Endless Legacy (DC Comics)

A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!

I have way too much fun writing 'Alex' giving speeches lol.

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She knows better than to say a word while they’re still in range of any hidden recording devices, but Kara still can’t help fuming as she follows Superman and the others back up to the surface. Fortunately, they soon arrange a teleport up to the Watchtower from there and she’s finally able to let it all out.

“S-Surely we’re not just going to let him get away with this?!”

The silence is deafening as the Justice League’s founders all exchange looks with one another. Kal grimaces while the others look uncertain. Green Lantern in particular looks like he’s bitten into a lemon. Strangely enough, its Batman who initially answers her.

“There’s not much we can do at this point in time. The clone was right about that much at least. Our hands are tied.”

Whipping towards him, Kara points decisively.

“Aha! So you also don’t believe that bullcrap about this being the real Lex!”

The Flash coughs into his hand, drawing attention his way as he scratches his cheek.

“I dunno… it really does sound like something that Luthor would do. Get one of his clones snatched by Brainiac and replaced with another clone, only to come back afterwards, get rid of THAT clone, and takeover with no one none the wiser. I mean… am I wrong?”

The speedster looks to Superman in particular at that last part and so does everyone else. After all, if anyone knows Lex Luthor, its going to be Kal. Right now, the Man of Steel has a deep frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. Finally, after a beat of silence, he shakes his head.

“You’re not wrong. What gives me pause is the absence of any other plots over the past year. Lex has never let himself be confined to one or two plans. He’s a consummate multitasker and he always has multiple pans in the fire. Brainiac has always been a huge threat, of course, but even his impending arrival wouldn’t have led to the observed change in Lex’s behavior over the last several months.”

There are some nods at that. Even Kara finds herself nodding along in agreement. Kal was right, the simple truth was… Lex had been acting really, really weird for a while now. Weird in a way that could only be explained by mental tampering… or being fully replaced by a clone that didn’t share every single aspect of his personality.

Of course, one thing was certain… this ‘Alex’ was just as egotistical and prideful as the original Lex Luthor had been.

“I’m just not sure if that means the real Lex Luthor only came back into the picture a month or so ago and just didn’t have the time for anything but preparing for Brainiac… or if he was the one Brainiac took in the first place and what we’re dealing with now is still the clone.”

Damn. That was a good point too. Kara frowns and crosses her arms over her own chest as Kal’s words send the entire room into a contemplative silence. Until finally…

“It’s the latter. I’m almost certain of it based on the reactions of Lucien Luthor and Mercy Graves.”

Batman’s confident words ring through the room, causing everyone to once again give the Caped Crusader their full attention.

“Lex Luthor’s bastard son has been kept out of the spotlight for most of his life due to perpetual sickness that has only recently been healed in the past year. His relationship with his father was withered at best. And yet, while he didn’t say anything down there… the clone has his full support. Something that the real Lex Luthor would probably not be able to obtain without serious concessions.”

Letting that settle for a moment, Batman continues.

“On the other side of things, Mercy Graves was not happy down there. Something held her tongue, perhaps her historied animosity towards some of us, perhaps something else… but she did not act as though the real Lex Luthor had swept back in at the last possible second to ‘save the day’. Nor would she have had to be confined in the first place if that were the case. Mercy Graves is the smoking gun… the original Lex Luthor died on Brainiac’s mothership.”

Batman’s words have a finality to them even as Kara notices Kal flinch ever so slightly out of the corner of her eye. Ugh, he was just too much of a softie sometimes. She knew her cousin well enough to know that Kal would probably never forgive himself for ‘failing’ Lex Luthor. Never mind that the man was his self-appointed archnemesis and a total menace who had tried to kill them dozens of times and certainly killed many more.

… Frankly, when Kara thought about it that way, maybe it was for the best that the real Luthor was gone and a clone had taken his place. She wasn’t going to say that out loud of course, but…

“So then we’re right back where we started. Supergirl is right, what are we going to do about this?”

Kara blinks and then straightens up as Wonder Woman finally speaks up. The older superheroine gives her a slight nod that has Kara smiling a little while fighting against the heat rising to her cheeks. It felt good to be acknowledged. Unfortunately, Batman is there just like always to rain on their parade.

“The answer remains the same, there’s not much we can do at this point in time. There’s no evidence of which Lex Luthor was which, not with Brainiac gone and the Luthor he assimilated gone with him. The clone is already prepared with his excuses regarding the recording we have from Brainiac admitting to what he’s done and no doubt has all of his ducks in order to make that the ‘official story’ so attempting to litigate this in the courts is a non-starter. At the same time, trying to take this to the public would only backfire on us. Given everything that the clone did today, trying to convince the world to believe he’s stolen the life of the real Lex Luthor is going to be an uphill battle of Sisyphean proportions.”

Hawkgirl scoffs at that, finally adding her two cents.

“Hmph, I do not know what this ‘Sisyphean’ is, but all Luthor did today was sent some robots into the sky. We were the ones who fought on the front lines, risking life and limb for this planet. And you say he will have more credit with the people of Earth than us?”

Kara almost finds herself nodding along with the other alien woman until Batman responds without mincing words.

“Yes.”

Sweeping his gaze around the room, the Dark Knight grunts.

“We came together and formed the Justice League for exactly days like today. It is our purpose and our duty. And so it is expected that we will ‘save the day’. Each time we do so, the awe of the act diminishes as the expectation that we will always succeed increases. This is fine because we don’t do this for glory or fame. We do this because we have to, because nobody else will.”

Shoulders square and chests puff up as Batman’s words resonate with all of them. Of course, even Kara can sense the ‘but’ coming. Or as it turns out, the ‘however’.

“However… Lex Luthor is a businessman and a private citizen, and to some, a supervillain. Expectations for him are at rock bottom. Nobody expects the billionaire to step up to the plate and put his money where his mouth is. Nobody expects a man like Luthor to lead the charge in convincing the world’s militaries to truly mobilize in a semi-united show of force that actually succeeds in helping us drive away the invaders and saves countless lives.”

Batman grunts again as he comes around to finally making his point.

“Today, the clone shocked the world with his heroic actions. Even Superman couldn’t deny the good he’d done. That shock is probably already turning to awe and hero worship, which I’m sure someone as smart as a clone of Luthor will leverage into further opportunities for whatever his ultimate goals are. For the time being, he’s untouchable. For now, we cannot move against him without doing serious damage to our own reputations in the process. We need to wait for him to make a mistake and show his true colors. Only then can we begin taking him down.”

He’s right. Right? Kara glances around the room, making sure that everyone else is coming to the same conclusion she has. Her shoulders slump a little bit in relief when she sees the others slowly nodding along. Nobody is happy about it of course, there’s plenty of grimaces to go around, but Batman is right.

Tackling Luthor’s clone now when he’d probably be riding high on the goodwill from today’s actions would just blow back on them in the worst way possible. All they had to do was wait though and he’d surely be right back to his old tricks. Then, they could expose him for what he really was. What any version of Lex Luthor had to be.

There’s a sudden beeping from a nearby console as everyone stands there in silence for a moment. Superman moves over to the console and furrows his brow.

“Its from Cyborg. He says there’s something we need to see… ‘Alex’ is holding a press conference.”

Just like that, the tension fills the room once more in a way that makes it feel like it never left. Everyone turns towards the wall as Superman turns on the monitor and gets the broadcast up on the screen with Cyborg’s help. The cybernetic superhero is a huge help to the Justice League, handling a lot of stuff related to the Watchtower and its continued maintenance.

A moment later and Lex Luthor’s face appears on the screen before them. The clone is standing on a stage, no podium in sight, with his arms clasped behind him and his shoulders squared, his head held high. Camera flashes make it clear that every news organization in Metropolis and probably some who had taken extreme measures to get there from elsewhere, is currently taking pictures of him.

Smiling, the clone focuses his eyes on the camera.

“People of Earth. Today we banded together and fought. Today, upon seeing the Justice League once again risking their lives for our safety and security, we said ‘no more’. I am proud to stand before you all today knowing that we all did our part for once. Not for fame or glory, but because it needed to be done. Because if we didn’t, then one day soon… those who stand between us and the invaders at our doorstep might be overwhelmed.”

Kara flinches as the Luthor Clone unknowingly parrots Batman’s words from before. It was honestly a little eerie. Except when Batman said it, it made her proud and filled her with a sense of accomplishment. Hearing Lex Luthor say it… filled her with anxiety and a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Today is a new dawn for all of us. Where we can look ourselves in the mirror and say ‘Yes, my planet is still here because I stood up and fought’. I am proud of the work of LexCorp engineers and scientists that helped make today’s defense possible. And I am proud of the nations of Earth for stepping up and setting aside their differences for the sake of our world and the human race.”

There it was. The anti-alien rhetoric that Kara was expecting. Or maybe she was just projecting? But no, Lex Luthor definitely hated aliens like her and Kal. And his clone had to as well… didn’t he?

“However, our work is far from done. In fact, I say it’s just getting started. The Justice League fights for us, but after today, we would be craven and cowardly if we let them continue to fight alone. Today must be the start of something new for our world.”

Kara swallows thickly. What was he getting at? Glancing at the others, she sees nothing but concern and confusion in their faces. They didn’t really have any better idea of where Lex was taking this than she did.

Suddenly smiling, the clone unclasps his hands and splays one across his chest, right over his heart.

“I will not pretend to be perfect or without my fair share of mistakes. I will not pretend that my past is not littered with poor decisions at times. But I still believe in our world and the prospect of a better tomorrow… and I won’t let the past keep me from seeking a bright, bright future.”

Staring right into the camera, almost like he’s looking at all of them, ‘Alex’ grins.

“That is why, effective immediately, I am announcing my candidacy for President of the United States of America. Because it’s not enough for me to let the world’s defense rest on the shoulders anymore. I’ve rested on my laurels for too long. It’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is.”

Oh. Oh no.

“People of Earth, People of America… celebrate this win. Enjoy the festivities of today’s success. And then rest up, because the real work? The real work starts tomorrow.”

There… there was no way he’d win, right? It was impossible. Lex Luthor, Superman’s archnemesis, as President of the United States. There was absolutely no way people would vote for him… right?

Except as Kara peers around the silent room at the faces of the Justice League’s founding members, she sees a lot of grim and resigned looks. That’s when she truly starts to worry.

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The Vote:

[X] Switch to Mercy's POV - 77%

[ ] Switch to Lucien's POV - 23%

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