Let's Make a Deal

Langley, Virginia

Lynch knew he had Kent's attention. Dangling the notion of getting his ship back was just part of his strategy. The military had the ship hidden somewhere, but Lynch was confident he could find out its location. He had no intentions of giving it back. The art of the deal in Lynch's business was finding something someone wants very badly and then holding it just beyond their reach while they did what you wanted. Young Mr. Kent had proven surprisingly smart, but Lynch was an old hand at this. He would string him along until he was in too deep and Lynch would have him. He wished his men had found the Kents sooner and kept them alive, they would have been the ultimate bargaining chip, but no use crying over spilled milk.

"You work for me, Mr. Kent and I give you back your ship,' Lynch offered. "How does that sound?"

Clark had been surprised when Lynch brought up the ship. Frankly he hadn't thought about it in a long time. He would like it back, just to find out more about where he was originally from, but he seriously doubted Lynch would ever give it to him. If the crystals Jonathan Kent had taken were any indication, the ship was technology far more advance than anything found anywhere on Earth. Governments and branches of the military don't just give something like that away. In his digging, there had been no mention of it in any of the files he'd seen. Clark just assumed the military had it, as they probably saw it as a potential weapon.

So Lynch was lying, but then that's what people in his business do. Clark was reminded of the children's fable about the Scorpion and the Frog. The frog agrees to give the scorpion a ride across the stream on his back, but halfway there the scorpion stings him, drowning them both. The frog asks why and the scorpion's reply is 'it's in my nature." The story's moral is universal: Some creatures just are what they are. Lynch was what he was.

"Work for you?' Clark asked.

"Yes,' Lynch replied. "As you can see, I have no problem with aliens working for me."

He pointed to Zealot, who just stood by taking it all in.

"It's a good offer, Mr. Kent,' Lynch said with a smile. "Just think of it, you could have your ship back and fly off whenever you wanted. You could return home if that's something you want to do. You'd be back among your own people before you know it."

Clark suppressed a smile. Lynch had made a mistake and hadn't even realized it. If they'd been able to tap into the ship or getting working, they'd have known about Krypton. His comment about 'returning home' said they had nothing and the ship was still a complete mystery to them.

"You sign up, Mr. Kent, you get your ship, simple as that."

Clark floated down to the ground and stood in front of Lynch.

"Keep the ship."

"Wh-What?' Lynch asked in surprise.

"I said keep it,' Clark repeated.

"You don't want it back?" Lynch asked.

"Yes, but you're not going to give it to me, Mr. Lynch. You're going to string me along while I work for you,' Clark explained. "You'll keep delaying returning it with one excuse after another. That's not a negotiation that's blackmail, Mr. Lynch."

"No it's not!" Lynch proclaimed.

Clark turned to Deathstroke.

"Mr. Wilson, you're a hired gun," Clark said. "What does Mr. Lynch's offer sound like to you?"

Slade Wilson, Deathstroke wasn't especially fond of Lynch, but the money was good and he liked the work.

"It sounds like bullshit, kid,' Wilson said. "It's blackmail, he ain't got your ship and even if he did he wouldn't give it to you."

"Shut up, Wilson, remember whom you work for!" Lynch snapped.

"I hire out to you for the jobs you pay me, Lynch, but I don't work for you,' Wilson replied. "The kid asked me an honest question, I'm going to give him an honest answer."

"Thank you,' Clark said to Wilson and then turned his attention back to Lynch. "No deal, Mr. Lynch, keep the ship if you have it."

Clark started to float up off the ground.

"Wait!" Lynch shouted. The ship had been his best option, but it wasn't his only option. He'd seen some of what Kent could do and wanted him working for him.

"Forget the ship for now, we can still work out a deal, Kent!"

Clark stopped and looked down at Lynch. Now it was his turn to try some blackmail.

"Here's my offer, Mr. Lynch' Clark said. "You leave me alone and get the others to leave me alone and I'll leave you alone. A man in your position, Mr. Lynch relies on being anonymous. What happens if the press suddenly starts getting information about you and all the things you've been involved in? A spy that everyone knows is a spy becomes a liability, doesn't he Mr. Lynch?"

"That's blackmail!" Lynch shouted.

"I figured you'd spot that right away,' Clark replied. Under the mask he smiled.

"Exposing me won't get you what you want, Kent."

"It will eliminate one of my problems,' Clark countered. "You."

Lynch was scrambling now to come up with an alternative. The kid's threat could put his career in jeopardy. It wouldn't ruin it, as people like Lynch were always in demand, but it could put it in limbo for a while. He had one other proposal for young Mr. Kent.

"You could do some damage to me, Mr. Kent, but why not work with me instead?' Lynch replied. "What if I could make you legal, a citizen? That would solve a lot of your problems, wouldn't it?"

"I'm listening."

"A temporary O-type worker visa, Mr. Kent,' Lynch said. "They were set-aside for Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement. I think you would be classified and qualify under those parameters."

"Temporary worker visas as for non-American citizens that want to work in the US, Mr. Lynch." Clark replied. "I think you know that. I also think that doesn't apply to me."

"Hear me out, Kent,' Lynch countered. "The statute says: For persons with extraordinary ability or achievement in the sciences, arts, education, business, athletics, or extraordinary recognized achievements in the motion picture and television fields, demonstrated by sustained national or international acclaim, to work in their field of expertise. Includes persons providing essential services in support of the above individual. Nowhere does it say what sort of non-American alien it applies to. That's the loophole, Kent, it doesn't say you have to be from Earth, just that you're not from the United States."

Clark wasn't sure what to say. Lynch had a point, so he just waited for him to continue. What he was suggesting was something Clark hadn't considered before.

Lynch felt his confidence growing again. Kent hadn't flown off, so he was interested. He just needed to get Kent working for him and it would buy him time to come up with something else to keep him in the fold.

"Think about it, Kent." Lynch said. "I'll get you a temporary worker visa, O-type and you'll be legal. We can put it in any name you want, but it will all be legal."

"What what's the price of this offer?" Clark asked.

"Same as before, you work for me,' Lynch replied.

"Not interested."

Again Clark started to float away.

"Wait, we're still negotiating, Kent,' Lynch quickly said. "To have the temporary visa, you have to have a job. I'll provide that. We can make you a sub-contractor like Mr. Wilson. The visa will be good for 6 months and in exchange you do some work for me. At the end of the 6 months you can walk away. I tell you what, I'll make it even simpler for you. As a good faith gesture on my part, I'll get you a 2 month temporary O-type visa to start and you only have to do one job for me."

"What's the job?" Clark asked.

Lynch smiled as his pulled a smart phone from his pocket. The hook was about to be set and it would only be a matter of reeling Kent in after that. He had thought of this job several days ago and figured it was perfect for Kent. He quickly scrolled through the pictures until he found just the right one. He held it up for Clark to see.

"I want you to rescue her,' Lynch said.

Clark looked at the picture. It was of a stunningly beautiful young woman with orange skin and flaming red hair. She also wore the briefest outfit Clark had seen outside of a beach.

"Who is she?" He asked.

"Her name is Koriand'r, she's an alien like you, Kent,' Lynch explained. "She's being held prisoner in New Gammora. They are using some sort of device to siphon off her powers and harness them to power weapons."

"Why not just send in your team?' Clark asked, gesturing to Deathstroke and Zealot. "I'm sure they're more than capable of rescuing her."

"Oh, they are. Unfortunately, they're known on New Gammora, plus I have other jobs for them,' Lynch replied. "You are an unknown, so if something happens and you fail, it doesn't tie back to me or the government."

Lynch tossed the smart phone to Clark. He looked at the picture again. She was definitely an alien, what kind he had no clue. She was young, probably only 20 at the most. That she was being held captive made Clark want to accept the job immediately and rescue her, but he remembered he was dealing with Lynch. There had to be more to it than a simple rescue.

"Why her and why do you want her rescued, Lynch?" Clark asked. "Are you going to force her into your serve too?"

Lynch laughed.

"She already works for me, Kent,' he said. "That was why she was in New Gammora. She's an exile from her own world living here on Earth. Openly too, Kent, unlike you, she made a deal. She's a citizen of the United States now in exchange for doing a few jobs for me."

"So a temporary visa for rescuing her? Is that it?"

Lynch wanted to close the deal and figured one more fact might just push it over the top. Young men like to believe they are chivalrous and noble. Lynch figured that sort of crap would appeal to young Mr. Kent.

"She's a princess back on her own world, Kent,' Lynch offered. "You'd be rescuing a princess just like in a fairy tale."

Clark highly doubted it would be like a fairy tale, but even if he didn't make a deal with Lynch he knew he was going to try and rescue the young woman.

"So you're going to give me a temporary visa if I go to New Gammora and bust her out? That's the deal, Lynch?"

"Basically yes, but you have to do it quietly, Kent,' Lynch replied. "That means you have to tone down your abilities so they aren't noticed. You get in and get her out without them figuring out what or who you are. Quietly, Kent, this has to be a very, quiet, stealthy mission that can't be traced back to me."

"I want the temporary visa first."

"All right, what name should I put on it?" Lynch asked.

Clark thought about it. He'd used so many names over the years that one seemed as good as another. If this was only going to be a 2-month thing, which he thought it probably would, he might as well use the name Jonathan and Martha had christened him with as a small tribute to them.

"Kent."

"And a first name?"

"How about something like Clark this time,' he suggested.

"Clark Kent, welcome to the United State of America,' Lynch replied with a big smile.