15th August 2013
20:39 GMT -7
"H
m.
"
Geoffrey has taken a glug from one of the ale bottles and is contemplating the flavour. Since there's no John Constantine passed out underneath the table, it seems that the bait was unsuccessful.
Somewhere behind me I feel the brief tug as Circe sends everyone home.
"So?" He looks around, face indicating deep thought. "Good? Bad?"
"Luthor.
"
"Did you ever get a full briefing on what the Light did?"
"Do you know how many children died?
"
"Yes, of course I do. Why do you think I killed the people responsible?"
"Except Luthor.
"
"He had no direct input into that. All he knew was that Klarion would be creating a distraction while Mister Crock stole the Star Conqueror sample. And while I do take issue with him signing up with a team containing Klarion in the first place, him deciding
not to wouldn't have stopped Klarion
doing it."
"And the rest?
"
"Mind controlling the Justice League highlighted a rather important flaw in their security, and we were able to deal with it before too much time had passed. He voted against unleashing the King of Tears, and I killed the others before they could follow through."
"Fine. What about what you're doing
now?
"
"Kahndaq was a brutal shithole, and now it's… Alright, and getting better. Venturia's experiencing an economic revival and an improved relationship with the rest of Atlantis. Uncorporation is now offering a range of services which are actually
useful to people…"
"Africa. Looks colonial.
"
"Y-es? I mean, technically, the genomorphs
are colonising the place, and they're not really interested in becoming citizens of pre-existing countries. On the other hand, if you'd like to look at the reports on local standards of…
Everything, then I'm sure that you'll see that they've done the world of good."
"I already knew that. I get reports from the Commonwealth Office.
"
"So what's the issue?"
"What's the issue with the Prime Minister of Great Britain cooperating with the group taking over most of Africa?
"
I shrug. "I understand that it's a little embarrassing that we're outperforming the Commonwealth Office with a fraction of the resources. Have you considered doing an audit?"
"The Commonwealth Office don't assassinate people.
"
I gesture upwards with my right hand. "And there's where you've been going wrong! It's like Batman not killing the Joker; it's amazing the number of lives you can save by murdering a logjam. Do you remember when the people of Sudan stopped murdering each other?"
"That was you, was it?
"
"That was my eldest and her friends. I put them up to it, but the technique and timing were all them. And look at the results. Far less death than if no one did anything or if another country invaded. And we haven't even had to lean on the surviving government officials all that much."
"The country has effectively partitioned, but I suppose that's the best result they could have gotten.
"
"Well, they are next door to Kahndaq. They know perfectly well that if anyone acts up Adom might well pay them a visit. The southern tribes are in talks regarding annexation, and LexCorp is already constructing mines and oil wells in the area."
"I thought you were using cosmic converters to power everything?
"
I shrug. "South Sudan had basically no infrastructure. It's easier to refine local oil and use it to fuel generators than build an actual power network to hundreds of tiny villages. We're working on it. And we still need plastics and oil-based lubricants. Besides, LexPower's global monopoly relies on us not letting cosmic converters get out of our sight. Sticking them on starships is one thing. Putting one in a random African village with no security is quite another."
"I was waiting for the other shoe to drop regarding electrical generation. I assumed Luthor would be asking for tax breaks or something of that nature. But he's already
past that, isn't he? The point is to fund his fleet, and it's already doing that.
"
"What he wants is for people to accept cheap electricity and stop trying to bypass him when they directly benefit. He's using it to fund the stellar self-defence force that protects the Earth. That's all there is to it." … "Alright, it's also an ego boost for him too, because… Heh. I read
a book… Centuries ago on my personal timeline, where a media mogul had a group of magical dragons hooked up as a transmitter array because it was cheaper than using satellites. When the hero asked him if he was planning on taking over the world, he said 'no'. Because when you own the media corporations they throw in the governments for free."
"And the raw materials are just for building starships?
"
"At this point the few shareholders he doesn't control regard him as the second coming of John Rockefeller. He works
very long hours and was already extremely rich. What's he going to do with the extra money that's going to meaningfully affect his quality of life? No, he wants Earth to have a self-defence fleet because this way it's not relying on Superman."
"What's wrong with Superman?
"
"Lex hates him. Don't ask; it's not rational and he knows it. He feels better if the Earth is protected by a navy rather than a single man who could choke on a kryptonite fishbone tomorrow and leave the planet defenceless."
"And what about
you?
"
"The need to build up civilisations is built into my soul. I'll do that until my soul reunites with the Source. But in the
medium term, I want help killing my father."
"Why?
"
"Can I be blunt?"
"I would appreciate it.
"
I glance up for a moment. "Remember how it felt, when you found your wife's body?" He jerks and then goes still, jaw tensing. "My father wants to make everyone in the universe feel just like that, all of the time. Cradle to grave. Abject misery for all. He wants to alter reality so that no other state of mind is possible. And I don't know how close he is to pulling it off, but he hit me with a little of his work-in-progress a while ago and I spent a week raving in despair and trying to claw my own head off."
"How?
"
"It's called the Anti-Life Equation. He speaks, and you're not exactly
you any longer. That's what I want to stop, why I'm investing in Earth society rather than going somewhere else and building up from scratch." I turn back to him. "So, you on board?"
"Does he know you feel like this?
"
I nod. "Probably."
"Then why hasn't he stopped you?
"
I shrug disarmingly. "He can hardly crush me if I haven't built up anything to crush, can he?"
He watches me for a moment, mulling things over.
Then he nods.
"Alright then. I'm in. What do I need to do to get started?
"
