lex's hand.
   "...What are you doing?" asked Lionel.
   Lex shook his head. "I... I can't let you do it, dad. Not anymore."
   Lionel cautiously stepped back. "Son, what are you talking about?"
   "I won't sit back and let you hurt people anymore."
   "You... you gave me your loyalty; you told me you wanted to follow in my footsteps—"
   "I LIED!"
   "...I see. Then you truly are a Luthor."
   "I don't care. I just want you to pay for what you've done."
   "So you want me to go to prison?"
   "No. You'll pay your lawyers a few millions to figure a way to get out."
   Lex raised his gun. "You need to die."
   Lionel felt ice crawl up his spine. "Son, please, we could work together. You and I. We can find a way out of this. We will own the world."
   Lex stilled himself. "I don't want that."
   Lionel took that in for a moment, then scowled as he raised his own gun. "You were never any good as a son anyway."
   A second gunshot sounded off, and Lionel Luthor's body fell to the floor.
   Lex, horrified at what had just happened, sank to his knees, weeping. He threw the gun aside.
   The door on the apartment-side flung open. General Sam Lane, Lois's father, stood alarmed in the doorway, a gun of his own in hand. He took in the room: Lionel Luthor, lying dead, his blood coating the floor. Lex weeping on his knees at his father's side. And finally, Lois.
   "Lois!"
   Sam dropped his gun and cradled his daughter's lifeless body.