Chapter 19 - What really matters

Lex Luther was standing in front of the window overlooking the city. He was mulling over the information he just received. His resources allowed him to view everything that had happened in the Iceberg Lounge. It was interesting to say the least.

There were four grotesque creatures involved in the massacre. However, what really peeked Lex's interest was that fact that everyone acting like the power was out and nothing was working. They were shooting in random directions. This whole scenario had Lex's intellect working overtime.

Thanks to his resources he managed to recover the footage and get the first look at what happened. But because he had to rely on in outsider, well the GCPD would be clueless, but his advantage would be lessened by the fact other criminals could pay for access. Still, he had some time before they figured the why.

Baby Doll, or rather Mary Dahl as she is now going by. Told him that he specializes in assassination and disappearances. This was clearly him showcasing his method.

He picked an interesting target to do so. The Penguin, with his connections, unique weapon arsenal, and odd physical appearance, put him above the local failing mob bosses and into a slightly higher criminal bracket. Unfortunately, Miss Dahl didn't tell him how to get into contact with this entity nor did she tell him the price for his services. He suspected it was her way of slapping him for not helping her earlier.

His thoughts turned immediately towards the other individual he asked to look into this. Calendar Girl, her only real problem was that she suffered from a form of body dysmorphia and was obsessed with an industry that didn't care how beautiful you still were, once you hit certain age you were out. Lex once thought to use her as arm candy, but her instability made that untenable.

Then he thought about how long it would take the bat to get his hands on the footage. It was an open secret that certain women in the Underworld would gladly help him for some special time with him. So, he would get it eventually.

All Lex could do now was wait, and he hated waiting. So, he decided to be more productive and start going over possible payments and ways that he might make use of him. Lex mentally sighed, 'The least she could've done was tell me his name.'

...

Gotham's Underworld elite were all wondering how to deal with the situation. As far as they knew it was some new upstart crew trying to make a name for themselves. Theories and speculation circulated, they wondered are they for hire, if so, how much? Others wondered what their motivation was are they even close to done.

Such news would grow in intensity as the week progressed. Not that Nicholas particularly cared. Everyone was talking about him, and whether they realized it not he has his pick of clients or targets. What he really needed was someone to satisfy his hunger.

The food he had eaten was delicious, but the reality was it provided no sustenance. He needed someone who could either be a guardian or a queen. A queen would be ideal, but he couldn't afford to be picky.

Suddenly someone wrapped up in a trench coat and a bunch of other clothing. Not a single piece of skin was showing, and though it was muffled, Nicholas could tell it was a woman speaking to him.

He could hear the desperation in her voice as she asked if he could help her. Sensing a potential meal, he negotiated and convinced her to take him somewhere private. After he would need to see all of her to know what to really fix.

She reluctantly agreed, and she had him follow her to a rather nice-looking penthouse. It became clear this woman was not strapped for cash. As he began to remove the layers of clothing it became more apparent how uncomfortable she was.

Strangely enough not by the fact that he was removing her clothes, but by the fact that she had to let someone see her. With each piece of exposed skin Nicholas could tell her body was without flaw. Then his memory revealed who this person was, Paige Munroe, aka Calendar Girl.

She stood before him; the discomfort was palpable. But once again it was not because she thought him as disgusting but rather, she was hating herself, thinking of herself as some hideous beast.

Nicholas spoke saying, "Interesting, I see only one flaw with you." Paige looked at him with nervous trepidation. She asked, "What is it?" He placed his hand under her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. He said, "You devoted yourself to the one industry that wouldn't care if you were an actual goddess of beauty, the moment you turned thirty they discarded you like rotting fish." She was flooded with emotions until he continued saying, "While I can't restore your career, I can keep you from feeling the passage of time, now and forever."

A torrent of emotions could be seen across her face. She pulled away, and she walked towards a floor length mirror. She stared into it, clearly looking at herself for the first with someone else's eyes. Nicholas approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Paige placed her hands on top of his and asked, "Do you really think this body is without flaw?" Nicholas whispered into her ear, "I don't think, I know. The real question you need to ask yourself is what are willing to to do to stay beautiful."

The look in her eyes told him that she mentally checked out after the first part. All she knows at that moment is that he finds her beautiful. With barely a thought, she turns and kisses him. She began to remove his clothes while simultaneously leading him to her bedroom.

...

Batman was looking at footage from the Iceberg Lounge. Oracle had gotten lucky and managed to sneak a copy from some new hacker trying to make a name for themselves. The footage was disturbing, but what Batman found truly chilling was the fact that these four only accounted for some of the recent deaths.

He picked up a phone and made a phone call. John Constantine answered. A brief conversation left John intrigued but due to other circumstances it would be at least two months at the earliest before he could lend a hand.

Zatanna couldn't be there until the end of the month. As most others have close ties to the Justice League, and considering his own strained relationship, his options were limited. Raven could be helpful, but considering the danger he couldn't demand only her. Batman decided to take Nightwing up on his offer, but he would have to make sure it was a limited number of volunteers only. They couldn't afford to leave other places vulnerable.

...

Paige Munroe wasn't sure of the sequence of events that led her to her current situation. She had just spent the last few hours acting against her every instinct. Even now there she was, head on his chest, letting him see her.

He made her feel desired, beautiful, like there really wasn't anything wrong with. As she laid there, she realized that she would do anything to keep this feeling. Her video phone began to ring. She got up, put on a robe, and for the first time she didn't feel the need to put on her mask.

When she answered, she wasn't surprised to see Lex Luther. However, he was surprised to her without a mask. Deciding to skip the pleasantries, Lex said, "I see you made contact with the thing I mentioned." Paige responded, "Still sharp as a bowling ball, would you like to arrange a meeting with him, or perhaps you'd like to know his services and their associated prices."

After she said that, Paige realized she actually knew the answers, actually knew about Nicholas. His name, his purpose, and even his desires. A piece of her realizes that she should be concerned, but the rest of her simply doesn't care.

Lex without batting an eye said, "I know what he specializes in, what I need to know is the price." Paige felt like she has an obligation to answer Lex. So, she said, "The price is dependent on the relationship to the target. If for example you wanted him to take out Superman, you would need to offer a woman you've known just as long as Superman and love them as much as you hate Superman."

Lex was silent as he pondered the information he just received. Then he said, "Interesting, sadly I don't love anyone as much as I hate the supers. However, what would be the price for these five names."

A piece of paper just faxed through with a list of five names. After a quick glance Paige saw that they were a mixture of either his political opponents or business rivals. Suddenly, names of known villains appeared corresponding positions next to the names.

She sent the paper back and said, "The price. While he can take out those targets whenever at any time, you are responsible for promptly delivering the corresponding price to Gotham."

Lex looked at the altered paper, then he said, "Surprisingly fair pricing, and not a problem I can arrange for them to show up in Gotham the following day after a target is confirmed dead." Paige said, "I'll let him know, pleasure doing business with you."

The call ended, and suddenly Nicholas had his arms around her. He whispered, "That was excellent, good work." He then pulled her to her feet and her robe slipped off and another round passion began.

...

Lex was sitting at his desk looking at the list.

[Queen Bee, Ruler of Greater Bialya.

Barbara Ann Minerva, aka Cheetah.

Leslie Willis, aka Livewire.

Louise Lincoln, aka Killer frost.

Siobhan McDougal, aka Silver Banshee.]

As Lex looked over the list, he had to admit to himself, it really was a fair exchange. Four of the names were individuals who stood in his way from closing some major deals. It wasn't personal and it was reflected in the price. His relationship with those four was purely mercenary. He hired to do the occasional job and that was it.

The only real high price target was his political opponent. That individual was the only person who could beat him in his political ambition. The fact that that man was hand-picked by Amanda Waller for the sole purpose of being his opponent was the reason he couldn't resort to more traditional methods.

The fact that Queen Bee was the price proved that this man was aware of their connections. After all, Lex Corp was the exclusive provider for Bialya's military. As well as certain other items that were impossible to transport via a legal means. Once Queen Bee disappears his business in Bialya would be finished. So, he was trading a valuable business asset for achieving his political ambition.

As he said earlier, it's a surprisingly fair trade. Cheetah, Livewire, Killer Frost, and Silver Banshee would be easy. All he needs is to act like he has a job for them in Gotham. His thoughts then turned to Calendar Girl, her seemingly overnight transformation. It was clear what had happened, and how he had almost a hypnotic power over her.

Then it clicked, he might be able to convince Queen Bee to head over if she thinks it's to take control of a new asset. However, that is for later. He needs to prepare in order to take advantage of what is to come.