Plans & Breaking-in
I grab the smart watch Selene had prepared for me and talk into it, "Testing, testing, how are we looking Selene?" "Connection to watch established, running diagnostics for the scanner, wireless connection and potential scenarios" Selene says as she starts running said tests.
I put the watch back down as she's doing so and make my way over to what appears to be a giant glass trophy cabinet. Inside is a mannequin wearing a matt black armored suit. I took inspiration from the Batman: Arkham Night Prestige Suit for the design and color, with a few changes.
There was no cape or cowl; instead there was an armored helmet based on the Arkham Knights. There were no symbols or gold coloring on it, the 3 blades on the vambraces were retractable and Nano-edged.
The utility belt was full of various gadgets and weapons I might need; I've been considering pinching the Pym Particle formula so I can make the suite more like Mjolnir from Halo but I'm not 100% on that idea yet. It wasn't like this was my only super suit either; this one was for doing my dark, brutal or deadly shit.
The other one I had designed was for the public, for when my powers allowed me to go toe to toe with beings like Thanos. It was the same colour scheme as the prestige suit, black and gold, but this suite was based on the black and silver Zach Snyder Superman suit.
I planned to make and wear this one for my public debut when I no longer needed armor to protect myself. The idea was to have accumulated that kind of power by the time The Incident took place.
Marvel was going to get their own versions of The Dark Knight (a deadly enforcer Dark Knight) and Superman (Not a goody two shoes version tho, this version will command power and respect), both parts will be played by yours truly.
For the Superman suit the outside of the cape was going to be black and the inside a brushed matte gold, the background of the S would be black while the outline of the shield and the S itself would be a brushed matte gold color as well. The rest of the suit would be black like the Snyder Cut design.
Was I just ripping off my favorite characters? Well yeah, there's a reason why they're so iconic and it's not like I can be sued for copyright infringement here. Don't like it? Think I'm lazy? That's your problem not mine, I'm gonna be the mother fuckin Dark Knight and eventually the goddamn Superman!
Anyway I'm still considering whether I want to add a reflective mask to the Superman suit to hide my face or try and track down Mystique so I can just change my face and hair. Doesn't really matter anyway, that's 7 years from now and my plans may have changed several dozen times by then.
I put on my Dark Knight body suit and armor, minus the helmet (the Dark Knight would be this suits moniker) and check all my equipment.
"All scenarios and checks for the smart watch have been run Lex, everything is running in their expected parameters" Selene's voice sounds out beside me. "Thanks Selene" I say as I double check everything.
"So your Emo Knight debut is tonight huh?" she asks in a curious fake-innocent voice. I stop my checks and look at her hologram that is now smirking cheekily at me.
"Listen here smart-ass, don't make me reprogram you" I threaten, we both know it's an empty threat and I couldn't reprogram her even if I wanted to without essentially killing her.
Her smirk widens into a smile before she pouts "Oh I'm sorry, is your Dark Knight debut tonight?" she asks in a heavily sarcastic tone of voice. "You know sometimes I really regret programming you being able to learn sarcasm, and to answer your question, yes it is."
Her hologram grows from a foot tall to roughly 5'5 and she puts her arms around me, simulating a hug. I should really look into hard light holograms from Star Trek someday, I think as she says, "No you dooon't, you looove me too much" in a sing song voice.
I roll my eyes and give her a rueful smile "Just be glad you're not corporeal and I can't spank your disrespectful ass" she stands back and laughs before poking her tongue out at me. "Yeah that's real mature for an Artificial Super Intelligence" I say with a chuckle.
"You'd have me no other way" she states, knowing it's a fact. "Now do you have everything you need?" she asks "Yes mom, I have everything I need" I reply like an exasperated teenager would.
She gives me a look which I can only describe as "the cat that ate the canary" and says "Not everything, follow me" her size reduces to a foot again and she floats over to a work bench with a metal case sitting on it, "What'd you do?" I ask curiously.
"Open it and find out" she says with a smile. I make my way over and pop open the case. "No. Fucking. Way. You actually got the prototype to work? How?" I ask in amazement.
"The design and ideas you uploaded to the server for the new element and the housing unit, as well as hacking into Stark's network to find the original designs for the old big one." She answers "Jarvis didn't detect you did he?" I ask, not knowing if he was in the Stark Industries network or not.
"No I was very careful and it appears that no VI has had any access to the network anyway" she replies, refusing to call Jarvis an A.I. yet.
It makes sense why Obadiah Stane wasn't caught selling under the table, Jarvis didn't have the access to check. "Sloppy Stark, very sloppy" I say disappointed.
Tony literally had an anti-hack and monitoring program in Jarvis that could have stopped Stane even attempting what he was doing but he was too short sighted to even think about it. Then again Tony is currently a drunken man-whore that makes weapons and has a gambling problem.
Thinking about the movie, now it's no wonder Stane got away with what he did; Tony hasn't gone through his trial by fire yet. I wouldn't be preventing that, the world needs Iron Man, it's doesn't need what his guilt and paranoia bring but that's why I'm here, to prevent that.
I pick up the black handle and press a button. *Snap-Hiss* the sounds echoes in my ears as I look at the blade of magnetically contained, super-heated blue plasma. "How did you miniaturize the arc reactor to fit into the handle"? I ask, and then realization came to me.
"Did you use the last of my very limited Vibranium stock? The stock I paid millions for on the black-market?" I ask calmly.
Selene knew I was on the verge of furious for not consulting me about using the last bit of Vibranium we managed to get. Most of it was weaved wire-thin and weaved in with the fabric of the Dark Knight body suit.
"Our Vibranium stock", she reminds me "And yes I did, but you won't be angry with me" she says matter of factly, knowing I would believe her but knowing I was still pissed because she was going to make me ask why.
"Whyyy"? I ask through my teeth.
"Because I found him" she says, my head snaps up from looking at the blade as I turn it off. "You found him? Where"? I ask with barely controlled urgency as I set the deactivated prototype back in the case. "Last I checked? En route from Caracas, Venezuela" she answered.
"When and where is he docking in New York"? I ask, "I want to send his corpse in a box back to Wakanda accompanied by King T'Chaka's orphaned nephew". I say, happy that she'd organized for Klaue to head my way already.
I can't wait to get my hands on his Vibranium stash; he should have a metric shit-ton of it still. I'd be sending T'Chaka's very alive nephew along with the box, a note and a verified DNA test, but I was keeping the Vibranium.
After everything I saw and could now comprehend in Black Panther, I was going to be making some serious upgrades.
Thinking back to N'Jadaka or Eric Stevens. Maybe living with his extended family from a younger age will help heal some of his pain, or at least let them try to make things up to him for T'Chaka's actions.
They may even explain the nature of N'Jobu's betrayal what why he had to be killed… Or they'd kill him, it's a sad thought but the dude becomes kill monger.
By my memory of every scar on his torso and arms, each of which signified one kill, he had a body count in the two thousands range.
Not that I'm judging, maybe a little, but in the end he stuck to his beliefs and principles and died for them, in the movie anyway, sending him back now may change nothing.
But if worst comes to worst and T'Challa can't or won't take care of him, even if he's a threat to the world, then I will.
"It's currently Wednesday, and at his estimated speed and the routes he would most likely take to avoid "un-bought" law enforcement? I would say he will arrive at his friends private dock at around 4pm this Saturday" Selena answers, breaking me out of my thoughts and making me very happy.
The private dock was no doubt owned by a smuggling partner of Ulysses Klaue; I fix my hair back and put on the Dark Knight helmet. I say through a deep, dark voice synthesizer "Send me the address for Hank Pym's private New York Lab". "You're such a nerd" Selene says while shaking her head.
"Hey, fuck you lady" I say indignantly, "Fuck you to buddy"! She says back playing along. She gives me a smile and sends the address to my H.U.D.
"So you decided to try and get your hands on the Pym Particle formula then"? She asks, most likely to confirm her thoughts and begin preparations for some big projects.
"Yeah, the formula or the particles themselves, either way it'll help us make transporting two thousand pounds of Vibranium much easier. Begin preparations for the Containment Capsule project" I say as I pick up the smart watch and put in on my left wrist, it'll come in handy for the break-in tonight.
"Already begun Lex" she replies, she knows me so well. I smile and say "Thanks Selene, what would I do without you"? "Your own assignments and homework" she replies. I chuckle "Sounds boring, I think I'll keep you for that" I say like a smart-ass.
She gives me a patient smile, acting like she can see right through my visor. "Bike keys or car keys for your trip"? She asks, clearly trying to kick me out of the cave now.
"Bike keys please" I say as I grab a specially prepared briefcase for this situation and make my way to a recently installed secret elevator. It leads up to the factories second private parking garage, just for the boss and his expensive cars. The previous owner had one good idea at least.
A panel opens beside the elevator and there's a key on a retractable hook waiting for me. I take it, get in the elevator and head up to the garage where my highly modified super-bike is waiting for me.
I'd modified the whole thing to hell and back, it was basically a perfectly balanced jet-engine on 2 wheels for the speeds it could hit. The Handling was next level as well, this wasn't a bike for amateurs or even average pro's.
I'd watched hours of professionals driving and riding various vehicles to be able to drive as safe and fast as possible in any conditions, and with my new reflexes this should be much easier.
Getting out of the elevator I watch the armored, titanium reinforced steel doors magnetically seal closed, the brick wall in front of it slides back into place, perfectly hiding the entrance. The elevator and hidden door system both operate with shielded mechanical mechanisms.
Advanced tech won't find it as any electrical pulses that're generated are shielded from getting out and any scans will return the findings that it's just a simple brick wall between the old factory and the private garage.
I store the briefcase on my glossy black, completely unlicensed super-bike, then get on and start it up. "Selene, open the secret alleyway exit please" I ask my faithful A.I.
"Good luck tonight, be safe" she says, no joking in her voice. It makes me smile, "Thank you Selene, I will" I say as the floor under my bike spins in a circle to face me at the left hand side of the garage, as that happens another secret door opens into a supposedly dead-end alleyway sealed off by a secretly retractable chain link fence topped with more razor wire.
I put the bike in gear and begin my journey.
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An hour later I was standing in Hanks Private lab that he kept here in New York. It took a bit of work getting in but I didn't trip any alarms.
Its clean if a bit old fashioned in style, It's clearly more modern and up-to-date than his home lab in San Francisco.
I hold up my left arm with the smart watch and say "Selene run a scan, look for any hidden compartments", after which I start turning in a circle, "Now let's hope he didn't have the same idea as me and use mechanically shielded.." "I found a hidden safe" Selene interrupts my ramblings inside the helmet.
"That was fast, this's why you shield the shit you want kept secret" I say to myself.
She marks the hidden compartment in a wall; I make my way over and press where a marked square on my HUD was displayed. The wall seems to pop-out out of nowhere; I open the door fully and see there's a wall safe with an electric 6-digit pass code lock and a thumbprint scanner.
I hold the smart watch up to it and say "Selene scan the pad, let me know the likely pin codes, cross reference with our personal files on Hank".
After her initial scan I get to work on spoofing the thumbprint scanner, it wasn't difficult, especially if you had your targets thumbprint still on the scanning pad.
That's why getting into my factory was such an ordeal, it was almost impossible to break my security, especially with the new smart watch that connects me to Selene. It would accompany me all the time in regular life, but only this once as the Dark Knight.
"Most likely pin codes found, uploading to your HUD" she says moments after I finish with the thumbprint scanner. It takes 1 failed try before the safe door is unlocked and I'm looking at two separate racks.
One is filled with vials of red Pym Particles that shrink things and the other is full of vials filled with blue Pym Particles that make things grow.
I take all the vials and put them in the specialized briefcase I'd brought with me, it was designed to take a battering and keep whatever is inside safe and secure.
As I'm closing the safe door my Spider-Sense goes off and I quickly backflip out of the way of a bullet that was headed straight for my head. I turn and see an old Michael Douglas with a modified pistol pointed at me.
"You're new, who are you? What are you doing here? How did you find my particles"? He asks, I order Selene to turn on the voice modulator and tell her to calibrate it to mimic Dominic Purcell from Blade Trinity and CW's Legends of Tomorrow.
I had a bunch of synthesized voices I'd made to choose from, I chose this one because Dominic doesn't exist here. Recreating his voice by memory and ear on a computer was a difficult but interesting challenge.
"I'm taking your wasted miracle particles to help me wage a one man war on crime" I answer. It's important I create a perception and mental profile for The Dark Knight that is completely different to my usual care free self, which would also be similar yet different to my eventual Superman one, definitely more militaristic.
"So you want to weaponize it, not very original" he says as he retakes aim at my head "I'll ask you to kindly put them all back where you found them, we both know this is no simple gun I'm pointing at you" he adds.
Don't I know it. That's definitely not a regular gun; it made no sound besides the pulling of the trigger and the smooth metallic gliding of the top slide.
The bullet even seemed to travel quicker than normal, I'm betting a low powered rail-gun type system put together in the shape of a gigantic pistol then shrunk.
If Hank was younger and had enhanced reflex's it may have posed an actual threat to me, but as it is he's getting up there in age and his reflexes aren't that of a young man. The guy looks like he's in his late 50's.
"How big was the gun before you shrank it"? I ask, showing a slight curiosity, no fear or panic in my voice or posture. "Big" he non-answers "Now what's your decision, you going to put it all back or am I going to have to do some clean-up in here"? He threatens again.
"Neither" I say ominously then disappear from his sight and quickly turn myself and the briefcase invisible with my camouflage in the still dark room.
I get on the ceiling and make my way above and behind Hank silently as he continues to search for me.
I make myself visible then tap him on his right shoulder, he quickly turns to aim his gun at me again but it's too late, I grab it and take it off him.
It'll make studying how to make things with the use of Pym Particles faster and also allow us to use them more efficiently.
"I won't be selling your technology Mr Pym; I'll simply be using it as a tool in my mission". He looks like he wants to fight, but my little display showed him that he was no match for me.
"Right, you want to wage war on crime" he says cynically "Tell me why that doesn't fill me with confidence". He has a point; I owe it to him to at least tell a partial truth.
"Because you're afraid of the old adage, there are always causalities in war". I state before continuing "Yes I'm going to use your technology to hurt and sometimes even kill people, but not innocent people. You'll believe me when you start hearing about me in the news". I say as he stares into the white-blue glowing eyes projected in my helmet.
He looks down "You're still going to be killing people with MY technology" he grinds out in anger. "Grow up" I say bluntly, his head snaps back up to meet my eyes again, a look of indignation on his face.
"People are killed every day with every-day objects, you're technology is a tool that can be used for many different things, killing just happens to be one of them. The same could be said for any tool with a cutting edge". I explain to him, whether he listens or not doesn't matter, this conversation is done.
I back up a step and in a no arguments way I tell him "We're done here, don't try to look for me or you'll regret it. It's time to put this technology to good use, to actually use it to help the innocent for a change, instead of letting it collect dust in a scared old man's safe" I say accusingly.
I make sure it sounds like it annoys me that he hasn't done more to help people since he left the public spotlight and Ant-Man behind.
He looks shocked and a little guilty hearing this, but that will soon turn to bull-headed stubbornness so before he can say anything or begin to try to defend his reasoning I drop a non-toxic smoke bomb I designed just for situations like this and disappear again.
"Keep this to yourself for now Hank; you'll see that I'm serious soon enough". I say while camouflaged within the smoke before quickly making my way out of the building undetected. I make my way by rooftop to my bike I hid a few block away.
Before I go down to it I take off the smart-watch, put it on the old brick rooftop ledge and aim the face at me, "Selene, scan me and the gun for any bugs, both technological and actual" I say via my helmet comms. "Take a step back and turn in a slow 360" she replies immediately.
I do as she asks and she tells me about an ant wearing what appears to be a tiny tracking device on a harness on my left shoulder blade. Hank was good I'll give him that. I reach around with my ridiculous flexibility and grab the ant off the armor plating.
I'm already planning what I want Selene to do with this suite now that we had access to Pym Particles and after Saturday we'll have a massive stock of Vibranium. There will be some other tests I want to have her run as well.
I crush the ant and the tracker after which Selene re-scans the gun and I and gives me the all clear.
I jump down from the roof of the 4 story building into the alley I had parked my bike in. After securing the briefcase again, I get on and make my way back to my factory, making sure to avoid any and all cameras and police that might be on the way.
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Chapter 5 done, as usual leave your thoughts and feeling about it in the comments, leave a review, maybe a power stone if you're feeling generous. Thanks for reading, even the people that hate it.