Outsets, Part 2

- - - December 9th - - -

They were perfect.

Lex Luthor had always appreciated proper product design. This had to be one of his masterpieces.

The five objects in the open suitcase in front of him practically screamed 'nefarious'. They were red, irregularly shaped, almost triangular but not quite symmetric, with three nasty points protruding from their sides. A half-hidden pattern of micro-circuitry was barely visible on their flat exterior, their smooth and slightly slick organic surface emitting an eerie, pulsating glow.

"Only five? That's all of them?", the ageless Witch Boy pouted.

Luthor very carefully increased the distance between himself and his precarious companion.

Why on Earth had Vandal Savage insisted on a physical meeting instead of a video call this time? Just so that they could admire the fruits of their joint work in person?

For a man who had declared himself a paragon of progress, their leader still failed to fully embrace all facets of the digital age…

"Five for now, Klarion", Savage clarified. Luthor had to admit that his computer screens had never quite conveyed the sense of raw power their leader emanated. The ancient tactician made an imposing figure up close, with his wild black hair, scarred face and bulky, muscular build.

"We will have more than enough of them, soon."

"Enough for what?", Ra's al Ghul inquired defiantly. "Have we not lost our only mode of deliverance?"

The immortal master of the League of Shadows was half a head smaller than Savage and at least a few millennia younger, despite his grey-streaked temples. Yet his regal composure and piercing stare lacked nothing of the other's intensity.

Luthor took another careful step backwards, acutely aware hat he was the only man in this room with a normal human lifespan – one he had no intention of cutting short, thank you very much.

Maybe the other members of the Light had been wise not to join them tonight.

"The loss of Red Arrow is merely a temporary setback", Savage replied calmly.

"A rather unfortunate one", al Ghul insisted. "Even worse, the fall of Cadmus has also robbed us of important opportunities to test these new devices. They might not work on non-humans, on Martians or Kryptonians. And we cannot acquire the necessary resources to keep refining them, until our delivery line for extraterrestrial supplies through the Bialyan desert has been restored."

"Either Queen Bee will resume her reign, or another will take her place – either way, we will re-establish contact with our outside partners quickly. New chances will arise, new opportunities will present themselves to us in time. Soon, the Justice League will have to face the Light!"

"Not soon enough", the Witch Boy whined loudly. "You promised we'd get them this year!"

"And we will get them, all of them!", Savage thundered, his calm facade slipping. "Why do you always have to be so impatient, Klarion?"

Oh dear. Those two clearly had a history.

Well, all of history, most probably, given their age. Luthor shuddered at the thought.

"I don't care about the others!", the Witch Boy hissed. His eyes turned bright red, all light suddenly fading from the room around him. "You know that all I want is to destroy Nabu!"

"You will get your chance…"

"Not soon enough!", the mage yelled, smoke suddenly surging from his long black sleeves, a dark cloud wafting towards them. "You know he found a new host, Zatara, his best one in ages. He is getting stronger every minute! He already started recovering his artefacts, readjusting cosmic balance in his favour. I want him gone, Vandal, and gone for good!"

And with that, Luthor felt a small pointy item dissolve against his neck.

"I'm done waiting", Klarion announced, his voice suddenly calm again. With a snap of his fingers, the black smoke disappeared and the light returned, revealing his wicked grin and an open suitcase now missing more than half of its nefarious content.

"Traitor", Savage managed to spit out, before his eyes glazed over.

"I'm sure you are not seriously surprised?", the Lord of Chaos teased.

Lex Luthor stepped forward with a calculated air of confidence, forcing a benevolent smile onto his lips. "Not at all, Lord Klarion. How may I assist you in vanquishing Doctor Fate?"

The mage's youthful brow furrowed.

"Fight", he ordered with a careless wave of his hand.

Al Ghul whirled around towards Savage, a sword appearing in each of his hands, his long cape billowing behind him. Savage blocked the first strike with his forearm, red blood gushing from the bone-deep cut, yet the wound closed itself almost instantly. He retaliated with a blow from his hammer-like fist, which al Ghul dodged expertly.

Luthor's smile never wavered, as he ignored the battle of the two immortals beside them.

"I am sure you understand that I had to take certain precautions…"

For the past five months, he had poured millions of dollars into research and supplies, just to keep up with engineering an effective counter for every element of the new nano-bio-sorcery-based mind control chips he had helped the Light develop. He could only count himself lucky that the antidote required less extraterrestrial components than the aggregate itself…

The Witch Boy scrutinized him closely, then grinned. "You'll be useful", he decided. "Follow me."

With another snap of his fingers, they were gone.

Author's note:

Welcome to the final showdown!

I really enjoyed writing this scene. Of course Luthor would have taken precautions...
(And no, even he wouldn't have been able to whip up a 'cure-tec' within just a few hours!)

I hope you like my choice of adversaries. I'm taking a rather different approach from the original series, but I hope you'll still enjoy the ride!

Reviews are cherished!