Chapter Ten: The Enemy of My Enemy
LV
The United States of Luthor
Within hours of his strange rescue, Lex Luthor was on his way to the Pentagon in LexForce One. A full squadron of military fighters was dispatched to flank him, with orders to take down anything within ten miles. It had delayed his departure, but it was a necessary precaution - all things considered. He used the time to put all the pieces together.
The first piece of evidence was that the attack had used anti-matter. That quantity of anti-matter was only available from one source; the CERN satellite. Within minutes of his return to Metroplois, he had agents aboard the satellite retrieving the video feed (and bodies), which was then broadcast to his team. Professor Gregor Markewitch proved to be the key to the puzzle. He was known to the CIA… and he was known to Luthor as a former mentor.
Luthor knew where Markewitch's true loyalties lie…
Forty-five years ago near the end of the cold war, a high-ranking KGB insider had been caught and injected with a new, experimental truth serum. In his delirium, the agent went on about a mysterious League of Assassins, a quasi-political organization bent on the destruction of mankind. As his ranting became less coherent, he lost all semblance of sanity and passed away within 24 hours. Its developers had written the serum off as a failure.
Luthor had taken two things away from that historical encounter. One; there was a League of Assassins. Two, at pennies on the dollar, Luthor had purchased the patent and was now manufacturing a refined variation of the Hoffner truth serum privately.
He considered it a breakthrough in psychoactive medication, even if the foreign fools at the UN deemed it illegal.
The FBI's database of the League's suspected network of shadow operatives gave him David Cain, verified by the assassin's recent entry into the U.S.A. It was… difficult to track who was in, and who was not in, the League. Much like Luthor's staff, its operatives often just disappeared.
One fact was certain however. As one of the greatest assassins of his day, Cain had certainly been a member. Two hundred million dollars in Cain's account gave him Kahndaq. Useful… but the League did not work for Kahndaq - quite the opposite in fact.
He could also swear the suit Cain had been wearing onboard the satellite was a Wayne Industries prototype. Again, useful… Did Wayne have League affiliations? It was a fact he intended to take full advantage of… tomorrow.
He created a League unit within the FBI. They needed information quickly by whatever means necessary. He needed to know more about this mysterious cartel of death-dealers. He was absolutely certain the government was infiltrated. Luthor appointed only his most trusted operatives to this task.
After everyone else had been assigned their tasks, he constructed and committed his speech to memory, all in his head. Lois had her paper, he had a photographic memory.
Upon landing, people seemed genuinely relieved to see him. They had lost so many today… The Speaker of the House, The Senate Leader, The Secretary of State. His next in line was the Secretary of Defense. Secretary O'Neil had been spared, hospitalized with heart pains the evening prior. Luthor would tie up that loose end tonight.
Fighter jets filled the skies above and heavy artillery jostled for position all around the perimeter of the Pentagon. The army had set up impromptu command centers in the surrounding areas and businesses. Luthor was more concerned with who had access to the Pentagon at the moment. Two calls took care of that.
Twenty minutes later, he was adjusting his tie, standing in front of the Pentagon cameras ten levels underground. The word had gone out, news media around the world awaited on baited breath for this moment.
"You're on, Mr. President, in 5, 4, 3, …."
"Ladies and Gentlemen... please stand with me. I would like a moment of silence for our fallen leaders and officials who paid the ultimate price in service of this great nation only hours ago."
Luthor waited until all the crew had stood with him. And then he waited sixty seconds while the world waited with him.
"It is important to remember what America stands for, and who has stood for America. As you know, the White House was attacked this morning in the greatest terrorist attack upon our nation's soil in its history. Our enemies would like you to believe this was the work of a solitary terrorist. That one individual, whom we have identified as the international assassin David Cain, was behind this inconceivable tragedy. The work of one madman, acting alone." A large image of the crater that had once been the White House appeared behind him. One of the few known images of David Cain appeared beside it.
"Already, we have established Cain's links to Kahndaq. More importantly, we have recently discovered his links to an international cartel of terrorists who have been working in the shadows of politics. This was not a one-man operation. Nor is it likely that this will be the only attack. As of today, we are at threat level RED until further notice. As such, I am declaring a State of Emergency across the nation.
And, with hesitation, I must also declare martial law across the nation… until we can guarantee a reasonable level of safety for our citizens from both threats originating beyond our shores, and within. This is like no threat we have faced before. This international cartel of terrorists, who call themselves the League of Assassins, is believed to have numerous operatives in our country. While the group may have origins in the Middle East, it has become obvious that its operatives may hail from anywhere or be anyone. Our mission is to locate these members and bring them to justice with extreme prejudice. We will not stop until every last League member is brought to justice."
Luthor let that sink in for a moment.
"And finally, I'm sure many of you have questions as to how I survived the attack this morning... It certainly was a miracle. To put it bluntly, I was kidnapped. Please don't think me crazy when I say there are aliens among us... Until this morning, America had one of these aliens, codenamed Big Blue, on its payroll. The rumors are true. This was the man who flew into the skies to intercept the League member, David Cain, and fell from the skies after being stopped by Cain. We will be releasing a docket on Big Blue momentarily.
Both myself and our greatest weapon, the super-man Big Blue, were kidnapped by two other aliens who had infiltrated the President Lane's staff using the identities of Scott and Barda Free. Both Big Blue and myself were transported away at the last possible second. They believed that the explosion would cover all possible traces of our abduction.
Fortunately, I escaped. It is clear they planned to use me for LexCorp technology and my bank account. What is unclear is their association with the League. I'm afraid Big Blue is still clinging to life in their clutches. We have no information on their motives concerning Big Blue or whether the League will attempt to convert him to their cause.
As of this moment, I am posting a one-hundred-million dollar reward on the capture of Scott and Barda Free or for information leading to their arrests. Do not approach them yourselves, they are extremely dangerous. We will provide all information we possess on the alien duo including last known location.
To the citizens of America… you do have a government. You will have peace. You will have security. We must obey the law and remain calm, vigilant, and prepared. The White House is gone, but its spirit remains. We will root out this nest of vipers and crush it under our heel and rebuild America.
I will now turn the floor over to General Alvin for the particulars of this morning's attack and how it was carried out. Further details will be provided as they are discovered."
Luthor couldn't help but smile. Today was the beginning of a new era.
His era.