Year Three and Four Rework II

2014, let's go! In the span of five months, I've died a total of six times.

Not one for each month. The first four were spent dying of hunger. Then three days to die of dehydration… then I jumped off a roof. I also burnt myself to death. And drowned.

Was it productive? Did I learn anything? Yes, indeed. In the Deep Black, I have a Lot of time to think and reflect. A lot of time, I mean that. I've been carefully thinking about my plans for the future and trying as hard as I could to remember every small bits of info I had on the DC universe.

Though with the weird property of the place to make me go in the future and the past at random intervals, I tend to stay stuck kn specific subjects for what's probably a long while. I don't remember how long. And since it's like time travel, measuring the lenghts of moments is pretty useless.

First thing I learned after so many death is that whenever I die, I come back to my prime state. So even if I were to die as an old man, I'd just come back to my physical and mental peak!

That confirms that I do indeed have true immortality. Which is gokd and bad at the same time.

Secondly, every time I die, it takes a few minutes less to come back than the time before. Otherwise, right now, I need around fifteen hours every time.

Finally, no matter what happens, I always reappear somewhere safe. I don't leave parts or a corpse so I guess it's like respawning in a game. Anything I wear or on me respawns with me. But not if that thing is harmful to me.

I can definitely be a hero. I'm still thinking of a costume and a name. Maybe Undead Man or The Phoenix... I'd go with Walking Dead but, I'm not a zombie, your know?

But it has to be iconic, a symbol... Because criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot. I had to say it. Again.

Maybe, Ghost hunter or Revenant. Phantasmal perhaps? 

IRS man. That's terrifying. The tax taker who taxes your soul! Even criminals fear debt collectors. In fact, criminals especially fear tax collector. I'm pretty sure the joker in the animated batman series too feared the IRS.

Talking about odd details on the joker, did you know he's against communism and hates Nazis? I think it was in a crossover story with Batman and Captain America or something. I don't remember well.

Luckily irrelevant because I don't think this universe will ever make contact with Marvel's multiverse. I hope.

Back on the topic of my hero name, maybe I should let the people come up with a name. Let's just hope they are more original than me… If I could take Chainsaw man without guilt, I would. 

Or I could go the Deadpool route with a weird name like… Hyper Death or Death Room? I realize I'm grasping at straws here, and I wish I could ask GPT for help… But clearly it hasn't been invented yet in this world.

I wanna go with Slaughter or Onslaught, but I don't really intend to kill anyone except the worst of the worst. Sadly, it just doesn't fit.

But I do want to use chainsaws… On the up side, if I went with that name, I would be able to call this warehouse the 'Slaughter house' eh? Isn't that perfect?

...

...

...

I guess I've gotten a bit more enthusiastic about my power. I've been jumping off buildings for months. And even if the time it takes to come back each time diminishes a lot less than at first, it now only takes three hours to resurrect!

The Deep Black makes it feel like days but, It's doable, handling such a small drawback.

I estimate that a few hundred more deaths should allow me to come back within an hour… I've got a lot of work to do.

Curiosity killed the cat. But I'm no cat and I can just come back anyways. So when I started experimenting... differently, I realized why my drugs sold so fucking well. All around is chaos. And I have become one with it. Why worry about overdosing when you can come back in three hour's time?

Meth, coke, opioids, everything I could get my hands on, even freaking entire gallons of alcohol. With no consequence. This is the highest I've ever been!

All the mixes I can do that no one else can, stealing so much drugs was such a good call. Who cares about great power coming with great responsibility? I can get high and drunk and absolutely wasted again and again with the effects never diminished!

I don't even get hooked because my body always comes back in my prime, so before the effects of any drugs could have affected me.

"Is this really what you intend to do? For all of eternity?"

I turn around from my sugar mound to look at Death. Once more, she had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. This time around, I was too... Stoned to react much.

"Oh hey! I was actually just about to apologize to you… I should have been grateful for my power, wonderful gift it is."

She was scowling. Angry? Why?

"You can't be serious. You can do anything and that's what you want to do?"

"Have you ever jumped off a building while being high on five different drugs and loaded with alcohol? That shit hits differently."

She was already gone. I guess she doesn't wanna try.

...

...

Alright, I'll stop. She was right. I can't give up now… Not yet. I still have one plan.

I know. Every other plan of mine has more or less failed. But trust me, Plan C is sure to work.

C for what, you ask? C for capitalism, of course. And plan C begins with me making money by selling shit. So I started selling the rest of the drugs I had. Much harder to do in such a regular city. Well comapred to Gotham. True, it's got super humans now but, it used to be a regular city very recently, that should count for something, right?

Now, there are metas running around causing trouble. More than in the CW show. Flash has finally appeared but he's not the only one.

Robin is finally a thing. I also heard news of Green Lantern on the radio so I guess he's back on world.

And, also, Luthor attacked Superman for the first time! Though no one knows it was him. Let's be real, who else makes giant armors wielding glowing green weapons? How the fuck is there kryptonite so early anyways? I'll have to stop Luthor before he goes too far though. I might need him later. I can't have him while his public image is tarnished.

If you were wondt, that's also part of plan C.

Making my way back to Gotham was… weird. I kind of missed it. The architecture in old Gotham is pretty cool and the Wayne tower is looking as impressive as always. But I've got business to attend to, business in the underground.

I still remember where the 'pit' is located. Frankly, its more like a really small fountain. Near the studio in Bleake Island, all I gotta do is break the bars and hike down the pit. But considering the normal timeline, it might not have been blown up yet.

So what if I have to dig for a few years? I'm immortal.

Took me a day to find a place that sold hiking gear. Longer for one that sold a shovel and a pickaxe. Took me hours to find the damn place, my memory isn't that good after years so far from the games.

Sucks for Ras, I'm about to be so fucking rich!

...

I was not, in fact, about to get any richer. Not any time soon.

Good news. I broke through the bars, yay! Now how the fuck am I supposed to get past a still functioning metro, still covered by concrete!? God knows how thick the covering is!

There is no way I'm blowing up this place to reach the pit either. I think that might be how the league had done it in the Arkham games?

Where would I even find explosives anyways? Yes, this is Gotham but I am still an ignorant new comer. How am I supposed to know where to find that kind of material and how to use it?

... Anyways. Who cares… I guess plan C could be considered another failure....

Yeah, right. I'm not done yet!

I was really about to give up, I didn't actually feel like spending years digging around the tunnel than into the cave. My wealth is so close and I can't get it…

So I sat there for a while… Thinking.

There is no getting around it. I'll have to wait for the Arkham knight events to occur.

So there I am. Immortal. A few dozen meters above fathomless wealth…

But…

Maybe, just maybe, I can lie my way to get the resources to reach the Lazarus.

A new plan… Still part of plan Capitalism, so let's say plan C version 2.

But it would require me to die a lot more, shorten the time of my resurrections… at the rate things are going, it might take hundreds of deaths. I know I've already died like, seventy times… I went from one less hour to ten less minutes every time. How long would it take me to cut off three?

... Whatever, I guess I got a lot of time on my hands!

Year Four

Can you imagine it? Dying NINE HUNDRED TIMES. I counted… I slit my throat for most of them… It got old fast so I tried jumping off some roofs too…

And can you guess how much time it now takes to come back? One minute! I actually managed to do it, I succeeded!

Man, it was so worth it, all the pain it took and now, this power is actually viable in combat!

Now, my glorious plans can proceed further and evolve. I'm going to do what no one has ever managed to properly do in this wolrd. Something so crazy that no one other than me would even attempt it... Except Hugo Strange, I guess. And I doubt that the Magistrate would ever be a thing in this timeline but if they were, they too would attempt it-

Wait! Don't run off, I know it sounds bad but, hear me out, it can work out in the end, I swear!

...Maybe. But hear me out still!

Because yes, fighting crime is good and all… But doing it with an army of soldiers, now that's something. People like Batman won't like it… But I'm not a comic book villain. I actually know how to beat him. Not that I ever really would kill him, he's my favorite hero.

And besides, I'm not evil, I actually think this is the best way forward. I'm certain I can make it work. Seemingly no one else can- and shit. I'm starting to sound like Doctor Doom.

In total, I havent been gone from this world for that long but in the Deep Black, hours are like days and days are like months. Sometimes. It's really inconsistent and I haven't figured out a pattern yet.

I hope and believe that what I'm about to do is going to work. That and everything else after.

Just think about it. I don't intend to just turn the world into an Injustice style regime, I'm not stupid. I just think it would be great to be able to put supercriminals in jail and for them to... You know, not ESCAPE EVERY TIME. Food for thought.

Besides, I'm immortal, endless… I have all the time in the universe, and then some… Maybe. I can really think and experiment before... Going on a larger scale.

So how do I intend to start such a massive endeavor? As I said before. Plan C is for capitalism. I will sell Lazarus. Even if I don't have any yet.

How, you ask? Because I can pretend I do just with my power!

Here is the basic idea. I find someone rich, sell them the promise and there we have it. It'll be an invest

So now I need a cool name and gimmick, besides immortality, since I don't want many people to know about that. Again, the weaknesses are pretty obvious. Tranquilizers or torture. I don't have Doomsday's adaptive powers. I'm as vulnerable to that as anyone else.

To get a cool name, I've come up with a simple formula to find what I'll be called. Blending in things in relation to my purpose.

In the long run, I want to create a new world. So New World. Put in some Latin and you've got Neo Mundus. Fancy, menacing, serious but not edgy… Perfect for the kind of image I want people to have of me.

Color scheme? Red would be too evil, I though. Same for purple. So my second favorite color. Green, is the one I picked. Plus it represents will power so that's great.

And the gimmick? Nothing comes to mind, so that's for later. Right now, I can use the money I got to buy shit for my temporary costume.

I also have to consider more to perfect my persona. As Megamind once said, "PRESENTATION!" I just have to apply it to being a good guy.

I mean, how long have you been reading this? You realize that I'm lame as hell, right? I can't be taken seriously without acting like someone worthy of respect.

For now, let's stay simple. All black suit and green tie. For the face mask? I just went with a fullface black one covered in Sci Fi looking green triangles. The second step? Looking into the elite of Gotham and where they live. Who would it be easier to break into the house of?

Plenty ended up on my list, I looked using the Gotham library computers, again. Played cracked Minecraft while at it. Crazy how this world has so much tech yet doing that is still so easy.

Back on topic, I found a few worthy candidates. Notably a certain Julian Germane. Owner of several factories in Gotham and likely also other places. Multi billionaire of the upper rich class. A lot of money but nowhere near Wayne or Luthor levels.

This guy makes parts for cars, planes, motorcycles… Very convenient for later. In 2009, he got into a case accusing him of cooperating with criminal organizations like Black Mask's boys and Penguin's… birds? He got out of it really fast, I wonder if all that money had anything to do with it. That is how I concluded that he's also making guns, another reason why having him on board would be perfect. You'll understand, just wait.

But things can't be that easy… I can't just break into his manor and tell him I can tell him how to exrend his life by centuries...

...

Actually, turns out his mansion isn't even fucking guarded. Just a few cameras here and there, nice cars outside, just over the brick walls… The place was so fucking far it took me an hour to reach.

I just climbed over and pulled out my guns. Broke a window and entered. They can call the cops if they really want to. It'll take them a while to come anyway.

"Be not afraid. I'm not here to actually hurt you..."

Tuough in those circumstances, I totally understand why he'd presume otherwise.

"Wha- what are you talking about?! Who the hell are you?!" He yelled. It seemed a slight bit of courage was still in him. Or perhaps is it arrogance?

I felt terrible seeing him cower alongside his wife, but the most they'll suffer tonight is this terror. I don't believe I'd gain anything by killing them if they refused my offer...

"My offer is… Simple, sir Germane. Immortality, youth eternal too… For a price…"

I don't try talking fancy often but... I have to try to actually sound cool, you know?

They both looked at me in shock and confusion. The look people give to someone they think crazy or when they see ot hear something ridiculous.

What sane man wouldn't react in that way hearing such words from mouth?

"You mad man!" He declared. "Leave us alone!"

"I offer you power like none other, sir Germane… And I will prove to you that such a power is indeed real."

Bullshiting mode activated! 

"I've been around for a very very long time… the modern world is different from what it was when I left it. I need resources. Information. Lots of money. If you can do that for me, Sir Germane… I promise you enough to last you two centuries."

I don't know about that but, whatever.

Why lie so thoroughly? Why isn't it obvious? I need this Neo Mundus character to seem wiser, smarter and much more experienced than what I actually am. I need to build lore around him so I don't have to do so later. Basically, Lie now to not have to make things up on the fly whenever people eventually question me.

He was confused, couldn't believe any of it. I tossed him a gun. Holding one of my own in my right hand.

"You will shoot me in the head, Sir Germane. I will die and come back to life in exactly 61 seconds."

There was a look on his face. He wanted to ask me if I was mad. I don't blame him.

"Or alternatively, I can shoot at your lovely wife here…"

BANG.

No hesitation? Damn.

There I was, dead again. The Deep Black doesn't look like it used to. It feels like I'm not alone here. It's hard to describe. This is not the moment to start revealing consequences to my powers!

Yet again, I felt it. Warmth. I was feeling a pull, like I was awakening from a dream.

"... Impossible?" The fool said. 

"How I laugh at the impossible. I offer you and your loved ones something akin to this. We can negotiate over a nice cup of tea, yes?"

I don't even like tea. Except green tea. I just think it'll make me look more refined. It can't be that bad anyways, right?

...

Ah. Time passed and events unfolded as it did. To make a long story short, Part 1 is done, fellows.

It took a while, he was still scared but eventually, I saw the greed light up in his eyes as he and his wife began to realize the true potential of what I was selling them. By the end of the night, a deal was struck, by the end of the week, I was a multi millionaire. Half of that money was cash as well.

The power of money is one that can lead to all others. The Skeleton Key of powers. And now, I too hold it.

I explained my plans to the lovely couple now being my first partners in crime… They would have been more skeptical, had they not seen a man trivialize Jesus before them. They were glad to help when I revealed the information about Lazarus. In addition, it turns out they are part of the court of Owls. Isn't that wonderful?

That means I can keep an eye on these dollard store Illuminati through them.

They also have a daughter, about my age, she looks sweet but I asked them not to tell her anything yet, just in case.

But what did I buy with all that money? Simple. A car. A driver, his name is Dave. Lots of mercenaries to do my bidding... Alright, to look cool, I said it.

Don't worry. Those are just one time things. To experience what an average man never could. What is to come will make these expenses seem mundane ajd pointless.

I bought weapons and better protection, cops as informants and more. I also upgraded my suit to something much more… Unnecessarily expensive. Because that's what rich people do, right? Snake skin suit, crocodile shoes... Four Rolexes! Don't worry, I didn't waste any more one meaningless crap though. I was tempted to buy a white tiger though. Wait, didn't I say that earlier? Alright, I wear this was the last Time...

I felt like some kind of supervillain, going around while always dressed in fancy shit and wearing a mask…

As for the Lazarus? I told them where to find it… let them deal with it. If the league gets involved, I should be safe anyways sincw they won't know it wasn't anything more than a happy accident.

Besides, my grand plans should grant me some more protection from unnecessary deaths.

I didn't stop there naturally. I had old Germane choose a few people of trust to whom he was willing to share the existence of the miracle substance, for a price. By the end of that, I had 1.6 billion dollars. Plus 700 millions in cash.

Now. Do I plan to build an army from the shadows and take over Gotham? That is what I wanted to do at first, right?

No. Not anymore. I can't allow myself to not be a part of the big events in the world. I can't just stay a hidden player.

What I am going to do is become Iron man. Kind of.

So, let's get some people running errands for me, yeah?

First, I paid someone to get me Freezes tech, Germane was glad to provide his surprising insight on the nature of the stuff and how it could be repurposed. I had someone steal the researches of Ray Palmer as which means I could also do some pretty useful stuff later.

I got myself a small two storey building near the botanical garden. Got it furnished to finally be able to live comfortably after years of terrible hygiene and horrible sleeping positions. For the first time, I am now sitting behind my desk, spinning around my chair… I guess I don't care that much about the serious act. Besides, who's gonna stop me?

Four people were guarding me. Two just outside the door and two just inside.

"So, boys… How'd you even get into this… Peculiar business of yours?" 

Gotta make sure I sound as fancy as possible. Without overdoing it though.

Wallon talked first, he was at my right.

"For me? Not much to say… I got in for the money… I'm tall, strong. Was an easy choice, you know?"

The other's name was Todd.

"Same here. To be honest, it wasn't my first choice."

Yes. Something to actually talk about!

"Bro, don't start with that shit again..." The first one sighed and I was intrigued.

"... I wanted to be an astronaut."

That actually surprised me.

"Are you serious? Why didn't you?"

"Well, I guess I'm too stupid to actually drive a rocket."

"It's more of a nerd job than you realized, right?"

He sighed. And the silence reinstalled its self like that for a long, long while...

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. It opened to let in an unexpected visitor.

"Ah? Sir Germane. What is the reason for your visit today?"

Very polite. He waited for permission before sitting. I nearly didn't even realize. I motioned for him to sit down.

"Mister Neo, I've got a lot of great news and one bad one… I'll start with the great news. We collected over the week two hundred liters of Lazarus, nearly enough to fill a tub."

"Hm. That's more than expected."

It might not sound impressive until you remember the size of the fountain. DC villains are stupid, the place wasn't even guarded.

"Next, I've had a warehouse set up for later. The bad news is… that warehouse got destroyed in the attack of Firefly…"

The what? The who? When's the last time I checked the news...?

... I'd love to say my lack of awareness was because I was solely focus on business but... Admittedly, from time to time, I do play games online.

My schedule is mostly studying science. I don't exactly watch the news all the time, even if I keep and eye on them to get a general idea of what major events are likely to come in the future.

"... I suppose that's simply how life is in Gotham. We need somewhere new to get the lab running. Please get it done."

"Very well. Thank you sir." 

He rose to his feet and began to walk away.

And there I was, bored again. So much to do later yet nothing to do now… And I'm too lazy to actually do anything anyways. I've used my moeny in every way I felt I had to at least once. Maybe I should read a book that's not about atoms for once.

There's still a long way to go, isn't there? How many years before even just the suit is ready? Assuming my plans are even possible at reasonable costs…

In the meantime, I should continue my normal activities and read up on as much science stuff as I can. After all, the rules can be very different in this universe and I'd rather not be both stupid and ignorant when it comes to the inner workings of the DC multiverse.