Chapter 40: Awaken (Part 1)

The next day, for the first time in over a week, something Arias had done wasn't on the headlines of Gotham's news. Instead, the headlines covered a nationwide event that had many triggered.

Just a little over a month ago, Earth had experienced an invasion from Darkseid. However, the heroes now known to the public as the Justice League stopped the disaster before it became too problematic and saved multiple lives in the process.

Although the world was saved, much damage was done to many cities around the globe, with Gotham being one of the few that suffered less. That morning, though, the world was shocked to learn that the S.T.A.R. Labs of Gotham City had been conducting dangerous experiments using remnants from the invasion.

One such remnant, a Parademon, escaped from the labs and wreaked havoc in the Otisburg section of Gotham City, taking many lives and causing significant damage to infrastructure. No warning was given to the residents of Gotham since the government wished to isolate the incident and not let other countries know they were weaponizing Apokolips technology.

Sadly, come morning, it was too late as an anonymous source released footage, which was later broadcast by numerous international news stations that didn't fear angering the States. The relatives of the victims were quick to begin protesting, as they were lied to and told it was a terrorist attack by an unknown organization.

Opposition parties took the opportunity to criticize the president and his office, while foreign countries demanded the project be shut down as it clearly went against U.N. laws.

All this didn't interest Arias much, but at the end of the broadcast, an official statement finally came straight from the White House, delivered by their spokesperson.

"We, the office of the president, understand the concerns and outrage from the people regarding this recent event. The president would like the people and world to know that this project was initiated with the goal of protecting our great nation and the world at large, should another alien invasion ever come to our doorstep.

To reveal more in regards to this, the president has decided to host an international Earth's Protection Gala, where various invited prominent figures from the political, military, medical, and business sectors may come and discuss the matters in further detail and also witness a presentation of the breakthroughs so far.

Invitations are already being sent out, and not a single decline has been given internationally. As for locally, each major city will have five invites granted, for the mayor to distribute to figures he or she thinks are a big part of the city.

We also—"

Not waiting until the end, Arias turned the television off and immediately made a call to Gregor.

"Send two of the Gala invitations to me and prepare adequate transportation as well."

[Two? But Arias, that's a bit—]

"Good. Let me know when they decide on a date." Arias cut the call before Gregor could respond.

Gregor, who was in his office at City Hall, was vexed as soon as the call ended. He violently threw his phone on the table. A moment later, it rang again, and he frowned before calming his voice and picking up.

"I've already agreed. What more do you want from me?"

[ I think you have me mistaken for someone else, Mayor Gregor. You and I are yet to conclude our business.]

"O-oh, Mr. Luthor? I'm terribly sorry. To be honest, I didn't think I would hear from you so soon."

[Understandable. I am a rather busy man with a tight schedule, but I always make time for interesting offers. I've always wanted to expand LexCorp into Gotham, but Bruce Wayne has made it his mission to outbid me and prevent me from doing so.]

"Yes, of course. That's another reason I think Gotham would benefit greatly from having you here. Bruce Wayne is nothing but a rich playboy, nothing in comparison to a genius like you who built LexCorp from the ground up."

Gregor didn't hold back on the praise, and Lex didn't stop him either, always happy to receive the recognition he felt he deserved.

[You're right in that regard as well, but I wonder how you plan to achieve this. I've already had my people try to purchase the property that was confiscated a few weeks prior, but you yourself isolated the buyers to Gotham residents only. After that, I attempted to use a proxy, but that also failed, with a young startup purchasing them for not even half of what I was willing to pay. This couldn't occur without some manipulation from City Hall. Care to explain?]

"I would never go against you willingly, Mr. Luthor. You see… I was—or rather, I am—still being blackmailed by that very young man, as are over half of the major figureheads within Gotham. He has information that could ruin us, so I had no choice. I called today because I'm still more than willing to work with LexCorp, but my attempts at getting rid of him have all failed and backfired. Now he has an even firmer grip on Gotham."

[It seems I underestimated him. To accomplish so much in so little time is indeed impressive. But he's still too new to the affairs of the world to understand that one cannot succeed without connections. All it would take is one phone call, and he will cease to exist. But before that, let's discuss what the arrangements after will be like.]

Luthor's voice was cold and calculating, a tone Gregor found both comforting and terrifying. The man on the other end of the line was as ruthless as they came, and he was now Gregor's only hope of escaping Arias's grip. But even as he nodded along and agreed to Lex's terms, a sliver of doubt wormed its way into his mind. How long could he keep playing both sides before one of them decided he was no longer useful?