Lex's Welcome Gift

The Gotham Royal Hotel. The presidential suite on the top floor.

All its once-lavish furnishings had been cleared out.

Dozens of heavy-duty servers lined the walls, their cooling fans rumbling.

More than a dozen technicians in white coats sat before screens, fingers flying over keyboards.

Lex Luthor stood before the floor-to-ceiling window.

He held a cup of black coffee and looked down at the gray city below.

Mercy Graves entered in high heels, carrying a briefing.

"Sir." Mercy stopped two paces behind Lex. "The Iceberg Lounge guards have thrown out our representatives for the fourth time. They even confiscated the latest one's car and made him walk back."

Lex took a sip of coffee without turning around.

"As expected."

Lex turned and walked to a metal table beside the liquor cabinet. He pressed a button.

The tabletop slid apart, and a silver lockbox rose from beneath it.

He entered a code. The lid sprang open, revealing three items nestled in shock-absorbing foam.

He picked up the first.

It was a solid-gold plaque the size of his palm, surprisingly heavy.

Four English letters were set into it in tiny diamonds: KING.

"King of Gotham." Lex tossed the plaque onto the table with a dull thud. "What does an upstart need most? Recognition. This will flatter his vanity."

Mercy adjusted her rimless glasses and glanced at the gaudy gold plaque.

Lex picked up the second item.

It was a thick document stamped with the seal of Gotham City Hall.

"The deed transferring a controlling interest in Gotham's three main power plants." Lex flipped through the pages, making them rustle.

"The protection money paid by the gangs is small change. Real control over a city comes from water, electricity, and the internet. I'm handing him Gotham's power supply. Tell him LexCorp can give him a concrete foundation for ruling, not a few crates of moldy cash."

Mercy stepped forward and took the document.

Lex picked up the last item.

It was a black metal cylinder the size of a thumb, with no visible ports.

"This is the most important one." Lex rested the cylinder in his palm.

"What's inside?"

"A summary of the data from his fight with Superman." Lex laughed. "I included a graph showing the peak of the energy surge he produced at the docks. I want him to know that I'm the only person in the world who understands the nature of his power."

Lex looked at Mercy.

"Go. Deliver it yourself. Tell the woman called Lark that this is Lex Luthor's personal gift to the new king."

Half an hour later, an armored SUV drove into the East End.

Mercy opened the door and carried the silver lockbox toward the Iceberg Lounge.

The lobby was cold. There was no music, no patrons, and even the old gambling tables had been cleared away.

Dozens of heavily armed guards stood in every corner.

They had once been the elite fighters of different gangs. Now they served together, each with a strip of black cloth tied around an arm.

Mercy had barely taken two steps when four assault rifles blocked her path.

"Get out," said a thickset guard, pointing his gun at her chest.

Mercy stopped and adjusted her glasses.

"I'm here to see Lark."

"Who the hell do you think you are? Miss Lark isn't someone you can just—"

Before he could finish, the elevator opened with a ding.

Lark stepped out.

She wore a black business suit and played with a short knife, its blade flashing under the lights and leaving streaks in its wake.

The guards immediately lowered their guns, stepped aside, and bowed their heads.

Lark walked up to Mercy. They were about the same height and met each other's eyes.

"LexCorp people just don't know when to give up." Lark looked at the case in Mercy's hand. "Do you think you'll leave here alive?"

"My name is Mercy Graves." Mercy met Lark's gaze. "I'm Mr. Lex Luthor's chief assistant."

The knife spun once in Lark's hand, its tip coming to rest at Mercy's throat. "So?"

"The previous visitors represented the company." Mercy raised the silver lockbox between herself and the blade. "I represent Mr. Luthor himself. This is his personal gift to the King of Gotham."

Lark did not take the case.

"Master doesn't need your gifts. He owns everything in Gotham."

Mercy gave a small smile.

"Gotham? A broken city with even its sewers clogged with rotting flesh." Her contempt was undisguised. "Your master brought Superman to his knees. He won't limit his ambitions to this cesspit. Mr. Luthor is offering him a way out."

The guards barely dared to breathe, afraid the slightest noise might get them killed.

Lark stared at Mercy for a full ten seconds.

"Open it," Lark ordered.

Mercy laid the lockbox flat on a nearby marble table and opened it.

Lark glanced at the contents.

A gold plaque, a document, and a black cylinder.

"What's this?" Lark asked, pointing to the cylinder.

"A video," Mercy replied. "One only your master can understand."

Lark closed the case and picked it up.

"Wait here." She turned toward the elevator. "If Master isn't pleased, you'll regret it."

Mercy remained where she was, her hands folded in front of her.

"I look forward to good news."

The top-floor suite.

Chu Men lounged on the sofa while a dull soap opera played on the television.

Jay knelt to his left, trimming his nails.

Raven knelt to his right, holding a glass of whiskey with ice.

Chu Men yawned.

The elevator opened, and Lark entered with the silver lockbox.

"Master." Lark knelt on one knee and raised the case above her head with both hands.

"What is it?" Chu Men did not turn. His eyes remained on the television.

"A personal gift for you from Lex Luthor, delivered by his assistant," Lark replied.

Chu Men raised a hand.

Jay stopped and moved aside.

"Open it. Let's see what the bald guy sent."

Lark stood, set the case on the coffee table, and lifted the lid.

Chu Men glanced inside.

He picked up the solid-gold plaque. The diamond-studded "KING" glittered under the lights.

"Tacky. I would've liked it once."

He tightened his fingers.

With a sharp crack, the gold crumpled like dough in his hand, sending several diamonds flying.

Chu Men casually tossed the crushed lump of gold into the trash.

He picked up the document and flipped through a couple of pages.

"Ownership of Gotham's three main power plants," Lark explained beside him. "He wants to use them to prove LexCorp's strength and give you a foundation for ruling."

Chu Men chuckled.

"Does he think I'm playing Monopoly?" He tossed the document onto the coffee table. "What would I do with this dump's power plants? If I want a blackout, I can just tear down the grid."

Lark nodded.

"I'll go teach that assistant a lesson."

"Wait."

Chu Men's gaze fell on the last item in the case. He picked it up and pressed the switch on top.

A beam of blue light shot out, forming a translucent projection screen in midair.

There was no sound, only changing data and images.

It showed his fight with Superman at the docks.

The footage advanced to the moment Superman's red beams bore down on him.

On the right side of the screen, Chu Men saw the bar representing his own energy pinned down.

Then a dark red light flared in his eyes on the screen.

At that frame, the data went wild.

A term appeared in bold red type: [Spatial curvature anomaly/energy surge].

A note beside it read:

[Inconsistent with known physical laws. Nonlinear growth. You have transcended the rules.]

The hologram flickered twice and shut off automatically.

Chu Men looked at the warm metal cylinder in his hand, a smile tugging at his lips.

Technology had actually measured something supernatural? The bald guy was good.

He had always found the clever people in this world boring.

Batman only threw batarangs and set traps. Penguin only spent money to hire killers.

But this bald guy really was different.

"The bald guy did his homework."

Chu Men stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Lark."

"Yes, Master."

"Bring the woman with glasses up." Chu Men pressed a hand against the glass. "Let's hear what they have in mind."

"Yes." Lark turned toward the elevator.

Chu Men looked at his reflection in the glass.

The game was finally getting interesting.

"Let them all come," Chu Men said softly.