12. I Am Superior
Summary: What has Luther been up to. (Chapter title from JLU episode, 'I Am Legion')
Weeks ago,
"YYAARRGGGHHH!"
CRASH
The sound of the semi
assembled robotic arm smashing against the wall boomed aloud in the
hall like room, its echoes trailng in the empty corridors on the
other side of the door.
"Damn Monkey." The baritone voice carried as much venom as it did anger. "Who does he think he is. Treating me, Lex Luther, like I am his personal slave."
In response, his other half, the sentient computer Brainiac, reminded him why they had joined Gorilla Grodd's Legion of Supervillains in the first place. It was all because of the only remaining piece of Brainiac's physical self, the one that Grodd had in his possession. It was just before what Lex had thought would be a onetime deal, but turned out to be just a first of many missions and payoffs that he had to make for the telepathic Gorilla.
"Give me the piece
of Brainiac and we are even."
"Not yet Lex.
Today was just a test. Your next mission is for real.""He still has
something we need. We have to put with him, for now."
"I should kill
you."
"But you won't"
"No…Not today."
"I won't kill you
now monkey," Luther cursed aloud once again. "Death will be too
easy for someone like you. I will make you pay for every single thing
that I have had to do these past months, every single time when you
have tried to show yourself to be superior than any man."
An idea forming in his mind, he jerked his head towards the left, towards a rather large piece of machinery behind which a slim, teenager like form was crouched, in an effort to stay out of the fire.
"You. Toyman."
Barked Luther. "Come here."
"Y-Yes Boss." Even
as his face sported its ever present smile, the diminutive Toyman's
nervousness sounded clear in his voice. "Want something boss?"
"Yes. Get out."
"Huh?"
"Get out you idiot. Stay out and don't allow anyone to disturb me until I call for you again."
"Uh-okay boss." More than happy and rather relieved at being able to make a safe getaway, especially after the last time when Luther in his rage had nearly knocked off his head, Toyman scurried out the door, feeling safe only after the click of the door lock sounded behind him. Hopefully by the time Luther called him again, his temper would have cooled down to less harmful level…harmful for Toyman that is.
And cool it did. It cooled down so much that the next time i.e. almost nine hours after sending him on sentry duty, Luther called him, the bald man had a rather smug but still sinister smile on his face.
"I want you to find
someone for me." It was straight down to business.
"Find?" Toyman
tilted his head up to him. "Who Boss?"
"His name is
Prometheus. Find him and tell him that someone requires
his…services."
"Done boss."
Getting ready to leave again, Toyman stopped at Luther's reminder
to him.
"Do it alone. Don't
let anyone know about it." That meant not taking Bizarro or any of
the other Luther supporters in the Legion. "Contact him, but
without using my name anywhere. I don't want anyone to know about
this." 'Not yet anyway,' he added to himself.
Once the other man left, Luther returned to ruminate on his plans and how this change was going to play in the larger scheme of things, all working towards two objectives, one of which, life before, was to find Brianiac and once again merge with him and the second, a more pressing one (for the man part of Luther-Brainiac) was to take down Grodd.
"Monkey. You might be far superior to any man…" he spoke to no one in particular. "…but at the end of the day, that's all you are. A lowly monkey. One who has forgotten his place in the chain of evolution."
---
Recently,
Making the first move of his elaborate plan to both keep the League busy, thus keeping its attention away from the Legion and to take over the Super-Villain group at the same time, Lex Luther had ventured out of the safety of the Legion headquarters, and was now standing in front of the man he had selected to make his first hit…right at the brain center of the League. The Batman. Next in line was that infernal idiot, the one who took Brainiac away from him. The Flash.
Along with these two, there was also a list of six randomly chosen Leaguers, with neither of them being from the executive council. It was a simple yet ingenious plan. One hit per week for eight weeks, with Batman and Flash making up for week one and five. As for the other six weeks, Green Arrow, WildCat, Katana, Aztec, Crimson Fox and Gypsy, made them up respectively. Three men and three women. After al, no matter what, no one could accuse Lex Luther of not being an equal opportunity person. Even villains he had chosen were three and three each….except for Toyman who he wasn't too sure about.
One thing he had clearly avoided, especially given his past, was going against Superman or anyone close to him. It was a deliberate choice, because even if he wanted to hurt the League and keep them involved, Luther wanted to do so without drawing too much attention. And bringing in the Kryptonian into play…well, that pretty much ruled out anything covert. It was for the same reason that Bizarro had been kept out.
"When do you want it
done?" Bereft of his helmet, Prometheus's silver colored hair
stood out in the sparsely lighted warehouse.
"A week from now."
Lex answered from the shadows, Toyman standing close behind him.
"Here is half of the money." He gestured towards the
robot/android. "The other half…"
"Not now."
Prometheus lifted a gloved hand. "Not for this hit."
"What do you mean?"
Luther's voice dropped as his suspicion rose.
"This time, I'll take it only after its done." After all it wasn't everyday that you got the hit on the Batman. This one, as much as it was a job, it was also a name maker, a sort of Superbowl Ring for someone like Prometheus. "Just let me know how do you want him? Want me to bring him to you? Alive or preferably Dead?"
A corner of his lips curving up seeing kindred pride, Luther took a few seconds to ruminate over his choices.
"One, I don't want
my name to be even remotely attached to this. Two, I want him left
alive, but only just. If he succumbs to his injuries…then it isn't
our problem, is it. Three, I want that hellhole he tries so hard to
salvage, to be set on fire….just not by us. I want it to be done by
the ones who have been wronged by him. And four, I want it done so as
to return a favor to a…friend."
"A friend?"
Prometheus arched an eyebrow in query.
"Yes. The Joker. I want the Joker to be freed to put a smile on the people of Gotham. Their final smile."
---
What Luther had told neither Toyman, nor Prometheus or even the person he was to contact for the hit on Arkham, Harleyquinn, was that from a surprise visit by a pro bono lawyer, the Joker already knew about his upcoming release, and about the two million dollars to finance his activities.
Next in line was Merlyn, and unlike Prometheus whose main aim was the man rather than the city, Merlyn was to do an equal split, hitting both Star City and its guardian, Green Arrow.
Progressing each week, it would all culminate two months from now, just in time for Grodd's planned attack on his erstwhile home, Gorilla City. Once that was over, the monkey would give up to his position to a someone even superior, him, Lex-Brainiac Luther.
---
Present time, Gotham City,
"Just what do you think you are doing?" Stopping mid move, Tim Drake stared at livid red face of woman standing in the doorway, Alfred's calm but concerned form just behind her.
"We are taking him to
the cave." It was Dick who answered, calmly resuming the actions
that had stopped from the intrusion.
"Are you out of your
mind?" Stomping up to the bed, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, got right in
the face of the young man, deliberately coming in between him and the
bed where a still unconscious Bruce Wayne lay, blissfully ignorant of
the goings on around him.
"Leslie." Dick sighed, his frustration clear on his face. Bags under his eyes, fatigue lines around his mouth, and sporting a two day old stubble, Dick Grayson looked anything but rested. Not helping matters was the bandage on his right arm, over his costume, the one he hadn't taken off since returning from his patrol over three hours ago and from handing over Arnold Wesker, the Ventriloquist to the G.C.P.D. With the other four, the Joker, Two-Face, Poison Ivy and Lock Up, still out there, he knew that it wouldn't be long before one or all of them made their move. In such a position, keeping Bruce here in the city, even if it was in an secret section of the basement of Leslie's clinic, wasn't something he was at ease with.
"Don't Leslie me."
Running a hand through her hair, the doctor stared down all the three
men in the room. "I told you that in his current state…."
"I know that." Dick
snapped, almost feeling sorry at how much of Batman had sounded in
him.
"Don't you dare use
that tone with me, Richard Grayson. Don't. You. Dare." Leslie was
equally heated in her response. "I did not spend five hours, dig
out dozens of bullet fragments, set two bones and bandage just about
half of his body so that you could play Batman junior and play along
with his muse to act as if he is invulnerable."
"Leslie…" Alfred
started, only to be silence by a raised hand.
"No, Alfred. You
might have to and want to go along with their ruse to dress and go
about beating people, trying to get peace without using anything
other than intimidation and violence, but I don't." Returning her
stare to Dick, she carried on. "You want to take him out of here
without him recovering and I swear that you will have to do it over
my dead body."
Silence reigned in the room, until…until a female voice sounded through Dick communicator.
"Nightwing." It was Raven on the other side. "Nightwing? Are you there?"
A deep frown still darkening his face, Nightwing lifted a hand and answered the call. "This is not a good ti….WHAT!" His expression changed mid-sentence, as did his physical demeanor. "I'll be right there."
"Dick?" Tim too was
up and ready to move. "What is it?"
"I have to go,"
Dick answered, already pulling on his gloves. "Contact Babs and
tell her to come here."
"What about Bruce?"
Tim gestured at their mentor's prone form.
"Him." Dick glanced
from Bruce to Leslie to Tim and finally to Alfred. At getting a near
imperceptible nod from the Wayne family butler and senior, "Let him
be here…but only till he is fit enough to move," he relented, but
only just. Knowing Bruce, as soon as he woke up, he would make the
move himself. "Tim…." He started.
"Yes."
"Contact the
Huntress." Both Tim and Alfred raised eyebrows at that.
"Tell…request for help. I will be away for sometime. Titan
business."
"What happened" Tim knew enough that for Dick to react this way, it had to be something very personal. Except for Bruce there were only a handful of people for whom Dick got so agitated, and with three of them already in this room, and one at her home, the list got whittled down to basically the Titans.
"Roy's been shot."
---
Elsewhere on Themiscyra,
"You'll be what!" Diana's bellow sounded through the marble corridors.
"Wonder Girl." The
lively teenager answered with seemingly never ending zest. "Sounds
great doesn't it. I even have a punch line."
"Punch Line?" Diana
echoed with a sinking feeling in her gut.
"Yes. Punch line….ahem," Donna cleared her throat and adopted a welcoming pose.. "Ta da. Now presenting Wonder Girl."
"Wonder Woman 2.0.
Double the fun, none of the blow."
"Hera. What
have you got me into."
-
-
Note: This chapter was mainly to tie up the trailing plotlines from this fic to the JLU cartoon series, with a helping of (a couple of) events from Green Arrow's IC tie-in, and of course, the Titans nee Outsiders. But with all modified for the Animated setting.
JLU Spoilers: s5e1 (I Am Legion), s5e6 (Dead Reckoning).
Next chapter…Who or What is Donna? The story of Diana's younger twin.
Please Review!
