DC: I am Bruce Wayne

Chapter 82: Dark Knight’s Debut

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"I like you now not because of who you are, but due to who I am while I am with you."

— Roy Mustang, (Fullmetal Alchemist)

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<(Bruce Wayne POV)> 

{Entire Wayne Enterprises Board resigns after Bruce Wayne takes the company private at 25 dollars per share. Brilliant move from the young billionaire or the last nail in the coffin?}

{Wayne Enterprises stocks crash and get reduced to pennies after board members resign. Has the prince finally become a pauper now? Details of his education, net worth, alleged affairs, and more on page 3}

{Mass arrest of multiple board members of Wayne Enterprises on charges of financial fraud, bribery, and corporate espionage. Is Bruce Wayne involved?} 

{Lucius Fox, CEO of Wayne Solutions announces merger between Wayne Solutions and Wayne Enterprises into a new Wayne Solutions}

{Bruce Wayne announces a hundred million dollar fund for the families who lost their money in the Wayne Enterprises stock crash. Does charity truly run in the Wayne family's blood?} 

"These newspapers truly love billionaires don't they?" I chuckled after seeing the dozens of newspapers and news articles covering almost every facet of the Wayne stock crash from almost every angle possible. Be it conspiracy theories about me manipulating the share market (which weren't completely wrong) to the government trying to ruin the Wayne family, there were scores of completely different theories in different news articles.

However, strangely, these articles were more focused on me rather than the board members who were fired or arrested on multiple charges of fraud, corporate sabotage, and financial theft. It seems that I am the most famous billionaire in the US of this world due to my unique backstory and stuff. I can't say I hate it since I do like the temporary attention but this also means that hiding my identity is going to be a huge pain the ass for me. 

"Yes, they love anything that sells and right now everything with your charming face on it sells like hot pancakes. In fact, you should take a look at some of the women's magazines sometime. According to them, almost every famous actress in Hollywood has slept with you. There are even names of some male ones too in there. Apparently, females love to read about that type of stuff." Cortana said as she showed me a badly edited fanmade picture of me looking into Brad Pitt's eyes and him winking at me with a romantic look on his face.

"I would have appreciated it more if you hadn't shown me that. Also, don't pretend you don't like that stuff as well. I have programmed you to have a personality just like a real human female. So, I am pretty sure that you check those out from time to time." I snorted.

"No comment. Anyways, should I start up the atomic printer and start printing the nanobots? I have finished attaching the carbonadium synthesizer with the printer, so we can begin producing the perfected nanobots as soon as you give the word." Cortana quickly changed the topic.

"Finally! I have been waiting for this for days. Do it. Oh and keep an eye on the radiation levels. Stuff from Marvel always tends to have some harmful side effect like releasing deadly radiation or causing cancer or vaporizing you on contact ." I muttered the last part more to myself as a reminder not to blindly trust my inventions like mad scientists do.

And yes, by the way, I have managed to make carbonadium, one of the strongest metals of the Marvel world that the USSR made in an effort to artificially create adamantium. It is not as durable as true adamantium but is close enough. Truthfully I would have liked to create adamantium, promethium, and vibranium much more than carbonadium but this was the only metal in the tier of 'impossibly hard metals' that could be artificially created without much effort. This was not only the best but also the cheapest alternative to the limited naturally occurring metals that I needed.

I initially wanted to use promethium to make all my suits but turns out that even being a billionaire doesn't necessarily grant you an unlimited supply of an ultra-rare mineral. The amount I got access to was only enough for a few suits, important research purposes, and maybe a few vehicles, but that would be it. So, I had to invest my time in finding an alternative that would not only be cheap and easily manufacturable but also could rival promethium in lightness, durability, and usefulness. That's why I came up with Carbonadium.

Although the metal that is initially produced is highly radioactive, however, with the carbonadium synthesizer, not only its radioactivity can be completely eliminated but it can also be used to liquefy already hardened carbonadium to make new structures, something that is impossible in the case of even adamantium. 

As for the atomic printer, I completed it a few days ago and it was probably one of the most OP things I had ever made if I didn't include the soon-to-be-completed nanobots. The atomic printer could 'print' anything in its finished and usable form as long as the raw materials and the blueprint were provided. There was no need for long and strenuous manufacturing processes like welding. No, this machine could just 'weave' the raw materials into the desired product and thus was perfect for creating nanobots.

Currently, even though it could make compounds from their elements, it couldn't change one element to another. For example, an atomic printer could print diamonds from carbon or any carbon-containing product like coal by first breaking them down into individual atoms and then using them to form a real genuine diamond that has absolutely no difference from a naturally occurring one. However, it couldn't make steel from that same coal. For that, it needed iron and the other metals that were needed to make the required steel.

Oh and also, it couldn't print complex organic stuff like food, plants, or organs... at least not yet. But he was sure that in a couple of years or maybe even months, this printer would be printing entire organic limbs for people.

"Process initializing," Cortana declared as drones carried slabs of different materials to a machine that looked like a huge glass microwave. Once the containers of the elements were placed inside and the huge glass compartment was sealed, the entire machine began to crackle with energy, releasing what looked like neon blue-colored lightning strikes on the materials.

Within just a few seconds, in front of my own eyes, the materials began to slowly turn into dust with the various dusts mixing with each other under the effect of the energy being released by the machine. In the cover of a blinding light, the dust once again began to slowly solidify into a giant block of shiny silver metal.

"Radiation level: 4 sieverts. It is extremely radioactive, sir. Being exposed to the metal for even a few hours could lead to a slow death by radiation poisoning. Should I now start up the synthesizer?" Cortana asked with her hologram now wearing a lab coat and a pair of transparent eyeglasses on her face, looking more like a cute intern at a laboratory rather than an experienced researcher.

"Yeah, connect up the carbonadium synthesizer. Let's see if it truly lives up to its fame."

"Connecting to Carbonadium Synthesizer. Treating sample carbonadium... Radiation levels decreasing. Radiation is now at 0.00001 millisieverts. The sample metal is determined to be no longer radioactive. Preparing to start manufacturing nanobots with treated sample." Cortana chimed as she displayed the reports of the test on the screen. 

Soon, the cube which was previously being bombarded by a laser, generated from the carbonadium synthesizer to treat its radioactivity again began to change shape as bits and bits of the cube began to melt off and then again reform into the block while being guided by a laser fired from the inner walls of the atomic printer. 

"100,000 nanobots... 200,000 nanobots..." Cortana began to count the number of nanobots produced per minute as more and more of the carbonadium block was converted into carbonadium nanobots. "Manufacturing completed. Success rate: 100%. The entire sample provided has been transformed into separate nanobots. Practical wastage of usable metal: zero." Cortana informed with pride in her voice as she showed off the same block of carbonadium silently lying on the floor.

However, this time, it wasn't just a block of carbonadium, no, it was much more. 

"Assemble it in the form of the Dark Knight Mark 001 armor and then lock the form as a template," I commanded.

"That design? I don't like the color theme very much but sure, here you go." Cortana 

The treated carbonadium block began to quickly dissolve into liquid along with the blocks of a few other materials and then combine together and reform into the shape of a humanoid figure, turning into a completely black and gold armor standing straight inside the glass section of the atomic printer. It looked like the perfect combination of Ironman armor and Batman armor.

"Huh... Maybe you were right, I think we need to change the color a little bit. A little red would look good with it and perhaps a cape. I know about the 'no capes' policy we agreed on but both the cool and the fear factor of the armor would massively decrease if I didn't don a black cape with this getup." 

"A normal cape made of fabric wouldn't have been very functional but a cape made of almost indestructible microbots, yeah I think that could be useful." Cortana agreed with me as she thoughtfully stared at the armor with the eyes of a professional fashion designer.

"Hmm, we can try out a plethora of different designs. After all, I don't even have to stick to a particular design. I can use whatever armor design I want, at any time I want, in any color I want. That is the true beauty of nanotechnology. Now, come on and help me design some more armor sets. After this, I'll have to design one for Selina too. I promised her one a couple of days ago." 

***

"Are you sure that this is safe? I mean that chamber looks too small for me to fit." Selina complained as she looked at the small cryo-chamber she was supposed to enter to receive her first body modification.

"Don't worry, it would fit. I already tested it out when I received my own upgrade... Anyway, I actually wanted to talk to you about something before you enter the chamber." I awkwardly started.

"Can't it wait till after you change my body to your desires? I am already pretty nervous about this, so stop making this even harder with that serious face of yours. I get wet whenever I see your serious face." She flirted before placing a light kiss on my lips. 

"We can talk all we want after my body undergoes the transformation tiger. In fact, we will probably do much more than talk. I think it is finally time to take our relationship to the next stage." She huskily whispered in my ears before removing all her clothes down to her bra and thongs.

"Meet you on the other side." She said with a smile as she walked into the cryo chamber.

Within a few seconds, the cryo chamber closed under Cortana's control and released a mild neurochemical relaxing agent, immediately putting her to sleep and beginning the process of her evolution. It was a slow process and would take about a day to complete at the minimum. So, she needed to be unconscious, otherwise she could die at the constant pain of having her body changed at the physiological level.

"This is definitely not going to end well. Only a miracle can now save you, sir... You should have gone with the aphrodisiac or the manipulation options. After all, it isn't forced if she moans." The hologram of Cortana gave her two bits of really bad advice from behind me. 

"I am THIS close to cutting off your internet connection you know?" I threatened without even looking at her at which she immediately became silent and went back to her work but she couldn't continue for long as she suddenly looked at me with surprise.

"Sir, I have detected massive amounts of explosives at the Gotham port along with a consignment of heavy weaponry. It's Falcone's men receiving the consignment. They look like they are preparing for a war... Maybe a territorial dispute. You told me to inform you if there is anything major happening in the city's underground forces. This might be what you were looking for." Cortana informed as she displayed a live CCTV feed of Gotham port on the bat computer.

There were about a few dozen men spread out throughout the port with weapons in their hands. They looked like they were inspecting various containers and checking their contents, probably to make sure everything they were paying for was there.

"It seems that the Wayne Enterprises stock crash affected the cartels more than I thought. If I remember, Falcone had half of his fortune invested in Wayne Enterprises, it should have hit hard when he lost it all. He probably wants to snatch a few territories to make back his lost money... Cortana, I think it's finally time to don the suit, this is perfect for my vigilante debut." 

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