Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted materials contained herein. They are the rightful property of their respective creators and/or associated companies. I make no profit from this whatsoever and I have no intention of changing that at any point in the future. I write because it's fun and because there are those who enjoy reading my works. So please no law suits or cease and desist court orders.
Note : Sorry it's been so long. I doubt I'll ever abandon this story but what I write and how much I write depends on my muse and how well the old creative juices are flowing. I decided to do some more work on this when the reviews on some of my newer stories mentioned it and wanted something done. I managed to get enough for three or so chapters so I hope you like them.
As always positive reviews are welcome, constructive criticism will be considered but not necessarily acted upon and negative/bashing reviews will either be ignored or used as fuel to keep on writing just to irritate the negative reviewer.
Xander's POV
Shit!
That was the first word that came to mind when his eyes picked up on the flying forms coming towards what remained of the surface portion of Project Cadmus. At first he'd only suspected what and who they were but once they'd gotten close enough, his TV viewing and the odd newspaper he read let him identify them immediately.
The Justice League.
Not one or two members of the League, but from what he could tell every single member was present and, as he looked for an avenue of escape, he found that they were coming from all sides. Did they have reason for this encircling or was it mere chance that had them arriving in such a manner? He didn't know but he did know that no matter what direction he might fly in there'd be at least four members of the League there to bar his path. When added to the fact that many of the heroes who could fly could do so at Mach speeds, so escaping them was not an option he was willing to explore… for the moment at least.
Of those he knew he could count on there was only Cordy, Knockout, Barda and Cassandra. While three of the four could take on the Justice League's heavy hitters and Cassie one of their more human members, the sheer numbers against them made defeat all but certain. Indeed they had his group outnumbered almost two to one and, with no idea of how well Indigo and the others could fight or if they even would, conflict was not something he wanted to experiment with. As for running, he had a suspicion that Knockout's Father Box might be able to open a Boom Tube that they could use to get away but he hadn't been pleased that it'd been used already, or even still existed. Thus far they hadn't had another encounter with the Female Furies or any other force from Apokilips but he didn't like sending up a flare to let those people know where they were.
Plus, if the Justice League saw them using Boom Tube tech and then had a bad encounter with the warriors of Apokilips later, the heroes might assume a connection. THAT would lead to a whole lot of trouble that he could do without thankyouveryMUCH!
At first he thought that he would be the one to break the ominous silence but it turned out that a member of the group that he figured had caused the damage to the sub-level fifty-two door went first. Wearing a full bodysuit with only head and hands uncovered, the young man stepped forward and with a single motion put a torn piece of the fabric back into place revealing a familiar S-symbol. It was a white and red variation of the same symbol sitting on Superman's chest.
"Is that what I think it is?" Batman asked, sounding concerned about the implications.
To be honest so was he.
Based on everything he'd seen it was clear that one of Cadmus' objectives was to either defeat or replace the Justice League and, given the law breaking as well as the shunning of morality… he'd bet good money it was a super villain….
…Or a member of the American military that didn't like superheroes.
"He doesn't like being called an 'it'," Kid Flash said in a poor stage whisper.
Still, the junior speedster had a point. Regardless of how one came into being, no one liked to be referred to like an inanimate object.
"I'm Superman's clone," Super…boy? Declared strongly for all present to hear.
A ripple of shock and grim consideration went through the collection of heroes surrounding him and he imagined that they were all having the same thoughts of him as they tried to answer who, what, when, why and how in their heads.
"Start talking," Batman ordered with his gaze directed at Kid Flash, Robin, Aqualad and Superboy.
What followed was a summation of how the sidekicks had chosen to one up their mentors by solving a case ahead of them, discovering Cadmus' true nature and then barely managing to salvage the situation into a win. To be honest, even with their training, it sounded like something the Scoobies would've done back in Sunnydale, albeit with better odds for getting out of the mess. The trio hadn't uncovered nearly as much as he had but that was only because they hadn't gone in looking for intel, whereas he had.
In any case once the debrief was over with he could feel eyes turning to him since it didn't take rocket science for someone to figure out that he and his group had been inside the real Cadmus as well. Still, he wasn't going to spill everything to them on the off chance that the backers of the facility had agents close by. It was after all poor strategy to let your opponent know how much you really knew about their operations in advance. Keeping them in the dark about the sheer degree of classified intel you had kept them off guard and gave you more options.
"My friends and I were attacked at our home outside Central City but we were able to fight them off, and after finding the support team that'd brought the creatures there, we learned of Cadmus," he explained, keeping things short and to the point. "We figured they wouldn't take us kicking their pets' asses very well so it'd be better to go on the offensive. No killing, no destruction, just acquiring info and evidence of what they were up to so we could hold it over the heads of the people in charge. The message would be simple: leave us alone or this all goes VERY public. Didn't figure on Robin and his pals sneaking into the place at the same time, or them bringing the house down. Still, I'd say it all worked out in the end."
"What exactly did you find?" Batman asked, no doubt trying to pacify his inner paranoia and compulsive need to know everything.
"Evidence showing a means of detecting temporal phenomenon, attempts at genetically grafting foreign alien DNA into 'acquired' human subjects and, as you now know, having their own heroes," he replied, nodding a head in Wonder Girl's direction. "Found her on ice down on sub-level fifty-two. Three guesses who she's related to and the first two don't count."
He doubted that it took Batman even three seconds to figure out who Wonder Girl was connected to and Wonder Woman also proved herself perceptive by coming to the same conclusion.
"Then, of course, there's this guy," he said pointing at the unconscious one armed teen laying on the ground. "He was on ice too and Robin confirmed what I'd figured about him. Seeing as how I saw a news report on Speedy less than a week ago with no sign of amputation to the right arm, I think it's obvious someone either has or plans to pull a switcheroo on you guys."
"You're saying you think that's the real Speedy?" Green Arrow asked, recovering from the initial shock of the sight and sliding into denial.
"That's my bet. Based on the wear and tear on the pod he was in and the amount of frost I had to scrape off to get a look inside, it's been switched on for a while," he replied, hoping this little revelation in addition to Cadmus itself would be enough to cause the JL to put his group on the back burner for a while.
Long enough for all of them to disappear at the very least.
"That Cadmus and its founders need to be thoroughly investigated goes without saying," Batman said after a few minutes of silence. "We'll also need you to turn over whatever evidence and information you managed to uncover inside Cadmus. If we're going to get to the bottom of this we're going to need as much information as possible."
It didn't even take him a minute to come up with a response.
"No." He did his best not to be cowed by the expressions on the faces of the heroes gathered around him.
"Why not?" Superman asked, sounding like he hadn't seen that coming at all.
"The information we acquired is leverage against the ones who ordered the attack on me and my friends. In our hands, people the masterminds probably know very little about, it'll be more effective a deterrent than it would in your hands. They might know how you all think but they don't know how I think," he replied, seeing no harm in telling them. "As for Wonder Girl and the others, I consider their wellbeing my responsibility since I'm the one who rescued them and, forgive me for being blunt, but I don't know if I can trust you with them."
"Magneto!" Cordy exclaimed before floating quickly over to his side. "This is the Justice League you're talkin' about. They're big time heroes! If anyone can be trusted to do right by these girls, it's them."
He'd picked up on the fact that Cordy had only just managed to keep herself from blurting out his name and she definitely didn't like him butting heads with the Justice League. Honestly he wasn't thrilled either but it didn't invalidate the points he'd made. The Justice League had been around long enough that whoever was backing Cadmus knew how they operated and how they would handle things thus making them predictable. By keeping the info in his hands, someone that hadn't been a blip on their radar until recently, he effectively stalemated them until they learned more.
As for Indigo, Miss Kitaen and Wonder Girl, he meant what he said. He was the one who rescued them so that meant he had to take care of them. Just dumping them on the Justice League after freeing them didn't feel right. As for the not trusting the Justice League part…well…
"I know they've got good press, Rogue, and according to the media have saved a lot of lives, but it still doesn't change the fact that I don't know them personally," he said, not budging in the least from his position before looking Batman in the eye. "I'm sure you know more than a few ways the public can be manipulated into believing something and villains have tried pretending to be heroes to trick people before. Without getting to know you firsthand, trust will always been an issue."
"I'll admit that keeping both the information and the victims in your care has considerable tactical advantage but can you really make the best use of either?" Batman asked, taking a similarly strategic angle. "Being under the radar means you don't have the connections and allies we do. They'll be less likely to treat any information you found as credible or worth staking their reputations on. However they do know the Justice League."
"Connections would be a problem if I planned on choosing a specific news station or newspaper to give the information to," he said, showing no weakness. "I'm not. Mass media saturation is the way to go. With how connected everyone is electronically, I can throw out the information to anyone with the tech to receive it. Most people won't be able to make heads or tails of any of it and others'll probably think it's a joke, but some doesn't mean everyone. Those with scientific know how will know it's legit along with the cops and the feds. There'll be no way to cover it up or hide it. If they want to salvage anything from Cadmus then their only option'll be to declare me and my friends off limits."
"Can't say the kid lacks guts," Green Arrow quipped in reaction to his master plan.
"It's also dangerous. You'd be giving a leg up to any other group or company looking to get into the same sort of shady work," Superman said in clear opposition to the idea. "You'll just be making things worse, not better."
"Or maybe the people who take advantage of that leg up think they're better at keeping things under wraps than they really are," he pointed out as a counter to Superman's objections. "Maybe if you and the League keep your eyes open when the news breaks, you'll find them before they get too far. Who knows, maybe you'll get a few surprise perps you never knew were out there and might've snuck on by if I hadn't dangled that bait in front of them."
"You're willing to risk innocent lives on all those maybes?" Batman asked with narrow eyes.
"If you and the League are all you're cracked up to be then the risk'll be minimal," he replied, not letting himself be intimidated. "If not then the victims'll still be kept to a minimum since the shady docs won't have to burn through quite so many 'volunteers' to make some progress. Plus this info's only good for making superhumans and you guys are the standard they'll want to test their prototypes against, so their own actions'll put you on their trail sooner or later."
"You're gambling with lives!" Superman declared, his anger clearly written on his face.
"People gamble with their lives every day, Superman. It's a gamble just living your life day to day," he said, not letting himself be intimidated by the strongest being on the planet. "Whether I release the information I have or I don't, those people will still do their dark work and innocent people will still suffer and die. If giving them the information means fewer people suffer while they try to get it right and make the bastards cocky enough to do something flashy that you can track, then it'll be worth it."
Harsh, perhaps, but the truth often was.
He could tell with a glance that he was dancing on the man of steel's last nerve and, if he was right, this wasn't putting him in a favorable light with any other member of the Justice League.
"Then what about the girls you rescued?" Batman asked, changing the topic a little bit in the hopes of preventing further escalation. "Are you equipped to help them? Genetic experiments are far from perfect and an android from the future will need maintenance. Do you have enough to provide both medical and robotics help?"
"Indigo's design allows for self-repair provided the right raw materials are close by. According to the files I acquired, Miss Kitaen's condition is stable and more adjustments weren't scheduled until next week," he replied, marveling at his ability to keep his voice even and his tells suppressed. "As for Wonder Girl, she's in at least as good condition as Superboy, if not better. Once they get used to the idea that they're free, I'll give them some options and let them choose what they want to do with their lives now that it's theirs again. If any medical complications pop up I know people who know people who can help and keep things on the down low."
Silence.
Well, this is going nowhere quick, he thought before turning to those assembled around him. Time to make a graceful exit.
"Anyone of you who doesn't want to come with me better get off now," he said, preparing to once more take the platform he'd built into the air. "We're leaving."
"We're not done yet," Batman said, making it clear that he wanted to know more.
"Yes, we are. I've told you what I know and what to expect," he said deciding to do some intimidating of his own. "Last I checked the Justice League has no legal jurisdiction over other superhumans. You don't have badges and you operate outside the law enforcement chain of command. People do what you say because they like you and don't think they could stop you even if they tried. I'm under no obligation to do anything you say, legal or otherwise."
He could tell from the looks on their faces that no one who wasn't a super villain had ever spoken to the caped crusader like that before. But he kept his composure and didn't show weakness. Instead he looked at each of his group in turn, his eyes asking the same question each time, but none of them made a move to leave the platform. Granted, in the case of Miss Kitaen, she wasn't conscious enough to make a decision, but if she wanted to leave after she woke up he would give her the facts, some resources and then let her go.
It was a stupid move, considering the fact that whoever was backing Cadmus might make an effort to recapture her. Seeing as how she was a civilian he didn't think she'd have what it'd take to vanish or to fight off any thugs sent to drag her back to the lab for further experimentation. That being said it went against his principles to keep a good person somewhere they didn't want to be no matter how much safer it might be. If she wound up sticking close to wherever he set up shop next, he'd do what he could to keep an eye out for her, but if she moved away… he'd give her his telephone number and email.
"Looks like it's a full flight," he said before turning to the Justice League. "Goodbye."
With those words he once more ascended with his improvised platform into the air but he didn't even get fifty feet before both Green Lanterns moved to block his path.
"Do you really want to do this?" he asked, looking each of them in the eye. "Because if so…"
With a pulse of his power he reached out with his electromagnetic power and seized hold of every piece of metal on Cadmus property. Then, in a dramatic manner connected to a minimal gesture, pulled them all off the ground a good twenty feet before pointing one at every member of the Justice League present. He could tell this shocked him because some of the pieces of metal were still embedded in pieces of concrete that had to weigh tons, if not more.
Then, just to drive his point home, he made a twisting motion with his controlling hand, causing the bits of metal to twist as well until they took on the appearance of drill javelins.
"I know what you're thinking. Half of you won't even be scratched by them and the other half have enough experience to survive the first salvo with minor injuries," he said, letting his gaze pass over each hero present. "What you need to think about is whether this is the limit of what I can do or just the tip of the iceberg. Do I look like I'm straining to keep all this in the air? Sweating to keep every piece trained on target? If the answers you come up with are both no then consider what COULD be the limits of my power and if you want to find out in such a densely populated city like Washington D.C. "
"You'd go that far?" Superman asked, no doubt seeing him in more of a super villain light rather than a neutral party.
"The better question would be: are you willing to take things that far just to keep a group that's done no harm here?" he asked in return while letting a bit of his power generate a crackle of electricity around his eyes.
He REALLY didn't want to throw down with the Justice League, so he was banking on their dedication to the protection of innocents to make them back down right now. At the same time, though, he couldn't fail to make good on his word if they did decide to press the matter otherwise they'd know that he didn't have the backbone to follow up on those threats. Once word of that got around, he'd need to do something extra vicious just to fix that mistaken impression and he really didn't want to go that far for something so small.
"Well, I think that's enough testosterone poisoning for one night," came a voice that was both familiar and not.
It screamed upper class with just a hint of English accent, making him thing that the young woman had a large bank account that meant expensive purchases weren't a problem. Not Bruce Wayne or Lex Luthor rich from the sound of it, but close.
However beneath that upper crust texture was a quality and a structure he knew all too well.
Looking towards the source, he watched as a young blonde woman not even out of her teens stepped up to the edge of the ruins of Cadmus' surface structure. Dressed from head to toe in clown paint white leather, with a shiny mask that covered all of her face, with only the faintest of contours to indicate a female face. He couldn't tell how the mask stayed on since he couldn't see any straps or anything, but it looked solid enough to be able to take a few good hits without showing any damage.
At least she has more sense than Emma ever did, he thought recalling through his Magneto memories. Frost only cared about looking good instead of making sure her vitals were properly protected.
"You've all established that some very bad people were doing some very bad things here and need to be stopped," the masked blonde said like she was addressing school children. "So why don't we stop acting like a bunch of control freaks and work TOGETHER to bring them down? I'm sure we're all reasonable enough that we can make some concession and come up with a compromise both sides can live with. Or do I need to send you all to your rooms for a time out?"
Since his best bud since preschool was there and seemed to be in favor of cooperating with the Justice League, he was willing to throw the first concession onto the table.
"I might be willing to permit a medical examination of the people I saved so long as they agree to it," he said, letting his improvised weapons descend gently to the ground. "AND if they want to leave afterwards even after hearing your arguments against doing so, you will let them leave. Agreeable?"
"If you agree to answer ten questions honestly," Batman said, showing that he was willing to bargain. "Do it and in addition to your condition we won't pursue your group any further."
This seemed to strike some of the other Leaguers as odd but they didn't push the matter further so he presumed that they would question the protector of Gotham City in private later. As for the ten questions that wasn't going to be a problem, given how Batman worded it.
After all, he said 'honestly', not 'honestly and in complete detail', so there was plenty of the room for him to obey the letter of the agreement but not the spirit of it.
And if Batman tried to make something of it… well, that's just too bad for him.
The Hall of Justice
Washington D.C
Cordelia 'Rogue' Chase's POV
Never thought I'd get to see the inside of this place, she thought looking around the library she was standing in. Circumstances could be better, though.
Still, it was better than fighting the Justice League.
She still couldn't believe the way that Xander had behaved to THE Justice League. They were the world's greatest heroes and had saved the world from threats that would've caused her to piss in her panties had she been present for them. She might have power beyond anything she could've dreamed of back in Sunnydale but no way was she strong enough to think she stood a chance against some of the League's strongest members. Even with Barda, Knockout and Xander fighting by her side, their defeat was a certainty, as was the prison time they'd likely get saddled with.
After all, even if they'd only gone to Cadmus to get leverage to protect themselves against their enemy with it probably still counted as breaking and entering, not to mention theft on multiple levels.
Still, she didn't know how she felt about getting saved by Rosenberg.
At least she believed it was Rosenberg but, aside from the masked woman's obviously similar traits to Emma Frost, she had nothing else to base her conclusion on. In terms of physical stats there were some decided differences between the mousy redhead she remembered and the blonde teenage girl standing across the room from her. For one thing she was an inch or so taller and for another her bust size had changed so that it matched the current ideal shape and size favored by men of the late 90s. People might say that there is no ideal size but they'd be lying through their teeth. You only needed to look at which movies nailed the biggest box office profit, which TV shows got the highest ratings and which magazines sold the most issues. If you looked at the women featured prominently in each one and compared their bust sizes, only an idiot would fail to see the similarities. No matter the time period the physical preferences of each gender could be determined through careful consideration of the various forms of art.
If I'm right, the geek must've done some research, made a list and told the plastic surgeon exactly what she wanted changed, she thought as she turned her gaze elsewhere. Must've cost her a fortune.
Actually it didn't. I used my telepathy to plant a mental suggestion in the surgeon's head that I was someone else and used an account number along with its password from a crime boss, Willow thought using her old voice rather than the slightly British rich girl one from before. After the work was done I fuzzed up the recollection of the entire thing and planted a powerful compulsion to delete and destroy all records. If the crime boss comes looking, he'll find nothing.
And if the crime boss decides to take his frustrations out on the surgeon? she asked, pointing out the moral complication.
He won't. The man sees himself as a businessman at heart, Willow thought back with a grin. He decides things based on cost versus benefit. What possible benefit could there be to roughing up or killing a plastic surgeon? No. Once he realizes the doctor's a dead end he'll leave without trouble.
I hope so, she thought before mentally ending the conversation.
Before Willow could try to start one up again the doors to the room opened, admitting four people: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and a blonde girl her own age dressed like a bodyguard.
"I take it's time for a little Q&A?" Xander asked with his eyes directed at Batman. "You've got your ten questions. Start asking."
"What's your name?" Batman asked with a stone face.
"Currently it's Lex Lensherr," Xander replied, figuring that the caped crusader already had that part figured out.
"And what did it used to be?" Batman asked, having caught the word 'currently' and went for the next logical question.
"Alexander LaVelle Harris," Xander replied before smirking. "Eight questions left."
"But the second one is tied to the first one," Superman pointed out, likely believing that Batman should have nine questions left.
"Nope. Still counts as two. If he'd asked something like 'what names have you gone by' it might've counted as one but he didn't," Xander said, shaking his head in the negative. "Two questions down and eight more to be asked."
She saw Batman's eyes narrowing as the vampire wannabe figured out the detail he'd overlooked. Obviously the guy hadn't counted on Xander finding a loophole in their earlier agreement.
The hero wouldn't be making that mistake again.
"Were you the one that killed Doctor Light?" Batman asked, showing he could make a comeback with the best of them.
"Yes," Xander replied with lingering fury in his tone. "Seven questions left."
"Have you ever executed an offensive against the organization known as the League of Shadows?" Batman asked, causing a reaction to surface on Xander's face again.
"Yes," Xander replied without elaborating again. "Six left."
"Have you ever tapped into the Earth's electromagnetic field to do something that would've been beyond you otherwise?" Batman asked, sounding like he'd put some thought into this one.
"Yes," Xander replied, not bothering to inform the hero of how many questions were left.
"How did you get your powers?" Batman asked, likely looking for some sort of weakness that could be exploited.
"Careful there. With that kind of question you give me way too much leeway with that one," Xander replied with a grin. "Lucky for you I'm a generous guy. I technically got them from a spell someone cast on Halloween but they didn't turn on until months later in Gotham City. I think you know when."
No shit! I think the whole country knows thanks to the mess you made, she thought remembering the report she'd seen on the TV.
"What are your goals for the future?" Batman asked, moving on from the past to the future.
"To relocate someplace the people behind Cadmus can't find us anytime soon, prepare defenses and wait to see what they do next," Xander replied, showing more willingness to provide details.
"Under what circumstances will you use lethal force?" Batman asked, his entire demeanor conveying how important the answer was to the masked hero.
"As a last resort option, or if it's necessary," Xander replied in a tone that made it clear his stance would not be easily changed.
"What would you define as necessary?" Batman asked, using up all but one of his allotted questions.
"Irredeemably evil beings that will never be reformed or if it's the most efficient way to end a threat," Xander replied with all due seriousness.
"What would it take for you to abide by the Justice League code of conduct?" Batman asked, using up his final question.
"A majority vote by my team in favor of doing so and an understanding that I won't always have the option of checking with any of you before making the tough choice," Xander replied, setting a high standard for toeing the company line.
Looking at the group of four, she could see them looking to each other to gauge the overall response to the answers. Superman, she could tell right off the bat, thought that Xander needed setting straight before he passed the point of no return into full on villain-hood. Wonder Woman looked to be a little more accepting of the answers, even if she was a little irritated at the shortness of some of them. Batman's face was completely unreadable, wondering just how dead the man's personality really was. As for the bodyguard, while it looked like she took lessons in keeping a lid on her thoughts, a crack or two indicated acceptance.
"Miss Kitaen is undergoing examination at S.T.A.R. Labs, as is the clone of Speedy," Batman said, releasing some information. "Preliminary diagnosis indicates they'll make a full recovery."
"Good. Considering some of the Frankenstein things we saw, I was worried about her," Xander said, showing his caring side for a moment. "As for Speedy, I think it's a little early to assume the one I found is the clone."
"All possibilities are being investigated," Batman said, closing that particular discussion.
"While you're doing that, you might want to relocate the guy I rescued someplace out of reach," Xander suggested with returned seriousness. "I don't what the big plan was but I doubt his jailers are just going to forget about him."
"Already done," Batman said, showing that he was either paranoid by considering all possibilities and covering all angles or he was just that good.
"Then I believe we're done here," Xander said, sounding like he neither desired nor intended to ask permission. "You've had your questions and I've answered them. I'll be checking on Miss Kitaen to see how she's doing."
Again.
Again the doofus showed a complete lack of respect to the top heroes on the planet Earth but at the same time she couldn't disagree completely. The deal had been medical care for those who needed it and ten honest answers to ten honest questions, all of which had been provided by those involved. There was no real reason to stick around, or at least she doubted that Xander thought there was, and honestly, aside from asking for help with her powers, she couldn't think of a personal reason to.
"Would you be interested to learn who makes up the maternal side of your DNA?" Batman asked, causing Xander to stop in his tracks but give away nothing facially.
"When you entered the Hall of Justice the security system flagged you as an unauthorized entry after hours and conducted scans before attempting to match the results against our files," Superman explained, taking Xander's lack of movement as a 'yes'. "Your paternal side matched Ra's Al Ghul. Your maternal's side required multiple tests to be absolutely sure of its accuracy but-"
"Oh get on with it already!" 'Sophie' sighed with exasperation. "It would appear that when it came to selecting a mother for you, nothing but the best would do. More specifically HER."
It was then that the white clad woman pointed a well-manicured finger at none other than Wonder Woman, causing the hero to experience a spike of uncertainty in her expression.
"Well… didn't see that one coming," she muttered even as she tried to come to grips with the idea of the doofus being the biological son of Wonder Woman.
Definitely didn't like the part of her brain that put Xander above her in terms of social standing.
Sophie Snow aka Willow Rosenberg's POV
First move made, now let's see how he reacts, she thought, her gaze never leaving Xander's face.
Normally she wouldn't even bother waiting for the answer and simply reach inside of the person's head to learn the truth, but that would be impossible in her best friend's case. Unsurprisingly he'd managed to recreate Magneto's telepathic immunity tech and incorporated it into his helmet. As long as the helmet was on, no telepath would be able to peek into his mind.
She just hoped that her friend had possessed foresight enough to modify the helmet with a variation on a chin strap or something to secure it to the rest of his costume. The memories she'd inherited from Emma Frost had made it clear that a favored tactic amongst the enemies of Magneto was to remove the helmet before attacking the Master of Magnetism telepathically. If Xander paid attention to this little tidbit of his inherited memories then he'd do whatever he could to ensure that anyone looking to defeat him that way would find nothing but a dead end.
"A bit of a surprise but not really coming out of left field," Xander said, keeping his voice mostly unaffected. "If what I was told was true then no one but Wonder Woman would do, except maybe genuine divine DNA straight from a deity. Doesn't change anything, though."
"Ah'd say it changes a lot, sugah," Cordelia declared, clearly of the opposite opinion. "You've gone from having deadbeat parents to two of the most powerful people on the planet. Sure, one of'em is in charge of a group of killers, but I think Wonder Woman balances things out."
"Having a hero to cancel out the bad guy is nice but it doesn't really change how I plan on living my life," Xander said, not showing any sign of budging from his position. "The past made me what I am today and she wasn't a part of it. Neither of us saw this coming and I know my life will be a lot less complicated if I pretend I never learned the truth."
Avoidance and indifference.
Classic Xander.
In all the time she'd known him the two things she could consistently say about him was that he tended to avoid the things he didn't like and act indifferent towards things that had the potential to take him out of his comfort zone. He avoided his adoptive parents whenever he could because of how lousy they both were, and he put up a front of indifference when he was actually affected by something. He tried to pretend that being treated poorly due to his used clothes and less than athletic aptitude didn't bother him but even before her telepathy she'd known better.
Too bad her plans required a different route.
"Ignorance, in this case, won't be bliss, Magneto," she said, taking on just the right tone of superiority. "Even if you and Wonder Woman pretend you never met, other people aren't going to do the same. If the Justice League can find out from a scan that you're related to her then so can a lot of other people. People who hate her and will use you to get to her."
"If any of her enemies try that shtick they'll find out I'm no easy prey," Xander said, sounding confident that he'd be able to handle anything that came his way.
Not entirely unjustified considering how much power he now had, but stupid.
"Oh, really? Then I suppose you already have a plan for Ares the God of War, Veronica Cale of Cale-Anderson pharmaceuticals, Circe and Cheetah?" she asked rhetorically since she already knew the answer. "That's assuming that it'll just be villains from Wonder Woman's list of enemies and not someone completely new. Someone you won't have advance information on."
"I doubt they'll do anything anytime soon and with those names I can come up with plans for each of them," Xander replied, looking a little concerned but not enough to retain ties with the Justice League or specifically Wonder Woman.
"If you think that then clearly your 'predecessor's' strategic skills haven't fully sunk into that brain of yours," she said, taking on a sharper edge. "Ever since your powers awakened in Gotham you haven't exactly been keeping a low profile. You're on the board whether you like it or not. The only question is will you be a piece or a player."
"I suppose you have a better idea?" he said, turning to look at her directly with challenge in his eyes.
"Of course I do," she said with a confident smirk on her face straight from her memories of Emma. "Tonight's little fiasco at Cadmus proves that the Justice League's enemies are up to something. The fact that Batman here didn't recognize who was behind the place right away means that it was a joint effort between more than one entity. This will obviously need to be followed up on but will require a measure of cunning in order to work."
"So you're proposing that we form a team to fight them?" he asked even though she could tell he wasn't fully committed to the guess.
"No. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that we're too new to the cape and cowl community. We might have heard of certain villains and their methods but that's nowhere near enough to unravel this conspiracy," she replied, shaking her head. "Instead I believe that task should be given to the former 'sidekicks', albeit with a covert approach to the problem. Each of them will have spent enough time with their mentors that they will be able to spot the clues along the way and adapt. We, on the other hand, will serve a purpose that will be more in keeping with your usual approach."
"Direct and to the point?" he asked even though she could tell from the visible parts of his expression that he suspected she meant something else.
"Flashy and completely lacking in subtlety," she replied, smirking a bit at his annoyance. "We'll be the newest hero team on the block and, with a few well-chosen crimes to stop, it won't be hard to become the thing everyone's talking about. If we manage to stop some of the villain alliance's schemes as well, they'll have to consider us a threat. Then, just to spice things up even more, we will show ourselves to be 'morally flexible', or at least potentially turnable to their side of the good fight. If all goes well we should be able to buy Robin and his team a year or so of freedom from monitoring that can be used to figure out the truth."
"Cover up the disappearance of known sidekicks with the appearance of a team of new ones," Batman said in a way that told her he was considering all the angles. "It could work."
"However the Justice League would need to keep its distance. Give its opinion on the new team, show up soon after we handle something to express disfavor over our methods and occasionally tease the villains into thinking there's an opening to be exploited," she pointed out since it'd spoil the entire plan if a connection existed between the public team and the League. "If they're given any reason to suspect a connection, they might suspect even more."
"It'll be dangerous. Perhaps too dangerous," Superman said, clearly having misgivings. "If you're right and a group of our villains was behind Cadmus then they're working together on something big. Maybe it'd be best to wait until we at least get a few names and a better idea of their master plan. With information like that we'd have a better idea of what they'd be jumping into."
"And how long would that take? What're the odds you'd find out quickly enough for it to matter?" she asked, pointing out the flaws in a cautious approach. "Until we have even a loose idea of whose involved and what their plans are, it's anyone's guess how far away their ultimate goal is or what their next venture is going to be. Better to take action now while we still can than wait until it's too late."
"What you say makes sense," Xander said, looking like he was honestly considering the matter. "If you're right and I've made too big a splash to just disappear, then the safest place isn't the shadows but the spotlight."
"Oh? And why is that?" Knockout asked, obviously the battle maniac type and looking forward to future action.
"If we relocate someplace in the middle of nowhere, we might be able to hide from them for a while, but with what we've seen and know they won't stop looking. If they find us a remote location will only help them since it means they won't need to hold back too much," he replied, connecting the dots for her. "We might be able to beat them the first two or three times but eventually they'll come up with a plan or hit us with something we can't handle. But if we do the hero thing and keep a high profile, anyone looking to give us trouble'll have to deal with the cameras and witnesses, too. Not something a group of villains looking to operate in secret want."
"Meaning they'll be more sneaky about getting at us," Knockout said with mild dissatisfaction. "Great!"
"Sneaky some of the time but not all of the time. The more pressure they're under, the less patient they'll be for subtle plans or tricky ones," he said, sounding certain of himself. "Eventually they'll go for the direct approach: killers for hire in quantity or focusing in quality. Good enough for you?"
"For now," Knockout said, sounding like she'd be willing to toe the line for the time being. "Here's hoping they lose their patience quickly."
"So the only question left is: who's in and who's out?" Xander asked, looking at the assembled members of the group he'd busted into Cadmus with as well as the people who busted out.
A vital question but not one she had any concerns about.
Knowing what she did about both Xander and Magneto, she had little doubt that he'd given all of them ample reason to trust him enough to follow his lead.
12 Nautical Miles Off the Coast of California
Mid-Morning the Following Day
Xander's POV
"What is this place?" he asked, looking at the building that apparently had been a large facility but had fallen into moderate disrepair.
"It used to be the home of Project Noah," Batman replied as he escorted them towards the building. "Its mandate was to study the shifts in tectonic plates beneath the Pacific Ocean that theoretically could lead to tsunamis. The head of the project wished to use the information derived from the study to come up with technology to provide advance warning."
"I take it things didn't go well," he said, estimating that the building had been left to rot for many years.
"It depends on how you define success," Batman replied upon reaching what looked to be the main entrance of the building. "A considerable amount of data was acquired through the efforts of those involved in the project, greatly improving humanity' s knowledge of the tectonic plates and their effects on the undersea environment. Unfortunately the fact that he wasn't able to deliver on the technology caused his financial backer to cut funding entirely, causing the project to be shut down."
"And you think this would make for a good headquarters?" Cordelia asked with disapproving skepticism. "Looks like a bit of a fixer upper, sugah."
"It has no ties to the Justice League or members who could afford to purchase the land legally. This 'alliance of villains' would have no reason to suspect our involvement in the procurement of your new headquarters," Batman replied, taking a key out to open the door. "Officially it's registered as the property of the financial backer but investigation has indicated that the man has either forgotten it exists or doesn't care what happens to it. A visit along with a compelling argument should ensure that it stays that way."
Somehow he figured that a 'compelling argument' from Batman was the equivalent of a bone chilling lecture from everyone else's perspective.
"If anyone asks, just say you've managed to acquire the financial backing of a justice minded individual. Anyone who investigates will draw the conclusion that it must be the man who supported Project Noah and he will make comments that imply this is the truth without actually confirming anything," Batman said as he led them inside the building. "So long as your and Miss Snow's businesses fund the team and handle any… legal entanglements… that pop up, I doubt you'll have to worry about him."
Looking about the interior of the building, he was encouraged to find that the building still looked to be structurally sound and a gentle check with his powers confirmed it. It'd still require quite a bit of repairing and cleaning but it could be made usable.
"And how's this any different from finding a cabin in the middle of nowhere?" Knockout asked, clearly of a different opinion from Batman's concerning the place.
"The fact that it's right on the edge of United States territory means there're probably a dozen or more satellites focused on this entire area monitored by the USA government," he said, pointing out a few differences. "Even if technology exists to conceal the approach by sea or air, once any fighting starts it'll set off alarms everywhere. Same thing if someone tries to take them offline. Then there's the fact that since we're so far from major population areas that if a fight does break out here the chances of innocent bystanders getting hurt are pretty small. Meaning you can cut loose without having someone say 'you almost hit that guy' every other minute."
"Then there's the fact that since we're so far from everywhere we can pretty much do what we want," Willow said, sounding like she'd make full use of the freedom. "The satellites are just there to spot aircraft, boats and subs. This place is far enough from the major shipping lanes that anyone passing by will be lucky to see a speck on the horizon. As for sound, even the strongest audio equipment available has limited range. Complete and total privacy."
"As long as we don't do anything to justify a closer look," he said, knowing a few ways that attention could be brought their way.
"Structurally the facility is still sound, with only a few areas requiring maintenance in order to bring it back up to code," Batman said upon reaching what looked to be an informal gathering area. "Nothing the combined assets of Forge Industries and Snow Enterprises can't handle."
True.
While Willow's company was still relatively new it was doing well and the money he was receiving from his patents had made him relatively well off financially. Between the two of them, getting the necessary materials wouldn't be hard and, with the combined power set each of them had, doing the actual repairs. The only things that'd need outside workers to do would be areas that no one had the necessary expertise to get right the first time.
There were some things that you just shouldn't trust to 'do it yourself' books or websites.
Then, of course, there'd be the 'upgrades' in order to make the place into a proper headquarters for a super hero team.
"And you're certain that there's no way or this place to be tied to the Justice League or one of its members?" Willow asked, focusing on the most important part from her perspective.
"None. I was considering this location as a potential fallback location either for the Justice League or those crime fighters that are my responsibility," Batman replied, turning to face the assembled group. "I was about to acquire it when the incident at Cadmus occurred."
"Then it should do," Willow said before looking at him. "What do you think, Magneto?"
"It'll take some time to get everything right but, yeah, it'll do," he replied before focusing on Batman. "I trust you can give us a few months to get stocked up before our big debut."
"You have two months," Batman said, being unusually accurate with his time limit. "That's about as long as I expect Robin and his team to wait before insisting on being given a mission."
Ah, the little bird wants to prove he can move up to the big leagues, he thought having viewed similar behavior through Magneto's memories. Yeah, two months sounds like about as long as I'd wait if I was in their shoes.
Plenty of time.
A Few Days Later
Cordelia' Chase aka Rogue's POV
"There! Lock'er in place, sugah," she said after sliding an I-beam into position.
In response steel rivets moved through the air, propelled by an unseen force, before each one slid into place one after another and steps were taken to ensure they wouldn't slip out on their own. It'd been like this for the last few days and, to be honest, a part of her kind of liked being a part of the process of changing a rundown fixer upper into something she could call home. If this'd been a year ago she would've been appalled at the idea of doing physical labor or even living in a place that didn't meet her six figure standards. Now, though, after everything she'd been through, she wasn't nearly as picky as she used to be.
"There. That should take care of most of the structural damage to the building," Xander said after she floated down to the ground. "With Indigo working on the wiring the next thing to be handled is mostly cosmetic stuff, like the walls, floor and ceilings of every level. Barda and Knockout are getting rid of anything not nailed down."
"How'd you manage that, hun?" she asked, knowing that while Barda could be reasonable, Knockout needed to be bribed before she'd do anything 'beneath her'.
"Told her that I'd make sure the gym could even force her to up her game, and then there's the pet project me and 'Sophie' are working on," he replied, cleaning up the odds and ends of their structural repairs. "If it all works out, Knockout will be able to get her fill of fighting between missions without any collateral damage piling up."
"Danger Room?" she asked, able to figure out the truth based on what Xander had just revealed.
"Danger Room. It won't be as advanced as the one you remember from Rogue's memories due to the lack of Shi'ar or any other alien tech," he replied, confirming her statement, "but it'll still be bleeding edge compared to everything else that's out there. With a little time it'll be able to provide accurate simulations of any super villain out there, super powered or not."
"Even if they're on the same level as Superman or Wonder Woman?" she asked, figuring there had to be a limit to how strong the holographic or robotic enemies could be with Earth tech.
"Okay, maybe not accurate as far as power level's concerned. Tactics, skills and common strategies, though, will all be in there," he replied, conceding the limitations of what he had to work with. "I'll be drawing on everything from video recordings to criminal records to whatever we can figure out on our own. If there's a way to get access to the Justice League files without ruining the master plan we'll do that too. The closer the simulations can get to the real deals the better."
"I reckon that'll make Knockout happy enough," she said, imagining how the redhead would be spending her off hours once the Danger Room was done. "Assuming you and 'Sophie' can handle the repair and maintenance costs, that is."
"I can handle my share but that brings up a topic I've been meaning to talk to Xander about," 'Sophie', aka Willow, said, walking up to the two of them. "Even if you don't have my telepathic powers to help you sort through Magneto's memories, you should still have no small number of blueprints in your head for devices that don't exist in this reality. Forge Industries should be almost as powerful and profitable as my own company but instead there's barely anyone who knows it exists. Why?"
"Well, for one thing, becoming a member of the Fortune Five Hundred has never meant anything to me, much less running a company. The only reason I founded Forge Industries was to give me a way to patent a few safe designs so I wouldn't have to worry about money," Xander replied, sounding a little defensive. "Another reason is because most of the tech Magneto knew how to make that doesn't exist in this reality falls under the category of weapon technology. I've got no interest in following the path Tony Stark walked down to become Iron Man, even by accident."
From a certain point of view Xander's reasons made sense to her.
The dweeb had never been rich so he never had a reason to dream big because he probably never figured he'd ever had the means to make those dreams come true. A more modest goal of just making sure money ceased to be an issue for his day to day needs was easier and definitely achievable. As for the Tony Stark comment, that was a little more of a stretch but still comprehensible. According to her Rogue memories, Tony had started out as your typical high flying playboy billionaire CEO of his own company whose primary products were weapons. Whether intentionally or not, Stark never really paid attention to the role he and his company played in the deaths of every person his weapons killed until a brush with death opened his eyes. With the inventing of the first Iron Man suit and the adventures that followed, Tony took a more active role in trying to make the world a better place while taking a more responsibility oriented stance with his company.
Put it all together and Xander's reasons meshed.
Problem was they were also full of holes and, judging by the look on Rosenberg's face, the faux blonde was of the same opinion.
"Looks like for all the changes you've been through since Halloween you're still too much like the Xander I knew before the costume spell," Sophie said with exasperation before a more determined look blossomed on her face. "If things were different I might've let this go but they're not and I won't. Instead I'll do something I should've done a long time ago: you Alexander LAVELLE Harris are the smartest IDIOT I know!"
"What?" Xander asked, looking a little surprised by the statement.
Proof number two of Xander being more like his old self instead of like Magneto.
"Was I not clear enough? Then let me lay it all out for you," Sophie replied, clearly gearing up for a rant. "You've never made any attempt to hide the fact that you want to help people, Xander, and the fact that you supported both Flamebird and that archer vigilante proves it. If all you cared about was making enough money so you'd never have to work again you could've just given them a stocked HQ and vanished, but instead you stayed to help. That'd have been good deed enough but you wanted to do more. And then there's agreeing to this plan of Batman's. You didn't need to agree to it. You could've gone with your original intent at hiding but you didn't. You want to do more but that's going to require more money and resources than you have. A problem that could neatly be solved by patenting more of Magneto's tech and fleshing out Forge Industries."
"But-" Xander began to say before his mouth suddenly slammed shut.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that Sophie had taken advantage of the fact that Xander wasn't wearing his telepathy blocking helmet.
"No buts! I understand that you're worried about your inventions being weaponized and that puts you a step above Tony, since he didn't care until he almost died," Sophie said, not allowing her friend to counter her statement, "but you have to remember that a rock or a piece of scrap metal can be used as a weapon. You can do everything you can to make it impossible for someone to turn your creations into weapons and it'll still happen. As Rogue can tell you there exists criminals smart enough that any precautions you took would be child's play to overcome."
Xander turned to her and it took her a few moments to understand the last comment.
"While ah was hanging out in Central City, ah was lucky enough ta watch Flash and Kid Flash duke it out with this jerk calling himself Gizmo. Guy had a knack for taking odds and ends an' turning them into advanced tech. He was like MacGyver but in a green outfit and a bad guy," she explained, remembering the day well. "The speedsters managed to take him down but it was a lot closer than it shoulda been."
"If there's one fashion disaster villain who could turn garbage into advanced tech then there are going to be others," Sophie said with complete certainty in her words. "The way I see it, you have two choices: use the knowledge you gained from your 'predecessor' to create the foundation for future efforts to help others accepting that some things are beyond your control or live with the fact that your holding back could cost lives instead of saving them."
Looking at Xander, she could tell that he was considering his best friend's words but, instead of saying anything, he simply flew off into the upper levels of their new HQ.
"He gonna think about it?" she asked, turning to Sophie.
"Yes, and I think he'll come to the right conclusion," Sophie replied, meeting her gaze. "He wants to do good but Bette Kane's death put a serious scar on his confidence. Since then he's been determined to cover as many bases as possible to make sure he doesn't screw up again. The problem with that is that it's impossible to keep from screwing up. Everyone does it sooner or later. You can prepare until you're blue in the face and STILL screw up. To put it bluntly, 'to screw up is to be human' and the sooner Xander gets that, the better off he'll be."
"You're sure this ain't just about making sure the weight of supportin' this team is more even between the two of you?" she asked, figuring that that would be more Emma Frost's angle to something like this.
"I am NOT that petty. However there is only so much money I can filter away from my company before people start noticing and asking questions," Sophie replied with a bit of defensiveness. "It would draw less suspicion if Xander's little business grew large enough that it could contribute more to this team. After all, it is a valid tactic for tracking down one's enemies by looking for companies capable of providing their vehicles and equipment. By keeping any diverting of funds to a minimum there's a better chance of both of our companies getting overlooked by a search."
Made sense.
Still didn't mean that saving herself some money wasn't ONE of Sophie's reasons for verbally slapping some sense into Xander.
Huh. Looks like it took gettin' rich for Rosenberg to understand why rich people act the way they do, she thought with some amusement. As long as she doesn't come gunnin' my way lookin' for payback, it's good enough for me.
You needn't worry, Sophie thought at her. Honestly the 'benefits' I gained from your choice of Halloween costumes for me have pretty much nullified the years of bullying you sent my way. Besides, given the… particulars of your Halloween inheritance, it would be in poor form to send more trouble your way.
Speaking of trouble, just how exactly did you get roped into this? she thought with a raised eyebrow. The old you might've been on board with forming a super team but Emma Frost would've considered it a waste of her time especially since there aren't any mutants to teach and protect.
That's a bit of a story. Sophie thought in reply.
"We've got the time, sugah," she said, having gotten a little tired of the mind speak.
Three Weeks After Xander's X-gene Activated
Lexcorp Personnel Office
Sophie Snow aka Willow Rosenberg's POV
"Are you sure I can't persuade you to reconsider, Miss Rosenberg?" the glasses wearing woman sitting across from her asked, sounding like she'd be willing to negotiate more favorable terms.
"I'm afraid not. Working for Lexcorp has been an invaluable experience for me but it's just not clicking," she said, playing the role of a young lady looking for her place in the world. "It's like a pair of shoes with a single defect keeping them from being perfect. It's time to move on."
"Well… if that's how you feel," Missus Glasses said before taking out a form and sliding it over to her. "Sign here and here. Also remember the terms of the non-disclosure agreement you signed when you were originally hired, as well as the stipulations that were added when you were assigned to special projects."
"Of course. None of them have left my mind," she said with a reassuring smile before signing in all the specified places.
A few short minutes later she was a proud ex-employee of Lexcorp.
Just like she and Tess planned shortly after she'd been hired on, albeit with one significant change: Tess wasn't going to be joining her.
EVER.
It'd been an ambitious plan and for the most part it'd been without flaw, but the woman's personal vendetta was a weakness that she couldn't abide by. According to what she'd gleaned from the woman's mind, Tess Mercer was the illegitimate half-sister to none other than Lex Luthor himself, who'd gotten dumped into the foster care system by Lionel Luthor almost immediately. It wasn't until the woman hit eighteen that she'd chosen to investigate her past and, with a little detective work, had managed to piece together the truth. However, instead of walking up to the Luthor family hoping for a heartwarming reunion, Tess had come to a more coldhearted conclusion.
She'd been abandoned; the refuse of an affair between Lionel Luthor and Lex's own nanny that the man had no trouble cutting loose once he'd gotten what he wanted.
With bitterness and anger in her heart Tess set course to take everything away from her half-brother and biological father as revenge for what they'd done to her. After destroying all records that linked her to the Luthor family, the only identity on record for her was Tess Mercer and from there she worked to become the sort of ideal employee her half-brother and her father would want to hire. Going on to college and taking courses meant to fit that image, she also took classes that'd be useful when the time came for her to own Lexcorp herself.
Years passed and the woman became quite the cutthroat businesswoman, managing to outperform her rivals and sometimes sabotaging those who actually posed a threat to her. When she'd applied for a position at Lexcorp, it'd been something of a surprise when it'd been Lex Luthor who'd given her the grand tour and 'do well and the sky's the limit' speech.
By the end of the tour Tess had come to the conclusion that Lionel had never informed his son of her either in a positive light or as someone to 'dispose' of on sight. That suited her just fine and, once a month had passed, the woman had begun her plan to take everything from the two men she hated the most. On the one hand she would stay on the lookout for promising talent that her enemies didn't already have in their pocket or who would be open to the idea of siding against them. On the other, she would acquire secrets and evidence that could be used to undermine the positions of Lionel and Lex, making them look either incompetent or corrupt. It'd been an ambitious plan and, unlike others, Tess had been careful not to make mistakes and keep her true intentions a secret. The woman had seen evidence enough in the time that followed getting hired to know that scheming and jockeying for position were unofficially condoned practices in the company.
It was the idiots who got caught who were punished.
Those who managed to bring their schemes to fruition or managed to get a leg up on their competition were rewarded under the proverbial table.
The corporate business world was indeed cutthroat and would tolerate no incompetents.
She had been the last of Tess Mercer's acquisitions before beginning the more aggressive next phase of the Master Plan. It'd been entertaining when she'd learned about it all at first and, once she began working at Lexcorp, she'd been given a list of tasks to complete. Naturally Tess provided just enough praise to make her feel special but without inducing arrogance or making it sound as though the plan couldn't succeed without her.
Lies, of course.
To Tess she was nothing more than another piece on her side of the game board and, if the cost of protecting her exceeded the benefits she could bring to the Master Plan, she'd be discarded.
As such she felt little remorse for co-opting the woman's plan and using it to further her own goals. If Tess couldn't foresee her betrayal and come up with an effective counter plan then the half-sister of Lex only had herself to blame. She hadn't had to use her telepathy to do more than eavesdrop on broadcast thoughts in order to reach where she was now. In her mind this was proof enough that the woman's dream of throwing her sibling and her father into the ditch was nothing but a pipe dream. If even half of what she'd learned working for Lexcorp was true, Lex Luthor was in a whole other league compared to Tess.
Looking ahead to the front entrance of the building, she allowed herself a small smirk of satisfaction.
Once she was outside those doors and on her way out of Metropolis, she'd have to wait a short while before founding her company but she'd factored that into her ambitions. If she began too soon Luthor would figure out the truth behind her tenure as his employee and take action to express his displeasure at being deceived. She also had to give those promising recruits she'd secured time to make their own departure from Lexcorp employ, following scripts she'd prepared for each of them. She'd been meticulous in crafting each one to specifically fit each future employee and once she built her mini-cerebro, she'd be able to telepathically plant the right memories into the minds of the right people. It wouldn't do for Lex Luthor to listen to the scripted responses and then investigate them more fully only to find them as solid as air.
Deception, like the Devil, was all in the details.
"A moment of your time, Miss Rosenberg," came a voice from behind her that forced her to keep her movements casual as she turned around.
Lex Luthor.
Unexpected since the man generally only made time for his important employees while ignoring the rank and file.
"Of course, Mister Luthor," she said like a model employee would.
Show no fear.
Whether it was facing demons or humans who liked living in the black area of the ethical spectrum, letting them see expressions of fear or unsettlement only egged them on.
"I was somewhat surprised to hear of your resignation given your promising performance thus far," he said, his assistant Mercy not three steps behind him. "I was hoping you would give me the chance to change your mind."
An interesting way of phrasing things.
Casting her telepathy over the entire lobby, she looked for any signs of an armed option waiting for the go ahead but found only standard security guards going about their normal patrols. Definitely not the mercenaries masquerading as elite security guards.
Still, it'd be best to keep her guard up for the time being.
"While I'm amazed you took the time to make the effort yourself, I'm afraid I've made up my mind," she said trying to put as much 'honesty' as she dared into her words. "Lexcorp has been a valuable experience but it's a little too cutthroat for my tastes. I got into science to push the boundaries of what's possible and what isn't while helping the world in the process. Keeping daggers out of my back while choosing where to put mine is a little too much excitement for my liking."
"I will admit that there are employees of mine that're a little too driven to succeed but such drive can be useful in reaching certain goals," he said, partially conceding her point. "However perhaps it will put you at ease to know that we've identified those who're willing to resort to illegal and harmful methods to advance their own agendas. Each is being closely monitored and, if necessary, I can have you assigned to a Lexcorp facility where you'd have nothing to fear."
Nothing to fear to the naked eye but I'd wager its network connection would be monitored and all security footage scrutinized for suspicious activities, she thought, imagining the motivations Emma would have had for such an 'offer'. He doesn't have any evidence or I'd already have guns pointed at me. At most he's suspicious of anyone Tess has had contact with and wants to keep me within arm's reach yet also isolated from sensitive areas. How far will he push things?
"No offence intended, Mister Luthor, but you spend most of your time in your office and delegate 'personnel issues' to others. You might be smart enough to spot the signs of someone willing to cross certain lines but that doesn't mean the people you assign to watch others are," she said carefully, as though she didn't want to offend him. "They might've missed something plus I kinda have to wonder at the sort of personality an expert in 'watching others' has to have. Kinda creepy, if you ask me."
"I assure you that each of the 'watchers' are professionals and conduct themselves accordingly, not to mention the fact that they're required to undergo psychological evaluations bi-monthly," he said before putting on a friendly smile. "As for them being 'creepy'… well, a few of them have personality quirks but don't we all?"
Not bad. Attempting to dispel her concerns with 'precautions' while taking a page out of the whole pot-versus-kettle playbook.
Too bad she had a move of her own.
"You're trying awfully hard to keep me on the staff, Mister Luthor," she said with a bit of suspicion in entering her voice. "I know I've got some skill and intelligence but I doubt I'm worth all this effort. You could probably talk to every university on the east coast and come up with a list of people who could replace me. Don't… don't tell me the rumors are TRUE!?"
Playing up the angle of the naive young lady who took rumors a little too seriously, she made sure to put just the right amount of shock and unease.
"What rumor would that be?" he asked, sounding oddly confused.
"The rumor that Lexcorp personnel is under orders to hire on a fixed number of employees not because they're qualified but rather because their purpose is to take on the role of the scapegoat," she replied, taking a step or two back. "To take the blame for any scandal or shady business that Lexcorp comes under scrutiny for by the police or the press. The personnel office makes sure that this group covers a wide variety of specialties, personalities and backgrounds so, no matter what, a suitable patsy is always at the ready."
Lex Luthor's reaction was informative, even if she made sure to get telepathic confirmation as well.
There actually WAS a group like the one she described, or at least something close enough to get a reaction out of the man.
"An amusing story but hardly a sound business strategy," he said, sounding mildly amused. "In the short term perhaps it'd prove useful but before too long people both inside as well as outside of the company would begin to notice a pattern forming. Even if they couldn't get specifics, the mere possibility would be enough to scare away potential future employees and cause both the police as well as the press to look more carefully. If there was any shady business to be concealed or dumped in the lap of some patsy, it would inevitably be exposed."
"I… guess so," she said, making it sound like she thought the argument logical.
However for her the argument only cemented her theory especially if the 'pattern' was intentionally left for the police or press to find. The only thing better than fabricating a story to escape all guilt was to fool those looking too closely into thinking they'd uncovered a secret truth. Once you've succeeded at that, you can practically spoon feed the 'clues' to the investigating party and lead them to a conclusion that suited you best.
"Still, I can tell that you're still uneasy. I hope you'll understand that I had to at least try to retain you as an employee," he said, making a mild show of giving up. "Your work has been exemplary since you were hired and showed much potential. I wish you well with your future efforts."
"Thank you, Mister Luthor," she said with a polite smile and partial bow. "Have a nice day."
With that she turned away and resumed her journey to the front door of the tower and the world that lay past them.
"Oh! One more thing before you go, Miss Rosenberg," Lex said, almost as though he'd let something slip his mind. "The woman who recruited you, Tess Mercer, is suspected of removing confidential company files from the premises without authorization. I don't suppose you noticed any… odd behavior with her in the last week or so?"
"Not really," she replied, half turning back towards him. "She did seem distracted by something but my mother always taught me it's never right to poke your nose into other people's business."
"A tad timid but perhaps a smart move for one so young," he said with a nod. "Have a good day, Miss Rosenberg."
With that she left the building and entered the cab she'd called for after leaving the company personnel office.
It was only when she was confident that she was far enough from the Lexcorp building that any bugs that might've been planted in the cab were useless did she relax both mentally as well as technologically. This, of course, had been part two of her plan: ensure that Willow Rosenberg vanished so that 'Sophie Snow' could live. She couldn't just leave Lexcorp and then show up a few weeks later as the C.E.O. of her own company, especially not with the former Lexcorp scientists on her payroll. Lex would put the clues together and not be pleased in the least that he'd been fooled. Then, of course, there'd probably be retaliation in the form of crushing her new company before making her a 'scapegoat' for some made up scandal.
In order to avoid that she'd used a combination of magic, tech and her own telepathy to maintain the high school appearance of Willow Rosenberg. It'd be enough to fool tech-based security as well as the naked eye, keeping her post-Halloween appearance a secret to all but a few. Now that she'd deactivated the tech, dispelled the spell AND ceased using her telepathy to maintain her old appearance, her true self was revealed for all to see. Naturally she modified the memories of the driver so that the real her had always been in the back seat of his cab, blurring the details just enough to be entirely unhelpful.
Now as far as Lex Luthor and his people were concerned, 'Willow Rosenberg' had just resigned from her job, got into a cab and was never seen again.
A few weeks from then, underdog and new CEO 'Sophie Snow' would appear at the head of her recently created company with her cherry picked former Lexcorp scientists showing up at random to produce headline worthy inventions. It'd attract investors, more employees and, best of all, it'd put her on the right track to having a company every bit as powerful as Wayne Enterprises and Lexcorp.
My future's looking VERY bright INDEED, she thought with a smile that was one part Willow and two parts Emma Frost.