ตอน 4: Year Three and Four Rework I

2014, let's go! In the span of five months, I've died a total of six times.

Not one for each month. The first four were spent dying of hunger. Then three days to die of dehydration… then I jumped off a roof. I also burnt myself to death. And drowned.

Was it productive? Did I learn anything? Yes, indeed. In the Deep Black, I have a Lot of time to think and reflect. A lot of time, I mean that. I've been carefully thinking about my plans for the future and trying as hard as I could to remember every small bits of info I had on the DC universe.

First thing I learned after so many death is that whenever I die, I come back to my prime state. So even if I were to die as an old man, I'd just come back to my physical and mental peak!

Secondly, every time I die, it takes a few minutes less to come back. Otherwise right now, I need like fifteen hours.

Finally, no matter what happens, I always reappear somewhere safe. I don't leave parts or a corpse so I guess it's like respawning in a game. Anything I wear or even 'own' respawns with me.

I can definitely be a hero. I'm still thinking of a costume and a name. Maybe Undead Man, The Phoenix or Walking Dead.

But it has to be iconic, a symbol... Because criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot. I had to say it. Again.

Maybe, Ghost hunter or Revenant. Phantasmal perhaps?

IRS man. That's terrifying. The tax taker who taxes your soul!

Or maybe I should let them come up with a name. Let's just hope they are more original than me… If I could take Chainsaw man without guilt, I would.

Or I could go the Deadpool route with a weird name like… Hyper Death or Death Room? I realize I'm grasping at straws, I wish I could ask GPT for help… I wanna go with Slaughter but I don't really intend to kill anyone except the worst of the worst.

But I do want to use chainsaws… On the up side, if I went with that name, I would be able to call this warehouse the 'Slaughter house' eh? Isn't that perfect?

Now I'm gonna need a suit. And a ride. The Slaughter Cycle. Perfect.

I guess I've gotten a bit more enthusiastic about my power. I've been jumping off buildings for months. And even if the time it takes to come back each time diminishes a lot less than at first, it now only takes three hours to resurrect!

The Deep Black makes it feel like days but, It's doable, handling such a small drawback.

I estimate that a few hundred more deaths should allow me to come back within the hour… I've got a lot of work to do.

Curiosity killed the cat. But I'm no cat and I can just come back anyways. So when I started experimenting... differently, I realized why my drugs sold so fucking well. All around is chaos. And I have become one with it. Why worry about overdosing when you can come back in three hour's time?

Meth, coke, opioids, everything I could get my hands on, even freaking entire gallons of alcohol. With no consequence. This is the highest I've ever been!

All the mixes I can do that no one else can, stealing so much drugs was such a good call. Who cares about great power coming with great responsibility? I can get high and drunk and absolutely wasted again and again with the effects never diminished!

I don't even get hooked because my body always comes back in my prime, so before the effects of any drugs could have affected me.

"Is this really what you intend to do? For all of eternity?"

I turn around from my sugar mound to look at Death.

"Oh hey! I was actually just about to apologize to you… I should have been grateful for my power, wonderful gift it is."

She was scowling. Angry? Why?

"You can't be serious. You can do anything and that's what you want to do?"

"Have you ever jumped off a building while being high on five different drugs and loaded with alcohol? That shit hits differently."

She was already gone. Negative rizz, I guess.

But… She was right. I can't give up now… Not yet. I still have one plan. Plan C. C for capitalism. So I started selling the rest of the drugs I had. Much harder in such a regular city. Well, it used to be a regular city, at least. Now there are metas running around causing trouble. More than in the CW show. Flash has finally appeared but he's not the only one.

Robin is finally a thing. I also heard news of Green Lantern on the radio. And Luthor attacked Superman for the first time. Though no one knows it was him. Let's be real, who else makes giant armors wielding glowing green weapons? How the fuck is there kryptonite so early? I'll have to stop Luthor before he goes too far though. I might need him later.

Making my way back to Gotham was… weird. I kind of missed it. The architecture in old Gotham is pretty cool and the Wayne tower is looking as impressive as always. But I've got business to attend to, in the sewers.

I still remember where the 'pit' is located. Frankly, its more like a really small fountain. Near the studio in Bleake Island, all I gotta do is break the bars and hike down the pit. But considering the normal timeline, it might not have been blown up yet.

So what if I have to dig for a few years? I'm immortal.

Took me a day to find a place that sold hiking gear. Longer for one that sold a shovel and a pickaxe. Took me hours to find the damn place, my memory isn't that good after YEARS.

Sucks for Ras, I'm about to be so fucking rich!

...

I was not, in fact, about to get any richer. Not any time soon.

Good news. I broke through the bars, yay! Now how the fuck am I supposed to get passed a Still functioning metro, still covered by concrete!?

There is no way I'm blowing up this place.

Where would I even find explosives? Yes, this is Gotham but I am still an ignorant boy at heart. Even though I should be like… Nineteen?

Who cares…

I was really about to give up, I didn't actually feel like spending years digging around the tunnel than into the cave. My wealth is so close and I can't get it…

So I sat there for a while… Thinking.

There is no getting around it. I'll have to wait for the Arkham knight events to occur.

So there I am. Immortal. A few dozen meters above fathomless wealth…

But…

Maybe, just maybe, I can lie my way to get the resources to reach the Lazarus.

A new plan…

But it would require me to die a lot more, shorten the time of my resurrections… at the rate things are going, it might take hundreds of deaths. I know I've already died like, seventy times… I went from one less hour to ten less minutes every time. How long would it take me to cut off three?

... Whatever, I guess I got a lot of time on my hands!

Year Four

Can you imagine it? Dying NINE HUNDRED TIMES. I counted… I slit my throat for most of them… It got old fast so I tried jumping off some roofs too…

And can you guess how much time it now takes to come back? One minute! I fucking did it!

Man, it was so worth it, all the pain it took and now, this power is actually viable in combat! Not like I intend to fight ever again. No, my goals are of a nature so grand now…

So grand that I'll be able to do what no one else… Well, no one else yet, has ever done.

I mean, I doubt the Magistrate would ever be a thing in this timeline but… Meh, who cares.

Because yes. Fighting crime is good and all… But doing it with an army of soldiers, now that's something. People like Batman won't like it… But I'm not a comic book villain. I actually know how to beat him. Not that I ever really would kill him, he's my favorite hero.

And besides, I'm not evil, I actually think this is the best way forward. I think I can kake it work.

In total, I havent been gone from this world for that long but in the Deep Black, hours are like days and days are like months.

I hope and believe that what I'm about to do is going to work. That and everything after.

Just think about it. Yes, I know a police state sounds bad but, I don't intend to just turn the world into an Injustice style regime. I just think it would be great to be able to put supercriminals in jail and for them to... You know, not ESCAPE every Saturday. Food for thought.

Besides, I'm immortal, endless… I have all the time in the universe, and then some… Maybe. I can really think and experiment before... Going on a larger scale.

So how do I intend to start such a massive endeavor? As I said before. Plan C is for capitalism. I will sell Lazarus. Even if I don't have any yet.

How, you ask? Because I can pretend I do just with my power!

Here is the basic idea. I find someone rich, sell them the promise and there we have it.

So now I need a cool name and gimmick, besides immortality, since I don't want many people to know about that. Again, the weaknesses are pretty obvious. Tranquilizers or torture. I don't have Doomsday's adaptive powers. I'm as vulnerable to that as anyone else.

So I've devised a formula to find what I'll be called. Blending in things in relation to my purpose.

In the long run, I want to create a new world. So New World. Put in some Latin and you've got Neo Mundus. Fancy, menacing, serious but not edgy… Perfect for the kind of image I want people to have of me.

Color scheme? Red would be too evil, I though. Same for purple. So my second favorite color. Green, is the one I picked. Plus it represents will power so that's great.

And the gimmick? For now, nothing comes to mind, so that's for later. Right now, I can use the money I got to buy shit for my costume.

I also have to consider more to perfect my persona. As Megamind once said, "PRESENTATION!" I just have to apply it to being a good guy.

I mean, how long have you been reading this? You realize that I'm lame as hell, right? I can't be taken seriously without playing a character that's actually respectable…

For now, let's stay simple. All black suit and green tie. For the face mask? I just went with a fullface black one covered in Sci Fi looking green triangles. The second step? Looking into the elite of Gotham and where they live. Who would it be easier to break into the house of?

Plenty ended up on my list, I looked using the Gotham library computers, again. Played cracked Minecraft while at it. Crazy how this world has so much tech yet doing that is still so easy.

Back on topic, I found a few worthy candidates. Notably a certain Julian Germane. Owner of several factories in Gotham and likely also other places. Multi billionaire of the upper rich class. A lot of money but nowhere near Wayne or Luthor levels.

This guy makes parts for cars, planes, motorcycles… Very convenient for later. In 2009, he got into a case accusing him of cooperating with criminal organizations like Black Mask's boys and Penguin's… birds? He got out of it really fast, I wonder if all that money had anything to do with it. That is how I concluded that he's also making guns, another reason why having him on board would be perfect. You'll understand, just wait.

But things can't be that easy… I can't just break into his manor and tell him I can tell him how to exrend his life by centuries...

Actually, turns out his mansion isn't even fucking guarded. Just a few cameras here and there, nice cars outside, just over the brick walls… The place was so fucking far it took me an hour to reach.

I just climbed over and pulled out my guns. Broke a window and entered. They can call the cops if they really want to. It'll take them a while to come anyway.

"My offer is… Simple, sir Germane. Immortality, youth eternal too… For a price…"

I don't try talking fancy often but... I have to try to actually sound cool, you know?

He was holding his wife close, he looked horrified, so did she.

"What are you talking about?!"

"I offer you power like none other, sir Germane… And I will prove to you that such a power is indeed real."

Bullshiting mode activated!

"I've been around for a very very long time… the modern world is different from what it was when I left it. I need resources. Information. Lots of money. If you can do that for me, Sir Germane… I promise you enough to last you two centuries."

I don't know about that but, whatever.

He was confused, couldn't believe any of it. I tossed him a gun. Holding one of my own in my right hand.

"You will shoot me in the head, Sir Germane. I will die and come back to life in exactly 61 seconds."

There was a look on his face. He wanted to ask me if I was mad. I don't blame him.

"Or alternatively, I can shoot at your lovely wife here…"

BANG. No hesitation? Damn.

There I was, dead again. The Deep Black doesn't look like it used to. It feels like I'm not alone here. It's hard to describe. This is not the moment to start revealing consequences to my powers!

Yet again, I felt it. Warmth. I was feeling a pull, like I was awakening from a dream.

"... Impossible?" The fool said.

"How I laugh at the impossible. I offer you and your loved ones something akin to this. We can negotiate over a nice cup of tea, yes?"

I don't even like tea. Except green tea.

It took a while, he was still scared but eventually, I saw the greed light up in his eyes. By the end of the night, a deal was struck, by the end of the week, I was a multi millionaire. Half of my money was cash too!

The power of money is one that can lead to all others. The Skeleton Key of powers. And now, I too hold it.

I explained my plans to the lovely couple now being my first partners in crime… They would have been more skeptical, had they not seen a man trivialize Jesus before them. They were glad to help when I revealed the information about Lazarus. In addition, it turns out they are part of the court of Owls. Isn't that wonderful?

That means I can keep an eye on these dollard store Illuminati through them.

They also have a daughter, about my age, she looks sweet but I asked them not to tell her anything yet, just in case.

But what did I buy with all that money? Simple. A car. A driver, his name is Dave. Lots of mercenaries to do my bidding... Alright, to look cool, I said it.

Bought weapons and better protection, cops as informants and more. I also upgraded my suit to something much more… Unnecessarily expensive. Because that's what rich people do, right? Snake skin suit, crocodile shoes... Four Rolexes! Don't worry, I didn't waste any more one meaningless crap though. I was tempted to buy a white tiger though.

I felt like some kind of supervillain, going around while always dressed in fancy shit and wearing a mask…

As for the Lazarus? I told them where to find it… let them deal with it. If the league gets involved, I should be safe anyways.

Besides, my grand plans should grant me some more protection from unnecessary deaths.

I didn't stop there naturally. I had old Germane choose a few people of trust to whom he was willing to share the existence of the miracle substance, for a price. By the end of that, I had 1.6 billion dollars. Plus 700 millions in cash.

Now. Do I plan to build an army from the shadows and take over Gotham? No. I can't allow myself to not be a part of the big events in the world. I can't just stay a hidden player.

What I am going to do is become Iron man. Kind of.

So, let's get some people running errands for me, yeah?

First, I paid someone to get me Freezes tech, Germane was glad to provide his surprising insight on the nature of the stuff and how it could be repurposed. I had someone steal the researches of Ray Palmer as well.

I got myself a small two storey building near the botanical garden. Got it furnished to finally be able to live comfortably after years of terrible hygiene and horrible sleeping positions. For the first time, I am now sitting behind my desk, spinning around my chair… I guess I don't care that much about the serious act. Besides, who's gonna stop me?

Four people were guarding me. Two just outside the door and two just inside.

"So, boys… How'd you even get into this… Peculiar business of yours?"

Gotta make sure I sound as fancy as possible. Without overdoing it though.

Wallon talked first, he was at my right.

"For me? Not much to say… I got in for the money…"

The other's name was Todd.

"Same here. To be honest, it wasn't my first choice."

Yes. Something to actually talk about!

"Well… do you intend to share what you would have done instead of a bodyguard?"

"... I would have wanted to be a cop. Here in Gotham too…"

"So I presume you were disillusioned when you learned of the state of law enforcement in this City? Understandable."

Heard knocks at the door. It opened to let in an unexpected visitor.

"Ah? Sir Germane. What is the reason for your visit today?"

Very polite. He waited for permission before sitting. I nearly didn't even realize. I motioned for him to sit down.

"Mister Neo, I've got a lot of great news and one bad one… I'll start with the great news. We collected over the week two hundred liters of Lazarus, nearly enough to fill a tub."

"Hm. That's more than expected."

It might not sound impressive until you remember the size of the fountain. DC villains are stupid, the place wasn't even guarded.

"Next, I've got a warehouse set up for later. The bad news is… that warehouse got destroyed in the attack of Firefly…"

Poor guy looked like he was expecting to get scolded. Is he really seventy? Or do I really look that evil.

"... I guess that's life in Gotham. Get us another one, we'll need a lab, start scouting for researchers in the domains I specified in this list."

"Very well. Thank you sir."

He rose to his feet.

"No. Thank you."

And there I was, bored again. So much to do later yet nothing to do now… And I'm too lazy to actually do anything anyways. Not unless I have to... Or unless my boredom reaches unfathomable depths.

There's still a long way to go, isn't there? How many years before even just the suit is ready? Assuming my plans are even possible at reasonable costs…

In the meantime, I should read up on as much science stuff as I can. After all, the rules can be very different in this universe and I'd rather not be both stupid and ignorant when it comes to the inner workings of the DC multiverse.