Year Seven Rework II

"This is ridiculous. The man won't even show his face and he thinks we'll just hand him the keys to the white house? What about other great men of our times like Lex Luthor or Wayne? You don't see them running for president. They know their places is selling technology, not running the country!" 

"Jake, Jake, Jake. Why would that even matter? This Neo guy has turned one of the worst cities of America into somewhere people can live without fearing for their lives! Just imagine what he could do with more resources, people and support! We could go from beign the country with the highest amount of super criminals to one where threatys like Darkseid won't ever be an issue again! I've lost family in that attack and if not for heroes like him-"

"But we're forgetting something here! It's all a ruse!He came out of nowhere with technology not even the military has access to! I've said it before and I'll say it again, this man is not from earth! He has to be an alien!"

"That's not even the point-"

The two men were debating about me on the news, something that became very popular ever since my speech a few days ago. It was impossible to go on social media like Facebook or Twitter without finding someone talking about me.

I've gotten Interpretor on the task of determining which side is more popular in the debate. Not just there, also on TV and the radio, journals, everywhere people give opinions about politics. That helps me know where I stand in the public's eye and what I'll have to do to ensure my rise to power. Frankly, I'm not even sure being the president is necessary. But having that in my portfolio might be very useful later on, especially if I have a successful term. Even still, I don't intend to run for president until I feel ready.

The verdict was disappointing. Most people wouldn't vote for me. But I still have a few years to change that. 

Things were a little awkward on the side of the newly formed justice league. No one was really trying except cyborg and me. Which was perfect for us to get to know each other, he ended up accepting to share what he knew of Apocoliptican tech.

Soon enough, I expect we'll have to deal with the event's of Arthur's rise to the throne of Atlantis. I'm already thinking of ways to convince him to start trade with the surface, specifically, me. I'm no fan od magic but surface scientists and Atlantean mages working together might actually make earth meaningfully more powerful in the future. In this crossover world, there are many threaths that could arise beyond my foresight...

In a few hours, I'm having a guest over. The one and only Lex Luthor. With the rest of the Verus Ordo, of course. I finally decided it was time I would speak with the smartest man on earth. 

His goals align with mine, yes… but he is also much like me in that he seeks to be at the top. Which is why I have to make sure ge feels at a disadvantage. Let's show him how outclassed he is, specifically in terms of AI and robotics.

First, all the staff of the manor are robotic drones controlled by the triad, as always. I also intend to go while wearing my armor. Why? Because it's just part of my image at this point. The snake skin suit is nowhere near as intimidating.

He may be smarter than me but I sure am just as prideful. If I can get away with anything that'll make him respect me, I will.

Everyone is gathered in the room below. The camera's show that the white limo of Luthor is in front of the manor. He and Mercy are clearly dressed for the occasion. I had her examined and it seems like this version isn't the Mercy wjth robotic uprgades.

They entered inside and were greeted by one of the drones and directed towards their seats. They soon started chatting and greeting the various people around. After that is done, it's finally time for my entrance.

I walk down the stairs into the room, every one of my steps must be perfect. I reach my chair at the table and sit down.

"Lex Luthor and, I presume, miss Mercy Graves. It is my pleasure to greet you here tonight."

"Thank you for having us. To be frank, I thought you would never agree to meeting with me."

"Nonsense. Great minds like ours are bound to meet. Always. Like positive and negative charges, intelligence is drawn to intelligence. I was occupied with a few projects of my own, notably this armor you see me wear today. It is my pride, my symbol."

"And I understand why. To be frank, not even I could have made something so effective, not with today's technology anyways. And with so little funding? Un thinkable. You have a talent for finding competent researchers."

He said with a smile while raising his hands towards Genna and Ottos. Frankly, I'd just call it luck that I found those guys. But thanks to their work, the public absolutely loves those two.

Genna seemed glad. "Your words are very flattering, mister Luthor." 

Bald rizz, I guess. He is much much more muscular than the DCAMU version.

And the night went on like this, discussing a variety of different anecdotes here and there, I myself found the dinner very nice. Yes, I can eat with my armor. I still wear a mask under so I just have to remove the helmet.

At twelve exactly, I felt it was finally time to get to the meat and potatoes of the subject.

"Mister Luthor, tell me something. Do you believe in my political campaign?"

I already knew what to expect.

"To be frank, as things stand, doubt still clouds the eyes of the masses. And mine as well."

"Very accurate and frankly to be expected. I can't do all of this alone. So my question is really this: Would you agree to support me in my future endeavors? Alone, we accomplished much and gathered great wealth. But together, we are assured to do all that our ancestors thought impossible. Not in a hundred years, but here and now."

"Well, it is an offer I myself came to make. I am certain you and I could make America a much greater place indeed…"

And I laughed.

"if you recall my speech, I did make it clear I don't intend to just stop at America."

"Yes. I recall. Which seemed strange to me. Taking over the world peacefully seems… Unrealistic. The, forgive me but I must day this, naivety has even led many to believe your intentions are far too pure to not be deceptive. In a man's life time, establishing large government over something so unstable is unthinkable."

And there it was.

"But what if I didn't just have a decade or two to make significant changes?"

Clearly, I caught his attention again. The others around us already know. Some of the younger kids looked excited.

"What are you saying? That you've… managed to develop a way to extend your life?"

"... Sure." 

A drone came into the room, holding a silver platter with a glass of Lazarus and... a dead rat. Luthor was clearly confused. I could see the "what kind of cult did I get myself close to?" look.

"What I offer you is immortality, Lex Luthor. Oh, and please don't drink that."

He was confused. Uncertain what to make of the situation. Mercy too was suddenly much more quet, worried. The chatter had grown silent around us, leading to the atmosphere turning tense, almost scary.

"Pour the glass over the rat, and you will see."

He hesitated for a while, uncomfortable. He was realizing my implications and he couldn't bring himself to believe it. There was no way the glass of liquid could do what it seemed I thought it could. But in the end, he took the glass and poured the Lazarus over the small corpse. In a few instants, the wounds closed, the nearly detached head reattached itself completely to the body and the vermin gasped for air once more.

The rat rose suddenly and attacked Luthor. The drone nearby caught the feral animal mid air and walked away with it.

"The aggressive reaction is momentary. As you can imagine, resurrection is not something that leaves one… unaffected."

Hus silence was telling. He still had to process. Flying laser men and rock skinned gods were fine but, apparently, defying death was not.

"... How?" He simply wispered.

"There has to be a trick..." Mercy continued.

"That's where you come in. You're a scientist, I'm sure you would love to study the makeup of this miraculous substance. We have such a certain supply of it that I never really bothered to do so myself. Besides, I'm not much of a chemist."

It's mostly I fear the ingredients are near impossible to find.

I'm not much of anything but a cheat. I didn't even create my tech, I gave the ideas for it and learned how to make it from those who actually created it. The biggest fraud of the century. I do feel a bit guilty for letting him believe I'm even close to his level. But someday, if we get into genetic enhancement tech, it might be the case… For now, I'm just a pretender.

Luthor was speechless for a few moments until finally, he seemed to accept the reality of what he had seen.

"... This is revolutionary! All the potential problems we could fix with variants of the chemical… and to be able to cure death itself?! The possibilities are endless!"

"They are. For now though, Lazarus, which is its name, stays a secret. In a few centuries or so, if we manage to manufacture it…Humanity will enter an era of eternity… After we have sufficiently prepared it, of course."

Giving people who can't even live a century prosperously immortality is stupid. To create an endless race that won't want to end itself after a few centuries only, it's the whole perspective of humanity that must change in regards to how to live life to its fullest. The differences between gods and men are not just in power. Most men would make terrible immortals. Frankly, I don't know if I'm among those men.

There's a reason gods don't live like men. There are two kinds of them. Those driven by passion, pleasure and carnal desires who have little to nothing to worry about and those driven by duty. Those who can stand still gazing at a planet of insignificant creatures without ever moving or complaining yet at a moments notice, can catch a stray photon traveling across the universe with ease. Like angels.

Humanity is too bad at both to maintain its sanity if given eternal life. Frankly, so am I. Eventually, that will have to change, lest I begin to resent my undying nature.

"Right now, most people's lives revolve around consuming products. That's way too unsustainable for an immortal society. And that issue is only one of the many aspects of the current world mindset that we need to change for the better."

He nodded in agreement.

"You know what you are doing… You thought this through very well. You must be very old..."

Yeah about that…

"And as I realize that now," He continued. "You can be certain I will do my best to cooperate…"

I hope that if Karma exists in this world, I die a gruesome death for all my deceptions and lies after I have accomplished all I've set out to do…

Several days post my meeting with Luthor, I was spending my nights reading in the lab. It was midnight. Interpretor warned me that batman was on his way smack in the middle of me reading up on quantum physics. How does he know? Simple.

I put a tracker on Batman's suit. People meme about how powerful and badass he is but no matter what they say, he makes a lot of mistakes in lore and some details can escape him. He's not perfect. All the times he nearly died, all the times he got beaten or captured, all the times his prep time was rendered void in the comics... Just Bane is a prime example. Or that time with Prometheus. Or all those time with the Joker.

Now I admit it's not impossible that he chose to leave the tracker on him for whatever reason but, I choose to believe I managed to catch him off guard. Who's gonna stop me?

"We need to talk." He said. It looked important.

Thats what's really worrying me. What the hell would cause him to need to talk with me now if all times?

"Sure. But about what exactly?"

"Nightwing showed me a video one of his discimulated cameras took a few weeks ago. He only recently went through them…"

Oh. Shit. I knew it! I knew he had hidden cameras when he came in here! And of course he got to see me kill myself and come back... Byt why would that conscern Batman? Is ut perhaps the creature?

"The problem has been dealt with, you don't need to worry about–"

"No. It has not. Mundus, something is very wrong with the moon."

"..."

"When scientists began to notice that it's been getting closer rather than farther at a rate that seemed nearly unnatural, I asked superman to go take a look… That thing has taken over nearly all of the dark side of the moon. It's coming for earth."

How did it get out?! Did it die somehow and came back like... me? I should have been more cautious! What does it want?!

"How long do we have?"

He just looked at me with a cold face. "I don't know. Its movement rate is very variable. Linear to exponential, a lot some days, not at all others, it seems random by all measures."

"And couldn't Superman kill it?"

"No."

How?! What the fuck is that thing?! I was so happy just worrying about Atlantis and Doomsday but now this?! Why couldn't yhings stay easy? Is this thing trying to kill me?

"Can't superman push back the moon or something?!"

"What? Of course not."

Great. Well I guess this isn't one of those hyper powerful versions of Superman.

"Well then the solution seems obvious. I'll have to work on some kind of gravitational defense for the whole planet… shouldn't be too hard to convince world governments to install whatever I come up with but…"

He's already gone. So that's how it feels like? I'm gonna remember this.

Well. Now that thing in the sky is my responsibility. Great. Making a gravitic field for the earth shouldn't be too long. We have the power sources, the resources and getting funding won't be too hard with Lex on my side… the problem is getting the gravitons.

Meh, I guess the earth will just be a little lighter for a few months after the shield's activation…

After a battle against space demons and an imbecile of a god, fish people should be a piece of cake. But what's coming next is what worries me... I need to get us ready.