See No Evil: House of Cards (ch. 70) (Patreon)

"Do it," I spoke, walking back to my hotel room after clashing against the Light for the first time. I undeniably got the better of them in this encounter. I could hear them admit as much from my planted bugs. How they underestimated me. How I had already proved too dangerous and they were making plans to remove me from the board. I was rather flattered, really. All it took was one meeting for the Light to decide that they should kill me because I wasn't worth the trouble.

They weren't really wrong either, I could admit as Pod uploaded the video of the UN President's assasination to the internet through encrypted servers. A few seconds went by before I flagged Barbara Gordon about the video, informing her about the leak. At the same time, Pod copied the video from where the site had first hosted it, then uploaded it to others -- political forums, anti-terrestrial websites, and so on. Anyone that would care enough to download the video file and spread it.

The Light would know it was me. However, Barbara, and thus the heroes, would suspect the Light.

Within a minute, the original video was taken down by Oracle. More were taken down in the following minutes, but the masses took the bait and swallowed it whole. For every video that went private or was flagged, three more were posted on sister sites. It was spreading. People posted it on social media, on MeTube, and so on. The distribution took on a life of its own. Before I even reached the door to my bedroom, various government agencies were taking action.

"How about that dance?" I asked 2B, walking past the door. 2B appeared faintly surprised at the timing, but she gave a nod that was borderline eager. All the while, I watched as the Light reacted to the move I had made. Ras seemed to find it amusing. Lex instantly understood the consequences for the video being released.

He called it too early. So, I had accelerated a time table instead of throwing off their plans. Meaning that we had a very similar idea. Lex got out of his chair and began to move while Oracle told me that the video was out in the wild and it was too widespread to cover up. The outrage and shock was palpable online. The various world leaders were facing a crisis of faith from their people.

Stepping into the ballroom, I took 2B by the hand and led her to an empty dance floor. The body had been removed already, though the oil-like blood was still splattered over the floor. Hijacking the stereo system, I played some music while placing a hand on 2B's hip. Her response was to rest her head against my shoulder as we began to sway to the music.

The proposal I had prepared in advance was sent out to relevant parties while Lex was still composing his. Queen Bee wanted me dead. Now. Ras was against it. Vandal seemed indifferent while Klarion thought the entire situation was absolutely hilarious. Being friends with him… well, with a friend like him, I didn't need enemies. But, he was every bit as dangerous to me as he was to the Light.

My foot was in the door as 2B and I continued to dance. Her body pressed against mine as we turned slowly to the music. Her footwork was impeccable, enough so that mine that lacked in comparison was accounted for. She wore a small smile on her face, as if she were unable to hold it back. I was glad to see that she was so happy. And, I would endeavor to make sure that she stayed that way.

Then, I began phase two of the plan. Orders were given out to Androids I had on standby. Many of which had replaced various people across the globe. It was a very powerful combination, I reflected. To be able to create androids that could look like anyone on the planet… then have access to a mind control chip.

It made it a simple thing to do -- have the androids replace the target while the original was kidnapped. In the timeframe while he was missing, the chip would be embedded into them, bringing them under my control, before the androids were replaced by the original in a second swap. However, it was the kind of plan that needed to be done in in steps, in stages.

For example, replacing all of the guards to a world leader and waiting for an opportunity where they were isolated from the constant surveillance they were normally under.

Like a world summit that had been called off.

"Are you happy?" 2B asked me as we danced, and I only now realized that I was smiling. She looked up at me, her normally cold gaze holding a hint of confusion. I held her a bit tighter in response, making the edges of her lips curl into a smile.

I told her the truth, "I couldn't be happier," I admitted to her. The plan had changed a bit. Well, more than a bit. I had to make adjustments in light of new opportunities and seize the initiative. The destruction of the world economy provided for a very unique opportunity, and it undercut the Light's plans while supporting my own. "Everything's going to plan, and I'm dancing with a beautiful woman," I told her.

2B stared into my eyes for a moment as if she were trying to find some hint of a lie, a lie that wasn't there. Then, slowly, tentatively, she began to move her face towards mine. Almost as if she were afraid that I would get skittish if she moved any faster. Instead, I complimented the action, meeting her halfway and pressing my lips against hers. 2B was probably the most solidly built woman that I had ever encountered given that her body was made out of titanium, but even still she seemed to melt into the kiss, allowing me to deepen it. We had already had our first brush with intimacy, but…

In a way, I regretted it. It had been what 2B wanted, but it was too rushed. It was a danger of including other women, I suspected. When Cass brought her up, when Tifa gave the go-ahead, I hadn't stopped to think about what I should do compared to what I wanted to do. I hadn't thought about how 2B deserved to be treated, as someone that I respected and cared for.

But, now, I fully intend to make up for past mistakes. To that end, I broke the kiss to see that her usually pale skin was colored a rosy pink, her lips flushed and her eyes dilated with desire.

It was really hard to see her as anything other than human. "Let's finish the dance. Then we can go celebrate," I told her, earning a small, almost stunned, nod of agreement.

It would be rather rude of me to not give her my full attention and I couldn't quite afford to as the pieces were falling in place. World leaders began canceling their attendance to the summit as they decided to focus on the fires starting back home. My teams were giving me green lights that everything was prepared. With Tifa, I had an eye on some members of the Justice League. And, as I hoped, Bruce Wayne was on his way to Lex Luthor.

Who could have sold me down the river if he wanted to, but he didn't on account of the fact that I had leverage. The bombs I had in Metropolis, for starters. And the fact that I was now a member of the Light. Regardless of us butting heads, we were on the same side. Which was against the heroes. Bruce was delaying Lex while Oracle worked her magic with Pod to figure out what the goal was.

All the signs were there… but come this time tomorrow, the world economy would be no more.

But, that was for tomorrow. Right now, I owed 2B a dance and my full attention.

…

The summit was officially called off soon after and it had a ripple effect. With so many people looking to put fires out back home, a number of deals completely fell through. A number of CEOs were freaking out, desperately grasping for a lifeline, but there was none to be found. Their businesses didn't instantly collapse -- they were downsizing, organizing mass layoffs, cutting spending and so on. They were doing what it took to survive… and in doing so, they tied their own noose and put it around their necks.

Because, with a few leaked emails, the world saw that the largest companies in the world were preparing for the economy to explode. Which made their worth as companies plummet in term of stock values. People were already scared about another recession, but seeing world experts shitting their pants about one terrified them.

The summit was scheduled on a Sunday. It was about noon when the info leaked. Giving people around a full day to make their doomsday preparations, but not so long for people to feel like things were being blown out of proportion. Those in charge would make their own preparations, but the timeline was too short to decide what should be done, much less implement preventative measures. It was a lot like watching a train crash -- you knew it was going to happen as two trains raced towards each other, but we were stuck in that moment just before the trains collided.

They wouldn't hit until the markets opened on Monday.

"I hope you're happy with yourself," Lex Luthor told me as we leaned against a balcony just outside the ballroom. Both of us were preparing to leave, each of us having things to do. With the world summit called off, there was no point in staying. Which meant that the inflamed tensions between America and China would go unresolved. Both had larger concerns to deal with for now, but the lack of a resolution was another red flag.

"A little," I admitted without a hint of shame as I looked out at the Alps. It was a pretty stretch of mountain ranges. I'm pretty sure I had seen a stock screensaver with a similar view.

"I don't suppose you'll share your intentions?" he asked me, hoping for a repeat of the last time I told him my plans. He was smart enough to figure it out, but I think my actions caught him off guard. He was readjusting his expectations of me.

I propped myself up on the railing, taking in the view as I got all clears from missions around the globe. I wasn't stupid enough to brainwash every world leader. That was just asking to get caught. Not to mention, from the looks of it, a number of them wouldn't be keeping their seats. So, instead, I brainwashed their most likely rivals or replacements. Out of all those that attended the summit, a solid third of them were now under my control.

"Only if you tell me why you had the UN President assassinated," I returned, earning a thoughtful hum Lex. "Fair is fair," I pointed out.

"Circumstances aside, you are a member of the Light now," Lex noted, a reminder that we were working for the same team. Even if it felt like we were working against each other. "In the coming days, the Justice League will be gone. Off defending themselves in a galactic courtroom for some misdeeds we had them perform while they were mind-controlled by us." he informed me, casually revealing that he and the Light had the Justice League under their thumb at some point. "Assassinating the 'UN President' worked to discredit the Justice League because of their lacking protection, and to introduce a bias against aliens among the world leaders before a controlled leak of information happened some months later."

So, I had accelerated a timetable. "Set up to introduce an alien race?" I questioned and Lex nodded, though he seemed a tad surprised that I guessed that. He seemed to approve. "Inflame tensions, have aliens be treated as illegal immigrants on Earth, then have a super friendly race knock on the front door rather than sneak into the back, so to speak. "Who's the lucky race?"

Lex smirked, "Now, now -- your turn," he chided.

"To force change," I told him. "The world is as peaceful as it's ever been, but people are divided. Race, nationality, class, and so on. Can't really do anything about that. People will always find reasons to discriminate against each other. However, steps need to be taken to unite humanity, like a toad in a pot that doesn't realize the water's boiling until it's dead."

"Ah. A unified currency," Lex spoke, putting the pieces together with ease. "After this little stunt of yours, most currencies will become worthless. We might as well go back to gold or use seashells to barter with."

"Which is why having a globally recognized alternative is the obvious solution," I explained. Instead of dollars, rubles, yen, or pounds, there would just be… credits. Coins. Hell, I was fond of using one of my own in-game currencies as saint quartz. "No more exchange rates, and binding all of Earth to a single unified economic currency is the first step to uniting humanity."

"Ambitious," Lex praised, sounding like he meant it. "I take it you've already taken measures to ensure that the currency is a creature of your own creation?" he asked, earning a nod from me.

It wasn't like I was going to tell him about the mind-control chips. "Bribes and favors. When the economy crashes tomorrow, I'll be sweeping up the pieces. By next month, everyone will be paying for their groceries with saint quartz." I said, earning an amused chuckle. I glanced over at Lex, using my contacts on him for any signs of deceit. But, I found none. He seemed to genuinely approve. His only hangup seemed to be that it wasn't his plan.

"Good," Lex said, likely making his own plans. "The Reach shall be the one that knocks at the front door of humanity," he informed. "Do you know anything about them?"

I did. Sorta. "Fought the Green Lanterns to a standstill, brainwashes its population to keep them compliant, and is one of the largest galactic empires in the universe. Are you sure it's wise to invite the Mongols into our home?"

"Only for them to leave their gifts before getting chased out," Lex answered smoothly. "The treaty forces them to act as a vampire does -- they must be invited onto Earth, and leave when asked to. Measures are being taken to subvert their influence while on Earth. Humanity shall gain access to their technology, which will be implemented over the course of several years." he said, sounding like he had it all planned out.

Which I knew that he didn't. I didn't know a lot about the second season of Young Justice, but I knew that the timeline was only saved by the Flash's grandkid coming to the past and unfucking the future. Meaning that the plan was doomed to fail. I also knew that Kid Flash had died to contain a parting gift left by the Reach.

Those nuggets of metaknowledge were enough to convince me that it was a bad plan. That being said, it was a plan that I could use.

"When should we expect the knock?" I asked, already making plans. The Reach tech likely couldn't do anything that I couldn't create myself. But, as time had proven, having a stronger base could only be beneficial. If I could get my hands on their scarabs, then my power armor would see a huge jump in quality. It would be something I could mass-produce -- an army of androids supported by scarabs that were further increased by various upgrades such as invisibility.

"There was going to be a period of groundwork being done, but I believe the situation is chaotic enough to skip it. The Reach will be given permission to knock in the coming weeks," Lex answered, and I smiled. "I do hope it won't interfere with your own plans?"

It would. "I can adapt," I agreed easily, and I knew that the Light's plans would be forced to adapt to mine in turn. One ball was already in motion that I suspected that they wouldn't see coming. Especially with the name I had given Ra's Al Ghul. With this kind of plotting, I've found that it's best to push people in a direction that I wanted, then wait to see what they would do before implementing my second step. It was the price of trying to manipulate people that were smarter than me.

"I would expect nothing less. Await our call, St. Jude. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a number of calls to make," he said, excusing himself. I waited until he was gone before letting out a long, drawn out sigh as I pushed my hair back, ruining the meticulous hairstyle.

With my contacts, I inquired as to what the heroes intended to do with the Concerned Citizen persona as my mask. The answer I got was within my expectations. When speculative value came crashing down, it was only natural to return to a tried and true source like gold. Which was why I had yet to return the gold that had been looted from the federal reserve back in No Man's Land. Not to mention the stores I intended to steal as a backup plan.

However, theft was only an option if I needed to. My true hopes were to make a huge push towards mining the asteroid belt for its mineral wealth. I had my people on it -- there were asteroids in the Kuiper Belt that surpassed Earth's mineral and metal content twice over. With that information, I was hoping to push away from any currency backed by a precious metal or item because in the coming years, those metals would be near worthless because of how common they would be.

Naturally, that was why I had a number of world leaders kidnapped and brainwashed. They would give my proposals enough influence to push them through.

After all, when the economy was in free fall, nothing got it back on track like a gold rush. Such as establishing a thriving industry in space.

"Sorry," I told the world, letting my words carry and be lost in the wind before I turned away to head to the helipad to make my own exit. It was a little pain for a lot of good. Just like getting a shot. Sure, it would suck for a bit, but once you got past it, humanity would enter its next natural stage -- exploring and colonizing the Sol system. I just had to normalize teleportation tech beforehand, and we would have all the makings for a sci-fi civilization.

It was worth the cost. So long as it worked.

"Of all the people you could have made friends with, it had to be Lex Luthor," Tifa said, already sitting down in the vertibird, giving me a very pointed look. I'm pretty sure she knew that I was behind the summit being called off, but she didn't ask. She didn't need to. But, unlike before, it wasn't a secret. I didn't fear her reaction, so I wasn't hiding the truth. Tifa liked being kept in the loop, but she just left the details to me.

"We have a lot in common," I said, taking a seat in a luxuriously soft leather chair.

"Like plotting to take over the world," Tifa pointed out, as if daring me to contradict her. It wasn't like I could.

I offered a smile, "Not take over per se. More… man behind the curtain type deal." I corrected, earning a thoroughly sarcastic "Aaah," as if that were any better. While we bantered, the ship sealed itself and began to take off so we could return to Gotham city. "It'll work out in the long run."

Tifa gave me a lingering look, "Should we be worried about Lex and his group?" she asked me. She knew about the Light because I told her. Information was power, after all, and I wanted us to be on equal footing.

I pursed my lips in consideration. So far, I have gotten the better of the Light. But, none of them would be in the positions that they were in without being able to clap back in some way. They would come after me eventually -- not to destroy me, but to humble me. To make it clear that I couldn't do what I liked without consequences. I had absolutely poked the bear with leaking the video and ushering in an economic collapse so bad that Black Friday looked like an upswing in comparison.

"I'm prepared," I told her, and that made Tifa relax as she accepted the reassurance.

"Good. In that case, Diana invited us over for lunch. We're going," she told me, and maybe it was a mistake to let Tifa and Wonder Woman to meet. I foresee a number of incredibly awkward lunches headed my way with various heroes. But, connections were connections.

"Of course, dear," I said, relaxing into my seat. I took in a deep breath before letting it out, allowing myself to relax for the moment. Everything was going according to plan.

And when I got an alert that the stand-in President of the United States of America had been found dead in a plane crash on her way back from the summit…

I smiled. Ra's Al Ghul worked fast.

All was going according to plan.