Starting With Batman

“Can you see me, Friday?” Charlie asked, his eyes focused on the reflection displayed on his monitor. The face appeared both familiar and foreign under the effects of the new holographic system.

“Yes, sir,” Friday’s calm and efficient voice responded through the speakers, her tone infused with the crisp precision of an AI built for perfection.

“How does the system work? Is it… convincing?” Charlie tilted his head slightly, scrutinizing the lines of the face in the mirror.

“It’s flawless, sir. The facial module is extremely realistic—every minute detail has been accounted for. The skin texture is genuine, the eyes and facial expressions move naturally. In my assessment, there’s no visible flaw,” Friday confirmed.

Charlie fell silent for a moment, staring at the altered reflection. The once familiar face had transformed completely. Instead of Bruce Wayne, the face staring back at him was that of a completely different man—an agent of the Ninth Special Service Division known as Snake.

The transformation was a result of one of Batman’s latest gadgets that Charlie had unlocked—a piece of technology that had taken the concept of disguise to an entirely new level. The holographic digital camouflage was more than just an illusion; it was an advanced system that modified Batman’s external appearance at a molecular level, making him look like anyone he chose, even changing his facial features, height, and clothing.

This was a major upgrade from Batman’s early years of using makeup and acting skills to blend into his surroundings, or the basic disguises Sherlock Holmes once relied upon. With this new tech, Batman could be anyone—man, woman, friend, or foe—thanks to a digital manipulation of light and matter around him.

Just a little while ago, the Ninth Special Service Division’s aircraft had touched down near the ruins, and Charlie, remotely controlling Batman, had infiltrated the group under the guise of Agent Snake. In this covert operation, Batman’s signature cape and cowl were nowhere in sight. His sleek armor was masked by tactical agent gear, making him blend in perfectly with the advance team.

At this moment, he was Snake—one of the handpicked members of the Ninth Special Service Division, someone he had to knock out a second time because he unfortunately woke up too early.

Charlie grinned at the thought. Snake, the real agent, was now, once again, sound asleep in the comfort of his own bathroom after being knocked out by a dose of tranquilizer. Meanwhile, Batman had taken his place and was now walking among the team, fully disguised. The new tech had worked flawlessly.

Charlie couldn’t help but marvel at how Batman’s technology had evolved over the years. At first, his innovations were mostly focused on weapons and utility gadgets, but now they had grown to include adaptations of powers from other superheroes. After all, when Superman’s heat vision became useful, Batman built his plasma cutter. When Wonder Woman’s wristbands could absorb immense power, Batman designed bat wristbands to replicate that ability. And when he saw Martian Manhunter’s ability to shapeshift, Batman began working on holographic digital camouflage.

As “Agent Snake” stood among the other members of the team, Friday hacked into Snake’s body cam to monitor the performance of the disguise. She confirmed that the mask was functioning seamlessly, and none of the other agents seemed to suspect that one of them wasn’t who they appeared to be.

The ruins were unlike any typical structure that Batman had infiltrated before. There were no windows to pry open or ventilation shafts to crawl through like in a corporate building or enemy hideout. The labyrinthine nature of the ruins made it impossible to sneak in undetected, so joining the advance party had been the most strategic option.

The ruins were old, ancient beyond comprehension, and whatever lay beneath them had long been lost to time—until now. The team had landed with the goal of retrieving some form of evidence codenamed A-086, something with potentially devastating power. The team’s mission was clear: secure the evidence, and leave as quickly as possible. Exploration and research would come later, but survival was the first priority.

The plasma drilling machine had just finished boring a hole into the ruins’ outer structure, its massive drill creating a new entrance where there had once been solid earth. The expert team moved in to assess the stability of the passage, scanning for any signs of danger before allowing the advance team to proceed.

Once the safety briefing was over, the advance team, including Batman-as-Snake, began their descent into the mysterious depths of the ruins.

“Hurry up! Keep moving!” an impatient officer barked as Charlie manipulated Batman to move forward in the group.

To be fair, Charlie wasn’t intentionally lagging behind. Controlling Batman in a precise, human-like manner required a level of finesse that went beyond normal gaming mechanics. It wasn’t as simple as charging into battle or moving across rooftops in pursuit of a target. Here, he had to mimic the movements of a real person in a subtle, convincing way. Move too fast, and he might crash into the agent in front of him. Move too slow, and the officers might become suspicious. The fine line of control kept Charlie on his toes.

The ruins were pitch black, with only the occasional flare providing dim, flickering light. Shadows danced across the jagged walls, making the entire area feel ominous and otherworldly. Every footstep echoed, and the deeper they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. It felt like the walls themselves were watching them.

“We’re entering the ruins now,” Ivan Petrov, the team leader, reported through the comms.

“Good,” came Professor Miyazaki's voice over the headset. “Focus on mapping the internal structure. Evidence A-086 remains the priority. We will provide direction from the camp based on real-time data.”

Professor Miyazaki’s tone was sharp and authoritative, the kind of voice that left no room for error. This mission had no room for failure.

“Understood,” Ivan responded, signaling for the team to move forward.

The advance team’s sonar probe began scanning the area, but it would take some time for the mapping process to complete. In the meantime, Agent Duan, who had specialized abilities, stepped forward. Known for her “sonar” talent, Duan could release sound waves to map her surroundings, similar to how bats use echolocation.

With her eyes closed, Agent Duan stood in the middle of the group, releasing a series of low-frequency sound waves that spread out across the ruins like ripples in water. Charlie watched through Batman’s detective mode as the environment lit up in a glowing blue overlay. The waves bounced off walls and structures, slowly forming a picture of the ruins.

However, Duan’s expression twisted in confusion.

“What’s going on?” Ivan asked, noticing the tension on her face.

“This… this place doesn’t make sense,” Duan muttered, her brows furrowing deeper.

“What do you mean?” Ivan walked closer, his tone laced with concern.

Duan’s eyes remained closed, her focus entirely on the feedback from her sound waves. “The structure… it’s massive. Far bigger than anything we expected. But it doesn’t feel like a normal building. It’s too complex, too… organic.”

She hesitated before adding, “It doesn’t feel like a structure at all.”

A shiver ran down Charlie’s spine as he listened. His mind raced through possibilities. Were they standing inside some ancient temple? Or perhaps, something else entirely?

Then, Duan’s expression changed again, this time to one of shock.

“Wait. No… It’s not a building. It’s moving.”

“What?” Ivan snapped, disbelief written across his face. “What do you mean it’s moving?”

“The structure. It’s alive,” Duan said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Something shifted. It wasn’t like this before we entered. It’s as if the ruins have come alive since we arrived.”

The temperature in the air seemed to drop as the weight of her words settled over the team.

“I think we need to leave—now,” Duan suggested, her voice tinged with urgency.

But before anyone could act, the ground beneath them rumbled with a sudden, violent tremor. The sound was deafening as the floor cracked and splintered, throwing several agents off their feet.

Dust rained down from the ceiling as massive chunks of stone broke free, and the entire chamber began to collapse around them.

Ivan shouted above the chaos, “Abort the mission! Everyone, evacu—!”

But another, stronger tremor ripped through the ruins, cutting him off mid-command. This one was even more devastating, as if the very earth itself was tearing apart beneath them. The floor buckled, creating deep fissures that spread across the ground like a web of destruction. Chunks of stone and earth broke away, falling into the darkness below, taking agents with them.

The entire room collapsed, as if the ruins had been waiting for the right moment to swallow them whole.

Charlie barely had time to react as the ground under Batman gave way. Using his enhanced reflexes, he fired Batman’s grappling hook toward a nearby ledge, hoping to find something solid to hold onto. But the ledge crumbled the moment the hook attached, pulling the claw back in a screech of failure.

Charlie didn’t panic. He activated Batman’s cape, the electric current causing the fabric to harden instantly, transforming into a glider. Batman descended gracefully through the collapsing chamber, dodging falling debris as he navigated the chaos.

After what felt like an eternity, Batman landed, rolling to absorb the impact. Rocks and debris continued to rain down from above, threatening to bury him alive.

But Charlie was prepared. Batman’s suit began to vibrate at a high frequency, allowing him to phase through the falling debris. The Alan System kicked in, allowing Batman to escape unharmed as the rocks passed through his intangible body.

“Alan System is operational,” Friday confirmed in her calm, reassuring tone. “Holograms restored.”

In an instant, the image of Agent Snake reappeared, his tactical gear and human form intact once more. The holographic camouflage had seamlessly returned, hiding Batman’s true identity.

The darkness around him was oppressive, but his detective mode activated, scanning the area for signs of life.

Friday’s voice broke through the silence. “It seems the terrain has changed drastically. The team appears to be scattered across different parts of the ruins. I’m detecting interference, making it difficult to pinpoint their exact locations…”

“Wait,” Charlie interrupted, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the display in front of him. “We’re not alone.”

Through the enhanced vision of Batman’s detective mode, Charlie saw a figure marked in orange-red, standing a short distance away from his position.

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Posted up to chapter 175

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