CH 56: The Boys – Fate and Light
Having a rich background had its own perks, and one of those perks was having multiple mansions scattered around the world. That was how Lex had ended up in a completely different mansion after the previous one had been destroyed, moving into another property that was already part of the identity and wealth he possessed in this world. There was no reason for him to remain homeless when he apparently owned enough real estate to make that a rather difficult problem to have in the first place. More importantly, this particular mansion was far enough removed from the immediate chaos surrounding Hela that Lex could actually sit down and enjoy himself for a while.
At the moment, he was sitting at the piano in the living room, following an online tutorial on how to play it. Having a piano sitting prominently in the living room while being completely incapable of playing it had begun to feel rather awkward to him, so he had decided that he might as well learn. It wasn't as though he had some urgent world-conquering responsibility demanding his attention either; both Hela and Kom were currently handling that part for him, leaving Lex with enough free time to pursue whatever mundane interests happened to cross his mind. The television remained switched on across the room, although he had muted it, and every so often he would glance toward it to see what was happening with Hela.
That woman was certainly unpredictable. Lex had given her barely any information about this world, merely explaining that he wanted to conquer it, and her response had been almost absurdly simple: she would conquer it for him, provided he eventually took her to another world, one that she liked. Lex had obviously agreed, because who knew how many worlds existed throughout the multiverse anyway, and promising to take her to one eventually hardly seemed like a particularly difficult price. After that, Hela had simply flown away, leaving Lex to discover what she was doing through Raphael's observations and, later, whatever the news happened to report.
For now, however, Lex was far more interested in the piano tutorial playing on his laptop. He had only picked up the instrument today, and although his first attempt at River Flows in You by Yiruma had been somewhat rough, he managed to get it right on his second attempt. That was where the absurdity of Essence of Transcend Self's learning enhancement became apparent to him. When it came to mundane skills, particularly things that an ordinary human with sufficient natural talent could learn through enough practice, the boost was tremendous, allowing him to progress at a rate that would have taken a normal person considerably longer to achieve. If he maintained the same consistency, he was fairly certain that by tomorrow night he could be sitting here playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata rather than still struggling with the basics.
<They're here.>
Raphael's reminder arrived quietly within his mind, and Lex's fingers stopped above the keys. He glanced toward the windows just as several vehicles began surrounding the mansion, with more arriving from different directions until it became obvious that the entire property was being encircled. "It seems I'll not be able to learn piano by tomorrow," Lex mused, sounding more disappointed about the interruption than concerned about the people outside. He had known they would eventually find him because the mansion and his identity were both legitimate enough to leave a trail, but he had expected them to take at least another day before putting the pieces together.
Unfortunately, the people in this world weren't quite as dependent upon technology as he had hoped. Lex had already blocked and manipulated the information online that could potentially lead anyone directly to Hela or himself, and if their investigation had relied entirely upon digital information, Raphael could have led them around by the nose for quite some time. Instead, they had apparently gone through more conventional methods, following the connections attached to his identity and the property itself until they eventually found him. It was mildly annoying, but hardly unexpected.
Lex activated his X-ray vision, a convenient ability he had acquired from Kara after their relationship had allowed Essence of Ultimate Chad to grant him aspects of her Kryptonian physiology, and looked through the walls. The sight confirmed what he already knew: the mansion was completely surrounded by SWAT teams, with officers positioned around the property and more preparing to enter. Unlike Kara, Lex didn't need sunlight to maintain or increase his strength, because the power he possessed was sustained by his other abilities rather than Kryptonian biology itself, and he wasn't actually a Kryptonian in the first place. He had simply gained a version of the physiology through Kara, and even that version was not quite on her level, although it was still more than enough for what he intended to do.
He didn't bother fighting them. As the SWAT team finally raided the mansion, Lex was already elsewhere, sitting comfortably in a restaurant on the other side of the city and eating a slice of pizza. Escaping had been so effortless that it barely deserved to be called an escape; his enhanced speed carried him beyond their ability to react before anyone could even understand where he had gone, leaving the armed team to search a mansion that no longer contained the person they were looking for. Unfortunately, his replacement location came with its own problem.
"Damn, this tastes like shit," Lex muttered after taking a single bite, staring down at the pizza with genuine disappointment. He had become completely spoiled by Grayfia's cooking, and after eating her food regularly, ordinary restaurant meals had apparently crossed the line from merely mediocre to outright inedible. "Or maybe I've just gotten too addicted to Grayfia's cooking." He didn't bother taking another bite and simply pushed the plate away, deciding that there was no point forcing himself to eat something he didn't enjoy.
"Don't worry, it truly does taste bad. I'm used to bad food, but even I can't eat this."
The unfamiliar voice came from behind him, making Lex turn around. A beautiful blonde girl stood nearby, and judging from the slightly awkward expression on her face, she had apparently responded to his muttering without realizing at first that he hadn't actually been talking to her. Lex was about to say something when he felt a subtle shift within himself, something far less tangible than his normal senses but impossible for him to mistake after what had happened with the Essence of Ultimate Chad.
Fate.
His Essence of Transcend Self had immediately made him aware that something had been altered, and Lex understood the nature of the change almost instinctively. This was the other Essence exerting its influence, subtly arranging circumstances so that an attractive woman had happened to be close enough to hear his complaint and, more importantly, had actually decided to respond. Only now did the wording of Ultimate Chad's description make complete sense to him: Fate itself conspires to make your life interesting and throw hot women your way.
Lex couldn't say that he minded.
"I'm sorry," the girl continued, her expression becoming slightly embarrassed as she realized what she had done. "I shouldn't have just replied like that. I only realized afterward that you were talking to yourself."
"Nah, that's okay," Lex replied easily, his earlier annoyance already forgotten. He glanced at the abandoned pizza before looking back toward her, and with the sort of confidence that had become increasingly natural to him, he decided there was no reason not to make use of the opportunity fate had apparently delivered to his table. "Since you seem to know that this place isn't exactly serving anything edible, how about you show me somewhere better? We can go get something actually worth eating. My treat, of course."
The blonde blinked, clearly surprised by how quickly he had moved from complaining about the food to inviting her somewhere else. "Are you asking me out?"
"Of course," Lex replied, without the slightest hesitation.
The answer seemed to catch her off guard for another moment, but rather than rejecting him, she smiled, apparently finding the confidence more amusing than uncomfortable. "Um... okay. There's a restaurant I like, although it's on the other side of the city. I wasn't really feeling like going all the way there today, but I can go with you."
"Sounds good." Lex stood from his seat, leaving the untouched pizza behind without even a second thought. He extended his hand toward her with a relaxed smile, already finding the strange turn his day had taken considerably more entertaining than learning piano. "Lex."
The girl looked at his offered hand before taking it, her smile becoming a little brighter as she introduced herself.
"Annie.”
Meanwhile, Kom was sitting in an office with several documents spread across the desk before her, carefully going through everything Lex had managed to gather about this world. She had to admit that the man was almost absurdly good when it came to information gathering, especially considering that he had apparently been able to uncover an enormous amount of information simply by accessing publicly available records and whatever else happened to be connected to the Internet. There were limits, of course; even Lex couldn't magically obtain information that simply wasn't available online, meaning something like the actual formula for Compound V remained beyond his reach. That limitation only made Kom more certain that controlling the people who possessed the information would eventually be necessary.
She had already begun working toward that objective herself. Since Lex had promised her access to essentially whatever funds she required, Kom had started buying Vought shares whenever she found them available, and the price was almost irrelevant when the balance in her account stubbornly remained at exactly one billion dollars no matter how much she spent. She had accumulated enough by now that she would soon be invited into the company's boardroom, although not nearly enough to have any meaningful control over the corporation. It was a beginning, however, and Kom had never expected to conquer an entire world in a single afternoon.
The television playing quietly in the background provided her with occasional updates while she worked, and eventually the news shifted toward the latest development concerning Hela. The Seven were apparently preparing to confront the Goddess of Death, with Vought already turning the impending battle into another enormous spectacle. Kom barely paid attention to the advertisements, because her concern was not whether Hela could defeat them. She already knew that Hela was far more powerful than herself, and there was little reason to believe that the Seven could accomplish anything against her.
What bothered Kom was what would happen afterward.
Hela's interpretation of conquest was fundamentally different from hers. To Hela, forcing the world to acknowledge her superiority, ordering everyone around, and establishing herself as the most powerful being on the planet was apparently enough to call the world conquered. Kom couldn't accept that definition. A world wasn't truly conquered simply because everyone feared you; if that were all it took, Hela could sit upon a throne and declare herself queen of every planet she visited without ever actually ruling anything.
Kom wanted control. She wanted governments answering to her, resources flowing through her hands, armies and institutions obeying her commands, and ultimately an entire world operating according to her wishes. More importantly, she wanted to prove herself useful to Lex. He had been almost absurdly casual when offering Hela another world in exchange for her cooperation, and that had made Kom realize just how many possibilities might exist for someone who possessed his abilities. If she succeeded here, perhaps Lex would eventually give her somewhere of her own to rule; perhaps, if she was exceptionally fortunate, she might even find a world where something resembling Tamaran existed.
The thought was pleasant enough that Kom caught herself drifting into the fantasy, and she immediately shook it away before returning her attention to the papers in front of her. The first real step toward conquering this world was obvious: Compound V. Vought controlled its production, which meant that buying a few shares and gaining a seat at the table would never be enough. If necessary, she would have to use Hela to seize Vought outright, although Kom would much rather establish control through her own efforts if she could.
Before making any major move, however, she wanted to know exactly what Lex intended to do once Hela had finished whatever she was currently doing. Surely he hadn't brought her here simply to watch Hela dominate the world and then walk away. She reached for her phone and called him.
There was no answer.
Kom frowned slightly and tried again. Still nothing.
It was only on the third attempt that Lex finally answered. "Hey... is it urgent? I'm kinda busy here."
Kom opened her mouth to explain why she was calling, only to stop when a distinctly feminine moan came through the phone.
For several seconds, she simply stared at the device.
She was sitting here going through corporate structures, studying Vought's ownership, thinking about Compound V and planning how to conquer an entire world, while Lex was apparently busy screwing some random woman. The irritation that rose within her had very little to do with jealousy and everything to do with the sheer contrast between their priorities at this particular moment. She closed her eyes, took a slow breath, and decided there was absolutely no reason to interrupt whatever he was doing.
"We'll talk later when you're free," she said before ending the call.
Kom leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling for a moment before returning to her work. For the next half hour, she did nothing particularly dramatic, simply organizing the people she might be able to pressure, manipulate, or blackmail into providing information that Vought wasn't willing to make public. She had already accumulated several names, and although none of them possessed the complete truth about Compound V, together they might eventually lead her toward someone who did.
Another hour or two passed before the television finally caught her attention again. The Seven had officially begun moving toward Hela's location, and Vought was making absolutely certain that everyone knew about it. There were advertisements, commentary, interviews, dramatic footage of the Seven preparing themselves, and enough fanfare to make the entire confrontation feel more like a sporting event than an actual battle.
Kom picked up her phone again.
This time Lex answered almost immediately.
"Hi."
"Do you know the Seven are about to attack Hela?" Kom asked, glancing toward the television. "Do you want to go there and see what happens? You could help if she needs it."
"Nah, she'll be fine," Lex replied casually. "And if she dies, she'll learn a lesson. If she doesn't, then I don't think we need to worry about it much."
Kom's eyebrows rose. "Damn. I didn't take you for a heartless one. You're really just going to let your own person die so she can learn a lesson?"
"What's heartless about it?" Lex asked, sounding genuinely confused by the accusation. "I can revive her just fine anyway."
Kom stared at the phone for a moment.
"Seriously? Is there anything you can't do?"
Lex fell silent for a moment as he actually considered the question. Technically, there were plenty of things he couldn't do, at least not yet, but when he considered the way his abilities had been developing, it was becoming increasingly difficult to imagine a permanent limitation. Between the Gacha, the powers he could acquire through his relationships, and everything else his Essences had already given him, he could potentially collect almost every kind of ability imaginable if he simply had enough time.
And speaking of abilities...
Lex's attention drifted toward the blonde woman sleeping beside him.
He had only learned that she was a Supe after the encounter was already over, when the powers granted to him through their relationship had revealed what she possessed. Until then, she had simply been an attractive woman whom Ultimate Chad's strange influence had conveniently placed in his path. Now that he knew she actually possessed powers, however, Lex became curious enough to ask Raphael about her.
<Her name is Annie January. She is also known as Starlight and was a prime candidate for becoming a member of the Seven.>Lex glanced toward the sleeping blonde again.
Her abilities were actually rather decent, and there was something about them that reminded him of Alison. The similarity wasn't exact, but the basic principle was comparable: Alison could absorb sound and convert it into usable energy, whereas Starlight could absorb electricity and convert it into light. It was certainly an interesting ability to acquire, especially considering that Lex had only met her because fate had apparently decided that his life wasn't interesting enough already.