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See No Evil: Beginning of the End (ch. 85)
🕑 Added 2022-05-18 15:00:52 +0000 UTC"What did you do with the Warworld?" I heard a low voice growl in the dead of night, emerging from the shadows of my office the moment I entered it . Bruce Wayne stepped out of the shadows rather than Batman, but based on the look of him, I would say that they were one and the same at the moment. His brow was furrowed into a deep scowl as he regarded me, searching my face for any signs of the lies that he expected to come.
I didn't miss a beat as I closed the door to my office behind me, not even bothering to act like I was surprised that he was here. "It's gone," I answered, striding to my desk and gesturing for him to take a seat. "For good."
"Do you really expect me to believe that you just got rid of it?" Bruce asked me, taking a seat. Our positions were completely reversed now, I noticed. Months ago, what felt like a lifetime ago, I had sat where Bruce was and prepared to lie through my teeth about the depth of things that I had done so that Batman wouldn't come break my legs. I had walked that tightrope between success and catastrophe by lying and misdirecting until I had maneuvered Batman to be in my corner.
"I'm shocked you'd think I'd have any use for it," I admitted, settling in my chair as I regarded Bruce Wayne. The Justice League was back and they were doing damage control. It had been two days since the Reach attacked Earth and were thwarted, and the League had arrived yesterday. Disaster relief was their chief concern while the various Green Lanterns went back to Oa to inform the Guardians that the treaty had been breached. It was too early to tell if there was going to be a war between the Guardians and the Reach, but all signs pointed to it.
I was spearheading both disaster relief and taking command of Earth's defenses. The Reach had violated pretty much every rule of diplomacy while attacking us. I hadn't expected it, but people were absolutely furious when the shock wore off. Almost in one voice the world was screaming out for one thing -- war with the Reach. Despite my retrial coming up, because of the clusterfuck of the last one, Sainthood Enterprises was swamped with military contracts.
"The Warworld was way too dangerous to keep around. At best, it was one hell of a threat. At worst, it was going to get used. This time, it was used to help against the Reach. Next time it could be used by Earth against Earth," I answered, and Bruce offered a curt nod, seemingly measuring every word that I said. Last time, I was beyond tense. I was downright scared, because if Bruce had figured out I was lying, then that would have been the end of it. I would have gone to prison and there really wasn't anything I could have done about it.
Things were very different now. Very, very different.
"I'm not arguing that the Warworld was a danger to humanity. I'm asking you what you did with it," Bruce responded, not at all buying that the Warworld really was gone.
I cocked an eyebrow, "Do you want to get Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth? The Warworld no longer exists. It's been destroyed in a way that there is no coming back from." I told him, making his eyes narrow ever so slightly. I couldn't really blame him for not believing a single word that I said. Honestly, he was reacting a lot better than I thought he would.
The trial had a lot come out. People were freaking out that I had been brainwashed. People felt angry on my behalf, or they felt bad for me, or they didn't know how much of what I did and achieved had really been me or not. I'm guessing that Bruce didn't particularly care about anything that happened after my supposed brainwashing. He might even feel bad that he didn't notice.
However, the big issue was that my lies when our positions were reversed had been revealed by me. I confessed to deeds that I had lied to his face about, doing so to win over the population of the world. Crimes like murder or selling drugs were stains that wouldn't ever really wash out of my reputation, however, those stains could be covered up. Extenuating circumstances, or saying that I was under duress – that it was never my choice to commit those crimes, and that when I had the chance, I stopped.
For the public? That was enough. The bad I did was completely overshadowed by the good.
For Batman? I had lied to his face and now, he knew it.
I was honestly shocked that he hadn't brought the Lasso of Truth with him.
"I'm not sure it would drag the truth out of you," Bruce responded, his tone flat and unkind. I had always straddled the line between ally and enemy with him. I had carefully maneuvered myself so I was never someone that he needed to act against, even when I was flagrantly breaking the law. Because I hadn't broken his golden rule, and for every line I stepped over, it was never one that he hadn't stepped over himself.
The case was still ongoing and this time it was being tried at an international court by the UN. However, Bruce knew as well as I did…
I was going to get away with murder. Not just the mass murder of the League of Shadows. Nor the assassination of a President of the United States. But I would be getting away with all the murders I had committed during my rise to power, because no one actually gave a shit about them. Not when they were so overshadowed. He knew it. I knew it. At this point, the whole world knew it.
"Hurtful, but look at this from my perspective -- the Warworld was just way more trouble than it was worth. When someone knows that you have it, then it's a sword of Damocles over everyone's head. Didn't matter if it was me, you, or the Justice League. People would always be afraid that it would be used." I continued, shaking my head. "Something like the Warworld is way too much power in anyone's hands. I wouldn't trust the UN with it. I wouldn't trust me with it either. So, I took it off the board. It's gone. Forever. Unless, I dunno, time travel shenanigans."
Bruce searched my face. Really searched it. I could practically see him pulling out every single stop in order to determine if I was lying or not. "Would you be able to say that with the Lasso?" He ultimately decided, his tone flat because he still didn't believe me.
"Name the time and place, Bruce. The Warworld is gone," I repeated.
"Like your mind control chip," he remarked, his expression not betraying an iota of emotion as he spoke. Where I had learned to hide behind my smiles, Bruce had mastered keeping his expression completely blank.
"Like my mind control chip," I agreed without missing a beat, meeting his gaze. He didn't buy it. But he didn't have any evidence to confirm his hunch, and as far as I could tell, he was the only one amongst the heroes that harbored such doubts. Honestly, I think the only reason that he didn't believe it was because my previous lies had been brought to light. He just flat out didn't trust me and wouldn't believe a single word I would ever say for the rest of our lives.
"My preliminary inspection of the chip showed that it was a thing of brilliance. But while the Light has used mind control technology once before, it was utilizing biotech based on alien DNA. I wonder why they would choose to abandon that biotech base?" He asked, his gaze so very flat despite the accusation in them.
"I don't know," I responded, throwing in a shrug for good measure. "If I was Lex Luthor? My bet is it was something that he developed on his own without the Light being any the wiser. To not tip his hand, so to speak. That way, if he ever used the chips on the Light, then they wouldn't see it coming like they would if they knew he was fiddling with their previous mind control tech." A perfectly valid reason. Completely plausible. All the same, I saw that Bruce didn't believe it because it came out of my mouth.
"Maybe that's it," Bruce responded.
"Maybe," I agreed. "Can I help you with anything else? I'm sure you're going to continue your investigation into the Warworld no matter what I say, so I'll just let you do your thing, but was there another reason you're here?" I questioned, tilting my head ever so slightly.
The answer was yes. I knew it was yes. "LexCorp. It's gone under." He voiced, not talking about the real reason he was here.
"It has," I confirmed. Well, that wasn't quite true yet. It was in the process of imploding. The subsidiaries were breaking off, parent companies were sweeping what they could under their network umbrella. Some were trying to battle it out to take over the whole thing, but Lex wasn't a genius for nothing. Without him, LexCorp was going to fall apart. He had designed it that way.
Leaving Sainthood Enterprises as the single largest corporation in the world several times over. And we were only getting bigger.
"Convenient for you," Bruce observed.
"Very," I agreed. Especially when my agents on the inside were pushing to join my company.
There was a long beat of silence as we regarded each other. It was difficult to tell, especially when he wore such a deep scowl as his natural expression, but it seemed like he was increasingly unhappy. I imagine that he was looking to the future -- not just at things that I did, but the things that I was going to do. While I might not be scared of Batman anymore, that didn't make this conversation any less dangerous.
"As is Lex Luthor's conspiracy to destroy you and your reputation being exposed," Bruce continued. The evidence had been turned over to the UN Secretary-General, Donna Troy, and was a matter of public record now. All the evidence had been there. An overwhelming amount that prompted decisive action. I'm sure that Donna knew that I would find myself suspiciously free of enemies once the dust settled and every Light collaborator I told them about was rounded up, but I also knew that she wanted to take down a bunch of the names on that list for all the other shit that they had pulled.
"I got brainwashed and dragged through the mud, Mr. Wayne. Convenient isn't the word that I would use, but sure. It's nice to not have to worry about a bunch of self-important blowhards getting in the way of progress just because they don't like change," I responded tersely. "Though, I'm sure you'll find it convenient too. It just so happens that a lot of Luthor's cronies happened to be the Justice League's most vocal critics. Shockingly."
It wasn't that much of a shock. It just so happened that my and the League's list of enemies had a lot of overlap. Unsurprisingly, the people that didn't like the idea of superpowered heroes being able to bring them in also didn't like smart mouthed upstarts that threatened their power base and lifestyle.
"Hm," Bruce grunted, offering the barest hints of a nod. "Very convenient. I'm sure you're aware that an emergency re-election is happening. Again. Any plans to run for President?" He asked me, his voice decidedly not friendly.
I chuckled, "I'm a little young for that, I think."
"Since when have you cared for rules?" Bruce questioned sharply, his gaze flat. It was honestly like looking at a brick wall for all the emotion he showed.
"Never," I admitted. "I thought that you would run now that Luthor is gone. Provided that you don't come out of retirement."
"If I did, would you let that happen?" He asked me, gazing heavily at me. Measuring me. The question could either mean his coming out of retirement for Batman or becoming President. The former, I really couldn't do much about without killing someone. The latter? Bruce knew that at this moment, right now, if I said that he wouldn't become President of the United States of America, then he wouldn't become President.
I had the whole world in the palm of my hand. And he knew it. And that probably scared the shit out of him. I couldn't really blame him for that. If I was sitting where he was, sitting across from me in the position that I was in, I'd absolutely be shitting myself.
"I believe that people are free to do what they want. And it's not really my place telling you what you can and can't do," I told him. With Bruce as President… that would probably be bad for me in the long run, but it also didn't matter. "Can't say whether you'll get my vote or not, though."
"I'm sure you'll find my policies… appealing," Bruce spoke, giving a very pointed look. "I find myself agreeing with some of your earlier statements. The world needs change and, for better or for worse, we have an opportunity to enact that change. The UN will be strengthened until it acts as a government body for the planet of Earth. The Justice League and your Sentinels will be in charge of protecting Earth and upholding UN law across the world."
"But?" I prompted, hearing one coming.
His eyes narrowed a fraction of a millimeter, "Sainthood Enterprises' role in the future is very clear. Yours? Far less so. Unless you intend to become the acting president of the UN instead?"
I leaned back in my chair and smiled, "Actually, I thought I'd retire."
Holy shit. I had shocked the Batman. Bruce's iron control over his facial expressions lapsed for a fraction of a second, his eyebrows rising in surprise before they furrowed in suspicion. That, he didn't see coming.
I gave him a lopsided smirk, "I got what I wanted, Bruce. The world's never going to be the same again. Not after this. We're not there yet but world hunger is going to be a thing of the past. Disease too. Pretty soon, everyone in the world is going to have everything they need to live. Crime probably won't go away, but that's what the Sentinels and the League are for. The rest? Social injustice or stuff like sexism? That, I can't really do much about. That's something humanity has to figure out on its own time."
Bruce's lips parted as he seemed to recoil ever so slightly, "You intend to… leave?" He was struggling to believe it. He struggled to see me as someone that would let go of the world when it was resting in the palm of my hands.
And for damn good reason, because I wasn't that person.
"Not yet. Still got to cross some t's and dot some i's, but after that? Earth won't need me with my hands on the wheel. I can start looking at what the rest of the universe has to offer and what I could do for it. Hate and rage fuel me, Mr. Wayne. The same problems that we had on Earth can be found on other planets as well, and I intend to do something about that." I could tell that I had pulled the rug out from underneath him. Though, he was nothing if not adaptable.
"On behalf of Earth?" He questioned, trying to get a read on what capacity I would be acting.
"On behalf of myself," I answered.
His lips thinned, the conversation taking a turn he wasn't expecting. I could see him processing it, or at least I thought I could. He came in here fully expecting me to tighten my grip over Earth until I squeezed the life out if it, not let go. Much less willingly. What he didn't understand was that I didn't need to squeeze down on Earth.
I had run out of enemies on Earth. There wasn't anyone left to really challenge me, and those that could weren't my enemies.
Stepping back? That was my best move. Especially when things were put into perspective.
"Your company?" He questioned, earning a shrug.
"I'll take a leave of absence and have Miranda step in as acting CEO," I said, leaving a predictable avenue for return. It would also give me my company's resources. The news actually seemed to reassure Bruce that I was still acting somewhat how he expected. "I trust the people I put in charge to continue the good work. Like I said, I'm not needed behind the wheel anymore."
His lips thinned, "I didn't expect that you would do that," he openly admitted, picking up on the fact that I knew I had knocked him off balance. Bruce saw me the same way Savage saw me -- as an addict, craving control and power. They weren't wrong either. I did crave control. I did crave the power that would give me that control. Me giving up both went completely against the grain of what I was.
Unless you knew what I did.
"Figured," I replied, offering a small shrug. "It's pretty fucked up that I got this far in the first place. I don't want to spend the rest of my life behind a desk, you know. I have three girlfriends. They'll break up with me if I keep overworking myself." I didn't expect the slight smile that I got and the faint amusement I saw in Bruce's eyes.
I think he was still suspicious. He didn't trust me. I don't think he would put any weight into what I said until I started to follow through with it. However, I saw that he wasn't looking at me like I was his next enemy.
"I've heard," Bruce said, deciding that the meeting had come to an end and starting to stand up. "Thank you for your time. I hope that you find time to spend with them in short order," he decided, offering me a curt nod before he went to walk for the door. However, as his hand rested on the doorknob, he hesitated.
I knew what he was about to say. Honestly, I had expected it sooner.
"How long did you know?" He asked me with his back turned.
"I suspected after meeting Jason," I told him. "I knew after I met Dick. You -- no one would ever think that the playboy Bruce Wayne could possibly be Batman. Jason and Dick? Much easier to put the pieces together." It was a lie, but a needed one. It wouldn't go over well if I told the truth.
Bruce nodded, not surprised about that. It seemed that's what he suspected what gave him away. "You could have just asked for help. Why didn't you just ask for help if you knew who I was?"
For nearly a year now, I had considered how I would answer that question if I was ever asked. "Because I was scared. I didn't know you. I didn't trust you. I was afraid of what you'd do if I showed up on your doorstep and told you I knew your biggest secret. Some of those things that I confessed to had already happened. By that time, it felt way too late to go to you for help," I started, offering a small shake of my head.
"But, for the most part… I wasn't willing to put my life in anyone's hands but my own. Which lead to me doing some stupid shit, but… well… seems like it worked out alright," I told him. I had made a choice to be great at that intersection. I got what I wanted. My name would never fade from the annals of history. I had changed the entire world. All because I wanted to be great.
And great I became.
"Hm," Bruce grunted before walking out the door, holding it open to reveal Tifa, Cass, 2B, Revy, and Miranda. Who had absolutely been ready to jump in if it came to throwing hands. I saw Bruce's gaze sweep over them all, his expression not so much as twitching before he stepped forward and saw himself out through the front door like a normal person. The girls funneled in and shut the door behind him.
He didn't even leave a bug.
I gave the girls an easy smile, "Come on. I'm unofficially king of the world…" I said, getting up while 2B held up a bottle of champagne. "And I have no one else I'd rather celebrate with."
Tifa gave me a hug while Cass took the other side and 2B worked on the champagne. There was nothing but smiles from everyone as 2B popped the cork, Revy lightly punching me in the shoulder. I took a flute and brought it to my lips, savoring the moment.
We were at the finish line.
There was only one more enemy in my way. And I would deal with them soon enough.
Then?
Then I will have won. For now and for good.
Comments
Chris
Pretty sure he's the only one that doesn't have a definitive ending yet so maybe him.
Kabir Kumar
Vandal Savage?
acaBeast
Is this the final chapter?
