Chapter 9: 9. Bat talk
-Batcave-
In the dimly lit Batcave, Batman stood in silence as he watched the emerald-green lines of energy flow from the cybernetic entity. They snaked their way from the entity to his high-tech computer, the Bat computer. The lines, a vibrant green hue, wrapped around the computer's metallic frame, tracing intricate patterns, and bathing the entire system in an eerie, otherworldly glow. It was as if an alien force had descended upon his sanctum.
As the green light enveloped the Bat computer, It's massive screen flickered to life, casting an eerie green illumination across the cave. Batman couldn't help but be captivated by the surreal spectacle unfolding before him.
Batman had seen many things in his crime-fighting career, but this was unlike anything he had encountered before. His ever-vigilant mind raced to comprehend the situation. He watched as the unknown entity take full control of his computer leaving his battle armour standing.
Then, it stuck him like a bolt of lightning. The entity he was observing was two separate things, his battle armour and an alien force; it was, in fact, fused with his battle armour, which he had meticulously crafted and enhanced over the years. It had become a vessle for this enigmatic green energy.
And now it had taken control of his computer, with a purpose of his own.
The green glow pulsated in rhythm with Batman's heartbeat as he contemplated the situation. His eyes remained locked on the now-green Bat computer screen. It displayed an array of holographic data and symbols, all in a language he didn't recognize.
With the curiosity that had driven him to become the Dark Knight, Batman leaned closer, trying to make sense of it all.{Well, for your knowledge. Batman started his carrier searching for why his parents were killed.}
When the eerie silence became too uncomfortable, the green screen hummed and an electric voice spoke from the Bat computer.
"Hello again, Batman (＾Ｕ＾)ノ~ＹＯ"
"What are you?" Batman inquired, his voice cold.
"Well, you can call me Upgrade. /(≧∇≦)ﾉ" The green text and emoticon on the computer screen declared, its voice echoing within the cave.
"I asked what are you? How did you find my base of operation? How are you able to possess my armour and computer?" Batman's voice grew intense.
"Wow wow,<(￣ c￣)y Chill mate, I am here to help." The emoticon on the screen began to became more expressive. "I am Upgrade, a Galvanic mechamorph."
"An alien?" Batman concluded.
"Yes, I am. (⌐■_■)"
"What are you doing in my Batcave? How did you find it?" Batman asked.
"It was pretty easy. I hacked into all networks in Gotham to find a supercomputer that was sneaking around. You know, when I traced its source back to Wayne manor, I thought that batman was hiding under it, like, being roommates with Bruce Wayne or something but its was a pretty stupid conclusion.¯\_(ツ)_/¯"
Batman's brows creased into a frown.
"(～￣▽￣)～ ,Then I easily infiltrated the Batcave and waited for you to return.＞﹏＜ Which was boring by the way."
"What do you want?" Batman continued his interrogation.
"I do want something, but before that, What. Do. You. Want. Batman?" The electric voice hummed with eeriness.
"What do you mean?" Batman asked.
"You are weak, Batman. You are a normal human, without any powers or argumentation. You are not strong enough to end the crimes in Gotham, far from it. But I can give you that, a power beyond comprehension, strength to defeat gods. So, what do you say?" The green text on the screen asked, its voice like a enchanting serpent.
"I don't need it," Batman declared with resolve.
The green screen didn't change as Upgrade observed Batman. Both of them stood in a standstill, observing each other, the rising tension between them palpable.
"Good," The voice said suddenly, alerting the Batman.
As Batman stood guard, Upgrade's mechanical tendrils extended from his black and glowing green body, reaching out of the Bat computer. The tendrils carefully and methodically disengaged from the various ports and connections they had fused with.
With a series of soft metallic clicks and whirring sounds, the tendrils retracted one by one, leaving the Bat computer unbound. The eerie green light that had enveloped the machine slowly dissipated as Upgrade completed the process.
Batman watched in fascination and suspicion as the last tendril detached. The Bat computer's once-ensnared components now hung free and operational. The detached tendrils then morphed together to form a eight foot humanoid.
The humanoid had a muscular frame with a circular device on its head with a golden hourglass symbol, surrounded by a green circle. It had a black exterior with green strips that resembled circuitry all over him, with his front torso a dark green with black circuitry patterns. It's long hands extended up to its shin.
Upgrade now fully detached from the Bat computer, looked straight at the Dark knight. Its circular eye focusing on him.
"You are as rigid as ever," His eyes glowed as he spoke, "Nice to meet you, Batman. Name's Zion."
Zion extended his hand for a shake. Batman observed just observed his hands without taking it, he was suspicious as ever.
Zion retracted his hand. "I know that you are suspicious, Batman, and I do want to explain things to you but now is not the time nor place."
"You think you can leave?" Batman asked, threateningly.
"I can," Zion said as his body liquefied.
"And I am stealing your Batbike," Zion remarked as he jumped and attached himself to the Batbike, immediately upgrading it.
[Broooom][Bike roaring sound]
The Batbike spun in place, creating smoke from its wheels, before it looked straight at Batman, its front eyes glaring at him. The Batbike had gone under a full change. The black bike had green circuitry line covering all of it. It body had become sleek, its entire surface covered in a metallic, shapeshifting layer. The bike's guns had a green glow to them, showing that they can shoot more than just bullets.
"Meet you at Metropolis, Bibbo's, 3 p.m," The circular pattern on the bike's head hummed, "And check out my gift. Peace out!"
With that the bike turned from Batman and accelerated off towards the Batcave's entrance, The gate easily opened to let him leave.
Now, Batman stood alone it the cave filled with the echoes of his stolen bike's roar. His eyes narrowed as his brained worked to put all the puzzles he collected during their conversation. With all the clues he had, he deduced the traits of the Upgrade. From its technologically advanced form to its possession to the single target at a time.
Batman was no fool, he knew that if someone could enter his cave without alerting his system, that person should have had high level of intellect. And Upgrades feats just showed his powers. Batman gaze lingered towards the caves entrance before he turned to check his devices.
He walked up to his computer, typing away to check the file that were stored. After half an hour of skimming through, he found his data wasn't tempered with. Moreover, that his computer seemed to be enhanced. The already supercomputer was performing calculations at mach speeds and his A.I. seems to have gained a bit of sentience.
While he was searching, he also found a folder that was named to him which was not one of his. He clicked open the file, he found something surprising. Yes, the Dark Knight was surprised.
"What are you?" Batman mumbled.
***
Zion drove the stolen BatBike across Gotham, scaring all the criminals. Even the sound of Batman's vehicle gave these guys nightmares. After enjoying the ride, he took the bike straight out of the Gotham and toward Metropolis.
He lowered his engines roar and drove it toward a warhorse he had bought with Batman's money. While being in the form of a Galvanic mechamorph, hacking into a primitive technology was a child's play.
He also ordered some of the materials he will need to conduct experiments and make the new power suit for himself. He had yet to ask Superman for his Kryptonian knowledge stored in the fortress of solitude.
Superman would be suspicious if he asked him right away. He need to warm up to the guy before making that request. He need to earn Superman's trust.
But even without the Kryptonian knowledge and tech, he could still build the suit but it will just be a prototype version as his suit would look like the hulk buster armour. He needed something more lean and flexible like Black Panther suit.
Zion parked the bike in the middle of the empty warehouse and detached from it, transforming back to his human form. Zion looked at the Batbike, its blackness blending with the warehouse's darkness.
Zion had a goofy smile on his lips. "Would anyone believe that I stole the Batbike from Batman?"
Zion then dragged as dusty cloth and covered the bike. he knew that this warehouse was safe but he didn't want to take chances.
"The Batcomputer should do its work for me now," Zion had a evil mischievous smile as he thought about the programs he uploaded into Batman's system.
He not only upgraded its operating system into something un-comparable to the tech on Earth, he also made sure to delete any kind of data of him from the internet from his birth to his arrival to Metropolis was erased. He also created an algorithm that will automatically remove him from any digital files.
He is now a man without any identity. Don't worry, he can just bring them back or get another identity similar to it.
Most importantly, he had direct access to batman's bank account.
"Damn, I am getting away with stealing from Batman. Let's not push my luck by doing something to anger him. He will probably break my bones," Zion shuddered as he closed the warehouse's door.
He then walked up to his car. "You are still the best." He said as he got it.
He would soon need to upgrade his car into something like a transformer or a Mech. It could fight some cannon fodders while he deal with some serious villain's like Penguin or Riddler.
"Hahahah, they are so serious, haha," Zion just laughed as he thought about them committing crimes with serious faces.
Zion then drove off happily to his apartment in Metropolis city. He bought it with Batman's money. It is near the Daily planet skyscraper. It will be used for his stay in Metropolis. He will return to his apartment in Central Haven when he needs to meet the Flash.
He still thinks its really a quirky name to be called 'The Flash'. I mean, 'The Flash,' couldn't writers think of a better name. I am not saying it is a bad name, it is iconic, but it could have been better. Like Tachyon, Savitar, Godspeed, Windbreaker.
Why villains get cool names?
Well, we will push the naming matters aside. What should he called? He can't just go Zion 10, come on, that's not how it worked. He needed a name but he felt like he shouldn't even have a name because if he doesn't have a name, how are they going to refer to him, to target him.
Maybe, being a literal ghost will be the best option.
"Next up on the list should be Flash. I don't want to meet a Green Lantern, by extension the Oan guardians. If they found out about my device, lets just say I have a low chance beating them without turning into Alien X," Zion muttered.
Oan guardians being the oldest race of the universe and wielding some reality warping powers. As long as they think that he is a threat to the peace they try so hard to maintain, they would try to remove him from the face of this universe.
You can say that he will eventually meet with the Green Lantern anyway when the Justice League assembles, but he would rather not do it until he had his armour. Then, if they want to deal with him, they can deal with a super powered Kryptonian who would only get stronger as they fight.
"HAHAHAHAHA,"
******
Thank you for reading.<(￣︶￣)>
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