Later that same day, after the day's events, Arias left the ongoing celebrations at the academy with only Slade, leaving Mercy to oversee things for him while Wonder Woman and Harley met with students for pictures and to provide advice... pre-written, of course.
Terra and Barbara were introduced, and the commissioner was practically over the moon at the idea of Arias's daughter and his becoming friends. Not because of Arias's status, but because he felt Terra would be a great example for Barbara.
As for Arias, his reason for leaving was due to the news regarding the placement of government agents in his academy to monitor the education process, ensuring it was truly what he claimed it to be.
He explained this to Slade on the way to Markovic Tower. Once they made it to his office, where Slade knew there were zero chances of being watched or listened to, he spoke freely and asked, "So, I take it you have a plan to solve this? Since you asked me to come along, I can assume it's a bloody one?"
Slade, feeling like he was getting a better understanding of Arias's thought process, tried to guess what he was planning. However, Arias shook his head as he went over to his desk and retrieved an envelope.
He then tossed it over to Slade, who quickly opened it and scanned the single piece of paper within before muttering, "You can't be serious..."
In Slade's hand was a flashy poster that read:
**"Slade Wilson for President."**
The idea of it alone left Slade in disbelief. Not once did he ever picture this as Arias's counter, so in a confused tone, he asked, "What's the plan here exactly? I can name more than a few reasons why this can't work, the first being I'm a former most-wanted criminal, and..."
Slade trailed off and paused, seeing that Arias was still calm. He remembered just who he was talking to, and what he was capable of, so he didn't question it.
Arias could understand Slade's concerns, so he explained.
"The biggest threat to the president was initially Lex Luthor's candidacy for president. With his death, that problem ends and mine arises. No government would sit still while a single individual blatantly gathers so much potential power," he revealed while stepping away from his desk and approaching Slade.
"They know that by trying to stop me outright, they hurt the president's chances and give ammunition to his opponents to use against him in the election, so he can only place agents to stop me from doing anything they regard as dangerous." Arias cracked a smirk as he revealed this and came to a stop a few inches away from Slade.
"But imagine what would happen if a new candidate appeared—one who had enough financial backing to launch a campaign costing billions and a sponsor who was loved by the people of the country."
Slade was now piecing together what Arias was planning, but he was still doubtful. "But is it enough to win? I'm not exactly loved."
Arias shook his head. "Of course it's not enough, but it will cause the president to remember his priorities. After all, imagine how many votes a person who spent billions on bettering the lives of millions would gain if he publicly declared his support for said candidate?"
The answer to that was simple—the amount would be astronomical. The middle class and lower class of society loved Arias and saw the things he did as beyond generous, unlike others with similar wealth.
Meanwhile, the upper class saw him as a fool who spent money with no regard for gains. But, this same upper class who disliked him only made up 2% of the country's population, while the middle and lower classes combined made up over 90% of the population.
It wasn't a guarantee that this group would vote for whoever Arias supported, but the chance existed. It was a 50/50 chance, but given Arias's success in the past few months and his effect on the lives of millions, one could say the scales were in his favor.
Perhaps the only real disadvantage being Slade's past. However, that was the first thing Arias factored in, as he revealed to Slade now, "Your criminal past means nothing. How do you think Luthor was able to declare candidacy? According to the law, any former criminal who received a full presidential pardon is eligible to run. And you..." Arias trailed off, leaving Slade to finish the sentence.
"...were pardoned so Waller could add me to her Suicide Squad," he finished, absolutely astounded by how deeply Arias was prepared, but he didn't stop there.
Arias nodded and smiled before tapping Slade on the shoulder.
"As a final nail in the coffin, imagine if it somehow leaked that you were forced to kill for your country in order to gain freedom so you could get back to your daughter, who was what... 3 years old at the time?"
Slade looked at Arias with both surprise and caution, trying to fully absorb the plan he had just heard. "You planned all this in advance?" he asked, both impressed and wary of Arias's intellect.
Arias, though, shook his head and laughed. "Not exactly. I prepared for many scenarios; this one just happened to be the one with the highest odds of occurring. It's not like I left the government many moves they could use against me."
Slade didn't know whether that thought was relieving or scary. His mind settled on the part of "left," which suggested that Arias purposefully created vulnerabilities for himself as bait.
At this point, Slade began to overestimate Arias's abilities, but who wouldn't after all he had witnessed? Thus far, he had yet to see Arias fazed by anything or anyone, which gave him a sort of confidence, as though everything was within his variables.
Slade wanted to ask a lot, but he just sighed. "On the off chance I win, what happens?"
Arias stepped away from Slade and began walking toward the door.
"What else? We celebrate," he responded casually before walking out.
Slade looked at the poster one final time and then cracked a smirk.
"Wait till my ex-wives see this. I'm about to stunt on these hoes. President Slade Wilson, hmm, does have a nice ring to it."