Three Years Later

Few things bother Lex Luthor as much as the Alien does. In fact bother was to put it mildly, like it bothered him when his coffee was cold. The Alien was more than an irritation to the self-made man and billionaire that now boasted the title of President of the United States. Luthor saw him as a plague, like the Black Death or the 1918 Spanish Flu, sent to destroy the human race. Regardless of what his critics might say about his passion for humanity, which was often seen as an obsession to bring down the being that had become a symbol of truth, justice and the American way. Luthor realized he was put on this Earth for a greater purpose.

He felt it was his duty to lift humanity up by its bootstraps even if it was kicking and screaming, to prepare it for the day he knew was inevitably coming. The day their so-called adopted son would turn on them. The Alien would wake one morning and bite the hand that fed and sheltered him for so long. It didn't matter how many statues they erected to him or how many beloved nicknames they bestowed upon him. He would turn on them and the world would stand aghast when it happened. Like an owner when their beloved dog turns on them or a loved one. Nipping at their child, drawing blood. It will be just as swift and as shocking. Only when the damage was done it would not be as easy as putting him to sleep. Oh no they would not be that lucky to simply be able to put him down, they would pay for their sentimentality and foolhardiness. He would be their undoing if Luthor could not make the world see the light.

They needed to rise to their full potential. Humanity could be much more if they could step out from behind their emojis, selfies and self-important blog posts. At one time they had found new lands as explorers, discovered unbelievable technologies as scientists and later were inspired to unite the two to reach the stars. Dreamers made dreams reality and that spark of imagination brought them out of the dark ages and into the dawn that should have been their age. Instead it was shadowed by his coming.

When he took his oath as President he offered an olive branch to the Alien. What was the old adage - keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Lex asked that they put their differences aside for the benefit of the American people. Perhaps like Luthor, the Alien saw no other choice. It was either forsake the change the country cried out for when they cast their votes or stand by the country he called his home. The Alien smiled and shook hands and was every bit the Boy Scout they said he was. He kept true to the words that had given Luthor the idea to step into office. "I am an American. If the President needs me, I'll be there." Words spoken out of duty with no thought for what future could hold him to them.

Lex on the other hand made another promise that day. He vowed to protect the American people - no the people of the world from what he foresaw. There might be a few others that lurked in the shadows, lingering in an alliance with the Alien but always ready to cross over to destroy him if necessary. Those persons could one day be Luthor's only allies in his battle to save the world from the one they thought would save them.

Standing in the shower he thought about what that meant. He had been in office less than 100 days. In that time they had pushed through legislation and delivered on many of their campaign promises, but now he saw it was time to get down to the real business. He had already surpassed the expectations of his constituents and critics - it wasn't hard after the last buffoon. The country needed a businessman, but one with an actual mind for business. Luthor was that man.

He rinses the last of the soap off his body and shuts the water off. Stepping out of the shower he grabs the towel with the Presidential Seal on it and dries himself off before wrapping it around his waist. In the bedroom the television ran the news on mute. He watches the well groomed anchor deliver the morning bulletins as he scans the scroll at the bottom. He finds that is where the most interesting news can be found. On the table a tray lays waiting for him. He pours himself a cup of coffee and picks up the pile of newspapers which he requested each morning. One of them being The Daily Planet from Metropolis. Some habits simply never die. He smirks as he sees the logo spread across the top in smudged black ink.

Unfolding it he reads the headline "BOOSTER MISSING: Third Ex-Leaguer Gone". He shakes his head. The third hero in less than three months to go missing. Lex quickly skims the article for details. Booster Gold this time. He shrugs, no great loss he thinks as he sips his coffee, but perhaps it's an opportunity.

The recent rash of missing heroes has shaken the meta community and while it would appear they were attempting to look after their own, it wasn't going as well as one would hope. If the missing had been wannabes it would have been one thing, but these were heroes with some credibility - though not much. They were not the A-listers like the Alien or the freak in Gotham, but known names. Booster himself had a strange following of fans that had dubbed themselves "Goldies" and a publicist that kept him in the limelight as much as possible. The fact that Gold had been following up a possible lead in the Blue Beetle case and had gone missing himself had the public now questioning where to put their faith.

As Lex dresses he starts to think through the possible scenarios. The hero types were fairly predictable which often allowed for simple deductions to be made - however there were a few exceptions to that rule. Those were usually the ones that lent themselves to a sort of "Chaotic Good" alignment. The Bat was a bit like that, while Luthor saw some of his minions held a little more to the Aliens lawful philosophy. Still he had just the man for the job.

Noah Kuttler, previously known to the world as "The Calculator", had been made legit with a single stroke of his Presidential pen. After that there was little to stop him from being confirmed as the Director of National Intelligence. Luthor had set the argument, that who would be better to protect the country's secrets than the man that had hacked numerous departments of the US Government. Once again his predecessor had paved the way with far more notorious selections which had passed the confirmation process, that made Kuttler look like Mother Teresa even with all his past indiscretions. It only took a little mental manipulation, and not the kind that Lex practiced on a regular basis.

While Lex had many contacts from his more colorful past, it had been Kuttler who had aligned Steve Dayton's interests with that of Luthor's. Mento simply focused his attention on a few of the Senators who sat on the fence regarding placing an ex-con in the position of Director of National Intelligence assuring that their votes would fall in line with the wishes of the President. Lex didn't ask for a windfall, only to help those who were undecided see the benefit of his choice. By the end of the news cycle Kuttler was being sworn in.

A simple tactic that most of the heroes thought Luthor had used himself to win the US Election. He hadn't. He had won it the old fashioned way with charm, intelligence and of course, money. While his opponents attempted to manipulate electorates, presented inaccurate facts and strike fear into the hearts of the American people, Luthor played it clean. Each smear campaign was easily deflected. He had solid plans to correct the disasters that had befallen the American economy and way of life in the past four years - and he could present them without the smoke and mirrors that the other candidates used. He was out to win and that was his opponents' biggest downfall.

Lex takes a sip of his coffee before pulling on his jacket. He checks himself in the mirror, straightening his tie. He could feel he had the start to it all in that one spark.