Dream a Good One Tonight
Chapter 7
J'onn could feel waved of doubt pouring off Joey's subconscious. The hardest part bout being telepathic, as he was, was deciphering the actual thoughts from the knee jerk reactions. He made no claim to actually understanding the surly woman. However she heeded his request and kept her mouth shut, which was a remarkable feat in and of itself. They all ended up in one of Bruce's many rooms, this one - he assured them - was vacant and secure. He had voiced a concern about Joey knowing his identity but she had dismissively waved a hand and claimed there was no chance in hell she was going to 'tell on him' as it would associate her with a coward. Bruce's nostrils had flared and J'onn discretely managed to slip between them.
"It's been about twelve years now, at least." Bruce considered what he was saying thoughtfully. Truly thoughtful. "I wouldn't have been pushed to hide, as you eloquently put it, if there was some other way to stop what Lex has been doing. He's killed everyone - when I say everyone, I mean it. Superman went with a kryptonite blade Lex keeps on display in his office. That was the last straw." Bruce's eyes had strayed to J'onn's for a moment before he scoffed lightly and gestured for them to sit down. It was only once they had that he followed them into a seat of his own. "To stay in the spotlight only to become another dead on the ground was not the fate I was willing to pick. This isn't about strength any more - the person with thicker muscles isn't going to win this war. Clearly, or else it would have been over long before now. We're facing a shift in genetics unlike anything that's been done; literally creating soldiers made of the strongest and meanest creatures on Earth. The fact that every visiugo he has altered is actually connected to the earth, nature in some way, makes them even more dangerous in their strength. Because they aren't simply synthetically made…Lex, for all his villainy, is too smart to miss that detail.
"We can do all we can to get him to stop his research, to set all those mutated visiugo free…but rushing into the facilities like we are an activist group protesting animal testing won't do. It's a business-at its core, he is trying to make money and therefore all we can do is tackle him in his own arena. Which is what I've been doing." Bruce leaned forward on his chair, punching in a few numbers to the key pad that was nestled into the table. In an instant, the middle part folded inward on itself and from it came a round edged suit case. "Of all the genetic research and work Lex has put into this endeavor, there is one thing he relies on more than anything. It's not whether or not the new genes are compatible with the old, its not about the morphing and the physical appearance of these creatures. The cosmetics mean nothing in the grand scheme of it all. No…its that, no matter what he does, deep down, they are still themselves. You cannot change mankind, you can simply cover it with a mask and make it appear as something else. The shark beneath all the other animals he piles on top is still a shark underneath it all. What he must constantly do is force them into submission, to keep them from turning on him using the beefed up strength he's given them to destroy their 'creator'. And it has worked - so far."
J'onn watched Bruce with keen eyes as the man opened the suitcase. Inside, cushioned by a thick foam mold, were four vials of silvery liquid. He carefully picked one up, being sure not to touch too much of his skin to the glass. He twisted the vial and the silvery liquid beaded as it rolled in the depths of the glass housing. "It has taken me seven years to determine how to deactivate the component, the one that makes them obedient, once its been activated. I have isolated a hormone that's present in all animals, on that is common and primal. It initiates the natural flight or fight mindset which is what causes us, and them, to care for themselves therefore deactivating the suppressive mind control he has on him. It's base, native to all creatures and doesn't have to be a introduced as a new concept, like the submissive obedience that is - in no way - natural, that's a learned trait. I just had to find a way to remind them that they have free will.
"I only share this information with you, as I'm sure J'onn you remember my modesty in releasing confidential information to anyone...anyone," he paused and carefully replaced the vial into its snug foam housing, "because, even if you aren't really who you appear to be, and you return this information to Lex, you won't be able to stop it from occurring. In fact if you take this knowledge to a source that is working for Luthor, it will simply give him the opportunity to watch his empire fall. Beyond that, while he wasn't looking, I've been buying up shares of Lex Corp through various sources and subsidiaries." Bruce smiled, a dangerous thing indeed. "I own as much of his company as he does. Too consumed by his project and the anticipated outcome to realize. You can take that back to him too."
"Batman - Bruce," J'onn said patiently. "I truly am your friend. J'onn. I might have died here some years ago, as I trust your judgment and what you saw. I do not wish to know the details of how I came to such a demise; but I am J'onn from a separate Earth. A parallel one. You, the Batman I know, hypothesized about their existence. Surely you have to. I was brought here to help, by Joey and her companions - mounting a resistance against Luthor. It is mere chance that I'm here. I come not to stand in your way, but to assist in your cause. If you have determined a way to stop him then I am more than prepared to be by your side to see it to its end. Whatever it is that can be done, Joey and I are here to help." J'onn watched Bruce for a short moment and there was silence between the three of them, Joey looking on with curious eyes, before Bruce shook his head and closed the table top with another touch to the keypad. "That's unnecessary. I don't need more help - I have this handled." It wasn't shocking to J'onn to hear and he had no intention of arguing with Bruce as he knew it would be a losing battle.
"What? Are you kidding me? Are you too noble for it - to ask for help? You know what, its not even about asking for help, its about accepting it. Because here we are, with nothing but aid to give, and you deny it. Too good for that too I bet. For a coward, you're awfully sure of yourself." She frowned. "What the hell is wrong with you people? Were you planning this league of justice that stops villainy at all turns too? Is it some secret society now that has a hideout and fancy rings to get to be part of? Otherwise, common folk certainly can't be involved, regardless of whether or not its their world that is being destroyed. I'll have you know I've seen more of my friends die than perhaps you've cared to consider while you've been 'plotting' your plans for takeover. Great job on that - it doesn't change the fact that people are dying."
Bruce's eyes darkened as he narrowed his sights on her. J'onn could simply feel the air grow thick with the tension between the two and the last thing they needed right then was for either to snap at each others throats, verbally or physically. "I have no idea what you're talking about nor do I care; I can't change what has happened, all I can do is keep it from continuing. I want to stop Luthor as much as you clearly do, I have as much motive as you do as I have lost friends in this war too. And I intend to do so, with means and a plan that is actually going to work. What was your plan Joey?" He asked her sharply. The woman fell silent. "Bark at them from the street? Or were you going to walk right up to Luthor and tell him what you think of him and what he's doing? The way I see it, your methodology lacks in many aspects and very key elements. I've considered this for many years and worked to cover all possibilities. You seem to spend mere seconds developing your defense."
"You're arrogant enough to fail." Joey finally found her voice and told him curtly, but in a much softer manner as if he'd struck a chord in her somewhere deep down. "Why not suck it up and let us be your net. Fine, you can do it by yourself. Excellent. I'm not arguing that." She said harshly. "Keep on, keepin' on. But why not have a plan B? Have a little bit of humility and consider that, as you're not the first to try, you might not be the first to succeed either. Because that's a lot of lives, a lot of families, to put on the line for a little vial of liquid that could be as effective as a drop of water."
J'onn bowed his head. He knew that Batman was a man of mystery and one who often preferred independence. He was also wise and thorough if nothing else. "I know you well enough, even if your experiences here have been different, to know that little will change your mind or alter your plan. I respect that too, I find value in what you have researched and discovered. Perhaps we could provide you with additional information to assist, a way to administer this drug, perhaps. Payton, a friend of Joey's, works closely with Luthor's project; heads it in fact. From what I understand, it is his work that might be of most use to you." Bruce was stonily stoic, as if he wasn't at all effected by what J'onn was offering.
"I know of him. Go on." He said briskly.
"We could bring him to you and you could learn from him other useful facts about Luthor's research and the facilities. Together, we could develop a way into them to initiate this attack." J'onn was sitting straight in his seat, completely in control of his body and his mind. Joey's eyebrows came together and her mouth opened, but J'onn's voice entered her head before she could speak. 'Do not interrupt now, it does us no good. We must earn his trust and to do that, we must offer something that will aid him as much as it will us.'Joey looked over to J'onn slowly, her head twisting in his direction and her nostrils flared - out of what seemed to be frustration and irritation.
"Yeah, we'll just...fetch him for you." She smiled in a discomforted, thin lipped grin. Bruce seemed not to notice though, or he didn't care to take note, as he gave J'onn a small nod of his head. "I will let you in personally - in an hour. That should be more than enough time to return. And like I said, J'onn...if you mean to betray me, feel free. There is no stopping this now." There was still a measure of mistrust that Bruce offered J'onn in his concealed threat, as it was exactly that. It was a warning and a challenge. One J'onn had no consideration of acting on as his intentions were pure, but Bruce could continue to question that and J'onn would continue to prove his loyality.
They were dismissed with Bruce's tentative approval, but only should they return with the golden egg that was Payton. J'onn had ushered Joey out quickly, a hand to the small of her back as if that would get her to go faster and not be distracted as they exited. Anything before she opened her mouth again and ruined the small measure of trust they were given. Once they were standing outside of Wayne manor, Joey stared at the gate for several long minutes before snapping around to J'onn. "Well that's special. You're impossible." She looked at him in sheer disbelief. "Are you out of your mind? You do realize that Payton, the man you promised to return to that elitist psychopath in order to destroy the other psychopath that has been terrorizing my world, is no where to be found right? How in the hell do you expect us to deliver the doctor when God knows where he even is?"
J'onn glanced down at her. "He is not a psychopath. He is a man pushed to the end of his limits, and even somewhat further beyond that. He carries the weight of the world on seemingly sturdy shoulders, just as he always has done. How he managed that burden is different than some; he is an admirable man for all that he has survived, both here and elsewhere. He will be a valuable ally, a friend even. I know where your friend is. I never would have promised something I could not deliver. Come...before our time is up."
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