The sound was unmistakable. He had heard it dozens of times before. This time, however, was different. A handful of jack-booted soldiers goose-stepped their way down a long, winding staircase toward the entrance to his secret underground laboratory. He watched eagerly from a bank of security monitors, cameras at every turn following their progress as they neared the lab. In their clutches was quite possibly the most handsome man in the world … and definitely the most powerful. Or at least he used to be. Now he stumbled trying to keep up with his captors’ pace, his legs shackled together at the ankles barely allowing him to walk without tripping over his own feet. His wrists were bound behind his back by a pair of handcuffs, reducing this mighty superhero to a mere mortal prisoner. His super-powers and abilities had been stripped from him by the kryptonite chains that bind him. Even without his super-strength, he was still every bit the superhero and did not give up so easily. In fact, it took a team of troopers and a tranquilizer dart to weaken the Man of Steel enough to subdue him and bring him into custody.

As the soldiers led him to the doorway of the laboratory, Superman wonders how this all could of happened. The events leading up to this moment were still a bit fuzzy, thanks to the powerful sedative he had been given. Yet the woozy superhero is still able to remember some of the details. It was about a week ago that a top official at the Pentagon asked him to investigate the strange disappearances of several promising young cadets who had gone missing from a local military base near Metropolis. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be any clues, nor could he turn up any leads. It was almost as if they had vanished without a trace. Just when it looked like the case was going nowhere, earlier today, he suddenly received an anonymous tip. The mysterious informant told him that if he wanted to find out who was behind the abductions, then he should go to a heavily wooded, secluded area located several hundred miles north of the city. Little did our hero know that he was walking right into an ambush. But who would have gone to all these lengths to capture him, Superman asks himself as they finally reach their destination and enter the lab.

The laboratory itself was oddly quiet, only a low hum emanating from the florescent lights overhead kept it from complete silence. A magnificent juxtaposition of state of the art technology combined with the look and feel of some old time horror movie, the lab was the product of millions of dollars and years of research and hard work. All four walls of the lab were lined with numerous computers and other electronic devices of various shapes and sizes. In the center of one wall sat what looked like the central mainframe. All of the other machines in the room seemed to be connected to that terminal in some fashion.

Close to the middle of the room stood a large stainless steel table, about 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide. It was angled almost vertically, resting on a hinge that tilted 90 degrees. On the tabletop were 5 thick metal manacles strategically positioned to hold a person’s waist, wrists, and ankles in place. Some more pieces of equipment encircled the table and a few of the instruments were even hanging down from the ceiling, all within reach.

As the scientist and his staff busied themselves, rushing around the room checking and re-checking different pieces of equipment, the band of soldiers walked into the room with Superman in tow. They stopped dead in the center of the lab, between the main terminal and the vertical table. Three soldiers stayed with the superhero, one on each arm as the other stood right behind him, pointing a loaded tranquilizer gun squarely at his broad back.

As Superman gazed around the room, a chill suddenly went up his spine. Although his vision was still a bit blurry, he certainly didn’t like what he saw. The lab looked just like you would picture a mad scientist’s laboratory should look. “What is this place? … “ the hero thought to himself.

The doctor approached the listless hero, looking over his perfect form and grinning with a slight hint of evil satisfaction. The Man of Steel moaned a bit as the tranquilizer began to wear off, leaving him with a splitting headache, worse than even the nastiest hangover. As he looked up at the doctor, Superman shook his head, trying to get his eyes to focus. The doctor began to speak to the prisoner, delivering a long oration that he had practiced in his head for hours, since the minute he had learned of the superhero’s capture.

“Hello, hero!,” the doctor greeted Superman, speaking in English but with a thick German accent. He placed his finger on his prisoner’s chin and lifted his eyes to meet his. “I’ve been waiting to meet you for what seems like an eternity. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Sklavnmeister, and I have been observing your heroic exploits for many years now. In fact, you can consider me your biggest admirer.”

Sklvanmeister was a frail older man, well into his sixties, maybe even his seventies. His many years of experience had made him one of the brilliant scientists in the world. But it had also made him one of the most formidable foes Superman would ever face.

Dr. Sklavnmeister took this opportunity to get his first long look at this gorgeous hunk of man. This sexy superhero was the very definition of masculinity. At 6 feet 3 inches tall and 225 pounds, Superman had the kind of built that would put any bodybuilder on the planet to shame. The leering doctor’s eyes traveled up from the pair of size 13 wide boots on his big feet, to his well-developed calves, then his equally-impressive thighs until they reached the tight-fitting pair of red briefs that showed off his package so well, leaving little to the imagination. His lycra blue tights clung snugly against his taunt abs and massive chest, perfectly accentuating those heaving pecs and quarter-size nipples of his. His incredibly muscular body was topped off by his ruggedly handsome facial features. Strong jaw, cleft chin, chiseled cheekbones, moist lips, deep blue eyes, and a thick mane of jet black hair with that signature curl of his. Oh, how many fiends, villains, and crooks had dreamed of getting their hands on this hot hero and how many had failed miserably.

“My, my,” the doctor mused. “You are even more stunning in person than I ever could have dreamed, superhero.” At this point, our hero was starting to come around enough that he could now understand what Dr. Sklavnmeister was saying and what was going on around him, even if he was still much too weak to do anything about it. “And, to think, I shall have the honor of being the first villain to break the legendary Man of Steel. Oh, this is going to be a pleasure, Superman!,” the mad scientist cackled with glee.