Earth.
United States.
....
"..... Cat Grant with GBS over here and a lovely evening to you all, folks. Here with me today to answer some questions and share his own opinions concerning the brewing events plaguing the minds of the American citizens is one of your favorite special TV hosts, G. Gordon Godfrey". A familiar television personality was speaking over the live feed.
Cat Grant looked away from the camera towards the man sitting opposite her on the other end of the table.
"A good evening to you as well, Mr. Gordon".
"Good evening to you too, Cat. Hey there folks, Gordon Godfrey, and it's a pleasure to be here".
"Perfect. Then let's get started. Mr. Gordon, would you mind letting the American populace know what are your thoughts concerning the recent Central City invasion".
"Well, I feel a lot Cat, and might I say folks. I think it's rather ironic that the latest, most pressing info for our lovely world citizens is actually something that happened weeks ago. Let's get into details, shall we?"
The classy, outspoken GBS pundit questioned at the camera while adjusting his tie slightly. With his Caucasian appearance, blond hair, blue eyes and discriminatory opinions, Gordon was quite famous in the television industry.
"Great!" Cat gave a slight smile before resuming a serious expression.
"It's been roughly a month plus since the United States Central City incident, which unexpectedly led to the creation of the global alien invasion chart. What are your thoughts on this matter?"
"Well, my thoughts are pretty simple. Has the United States experienced more extraterrestrial threats than any other nation in the world? Well folks, there's no need for a chart, as even a ten-year-old could answer that question". Gordon said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"I mean, come on, we constantly see it. We were all here when General Zod and his kryptonian army came to earth for Superman. Stepphenwolf and his .... Parademons, The entity of fear, Parallax, and now we can put this new addition on the list of successive disasters. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if we should start making gambling sites betting on when the next one's gonna happen cause at this point folks, this whole charade is becoming a yearly occurrence".
Gordon's mouth opened, speaking loudly as he stated his case.
A video clip recording scenes of these incidents began playing on the background screen one by one.
"Metropolis, Coast city, Washington and now Central City. What do these places all have in common, people? All of these things happened precisely on good old American soil".
"Honestly, I'm considering leaving the states and packing up to Hawaii for a forever vacation. Because man it is scary here".
"Well, don't you think you're going a little over the top, Mr. Gordon? I mean, while this incident is also a major catastrophe, it's not quite as damaging as the previous incidents, wouldn't you say?"
Cat asked lightly.
"Over the top? What's over the top about an alien invasion almost wiping out a city populated by more than 6.5 Million people?" Gordon raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, if that's considered over the top, then do we have to wait until half the life on Earth is wiped out before it can be properly justified". He relaxed comfortably into the sofa as he finished his words.
Cat's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she caught a hint in Gordon's words.
"You're referring to the citywide mind control thing".
Gordon smirked slightly. The incident of Central city had practically gone viral, much more popular than the battle of the Otherworlders.
Two important factors that made it so.
The visibly large spaceship over the city, and the disclosure of the news that all of its citizens had almost ended their lives.
"That's right Cat. A city, a whole city full of people. Men and women, young and old, all mind controlled and nearly killed themselves. This just goes to show all I've been telling you folks".
As he got to this point, his posture suddenly straightened and his face was incomparably serious.
"..... Does Earth really want a connection with aliens? Well, I don't think so. This full incident just tells us that these extraterrestrials are dangerous, and we constantly have to exercise caution when dealing with them".
"But what about the Justice league? If put by your words, Earth already has connections with aliens, as the Justice league that fought against those Invaders have alien members as well. The most famous being Superman, of course. Does that mean the earth shouldn't even trust Superman as well".
Cat asked meaningfully.
"You're getting me wrong there". Gordon smiled calmly.
"While I admit that the heroic actions of the league are admirable and have won some of my respect, but that doesn't change the fact that there are questions that need answers to".
"For example, the main details of the invasion on Central City. Up until now, the League hasn't made a proper statement on the details of the attack. Isn't that enough reason to be suspicious? Is the league hiding something from us which the public deserve to know?"
Gordon yelled, his body posture was incomparably excited.
"Do the Justice league have something to hide? Well, I'll tell you now folks, they do. And I have the evidence to prove it".
As soon as he finished speaking, the background screen change to show certain video clips. Starting from the Star Labs footage showing the showdown between Flash and another alien who showed a particular ability.
"That's..." Cat was surprised at what she was seeing.
"That, is precisely what you think it is. Rare video footage on the battle of the Justice league and the invaders procured from a close source of mine who prefers to remain anonymous and.... oh! Oh! What's that right there?"
Gordon pointed at the video, which showed the picture of Mericrozz shape-shifting from her Martian form to her human form.
"Is that..... Shape-shifting?" Cat asked astounded.
"Bingo! A shape-shifter. Let's ignore the skin tone, who does this alien remind you of?"
His grinning face expanded.
"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then you're correct. Forgive me if I find it suspicious that the Justice League haven't decided to inform the public that a Martian from Mars was part of the invading force".
Miss Grant's brow lowered only for a second, before going back to a more neutral, encouraging expression.
"Due to this, I feel the Justice league should come out from their headquarters and answer some questions. Who is this alien? Is she truly a Martian and if she is, what relationship does she have with the mysterious Martian Manhunter. Furthermore, why does he insist on going by that name? Does the Martian race have an instinct in their genes to hunt men?" Gordon prattled on and on in front of the live camera.
"The league is clearly withholding information from us. What more are they hiding that needs to be known? Given that they have clearly shown they do not trust us, then why should we trust them?"
Cat, who had listened to his words, wore a pensive look.
"While your statements hold some ground, we cannot rule out that the League have their reasons for their delayed response. It's reported that Superman hasn't been seen in Metropolis since the incident....."
Meanwhile, in Washington, DC. Lex Luthor sat in the Oval Office devoid of any breathing human. Except for his favorite assistant Mercy, who was the only other person present.
Looking at the screen playing the news channel of Cat Grant and Gordon Godfrey, his face remained expressionless.
"Whoever thought that someone like G. Gordon Godfrey could be of great use". Mercy, who stood by the side, said with sarcasm as she watched the news.
"Everyone has some form of value Mercy..." Lex stroked his hairless chin with his thumb and index fingers. His eyes carried an ominous gloom.
".... What matters is who can use it". His voice was flat and carried numerous undertones.
It was widely known about Gordon Godfrey's dislike for alien life. His staunch stance against the Justice league was partly due to their alien members.
As he couldn't find it within him to trust them, he used his remarkable eloquence to sow that distrust in his audience.
In a way, he was the Jonah John Jameson of the DC world.
Who would have thought that the man who was constantly raving against aliens on TV would be an associate of Darkside.
Lex learned all this from a Vandal Savage. How the latter knew about this was certainly beyond his comprehension.
However, that didn't stop him from achieving his goals.
After all, the enemy of an enemy is a friend, right?
As for the anonymous source, who else could obtain such sensitive information that the Justice League used all means to block, besides the newly instated President of the United States Lex Luthor?
As a tool to stir up the feelings of the masses, the value of Gordon in the hands of Lex Luthor was almost on equal footing with the lost project Kr.
Mercy raised an eyebrow at her boss.
"So now what?"
"Huh Mercy?"
"Your goal to become the President of the United States has been achieved. Gordon's slamming the face of the league in front of the public eye, what's next?"
After working under Lex for so long, she had some sort of understanding of him. Which was why she could spot that Lex's current state of mind was a little weird.
She just couldn't put her finger on it.
Ever since that incident in Central City. Mercy felt her mind go blank for a second. The next moment she regained herself, she saw two guns in her hands pointed in two directions.
One was pointed at her skull, the other was pointed at Luthor.
She was so frightened that she almost pulled the trigger on the spot. And Lex, at that moment, something changed.
She didn't know what exactly, but she could feel it. At that split second when he awoke, she could have sworn she saw a flash of fear in his eyes.
The Lex she knew never showed fear.
Lex didn't answer her question for some time, something that Mercy was used to by now. This man's brains had special ways of working.
"..... Now. It's time to bring someone who has partially been forgotten to the public eye". Back on GBS, the screen playing the alien attack changed to show Mericrozz smashing the flash away without moving a muscle.
Then a tank burst out of the Star Labs building, showing an alien that the public had forgotten after a while.