Nightwing: Heartache

Part 28: Bad PR

September 10, 9:52am
Goode World Studios

Lex Luthor sat across from Gretchen Goode, like a scolded schoolboy called in by the principal. It made him feel young. Inferior. Like he was supposed to show deference to Granny, the alien emissary for Darkseid. The gall. He had mastered the art of a placid face long ago, and he was using that skill now.

Gretchen had her laptop turned to face him. On it was their favorite little star, the girlfriend who couldn't seem to die. Or do what she was told, he thought wryly. It was a blurry video, taken on a phone or a small camera. She was with the boy from her other movie, and they were coming out of a Lakers game, fans and paparazzi walking with them to the waiting car. Lex had already seen it, but of course Granny would make him watch again.

She hit play and the sounds of yelling and cheering, plus faint music came from the video. The camera followed Willa and the boy she was walking with. She had on a Lakers jersey, head down from the flashes but she was smiling and answering questions people threw at her.

"You see Lebron tonight, Willa?" A man behind a camera yelled.

"I sure did!" She yelled back, not looking.

"Willa, how's the movie coming?"

"Very excited for everyone to see it!" She flashed a smile and cameras went off.

"How come you haven't supported Lex Luthor's bid for UN Secretary General yet?"

"Just because he's a producer doesn't mean I work for his political campaign." She was almost at the car. Her security guard put a hand out to stop a few guys getting too close. She took a few selfies as the boy she was with opened the car door.

The same reporter pushed to the front, "Lex Luthor is a powerful man. How does he feel about your silence."

She laughed and paused, one hand on the door handle, but she looked back, "well, if I go missing, you'll know who did it!" The crowd of paparazzi laughed and snapped photos as she shut the door behind her.

Gretchen paused the video. Lex clenched the chair arms a little harder.

"She's turning out to be more difficult than we expected," Granny mused, folding her hands in front of her. That was a understatement. The idea was to make her vulnerable, scared, a cautionary warning to those hero friends of hers that the Light was embedded in everything, could go anywhere, control anyone. But here was this little wisp of a girl. An actor for crying out loud, nothing more than a pawn, playing their game.

"I'll kill her," Lex grumbled.

Gretchen tsked. "Well, she just made sure you can't do that."

He scowled. He knew that. It didn't stop him from fantasizing about sending Mercy to finish the job anyway. He needed focus. The pure annoyance this caused him was unsettling. It wasn't the little heroes destroying one of his plants, or Aquaman making disparaging remarks about him. It was damn social media making him a fool. He had skimmed the endless scrolling of memes on Twitter of people reacting to Willa's viral moment. It was trending. So was his name, but not in a good way. Instead of inspiring fear, people were laughing at him.

"Well, then I'll kill her career," he sneered, "I want it out that whoever casts her loses my donations."

Gretchen sighed patronizingly, "unfortunately, she has a three picture deal with Goode Studios, and if her career flounders while still headlining our films, it would not be good."

"Then-"

"I've had legal comb through her contract. It's lead tight. As requested by you, when she signed. We can't fire her. "

He didn't miss the accusation. Yes, it had been his idea to force the girl into doing the movie. To being contractually bound to Gretchen Goode, and thereby bound to the Light. It had also  been him that had made the contract so tight. At the time, it was so they had ample access to her. To make her squirm, to send a message to her little hero friends, so she couldn't quit, so she was bound to them for the foreseeable future. "Then what do you suggest, Ms. Goode?"

"I think we apply more pressure," she leaned forward and rewound the video, "notice anyone familiar?" She pressed play.

"Superboy," Lex said, seeing the familiar face as Willa's security guard. He did a good job of melting into the background, "so the heroes are paying attention." At least some good news. He had guessed the heroes would run to their damsel in distress, effectively thinning their resources. It had seemed to work for a time. There were fewer depot raids, fewer Nightwing sightings. Between the threat to the girlfriend and the prince of Markovia blunder, Lex was sure the young man had plenty on his hands. "My hands might be tied now when it comes to the girl, but there are always...accidents." He was calm. It wasn't like he actually had plans to kill the girl, not when she still had use. Lex liked to hedge his bets, he didn't kill unnecessarily. When the time came, sure, she would die, but it wouldn't be meaningless. "Run her ragged," he continued, thinking out loud now, "disregard her script notes, maybe a stunt goes a little wrong, just enough to scare her, and when the time comes..." he trailed off but the end of the sentence was obvious. When the time came, she would die.

Gretchen nodded. "Good. We're agreed." She started speaking as Lex got up. "Now, the second item on our agenda."

"There's more?" Lex sat back down, hating the feeling of her command over him.

"Tara Markov."

Ah. The other wrinkle in his suit. The princess of Markovia had been found and stolen from right under their nose. Lex knew it wasn't good. Any business man would. When his clients paid to enter these auctions, they expected privacy, safety, and product. They paid for the assurance that wannabe heroes wouldn't show up and ruin the entire operation.

"Consumer trust is down, yes," Lex picked at a nail, "but it will return. One lost girl from our fight club won't end the operation."

"But it does pose a concerning pattern," Granny changed the screen on her laptop to security footage of Black Lighting, taking out Psimon, and Nightwing taking on their Shadow. "The same team that took down Bedlam. The one you were in charge of mitigating."

"I want him dead," Lex said, face grim. The thorn in his side since his Robin days, always working in the background, always ruining his plans. The teams of young heroes managed to do more damage to the Light's plans than the actual Justice League. And the Light could always trace it back to one of their leaders. Lex was tired of playing the long game. He had lost a fortune in the past few months.

Gretchen laughed, "in good time. For now, sick the League of Assassins dog on him, teach him not to take his privacy for granted."

Lex straightened his suit and stood up. This meeting was over.

"And Lex?"

He didn't turn around but he did pause.

"You're on your last leg. Even you are expendable to the Light."

He gritted his teeth and walked out.