Advocacy: Part One – Troubled Waters
Chapter Seven
Mercy Graves' Corporation (M-Corp)
Several floors above ground level a slight but confident woman paced within the confines of her office, it was an averaged sized office so she was able to cover a reasonable distance. There were a great many things on her mind that had provoked her into wearing the floor down, her heeled boots clacking against the wooden surface as she continued to pace back and forth without indication of stopping. She was met each day with new challenges, new problems that required her attention in the hopes of them gaining solutions and as each day passed, Mercy reconsidered what is was she was doing or at least hoping to do.
Ever since Lex had abandoned his Corporation while he single-mindedly pursued the Presidency, Mercy had been left to head the company. Not of course that she had been given much choice, Lex assumed she would take care of the business while he was away just as he had always assumed. Just as always she had brought the company back onto its feet for him to come back and selfishly rip it apart again for his own ends. Just like always though she had come back and been dragged under his influence, taking the reins and falling under that charm of his. Mercy had promised when he had left to pursue politics that it would be the last time, no more would she be his dog mat to tread and stamp on as much as he pleased, she wasn't going to do it anymore. Little did she know that it really was going to be the last time.
He had been President all of six months, if that, and he had caused conflict amongst all of the leading countries, each one ready to tear the heart out of the other, and why? Because Lex had a plan that was just as selfish as the rest of him, a plan to put him on the throne of the world, and she like everyone else knew that it would come to an end sooner or later. Despite how well she believed she had known him though, even she had been disgusted by the images she had seen on the television, the images of a broken Flash being carried in the arms of Superman, the former limp and lifeless. It had sickened her to the pit of her stomach. The League had been who they were, they were of course powerful beyond compare but she had never dreamed that Lex would cross that line, that he'd actually kill one of them. A lot of lines were being crossed though, Superman had followed soon afterward.
Mercy took a deep breath as her pacing finally stopped and she glanced out of the large window that adorned most of her office wall. Upon her desk were piles and piles of folders and documents, articles and research items on everything that could be found on the Metas they knew of. There was a list there as well that archived every Meta with a known identity, the likes of Mari McCabe and Dr Ray Palmer, both of them and others famous in their own rights. They would of course be approached. The Registration Act she had helped to pass demanded it of them but at the same time, what if they refused? They were Meta's after all or humans with extra ability, they could quite easily resist and what was she to do then? Of course she had her ways but it was the resources that were bothering her, she had the legislation but she didn't have the manpower to bring in the likes of Lord Superman. The upside was that she already had some considerable Metas onboard, but again it brought her back to the question of what it was she was trying to accomplish.
Mercy glanced around the landscape from her window, her eyes examining the buildings and roads below, the people as they moved about their daily lives, the press as they hounded the guards to be allowed in. The Corporation itself was built to stand alone but with a high wall border around its outside, the press as she could see were gaggling around the front gates. She let out another sigh. On her desk there were several other folders that detailed sightings of the various Lords that were still as far as she was concerned, at large. So far there had only been sightings of Lord Superman, Lord Batman and on occasion Lord Lantern since the failed Thanagarian occupation. It wasn't the first time she found herself wondering what exactly had caused them to go into hiding in the first place. No-one knew why except that Arkham Asylum had been approached by the Lords, although dressed in how they once were before the death of the Flash. It was obvious the two were connected but in the way of the how, she didn't know.
Lord Superman though troubled her. He troubled her more than the others by far. His powers made him a practical God in their society, he was practically indestructible with a strength that was beyond comprehension at times, not only that but he had crossed that precarious line, the line that kept him on the side of hero. Why was she doing this? She was doing this to stop the likes of him stripping the world of its freedom, to stop the likes of him from taking over the world and doing exactly what Lex always tried to do, seat himself upon the throne of the world.
"You're not going to win this time Lex." Mercy muttered to herself "I won't let you."
She could only imagine the victorious smile he would wear if he knew just how far he had pushed Superman, if he knew that he had pushed his incorruptible nemesis into melting the minds of criminals and putting himself in charge. Yes, Lex would get an all too large a kick out of that, and isn't it what he had always wanted to accomplish? To destroy the good nature of Superman, to corrupt the incorruptible, to prove that even the likes of Superman could go bad.
She'd do it with the Registration Act, she'd get all of the Metas under the control of the Government and they'd help pull in the others like Superman with too much power and too much hatred. Mercy would fight to fix the mistakes of this corporations' past, she'd build a legacy that Lex would writhe under, because she believed in it. Superheroes should be under the system of the people they protected not the other way around, and Mercy herself would protect the people from them.
Below her in the restricted areas of the corporation, scientists were working around the clock because they needed more than just the Meta's that signed over, they needed a guarantee that as the underdogs they wouldn't get stamped beneath an all too powerful boot.
"Miss Graves...there's someone here to see you."
Mercy was snapped out of her trance like state, the voice of her secretary over the comlink stirring her thoughts back into that of the present. She hadn't the time for burying herself under so many burdens and for a split second as she moved towards her desk she wondered how Superman had felt beneath his own burdens. No doubt he had them even if they never seemed to show, she had to believe he had them though, had to believe that there was some tiny strip of humanity left inside of him. If not, then she didn't know how they were going to right the wrongs of the world.
She pressed a slender finger with rose painted nail to the intercom button, wondering to herself absently who it could be that wanted to see her. Perhaps another Governmental official on business regarding the finer details of the Registration Act, it was often monotonous but it needed to be done.
"Who is it?"
There was a pause, a minor hesitation that irritated her, she had things to do. Although she managed a glance at the newspapers, Clark Kent was still writing for the Planet, his style a little more aggressive than she remembered.
"A Mrs Waller," The secretary replied "She claims that the visit is quite urgent."
Mercy rolled her eyes at that. Everyone claimed their visit was urgent these days, anything to get seen immediately. The word urgent just didn't have the same effect on her anymore. Half of her wanted to dismiss this visitor but she decided that she could use the distraction.
"Tell her to give me a few minutes. I'll buzz through when I'm ready."
"Yes Miss Graves."
Instantly after the confirmation was received, Mercy began tidying her desk, removing elements of sensitivity that she didn't want others to glimpse. She locked them away securely in a hidden draw that was safe from prying eyes, the rest she fitted into a small leather folder she kept with her everywhere. Satisfied she lifted her coffee cup to her lips and emptied the contents, glancing over the other assorted papers as she did so. As it would seem the Registration Act was winning support in the polls, there were a few against it who didn't want to antagonise Metas further but for the most part it had the favour of the people. She smiled a little, one of the day's small victories.
Prepared she once again pressed her finger to the intercom and this time summoned her would be guests. Moments later the door was swung open and a shorter statured yet confident woman entered. Mercy assessed her almost instantly, the woman seemed grimly determined yet Mercy was given the strangest impression that she was dangerous in some way, at least that's what her instincts told her.
"Mrs Waller I presume?" Mercy asked not prepared to give a less formal greeting.
"Ms Graves." She replied curtly. She was dressed in a fine purple dress suit, her eyes set in a confident frown that bestowed that Mercy should listen when she spoke.
Slightly annoyed by this woman's assurance, Mercy pressed on "I was informed that you wished to see me on matters of some urgency."
Mrs Waller moved to the desk and without invitation from her host took a seat, leaning her elbows onto the table while making easy eye contact with Mercy. In truth Mercy felt ever so slightly threatened but she'd dealt with Lex for years, surely Mrs Waller whoever she was, was of little comparison.
"I'm here on business, Ms Graves." Waller stated matter of factly as she moderately glanced around the office apparently in interest "I wonder if we could speak more privately."
Mercy frowned, the expression marring her fairly young features. "This is a secure office. I can assure you Mrs Waller that we will not be disturbed nor overheard."
Waller seemed to find the statement amusing but the look in her eyes didn't change, she was deadly serious and Mercy knew that she really did mean business. In the back of her mind she knew she needed to find out more about this Mrs Waller.
"Perhaps it is Ms Graves, but I assure you that the topics I wish to discuss would be better discussed in some of your more...underground facilities." She smiled dangerously.
Mercy was stunned "Excuse me?" She stammered. No one aside from specially selected staff members knew of the underground facility beneath the corporation, not even the Government knew so how did this woman know?
The amusement was still in Waller's eyes as she spoke "Don't panic Ms Graves, your secret is safe with us. Perhaps I should tell you more about myself?"
A glare was levelled on her by Mercy who was less than amused by this entire situation, clearly it wasn't going to be the distraction she had originally laid it out to be.
"Go on, you have my attention."
Waller inclined her head "My name is Amanda Waller. I am a Governmental official but not of any part of the Government you have ever heard of. Have you not wondered why you, the head of the company once led by Lex Luthor, have been granted the powers that you have? Haven't you found it the least bit curious?"
"I..." Mercy stumbled, of course she had wondered, it seemed absurd at times that they had given her so much power and control. "I thought it was because of my suggestion for the Meta Registration Act."
A nod was given "In part, yes...a fine idea by the way." Waller paused as Mercy fumbled an uncertain 'thank-you'. "The truth is Ms Graves that I and my sector are fully aware of your underground activities. It is with my proposed involvement that you have been allowed access to everything that you have."
"Why haven't you come forward sooner?" Mercy demanded, her calm facade tumbling quickly beneath the words of her guest, everything she thought she had and every step she thought she had made being undermined by every word.
"We wanted to be certain as to what it was you were working on, after all, Meta replication is a substantial project."
Mercy attempted to regain some of her composure "How better to defend against Meta's? I'm sure a woman of your obvious calibre can realise that even signed on Metas can turn on us at anytime."
"Of course." She smiled again in a way that didn't reach her eyes "I have no interest in providing resistance to your plans, in fact, I believe I may be able to assist you in your efforts."
Mercy snorted "What makes you think I need your help, Mrs Waller?"
"Dr Frederick, your lead scientist is failing even as we speak. Test after test has come back with no obvious results. I have a contact that can give you the results you need and much faster than you could anticipate."
"And I'm to assume that you'll offer this assistance freely? That they will?"
A moment passed between them as the two women glared. Amanda Waller simply raised an eyebrow before she pressed her finger to her ear apparently communicating through some hidden communicator that she had managed to get through security. Mercy decided that that was something else that needed more attention.
"You can come in now." Waller intoned into her communicator. A second later and the door opened once again, this time revealing a brown haired man with thick rimmed glasses and a tall blonde girl trailing along behind him. Mercy only got a short glance of her, enough to see that she seemed anxious and uncomfortable.
"Allow me to introduce you to Professor Hamilton," Waller said smugly "And his daughter...Galatea, I believe you may recognise her from somewhere?"
The girl named Galatea took a step forward coming up beside her father and Mercy got a good look at her. In doing so her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with an errant hand.
Oh my God.
"Shall we take this conversation to a more private location now, Ms Graves?"
Mercy Corporations – Lower Levels
The lower levels of the corporation were sterile and cold, the metal surrounding every inch supplying that atmosphere as it chilled her to the bone. Mercy hated coming down to the lower levels, she hated every second of it but she tolerated it. The reason she hated it was no doubt because it reminded her strongly of Lex Luthor, many things after all did and she sometimes wondered if she'd ever be able to cut him completely out of her life, out of her. Behind her Amanda Waller, Professor Hamilton and Galatea followed her in silence, their various shoes impacting the floor and generating various sound pitches that echoed throughout the corridors. The sound comforted her in some ways but in other ways it didn't, grave revelations were before her. Mercy had no idea what Waller wanted to discuss with her, nor did she know just how she had managed to learn so many sensitive details concerning this corporation, a corporation that had hidden this part of itself so successfully from the Lords.
Galatea was on a whole other level of revelations.
Eventually the small group reached a cordoned off conference room, a large room that was just as sterile as its surroundings. Flashing a key card at the reader, Mercy unlocked and opened the door revealing a large spacious room complete with table, chairs and dozens of blinking monitors, none of them showing anything of grave importance. Mercy shut the door and locked it after inviting her guests inside, she wanted no disturbances so checked the locks a second time.
"So, why did we all need to come down here Mrs Waller?" Mercy asked as she took a seat at the table, sitting her leather bound folder upon the surface as the others took their seats in silence.
Waller too took a seat at the table, she seemed completely unperturbed by the cold surroundings, Mercy deduced that she must be used to them.
"I have a proposition for you Ms Graves." She paused for effect before adding "I believe that we can help you."
"You've already alluded to that Mrs Waller. My interest is in how you proclaim to do so."
"You have funds," Waller stated as she glanced at the Professor who then withdrew a briefcase and began rummaging inside, every so often moving documents out of his way and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "And I...well Ms Graves, I have the manpower."
Mercy watched Professor Hamilton and more specifically Galatea, she watched as the young woman watched her father with interest, her eyes not remaining on the room for long. In opposition to Waller Galatea seemed almost uncomfortable here.
At last Hamilton handed Waller a wad of documents which she accepted without a word or glance in his direction, her focus was on Mercy and Mercy alone.
"Galatea is a clone of-"
"Supergirl." Mercy interrupted "I noticed." She also noticed the flicker that crossed over Galatea's features at the word 'clone', it intrigued her somewhat but she hadn't the time to look into it further. "Something tells me though Mrs Waller that the Metas signing their allegiance to the Government aren't going to voluntarily hand over a swab of DNA...hell, it's hard enough getting some of them to sign as it is."
"They don't have to, Ms Graves." Waller tossed the document in Mercy's direction "As for the ones that won't sign, leave that to me."
Mercy raised a sceptical eyebrow as she opened the folder she had been offered. She peered at the contents, eyes scanning the details. She didn't need to read them all, she got the gist of it. A part of her was shocked by what was proposed on these papers, another part of her recognised it as something very Lex like. Would she ever get away from that snake? She doubted it.
She shut the folder and took a second to take a breath. Could she advocate this? Could she allow something like this to happen? She thought back to her own thoughts earlier on in her office. She had put herself on a path she believed would carry Mercy corporations out of Lex's shadow and she would be the one to protect the people from those more powerful than them.
She fixed her eyes on Amanda Waller "I don't want any of this leading back to my company. I've not rebuilt it and had it survive the Lords to be beaten down by this." Mercy tossed the document onto the table for emphasis.
"None of this will be traceable to this establishment...the facade at least." Waller stated in absolute confidence, she clearly knew what she was doing and Mercy shuddered to think, was well practiced.
Silence filled the room as Mercy clearly thought hard on the proposition. Amanda Waller seemed to grow impatient and continued to sell the opportunity she was offering.
"We need a defence against Meta's, Ms Graves. Those guys signing their names? We can't trust them any more than we can trust the Justice Lords, they could turn on us any time they please, but this," She tapped the documents "This lets us have Meta's fully under our control, Meta's created by us and governed by us."
Mercy still seemed unsure and she glanced once again over to Galatea who levelled her eyes on her if only for a fraction of a moment. The instant passed and Mercy looked back to Waller "How do I know I can trust you?"
"If you're as smart as I hope you are, you wouldn't trust anyone." She paused "Not even me."
Mercy had been there and done that before "Fine, we have an agreement." Waller smiled pleased "But," Mercy interrupted sharply "You prove yourself by honouring your statement earlier."
"What statement was that?"
"You get more Metas signing their names on the dotted line," Mercy smiled now feeling her confidence begin to slide back "And while you're at it you can investigate this." She tossed something from her leather binder to Waller "Let it be understood Mrs Waller, this corporation is still mine."
Waller raised an eyebrow before she examined the sheet before her "Sightings of Lord Superman?"
Mercy nodded "You want this programme to work? Bring him in."
The room fell into heavy silence as Amanda Waller read the last known locations where witnesses had spotted Lord Superman. Galatea seemed to twitch at the mention of Lord Superman but no one in the room seemed to notice.
Metroplois – Daily Planet
Washington DC
Gotham City – Wayne Industries, Wayne Manor
Waller nodded her head "We'll get right on it."