A/N: Happy 3rd Anniversary, QED Club! As my treat for this celebration, here's the second special chapter featuring Luthor. Enjoy reading!

—M—

"PASULONG... KAD!"

LUTHOR STOOD near the edge of their school building's rooftop. He was like a king overseeing how vast his kingdom was. He may have been elected as the "vice president," but everyone in the inner circle knows that he's the real one calling the shots in the student council.

Him being out there at five in the afternoon was highly unusual. He should have been in the student council office, sipping his favorite brand of hot chamomile tea, while the other officers were scrambling to finalize the details of their Friday event.

Earlier at lunch time, he received a text message from a familiar number, asking for a private audience. During the council meeting at four-thirty, he asked leave from the president and sneaked out of the room.

"At saan ka pupunta, Mr. VP?" Margarette Fernandez, the chairwoman of the student executive committee, was waiting at the corridor. Her thin arms were crossed over her chest.

"I have an urgent meeting with someone," Luthor answered, shutting the door of his office. "I heard that my brother and his friends accepted the offer to join the execom. How is he doing?"

"Friends?" Maggie scoffed at the word. "Hayun, pinaggupit ko sila ng mga confetti para sa event natin. Saktong-sakto ang pagsali nila sa execom. Kami na sana ni Rye ang manggugupit. Thanks to them, we no longer have that burden.

"Isn't that too much?" Luthor wondered. He knew they would be needing a lot of confetti for the program. A lot! Cutting crepe papers into tiny pieces of paper may take some time and energy, especially for the new recruits.

"'Di ba't ikaw ang nagsabi na dapat magtipid tayo sa student activity funds at i-recycle kung ano ang pwedeng i-recycle?" Maggie said. "I'm merely following your order, Mr. VP. O baka ayaw mong nahihirapan ang kapatid mo?"

When it comes to the budget, Luthor preferred to take a conservative approach on spending it. He does not want the council to spend too much on unnecessary extravagance. He'd rather allot the money on holding seminars and trainings than on purchasing colorful decorations and paying outside performers.

"I can imagine my brother ranting about that menial task and why he does not deserve to be treated that way." Luthor could hear Loki's voice in his head. He knew his brother that well.

"Those four may be execom members now, but they're still acting like QED Club members." Maggie then lowered her voice. "May inihahanda silang plano para kay Augustus at sa Clarion. I want to support them since I also hate the guts of that chief editor. Naalala ko pa ang mga fake news na ipinublish nila para siraan ang execom at ang student council."

"Augustus is dangerous. Be careful." That's all Luthor could say before marching to the staircase.

After all, only the editor-in-chief would stand in his way, should he choose to make a move against the big bad Moriarty himself.

Back at the rooftop... Luthor was supposed to meet someone here, but ten minutes later, that person has not arrived yet. To pass the time, he watched the cadets of the Citizenship Advancement Training or CAT in high school. They had been marching across the green fields, maneuvering their wooden rifles and doing push-ups for every mistake they make.

He still remembers it very well, the fateful day that he had to act as Moriarty and "neutralize" the corps commander, Cedric Castillejos, who brought Loki and company to an abandoned building. He thought his mission was to incapacitate the rogue agent, and not to kill him. But Moriarty had another plan in mind.

Unbeknownst to him at that time, Lorelei was watching his shadow and listening to his conversation with another CAT officer. When confronted in the island, Luthor had no choice but to reveal his intentions to Loki's housemate. He would have wanted to maintain his cover, but Lorelei had already grown too suspicious of him. The only way to put out the raging flames of suspicion is by pouring the cold, harsh truth on it.

Only a handful of people know about his skeleton in the closet. Luthor knew that no secret can be kept forever. No matter in what grave you bury your secret, in what vault you lock it, the truth will seep through the gaps and find its way out.

And that's what he fears. He does not want his brother to learn of the truth prematurely. Otherwise, all hell would break loose. And whatever bond they had — no matter how fragile that may be — would collapse.

"Luthor!" someone called behind him.

The vice president slowly turned around to see the familiar face of a man with crew cut hair. He donned the same uniform as the CAT officers below.

"Lucas," he muttered, staring at the newly arrived man with his regular cold stare.

Back in the incident at the abandoned warehouse, Lucas was the other CAT officer who was left alone with Luthor. He prepared Cedric's forged suicide note and the tea that was laced with poison. While the loyalty of most CAT officers belong to Cedric, Lucas was devoted to Moriarty.

"Pasensya na kung medyo na-late ako," Lucas said apologetically. "Ang akala ko kasi mamayang ala-sais pa ang meeting natin sa office ng student council."

"I'd rather not attract unwanted attention of certain forces around us." Luthor returned his gaze to the training cadets below. "Let me congratulate you first for being promoted as the new corps commander. Her Excellency extends her congratulations and looks forward to working with you in maintaining the peace and order in the campus."

"Thank you, Luthor." Lucas blushed. "Kindly send my regards to our president. Hindi ko alam kung dapat din akong magpasalamat sa nangyari kay Cedric. If he's still here, I wouldn't be the commander."

Luthor was somehow stunned to hear that the newly promoted corps commander was addressing him by his first name. Lucas used to call him "Sir" or "Mr. Vice President," being superior not only in the student hierarchy, but also in Moriarty's gang.

But it must the consequence of being promoted. Lucas is now the highest ranking officer of the CAT. In medieval times, he would have been the Lord Commander of the knights. Poor boy. He must be thinking that he now stands on equal footing with the enigmatic vice president.

That's what happens when you let titles and power go to your head. You forget to accord respect to the people who you ought to be respecting.

"What's so important that you had to skip your training and interrupt my busy schedule to discuss?" Luthor chose not to beat around the bush. He had an idea or two on why Lucas wanted to talk to him. No one in Moriarty's gang would think of interrupting his afternoon tea if it wasn't that important.

It might have something to do with the incident at the warehouse, he thought.

Lucas cleared his throat first. "Alam ko na si Officer Bastien ay isa sa mga pillar ni Moriarty."

Luthor nodded. There's no point in denying it. What harm would come to a dead person anyway?

"Bastien was a rookie officer in the police and he was also an ex-corps commander sa CAT ng Clark High noon," Lucas went on, slightly nervous. Well, he was standing in the presence of the person who was rumored to emit a chilling aura.

"Are you arriving at anything that resembles a point?" Luthor could sense that the man before him was approaching the matter carefully. He couldn't say in a straightforward manner what he wanted exactly. Was he afraid that Luthor might turn him down?

"Now that Bastien's gone, the throne where Moriarty sits in lacks one leg," the corps commander continued. "My former boss Cedric tried to be that missing leg, but it cost him his life. Alam naman nating hindi makatatayo ang isang upuan kung tatlo lamang ang paa nito."

One end of Luthor's lips curved. His hunch on Lucas' intention was bullseye.

"I know that it might be too much to ask," Lucas said, sucking in a breath. "But I'm hoping that you would put a word of recommendation to Moriarty about me. Ako na ngayon ang corps commander. Kontrolado ko na ang mga CAT officer. Maaari akong makatulong sa inyo."

In one of the rarest moments, Luthor smiled. Not because of joy, but because of how silly the request was.

"You are a hundred percent correct. You are asking too much," he replied, watching the pale face of the man before him. "Only Moriarty has the power to appoint people in his intimate circle."

"But if you recommend me—"

"I do not make that call, Lucas," Luthor cut him short, his voice was stern. "Cedric tried to prove himself to us, but made a mistake. You, on the other hand, are trying to exploit your connection with me as your stepping stone to Moriarty's inner sanctum."

Those were only words, but he managed to slap Lucas with a rejection, harder than any girl could give.

"PAURONG... KAD!"

Then there was silence. Only the drill commands being shouted could be heard.

"The QED Club is back," Lucas said after a moment of silence. "Alam mo kung gaano kagaling ang apat na 'yon, lalo na ang kapatid mong si Loki. If he digs any deeper, he might find me and force me to spill the beans about Moriarty and our organization. I can keep my mouth shut, particularly about your involvement, or I might accidentally tell him everything."

Luthor regarded him coldly. That was clearly a threat. An attempt to blackmail the most powerful student leader in Clark High. With that piece of information, Lucas, a seemingly ambitious captain of the guards, could make the king kneel before him.

Would the puppetmaster let a soldier take control of his strings?

Luthor looked away momentarily, back at the cerulean horizon before him, before returning his gaze to the man who was trying to threaten him. "Lucas, how's your sister?"

The corps commander knitted his eyebrows, uncertain of what the vice president meant. When realization dawned on him, his eyes slowly widened in horror.

That frightened look gave Luthor some satisfaction. "I heard that she's a rising star in the cheerleading squad. But stars do fall, don't they? With all the stunts in their dance routines, there's a chance that she might meet an accident during practice. Tell her to be more careful when pulling some stunts."

"Luthor, I didn't—"

"How about your girlfriend?" Luthor was unstoppable. "There's an upcoming event this Friday and as the president of their club, she must be so busy that she stays in campus until the sun sets. You know how dangerous the night in Clark High is, ever since Moriarty brought darkness to this place."

"Please let me—" Lucas swallowed the lump in his throat. Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead. A tinge of regret could be observed across his face.

"Two weeks ago, a female Grade 11 student went missing after leaving our campus at eight. She was never seen again," Luthor added, clasping his hands behind his back. "We have strengthened the security inside Clark High so these disappearances won't happen in the campus premises. But on the outside? We cannot guarantee anyone's safety. Imagine your girlfriend on your way to your love nest at seven in the evening. But she does not show up. That's a tragic scenario you would not like to entertain, right?"

"I swear that I—"

"I deeply care about the welfare of your sister and your girlfriend. You would be wise to advise them to be more careful with the people around them and to not stay in school past the hour of sunset.

Luthor took two steps closer to Lucas, standing almost face to face with him. The corps commander may be muscular, but the vice president has a towering figure that casted an eerie shadow over him. The former looked small while latter looked bigger than he actually appeared.

"I hope you understand what I'm trying to say," he said. "Being at the top—your promotion as the corps commander—does not mean that you can demand anything that you desire. Having that title does not mean you will already get whatever you want. Have you tried asking yourself if you deserve them in the first place?"

After darting the most chilling of stares, Luthor turned around and walked toward the rooftop exit.

"Pa-Pasensya na, Luthor! So-Sorry kung naging demanding ako. So-Sorry kung sinubukan kitang pagbantaan."

Luthor halted for a second and made an about-face turn.

"It's Mr. Vice President, Lucas."

—M—

I wrote this chapter to answer the question that nobody asked: "What happened to the CAT officer who was with Luthor at the end of Volume 2?"

This chapter may not have pushed the plot forward, but I left one detail hinting what's about to come and the possible reason behind it.

I wish I can post another special chapter featuring Stein and Augustus today. Let's see!