Characters[]
Location[]
- National City, VA
- February 1st 2017, 2341 Local Time
VOX Archive[]
- Lex Luthor: [footsteps: 2 instances, door closes] What do you need, Mercy?
- Mercy Graves: Well, you have already made the rounds yelling at everyone who works for you, [footsteps, door closes] everyone who is married to you, [footsteps, door closes] and since all who was left was for you to yell at in this building was myself and the White House Press Corps, I thought I should be next... Oh, by the way, I took the liberty of ordering you a very nice apology bouquet for the First Lady.
- Lex Luthor: Hmm... [pacing, silence: 9.2 seconds] Did you know that two thousand years ago a Roman citizen could walk across the face of the known world free of the fear of molestation? [footsteps] He could walk across the Earth unharmed, cloaked only in the words Civis Romanis: "I am a Roman citizen". [long sigh, pause] So great was the retribution of Rome, universally understood as certain, should any harm befall even one of its citizens. Where was Otis' protection?
- Mercy Graves: Sir, we don't know for certain that Otis was killed or even injured in that convoy-
- Lex Luthor: Where is the retribution and where is the warning to the rest of the world that Americans shall walk this Earth unharmed, lest the clenched fist of the most mighty military force in the history of mankind comes crashing down on your house!? In other words, Mercy, what the hell are we doing here?
- Mercy Graves: We are behaving the way a superpower ought to behave... sir.
- Lex Luthor: Well our behavior has produced some pretty crappy results. In fact, I'm not a hundred percent sure it hasn't induced them.
- Mercy Graves: Sir, with all due respect, what are you talking about?
- Lex Luthor: It's more than just Otis, Mercy... Can't you see that? I'm talking about fifty-two American marines in Qurac last year, I'm talking about the twenty-seven American doctors massacred in Kor last summer. [long sigh, pacing] I'm talking about what happened in Khandaq just last month!
- Mercy Graves: That was under the last administration's watch, sir. Your presidency will be different. It is early still, sir. We just need time to get our feet wet-
- Lex Luthor: What we need to do is get our hands bloody!
- Mercy Graves: I don't think ratcheting up the body count is the optics we want to have, sir. You honestly think that will act as a deterrent?
- Lex Luthor: You're damn right, I do!
- Mercy Graves: Then you are just as dumb as these guys who think that capital punishment is going to be a deterrent for the Red K pushers. As if they didn't already live their day to day lives under the possibility of execution. And their executions are a lot less dainty than ours and don't bother with the expense of due process. So Lex, if you want to start using American military strength as the bolt of Zeus, you can do that, we're the only superpower left. You can conquer the world, like your namesake Alexander the Great, but you better be prepared to kill everyone and you better start with me.. sir.
- Lex Luthor: [long sigh, footsteps, body sitting on the couch] He had a ten-day old baby, Mercy...
- Mercy Graves: He still does, sir. [footsteps, body sitting on the couch, sigh] The baby is healthy and for all we know, Otis is fine, sir. You and I both know he's been through worse.
- Lex Luthor: We are doing nothing.
- Mercy Graves: We are not doing nothing, sir. Four high-rated military targets. That will put pressure on the Markovian government to do something about these separatists targeting American diplomats.
- Lex Luthor: And this is good? This is supposed to make me feel like we're helping Otis?
- Mercy Graves: Of course it's not good. You know that as well as I do. It's what it is. It's how you behave if you're the most powerful nation in the world. It's proportional, it's reasonable, it's responsible, it's merciful. It's not nothing, sir. It's four high-rated military targets. [silence: 4.7 seconds]
- Lex Luthor: No. They will just rebuild in six months.
- Mercy Graves: So we'll blow 'em up again in six months! We're getting really good at it. [sigh] We live in the real world. We live in America, sir. It's not Utopia... not yet. But stay the course and historians will remember you as Alexander the Great. [chuckle] To hell with that other guy.
- Lex Luthor: Oh, Mercy... Why didn't you start with that? [chuckle] Oh, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy... when I think of all the work you put in to convince me to run... [sigh] when I think of all the work you did to get me elected... [long sigh, pause, chuckle] I could just pommel your ass with that arm I bought you. [laughter]
- Mercy Graves: [laughter] Well, as fun as that might be to see you try that, sir... We should get to the Situation Room... [clatter, footsteps: 2 instances] Oh, before I forget, today's report from Miss Lane, sir.
- Lex Luthor: [clatter] Ah, yes... [door opens, footsteps: 2 instances, screentap] Hmm... Interesting... [footsteps: 2 instances, screenswipe] This is very promising. [footsteps: 2 instances, clatter] Make it happen.
- Mercy Graves: At once, sir. [footsteps: 2 instances, footsteps descending stairs]
Trivia and Notes[]
- The VOX was inspired by the TV show West Wing.
- Another appearance of the numbers 52 and 27.