"The Death and Life of Maxwell Lord"
Maxwell Lord entered his office to begin another day. On his desk lay J’onn J’onzz’s report of their encounter with the New Olympians. He quickly read through it and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that the League had gotten out of the fight unscathed…and that none of them had been arrested. His computer sat on his desk, waiting for him to turn it on. Down in the lab, Ted Kord was hard at work when Booster Gold walked in. “Don’t you have to be at the office for the shareholders’ meeting?” Ted asked. “Blue and Gold Software isn’t going to run itself, especially since I understand that Starrware’s got a new product launch coming up.” “Don’t worry about it,” Booster said as he dropped into a chair. “I’ve got it covered. I moved the meeting to this afternoon because it was way too early.” “If you say so,” Ted said. “Just remember, I went to the last one so it’s your turn.” Ted suddenly stiffened and leaned closer to his computer screen. “Something wrong?” Booster asked. “I don’t know,” Ted said as his fingers began dancing over his keyboard. “I thought I was picking up a power surge, but it just vanished somehow. I’m checking things out now to see what might be going on.” “Great,” Booster said. He paused a moment. “You know, if the League was running our software instead of whatever they’ve got, they wouldn’t have these problems!” Ted exhaled. “Booster, we make video games. Starrware makes operating systems.” “So?” Booster asked. “Could we buy them out or something?” Booster thought another moment and gestured to Ted’s computer. “Can I get to a stockbroker on here? I’d like to try buying Kara out.” Ted shook his head and stopped talking. It was either going to be tracking the vanishing power surge or dealing with Booster, and Booster wasn’t going to blow any electronic equipment up…hopefully. Upstairs, Tora Olafsdotter was standing in the entrance hall as Guy Gardner made his appearance. “Thanks for coming to work with me,” Guy said. “I think you’ll really help out with figuring out a new look for that memorabilia case.” “It’s no problem,” Tora said. She stopped talking as Beatriz D’Acosta opened the door and walked past. Tora glanced at her watch and asked, “Isn’t it a little early for you to be up, Bea?” Beatriz smiled. “I haven’t been to bed yet. Good night!” As she walked up the stairs, Tora shot a look at Guy before they walked outside into the sunshine. “So you are leaving?” J’onn asked. Donna Troy sighed as she turned from her packing to J’onn. “I’m afraid so,” she said. “There are some things going on with Diana.” She paused as she tried to think of how to explain the changes in Wonder Woman to J’onn. “I just recently found her again, and…” Donna’s voice trailed away as she remembered the last meeting between herself, Wonder Girl and Diana. J’onn slowly nodded. “I understand. I know how close you are to Diana. If she needs you, you must go, but know that you will always have a place here with us as well.” “Thank you, J’onn.” Donna thought a moment. “I just feel like my leaving is going to lower the team’s power level quite a bit.” J’onn smiled. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I was actually contacted by one of our reserve members earlier in the day who wishes to return to active status.” Donna smiled back when J’onn told her who it was. Inside the office, Max turned on his computer. Ted’s head jerked around as a console started flashing and an alarm started blaring. “That’s not good,” Booster observed. “I’m reading a massive power surge in Max’s office,” Ted calmly explained while he switched off the alarm. He swiveled in his chair. “You probably want to get up there and check on him.” “Oh, right.” Booster took off out the door. Max looked around. “Well, this is certainly not my office,” he muttered as he surveyed the landscape around him. “It looks like some 1990’s version of what cyberspace would look like.” “Greetings, Max.” Max turned as he heard the voice to see a form growing from the landscape. It soon assumed a form that appeared to be a man made out of metal. “It has been a long time.” “Kilg%re,” Max replied as his eyes narrowed. “I thought I was rid of you.” “I am offended, Max,” the Kilg%re replied. “After all we have been through together.” “You used me,” Max accused. “Yes,” the Kilg%re admitted, “but you seemed to have no problems with that at the time.” Max fumed as the room blurred and was replaced by the workshop where the Kilg%re’s robots had been working to construct replicas of world leaders. “We would have ruled the world, Max,” the Kilg%re prodded. “It was wrong,” Max said. “You played off of my ego to convince me that I was the only one who could save the world. That’s why you pushed me to help make those robots. That’s why you tried to have me keep the League ineffectual.” “And you tried to destroy me,” the Kilg%re said as the room changed to Max’s office. “You murdered my secretary,” Max said. “Who was a Manhunter,” the Kilg%re added, “and had also just shot you six times.” “That doesn’t matter,” Max said. “That Maxwell Lord deserved to die.” “What about the second time I saved you?” the Kilg%re asked. Suddenly Max saw himself in the hospital bed dying again. “You were dying of cancer,” it said, “and I saved you by giving you this new body.” The Kilg%re moved a hand and the hologram of Maxwell Lord fell away, revealing the Lord Havok android that he had been implanted in. “And you used this to control me as well,” Lord said in Havok’s voice. “You convinced me to take control of the Arcana in order to take the world that way.” “And you failed again,” the Kilg%re said. “No,” Max said as he turned to face the Kilg%re. “You did.” Lord Havok’s body faded away to be replaced by Max’s normal appearance. Max smiled. “You see, when you took control of me, you didn’t count on me finding a back door into your system.” As Max spoke, he began to grow. “While you’ve been taking me down memory lane, I’ve been gaining control of this system,” Max explained. The now-behemoth Max lit a cigar and took a puff. “But you are under my control!” the Kilg%re tried to plead. “Not any more,” Max said. “For the first time in a long time I’m the one in the driver’s seat. I’ve managed to shut down your programs and now it’s time that I did the same to you.” Max effortless picked up the tiny Kilg%re and looked it in the eye. “Time for you to go away,” he said. A cabinet appeared in front of Max with its door hanging open. Max placed the Kilg%re inside, closed the door and touched the lock with his cigar. Max smiled as the cyberworld faded away. Max opened his eyes and looked around his office as he heard a banging on the door. He stood, walked across the room and opened it to reveal Booster. “Are you okay?” Booster asked. “Beetle detected a power surge in here.” “I’m afraid so,” Max replied. He gestured toward his desk. “It looks like it got my computer. Nothing that can’t be fixed, though.” Booster nodded and left, closing the door behind him. Max bent over his CPU and spoke quietly. “I know you can hear me,” he said. “You’re stuck in there. I took the liberty of burning out the network card, so you’ve got nowhere to go.” Max smiled as he lit a cigar. “I’ve played the corporate game too long to be played by some hunk of silicon like you. The only hunks of silicon that can control me are centerfolds.” Scott Free was making himself a sandwich in the embassy’s kitchen when Max walked back in from the rear alley. “What’s up, Max?” Beetle asked. “Looks like my computer got fried by a power surge,” Max said. “I decided to throw it out; it was getting a little slow, anyway.” “Didn’t you have any files you needed off there?” Scott asked. Max smiled. “That’s what backups are for and I’d just run them last night and hadn’t done anything yet, so all of my files are still safe on our server.” Max paused. “Don’t eat too much. After all, we’ve got a job to do…keeping the world safe.” Scott watched as Max walked out of the kitchen. In the dumpster behind the building, Max’s computer lay half-buried in trash. Inside the system, the trapped Kilg%re screamed in frustration while it continued to search for a way out. Beetle and Booster were leaving as Max entered the central hall of the embassy. He smiled as the doorbell rang. “Right on time,” he said. “Is this that new member we’ve been hearing about?” Beetle asked. “Word travels fast, doesn’t it?” Max asked. Beetle and Booster immediately tried to look innocent. “In response to your question, yes she is.” The door opened and a woman stepped inside and greeted Max warmly. The color drained from Booster’s face when he recognized her. “Not her!” Booster gasped. “Not Power Girl!” Karen Starr turned and cracked her knuckles as she spotted Booster. “Freeze, Buster,” she said. “I’d like to have a word with you about a little buyout attempt.” Max smiled as Booster took off with Karen in hot pursuit. He might not be the same person who’d founded the JLI, but the League remained satisfyingly consistent. To Be Continued... Next Issue: Power Girl has joined the team just in time for some old foes to make their return! Previous Issue | Next Issue |
