A (really, I suppose) needless chapter introducing Luthor and his associates, but don't let that hold you back. Enjoy:)
Noah Kuttler leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms wide. His heart rose in his chest and pressed against his ribcage as his pectorals stretched in a wide arc. It had been a long day, to put it lightly Most days were, when you were in this business: power brokering. Kuttler was the Calculatorinformation broker par excellence. Get up at five or six in the morning and power-up the computer terminals and video feeds. He hadat one time or anothervideo feeds on every superhero and erstwhile metahuman in the Lower Forty-Eight, with everyone coming to him for information. He'd been called Oracle without the morals. Meh. Criminals were criminals. Period. But we're not all vultures. There is some honor among thieves. Some...
His eyes shifted from Luthor, across the table to the penetrating green eyes of Talia Head. She was the exquisitely beautiful daughter of Ra's al Ghul, one of the Batman's oldest foes. Inadvertently, Ra's had raised the bar—if it could be called that—by kidnapping Dick Grayson, the original Robin and drawing the Dark Knight into a complicated cat-and-mouse game. In order for the plan to work, though, Ra's had to figure out who Batman was. It proved exceptionally simple. Simple enough for a man who had time on his side—via the mystical life-giving powers of the Lazarus Pits, Ra's could survive indefinitely as long as a supply of viable Pit remained intact—as well as the resources of his personal League of Assassins. The Demon, as his name was vernacularized, figured out on his own that Bruce Wayne and Batman were one and the same. When she assumed the CEO position at LexCorp International, Talia simply passed the information along to the proper authorities. Honorable? Maybe, but useful nonetheless.
"I remind you that it was by my design we allowed the knowledge of Superman's identity to be forwarded to Checkmate's European office."
"Then what do you have?" The voice of Black Adam—Teth-Adam, the first man to have the magic powers of Shazam bestowed on him—echoed across the table. Adam's strong tenor had the power to move worlds, but Luthor (and the rest of the group) remained unfettered.
"I don't need to defend myself, Adam. Already, seeds of doubt are cast in Superman's head." Luthor reached forward and pressed a single red button embedded in the table top. The 3-D image of Superboy dissolved; the particles swirled around in mid-air and then coalesced into images of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Luthor leaned forward and steepled his fingers.
"Friction between the so-called trinity is mounting. Dr. Psycho."
The diminutive man at the opposite end of the table from Luthor wore a simple pinstripe suit with a loosely bound red tie. His long hair hung loosely around his neck, and he held his head low, exposing his balding forehead, as if to show off his advanced cranium. He smiled curtly, and spoke.
"Wonder Woman's recent run-in with the Flash has only fueled the fire, Luthor. She is, as opposed to the Batman and Superman, aggressively proactive in her approach to the villains. Satellite recon from the Artic indicates her feelings on the Dr. Light issue, saying quote-unquote that monsters like him need to be dealt with, violently if necessary."
"And?"
"She is willing to kill in order to achieve security, and close to recruiting the Flash in the same endeavor. Superman and the Batman, conversely, are not. I estimate that this simple ideological rift can only lead to larger problems within the core of the Justice League. Factor in the issue of Batman's mindwipe some years ago, and the rift gets…bigger."
"Talia," Luthor said. "What about the mindwipe?"
"Batman's memories are coming back to him, albeit at a glacial rate."
"And Deathstroke?"
"His tenure impersonating Batman has ended effective 2200 hours this morning, having been found out by Roy Harper."
"Contact?"
"He's dropped off the radar," Calculator interjected. "He'll resurface. Always does."
"Understood. Next item," Luthor said, momentarily referring to a single sheet of paper before him. "Zoom."
"The Rogues are planning something major, with the first strike possibly occurring within the next few days. I was introduced to Zoom, in the wake of his skirmish with the Amazon."
"And—?"
A shrill signal blared from the phone next to Luthor. He glanced at the phone dolefully for a moment, then silently deferred to the Calculator, who acquiesced.
"This is Calculator."
"Cold here."
Luthor shot a bemused at Calculator and then looked to the villains seated around him for answers. They had none. "It's been a long time, Len. We were beginning to wonder if you got our message."
"Something big is about to go down. I need to know if we have your support."
"'We'?"
"The Rogues. Mercer wants to find his dad. We've got some leads, but…they're sketchy. Can't you help?"
"We're aware of your predicament, Len," Luthor interjected. "However, we're not going to get involved in your little war with the Trickster."
"Lex—"
"Take care of your own problems, Len. Then we'll talk."
"But—"
Luthor disconnected the line. "Next item." Aren't we all thieves?
"Superboy," Calculator said quietly.
"He is to be mine for the molding," Luthor said.
"Is this personal, Lex? Wounded pride?" Talia challenged lightly.
"I have been supplying Robin with the information about Superboy's DNA for some time now. Very soon, Superboy will realize his place."
Luthor stood and slid his hands into his pockets. He craned his neck back to observe the rotating 3-D figure of Superboy. "Noah...find Slade."
Continued...