In Darkness Dwell
The life and dark times of Gothena, a villain in the DC Universe
Chapter 7: Family Values
Lex spoke. "Let me tell you what power is. Kryptonians like to think they know strength. They have no idea what real strength is. A factory in the city is on strike. Tomorrow, the union leaders and management will meet and a congressman will broker a deal. That congressman will broker several more in coming weeks and become a champion of the working man. In a few months he will announce his candidacy for president. He works for me. So do the union leaders and I own the factory through a number of dummy corporations."
"That factory will take a small hit on production cost. The union bosses will kick that back to me. All of the money spent for the candidate's campaign commercials and advertising will be paid to a marketing company I also own. His opponent is also mine. He works for a law firm that does pro-bono work helping criminals get rehabilitated. That rehabilitation is of course through companies I own and I put them all to work doing what they've always done. Does anyone care? Of course not. Public perception is that criminals are criminals so no one is surprised when a few are caught again. Of course, the lawyer's image is still one of compassion. They think he genuinely cares. Despite the system being broken he gives the perception of not giving up. And in the eyes of the people, that is what matters. And in the end, no matter who gets the most votes, I win."
"I control the president of this country and the leaders of several other nations. I control what laws pass and fail. I determine what businesses succeed and prosper. I determine who has a job to buy food to feed their family. This is power. This is your legacy. That power is yours to share if you prove you can handle it. Show me you're a Luthor and I'll make you more powerful than gods."
"Look at Gotham and Bruce Wayne. He's also wealthy and controls a lot of businesses and politicians and Gotham for all intents and purposes is his city. Yet Gotham is a cesspool. It's ran by the most vile criminals there is. They can't stop them because they try to cure them and give them productive lives. They have more power in the eyes of the people than the Batman or Wayne Industries. Sure they will get picked up and thrown in Arkham occasionally but they'll be out in an hour and Arkham...Joker runs that place anyway. And the irony of that? Those villains are all members of the Society so even when Lexcorp isn't in control the Society is. Do you begin to understand the extent of this? Do you want to be the daughter of Lex Luthor?"
She looked at the man. He was right. Everyone knew the reputation of Lex. Even the ones opposing him respected him. To do otherwise was suicide. She was a half titan...demigod...hell she wasn't even sure what she would be called with her ancestry and had the strength and power to reflect that heritage. She had exobyte granted abilities that could allow her to do amazing things. She could even fly and shoot energy from her hands. Lex was just a man. He was just a normal human. He could move mountains. Yet he built empires and toppled regimes, often with nothing more than a phone call. She wanted this power. She couldn't help being awe struck when she grasped the power of this man. Could she be daddy's girl? She looked at the city again and looked at Lex. She smiled and the dimples on her freckled cheeks showing for the first time in years. She nodded her head and replied "Yes daddy. Yes I can."
Circe had saved her. The Boogieman was right. She wouldn't let her die. She knew Circe by reputation. She had seen news reports of magic phenomenon of a dark nature and her name was thrown around. This is the woman who fought people like Wonder Woman and summoned demons. She was no one to be trifled with and now, she was her new teacher. Her mentor. The first act of her goddess was a test. She passed and was changed. She walked through the crucible and emerged unscathed and now Circe would raise her to power.
The world she was shown was beyond her imagination. She had fanciful dreams as a child. She imagined far away worlds and powerful beings. In those dreams, they were the ones who always saved her. They took her away from the nightmares to live in a world of dreams made real. She would dream of being a fairy or a great wizard or a powerful princess. There were other dreams as a child. Darker dreams. Dreams she could touch and feel. She often stood on a great mountain overlooking a land and ruling over it as they worshiped her. People would toil in the fields and live and die for her whims. They dressed in white and had long flowing hair and rode horses and chariots. They reminded her of the days of ancient Rome she say in the history books.
She was there now in a sense. That land of dreams was made real. Sometimes, her young mind, awestruck and living in a whirlwind of amazement after her rescue, sometimes she would dream that Circe was that long lost mother come to rescue her. But no, Circe came not because she was her mother but because she was one of the monsters and was drawn to other monsters and she was teaching Gothena to be the thing that people feared in the dark.
Lex's voice changed and became more stern. "Now, there are some things we must discuss. Recent events have occurred that must be addressed. Let's talk about Zatanna. I didn't order it. The assault on the JSA was done. We had what we came for and there was no need to create additional problems. Now, I didn't not order it either so you didn't technically disobey though your actions were in poor judgement. In the future though, actions like that must be cleared through the Society. We are at a precarious time and cannot risk an open war yet. That time will come and when it does, I promise you that you will have no leash. Why did that happen? What was your logic in risking an open conflict with the Sentinels? What were you thinking?"
She swallowed. Right to it then. "I thought she was looking for me. After the JSA, when communication went down she showed up with a patrol practically on my doorstep and..." Lex cut her off. "Stop. This is all good and well. I'm not asking why you defended yourself I'm asking why you felt it necessary to kidnap and torture her for weeks." Gothena sighed. Might as well lay all her cards on the table. "I needed a test subject. I have a method I've been honing over time and I needed a strong person. Zatanna wasn't tortured but she thinks she was if someone asks her. She even has a few scars to make it look real. Those memories are fake. I've learned a lot from Circe and her followers. Zatanna's mind belongs to me. I can trigger her at will and she will follow my orders."
Lex raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's impressive. Can you do this with others?" She answered with pride in her voice. "It takes time. The amount varies, it depends on the strength of the person's mind. With some random nobody off the street, it's a simple spell. With someone like Zatanna, it was a process. She's the strongest mind I've broken and it wasn't easy. I'm still not certain it will stick but I had to try and couldn't pass up the opportunity." Lex looked pleased. "This is good to know. Keep this between us for now. In the meantime, no more unauthorized testing. We need to treat cautiously when experimenting with things like this. You should discuss this with Circe. Magic is more her domain than mine and she can best guide you in it."
Gothena was in a whirlwind. She had power. She had money. She could go anywhere and do anything she wanted. The world was her toy store. She looked around the luxurious penthouse. She was giddy living in this new world. She closed the door and a little dog came charging towards her. "PINKY!" she yelled and picked up the little dog. She'd used a spell Circe taught her to turn its fur pink. She sat on the couch with the puppy and read over her notes. Circe had taught her much but she needed some specifics before she could proceed. Circe would obviously be her main source but Faust could fill in some gaps.
She recalled her earlier discussion with her mistress and made some notes. Beastiamorphs were a specialty of Circe but was it only a one way transition according to the goddess. Was it only humans that could have their animal nature brought out or could animals have their human nature brought out. Circe scoffed at the idea. No she told her. Animals could be made to look more human but there was no soul. They were just instinct and despite being anthromophisized to a humanoid form, their mind would still be an animal.
That means she needed to build a mind and soul. This is where Faust was useful. She'd seen what he can do. Souls were his bread and butter magic. She played on his superiority complex and acted the part of a starstruck fan. Of course a soul can be transferred to any living creature. The right binding magics could overcome any resistance. After a few drinks and some flirtation, he was quick to recant a number of his tricks and methods for doing so.
Stealing the exobyte was the hard part. Circe's stash was fiercely guarded. Getting one for this experiment would be very difficult. She couldn't very well tell Circe what she was doing. She couldn't be sure how she would react but was sure she'd be pleased at the end result. It took some effort and planning but she finally got one. She wasn't completely sure what its effect would be but it was magical in origin and would suit her purposes.
She looked at the little pink poodle in her lap and smiled. Pinky Puppy was gonna be a real girl.
"The second thing we need to discuss is your fraternization with Sinestro. It stops now. Luthors do not consort with aliens." She looked surprised. "You know about that?" He looked at her. "I know everything. I understand the lure of power and how a young girl can be infatuated with an older man with said power but and develop strong feelings but..." She started laughing. "You think I'm in love with him? Lex...father...whatever I should call you...I could never love him.
"He's just a path to power. I want one of the rings and need him to teach me to use it. I'm just using him." Lex was the one surprised now. "That's forward thinking and accumulation of power is always a good goal but it still stops. Luthors do not consort with aliens and there are better sources of power. It's been the experience of the Inner Circle that magic and technology don't mix well. You could taking dangerous chances and I see no reason to put yourself in danger." She smiled at him. "Is that fatherly concern in your voice?"
He ignored her and continued. "You end it now. Beyond being a Luthor, the Society's relationship with the Sinestro Corps is often tenuous at times and we don't need anything else creating friction where none is needed." She pondered this a moment. He was right of course. She had not done well with the training. She couldn't channel the ring's powers like a Lantern could. It just felt wrong. It felt like an abomination of the natural way to her. She wondered if Lanterns felt the same way about magic? She nodded her head and said "Yes sir."
The grave robbing was the worst part. If she had realized it would be this dirty she would have worn different clothes. She had been her friend as a child and it took some time to locate her remains but she finally found them and took them. That was the last component she needed for the spell. She stood next to the alter in the basement. This had taken some time to prepare but she was finally ready to test her theory. The alter was set up, the materials ready and her pretty pretty puppy was here.
Amalgam magic wasn't easy but she could handle it. A dash of beastiamorph. A pinch of soul alchemy. A sprinkling of exobyte. She would bring her best friend back and make her strong. She was a good kid and deserved better. She was her best friend back at the orphanage and she missed her. She would be back and better than ever.
She wondered what powers her friend would get? The exobytes were unpredictable. It would be a surprise and she liked surprises. She picked up Pinky and the little dog licked her face. Pinky was her new best friend and soon her new best friend and her old best friend would be one and the same.
Lex continued. He really likes to hear himself talk she thought but she sat and listened doing her best to be patient. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions and rightfully so. You have a past that was taken from you and you deserve to know why. It's a long story that begins 28 years ago with a prophecy." Lex spent the next few minutes recounting the story of the seer, the prophecy, the exobytes, he left out very little and was as close to honest with her as he could be.
She was silent for a moment. "That's a lot to think about, a lot to take in. I knew some of that, but that's pretty big. Prophecies and world shaping? Do you really believe that?" Lex sat down at his desk. "I do, I did and I will. I fractured time to make this happen. To make you happen." She looked confused. "But you didn't know. You came back to stop Braniac. That other you didn't have knowledge of this timeline and what impact he would have on it." He looked at her. "It doesn't matter what the intent was or what happened in an alternate time that will never come to pass. You're here now. That's what matters. Now it's just a question of you growing into your birthright."
The spent the next few hours talking about the past and present. She related much of the horror of growing up as she did, her various crime sprees and addictions and was very open about it. He seemed geniunely sorry she had to endure that. Lex being Lex, he made no excuses and offered no apology. He told her "the past is written and done. What happened had to be done the way it was and nothing we do alters that. We accept things as they are, we adapt and progress. It's our strength and as Luthor, you're stronger than most. There is no perfection only the ability to learn and grow. We are the alphas of humanity."
The casting was rigorous. The arcane energies nearly overwhelming at times but she could handle anything. She had to be the conduit for the channeled energies. It was painful and intense. The little pink dog was starting to change, to get larger. The bones on the table were merging into the little beast. It was working.
She felt something warm on the side of head. She brushed it away with the back of her hand and realized it was blood. This might be more than she could handle. She was young, inexperienced. Circe had warned her many times about taking on magic she couldn't handle. She implored her to focus on first learning the extent of her native abilities before trying new ones.
The animal was starting to look humanoid and the bones had been completely absorbed. It was floating above the table now as currents of energy held it aloft. The dog was screaming, a mix of a dog's cry of pain and a human's anguish. She couldn't hear it though. All she could hear was the blood pounding in her ears as she directed the energies. Her vision started to go blurry as the pounding intensified. She felt herself falling.
Gothena walked out by the pool. Lex might be uptight and take himself way too seriously but he had taste and knew how to make an impression. The floor of the tower her suite was on opened onto the private pool deck. The view was extraordinary. She looked out over C.A.O. She was lost in thought. Life was definitely getting weird. Not even a year ago she was a normal human, or at least thought she was but apparently not so much. Now she was the half titan super powered daughter of a goddess and her father one of the richest men in the world and the two of them made up two thirds of the most powerful criminal organization the planet had ever known. She laughed at herself. Despite all that, she was still a young woman with little or no direction and overwhelmed with life. So basically nothing had changed.
She exited the pool after a brief swim and lay back on a lounger and closed her eyes. She had a lot to think about. She heard someone walking up and her instinct was to grab her weapons but she thought a moment and realized two things. One she was near the top of Lexcorp Tower. The number of people who even had access to this location was slim and unlikely to threaten her. Two, she came here to sunbathe. She didn't even have clothes on much less weapons. She opened her eyes saw Circe walking over.
"You do realize a number of offices overlook this deck and anyone flying nearby can see you." "Oh I know" replied Gothena. "Looks like someone has a little voyeur in them" said her mother noticing the pool boy was watching intently. Gothena smiled at her. "Oh, it was more than a little Voyeur in me but I didn't know that was his name, I didn't ask." Circe looked down at her daughter and laughed. "It seems you're more like me than I thought." Circe disrobed and lay on the chair next to hers.
The two women were interrupted by Lex. "My god would you to put on some clothes? Have you no shame?" Circe gave him a coy look. "After the things you and I have done you would have to ask that?" Lex was visible annoyed at this and both ladies laughed at him. He tried his best to ignore her and kept talking. "Gothena, I have an issue I need you to take care of. A group of Sentinels is harassing employees of mine. I want them stopped. There is a Lightkeeper with them and I think it's time you got back to work." Circe got up. "I'll go with her. I'm already here might as well do something." "No. This is her task not yours. We have Society business to attend to." Gothena got dressed and got the details and flew off.
"So what's the urgent Society business Lex?" He watched Gothena trailing off in the distance. "There is none. I want to see how she does on her own after everything. We have to be able to trust her to bring her fully into the fold." Circe nodded. "Agreed. She's been too wild and unpredictable. She is young though. She'll learn patience as she gets older. It's the impetuousness of youth." Circe, still nude, walked to the building entrance, exaggerating her motions as she did so. Lex looked at her. He forgot how beautiful she was. He followed her to the entrance and as they walked through the entrance into the suite he pushed her against a wall and kissed her. "My my" she said. T"hat didn't seem very patient." He looked in her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll take my time."
Circe found her still collapsed on the floor. She had dried blood trails from her nose, eyes and ears and could taste copper in her mouth but was breathing. Circe slapped her and Gothena woke up. "What have you done? I warned you about the dangers of magic beyond your control. You're luck to be alive you impetuous amateur."
Gothena tried to stand and fell back down. Her head was pounding and she was weak and dizzy. Circe helped her to a chair. "You ingnorant child. You could have killed yourself. You could have summoned something beyond your control by playing with soul magic. You are not ready for this kind of arcane craft. What is wrong with Faust for even teaching you at your level. You're a novice." Gothena looked up through glazed over eyes and asked "Is Pinky okay? Did it work?"
Circe took stock of the room. The runes traced on the walls had burned away leaving scorch marks. Everything breakable was in pieces. But there, in the middle of the room, was Pinky but she was changed. She was humanoid and alive. Circe went over to the creature. It was sitting cross legged on the floor. "Where is mistress?"
After Gothena regained her composure, Circe continued the half lecture half berating. "Whatever that it is, it worked. Mostly. It appears some of the intellect is lost or merged into the animal's instinct. It keeps calling you mistress. I suspect it's the pack mentality of a canine. It's latched onto you as alpha, probably inherited memories from the canine part." Pinky came over to them. "Mistress is sick. Pinky make mistress better." Energy radiated out from her and while weak and unpracticed, the healing magic was obvious. Circe's face flashed red with anger. "YOU USED AN EXOBYTE ON THIS THING?"
Gothena located them easily. They didn't exactly try to hide. There were four Sentinels and a Lightkeeper. Child's play. She walked brazenly up to them. Gothena smiled. "Hi, I'm Gothena. What's your name?" "Stand down villain. We know your name. You face justice" said the bold Lightkeeper.
Gothena's eyes turned black and she unloaded on them. The four Sentinels posed no challenge and collapsed under her initial onslaught. The Lightkeeper tried valiantly to fight back but it was hopeless. She was outclassed. They never expected to face someone of this power level. It was supposed to just be a recon mission to investigate an area with an increase in violent muggings.
The Lightkeeper was beaten. The were trying to flee and had already opened a portal to escape. Gothena could have walked away but chose not to. The four Sentinels made it through but she stopped the Lightkeeper. She took her scimitar and stabbed the defeated hero. She plunged the scimitar through her gut and twisted it. She pulled out the scimitar, pulled the Lightkeeper to her and whispered "Tell the Sentinels I send my love." She threw the vanquished foe through the portal and flew away.
Back at Lexcorp, Lex sat in a reclining chair with Circe on his lap. "I forgot how...enthusiastic you can be" she smiled. Lex looked lost in thought. "I don't need to read minds to know what you're thinking about. She'll be fine. She is strong." He sighed. "It's not her strength I'm worried about, it's her control. She doesn't think far enough ahead."
Wonder Woman was talking into a comm panel to Dr. Fate. "Gothena again. This name is coming up too often. She is far more violent than most of her compatriots in the Society. Our people aren't really equipped to handle people who don't play by the rules but I know someone who doesn't play by the rules either. I'll call Constantine. He'll take care of this."