The Dark Knight wheezed as he feebly resisted against his restraints- hands, feet, torso, and back all rendered useless by the glowing green suit, a kryptonian bruiser armor, covering and weighing down his limbs. To native kryptonians the suit was an unstoppable armor; to Bruce the suit was his personal prison. He aimlessly struggled against the suit to no avail. He was trapped at the whims of a madman, a man he had stopped so many times before. Where had he gone wrong? Why- A quiet chuckle interrupted Bruce's thought process. "Please, Batman... or should I call you Bruce now? Resistance is aimless. And I'm doing this for your own good, so quit struggling, it simply distracts me," a bald man in a well-fitted suit commanded Bruce. "Lex..." Bruce wheezed, "You have to stop. You won. You've finally won. You've beaten the Justice League, you've beaten me... now deactivate the bombs. This slaughter... this genocide is meaningless, you've proven your point. Please listen to me Lex."
Lex Luthor, CEO of Lexcorp, famed altruist, former President of the US, and secret mastermind paused in brief consideration. He turned to his left to see row upon row of krypto suits imprisoning hero after hero. Diana, Hal, Barry all held their heads in defeat. Superman could do little but moan pitifully. Each leaguer was present in chains. A sense of pride swelled within Lex's chest. Although domination of the League was a personal goal of his, hence his glowing pride, Lex's strong sense of foreboding overshadowed any other emotion produced. Today he would execute his master plan. Today... he would change the world. He fiddled with a small detonator- a small, black sliver of a rectangle with a protruding red button decorating the center. "Very cliché Lex, but you need to deactivate the bombs, you must!" Batman uselessly commanded, his voice on the edge of cracking. "I believe I have broken the Dark Knight. Normally I would be elated with a victory such as that, but today I have no desire to break you Bruce. Quite the opposite in fact," Lex closed his eyes and sighed, "you see Bruce, these are no bombs." He gestured to the silver tube propped up in the center of the room. "These are nano-particle distributors. I would have thought you'd have recognized the design, but back to the point at hand..." Bruce picked up his head to read the man's face. For the first time ever, Bruce was able to detect no fear, no hatred, or no deception behind the mask that was Luthor. For the first time ever, Lex Luthor was being honest.
"You see," Lex continued, "I altered the payload output of these machines. Instead of releasing nano-particles, my distributors release my newest creations, sentient nanobots. I call them the Horsemen. Their namesake being-" "The four horsemen of the apocalypse," Bruce interrupted, "You intend to bring about the end of the world with these nano machines, don't you Luthor!" Lex studied Bruce's uncovered face, and smiled. "The bots were correct about you Bruce. You truly do care for the welfare of all people. Well, you are chosen after all..." Luthor almost teased. Bruce paused, taken aback at Luthor's choice of vocabulary. "Chosen? What's that supposed to mean? What have I been chosen for?" Bruce asked almost tentatively. He could no longer trust Lex's logic. He must have gone mad. "Now that is the question I've been waiting for Bruce. What does it mean to be chosen? Well, if my algorithm is correct and the computer is accurate, you, along with twenty million other humans, have been chosen by my bots," Lex finished. "You're acting like the joker, Lex. You're better than this... you have a heart. Are we chosen for death? Is that your endgame, to kill twenty million innocent people?" Bruce growled, struggling against the weight of the massive suit. Lex looked almost offended, "No Bruce, no! You have been chosen to survive!" For the first time in his life, the Dark Knight could not speak. This went against Luthor's psychological profile. Bruce had thought he had known all of Lex's motives, drives, and desires. But this plan didn't link with anything. It was a mad man's gambit. "Confused I see," Lex tutted, his deep voice almost purring, "it's not often I see you like this, Batman. But of course, every grand plan needs a marvelous soliloquy. What would the bad guy be without it?" Lex chuckled to himself. Batman did not.
"Sorry, you must forgive me, I'm almost beginning to sound like the joker. But in truth Bruce, I am about to tell you this-" Lex paused, pain dripping from his voice, "I am about to tell you this so you can carry on my legacy. To tell others what I have done- will have done- for this world." "I owe you nothing, Lex. You don't deserve to be remembered," Bruce almost spat. Lex let out a sigh and clambered down on the floor, crossing his legs into a child like posing: "Bruce, I've done many things in my life, very few have helped the world better itself. Today I fix the wrongs I have done. Today I make the world a better place." Luthor stared up into Batman's cold, black eyes. "You must think I'm crazy. I would too if I were in your position," Lex began to purr nostalgically, "but you must remember the time I molded with Braniac, don't you?" "How could I forget?" "When I joined my mind with his mind, I saw past, present, and future. There was a reason I claimed I had reached Godhood. And during my time with Braniac, however short that time was, I realized that the human race is a stagnant beast. For every good man and woman, there are ten more ambivalent or evil men to discount the actions of the good. Your justice league provided the ultimate example of selflessness and heroism. I thought to myself, 'why doesn't the world follow the examples of the League? Why is the world evil? Why am I... evil?' And Bruce, I couldn't initially answer that question. I attributed our evil to human nature as an unchangeable concept of humanity," Lex paused to stare at Bruce, his eyes reflecting... conviction, "but then I realized that I couldn't accept that evil could and would forever blight humanity. Just as our desire to survive, breed, and eat is encoded in our genes, I hypothesized that our evil tendencies are also genetically hard wired within us. And so for the last few months I have searched for the genes that would encode our morality; I mean Bruce, what do you think I've been doing all this time for the last few months, running my company? Ha!" Bruce grunted almost respectfully. Lex did have a point, he certainly should have run his tabs better, but blind hindsight is an unnecessary tool of the trade. "So you of course found this gene of yours, and now you've identified those with a moral predisposition for good to survive. Or maybe you've identified a pleiotropy. Now what is it you plan on doing with your nano bots Lex? Release them upon the major urban sprawls of the world to target the bad?" A grin spread across Luthor's face. Of the Justice League, Bruce was one of the few who could keep up with his plans. Despite their opposing sides, Lex could see himself enjoying the company of this fellow billionaire beyond just work. Of course it would never work out, but a man could dream.
"Very good, Mr. Wayne. Yes I did find a few genes that were associated with morality. It appears we have little choice in destiny after all. A pity being the playthings of fate. But there is no reason humanity shouldn't evolve to a higher state, a state in which violence is eradicated, a state in which the world could unite. And with my nanobots this state can be achieved. Now why did I say only twenty million will be saved? Don't answer that, it was rhetorical, Bruce. It's because the genotype for goodness is autosomally recessive. Hybrids and homozygous dominant individuals will be driven by an evolutionary drive to perform selfish and destructive acts. It's not their fault; it's in their nature. They are destined to prevent human progress. And so, like parasites, they latch onto the minds of the great and reap the benefits that they have not earned. My nanobots will target these individuals and eliminate them, leaving the gene pool pure. So Bruce, what do you think?" Lex asked quizzically, still sitting innocently below the Bat. Bruce's nostrils flared and his eyes tightened, this was not progress, this was genocide! "How have you possibly convinced yourself that you will help humanity? You will leave cities empty and children parentless, how can you justify this slaughter?! Lex, I misjudged you. If there is any man on earth that deserves to die, it's you," Batman hissed through his clenched teeth, his venomous glare almost able to melt through Lex's nonchalant exterior. Lex stood up and sharply spun away from Batman, walking towards the unconscious Man of Steel. Bruce strained his ears to hear Lex's quiet and calm whisper echo throughout the armored warehouse the league was imprisoned within: "Do you think I'm exempt from this sentencing? The Horsemen do not make exceptions, even for their creator. I will fall with the rest of the world today. This is why I ask you to carry on my legacy, Bruce. Today is my last day on earth. The Joker, Grodd, Bane... we all die today Bruce. Don't you understand? I'm doing what your league never could do: eliminate evil from this world forever. Your league will pick up the shattered pieces of the world and put them back together, you will lead the new human race to glory, to greatness!" Lex lifted superman's chin to meet his gaze. "If you only could see me now, Clark. One day you will look back on this day and thank me; you will thank me when you, Lois, and your family have nothing to fear from a world that owes you everything," Bruce let out a deep sigh and relaxed his face. Perhaps... perhaps Lex's plan was not the design of a madman, but of a man fed up with his own mistakes.
"I assume your bots will administer a virus among the population, one that will target this moral gene, with only the recessive genotype immune to the disease. Tell me Lex, will they go out peacefully?" Lex tightened his lips and lowered his gaze: "Yes, I will die peacefully and so will everyone else. The virus releases a neurotoxin that prevents brainwave activity. We will die before knowing anything was even wrong. It will also cause rapid decomposition as well. You won't have to deal with billions of bodies. I want this transition to occur quickly and peacefully, Bruce." Bruce lowered his eyes in thought. There must be another way... people must have some inherent goodness within them. "Wait! Lex why not sterilize instead? Your could still achieve your goal and not kill millions of inno-" "I have considered that possibility," Lex interrupted, now staring into the depths of Bruce's eyes, "Do you honestly believe people would accept calmly that they have been sterilized? Riots, murders, and war would become widespread. My solution is painless. Bruce, if my solution had been integrated decades ago, your mother and father, Thomas and Martha, would still be alive today-" "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BRING THEM INTO THIS, DON'T YOU UTTER THEIR NAMES!" Bruce screamed hoarsely, straining against his restraints with a newfound strength. Lex didn't blink an eye. His face relaxed and softened, his hard facial lines forming into soft wrinkles. "Nobody had a right to take their lives, Bruce. I've suffered loss, primarily at my own hands, and those victims deserved none of the punishment given. And I don't speak their names to taunt you. I speak them to inspire you. Yes people will die today, even some innocent. But I need your approval before I push this button. What do you say Bruce?" The Dark Knight closed his eyes in thought and opened his mouth to speak: "Lex, as long as there are innocents in the world, I must say-"
"Yes," a weak voice interrupted him. Batman and Luthor whipped their heads towards the origin of the noise. All of other Leaguers were supposed to be unconscious! Lex's eyes were wide with astonishment. "You...agree with my plan? You of all people?" Lex almost babbled, his body clearing showing excitement and confusion. The Man of Steel raised his head another inch and spoke again: "I'm tired of this never ending fight, Bruce. When can we stop being the good guys- the heroes- and start enjoying the simplicities of life? When can I become a father in this world, Bruce?" "We can never enjoy the fruits of our labor, Clark; we are above that. When we donned our masks and our suits, we made a promise to the people of Earth that we would stand up for them in both good times and bad; we promised we would stand up for both the good and the evil- this is why we don't kill. This is why you are still alive, Lex. You are alive because no man or woman has the right to take a life. That night when my parents died, I made myself a promise to never inflict the pain that the man in the alley inflicted upon me. We are a Justice League for all, Clark, not just a League for the good. This is why I can't and won't give you my approval, Lex. People may be hard wired with an affinity towards evil, but they can at least try and do well. Look at you, Lex. Misguided you may be, but this still is your attempt to better the world and redeem yourself. If you have the capacity to change even slightly, then so do all people," Bruce concluded, his eyes pleading with Clark.
"Your rhetoric is moving, but my mind will not change on this matter. This world is flawed at its core. It's time to change humanity for the better. Bruce, thank you for trying, but this must go on. Clark?" Lex asked morosely.
Clark took a deep breath and averted his gaze from Bruce: "I'm sorry old friend, but I won't be a pawn any longer in this never ending cycle. Lex, do it." Batman closed his eyes in defeat and slumped within his shackles. He had not just failed today, he had been defeated.
"Thank you, Clark," Lex uttered before pressing the button. With a resounding hiss and creak, the metal canister in the room opened, releasing a small stream of black dust. Lex smiled one last time before he collapsed to the floor, silent. The Kryptonite suits that had encased the Leaguers snapped open, letting the heroes fall to the floor. Bruce and Clark fell to the floor, their muscles still weak from their restraints. Clark turned his head to Bruce and gave a weak and forced half- smile.
"A new era is beginning, Batman. Please join us in leading it, old friend," Superman almost wheezed, still fatigued from his Kryptonite prison. Bruce didn't meet Clark's gaze: "Yes, a new era has begun, but it will be an era without the Batman. Call me Bruce now Clark... just Bruce."