Lex Luthor (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
imperious_lex) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
trans_92010-07-03 12:57 am
imperious_lex) wrote in trans_92010-07-03 12:57 am
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Sometimes a cigar... [Closed]
This had been a rare find. During all of his wheeling and dealing while on shore leave, he never expected to come across a box of Monte Crisco cigars. Cuban Monte Crisco premium cigars. Even back on his earth, those were difficult to get a hold of, though far from impossible for a man of his resources.
He decided that he would enjoy it in the crew lounge. Partially because the one bottle of brandy that he knew would go best with it was there, and partly because a cigar like this should be enjoyed in good company. Unfortunately, at this hour, the lounge was mostly empty, most of the crew busy licking their wounds from the recent fight.
Still, he knew eventually, someone would show.
In the meantime, he took a seat near one of the windows. The light from the Bleed filtered in, giving him a red tint. He asked Stacy to play some jazz for him, and lit his cigar. He took the first deep drag and held it in, taking a moment to truly taste all of the flavors, then exhaled.
Truly excellent work. He was going to savor this.
He decided that he would enjoy it in the crew lounge. Partially because the one bottle of brandy that he knew would go best with it was there, and partly because a cigar like this should be enjoyed in good company. Unfortunately, at this hour, the lounge was mostly empty, most of the crew busy licking their wounds from the recent fight.
Still, he knew eventually, someone would show.
In the meantime, he took a seat near one of the windows. The light from the Bleed filtered in, giving him a red tint. He asked Stacy to play some jazz for him, and lit his cigar. He took the first deep drag and held it in, taking a moment to truly taste all of the flavors, then exhaled.
Truly excellent work. He was going to savor this.
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It was enough to draw her near, to stand, looking over Lex as if considering a painting at auction for value.
"Is this seat taken?" This wasn't the sharp Major, the Motoko who barked orders and made demands. She wasn't smiling, precisely, but her stance was relaxed, on hip cocked deliberately, to put him at ease.
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"Major," Lex spoke in greeting, and motioned towards the empty seat.
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"Aren't you going to offer me a drink?" She needled, with a casual smirk, tilting her head in a way that teased delicately all around the edges of coy.
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"Where are my manners?" He said with faux admonishment. He placed his cigar on the edge of the ashtray and picked up the bottle of brandy, displaying it for her. "Would you care for a drink?" He offered, in his most polite tone.
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"And how about yourself?" He asked, offering her the glass. Despite the casual way he said it, as if he was just making idle conversation, there was something in his look that suggested there may have been some genuine concern underneath it.
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She sipped at her drink then, and her eyes were sharp over the rim. This isn't kindergarten, Lex. She knows. But obfuscation and misdirection were the name of the game and so she gestured gently with the very fine drink that she could no more taste than breathe.
"Do you have any plans?"
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"I always have plans," he replied coolly. "Most of which require a great deal of patience before they finally come to fruition." If she wanted to dance around the subject, he'd play her game.
"Tell me about this project of yours."
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"No," And she was teasing him because it was the kind of 'no' that meant 'yes, but try harder.' Motoko crossed her arms under that ample chest and looked directly across at him, into his eyes with no hint of intimidation. Give her a reason, Lex.
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"By the way, the materials you asked me to get, the cadmium and silver nitrate-- I managed to get them before the planet ended up as a smoking cinder. When did you want to pick them up?"
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Motoko doesn't have any quarters.
"Nothing's free, after all."
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He regarded her evenly for a moment. "Though, if its important to you, I suppose I can push a few things to the side."
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"Let me be blunt," her glass was empty but for a film that covered the bottom and refused to aggregate meaningfully. She set it on the table, between them, "I don't disapprove. However, a loaded gun is no good to me if it's going to jam or backfire at the wrong time."
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"There's an old saying, that idle hands are the devil's workshop, though one would be surprised at what can be made with the tools of Satan." Some of his best stuff came from idly poking at SCIENCE with a stick. "That being said, if you have something that's worth my attention, you needn't worry about my focus wandering."
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"I can't reasonably expect you to act outside of your own tendencies. And for that reason, I have to ask- what good are you?"
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"I'm the best chance this crew has of beating the Ohm," said with all the sincerity of a man who truly believed that. "There are many here who know how to fight battles, but none of them know how to wage a war. Which is exactly what this is, what its always been.
"Very few of the crew realized that before. Hopefully this beating knocked some sense into them, but they're a hardheaded and short sighted bunch. Regardless, until they do finally get serious about this, they're little more to me than curiosities, dalliances, something to pass the time while I wait for a more opportune moment. I'd have no reason to take them seriously."
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All business now, and cold as steel. The Jazz was a rich vein of incongruous civility, like chocolate fingermarks on a white altar-cloth. It stretched the silence deceptively, until the Major broke her self-imposed stillness with the tilt of her head.
"No children, Luthor. Target whoever you need, aside from that," She laid out her conditions very clearly, brooking no tolerance for denial, "And if you ever work cross purposes to me, I will kill you myself."
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"And if you ever work at a cross-purpose to me--" he knew her connection to Batman, and he was well aware that she sometimes hung around their pretty-boy Acting Captain, so he was under no impression that her loyalties lie solely with him. "--I'll leave you as nothing more than a pile of scrap metal." And don't think he can't.
He let that hang in the air for a minute, just to let her know he was indeed serious about that threat. But after that minute passed, he leaned back, assuming they were done threatening each other for the day. Or at least for the next two minutes.
"But considering that we seem to be going in the same direction, I don't foresee that becoming an issue either way."
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"I'm building a small team. Black Ops. What happened at the node was an avoidable disgrace brought about because of a lack of forthcoming on the part of our field commander," She intoned, meaning Cargn, "Kennedy is competent enough, but he's spread too thin and Brother Cargn is hiding something. Whether or not it's vital, and whether he's doing it intentionally or otherwise remains to be seen."
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"Kennedy is wasting his time herding cats because he doesn't want to see one of them get run over in the street." If that guy were a bit more amoral and ruthless, Lex might actually bother dealing with him directly.
"And Cargn... Cargn is on my list." So whatever secrets he has will eventually belong to Lex.
"Who do you plan to add to your team?"
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"Currently, one of the co-heads of Engineering is starting up a weapons development project. Unfortunately, the boy doesn't have the bloodlust needed to so much as kill a fly. I think that project needs to be taken off of his hands."
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"I had been considering you, but you're of more worth left to yourself," She replied, with an even hand. Let the punishment fit the crime, wasn't it? "No offense, but you don't take orders well."
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"Though one could say the same about you." And he'd be willing to bet that her response to that would likely amount to If the people in charge bothered to gave an order that actually made sense...
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"Then who do you take your orders from?"
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"If my commanding officer isn't dead, then he's in the pod caverns, in stasis," She mused, and on a whim gestured at the empty glass. More, please, "I find myself at loose ends."
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"I'd like to hear a bit about this commanding officer of yours." He was curious as to who could earn such loyalty from her.
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Damn this ship.
"He has his priorities in order. Scouted me after World War IV cooled off, and we've worked together ever since," She had no qualms about sharing this information. Aramaki could handle a squirt like Lex with ease and grace, "He's the Chief, what more is there to say? I trust him."
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Lex had no doubt that whoever held the Major on a leash would have to be formidable. "I'm sure he's earned it."
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Very sure, her eyes said as she took a drink.
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"No gain without risk."
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argh why is this so short ugh what is wrong with meeee
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"It's a tactically sound way to go about things, admittedly, but I like to think my death warrants a bit of theater." He smiled a bit around the tip of his cigar. "Perhaps I'm something of a 'supervillain' after all."
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