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"I suppose it's time to tell you what I actually plan to do."
"About time," Grayson nodded. "We've been guessing for a while now. We even made a couple of bets, trying to play the guessing game."
"I want to recreate the Super Soldier Serum."
A heavy silence filled the cave, broken only by the restless snorting of bats echoing off the stone walls. Everyone froze, their gazes fixed on me, silently piercing through my words. Only the butler continued cleaning the monitors, as if nothing had happened.
"Not surprised," Dick said calmly, shrugging. "Something was bound to come from you, Alex. Honestly, if your idea had been anything smaller in scope, I'd have been disappointed."
"I've got to admit," Barbara added, "there's some truth in that."
"That's impossible," Bruce said grimly. Somehow, his face grew even darker. How much more brooding can one man be?
"Everything's impossible until someone does it," I said, holding his gaze. "And I'm serious about this. I've got two of the best specialists in the world—three, if you'll help us—and we've got something no one else has… Captain America's blood."
"Alex, you may not know," Grayson cut in, trying to sound helpful, "but the Captain's been gone for seventy years."
"That can't be!" I stood up, startled. "You've got to be kidding! How is that possible? My whole plan's ruined! I'll have to cancel everything. Why did I even get involved in all this? Ohh MR.DICK why didn't you tell me this before, now my whole plan of ruling this world is in shambles."
"I hate you," he stated again, deadpan.
"Nah, come on—don't lie. You love me," I replied, flashing a grin with all thirty-two teeth.
"So, where exactly did you get this information from?" Barbara asked, stunned.
"Trade secret," I whispered, placing my index finger to my lips dramatically.
"Most probably from the same source where he knows everything about all of us."
"So where's the Captain? Is he alive? Has he been frozen this entire time?" Nightwing asked, burning with curiosity.
"Well," I said, turning away and starting to whistle, "I'll just go ahead and… not tell you."
"The Arctic," Bruce spoke, cutting clean through the banter. "According to the latest intel from World War II, Captain America was flying a malfunctioning aircraft. Some sources say there was a bomb on board. He couldn't land the plane safely, and to avoid civilian casualties, he chose to crash it into the Arctic ice. It's not a stretch to assume he's still there." He turned to me. "Especially considering you asked me for that device to detect life forms beneath ice. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together."
"The Captain… frozen in the Arctic," Barbara finished the thread thoughtfully.
"Excellent deduction," I muttered, my right eye twitching in irritation. I really should've been more careful with my words. Damn it... I keep forgetting I'm dealing with the world's greatest detective.
"Are you planning to go there?" Batgirl's voice carried a hint of concern.
"Yes," I nodded. "If I want this Super Soldier project to succeed, I need the blood of the original bearer of the Erskine formula. I'll head for that frozen hellhole after the 'Day of Sweets' holiday."
"In two days? That soon? Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Barbara shot me a rapid-fire barrage of questions.
"I didn't want to worry you." I gave her a reassuring smile and gently stroked her vibrant red hair. "Don't worry, Sasha's coming with me. I'll be relatively safe."
"Still doesn't make your idea any less crazy," Bruce said, pulling everyone's attention back to him like a void drawing in light.
Another long speech queued up in my brain—about how I wanted to become stronger, protect those I cared about, yada yada. I'd been saying the same thing for two days now. Maybe it was time to try a new angle. Like… I want to conquer the world, and then become ruler of the universe!
Okay, maybe getting a little ahead of myself. Heh.
As far as expected monologues go, it worked. Eventually, I managed to convince Bruce that my little 'adventure' was a worthwhile endeavor.
Honestly, I've gotten pretty good at manipulating Mr. Wayne. He's surprisingly susceptible to the unique blend of my persuasive rants and dazzling grin.
"So," I said seriously, locking eyes with Gotham's grimmest symbol. "Will you help us recreate the serum?"
"No." The reply was immediate. Firm. Unshakable.
"Even if I were willing to turn a blind eye to your absurd idea, that doesn't mean I'd be part of it."
"But we can't do this without you!" I clasped my hands together like I was praying to the Bat-Gods. "Your knowledge could speed up the project tenfold."
No reaction. Not a twitch on his infamous poker face.
"Haven't you ever wondered what it'd be like to be a super soldier?" I leaned in. "You've already pushed your body beyond natural human limits through sheer training and willpower. Just imagine what you could become — powered by the serum."
"I've always been curious," I continued, eyes gleaming with mischief, "how strong Batman would be with super-soldier enhancements. In your current state, you'd still give Captain America a run for his money. But if you were on even footing? Rogers wouldn't stand a chance. Your combat experience, intelligence, gadgets... all amplified."
"Bruce, you could go toe-to-toe with Bane without needing any tricks. His steroids wouldn't mean a damn thing anymore. Think about it…" I paused, then smirked. "One more thing… you're getting older."
A flicker of something passed in his eyes.
"You're thirty now, at your physical peak. But how much longer can you maintain it? The Erskine formula enhances the body at the cellular level. It slows aging significantly—at least by a factor of three."
"Wait—hold up," Dick interrupted, gears visibly turning in his head. "So if a normal person can live to a hundred... a super soldier could live to three hundred?"
"More or less," I replied, spreading my arms wide. "Which means, Bruce… your retirement might have to wait a dozen of decades. You know, unless someone manages to break your spine first."
"Hey! I want that serum too!" Grayson piped up, his voice practically glowing with excitement.
The discussion raged on for several more hours. By the end of our heated negotiation, Sir Gloom finally agreed to lend us a hand—reluctantly. He was still on the fence about using the serum himself, but my words clearly struck a nerve. Give it time… I know he'll reconsider. The benefits are undeniable.
We also discussed the logistics: what I'd do when I found Cap, how to transport him, where to store him, and so on. Bruce even gave me an advance of $100 million, which felt like a ten-ton weight lifted off my shoulders.
Eventually, I brought up my bodyguard, which sparked another round of drama.
Apparently, the local night-dwellers had enough of our bickering. The bats kept waking up mid-conversation, flying chaotic laps around the cave like angry, winged spectators. They didn't touch us, but they did seem thoroughly ticked off. Or at least, their obnoxious squealing made me think so.
"You'll like her, Bruce," I said earnestly. "She can be trusted."
"You want to tell someone my secret again? And why should I approve this… AGAIN?" Batman glared.
"With your permission," I explained quickly, "I told Vicki Vale about your nightlife—and see? The world didn't end. The city's still here. Your mansion didn't get burned down by villagers with torches. Can we please not repeat this argument?"
After yet another long, exhausting debate, we finally reached a consensus. And, of course, I won.
Just like with good ol' Vicki.
He already caved once—what's once more? Plus, in the original comics, Vicki, Silver, even Sasha eventually learned Batman's identity. Honestly, I'm just staying true to canon.
Sure, I tweaked the course of the original story a bit. But hey, it's the end that matters. And according to that, those ladies knew Batman's secret.
...Man, I'm tired. And my suffering was just beginning.
Because what came next was training. Brutal, painful, Bat-style training. The whole Bat-Family had already begun cracking their knuckles with glee. They were practically glowing with bloodlust.
At that moment, I deeply regretted leaving my bodyguard at home.
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Sasha sniffled and scratched her nose, curled up comfortably at home on the couch, phone in hand as she focused intensely on playing Subway Surfers.
Thank you all for reading, new week, new ratings.
Last week we reached the highest rating of 140, this week I think we can cross 120. Let's aim for 120.
So vote with all your power.
Cross 200 in first 3 days and I'll upload one extra chapter.