"If we hand over Superman, will this General Zod leave Earth?" Amanda Waller set down her phone and turned to Jack Kadere.
Jack shook his head. "Impossible. Besides looking for Superman, Zod wants to terraform Earth into a new Krypton. Let his people be reborn here."
"Then what happens to us?" Carol Ferris asked without thinking.
"Rebirth usually starts with destruction." Jack's voice was soft.
Carol's expression darkened instantly.
Waller frowned. "So war is inevitable. Can you defeat them?"
"I can." Jack smiled.
"Good." Waller believed Jack wouldn't make claims without reason—and she believed he wouldn't let the Kryptonians destroy Earth either. "I need to get back immediately to coordinate our response. Carol, you stay here. We'll contact you if the situation changes."
"Understood." Carol nodded.
Waller turned and left without hesitation, leaving Carol standing awkwardly in the hotel room. Jack walked back to the bed to find his clothes and started getting dressed. Lois Lane felt the awkwardness too, but this wasn't the time for modesty—she quickly pulled on her own clothes.
"Kryptonite." Lois watched Jack pick up the green stone. "Kryptonite can hurt Kryptonians. Can't you give it to the military so they can research weapons?"
"Kryptonite?" Carol's attention snapped to the stone in Jack's hand. Something that could hurt the aliens? This was critical intelligence. "Mr. Kadere, if this stone can really affect them, could you—"
"No." Jack's refusal was flat.
"Even if I handed it over, you wouldn't have the capability to develop weapons against Kryptonians in twenty-four hours. Besides, a handful of Kryptonians aren't worth wasting Kryptonite on—even though I have plenty." Jack smiled. "Contact Lex Luthor for me. Half an hour from now, I'll bring the Kryptonite to his company."
"Lex Luthor?" Carol stared, but Jack had already vanished with a rush of displaced air. She stood there with her mouth open, unable to form words. Lois Lane gave her a sympathetic look—she'd been just as startled by that ability the first time.
Central City. The villa.
When Jack returned, he found the place bustling with activity. A large container truck sat parked in the courtyard. Laurie, Thea, and Trajectory were all present, and Black Siren and Bette Sans Souci had returned as well—along with a woman he didn't recognize.
"Boss, mission accomplished. Everything from the A.R.G.U.S. warehouse is here." Black Siren grinned and gestured toward the stranger. "This is a friend I met recently. She was a big help."
"Lisa." The woman extended her hand. "Lisa Snart."
Captain Cold's sister. Jack hadn't expected Black Siren's new friend to be Leonard Snart's sibling. Then again, birds of a feather—villains tended to find each other.
"You all saw the alien broadcast?" Jack asked. Everyone nodded. He turned to Trajectory. "When will the Aerie's upgrades be finished?"
Trajectory considered for a moment. "Three hours."
"Good. Once it's done, be ready to move on my signal. After the aliens invade Earth—" Jack paused, and Thea jumped in curiously. "Are we going to fight the aliens?"
Fighting aliens. That sounded like something heroes would do.
Besides Laurie and Thea, none of them—not Trajectory, not Black Siren, not Bette Sans Souci, and certainly not Lisa—could be called heroes.
"No." Jack chuckled and shook his head. "You're responsible for collecting bodies. Kryptonian bodies."
"What's the point of that?" Lisa asked.
"Trust me—there's a point." Jack's smile turned knowing.
Kryptonian corpses could be modified into Doomsday. Drop just one of those things loose on the world, and it could potentially destroy Earth.
With arrangements made, Jack had them move the A.R.G.U.S. collection into his own storage room. He didn't know what half of it was used for, but the space that had been empty before was now packed full.
Half an hour later.
Jack arrived at the top-floor office of LexCorp.
This was Lex Luthor's personal office. The style was distinctive—lacking any of the gravitas or grandeur expected of a Fortune 200 CEO's workspace. Lex wore light-colored casual pants, a blue undershirt, and a dark knit sweater. His hands were spread wide against his desk. His parted blond hair only added to the sense that something was off about the whole picture.
Standing beside him was a woman in a black business suit and black-framed glasses—Mercy Graves, Lex's secretary and bodyguard.
Seated across from them were Carol Ferris and Lois Lane.
"Half an hour is nearly up. It seems someone doesn't respect punctuality." Lex chuckled. "I have a great deal keeping me busy, as you might imagine. Taking over a Fortune 200 company isn't exactly routine, so—"
"Why do you have hair?"
Jack's voice came from directly behind him.
Lex and Mercy spun around. Jack was already sitting in Lex's office chair.
Lex paused. "That's not your seat."
"Feel free to make me move." Jack tilted his head, smiling.
Mercy snorted, braced her hands on the desk, and vaulted over it. Her stiletto heel sliced toward Jack's head in a vicious kick.
One finger.
Jack extended a single finger to catch her leg mid-swing, then flicked.
BANG.
Mercy flew sideways and crashed hard to the floor.
Lex didn't spare his secretary a glance. He smiled at Jack instead. "You managed to get the military to pressure me into this meeting—right after the alien broadcast. So I'm guessing you need me to build something that can defeat aliens. Defeat Kryptonians." His eyes gleamed. "So... what do I get out of it?"
"A new hairstyle? Ever heard the saying?" Jack leaned back in the chair. "All bald men are powerhouses."