Lex stared at the young woman.
"A murderer? How so?"
Her brown eyes were reserved as she looked him over.
"That isn't important right now, Mr Luthor. And I understand you have a plane to catch. I won't keep you, but I would like to talk more on this when you return."
"Of course. I expect to be in Washington no more than about three days. Will you still be in town then?"
"The exhibition runs for a month. I'll be around," she said.
Lex nodded. "Please excuse me," he said. "I have some things to finish here before I leave. You can give your card to my assistant."
"Of course," she said coolly. "Thank you."
When she had gone, Lex found himself staring into space. The woman intrigued him. She dressed like someone who wanted to hide. Rather a lot like Clark in the years they'd been friends. And how he dressed now. Clark had often dressed in high school like he was trying to blend in. But someone as tall as he was and as good-looking as he was had no chance of hiding.
Even now, Clark hid his true self behind ugly horn-rimmed glasses, a bad haircut and a long, tan-coloured overcoat that would have looked better on a homeless man, or a flasher. All Clark needed to complete the look was the two-day old stubble.
Lex sighed and got up from his desk, going out to his assistant.
"I want you to find me all you can get on Moana Rangihau. Dig up every piece of dirt you can find. Understand? I want it on my desk when I get back from Washington."
The assistant paled, but nodded. "Yes sir."
Everyone in his office was absolutely terrified of him. The only one who didn't show it was Tess. Of course, the stunt she had pulled at the press conference announcing his return had ensured that he couldn't just easily get rid of her. And since her allegiance was with the so-called Justice League, he at least had a way of keeping tabs on the so-called heroes.
As much as Lex hated to admit it, he needed the heroes right now. The Illuminati triumvirate were making moves in Smallville which could seriously damage his corporate bottom line.
XXXXX
Amanda Waller was nothing if not intelligent, and she quickly recognised the implied threats from de Sade. The man no doubt had connections very high up. But what bothered her most was the way the man appealed to her innate curiosity. Waller had been intrigued by Superman since he'd made his debut. She was desperate to talk to the superhero, find out what made him tick. And with any luck, convince him to work for the US government.
But, of course, since the debacle of the Vigilante Registration Act, Superman, Green Arrow and their cohorts had rejected any overtures from the government. As Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow had spat back, the VRA had seen to it that anyone with any kind of super ability could not trust those in power not to exploit their abilities.
Waller was still uncertain of the superheroes' agendas. Were they in this for profit or something else? She knew there had been several in the seats of power who had wondered quite vocally if Superman was planning on taking over the world government. He certainly had the power.
She recalled Oliver's impassioned speech on a television broadcast over two years ago. The reporter had been scathing in her criticism. Of course, Oliver had 'come out' in an atmosphere of distrust of any hero who chose to hide his face. So her scepticism was natural.
"This isn't about who I am, it's about what I do," Oliver had said. "And I don't think I'm the first rich boy who felt that way. It was John F Kennedy who once said 'ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can for your country'." The woman had frowned at him, surprised by his passion, and somewhat cynical in his use of the slain former president. "So, now you're – you're comparing yourself to a fallen hero of this country?" "Well, why not? He saw the hero in all of us. I'm not dwelling on revenge for past atrocities or looking ahead to what I can purposefully gain from a few tax breaks, drilling oil wells in the ocean, putting up razor-wired fences to keep out immigrants who only want what our grandparents wanted. In this world of arm-chaired bloggers, who've created a generation of critics instead of leaders, I'm actually doing something, right here, right now for the city, for my country."
A great speech to be sure, Waller thought, but what did it all mean in the end? Superman was out there preventing crime, stopping bank robberies, rapes and murders, while shying away from international affairs saying it wasn't his business to interfere. He remained politically neutral. And as the British were fond of saying: 'Never the Twain shall meet.' There would never be any compromise, no meeting in the middle.
"Pourquoi les Illuminatis sont intérésse par Superman?" she asked de Sade as she sat in his hotel room, sipping from a glass of fine French cognac.
"Ah directe et franche Madame," de Sade said. "En effet pourquoi?" He smirked and sat down beside her, patting her knee, a move that rankled. Amanda Waller was not a touchy-feely kind of person and she didn't like anyone getting in her space. De Sade did not seem to notice her distaste. "Superman est un ennemi pour notre existence."
"Comment cela?"
"Les Gens, se tourne vers lui non?"
Waller was suddenly aware that they were both speaking French, yet it seemed as natural as her native English.
"Superman est une menace pour le Nouvelle Ordre Mondiale," she surmised.
"Les Illuminati ont maintenu leur existence secrete pendant des millénaires, non, plus que cela. Oh, bien sûr, il y'a toujours des supposition, des mythes. Mais aucune théories n'a jamais réussi à prouver notre existence, sans l'ombre d'un doute. Mais Nous guidons, non..." He seemed to have difficulty coming up with the right phrase and he waved his hands in the air as if he was manipulating something. Waller frowned in thought.
"Vous voulez dire que vous tirez les ficelles. Comme des poupées, des Marionnettes."
"Ah oui c'est exactement cela."
"Et biens sur , Superman ne peut pas être manipulé, ne peut pas être controlé."
"Vous avais compris Madame."
Of course she understood. The Illuminati had been rumoured to be behind almost every dark event in the history of the so-called civilised world. Whether it had been the rise of Third Reich in Nazi Germany, or, more recently, the felling of the twin towers in New York, they had been pulling the strings of every organisation, terrorist group or political party. Their influence spread wide.
"Mais Superman est Politiquement neutre," she pointed out. "Jusqu'ici, tout ce qu'il a fait est de prévenir la criminalité dans Métropolis et les aider les gens dans une des rares catastrophes naturelles."
"Je ne crois pas que vous soyer naïf, Madame."
Waller frowned. No, she wasn't that naive, but she still didn't see the point he was making.
"N'est-ce pas un de vos contemporain, un solliciteur général qui a dit: 'Une société amortis par un réseau d'étouffement de lois, tout en trouvant la libération dans le chaos moral n'est pas susceptible d'être heureux ou stable'?"
"Robert Bork?"
The law professor had been Solicitor-General in the eighties, and had also been an acting Attorney-General, with a failed nomination to the Supreme Court.
"Vous dite que vous voulais le Chaos?"
"Je crois qu'il y'a un terme pour cela, inventé par un auteur particulierement connue pour son franc-parler. Il l'a appelé problème-réaction-solution."
Of course, Waller thought. Create the problem, allow it to escalate to the point where the public begin to protest, then provide the solution. It had been done with the Great Depression in the 1920s. Many sociologists had expounded the theory that over-spending on vast amounts of credit was what had led to the economic downfall and the crash of Wall Street, leading to the rise in popularity of socialist policies. It was no coincidence that Roosevelt's 'New Deal' and other countries' political reforms showed remarkable similarity.
Superman had only been known in Metropolis a couple of years. Before that, of course, he'd been known as the Blur. But the crime rate in Metropolis had decreased considerably. People were happier, more hopeful, because they had their hero to look up to.
And that was something the Illuminati could not allow.
"Why would the Illuminati be interested in Superman?"
"Ah, direct and to the point, Madame. Why indeed? Superman is a threat to our very existence."
"How so?"
"The people, they look up to him, no?"
"Superman is a threat to the New World Order."
"The Illuminati have kept their existence a secret for a millennia; no, more than that. Oh, of course, there is always supposition, myth. But no one living has ever managed to prove our existence beyond a shadow of a doubt. We guide, no? We ..."
"You mean you pull the strings. Like puppets. Marionettes."
"Ah, yes, this is so."
"And of course, Superman is someone who can't be manipulated. Can't be controlled."
"You understand, madame."
"But, Superman is politically neutral. So far, all he's done is prevent crime in Metropolis and help out in a few natural disasters."
"I do not believe you are that naive, madame."
"Was it not one of your people, a Solicitor General who said: 'A society deadened by a smothering network of laws while finding release in moral chaos is not likely to be either happy or stable'?"
"Robert Bork?"
"You're saying you want the chaos?"?
"I believe there is a term for it, coined by a particularly outspoken author. He called it problem-reaction-solution."
XXXXX
The flight had been, thankfully, short. Tess had watched her brother, anxious to get the flight over and done with. Lex had been on the phone the entire time, to his attorney, from the sound of it, and had ignored her. For that, Tess was grateful.
They were supposedly attending a dinner that evening and Martha Kent was supposed to be there. Tess hadn't seen the senator since Clark and Lois' second, more successful wedding, two weeks after the aborted one. Tess was fond of the Kent matriarch, although it had taken time for the two women to build a rapport. Martha had been initially reserved. Tess could understand that, however. After everything the Luthors had done to the Kents, it was no surprise.
As soon as the plane had taxied in to the hangar, Tess picked up her bag and briefcase, following Lex out to the limo. He still ignored her and she wondered if he was thinking about the young woman who had come to his office earlier. She knew he had already started investigating the woman.
The limo stopped outside the hotel and Tess continued following Lex, trying to keep up with his longer strides. He was clearly in a bad mood and she wasn't going to do anything to make it worse.
Once up in the penthouse suite, Lex went to the master bedroom. Tess found the second bedroom and shrugged out of her travelling clothes, going to the shower. Ten minutes later, she came out of the adjoining bathroom wrapped in a towelling robe, her long wet hair wrapped in a turban.
She sat on the bed and picked up her cellphone, dialling the number on her speed dial.
"Clark, it's Tess."
"Hey Tess. What's up? I thought you were in Washington?"
"I am. Listen, Lex had a visitor at his office today. A woman. A reporter, actually."
"Let me guess. Moana?"
"You had a run in with her too?"
"Yeah. She was at the Planet to see Perry."
"Did anything strike you as odd about her?" Tess asked.
"Actually, yes. Lois and I are looking into it. We'll let you know if we find out anything."
"I'm sure Lex has asked his assistant to investigate her too."
"Any idea what she wanted to talk to Lex about?"
"It sounded like she wanted to interview him, but there was something off about her. I don't know. Maybe I'm paranoid."
"I doubt it," Clark answered. "Don't worry about it, Tess. Just ... watch your back. You know how Lex is. And say hi to my mom for us."
"Will do."
Tess disconnected the call and began unpacking her suitcase, pulling out the formal dress she was planning on wearing to the dinner. It was a lavender silk strapless dress with a tight bodice. She shook it out and hung it up.
The door was flung open and Lex walked in. Tess glared at him.
"Lex, have you ever heard of the word privacy?"
"I wanted to make sure you knew the agenda for tonight."
"Yes, Lex. Mingle, talk to a few senators. I was acting CEO for you for over a year."
"Before you sold me out to Oliver Queen," Lex sneered. "Just make sure you keep to your role tonight. You're representing Luthorcorp, not your 'friends' in the Justice League.
"I am perfectly aware of my place, thank you," she told him coldly. "Now get out so I can finish getting ready."
"Be careful, Tess," Lex said. "I gave you your position because you were my flesh and blood. And I don't tolerate betrayal."
"Hence your throwing Lionel out a sixty storey window."
"Lionel's death was a suicide!" Lex returned.
"I'll believe that like I'll believe you never had any intention of killing me when you returned. Don't worry, Lex. I know how to behave like a Luthor."
Tess glared at Lex's retreating back, wishing she had heat vision like Clark. Sometimes Lex treated her like a glorified assistant rather than an executive VP. Hatred bubbled up like bile in her throat.
The only reason she'd chosen to return to the family corporation after Lex's return was because her friends needed inside information. But since Lex already knew she was working with the League, it was all kind of pointless.
She really needed to re-assess her life.
The biggest problem was, Tess was lonely. Sure, she was surrounded by good friends, but she hadn't dated anyone in months, and the last guy she'd slept with had tried to kill her. Not tried, really. He had killed her. It was only Granny Goodness who had brought her back to life. And just the thought of what that evil woman had been capable of gave Tess shivers.
An hour later, Tess left the suite and made her way down to the waiting limo outside. Lex was already waiting for her, looking handsome in a black tuxedo, his bald head shining.
"You're late," Lex commented, nose deep in some folders. He nodded his head toward some other folders lying on the seat. "Study them. Those are the people I want you to mingle with. I happen to know Senator Kelley is a sucker for a beautiful woman."
"Are you suggesting I seduce them?" Tess asked.
"It's good business," Lex told her, still reading. "Know your enemy."
"These aren't your enemies. These are senators."
"Senators who happen to be on the committee for Armed Services, and thus have veto power over any projects with military applications."
And Luthorcorp needed the research and development contracts, Tess thought. She picked up the folders with a sigh and began reading.
Most of the guests had already gathered in the ballroom and were politely mingling. Tess saw Martha and immediately went to greet her.
"Senator Kent," she said.
"Hello, Tess, how are you?"
"As well as can be expected," Tess said with a quick glance to where Lex was already talking with Bruce Wayne. "I didn't know Mr Wayne would be here tonight," she added with a frown.
"Neither did we," Martha answered. Tess looked at her. Martha looked a little tired. Her once beautiful red hair, while still showing some of its colour, had turned grey in the last couple of years.
"How's Clark?"
Tess looked at the newcomer. Kara, of course, in her guise as Linda Danvers. She was wearing a brunette wig and large glasses.
"You know Clark. They're hanging in there. Did you manage to talk to ..."
"Yes, I did," Kara told her. "In fact ..." Her eyes widened and she gasped. "It's that man who was in the farmhouse. The NSA agent."
Tess frowned, looking at the agent. Crawford was as blonde as Oliver, with a slightly sallow complexion and short stubble around his chin and on his upper lip. He was tall, possibly 1.83m and extremely good-looking.
He spotted them watching and winked. Tess turned back to Kara.
"Do you think he recognised you?" she asked the young woman also known as Supergirl.
"I don't think so. At least, I hope not."
"Well, I hope not either," a voice said. Tess turned and looked at the tall dark-haired man. He smiled briefly. "Miss Mercer. Or are you using the name Luthor now?"
"Tess is fine. Mr Wayne. I'm surprised to see you here."
"Well, your brother and I do have similar business interests." He turned, his eyes sparkling as he studied Martha. "And this must be the lovely Senator Kent. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise, Mr Wayne," she said.
He smiled congenially. "Please, call me Bruce." He then turned his attention to Kara. "And you are ...?" Although he clearly knew exactly who she was. Tess figured he was doing it for the sake of the people gathered around them.
"This is my niece, Linda Danvers," Martha told him.
Two others came to join their little group. Tess was immediately taken with the tall, dark-haired man whose expression and laughing eyes were a complete contrast to Bruce's more taciturn expression.
"I don't believe you have met Steve Trevor and Diana Prince," Martha continued.
"No, I can't say I have," Bruce answered.
Tess noticed Lex shooting her a look and she quickly excused herself, with a roll of her eyes.
Martha smiled at her and nodded with complete understanding. Tess mingled for a while, intent on at least fulfilling part of her obligations to Luthorcorp.
"Miss Mercer, what a surprise to see you here. And may I say you look very lovely tonight."
Tess turned and looked at the man.
"Signore Donatello," she said.
"Please," he said, lifting her hand to kiss it. "I must insist you call me Francesco."
Lex turned away from watching the exchange and focused his full attention on the older man. Ross Webster was an ass, and probably his biggest rival in the field of biotech research and development.
"Where is your sister this evening?" Lex enquired.
"Oh, she's around somewhere," Webster said. "Of course, you know my friend Lorelai," he added, grasping the arm of a blonde woman about twenty years his junior.
"Of course," Lex nodded.
"I see your charming sister is accompanying you this evening," Ross said, leering at Tess' cleavage.
Lex bristled. "My sister is not your concern," he snapped.
Webster smirked. "Careful, Luthor. You know what your old man used to say about mixing business and family. It never ends well."
Webster turned away with another smirk. Lex sipped his champagne, glaring at the man's back. As he glanced around the room, he saw Tess frowning at him. He scowled at her and stalked off.
XXXXX
Clark came downstairs from the bedroom to find Lois sitting on the couch flicking through the channels. She sat back with a sigh.
"He has cable and still there's nothing on."
"You sound restless," Clark told his wife.
"I am. Mara okay?"
"Yeah, she's asleep."
"God help me, but I can't wait until she starts sleeping through the night." She looked up at him, seeing him dressed only in loose pants and t-shirt. "I thought you were going to go out on patrol?"
"I don't want to leave you here alone," he told her.
"I'll be fine. It's not like someone's going to fly through the terrace doors, now is it? There's only one flyboy in this neck of the woods. Go, patrol."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"You know, I could always call Kara to ..."
"Kara's in Washington again, remember? She said mom invited her to the dinner tonight and she wanted another chance to talk to Diana."
"Oh, yeah, I forgot." He zipped upstairs and returned within a couple of seconds with his suit on. He leaned down and kissed her. "Don't stay up too late."
He flew off from the terrace over the city, tuning in with his super hearing for any trouble in the city. It seemed mostly quiet. Mostly. There were a few accidents and fires, but they occurred within a couple of blocks from assistance, so he knew he wasn't needed.
Just as he was planning to give up on patrol and head back to Oliver's clock tower apartment, he spotted a young woman being followed by two very large men. The woman looked vaguely familiar.
He flew down, intending to land, just as the two men decided to try and rob the young woman. She turned and glared viciously at them.
The two men laughed.
"Think you can take us on, little lady?"
She smirked. "Well, let's see, you're both way out of shape and heart attacks waiting to happen, plus you're old and ugly. What do you think?"
Clark snickered. She had guts. He watched a little more as the two men looked at each other and launched at the woman. She easily dodged them. They turned and tried to corner her against a dumpster, but she ran up the wall and somersaulted, wrenching out of their grips and giving them both kicks in the back.
The two men stumbled, crashing against the wall and turned, looking stunned at being so beaten by a slip of a girl. They looked at each other and shrugged, then took off running. The woman looked disgusted.
"Is that all you've got? Morons!"
Clark almost split his sides, laughing. She clearly didn't need his help. The woman turned and resumed walking.
"Enjoy the show, Superman?" she asked.
He stopped floating in the air and joined her on the ground.
"You were doing so well on your own," he told her.
She laughed. "Yeah, idiots thought they could rob me. I'm no Buffy, but I can hold my own."
He cocked an eyebrow. "Buffy?"
"Yeah, you know. Buffy. Blonde, little, kills vampires?"
"That's a tv show," he answered.
"That was a joke," she returned.
She resumed walking and he began walking with her.
"What are you doing out here this time of night?"
"Just checking out some clubs. I'm looking for someone."
"Oh?"
Clark frowned. Her voice sounded familiar. It almost sounded like ... but the accent was different. She talked with an American accent.
"Maybe you can help," she said. "Do you have an email, or ... No, of course you don't. That would be ridiculous."
"You can contact me through Clark Kent at the Daily Planet."
"Oh, right," she said, nodding. "They seem to have the exclusive on you."
"Well, Clark Kent and Lois Lane are friends of mine."
"Great. I'll give Mr Kent a call tomorrow."
"Would you like me to walk you home?" he asked.
"Thanks Superman, but I'm sure I'll be fine. You probably have better things to do than babysit."
"Well, goodnight then, Miss ... I don't know your name."
"I didn't give you my name," she said with a smirk. "Good night, Superman."