genessia | [Video] A Scientist and a Businessman

[private to CPU]

[Luthor opens a feed to the mysterious contact labeled 'CPU'. It's time to put the information he learned from Satsuki to good use. He had already scouted a suitable area of Nova City.]

"This is Lex Luthor. I would like to request the following:
A gram of Carbon-12.
A gram of Kryptonite, encased in shielding sufficient to ensure the safety of a human handling it indefinitely.
A bottle of champagne.
Mercy Graves.
Two of Mercy.
A fully robotic duplicate of Mercy.
A robotic duplicate of myself, inactive.
An exact replica of Lexcorp HQ.
A Lexcorp genetics research facility.
A Lexcorp cybernetics R&D facility.
All production facilities necessary to manufacture all current Lexcorp products.
A copy of today's Daily Planet from Earth-16.
A copy of my birth certificate.
A computing device of some kind, containing my complete genome.
A similar device containing Superboy's complete genome, or add the information to the device from the previous request.
Superman's complete genome, provided as specified in the previous request.
A piece of paper or text file listing the civilian identities of all Justice League members."

[He was testing the system as much as using it. The answers would, of course, guide Lex's follow-up requests. He didn't want to do anything as drastic as opening a sub-archway if he could import arbitrary information and instantly construct whatever buildings he needed. But just as importantly, finding out what they could and would provide would give him information about his captors.]

[broadcast | open to all]

[after Lex finishes getting stuff from the CPU, and perhaps opening a sub-archway, all that remains is to announce the new Lexcorp's opening.]

"Good day, citizens of Genessia and Nova City. My name is Lex Luthor, and today I'm pleased to announce the opening of the Nova City branch of Lexcorp. I've prioritized our medical and robotics technologies because I believe they can do the most good here, but I hope to make the rest of Lexcorp's products available in Nova City within the next few weeks."

[Lex is telling the truth when he says those divisions can do the most good for the people here. But he's more concerned with how much good they'll do him, both for the goodwill they can buy him and by giving himself access to Lexcorp's most strategically useful resources.]

[private to Satsuki]

"I thought you might be interested to see the results of my little test. As a show of good faith."

[He won't share everything with her. Just enough to be interesting, so she'll feel she's gotten something of value, and perhaps she really will. But nothing that could be harmful to Lex.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Money is only instrumentally valuable, is it not? Even if you assume the absurd extreme of pure self-interest, all the money in the world would do me no good if everyone in the world wanted me dead.

[As much as some of his enemies would like to see him as a complete monster, Lex does consider others' wellbeing to have positive value. Being willing to violate ethical injunctions in pursuit of sufficiently important goals and valuing his own preferences somewhat more highly than those of others doesn't mean he'd harm anyone just for fun.]

Is it so hard to believe I actually prefer for people to be happy and healthy?

If you insist on being suspicious of my motives, you can at least trust that I realize I have a better chance of finding a way home if more people are willing and able to work together.

Not true. There will still be people who are weak, who have a natural inkling for self-preservation. On the otherhand, there will be people who will absolutely worship you for having all the money in the world. Some won't care. And only a number of them would be altruistic enough to see the dark side in you and try, just try to eliminate you. It will depend on you, however, if they would succeed.

Over your own happiness, yes.

I wish you luck on the endeavor. I on the other hand, find it to be a futile attempt. Many have tried, all have failed.