AN: I'm back, everybody, with some good and bad news. Yes, I am still writing and posting YJ stories with another one I'm working on with this one. But unlike the last two seasons I did, this one will be more like a regular story instead of episodic in nature with this one most likely being the last of the series. Other stories will take place during the others in the timeline like a few of the short ones and YJ: VOW. Now with the new season in the works, I'm making my stories "YJ Legends", like what Disney did with the majority of Star Wars stories.
Now depending on how the new season goes, I may or may not write tie-ins with those episodes. Though I do have some requests for the ones behind its production. Bring Wally back, bring on the Darksied arc, and keep SuperMartian alive and well.
Now as always, enjoy the ride.
Young Justice: Next Step
By Angelus-V1
Prologue
The papers read about the fall of Luthor enterprises. Lex Corp had all but disappeared from the industry business. It all began shortly after what was now known as 'The Crisis' where a demon from a place better left unnamed came close to bringing an apocalypse to Earth. The public gave thanks to the Justice League, their saviors against the end of life on the planet, never knowing the real heroes were a group of near inexperienced teenagers known as Titans.
A year after The Crisis, Lex Luthor, who had been away on sabbatical, came back into the public eye and restarted his bid for the White House. His victory was a landslide and his term was the finest America had ever known. Stocks rose to record highs, the dollar was never stronger, unemployment fell to almost half of a percent, universal healthcare was available to the public, education programs were churning out a record number of graduates, factories were shipping goods to other countries, and new technology was making life easier and more enjoyable. It was a high time for America's citizens as they were finally in an age where terrorism was not something to be on guard against twenty four-seven. People finally had time to breathe.
Then the questions began.
Headed by reporter, Clark Kent and his wife, Lois, President Luthor was always on his toes at every conference he had. Questions on his time away from the country, his limp, the mystery woman in his life, the young girl seldom seen in public, what his company was involved in now that he were president, and why he was always stressed.
The questions started easy enough to answer, he was out of country with his family to mourn for a loved one where he had an accident that severely damaged his knee. When pressed, he was forced to give details on his relationship with the woman known as Queen Bee, the late dictator of Bialya. He was ready with a response about the young girl seen with him and introduced her as his and Queen Bee's daughter, a child kept secret from the public as to protect her from the assassins responsible for her mother's death who were still at large.
His stress was blamed on the loss of the woman he deeply loved and how he was trying to live up to being a hero in his child's eyes when she got older. Questions of his company were handed over to his assistant, Mercy Graves who shared day to day duties with a Mister Corbin.
Being a man of high intellect, Lex Luthor had an answer for every question, a reason for everything. But it finally came to an end.
On the eve of his second term as president, a massive catastrophe rocked the industry that was his. Deeply guarded information was exposed, shedding light on corporate espionage done on his behalf. Documents indicating he was behind some unethical scientific experiments and discoveries made their way to the public as well as a plan costing tax payers billions of dollars for the eradication of beings such as likes of Superman should they turn against the public and worries of a genetic arms race.
With everything hitting the fan and being exposed, President Lex Luthor was soon finding himself in the position of the villain before the people of America and the world. His ratings dropped to a little over ten percent almost overnight with those in his cabinet distrusted him just as fast. This was just the tip of the iceberg as more information was released, revealing a type of cancer not known to men quickly spreading throughout his body, causing him extreme bouts of pain and moments of senility. The mysterious cancer had made living almost impossible for him with the pain it caused but it would fail to take his life as an unknown party assassinated him while giving a public speech in front of the White House.
With the former President Lex Luthor now dead, multiple questions rose, the largest of which was, who released the information and saw fit to end his life. Lexcorp was divided and sold off with Wayne enterprises ending up with a large portion of it while a young up and coming individual gained control of half of what was left. Then there was the revelation of another offspring of Lex's, a young man who managed to keep what was left of his father's company.
But of course, this was still just the tip of the iceberg.