Plans in Motion

[First Person POV]

The fallout of the bank security footage "leaking" online caused a massive uproar, news outlets and talk shows constantly covered it.

There were debates on whether The Batman was even human. It was very entertaining to watch, and most people had come to their own opinions on the matter. I remember the talk Peter and I had about it.

[Flashback]

"Peter there's no way he's human" I mock debated my friend. For appearances sake Peter had asked me about the footage and I played right along.

"I don't know man, I think he's just really well trained and has some crazy tech" Peter replied. He was trying to give his real opinion without giving away the fact that he'd been face to face with The Batman.

"Dude did you even watch the whole video"? I ask portraying incredulity, "Everything went dark for what, one or two seconds? And then he's out of shot when the lights snap back on" I start arguing using some science and math.

"Dude no human, I don't think even Captain America back in the day, could move like that" I conclude.

"I don't know man" Peter started again, 'Seriously man, get better at lying' I think to myself before he continues on.

"In any case Batman paralysed that man, he could've just given the police all the evidence against him, he didn't have to do that". Peter sounded like he legitimately couldn't understand why it happened.

I just shake my head before saying, "Peter you're sounding like that spider guy in the footage". Peter immediately looked at me like a deer in the headlights before asking, "What makes you say that"?

"The fact you think a guy that murdered five people in cold blood didn't get what he deserved. It may sound callous and cold blooded but that guy won't be able to hurt anyone ever again", I answer.

Before he can say anything else I add, "And at least we know The Batman won't kill in front of people he considers innocent". It was an admittedly weak attempt at humor.

"Yeah that's great, he'll just permanently cripple and disable people in front of them" Peter replies sarcastically.

"I'd rather watch a guy get his neck broken than get beheaded", I snark back before deciding to shit-stir Peter a bit. "Which I understand The Batman has done before", I say while looking like I'm trying to remember.

"Alright man I get it, he does bad things to bad people" Peter says a bit miffed. "That doesn't make him a good guy tho, that just makes him another type bad guy… Doesn't it"? He asks hesitantly.

I can practically see the line-work, boarders and shading for the comic panel he could be drawn in right now. 'Holy fucking shit this is melodramatic' I thought to myself.

Peter was having some kind of burgeoning super hero moment where he's having his ideals challenged and is internally questioning himself and everything else while outwardly trying to portray the same old Peter Parker.

I decided to nip this in the bud and just tell him something that Spider-Man should hear that would also make sense in the context of our conversation.

"Pete the thing about Batman is whether you think he's right or you think he's wrong, you're right" I state. "Batman is a violent and brutal punisher of the guilty, that much is obvious to everyone, and you don't have to agree with his methods".

"Look at what he said to Spider-Man, he wasn't given the right to do what he does, he took it".

"Spider-Man clearly isn't like him, from how Spider-Man was acting in the bank I'd say he'd be better off doing things his own way, try inspiring people and show them a different way though his actions, not intimidate them into behaving for fear of the big bad bat like Batman" I finish.

Peter stands there in thought for a second before he says, "You're right man, I don't like Batman's actions and I won't let his choices affect me. I believe that with great power comes great responsibility and that there are lines that shouldn't be crossed".

"Good for you man, and look at it this way, any bad guys that Spider-Man lets get away will be dealt with by The Batman" I smile as I say this and Peter reacts exactly like I thought he would, he rolls his eyes and suggests we get to class.

[End Flashback]

During the week I had collected Eric while in Batman mode and sent him back to Wakanda along with Klaue, a note explaining who he was and evidence to back it up.

I hadn't given Eric a choice after Selene had found him and monitored him for a short while, his anger and violent tendencies were already obvious.

After tying up those two loose ends I continued my patrols, went to school and trained but I had realised quickly that if this way of life became a habit it would be extremely lazy and a waste of time in the long run.

In light of that I had decided to start getting my cover life started and organised to compete in my first proper amateur MMA fight.

I'd invited my friends and family and sat them front row to the cage. They were enjoying the matches, well dad, Peter and Felicia were. Mom and MJ were talking about fashion and god knows what else.

While they were doing that I was in a back room getting ready for my fight. I was wearing black MMA compression shorts and had my hair tied back in a Viking Braid hairstyle, it suited me perfectly.

I sat the wrong way on a folding chair with my left forearm resting on the back while a cut-man/hand-wrapper finished up with my now wrapped and gloved left hand.

"You're a brave one kid" He says as he finishes up and I do the typical palm punch to test how the glove felt. "Why do you say that"? I ask absentmindedly.

"Because of who you're fighting and how young they say you are" he clarifies for me. "I'm emancipated, I'm 6'4 and still growing, and I'm a fighting genius like you've never seen" I reply, paying no real attention to the man as I "warm up".

"You may be a big and smart kid but you're still fighting a guy five years your senior who is 4 - 0 in the cage and was a state champion wrestler" The guy informs me. "You don't even have anyone here coaching or cornering you" he says incredulously.

"I have you for any cuts I may get and you can hand me my water bottle if I need it" I state flippantly before looking at him and smiling.

"Trust me, you're gonna be telling your grandkids about "how you got to be Alex Mercers first cut-man and wrapped his hands for his first amateur fight"". I don't sounds cocky or arrogant, I simply sound like I'm stating an immutable fact.

Ten minutes later I've made my way into the cage and am standing across from my opponent. Ray Maxler was a talented fighter, one dimensional but talented.

I knew his game plan as soon as I got in the fifteen foot cage; take me down, ground and pound, look for a submission.

We were brought to the centre; the ref gave us the regular spiel about a clean fight and doing what he says. I stare right into my opponents' eyes not blinking, from reading his facial tics and body language the guy was starting to feel something was very wrong.

We touch gloves, back up to our corners and wait for the bell. Ray is asked if he's ready and he nods, I'm asked and I nod, the bell rings and the fight begins.

After much work with Selene in the training room I'd learned to hold back to peak human levels. A weird thing we discovered while testing my DNA was that all scans and tests we ran showed that I was just a regular human in peak physical condition.

I have no clue how that's possible, the science doesn't back it up so I'll check out the mystical side at a later date.

Selene and I had decided that when I go pro we'd have nanites monitor any tests then neutralize whatever DNA I gave them afterwards. They'd still be able to test for whatever drugs they want but my actual DNA wouldn't be viable to be tested, another middle finger to potential cloners.

The fight started with an attempt at a feeling out process by Ray, I made him bite on feints and read his movements, this was going to be spectacular.

He shot in for a takedown but I met him half way, grabbed his head in a headlock with my left arm while at the same time I used my right to push him up by his stomach, as I did this I popped my hips, arched my back and snap-suplexed him.

The audience went nuts; no one had seen a "pro wrestling" suplex in MMA before, I got up and he quickly followed.

Ray was shaken up by the sudden and unexpected counter he received and decided he needed to get serious, so he tried to rush in and take away my reach advantage to try and get me in a clinch against the fence.

It didn't work and it was a fatal mistake, he rushed in throwing strikes to try and back me up. I ducked and weaved, used my footwork and turned things around so I was in the centre of the cage facing his back.

Ray had immediately started turning swinging his left arm wildly for an attempted back-fist, I ducked under it like Mike Tyson and waited as the punch passed over-head.

When I saw his face as he was turning I noticed his head was too far forward, exposing his chin. I made it look like I was launching up from a squat and hit him with a vicious looking right shovel-hook.

There was a loud smack of glove colliding with flesh and the audience let out shouts of shock and excitement. His head snapped back and he looked like he'd gone stiff.

I knew he was unconscious as I had used the perfect amount of strength in the punch; I registered all of this in the split second after my punch landed.

As he slowly started to fall, looking like rigor mortis had already kicked in; I turned my back to him and raise my right fist in the air with my index finger extended and my head looking up at the lights.

The thump of a body hitting the ground and the ref screaming out "stop" signified the end of the fight. The audience was going nuts and my family and friends were no different, I guess a forty-eight second knockout will do that.

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[First Person POV]

I was back in my locker room putting my Jordans on after having showered and gotten dressed. My cut man had stopped by briefly, ate some crow and wished me luck before heading out. (Google eating crow if you don't get it)

I finish tying my laces and as I'm standing up the locker room door opens and the fight promoter comes in.

"You know when you financed this amateur league originally; I would have never guessed you'd be fighting here as well". He stated with a shake of his head and a smile.

"That's why I financed it, I had the money and I love fighting, it's all I've ever wanted to do", I reply with my story I decided to go with for the public.

Growing up I also recorded a lot of my training and sparring sessions to watch them back and check my form and technique to see if there's anything I could possibly do better.

These tapes would come in handy for my back story when I go pro and people ask about a rich kid joining the UFC and possibly trying to invalidate my drive for fighting.

"Well you certainly had the resources to ensure you had the best training" He states, "That footwork was something else, not to mention you're head movement, technique and power… How often you want me to book fights for you"? He rambles a bit.

"Every fortnight when you hold an event for the rest of the year" I answer back. He gives me a big grin and says, "That can be easily arranged, as long as you're medically cleared I can organise that".

"I want the toughest and hardest opponents possible" I tell him, "If you say so, see you in two weeks. You want to know who your opponent is beforehand"? He asks.

"Nah, I don't really care" I reply distractedly as I text my parents that I'm on my way to meet them at the venues bar. "Hah! Alright kid, see you in two weeks", he says before leaving.

I made my way to my parents and friends as I arrive I start giving my mom and the girls hugs before giving my dad and Pete the typical bro handshake and one armed hug.

"How'd I do"? I ask in obviously fake concern, my mom tells me how proud she is but she still doesn't like seeing me fight, good thing she's never seen me do wet-work as The Batman.

My dad tells me I did a great job and that my uppercut looked vicious. Felecia who was standing beside me says watching me toy with, and knock out someone was very impressive. She then whispered in my ear that it was really hot too.

I look towards MJ with a grin on my face and she tells me how great I did, finishing it off by calling me tiger and making my smile widen.

Lastly I look to Peter and he says it was awesome and he then proceeds to show me the footage I asked him to record of the fight, it was on a top of the line hand held camera that I had worked on and the quality was now at least a decade and a half ahead of today's standards.

I thanked him and took the camera back; he'd agreed to record my fights for $1000 a pop and 10% of any future profits made off the footage.

Considering how much this original footage would be worth in the future Peter should have a nice nest egg to live off of. He was also a really good camera man so the footage was stable and clear, easy to see why he usually ended up with The Bugle.

We had gone out to dinner afterwards then dropped everyone at home before I made my way back to my temporary residence in the lair.

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[Time Skip – 2006]

[First person POV]

The rest of the year passed uneventfully, I was now sixteen and had been living in my new, fully customised Penthouse/mansion in Manhattan.

I'd been here a few months, Selene had been slowly increasing my bank account and thus buying and quietly renovating was easy.

Buying it outright helped avoid questions about remodelling and Selene had the nanites reinforce and redesign everything.

My home was fucking dope, the same fusion of technology and ultra-luxury had become my favourite design style. The walls, floors and roof were lined with Pradium Nanites to ensure my homes protection; no one will be ruining my home.

I ended up opting out of school; I just pulled a few strings, took all the tests and graduated early. I told Peter, Gwen, MJ and Felecia that I'd help them do it as well but they all declined.

Peter and Gwen were happily dating, well happy-ish, Peter still sucks at making excuses about Spider-Man shit. I pretended to catch him out one day so I could help him a little bit with covering for Spider-Man stuff.

When I offered to sponsor him he tried to go the noble route, saying he didn't want to put me in danger, blah blah blah.

In the end I made him let me make him a better suit, he begrudgingly agreed when I said it'd be his Christmas present, no one would know thanks to my hidden contacts and I was gonna do it anyway.

The first and last reasons were real but the second one was complete bs, I had Selene set up a private lab for Peter and I to use and had her stock it with top of the line equipment and supplies, nothing that I didn't approve of tho.

When he asked why I was doing this I had told him I wasn't going to let my friend fight crime and not even be properly protected.

I'd made him a suite out of a new stretchy, damage, fire and electricity resistant (not immune) fabric Selene and I had made with a little help from the molecular forge. It was a variation of the 2018 Spider-Man videogame advanced suit.

The colouring was richer but the design was still like the advanced suit you get in the game, except the boots were more in line with traditional Spider-man boots, not the weird shit the advanced suit had.

All the white parts except the eyes were now black as well. (Google Image search – "superior edits of the advanced suit", it's second from the left on the top row with a blue background, imagine that suite with boots from the Spider-Man Homecoming suit)

Peter had drooled over the suit when he saw it and immediately tried it on, he was so excited when the hud in the lenses popped up and he got to test all the functions in the suit as well as his new web shooters that I had upgraded for him with much better materials after a quick study of them.

Other than that we didn't really talk about his super hero antics much, I had trained him in some techniques to help him subdue people and used all the nerd logic and statistics needed for him to fully grasp them.

Peter was a genius but sometimes that was a hindrance to him as sometimes simple explanations weren't enough for him, so I found giving the most detail possible helped him break down and figure out how to execute the techniques properly.

He wasn't a battle expert yet but some of the things I showed him I had expressly warned him never to use on anyone that couldn't physically stand up to him as it would kill a regular person.

He had looked at me oddly when I told him that and asked why I had taught him the techniques. The explanation I gave him as simple and to the point.

If Captain America and Red Skull had existed and now he's Spider-Man, then there was a high likelihood that there would eventually be super villains that Spider-Man would have to deal with that could go toe to toe with him.

Peter had accepted the logic of my argument and promised to keep his wits about him just in case.

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[First Person POV]

I had decided it was time to start collecting more powers and abilities. I decided magic was where I would start; teleporting would make things much easier.

I had told my parents that I would be going away to study for a while, they weren't happy I was leaving the city but understood my drive.

Felecia and MJ were less than pleased when I told them along with Peter and Gwen and had dragged me out of the coffee shop the five of us had met at to have a "talk".

I was taken back to Felecia's apartment, no one was home as her mom was a workaholic that often stayed at her office overnight but was apparently very loving and kind and her dad "travelled a lot for business".

I had looked into Walter Hardy, he was a world class thief and was currently in prison under an alias in order to protect his family from some crime syndicate he had screwed over and stolen from, when I had investigated further I hit a "dead end".

All the dead end and lack of evidence told me was that the dumb ass has screwed over a powerful organisation, most likely Hydra or the Hand but there were other criminal organisations hiding in the shadows here in Marvel.

When we got into the apartment Felecia and MJ dragged me into Felecia's' room and proceeded to give me the third degree about leaving.

Even though my arguments were valid and well thought out I should have known they wouldn't work with women.

Angry tears were shed and I felt horrible but after a lot of talking things calmed down and they accepted that I wasn't leaving forever.

After all the heightened emotions I have no idea how or why but I was suddenly kissing and being kissed by both MJ and Felecia.

I was rarely taken off guard but these two managed to do it and I was done trying to hold them off and be chivalrous. It was a long, passionate night, filled with screams and moans of pleasure.

I woke up the next morning with a girl on either side of me draped over my chest. I took a moment to take stock of my situation; I had lost my virginity, in a threesome, with Felecia Hardy and Mary Jane Watson… My life fucking rules!

I send a quick prayer of thanks to the big guy that sent me here and just lay back to enjoy the moment.

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[First person POV]

I stood in front of 177A Bleecker St, excited to start my magic journey. As I made my approach and started lifting my hand to knock the door cracked open, I stopped and waited for the door to open fully.

The nameless keeper of the Sanctum said nothing and just waved me inside. Following him in it was clear the inside of this building was much bigger than the outside; they had some T.A.R.D.I.S. shit going on.

I was lead to a large gateway that opened as we approached, on the other side stood a pedestal with the Eye of Agamotto on it.

As I walked by I was disappointed that I didn't feel myself suddenly gain the ability to manipulate time, I guess my powers don't work on powered objects.

I drag my eyes off the Infinity Stone and follow my nameless guide down a series of halls and rooms into a new room.

There was an old man that looked like a kung fu master and a bald woman in a yellow monk get up. I ignore the old man and make my way to the bald lady.

Before I can say my smart ass greeting she interrupts, "Hello Mr Mercer or should I call you Alex"? She asked me.

'This shit is gonna get old' I think to myself. "Call me Lex, don't you ever get tired of having conversations you already know the outcome of"? I reply.

She gives me a knowing smile and indicates for me to sit down which I comply with. "I've found there's a difference between knowing something and experiencing it, tea"? She replies serenely.

"So you're saying there's nothing lost if someone tells you the twist ending of a movie before you see it and experience it for yourself? And yes please" I reply.

She pours us both some tea, "While I do enjoy a spirited debate that's not what you're here for" she deflects with the same serene look.

I smile back and say, "No it isn't, great way to end unwinnable arguments by the way", with cheek in my voice before sipping the tea, "Damn that's good, I guess hundreds of years help perfect tea recipes" I add.

"It does come in handy" she jokes back, I don't know if it's to my cheeky remark or my general observation of her tea.

She continues on, "You're an anomaly Lex, I didn't see you until sixteen years ago and then the future I was preparing for started changing".

"Good change or bad change"? I ask immediately, "Hard to say, it keeps changing, there are now literally millions of new futures you could bring about" she answers honestly.

Her answer takes me back a bit, I figured she'd either be unable to see me or would have seen a different future. Hearing that there were millions of possibilities had me curious and a tad worried I could be blindsided by something.

"In the futures you see… How do things generally turn out"? I ask, worried about the future. "Well that depends on you" I get in reply.

I look down in concentration and consider what she just said. Most likely I'll gain a vast amount of power/s and in doing so become susceptible to my own human ego, which could turn me into someone or more accurately something that I couldn't recognize.

"Thank you for letting me know" I say as I look up at The Ancient One who is smiling at me once again, as I do so I my brain clicks that I don't feel more powerful. I feel like I know new fighting styles and skills but I don't feel magic.

"You know about my power right"? I ask her, "Indeed I do and now you're wondering why you can't just do everything I can, correct"? She replies.

'Figured as much' I think to myself before saying, "Yeah pretty much, isn't the connection physical or at least it affects the physical"?

"No, magic is on the spiritual plane, unfortunately for you unless you have mind reading you can't just walk past and copy spiritual abilities" she replies manner of factly.

"Well that sucks" I state back. The Ancient One looks unimpressed and says, "You can amass more power than most beings in most realities, having to study for a few months is hardly the burden you make it to be".

I had to admit she has a point, so with that in mind I ready myself and ask, "Will you teach me"?

She motions for us to stand and we walk over to an empty area adjacent to the tea table and floor cushions.

As we come to a stop in front of each other she suddenly lashes out with a palm strike to my sternum, my spider-sense didn't go off so I let her connect.

The next few… Minutes? Hours? I don't know how long it took, if felt like experiencing an eternity and an instant at the same time.

I learned so much in the quick journey that I was left with a feeling that when I started properly studying magic I'd be capable to some ridiculous things.

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[First Person POV]

Time passed and my proficiency with magic moved at a savant-like pace, I devoured languages and spells like air and my mastery was coming in fast.

I trained with various masters including Mordo and Kaecilius. They were stiff, formal men as I had expected them to be, just younger.

Kaecilius didn't understand why I kept calling him Hannibal and it brought me great joy to have my own Deadpool moments.

I studied absolutely everything I could in Kamar Taj from spells and martial arts to runes, enchanting and alchemy. I was very thankful for my comprehension abilities because it made learning magic feel like I was googling cheat codes for GTA.

The first time I opened a portal gave me a feeling of great satisfaction, it was my ticket to obtaining powers even more easily. It gave me drive to learn even faster and before I knew it my time at Kamar Taj was at an end.

I hadn't really made any friends while I was here except Wong, he was a hard nut to crack but having stand-up comedy acts from people who don't exist here inside my head made making him laugh a less difficult challenge.

He wasn't happy tho as it had been in the middle of the library on a rare occasion where it was packed with mystic arts students.

I said my goodbyes to my teachers and fellow students and made my way to The Ancient Ones tea room.

"Ready to leave then are you"? She asked as she poured us some tea. "Yeah got everything in dimensional storage" I reply.

"Where will you be off to first"? She asks curiously. I sip my tea and have a quick think, "Upstate New York I think" I reply.

"Ah yes, the mutants-" she starts to say before I give her a look, "Meta-humans, sorry" she says placatingly.

I ignore the platitude and say "Yeah, there are some powers and abilities I will need" I tell her. "Use an invisibility spell and the mirror dimension, it will allow you to get only the powers you desire, not that getting other powers would matter much", she states simply.

The rest of our conversation was pleasant and ended with a promise to catch up for a cup of tea and a chat from time to time.

I bowed to The Ancient One, gave her my thanks, entered the mirror dimension and create a portal to my next power gathering target, The X Mansion.

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Hope you like the new chapter people, sorry it's not longer but I'm still dealing with pretty bad back and shoulder pain. I'm trying to get it taken care of but it's taking a lot longer than I expected, getting older sucks, lol.

Anyway I'll see you all next week hopefully, have a good one guys.