Supremedalekdunn
The Dark Knight - Heir to the Demon #9
The revelation of my identity appears to catch both of Jason’s accomplices off guard slightly. Though judging from the difference in their reactions, Oliver had clearly at least mentioned my identity to Mr. Harper prior to them parting ways. I’ll need to make a note of that for the Justice League file on the Green Arrow. Potential danger at unknowingly compromising members alternate identities.
Hardly surprising mind.
Five minutes alone with the real Oliver Queen, or the Green Arrow as some choose to refer to it as, and you very quickly get the idea that he’s a man who enjoys the sound of his own voice. The same cannot be said for those in his immediate proximity.
Dick: An alien told me a story.
Evidently Dick’s explaining the story behind the Nightwing name. Just how many people believe that Clark was the one who gave him the idea for the name remains dubious. Me? I just like the idea that Dick chose to name himself after an alien fairy tale story. Clark didn’t tell him that key piece of information at the time, and I’ve lacked any motivation to inform Dick of that situation. After all, if he knew the reality of the story behind Nightwing, he’d probably try to change it.
Roy: Wait that’s where you got Nightwing from?
Dick: Yeah….where do you think I got it from?
Roy: Ollie thought you were just trying to be edgy.
Dick: Oh? What else did Mr. Queen happen to think of us then?
Roy: Well he thought Bruce was a massive asshole.
Why am I not surprised that Oliver used those exact words to describe me?
Dick: ….I’m not inclined to disagree.
Scarlett: Wait, Ollie knows that Bruce is Batman?
Roy: Yeah, he told me it almost immediately after he got back from his ‘business’ trip to Gotham city a few years back-
Bruce: And he wonders why the Justice League keeps declining his applications.
Roy: He actually tried to join you guys?
I probably have a dime for every time he’s tried, and I’m a multi-billionaire.
Bruce: On a few occasions. You can tell how successful they were.
Barbra: As successful as Dick is at staying quiet.
Tim: Peace and quiet. How unusual.
Alfred: Master Bruce, Mr. Fox needs to speak with you.
Bruce: I’m on my way.
Evidently he’s found something in the sample of Lucifer that Jason was able to retrieve from Greene’s mansion. Good. Hopefully Lucius can develop a way to successfully synthesize more of the compound for us. If he can, that should help to even the odds between us and the League. Without the Lazarus enhanced healing factor, they’ll be just as vulnerable as us and that means they also have no margin of error against us.
I can only hope it’s easier to reverse engineer a weaponised form of the compound than it has been for Lucius to try and reverse engineer the properties of the blade Hephaestus forged me.
Bruce: Make all your preparations and get some rest. We’ll need all our energy when night comes around.
According to Talia, we’ve got at best 13 hours left before her father makes his first move. So time is against us. Thankfully, I’ve had time to prepare for every eventually.
Talia and I make our way into Lucius' workshop where we find the vial of Lucifer implanted into his workbench. Evidently he chose to perform an elemental analysis of the compound immediately, a wise decision.
Bruce: Where are we at?
Lucius: From what I can make out, we should be in business. The key components of this compound should simple enough to synthesise. I’ll need to borrow some material from the R’n’D lab in order to synthesise the nitro groups as well as a stable oxidising agent to oxidise the nitro groups into the cross linking species that binds to the Lazarus in the body.
Bruce: You’ve already tested a sample of it with some of Jason’s blood?
Lucius: No, I’ve merely run a couple of simulations using the compound’s structure and likely interactions with the main components I found in Jason’s blood following his little visit to the Batcave.
Talia: Wait, what? You took a sample of Jason’s blood whilst he was unconscious?
Bruce: I’ve known since he sent his agent after me that Ra’s would be coming for me, so I knew that I needed a way to level the playing field. With Lazarus coursing through his veins, Ra’s is all but indestructible in combat because he will almost instantaneously heal from any wound.
Talia: But if you’ve had a sample of Jason’s blood, and you’ve been studying it in the months following his attack on the cave, why did you not use whatever it is you’ve been developing against Damian?
Alfred: Because until now we’ve not been able to find a way to neutralise the stuff.
Lucius: I ran countless simulations using the known structure of Lazarus in order to try and find ways to degrade or at the very least inhibit it.
Bruce: Nothing. Every substance we trialled either degraded or Lazarus simply reduced it into a less reactive form, effectively rendering it useless.
Talia: But then you remembered the stories my father told you of the Demon’s bane.
Bruce: The supposed blood of Lucifer, the fallen angel. If Lazarus could raise you from the ground, Lucifer could drag you back down into it.
Talia: How did you find it?
Bruce: It wasn’t easy. Your father made an effort to ensure his movements weren't ever recorded in the history books, but fortunately I have the most vital piece of the puzzle about him that anyone could ask for. I was trained by him. I know his past. I know where he was. Specifically where he fought in the American Civil War.
Talia: You looked for the battle of West Point.
Bruce: The battle where Ra’s almost lost his life. Shot by a magical bullet by General James H. Wilson. A bullet he obtained from a local supporter of the Union. It was thanks to that bullet that Ra’s abandoned the American Civil War. He’d hoped that even though Lee had surrendered to Grant by this point, he could ultimately position himself and the Confederacy to overthrow the union.
Lucius: Just how old is this Ra’s Al-Ghul?
Talia: He’s about 782 year old.
Lucius: Jesus. Sounds like I need to get some of this Lazarus stuff for myself.
Alfred: Would certainly help relieve my old achey bones.
Bruce: Anyways, to thank this supporter of the Union for being responsible for the toppling of one of the Confederacy’s most feared generals, Wilson granted the man an estate of his own, wherever he desired. The man chose the spot where he first found the mysterious chemical known as Lucifer. The estate would eventually pass down the supporter’s family, culminating in it’s current owner. Jay Greene, formerly a member of the Red Hood gang that operated here in Gotham.
Alfred: But where how did the union supporter know of the chemical’s magical properties? How did he manage to fashion it into a bullet that Wilson would use to shoot Ra’s in the first place?
Bruce: I don’t know.
Lucius: And that’s usually when he delegates to me.
Talia: How long do you think it will take you to synthesise more of that…..ummmm?
Lucius: Lucius, and I can’t be certain. The structure of the compound appears simple enough to replicate on a small scale. The greater difficulty will be trying to upscale it in order to mass produce to the levels I presume you’ll want.
Bruce: If there’s anyone who can do it…
Lucius: You’ll find them and bring them here?
Alfred: I think he was going to pay you a compliment, Lucius.
Lucius: I appreciate that. But I’ll take my compliment if and when I manage to pull it off.
Bruce: You’ve always managed it in the past.
Lucius: Yeah well I’m usually not up against the clock like this. It’s be helpful if I didn’t have to work on any equipment whilst I try to get this sorted.
Bruce: Got it. You focus on this. If there’s anything we can do to help, just let us know.
Lucius: I’m going to need a lot of coffee.
Bruce: Done.
Alfred: Usually at this point you also ask for a pay raise.
Lucius: I’m not a totally unreasonable man, Alfred. Besides, I only got my last pay rise a month ago. We don’t want the board thinking that someone has a soft spot for me now do we?
Bruce: If you pull this off I’ll make you damn CEO.
Alfred: Let’s not get carried away here.
Lucius: I don’t know. I quite like where this is going.
Bruce: Lucius, we’ll focus on securing the tower and prepping our equipment. You just focus on weaponising that stuff.
Lucius: I’ll do my best, Mr. Wayne.
Bruce: That’s all I ask for.
Usually, Lucius’ best is nothing sort of incredible. I can only hope that also holds true for today.
The Dark Knight - Heir to the Demon #9
The revelation of my identity appears to catch both of Jason’s accomplices off guard slightly. Though judging from the difference in their reactions, Oliver had clearly at least mentioned my identity to Mr. Harper prior to them parting ways. I’ll need to make a note of that for the Justice League file on the Green Arrow. Potential danger at unknowingly compromising members alternate identities.
Hardly surprising mind.
Five minutes alone with the real Oliver Queen, or the Green Arrow as some choose to refer to it as, and you very quickly get the idea that he’s a man who enjoys the sound of his own voice. The same cannot be said for those in his immediate proximity.
Dick: An alien told me a story.
Evidently Dick’s explaining the story behind the Nightwing name. Just how many people believe that Clark was the one who gave him the idea for the name remains dubious. Me? I just like the idea that Dick chose to name himself after an alien fairy tale story. Clark didn’t tell him that key piece of information at the time, and I’ve lacked any motivation to inform Dick of that situation. After all, if he knew the reality of the story behind Nightwing, he’d probably try to change it.
Roy: Wait that’s where you got Nightwing from?
Dick: Yeah….where do you think I got it from?
Roy: Ollie thought you were just trying to be edgy.
Dick: Oh? What else did Mr. Queen happen to think of us then?
Roy: Well he thought Bruce was a massive asshole.
Why am I not surprised that Oliver used those exact words to describe me?
Dick: ….I’m not inclined to disagree.
Scarlett: Wait, Ollie knows that Bruce is Batman?
Roy: Yeah, he told me it almost immediately after he got back from his ‘business’ trip to Gotham city a few years back-
Bruce: And he wonders why the Justice League keeps declining his applications.
Roy: He actually tried to join you guys?
I probably have a dime for every time he’s tried, and I’m a multi-billionaire.
Bruce: On a few occasions. You can tell how successful they were.
Barbra: As successful as Dick is at staying quiet.
Tim: Peace and quiet. How unusual.
Alfred: Master Bruce, Mr. Fox needs to speak with you.
Bruce: I’m on my way.
Evidently he’s found something in the sample of Lucifer that Jason was able to retrieve from Greene’s mansion. Good. Hopefully Lucius can develop a way to successfully synthesize more of the compound for us. If he can, that should help to even the odds between us and the League. Without the Lazarus enhanced healing factor, they’ll be just as vulnerable as us and that means they also have no margin of error against us.
I can only hope it’s easier to reverse engineer a weaponised form of the compound than it has been for Lucius to try and reverse engineer the properties of the blade Hephaestus forged me.
Bruce: Make all your preparations and get some rest. We’ll need all our energy when night comes around.
According to Talia, we’ve got at best 13 hours left before her father makes his first move. So time is against us. Thankfully, I’ve had time to prepare for every eventually.
Talia and I make our way into Lucius' workshop where we find the vial of Lucifer implanted into his workbench. Evidently he chose to perform an elemental analysis of the compound immediately, a wise decision.
Bruce: Where are we at?
Lucius: From what I can make out, we should be in business. The key components of this compound should simple enough to synthesise. I’ll need to borrow some material from the R’n’D lab in order to synthesise the nitro groups as well as a stable oxidising agent to oxidise the nitro groups into the cross linking species that binds to the Lazarus in the body.
Bruce: You’ve already tested a sample of it with some of Jason’s blood?
Lucius: No, I’ve merely run a couple of simulations using the compound’s structure and likely interactions with the main components I found in Jason’s blood following his little visit to the Batcave.
Talia: Wait, what? You took a sample of Jason’s blood whilst he was unconscious?
Bruce: I’ve known since he sent his agent after me that Ra’s would be coming for me, so I knew that I needed a way to level the playing field. With Lazarus coursing through his veins, Ra’s is all but indestructible in combat because he will almost instantaneously heal from any wound.
Talia: But if you’ve had a sample of Jason’s blood, and you’ve been studying it in the months following his attack on the cave, why did you not use whatever it is you’ve been developing against Damian?
Alfred: Because until now we’ve not been able to find a way to neutralise the stuff.
Lucius: I ran countless simulations using the known structure of Lazarus in order to try and find ways to degrade or at the very least inhibit it.
Bruce: Nothing. Every substance we trialled either degraded or Lazarus simply reduced it into a less reactive form, effectively rendering it useless.
Talia: But then you remembered the stories my father told you of the Demon’s bane.
Bruce: The supposed blood of Lucifer, the fallen angel. If Lazarus could raise you from the ground, Lucifer could drag you back down into it.
Talia: How did you find it?
Bruce: It wasn’t easy. Your father made an effort to ensure his movements weren't ever recorded in the history books, but fortunately I have the most vital piece of the puzzle about him that anyone could ask for. I was trained by him. I know his past. I know where he was. Specifically where he fought in the American Civil War.
Talia: You looked for the battle of West Point.
Bruce: The battle where Ra’s almost lost his life. Shot by a magical bullet by General James H. Wilson. A bullet he obtained from a local supporter of the Union. It was thanks to that bullet that Ra’s abandoned the American Civil War. He’d hoped that even though Lee had surrendered to Grant by this point, he could ultimately position himself and the Confederacy to overthrow the union.
Lucius: Just how old is this Ra’s Al-Ghul?
Talia: He’s about 782 year old.
Lucius: Jesus. Sounds like I need to get some of this Lazarus stuff for myself.
Alfred: Would certainly help relieve my old achey bones.
Bruce: Anyways, to thank this supporter of the Union for being responsible for the toppling of one of the Confederacy’s most feared generals, Wilson granted the man an estate of his own, wherever he desired. The man chose the spot where he first found the mysterious chemical known as Lucifer. The estate would eventually pass down the supporter’s family, culminating in it’s current owner. Jay Greene, formerly a member of the Red Hood gang that operated here in Gotham.
Alfred: But where how did the union supporter know of the chemical’s magical properties? How did he manage to fashion it into a bullet that Wilson would use to shoot Ra’s in the first place?
Bruce: I don’t know.
Lucius: And that’s usually when he delegates to me.
Talia: How long do you think it will take you to synthesise more of that…..ummmm?
Lucius: Lucius, and I can’t be certain. The structure of the compound appears simple enough to replicate on a small scale. The greater difficulty will be trying to upscale it in order to mass produce to the levels I presume you’ll want.
Bruce: If there’s anyone who can do it…
Lucius: You’ll find them and bring them here?
Alfred: I think he was going to pay you a compliment, Lucius.
Lucius: I appreciate that. But I’ll take my compliment if and when I manage to pull it off.
Bruce: You’ve always managed it in the past.
Lucius: Yeah well I’m usually not up against the clock like this. It’s be helpful if I didn’t have to work on any equipment whilst I try to get this sorted.
Bruce: Got it. You focus on this. If there’s anything we can do to help, just let us know.
Lucius: I’m going to need a lot of coffee.
Bruce: Done.
Alfred: Usually at this point you also ask for a pay raise.
Lucius: I’m not a totally unreasonable man, Alfred. Besides, I only got my last pay rise a month ago. We don’t want the board thinking that someone has a soft spot for me now do we?
Bruce: If you pull this off I’ll make you damn CEO.
Alfred: Let’s not get carried away here.
Lucius: I don’t know. I quite like where this is going.
Bruce: Lucius, we’ll focus on securing the tower and prepping our equipment. You just focus on weaponising that stuff.
Lucius: I’ll do my best, Mr. Wayne.
Bruce: That’s all I ask for.
Usually, Lucius’ best is nothing sort of incredible. I can only hope that also holds true for today.